Ode to Puddin, If You Please

Puddin, if you please,
Oh pretty girl,
A Tortie swirl
A cocoa and caramel breeze.

Puddin, if you will,
Sparkling eyes that
Tell no lies
Embrace many secrets still.

Puddin, if you wish
Upon a star,
Dreams near and far
And sweet treats in your dish.

Puddin, if you please
So reticent and shy,
My Puddin Pie
Truly the Bee’s Knees.



Top Ten Songs About Horses

A new Top Ten list is posted every Monday. If you have a suggestion for a Top Ten, send it to petpurri@gmail.com. If we use your suggestion we'll send you a prize!

1. Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones
2. A Horse With No Name - America
3. Bring On The Dancing Horses - Echo and the Bunnymen
4. A Horse In The Country - Cowboy Junkies
5. Silver Stallion - The Highwaymen
6. Horses In My Dreams - P.J. Harvey
7. Wildfire - Michael Martin Murphey
8. Two White Horses - John Lee Hooker
9. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses - U2
10. The Horses - Rickie Lee Jones

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Black Horse and the Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall
Heavy Horses - Jethro Tull
Tennessee Stu - Johnny Cash
Commanche the Brave Horse - Johnny Horton
Let That Pony Run - Pam Tillis
Strawberry Roan - Marty Robbins
I Ride an Old Paint - Arlo Guthrie

** SUPER SENIOR SARGE **

CUTIE, REPORTING FOR DUTY!

Meet SARGE! SARGE is a dashing and debonair Super Senior - sweet, gentle and good-natured. This handsome fellow is housetrained, enjoys long walks and visiting with friends. In fact, when SARGE is out in the big play yard, he usually sticks close by his people. SARGE will make a fabulous confidant and companion. Do you have room in your home and heart for SARGE?

Note:  SARGE appears to be in good health, and shows only the usual signs of age; i.e., some missing teeth and cloudy eyes.

Impound No.: A1271015

German Shepherd Mix

Male

10 Years Old

Weight: 65-lbs.

Impound Date: 12/10/11

HARBOR ANIMAL CARE CENTER
957 N. Gaffey Street, San Pedro, CA 90731
(310) 548-2632 or (213) 485-8789

contact harborfriends@gmail.com

Top Ten Songs About Cats

A new Top Ten list is posted every Monday. If you have a suggestion for a Top Ten, send it to petpurri@gmail.com. If we use your suggestion we'll send you a prize!

  

1. The Siamese Cat Song - Peggy Lee (from Lady & The Tramp).
2. The Cat in the Window (The Bird in the Sky) - Petula Clark
3. The Cat Came Back - The Muppets
4. Tom Cat - The Rooftop Singers
5. Stray Cat Strut - The Stray Cats
6. Walking My Cat Named Dog - Norma Tanega
7. Everybody Wants to Be a Cat - Scatman Crothers
8. Mean-eyed Cat - Johnny Cash
9. The Lovecats - The Cure
10. The Year of the Cat - Al Stewart

The Siamese Cat Song Video

HONORABLE MENTIONS

What's New Pussycat - Tom Jones

Nora's Cat - Joe Mesiano

Alley Cat – Bent Fabric Cat-Song – Laura Nyro
The Kitty Cat Song – Lee Dorsey
The Pussy Cat Song (Nyow, Nyow, Nyow!) – Jo Stafford and Gordon
     MacRae
Feline – Bobby McFerrin

BROWNIE, Lumberjack of Love,

Needs Rescue from South LA Shelter

Brownie (A0827898, 6 years young and 85 hefty pounds, a bit more than he needs) is a lumberjack of love.  A husky honey.  A perfect pal.  And a smiling sweetheart whose grin lights up the room.  Walk by Brownie's cage and you will immediately be drawn to his grinning frontside and his wiggling backside.  Although he is middle-aged, this slightly well-rounded cream puff still has the playfulness of a pup -- but in subdued tones.  Brownie would make a great companion and might even be considered for a career as a therapy dog.  He's that mellow and that soulful and that sweet.  There is no way to resist that face!!!!!  Take a look at his video and see if you don't agree.

http://youtu.be/z5GfMEibdro

You can meet Brownie at the South L.A. shelter  3612  11th Ave.  L.A.  90018   (213) 485-0117  or  -0119.  And please let me know if you do adopt / rescue, as people always ask about the fate of the dogs that are networked.  Thanks so much, Andrea    ivegonetothedogs@gmail.com     (323) 363-4909

The Name Game

What's in a name?  You'd be surprised how much a name can affect the adoption prospects of a dog or cat.

Like most shelter volunteers I cringe when I see dogs or cats turned in with names like "Danger" or "Demon."  I recall one particularly unlucky animal that was dumped with the name "No Chance."  And needless to say, names such as those are, and should be, quickly changed.  If the animal is responsive to the name, a like-sounding name is chosen.

Much of the public already views shelter animals as damaged or not as good as a "bought" animal - even in the case of obvious purebreds.  Recently, the General Manager of LAAS commented that the handpicked shelter animals in the new West Los Angeles adoption center were "store quality."  Huh?

The Name Game applies to rescue animals as well.  Rescues often change the names of their rescues to make them more adoptable. 

But what it really comes down to is:  The only name that really matters is the name given to a companion animal by a loving and caring owner.  Hopefully, someday all shelter animals will have one.

And that's Wednesday's Woof. 

Top Ten Songs About Dogs

A new Top Ten list is posted every Monday. If you have a suggestion for a Top Ten, send it to petpurri@gmail.com. If we use your suggestion we'll send you a prize!

1. I love My Dog - Cat Stevens
2. Snoopy vs. The Red Baron - The Royal Guardsmen
3. Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone? - Septimus Winner
4. The Dog Song - Nellie McKay
5. Me and You and a Dog Named Boo - Lobo
6. Blue - Peter, Paul & Mary
7. Old Blue - Traditional, recorded by The Byrds
8. Scooby Doo Theme Song - Larry Marks
9. Old Shep - Elvis Presley
10. Lonely Pup in a Christmas Shop - Adam Faith

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Dixie the Tiny Dog - Peter Himmelman

Echo Mountain - James King
Bruno's Theme - Ben Charest
Dog - The Eddie Adcock Band
Shannon - Henry Gross
Lassie - Best Friends Are Forever - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Sneaky Squirrel Can't Jump

Sneaky Squirrel has long skinny legs.  His best friend Kumquat has short little stumps.  Yet, Sneaky Squirrel can't jump, not at all, while Kumquat gets big air.  Just as with people, it's all about believing you can do something.

I first realized Squirrel couldn't jump while reading in bed one night.  Kumquat jumped onto the bed with ease (much to the cats' displeasure) and plopped himself smack dab in the thick of things.

Sneaky Squirrel remained on the ground, staring up with his big brown eyes.  I thought in time he would jump, but the most he has ever done is to stand nervously on his hind legs.  No amount of enticement ever gets Squirrel to leave the ground.   

Sometimes I take the two little ones to the store.  Kumquat readily jumps into the car.  Squirrel stands looking - occasionally he'll stand on his hind legs and put his front paws on the seat, but he never makes an effort to jump in.

My Sneaky Squirrel is the most mild-mannered, well-mannered dog I have ever known.  I have never heard him bark, not even once.  Sometimes I think he's that way because he doesn't want to be noticed, he wants to be invisible in case the bad times aren't over. 

How sad that Squirrel's little feet have never left the ground.  Hopefully one of these days, Sneaky Squirrel will realize that not only can he jump, he can bark and do lots of fun things.  He just needs to believe.

Pet Photos – Not Just For Christmas Cards

Memories - lovely to have them, but better yet when they're accompanied by photos.

How many of us get that "money shot" of our pets for a Christmas card or screen saver, and then put the camera away?  Once satisfied we have taken the perfect photo, do we take candid photos throughout the year?

We should.  Pets, whether they be dogs, cats, bunnies or snakes, are often here today, gone tomorrow.  We don't like to think about it, but it's true.  Make sure you have lots of photos to remember all your loved ones, in all stages of their lives and in all their goofy glory, whether in the precocious puppy or senior stages of life.

Not long ago a friend lost a beloved elderly pet.  She was surprised to find that, although she thought she took many photos over the years, she actually had few photos and the ones that she had were framed in a Christmas card. 

You don't need an expensive camera - just click away with your cell phone if need be.  Make a cheesy on-line photo album or music video.  There are plenty of free websites (see links below) that let you get creative and celebrate your pet at the same time. 

Memories - have them in your heart - and at your fingertips.

Animoto

Smilebox

Flicker

Picasa

Top Ten Reasons Spooning Is Better With a 4-Legged Friend

A new Top Ten list is posted every Monday. If you have a suggestion for a Top Ten, send it to petpurri@gmail.com. If we use your suggestion we'll send you a prize!

1.   You won't be judged for the way you look with no makeup on.
2.    Morning breath won't be an issue (theirs is usually worse).
3.    Their feet aren't cold (no, cuz they're furry).
4.    It doesn't matter if you snore.
5.    A furrry friend will never have to jump up and rush off to work.
6.    They [usually] don't hog all the covers
7.    Your furry friend will often gaze into your eyes and confirm that
       you are wonderful.
8.    You will almost never be refused a spooning.
9.    They don't get jealous if you spoon with others (whether the
       4-legged or 2-legged variety).
10.  Your furry friend won't ruin the spoon moment by saying
       something stupid.

(Spooning = Cuddling)

And if you aren't lucky enough to have at least one furry friend with which to spoon, visit your local shelter and adopt!  There are many seniors in need who are quite experienced in the art of spooning.

Party All Night, That's Right!

Wow, what a New Year’s party we had!  We had noisemakers, risk takers, hip-shakers and cookie bakers.  There was dancing, prancing and even a little romancing.  And when the clock struck midnight, it was bedlam.  Well, it was probably bedlam somewhere. 

In actuality, my party consisted of several cranky senior dogs and even crankier spoiled cats.  The noisemakers were mostly annoyed cats who didn’t want to wear silly hats and t-shirts.  And the risk takers – Kumquat and Silly Squirrel - littles who made several valiant attempts to pass Puck on the stairway landing, failed but failed big.  And the cookie bakers, led by Lillie-Belle, spent a good amount of time kneading dough and “making cookies” on my belly.

Opie and Little Mess made googly eyes at each other, and we all danced a little to Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve.

Yup, it was a party all right, one of the best I’ve ever attended.  Too bad you missed it!

Wishing everyone a healthy and Happy New Years, from the Petpurri Posse.