Billie's friend Lily

Lovely Lily loves Billie

Yes, even a respectable dog can have a kitty friend and Billie's friend is Lily, who was rescued from the Pasadena no-kill shelter about four years ago. That makes Lily about ten years old. She was an owner-release because, the story goes, the owner had too many kitties and Lily was targeted as the one that should be given away.

Lily loves her home in Whittier, which she shares with her human, Mary, and another cat named Button, an old Pug named Ling Ling, and--of course--Billie.

Eating and sleeping are her favorite activities. Occasionally, she will chase a bug if it's a slow-mover. Lily has a bit of a weight issue, which the Pasadena shelter labeled as "grossly obese." No wonder she was still there after a number of weeks.

Send your pet's picture and story to revmary@sixthdayfan.com and Billie will see to it that it gets posted.

Billie can scarcely wait...

It's getting pretty exciting in Whittier, where volunteers are applying finishing touches to plans for The Sixth Day, a new outreach program and ministry, which gets under way in October.

Understanding that the shelters are overflowing due to cutbacks and also to the number of pets being forfeited by owners in this bad economy, The Sixth Day outreach program will offer pet food subsidies to anyone needing this type of help. If you'd like to assist financially, a tax-deductible check to The Sixth Day Food Pantry @ St. Stephen's will be used exclusively for the food outreach program (and not to support the host church.)

Animal lovers are encouraged to attend the opening service at 5 p.m. Sunday, October 3, in The Back Room of St. Stephen's Church, 10925 Valley Home Ave. A brief worship service in the Episcopal tradition will be followed by a dimple supper and the chance to share notes and stories and ideas about companion animals. If you arrive early, no problem. Person and pet are welcome in The Front Room Coffeehouse, which opens at 4 p.m. on Sundays, starting October 3.

All reasonably well behaved companion animals are welcome, Billie says. Perfection not required.

Getting your goat, Montana-style

In this case, two heads were not better than one.

Babes in the woods, er, babes stuck on a railroad bridge. That's the story from Montana where these two cute little girls were stranded for more than two days before being rescued. It does my heart good when people band together to rescue animals other people would pass on by. The Los Angeles Times should be thanked for bringing us this wonderful story. Here's the link...

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2010/09/goats-rescued-after-2-days-on-6-inch-montana-ledge.html

Billie's friend Little Man

Little Man, hanging out in Alabama.

Billie and Little Man have not met, but they hope to do so one day. Little Man lives in Campground, Alabama, with his good friend Tom Petrey.
If you can't guess, Little Man is a bloodhound and, at 3, helps Tom out on the farm by sniffing his way to this or that, roaming free over the many acres, moving the cows from one field to another, staying out all night at times, and generally sounding the alarm for the household each morning. He particularly likes hanging out on rolls of hay.

Book review: Bill at Rainbow Bridge

Billie's friend Patty Hedges offers another book for our shelves. The book deals with the difficulty of losing a beloved pet, sometimes a complicated phenomenon for pet lovers. Complicated insofar as "the rest of the world" does not always understand much less honor the suffering that such a loss produces. Here is a book by someone who understands. Thanks, Patty, for the review:

 

If you have ever struggled or know someone who is struggling with the loss of a pet, Bill at Rainbow Bridge , by Dan Carrison is a comforting resource.  This small novel chronicles the adventures and discoveries of Bill, the bulldog, and his friends at Rainbow Bridge.  It also interweaves their humans' journeys as they grieve their beloved animal companions.  In a gentle and yet profound way, the reader is consoled by learning it is okay to grieve deeply for a pet, to need to talk about it, and is given hope for being reunited with his or her special pet in the future.

--Patty Hedges

 

Billie's friend Pinkie

Billie's attention today is drawn toward Pinkie, a boxer pup credited with saving a young boy's life. When the puppy's 9-year-old master encountered a swarm of bees, he made for the house, while his puppy managed to get herself between him and the swarm. While Richie Bragg was stung a few times--enough to cause anaphylactic shock--his puppy received more than 40 stings, which nearly cost her her life. It's a simple and sweet story of the dog's natural tendency to protect his or her people, even at her own peril. Watch on...
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/09/03/dnt.dog.saves.boy.wjw?hpt=C2

Billie's friend Nico

Nico in 2009.

Well, he's more like her hero. Nico is a survivor of abandonment and imprisonment who has found a wonderful new life. His is a story of redemption, plucked out of what seemed a certain poor fate and lifted up into the arms of his new owners in Indiana. The Los Angeles Times newspaper, in its blog launleashed, published an update to Nico's story. I've included the link below for your interest, but really, the photos tell you everything you want to know.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2010/09/nico-dogo-argentino-update.html

Nico today, living the good life. Way to go, Nico.