Pets on my Mind

Several people said they thought they sought her, but nothing confimed. Please take a half hour out of your day this week and drive near the airport and find a place to stand there and look for her and call for her. If you are traveling by plane, keep your eyes open for the dog and let a flight attendant know if you spot her. Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll get found.

This is Bailey, a 75-pound shepherd, Great Dane mix that escaped from her crate while she was in the cargo area of Northwest Airlines.

The dog was being shipped from Seattle to Memphis to stay with her owner's mom until the summer. The owner said a NW worker wanted to see the dog and opened her crate door and she bolted across the runway and is lost somewhere on the airport property. There's a chance she found her way out and is in a neighborhood nearby.

Please help her get home. If you spot her, call Pam Bell at 230-5002

This was sent to me from a friend who loves outside of Chicago and spent years rescuing pit bulls

A Christmas Goodbye From the Dog Pound

T'was the night before Christmas
And the shelter is dark,
The whole place is silent,
Not even a bark.
The dogs are all locked in their pens for the night,
The staff has gone home and turned out the light.

As I lay my head down on the cold concrete floor,
I fondly recall my home from before.
The family I loved, who loved me right back,
We'd share everything -- from secret to snack.
Things couldn't be better this time last year,
But that has all changed and now I am here.

I won't see the tree, the lights, or the snow,
I'm scared and alone, my spirits are low.
The others like me weren't put up for adoption,
A new family and home, for us isn't an option.
We've been locked up in cells as if we were crooks,
We don't deserve homes because of our looks.
Not Diesel or Bingo or the young one named Percy,
Deserve to be loved nor shown any mercy.

While families celebrate holiday cheer,
I know in my heart that my end is near.
The vet will arrive, the lights will go on,
By the time you awake, we all will be gone.
A stranger will come and take me away,
I'll never wake to see another day.
As I close my eyes I'll shed you a tear,
The fondest of memories I'll always keep near.

The only thing I've ever asked of Santa Claus,
Is to stop all these unfair and ridiculous laws.
You said without me, your life was not full,
So why does it matter that I'm a "Pit Bull"?

In my dream Santa shouts when he's finished his deed,
* "MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL...REGARDLESS OF BREED"!

This is from my friend and metro columnist Wendi Thomas who wants to see if anyone has some advice for her about her parent's dog Sherlock. The first picture is Sherlock with Wendi's sister Anne wearing a hat Wendi knitted, I assume. That's a whole other blog! This is what she writes:

My parents' dog, Sherlock, has apparently developed a neurosis that causes him to lick his front legs sore. Literally. Three times (that we know of or can find the scabs as proof) he's licked one or the other of his front paws to the point where he leaves an open sore. My dad took him to the vet, who says Sherlock is nervous.

Why, I have no clue - except that my parents aren't the kind to pick up the little boy and hold him in their arms like a baby. He likes that, and I rock him like a newborn every chance I get - but I have my own 72-pound baby to rock at my house, so Sherlock may not get all the attention he craves.

So, fellow dog lovers, have your dogs ever developed an anxiety disorder? Short of doggy Prozac, how did you handle it? The vet suggested sticking food in his Kong-like toy - got other ideas?

Brie is a male pit bull and was rescued around Berclair. Merci was rescued in South Memphis. She has no ears left but she wouldn't be Merci if she had ears They are ownd by Donna Velez who operates Hearts of Gold Pit Rescue. Send your pet photos to petphotos@commercialappeal.com

Buddy Boy

This is Buddy the Guinea pig. He was rescued from an apartment complex - he had been left outside in a tiny metal cage in the middle of summer. He was such a sweet boy - he didn't mind being held by children and he posed for pictures so well. He died last summer but his owner Kathleeen Lockwood has some great memories and wonderful pictures of her boy.

Send your pet photos to petphotos@commercialappeal.com

Please include your name, your pet's name and information about your pet, including hobbies and why you love them.

Hey,
E-mail me some pictures of your pets dressed up in their cold weather gear. Make sure to include their name, your name an some info about your pet, hobbies and why you love them. I will get the pictures on my blog. Send emails to petphotos@commercialappeal.com

I've invited a co-worker Jennifer Biggs to guest blog on here. She is a pet lover like me, although I don't remember seeing a picture of her with a cat on her head!

She's been experiencing the trial and tribulations of cat ownership, which are a lot different than the ones that come with dog ownership. As for me, I've been dealing with a 13-year-old dog who is not doing too well. It's getting harder and harder for her to walk. I have on her on a lot of different medicines. Every day is a challenge to get that medicine down her throat. I put it in peanut butter, in cheese in hot dogs. I have some Science Diet AD, which seems to be real tasty that I slather on the pills. That helps so far. I'd love to hear some suggestions for other ways to get them down her throat.

It's a little hard to take pet photos with Santa without the big man. That's something Sunny Meadows Safe Haven for Pets is facing unless one of you Santaesque pet lovers will volunteer. The group needs someone to put on their Santa suit and spend a few hours holding dogs and cats. (Yes, Rottweilers feel like they should get to sit in laps too!) The pay is good if you like dog kisses and cat cuddles.

The good news is that you don't have to listen to wish lists!

If you can volunteer, call Bonnie at 355-4718.Your gig will be from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. Dec. 9th and 10th at the Wolfchase PetSmart.

If you live at Country Squire Apartments at Walnut Grove and Germantown Parkway, please be on the look out for a lost maltese. It was lost three days ago. Please help this little 7-pound tuft of white find it's way back home. Call 452 7037
or emailtipalo@bellsouth.net