I just had to dig up this old thread after reading a couple of cool stories recently. :) Fastest Known Muscles Found in Songbirds' Throats - I bet Olive could give them a run for their money when she's yelling at Barry. LOL And Rescued Cow Doesn't Know She's a Cow - I wish Milkshake could come live with me!! :) Brenda

"Lorie- listening to country music doesn't make someone a redneck. Chaining their dog to a tree does. Rednecks don't have tractors because rednecks are lazy fools that don't work! They don't live on farms." Wow, what a way to show your ignorance. So are you saying all lazy fools are rednecks? Many areas have different derogatory terms for lazy people, generally based on ethnicity or skin color. Rednecks don't live on farms huh? I guess they live in the big city. You know most of the rednecks I know live in NEW YORK CITY! I didn't know chaining your dog automatically gave someone the status of a redneck, better pass that memo out down the holler. I've lived my life in the south and still get classified as a hick, hillbilly, country bumpkin, white trash, and a redneck. I look beyond peoples comments when they try to classify me for my upbringing and all I see is ignorance. "Rednecks" are generally poor low class white people. It isn't that they are stupid and do things because they want to, but they lack education. They are far from lazy, they usually quit school at early ages to work farms or other jobs to help support their family. I know so many people that fall into that category but they are the kindest people that would help anyone in need. Sometimes it takes a kind word, understanding, and an extended hand to help them understand the importance of things we find so simple. It does nothing to judge people for any reason, be kind, and offer a helping hand.

The two dogs I adopted as rescues took 6 mos to a year before they bonded fully with me. Neither was used to living in a house, my current little dog I believe had never been in a house and probably lived on the end of a chain until the rescue took him in, and then he was in a kennel for 3 years. He really had no notion at all of what it meant to belong to a household. I do not believe he would ever fit in most other households. He has post traumatic stress from being abused on a regular basis by a short heavy-set man (he's told me exactly what his abuser looked like by barking the alarm at two unrelated repair men of the same description who came to my house over the past year) and he will sometimes suddenly snap at or bite my husband and myself. We understand that the ghosts in his past cause him to do this, and we understand. We are so happy that he came to live with us and I know he feels the same, but it has been a long road. I agree that a foster home could give you a better picture of a rescue dog in their care, and also the dog would have been given a crash course in socialization and be further ahead. Still I think that a rescue dog is likely to be feeling lost with the upset in homes, and take some time to bond with you. An exception might be a dog who has been in a stable home and suddenly lost their owner due to death or serious illness. Even then such a dog may well be in mourning for his previous beloved owner and take time to bond with a new owner. Even a puppy from a breeder takes awhile to recognize a new owner as his special person. Looking back I think that all my dogs, and cats too, over the years looked upon me merely as a friendly stranger for the first month or so. Adopting a rescue pet is not instant gratification, but it is a wonderfully gratifying experience to have earned his love and trust over time, and to know what a difference you made in his life.

My previous two dogs were big ones..Afghan Hound and greyhound, and I do love big dogs. Not quite as enamored over tiny dogs so I settled for two 24 pound dogs who are solid, strong and walk the 2 miles I do every day with them. Really the Dachshund would walk 5 miles, I think. My Afghan pulled me off a bike when I was younger resulting in a concussion. The greyhound weighed almost 70 pounds. I thought ..I'm not getting any younger and if these dogs live 10 or 15 years, I'll be old and not able to handle a big dog. Both these dogs are fierce watchdogs which is a plus for me although I don't know if they'd actually bite. Go to Petfinder where you can peruse all dogs in your area at your leisure. That's where I found mine.