All Blog Posts Tagged 'Santa' (52)

Off leash: Capturing the magic of the moment

It's hard to know what pets really want for Christmas, but given a chance, David Schultz probably knows their wishes.

Schultz is the impeccable Santa Claus who's been patiently awaiting good dogs, cats and other critters at PetSmart on Zafarano Drive. With just the right twinkle in his deep-blue eyes, this Santa sports an authentic white beard along with a generous belly laugh.

And his kindness to animals knows no bounds.

Last weekend, I… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on December 13, 2008 at 11:30pm — No Comments

Off-leash blog: Busting the myths of bully breeds

Think pit bulls are bad news? Try bathtubs.

More Americans die from injuries in or around bathtubs than from attacks caused by any breed of dog, says Anna Soeiro. Banning pit bulls or other so-called bully breeds would be just as ridiculous as banning bathtubs.

But that’s what many communities want to do. And that bothers Soeiro, whose pit-bull mix, Rueben, has been a part of her family for nine years.

“When I had my child six years ago, people asked, ‘What are… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on November 23, 2008 at 12:40am — 5 Comments

Off-leash blog: Finding out what it takes to be good

It was probably the high-pitched wail that concerned me the most. Secluded in a back room during “supervised separation” — one of 10 tests dogs must pass to earn a Canine Good Citizenship certificate — I distinctly heard Zach’s nervous whine, something I call singing but really sounds more like a distressed whale.

The last time I heard him cry that much was right before I left him at the kennel to get neutered. Oh boy, I thought, when will the knock on the door come that means my dog… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on November 16, 2008 at 12:00am — No Comments

Off-leash blog: Bringing the fight for animals back home

Anna Soeiro understands the plight of animals in our community, and she's worried. But she's not without hope.

And after attending a conference last weekend in Las Vegas, Nev., hosted by Best Friends Animal Society, she returned to Santa Fe enthusiastic — ready to spread the word on how we can lower euthanasia rates in our community, among other things.

More than 600 people attended the three-day conference, called No More Homeless Pets, listening to and meeting with… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on November 1, 2008 at 11:27pm — No Comments

News story: The glitz and glitter of fundraisers

Living it up at the Barkin' Ball

Call it the bright spots in the midst of turbulent times. The Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society and the Española Valley Humane Society each held their major fundraisers last month — the Barkin’ Ball and Underground Adventures, a masquerade gala.

And while it’s too early to know if the fundraisers hit their respective financial goals, those who attended the events say everyone had fun, including the… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on November 1, 2008 at 6:00pm — No Comments

Off-leash blog: The snarl that says I love you

Canine cuddling has always been a complicated affair at my household.

Our longtime dog, Beta, didn’t much like cuddling but couldn’t stand to see other dogs get any attention. She joined our household when Krista was queen, and although Beta didn’t like second billing, she understood the score and kept her jealousy in check.

When Krista died, Beta ruled the roost with gleeful satisfaction. Visiting dogs would be herded into separate rooms where she could monitor their… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on October 26, 2008 at 12:29am — 5 Comments

Off-leash blog: Chasing after toys and tails

Zach has discovered a new weapon in dealing with pesky little sisters: squeak toys.

Whenever Bear, his foster sister, gets on his nerves — which is becoming more frequent as she comes out of her shell — Zach grabs an ugly blue squeak toy and bites it where it counts. The noise puts Bear right back where Zach wants: in her designated corner.

Bear has made much ground in the two months since we’ve taken her as a project, but certain “primeval” things, like odd squeaky… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on September 28, 2008 at 12:26am — No Comments

Off-leash blog: Calling all angels in the hunt for Annie

Evelyn Gregory is close to celebrating her 81st birthday. But this Galisteo senior citizen is not ready to break out the cake and candles.

On Aug. 23, her beloved basset hound, Annie, walked out an open gate and into the unknown. Since then, friends and family have rallied to find her companion. Within minutes of Annie’s disappearance, a close friend said, shelters, rescue groups and animal control officers were contacted and notices placed in newspapers, bulletin boards and on… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on September 14, 2008 at 12:00am — 1 Comment

Off-leash blog: Wag that tail and speak to me

Dogs, they say, are always looking to their human companions for clues about what to do.

I recognize this when I’m on the “ballroom” floor with my dance-happy Zach: He’s waiting for a cue — a hand or eye signal — to tell him to spin, circle or take three steps back. When he messes up a move, it’s more my fault than his.

But what about the signals dogs give us? Whenever Zach’s down, he’s got his tail between his legs. I tell him to wag his tail and he complies. It’s sort of… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on September 7, 2008 at 12:22am — No Comments

Dog Art Show photos

Here are some photos of Friday's Dog Art Show. Make sure to vote for your favorite at the gallery opening on Friday at Zoe & Guido's. She's almost made the $3,500 needed for her new service…

Added by Ben Swan on September 1, 2008 at 11:57am — No Comments

Off-leash blog: What to avoid in Denver if you're a dog

A dog in Denver awaits his doom. His crime? Wrong breed.

Forrest, according to news accounts, is an affable dog who roamed across Denver city lines for the second time in three months. He’s been at the Denver Municipal Animal Shelter since July, quietly awaiting his fate.

Animal-rights activists, on the other hand, have been anything but. City officials have been receiving e-mails and letters in support of Forrest from throughout the world. Several e-mail petitions are… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on August 24, 2008 at 12:31am — 2 Comments

Morgan's blog: Canine Olympics

Welcome to Morgan’s blog. Alice types and I dictate. Lately my humans have been talking and watching the Olympics.

Well, I just want to say, what about dog Olympics?

Can you swim like a dog, Michael Phelps? Retrieve? Sniff out all kinds of information from pee-mail? Do agility trials? Dance? Help your human partner when she’s in trouble?

I protest the anti-dog Olympics. Fastest dog in the world … Highest jumper … All around… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on August 20, 2008 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Off-leash blog: Canine capers the stuff of dreams

I guess you could say the change started when I reached for my cup of coffee one morning and found Bear’s face. This black dog was likely taking her first sip ever of Kona blend.

But maybe the biggest hint that our foster dog was finally coming out of her shell happened a few nights earlier when we heard a crunching sound from the corner of our bedroom. At first we thought Bear had discovered the rawhide toy we had left for her: the… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on August 17, 2008 at 12:34am — No Comments

Off-leash blog: Vicious attack spurs dog trainer to action

Astro is an affable Shar-Pei with an impressive résumé. He’s been in movies, worked as a therapy dog, has training as a service dog, volunteered in schools and nursing homes, and is bilingual.

Most importantly, he’s been Heidi Kingsbury’s best buddy for more than seven years.

But Astro is no longer the dog he once was. He’s hesitant to go on walks, suffers from a staph infection and has a skin disease that will not… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on August 10, 2008 at 12:00am — 7 Comments

Morgan's blog: Roughing it

Greetings and salutations,fellow canines and their two legged readers!

Some dogs, and some cats too, don’t like thunder. Doesn’t bother me. But lately I have been getting anxious when I go for car rides. Alice and Wayne and all their dog advisor friends are stumped. I can’t tell them, so they have to figure out what do about it. Or they can continue to leave me behind like they have been doing lately.

This past weekend we traveled in this big boxy contraption called a… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on August 9, 2008 at 9:00am — No Comments

Morgan's blog: The zen of being a dog

Well, it’s happening: I am going into retirement. Alice and Wayne leave me at home more and more. Sometimes it’s not so bad; sometimes they forget to put the cat food up before they walk out the door, so I give myself a little snack.

I just like it better when we are all at home together. I feel more secure when my pack is here. Then I can relax.

Sometimes the cats bug me when the people leave. You know that saying, “When the… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on July 29, 2008 at 5:06pm — 1 Comment

Off-leash blog: Struggle to save animals overwhelms pet advocate

On Thursday, Alix Novack and her husband collected more than three dozen puppies from Artesia, Carlsbad and Clovis. Then the two drove them to safety at Puppy Lifeline in Brighton, Colo., a no-kill rescue group for young dogs.

“They were all so cute,” Novack says. “It was hard to part with them.”

Just another in a long series of dog-rescue trips for Novack, the Santa Fe beauty adviser who, when confronted with the reality of neglected, unwanted dogs at the Clovis Animal… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on July 27, 2008 at 12:00am — No Comments

Morgan's blog: Life as a dog

Greetings, all you critters out there! I like this cooler weather we are having. Wayne and I walked to the arroyo after a big thunderstorm. We saw the water come rushing down the hill. It was cool!

Then they were going to leave me behind all day Saturday, but instead I got to stay with my Grandma Lois and her two mutts, Paco and Carlos. They’re not really mutts, but they are little runarounds: fox… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on July 19, 2008 at 11:22pm — No Comments

Bear Country

Sometimes when it is really quiet in the middle of the night a distant dog barking can keep me awake. Sometimes I get p'ed-off at my neighbors for allowing their dogs to run loose all night, barking and keeping me awake. Sunday night was the second night in a row that between two and three o'clock in the morning I laid there cursing the inconsiderate dog owner neighbor.

As I lay there in bed my two standard poodles ran downstairs and… Continue

Added by Cove on July 9, 2008 at 3:16pm — No Comments

Morgan's blog: Wild weekend puts me in doghouse

Greetings and salutations! I am in the doghouse. I am depressed. Alice is mad at me.

People can be so blockheaded. They just don’t always speak or understand us.

Here’s a rundown of the highs and low points of my weekend with Alice and Wayne.

Highlights:

Swimming in a big lake; I am a water dog; I love lakes and rivers and the ocean!

Rough housing with a neighbor (yellow lab) named Zeke. Although… Continue

Added by Ben Swan on July 2, 2008 at 5:00pm — 15 Comments