30 Days 19 - 21

[scottishlass]

The first signs of spring are here ... today I came across a bush that blooms from late spring to late autumn and it is blooming already. We had a very mild winter and spring is in the air. My fingers are itching to plant new flowers on my balcony but of course it is too early and the next cold front is already waiting ahead. But there were many nice moments today.

A moment in the morning where the bleak winter days seem to be over ...


A moment in the afternoon where Chica saw an ocean creature ...


... or something ....

Comments

[rika-66.livejournal.com]

Wow! I love Chica's pic - her face is simply hilarious here! Great shot.

And I like the motion on the last pic, too! Good catch.

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

Yes, her face is one of those one in a million shots. Of course she is not afraid but was about to yawn ... but it looked hilarious!!!
There is another shot of Cenour where he looks just like a little horse:

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Really like this pic as well ;)

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

The pic of the flower is beautiful. Don't know what's wrong with my internet but the other pics won't come out >_>

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

Here are direct links to the others:
http://chica.different-worlds.net/img/102_0217.jpg

http://chica.different-worlds.net/img/102_0243.jpg

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

I particularly like this pic: http://chica.different-worlds.net/img/1 02_0243.jpg So lively! ^^ You know I enjoy looking at dog and cat pics but in real life I am rather scared of them :D

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

This is so typical Cenour ... he is a very quiet dog - almost lethargic. There are only two things that get him to be excited a) playing in the water like you can see in the pic, and b) getting cuddled.

If you knew Cenour and Chica, you wouldn't be afraid of them. Esp. not Cenour who LOVES to be cuddled. His fur is totally soft and silky and he keeps really still when he notices someone who pets him is unsure. You should see him with kids, he poses and keeps so still, I sometimes have to check his breathing :)

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Cenour sounds really, really amazing. Both your dogs sound fantastic. Really :)

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

We were plain lucky - as both come from abusive former homes, we could have had scared dogs who bite when they feel cornered or just don't let themselves be touched.
Strangely though, the majority of dogs who have been abused in their former lives and now have found loving homes, are totally happy and genuinely grateful dogs. They enjoy their new homes to the limit. Like Cenour and Chica. Though with Cenour it took a little bit longer than with Chica. Chica came, saw and reined supreme - Cenour just now starts to trust us and relaxes more and more (esp. in sleep). His sleep has always been fitful and you could hear that he was still dreaming of his former life where he was hit and abused. Nowadays, when he dreams he doesn't cry anymore (those nightmare cries of animals are eerie and heart wrenching) and all he does now when he dreams is to smack his lips and sigh contently.
When Chica had her first nightmare in our home, I felt so helpless, but after two months with us, they became less frequent and nowadays she only dreams about chasing birds and stuff, her little legs are *running* then and she gives off a cute little barky sigh.

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

I find it simply amazing that you are talking about dogs like you would be about human children. I know dogs are much more than just 'animals' but since I have never had a pet dog/cat before, I find it very, very interesting.

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

As Olly and I don't have kids, Chica and Cenour are indeed something like kid substitutes. But in the Western world pets have a high ranking within a family. For a lot of ppl they are animal partners, a strong part of the family. They might not talk and walk on four legs but for a lot they are friends and babies. And having a dog or cat means you'll have a small child for 8 to 18 years (depending on how old the pet can get). E.G. Chica can't stay alone, she has a lot of anxiety and barks and whines when I step out the door and she is alone with Cenour at home. That comes from the fact that she was abandoned and stayed alone in a flat for a long time before she was brought into an asylum. Good thing is I work from home anyway, so Chica doesn't need to be alone and she can come and cuddle up to me any time she wants. Cenour is more independent and most of the time he just dozes before getting out and about. Having pets is the best and the worst. The best because you have a companion which is very important for children and also older citizens. The worst because they don't live as long as humans and after 8 to 18 years you have to say good bye. We have a dog in our neighbourhood who is almost 20, he is a year older than the kids of the family. Now he is getting sick and even though the kids are between 17 and 19, it is really hard for them as the dog was there when they were born and they grew up with him.

Unlike in countries with Muslim religion where dogs esp. are either highly coveted (the royal hunting and running dogs like Whippets, Galgos and Barshoi) or hated and seen as unclean, pets here are even allowed to come into churches. In Western countries with a strong Christian following, there is a special day once a year where pets (also horses, cows etc.) get blessed by priests. The ritual and the blessing is to remind us that all creatures depend on us for their well-being whether they are just loved pets or animals used for sustenance.
Unfortunately, there are ppl who do not abide to that simple rule and we have also a lot of abused pets & animal stock here. I guess as long as it doesn't concern themselves, some ppl are careless where animals in general are concerned.

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

This discussion is turning really interesting :) I am saving it in Memory :) Chica's past is very intriguing. I can really imagine her as a human being, traumatised by a past that anyone would hate to experience.

Indonesia, being a Muslim country, isn't really into "having pets". I think most households opt to keep birds and perhaps cats rather than dogs, with religious motives being the strongest reason (ie. getting licked by a dog would prompt the need to "wash" your hands in order to "purify" it again). A lot of people who do keep dogs is for security/protection reasons.

In Western countries with a strong Christian following, there is a special day once a year where pets (also horses, cows etc.) get blessed by priests.
Thanks for the info on this. How fascinating. I have never heard of this before.

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

I can really imagine her as a human being, traumatised by a past that anyone would hate to experience.
And she was. I mean normally we see animals as something that isn't human. Because they cannot epress their feelings in a way we might understand mankind tend to be a bit negligient about animal's feelings.
Chica was abandoned, left alone and she had nighmares for the longest time afterwards.

I know about this rule, though the way I understood it in the Quran was that Mohamed said that on the way to the mosque you hould keep clean and a lick of a dog would make you impure and you had to wash yourself again (which is normal as most mosques provide wash rooms anyway, to wash at least hands, feet and faces) and the purifying has become a ritualistic part of prayer.
It is important to keep clean, esp. if you have a pet that likes to lick (Chica and Cenour don't but there are dogs who like that a lot).

Here in Germany this is called Tier Kirchmesse (Animal Churchmass) and I think there are a couple of other English words for them depending in which country it is held.

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Una. Nonrelated question. How do you set a community to have more than 1 maintainer/moderator? alexandral and me want to create a Bae Yong Joon community and I have created an account bae_yong_joon but don't know how to set the account to have more than 1 moderator.

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

That is a good question. Ever since they have changed the layout for customizing LJs, I ammissig several options that were there and now were gone and setting up a mod or two is one of them :(

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

FOUND IT via the old setup!!!
Go here http://www.livejournal.com/community/manage.bml then click on members and you can set ppl up as maintainers.

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Oh man. I still can't do it? Is it me that's silly or have I completely missed something out? >_>

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

Try this link http://www.livejournal.com/community/members.bml?comm=bae_yong_joon
Are you a maintainer of the group? Or just a member?

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Ah I think I got it :) I know how to do it now. Thanks so much Una! *hugs* Thanks again!!

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

Okay :)

[back2real.livejournal.com]

hahaHAH!!! ocean creature! I love it!

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

Cenour definitely is one ... he LOVES water in all its forms, even rain :)

[little-witch27.livejournal.com]

Yaaaay, I love her 'ocean creature' face too! :D Too cute! I love your doggies! *smooches*