Halloween furright

by Jackie Nippers

Ack! Oh my furz! Runnin' off ta hide from pumpkin monstr!

But in light of day, pumpkin monstr not look so scary.

Dog life same as people life: Tis all about how you look at things. Remember ta keep monstrs and other things in pawspective.

Furget Big Pet Food! Train human carers ta make dog & cat meals!

by @winecountrydog Jackie Nippers

Howlo, dogs and cats. You been nommin' well? You know ta Big Pet Food corporations make big profits but do not use furst-rate foods in their products.

Howl bout let's leave Big Kibble in ta dust! Let's train humans to make healthy homemade meals!

Human carers are easier ta train than they pawbably look. ... You give 'em sad stare effurry time they shop for kibble 'n blechy bits. ... You sit by 'em when they're eating and ask "What makes that yours but not mine?" ... You give 'em big kisses 'n hugs effurry time they offer fresh organic veggies and 'humane' meats and cage-free eggs.

You ave noticed ta human species has opposable thumb? Iz why making pet meals iz not compawlicated. If your human can find kitchen, your human can throw good fresh noms in ta correct pet bowl. BOL . . . Fur sure Mum'd ave lot more ta say bout proper pet nutrition. But Mum not writin' this.

Simple meal: Brekkie fur myself and Meezer and Tawny Tabby waz raw pastured organic beefs and steamed veggie. Got some egg shell too. Today's veggie was non-GMO corn (wot Mumsy cut off cob and chopped a bit). Myself nommed side dish of fresh cooked organic rolled oats.

Not a grain-free K-9. Mywoofself iz furry sensitive dog . . . but NOT gluten-sensitive. My corgwyn kind ave been nommin' ta oats porridge fur hundreds 'n hundreds of years. Ourwoofselves been joined by feral cats and barn cats who nom bits of grain and produce and dairy with their mousies.

Meezer noms a bit of oats. Herself was rescue kitten who grew up nommin homemade meals. Meezer got crazy adventurous palate fur fresh foods! Also got strong abilities ta digest some fibers and veggies. Meezer LUVs her greens: Will tear door hinges off when cravin' fresh outdoor couchgrass. BOL ... But enuff about ta kitty.

What's fur suppaw?

Pawscript: Thanx woofs fur piccie to Special Staff Michele K.

1st Halloween without Old Furbro

by Jackie Nippers Corgi

Grrreat pumpkin monster looks sad this Howloween season 2014.

Meezer kitty luvin Mum's pumpkin soup. But our 1st Howloween without Tilin Corgi be kind o' solemn. Everybuddy missing old furbro.

Tilin always confurronted scary pumpkin monsters and kept us safe on Howloween. 'Ere is brave Tilin confurrontin' pumpkin monster in October 2013, hiswoofself's last Howloween with us.

Myself has got to be brrrave corgi now!

Put ta bitey on scary monsters!

Ooooops. . . . Turns out ta scary alien invaders twere not dangerous. Ackchewlly just cookie monsters wot Mum made spawcifically as Halloween dog treat for mywoofself.

Furry simple recipe, Mum sez:

ALIEN INVADER DOG TREATS
Preparation time 10 - 15 minutes. No cooking involved. Recommended for slim, healthy dogs.

12 Pretzel Rods - allowing one or two rods per dog
(Use fresh pretzels, and preferably organic, e.g. Newman's Own Organics brand.)

6 oz. tub freshly ground, pure Peanut Butter 
(Grind your own PB at local gourmet grocer or food co-op!)

12 pairs Candy Eyeballs
(Look for Wilton brand candy eyeball decorations, which are approx. 0.43 inch diameter.)

Jars or cups - sufficient size and number to hold finished Alien Invaders without touching each other.

• Scrape salt crystals off pretzel rods. Try using fingernail as a scraper. Don't worry about removing every last salt crystal. (A dog should get a bit of salt in her diet -- unless the dog is on a no-salt diet for health reasons.)
• Coat about half the length of each pretzel rod with peanut butter: The coated end will become the alien's head. Dip rod into peanut butter and twirl to coat surface. Or use a tablespoon, dipping it into the PB and spreading it on the rod. Cover the pretzel surface, but don't create a thick PB coat. 
• Press two candy eyeballs into the peanut butter "head" of each pretzel rod.
• Stand finished Alien Invader "head up" in jar so as not to touch other treats. 
• Refrigerate jars of treats right away if not serving immediately. Should be eaten same day.

Paw note: Dogs usually insist that Alien Invaders be attacked and nommed immediately!

LAST WOOFS OF DEAR OLD FURBRO

Mum sez: These are Tilin Corgi's last woofs to the world. He knew that his dogbody was failing. I suggested that he say goodbye. We thought it was a good time to leave. And that, it was.

by @winecountrydog Tilin Corgi

Late Fragment

And did you get what
you wanted from this life even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.

- Raymond Chandler

~~

Distance between us
You’re no longer there
But we watch the same sunset
And breathe the same air

- Judy Dyble

~~

Tis time for young furbro, Jackie Nippers, and Meezer to take offurr paw-writin' and tweetin' and other furriendly activities.

My ancient woofself twere hangin' round till everybuddy got da hang of dooin' walkies in this whirrled without myself. Now myself avin' to go big walkies o'er the Rainbow Bridge.

When you sometimes think of mywoofself, pawleeze remember da causes wot ave been dear to myself:

Loving furriends unconditionally;

Rescuing those who are in trouble;

Lending a helping paw and fostering;

Feeding furriends da healthful fresh whole foods;

Supporting humane treatment of "food animals";

Advocating for preventive + integrative veterinary care;

Barking loudly about animal cruelty + crimes like dogfighting;

Pawin' out info + evac shelter locations for animals + people fleeing disaster;

Visiting wineries + woofin' bout grrreat wine ('specially ones Mum really likes).

Mywoofself been furtunate to doo long good life. Almost seventeen years. Till time to say goodbye, able to doo walkies and nom like two big dogs. Always kept da trim dog figure and enjoyed da homemade raw organic meals.

Grrreat longevity and health, against all odds.

Wot a deep closeness and love myself and Mum ave been avin for so many years. Mum would not, could not (and did not) ask for more from myself than wot ourselves did ave. Twere all good, all pawfect.

Doo not be sad. OK to sulk sometimes. Prefurr you humans doo LOL. . . . Myself will listen from o'er da Bridge for echoes of your human laughter.

Mum told mywoofself to enjoy lot o' laffs o'er da Heavenly Bridge. One BOL after 'nother. You doo know myself twere preceded in death by many comedy makers. Hopin' furry much Mr Robin and Ms Joan will doo their stand-up shows nightly.

Heaven got to be da funniest gig in town. . . . See you at a show sometime?

Wot did you doo for summer vacay?

by @winecountrydog Tilin Corgi

Wot did you doo durin' summer 2014 vacay? Hopin' you had bestest fresh og noms and good walkies!

When ourselves doo travel any pawlaces, Mumsy does pack emergency Go-Bags for all of us. . . . Ani Meezer maows: "Would you like to see my Hissaster Purrep Kitty Pack? MOL." . . . Mum sez: "Yes, Meezer, everybuddy should see your Purrep Pack. Please post pics someday soon."

Ourselves not travel often or furry far this summer. In summer 2013 da wildfire smokes got us many times. Nobuddy wanting to run into wildfires and smokes again.

In summer 2014, da wildland fires in Nor Cal forests and wilderness areas have been widespread and intense. Mum keepin' watchful and sometimes teary eyes on da fires. . . .Mum sez: "I try not to dwell on the suffering of animals and people caught up in this intense period of Western wildfires. But it's not easy to ignore the suffering, especially that of wildlife in the Siskiyous and Cascades."

You doo know summer 2014 is my ancient woofself's 17th summer? Mum did think mywoofself might not be up for big travels. Mum has da concerns bout my stamina effurr since myself's peeky OTRB in Feb 2014. But myself dooin' fine. Fooled you! BOL!!

Ani Meezer did make wee vacay at Jonny Cat clay quarry. Meezer maows: "Liked tour of giant litter boxes. MOL."

Mywoofself watched local campers tryin' to pitch tent. . . . Howl. Tis not MY craft beer. Methinks Mumsy set myself up to look like a doggeh lush. BOL

Furbro Jackie Nippers also watched campers strugglin' to pitch tent. Hiswoofself asked "Is that a pup tent?" . . . OMD BOL! Myself did snort.

Ourselves did roll on grass wit big BOLs. Da campers looked o'er at ourselves as if we be mad dogs. BOL!

Barkin' at Mum for more vacay! . . . But nobuddy need 'nother "vacay day" like earthquake day on 24 August 2014. *Paw prayers* for all folks and furriends in Napa area. . . . Pawleeze make da emergency Go-Bags for pets + everybuddy, as you doo neffurr know when next disaster comin' eh.