Tag Archives: animals

Buddy (1997)

I was pleasantly surprised by “Buddy,” the true story of a baby gorilla no one thought would live. Renee Russo stars as Trudy Lintz, an animal lover who lived back at the turn of the last century. She has a houseful of animals, from horses to ducks to dogs to kittens to birds – and two adorable chimps named Maggie and Joe. She’s raising the chimps like children, down to teaching them manners and dressing them in clothes, and things are going fairly well – except that Maggie is a little bit of a trouble maker. She likes to let … Continue reading →

The Wiggles: Wiggly Safari (2002)

This DVD presentation is nostalgic on two levels – first, it features Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, now passed away. It also features Greg Page, the yellow Wiggle, now in retirement. The Wiggles are off on an adventure in the Big Red Car – they’re going to Australia Zoo to see the animals. Who better to be their guides than Steve Irwin, his wife Terri, and their daughter Bindi? The Irwins are introduced into the show with a new song by the Wiggles called “The Crocodile Hunter.” Steve takes the Wiggles on a tour of the zoo, and shows them … Continue reading →

Children’s Picture Books about Animals

Children and animals seem to have a connection – they head straight for each other at every opportunity. Today I’m reading two picture books that contain animals. “Kittens, Kittens, Kittens” by Susan Meyers, illustrated by David Walker shows us many different kinds of kittens, from orange ones to gray ones, little and big, fluffy and not fluffy. Some are slender, sleek and shiny, and the newborns are as soft as silk. They bounce, pounce and mew – they’re everywhere! They chase toys, take naps, drink their milk, and go on trips. They love to snuggle and even climb trees. They … Continue reading →

Sitting Down to Eat – Bill Harley

Have you ever had unexpected guests show up and invite themselves to dinner? Did you tell them to go away, or did you feed them? Was there enough room? One little boy had this problem to a much bigger extent than you or I ever will. Let’s see how he handled it in the children’s picture book “Sitting Down to Eat” by Bill Harley. He was just sitting down to eat when he heard a knock at the door and a plaintive request to come in. When he opened the door, he saw an elephant, and didn’t know what to … Continue reading →

Blossom and Boo: A Story about Best Friends – Dawn Apperley

Blossom is a cute little white rabbit, and her very best friend is Boo, a brown bear cub. Every day they meet to play together in the woods. In the summer, they like to go exploring and make each other daisy chains. They skip stones in the stream, causing splashes and ripples. In the fall, they go berry picking and have picnics. When Blossom falls down and hurts her paw, Boo is right there to make her feel better. Blossom repays him by giving him some of her berries when the mice steal his. Sure enough, Blossom and Boo are … Continue reading →

Bear’s All-Night Party – Bill Harley

The moon was full and shone so brightly, Bear couldn’t sleep. He wanted to have a party, and dance and eat food, and he wanted to invite all his friends. The next morning, he told his brother all about his idea. His brother thought it was silly, but that didn’t stop Bear! He made invitations and delivered them, and even wrote a little song to sing to his friends about the fun they would have. Everyone told him it wouldn’t work. The coyote and the moose seemed especially discouraging, but that didn’t stop Bear! He kept right on delivering his … Continue reading →

No Barbie Dolls For Bindi

Forget about Barbie, for 8-year-old Bindi Irwin playtime is all about Blackie—-her black-headed python. Would you expect anything less from the daughter of the late crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin? In addition to Blackie, Bindi recently revealed that she spends quite a bit of time with Corny, her “lovable” corn snake (the one she sleeps with every night). Then there’s Jaffa her koala; Ocker, her favorite cockatoo; and Candy, her pet rat. The junior “Crocodile Hunter” is hoping to give her pets some serious airtime on her new TV show so the rest of the world can get to know them … Continue reading →

Starting A Shelter: How Are You Doing?

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Running a shelter is not an easy job. There will be hard days and depressing days. There will be happy days and triumphs. You’ll spend a lot of hours sweating over your finances or cleaning kennels. You may be witness to cruel mistreatment of animals. You’re going to encounter a lot more doggy doo and kitty poop than ever before. So how do you objectively assess the success (or failure) of your shelter? The shelter leaders and board of directors are responsible for seeing your mission statement come to life. If you aren’t fulfilling your mission, then something may need … Continue reading →

Recommended Vaccines For Adults

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Regular immunizations have virtually wiped out diseases that used to cause serious problems in the general population. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommend several vaccinations for adults. Tetanus/Diphtheria (also known as Td) — protects against tetanus (lockjaw) and diphtheria. The initial vaccination is a three dose series. The first dose now, the second dose four weeks later, and the third dose six to twelve months after the second. Adults also need a booster shot every ten years or so. Influenza (also known as the flu shot) — a yearly vaccination to protect against the flu. Recommended for adults over … Continue reading →

Starting A Shelter: Getting the Community Involved

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Unless you have limitless financial resources and can do all the work yourself (trust me, you can’t!) your shelter is going to need community support. So how do you do it? Publicity is key. If no one knows about your shelter, no one can help you. Start a mailing list. Include your animal-loving friends and family. Ask your volunteers, workers, and board of directors for names and addresses, too! Keep a sign-up sheet available at your shelter and at all events to keep that mailing list growing. Keep your website current. A website that is never updated isn’t going to … Continue reading →