Furry Tales : Jacksonville Daily News

Snuggle season photo submissions

November 13th, 2009, 8:05 am by Amanda Hickey

With cold weather (and crazy amounts of rain) comes one of the best parts of the year: snuggle season!

We’re going to break out our cameras, and ask that you break out yours and capture your furry friends snuggling moments. Whether its with you, family members, friends or their furry siblings, snap a photo and send it our way. We’re looking forward to posting the photos here on Furry Tales.

Please send all photos to ahickey@freedomenc.com or jdnewslistenupmanda@yahoo.com. Saturday I go on vacation, but don’t fret. I’ll still be checking my e-mail for photos to post.

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Lost dog

November 10th, 2009, 9:27 am by Amanda Hickey

This dog was found in the Ramsey Road area. The folks that found her have had her for a few days now (at least since Halloween) but are sure she’s someone’s pet. If you know who this pup belongs to, please leave a comment below, e-mail ahickey@freedomenc.com or call 910-219-8461. I will forward the information to the folks that found her

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One of Onslow’s more famous pups

November 6th, 2009, 9:25 pm by Amanda Hickey

*And I don’t mean Chopper*

091 Some of you may remember Buddy. He wandered onto Albert J. Ellis Airport’s property about 16 months before he found a forever home with Dolly Ramires, the airport police officer who he befriended during his stay there.

I got an e-mail from Dolly this week with some new pictures of the pup that won so many hearts in eastern North Carolina and an update:

He is doing good. Still some thing bother him he is not sure of. He can really talk to you. He will let you know hey I want to go on a puppy ride with Little Daisy. Like today I want to go visit Grandpa with Little Daisy and had a fit till I took him with me. He pulls some and I got to get him out of that due to he was choking himself. I usually have him on a runner leash. But when I take the two I like the smaller leads. Working to put him on reg. collar. Not the harness. I also got him and Little Daisy matching collars and leashes. He is so happy. Now if I can just train him not to hog my bed and let me get in and sleep. Daisy on one side and him on the other. Me and hubby. Now we have a full bed. But nice and warm.

The upside is that we can be certain that Dolly and her husband will certainly be warm this winter. Some more Buddy photos:

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All dogs go to heaven, round two

November 6th, 2009, 9:14 pm by Amanda Hickey

Two Maysville residents were charged with beating a Great Dane mix with a baseball bat that they told authorities was aggressive and burning its body on a burn pit. Read news here

Now, I’m not for keeping aggressive dogs near children but there are definitely better ways to handle an aggressive dog than going “Well, I don’t have a gun, but I have a baseball bat.” A few options include:

Option A.) Finding it a home without children or other animals. Some dogs are like cranky humans, they just want to be left alone.

Option B.) Taking the dog to the vet to be put down. A quick shot and puppy goes to sleep. It’s still a horrible solution BUT it’s a helluva lot better than beating a dog with a bat.

Option C.) Call Animal Control. Inevitbaly, they can offer a better solution than beating an animal to death with a bat. If you need the number, it is 910-455-0182.

Now, here’s what I don’t get. Great Danes are pretty big dogs and if the dog is aggressive, how did these two get close enough to the dog to beat it with a bat? Did they catch it while it was sleeping? And, if so, I wonder what it’s like knowing that you *allegedly as they have not been convicted* killed a sleeping dog?

I say this with utmost certainty: If Chopper becomes aggressive, I will handle it. However, I will not be handling it with a baseball bat and burn pit.

I hope that this animal rests in peace, particularly after all the pain it must have endured on its way out.

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All dogs go to heaven

November 4th, 2009, 7:33 pm by Amanda Hickey

img00579-20091103-1410 My Crash has had a skin problem for several months now & he was diagnosed with cancer Nov. 3, 2008. I love him with all my heart and I had to make the very difficult choice of ending his pain Nov. 3, 09. The pain from his skin prob became unbearable, overnight I noticed the change in him. It was so hard to let go of him and my heart is breaking. I have been so blessed to have my Crash in my life for 10 yrs. I know he has to be at Rainbow Bridge w his big brother Gordon,who passed away Nov. 12, 08. I will never forget my boy or the wonderful memories. I will forever love Crash & Gordon.

–Wanda

052808gordon-crash Crash and Gordon

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Bark for a treat!

October 31st, 2009, 7:39 pm by Amanda Hickey

It seems like a lot of area dogs were dressed up this Halloween. This one, however, is by far my favorite to be submitted to jdnews.com thus far:

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Though it may only be because we were joking with a neighbor this afternoon about dressing their bulldog up as a ballerina… he ended up going as the devil.

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Ironically, both are named Tank.

For more Halloween photos, or to submit your own, click here

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Draw the Dog could make your dog a cartoon star

October 28th, 2009, 5:16 pm by Amanda Hickey

1890 There are 74 million dogs in the United States alone, and most make their owners smile every day. Now, their owners - and many more around the world - have a place to share their most amusing stories, and perhaps make their dog famous.

It’s been just over 30 days since Jim George and Bruce Kasanoff launched Draw the Dog, and the website has already attracted dog owners from 41 countries to watch George’s magical cartoons that appear to draw themselves.

Kasanoff got involved with the project “when my good friend Jim asked if I wanted to help him launch a web site designed to make people smile. I jumped at the chance.”

“Jim is an ex-Disney animator, and probably one of the most talented character designers in the world.” Kasanoff said.

It’s a simple concept. The site posts a new cartoon every day, except on Sunday, inspired by a real dog.

“The best part of this experience,” says Jim George, “Are the emails we get back from owners when we write to say today’s cartoon was inspired by their dog. They are utterly thrilled. I love the kinds of people who are coming to Draw the Dog. Based upon their emails and comments, they seem like wonderful, down-to-earth folks.”

To date, the site has included cartoons about Dobermans, Great Danes, Collies, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Bassett Hounds, German Shepherds, Beagles and Boxers. George and Kasanoff are eager to feature other breeds, and look forward to receiving more stories submitted through the “Make Your Dog Famous” section of Draw the Dog.

His brief bio on the site says, “Draw the Dog is drawn by Jim George, one of your typical ex-Disney animators who lives near the beach in Venice and once spent years animating in a cabin in the woods and who has been creating characters for film and TV and who has been a director and book author and who also has a counseling practice and who really likes animals and people, too.”

– Press Release

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Meet Robin

October 24th, 2009, 6:42 pm by Amanda Hickey

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I want everyone to meet Robin. She is currently staying @ Animal House, up for adoption. She is spayed, UTD on shots & on HW prevention. She is about 7 to 9 yrs old. Don’t let her age & grey face fool ya b/c she is full of spunk & life. She needs someone who will love her & give her the best of care. Her previous mom was put in a nursing home 2 wks ago & had to find somewhere for her in a matter of about 2 days so that’s how we got her. We couldn’t let Robin go to the shelter! We are currently trying to raise money for vet bills as she is in need of a dental cleaning & the removal of 5 small tumors. The Dr says she is a healthy sr otherwise. Please if you would like to give her a forever home or would like to donate to the Robin fund please call Animal House @ 353 2684.

– Wanda

Posted in: Submissions | 3 Comments »

Meet Julie

October 20th, 2009, 1:37 pm by sulbrich

: Yes, I am a Great Dane

Over the weekend I visited my girlfriend in Charlotte, and got to meet Julie for the first time, after hearing so much about her.

She was adopted by my friend through The Great Dane Rescue last year, and to put it mildly, it has been a life changing experience.

She is exhuberant — also to put it mildly. When she comes tearing at you, get out of the way!

One thing I have to say, she is a big love bug — I received plenty of kisses, think she even slipped me a tongue once, but I am trying not to dwell on that too much.

She is deaf, which provides its own challenges — she can pick up loud noises, but has no idea where they come from.

She’s very much into food — even non-food items like paper towels, socks, sponges … and can reach most everything as you can well imagine, so keeping an eye on her at all times and keeping things on top of the fridge is a must.

All in all, she is a sweetheart, and most beloved at rest on the sofa.

At some point I’m sure she will calm down and have the run of the house as did her predecessor Petie, but I think that may be a few years in the making!