SANDY
NATHAN & THE DOGS OF RANCHO VILASA
Left to
right: Sumo, a thirteen year old shepherd mix, Panda, a ten
year old Australian shepherd & Raj, a four year old Cocker
Spaniel mix.
Sammy, a dachshund/Cocker, was busy chasing squirrels and
missed the photo op.
Oh, yeah. I'm in
there, too. I'm the human in the photo. I'm an old dog, but
a good one.
Welcome
to my world! If you've been to RANCHO
VILASA or SPURS MAGAZINE, you'll
be familiar with me and our Peruvian Paso horses. I love dogs
as much as I love horses. Like horses, dogs have owned me
most of my life.
I've
wanted to put a page about dogs on my 'ZINE
for a long time. I thought I'd write a charming essay about
my dogs and life on the ranch. Sort of like what that kindhearted,
British veterinarian, James Herriot, would write if he were
from California. I'd take six months to write and polish my
masterpiece. People would read it and say, "Aww . . .
Isn't that sweet?" And then they'd take a nap.
That
isn't how it worked out. Something happened that acted like
a kick in the pants. I saw this beautiful dog on the Internet.
He was in a high-kill pound with hours to live.
IMPOUND
# A698606
Male Cocker Spaniel mix, black. He arrived
in a major urban shelter a few days ago.
He wasn't claimed by his owners: the countdown has begun.
I
started writing in earnest. This series is the result. Listen
to my story, it may change your life
All
of a sudden, my careless cruising of petfinder.com
looking at cute pictures of dogs wasn't so much fun. I realized
many of the dogs I was looking at were going to die. Their
lives depended upon how cute a picture the rescue volunteer
could manage to get out of them. It wasn't a game.
All
the best,
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Click
on any cell to be transported to my world of
dogs. Please use the "back" button on your
browser to return to this page. |
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From
an Australian shepherd on the San Francisco
Peninsula half a century ago to a celebrity
Aussie in Southern California today, with
a few Danes and Labs and mixes in between,
my life with dogs goes back a long
way. Great dog photos.
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Sooner
or later, they grow up and fly away. When
my youngest daughter went off to college,
I felt like my heart had been ripped from
my chest. I finally understood the meaning
of Empty Nest Syndrome. This is what I did
to cope.
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I
found him at the Animal Shelter in Santa Maria,
CA. I've never felt this way about a dog before.
It scares me to death . . .
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Our
relationship seemed made in heaven. How could
this be happening? How I learned that dog
training was mandatory, and how much of a
problem a problem dog can be.
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This
Cocker Spaniel was picked up as a stray. His
owners didn't claim him up.He's in the count-down
period, with just days to live. They don't
like to put dogs to sleep at the shelter,
and try not to. But the problem is so great,
if they get overcrowded . . . sometimes there's
no choice.
Can
you help this darling boy? Can you give him
a home as long as you both shall live?
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