Mayor of Talkeetna, AK mauled by Dog

Posted on September 5, 2013September 5, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Our best wishes and prayers go out to the Mayor of Talkeetna, AK. It happened Saturday night as the Mayor walked through town. After the attack the Mayor retreated to safety and did not come out of hiding to get treatment until after 11pm.

The Mayor suffered a fractured sternum, a punctured lung and a large gash in his side.

Ok if you followed my Alaska adventures you know that the Mayor of Talkeetna is a yellow feline named Stubbs because he has no tail. Mayor Stubbs is 16 years old and has been the honorary Mayor of Talkeetna for 15 of those 16 years.

As Mayor Stubbs claws his way to recovery at a Wasilla-area vet, let me review a bit of history for you.

Stubbs was discovered in 1n a box of kittens in front of a local general store about 16 years ago. The store manager decided to keep him and named him Stubbs for the missing tail.

About a year later residents were unhappy with the slate of candidates in a mayoral election and thought the cat at the local general store seemed smart enough to hold the job. They banded together with a grass roots write in drive to make Mr. Stubbs the candidate of choice. ..The cat won and like Mayor Menino of Boston, Mayor Stubbs has been running the show ever since.

Mayor Stubbs’ life hasn’t been all catnip and cream, although his constitutes love him, this isn’t his first brush with trouble. About 5 years ago two teenagers with a BB gun shot the Mayor in his backside. One of the BB’s is still there.

Three years ago he hitched a ride on a garbage truck. He finally jumped off at an Alaska Railroad Crossing and had to make his way on foot the 1/2 mile home.

Two years ago he fell into a cold fryer vat at the West Rib Pub. He spent the night at the vet’s when a Dawn dish soap bath couldn’t get him totally clean. He has a reputation of being an adventurous guy. Which, of course, goes with being Alaskan.

In spite of his past mishaps, Mayor Stubbs has never had injuries as severe as he received in this mauling. The Canine Assassin is in hiding and has not been picked up yet by Animal Control but a report is expected to be filed this week. Cats are considered “Free Roaming” but dogs are subject to leash laws.

Reports are that the breathing tubes have been removed and Mayor Stubbs is breathing on his own and has even eaten a little food. He will be allowed visitors sometime today (Thursday). Looks like Mayor Stubbs will be recuperating for quite awhile although we are happy he is alive.

His vet bills are expected to top $2000. The vet’s office is directing donations to

STUBBS

c/o Nagley’s Store

Box 906

Talkeetna, Alaska 99676

Anything left over after Stubbs’ treatment will be donated to the animal shelter in Palmer. ( I assume that’s Palmer Alaska)

Get Well soon Mayor Stubbs. Your town needs your leadership.

To New York City Transit System: You Rock!

Posted on September 3, 2013September 3, 2013 by Dusty Roads

On Thursday Humane Actions trumped politics in NYC. Good for you MTA and boo /hiss for Joe Lhota.

NEW YORK (AP) — A former chairman of the Metropolitan Transit Authority and New York City mayoral hopeful says he wouldn’t have stopped the subway because two lost kittens were scrambling along the tracks.

A spokesman for Joe Lhota (LOH’-tuh) tells the New York Post (http://bit.ly/1965AnP ) Friday the candidate doesn’t think shutting down subway service for lost cats is appropriate. But he said Lhota believes it wouldn’t be the mayor’s decision in any case.

On Thursday, the MTA cut power on two Brooklyn subway lines for more than an hour as the two pets scurried around the tracks. The furry felines were finally rescued about seven hours later.

Officials say kittens Arthur and August are being treated in a shelter.

Other mayoral hopefuls tell the paper they would’ve stopped the trains.

I don’t live in NYC or even NY State anymore but I applaud the actions of the MTA and Mr. Lhota would have just lost my vote. If cruelty to other humans, including wars and murders, are ever going to be overcome by the human race, we have to start with the kindness to the smallest and weakest. We have to respect all life.

Sorry, I don’t mean to get on my soap box but Mr. Lhota’s attitude is a symptom of a much bigger problem…that we have the right to disregard all other creatures in our quest to reign supreme.

I’m glad the MTA shut down for an hour and I hope Mr. Lhota loses his bid for election.

Labor Day

Posted on September 2, 2013September 2, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Here it is, Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer, the last day to wear white, a day of parties and cook outs and barbeques.

I looked for something new to say about Labor Day but it’s all pretty much the same thing.

The first observance of Labor Day is believed to have been a parade on September 5, 1882, in New York City, probably organized by Peter J. McGuire, a Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary.

By 1893, more than half the states were observing a “Labor Day” on one day or another, and a bill to establish a federal holiday was passed by Congress in 1894. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill soon afterward, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day.

We’ve all heard that many times. Whenever you google Labor Day that same history comes up. I wanted something new. I may have found it in the 2010 census. I know , a bit out of date but it was the most recent I could find. So here goes, a few facts you might not have known about Labor and/or Labor Day.

134 Million Americans work from home thanks to Skype and the High Speed Internet.
The average time to commute to work is 25.3 minutes.
76% drive alone to work.
9.7% carpool to work
4.9% take public transportation
155.2 million =Number of people age 16 or older in the nation’s labor force. As of 2012, 53% were men and 47% were women.

So now you have some numbers to chew on over your burgers and wings. I hope everyone enjoys the day.

Cat Tails

Posted on August 31, 2013August 31, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Good evening my friends

I admit I am very late with a post today. I had planned one entry but the more I thought about it the more I just found it too sad. It was about my niece-in-laws dog that just died. But like I said, the subject is too sad. I love having pets but how I hate saying the final goodbye.

So while I tried to find another subject on such short notice, Rocky kept climbing all over me, head butting me and in general making a nuisance of himself. Once he finally plopped (and I mean that literally) down and I began to pet him he went into his really lovable mode.

When he’s like that he wiggles and tries to squeeze as close to me as possible. His little paws open and close like he’s kneading the air and he drools! Yup, since he was a little , tiny kitten he’s drooled whenever he was really happy and content.

At first I was concerned something was wrong with his teeth or mouth and dragged him off to the Vet. After careful examination I was told “He loves you. You should feel honored.”

Over the years he’s gotten bigger but he’s never stopped drooling. Just now it isn’t cute little drops, it’s buckets of drool. He shakes his head and the drool flies. It isn’t all the time, only when he gets really , really relaxed.

So tell me, have any of you had a cat that drools? Now you know you are loved.

Humans are Scary..a Tale of the Detroit Cat Monster

Posted on August 29, 2013August 29, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Big Cat On The Loose In Detroit May Be Hybrid Savannah Breed

This is not the kind of stray cat you want to offer a saucer of milk, or even encounter on the street. For the last several weeks, Detroiters have reported seeing a large animal that has been described as up to four feet tall and as long as an 85-pound Doberman prowling their neighborhood in the northeastern area of the city.

Savannah Cat (domestic)

According to WJBK-TV in Detroit, an expert believes the animal could be a Savannah cat, a hybrid breed that is a cross between an African serval and a domestic house cat. The breed was first introduced in the 1980s.

African Serval Cat

The cat is putting residents on edge. Fourteen-year-old Paul Hatley told the Detroit Free Press he ran into the animal recently.

“It wasn’t normal,” he said. “It didn’t run away like normal cat. It just stared at you. … It was scary.”

According to the Detroit Free Press, several residents have spotted the cat, which has unique markings. They reportedly called Detroit Animal Control, who didn’t respond. On Friday, the Michigan Humane Society told the paper it would investigate the situation.

Paws for the Cause Feral Cat Rescue has also set traps for the cat, Laura Wilhelm-Bruzek told WDIV-TV.

“What I think is that someone took this breed of cat on and then probably dumped it here,” she said. “They’re the wildest version of a domestic cat but they are not wild animals, they have been domesticated.”

Well it seems the humans that care didn’t move fast enough and the cat was shot and killed. Turns out the cat was a family pet (which explains why it didn’t run away) and yes, it was extra large. But it had escaped from the family home and not being micro chipped was wandering lost until some gun happy imbecile decided to shoot it.

Aside from the shame of destroying a beautiful animal, these are very rare and expensive cats.

Males and females that are from a first generation who have more than 53% serval in them can cost anywhere from $7,000 to $23,000.
2nd generations (29% serval) can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000. 3rd generations (16% serval) can cost anywhere $1,000 to $6,500, while a 4th generation can cost $1,000 to $2,800.

I can’t even begin to express how sickened I am by this outcome. Human’s are intolerant and we think we own the world. They couldn’t let the Animal Control people do their jobs and handle this. I’m sure the person who shot the cat is telling tales of his bravery in the face of this dangerous house cat. Grrrrr.

Is it any wonder that we have wars and crime and mayhem when we can’t even give a house cat a chance to find it’s home.