Greta's Haven Pet Rescue

zOMG! Mom says soon we might have more kitties in the house! You know I'm excited, right? Last Christmas I asked Santa for a kitten and I never got one.

I love Adina and Bobbi the resident cats. But Bobbi is really old and Mom says she doesn't appreciate my "exuberance". And Adina is just not in to dogs, you know?

I would love to make more feline friends. Can you all keep your fingers crossed that the kitties make it here safe and sound? Thank

Now, what the heck is this? It is well over ninety degrees and I am HOT!!!! Hello - part husky over here! I pant and pant, I chew ice cubes and sometimes Mom gives me ice cream. So? It is no help. No help at all.

I am pretty tired of this. I think it is time to move to the Arctic circle. Can you help convince my family?

Did you know that bumblebees might be endangered? 

To me, bumblebees are one of the best parts of summer. When I am let out, one of my favourite things to do is lie in the shade of the maple tree and watch all of the activity in the nearby garden. The morning glories practically grow before my eyes! All of the flowers open and close in their designated times. Ants trundle about, avoiding the spiders. But bumblebees are by far the best.

Big and fuzzy, the bumbles glide from flower to flower. As they sup from each blossom they allow the magical process to begin that turns flowers into fruit. They aren't choosy. From tomatoes to zucchini to sunflowers to eggplant, the bees glide.

I can't imagine the summer without bumblebees. I look forward to them in my old age. I want to rely on their comforting buzz throughout my time and I want to know that they continue to flit around the garden even when I'm not around to watch.

Endangered is a frightening word. I think we can all help out... Gardening without chemicals is supposed to be healthier for both nature and those who consume from the garden. With many families making a few small changes, maybe we can all be confident of having bumblebees during sunset in the garden.

Holy cow!!! Did you know that they have a dock at the lake JUST FOR DOGS at the dog park?!?!?!

Mom and Dad took me today. There were a couple of doggies playing ball with their dads so at first mommy wouldn't let me off lead. Instead, she took me to the marshy areas so I could dip my feet. Ha! My feet... I launched my whole body in there and came out looking like one of those two-toned classic cars. I was still totally white on top, but my legs and underneathy bits were black!

Mom decided that I couldn't get back in the car like that and, since one of the ball-playing doggies had left, mom decided to let me loose.

That is all I was waiting for! I bolted for the dock and ran down its length like a greyhound. I didn't so much leap when I reached the end as I just kept running. Hitting the water was a surprise...  water really give way, doesn't it?

As much as my mom tries to stay in shape, she just couldn't keep up with me. I'm lucky that the other dog (a lovely German shorthaired pointer, rrrrowf) was still playing ball with her dad. He was a nice fella. After I got done being a submarine he helped me find the ramp to get back on the dock.

While mom (panting from trying to keep up) thanked him, my dad just laughed at me. Eva just looked at me and grinned. After all, she wasn't silly enough to go in the water.

So, I have this brother that I don't talk about much. Oh, you have one in your family, too?

My brother is a Betta Splendens - more commonly known as a Siamese fighting fish. He is pale pink with red trim and his name is Boo.

It is hard for me to identify with him which I suppose is why I don't talk about him much. We don't have any of the same interests. I, for instance, love a good game of "steal the sock". Boo has never played! I also really enjoy going jogging in the morning. Boo just sits in his tank, blinking (well, sort of; he doesn't have eyelids) at his aquarium light.

But I guess we do have one thing in common. We both dance at dinner time! First all of the kitties get fed. This excites both Boo and I so that we can't stay still. While I wag my tail and do my favourite trick repeatedly (circle - in which I spin in a circle, go figure) Boo sashays and zig-zags and frills his gills in quite the display! My little finned brother and I share a love of food in common and I guess that is enough to make us family.

He often gets fed before me. Does that mean his dance is better?

It has long been conjectured that my house might be haunted. From the time my parents moved in there have been bumps in the night, shadow people in the day and things that just seem a little supernatural.

Then my parents adopted a hedgehog.

The first night that the hedgehog was here, Daddy and I woke to the sound of the faucet running. Under that sound was the additional noise of whispering voices - two of them - in a cadence which seemed to indicated a disagreement of some kind. Thinking that someone had broken in to the house, Daddy got out of bed and was ready to confront the intruders. The noises lasted until Daddy was outside the room where the hedgehog lives. Then, all was quiet. Daddy entered the room and found nothing.

Isn't it funny how in the day, when the sun is shining, nothing seems so serious?

The following night Eva woke Mom with some quiet growling and little muffled barks. As Mom struggled out of sleep herself, she reached out for Eva thinking that Eva was dreaming and needed comfort. Eva was wide awake. Mom noticed light coming in through the bedroom door. It was just like as though the light in the hedgehog room was on! And instead of whispering voices, which seem to carry so well in the dark, the voices were merely lowered an a close conversation.

Eva could take no more - she barked and ran from the bedroom. As the light went out, Mom followed her into the hedgehog room where she found... only the hedgehog.

There hasn't been any activity since. Maybe our ghosts were just surprised to see someone awake in the night with them? I guess we'll never know.

I love spring. There are so many amazing smells... then the squirrels come out and go crazy and all the birds are singing. Mom sings too when she weeds the garden. But she yells at me when I pee on the daffodils. Can she blame me? I like to add my scent to things that smell so good!

This might be the best time of the year because we start going for lots and lots of walks. The trees are greening. The way it starts is just fascinating. First a hazy mist of olive surrounds the branches but then soon it seems that something of substance is there. Then, before you can even blink, leaves unfurl and you know that the trees will make excellent summertine shade.

Spring cleaning is probably the only thing I don't like. Mom puts me outside and proceeds to scrub the house of all the familiar smells. She even washes the curtains! She complains that they smell of tofu miso - and whose fault is that? No one but her in this house likes tofu anyway!

We've already gotten a couple of kitten season calls. We want to help them all but we have to be prudent. So the humans say, anyhow. I am eager to get my paws on some kittens. I'll lick them and love them and bring them up to be the good little dogs that they aren't.

I just started a new obedience class with my mom! It is so much fun and I am making new friends. My new best friend is a samoyed named Bacardi. He is so cool because he is as big as I am and he knows how to play just right! There is also a puppy named Dewey who is so smart for such a little tyke and a young dog named West who is good at everything. I'm kind of out classed when it comes to doing my tricks as asked, but that won't stop me from having a great time!

I can't wait until next week. It is supposed to be warm and sunny on class day which means we might go on a field trip. Maybe we will go to the park and chase squirrles. Oooh! Or maybe we can take a walk in town and get some ice cream! Whatever we do I just can't wait!!!

Mom and Dad are excited for the springtime so mom bought some leashes that attach to their bicycles. Supposedly this will allow Eva and I to run and burn off plenty of energy while allowing Mom and Dad to keep up with us.

Mom says if they like the product they will post a link on the website. So stay tuned for updates (and maybe some pictures of my awesome physique!)

Update 3-27-10: I love love love the walky dog!!!! I finally get to run and zoom like a husky dog should. Mom can almost keep up with me on her bike. You should see her lame attempts to let me run when she takes me jogging with her. Her fastest sprint barely gets me in a trot. Seriously - how did you humans manage to avoid going extinct? You're not exactly the swiftest runners or the best fighters.

One note - Eva is sort of afraid of the bicycle. If you have a dog that isn't sure, go slowly and give plenty of praise. You can even give a frightened dog small bits of treat while you go, just don't go faster than the dog can walk and be careful not to give large treats or a large amount of small treats. You don't your dog to get a tummy ache or - worse - bloat.

Apparently there was some big animal cruelty investigation in some other state. I don't remeber which, but I know it is hot and people wear huge hats there. Anyway, so I heard that my auntie is going to be fostering six - that's right SIX - hedgehogs rescued from this situation.

I'm really worried about my cousin, Link. He already lives with one hedgehog. I've never seen one myself but Link says they are kind of like potatos only pointy. I like potatos (oh, especially french fries!!) as much as the next guy but I don't think I'd like one that would stick going down, you know?

I sometimes wonder at my mom and her family. I mean, who wants a pet that you can't snuggle without being made bleed? Mom says it isn't so bad as all that. She says that hedgehogs are intelligent and inquisitive little creatures and that they make great companions.

Well, so what? They won't lick your face and then clean up the kitty litter for you (or vice versa) like a dog!