Coffee Break [15/6/20]

15/6/20 Hannibal 24

It can be a struggle to get through the second half of the day.

The past couple of weeks have been rough. And I know it’s important to bear witness to the injustice around us. But it’s also necessary for the sake of our mental health to recharge with a different kind of news story. Here’s a few items that caught my eye over the weekend.

Florida Man gets his well deserved share of internet abuse. But this time, he’s our hero. Trent Tweddale rescued his beloved dog from the jaws of an alligator.

In England a man takes his giant tortoise out to stretch his legs for the amusement of the local children.

And this sweet little pup walks his young human to and from the school bus every day.

If you’ve got any cute animal pics or videos please share them with us.

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24 Comments

    • Wow, I don’t think Fanny would do that. She loves to chase squirrels but I’m not sure she understands that she can go over a fence. She seems to think it’s an insurmountable obstacle.

      • It seems nothing is insurmountable for our four-legged wrecking ball. Before the fence itself was in place, we had put a makeshift barricade in the way. She simply turned her shoulder into it and literally smashed it down to get after another squirrel. She has a laser focus that is simply mind boggling, and rather impressive. Like I’ve said man times before: I’m glad she’s on our side:)

    • When our dog was a puppy (a large puppy, a black Lab) he could, from a standing position, helicopter up to our kitchen island. He was about a foot tall; the island is about 3 1/2 feet. I witnessed it more than once and I have no idea how he did it. One more surface that had to be kept empty lest he go into Olympic gymnastics training mode. Now luckily he’s older and fatter, like me, and has adopted my slothful ways.

      I’ve had many dogs but this current one…I desperately wanted to sign him up for agility training but there were no places near us. His daily routine was to scarf down some breakfast, race into the bedroom, take a flying leap onto the bed, race off it, run at 100 mph into the living room, leap onto the couch (clearing the arms with ease), from there onto a chair about a foot away, and from there onto a wide window sill about two feet away. And there he’d sit, soaking up the sunshine. It’s a wonder he never smashed through that window.

      • When Fanny was a puppy she got the zoomies every night around 8pm. She’d buzz over any and all surfaces. In the yard that included lawn chairs, steps. Indoors, all furniture and often me. Then she’d go to her bed and crash until morning. Just like a toddler fussing before bed.

        • The fence (and the subsequent run out into & across the street,to get to us visiting the neighbors!) was why her original owner/my former roommie and I ended up getting a training (shock) collar for my Lily.

          Turns out Lil looked at the corner of the backyard fence, at 11-or-so weeks old, and logic-ed out how to throw herself up onto the chain-link, then claw her way to the top & launch her butt-end over it…

          After she came running across the street twice in about 15 min, I put her *back* in the backyard, then went to the nearest window to see how she got out (thinking she was shimmying herself out through the bottom somehow!😆😍🤣)

          We got the collar & did it that way, because we didn’t want there to be any *human* association with “Don’t climb the fence!”–because we didn’t want her hurt, if we *weren’t* out front when she tried it.

          We got the collar, tested it on OURSELVES first, to make sure there was some aversion, but NOT excessive shock (dialed it down to about 7 out of 10), then put it on her, and let her into the backyard.

          Roommie went out front & began to talk loudly, while I went to the window & watched. As soon as Lil was about halfway up (so *deliberately* making a move to hurl herself over!), she got the zap. It took two times, and she never tried it again.

          I know plenty of folks who have disagreements with using shock collars. And whenever possible, I ALWAYS try for positive rewards & reinforcement.
          But on a safety issue like that one, where we wanted HER to know what to do, with or without people around, I’ll never regret using that method.

          It worked, with “natural” consequences that she was able to understand, and it kept her safe from the teenaged neighbors who drove down the hill in front of our house waaaaaay too fast.

          (She was never scared of the fence, either, and she’d TOTALLY put her feet up on it, whenever folks came over & there was the possibility of scritches😉)

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