Brandy

Although the boys really don't pay much attention, this is their little foster sister, Brandy.

Hello, my name is Brandy and I am a diva. I am beautiful with my curly blond and black hair. Although it’s not nice to ask a lady her weight, I really don’t mind because I am a petite 10.8 lbs. Like all divas I have my list of demands. I must have fresh water every time I am thirsty. I will sit and stare at the kitchen sink. If the water is not forthcoming quickly enough I will bark for attention. I also demand a good game of fetch the ball. I have a toy chest full of toys but I only want to play with my ball. My foster mother thinks I am quite talented because I will toss the ball to her or roll it over the floor to her.

My 8^th birthday is coming up in June. That makes me a Gemini. I would love a new family for a birthday present. My other mommy was really sad to see me go but she has to go to the hospital. She’s really sick. We have been together since I was a puppy. She even kept my baby teeth and told me to give them to my new mommy.

Right now I live with my foster parents and 6 brothers, 4 canine and 2 feline. I ignore them as much as possible. Girls rule, boys drool! I would rather have my new mommy and daddy all to myself. Although I always slept on a bed in my other home, I don’t like being around the boys so don’t sleep with my foster parents. They gave me my very own apartment. My crate is my safe spot but I don’t like having the door closed.

I don’t think I would like any little humans. My foster mom says I can be a bit crotchety at times, especially if I’m moved when I’m asleep or I get my feet brushed. I REALLY hate having my feet brushed but my foster mom and I am working on that. She is also trying to pee pad train me. I have been trained to go to the bathroom IN the bathroom. I have done this all my life and would never pee on carpet so I’m a little resistant to the pee pads. My foster mom says I’m a smart girl though and I’ll catch on pretty soon.

I LOVE going for rides in the car and going for walks. I also love giving kisses and getting snuggles. I am up to date on all my shots, micro chipped and spayed. I do have a bit of an eye infection but am on antibiotics so that should clear up soon. I am really good about having my eyes cleaned and drops put in them.

I am a princess and need an alpha queen to guide me but if you would like a soft, sweet, funny diva in your life I’m your girl!

Puppy Broker Jailed

This story is taken from the Chronicle Herald. It's been a long time coming and still isn't enough for these two but at least it's something. It's a good day for pups in Nova Scotia.

Puppy seller jailed 21 days for assault

By BRIAN MEDEL Yarmouth Bureau
Thu. Apr 9 - 6:47 PM

Gail Benoit, already fined $1,500 for animal cruelty, was sentenced today to 21 days in jail for assaulting an SPCA special constable. (BRIAN MEDEL / Yarmouth Bureau)

DIGBY — Gail Benoit, the woman accused of selling sick and dying puppies, was sent to jail Thursday for 21 days.

The jail term was for resisting arrest. She received a suspended sentence on another charge of assaulting an SPCA special constable.

During the fall of 2007, a search warrant was executed and 10 puppies were seized from the home near Digby that Ms. Benoit shares with her husband Dana Bailey.

Ms. Benoit was convicted on Jan. 29 of animal cruelty and assaulting a peace officer. She was fined $1,500 for the animal cruelty conviction.

Mr. Bailey was convicted of animal cruelty on Jan. 29, and was also fined $1,500 on Thursday.

After learning from Judge Jean-Louis Batiot that she was headed for jail, Ms. Benoit glanced quickly to her right then fell, rather slowly, to the floor.

Some in the audience laughed out load while others smiled as they watched two sheriff’s deputies try to assist the stricken woman.

The court recessed and as Judge Batiot left the bench, Mr. Bailey began to shout profanities and threatened the court because his wife sometimes chokes, he said.

“If my wife chokes in that jail you fellas are going to be held responsible,” he hollered, at one point addressing his remarks to “Mr. Batiot.”

“How could you do that. This is not fair,” he yelled at the bench.

Mr. Bailey was tossed from the courtroom and hustled downstairs by a group of police officers and sheriff’s deputies.

Mr. Bailey was pushed out through the front door of the Digby courthouse and told to move along.

The couple, who during their 2008 trial called themselves puppy brokers, faced charges of animal cruelty stemming from the seizure of 10 pups from their home near Digby in October of 2007.

Some people had complained to the provincial SPCA about puppies they had purchased from Ms. Benoit. Some of the young dogs died soon afterward.

Crown Attorney Rosalind Michie said Thursday that Ms. Benoit and Mr. Bailey have sold as many as 30,000 dogs in the past 13 years, sometimes selling 200 in a month.

Ms. Michie also told the court that this is Ms. Benoit’s third conviction since 1994 for assaulting a peace officer.

“The Crown takes that very seriously,” she told Judge Batiot.

The convicted puppy brokers have flatly refused to take responsibility for their actions, she said.

“All along, nothing has ever been their fault .... There is no expression of any remorse,” she said.

Defence lawyer Michael Power said the level of neglect was rather low.

The charges deal with 10 dogs, although there’s evidence that hundreds of dogs have passed through his clients' care, the majority without complaint, he said.

Mr. Bailey, who turns 47 next week, is disabled, according to his lawyer, and receives $869 a month from the Workers Compensation Board.

Ms. Benoit is 39 and, “she too is disabled,” said Mr. Power. He said she gets $830 a month.

They also operate a puppy brokerage, he said.

“They are not bad people. They are businesspeople,” Mr. Power said, adding that their puppy brokerage has been affected by negative publicity.

“The business is basically in limbo now."

He also told the court how his clients sometimes speak their minds too freely in public.

“They blurt things out,” he said.

“I’ve admonished them ... I’ve told them to quiet down those emotions. But they do become emotional,” he said.

The couple must also pay $2,478 in restitution for care and treatment of the sick puppies.

And Ms. Benoit will be on probation for 18 months.

“I would have liked to have seen a prohibition of (owning) animals,” Ms. Michie, the Crown attorney, said after court.

But under the Animal Cruelty Prevention Act, owning an abused or neglected animal is required for prohibition. It was found during trial that the pups were possessed for the purposes of selling, she said.

Chihuahua Approved Recipes

The Hours of Fun Treat
Posted by Frank Jackson, fjack01@emory.edu.

Get one of those hollow, white bones from the pet store. They're bleached white bone and have nothing in the center where the marrow and other yucky stuff would normally be. The one I had was about 2 inches in length with a diameter of about 2 inches. I'm not sure what the commercial name of these things are so I hope you know what I'm talking about.

Take some flour, (not the self-rising kind, the un-self-rising kind), about a spoonful of dried garlic granules, and some water and mixed it into a thick paste. Then stuff the bone with this paste. Bake at 100 degrees for about 3 hours or 50 degrees for six hours or 25 degrees for 12 hours depending on how much time you have.

I let it cool and gave it to Kelly. She worked on it like it was the best thing she'd ever eaten for two hours. Finally when she went out for her last pee of the night I had to hide it from her. She spent fifteen minutes looking for it. The good thing about it is that it really kept her occupied and it's a healthy treat - no sugar, chemicals, etc. You could mix yogurt into the flour instead of water and you could add kelp and other healthy things.

Tuna Bisquits
Posted by Jeffere King, wrking@flash.net. "I found a recipe in a doggie treat cookbook that you might try. Ginger, Katie, and Poo love these!"

* 1 can (8 oz) tuna in oil
* 2 cups cornmeal
* 2 cups flour
* 3/4 cup water
* 2/3 cup veg. oil
* 1/2 tsp. salt

Mix, roll out, cut out with dog bone cutter, bake at 350 for 25-30 min, cool serve, store in airtight container in frige. YUM!

Chi-liver Cake
From Rick Halsey, rhalsey@FREENET.NPIEC.ON.CA

* 1 pound of chicken livers
* 1/4 cup salad oil
* 1/2 cup water
* 3 or more cloves of garlic
* 2+ cups of flour
* optional goodies: bacon bits, grated cheese

Place liver, oil, water, garlic and the optional goodies in a blender or food processor, and liquify them. Pour them into a bowl, add flour until you have a stiff but sticky batter. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for at least 1 hour. After 1 hour cut a small slice and if any pink is showing, return it to the oven for about 15 minutes more. Must be well done.

Be warned that once a dog tries this cake, they have been known to stand in front of the oven drooling while it is baking.

Biscuits / Cookies
From the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.

* 1 cup uncooked oatmeal
* 1 1/2 cups hot water
* 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
* 1 1/2 cups cornmeal--or other meal if your dog is allergic to corn
* 3 cups whole wheat flour--or other flour if your dog is allergic to whole wheat

1. preheat oven to 325. In large bowl, pour hot water over oatmeal and applesauce and let stand for 5 minutes.
2. stir in cornmeal. Add flour one cup at a time to make a very stiff dough.
3. roll doug out to 1/2 inch thickness and cut out with bone shaped cookie cutter. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 50 minutes. Cool until hard.

Throw dog biscuits at piglet@panix.com.

Fun Quotes

Double your pleasure, double your fun,
When it comes to Chihuahuas, why keep only one? -- Marli

It seems that Chi owners are so in love with their
little babies front ends that they will do anything to
conquer the problems with their back ends . -- Susan

After god made one chihuahua, maybe he had to make
another one to clean the first one's ears. -- Brad

Coach Potatoes

Yesterday, after I dragged the bedding out of the dryer, the boys decided to claim a dryer sheet. Such lazy little bugs aren't they?

We found this great site. Written by a Chihuahua owner:

GUSH MODE ON: If you already own a Chihuahua, then I'll be preaching to the converted when I say that they are one of the most loyal, sweet-tempered, and gentle of the toy breeds. The Chihuahua, with its apple-dome skull and large luminous eyes, can wear a remarkably human expression at times; she or he will want to be with you most, if not all, of the time. A warning to casual dog owners: Don't buy a Chihuahua if you don't have the emotional real estate in your heart or the time for the complete love and attention of this furry little person. GUSH MODE OFF.

To read the whole article go to The Chihuahua FAQ