So I haven’t posted in awhile. I think I have valid excuse(s). Currently I am sitting at the datacenter. Freezing. Waiting for a user to finish her processing so I can do some server maintenance. It’s 1 in the morning.
I hate month end.
admin | 
30 April 2008 | 
30
AprilStrange Sightings Thursday
Yes, I realize its not quite Thursday, but I couldn’t wait any longer to post this priceless gem.
Yesterday morning my phone rang - when I checked the caller ID, it said HARD PIMP. Yes. That is what it said. Followed by a Dallas area code. I didn’t answer the call, but Blake and I had a good laugh.
Then HARD PIMP called back. When I answered with my business voice (this is my business line after all) - HARD PIMP stammered, said he had a wrong number, then hung up. Today HARD PIMP called again. This time Blake answered, only to find a woman on the other end of the line. When Blake asked what number she was trying to dial, she seemed to have no idea.
So here is to you, Mr or Mrs HARD PIMP. Thank you for keeping me entertained.
On a side note, I guess this is better than when I would receive the Lubbock County Correctional Facility calls in the middle of the night. I’m moving up in the world!
9
AprilStepping on to my Soapbox
By now everyone is aware that I have a bleeding heart for dogs. If I see a stray in our neighborhood, I can’t shake it from my brain. When we first got our own dogs and then again shortly after we moved, I had dreams about trying to protect them from puppy-stealing intruders. In short, I love dogs.
That is why I cannot understand all of the stories I’m reading about animal abuse. It seems every day I run across another story about someone who has beaten a dog, thrown a dog off an overpass, left a dog out in the yard permanently with little food or water. I’m sorry, but these people are worthless. If you cannot or will not care for an animal, turn it over to your local SPCA. There are many no-kill shelters now that work hard, relying mostly on volunteers, to place animals in homes instead of euthanizing. And still these stories persist in the news. It makes me sick. Here is just a sampling of stories I’ve seen recently.
Man Beat Dog Before Teeth Filing - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23908163/
Dog thrown off I-15 overpass - http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=2952579
Puppy mill, hoarding - http://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/13358/AZ/US/
And one I can’t get out of my head from 2006 - Mercy - http://www.nbc5i.com/news/8947003/detail.html
In our own neighborhood I often see strays and it breaks my heart. Because we already have 2 dogs and many strays have communicable (but curable) diseases, I can’t bring these animals into my home. I hope that if I’m ever able to befriend one of them, I’ll be able to quickly find them a foster or a no-kill shelter who can assist. One neighbor recently took in a stray who was seen being thrown from the back of a pick up truck, right before the truck sped off. The dog wandered the neighborhood for a few days before our neighbors took her in. She has the sweetest personality and is so well-behaved - I can’t believe anyone could find a reason to want to throw her from a truck. Another neighbor recently saw a homeless man hit a stray dog with a stick. The poor animal probably had a family at one point and was just looking to make a friend and maybe get some food - and instead he was hit! I can’t even express how upset I was to hear that story.
The way to correct this situation requires a lot of resources. People need to be educated on proper animal care - including spay and neuter, appropriate shelter for outdoor animals, etc. Also, I feel stronger consequences for people convicted of animal cruely or neglect are necessary. You wouldn’t leave your child without food or water - why is it okay to do that to an animal?
As I prepare to step off of my soapbox, I leave you with two stories of people who are getting it right. One is an essay by Rawlings Gilliland about rescued dogs, the other is to a brief about Oprah and her upcoming show on puppy mills.
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April |