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?

RIP Rita Miljo, wildlife conservationist of African baboon sanctuary C.A.R.E.

by winecountrydog Tilin Corgi

We would like to remember conservationist Rita Miljo, renowned for caring for orphaned and injured wildlife and for reintroducing baboons into the wilds of South Africa.

Ms Miljo was the founder of C.A.R.E. -- the Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education -- in the bush of Limpopo province, on the banks of the Olifants River near Phalaborwa in the Northern Province, about 250 miles northeast of Johannesburg.

On 27 July 2012, Ms Miljo died in a fire which destroyed much of the headquarters of C.A.R.E. Ms Miljo was 81 years old, and had been working in Africa since 1953. Three of her beloved baboons died with her in the tragic fire.

Here is Rita Miljo speaking in a 2007 video interview by wildlife-nannies.com:

"You can never over-spoil a baboon. The more love you give him, the more love he gives you back."

A lovely quote from a very caring human. Rest in peace.

RIP Lennox dog

by winecountrydog Tilin and family

Today, 11 July 2012, Lennox dog was destroyed by Belfast City Council.

Lennox was not a 'dangerous dog.' He was a victim of humans who had the power to apply BSL in the cruelest way possible.

We hope that Lennox's legacy will be to galvanize solidarity for BSL repeal. May there be a new era of dog laws that focus on curtailing 'dangerous owners' rather than on banning dog breeds.

We will remember Lennox always.

Condolences to Caroline and Brooke Barnes.
RIP Lennox.

RIP beloved Molly Murray ~ landlady of Tuscany, lover of dogs

by winecountrydog Tilin Corgi

RIP beloved Molly Murray ... aka @Amalari.

Molly's last-ever twitter bio reads: "X UK & USA Freelance journalist, author. Politics, music, animals, food, photography, history. Green. Sinfully lazy."

Aka @Amalarian, her previous twitter bio reads: "Freelance journalist, author, idler, landlady of Tuscan vacation house. Politics, books, food, animals. Not selling anything"

Aka our beloved twitter friend of three years, a grrreat friend to dogs, a superb writer, an insightful and moving photographer. Armed with great intellect and wit. Ruff on the outside when necessary. Kind beyond measure. Always helping the underdog. Radiating a mischievous energy, revealed by the twinkle in her eyes.

Molly spent a grrreat deal of time during her last year taking a photo a day and posting to her blipfoto journal. If you read through the hundreds of comments on Molly's last blip photo, a photo of Luigi dog, you know that Molly became as beloved in the blipfoto community as she was by her twitter followers.

Below is a copy of one of Molly's last dog photos, in which she does capture the sweetness and intelligence of a young Italian pupster.

Molly titled this photo simpawly "Tuscany: Puppy in profile."

Read wot a fellow tweep of Molly's has to say bout twitter friends, refurring to her friendship with Molly:

"The thing about twitter is, some people you just click with straight away ... you feel you are real friends with someone you have never met, but feel you know them. And how easy it is to talk to people you can't see."

To know of someone here and there whom we accord with, who is living on with us, even in silence—this makes our earthly ball a peopled garden. ~ Goethe (Quote contributed by our Mum.)