My dog is jealous

Posted on 13. Jul, 2010 by kchristieh in animals

My dog may be jealous of this pooch we saw recently, but he’s too short to drive anyway. Besides, I’ll have my hands full teaching my son to drive for the next few months.

Do not pity a shelter dog. Adopt one.

Posted on 16. Apr, 2010 by kchristieh in advertising, animals

Shelter dogs aren’t broken.
They’ve simply experienced more life.
If they were human, we would call them wise.
They would be the ones with tales to tell, stories to write.
Do not pity a shelter dog.
Adopt one.

Pedigree’s “Heroes” commercial, part of its Adoption Drive.

Best commercial I’ve ever seen.

Don’t watch “The Cove” with your dog

Posted on 06. Apr, 2010 by kchristieh in animals

Partway through the Academy Award-winning documentary “The Cove“, a diver sidles up to a wild dolphin and rubs its belly. When we saw this, our whole family said the dolphin reminded us of our dog, Ricky. So it’s no wonder that, when the movie got tense, our normally fearless dog freaked out and started trembling. He had good reason: the movie showed the violent methods used to capture dolphins for animal shows at parks such as SeaWorld. We also learned that the dolphins that weren’t “lucky” enough to be chosen would be killed and, despite the dangerously high levels of mercury in their bodies, sold as food for humans. I took Ricky to the living room to calm him down, but he cowered under the coffee table and kept looking back at the family room. Eventually I took him outside and let him run around until the movie ended. He was still shaking slightly when he went back inside, but when he realized the movie was over, he stopped.

When my teens summed up what happened during the movie when I was out of the room, by son said that the dolphin hunting was “like eating orange chicken with one chopstick. Poke, miss, poke, miss.” He’s an eloquent young man.

I’ve been to my fair share of dolphin and orca shows at SeaWorld, but now I’d feel guilty if I ever went again. In fact, I’d feel guilty giving SeaWorld any of my money. I hope that they and other sea life and animal parks improve the conditions of their capturing practices, and if they can’t keep an animal in a setting that approximates the animal’s natural habitat, that they don’t keep the animal in captivity. If you don’t agree, please watch “The Cove” and see if it changes your mind.

By the way, the night after we watched “The Cove”, Ricky started shaking soon after we started watching “24″. He finally calmed down when I turned him around so he wasn’t facing the tv. This is definitely a G-rated dog.

Here’s the trailer for “The Cove”:

My new friend, Goldie

Posted on 12. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, my life

If you saw a stray dog with a collar walking up the street, what would you do?

Last week I was meeting with some clients when the doorbell rang. A man was standing at my door with my little dog in his arms. Unbeknownst to me, Ricky (pictured to the right) had dug under the fence and run down the street and into this man’s yard. Thankfully, Ricky’s very friendly and non-threatening, so the man felt comfortable picking him up. Ricky has no idea how dangerous the traffic on our street is, so I’m very grateful to the man for bringing him home.

I had the opportunity to pay the favor forward a few days ago. I was in a different part of town when I saw a medium-sized dog trotting up the street. I parked the car and called the dog over. I figured that if it came to me on its own, it was probably a friendly dog. I was right: she came over and willingly hopped into my car. (see the pictures to the right) When I checked her collar, I found out her name was Goldie and that she lived two blocks away, so I drove her home. No one was there, so I called the number on her tag. The man who answered said that I could find a tether in the backyard, so I retrieved it and used it as a leash to guide her home.

It only took a few extra minutes to help Goldie out, but I still feel good about helping her and her owner. I hope that the next time my dog gets out, someone does the same.

Doesn’t she look happy? I think she was hoping we’d go on more of an adventure.

I love how she has one ear up and one ear down.

Ashes to ashes, and now to my house

Posted on 28. Oct, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, local news

Yesterday’s strong winds blew so much ash off the local mountains that the skies above La Canada looked like a storm was brewing. It’s good that there wasn’t a storm, as we’re not eager for the debris that is likely to flow down the canyons that were ravaged by the recent Station Fire, but it would be nice to have a little rain to wash away some of the ash that landed everywhere.

My dog wasn’t bothered by the ash. He just jumped right over it. Someday I’ll get a better action shot of him jumping like a gazelle. He does this every time he comes inside.

All of that blackness is ash and dust. It makes me wonder exactly what burned to cause it.

What would you do with a squirrel with a broken leg?

Posted on 08. Oct, 2009 by kchristieh in animals

I knew something was up when I called my little dog to come inside last night and I didn’t hear him. He has so much bling (aka tags) on his collar that I can usually hear him from across the yard. I grew worried, afraid that he’d escaped into the darkness. My son finally found him in the corner of the yard, with a young squirrel in his mouth. Thankfully, he dropped the squirrel and came running to me, so I put him inside and pondered what to do with the squirrel.

The squirrel was still alive, but it appeared to have a broken back leg. It limped about, and couldn’t climb a tree or a fence. We were in a hurry to go out, so I had to decide quickly. I figured I had two choices:

1. Kill the squirrel
2. Let the squirrel live until it died on its own

It was so cute. It looked like the picture on the right. I took an actual picture of it, but I don’t think you want to see it.

I let the squirrel live. My son used a shovel to cajole it into a long box we had in our garage, and we dumped the squirrel onto a bed of leaves in a neighbor’s yard that doesn’t have a dog. (and doesn’t read this blog) I didn’t want to leave it in our yard, for fear that my dog would find it and finish it off.

Maybe I should have whacked it with the shovel so that it wouldn’t suffer. I just couldn’t. Maybe I’m a wimp, or a softie, or just a naive product of suburbia.

It was sad.

15 Life Lessons I Learned From My Dog

Posted on 16. Sep, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, my life

When my sweet dog Genevieve died just over a year ago, I cried for days. Ever since we’d adopted her over 11 years before, she’d been my constant companion. She was rarely more than five feet from my side, and she was my office mate who sat on the couch as I did all the work. She lived a good, long life – perhaps 16.5 years – but in the end an enlarged heart did her in. It was only fitting, because she captured everyone’s heart.

We honored Genevieve and the place she had in our hearts by adopting another dog within eight days. As I look back on it, I can’t believe we adopted another dog so quickly, but Genevieve left a big hole, and I wanted to try to fill it quickly. I went to five local animal shelters, and at each one I asked them to show me their friendliest small dog. Some of the dogs they showed me didn’t show much interest in being social, and at other shelters the workers and volunteers had so many animals on hand that they didn’t know enough about them to help me. Finally, at the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society, several workers independently pointed to an adorable little guy whom I’d passed by the first time I saw him. They were right: he’s a love sponge, and a year ago today we brought him home with us. We named him Ricky, and he’s brought great joy to our family and to all who have met him. He’ll never replace Genevieve, but he honors her by filling in his own way the role that she played in our family.

Here’s what Ricky’s taught me in the last year:

1. Life goes on. I miss Genevieve dearly, but Ricky has helped me to focus on the present, not on the past.
2. Don’t judge someone by their looks. I thought I’d wind up adopting another terrier, but I’m very happy we brought Ricky home instead. I don’t know what breeds are mixed in him, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is what’s on the inside.
3. If you show love, you’ll get love. I’ve never known a dog who licked as much as Ricky does. It makes you want to pet him all the time.
4. If you ask for love, you’ll get love. Ricky loves to lie on his back, look at us with pathetic eyes, and shake his legs until he gets a belly rub. He’s irresistible.
5. Be persistent. The more you chew on that toy, the more likely you’ll be to break it down. Also, see #4.
6. Everyone is a potential friend. Keep trying.
7. Lead a balanced life. There’s a time for belly rubs, a time for chasing squirrels, and a time for sleeping in the sun. All are important.
8. Life is a journey: enjoy the ride. Ricky loves to go for car rides, and gets upset when I don’t bring him along.
9. Express yourself. If you’re bugged by the fact that someone dares to walk on the sidewalk across the street, bark and let them know it.
10. Be true to yourself. Just because the neighbor dogs like to swim doesn’t mean you have to.
11. Appreciate the blessings of life. Anything beats being in a cage at the Humane Society for a month and a half.
12. Live each moment to the fullest. One of my greatest joys is seeing the extra-high leap that Ricky loves to take when he jumps up the stairs after playing in the backyard.
13. Being small has its advantages. If he weren’t so small, Ricky wouldn’t fit on my lap or under the bed.
14. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to have fun. Even an old sock can provide great enjoyment.
15. Seize the opportunity when it’s available. As soon as the bedroom door opens, rush in to grab any socks that may be on the floor. (see #14)

Ricky is like a 9-year-old boy. He’s bright, sweet, energetic and playful all at once. He makes life exciting and rewarding, and we’re blessed to have him in our lives.

I wish Genevieve could meet him.

Deer forage for food in neighborhood untouched by fire

Posted on 12. Sep, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, local news

I saw these two deer up on Greenridge Dr. today. The doe was very protective of the fawn, so I wasn’t able to get as close as I wanted to. Deer have always wandered into the neighborhoods in this area, but I’d bet that they’ll be there more often now that their food supply in Angeles Forest has been burned out.

I think that deer are magnificent creatures. I haven’t seen any in our neighborhood, but my next door neighbor once saw one walking up the street. We’re a block from the 210 Freeway, so hopefully the deer turned around and went back into the mountains so it wouldn’t get hurt.

Maybe if deer ate my landscaping I wouldn’t like them so much. Same with bunnies. I admit that the peahens we had in our neighborhood last year were cool at first, but I tired of them rather quickly. Black widow spiders are exotic, but I don’t like having them in my yard.

The puppy that can’t roll back over

Posted on 07. Sep, 2009 by kchristieh in animals

This is cute, but I feel bad for the (non-)roly poly puppy. Maybe if the video continued for another 30 seconds and someone stepped in to help it would be a lesson on the value of good friends.

Pasadena Humane Society out of space – help needed!

Posted on 30. Aug, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, local news

Here’s a notice I was just forwarded regarding the Pasadena Humane Society. They’re overburdened with dogs that have been evacuated from the fires, as well as injured wild animals. Please let them know if you can help, and please forward this information.

From Mary Temple, adoption supervisor at Pasadena Humane Society:
Can any of you rescuers and animal lovers help PHS out by bringing crates to our shelter for the fire victims’ animals and rescue some of our animals? 361 S. Raymond Ave. Pasadena, CA 91105  The Pasadena Humane Society is the only licensed wildlife center in the 30 mile radius of the wildfires. They are rapidly taking in displaced injured wild animals, in addition to domestic animals livestock. The dogs and bunnies are outdoors in this horrible air quality there are dogs in the P2, P3, P4, P5 kennels facing west w/no shelter from the sun in the afternoon. Please please, if you can adopt or rescue please consider: http://pasadenahumane.org

By the way, the cute little dog on the right is named Dolby. He’s available for adoption at the Pasadena Humane Society. Doesn’t he look friendly?

Why are Costa Ricans so happy?

Posted on 07. Aug, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, inspirational people, international, life lessons, startling statistics, travel

When I left for my week-long vacation in Costa Rica, I figured I’d come back with photos of monkeys, a few bug bites and a deeper tan. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I didn’t see a single monkey, get bitten by a single bug, or darken my skin by even one pixel. Instead, I returned home pondering the meaning of happiness and our place in the world’s ecological and economic crises.

The Happiness Question arose because before I left, I read an article about how Costa Rica was ranked highest on an international survey of happiness. How could a country be so happy when it contains so many squalid, makeshift shacks? Or when it has so much barbed wire and so many bars on the windows? Am I so materialistic that I can’t imagine being so poor and so happy, or were the people that live in those shacks not surveyed? Does the barbed wire exist out of fear, or out of a desire to protect what’s dear?

My daughter, who studied Spanish, Costa Rican history and ecology for the past month in San Jose, says that the reason that Costa Ricans call themselves “Ticos” is that it’s short for simpatico, which means “kind.” Between that and the Costa Rican motto, pura vida (which translates to “pure life”), it appears that the country tries hard to put a positive spin on things. My daughter also says that Costa Ricans are very proud of their beautiful country and their gracious countrymen. And who can blame them? Over 60 years ago, they abolished their military, and devoted their money and effort into security, education, and culture. This stable nation is home to five percent of all known animals on this planet, and has become a world-renowned ecotourism destination. And I will attest to the fact that every single person we met there was incredibly helpful and friendly.

When I returned home, I grabbed off my bookshelf to see if Costa Rica was listed as one of the happiest places that the author chose to visit. It wasn’t. So I went back and looked at the article again, and saw that the survey compared nations based upon their populations’ life expectancies, life satisfaction, and ecological footprint. Costa Rica definitely scored high for ecological footprint, considering its conservation efforts and the fact that people living in shacks don’t use many resources.

I doubt that our country could ever match Costa Rica’s ecological footprint. We’d need to severely limit our material consumption to do so, and I don’t think that on average we have the willpower to do so. And if we did, I doubt we’d be very happy about it.

That’s depressing.

Cat or dog? You decide.

Posted on 13. Jul, 2009 by kchristieh in animals

It’s not surprising that a dog that

• Jumps like a cat
• Climbs trees like a cat
• Hates water as much as a cat, and
• Keeps himself as clean as a cat

also HUNTS like a cat.

Little Ricky was so proud of himself when he returned to the door with this bird in his mouth that his tail wagged too quickly for the camera.

No wonder he was so proud. It turns out he had THREE birds in his mouth, not one. That brings his total to five for this past month.

I’m sad that he’s decimating the bird population, but I don’t know what to do about it. I think he’s finding baby birds that have fallen out of their nests or he’s raiding nests built in bushes. Although he can climb one of our trees, he doesn’t get high enough to get a nest.

Hopefully the birds will figure out that they need safer places to make their nests next season.

The perils and possibilities of the empty nest

Posted on 06. Jul, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, my life, parenting

Thank goodness my dog bolted to the yard yesterday morning, because he passed right over a baby bird that hadn’t survived long enough to even grow feathers. Later in the day, my husband said he found a dead baby bird, too. It was a bad day for birds to leave the nest.

But it was a good day for teenagers to leave the nest. Yesterday my husband and I both put “…have an empty nest” as our Facebook status without knowing the other had. Our daughter left for a month of living with a family and studying Spanish in Central America, and we dropped off our son at a techie camp at a local university. Early reports indicate that both are growing, thriving, and enjoying spreading their wings.

Parenting is a long, slow road, but every once in awhile you need to take a leap up to the next plateau. I feel like we did that this weekend, and so far so good…

Chasing Chihuahuas

Posted on 10. Jun, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, my life

This evening my husband called us into the next room to show us a pack of dogs gathered outside the window. Two were Chihuahuas, and the other was a larger dog. We live on a busy street, so we ran outside to make sure the dogs didn’t get hurt.

Sure enough, I wound up having to stop traffic to save the life of a Chihuahua who decided to sit in the middle of the road. Eventually, the dogs all ran to a nearby backyard, and slipped through an open gate. I closed the gate, and crossed my fingers that this was their home. No one answered the door, and another neighbor swore under her breath that she didn’t care what happened to the #^$%%! dogs.

None of the dogs were wearing collars. This is inexcusable. Dogs can’t speak, so they need collars with tags to let people know who they belong to.

Then again, maybe the humans don’t care what happens to the dogs. I think that’s how our dog wound up at the Humane Society before we adopted him. They said he was wandering around the streets with no identification.

Their loss is our gain.

I LOVE the picture on the right from Daisy the Dog. I think our dog is mostly Basenji, but I think he has a lot of Chihuahua in him too. Today he came running back inside with a baby bird. I’ve never had a dog do that. Then again, they do call Basenjis the Cat of Dogs…

Dog moves bed to be near loved ones

Posted on 03. Jun, 2009 by kchristieh in animals

This evening my dog proved his intelligence and devotion by moving the colorful bed in the foreground off the brown bed in the background to be near us as we sat on the couch that he’s not allowed on.

In case you’re wondering, we had these two cushions for our old dog and kept the colorful one in the cage she liked to sleep in. The cage reminds this guy of the shelter he came from, so he refuses to go near it.

Pearls before swine flu

Posted on 01. May, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, health, my life, shopping

I’ve missed a few Etsy Fridays…so there’s no harm in pushing another retail establishment. One of my favorite birthday presents this year is a . He’s decked out with his own personal facemask, to protect him from swine flu. I was sick for most of this week (hence the absence of blog posts), so he was protecting himself. It worked! But he’ll probably keep it on until we’re no longer on emergency alert.

Pig is my favorite “Pearls Before Swine” character. His optimism and innocence remind me of myself. Here are a few recent examples:

Big fat bear spotted on local hike

Posted on 24. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, local news

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that my friend Jane G. spotted a bear as she hiked through Bear Canyon in Angeles National Forest the other day.

And yet…this was just above La Canada, just 10 miles north of Los Angeles. And as you can see below, this was no scroungy little scavenger bear. This bear looked fit and well-fed. Jane and her entourage wisely decided to stop snapping pictures and head back down the mountain when the bear started staring them down.

Too bad the bear had the same idea. They ran into it further down the trail. Luckily, there were no human/bear interactions, and Jane’s dog held its ground. My little dog would have attacked, and it would have gotten ugly.

Thanks for letting me post the pictures, Jane!

Mysterious white bird attacked in my backyard

Posted on 09. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in animals

Our backyard was recently the scene of aviary carnage. Dozens of white feathers were strewn about the back of the yard under one of our oak trees.

Here’s a closeup of one of the feathers. It was about 10″ long.

Please let me know if you can identify what bird it came from!

Transform your pictures into stories by inserting them into templates

Posted on 08. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, cool websites, quotes

If a picture speaks 1,000 words, what do these have to tell? Many thanks to Photofunia and FunPhotoBox for their free photo insertion sites.

“If you can look at a dog and not feel vicarious excitement and affection, you must be a cat.”
~Author Unknown

“When a man’s best friend is his dog, that dog has a problem.”
~Edward Abbey

“You think dogs will not be in heaven?  I tell you, they will be there long before any of us.”
~Robert Louis Stevenson

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.”
~Josh Billings

R.I.P. ReinChuck

Posted on 22. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, books, health, my life

My dog is still working on destroying the toys I bought from the post-Christmas clearance bin at Petco. This evening he finally made great progess on the ReinChuck. (or is it a WoodDeer?)

Isn’t it cute?

Uh-oh. Starting to see some innards on the outards…

Here’s what happens if you hold your finger over the flash. I like the night vision effect, as if I’ve found him doing this in the wild.

“Why are you holding my ReinChuck over your head?”

R.I.P. ReinChuck.  :(

“I’ll eat the brains tomorrow.”

Let’s hope he doesn’t eat the brains. I just read the chapter of that describes how eating squirrel brains can cause a form of mad cow disease.

I’m sure that if I grew up eating squirrel brains, I wouldn’t be bothered by this concept. But I didn’t, so I am. I can’t even imagine eating squirrels.

Clearly my dog can, however. I guess that’s why I haven’t seen a squirrel in our yard for a few months. They’re not stupid.

Car wreck, financial wreck, the joy of childhood and the love of a dog

Posted on 28. Feb, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, economy, inspirational people, my life, parenting, shopping

While I was on my way to take my daughter’s car to the body shop today,

three people called me on my cellphone, but I was a good girl and didn’t pick up the phone. But when I stopped at the corner of Lake and Walnut in Pasadena, I took my camera out of my purse and snapped some pictures of the people protesting in front of IndyMac:

Later in the afternoon, my daughter and I had fun watching these delightful children in the fountain at Paseo Colorado in Pasadena. They waited patiently for the water to come back up, and  would step on where the water had come out previously to get it to come, just like adults press elevator buttons over and over.

When the water finally came, they laughed and giggled with such delight that it took a cold or hurried soul not to stop and smile. I think Paseo Colorado management should pay kids to play there and make us all happy.

When I got home, my dog ran to the window to greet me.

It’s the little things that bring the most delight.

I won’t get any awards for dog training, but that’s ok

Posted on 28. Feb, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, my life, shopping

As soon as I adopted my new dog last fall, I signed us up for dog training classes. He proved to be a quick study, and was putty in the hands of the wonderful, original Dog Whisperer, Paul Owens of Raise With Praise. He was ok with me, too, but he liked Paul’s chicken treats better.

It was hard to find time to train my dog at home, however. But we’ve managed to do pretty well on sit, stay and come. I’ve even got him trained to sit at the top of the stairs and wait until I ask him to come down. If I don’t do that, I might trip over him. He’s turned out to be my canine shadow, so I need to be careful.

My biggest breakthrough came a week ago, when I took delivery of a chair with sides from Staples. It prevents my dog from jumping on my back from the couch, or poking my thighs with his nose. He literally cried for 10 minutes when I got it, and for a few minutes each day for the next few days, but now he realizes that he can’t bother me while I work. I play with him about 20x more than I played with our old dog (see above picture) because he needs the attention. But I can’t play fetch and rub his belly 24/7.

Today’s Etsy Friday Find is the cool dog trainer lariat necklace to the right. The artist who designed it, BirdlandCreations, has lots of other witty and stylish jewelry.

I’m sure I could train my dog to jump through a hoop. He would have been a great circus dog. But he might not have as many belly rubs there.

Can you identify this furry California spider?

Posted on 01. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in animals

I spotted this spider on my driveway in Southern California today. It was pretty small – perhaps 1/2″ across. I took some pictures of it, then encouraged it to get off the driveway so it wouldn’t get squished.

Do you know what it is? I can’t figure it out from the spider websites I’ve found.

Mystery paw print spotted on pool cover

Posted on 03. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in animals

When we lived up the mountain, there was much more wildlife than we have here in the valley. I miss the quail, lizards and hawks, but I don’t miss the rattlesnakes, mountain lions and coyotes. (Though I still occasionally see the latter here.)

I recently spotted dozens of paw prints like this one on our pool cover:

I’m not sure what it’s from. Raccoons and skunks have five fingers, but this doesn’t look completely like the pictures I’ve seen of their prints. I don’t think it’s an opposum print, since one of their “fingers” is an opposable thumb that extends backwards. The print might not be too representative, since the animal was probably slipping around like it was on a waterbed. I think it was a raccoon, since none of the prints had the distinctive hind foot of the skunk.

Perhaps it’s related to Bigfoot…

Handbells were my ticket to California

Posted on 01. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, music, my life, religion, travel

Miss G Dog would have played handbells if she could have. Unfortunately, she lacked opposable thumbs. Hopefully God gave them to her in heaven. At any rate, she gets them in cyberspace on my new Christmas-themed header.

I first visited California with the Tower Hill Presbyterian Church (Red Bank, NJ) high school handbell choir. We landed in San Francisco, and I was thrilled to see palm trees for the first time. The family I stayed with gave me a tour of the city, and constantly apologized for how dirty it was. Are you kidding? I thought it was 100x nicer than any East Coast city I’d ever been to. It’s no wonder I wound up out here.

Our trip continued up the coast, where we played in a handbell festival at Humboldt State. We also saw Crater Lake and Medford, Oregon, which remains the most beautiful place in the U.S. I’ve ever visited. We drove back down through California’s Gold Country, and enjoyed visiting Yosemite and the old mining town of Columbia.

I remember wondering why the palm trees didn’t have coconuts, and why I didn’t see a bear in Yosemite. I finally saw coconuts on my honeymoon to Tahiti, but I’m still waiting to see a bear. That’s probably good.

We were a pretty awesome handbell choir. We even cut a record, but I think that only our parents bought it. I played the third position from the bottom, which meant I handled pretty big bells. When the choir director would turn his back, I’d flip them. I never missed. To this day, I’m awesome at flipping my hairbrush like that. The bells were REALLY expensive, and he would have been really peeved if he’d known I flipped them.

That’s as rebellious as I got in high school. Flipping handbells. My parents were really lucky. I think they knew it, too.  :)

MeOW! The mountain lion is back!

Posted on 18. Nov, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, environment, local news

La Canada residents shouldn’t let down their guard since a mountain lion was shot and killed in Arcadia. According to Debbie Johannes, who is operating the mountain lion hotline, since that lion was captured,

The bad news is that the 180 pound male cat’s back and was sited again at 849 Green Lane. A little girl riding her scooter in her front yard came face to face with the cat.

This may be the same lion that nearly killed the dog up on Castle Knoll.

If you see a mountain lion in a residential area, you should call 911. Then, please call the Finney and Friends hotline number at . This group is keeping track of local mountain lion sitings so that authorities can have a clear picture of what’s happening in our area.

I always get confused about what to do with different animals. Should I stay or should I go now? If I stay there will be trouble, if I go it will be double. C’mon and let me know…should I stay or should I go?

Here’s the scoop on safety tips:

• Mountain lion: Stay calm, act bigger, gather children close, fight back if attacked. DON’T RUN! DON’T TURN YOUR BACK!!
• Coyote: Make lots of noise, throw rocks, appear as big as possible, chase IT away. DON’T RUN AWAY!!
• Black Bear: Make your presence known, stay calm, make sure the bear knows you’re human by talking and waving your arms, through something to the ground to distract it. If the bear attacks you, FIGHT BACK! DON’T RUN AWAY!! Once the bear starts to leave, be quiet until you’re sure it’s gone.
• Rattlesnake: Wear over the ankle boots and loose-fitting, long pants. If you’re bitten, wash the area, keep it still, and remove watches or rings that may inhibit swelling.

Here’s a picture of a mountain lion that was spotted beneath a bridge on the La Canada JPL campus back in January, 2008:

Perhaps I won’t be walking my little dog in Hahamongna!

Targeted chewing

Posted on 16. Nov, 2008 by kchristieh in animals

Is it coincidental that my dog chewed up the directions to his harness?

I don’t think so.

The Obamas should rescue a dog

Posted on 05. Nov, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, local news, my life, politics

Barack Obama promised his daughters that, win or lose, he’d get them a dog. Although Garrison Keilor may disagree, I think he should and will keep his promise.

This past summer, the American Kennel Club ran a “Presidential Pup” survey to see which dog people thought the Obamas should get. One of the Obama daughters has allergies, so the AKC narrowed the choices to the following breeds that are known to have hypoallergenic coats and stable, friendly dispositions: Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Poodle, Miniature Schnauzer, Bichon Frise, and Chinese Crested. The Poodle won, and the AKC has offered to help the Obamas choose a puppy or adult rescue dog.

I think a rescue dog would send a great message. There are far too many dogs and cats in need of good homes, especially in these difficult economic times. Locally, the Pasadena Humane Society installed two large trailers to house pets because they have about 33% more dogs and cats than they did a year ago.

Too bad their daughter has an allergy to some breeds, because it would be cool if the Obamas got a mixed-breed dog. We joke in our family that since we’re all such a mix of different races (esp. my husband and kids), it’s neat to have a dog that’s also a mix.

Either way, I’d recommend that the Obamas aim for the friendliest dog they can find. It’s easier to deal with annoying puppy behavior when the dog is full of love.

The fastest parade in the world

Posted on 24. Oct, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, education, local news, my life

It’s homecoming weekend here in Small Town, USA La Canada Flintridge. The high school kids put on a great pep rally this morning, and this afternoon they gathered in the park to get psyched up for this evening’s game. The football players and cheerleaders then boarded firetrucks, the homecoming court hopped into nice cars with banners, and the student body kids boarded their pirate-themed homecoming floats. It was a crisp fall day about 90 degrees with a perfectly blue sky, but we decided not to complain since it was amazingly beautiful.

If you blinked, you’d miss the parade. The local sheriff’s deputies led the caravan down Foothill Blvd. at about 25 miles per hour. I think they didn’t want to tie up traffic too much on a Friday afternoon. We save our slow parade for Memorial Day. Although the football team subsequently lost, a good time was had by all.

I’d been out most of the day, so I decided to bring the dog with me to the park. He loves people, so he had a great time making new friends of all ages. Unfortunately, he growls and barks at other dogs, so it got a little dicey at times. We’re working on that.

Here’s a new picture of him. Perhaps I should have let this sleeping dog lie, but he’s so cute!!

For everything there is a season and a place

Posted on 24. Sep, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, tv

A few weeks ago, I received a letter from the crematorium that took care of my dog’s body. It appeared that I needed to go in and pick up her ashes, so I set the GPS and headed over to the northeast edge of the San Fernando Valley.

You know a location is remote when you can’t even find it with a GPS. I passed the address twice before I finally realized that it was located through an unmarked opening in a fence right next to a junk car lot. The small, non-descript building was hidden behind old cars, and the people inside were surprised to see me. It turns out I’d misinterpreted the letter, and the ashes weren’t ready. But I paid, and got to choose a little box for them. They hand-delivered them to me the next week.

Why am I writing this post? Because here’s how B.J. Novak, writer and actor for “The Office,” describes where this amazing show is created:

“We work in an industrial cul-de-sac in a scary, God-forsaken corner of the valley,” he said.”It is across the street from what appears to be a lot where they strip cars for parts, which is guarded by a pit bull, and next to a bunch of crematoriums, where they cremate bodies. We’ve been in that unglamorous location since before anyone ever gave us a compliment on the street. It fosters a lot of humility.”

It must be near where I was. It was completely absurd. I can totally understand how the creative juices could flow there.

Stay tuned Thursday night, Sept. 25th, for the season premiere of “The Office“!