Randomness and thanks in lieu of a blogosaurus

I’m working on a blogosaurus post, which I hope to have within the next few days. Meanwhile, here’s some randomness for you.

But first (and absolutely foremost), many thanks. Your generosity and support have been mind boggling. After the first red-hot week the roof-raising bleg looked as if it was going to stall out.

But nope. Old friends and new have just kept the funds coming. Robbie, Ava, and Kitsu the cat will all thank you for the dryness this winter. And you darned betcha, so will I.

Now, on to randomness, trivia, and the collection and dispersal of linkage …

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The wisdom of the Commentariat strikes again. In this week’s Traits of the Successful Poor post, people suggested that gratitude was another essential.

Indeed it seems to be, in more ways than one. Gratitude, it seems, not only helps you be gladder for what you have (however little it may be). But it can actually curb impulse spending that might make your poorer than you are.

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Yes, children really are less free (and more infantilized) than their parents were.

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But grandmas? Now, they’re getting more free. And learning to shoot. (H/T ML)

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And (no doubt young and overly “educated”) feminists are just getting stranger.

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Maykits dropped this dog drama video link in comments and it needs to be brought forward. Watch this Rottie save a smaller dog buddy from a hungry coyote.

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I’ve seen Ava chase coyotes like that. Darned near managed to bite one in the butt once. But she wouldn’t do it to save a small dog — unless she thought the varmint was taking her snack. Ava considers all small animals to be prey.

Yesterday evening we were taking an on-leash walk when we encountered a cat resting comfortably in grass next to the alley where we strolled. Knowing Ava’s proclivities, I try to watch for loose animals, but both dogs spotted this one before I did. We were less than 10 feet from it and even Robbie (whose cat-chasing days ended years ago) alerted. Both dogs froze at the end of their leashes, straining towards the kitty but not making a move.

I braced for Ava’s lunge. She’s normally very obedient, but in these circumstances she will ultimately go for it. Usually just at the moment that I say, “Sit!” or “No!” or “Let’s go, Ava.”

This cat, however, wasn’t daunted. This was the Dirty Harry of cats. Far from being apprehensive, it had a look that said, “Go ahead. Make my day.”

Sure enough, when Ava finally lunged (not getting far, thanks to my belated readiness plus a prong collar that’s an excellent self-limiter), the cat, instead of fleeing, arched itself into a parody of a Halloween cat and came stalking toward her.

At that, both dogs willingly heeded my suggestion that we depart the vicinity. But the cat wasn’t having that, either. Still bristling, it herded us along until we were well out of its territory.

It was funny afterwards, but a little scary just then.

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And speaking of animals with dangerous attitudes, Travis H., who drew the very ratty rat that appears inside our anti-snitch book Rats! just got his first paying cartoon gig.

Werepugs! is a collaboration with his wife and appears in a City Pages alternative weekly. (Click on the B&W pugs near the bottom of the cartoon selections.)

Ha! And you thought your dog smelled like carrion because he rolled in something? Think again.

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Finally, I’m happy to report that Robbie is doing a lot better. He’s been on antibiotics for a week and melatonin for five days and his nighttime panics have mercifully subsided.

Two nights out of the last three have been almost normal. He does get up at some point and ask for reassurance, but after that he settles peacefully.

Whew. Whew for his sake. Whew for mine (I was starting to hallucinate from sleep deprivation there for a while). And thank you for caring.

I still don’t know what caused the panics or which med has been most responsible for ending them. But Karen’s information that UTIs can cause dementia-type symptoms in elderly humans seems to hold a big clue. Not enough is known about dementia symptoms in dogs to say for sure. But my old baby boy is better, thank the Commentariat and furrydoc.