Singer/Songwriter/Storyteller Michael Gaither

Blame the old physics rule that says “Opposites attract”. Sometimes like-minded souls just do not get along. Even when they’re a couple of spunky, very cute Labrador/Border Collie mixes.

Three year-old Maggie lives in Sacramento with her “sister by adoption” Bailey and their owner, Sara. Unfortunately, both pups are female, both want to be the alpha in their packette, and neither of them is budging. Sara’s tried her best, but Maggie and Bailey simply won’t gel. (Separately, they’re both wonderful dogs.) Bailey was there first, so Maggie is now at a friend’s house until she can find her new forever home:

Maggie’s in the Sacramento area. She’s a typical Lab/Border Collie mix: She’s affectionate. Loves exercise. Is great with people and is house- and leash-trained. She also prefers a yard with a fair bit of running room. And she really does get along great with all other dogs. Her only caveat is that she probably can’t live with another female.

If you’re interested in learning more about Maggie Mae, contact Sara at 916-213-0951 or by email at saraisbrown@gmail.com.

Everyone has a story. Though sometimes, they can’t tell you their story, so you make one up. And if you make up a really good one, you make it into a song, but that’s a topic for another post.

This is Jax. (Yup, we named after the main character on “Sons of Anarchy”.) Jax is a five-year old Pomeranian. No idea how, but he recently ended up at the Stockton Animal Shelter with no collar or chip, and seriously underweight. He was literally on the list (yes, there’s a list) to be put down. His luck turned when Sue, our local pal from Animal Friends Rescue Project, happened to be on the phone with the shelter, heard about him, and said, “we’ll find him a home”. So he’s now in our care. Our job is to fatten him up a bit, so he can be fixed (yeah, he wasn’t even fixed) and adopt him out. Read the rest of this entry »

My silly little post about our foster pigeon earlier this week received a lot of response. Here’s a quick update.

I know lots of folks who’ve had pet birds. Most of them just toss a coin and call the critter “he” or “she”. Unless you’re keeping something that obviously shows off the fact that it’s a male, like a peacock, it’s tough to determine the sex…especially with some smaller birds. Read the rest of this entry »

Something about the phrase “pet pigeon” just seems wrong on so many levels. We prefer this new phrase we’ve coined: “white trash parrot”.

My wife Cyn and I have been doing the “foster and find homes” thing for animals (mostly dogs and cats) for years now. Sometimes, however, we only get the process half right: Our dogs “Arlo” and “Hedge” were rescues who never left. And I swear that “Mr Giles,” our rescue bunny who’s been with us for like a thousand years, will eventually outlive anyone reading this. Read the rest of this entry »

Is a praying mantis really good luck? I’m not sure, but I do know that finding one in your backyard is a rare – or unheard of – event these semi-rural parts of south Santa Cruz county. And it most definitely falls under the category of “way cool”. After our visitor arrived last weekend – and hopped onto both of us, I did a little research: The praying mantis is definitely not native. Its reach extends throughout the central valley and then heads east into Nevada and New Mexico. We’re coastal, so it’s too cold. Cold or not, this little guy (or gal) was pretty active: Read the rest of this entry »