pets – Retirementally Challenged

Sunday Stills: Pets in this life… and the next

In addition to the human skeletons that are ubiquitous during Oaxaca’s Day of the Dead celebrations, dogs and other animals are also represented in the colorful murals and sculptures found all over town.

Xoloitzcuintli (pronounced show-low-eats-queen-tlee), also known as Xolos or Mexican hairless dogs, are believed to play a special role in the afterlife. They are revered as spirit guides that help us journey from this world to the next. If you’ve seen the movie Coco, you might remember Dante as the Xolo who accompanied the little boy to the land of the dead.

Here are a few of the creative representations of the animals we’ve seen on our Oaxaca wanderings.

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Hop on over to Second Wind Leisure Perspectives to read about the joys of adopting older animals and to see pictures of Terri’s beloved dogs. You can also click on links to other blog posts on this week’s photo prompt, All About Pets. Feel free to join the paw-ty with your own post about the animals in your life.

Sunday Stills: Furry Friends

My husband and I decided a while ago not to have any pets at this time of our lives. Although we love animals and enjoy their companionship, we also love the freedom of being able to pick up and go at a moment’s notice without worrying about arranging for their care. Fortunately, I am able to get my furry fixes in other ways from time to time.

We were maneuvering our shopping cart through the Costco parking lot when we happened upon this handsome boy. After peering into his soulful eyes, I was tempted to go back inside and buy him one of those mega-sized bags of dog food… or maybe several Costco hot dogs.

Carlos lets us take care of him while his “A-Team” staff is away. As long as we feed him regularly, provide fresh water, and scoop his poop, he allows a few cuddles and ear scratches. We are very happy to be of service.

Sunday Stills is a weekly photography link-up co-hosted by Terri Webster Schrandt on her blog Second Wind Leisure Perspectives. Each week there is a new word prompt to inspire a shared photo (or photos). Follow this link to learn more about it, see other submissions, and to share your own.

GratiTuesday: Sheltering animals waiting for their forever homes

Anytime I replace our towels or sheets, the old ones get laundered, folded, and taken to our local Humane Society, where they are used as bedding or to clean the enclosures. The staff is always so happy to receive the items, and I get an excuse to spend time hanging out with the beautiful cats and dogs (and guinea pigs and rabbits) waiting to be adopted.

This past Sunday, after I delivered a pile of towels, I decided to sit down in the brightly lit lobby and watch the human animals for a while. Since it was the weekend, there were a lot of visitors searching for a new friend to bring home with them. The staff, made up mostly by volunteers, was busy caring for the animals, interacting with the visitors, and doing the work necessary to keep the place humming along. Everyone seemed cheerful – and who wouldn’t be, surrounded by all that unconditional love.

Who’s a good boy?

Some of the enclosures are beautifully decorated

This one almost ended up coming home with me

Or, maybe this one

Although all the animals I saw on Sunday were happy and healthy, that is not always the case. Just recently, 123 Yorkshire terriers were discovered living in horrific conditions in a hoarding situation. The good news is that after evaluation, treatment, and behavioral care, most of the Yorkies were made available for adoption, and all of those have found a home. This incident was especially challenging, but, unfortunately, not terribly rare.

I am so grateful for our local Humane Society for the compassionate work they do. They provide vital services by sheltering and adopting animals, providing positive reinforcement training classes, investigating animal cruelty and neglect, and presenting education programs. It is a private, nonprofit organization that receives no government funding and is supported solely by contributions, and the fees they charge for services. Best of all, once a healthy or treatable animal becomes available for adoption, it will remain available for as long as is necessary to find them a home.

Donor's names areengraved on each tag — Donors’ names are engraved on each tag

Even if you aren’t in a position to adopt a furry friend from your local Humane Society or animal shelter, they are probably looking for volunteers or donations. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money to make a difference and you’ll probably get much more in return that what you are able to give.