Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, September 9, 2023

11

 Mountain Views News Saturday, September 9, 2023 

CHRISTOPHER Nyerges [www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]


Beautiful SINEAD!

Meet Beautiful Sinéad: 
Sinéad, named 
after the well-
known Irish sing-er, 
was rescued from a 
kill shelter along with 
her sole surviving kitten, 
Rosie, hours before 
they were scheduled 
for euthanasia. Upon getting her to safety, it 
was discovered that Sinéad had a series of mammary 
tumors under her front right leg, and was 
scheduled for surgery right away. Thankfully, the 
tumors, which were removed, were benign, and 
she has been given a clean bill of health! Sinéad is a 
calm, exceedingly affectionate and friendly young 
cat who is great with kids and would love a home 
with one or more attentive humans (and their laps) 
to shower her with the attention she deserves. She 
was a sweet, loving mama, but now it's her turn 
to be pam-purr-ed! Born 5/2022. See more of her 
on our website's "Teen and Young Adult" page, at 
www.lifelineforpets.org.

Special Note: This Sunday, Sept. 10, we will be at Pet Food Express in Pasadena, 11:00 - 2:00, with 
some of our kittens. Come and say hello!


MODERATION IN ALL THINGS

There was a popular comic strip back when I was a child about a lone cowboy. I 
think it was called Hipshot, or something like that. He lived in a little log cabin, 
sparsely furnished, with a framed saying on the wall that read “Moderation in 
all things.” I always thought that made sense. Don’t go too extreme either way. 
Remain balanced.

A few people responded to my writing about how fear can be a great motivator. 
And for me, my fears definitely got me moving, and learning, and doing. But I 
would not want to reside in the paranoid mindset of fear and conspiracies behind all closed doors. 
Oh, I admit that conspiracies abound : a conspiracy is simply when at least two people conspire and 
plot for some end, usually self-serving. But I cannot do anything about most such conspiracies. To 
live in fear of such things is to destroy one’s physical and mental and emotional health.

Fear can motivate, but don’t stay there. Be positive, based on your education and your experi-ence.

The opposite of fear is blind faith and extreme over-enthusiasm. You know, “Nothing can hap-pen 
to me,” “the Lord will protect me,” “Do you know who I am?” That sort of thing. It all sounds good, 
except some people have no idea what voice they are listening to, and get into all sorts of trouble. 
George Bush Jr. had stated that “God” told him to go to war. Is that really what “God” does? Enthusiasm 
is good, but it should be tempered with reality, and fact-based. Wild enthusiasm gets you 
killed, or hurt, such as the over-enthusiastic wild mushroom hunter. “Of course I can identify wild 
edible mushrooms, I read all about it on-line,” says the man on his deathbed.

Moderation serves me well. I try to not gush enthusiasm when I start a project, when many of the 
obstacles are not even known to me yet. That doesn’t mean I am negative either; I am just pragmatic, 
taking things slowly and handling each challenge as it comes. To me, the path of pragmatic 
moderation means being honest, not exaggerating my abilities or the time something takes. It also 
means to me that I do not boast or strut around like a rooster as if I am spe-cial. After all, if I achieve 
any goal, it is sweeter if done with others working in tandem. I find it a richer experience to cross 
the finish line with my friends and allies. 

Enthusiasm is good, but you don’t want the path of blind faith, where somehow you act as if you 
are always protected by some unseen force, when in fact, you’re probably not! Be moderate. Don’t 
be the one who has to be rescued. Work to be strong, with a balanced mind, but not im-practically 
enthusiastic.

I am reminded of the story of the man whose horse had run away, a story first told to me by Jay 
Watkins in one of my writing classes.

Here is how Jay shared the story.

A farmer in northern China, near the Mongolian border, realized one day that his horse was miss-
ing. It was a great inconvenience, in any event, because the farmer needed his horse for the farm 
work. The farmer’s neighbors all came to console him for his great loss, grieving at his great loss. 
But the farmer told the neighbors not to grieve, pointing out that what had happened was not necessarily 
so bad, and it didn’t warrant grief.

A few days later, the horse returned by itself, and it was accompanied by a magnificent Mongo-lian 
stallion. The stallion had apparently strayed from its herd, and simply following the farmer’s horse 
back to the farm. This turn of events not only relieved the farmer but now also increased his wealth. 
The neighbors returned, this time to rejoice the farmer’s good fortune, and even to envy his fine new 
animal. But once again, the farmer would not rejoice with the neighbors, and told them that what 
had happened was not necessarily so good.

A little time later, the farmer’s son was out riding the Mongolian stallion, and since his riding ex-
perience had been limited to riding a slow farm horse, the frisky stallion threw the farmer’s son. 
The son’s thigh was badly injured in the fall, and meant the son was unable to do some of the farm 
work. This again inconvenienced the farmer, but he still refused to regard it as a misfor-tune and 
did not grieve.

In a few months, the barbarian armies of the Mongolian chiefs swept through the farmer’s dis-trict 
of China, and they conscripted every able-bodied man into the army to help defend the em-pire. It 
was well-known that the mortality rate in the Mongolian army was very high, as they en-gaged in 
many savage battles. Yet, due to the son’s bad leg, he was exempt from this military service.

 

The point of the story was that the farmer was able to remain calm throughout the ups and downs 
of his life, without the severe swings of emotion that seem to afflict the average person.

 

I’ve learned to accept life as I think it is, not how I’ve hoped it to be. I’m thankful that I’m still optimistic 
after all these years, and still willing to stretch my boundaries.

In view of the “Horse that ran away” story, stay mindful that things are not always what they seem. 
Apparent outer “success” may be an ultimate 
failure, spiritually speaking. And our “fail-
ures” (though we try to avoid them), can be the 
stepping stones to our deep, meaningful, true 
success. 

In my quest for moderation, I also align with 
no political party. I am in the middle. I have 
been asked if I am a right winger or a left winger. 
(I have also been accused of each). “It takes 
two wings to fly,” I always respond.

Pet of the Week

 
Gentle Lilac is ready to become someone’s BFF. Lilac 
is a four-year-old pit bull mix who is as sweet as they 
come! She has a calm energy and likes to take it easy. 

 Lilac has been out for a number of outings, and she 
has been a model citizen. She has represented the 
shelter at a mobile event where she met tons of people 
and showed off her training. She’s also been on a field 
trip and had a wonderful time- nothing seems to faze 
this sweet girl.

 Lilac the social butterfly is always excited to meet 
people to get pets, and she likes it even more when they want to give her a belly rub. She is a 
world-class snuggler and is very happy to let you give her attention until she blissfully falls 
asleep.

 Lilac and all other animals at Pasadena Humane can be adopted at no charge on Saturday, 
September 16th from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the shelter’s Free Adoption Day!

 The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, and 
age-appropriate vaccines. 

 New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal 
Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet. 

 View photos of adoptable pets and schedule an adoption appointment at pasadenahumane.
org. Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoption appointments are available every 
Sunday and Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. 

 Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone 
calls or email.


THURBER’S TAIL: HOW TO SURVIVE YOUR SHARP-TOOTHED PUPPY

The bloodshed was everywhere.

It was all over my house, my parent’s house, my neighbors’ houses and splattered at any location in 
which anyone dared to pet my 9-week-old bundle of joy, Thurber the yellow Labrador.

I was desperate to stop Thurber’s reign of puppy-toothed terror, but how?

Why Are a Puppy’s Teeth So Sharp?

Puppies, like humans, are born without teeth, but by the time they are 2- to 4-weeks old, they start 
growing “deciduous teeth” — the sharpest blades known to mankind. In the wild, razor-sharp teeth 
are needed to help puppies consume meat and soft food. 

These teeth also help puppies to develop their jaw muscles and strong biting force, which are also 
necessities in the wild. About 28 of these Ginsu-teeth are formed by your puppy’s sixth week. He’ll 
have about 42 by his 12th week, when his less-treacherous permanent teeth will finally start replacing 
his deciduous slicers. Which means you are at risk of random bloodlettings for a good month or so 
until his permanent teeth come in.

How to Protect Your Flesh?

Your puppy has no intention of harming you with his baby daggers. The reason he attempts to bite 
and chew your hands, reports thelabradorsite.com, is that it helps him relieve the discomfort he is 
experiencing during the teething process.

One thing you can do during this time is to use voice commands to begin training your puppy 
not to bite; always reward him with praise and a small training treat when he complies with your 
commands.

A second step is to provide dental chews, which can reduce dental pains and give your puppy something 
else to chew on other than you.

According to Kalmpets.com, frozen carrots and watermelons are tasty treats that can help numb 
your puppy’s nerves and decrease discomfort. Frozen puppy toys that are durable and safe can have 
the same effect.

A frozen dishtowel, wrapped around an ice cube, can also reduce pain, but make sure the material is 
durable enough that your puppy can’t break it apart and digest it.

Corrective Behavior May Help

Though such techniques were helpful with Thurber, they did not stop the biting completely. Desperate, 
I hired a dog trainer to help me get my puppy under better control.

Her point of view — one that I share — is that most techniques for teaching a dog good behavior 
should be positive.

However, on rare occasions a corrective action may work best.

To stop him from biting, she placed a rubber “correction” collar on him that had little bumps on the 
inside of the collar. When he attempted to bite her, thinking he was playing, she gave it a little tug.

Now Thurber was a pup with a lot of energy and rapidly growing muscles. The tug was mild and did 
not hurt him.

But it was new to him and his response was immediate: he did not like the tug at all and he quickly 
determined that he better stop the biting to prevent another tug.

I’m not exaggerating here when I tell you after just a few mild tugs — within about a 5-minute period 
— he never used his sharp teeth to harm anyone again.

Cherish Time with Your Puppy

Looking back, I regret not taking advantage of Thurber’s sharp teeth to make some money.

I could have carried Thurber into a liquor store or bank, while shouting “Give me your money or the 
puppy makes you bleed!”

In any event, it will seem like an eternity, but by the time your puppy reaches three months of age, 
his permanent teeth will be in and the little sharp ones will have either fallen out or been harmlessly 
swallowed.

Be sure to enjoy every moment you can as your puppy blossoms — sharp teeth and all — into a 
healthy adult, because the transition happens all too fast!

Visit Tom and Thurber’s dog-blog (www.ThurbersTail.com) for entertaining stories and videos that 
feature the budding social-media star, Thurber the Talking Lab!


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