Duchess of Earl…
It has been a while since I posted anything, let alone pictures of some of the fine animals at Liberty Humane Society. In light of news that one of my favorite dogs has been adopted, tonight seems like a good night to share…
This is Big Star. She was just adopted after being at the shelter since late March. Her new name will be Duchess & she will be sharing a home with a boxer named Duke (& probably some people).
Here are some of my other favorites from October. Most of them have been adopted but there are plenty more who still need homes. I promise.
Callie
Indiana
Jessie
Mr. Pryor
Skittle
Snow Drop & her mom, Smoochie, came in very sick. When I first took their photos a month ago, I thought for sure that they may not make it. So, while this first photo may not be the best quality, it reminds me of the moment I saw them again, looking so much better.
Tilapia
Inti
Karma
For more photos of adoptable cats & dogs in any area, please visit petfinder.com. If you are in the Jersey City area, please find Liberty Humane Society’s facebook page to view more photos. Even if you cannot adopt, there are many great events & volunteer opportunities, as well as a donation wish list. Don’t throw out your old blankets & towels, bring them to your shelter!
“I never dreamed you’d leave in summer. I thought you would go then come back home…”
I do believe that should be the soundtrack for the next ASPCA commercial. However, I would like them to start encouraging people to volunteer.
Tropical & I
Anyway, consider yourselves warned… The following are some of my favorites from the last few months at Liberty Humane Society. If you want to see more of my shelter photos, I made a slideshow of them set to Snowball 37’s “Baby, You’re A Star.” Click that link or search youtube.
Sivic
Bo
- Bo
- Euston
- Destiny
I printed a larger, color verison of this for the shelter. Then, I signed it & framed it. My first work of art?
- Monk
“I thought the cold would leave by summer but my quiet nights will be spent alone… I never dreamed you’d leave in summer but now I find myself all alone… Why didn’t you stay?” – Stevie Wonder
I am addicted to Bejeweled Blast
So, I have a million things I should be doing but I don’t feel well so rather than going to bed I keep trying to make it to the top of the Bejeweled Leader board. That’s all.
By the way, this is Destro. You can come meet him at Bark In The Park this Sunday at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ. Bring your dog. All proceeds go to Liberty Humane Society and help furry guys like this.
If cats are more your thing, stop on by to meet this guy. He is too young for adoption right now but he may just be the cutest kitten in the world… ever.
Do you?
Do you zootoo?
Liberty Humane Society is one of the top ten finalists in zootoo.com’s Million Dollar Shelter Makeover Contest. If you think my shelter pictures are sad, you should see the videos of each of the shelters. Ours seems to focus more on the many pitbulls who are rehabilitated at LHS than on the lack of space, funding & community support we have but it still made me cry. I’m a sap. I am not sure we will win because I have seen other shelters’ support systems & they seem to have more avid zootoo’ers. Regardless of who wins, animals somewhere will win. I had a great idea regarding this though. I think Animal Planet should have a show like “Extreme Home Makeover” in which they visit these shelters and help them make key renovations to improve their spaces. It would be a nice, heart warming show… And I could be the host.
PS That is a picture of Tulip. You should adopt her.
SAPCC #26 – Miniature
While I did take a few pictures when it was warm enough to put Big Papi’s top down, they didn’t shout Mini or miniature.* I did, however, find this Linus toy in my honey’s basement. His brother customized it with a glove hat, paper clip chains, & even a pair of Fruit of the Looms. While he may not be a “miniature” Linus since Linus is a comic strip character whose size has not been determined in three dimensions, I considered his status as a doll his qualification for this entry.
Last week, I stopped at The Dollar Tree looking for cheap trinkets to use as promotional materials at sxsw. That was unsuccessful but I did find “Ginormous Body Parts.” I was unhappy with the initial photos I shot of me wearing the ginormous nose & ginormous lips until I came across the mother load of Rockstar at Big Lots. Usually Big Lots carries many cheap generic energy drinks & weird flavors of Rock Star or Monster. My preference is the full sugar regular black can of Rockstar. It must have been my lucky day because I found ten 32oz cans of it for $10. Amazing deal when you consider I was going to load up for my trip by purchasing the 16oz cans at Hess where they are on sale 2/$3. I know, I know. They are pure sugar & completely terrible but besides water & Wawa’s Lemonade Iced Tea, it is the only thing I like to drink. Unfortunately, the ginormity of the can was not turning out in my pictures & I was too lazy to stack the ten of them up. Instead, I combined the lips, nose & Rockstar to make this. Massive size.
I will miss the deadlines for the next two SAPCCs because I am going to sxsw next week. We are driving so that accounts for the following missed deadline. 1700 miles takes a day or so even for this road warrior. Besides writing & taking pictures for Pop Rock Candy Mountain, I will be visiting Austin’s animal shelter. Speaking of which, I know the “miniature” theme did not lend me a clear chance to share the shelter animals this week, but here is one anyway because I entered a contest to win a Dream Photo Assignment and I need more people to vote for me. You have to go to the site & “pic” my “50 States of Dogs & Cats In Shelters” idea. Once you click on “pic,” they make you register & confirm before you can actually vote. If anyone could spare three minutes to do this, I would be most appreciative. Also, this gives all of you an opportunity to submit your own ideas. You can only vote once but you can “pic” as many ideas as you like. Currently there is an idea similar to mine in the top ten. I do not know where/how else to promote this so please help me help dogs like Holly find a home.
*Big Papi hit 50,000 miles Friday.
Also, the Nikon reached another 10,000 last week while Canon passed another 10,000 this weekend. Milsestones everywhere.
More miniatures:
SAPCC #24 – Reflect
Has anyone seen the new Pedigree commercial? It’s the one where dogs are in the shelter looking sad while voice over David Duchovny (sp) says something like, “I can sit, I can play fetch… so why am I here?” Well, if that’s not reflection, I do not know what is. When I went to Liberty Humane this weekend, those words kept echoing in my mind. I will spare you ALL of the pictures & just post this one. This is James. He is a pitbull mix available for adoption at Liberty Humane Society in Jersey City, NJ. He is adorable & very sweet.
This next shot is “backstage” at the Snowball 37 show at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. By backstage, I am referring to the downstairs storage area not a fancy green room with a spread of little bread and oversized cold cuts (“This Is Spinal Tap” anyone?). I did not stage this shot. The greathing about always taking pictures is that those around you get used to it eventually and forget you are taking their pictures. This is David Fagan from Snowball 37 reflecting on his upcoming show.
In my attempts to clear room on my hard drive, I accidentally deleted the RAW file for my entry. The original photo was supposed to be the food face but when I saw the image on the screen, the reflection of Babe Ruth was so clear that I forgot about the food face. Babe Ruth was not there & this is not altered. I tried thinking it looked like Johnny Cash, but it really looks alot more like Babe Ruth. What do you think?
I was a slacker last week & did not leave comments on all of the other entries. I apologize. I have been actively researching SXSW for my upcoming trip & working a bunch.
Other SAPCC reflectors:
Sin Revisited
This is Fudgy.
The sadness in his eyes is what I consider a sin. It is not one of the seven deadly sins. It is a sin that attacks my heart. It makes me proud of taking in Bullety when she was pregnant and came to sit on my lap four years ago or for taking in any of our pets that we found or were given, but I am not without sin. For years, we had a cat that kept having kittens. My dad’s friend would sell them in his pet store. I feel guilty for not having had her fixed. That was a sin. There are plenty of kittens in shelters who needed loving homes.
As I wrote earlier, there are alot more pets in the shelter who were used to loving homes. I do not think it is a sin for someone to surrender their pets if they cannot afford to feed and take care of them. I am sure these people feel the pain of that loss. I find it a sin that the economy has declined to the extent that it has. There are many older people who have to choose between medicine, feeding themselves and feeding their pets. When someone is lonely, that is when a pet is most useful. A pet will not judge you for your appearance, what kind of car you drive, or where you work. To help people like this, who need their pets, Liberty Humane & other shelters too I’m sure have started a welfare program. You can come in & receive food and care for your pet so you can keep it.
I have always loved animals but, besides having my own pets and sending a few dollars to the ASPCA every now and again, I have never really done anything about it. It wasn’t until my friend asked if I wanted to go take pictures that I have become involved. I never knew that you could volunteer to walk dogs or pet cats. I feel like my free time is so precious and my schedule so chaotic that I could never make a commitment to permanently volunteering. I was glad when I found out it was not really like that. Any time you can offer is enough time. While it makes me sad to see them and not be able to take them all home, at the end of the day, when I see that Sarah Mclaughlin commercial, I still want to cry but I don’t feel so bad for not being able to send a big check.
As you can guess, animals are my thing… my cause. There are so many out there. I choose animals over people because helping animals comes without judgement. I am afraid that missing a week at a soup kitchen would prompt someone to ask “Where were you last week?” Fudgy won’t ask me that. My sin is guilt… or potential guilt.
All the sadness aside, want to see some happy animals? Here is the best I can do.
Hot Tea & Tan Lines 