A friend of mine asked me if I knew anything about a German Shepherd breeder in Athens, Georgia. He said that he had seen an ad in the newspaper (not the best place to buy a dog!) and wanted to know if I had heard anything about "Bauernhoffen" as that was the username for the advertisement, and the location was Athens, Georgia. I had heard about Bauernhoffen dogs, but I didn't know there was another breeder named such in Georgia. I looked at the ad in the newspaper online, and I saw seemingly normal and healthy-looking German Shepherds.
I did a quick internet search which didn't reveal they had a website, but it did reveal something else interesting...and not in a good way. The internet search pointed me to a website...
"Athens GA Breeder Seized..."
Listed after "seized" were various dog descriptions. What?!
(Italicized is pulled directly from the website)
They have lived a horrible life. I will make each dog their own thread, but here is the story. I will post more info as I get it...These dogs were seized from a "breeder" near Athens, GA, where they suffered under horrendous conditions. Filthy, muddy tubs of "water" were scattered around the enclosure. A trough had been dug in the dirt around one of the few shelters, and the puppies kept falling in what would become a moat in the rain. These dogs were seized on Friday, and there are an estimated 9 more on the property. The two males here, Fisher and Rogue, are under-socialized and not very confident...These dogs have had a terrible life so far, and deserve a happy ending.
The owner of these dogs is a registered user on this site-- Bauernhoffen.
He reclaimed the 2 males today and the senior female. he signed over the younger mom and pups and is reportedly coming in tomorrow to reclaim the older mom's pups-- and leave the senior mom behind, and turn in a few young adults he has not been able to sell.
Luckily....or unluckily....all of the German Shepherds had been rescued...........or reclaimed. How they could be reclaimed when they were seized, I don't know. However, this would NOT be a breeder that I would promote or want to purchase a dog from. Besides the living conditions, the professional assessment of "under-socialized and not very confident" on at least two of the dogs is not equivocal to happy and healthy animals.
SHAME ON YOU, BAUERNHOFFEN!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Misguided Patriots.
I love the United States of America. I have a great deal of respect for our servicepersons whether they are on home soil or overseas. I have a great deal of respect for our public safety departments (EMT, Fire, Police, etc.)
I do, however, believe there is a large number of individuals out there that are misguided patriots.
I heard on the radio this morning, and I read online that a church in Gainesville, Florida is promoting an "International Burn a Koran Day" on September 11th in "honor and memory of those lives lost on 9/11." Since when is doing something hateful considered honorable?
I thought we, as American adults, were mature enough to realize not to judge an entire group based on individuals or a sect of that group? I've seen many videos posted lately of Muslim Americans that were also firefighters and police officers who responded to 9-11. How many Americans following the Islam faith do you think there are in our Armed Forces?
You know Hitler probably thought he was being "honorable" when he set out to exterminate the Jewish population.
Stalin? 23,000,000 Ukranian famine
Kim Il Sung? 1.6 million - "purges"
I'm pretty sure the aforementioned rulers thought they were being "honorable" as well. Yes, yes. I know that The aforementioned executed humans, and this is about burning a religion's holy book. I know, you can't measure human lives versus a book.
Is this what 9-11 has come to symbolize? Forget actually remembering. Instead let's promote hate and, better yet, possibly put our servicepersons (who are overseas keeping us safe) in danger because of our ridiculous and absurd behavior.
Remember the buttefly effect, folks.
I do, however, believe there is a large number of individuals out there that are misguided patriots.
I heard on the radio this morning, and I read online that a church in Gainesville, Florida is promoting an "International Burn a Koran Day" on September 11th in "honor and memory of those lives lost on 9/11." Since when is doing something hateful considered honorable?
I thought we, as American adults, were mature enough to realize not to judge an entire group based on individuals or a sect of that group? I've seen many videos posted lately of Muslim Americans that were also firefighters and police officers who responded to 9-11. How many Americans following the Islam faith do you think there are in our Armed Forces?
You know Hitler probably thought he was being "honorable" when he set out to exterminate the Jewish population.
Stalin? 23,000,000 Ukranian famine
Kim Il Sung? 1.6 million - "purges"
I'm pretty sure the aforementioned rulers thought they were being "honorable" as well. Yes, yes. I know that The aforementioned executed humans, and this is about burning a religion's holy book. I know, you can't measure human lives versus a book.
Is this what 9-11 has come to symbolize? Forget actually remembering. Instead let's promote hate and, better yet, possibly put our servicepersons (who are overseas keeping us safe) in danger because of our ridiculous and absurd behavior.
Remember the buttefly effect, folks.
Sweetwater Creek State Park
Here are some things to keep in mind when visiting the park:
* The directions online are incomplete.
* There is a sign for "Sweetwater Creek State Park" on Thornton Road informing you that you need to turn onto Blairs Bridge Road to get to it. However, there are NO other signs indicating you have to turn on ANOTHER road to get there.
Because of the beautiful weather this weekend, Andrew and I decided to go hiking at the park. We turned onto Blairs Bridge, as the trademark brown state park sign told us, and we ended up coming to a "T" in the road in which we could only turn left or right. There were no signs for the park. We stopped at the gas station, and the clerk told us we had to go back the way we came, and then we had to make a right at the first light (Mobler or Mobier Road.)
After turning onto the road, we came upon a large lake (reservoir) and a sign welcoming us to Sweetwater Creek State Park. Of course, being Labor Day weekend, there was traffic, and it was busy (to an extent.) Andrew went to the Interpretive Center to get a hiking trails map.
Some things to consider when going into the Interpretive Center:
* Yes, that is the overpowering stench of ammonia and decaying feces you are smelling AS SOON as you walk in the building. I'm pretty sure that when the USGBC awarded Platinum LEED status on the building it was done before the building had been used. Apparently, someone didn't verify HOW the center had planned on disposing of the human waste as generally green-building locations have biodegradable, 100% environmentally-friendly disposal methods including "green" chemicals or enzymes to break down the human waste. Prepare to hold your breath as you use the restroom facilities (aka glorified outhouses....toilet seats hovering over an 8 foot hole leading to an open space of feces, urine, and paper products festering under the building. Don't drink the sink water. It's recycled rainwater and hasn't been purified for human consumption.
* Yes, the water fountains ARE safe for human consumption.
* Ask the Ranger for a description of the trails (in-depth and moreso than the brochure.)
Dogs geared up. Andrew and I ready to go. We headed out on the "Red Trail" to the New Manchester Mill ruins. We passed by several people, and we took our time strolling on the clearly-marked trail until we hopped down to the creek to let the dogs swim. Talk about pollution.
Empty drink cans. Wooden pallets. Sheet metal. Tractor trailer tires. Napkins. Used diapers. Needless to say, once we saw all of the garbage in the water, we pulled the dogs out. We continued on the trail to the ruins. Unfortunately, we couldn't take a picture from the area we wanted to because a wannabe professional photographer decided to set up camp on the platform and prevented anyone from being able to appreciate the view. He looked back at us several times. Me with our hiking camera in hand, dogs' leashes in Andrew's hand, but he continued shooting. Thanks.
We kept on hiking until we got to a part of the trail in which it was almost vertical up a rock face with some steel cables to hold onto. I told Andrew, "I can't believe they don't make mention of this in the brochure." Now Andrew is 6 ft. 3 in. I am only 5 ft. 6 in. He could step up the rocks, eroded steps, etc. with ease. I, on the other hand, had to lean forward, lift my foot up to the height of my thigh and hoist myself up (yay for German Shepherd assistance!)
When we finally got near the intersection of the Red Trail and the White Trail (on top of a cliff) we could look down and see "the overlook to Sweetwater Creek Falls." Prepare yourself....here they are.....
We took some pictures, and we headed back on the Blue Trail (we didn't know where the White Trail went.) The Blue Trail was VERY easy and was, more or less, a walk through the woods versus a "hike" like the Red Trail. We warned some people that were coming down Blue Trail to the Red Trail that it was treacherous coming in their direction (imagine sliding DOWN the rocks and cliffs because you couldn't just walk down.) Like I said, I wish the trail descriptions had been more thorough than "rocky terrain." Rocky terrain to me means some rocks or rocky areas. It does not mean steel cables implanted into rock so you don't die. That's part of the adventure, I guess.
We came back around on Blue Trail that met up with Red Trail again at the ruins, and we were able to take some photos of the ruins this time (see above.)
All-in-all, it was a nice little hike. It took a few hours to do, and it was about 4 miles round trip. There is the White Trail (which is 3 miles on its own) and the Yellow Trail (I think that was the color) that is described as "difficult" due to the 300 foot rise on the side of the rocks, but it is supposed to be one of the most beautiful trails in the Park.
I wish people had the same amount of respect for the outdoors as we do and would pick up their trash, learn the rules of the trail, and teach their children to be more respectful.
Needless to say, we all slept well that night.
Friday, September 3, 2010
"...and a catered dinner for two or more couples."
The above line also had me questioning the validity of the voicemail I received on my cell phone this morning.
Because we're getting married, my mom has started going to free bridal shows in the area where she and my dad live. I have no problems with that, and she said she has been dropping off my information to the vendors for contests, etc.
Me being in the job I am know how vendors at trade shows work. We offer something for free just to get leads to call people and try to sell them stuff.
"Congratulations you are one of our weekly winners of a $250 Townecraft gift certificate and a catered dinner for two or more couples from the Albany Bridal Show." (We'll discuss the order of the guy's sentence at some other time.)
Immediately with the "two or more couples" I'm thinking...this has to be a scam so I did some internet research.
The company is like any other in-home sales company. They get you to host a party for, in this case, two or more couples, and they "cater" it by cooking food in their cookware to show you how wonderful it is. What they don't tell you is that their cookware is grossly overpriced, and you're lucky if that "$250 gift card" buys a potato peeler.
I went onto Ebay.....16" baking pan - $75......cookie sheet - $125.......you get the idea. I'd walk away with 2 cookie sheets, some food, and friends that would probably never speak to me again.
Because we're getting married, my mom has started going to free bridal shows in the area where she and my dad live. I have no problems with that, and she said she has been dropping off my information to the vendors for contests, etc.
Me being in the job I am know how vendors at trade shows work. We offer something for free just to get leads to call people and try to sell them stuff.
"Congratulations you are one of our weekly winners of a $250 Townecraft gift certificate and a catered dinner for two or more couples from the Albany Bridal Show." (We'll discuss the order of the guy's sentence at some other time.)
Immediately with the "two or more couples" I'm thinking...this has to be a scam so I did some internet research.
The company is like any other in-home sales company. They get you to host a party for, in this case, two or more couples, and they "cater" it by cooking food in their cookware to show you how wonderful it is. What they don't tell you is that their cookware is grossly overpriced, and you're lucky if that "$250 gift card" buys a potato peeler.
I went onto Ebay.....16" baking pan - $75......cookie sheet - $125.......you get the idea. I'd walk away with 2 cookie sheets, some food, and friends that would probably never speak to me again.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Did someone steal a lock for a spell?
This weekend, my fiancé and I decided to get haircuts. We stopped in at a local salon, and there were three women working. One woman was clearly getting ready to go home and was about to clock out when another stylist grabbed her purse, and walked out of the salon (she didn't have a client.)
The "about to leave" stylist exclaimed, "What the Hell?" Apparently the other stylist was thirsty and left to get a drink...at the same time the "ATL" (About To Leave) stylist was clocking out.
The remaining two stylists look at me and say, "it will be a few minutes - sorry."
Sure enough, about fifteen minutes later, in walks the stylist. ATL left in a huff. Drink stylist, mine, motions to me with an attitude to come here, and sit down.
I take my hair down out of the elastic, and I quickly do a finger part to the side telling her what I wanted: "just about 1/2 inch trim all the way around and some bangs in the front - side part," and I proceed to show her the length, etc.
What does my stylist do? She starts spraying my hair with water. Okay...normal. Then she starts cutting. Okay...NOT normal. She didn't part my hair. She didn't comb my hair, she just started cutting. OH BOY!
She gets done doing a trim all the way around, picks up about 1/2" of hair in the front and *snip snip* gone. The line of hair now falls below my jawbone, and she uses her finger to swish it out of the way of my face.
"How's that?"
I have a half-smile on my face. She says, "what? You want them shorter?"
Why yes. I would love for my bangs to be the length I indicated.
She picks up the meager 1/2" line again and *snip snip* now they're 1/2" shorter. Annoyed, I thank her, and that was that.
As we get home, and my hair settles, I notice this line on my face.
1/2" line of hair with a chopped off square end just sitting there. Beautiful. These are my "bangs." It looked like someone stole a lock of hair for a potion. It looks like a kid had a pair of scissors and cut my hair. I blow it out of my face, and it falls right back down...an elongated rectangle.
No way is this going to work. I find a pair of scissors and decide to attempt to emulate what previous stylists had done and cut my own bangs.
The "about to leave" stylist exclaimed, "What the Hell?" Apparently the other stylist was thirsty and left to get a drink...at the same time the "ATL" (About To Leave) stylist was clocking out.
The remaining two stylists look at me and say, "it will be a few minutes - sorry."
Sure enough, about fifteen minutes later, in walks the stylist. ATL left in a huff. Drink stylist, mine, motions to me with an attitude to come here, and sit down.
I take my hair down out of the elastic, and I quickly do a finger part to the side telling her what I wanted: "just about 1/2 inch trim all the way around and some bangs in the front - side part," and I proceed to show her the length, etc.
What does my stylist do? She starts spraying my hair with water. Okay...normal. Then she starts cutting. Okay...NOT normal. She didn't part my hair. She didn't comb my hair, she just started cutting. OH BOY!
She gets done doing a trim all the way around, picks up about 1/2" of hair in the front and *snip snip* gone. The line of hair now falls below my jawbone, and she uses her finger to swish it out of the way of my face.
"How's that?"
I have a half-smile on my face. She says, "what? You want them shorter?"
Why yes. I would love for my bangs to be the length I indicated.
She picks up the meager 1/2" line again and *snip snip* now they're 1/2" shorter. Annoyed, I thank her, and that was that.
As we get home, and my hair settles, I notice this line on my face.
1/2" line of hair with a chopped off square end just sitting there. Beautiful. These are my "bangs." It looked like someone stole a lock of hair for a potion. It looks like a kid had a pair of scissors and cut my hair. I blow it out of my face, and it falls right back down...an elongated rectangle.
No way is this going to work. I find a pair of scissors and decide to attempt to emulate what previous stylists had done and cut my own bangs.
Immortalized in an iPhone App
When I was contacted by a family member to design some graphics for his iPhone App, I was thrilled.
"BabyLogs" is the result of both of our work.
What better model could I have chosen to sketch and immortalize than my new (as of Thanksgiving last year) 2nd cousin?
Let's just go ahead and add - "creator of iPhone App graphics" to my resumé, and don't forget to check out BabyLogs :)
"BabyLogs" is the result of both of our work.
What better model could I have chosen to sketch and immortalize than my new (as of Thanksgiving last year) 2nd cousin?
Let's just go ahead and add - "creator of iPhone App graphics" to my resumé, and don't forget to check out BabyLogs :)
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