In Denver

I am in a Marriott in Denver, the one at City Center. Nice town. Always liked it here. Spent some time here in the 60s, at Fitzsimons Army Hospital, thanks to some wounds, courtesy of Charlie. And I attended Ilif Seminary some years ago. What, you never heard of weredog clergy? Come on. Doesn't that make sense?

We got Snowball and Lucky here. I checked out their new family. Good people. Had a detour on the way here. Finally got them to safety, the new family, on Tuesday morning. I got a little choked up saying goodbye and good luck to those 2. Snowball gave my face a good licking. Lucky kept asking why I was leaving. 

So, that cut me loose. So, I called Dionna.  She came down from Grand Lake, got here yesterday, on Wednesday, in the morning. We spent the first half of the day in the room. Spent the rest of the day and last night walking around, eating, talking. There is a bar in this hotel, the D-Spot, that has a good selection of single malt scotches. 

Speaking of weredog clergy, there have also been werewolves that have donned the clergy clothe.  Ever heard of The Inquisition? But, things have changed a lot since then. Wolves, and dogs, have changed a lot since then. 

I am on Dionna's laptop. She is still asleep. It was so dang hard to get up an hour ago. This bed is incredibly comfy, like a dream. Amazing how good a bed feels after spending time in crates and on concrete.

I got up last nigh and watched a movie, while Dionna slept. It was called Twilight, the teen vampire romance movie. It's interesting. Bella and Edward trying to resist their forbidden love. Well, him, not her so much. I don't usually go in for vampire movies. Such silliness.  At least there are no bats in this movie. 

I need to figure out a plan to get home. I was so close. Passed through KC earlier this week, on I-70, on the way here to Denver. No regrets though. Had to see Snowball and Lucky to safety.

Dionna is looking warm and comfy. I think I'll slip back into that luscious bed. Housekeeping is going to throw a fit when they see all this hair.

Rescue Stats

Being part of the shelter and stray system, once again, has led me to reflect on all the homeless dogs and cats.  Allow me to share some stats.

National statistics: 

Only 1 out of 10 dogs born ever get a home. 

Only 1 out of 12 cats born ever find a home. 

800 dogs & cats are KILLED each HOUR in the U.S, because there are not enough homes for them. 

Saving one animal may not change the world, but, it will surely change the world for that one animal.  Helping dogs, or cats, or any other animal does not steal charity from children. It expands the attitude of charity exponentially. This I know to be fact.

Dogs and Christianity

I have written in this blog that we. weredogs, do not understand human religion. And over the past 2 days I have gotten heavy doses of it. On Friday we rode with 4 drivers. 2 of them listened to nothing but Christian radio.  Patsy listened to the BeeGees, Bread and the rest of the time Christian radio. And it got me to thinking about human religion, and dogs.  And I found a Bible here. The Kellermans actually have them all over the house. So, I looked some things up. 

The crux of the issue seems to be if dogs, and other animals, have souls, then we msut have feelings, emotions. If we do, then we more than likely have souls. If we have souls, then they have to let us into the church, so to speak. 

Well, if anyone thinks that dogs do not have emotions, then there is nothing I can say to that person. Anyone who has spent any time with dogs knows that they exhibit emotions constantly. 

The six universal emotions are said to be: happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, surprise, and fear. All animals exhibit all those emotions. I have also seen animals of many other species exhibit pride, envy, guilt, shame, jealousy and embarrassment. Domestic and wild animals exhibit all these, both social and nonsocial species. 

Emotions are part of survival. They represent the Divine spark in each of us survive, seek others, to connect, to procreate, to sacrifice. Every animal, from the elephant to the ant, fights for all these things. 

It is emotions that allow us to connect and communicate, between species, without the luxury of a common verbal language. I give you man and dog. We learn many of your words. But that is not how we communicate. We do so through our emotional bond. The stronger the bond the better the communication.

Therefore, each of us, man, dog, and dung beetle, has a soul.

What does the Bible say about God and animals? In Proverbs 12:10 it says that the Lord regards a person who cares for animals is righteous, and a person who is cruel to animals is wicked. Thus, the righteous treat animals with wisdom and kindness, not cruelty.  This suggests that God takes heed of how humans treat animals. 

Immanual Kant, the 18th century German philosopher, wrote on this subject.  He wrote that "We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."

It is true that God has given human beings dominion over Creation, and all the other animals in it. (Gen. 1:26). Animals are a resource to be managed and used as humans see fit. Yet people are accountable to God for being good stewards, not irresponsible abusers of any of those resources. 

Proverbs 1:7 suggests that we should be wise and treat animals as God their Creator would treat them, and those who do not should fear the Lord. We know that God has an interest in the preservation of species. Genesis 7:1-5, 23-24, 8:1, 17 and Luke 12:6 all speak to that.Exodus 23:12 and Deuteronomy 22:4 talk about how God wants farm and work animals be cared for properly. 

Other religions have something to say about it.

 

The Hindu epic of the Ramayana tells of the monkey god, Hanuman, assembling a vast monkey army to defeat an evil king. The Chinese consider themselves descendants of dragons, whom they see beneficent, powerful and wise.  The ancient Egyptians had animal gods.  Most American Indian tribes consider animals to be their brothers, and to be descended from the wolf, the bear, and the eagle. 

So, what is it about the 3 great monotheistic religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam - that makes them so want to disrespect and loathe dogs, and all other animals?  Can someone tell me?  I am not trying to be critical or difficult.  I am just a dog who wants to understand.

Broke Down in Marshall

We're not in back in KC yet.  Our transport broke down. 

We left the shelter in Peoria on Friday morning with a woman named Patsy in a beat up Windstar minivan. The moment I laid eyes on that vehicle I worried that it would make it.  I've never seen so many shades of rust.

Not Patsy. She brings new meaning to the phrase "high strung". She never shuts up, or stops moving, even when driving. She stands somewhere amongst middle age, has long, luminous red hair, and laughs all the time, at everything. It's maddening.

The transport was Snowball, Lucky, me, and a boxer-mix named Rocket.  Rocket matched Patsy in energy level.  I put Snowball in the front seat next to Patsy. Lucky rode in Patsy's lap. Me and Rocket rode in the back seat. We alternated between me threatening to bite off his balls and me laughing so hard I thought I'd pass out. Rocket is the most annoying and funny bastard that I have known in a long time.  

Everything was going great . . . well, fine, until around Columbia I started smelling burnt oil.  It was a short while later that I started seeing smoke.  The smoke resulted in our winding up on the side of the rode and PAtsy calling AAA on her mobile phone. That wound us up here, in Marshall, Missouri, in a foster home. This blew our transport to hell.

I have no idea how or when we will get back on track and make it to KC. So close. I am on this ancient PC of this foster family, the Kellermans. They are nice people. But, earlier this afternoon they were watching and enjoying Lawrence Welk. I'll say no more about that. But, there is no e-mail on this PC about transports. They must all do it via phone.

I assume that the transport coordinator, whoever that is, is cobbling together drivers to get us the rest of the way, to KC.  Our destination is supposed to be Denver, except or Rocket. Rocket is going to KC.  Snowball, Lucky and I are bound for Denver. But, I need to get home, jump this train in KC. But, I cannot do that until I see Snowball and Lucky to safety, until I know they are safe. Not sure what I am going to do. I really need to get home, see Flecka, Sparkle, the boys, and Jack.

Sorry, Libby, that I cannot come down there, to Georgia. I got to get back home, to KC. But there are numerous weredog packs in Georgia. We will link you up.

Any weredogs about in Marshall, MO?  I could use a ride.

In A Shelter

I'm in a shelter in Peoria, Illinois.  Long story of how I got here.  

I've spent the past 2 nights sleeping on cold concrete in a pen you could not park a Harley in. I am not a small dog.  Tonight I shifted so that I could get on the one PC they have in this place and make some commo and check some things.  My joints are way to old for hard, cold concrete.

In the pen next to mine is a young bitch, named Snowball, and her one surviving puppy.  An SPCA crew rescued her from a trailer park where she was tied up outside a trailer with no food or water.  The women who owned Snowball had left town.  In a rush.  

When they found her and her litter, 7 of the 8 puppies were dead. They were scattered about her. She was licking one, trying to revive it. I spent all night last night, and all day today, listening to her whine about the experience, about what a bad mother she is. I have told her over and over that there was nothing she could do, that she was tied up, that she has to move on and live for her one survivor.  I have named him Lucky. 

I just found a bunch of messages on this machine about a transport that is to take Snowball and Lucky to St. Louis.  I added my name to that list. There will be 4 of us.  We 3 and a beagle named Sharpy.  I had no choice.  I have to go.  I promised Snowball that I will not leave her and Lucky until they are safe. 

It's time for me to get home, back to KC.  I need to see Flecka.  And Rick and Sven.  And Jack.  And Sparkle and Rooster.  

The transport is scheduled to leave here on Friday.  Nothing to do but lay low and sleep on cement til then.

But right now I am going to finish up with all my comms, e-mails, etc, then slip out and go get some decent food for everyone, all the dogs in here, and something special for Lucky.  And I can really use a beer about now. And they have to have some blankets around here. If not, got to get some of those too. 

Lycanthropes in Comics

Just stumbled across this.  Never seen this comic before.

That would be a problem.

Lion-Dog in Mexico

I was just down in Mexico, for a few weeks, prior to Canada.  Got these pics down there.  

A shop keeper got this lion to ward off thieves who kept hitting his place.  

But, then I got a better look at this lion.

I asked this dog what he thought of his disguise. He said it was not only humiliating, having to look like a big cat, but that it was dangerous, that it probably made him a target and trigger happy gang bangers would probably cap him for the hell of it, to tell their chicas that they killed a lion.  

There are, as you might expect, many werewolves in Mexico, and not many of the good ones that I've tended to be running into lately. No. Mexico is over run by old school werewolves, the kind that just want to kill and murder and plunder and see the streets run red. 

I had to find a werewolf named Lupisano. I found him. He said that most of the werewolves caught up in the killing are good wolves, reformed wolves, not prone to murderlust. But, he said, so many have become intoxicated with all the violence. 

I asked him about the waerwulfas. He acted like he did not want to answer me, But, finally, he did. He said they were being considered. Then he crossed himself. I had never seen a werewolf make the sign of the cross.

I found out what I needed to know, what in Mexico for about 2 weeks, 12 days. Found out what I needed to know.

Still Breathing in the Twin Cities

I am in Minneapolis.  I just got back from Canada.  Had to find a weredog up there who lives with wolves. 

On the way to Canada I passed through Detroit. Saw an old SF bud from Nam. Name's Bob. He's a retired cop. He lives wit 2 retired police dogs. I was surprised, pleasantly, to find that one of them is a weredog. Name's Rack. We knew some of the same people. Rack and Bob both told me some worrisome stories.

Bob's life is spent caring for his wife, who's in poor health, and caring for the autistic son of a former partner. The partner, a good friend, died 5 years ago. He asked Bob to look in on his son. After the wife died and no one was left to care for the kid, looking in on the kid became caring for him full time.  The kid is now 26, lives along in an apartment, can barely cook, spends his days playing video games.

Waerhund is the werename of the weredog I went looking for. He told me a lot, that much of what I have been told is not true (surprise), that the neo's are not all that new, and that wolves have rarely actually attacked humans over the centuries.  He said wolves have long taken the blame for human killers and psychopaths and rapists and plunderers and pedophiles and the whole gammut.   

Waerhund said that poison has been the most used tool to kill wolves.  Wolves get smart quick about rifles, learn to stay out of range. But, raw roadkill meat laced with a sweet poison works about every time.  I too know about poison.  I was in France in '18.  

"Why should we suspect the neo's are any worse than men?" said Waerhund.  He is very old, many centuries, maybe more than a millennia. I do not know for sure. I did not ask. But, his scent is not that of dog, not entirely.  

He and his pack live in an area north of Montreal, northwest of La Tuque. I was with them over a week, hunted with them, ate with them, slept with them.  I can still smell wolf on me.  Kinda like it. It's growing on me, so to speak.

So, I am here in Minneapolis, staying with an old friend, named Ivan.  Tomorrow I am on the move.  

Thanks for asking about my breathing, Brandon. Ironic, I had just got onto a PC to check in and post an update.