Lost German Shepherd Dog missing for 9 years, found!

This will make your heart smile!!

PORT ST. LUCIE — A lot has happened to the Geary family since their German shepherd, Astro, became missing from their Port St. Lucie home nine years ago. They moved three times and ended up in Louisville, Ky.

The family members were shocked when they got a call from an animal control officer about three weeks ago in Tennessee telling them they’d found Astro.

“It’s still a real shock that he is actually here,” said Linda Geary about having their dog back. “We are getting use to the fact that we don’t know where he has been or who had him, but he’s our dog and has always been our dog.”

About nine years earlier, Linda’s husband Dennis and his stepdaughter went to the Treasure Coast Humane Society in Palm City to adopt a dog, Dennis Geary said.

That day, they left with Astro – a black and off-white German shepherd that weighed about 80 pounds.

A month later, Astro was missing. The Geary family posted signs and called shelters but never found the dog. After a year, they adopted a new dog.

Then, on Jan. 29, an animal control officer in Montgomery County, Tenn., picked up Astro after complaints of a German shepherd running loose in a neighborhood in St. Bethlehem, Tenn.

Animal control officers tracked down Dennis Geary through a microchip implanted when he adopted the dog from the Treasure Coast Humane Society. Officers went online to locate Dennis Geary and found two names with Florida connections to call, one at the Louisville address and the other a Tennessee farmer who said the dog wasn’t his.

The officers left a message on the Gearys’ answering machine the first week in February.

Once Dennis Geary called animal control back and hung up the phone, he looked at his wife, picked up the phone, called animal control back and said, “I’m going to bring him (Astro) home.”

That following weekend, Dennis Geary and his stepson made the three-hour drive to Tennessee.

“I didn’t know what to think,” he said. “I was still in shock. I was excited but apprehensive because I didn’t think he was going to remember me and I didn’t know how he was going to respond.”

When the two members of the Geary family arrived at the shelter and staff brought out Astro, the reunion was sweet and wet.

“They brought him out and he just sat down and licked both me and my oldest stepson,” he said. “He was like, where have you been?”

It has been three weeks now since the Gearys have had Astro home.

“It’s just amazing,” Linda Geary said.

Throughout the nine years Dennis Geary said he never forgot Astro. He still has he dog’s picture in his wallet from when he first adopted him nine years ago in Port St. Lucie.

Thisa and Thata

Lose something???










Don't touch my bone

Cowboy Boot Wind Chime, Stuff, and the Fruitcake Lady

Wind chimes....'Ya either love them, or hate them. I love them.

I came across a funky little store and had to have this one. Seriously had to have it! Why not combine my lust admiration for cowboys and love of wind chimes!


So I started image searching for different/odd/unique wind chimes.





K, this next one is just plain wrong.





Frank is completely and utterly in love with being brushed. He almost salivates with joy when he sees me pull out the brushes. Yipping like a wee Chihuahua, dancing in a circle. If I as much as dare to brush one of the others, he sidles right in between until the brush is brushing him. Brat. It's sooo bad, I have to put him outside when the others are being groomed.

I also have to put all the brushes up high where he can't reach them. He loves the brushes soooo much, he eats them. Or, pieces of them anyway. He reminds me of Ruger with his own obsession. Which was the ball-chucker. Ruger lovingly chewed to death 2 of them. Odd dogs.

I was cleaning out folders, and came across some photos I took on a trip to Winfield to visit my Mum last April.This first photo is my new house and vineyard overlooking Okanagan Lake.


I jest. This is my new house. ( not really but one can imagine ) I like to sit here and watch for Ogopogo


This next photo has to be the most ridiculous billboard I have ever seen. I sneered at it driving by.


Beautiful Deer



Fruitcake Lady will have you giggling and belly laughing out loud. Fruitcake Lady

We had a pretty good day here. Did some gardening....pulled dead plants, weeded, was sad to see my Rose bush may not make it another year, scooped poop, fed the birds, chased dogs, was chased by dogs, threw the ball till my arm went flying through the air with the 147 zillionth toss, watched Big Love, The L Word and United States of Tara ( lovelovelove those shows ), took Watcher, Frankie and Ticket on individual runs out back in the railyard then on a pack run.

I'm pooped, my dogs are pooped, and we are all dirty. It was a good day.

Hope yours' was as well!

Don't spread germs!

These past few months of idleness/unemployment have made me a serious slouch.

Sometimes I enjoy my slouchiness, and other times I am itching to be back amongst the human element. But I bet that will only last for the first 2.5 minutes of my return to work. I much prefer the company of my dogs.

But outgoing funds are not matching up with incoming funds, so when I get the call back to work, I'll be happy in that respect. And there are a few people at work who's camaraderie I miss.

Yesterday I was at the post office picking up mail ( small town, no door to door delivery ) and as usual ran into a few people and stopped to chat for a bit. Woke up this morning all stuffy and sneezing. One of those people I chatted with are spreading cold germs. Bastard! I hate having a cold. I usually ride it out without medication, eat lots of garlic and fruit and in 2 days I am better, so I hope it goes that way this time too. I have Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on dvd to watch tonight...that always makes me feel better.

Here's some photos that made me chuckle, hope they do for you too!


Before marriage...


After marriage....(hehehehe! )



Gay Pride...




Okay, okay....that last one was mean, but c'mon....didn't you laugh? Just a little?

French Onion Soup

For dinner last night I tried a new recipe for French Onion Soup. And let me tell you, it was the most delicious bowl of soup ever. Seriously. Ever.

And I did a bad thing. (for me anyway ) I have been really good about not eating any animal meat, but for this recipe I needed chicken and beef broth. Oh I am sooo going to hell. But I'll be smiling!

You can find the recipe HERE. That link will take you to The Pioneer Woman.com. I visit her blog every day, very entertaining website. It's not just cooking there, it's photography tips, photoshop tips, gardening, home schooling, lottsa stuff. Her tagline is "Plowing through life in the country, one calf nut at a time". That line alone should make you want to go to her site! *giggling here*

I had a few crying jags yesterday, thinking about Jack. Woke up puffy eyed and tired. And with a wet face from the good morning face washes from Watcher, Frankie and Ticket. Nuttin' better than dog kisses first thing in the am.

The sky is a pretty blue and the sun is shining. I should take the dogs for a good romp in this humongous field I came across last year. After I have a leftover bowlof French Onion Soup that is!

Hope it's sunny where you are, and alls' right with your world.

Jack Donnelly June 27th, 1997 ~ February 15th, 2008

Jack was the first German Shepherd that owned me.

It still very much pains my heart to think too long about him. I can speak of him in quick sentences, and hurried thoughts, but that's it. I do and can look at all the photos of him now, at least.

He taught me about true, pure unadulterated love. He showed me such an intense loyalty it shook me to my very core. I thank him every day for the lessons he taught me, and the ones we learned together.

He was sooo special, he walked on water.


There is one best place to bury a dog.

If you bury him in this spot he will come to you when you call - come to you over the grim, dim frontier of death, and down the well remembered path, at your side again.

And though you call a dozen living dogs to heel, they shall not growl at him, nor resent his coming, for he belongs there.

People may scoff at you, who see no lightest blade of grass bent by his footfall, who hear no whimper, people who may never really have loved a dog.

Smile at them, for you shall know something that is hidden from them, and which is well worth the knowing.

The one best place to bury a dog is in the heart of it's friend.

The dirty fucker!

RIVERSIDE, Calif.—A former Los Angeles County assistant fire chief who was charged with a felony after hitting a dog with a rock has sued the animal's owners, his attorney said Thursday.

Glynn Johnson, 54, has pleaded not guilty to felony animal cruelty stemming from his Nov. 3 clash with Karley, a 6-month-old German shepherd mix that was euthanized due to its injuries.

Johnson's lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Riverside County Superior Court, claims negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He is seeking unspecified damages from the owners.

According to Johnson's attorney, John E. Sweeney, the dog had gotten loose and was on Johnson's property when the fire official took it by the collar and started walking it back to the home of its owners, Jeff and Shelley Toole.

"When the dog saw he was being led back to his own house, he started thrashing about," Sweeney said. "He got Glynn Johnson's thumb in his mouth and nearly tore the tip off."

Sweeney said Johnson picked up a rock and hit the dog.

"He only hit him twice, as soon as the dog was hit a couple of times, he let go and ran away," Sweeney said.

Sweeney said his client's thumb was scarred and appeared to have permanent nerve damage.

A message left with Shelley Toole was not immediately returned, though Karley's owners depict events differently.

Their Web site, justice4karley.com, displays a TV news story that says Johnson beat the animal without it first attacking him.

The Web site shows pictures of a playful looking puppy, but Sweeney said the dog was big enough to inflict serious damage.

"This was a mature dog with adult dog teeth," he said. "We have a picture of the teeth, these are clearly not a puppy's teeth."

Sweeney said Johnson had a stellar, 31-year career at the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Because he was charged with a felony he was placed on administrative leave.

He decided to retire last month, a year or so earlier than he'd originally planned, in part because of the case.

"His life has been turned upside down," Sweeney said. "This was a man ready to retire with dignity ... and he goes out the back door of the Fire Department because of these allegations."

An online petition demanding felony animal charges be brought against Johnson received 14,000 responses.

Johnson faces four years in prison if convicted. He is free on $10,000 bail.

His lawsuit claims the Tooles should be held liable for the dog bite, and for causing emotional distress by pressing for the criminal charges.

I like how Sweeney says that Johnson had a "stellar career". Uh huh. Bull fucking shit. Anyone who beats a dog has NOT had a stellar career, or life. I bet you there are a lot of skeletons in Johnson's closet.

Oh... and...the *stellar* L.A. Assistant Fire Chief Johnson, says his lawyer ""He only hit him twice, as soon as the dog was hit a couple of times, he let go and ran away," Sweeney said."

What a man.

What a fucking loser. Beat a 6 month old dog to death. Have you all seen a photo of this loser? He is a hulking guy....and a 6 month old pupper had him???

Salma Hayek Breast Feeds African Boy

Weeeelll lord.

Give me a boob that others can live off of....and the means to get me there.

Cool chick, lovely woman.

Ramiro Valdes, Cuba, and Nova

In that order please and thank you.

Good article Kelly....I love to hear about Cuban progression.


Ramiro Valdes, Cuba, and Nova

River Walking

Here, yesterday, is a photo of the world's most pitifully sad dogs


Okay! Okay!! Let's go to the river!
WTF is this stuff??


2 huge patches, both about 2 inches thick with hair. Deer hair?? No blood, nothing to determine a death happened there. But why all the hair?? Oddest thing I've seen around here.


I didn't realize the river was so low, and alot of the sand has been washed away. Spring and summer is the best time to go to Hunter Creek I suppose. Too many big rocks makes for an uncomfortable walking surface.


But geeeeeezuz, check out the slab of glacier rock!



The rocks in this creek have aged green from algae. Pretty!


Rocky walking, so we headed over to the blackberry walk to the river. Here the river was too high. There were also a few back eddies that would have swept the dogs down river, so we didn't stay for long.


Careful guys!! They had no intentions of swimming, too bloody cold, but a few more feet out I would have had to jump in and pulled them back. I'm going to stay away from this spot for a bit.


Look how beautifully smooth,and round, these rocks/pebbles were....


It snowed last night! Just a light dusting. I liked waking up to it....and here I thought I was donedonedone with winter weather. It did piss off Frankie though. He hates snow and rain. When his little pansy feet touch the wet it's like his feet are on fire. ( behind his back, Watcher, Ticket and I call him Miss Priss )

Litterbugs Extraordinaire

Yesterday when I left S.A.I.N.T.S. it was still fairly light out. I was glad because I wanted to see if I could get a decent photo of a group of Eagles that have been hanging around the river. The Eagles weren't there so I made my way back to the van. Something in the grass median across the highway caught my eye.


Hmmm, looks like an empty milk jug, right? On closer inspection....


Nope. That's not Apple Juice!

It's something I see about every 1/2 mile littered on both sides of the highway, including the medians.

Lazy ass semi truck drivers piss in the empty milk jugs, more than once as evidenced in the above photo, then toss them out. This has been going on since I can remember. Not sure what containers they used before the big plastic jugs came along.

WTF?

Is there really such a sense of urgency to get to their destination that they can't pull off the road and urinate in the bushes, like everyone else? ( come oooon, you have so peed in the bushes!! ) And, if they really can't stop and pee, then why the fuck can't they put the jugs in garbage cans at the gas stations or their destinations?? Why do they have to completely and utterly ugly up the highways?

I think I'm going to write a "letter to the editor" to every newspaper in B.C. and CC that to every semi trucking company in Canada. It just disgusts me.

Here's a photo I took of the sunset behind the mountains. I sure miss seeing the sun set along the line of the earth. Much more magnificent.

Dusty! ( from post below )

MY GAWD!!!

I Cannot believe I didn't put her face on here! She's pretty!!



Check out those ears!!

Sheeeee's beooootiful!!

*heart beating*

A Movie Date With A SAINT

Today I had a movie date with a SAINT.

Actually 2 SAINTS.

Seriously!

I went to the only senior animal sanctuary in Canada, S.A.I.N.T.S. located about 1.5 hours away to snuggle/pet/caress an animal while watching a movie. Hence the name, A Movie Date With A Saint.

I was partnered with Cleo


She heard Carol, the Director of S.A.I.N.T.S., drive off to pick up a pooch at the vet's and didn't settle for 15 minutes. Tis love personified.

Dusty, was my other date. She has been at S.A.I.N.T.S. for a week. She was found wandering in Chilliwack, blind and emaciated.

Who the fuck does this to a dog??



The photos don't do the damage justness. She'd put on a few pounds and had a bath after she found her way to S.A.I.N.T.S. Her elbows were crusted, and hard, and thick, the way they get with laying down consistently on hard surfaces. Poor poor love.

I had a great time. I don't remember what movie I watched though! Both dogs very sweet and loving. Dusty inhaled the popcorn, Cleo waited for Carol to return. Oh, she ate a bit of popcorn, and 100% inhaled the lovin', but her heart was elsewhere though. ( I loved that!! that made my heart smile.

Just after my movie date ended Carol and her associate Nicole returned with a 2 month old female Malamute pup. Apparently someone had bought her from a breeder in the U.S. , along with a male pup from different litters with intent to breed and sell. Yet another puppy mill going to happen in B.C.

The female pup became ill, they took her to the Vet and it's Parvo. Instead of paying the $900 fee to make her healthy they opted to euthanize. The Vet, having a conscience, notified S.A.I.N.T.S. While they are normally a senior sanctuary, they could not turn this wee babe down. They will keep her, love her, and medicate her till she is healthy enough to go to the local Malamute Rescue, who will be able to identify the most appropriate home for her.

Just after Carol, Nicole, and the pup pulled in the driveway an owner surrender came. How very very sad. ( *seriously make me tear up* ) A 9 y/o blind Golden Retriver. The circumstances on the surrender were beyond control. This dog had no where to go.

Fuck man.

Listen, go to your animal shelter/pound whatthefuckeva. Walk a dog. Maybe you might commit to 1 hour a week to walk a dog. The absolute joy on that dogs face will astound you.

Grow some catmint and make some toys for the cats.

If you're at a loss, take a peek Ways To Help A Rescue

If you have children, what a wonderful life lesson for them! Help those who cannot help themselves....right?

I lovedlovedloved my movie date today! It will continue....

National Film Board of Canada

I had not thought about the National Film Board of Canada since I was a kid in school. Near the end of some school days, we all gleefully sat around and watched a short documentary. That is my favorite memory of school. I loved watching the films. Anyway...I came across the NFBC's website and voila! a whole cornucopia of films!

Last night I watched a documentary on Kanehsatake. Some background....in 1990 the mayor and council of Oka, a small village in Quebec decided to expropriate/steal ( for the nth time ) even more land from the Mohawk Nation to add another 9 holes to their golf course. Yes. A fucking golf course. The Canadian army became involved. 150 million, yes million dollars was spent on it, and to this day, the land claims are still not decided. Sad. Sad and pitiful.

How cool! But odd. Watermelon Carving

*snort* *giggle * Crappy kids artwork

Ice ice baby Ice Waterfalls

* snarf snarf * Amazing Cakes

I can finally see a bit of blue poking out amongst the grey clouds, so gotta' take the dogs for a stroll while it's not too bad.

Enjoy your day!

Dog Shit Lasagna Addendum

Geeezuz.....I've had 4 people email me about my previous post. People that don't comment on the blog, ever, but apparently think my entire yard is/was covered in dog shit.

So, for them, I will explain. My dogs...and any others that have owned me, regulate themselves to a certain area of the yard to deposit their ass trash. I live on 1 acre. ( small to country lifers, but large to the city folks with a teeny yard ) And I'll admit it....sometimes I don't *GASP* scoop poop every day. There may be a day or two a month where I get home in the dark....or, fuck it, I'm wasted from my day and I just don't want to.

It's not like the whole yard was encrusted with shit!

Soooooo! To all you daily perfect poop scoopers, this is for you!



May your scooper always be clean, may your yard never encompass more than 20 feet squared ( yes, I am still on feet and inches! ), and may you always be as perfect a dog owner as you think you are.

Death by Winter ( and Dog Shit Lasagna )

When it had first snowed a month or so ago, it dumped a few inches and covered the dog shit. It was so pretty, all the white.

Then when it melted and I went to scoop poop, it was frozen solid. Not pretty.

It snowed some more, and made me forget about the shit underneath.

And then we had torrential winds. Those winds blew a lot of branches and leaves off. Then, more snow.

Here's the shitty part. ( aren't I clever??!!! ) There was a layer of shit, a layer of leaves/twigs/braches, then another layer of shit and.....well you get it.


Since no one lives behind me, I wheel barreled 14 katrillion loads around and tipped the loads underneath some Cherry trees. Sour cherries and only the birds eat them, but fertilizer none the less.

Not everything in my garden survived. My Rosemary crapped out.


But my Sage pulled through the cold spells just dandy!


And the Lavender


Chocolate Mint too!


Thyme always seems to pull it off


And! Oooh! Ooooh! LOOK! Wee Snow Drops seeing the light!


And a few small Chives!


Day Lilies popping up. They get soooo pretty!



Watcher! Are ya' comfy on my, our your bed?


Well.....Yes I am! Thanks for askin'!


Ticket's off leash Heeling went okay yesterday. Actually, pretty damn good! She is a much more serious learner than Watcher and Frankie. I wonder if it is because she is a female...are they more studious than male dogs? She's the first female canine who's owned me so I have no reference personally.

And it's odd, because she gravitates towards the light colored toys. The boys go for the darker colors. I wonder if there has ever been a study done? ( hey, if they can do studies about why different cigarette ashes are darker than others, they could do one about dogs and colors! )

Ticket and her pink squeakie


Frank say hi too....


It's just after noon here right now. Going to make a cuppa tea ( Red Rose dahling....remember that commercial? ) , then shove us all in the van and make our way down to the river. Hope you all have a wonderful day!