Horse Fighting in the Philippines

Yes it is illegal but it happens in front of huge crowds. Be warned it IS graphic and heartbreaking.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=515508&in_page_id=1811

You want to do anything??? Write to the Philippine Embassy where ever you are and tell them they'll never have your tourist dollar as long as it continues.

Embassy of the Philippines in Wellington, New Zealand
50 Hobson Street,
Thorndon
P.O. Box 12-042
Wellington,
NEW ZEALAND
WellingtonPhone: (644) 4729-848 & 472 9921
Fax: 00-644-4725170
Email: embassy@wellington-pe.co.nz

Visit http://www.networkforanimals.org/Site/level2.php?id=88&article=157 follow THEIR link to the mayor of the city and sign up for their email newsletter and offer your support.

Brian May (from Queen) www.brianmay.com/brian/letters/letters.html is a huge animals rights fan and some horse people reckon he'll get on board so email him too... brians.soapbox@clara.co.uk

Remember Guys...

If there is anything you want to know or just pass on and share with others you are more than welcome... just chuck it as a comment somewhere, I can answer it within a proper post like this if it's off topic to where you've put your comment/question... Nothing is a problem!

RIP Brooks Bar Amba

and another dear friends old mare Amba passed away overnight on the 22nd-23rd February 2008. She made it to over 30 but decided to wait till mum was on holiday overseas before she said her goodbyes.

When mum is ready we'll talk to Amba and hopefully help mum with some closure.

Talking To My Boy!

Well I meant to post this last week, but got busy with hubby's birthday and going down to Christchurch for the weekend, so better late than never!

I think I mentioned earlier somewhere about finally "finding" Joe clearly very much within myself when I got his "I'm ready". I continued to have to go within myself to have that clarity when hearing him. I talked with him all the way into the vets, extracting promises that he'd stay around (at least when called or needed!) Forgot all that stuff when it came time to do the deed and he was once more my "dog" to be sobbed over. We left him there to head off to be cremated and went to drive home. About 1 minute into the journey Marcus in the back calls out "DoeDoe, where are you?" It reminded me of course to check if he was still "here" and hey presto there he was still very much inside me (in that I didn't have to seek him out if you like) I asked him how he was and got "light as a feather" and so we chatted all the way home. It appears Joe, my guardian angel has decided to keep that role and has established himself as a "guide" if you'd like to call it that...

He has promised to answer all my questions unless it's 'cheating' LOL and on a down side he has maintained he can't be a "ghost" (haven't had one yet, he was supposed to be my first!) if he's inside me! Guess that makes sense in a weird sort of a way!

So the grieving was complete a minute after we left the vets, I still think I see him out the corner of my eye when I'm around all the other dogs, but it's just that I've seen him for so long, I still expect too.

A lovely friend who is to blame for this whole "communication" thing taking off gave me a voucher for a stretched canvas for Christmas. Had taken quite a nice photo of me with Joe and Tai on Tai's last day so got that one put on it. It arrived over the weekend and is now hanging in the kitchen, where Marcus points up and goes all cutey cutey saying, "mmmmmmmm, Tar, DoeDoe" He'll get to remember them through photo's at least!

The Sun is Out!

For the first time in three days, it's a nice day for my boy to bask one last time and feel the sun's warmth seeping into his old bones, and speaking of bones, they've all just had another one, the remaining crew will be getting fat from all the spoiling that's going on!

Joe is tired today and our photo's are reflecting that, so lots of cuddles today!

Joe was sold late by the breeder and then due to health problems with the new owner donated to the Police. Joe failed miserably (he wouldn't bite a fly!) and if they looked carefully they would have seen his dodgey hips anyway. He was then given to a recent "ex" cop who was quite simply abusive too him. Fate stepped in and led me to Joe when I gave the ex cop a lift home from a Friday night police bar session, and the next day he rang me asking if I wanted him.

I went and picked him up on the 23rd of December 1996. We did obedience competitions, and agility too, we've got loads of ribbons and trophies. Joe and I shifted to Golden Bay in 1997 and in December of 1997 we got Zak while on a trip home from the West Auckland pound. (Zak is pictured below at the beach, the other black and tan boy).

Zak was a horror child, very strong willed and only 9 mths old so pushing every boundary he knew! We'd walk down to the beach most days and the boys would have a ball, swimming, chasing birds, just running around like idiots. Joe would come home a kilo heavier with all the sand in his coat which would promptly fall out all thru the carpet hehehe.

2 yrs later we were in Blenheim, dear hubby entered the equation and the puppy collecting started!!!! There were times we you could see in their eyes that Joe and Zak wished they were the only 2 again, but Joe never complained although he fought hard (quite literally) with Tai our Great Dane to reign supreme. Tai won eventually and Joe settled back into "nothing to prove" mode which suited him better. (We lost Tai 31st July 2007 to bone cancer, aged 5 1/2). At one stage we had 8 dogs here, being looked after or rehomed etc.

Joe has outlived 2 other babies, Elmo our baby bull mastiff rescue who died at 8mths with kidney failure due to the stress on his tiny system from being lost in the bush for so long, and Tai, my big beautiful boy, both pictured above.

Joe has never once not wanted to get out the gate into the paddock with us all, even when on forced rest, he always wants to be by my side and has the patience and the dignity of a saint.

Elmo and Tai will meet you my darling, and we will talk still......

My Beloved Old Boy and his last day at the beach

Let me introduce you to my Guardian Angel, Joe! Joe was 12 in September and is a bit of an old cripple. He was xrayed at 18mths and found to have Hip Displacia and Chronic Arthritis then, so has spent his entire life on supplements and extra goodies and I never thought he'd have lasted this long!!!!

Unfortunately he has faded fast over the last week and I checked again with him on Thursday after feeling a sinister hard patch around one kidney area and I finally got an "I'm ready" from him. So it was a vets visit to cement things for me and now a last couple of days to build up new photo's and to take him to his old favourite places before we visit the vet again tomorrow to say our last physical farewell.... he has also put in his order to be cremated!

He is pure love is this dog, he would always give 110% for me and refuse to do anything for anyone else hehehe....

My Joe - Indara Cito, born 30/09/95...

RESPONSIBILITIES OF ANIMAL OWNERS!

well we've had some high profile (within some forums) neglect cases going on lately. First was Eve the dog the SPCA 'rescued' and decided to save and made her a high profile, media magnet, and money maker for them... however we seem to be having problems in this country with getting ANY agency not just the SPCA to step up and deliver the goods when it's a horse involved.

This story is the latest.... http://www.stuff.co.nz/southlandtimes/4401662a6568.html

A horse seen by people driving past, in a very sad condition.... numerous excuses being made by a high profile owner. Horse was shot (at least a month too late by the looks of her!) But the owner is not being held accountable for the state this mare reached! Where is our accountability?

We buy, or are given, or rescue, or breed these animals, they are our family and our responsibility for as long as we "possess" them.... The state this horse was in if it was a child would have the owners pulled in front of a judge so fast it would make their heads spin! And this owner in my opinion is no better than a child beater, abuse is abuse, and the pain this mare was obviously in CANNOT be justified under any circumstances!

You want to voice an opinion on it? http://www.stuff.co.nz/4085876a4621.html go here and have your say...

Home Sweet Home...

back to the realm of normality! Thank you to those people I had the opportunity to meet up with have a chat with their babies, lovely meeting the 2 legged and the 4 :)

Thanks too to Anna and Ru my lovely mount for a quick zap around the paddock. Check out Anna's website www.wownz.co.nz lovely crew you have Anna and nice to meet Eve too!

Thanks to mum for babysitting hehehe, shame Pete wasn't there to babysit while BOTH of us went for a ride! The horses on Murawai while dad swam with Marcus would have just been brilliant! Maybe next time ;)

So, what is up with this weather????? We are drought country down here and we started off that way but were saved by the pre Christmas rain and then another dump about 3 weeks ago, meanwhile the middle of the north who NEVER run out of water are locked in a drought!!!!!! Crazy! If the weather patterns continue to be so unpredictable people are really going to have to start planning long term for their farms and animals or risk losing a lot!

Hello from Auckland

well here I am in Auckland again, having overcast days, humidity and remembering why I shifted away!!!

Had a lovely evening with some of the ladies from the NZhorses board, did some work yesterday and going for a ride with an old friend from pony club days tomorrow morning. Anna's crew of horses are something pretty special, they do film work, displays, even in this years Auckland Santa Parade and it'll be my first chance to see them on top of catching up with Anna in person, gosh last time I saw her in person could have been close to 20 yrs ago! Now THAT makes me feel old!

Had a person contact me while I was up here asking if I did courses for Animal Communication, and although I don't I invited him to come have a chat and was able to point him in the direction of a good book at least. How do you teach something you sort of accidentally discovered?! But if sharing how I discovered it can help anyone else I'm all for it! It's something we all can do at least even if we have to put a bit of effort in to learn it!

Another 3 days and I'm home again, my darling husband Pete is taking Mac for his chiropractic appointment tomorrow and I took our darling son with me to one today so we're even I reckon!

Must remember to check in tomorrow morning and make sure Mac is OK and behaving!!!

Don't forget - Talk To Your Animals!