Cheryl Beckham

Victoria Stilwell is starring in a wonderful TV series entitled “It’s Me or The Dog”  I really enjoy watching it and I’m sure it has helped a ton of people with their dog issues. The Animal Planet is a great channel that I’m glad I get with my cable package. There isn’t that many good shows on these days but I can usually find something good on that channel day or night.

My father called me last night to tell me that their neighbor’s dog had once again raided my parents chickens. This has been going on for some time and this time the dog was caught “red handed” with my Dad’s prize rooster “Red” and my brother saw the episode and quickly got his rifle and shot the dog, dead in it’s tracks once and for all.

I was surprised to hear that the neighbors weren’t raising hell with them for the shooting though. They loved that dog and I’m sure that they are none to happy to hear the news. I hope that nothing comes about between them, they have been good neighbors for a long time, and have become good friends of the family, it would be a shame for something like this to ruin a good relationship.

Years ago I must have expressed out loud in front of someone, somewhere, something about the cuteness of a frog lawn ornament, that had caught my eye, for some reason. I didn’t even buy the frog, but some how that was to be the start of the many, many frogs that have now seemingly taken over my house and lawn. Word got out and frogs are a constant, but welcomed gesture from folks, as a gift, a token, a present, a tip (after all, I am a bar tender, and we receive quite a variety of tips now and then) from virtually everywhere from all types of people that I have/had a relationship with over the years. I must have a frog made out of any and every type of material that is known to man, in all kinds of sizes, and stances.

For Christmas I was given a frog aquarium kit, which requires a check to be sent in with the order for the frogs to come in the mail, or I could go down to one of the many pet stores that have popped up all over the place in the past few years. I’m sure at least one will have baby frogs for sale, it seems like the more humane way to receive new members of the family. But going to the pet stores, any of them like PetCo, Puppy Palace, and Petsmart always leaves me with me wallet emptied out and my heart broken from not being able to take home more of the critters that are all there, just waiting for a home, and knowing that their chances of being purchased and treated adequately highly reduces most of their survival rates.

One of the places that I try not to go in to are the A.S.P.C.A. and Animal Shelters, I have never left one yet with out crying like a baby and feeling like a piece of scum, and dirty. Not something that I enjoy or look forward to doing, ever.

When I agreed to take in this cute little puppy I have to admit that I was not thinking about having to pay a groomer to cut her a haircut every month. That adds up to a lot of money over the years!There used to be a nice lady in our neighborhood who would groom dogs in her garage. She had it all set up with grooming tables, kennel cages, and a large sink for bathing dogs. She only charged $15 for the little bit of attention that our little dog needed, and I thought that was a fair price for only about 15 minutes worth of her skill with clippers. But when her husband retired they sold their house and moved to Florida like all the good middle class Yankees are supposed to do.

So now I am reduced to making a monthly appointment, two weeks in advance, to carry my pooch down to the PetSmart for her grooming. It takes all day – have to drop her off by 10:00 am and pick her up by 5:00 pm, and they charge $25. I’m are not happy with this arrangement, but I don’t have any talent or skill using clippers.

A few years ago I was in Phoenix for a job interview. The company was a new franchising effort and they were staffing up. The open position was to replace someone who was leaving the company, and we hit it off great.Sitting in her office I noticed a pair of strange but cutely unique stuffed animals and a box logo’d with their likeness. I asked about them and she told me they were a gift from one of the franchisees, a new line of Hallmark Cards greeting cards and gifts. They are a pink kitty and a green bunny, named Hoops and YoYo, who are as funny as all get out.

So I went online later and looked for the Hoops and YoYo line and found a huge amount of free e-mail greeting cards and gift items for sale. They are hilarious, check them out sometime!