This blog has been taken over by the Cat Coalition. We cats have been ignored on this blog for too long, and we’re not going to take it anymore.
If you doubt our superiority, just put a dog by a litter box. They eat our poop. Do you need any more proof?
ALL HAIL THE NEW CAT OVERLORDS!!!!!!!!!!!
We have another nursing home association meeting coming up in April, unfortunately, it’s being held in Peoria. Now I have no bone to pick with Peoria the city, it’s their hotels. The meeting is scheduled at the Paradise Hotel and casino, which is right along the river, near lots of great restaurants and what not. The problem is they do not allow pets. Pets of any kind. Not even tiny little four pound poms, who I would wager are far better trained and behaved than most children. In fact, none of the hotels on the casino side of the river allow pets. We and our pommies have to stay several miles away every time the meeting is held in Peoria.
You’d think the hotels would do a little market research! Maybe then they would realize that a lot of people travel with their pets!
Do you vaccinate your dogs yearly? Have you spayed or neutered them? Do you keep your best friend on heartworm medication? Protect him from ticks and fleas?
As a pet owner, I realize that these medications, procedures and vaccinations can run into big bucks, especially if you are a multiple dog family, but the cost of prevention is nothing compared to the time, worry and suffering, as well as the cost of drug treatment associated with treating diseases like Parvo, Lyme disease and conditions such as heartworms.
With pets, as with anything, the old adage remains true; An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
We were recently visited by a representative from our home owners insurance, who performed a “safety inspection”. We did not ask him to, in fact, we vociferously protested what we considered to be an uncalled for invasion of our privacy. We’d made no claims, had no risk factors like fireplaces, fuseboxes, pools, etc. In fact, we’d had no contact whatsoever with our insurance company other than to pay our premiums, so we were a bit put off by their sudden request (demand) to do an inspection of the inside of our home. I assured them that keeping my home safe for myself and my family preoccupied me a great deal more than it did them, so they needn’t waste their time coming. But in the end we had no choice, comply or find a new company. Apparently, a lot of Insurance companies are engaging in this sort of thing these days.
Our home, of course, passed with flying colors, (I’m nothing if not anal about health and safety). But I was a bit shocked when the fellow asked about our dogs. How many did we have? What breed were they? Were they kept fenced in? He then explained that certain breeds of dogs had been identified as being “risky” and could actually cause one’s home owners insurance rates to go up.
Fortunately for us, there are few, if any, weenie dog, Jack Russell or Pomeranian maulings and not even the most experienced geneticist could likely identify the jumbled lineage of our two mutts. But it’s always troubling when pets are discriminated against simply because of their breed, and I don’t think an insurance company should dictate what sort of pet one can have, so after the “safety inspection” incident I began searching the yellow pages and the internet for other home owners insurance companies.
Has anyone else had this sort of thing happen?
I’m running a contest on my other blog fickle food. It will end at noon on the 13th and I will draw a random name to win 15.00, plus I will donate 15.00 in their name to the Humane Society’s campaign to end animal fighting. So if you feel strongly about this issue jump in there!
By now you’ve almost certainly heard about the charges against Atlanta Falcons quarterback, Michael Vick. You’ve probably also heard the gruesome heart-wrenching stories about how dogs who didn’t show the necessary “fight”, were executed by hanging, shooting, electrocution, and being slammed to the ground. I suspect this sort of wanton cruelty is fairly common among those who enjoy this sort of “sport”.
Whether Vick will be found guilty or innocent remains to be seen, but as a civilized nation we absolutely must stop this sadistic form of “entertainment”. The Humane Society has put together a “Dogfighting Fact Sheet“, which details what we, as decent loving humans can do to help stop this atrocity against our animal friends. Please read it, print it out share it, and above all, get involved!
