Some of you, if not all of you, know about the horrendous things done to Pit Bulls. This is another example of animal abuse. Generally it is not the breed that makes a dog aggressive, it is the people who have no feelings for animals. Pit Bulls are as you know are used in underground dog fighting rings. Large sums of money pass through the hands of the dog fighters and the people who bet on the dogs. Eldad Hagar believes Cadence was used as a bait dog.
I cried as I watched this sweet dog get a second chance for a life that I’m sure she had never known. What a wonderful rescue from a life of abuse. Either the dog got away or had been dumped for not being aggressive enough. Also, she had some extremely bad injuries and this makes the animal expendable and of no further use. What ever the case, lady luck smiled on her when she was seen by some very kind people who contacted Eldad Hagar of Hope for Paws.
This is an aside and has nothing to do with my lazy way out till I finish work on a long post. I’ve been working a bit at a time since my days are filled with so much pet care and I have little time and energy left after 8pm when I am mostly finished with pet chores for the day.
I’ve had back and forth ID problems as I’ve attempted to determine 2-3 butterfly species. Of course that has nothing to do with this video that I think is so darn cute. I figured I had better throw something out lest this blog site totally dry up. Most days there about 2-3 visitors and that is just “plum pitiful.”
I hope whoever drops in will find this video worthy of a look. It is cute for sure and I’ve had the same thing happen in my house with a cat or two who seem to love the smell of a dog’s bed and thus find it more appealing than a bed of their own. Cats are so bold and have no problem going to sleep on one of my dog’s bed or in a favorite chair.
I initially saw this video on Paulette Mahurin’s blog. Paulette and her husband Terry have been involved in dog rescue for about 28 years or more. She is donating all proceeds from her book, “The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap,” to a no-kill shelter in Ventura county, California.
The idea for this book came about while Paulette was taking a creative writing course and her teacher showed the class a picture of two women back in the 1890’s. The class was asked to look at the pic and write a story that involved a secret and maybe a mystery? Anyhoo that was Paulette’s original story which took on a life of its own while researching for the assignment. I may not have all of this exactly right but that is the gist of how her book began. It is a good one and has over 200 reviews on Amazon.
Late one afternoon I was walking about the yard with my camera and not expecting to see any hummingbirds when I heard the unmistakable sounds of 2 hummers that were squeaking and tweaking. I watched in fascination as they darted in and out of the Mexican Bush Sage that grows in my old garden plot about 250 feet from my house. I did not have my tripod and wished that this time I had my very old trusty camera support. These pics were shot with my canon 200mmm kit lens and of course, here I go again- they would be better with at least a 300mm L series but alas I do not have the lens that I had counted on getting. I let it go back to be put in the case for sale. Just got afraid to spend the money when my daughter’s health insurance was no longer in the federal government pool. This is an aside here but we have no idea what insurance company we can get for her or what it will cost. Therefore I could not blithely spend 1,500 smacker roos on a camera lens. But one day…
Back to the hummers. The Black Chinned and the Ruby Throated females and immatures are very difficult to identify and even experts sometimes have a problem. After taking notes from my photos, I might, later, be able to identify which is which. The hummers in the pics are not all of the same bird. The hummer feeding on the Skyflower appears to be an immature male but which one I know not. 🙂
The last pic is of the little hummer snagging/shagging an insect. (“In baseball, shagging is the act of catching fly balls in the outfield outside the context of an actual baseball game.[1] This is most commonly done by pitchers during batting practice before the ball game,[2] where they assist their hitting teammates by catching or picking up their batted baseballs and throwing them back to the pitching area in the infield. Batboys also help shagging baseballs, and it is reportedly considered a great honor among batboys to be asked to do this.”) {Source Wikepedia} You can see its long tongue that grabbed perhaps a fly, mosquito, gnat, or whatever. I like that pic a lot and will probably never get another one of the bird’s tongue reaching out to feed without moving its body. A stunning aspect of nature. 🙂
Note: Linda of Shore Acres http://shoreacres.wordpress.com/ included the Shag video in her comment and I have taken the liberty to include it in this post. The dance is great entertainment to watch. Be sure to check out Linda’s blog as a source for some fascinating reading and information. She is an excellent writer.
A “hover around” feeding on Mexican Bush Sage. A female or immatire Black chinned or Ruby throated Hummingbird. I believe it to be a Black Chinned but I could be very wrong. I don’t have all the field ID marks. There were 2 hummers who fought over the flowers until one flew away.
This hummer sat on a dead sunflower branch and shagged skeeters or other insects as they swamed nearby. Fascinating to watch.
A humdinger feeding on Skyflower (Duranta) A plant that has been one of THE BEST for attracting butters and hummers.
Black chinned or Ruby throated Hummingbird (female or immature)
A humdinger feeding on Mexican Bush Sage
These species very difficult to identify. I’ve tried for days comparing pics and field notes and still have no identity.
Immature or a female Black chinned or Ruby Throated Hummingbird. Very difficult to identify positively
Another poem to add to a group of pet loss poems. This was sent to me by Vicky- blog site at http://vicshill.wordpress.com/ who lives in Great Britian. She recently lost a very dear friend- her beloved dog. I’m so sorry for her loss.
To Become as Generous and Loving as a Dog
It came to me that every time I lose a dog,
they take a piece of my heart with them….
And every new dog who comes into my life,
gifts me with a piece of their heart.
If I live long enough, all the components of
my heart will be dog …
and maybe
I will become as generous and loving as they are.
Pets, People and, Life 