A terrific set of videos!
John Zande sent me an email yesterday. It contained a link that when clicked on took me to a series of videos.
Here is the first one I looked at:
That link sent by John is here: https://www.youtube.com/@BarkBondOfc
Category: Animal rescue
What a beautiful account!
From the find of the six puppies to the fantastic conclusion.
I subscribe to The Dodo. On September 5th Maeve Dunigan wrote an article that is so beautiful. I have permission to republish the story.
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Rescuers Hear Cries In Open Field — Then See Faces Peeking Out Of A Drain.
“[They] were friendly and very social.”
Published on Sep 5, 2025
In a field near the Kansas Humane Society’s Murfin Animal Care Campus, a concrete storm drain peeks out of the green grass, its circular opening extending into a black tunnel below. One morning this past July, humane society team members arrived at work and heard a heartbreaking sound echoing from within this drain — the sound of animals crying for help.
The rescuers hurried over and found the source of the noise. There, cowering inside, were six little puppies left to fend for themselves.
Using treats as a tasty incentive, the team coaxed each puppy out from the hole. The pups served a mandatory stray hold at the Wichita Animal Shelter next door. Then they returned to the Kansas Humane Society for further care.
Staff members gave the pups a comfortable place to recover. They named the dogs Abby, Ellie, Greg, Lev, Mike and Tommy, and made sure each of them received the necessary vaccines and medical attention needed to grow up healthy and strong.
“The puppies were very wiggly, especially Ellie,” a representative from Kansas Humane Society told The Dodo. “All were friendly and very social.”
Local news stations soon began covering the amazing rescue, urging community members to adopt or foster the pups. Within two days, every puppy was either adopted or put on hold for adoption.
Today, Abby, Ellie, Greg, Lev, Mike and Tommy are all safe in their forever homes, and rescuers couldn’t be happier.
“We hope their futures are full of love, cuddles and treats,” the representative said.
To help other animals like these puppies, you can make a donation to the Kansas Humane Society.
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It is stories like this one that provide the incentive for not engaging in politics. Period!
Emmy the dog
She has her own doorbell.
A lovely video.
Emmy’s way of seeing her ‘Mum’, namely Linda Rose.
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Jean and I are atheists. I subscribe to the American Humanist Association whose motto is “GOOD WITHOUT A GOD”.
Bill Watterson of the AHA posted the following yesterday:
I wish people were more like animals. Animals don’t try to change you. Animals like you just the way you are. They listen to your problems, they comfort you when you’re sad, and all they ask in return is a little kindness.
So, so true!
Picture Parade Four Hundred and Eighty-Five
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There are few people visiting Learning from Dogs these days but so what! I do not publish posts to elicit comments or ‘Likes’, I just do it for my own pleasure, and if there are a very few who like my blog posts then that is a bonus.
Plus I cannot guarantee that some of these photographs have not appeared in earlier Picture Parades.
A lovely story about a snake
It’s from The Dodo website.
This is fabulous and I don’t intend to say anymore.
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Woman Rescues Snake — Then Watches In Awe As She Gives Birth In Her Hand
She couldn’t believe it …
Published on July 23, 2025.
Earlier this month, a homeowner called Tidewater Wildlife Rescue with an urgent request. A common garter snake was hopelessly tangled in a piece of netting in their yard. Could someone come help?
Rescue volunteer Serenity Reiner quickly headed to the scene.
Reiner and her rescue partner, Daniel, used scissors to cut away big pieces of the net. Then, Daniel gently held the snake as Reiner snipped away netting closer to the animal’s body.
“We were very focused,” Reiner told The Dodo. “We wanted to be as fast as possible to limit [her] stress.”
The rescuers were almost finished when they noticed something amazing — the snake was giving birth in their hands.
Reiner hastily removed the remaining netting as the mama snake birthed two babies. Then, she took the snake and her little ones to a wooded area behind the house and released them back into the wild.
Surprisingly, despite their size, baby garter snakes don’t need to live with their mom for very long. In fact, as the rescue notes, these young snakes are completely independent from the moment they’re born and can immediately find food on their own.
According to the U.S. National Park Service, garter snakes typically give birth to 15-40 babies at a time. Reiner suspects this mama welcomed many more little ones into the world once she was safe in the forest.
The rescuer encouraged the homeowners to use animal-safe netting next time. She’s grateful that, in this case, everything turned out OK.
“I felt so much joy knowing that she was able to go back to her normal life unharmed,” Reiner said.
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Picture Parade Four Hundred and Eighty
Yet more working dogs courtesy of Unsplash.
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Hopefully there are not too many repeats!
Picture Parade Four Hundred and Seventy-Nine
A few more working dog photos from Unsplash.
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More in a week’s time.
You all stay healthy!
Keeping one’s garden wild
A great TED Talk.
We live on 13 acres. Even the land near to the house is difficult to keep tidy so when Jean and I saw this TED Talk given by Rebecca McMacin we were overjoyed. For having a tidy garden does much greater harm to wildlife than keeping it wild.
Before I get to the TED video, I just want to show you some photos I took last Saturday.
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Now to the TED Talk
Here is the description of the talk.
Many gardeners work hard to maintain clean, tidy environments … which is the exact opposite of what wildlife wants, says ecological horticulturist Rebecca McMackin. She shows the beauty of letting your garden run wild, surveying the success she’s had increasing biodiversity even in the middle of New York City — and offers tips for cultivating a garden that can be home to birds, bees, butterflies and more.
Here is Rebecca’s background.
Rebecca McMackin is an ecologically obsessed horticulturist who helps people create and care for beautiful gardens that provide habitat for birds, butterflies and soil microorganisms.
Why you should listen
Rebecca McMackin spent a decade as director of horticulture at Brooklyn Bridge Park, where she employed organic principles to manage 85 acres of diverse parkland. During her time overseeing the park’s ecology, stick bugs, rare mantids, threatened bees and lady bugs all returned to the park. The park’s urban biodiversity and successful use of ethical management strategies influenced thousands of people and other urban parks to adopt similar approaches.
In addition to her work designing public gardens, McMackin writes, lectures and teaches on ecological landscape management and pollination ecology. She recently installed an 8,000-square-foot native wildflower garden for the entrance to the Brooklyn Museum. She was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, while her work has been published by and featured in The New York Times, the Landscape Institute and on NPR and PBS.
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The video is just 12 minutes long and I encourage you to view it.
Picture Parade Four Hundred and Sixty-Seven
More of Cloudy.
(But because he is so lively I had trouble taking a good photograph.)
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I will keep trying!
Picture Parade Four Hundred and Sixty-Six
Our latest addition to the family!
This photograph was taken by our neighbour, Margo, when she came to our house last Thursday.
Cloudy is from the local Josephine County Animal Shelter. After Cleo died we felt (including Oliver) that just one dog at home was too hard on everyone.
Cloudy is a bright, lively young dog who has quickly become very loving to all!
Learning from Dogs 