Procyon Lotor

Hearing some prolonged crashing about outside my door last night, I opened it to find....


for a larger version go here.
Kind of a quick 'no! don't run!' picture, although suprisingly, he/she didn't. Instead (let's call it a nice gender neutral name) Rowan just shimmied back and forth along the bit of fence, occasionally stopping to dig a hand into the garbage can whose lid had just been shoved aside in hopes of grabbing a bag and stopping to stare at the cat and human who stood in the doorway not four feet away.

They're not usually so bold - the unusual weather here must be driving them from the park in search for food.

But, oh so cute. I've always wanted one for a pet. I doubt Cabot would like that, however, and so I contented myself with putting out some of the cat-disdained 'dental formula' food (concern for wildlife teeth, that's me).

Cabot took the opportunity of the relative safety of the open door behind him to hiss at Rowan before coming back in to pace and scratch at the door every four minutes so he could check to see if the intruder had returned.

Which is a little annoying. But my fault for showing him the raccoon in the first place. Cabot abandoned his usual night-time place on / around my head to stand on guard at the end of the bed in clear view of the bedroom door.

Something tells me he's not going to be too happy to find that I plan to keep feeding Rowan.

Fleeting Handprints in the Snow

Cabot walks outside into the deep freeze.

And melts my (lately) cold little heart.

Oh, RIIIIIGHT. That Makes Total Sense.

An update on the dog abuse case in Alberta.

Here's my favorite part..

"He's got a lot of regret about what happened. This is a very sad situation and he feels very badly about that."

The two accused aren't the "sadistic brutes" they've been made out to be, he said.

The dog was initially accidentally hit by a vehicle, he said. Takada says his client is not responsible for dragging the dog behind a car.

Sooooo, the family dog was hit by a car by 'accident' and you thought it'd be a nice unsadistic thing to tie a rope around it's neck, duct tape all four of it's legs, beat it and then, just for fun, tie a bag over it's head before putting it right back in the exact place the mystery car dragged it to?

Well, then.

Please, Can I Borrow An Umbrella?

I spent yesterday in a frenzy of furniture moving. You may remember that I moved into my apartment on July 1 and flew out on July 2nd for round two of basic training and so I just plopped furniture down in what looked like it would work and wandered off to the airport.

I've decided it just doesn't work. For one the TV was in front of the window so daytime TV watching was irritating (well, back when we had light during the day) and lying on the couch to read was problematic unless the book was big enough to cover the window when I held it up.

Plus, it's not a big living room and so when coming in the door all you saw really was this corner FILLED with computer and papers.

All is well now. The computer is near the window 'behind' the door, the 'living room' faces the other direction and I've even managed to put up some pictures!

Yesterday afternoon whilst sitting at the computer and gazing out the window I spotted one of the local squirrels sheltering from the rain.

We sat and gazed at each other (and, alternatively, at the cat) for a good 20 minutes while I marvelled at the little fellas inguenuity. Maybe they do this all the time but I have NEVER seen a squirrel work out a way to fashion it's own umbrella.


*click to biggy*

Kissed. By a Llama. Named Lucy.

Lately it's started to concern me that I spend too much time, well, resting. I can't be bothered to go out and do stuff. I hate going to work, which actually doesn't matter that much since I have a grand total of 10 (make that nine since I didn't go one day last week) shifts this month at the hospital.

Yeah, I know it's been raining pretty much nonstop for about 10 days. Yeah, I know my arms are still killing me. I know that sleeping a lot is self-perpetuating. I wonder, though, can one get depressed when one is already depressed?

One of the girls at the unit volunteers at a horse rescue farm and so I've made the commitment to spend every monday morning shovelling manure, cleaning stalls and feeding the animals.

When we arrived yesterday, I met all the horses and led them out to the large field so we could clean their stalls. Currently there's eight horses, a pony, a teeny Shetland pony and two 67 year-old donkeys.

Most of them have been abused. One, Buddy, was a racehorse who was on his way to the meat-wagon when he was brought in - his feet are mangled. There's a new horse, Spirit, who's an Arabian and absolutely beautiful but very very afraid. The pony, Tango, hates everyone - except apparantly me. He took a liking to me, planted his nose in my back, followed me slowly to the big field and then stood around so I could scratch him - quite unheard of.

Horses are very good at picking up fear and I guess they all took a shine to me because I'm not afraid of them or worried that they may hurt me. It's less of a "show no fear" than I'm just really not afraid of them. To me, they all just seem very gentle and happy to be in a place where they're not being abused anymore.

Mucking out the stalls and the other things we needed to do took Emelia and I three hours. In the pouring rain.

It was great.

Once I get to know the horses I'll be able to choose one to work with and ride. The farm does a lot of counselling with youth offenders and they have rides for challenged children a couple times a year but all the work is done by volunteers.

In addition to the horses there's a bunch of little roly poly goats and a couple of llamas.

When you enter their pen they all turn and run full-tilt towards you. Goats that don't even come up to my knees swarming around your legs like cats and llamas dancing with joy. It's a toss-up, really, as to whether they're happy about the food or you as for the most part the food was ignored until after we left the pen.

As I turned around from throwing some hay in their little shelter I almost ran smack dab into Lucy who was standing right behind me. Taller than me, she leaned down from a foot away, snuffled my face and then kissed me on the cheek.

Llamas are pretty big animals and I've never been up close to one before but my god, they are so adorable.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures but during one day there, I will.

I don't know about the animals but that three hours did my soul good.

I *THOUGHT* It'd Been Raining A Lot Lately

They note that 250 to 300 millimetres of rain has fallen in parts of the southwestern corner of B.C. since last Thursday, and warn that it's not over yet.

River levels are climbing rapidly in the Fraser Valley and on southern Vancouver Island.



"Rivers will be rising today and throughout the day and this evening, probably peaking perhaps sometime after dark this evening, midnight or early Tuesday morning," said Alan Chapman of the environment ministry.

Chapman noted that some of those rivers were experiencing drought conditions just a week ago. Now, he said, they are full of water and rising hourly.

And yes, I've been saving worms.(thanks to YJ for the bumper stickers)

Hang Them With Saddam. Just A Thought.

For those of you who aren't Western Canadian, you probably haven't heard this news story from October. (It's an animal abuse case, so, proceed slowly if you're woogly about this kind of stuff. Me? Every time I read it, I cry.)

Thursday, October 12, 2006

DIDSBURY — A mayor’s tears summed up a central Alberta town’s shock and outrage over the horrific torture and killing of a dog.

“People are wanting justice and don’t know if they are going to see it or not,” a shaken Dorothy Moore, mayor of Didsbury, said Thursday.

Passersby found the dog, a female collie-Lab cross, still alive but lying in a pool of blood in the street earlier this week. Her four legs were bound together with duct tape, a bag was covering her head and there was a tow rope around her neck. It appeared she had been dragged behind a vehicle.

The veterinarian called to the scene said the rope around her neck was so tight it caused one of her eyes to pop out. Her neck, back and pelvis were also broken.

The vet euthanized the dog immediately.

---

Two Men Charged in Sadistic Dog Torture

* * Jason van Rassel, Calgary Herald
Published: Wednesday, October 11, 2006

A trail of blood led police to two suspects who allegedly bound and dragged the family dog behind a vehicle in Didsbury over the weekend.

The dog’s injuries were so severe, a veterinarian called by the RCMP had to euthanize the dog on the spot.

“This was definitely, in my 10 years of policing, the most horrendous act I’ve seen against an animal,” said Cpl. Kevin Fischer of the RCMP in Didsbury, 90 kilometres north of Calgary.

A passerby found the female collie-lab cross lying in the middle of the street sometime early Sunday and called police.

Investigators said the dog’s legs were bound together with duct tape and there was a tow rope around its neck.

“Indications are the dog was dragged behind a vehicle,” Fischer said.

The dog, between six and seven years old, was severely bleeding from several parts of its body.

“The veterinarian sedated and euthanized the dog,” said Fischer.

Although the dog had no tags, tattoos or obvious identification, police officers followed a trail of blood to a local home.

Police have laid charges against two teenagers, but Fischer said Wednesday they are no closer to learning a motive for the crime.

Daniel Charles Haskett, 19, of Didsbury, has been charged with injuring/endangering an animal and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. He is also charged with obstructing police.

A 17-year-old male, whose identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is charged with injuring/endangering an animal and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

The two accused youths are scheduled to appear in Didsbury provincial court on Nov. 6.

For adult offenders, each of the animal cruelty charges has a maximum penalty of a $2,000 fine or six months in jail — or both.

Which means the 17 year old won't get fuck all. You know it and I know it.

The case is also being investigated by the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. A conviction under the province’s Animal Protection Act can carry a maximum penalty of a $20,000 fine and a lifetime ban from owning animals, but an official said no further charges are being contemplated.

Read: they're not even thinking about laying charges under the provincial act. Why? I can't even fathom a world where they wouldn't or an excuse for not doing so.

Other things uncovered by PETA lately...

Before Daisy Duke was dragged behind the vehicle, she was beaten with a shovel and run over.

She had her legs bound, and a plastic bag was put over her head. Daisy's back and neck were broken, her head gashed and fractured, and she was covered in blood. She was found alive and choking on her own blood in the plastic bag.

She was still able to lift her head when the vet, Andy Mencarelli, arrived at the scene. The police followed Daisy Duke's trail of blood 3 blocks back to the Haskett house.

The dog belonged to someone who'd moved to Calgary but had to leave the dog with his mother and three brothers as he couldn't find a place that would take pets. One of those brothers is Daniel Haskett.

Daniel Haskett goes back to court on November 22. The 'juvenile offender' goes on Dec 7.

I have seen some emails regarding signatures but rather than rely on those, I would urge the Canadians that come here to visit this page and sign the petition that will go to the Canadian Government to support to have Bill C-50 re-introduced to strengthen current laws and jail times to those convicted of animal abuse crimes.

Honestly, though? I'd rather see them hang.

I'd gladly put the rope around their necks myself.