Category: Water

Have a lovely day!

The lesson of love from our dogs just keeps rolling along.

Neighbour Dordie had the following sent to her in an email and, subsequently, passed it on to me.

I share it with you and hope that it brightens your day.

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After losing his parents, this three-year-old orangutan was so depressed he wouldn’t eat and didn’t respond to any medical treatments.  The veterinarians thought he would surely die from sadness.

ATT00001The zoo keepers found an old sick dog on the grounds in the park at the zoo where the orangutan lived. They took the dog to the animal treatment center; the dog arriving at the same time that the orangutan was there being treated.

ATT00002The two lost souls met and have been inseparable ever since. The orangutan found a new reason to live and each always tries his best to be a good companion to his new-found friend. They are together 24-hours-a-day in all their activities.

ATT00003They  live in Northern California where swimming is their favorite past-time, although Roscoe (the orangutan) is a little afraid of the water and needs his friend’s help to swim.

ATT00004Together, they have discovered the joy and laughter in life and the value of friendship.

ATT00005They have found more than a friendly shoulder to lean on.

ATT00006Long Live Friendship!
I don’t know… some say life is too short, others say it is too long.

But, I know that nothing that we do makes sense if we don’t touch the hearts of others… While it lasts!

May you always have – Love to Share, Health to Spare, and Friends who Care… Even if they are a little hairy at times.

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Shared with you with the fondest love of Jean and me and all our furry friends.

The season for keeping cool!

At the dog park, Syd decides to utilize the drinking water for another purpose.

(As seen over on the Care2 blogsite.)

Daily Cute: Dog Finds a Way to Cool Down

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Not just your dogs but all you good folks stay cool out there!

In praise of wolves

Three stunning photographs of wolves.

In my post yesterday, A Eulogy for OR-4, I republished a passionate and moving account by Rob Klavins of the killing of a magnificent wolf. It included these words:

He escaped kill orders and poachers. He endured at least 4 collarings and he beat the odds. There aren’t many ten year old wolves out there. Today there is one less.

OR4 was shot and killed today. And it hurts. Anyone celebrating his death, the killing of his likely pregnant partner, and two of his pups, must have a hardened heart indeed.

All I am offering for you today is the contents of a recent email that I received from the Endangered Species Coalition.

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Paul,

We are excited to announce the winning entries in our first-ever Wolves in the Wild photo contest! While we received many beautiful photos of gray wolves, the difficult task of choosing winning submissions was carried out with much deliberation by our panel of judges.

The Grand Prize winner is:

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Dan Ritzman

Runner ups are:

John Long
John Long
Brenna Burke
Brenna Burke

We are enormously grateful to everyone who participated! Your photos were all amazing and I assure you that choosing a winner was a difficult task for the judges. While the contest was fun, we hope the photos will serve a very serious purpose in helping to show decision makers in the Pacific Northwest that wolves are important not only for their role in a healthy ecosystem, but as a driver of tourism and associated economic benefits.

Thank you for your commitment to disappearing wildlife and wild places.

Sincerely,

Danielle Moser
Pacific Northwest Wolf Organizer
Endangered Species Coalition

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Let me just repeat that key sentence from Danielle, “While the contest was fun, we hope the photos will serve a very serious purpose in helping to show decision makers in the Pacific Northwest that wolves are important not only for their role in a healthy ecosystem, but as a driver of tourism and associated economic benefits.”

Exactly!

Picture parade one hundred and fifty.

My second day of celebrating thirteen years of Pharaoh’s life.

The first day’s worth of pictures was yesterday. (And so many Happy Birthday greetings from you! Thanks everyone.)

Pharaoh demonstrating his benevolent status with puppy Cleo. April 2012.
Pharaoh demonstrating his benevolent status with puppy Cleo. April 2012.
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Pharaoh and Cleo getting a sense of each other a little later on in 2012 before they moved to their new home in Oregon.
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Revelling in what, in September 2012, brought us to Oregon: Water! Picture taken in February, 2015.
A'hhh! This feels so much better. Taken in February, 2015.
A’hhh! This feels so much better. Taken in February, 2015.
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Birthday photograph of Pharaoh with Pedy. Taken last Friday.
Very much looking like the wise old man that he is. Another photo taken last Friday.
Very much looking like the wise old man that he is. Another photo taken last Friday.
Outdoor environment fit for a doggy king! Photo taken last Friday.
Outdoor environment fit for a doggy king! Photo taken last Friday.
Pharaoh will always be with us in our hearts every time I look at the book! Such inspiration from him.
Pharaoh will always be with us in our hearts every time I look at the book! Such inspiration from him.
The wise one!
Impossible not to close today’s Picture Parade without this classic of classic photographs of Pharaoh. Taken in Devon, South-West England in June 2007.

Happy Birthday beloved companion!

And speaking of Brazil!

What a wonderful coincidence! From the country to the surname!

As many of you will know yesterday I published a delightful story of how fisherman Joao Pereira de Souza, 71, who lives in an island village just outside Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [my italics] saved a penguin that then bonded with Joao.

So imagine my surprise when yesterday morning I read over on the Care2 website a story of a policeman, Officer Joe Brazil [my italics] who rescued a dog. I was compelled to republish that in full for your pleasure.

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Barefoot Policeman Saves Pup From Watery Danger

By: Laura S. May 30, 2016

About Laura

13087551_10206497645741920_394354682604112285_n-11Every so often a photo shines light on a moment of heroism more than words ever could. This amazing image comes from Rhode Island resident Peggy Edwards who stayed on scene as a 911 call summoned help for a puppy trapped in a culvert.

The dog, now known to be Cece, had escaped from her Woonsocket home one day after arriving. Without her litter mates for the first time and unfamiliar with her new surroundings, Cece became frightened after slipping through a back door and being confronted by the great outdoors.

Cece ran all night and wasn’t spotted until the next afternoon. She was wandering down Alice Avenue when a passing car startled her further and she took refuge in a culvert. To further complicate the situation, Cece went quite far into the tunnel and soon found herself trying to cling to the edge as water flowing from a nearby brook lapped her body.

“She was stuck about 20-25 feet in and was clinging to the side,” Peggy Edwards explained. “We tried to help but were afraid of scaring her further in”

But when Officer Joe Brazil arrived on scene, he calmly took off his shoes and rolled up his pants. If Cece couldn’t come to him, he’d simply go to her.

“As I got closer, I could see Cece just clinging to the side and just shaking,” Brazil told NBC 10 News. “(The dog was) very, very frightened.”

Cece sniffed Brazil’s hand briefly and then allowed him to pick her up.

“It just seemed like she was almost saying thank you. Like she knew I was there to help,” Brazil said.

Cece’s owner, Michelle Perez, was deeply relieved to be reunited with her new family member.

“She’s only 5 months old. I wasn’t able to sleep,” Perez said. “All I kept doing was just driving around, calling her.”

And as for Officer Brazil, well, he is reportedly looking to adopt a dog of his own very soon.

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 I shall be going nuts over the next few hours trying to think of a follow-on third story about Brazil! (Apologies: just could resist that!)

Gratitude – the Penguin model!

The Bricklayer and the Penguin.

The following glorious story, a true story I should have made clear, was sent to me recently by Cynthia, wife of my long-term Californian friend Dan Gomez. It’s a story that was broadcast by TV Globo, not a station I had previously heard of. Unsurprising really when a quick web search finds their details:

Rede Globo, or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Grupo Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings.

Here’s that story.

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The Bricklayer and the Penguin

This penguin swims 5,000 miles every year for a reunion with the man who saved his life.

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Best buds (Picture: TV Globo)

Todays most heartwarming story is brought to you from a beach in Brazil. The story of a South American Magellanic penguin who swims 5,000 miles each year to be reunited with the man who saved his life.

Retired bricklayer and part time fisherman Joao Pereira de Souza, 71, who lives in an island village just outside Rio de Janeiro , Brazil , found the tiny penguin, covered in oil and close to death, lying on rocks on his local beach in 2011. Joao cleaned the oil off the penguin’s feathers and fed him a daily diet of fish to build his strength. He named him Dindim.

The prodigal penguin returns (Picture: TV Globo)
The prodigal penguin returns (Picture: TV Globo)

After a week, he tried to release the penguin back into the sea. But, the bird wouldn’t leave.

He stayed with me for 11 months and then, just after he changed his coat with new feathers, he disappeared, Joao recalls. And, just a few months later, Dindim was back. The penguin spotted the fisherman on the beach one day and followed him home.

Look who's back (Picture: TV Globo)
Look who’s back (Picture: TV Globo)

For the past five years, Dindim has spent eight months of the year with Joao and is believed to spend the rest of the time breeding off the coast of Argentina and Chile. It is thought he swims up to 5,000 miles each year to be reunited with the man who saved his life.

(Picture: Rio de Janeiro Federal University )
(Picture: Rio de Janeiro Federal University)

I love the penguin like it’s my own child and I believe the penguin loves me, Joao told Globo TV. No one else is allowed to touch him. He pecks them if they do. He lays on my lap, lets me give him showers, allows me to feed him sardines and to pick him up.

It's thought Dindim believes the fisherman is also a penguin (Picture: TV Globo)
It’s thought Dindim believes the fisherman is also a penguin (Picture: TV Globo)

Everyone said he wouldn’t return but he has been coming back to visit me for the past four years. He arrives in June and leaves to go home in February and every year he becomes more affectionate as he appears even happier to see me.

(Picture: Rio de Janeiro Federal University)
(Picture: Rio de Janeiro Federal University)

Biologist Professor Krajewski, who interviewed the fisherman for Globo TV, told The Independent: “I have never seen anything like this before. I think the penguin believes Joao is part of his family and probably a penguin as well. When he sees him he wags his tail like a dog and honks with delight.”

And, just like that, the world seems a kinder place again.

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Unsurprisingly there are numerous videos of Joao and Dindim to be found on YouTube but I have selected the following one for you.

It’s wonderful how our worries about the nature of us humans can be swept away just as easily as an ocean wave breaking on a beach near an island village just outside Rio de Janeiro.

Dogs will be dogs!

Sully the Saint Bernard still hasn’t outgrown his love for mud.

I was working outside until late afternoon so wanted to find something quickly for today’s post.

Came across this video on YouTube from Rumble Viral – enjoy!

Published on May 19, 2016

At 4 years old Sully the Saint Bernard still hasn’t outgrown his love for mud. Here we find him playing with another dog as they run, jump and lay in a big pool of muddy water. If you’re wondering what pure happiness looks like, this is it!

One hopes these two happy dogs don’t go home and lay on the furniture.

All is takes is love!

Too easy to be very disheartened about us humans so this makes a wonderful contrast.

As seen on Mother Nature Network and republished to offer you all a ‘Saturday smile’.

Dolphin returns to the ocean with a helping hand from humans | MNN - Mother Nature Network
Dolphin returns to the ocean with a helping hand from humans | MNN – Mother Nature Network

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Dolphin returns to the ocean with a helping hand from humans

Noel Kirkpatrick May 4, 2016.

With a swish of his flipper, a dolphin named Octavius became the first to be rescued, rehabilitated and released back into the wild off Louisiana’s coast. The rescued dolphin returned to the Gulf of Mexico on April 29 after five months of rehabilitation and medical monitoring in Louisiana.

The process from rescue to release was spearheaded by the Audubon Nature Institute and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) with assistance from the NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service and Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program.

After receiving a call from a private citizen regarding a washed up dolphin on Grand Isle Beach, biologists from the LDWF headed for the scene in October 2015 to see if the dolphin could be saved.

“We had a short window to diagnose whether the animal could be released or brought back to Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center (FMASSC) in New Orleans for treatment,” said Audubon’s Stranding and Rescue Coordinator Gabriella Vazquez. “He was lethargic and had short, shallow breaths. We attempted a soft release in the surf, but he showed no initiative to swim back into the Gulf.”

The dolphin was transported to FMASSC where the process to get him ready for reintroduction to the ocean began.

Determining if the dolphin — named Octavius in honor of the veterinarian working most with him — was ready for release was a multi-step process. Octavius was monitored for behavioral challenges, ranging from swimming and breathing to becoming reliant on and desensitized to humans. Octavius demonstrated no such issues.

“Dolphins are very intelligent animals. Over time, they can learn to associate humans and boats as a source for food, which is why it is illegal to feed them in the wild,” explained Mandy Tumlin, the Louisiana state stranding coordinator for marine mammals and sea turtles.

The next two steps Octavius had to clear dealt with his overall health. He demonstrated no signs of hearing impairment, a key component for dolphins’ survival. In addition to hearing, veterinarians checked Octavius’s blood for congenital defects or other medical problems that could make surviving in the wild more difficult.

Octavius passed all three of the steps related to release, but vets weren’t through just yet. Because of his potential age — vets estimated Octavius to be between 1 and 7 years old — Octavius was affixed with a tag to the dorsal fin by Dr. Randy Wells, director of the Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program.

“The tag allows for satellite tracking as well as radio tracking. Since he could be a younger animal, this type of monitoring is necessary to ensure he is thriving back in the wild,” said Tumlin.

After all of this, Octavius was transported to Barataria Bay where he was released and swam back into the ocean of his own volition.

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Enjoy this video.

Published on May 2, 2016

A young dolphin has been released back into the waters off Louisiana’s coast after being found stranded on a beach a year ago. The Audubon Nature Institute believes that high waters and rough sears from Hurricane Patricia likely caused him to get stuck there. He was lethargic and short of breath. They named him Octavius and brought him back to their facility for rehabilitation. Before he could be released he had to reach milestones that include behavior and medical tests.

Of love, and trauma.

When it comes to animals it’s practically impossible to have one without the other.

Today’s post was inspired by a comment left on yesterday’s post The most beautiful bond of all by MargfromTassie. This is what she wrote (my emphasis):

Yes, these people are inspirational as are all the people who voluntarily give their time and efforts to animal welfare work, sometimes for years. For many, it can be emotionally traumatising as well as rewarding.

It didn’t take me long to agree that for most it will be emotionally traumatising. In fact, one of the great lessons that we learn from our dogs, and all the other animals that we love, is that unconditional love brings with it emotional trauma.

So much better expressed by Suzanne Clothier in her book Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships with Dogs

There is a cycle of love and death that shapes the lives of those who choose to travel in the company of animals. It is a cycle unlike any other. To those who have never lived through its turnings or walked its rocky path, our willingness to give our hearts with full knowledge that they will be broken seems incomprehensible. Only we know how small a price we pay for what we receive; our grief, no matter how powerful it may be, is an insufficient measure of the joy we have been given.

Our grief is always an insufficient measure of the joy we receive!

Speaking of joy, when we pulled back the bedroom curtains this morning (Thursday) the nest was empty!

P1160060For the last too many weeks to remember a mother Canadian Goose has been sitting on her nest of eggs with Father Goose staying close. We like to think that the mother returned to this place after having been born here a year ago.

Overnight five young healthy goslings were born! 🙂

P1160059May their little lives be full of love with a total absence of trauma!

The most beautiful bond of all.

I am referring to the one between human and animal.

The millions of people who love their pets probably never stop to think about how far that love would extend. As I observe Jean’s patience in coaxing Hazel to take food, time and time again each day, it never crosses my mind that there would be a limit to that devotion from her.

When I think about our animals and the special relationships we have with them all, dogs, horses and cats, never for a moment do I weigh up the pros and cons, despite there being many limitations when one stops and ponders the fact. Like the fact that Jean and I have not been away for a honeymoon or any other vacation together since we were married in 2010.

All it takes is for a dog to rub its head against my leg, or a cat to curl up on my lap, or a horse to give in to a hug around its head, something that happens many times each day, and I am content.

However, the following article that appeared on the Care2 blogsite really underlined how much people will give for their animals.

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7 Times Humans Went the Distance for Animals

3175047.largeBy: Lindsay Patton, April 24, 2016

A story recently went viral about a Colombian man who risked his life to save a dog that was hanging from a balcony. The dog, who belongs to the man’s upstairs neighbors, was caught in the railing and was close to falling to the ground. The neighbor, whose name is Diego Andrés Dávila Jimenez, made a dangerous climb from his balcony up to his neighbors’ in order to save the dog.

For animal lovers, there wouldn’t be a second thought about doing the same, whether it was their own pet, someone else’s or an animal in the wild. People go great lengths for animals every day. Here are just a few inspirational examples of them.

Ric O’Barry Does Jail Time for Dolphins

In 1970, Ric O’Barry founded The Dolphin Project and since then, he has dedicated his life to saving dolphins. His life’s work hasn’t been easy, though. O’Barry – who was featured in the 2009 documentary The Cove –  has been detained, fined and threatened for his dolphin activism. In January, he was detained at a Japanese airport on his way to monitor the annual dolphin hunt in Taiji. By now, being detained is nothing new to O’Barry, as it happens nearly every time he visits Japan for the hunt. In August, O’Barry was arrested in Japan for not carrying his passport. Still, he carries on with his mission to rescue dolphins.

Adam Warwick saved a black bear from drowning

When a bear is roaming around a neighborhood, sedating it is one of the only safe options. That’s what Florida wildlife officers did when they got a call about a black bear wandering around an Alligator Point neighborhood. The officers shot the bear with a tranquillizer dart, but the bear ran away and headed straight into water, where he would eventually fall asleep and drown. Biologist Adam Warwick came to the bear’s rescue and pulled the 400-pound bear back on land. The bear was then safely transported back to its home in a national forest.

Motorist fights traffic to save injured dog

A Mexican woman was driving down a busy highway when she saw a dog get hit by a car and lay injured on the side of a crash barrier. Nobody stopped or slowed down as they drove by, leaving her to try to dodge traffic to get to the dog. The timid dog tried to limp away, but she eventually gained its trust and took it to an area vet to have its injuries treated.

Man saves a stranger’s dog that was blown off a pier

An Australian woman was walking her Shih Tzu-Maltese Bibi on a pier when a strong gust of wind picked the dog up and carried him into the water. Raden Soemawinata was at the pier scattering his grandmother’s ashes when he saw the Bibi in the water and immediately jumped in to save him. Soemawinata humbly told media that “it wasn’t such a great feat.” We think otherwise.

Two Norwegian men save lamb from drowning

Three friends were out taking pictures when they noticed a lamb struggling in choppy waters. Two of the young men worked together to rescue the lamb, while the other used the camera to take incredible pictures of the rescue. They pulled the lamb to safety and reunited it with its flock.

Randy Jordan removes hooks from sharks

Most people try to avoid sharks. Randy Jordan has made a mission to help them. The diver frequently noticed fishing hooks caught in sharks’ mouths, so he made it his mission to remove the hooks from the sharks he encountered. He worked with scientists in order to find the safest way – for himself and the sharks – to have the hooks removed. Jordan has gone on to free multiple sharks from the painful hooks.

Men save baby giraffe in crocodile-infested waters

For four hours, a baby giraffe tried to keep its head above the Uaso Nyiro river’s harsh waters. The Kenyan river is not only fast moving, but is home to many crocodiles. A group of men ignored the river’s danger and waded through the water to pull the giraffe back onto land.

Photo Credit: AmazonCARES

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With so many reminders, especially in the media, of the greed and selfishness of people it really does one good to read these seven examples of how wonderful is the bond between humans and animals.