I Spoke Too Soon... Extremists on the rampage... again

So much for my summer boredom. Yesterday I was complaining that I had too much time on my hands. Today my wife alerted me to current lobbying activity by extremist Cary Theil (pronounced teal like the color..) here in Florida. Unlike the Massachusetts effort to end greyhound racing, this time Theil and his housemate crazy Christine Dorchak who have used their grey2k causes as their personal piggy-bank to fund their lavish lifestyle are joining forces with the track owners, who want to nix live racing and focus on poke and slot machines.

One of Theil and Dorchak's largest donors is the Humane Society of the United States which cons old ladies out of their social security checks by making them think the HSUS actually runs animal shelters-- which is not true at all.

In Massachusetts, greyhound racing was strictly supervised. I visited three different kennels, all of which were spotless. The hounds were happy and healthy. When let out of their crates they were overjoyed to see their handlers and were eager to play with them. Abused hounds do not act like this. To improve the quality of racing greyhounds in Florida, bay all means... lobby the legislature to adopt the standards that Massachusetts had!

But to end racing altogether, will cause the breed as we know (and LOVE) it to become extinct. I have seen greyhounds bred for show-- and the temperament is so very different.

If the hounds are being abused-- by all means lets improve the regulations that govern their care. But to cave into the extremists is dangerous. They will NOT stop at greyhound racing. Don't believe me?? Look here. Its a photo of grey2k vice president Christine Dorchak protesting with PETA at the New England Aquarium. To save the whales? Free the dolphins? Nope. She wants them to stop serving fish and chips in the cafeteria.

The extremist animal rights activists have an agenda. I'm okay with that. We are ALL entitled to our viewpoint. Let us know up front that your ultimate goal is to have us all get rid of our companion animals, and to become total vegans.

OH-- sorry I forgot. The end justifies the means.

Too Much Time On My Hands

Gratuitous cute greyhound shot to catch your eye and give you the impression that this blog entry might be interesting. Sorry to disappoint you. No food recall, no fundraiser, no grey2k or peta alert. Just a crazy greyhound lover with too much time on his hands.

You know the song.

I'm so tired of losin', I've got nothin to do
And all day to do it.
So, I go out crusin', but I've got no place to go
And all night to get there.
Is it any wonder I'm not a criminal?
Is it any wonder I'm not in jail?

Is it any wonder I've got too much time on my hands?
Ticking away with my sanity.

Styx

Okay. It's August in Florida. It's H.O.T.
I do not want to go outside to do anything at all. I'm even waiting until the sun sets to go swimming.
It's too hot to drive to the office up in Titusville. I'm saving money by staying home. Money on gas and on the electric bill by not cooling the office. I'm trying to convince myself I'm "working" from home.
Here you can see the results of my past couple of days "work".

I think even Wolf is bored. Or maybe just hot. Just out of sight to the right is a fan.

Yeah! 1, 2, 3, FOUR pillows, one blanket, two bones, stuffed bunny and a hound.

When we bought this house, I was certain that there would be room for a book shelf and an easy chair in the master bedroom. As it turns out, the room isn't as big as I thought it was.

Wolf really likes Judge Judy. I think she's a bitch.

Wolf is annoyed that I am interrupting Judge Judy.

He got sick of having his picture taken and went to his bed for a nap.

And I tell my wife SHE is obsessed with the hound.....

What's that? A treat?

NO! It's that damned camera again.

GREYHOUND FRIENDS FUNDRAISER FRAMINGHAM MASS

Just received the following from Louise Coleman from Greyhound Friends in Eastern Massachusetts. If you're in the area, be sure to help them with this Doughraiser.

Note: this is only at the Framingham Massachusetts Uno's location listed below.
------

Visit Uno's

in Framingham

on Saturday, August 14

and support Greyhound Friends!

Please participate in Uno's "Doughraiser" for Greyhound Friends on August 14, 2010. From 11:00 a.m. to closing (12:30 a.m.) a portion of your total purchase will benefit Greyhound Friends.

70 Worcester Road
Framingham, MA 01701
508-620-1816

Dear Friends,

Uno's in Framingham has generously offered to support Greyhound Friends by donating up to 20% of your purchase for in restaurant dining or take out food. This is a wonderful opportunity to have a fun and delicious dining experience with friends and family while supporting Greyhound Friends at the same time.

When you place your order, simply present your ticket (get yours here) to your server. If by chance you forget your ticket, it's not a problem, just let your server know that you would like to participate in the Greyhound Friends Doughraiser

Email: ghfriend@greyhound.org, Phone:508-435-5969

Louise Coleman, Executive Director

Greyhound Friends, Inc.

Another Dog Food Recall OR Another Reason to Feed Raw Diet

In case you have not heard, Eukanuba and IAMS have been "voluntarily" recalled.

Hat tip to Keeper of the Hounds.

Supposed "top of the line" dog food. Phooey! This is yet, another reason to feed your pets raw diet.

We've been feeding raw diet to our hound for several years now. It's the right thing to do because it is best for our canine companion. We know exactly what our hound Wolf is eating. When we buy treats, we read the labels. If it contains more than a few ingredients, we put the package back. End of story.

How could we not feed this face only the best possible for his health?

The Next GEICO Gecko??

One of the cool things about Florida is that there are geckos everywhere. I cannot pass a day without seeing at least one scurrying around outside the house on the porch or car port. As a result, we have almost no other bugs around. The other day, one of these cute little suckers must have been on the roof of the car. As we were driving, this one hopped on the windshield.

We pulled into the country club to let the little guy off in the grass.

This is taken from the outside looking in, just before I put the little guy on the grass, where he promptly found a bug and ate it.

New Wheels

We've had a 2001 Grand Am since September 2001. It has been a great car. No real problems. No major repairs. But, alas, the old gal ain't what she used to be. The time had come to replace her.

Thus we began shopping for a new vehicle. I had my sights on a minivan. Yeah, I know. But there have been many times in our travels that we have wanted to buy something and bring it home or to the office but space in the car prohibited it. Brianna had driven a Kia Rondo as a rental car a couple years ago and had her eyes on getting one of those. Of course, she had the final say.

We got an excellent deal on a 2008 Kia Rondo with less than 30,000 miles on it. Kia has a ten year 100,000 mile warranty.

Even though I do most of the driving, Brianna insisted on being the one to drive home.

As a result we have to cancel our planned trip to New England for the end of August. In addition to not having the funds to travel, both of us have been having some intense lower back and and leg pain. Neither of us would be able to sit in a car for the multiple hours long haul back to the mother country.

I've always been a General Motors guy, but this Rondo is really a cool little vehicle. Lots of room, V6, so it has good pick-up and it's really comfortable. Just the right height. The Grand-Am was just a bit too low to the ground for my knees and back. As Goldilocks would say, this car is just right.