Picture Thiefs

Bailey be Good was kind enough to inform the pet community of an attack on our personal property yesterday. I wish I could say this is the first time I have had Internet property stolen. Sadly, it is not.

I am committing to learning more about protecting myself and fighting back. If you want pictures, there are legitimate sites that offer free pictures. Morgue Files is one place to go for free pictures. There are others if you do not wish to take your own or pay for use. You do not just go to random blogs and websites and steal from others.

I have written about people stealing on my craft blog. Sadly, I did not anticipate the need to write about it on my dog blog. I own the pictures, they are not free to use just because you happen to like them. It is called STEALING.

There is a completely new skill set I need to learn to protect my blogs from people who cannot understand the idea of property rights. Not that I had other plans for this week I needed a new project. Thankfully, there are wonderful people in the blogging community willing to share their knowledge. Unfortunately, all acknowledge no system is safe against people willing to steal the work of others. However, we can make it as challenging as possible.

UPDATE

After following Bailey be Good's lead I contacted the publisher yesterday and while I am reviewing the only pictures still showing on the site are the ones with Blog Paws URL's. While all of them have my name, not all of them are my pictures or were on my page there which confuses me. I also am not sure if these can be removed without Blog Paws complaining. I have not been able to find any Sheltie Times URL's on the page.

Wordless Wednesday

Pictures may not be used without written permission.

CMDART Central MA Disaster Animal Response Team

Last week the dogs promised I would write a blog about the emergency group that sponsored the agility training booth at the Whisker Walk. I wanted a chance to find their website so others could learn more and perhaps find out what resources are available in their area.

CMDART is short for Central Massachusetts Disaster Animal Response Team. They are not an emergency shelter in the way most people think of animals in harm’s way needing immediate help. This group deploys during emergencies in the way the Red Cross deploys for humans in disasters or emergencies that require evacuations, etc. Since many human shelters do not accept pets, this group fills that gap providing safe havens for pets during those emergencies so pet and owners can be safely reunited.

The booth we visited had checklists and kits for people to purchase to help them get their pets ready for evacuation. They emphasized the need to have accurate vet records, medication, and picture identification with pet and owner easily accessible in an emergency. I had never thought of the photograph with you and the animal. They emphasized that it was far easier to prove ownership if you could show a picture with the animals. Having your pet's food and crate is also something worth having ready to put in your car if headed to an emergency pet shelter. The website also provided a list of pet friendly hotels in the area they cover.

Prior to visiting this booth, I was not aware that any group existed like this in our state. I would be interested to know what others know about emergency evacuation options are available in their states.

To be clear I am not associated in any way with this group. I do not want anyone to think I speak for the team. I do not. My first encounter with the group was at the Whisker Walk. Lately, I have become more concerned with emergency preparations. I know others share this interest. I plan to share reliable resources and information when I find it.

We Warned You about the Evils of Veggie Gardens

Mom and Dad keep talking about their veggie gardens. Fellow bloggers keep blogging about their veggie gardens and nobody discusses that they infringe on our play space and are just too tempting to resist.

Last week Katy and I were playing and just "happened" to wander into the back veggie gardens. No veggies were killed in our wanderings, although I must admit I was not paying much attention. I told Katy we might be able to get out of it by making Mom prove they were our paw prints, but Mom saw one small and one larger size dog prints and was not willing to provide us with legal counsel. Instead, Dad built a small enclosure so now we cannot get near the back corner. This is the best place to track squirrels and now it is off limits for the growing season.

Therefore, my fellow dogs beware of these veggies. Oh, they say they are harmless. They even will tell you how good they are for our humans. However, the first sign of a dog print and you will learn of the evil veggie plot to take over your territory. When I get some photographs I will demonstrate the encroachment.

Looking at the Agility Course

Mom and Dad took us to a booth hosted by a group trying to raise money for emergency pet shelters. The man at the booth said animals are not allowed in human shelters during emergencies so his group provides a place for animals to go. Mom says she is going to blog about this group next week. Mom and Dad decided we should have a chance to look at the field.

Bailey treated this as if it was a doggy playground. He thought the obstacles were fun. The woman led him around the obstacles. With treats, he tried each one. I did not mind the jumps. Those were OK. However, I just could not understand the point and I did not like strangers. Mom ended up leading me around.

I was sorry to disappoint Mom, but I just did not understand why she wanted me to go through all these exercises. Dad says we might do better next year.

Bailey Wins a Bed

Mom said there would be things to do, but she never mentioned how much work it could be at this Whisker Walk. Mom took us to the Tennis Ball Fetch Booth and she was so excited. Katy was no help, so it was up to me to take on the challenge. How hard can it be to fetch one tennis ball you ask. Well I froze.

There were all these tennis balls I needed to herd and protect so they would not escape. I have never seen so many tennis balls. How was I possibly going to be able to protect them all? I actually froze. I could not possibly be expected to watch all these tennis balls. While I was trying to process how best to take care of all of them, Mom is trying to distract me by tossing tennis balls to me. She did not understand the gravity of the situation. While she is throwing balls to me, one could escape. The fencing was flimsy and not designed for tennis ball capture and retention.

Eventually I got distracted and caught a ball. Mom was so excited. There was some writing on the ball. Mom called it a number. The woman looked at the number and then at her paper and Mom got to pick out a bed for me, just because I caught a ball! Katy was still refusing to help, so I caught another ball and the lady checked that number and we got a box of treats.

Mom said I helped doggies at the Sterling Shelter by playing the game. Dad says both Katy and I will do better next year. I am not sure about that, but I love my new bed, which is big enough for Katy and me to share. Mom says she will post a picture of it when she gets one with both of us in it.

Wordless Wednesday

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