[pyrnet] Puppy Love

[Rhonda Collins <rhonda@castlepublishing.com>]

> I missed commenting to Michelle
> that Newman is not registered...he's pretty obviously purebred, but even
> I, uneducated as I am, can pick out faults that would definitely make him
> "Pet Quality" rather than show quality. But that's okay. I have
> issues with most "backyard breeders" as well as "puppy
> mill" breeders, though I don't mind someone who has one litter,
> cares for it well an goes to the trouble of finding good, quality homes
> for the pups. I feel I "rescued" Newman from the people who own
> his parents. Poor thing was anemic from so many fleas, three kinds of
> worms, and ear mites...then we realized he had the type of mange that
> they can only get from their mother. The vet said if we'd left him there,
> he might have died. But now, he's a healthy, happy, wonderful pup, and I
> intend to make sure he'll be a healthy, happy, (and hopefully
> well-behaved) grown dog. Even if it kills me! LOL!

Shannon, your story about the cabinets, cats and turtles had me in
stitches! And I thought =I=had problems!  

Newman and the 1-year-old female St. Bernard next door are madly in
love.  They stand on their hind legs and nuzzle each other. He
nibbles her toes and she licks his ears. We've had to line the ground
next to the fence with a variety of "objects" to keep them both
from digging (Larry is planning on laying down chicken wire around the
entire perimeter and putting a hot wire at the top of the fence...poor
babies!) Hubby INSISTS on not having him neutered--something I oppose,
for obvious reasons. Cooper, the St. Bernard, is not spayed...so we're
going to have to be super diligent, or we're going to end up with St
Bernard/Great Pyrenees love children (something I doubt our neighbors
would be reeeaaal happy about,  but I'll bet they'd be adorable!)
Both the neighbor and I feel guilty because we can't help feeling like
we're "thwarting their love". Gads, are we nuts.

Joyce, Newman's tongue doesn't hang out, but he SNORES like a freight
train. I was in the bathtub one night, relaxing after work, and Newman
fell asleep across the room. I began hearing what sounded like a chain
saw, and listened for a while, wondering who in the neighborhood was
cutting wood with a chain saw at 9:00pm...then suddenly I realized it was
Newman snoring!

As for computer "Help Desks" and IT staff
members, that's rather a sore point with me, too. I'm the Business
Assistant at Boys Town here in San Antonio, and I end up doing 85% of all
the computer work. Anyone who needs something installed, or has problems,
whatever. Who do they call? You guessed it. And =I= sure don't get paid
the salary that the IT folks do.

Michelle, I'm so sorry about your Mother. It must be very hard for
you and her both. I lost my Dad to cancer, though we were very fortunate.
He had lung cancer and they removed his entire right lung. They gave him
chemo, and 6 months later he found it had metastasized to his brain. The
removed the tumor, but the docs said it was the beginning of the
end.  But he fooled them...he lived, went back to work, and lived a
fairly normal life for some 22 years before the cancer caught up with
him.  So...don't lose hope. Miracles do happen. Hopefully the new
pup will bring your whole family much joy and distract you from worry and
sadness.