Mountman's Animal Kingdom

Here you will find pictures and stories of my friends from the animal kingdom!
From the beginning of time man has had a special place in his heart and life for other species, I'm no different. Over the course of my life I have had many different and sometimes strange pets. One of the most different had to be Chuck the Groundhog. As you may know another name for Groundhogs is Woodchuck. A friend of Daddy's gave him to us. Chuck was an ok pet until he felt cornered. Then he would come out fighting. I finally had to get rid of him when he got up into Mother's $2000 couch and made a nest. I've had Ducks, Donald, Daisy, and Minnie. Well, what can I say there is no other famous female ducks.

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Animals are Naturally Wild

We've 'domesticated' them. Dogs, especially young dogs don't know how to get around city streets by themselves.

One thing has really bothered me today. Well, actually let's go back to yesterday. I was driving on a busy 4 lane road, here in Baton Rouge. At a stop light there was this poor Australian Shepherd, apparently scared, running along side of the street. He darted out in front of a car and almost got hit. He ran back away from the traffic. I hoped that he got home ok.
Then today, on that same road there lay the poor dog. Just up the street is a little puppy. A golden retriever, I believe. It couldn't be no more than 2 months old.

Who is responsible? I am, you are, we all are. This is the second time this exact thing happened to me in the past year. I see dogs along side the road all the time here in Baton Rouge. It just breaks my heart to see these defenseless animals left to fend for themselves. I always think, "What if it was my pet?"

Speaking of responsibility, if you have a pet spay or neuter it. If you want to give a pet as a present, make sure that the receiver wants and can take care of it. Choosing the right breed takes some work. You can check out the AKC's site for help with this. And, Please!, if you decide that the pet is wrong for your family, don't just throw it outside. You can always put an ad in the paper for a free pet to good home! I had taken in a stray after Tassie died, (see below). He didn't work out. ( peeing on my roommate's leg is not the way to stay in our home). Anyway, we put an ad in the local paper and he went to a loving home.

Another thing that bothers me is the fact that people that have pick-up trucks and put their loved ones in the back, unprotected. If they only knew how much danger they put their pets in.

The story below is a good bye to a four-legged friend. She had gotten out of our yard when she was about 2 years old and got hit by a car and then came back into the back yard to safety and security. Her jaw was broken and had to be put back together with pins.

She was Always There

(CLICK TO SEE BIGGER PIC)

I don’t have a lover, but, I have had a friend for the past 15 years that I would never give up for one. Her name was Anastasia, or Tassie for short. She was more of a friend to me than I could ever find in a lover. No matter what I did, she has always there for me. I could be gone all week and when I came home, she was there. If I went from one room to another, she was always there with me. If I was sick, she was there by my side to comfort me. If I was sad, she was there for me. When I lost a job, she was there for me. When I got a new job, she was there for me. If I was hurt by someone, she was there for me. If I was not there, she would wait for me to come home. She would keep my bed warm for me.

Even when she was sick she still wanted to be with me. The main focus of her life was me. When I was home she was not at peace unless she was with me or at least know where I was.

I hope and pray that her brothers, Duncan, Nugget, and Sebastian will look out for her now that she is with them.

She will be sadly missed by me and the rest of her family. In case you are wondering Tassie was my Dog. I got her when she was just six weeks old. From the moment I saw her, I felt that she was going to be a great friend. Out of all the litter she was the one that ran up to me. There was a bond that we had that I can’t even begin to explain. She knew my moods and most of the time she knew how to get me to feel better just by being there.

I know it was just a cartoon, but, I do believe that All Dogs Go To Heaven! Tassie is up there right now. I know that she is there sitting very stately, the way she used to sit on the diving board watching over our pool.

I want to take this time to say Good-bye my friend. I will see you some day.

Ok, now for some pictures and stories....
First off there is Duchess, the Dachshund. I got her when I was in Jr. High and I had her until I moved out of my parents house. She loved to lay on the back of the couch and look out the window. She was a little lush. I remember one time when I had sat a drink down beside my chair. She drank the whole thing. It was so funny to watch her waddle along. You must remember that I wasn't supposed to have alcohol in the house. Luckily I didn't get caught.

Then there was Duchess's friend Tookis. Tookis was a domestic longhair cat. One Halloween I came home and Daddy was in the kitchen and said that there was something outside for me... I went out and found this cute black and white cat. When I brought him in Daddy said that he was just kidding. You see, Mother and Daddy didn't really like cats. Why you may ask? Cats killed birds and both of them loved to watch the birds outside our kitchen window. He told me to get rid of him before Mother came home. Well, I did, sort of. I let him out the kitchen door and then went to the front door and brought him back in. Just before I went to bed he got loose and went into the kitchen and I freaked out. I ran to the kitchen and found him in Daddy's lap. I said, " That cat stays!" I named him Tookis after the Bette Midler line, " Kiss my Tookis and plant a tree for Israel."

Tookis and Duchess