Caucus Critters: Moondae Moppets: Independence Day Picnics of course!

It's Independence Day! Another day of picnics and parties, so let's revisit picnics!!

But first, The Recommendations:

•Our intent is to create a safe place to relax and play; please use common sense and have fun.
•Share any and all pootie/woozle/furry/feathery/leathery photos or issues that you would like.
•When it comes to problems, we may just have someone with experience who can help.
•If you would like a pic from the posts, please ask the poster. He/she may have a copyright to those pics. Many thanks.
•​We love critters, so any/all photos that encourage human violence against an animal will be frowned upon and considered out of bounds!

Wild Animal Group animal-welfare-group-photo-v31[1]_0.jpg
We'z a diverse group!

So everyone should be welcome at picnics.

Lions 000918820[1].jpg
"There be steaks to go with that wion?"

It's fun to share.

Cat and Dog Picnic 4tworXd[1].jpg

No really, share!

Animal Picnic 5059410[1].jpg
I hope they're planning to share!

OK, sharing may not always be a good idea:

Bear brown-bear-dines-with-girl-and-her-mum-at-a-real-life-teddy-bears-picnic-136401732978203901-151119115912[1].jpg
Do not try this at home! Srsly!

Sometimes REALLY not a good idea:

Alligator An-Animal-You-Do-Not-Want-To-See-On-Your-Picnic3[1].jpg
Yikes! See ya in a while, crocodile!

There, this is a little better:

Elephants botlierskop-aElephant-picnic-med-Medium.preview[1].jpg
"Momma, why peeps run off?" "Dunno, lil one. They be small and easily spooked."

And this looks quite peaceful:

Giraffe Picnic f4fdf03e4987dfb246f9956ff39eace3[1].jpg
"Peeps need new car!" "Srsly."

So does this:

Llama Picnic helenfeick3[1].jpg
"Quit talkin and bring on mah grub!"

Alpaca Picnic 35658347[1].jpg
It's 4th of July, silly! (And I'm pretty sure you're not an alpaca)

I don't think this guy is dangerous, but if so you can outrun him:

Sloth enhanced-buzz-18485-1286902841-25[1].jpg
"May I... have... somme... pi-i-i-e?"

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkS-yo_Wq0Y width:500]
They're kidding; video is okay to watch.

One of these cats is not like the others!

Cat and Skunk Picnic 1169348_original[1].jpg
"Act catsual!"

Just don't scare her and it'll be fine!

Skunk Picnic small.jpg
"I wuz promised picnic food!"

You never know who will show up.

Raccoon baby-raccoon-picnic-basket-raiding-54997706[1].jpg
"I got the coondiments!"

Sometimes your picnic goes to the birds.

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"We have no egrets!... Because we're herons."

But whoever shows up, remember why it's a holiday!

Eagle Patriotic usa-eagle-wallpaper[1].jpg
"I gotz yur patriotism right here."

And remember red, white & blue! (Hunger Trigger Warning!)

Red White n Blue Breakfast Parfait.jpg

On a Serious Note: More pets are lost on July 4th than any other day of the year. The link is to animalfoundation.com, which tells you how to keep your pets safe. For those who have pets who get scared today, ZenTrainer has lots of tips for helping them be less scared, posted at TOP: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/07/03/1544014/-Calming-your-pets-duri...@-fireworks

I know, the second link is TOP. I offer it for your consideration because of the good advice, and since ZenTrainer makes her living as an animal trainer I don't feel it's right to copy. If you go, don't look to the right! Pie fights continue.

Happy Independence Day to you and your pets and all the critters!

We are having storms and they seem to be interfering with my Internet connection! I will try to set this up for later. If I'm not here, please carry on, and I'll "see you" as soon as connections are restored!

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mimi's picture

17z3ctb3ugsnrjpg.jpg

doggedly hoping for a 4rth of July worth celebrating with pride ... sn_SS_082111_hdr.jpg

Enjoy the fireworks!

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elenacarlena's picture

one! My ISP insists I buy it. I am currently at Kroger using their free Wi-Fi. I paid everything extra I had toward my vet bill after I was paid at the end of the month, I still owe on that and he won't let me buy more desperately needed flea treatments until I pay that off! So if anyone is able and willing to send a donation to the Oreo Veterinary Fund and the Put Elena Back Online Fund, please send via PayPal to my business partnership account:

Email Image_0.jpg

Thank you!

Those woozles in the photos above are SO brave! Mine is afraid of T storms and someone knocking on the door, I can't imagine him or the pooties voluntarily learning to jump from a plane ever, not if they learned to be a little more brave each lifetime through 1000 reincarnations!

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riverlover's picture

Might cut down on fireworks tonight! WH cancelled a lawn picnic due to rain. Nature still rules. Be safe!

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elenacarlena's picture

there was a lull in the storm, they went out and shot off bunches of fireworks all at once! People be crazy - it stormed again shortly afterward; they could have been struck by lightning.

I didn't think the storms were that severe, but I unplugged my computer as a precaution. Well, we had a surge, and the router fried despite being plugged into a surge protector! So I am working from Kroger for now.

I used some of ZenTrainer's recommendations, and the pooties and woozle seemed to do a little better than usual. We stayed in our interior room for most of the evening, to make it through both nature's and man's fireworks. I hope there won't be more fireworks tonight! It sure sounded like they were firing them all off at once, so hopefully they used them up.

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GreatLakeSailor's picture

I posted several weeks back about a momma rabbit and her rabbettes (is that a word?) living in my front yard under an infected tree (ash borer) that had to be removed. While I never got a picture of the babies, they grew and moved on and the tree has since been removed. No trees in the front makes the house warmer (bad!) so we're looking what to put in next. So that's the update. Happy ending.

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Compensated Spokes Model for Big Poor.

Lily O Lady's picture

The previous owners of our house planted one and the roots go everywhere, including completely under the cement pad our house is built on to the backyard!

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"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

GreatLakeSailor's picture

...the "Freeman" maple or its cultivar "Autumn Blaze" maple. It looks like a Freeman is a little narrower than the AB, otherwise about the same.

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Compensated Spokes Model for Big Poor.

Lily O Lady's picture

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"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

elenacarlena's picture

them to grow up. I would be looking for trees with flowers in the spring, fruit in the summer, and colorful leaves in the fall. And roots that won't interfere with anything they're not supposed to. Don't want much, do I?

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Bollox Ref's picture

2013 002.jpg

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

elenacarlena's picture

fireworks last night?

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

having severe thunderstorms--although we haven't lost electricity, today--fingers crossed.

So, this'll be short. Hope to start posting 'Critter' Tweets from a new Twitter account I'm setting up for nothing but critter posts/stories. With luck, I'll be ready to go around August.
(This summer is going to be very hectic due to travel, and additional duties.)

Love the hilarious photo/screenshots that you post. Someone's got quite an imagination, I'd say. Anyway, always nice to have a good laugh.

We've had a wonderful several days, visiting with Family for the holiday.

Good luck with your weather; and, hope that all 'CC' Folks have a nice, safe, and fun-filled Fourth!

Mollie


“I believe in the redemptive powers of a dog’s love. It is in recognition of each dog’s potential to lift the human spirit and therefore– to change society for the better, that I fight to make sure every street dog has its day.”
--Stasha Wong, Secretary, Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD)

The SOSD Fantastic Four

Available For Adoption, Save Our Street Dogs, SOSD

Cole - SOSD

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

elenacarlena's picture

but not for long. Probably 10 or so seconds. I was still at the "Where did I put that flashlight?" stage when power was restored. I wonder if they have some sort of switchover system so they can route power around whatever fried?

Very unfortunately, though, the power surge fried my router, as I splain in the first comment. I'm working at Kroger for the time being. And having to actually read books and stuff like that to be entertained at home!! The horror!

The Critter Twitters - or Twitter Critters - should be awesome! Good venue for that, I think. Getting on Twitter is on my to-do list too.

I'm glad you had an enjoyable holiday and enjoyed the post. It's surprisingly difficult to think of topics, even just once a week. I never know what I'm going to write when I begin - the pics pull it out of me. I just had a vague idea that since I did a cat n dog picnic for Memorial Day, I wanted to do more wild animals this time. I just look at photos and let out my silly side. Next thing I know, it's a post!

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riverlover's picture

called Dog emotion and cognition. Run out of Duke. Teacher has a book and a workbook, but I can do a few dog tests for free with my pup. Dognition is the name of the test. Have not looked at retail, I cannot do all the tests without a buy or borrow.

First two dog/human tests are related to her empathy. For me. How long will she maintain eye contact after three trial runs? Second is to note whether my yawning will trigger that in her. No wrong answers! Results below

Skya seems individualistic when it comes to the two empathy games you played. Empathy refers to something very specific - the ability to feel what someone else is feeling. It does not measure love, attachment, or any other of the hundred ways that Skya shows her devotion to you.

You may be interested to know: initial results seem to suggest that small dogs like Skya are generally more individualistic than large dogs.

Being individualistic is something to be proud of. Perhaps you've noticed that Skya is excellent at self-entertaining, or is better at solving problems on her own. However her independence asserts itself, it's all part of Skya's cognitive style.
EMPATHYSkyaINDIVIDUALISTICBONDED
Learn How this Graph Works
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Yawn-game
Yawn Game

In this game, you yawned and recorded whether Skya yawned in response. Yawning in dogs can be an indicator of stress, but we were measuring something different - social yawning. The rationale behind this game is that even as young children, we laugh when we see someone laughing, and we cry when we see someone in distress. Our ability to "catch" the emotions of others is called emotional contagion. A common form of emotional contagion is yawning. If you see, hear or even think about someone yawning, you will probably feel an irresistible urge to yawn.

Skya did not yawn in response to your yawn, but this is not surprising. Although dogs are one of the few species besides humans that contagiously yawn, there is variation among dogs. Data from several research groups shows differing results, but our preliminary data shows that only 20% of dogs yawn contagiously.
Eye-contact-game
Eye Contact Game

This game was based on research that showed that owners whose dogs stared at them for longer periods of time had significant increases in the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin, also known as the "hug hormone," is related to feelings of bonding, pleasure and affection.

Skya is more wolf-like when it comes to eye contact. Wolves do not seek out the gaze of humans like dogs do. But this doesn't mean that wolves are not bonded to their pack members. They have other ways of connecting. Similarly, not all dogs connect with their owners through eye contact. You know better than anyone how Skya displays her affection for you. But if you are looking for ways to increase oxytocin in a similar way to eye contact, research has shown that hugging and playing with your dog for half an hour raises oxytocin in both you and your dog. You should engage in as many of these play sessions as possible. According to one study, it's more relaxing than reading a book!

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riverlover's picture

She seems independent alot. But does startle at things that she finds scary. Not always running to me. She does not by her own volition sleep on my bed, until 2-3 AM when she hops on the side of the bed. I thought she wanted snuggle time. Turns out she has emptied her food or water bowl and awakes her server.

She is a funny pup. Makes me laugh.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

sammybaby_0.jpgI'm going to have to try this, one of my dogs is a velcro dog, the other two more independent. The velcro dog doesn't like hugs in the least but the other two seem to. Sammy, the velcro dog, is the one who notices I am going into a panic attack before I do, not trained, just very in tune with me, but hugs? No, they stress her. One of the wonderful things about dogs is how they are individualistic, always some new facet of their personality to discover.

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elenacarlena's picture

Is empathy possible at a distance?

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riverlover's picture

Voice training and gesture training may work. After one blind dog, I veered towards visual gestures. We never guess correctly, all okay, just be adaptive to go with the flow. She is currently doing wilding that looks like a slip-slidey 1980's movie.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

Someday I'll get the hang of this, sorry.

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elenacarlena's picture

I don't know if there is a way to add captions to photos. My workaround is to just drop down one line and put my comment in italics.

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