Hershey the Dog

Congrats to dad's friend Mary Sperry for adopting a dog! Hershey is her name and I'd like her to know that she's got a great mom. Since Mary works for the US Catholic Bishops I wondered what she could do about making Hershey the Archbishop of all dogs--since we know that all dogs indeed go to heaven?

According to Mary she "survived" one night with Hershey and "she sure is kissy."

Me too! If only I could tolerate other dogs I could have a dog-friend.

How Dare They!

Dad's friends at America Magazine has a dog on the front cover!



But it's not me! What the heck? Dad obviously has a weak influence on these clowns. This is the second time that Fr. Jim Martin has gotten on my bad side. He redeemed himself the first time. But three strikes and you're out buddy!

I'm cuter than this dog, aren't I? What's the deal? Did I pee on their lamppost? Did I poop in their hallway? I even gave Fr. Jim McDermott a lick on the face. What's a dog gotta do?

Well, despite the obvious slight regarding the cover--they have a great article this week on animal rights which is a must read.

Few want to be reminded that we live within nature. We shield ourselves from the things that nature does, harboring the feeling that when nature does what it is supposed to do, such as rain or snow, it is inconveniencing our civilized way of life. Yet our place in creation is not that of master. The natural world is given to us by God in exchange for our responsible occupation of it. As the catechism puts it: “Man’s dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute...it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation.” Creation owes us nothing. Rather, we owe creation reparation.

What many Christians fail to recognize is that most violations of the integrity of creation stem from a continuing desire to reorder creation in the way we would like it to be. So we genetically engineer crops to operate according to our demands, and we treat animals as if they have no right to fresh air and grass. In winking at questions of animal welfare, in stating that we are masters and that animals are at our disposal, we continue egregiously and willfully to commit that same first sin.

It is not the consumption or use of animals that constitutes the problem but the methods used to treat them. In his book Love and Responsibility, Pope John Paul II wrote: “Intelligent human beings are not only required not to squander or destroy…natural resources, but to use them with restraint.... In his treatment of animals in particular, since they are beings endowed with feeling and sensitive to pain, man is required to ensure that the use of these creatures is never attended by suffering or physical torture.”

Way to go. Glad to hear that the Catholic Church has my back! Read the whole article here

With all sincerity, there are only two magazines that I read regularly: Bark! (Of course) and America. So go get a subscription today!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Today is Mommy's Birthday and I don't know how old she is but she can't be much older than me because she looks great! So I guess she's about 5 or 6.

Mom, I kow I'm not always the most well behaved dog in the world but please know that I love you. When I don't listen to you it's because I get scared for a number of reasons--reasons that I don't even fully understand. I'm a rescue dog and have a big past, filled with a lot of crazy things.

But it was really YOU who rescued me. Remember that! Dad didn't think he wanted a chihuahua but you made him check me out. So I know that you are the one who was really meant to be my mom--even before you were!

So today know that I love you. And that I'm going to try to be better behaved.

Lick, lick, lick, snuggle, snuggle, snuggle.

Enjoy Guys and Dolls and the flowers that dad has waiting for you at the restaurant. I promise not to eat them or pee on them.

Love, your doggy son,

Haze

Happy Adoption Day to Me

Ohboy, ohboy, ohboy! Today is my special day! I got adopted by Mom and Dad two years ago. I am such a lucky dog. I got saved from the shelter and now I have a nice warm place to sleep, good food and two great "parents."

Dad says that we'll celebrate in a big way on Friday but we had fun playing ball this morning and then I curled up at his feet in my dog bed.

I think that dad's a bit sad that I can't sit with him on the couch but he's starting to see that it's for my own good. I've been a pretty good dog the last two days. Dad's been using a training aid (a clanging light chain in a padded bag-that he and mom can bang near me on the floor to get me to pay attention) and that's helped me sleep better in the mornings. I get up now when they want me to as opposed to when I decide to clang around the crate. So things are becoming more routine.

Please say a prayer for mom. Her great Aunt Minnie (you can't make this stuff up) died this week. They have to go to a wake tonight for her. She was very old and lived a great life. Mom's grandmother was her sister and Mom is comforted by knowing that her grandma is together with her sister again in heaven. Mom knows how
important sisters are, since she misses her two sisters a lot.

So I hope we can celebrate on Friday, Mom and Dad (with a hamburger maybe?) because these have been the best years of my life. I know I have a lot of issues but you've been so patient with me. I promise to try to be a good dog for as long as we're together.

Thanks for adopting me! I love you both.

Love always,

Haze the Dog

Proud of Myself

So our trainer friend Laura and her friend Rob came over to work with me. Hence, my lack of blogging. I've been racked with lots of practice. Everything from sitting still when the doorbell rings to staying off the couch. I've been acting weird and don't really know why. I have been falling asleep on the couch with mom and dad while they watch TV and whenever someone moves slightly I get frightened and I jump and even give a little growl.

So I have lost my couch privileges for the moment. And I have been relocated to a nice new dog bed at the foot of the couch which I've grown accustomed to already. Fr Jack gave me a nice blanket too and that's become part of my new spot. Dad makes sure he pets me now and again to make sure I know that he still loves me and I've started to play ball more as well.

So new things abound. Hopefully this will help me overcome my fears. I'm already walking better and being less fearful near other dogs.

Fetching: A New Dilemma

So dad's tried to teach me to fetch a ball for some time. Most of the time he throws it and I lazily look at it. I mean what am I? Your maid? You throw things and I'm supposed to go pick them up and bring them back to you? I don't think so.

But it seemed like a bit of fun to play with the ball so I started kicking it around and dad noticed and wanted to play too. So he began to kick the ball and I'd run and get it. The first time I brought it back dad was sooooo happy. He picked me up and kissed me and gave me not only one but TWO treats! Yum! You'd think my poop was solid gold!

So now I occasionally will fetch the ball for dad. If I'm not too lazy and I'm not thinking of things to write here.

BTW--I had a lovely morning with dad sleeping on the couch. Dad lay on his side and I climbed on top of him and found a nice place to sleep for myself! Ah--two hours of sleep!

America Magazine gets it

Dad reads this magazine and some of his good friends work there like Fr Jim McDermott and Fr jim Martin. Here's a good take on the dog shows!

Blessed Are the Pure of Breed

The 133rd annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at New York’s Madison Square Garden, held this year on Feb. 9 and 10, once again captivated huge and avid crowds. It is the second-oldest continuously running sports event in the United States (after the Kentucky Derby). More than 2,500 dogs representing over 150 breeds were brought from around the world to compete. The 2009 winner is a 10-year-old Sussex spaniel named Ch. Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee (aka Stump). He meets one of the many stiff standards put forth by the W.K.C.—no more than seven parts are allowed in the dog’s name. Without question, there is great prestige attached to membership in this club; but it has set the bar so high that winning breeds quickly become the dogs of choice. This leads to over-breeding (including inbreeding), at puppy mills as well as among “backyard breeders,” to meet demand.

Read the rest of what they say here too. And go and adopt a rescue animal like me tomorrow!