Vick fesses up

Michael Vick, the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, will apparently plead guilty to charges that he ran a dog-fighting ring. The New York Times has the story.

Vick's co-defendants were ready to testify against him, saying that he killed eight underperforming dogs by hanging and drowning them.

I believe that how someone treats those weaker than they are speaks volumes about the type of human being he or she is.

An attorney for Vick said that the NFL star wanted to apologize to "everyone who has been hurt by this matter."

Yeah. Right.

Is that you, Paris?

Here's a real cute dog, all dolled up for the 13th annual Artists' Soap Box Derby in Kingston today.

The Chihuahua is named Missy and she is 3 years and 5 months. (The 5 months is very important at that age.) She is being held by her owner, Frank Morgan of Ft. Pierce, Fla., a former Kingston resident who frequently visits his old stomping grounds.

Morgan said Missy is a therapy dog. But obviously she has a second income to afford clothes like that.

My colleague Kathy McLaughlin snapped the picture.

A couple of success stories

Grizzly (top), a male Akita/Shepherd mix, and Flame, a female Shepherd mix, are two pups who have new homes. I recently got an e-mail from the Dutchess County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals that these two dogs, who had been featured on this blog's Ready for Adoption Thursday, had been adopted.

Congratulations to their new companions. And thanks for picking shelter dogs.

The Dutchess County SPCA is located at 636 Violet Avenue, Hyde Park, NY 12538. The shelter is open Sunday, Monday, Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Wednesday. Call 845-452-SPCA (7722).

Shelter pets rule.

Ready for adoption

Here is the Dutchess County SPCA Pet of the Week. Ready for adoption. What are you waiting for?

This week's featured pet:
Quasi —Shepherd Mix
"Quasimodo ... rough around the edges with a big heart. What a perfect description for our Quasi! This good-natured, neutered male adult is waiting for his chance to share that big heart with his new family."

The Dutchess County SPCA is located at 636 Violet Avenue, Hyde Park, NY 12538. The shelter is open Sunday, Monday, Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Wednesdays. Call 845-452-SPCA (7722).

Shelter pets rule.

Persian homecoming king?

While it's not exactly like Barbara Walter's famous "What kind of tree would you be?" question, this personality quiz tells you what kind of cat you are most like.

I'm a Persian and the results say that I was either the homecoming king or queen.

How did you fair?

Didn't catch anything

Except some mosquito bites. They grow 'em big in Texas.

Got back from vacation late Friday night. Kate actually came to the door when I unlocked it. She seemed pretty happy to see me, but 15 minutes later, she was nowhere to be found.

Kate went upstairs to sleep. So much for the big homecoming.

I'm not complaining, mind you. Kate has always been a low-key dog — really low maintenance. I guess after I showed up, having been gone for a week, she was satisfied that things were back to normal.

And it's off to bed.

We are used to each other's ways, I think.

We are ... family.

An article in Self magazine and reprinted on MSNBC.com brought out some interesting comments about whether pets are members of the family.

No, lady, they are NOT. They cannot get your groceries for you on cold days when you are sick, go to the mailbox for you, cover for you with a friend, or give you a blood transfusion if you're in some car wreck.

Agreed, pets can't do the laundry list of tasks the person says. But I don't ask Kate to do those things.

She gives me a wag of the tail, a lick of the hand and the feeling that no matter how bad things have been during the day, I'm home now and that's OK.

Not bad, really, if you stop and think about it.

Gone fishin'

Well, not really.

But I am taking a much-needed (just ask the reporters who sit near me) vacation.

I'll be back in the office Aug. 12.

Kate is being taken care of by my friend and fellow blogger Alice. No kennel for Kate this time! And I even bought some spray cheese to make that one pill go down smoothly.

I would tell you that while I am gone you should turn off your computers, go sit in the park and read a book, but my bosses frown on that sort of non-poughkeepsiejournal.com behavior.

So please check out, if you haven't already, the other blogs here at the paper.

See you soon.

Don't fence me in

Got an e-mail yesterday from Pete B. about "invisible fences."

He has a rescued Brittany named Annie who is about 6 or 7 years old. He just installed one of the underground dog fences — by DogWatch — so Annie could have some freedom in they yard.

Pete writes:

She has completely changed. Barely wants to pee, poop or play. Am told this is normal and that she will come around. Do you know of any others who have this system?

I don't know much about the invisible fences, except the basics on how they work. My first, uneducated, thought would be that the setting on the collar needs to be altered.

My concern about those fences is that you just know sometime there is going to be something so wonderful — out there — that the dog is just going to have to get it or chase it and won't care about the fence. Then the poor thing won't want to come back into the yard.

But fenced-in yards aren't available for everyone.

Does anyone have any thoughts for Pete?

Ready for adoption

Here is the Dutchess County SPCA Pet of the Week. Ready for adoption. What are you waiting for?

This week's featured pet:
Maggie —Black/white domestic shorthair
"With a face this sweet, it's hard to imagine that Maggie is still with us! This girl is looking for a family of her own to dazzle with her big green eyes and winning personality. She's patiently waiting for your visit."

The Dutchess County SPCA is located at 636 Violet Avenue, Hyde Park, NY 12538. The shelter is open Sunday, Monday, Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Wednesdays. Call 845-452-SPCA (7722).

Shelter pets rule.

Wake up call

Kate and I were out for a walk this morning, and we passed by a house that has a beagle.

Outbound, there was no problem. On the way back, the beagle made its presence known when we were about a half block away.

And it kept howling.

It's pretty amazing that such a tiny dog can make such a racket.

I stumbled across this video of a Boston terrier named Ziggy that likes to sing. The bells, the bells! Make them stop!