Letter
“D” is for the dawgs or dogs of the 'hood and just about everyone
has one. Except for me. I have a cat and she is probably the mother
cat of all the other cats around here, because she has very
distinctive markings and all of the cats around here look like her.
The cats live the life of Riley, lolling about in the streets and
just daring someone to hit them. No one ever does; the cars slow to a
stop, and beep politely and the cats languidly get up, stretch and
saunter off to their yards.
My
cat is pretty old and has the “little old cat” thing going on.
When you pet her, it's like petting a picked-over turkey carcass with
fur, but she's in good health and she spends her days glued squarely
on some part of my body. She teases the little pit-bull puppy next
door, and I scold her for it, which affects her not one whit.
Oso ("Oso" means "Bear" in Spanish) wishing I'd make Mama play with him... yeah, that's happening.
Most
of the “dawgs” around here are pit-bulls and every one of them
that I have ever dealt with has been a wonderful dog. I had one pop
up out of nowhere and crawl into my lap, when I lived in the homeless
shelter. He just wanted petting and love. He sat with me for several
hours, until his frantic owner found him.
No
dog-fighting is going on around here. People's animals are treated
like their children. The funny thing is, if someone doesn't have a
pit-bull, they have little, yappy dogs and there are several on this
block. They also try to play with Mama, and she gives them a cat “F
you” as well. As sweet as she is with me, she will sit just out of
a dog's reach and just lay there, like she's the Queen Bee. I'm
always apologizing for her. Oso, the pit-bull puppy next door, is
really a good dog. Smart as a whip, and for a puppy, he's not hyper.
He is intent however, on digging up the front yard, but he doesn't
chew up shoes, or people, so, that's a plus.
Mama, thinking, "Goldurnit! These naps take a lot out of me! Quit waking me up!
Of
course, an upside to having these loyal animals is they are good
watch-dogs. Mama didn't exactly warn me when the two guys got in my
house. When she first adopted me, she was extremely skittish of any
type of noise. Now, that she's more secure, she just takes it all in
stride. Plus, I think she darted out of her special kitty-door that
she made, when these two guys got in the house. I'm not exactly
equipped to keep a dog, nor can I really afford one, although I'd
love to have one and keep up with the Joneses. Anyway, this is just a
quick post. I'm also co-hosting #IWSG for Alex Cavanaugh this month!
Happy *#IWSG'ing and #A-to-Z'ing!
*There is a separate page for the #IWSG post HERE: #IWSG CHECK-IN FOR APRIL 2016
40 comments:
HI! Happy to be visiting as a co A to Z Challenge blogger. I love the photos of your cat. I used to keep dogs but have now been adopted by a cat and she rules the roost.
Hi there,
Just visiting from A-Z and from #IWSG! Love your cute pittbull puppy pic (and your cat pic of course!) hee. Super cute! Don't want Mama to get mad at me for excluding her!
Best burglar defense ever! But also the messiest. =)
Crystal Collier
A friend of ours has a pit bull who is an absolute sweetie--so mellow.
Your cat looks like our Fluffy. Loved to pose for the camera too. We've had pets our entire life. Both my hubby and I can't imagine life without them. Thanks for co-hosting, Viola!
We have five cats at out house now, and if we can't find a home for a stray that's hanging around our house, we may end up with six. Sigh..
Thanks for co-hosting this month's IWSG!
That pup is so stinking cute! Love the kitty pic, too. I've always been a dog person - grew up with dogs and my mom despised cats. We have a dog, but she's kind of a catdog - washes her face like a cat. She's ten years old. We did finally bite the bullet and adopted two kitties two years ago. I cannot believe these two felines. They have converted me. Now I'm a catdog. ;)
That darling dawg stopped me at your blog. I can never pass up a cute dog picture.
This post made me laugh! Your cat sounds full of character. I love dogs AND cats although we are at present owned by just one cat!
I love cutie dogs! No matter their size... Used to have cats only, but now am a small dog person. Mine doesn't yap too much... Thanks for co-hosting the IWSG today. Couldn't find that post!
Cute puppy, but you handled that pit-bull running up to you a lot better than I would have. Those things terrify me. Cute kitten too.
My one cat is like that with dogs, stays just out of reach. The other tries to chew on dogs lol no idea why.
I love dawgs and cats both! Have been owned by both as well. You can't help but love them. Thanks for co-hosting this month!
The dog and cat are adorable. :) Thanks for co-hosting IWSG this month.
Animals deepen our lives for sure. No one understands love the way our furry ones do.
@mirymom1 from
Balancing Act
I'm a huge animal lover. Two cats, a horse and a lizard. No dogs, but I love other people's dogs :)
Enjoyed your photography.
Diana
@montanahens (instagram, pinterest, twitter)
https://playingwithoutlimits.wordpress.com/
Oh, I do love pit bulls and mama cats. I only have a very spoiled male cat at home, because he forbids any other pets, besides him, but pit bulls have a special place in my heart. They really do get a bad rap. I've lived with several over the years and they are nothing but sweetie pies.
J here, stopping by from the #atozchallenge - where I am part of Arlee Bird's A to Z Ambassador Team.
April is here and I'm excited about it. Best of luck to us both on meeting our goals of posting and hopping to other blogs.
My blog has a giveaway. There's a bonus a to z challenge each day to encourage people to visit more stops.
http://jlennidornerblog.what-are-they.com
Cats rule! Sorry she didn't warn you about intruders. Maybe she was angry that they dared to enter and not bring her any kitty treats. Is it too much to ask for people to bring some tuna?
love your blog and spirit!
@Kalpanaa!
Thanks for stopping by! I'm always reminded by the quote "Animals grace us with their presence", and I can't find an attribution to the quote, but it's very true. Any time and animal wants to spend time with me, I feel blessed. Mama rules the roost and I let her. She adopted me, when she was very scared, pregnant and I could not even look at her without her darting away. I had her spayed after her little was born and out of the nest; she has plenty of progeny running and lolling about the 'hood. Her true self has come out; teasing the pit-bulls, who only want to play, and trying to talk me out of my food, when she won't eat her own. Isn't that always the way? Thanks again for reading! Mary
@Amy!
Thanks for stopping by! The pit-bull puppies around here are all cute, and they all grow up to be fine dogs. They're treated with love. Mama just loves to tease them though. She probably cares nothing for our attention, unless it's time to eat! I had a cat that I swore was planning his next week's dinner, but Mama is worse! Again, thank you for the visit! Mary
@Crystal!
You're right about that! And since I had a home invasion while I was sleeping 2 months ago, and went full bipolar Viola Fury on these 2 opportunists and ran them off, I thought, all is well. Well, a big shock hit us in the musical world this week. A very renowned and fine Bass Player was murdered during a home invasion in a very "safe" neighborhood and we're all sick about it. It's just one of those things where you say, "There, but for the Grace of God go I". I am not physically afraid of anyone or anything, and I've waded into some messes living here in the 'hood. I fought off 2 muggers at the same time last year, and hurt them good. I've survived things that would have killed lesser women, but as my bf says, do you want that to be your last thing? No, but living on a fixed income makes it hard and difficult to plan any type of moving somewhere safer.
The man who was killed lived in a "safe" area and now we are told that there have been multiple home invasions in his area and that they found a gun on the premises. I cannot have one, which is fine, but people who do these things are generally opportunists, so if you put up ANY resistance, they will flee. I just don't know what happened to my colleague, but it hurts to lose such a fine man. Thanks Crystal, as always for stopping by! <3 Mary
@Tamara!
Thanks for stopping by! I've NEVER met a pitbull that wasn't a sweetie! They are the most loyal dogs in the world and that is why the sick bastards who are into dog-fighting use pitties. Oso, the puppy is mellow. Someone asked me, "Is he okay?" I said, "yeah, he's just a pit puppy." He does get up and play; he'll play tug-of-war with me and then run over and bark at Mama, who is just mean enough to lie on the other side of the fence that he can't get through. He wants to play with her so badly, it's hilarious. She just can't be bothered. Typical cat! Thanks again for stopping by, Tamara. Mary
@Joylene!
Hi! Mama has this whole weird thing going on. She's kinda patchy, and has stripes, then calico, then some tortoise-shell and she has a beautiful face. One side is dusky and the other is butterscotch. She has 4 neat little white paws, that are filthy most of the time, because she rolls in the driveway. She is truly a masterpiece, or a mess; not sure which. Oso, the pittie puppy wants her to play with him; she's like pfffffffffft. Anyway, thanks for reading and I wish you and Fluffy a good day! <3 Mary
@Ken!
Thanks for visiting! You do know that you can NEVER have too many cats! They're like potato chips and when one shows up, others are sure to follow. There is a marvelous book called "A Cat is Watching" and it's about how cats choose their people and some of their funny habits. I had a copy years ago and it was priceless and so true. Thanks again for reading, Ken! This co-hosting has been fun!
@S.A.
Thanks for stopping by! I'm partial to both, but just have this cat right now. If I had a larger place, I'd have a dog and also, I don't think Mama would allow it. She kinda rules the roost right now! Mama has some funny little habits though, like all cats. And all cats are unique in that. As are dogs. I just get the biggest kick out of Oso trying to get Mama to play with him. I'd get him a kitten, but Mama wouldn't allow another cat in the house. Poor Oso. Anyway, thanks for stopping by! <3 Mary
@Jacqui!
Thanks for stopping! I just had my phone out and took a pic, real quick. He really is something! But every pittie I've met, adult or young has been like that, happy and full of spirit! So, as he grows, he's still pretty laid back, but he's still trying to get Mama to play with him. A futile effort, lol. Again, thanks for reading. Our furry friends do show us love; Oso was actually a rescue by the guy next door. Oso wandered in, was all skinny and full of fleas and Luis brought him home that evening and took him to the vet for his shots the next day and got him cleaned up. He's known nothing but love, since. <3 Mary
@That's Purrfect!
Thanks for coming by! I'm used to having multiple animals. I was homeless for a while and Mama adopted me, shortly after I moved into my apartment. I'd love to have some more 4-legged friends, but it's hard to care for them properly on a fixed income. Maybe someday. Again, thanks for visiting! Mary
@Lisa!
Thanks for visiting! The small dogs don't yap so much, only when their owners bring them out for walkies then they yap more than they pee or poop. But, they're funny little critters and I enjoy them too. My neighbor Diana, had a little dog. Diana has Parkinson's Disease and isn't quite right in the head from injuries sustained when she was raped when she was around 11 or so. We all told her that some people picked up her puppy and took it away, when the truth is, the dog was hit and killed out on Nebraska Avenue. So, we all chipped in and got her a little chihuahua puppy to replace the one the "bad men" took and she was okay with that. She's one of the people we keep an eye on here. More than anything else, this part of Nebraska Avenue is a community and we do care for one another; it's that "small town" quality I mentioned. So, Diana has her puppy and Oso is still trying (fruitlessly) to play with Mama. Thanks again for stopping by! <3 Mary
@Jeff!
Thanks for stopping by! If I hadn't been blind-sided by an adult pit bull, I may have reacted differently. But he came at me from my left side, and at the time, I was completely blind in that eye. All I knew was that I had about 90 pounds of wriggling dog in my lap and he wanted to be petted, played with and was damned happy to see me. I got a face full of slobber and was laughing. When I stood up, he did that thing that dogs do, when they want to play; kneel down on his front legs, so we gamboled around the back yard for a while.
The pit bulls here are not at all aggressive. They may be a status symbol for the young black men, but the dogs themselves are loved, pampered and adored. I'm happy to say, we don't have a dog-fighting problem here and the one time I saw a man abusing his two dogs, a very young pit bull, and one that was about half-grown, I and about 3 other people were on 911, reporting this guy. He was at the car wash, and had told his dogs to stay in the car. When they didn't, he started kicking them and throwing the little one around. It wasn't one hot minute later that the TPD arrived, and on sworn statements, arrested his ass. We may be a lot of things in this 'hood, but animal abusers aren't one of them.
In the time-honored tradition of our 'hood, a "relative" just happened to be washing her car at the same time and took possession of the puppies. I'm sure that dewd never saw his dogs again. No one wants aggressive dogs here. We have too much on our plates with aggressive people. Anyway, thanks for coming by, Jeff. If you ever come here, you won't have to worry about the 4-legged predators, just the 2-legged ones! Mary
@Pat!
Thanks for coming by! Your cats are cool! I've had cats that had no issue with dogs. Mama is just like an "only child"; she doesn't want any other animal around. Period. We used to have this old Tom Cat, when I was growing up and this little terrier mix who used to get into these horrendous dog fights. The terrier, named "Waffles" (my mother came up with the worst names for animals) would come limping home, half of his bottom teeth torn out and climb into his basket to either die or recover. The old Tom, named Oliver (because he begged all the time) crawled into the basket and would nurse Waffles back to health, so he could live to fight another day.
This went on for 16 years, until one day, Waffles didn't return from his nights predations. Oliver went on to live another six or seven years; surprisingly old for a Tom cat, but he had other battles to fight. With my father. I'll have to post about that; they had a feud that went on for YEARS. Anyway, thanks for stopping by! I really enjoyed your rap on Verified! Mary
@Gwen~
You gotta love 'em all! Dawgs and cats. I grew up in a mixed household and then we had horses on top of it, so there was always commotion going on! Thanks for stopping by! Mary
@Cherie!
They really are! Big or small; they entrap us with their cunning ways! Thanks for stopping by! Mary
@Samantha!
Thanks for stopping by! I think we're drawn in by their innocence and their inherent helplessness in the modern world. They depend on us for their food and shelter, and they are loving creatures, and that is why animal abuse is so evil. The same with child abuse. These creatures have no other options but to come to us for their food, water, shelter and protection. How can we not love them? Again, thanks for reading. Mary
@alexia
Thanks for stopping by! We had horses and turtles and we evened housed a tarantula for a few years. We lived in the southwest and we also had our share of horned lizards. Nothing was too absurd that we didn't try to make a pet out of it. If it looked like it was languishing and didn't like the yummy mealworms or whatever the pet store said to feed it, we'd turn them loose in the back yard. Except for the tarantula. My mom was afraid he would come back, like a homing pigeon or something, so we had to drive him to freedom. Anyway, thanks again for the visit! Mary
@Montana-Hens!
Thanks for stopping by! That's the first time anyone has complimented me on my photography! I have this gene; all the Wallaces have it. We take the world's worst pictures. My picture taking skills are also not enhanced by the fact that I have essential tremor, so if I record a video, and upload it to YouTube, they always ask "your video appears a bit shaky? would you like us to fix it for you?" To which I answer "NO! This is fine ART. Leave my shit alone!" Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the only 2 pictures I've ever taken that didn't look like they were taken by someone who was also experiencing a 9.5 earthquake. Mary
@Shell!
Thanks for stopping by! The poor pit bulls. The reason people use them for fighting is that they are off the charts in terms of loyalty to their person. They will literally fight to the death for the person they love; how sick is that? The people around here know this and that's one of the reasons they keep them as pets. They are good and loyal dogs and they're a hell of a lot of fun to be around. The puppy next door keeps me in stitches. Mama rules the roost over here, and you'd think she'd just walk away as he makes his overtures to her, but NOOOOOOO. She lies there, like the Queen of Sheba and Oso does all kinds of cartwheels and makes all of these funny noises, saying "See? I'm a fun guy! We could have a blast together!" Mama ain't buyin' it. So, I end up playing with Oso, which is fine with me! Again, thanks for stopping by! Mary
@J Lenni!
Thanks for stopping by! It very well could be that she was upset that the intruders didn't bring treats, but I used to have a 20 pound Russian Blue that would have attacked them in a heartbeat. Now, THAT was some special cat! I can turn aggro-bipolar-Fury on in an instant and use that adrenaline as a tool; I just wish I'd gotten a hit or two in with my lamp, instead of just the wall.
One thing about Mama, wherever she came from, she had been abused. The picture doesn't show it, but she is blind in her right eye and it's not from a cat-fight. It almost looks as if she's been kicked, which makes more sense, given how long it took me to get her used to me. She's now at the stage where she has to have one paw touching me somewhere at any given time she's in the house. Again, thanks for stopping by, J Lenni! I'll have to check out your give-away! Mary
@Kathe!
Thanks for the compliments! I cannot imagine living life any other way. My old boy friend died about a year ago, and frankly, he just gave up. I cannot imagine doing that, E V E R. Life is to be enjoyed, loved, lived and fought for, if need be. I've certainly had my share of challenges, but who hasn't? We're the sum total of what we have experienced and by those experiences and the way we were raised, we form our value systems and live by them. It's pretty simple. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoy the blogging. I do have a lot of fun with it. I had a ball with "E" today. thanks, Kathe for reading! Mary
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