A Big Buster Welcome!
You have arrived at da Dude's award page
~ featuring Buster's and Libby's winners links ~

Newsflash!

Introducing a new design for the Libby,

reserved exclusively for critters who do their own typing ...
and a brand new honor!

Details: http://www.therealmartha.com/NoMoreHomeless/index.htm

Special award: Best bumper sticker slogan ever!

If you don't spay or neuter all your critters, Bob Barker, Doris Day and Betty White will kick your ass.

~ Neutered's cuter too Dude ~
Suggested by NeuterNeuterLand@yahoogroups discussions.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NeuterNeuterLand/promote  

  Buster is a           

Miss Liberty too, of course
http://www.therealmartha.com/patriotcritters/index.htm
Special Red, White and Blue celebration for and by our four-legged family members ~ great pics, graphics and links

Without further a doo-doo ...

I sure like this computer stuff - so many new friends to meet! My winners list is growing all the time ... I'll have all the best critter pages listed here soon.

Bark at the kitchen lady or Libby, they'll give me the message to check out your pages.

MarthaJones1@aol.com
LibbyK9@aol.com

I'm not one for fancy, smancy rules or any of that snooty stuff I see out there. Gee - this award game is just for fun. The only thing I am a little picky about is good spelling. Of course, a little word play is OK - like, "You dude a great page" - that's all the more fun.

Whewee! Where does the time go? As of Oct. '05, newest winners will be placed at the top of the list (then you can start on the other lists below, going bottom to top). I trust that's all clear as mud now. Links last checked early March '06.

Down Home Harriers
http://www.downhomeharriers.homestead.com/

This is a good spot to state one more linking policy: We do not promote breeders unless they are active in rescue. Down Home Harriers happens to be an excellent example of what we like to see on breed sites.

Spunky's Page

The Bull Terrier.com

Chazhound's Doggie Directory

The Little Dog Joschi Introduces Himself

Dancinpie

Australian Bulldogs

Brandi's Dog House

Wonderland Kennels

Max Love's Pet Pages

Krazy Kountry

Musgoke Bull Terriers

Working Dog Web
http://www.workingdogweb.com/default.htm

Dakota Ridge Weim
http://www.geocities.com/dakotaridgeweim

Reegan's Room
http://www.geocities.com/blaze_fire_20

Mrs. Dog, Pepper, Sidney and Buster
http://members.tripod.com/plumkin_326/

Gypsy, the Red Chihuahua
http://www.meetgypsy.com/index.html

Meiyosho Akitas
http://www.geocities.com/kiwi_nzld/meiyoshoakitas1.html

Jia En & Dixie's Cosy Cottage of Dogs
http://www.geocities.com/puddingdog_88/cottage.html

Animal Acres Pet Sitting
http://www.animal-acres.com/

BoxAR Rescue's Tail Waggers - Arkansas Boxer Rescue http://www.angelfire.com/ak5/boxarnewsltr/

Boston Terriers Bergamot and Emrys
http://www.littlebeasts.com/
Non-stop entertainment, zillions of pics

CC's Fun and Fashion Gang
http://www.btaddict.com/1.html
Bostons and friends dressed up for holiday parties and more

Garisdene Swedish Lapphund (Yorkie and Laekenois also)
http://www.garisdene.com
Outstanding graphics

Vette's Pets
http://www.geocities.com/VettesPets/

Dazzlin' Danes
http://www.geocities.com/dazzlindanes/dazzlindanes.html

Greetings, Pet Portraits & Misc. gift items by artist Patti Meador
http://www.bostonsandboxers.com/
 

Check out these awards and winners too

The Cats PJs Award
 Libby Awards News

Lib's original winners - critters who do their own typing - are listed here: http://members.aol.com/Libbyk9/Libawardnews.index.html

Unfortunately, aol killed that publishing program. The page can't be updated which means a few dead links, sorry about that.  Lib's newest winners will be listed here. Many of Buster's winners are also Libby winners and Buster often offers his award to Libby's applicants.

Sheltie/border collie Johann
http://www.johannthedog.com

Jack Russell Terrier Mimmi's Doghouse
http://mimmi.tiira.net

Above is the start of Libby's latest winners, older below.

Mimi's Girls

Shiba Inu Profile

Bakimi Imani - Rhodesian Ridgeback

Pet's Corner, hosted by Libby the Goldie for her friends

Rugby the Adorable Pembroke Welsh Corgi

My Darn Dog
A showcase of pets in all their destructive glory. The leader of the Punk Pet pack is Dobi - Head of all Mayhem, Queen of all Destruction.

Virginia's Animal House

Toby the Wonder Boy

Sugar Bear and Gang

Bully Run

Newfoundland and Labrador Humane Society
http://www.nlhs.ca/

MisTori Shelties
http://www.geocities.com/mistorishelt/

Licensed Practical Noogiests
http://www.therealmartha.com/LPNs/index.htm
Yes this does look a bit like nepotism, however, it's stories told by other dogs

The Dog Parlor
http://www.dogparlor.com

Draco's Page
http://www.geocities.com/junobrahma

The Puppourri
http://www.geocities.com/thepuppourri

Cairns and Friends
http://cairnsandfriends.homestead.com/index.html

Princess Lady Rose Spencer
http://www.angelfire.com/bc2/LADYROSE

Mason the Westie
http://2002mason.tripod.com/

Penny's from Heaven
http://www.geocities.com/alyce

Sampson
http://hometown.aol.com/sampsoncat2000/

Woody and Gemma Lea the Westies
http://www.woodythewestie.co.uk/

MaCheri "Jezebel" Chantal - Visit the PupKingdom
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/texastsk/Macheri.htm

Garth Milo, Lab in the City
http://www.lab-in-the-city.com/ 

Doggie Forever, Shining Stars
http://www.geocities.com/doggie_4ever/doggie_world.html

For the Love of Dogs
http://www.angelfire.com/mo3/dogsnparrots/

Note: Sometimes it takes a while to catch up - mail gets lost and computers crash and ... you know how it goes. Please send a reminder if you are supposed to be listed here. And let me know if your favorite site should be here! Bark at the kitchen lady or Libby - I'll get the message.

MarthaJones1@aol.com or LibbyK9@aol.com - please use a clearly defined subject line, see the kitchen lady's note at the bottom of page about why subject lines are important.

Buster's main page, getting to know the Boston Tooter: http://www.therealmartha.com/toottoot/index.htm

Miss Liberty's Dog's Eye View: http://members.aol.com/Libbyk9/index.html

Get the scoop on Scoop! ~ Most exuberant goodwill ambassador and poster boy promoting all rescue efforts and shelter adoptions, soon to be internationally famous ace reporter!
http://www.therealmartha.com/ScooopPoster/index.htm

Scoop is still deciding on a design for his award, check back!

Check out the coolest doggie directory on the planet. Lib's pages and mine are listed there, as well as more awards.
Chazhound
~ ~ ~
Here's another award, for feline types.
Cats Pajamas
~ ~ ~
Guess what! Libby and I are famous now - you can send a postcard with our pics - http://www.kateconnick.com/postcards/page8.html, Boston terrier and chewing captions - Miss Liberty is the newshound, poodle mix, poo-mix pup and well-dressed (in her stars and stripes): http://www.kateconnick.com/postcards/page3.html
~ ~ ~
My friend Rina drew my picture, you go can see her other work and order one for yourself.
Caricatures by Rina

~ ~ ~

Bright Spots
Wit and wisdom gathered from every day goings on, special events, occasions, lotsa critters!, friends ... real people what-have-yous - includes something for everyone, with special attention paid to the sneakin'-up-on-50 crowd.

http://www.therealmartha.com/spayneuter/index.htm
Spay/neuter graphics on printable pages
Always happy to customize - just ask. Or, help yourself to copies right now for display/sending around. Find loads more variety links below.

http://www.therealmartha.com/CritterIndex/index.htm
All critter pages index

You know you are owned by critters when ...

You have a mental list of people you'd like to spay or neuter.

You stopped at a house with a "Free Puppies" sign in the yard to have an
educational "chat," and your kids had to post your bail.

Running out of paper towels is a household crisis.

You not only know all the characteristics of a good "stool," you discuss them at dinner.

Your checks have messages on them like "Subtract Two Testicles for Every Four Feet."

You consider "The Culture Clash" your bible and believe the chairman of Disney Corp. is the antichrist.

You have a bumper sticker that reads "My Basset Hound is Smarter than your Graduate Student."

You can compare and contrast the finer elements of different kitty litter brands the way some people talk about wine.

You secretly wonder about such things as how animals can manage without wiping.

You pray they will someday manufacture Teflon furniture.

You have phone calls forwarded to PETsMART.

When your animal projectile vomits, you compare the speed and trajectory with previous incidents, and if the statistics fall short, you worry if the animal is okay.

You absentmindedly pat people on the head or scratch them behind their ears.

Given the choice of having your teeth cleaned or their teeth cleaned, they get their teeth cleaned.

You not only allow pets on the couch, guests have to sit on the floor because the dog has "territorial issues." Your spouse missed the final game of the World Series because the cat wanted to watch his favorite video, "Birds of North America."

Any time the animal appears lethargic, you go on-line and investigate vetmed Websites, pose questions to your address book and on e-lists, and by the time you digest all the information and field the correspondence, the animal has torn out the window screens, masticated a couch cushion and left something disgusting in your favorite pair of shoes.

You have a special uniform you wear for "flame wars" on e-lists and know that being told to "get a life" means you have pushed all the right buttons.

Your chat room handle is "Queen of Spayeds."

You and your vet are on a first name basis and he genuflects when you enter the waiting room.

His daughter at Harvard refers to you as "Auntie."

You needed a prescription to recover from "Old Yeller."

You've forwarded more warnings about the dangers of chocolate, onions and mistletoe than the National Center for Disease Control has issued about anthrax and smallpox.

You wear white year 'round, not because you are flaunting a fashion law or belong to a religious sect, but because you have a Dalmatian, Great Pyrenees, Samoyed or white Persian at home.

The world would never guess from your "dog or kittyspeak" posts to e-lists that in reality you are chairman of the IBM corporation.

Vacuum cleaners in your household don't just die, they go out with more smoke and noise than the Taliban.

By the time you investigate different flea control products, their advantages and potential risks, natural versus chemical methods, and study the life cycle of the flea, any fleas have died of old age.

You tell your children to "heel!" in a grocery store.

For relaxation, you went mall hopping with your girlfriends. Your eyes glazed over when you saw a sign in front of a pet shop, "20 percent Off All Puppies & Kittens," and you slapped three security guards before they got you safely contained in the manager's office.

You spend 11 months of the year preaching an appreciation and understanding of canine behavior and the nature of the dog, then you stick fake reindeer antlers on the dog and photograph him for your Christmas Card.

People are still talking about your spay-neuter holiday greeting from last year, "Deck the Halls with Balls of Collies."

Not only do family and friends think you go overboard with doggie holiday decorations, they've never seen a nativity scene where the holy family is depicted by Boxers.

Copyright Jim Willis 2001 - slightly edited for this publication
tiergarten@onebox.com

To Love Another
Copyright Jim Willis 2002
http://www.crean.com/jimwillis

Your eyes, so bright,
Your lick, so dear,
Your heart, so loyal,
Yet these, I fear.

A life so vibrant,
A bond so true!
How could I survive
the loss of you?

You fur, so sleek,
Your gait, so spry,
Your years, so measured,
and more perfect than I.

Your end, too soon,
My heart, so lost,
Your lesson: "Love another,
no matter the cost."

Now a new one sleeps,
where once you lay,
and we're grateful to you,
for the gift of today.

The courage to love,
again, despite odds,
is what inspires humans
to be as good as dogs.

Perhaps the greatest tribute we can pay our animal companions when they leave us is to love another well. Millions of homeless animals die each year in North American shelters, many by cruel methods. Please consider adopting a shelter or rescued animal, especially a mixed-breed, senior, or one with a medical or behavioral problem. For a wide-range of adoption resources, visit the links pages of http://www.crean.com/kindness (and please participate in the campaign to end the terrible killing practices!). If you need pet loss and grief support, visit http://www.petloss.com/ and http://www.dying.about.com/

Thanks Bonnie and the girls at Cairns and Friends for passing along this info and the poem above. http://cairnsandfriends.homestead.com/index.html

http://www.giantcanines.com/begleyswork.html - Hilarious - don't miss caption

http://www.caaws.org/events/mardipaws2001/mp2001-a.htm - Mardi Paws 2001

http://www.therealmartha.com/Smile/index.htm - Name that smile ... friendliest, most beautiful, goofiest, mischievous ... show off your best buddy's pearly whites

http://www.therealmartha.com/Special%20Adopt/index.htm - Special Needs Adoptathon report, includes pics

http://www.therealmartha.com/WARK9/index.htm - Our "adopted" K9 unit in Bosnia

http://www.therealmartha.com/Watchmy6/index.htm - SEAL pups?

http://www.therealmartha.com/LPNs/index.htm - Licensed Practical Noogiests

http://www.therealmartha.com/journey/index.htm - Companion animal tribute

http://www.therealmartha.com/BegRoyale/index.htm - da Dude and friends

http://www.therealmartha.com/PianoDog/index.htm - Christmas Angel

http://www.dogomania.com/topsites/
Top 100 Dog Sites

http://www.petitiononline.com/AdoptOut/petition.html
Stop the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores petition

http://www.vdhaonline.org/
Combat Veteran Dog Handlers - Support the National War Dog Memorial Fund

http://www.theanimalspirit.com/ - Animal rights and rescue, spay/neuter and other links, info

www.arnifoundation.org - Animal rescue, need and intervention, S/N bus

http://www.geocities.com/dogrescue2k/Rescue.html - Day & Nite RRR

http://www.ahimsatx.org/nnl/humorus.htm - NeuterNeuterLand - spay/neuter graphics, signs, posters, leaflets, etc., promoting neuter with humor

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NeuterNeuterLand/promote
Please use "Pet Kill Crisis" - most people don't hear pet overpopulation problem any more.

The sterile version of "Deck the Halls," co-authored by The Neuteress of the Night and her spazzy dogmommie sidekick

Deck the halls
with balls of collies
Fa la la la la, la la la la

'tis no season for
litters' folly
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Dream we now of
spay and neuter
Fa la la la la, la la la la

'cause we know that
sterile is cuter
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Kind regards,
Bekye and the Living Floor Mops

~ Shop to help ~
Catabunga! Kewl Toys and Spay/Neuter Promotional Items
http://www.meowsville.com
Funniest Pet Shirts on Earth/Put Your Fundraising Through the Woof!
http://www.furryfolks.com

http://members.home.net/puglover1196/spayneuter.htm - "Looks Don't Matter" plea, FAQ and link list.

http://www.whiskersnwags.org  - Whiskers and Wags Rescue Team, Inc., a new group in Fredericksburg, Virginia

 http://www.furr-angels.com/ - Sponsor a homeless cat or dog

www.care-edu.org - Companion Animal Rescue & Education (C.A.R.E.)

http://www.baccr.org/ - Baytown Animal's Concerned Citizen Responders (Houston area, where my Aunt Judy works rescue)

http://www.nuzzled.net/ - Promoting animal issue awareness in Illinois and beyond

http://www.recycledcanines.org/

http://www.smallpawsrescue.org
http://www.jvars-shihtzu.com/Rescue

http://www.nopuppymills.com
http://www.puppymillfighters.com

http://www.adoptapet.org/ - Animal Lifesavers

VetInfo
http://vetinfo.com/
 
U.S. FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/ 
 
Cornell University Veterinary Medicine Feline Health
http://web.vet.cornell.edu/public/fhc/FelineHealth.html
 
University of Minnesota Pet Care
http://www.petcare.umn.edu/
 
NetVet
http://www.avma.org/netvet/nvredirect.asp  
 
Disabled Pets
http://www.petadopt.com/rescueadopt/disabledpets/  
 
Disabled Pet Network
http://disabledpets.tripod.com/
 
Special Needs Pets
http://www.specialneedspets.org/ 
 
Pets with Disabilities
http://www.petswithdisabilities.org/  

   AbleDogs
http://www.abledogs.net/
 
Handicapped Pets
http://handicappedpets.com/
 
Feline Diabetes
http://www.felinediabetes.com/?clkd=iwm  
 
Pets with Diabetes
http://www.petdiabetes.org/ 
 
Blind Dogs
http://blinddogs.com/ 
 
Deaf Dogs
http://www.ukwebpages.co.uk/deafdogs/index.htm  
 
Canines in Crisis
http://www.caninesincrisis.org /
 
Special Needs Rescued
http://www.felinerescue.net/RESCUES_BY_LOCATION/SPECIAL_NEEDS.htm  
 
ASPCA
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServe  
 
National Directory of No-Kill Shelters
http://www.saveourstrays.com/no-kill.htm
 
PetFinder
http://www.petfinder.org/ 

Back to:

Buster da Dude

or ... go see the kitchen lady for tons of quick and easy recipes ...
The Real Martha
Not for fans of the UnReal Martha :)

But wait - before you go - the following was written by a new 'net friend, Helen who works (volunteer) K9 Search and Rescue.

Helen sends the poem with dogs her group donates, hoping the cop the dog goes to will understand. In her own words, "We have donated two litters of Belgian Malinois to law enforcement agencies over the years. Some departments can't afford a canine. Ours are donated through DAD/DAC (Dogs against drugs, dogs against crime). Our only stipulation was that we named the year old dogs. And we named them after missing/murdered children from the state of Indiana. We worked all the cases. The first K9 we named Clay, after a six-year-old girl named Katie Clay. She was abducted from her home and her body was found burning in a dumpster. We have yet to donate any named Zack, we will one day I'm sure.

"Most of our cases are tragic, many involving abducted children by known and previously convicted criminals. One case that will be forever in our souls, is that of ten-year-old Zachary Snider. He was molested and murdered by a known pedophile, Christopher Stevens, who had two previous convictions for molestation. Our K9s hit on his car, as well as the window well of his parents' home, which we later learned was where he killed Zachary and stored his body in the trunk of his car. Our Team helped establish 'Zachary's Law' in our state. All convicted child molesters must register. It's a start."

The Hendricks County [Indiana] K-9 Search and Rescue Team -  www.geocities.com/hck9sar - is dedicated to locating lost people who cannot help themselves back home. Services are not limited to Indiana and there is never a charge to agencies or individuals. Watch for link to more information and stories provided by HCK9SAR - material will represent efforts by organizations operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week all over the world.

Also watch for link to the poem on a printable page with artwork and credit to author. In the meantime, you are welcome to save as download (right click on text) to use however you'd like.

Lighten up now ...

A newly discovered chapter in the Book of Genesis has provided the answer to "Where do pets come from?"

Adam said, "Lord, when I was in the garden, you walked with me every day. Now I do not see you anymore. I am lonesome here and it is difficult for me to remember how much you love me."

And God said, "No problem! I will create a companion for you that will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourself."

So God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam. And it was a good animal. And God was pleased. And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and he wagged his tail.

And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal.

And God said, "No problem! Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, "and you will call him DOG."

And Dog lived with Adam and was a companion to him and loved him. And Adam was comforted. And God was pleased. And Dog was content and wagged his tail. After a while, it came to pass that Adam's guardian angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam has become filled with pride. He struts and preens like peacock and he believes he is worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught him that he is loved, but perhaps too well."

And God said, "No problem! I will create for him a companion who will be with him forever and who will see him as he is. The companion will remind him of his limitations, so he will know that he is not always worthy of adoration."

And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam. And Cat would not obey Adam. And when Adam gazed into Cat's eyes, he was reminded that he was not the Supreme Being. And Adam learned humility.

And God was pleased.

And Adam was greatly improved.

And Dog was happy.

And the cat didn't give a sh*t one way or the other.

Presented with almost apologies for the irreverence - Gotcha!

Prevent Canine Heat Exhaustion

It's not just the canine athletes - the Frisbee leapers, the runners and jumpers - that are susceptible to heat  exhaustion. Every dog is a potential victim of summer's heat.

One of the most common causes of heat stroke is leaving an animal in a hot car.

Even on an 80 degree day, the temperature inside a car can get up to 130 degrees fairly quickly. Leaving a window cracked doesn't prevent heat build-up.  Leaving a dog in a car on a warm day is risking the dog's life.

Dogs don't sweat, and they don't have an efficient way to cool themselves  down. If they are panting, it may be because they need the oxygen because they've been exercising, or it may mean they are trying to get rid of built-up heat in their bodies.

Long coats also hold in body heat. Clipping the dog's coat a little shorter for summer will also help to keep the dog cooler. Be sure not to shave the dog, though, because that could lead to sunburn, which would be very painful for the dog.

Black dogs absorb the sun's rays, so they get hot more quickly than  lighter-colored dogs.

It is impossible to give specific recommendations on how long dogs can be out in the sun exercising. There are so many variables, depending on the physical condition of the dog, its age, its coat length, its breed. A well-conditioned dog with short hair can play longer in the heat than a long-coated dog not accustomed to getting much exercise. The owner also must take into account the age of the dog and any health problems it might have. Very young or very old dogs are more at risk. Breeds like pugs and Pekinese have more difficulty in the heat because of their facial shape.

The first signs of heat exhaustion:
* Excessive panting
* The skin on the inside of the ears becomes flushed and red

Heat exhaustion quickly deteriorates into heat stroke, with signs of:
* Weakness
* Walk becomes wobbly
* Fainting/loss of consciousness

Your quick action can save your dog's life. If your dog starts getting weak and wobbly, faints and loses consciousness, cool him down as fast as possible - don't wait to get to the veterinarian's office. Those few minutes could mean the difference between life and death. Hose the dog down with cool water. Apply an ice pack to the dog's head - a cooler with ice can come in handy - just place ice inside a towel or other fabric before applying the ice.

Many dogs don't know when to quit exercising. They love playing Frisbee, or fetch, so much that they will continue to the point of exhaustion. It is up to the owner to use good judgment and decide when play should stop.

Discourage that kind of activity in the heat of the day. Wait until the evening when it is cooler. From K9WebWorld@aol.com - a free subscription newsletter, always entertaining and informative.

Subject lines:

"Hey there, hi, this is great ... " subject lines do not cut it, spammers use those. Due to at least 10 tons of junk to sort every day - when I don't recognize sender name and subject line is not clearly defined, I delete. Downloads, from anyone, even you my friend, also have to be automatic deletions. Most people do not realize their scanners can't catch the latest virus/worms. Embedded images or copies of doc. files are welcome. Typing in all caps is not. It's extremely irritating and should never be used unless you mean to be screaming, which is even more irritating. I will not read, no matter the subject. If you have a great article or essay you haven't seen everywhere, go ahead and send the first few lines. I will ask you to retype the whole thing if I don't already have it in proper form. BTW, double spaces between sentences, broken lines or any sloppy spacing are also major editing pains. Don't even think about forwarding with << >> marks. If you do not know about copy and paste into a new mail and blind copy courtesy, check http://www.rrudder.com/safe/bcc.html.

Please attach your credit on personal submissions - full name, initials or however you're comfortable. Also let me know if you'd like e-mail addy published for direct contact. Pen names OK too, I'm the only one who needs to know who are if for any reason your own name would cause difficulty.

I try to answer all mail within 24 hours. If you do not hear from me in two or three days, it's likely the mail was lost, please try again. If you check and find your mail deleted, it could be because you saved me the trouble of opening one of many duplicates by using a clear subject line - thanks.