Pup vs Stairs

This is disgusting - both in the cuteness of the pup and the sap behind the camera.

But I just couldn't help myself.

Turtle Power

You'll never forgive me for posting this, but I can't help myself.

Apparently, this was one of the most popular YouTube videos of 2009, but I'd never heard a peep about it.

By the way, DO NOT READ THE DESCRIPTION, if you can help it. Just watch... and make sure you can hear the sound.



My question is: Are all turtles like that?

Oh yeah. Please note the look on her face.

Kitten Cuteness

It's shamelessly adorable. If you haven't already been inundated with links to this, check it out here:

Duck Tales - Labor Day

Happy Labor Day!

This Labor Day, I was flying solo. After taking care of some stuff at home, I hopped on my bike (bicycle, not motorcycle) and biked to Sonic for a "Happy Hour" special discounted price on a (non-alcoholic, of course) cherry lime-aid beverage.

From there, I biked to the grocery store to buy some cheap bread to feed to ducks at a local lake. I put the bread in the sack I carry on my back while biking, then headed to and biked around the lake.

Because of the recent, semi-nearby hurricane(s), those of us in Tallahassee and surrounding areas have received a ton of rain. I read that local sewage systems were compromised due to the increased water flow. My nose can confirm this as I bike through certain areas. I believe the water treatment representative said that they usually deal with 17 million gallons per unit time, but recently it's been more like 41 millions gallons.

Even a week after the worst of the downpours stopped, about a week, ago, the lake area had overflows like the following:

(click picture to enlarge)

Below is a picture of what appears to be a street cave-in or sink hole or something (feel free to correct my terminology) - probably due to the flooding from last week.

(click to enlarge)

After biking around the lake, I chose a spot and took my back sack off. Immediately, before I could even open the sack, a group of ducks headed toward me. The more I handled the bread bag, the closer the ducks got. Around the time I got the bread out, the crowd of ducks around me was unbelievable. Take a look at the 40-something ducks that all but chased me around out there.

(click to enlarge)

It's true that I haven't fed the ducks in quite some time (well over a year) but I've done it often enough to know that they were much more aggressive this time than ever before. Eventually, people started crowding around watching these ducks follow me. There were so many ducks at different times that they were blocking the flow of automobile and human traffic through the area, so I'd have to herd them this way or that so that people could walk or drive through. I didn't even have to use the bread to accomplish this. If I walked somewhere, they were right behind me - adults and ducklings.

I walked about 50 - 70 yards in one direction to see how far they'd follow me and they hardly strayed - especially if I kept tossing bread. It was quite the spectacle. After I ran out of bread, I biked back to the store for more. At the height of the mallard craze, I know I had a good 60 or so ducks around me. It may have been more but I had a hard time taking pictures while feeding and avoiding them (and their waste).

Here's a pic to give you an idea of how much their ranks swelled:

(click to enlarge)

It may not seem like it but that really is a picture of almost 60 ducks. There were people walking by and pulling over, taking pix with their mobile phones, of me playing Pied Piper.

The duck response was so unusual that I wondered if the flood had affected their natural food supply. Some of us theorized about the reasons for their reaction, but who knows the real answer.

When I ran out of bread the second time, I biked back to the store (couldn't help myself) but I saw a police officer on the way. I asked if he knew if I should call the city, county, or whatever about the ducks. He said there's actually a local ordnance against feeding the ducks because they've become something of a logistical nuisance, if I understood him correctly.

So, that was good to know and it saved me the cost of another cheap bag of bread.

But it was really fun little Labor Day adventure. If nothing else, I was able to keep a couple of cool points as I initially attempted to flee without *looking* like I was fleeing from a bunch of ducks.

So that's my long Labor Day duck tale. I'm sure it wasn't as fun to read about as it was to experience but trust me... big fun.

Wildlife Drama & Suspense

If you're fond of animals, especially wildlife, check out this video. I won't describe it, at all, so I don't ruin any of the surprises, but I WILL suggest that, once you start watching it, DO NOT STOP... even when things take a turn for the worst.

Again, if you enjoy wildlife footage, this'll definitely be worth your time. If you don't... watch it anyway. :-)



Let me know what you think.

Vick & Dog Fights

As I've said before, I'm not one to follow professional sports all that closely. I can enjoy playing the games and watching the games, but I don't do either all that often.

Michael Vick is a familiar player, though, for a number of reasons - among them is a certain amount of controversy that's surrounded him for some time. In most cases, the little I knew about the situations left me with the impression that the media was more interested in making news where there was none. That may still be true, but the latest issue, in which I believe Vick faces charges related to participating in or allowing brutal, deadly dog-fights on his property, leaves me almost completely unsympathetic to the man.

I'll admit that I still don't know everything involved in the case, but if what I've heard is true, at best I'd suspect that he's condoned the abuse and killing of these animals - at worst, he actively participates in it.

That disgusts me more than I can say. Not only does that show a lack of respect for the value of life - all life - but I can't help but think of the children, elderly, and others who've been mauled by some savage pitbull. Maybe some or even most of those dogs were that aggressive and dangerous by-nature, but if I were a betting man, I'd wager that a number of the dogs that attack humans have been mistreated or improperly trained or bred by other humans.

The way I see it, that puts those victims' blood in the hands of the kinds of brutal bastards who encourage, condone, or participate in dog fights.

If Vick's guilty, to whatever extent he may be guilty, I hope they throw the book directly at him and everyone who helped him.

Sheep Video

source: AOL Video

This live-action video features a sheep with a mask on its head as it tries to mingle with the other sheep.

Unless I miss my guess, some animal lovers will have a big problem with this video, but I doubt any of the sheep involved in this prank suffered much long-term emotional damage - which is a good thing since it's funny as hell.

No, really. It's funny as hell. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Good for the Goose

One-time for two-parent households.

Dog Tired

I don't have a pet, but I'm fond of animals, so I stop by a local pet store now and again to get a quick four-legged dose o' cuteness.

The last time I went, I saw these two pups huddled together in a rather unique position. Both were resting on their hind quarters, with their heads on each others' backs - knocked out.
I couldn't get a picture quickly enough to fully capture the moment. The black dog kept waking up (he wasn't fully supported by the brown dog; is there a message there?).

Also, whenever the black dog moved, the brown dog would wake up just long enough to shuffle along with his head stuck out, trying to rest it him.

The lighting was awful, but hopefully you get the picture. (Ouch.)