the kid's favorite new show is ...

... Pit Bulls and Parolees?

I shouldn't be so surprised, as she loves watching any show that features dogs, cats — all animals, really.  She may actually end up a vegetarian/veterinarian someday.

The show is pretty compelling stuff. I'm still not sure how Tia Torres makes ends meet at her Villalobos Rescue Center, as she seems willing to take in any dog, no matter their breed. Obviously having the television show is helping, but it's only been airing since 2009, so how about before that? Maybe the adoptions help fund her efforts. The parolee part of the show is less prominent than the animal part. It may have been the gimmick to get the show on the air, and it is an interesting factor in Torres' work and efforts to help people who have had a few strikes against them in their life get a new start, and to help dogs that have gained a bad reputation in the world find forever homes. Not every dog or human story ends happily. Some of the dogs get ill and Torres must make a hard decision. Some of the parolees just can't get it together and Tia has to fire them. In the four shows that we have seen so far, two workers had to be let go because they were either lying and not showing up for work, or worse, mistreating one of her canine charges.

Pit Bulls and Parolees may not have been my first instinct to turn on, but I have to admit that I am interested in Torres and so respect what she is trying to accomplish. I'm more of a cat person, and have thought off and on in the past that if I hit the jackpot I might want to set up a similar place to rescue abandoned cats, or to finance a spay and release program for some of the local feral kitties.

When we adopted our dachshund Angel from the local animal shelter I was amazed at the large number of pit bulls in the pens. Torres started out in California and then relocated to New Orleans, where the show is now filmed. They also have a second location in New Mexico, where the older or "un-adoptable" dogs can live out their days. I wonder if Pit Bulls and Parolees will inspire some similar efforts here in Florida and elsewhere in the country.

some favorite recent pix

Scary yawner Harry

Sleeping Totoro

Alert dachshund Angel

getting ready for the puppy bowl

A little quiet time — O.K., a LOT of quiet time before a big game helps get one ready to rumble.

Or nap.

weekend fun

Stuffed animals

Rock on, kiddo

Angel, Santa's helper

cats and dog

Harry in the perfect fall kitty photo

Brothers Dash and Harry

It's finally stopped raining and the sun is back: the doggie joy of Angel

sunday stroll

the good and bad points of sausage dogs

Having a sausage dog comes with built-in disadvantages and benefits.

The disadvantages are that the dog requires walking, which may not always be what you are in the mood for. Even worse, the dog, as soon as you get its leash, may decide to let loose, for some inexplicable reason, and pee on the rug. This causes a lot of cursing and frustrated stomping around as you still have to take said dog out for a walk — after you clean up the mess.

But, as previously stated, there are a few benefits. On these oh-so-inconvenient walks, which disturb you from early sleep or watching television or cruising the internet, you actually get outside, into the fresh air, and can look around. A certain amount of exercise is also involved. If the walk takes place during the daytime, you may see some interesting flora and fauna. If it takes place in the night time, you can study the heavens.

Tonight, as I was shaking off my bad mood at what had transpired a few minutes earlier on the living room carpet, I happened to look up in the sky and see this:

A moon ring, also known as a winter halo, is a phenomenon that usually appears in conjunction with a full moon ... It is caused by refraction of the light from the full moon in the ice particles floating in the clouds, as opposed to a rainbow, where light refracts in the water vapor that makes up the clouds ... In ancient beliefs it is believed that a moon ring means very warm days before the winter storm.

Sausage dogs may sometimes be a nuisance, but if it wasn't for a certain accident which better not happen again in the near future, I might not have been inspired to take a different route with a more unobstructed view.

With a nod to Alexander McCall Smith

welcome angel

Dachshund: A half-a-dog high and a dog-and-a-half long — H. L. Mencken

Dachshunds are ideal dogs for small children, as they are already stretched and pulled to such a length that a child cannot do much harm one way or another. — Robert Benchley

This little dog with ten inch clearance
Presents a ludicrous appearance,
His legs are bowed, his feet turn out,
He gives us much to laugh about. — David Newell

I would rather train a striped zebra to balance an Indian club than induce a dachshund to heed my slightest command. — E.B. White

hachikō

When you google "faithful dog" the top entry is Hachikō, and for good reason.

During his owner's life Hachikō greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return. The professor had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage and died, never returning to the train station where his friend was waiting. Every day for the next nine years Hachikō waited at Shibuya station.

Hachikō was given away after his master's death, but he routinely escaped, returning again and again to his old home. Eventually, Hachikō apparently realized that Professor Ueno no longer lived at the house. So he went to look for his master at the train station where he had accompanied him so many times before. Each day, Hachikō waited for the return of his owner. ... This continued for nine years with Hachikō appearing precisely when the train was due at the station.—Wikipedia

Someone I met at the library rcommended we try Hachi: A Dog's Tale with Richard Gere as the professor and owner of the world's most loyal Akita. How did I miss this? I don't remember hearing about this film at all, but it was wonderful, directed by Lasse Hallström, who knows a thing or two about dog movies. Based on an earlier Japanese film - Hachikō-Monogatari, which was based on the true story of possibly the most faithful dog ever.



Devotion and loyalty are the prime qualities of Hachi. Qualities that aren't usually the focus of a film, but qualities that couldn't be more cinematic. Dialogue is rarely needed. Hachi: A Dog's Tale is a quiet film—deceptively simple—but like life, full of deep emotions and sudden shocks and surprises. At times we get glimpses through Hachi's eyes, which reinforces for the viewer time and again how deep the bond Hachi shared with his master. Richard Gere is also perfect. It's hard to believe that Hachi is not truly his dog—he doesn't seem to be acting, but living.

This is not just a dog's story or the story of what happens to a man, but a story about the bond of a person and their dog. A story about unconditional love. Knowing how the story will end doesn't take anything away from the enjoyment of the film—Isn't that how all our stories will end? I won't pretend that it isn't a tear-jerker when the end does come. But it is also beautiful and full of love. A lovely little movie.

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