Oh my what have I got myself into. Last year my cousin who was 13 came to live with us. She was placed with us as a foster child do to an unstable home. Here we are a 13 year old girl who has never had a stable home or much supervision and Mike and I who has always been alone just the 2 of us with no kids.
Well she has been with us just over a year now and wow what a ride it has been. When she came here she had missed 40+ days of school in 4 months and was caring all F's in school. Now a year later she is graduating 8th grade with only C's and above. She has participated in basketball, volleyball, and track. she is also enjoying CAP (Civil Air Patrol) and is competing in their color guard. She has come such a long way and we are very proud of her.
However its not always peaches and cream. Danielle likes to push her boundaries just when she has been good and beginning to earn our trust again... BAM... a slap in the face. I know most teenagers are like this but I just don’t understand...crying that we don't trust her then coming home 2 days later finding her alone in the house with her boyfriend. To make matters worst she was grounded at the time. I know she is a good kid and most of the time I feel I can trust her but boy she sure has a funny way of showing us we can trust her judgments.
The one thing I have learned that helps the most is to not give in, when you give a punishment no matter what happens stick with it. You let it go once and its so hard to get the kid to take you seriously next time. She thinks she won and there was no consequences for what she had done. It does not matter how good they have been for the past 3 days if you told them grounded for a week then it should be a week not 4 or 5 days. I tell her when she wants off early that yes you have been very good and helpful and I appreciate it but you were punished for what you did and you had the choice to do it, however now you need to take your consequences. I have been very adamant about reminding her that the choices she makes are hers, however if she uses poor judgment then she has to take what happens. She grounded herself, I did not make her do this or that, I guide her and she chooses what way to go, I am here teach her what I can, good from bad but ultimately the final decision is hers.
I really believe this way of handling her is working, she really thinks before she does things now. She still gets into trouble and makes poor decisions however they are hers to make. My job is to make sure she learns from her mistakes and I hope one day she will thank me.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Panda Shepherds
Ok, I get a lot of crap because of my choice in dogs. I love the panda shepherds and there is no excuse for all the mean comments and nasty remarks going around about them.
A panda shepherd is a DNA confirmed pure bred German shepherd that simply has white markings and that is fact. It was caused by a mutation in the color genes that gave them the splashy white markings. Yes I said mutation, there is nothing wrong with mutations. No person or animal would be here today in the body they are in if they had not mutated into what they are. The world is constantly evolving and so is its creatures, yes even us humans are mutating.
Max himself the absolute founder of the German shepherd dog breed said "no good dog is a bad color". In the beginning of the breed there was whites, tris and even brindles. Over the years people have chosen to breed for what will win in the ring, often times over looking what the intention the founder had for the breed.
The pandas are a very new mutation in the shepherd but that does not mean they need to be culled. If you do not like them then you do not have to own one. but why on earth do you feel the need to tell someone else what they like is "bad". This is why the founder of the pandas came up with a new name Panda Shepherds, so we could have an avenue to show our beloved dogs. We now can show them in confirmation in the US and Canada as well as participate in working classes and trials. Pandas exceed in everything just as well as the German shepherds do, they just do it with a few more white markings then the German shepherd.
Also who was it that made the breed standards? People who liked a certain type and color. Well for those of us that like the panda type and color, why should we not be able to write a standard for our pets. The panda shepherd is just a color variation of the German shepherd, many breeds of dogs have several types that can be shown. Some breeds show both long and short hair, some show colors and whites, some even have size differences.
My point is, we have many different breeds for many different tastes, there is a breed and a variety for everyone and just because one may not like a breed or color does not make the dog undesirable in anyway, it is just a personal preference. Our pandas are still getting titles and championships and will always have that opportunity. We love our pandas and want to do everything we can with them and if that means making them a separate breed then that is what we will strive for. We just want the same opportunities for our passion that other "traditional" colors have.
A panda shepherd is a DNA confirmed pure bred German shepherd that simply has white markings and that is fact. It was caused by a mutation in the color genes that gave them the splashy white markings. Yes I said mutation, there is nothing wrong with mutations. No person or animal would be here today in the body they are in if they had not mutated into what they are. The world is constantly evolving and so is its creatures, yes even us humans are mutating.
Max himself the absolute founder of the German shepherd dog breed said "no good dog is a bad color". In the beginning of the breed there was whites, tris and even brindles. Over the years people have chosen to breed for what will win in the ring, often times over looking what the intention the founder had for the breed.
The pandas are a very new mutation in the shepherd but that does not mean they need to be culled. If you do not like them then you do not have to own one. but why on earth do you feel the need to tell someone else what they like is "bad". This is why the founder of the pandas came up with a new name Panda Shepherds, so we could have an avenue to show our beloved dogs. We now can show them in confirmation in the US and Canada as well as participate in working classes and trials. Pandas exceed in everything just as well as the German shepherds do, they just do it with a few more white markings then the German shepherd.
Also who was it that made the breed standards? People who liked a certain type and color. Well for those of us that like the panda type and color, why should we not be able to write a standard for our pets. The panda shepherd is just a color variation of the German shepherd, many breeds of dogs have several types that can be shown. Some breeds show both long and short hair, some show colors and whites, some even have size differences.
My point is, we have many different breeds for many different tastes, there is a breed and a variety for everyone and just because one may not like a breed or color does not make the dog undesirable in anyway, it is just a personal preference. Our pandas are still getting titles and championships and will always have that opportunity. We love our pandas and want to do everything we can with them and if that means making them a separate breed then that is what we will strive for. We just want the same opportunities for our passion that other "traditional" colors have.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
My opinions on horse slaughter
This is a vary contraversial subject in our American society. Yes I have known about this for as long as I can remember and Yes I was a born a horse lover. I currently have 15 horses myself so I dont write this becouse I do not like horses I write this becouse I love horses.
It might sound odd to you that someone that loves horses is for horse slaughter but there are many of us. When some one has been unable to care for their horse where does it go? Not many horses are lucky enough to find good forever homes. A horse lives 30yrs or more and too many unexpected life changes happens to people in that time that bought a horse to "have forever". The horse market is vary poor right now, at auction horses are bringing as low as 25$ a head and private sales are becoming more and more rare. Your lucky if you can sell a horse at all these days. So what happens to these horses that owners can not take care of and can not sell? They take them to an auction as a last resort, and that is where the kill buyers get them.
People are starting to let horses go in some parts of the US, whole herds have been let loose unlawfully into national parks. Owners who can not afford them anymore will be geting prosecuted for animal neglect becouse now there will not be anyway for them to get rid of the horse they can not feed. This country is seeing a drought, the hay supply has been geting smaller each year for several years now. Farmers have to keep what they can for their own cows and livestock and its geting very hard to find decent hay for horses and what you do find is very pricey. What it cost 7 or 8 years ago to feed 2-3 horses now costs for just 1. And its not even a matter of these owners not being able to afford their hay, sometimes they can not find it. I also find it hard to understand why people think it is crewl to kill a horse in the exact same way they kill cattle, but cattle slaughter is not crewl?
Why cant they just give their unwanted horses up to rescues? Well the rescues are already full and if they take on to many more then their "rescue" is going to be a neglect case. Search the intenet you will find "rescues" giving horses away free, why? becouse they already have to many. I just wanted to show you anouther side of the story, it is going to cause a lot more animal suffering if and when the last few plants close down. Their truely will be no where for horses to go. I used to be one of those, you mention horse slaughter and I gringed, but now that I am active in the horse world I understand why. Its a quick death to a horse that obviously noone wanted, otherwise the horse would not have ended up in the killers hands. It does not cost much to out bid a killer buyer, its nothing personal to them, they bid up to a certain amount per pound as thats how they will get paid on the horse.
As long as we have slaughter houses we will have kill buyers. I am not against those that want to rescue horses from the killers but they are far out numberd in the amount of horses they can take in as oposed to the killers.
It brakes my hart to ever even think of one of my horses ever going to kill and I certainly would not ever take them to slaughter. However what if I can find no hay, or I loose my job, or a tornado or fire destroys everything I own? No one wants to buy my horses or even has the room for anouther freebie horse, what then, I go to jail for animal neglect becouse I had no other option but to either starve or turn my horses loose?
What will become of the 100,000 horses every year that the slaughter houses are closed? The mustangs are already getting over populated and are being sold for slaughter. So if they stop going to slaughter and then we start dumping those extra 100,000 horses in with them every year what will happen? They will starve and die anyway.
Everyone has their own thoughts on this but I just had to add my 2 cents give you something to think about. Please feel free to post comments.
It might sound odd to you that someone that loves horses is for horse slaughter but there are many of us. When some one has been unable to care for their horse where does it go? Not many horses are lucky enough to find good forever homes. A horse lives 30yrs or more and too many unexpected life changes happens to people in that time that bought a horse to "have forever". The horse market is vary poor right now, at auction horses are bringing as low as 25$ a head and private sales are becoming more and more rare. Your lucky if you can sell a horse at all these days. So what happens to these horses that owners can not take care of and can not sell? They take them to an auction as a last resort, and that is where the kill buyers get them.
People are starting to let horses go in some parts of the US, whole herds have been let loose unlawfully into national parks. Owners who can not afford them anymore will be geting prosecuted for animal neglect becouse now there will not be anyway for them to get rid of the horse they can not feed. This country is seeing a drought, the hay supply has been geting smaller each year for several years now. Farmers have to keep what they can for their own cows and livestock and its geting very hard to find decent hay for horses and what you do find is very pricey. What it cost 7 or 8 years ago to feed 2-3 horses now costs for just 1. And its not even a matter of these owners not being able to afford their hay, sometimes they can not find it. I also find it hard to understand why people think it is crewl to kill a horse in the exact same way they kill cattle, but cattle slaughter is not crewl?
Why cant they just give their unwanted horses up to rescues? Well the rescues are already full and if they take on to many more then their "rescue" is going to be a neglect case. Search the intenet you will find "rescues" giving horses away free, why? becouse they already have to many. I just wanted to show you anouther side of the story, it is going to cause a lot more animal suffering if and when the last few plants close down. Their truely will be no where for horses to go. I used to be one of those, you mention horse slaughter and I gringed, but now that I am active in the horse world I understand why. Its a quick death to a horse that obviously noone wanted, otherwise the horse would not have ended up in the killers hands. It does not cost much to out bid a killer buyer, its nothing personal to them, they bid up to a certain amount per pound as thats how they will get paid on the horse.
As long as we have slaughter houses we will have kill buyers. I am not against those that want to rescue horses from the killers but they are far out numberd in the amount of horses they can take in as oposed to the killers.
It brakes my hart to ever even think of one of my horses ever going to kill and I certainly would not ever take them to slaughter. However what if I can find no hay, or I loose my job, or a tornado or fire destroys everything I own? No one wants to buy my horses or even has the room for anouther freebie horse, what then, I go to jail for animal neglect becouse I had no other option but to either starve or turn my horses loose?
What will become of the 100,000 horses every year that the slaughter houses are closed? The mustangs are already getting over populated and are being sold for slaughter. So if they stop going to slaughter and then we start dumping those extra 100,000 horses in with them every year what will happen? They will starve and die anyway.
Everyone has their own thoughts on this but I just had to add my 2 cents give you something to think about. Please feel free to post comments.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Vacation full of Tornados!!
We left from KS to Waynoka OK, Fri evening to ride quads at the sand dunes. Weather said only 20% chance of rain for the weekend. Got there Fri night and rode for a bit then was out riding all day Sat. About 11pm Sat night we were all in our PJs and settling down in our tents...Then somebody came by the tents yelling "IS there anyone in the tents". Hubby got out then came back in and hollerd at us to get dressed NOW!!. There was a tornado 20 miles south headed straight towards us. WE turned on the truck to listen and it was 40 mins away still, if it was going to make it all the way to us. So we decided to load the quads and drive to a nearby town out of the path of the storm. The quads were loaded and being strapped down when a police car with sirens on came by and yelled at us to not strap down just get in and go. Well of course we finished strapping down and left what was left at the campsite and zoomed out of there.
WE made it to Alva and stoped at the walmart, lady in there was watching the weather on her PC and we looked at the map, there was no way we were going to make it back that night so we got a hotel room for the night.
In the morning Marc came and woke my husband up so they could go back out to get the tents and the rest of our things. I fell back asleep, then hubby came in yelling to get dressed again. We got our cloths on and jumped back into the truck anouther tornado was headed for Alva. So we listned to the radio the whole way home tring to beat the storms. It was one H*** of a weekend for us. needless to say the tents and some other odds and ends were just left at the campsite.The boys said our whole campsite was under water when they went back that morning.
On our way home we went through Pratt KS and they had the highways closed off and the miltitary would not let anyone go west torwards Greensburg. Got home to see the pictures on the internet. Wow My hart goes out to those folks.
It sure has been an eventfull weekend, hope everyone stays safe.
In the 2 days we were gone we came home to find everything flooded. My poor foal and mare were standing in a flooded stall. Got them out and dry and gave them extra bedding for the night. We are all doing fine now but what a ride that was.
WE made it to Alva and stoped at the walmart, lady in there was watching the weather on her PC and we looked at the map, there was no way we were going to make it back that night so we got a hotel room for the night.
In the morning Marc came and woke my husband up so they could go back out to get the tents and the rest of our things. I fell back asleep, then hubby came in yelling to get dressed again. We got our cloths on and jumped back into the truck anouther tornado was headed for Alva. So we listned to the radio the whole way home tring to beat the storms. It was one H*** of a weekend for us. needless to say the tents and some other odds and ends were just left at the campsite.The boys said our whole campsite was under water when they went back that morning.
On our way home we went through Pratt KS and they had the highways closed off and the miltitary would not let anyone go west torwards Greensburg. Got home to see the pictures on the internet. Wow My hart goes out to those folks.
It sure has been an eventfull weekend, hope everyone stays safe.
In the 2 days we were gone we came home to find everything flooded. My poor foal and mare were standing in a flooded stall. Got them out and dry and gave them extra bedding for the night. We are all doing fine now but what a ride that was.
Friday, May 4, 2007
First Post
We have already had our only foal for this year. A chestnut filly out of WH Shahra and by Ravenwood Gamal. I have begun breeding for next year already and have Kleo bred and posibly Kamilia, will see if she comes back in or not. Asalah and Monique should be bred this month as well as Shahara being bred back. That will give me 5 foals for next year. 4 will be SE and 3 of those will be AK. WE will be having a tripple RG Al Mone foal next year if all goes well, this foal should be fantastic, I cant wait to see it.
Shawqi will be starting some ground training as soon as the round pen drys up. My plans for him is Endurance. He is not SE or AK but should sire some very nice athletic foal since he is out of WH Shahara and by Blitzen Of Pico.
Watch for Shawqi and Bella aka SWAF ShaharasTreasure (pending) in the SHIH classes this year. If Shawqi does well and turns out as nice as I think he will, I will have him SCID tested and then offerd for stud in 09.
Shawqi will be starting some ground training as soon as the round pen drys up. My plans for him is Endurance. He is not SE or AK but should sire some very nice athletic foal since he is out of WH Shahara and by Blitzen Of Pico.
Watch for Shawqi and Bella aka SWAF ShaharasTreasure (pending) in the SHIH classes this year. If Shawqi does well and turns out as nice as I think he will, I will have him SCID tested and then offerd for stud in 09.
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