Earthly Good-Byes, Rainbow Hellos

Earthly good-byes and Rainbow hellos
What's in between?
They Angels, they know!
And in this good land the love overflows
While sunshine and rain create such a glow

Is there heartache and pain for those left behind?
Do they wonder and worry and wish for more time?
Do they seek peace and grace they can't easily find?

Perhaps, there is comfort
Perhaps, in a dream
We can show them the things not so easily seen
Like the Love in the Rainbow
and its wonderous gleam

Bitter-sweet moments, when it's time to go
For the mystery whose answer we all come to know
Starts with earthly good-byes and Rainbow hellos

A Rainbow poem
by Rainbow pup Jamaica

Got My Cake!

And, being a Rainbow pup, I get to eat it too!

Today is my one year Dogster anniversary and my 4th year of residency at the Rainbow Bridge.

Coming to Dogster as a Rainbow pup, I've opted to not celebrate my Birthday or Gotcha days. To be honest, the folks don't really know my Birthday(they didn't think to ask, although guess it to be in February) and they don't remember my exact Gotcha day (didn't think to mark it as an occasion, but they know it was a day in April)

So today is a special day for me, two occasions wrapped in one day, three if including my Gotcha Day.

To mark the occasion, there are two 'new' pictures on my page. Taken on one of those old fashion cameras with no preview, just film.

Rainbow wags,
Jamaica

River otters rebounding

http://www.sfgate.com
Carolyn Jones
Sunday, April 15, 2012

It's wild times in the watershed.

The most happy-go-lucky denizen of Bay Area creeks is back, after a hiatus of at least three decades: the river otter.

"They look like they're having a wonderful time out there. It's really exciting to see," said Steve Bobzien, a wildlife ecologist for the East Bay Regional Park District. "Plus, it's a really good biological indicator of the health of the ecosystem."

From Antioch to Tomales Bay, park visitors have reported otters rolling in mud, gnawing on crayfish, sliding down rocks and generally partying on the creek banks. A Marin group has even created an Otter Spotter website, where the public can log their otter sightings on an interactive map and learn more about the charismatic carnivores.

"The more we look for otters, the more we find. It seems like they're everywhere," said Megan Isadore, a naturalist from Forest Knoll who started the River Otter Ecology Project and Otter Spotter website. "It's wonderful - everyone loves otters."

Otters were once found in almost every creek and lake in Northern California, but their numbers seriously dwindled until the 1970s because of hunting, habitat loss and pollution. Particularly harmful was mercury, which seeped into the crayfish, clams, mussels and other shellfish that otters dine on.

But the federal Clean Water Act of 1972, California environmental laws, antihunting regulations and open space preservation have helped make the waterways more hospitable for otters. They're still threatened, but they appear to be rebounding, biologists said.

"There's a lot of doom and gloom out there, but every now and then we get something right," said David Herlocker, a naturalist with the Marin County Parks and Open Space District. "We did something to protect our waterways, and it actually worked."

Marin seems to have the biggest concentration of otters, and the population there appears to have skirted the worst of the hunting and pollution impacts. Otters are in virtually every creek and reservoir but especially seem to favor water treatment plants and anyplace with lots of salmon, Herlocker said. They're so plentiful a few have even been hit by cars, prompting at least one "Otter Crossing" sign - on Lucky Drive in Larkspur.

But they're not ones to linger. Otters will scramble over hilltops and valleys, up to 25 miles a day, to find their next feast.

In fact, they usually don't stay in one spot for more than a few days. They might take over an old beaver den or foxhole to nest or relax for a while, but generally they like to keep moving.

In the East Bay, they've been spotted at Jewel Lake in Berkeley's Tilden Regional Park, Brooks Island near Richmond, Garin Park in Hayward, Contra Loma reservoir in Antioch and other parks. They're also relatively common in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

Scientists don't know much about otters' population figures in the Bay Area - no official counts are available - but Isadore hopes to change that. With her Otter Spotter program, she's encouraging members of the public to help document otters' behavior and whereabouts so scientists can identify their corridors and ranges, eating and breeding habits and general population trends. That kind of information will help show a more complete picture of otters' health as a species, as well as a hint of the general state of Bay Area watersheds.

It's not an easy job, though. Otter spotters must be prepared to spend long, silent hours by a creek, notebook and camera at the ready, awaiting a sudden splash off a nearby rock or a furry head popping up from a quiet pool.

Cute as otters can be, however, people should keep their distance. They like to play with each other, but they're not crazy about humans. And they can at times display that displeasure with sharp teeth.

"They're nippy little buggers," Bobzien said. "You don't want to corner them."

The rewards of otter spotting are great, though. When they're in the mood, otters are like the Marx Brothers of the forest.

"They slide and roll and splash," Isadore said. "It appears they do this for no reason at all except to play. Or if there is a reason, they're not telling."

When 'goodbye' brings sorrow and relief

Found this to be a touching e-mail from Petfinder. She does a good job of putting into words what so many humans might feel when it is time to say goodbye. I especially like the part about the pizza:)

*****
Dear Friends,
This week I said goodbye to my sweet hound, Jim, after six years together. I met him as an old, starving, toothless community dog in Costa Rica with numbered days, so I don't think either of us expected a long relationship. But somewhere around the fourth or fifth medical crisis in which the doctor gave him only a few months, I began to feel as if Jim, who kept surviving the unsurvivable, might, in fact, never leave me. So I fell in love with this dog and his quirky hound-dog behavior. But last week Jim had a series of strokes that left him finally unable to bounce back. A wonderful hospice vet met us at our home, and after sharing a whole pizza in his favorite bed, we said good-bye.

Now, my relief and sorrow blur together. Today Jim is not uncomfortable. Today I am not worried about whether Jim is uncomfortable. And although I would never choose to leave Jim, I am overwhelmed by having had the honor of helping him leave me while he felt loved and peaceful (and full of pizza). As for me, I feel smarter, luckier and humbler for having the chance to love my survivor, Jim. *****

This is just the e-mail snippet.
Here is the url for the whole story:
http://www.petfinder.com/blog/2012/04/09/

Diary Pick!

Diary Pick, again?! I have not even been barking much lately! Kind of weird, but thank you HQ!

And congratulations to Lexi & Zak's Wedding Page and Petey, too!

Oh, Dear!

My goodness, my diary has been picked twice since I last visited Dogster! Thanks so much fur the gifts, bones, messages and comments! And I am so happy to have some new/old furiends! Long time furiends of Pepper's that are now my furiends too! Plus a thank you to MrJackFreckles and his family fur the nice picture frames to commemorate the honor!

Rainbow wags,
Jamaica

Champion show dog found neglected in East Oakland

Carolyn Jones
Saturday, March 24, 2012
www.sfgate.com

Once upon a time in Tulsa, Okla., there was a flaxen-haired princess with a coterie of loving attendants, a three-hour-a-day grooming regimen and a room full of trophies.

Fast-forward seven years to East Oakland. That princess - a champion shih tzu show dog named Pup-Pourri's Briana - was found this week staggering along one of the city's meanest streets, tangled in chicken wire and dirt-encrusted dreadlocks, one of the most bizarre animal-neglect cases Oakland animal control officers have ever seen.

"Our best guess is that she was enclosed in chicken wire so tightly she couldn't move, for months if not years," said Oakland Animal Services Director Megan Webb. "But she seemed to have all this training. This air about her. It was strange."

Oakland animal control officers have started piecing together Pup-Pourri's Briana's trajectory. After veterinary staff shaved off the chicken wire and matted fur, treated her skin infections and fed her a decent meal, they checked to see if she had a microchip. She did, and it was registered to a woman named Cheryl Baer in Tulsa.

Baer wept when she heard the fate of one of her favorite show dogs, a creature so beautiful, proud and charming she won best-of-breed competitions in five states. Baer was Pup-Pourri's Briana's groomer for five years, primping her for hours a day with shampoo, conditioner, curling irons and special latex bands for her topknot.

"I am absolutely appalled at what happened to her," said Baer, choking back tears Friday when reached by phone. "A dog that was so loved. ... It's a miracle she's alive."

According to Baer, Pup-Pourri's Briana was born in 1998 in Tulsa, the daughter of a four-time best-in-show sire. Her owners, an older couple who bred and showed shih tzus, hired a handler, as well as Baer, to shepherd the dog to stardom.

And a star she was. For five years, Pup-Pourri's Briana swept through AKC dog shows in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas, collecting ribbons for her smooth gait, spunky disposition and perfect proportions - wide-set eyes, flat high-set nose and luminous locks.

But then the wife developed Alzheimer's and the husband sold the kennel to a breeder in California. After that, no one's quite sure what happened to the pampered pooch.

Until Wednesday. That's when a resident of East Oakland saw Pup-Pourri's Briana hobbling along Thermal Street, just off 98th Avenue, barely able to walk because of the chicken wire enmeshed in her underbelly and rear legs.

Someone had apparently freed the dog from her chicken wire prison with snippers, leaving her to fend for herself on the tough streets of East Oakland.

Meanwhile, Baer hopes to make her first-ever trip to California to adopt Pup-Pourri's Briana and take her home to Tulsa.

"She was such a magnificent show dog," she said. "But now she's up there in age, and she's been through so much. I just don't want to risk seeing anything bad happen to her again."

Worms & Trojans & Bots, Oh My!

Been away from Dogsterland due to battling something attacking the computer. Think it is gone but the computer is not quite the same. Unfortunately, the humom is a little uncomfortable coming to Dogster right now. You see, something similiar happened in 2010 after that relaunch, too. Not blaming but just seems so coincidental.

Working Together Works!

From the CA Department of Fish & Game website

February 7, 2012

A male deer was rescued today from an irrigation canal in north Sacramento,thanks to the help of state and local rescue personnel. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) collaborated with the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District (SacMetro Fire) and the Office of Emergency Services (OES) to save the frightened buck from its unusual predicament.

The buck was trapped in a rain-swollen irrigation canal adjacent to Sunrise Boulevard. He was first spotted by a concerned citizen who called 911. Upon arrival, DFG wardens saw the panicked deer fighting for its life and immediately improvised a rescue plan.

Using a motor boat, a rope and the strength of 10 men and women, the deer was successfully lassoed and pulled to safety on the opposite side of the canal, where a state licensed veterinarian was on hand to inspect and treat it. Though it was exhausted, cold and wet, and had suffered scrapes on its hooves in its effort to escape, the deer was in otherwise good condition, said DFG Warden Patrick Foy.

“I am very pleased and impressed with my fellow first responders at SacMetro Fire and OES,” Foy said. “Our collaborative efforts were well-thought out and rescue personnel safety was an important consideration. Although deer are very good swimmers and can survive for a period of time in the water, it was evident that this strong male buck was exhausting himself and we had a short window of time for rescue.”

After the rescue, the buck was transported and released in the north Sunrise area far from the canal.

Angel Helps His Girl Get Home

This happened back in late January but just sniffed it out today.

By Karen Daily
at Aikenstandard.com

A little bit of luck, good old-fashioned police work and a dog named Angel helped a little girl find her parents after she wandered away from home Sunday afternoon, police said.

On Sunday around 4:30 p.m., a woman called police because she found the 3-year-old girl walking outside with her dog and didn’t see any parents around.

The caller said the girl was dirty and crying and all alone – except for Angel, a small family dog which police said refused to leave her side.

The little girl said she was hungry and had taken her dog for a walk, but she had gotten lost and couldn’t find her way home.

Adding to the concern, she couldn’t tell the officers where she lived, said Sgt. Jake Mahoney, Aiken Public Safety spokesman. She was lost.

Officer Chad Cathcart walked with the little girl around the apartment complex where she was found to try to help her find her home, but they couldn’t find her family, Mahoney said, until another officer came up with an idea.

Officer Jennifer Bickel noticed that the dog was microchipped and had been registered with the City of Aiken. Then, all of the pieces started to fall into place.

The officers called Animal Control and found who had registered the small dog. That residence was nearby, Mahoney explained.

The officers took the girl to the residence and found her family.

The girl’s father admitted to police that he hadn’t realized the little girl had left. He and his wife fell asleep between 1:30 and 4 p.m., and he said he thought all of the doors had been locked. The girl’s older siblings, 5 and 6, were also home, but somehow, police said, she slipped out to walk the dog.

Mahoney said Angel stayed at the child’s side the entire time.

“The dog was very protective of her,” he said. “(The dog) didn’t want to leave her side.”

The girl was checked out by EMS and was OK, Mahoney said. She was a little shaken up, but she didn’t seem to suffer any trauma, he added.

Police said the parents do not face any charges at this time. Mahoney said they called social services, but charges are not likely.