Pet Monologues

A “campfire” story taken from writing.com

[Introduction] Greetings!

note: Hooves of Fire! = author, WRITEING = Demon Squirrel

I, Hooves, have risked life and limb to travel to the deepest recesses of evil for this exclusive (and I hope Emmy winning) interview with the one and only Demon Squirrel. Due to the extreme evil of his countenance, I cannot look directly at him. He will be behind a curtain, speaking through the voice of Ercole who has kindly volunteered to channel the horrible demon’s answers to all of us.

This campfire will consist of me asking the questions (one at a time) and His Evilness answering through the Writeing of ercole, keeping his responses to 5 sentences or less if possible.

And now for the first question as soon as the campfire invitation is accepted. Read the rest of this entry »

Abstract

Relationships inevitably develop between humans and animals, regardless of the function or use of the animal partners. The need to recognize the existence of these human-animal bonds, as well as acknowledge the use of the animals, is widespread. Religious memorial services for animals in certain areas of the world provide an historical basis for such acknowledgment activities. The diversity of sacred and secular approaches to memorializing or acknowledging animals is illustrated by representative examples of such events. The need to establish such events, particularly in academic and research settings, is emphasized. The pros and cons of developing and establishing acknowledgment activities in addition to the benefits of implementing such events are discussed. Read the rest of this entry »

Can cats talk? Many cat owners would like to think so and some even claim that their cats speak a number of recognisable words. A Brazilian cat takes claims one step further by apparently being able to sing a number of well known songs while the Fortean Times carried a report of a cat which speaks several words in Turkish and suggested, with tongue firmly in cheek, that the reason many owners cannot understand their cats is because the cats are speaking Turkish. But before cat-owners rush out for phrase books, are these cats really speaking or are their owners just talking turkey?
Photo: Kevin Steele

For humans, the terms ’speech’ and ‘talk’ are not restricted to vocalization, but encompass human body language (which most of us read without realising it), gestural languages (sign language) and tactile languages (of deaf-blind individuals) which are equally expressive among those fluent in their use. Further, human language comprises both verbal and non-verbal components (including the written extension of body language through gestural substitutes such as the , symbols within Internet communication). Read the rest of this entry »

What’s the Big Deal?
Ah, the pitter patter of four-legged feet as they whip through your living room at overclocked speeds or uproot your prize gladiolas with manic fervor. But Snookiepuss and Mrs. Fluffypants are practically family, right?

So why should they settle for anything less than top drawer when their health and wellbeing are at stake? Throw the planet a bone while you’re at it; we’ve got the goods on how to reduce your pets’ carbon paw prints—without making your wallet roll over and play dead. Read the rest of this entry »

U.S. Coast Guard. HOUSTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard plucked a man and his pet bird from a 75-foot (23-meter) tree on Tuesday evening after he became stranded while trying to coax the creature out of the branches. [RK] Read the rest of this entry »

Groningen is a province/region of North Holland. It and the province of Frieslanden make up all of the northern Netherlands. While the Dutch have given to the world of pigeons many exciting varieties of pigeons (i.e. Dutch Highfliers, Hague Highfliers, Dutch Croppers, Dutch Tuublers, and so on); very few have ever achieved any general stardom in North America. Still, they have some wonderful creations and fanciers ought to keep and learn more about them.

Clapper Turner races were once very widely kept in the north of Holland. Often they were used as droppers for Racing Pigeons, and one cannot employ a better dropper than a Clapper-Turner race such as Rhineland Ringbeaters, Belgian Turners, the Speelderkes, Smiters, and likely even the Anatolier Ringbeater for any type of flying pigeon. To this day the Clapper-Turners are found in some numbers in the northern Netherlands.

The Groningen Slenker has a history in Groningen city and the surrounding areas going back about the period of about 1600 or there about. Generally, it is believed that this race of performance pigeon hails from a cross of the Belgian Turners (also known as Belgian Ringschlaeger; which is split into two varieties, the Brabanters and Aalsters); so crossed upon the Old Amsterdam Balloon Croppers (Holle) which the Slenkers do in fact largely resemble, and possibly also the Bohemian Swing Pouter. The Slenkers are a true bastard breed; half cropper and half Clapper-Turner.

In impression, the Groningen Slenker looks to be a poorly bred specimen of the Amsterdam race of Croppers; due to the great resemblance to the breed, but is less exaggerated in it’s design. At once, the Slenker characteristics compose of a semi tremulous and long “S” shaped neck attached to a rather long oval skull. The eyes are what I would term as “gravel orange”, beginning with a pearl iris that gradually melds into a bright orange. In the ideal, the inner half of the iris is to be “pure white” fading into a dark orange. This applies as well to Self Whites. The eyes give off a strange fiery expression, that suggests a “Go To Hell” temperament. The eyes are not too high set into the head. The head is carried back at a steep angle, and nearly rests upon the back. The body is of medium size, and is very wide across the chest which is highly erected. The legs are short, unfeathered, and set in what is rather the back portion of the body and are rather wide apart. The tail is short and wide, and should not touch the floor when the bird is in action. The back is short, rather wide, and with a hollow pocket. The wings are rather short and extremely strong, being carried rather on the sides of the tail.

Colors are Whites, Yellows, Mealy, and Cream with light colored flights, tail, and the lower part of the body and back. On the lower breast, the colors gradually fade into white. There are as well, Blacks, Duns, Blues, and Silvers - but these are very rare. Rare enough that they are almost never mentioned in any literature; but I have seen them with my own eyes, even if some do not believe they exist. And these were among the finest Slenkers I have ever seen in my life. These particular birds were imported from a leading German fancier at the large Nurnberg show by our good friend Roger Miller in California. These are primarily blacks. Twelve, and sixteen years ago I was breeding Slenkers in Blues; but these do not exist in North America anymore after I lost them.