Date:   --   Updated: 7/16/07

They were together in the house. Just the two of them. It was a cold, dark, stormy night. The storm had come quickly and each time the thunder boomed he watched her jump. She looked across the room and admired his strong appearance... and wished that he would take her in his arms, comfort her and protect her from the storm.

She wanted that...more than anything.

Suddenly, with a pop, the power went out. She screamed... He raced to the sofa where she was cowering. He didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms. He knew this was a forbidden union and expected her to pull back. He was surprised when she didn't resist but instead clung to him.

The storm raged on... as did their growing passion. There came a moment when each knew that they had to be together. They knew it was wrong... Their families would never understand... So consumed were they in their passion that they heard no opening of doors... just the faint click of a camera...... [photo].

Sarah Billings sits by the window of her third story apartment hovered in a small corner of the room smoking a cigarette and thinking about Jack Daniels.

She is not a closet smoker or alcoholic, but a pet owner who cares deeply for Jack, her 5-year-old hound-dog mix. She has known Jack for his whole life, and is concerned about how her secondhand smoke may affect him.

"Dogs age almost seven times faster than us," Billings said, a psychology major. "Secondhand smoke can cause problems fast. I take Jack to the vet frequently and he appears to be fine, but they don't do any specific tests to see early signs of secondhand smoke poisoning" [story].

Have you ever wanted to take the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test with your dog? It's fun and a useful experience! It's being offered by Sandia Dog Obedience Club. The cost is $5.00. Questions? Call Dede Brownstein at 822.9916.

What is the CGC Test? There are ten components:
(1) Accepting a friendly stranger
(2) Sitting politely for petting
(3) Appearance & grooming
(4) Walking on a loose leash
(5) Walking through a crowd
(6) Sit & down on command/staying in place
(7) Coming when called
(8) Reaction to another dog; i.e. behaving politely around other dogs
(9) Reactions to distractions
(10) Supervised separation

Inform yourself about the HEART (Humane and Ethical Animal Rules and Treatment) ordinance that went into affect August 22, 2006 (with a six month grace period). Download HEART Ordinance

Muldoon lived alone in the Irish countryside with only a pet dog for company.

One day the dog died, and Muldoon went to the parish priest and asked, "Father, me dog is dead. Could ya' be saying a mass for the poor creature of mine?"

Father Patrick replied, "I'm afraid not; we cannot have services for an animal in the church. But there are some Baptists down the lane, and there's no tellin'what they believe. Maybe they'll do somethin' for the creature."

Muldoon said, "I'll go right away Father. Do ya' think $5,000 is enough to donate to them for the service?"

Father Patrick exclaimed, "Sweet Mary, Mother of Jesus! Why didn't ya tell me the dog was Catholic?"

We all love our K-9 Kids, so please sign the Online Petition for more parks.

Exercise and a diet fortified with vitamins, fruits and vegetables helped older dogs learn new tricks and kept them spry in an experiment that scientists said could teach humans a thing or two. [story].

The Animal Rescue Site is not getting enough daily traffic to qualify to have food donated to abused and neglected animals. It takes less than a minute to "feed an animal in need." It's FREE -- takes only a click of your mouse!

Corporate sponsors use the number of daily visits to calculate how much to donate. We've listed the web site below Please visit occasionally and pass this informationÊalong to those you know.
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/