Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. My eyes see collies as beautiful, police dogs as beautiful, hounds as beautiful, setters as beautiful, retrievers who are not overfed as beautiful...bulldogs as...well...some people do like them. Some people, unfortunately, decide they don't want to make the investment in training their bulldogs, which is why the poor dogs land in shelters through no fault of their own. So this week we shall celebrate bulldogs.
On the cat side...Manx cats were bred for a lethal gene; bulldogs were bred for a gene that few people call beautiful, but that is at least functional, giving the dogs an advantage in hunting and fighting. However, Manx cats and bulldogs have that sturdy, stocky body shape in common. When they're at the right weight or even when they're too thin, they still look wider than cats and dogs of other breeds. So this week we shall celebrate Manx cats.
Zipcode 10101: Tippy from Nutley
Web page: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/tippy-48809141/nj/nutley/care-and-treatment-of-strays-nj168/
Some nuttiness went on in the creation of Tippy's web page. Are we talking about a male or female cat, with no tail or a short tail, Manx or Siamese? Well...there are some American Short Hair cats with a few remote Manx and a few remote Siamese ancestors, notably our Queen Cat Serena, and it's a wonderful genetic combination. Tippy is thought to be about two years old, described as friendly and "talkative," and, as shown, super-cute. I'd want to see that this cat is actually in the shelter before I invited strangers to annoy people I knew by asking for "references," but...have you seen a more perfect Stumpy Manx?
Zipcode 20202: Miara from Flint Hill
Unfortunately Miara and her brother Micah have fallen into the hands of control freaks, but maybe having to feed these cats while they look for an idiot who's willing to use Facetime will cure them. The freaks, I mean; nothing seems to be wrong with the cats. Well, they have the lethal Manx gene and shouldn't breed, but that's not a problem. They were pets. They lost their humans. Their loyalty now seems to be to each other, so they have to be adopted together. Typically Manx cats love only one "person" (human or cat) and let everyone else know it, but they are polite to everyone and will be charitable if they have to live with an Emergency Backup Human.
Zipcode 30303: Juniper from Ellijay
Her web page: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/juniper-76187506/ga/ellijay/gilmer-county-animal-shelter-ga856/
She's at the county shelter. Or she was. They recommend you call or e-mail to verify that she still is, unless of course you're interested in adopting a different animal who needs a home too.
(Speaking of which...Years ago this web site featured a desperate-case Manx kitten called Bunny 2, who was blind and had various other disabilities, but seemed to have some fun in life following her healthier sister, Bunny 1, everywhere. They said they'd only release the kittens together. Then they let someone take Bunny 1 and leave Bunny 2 to...Seriously disabled Manx cats usually die, which usually seems like a rare instance of Nature's mercy, but apparently poor little Bunny 1 is still hanging in there in a shelter. She has problems. She is messy. She will always need lots of attention. I'm not sure that keeping her alive is all that humane, but it's being done.
Zipcode 10101: Herby from Montclair
His web page: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/herby-75869095/nj/montclair/montclair-township-animal-shelter-nj589/
Not much of a web page, but what can you expect from paid city government workers.
Zipcode 20202: Rhonda from Bethesda
Despite her blood sport genes, Rhonda is described as a lovable lap dog who's good with other dogs. They mention her having some "special needs," other than a firm and loving hand.
(How was it possible to pick this photo? The DC shelters are on to me. They've noticed that most shelter dogs aren't pedigreed show-quality specimens of any breed, and that many people are more likely to rate a dog's picture "appealing" when it minimizes the bulldog features if the dog has any. This was the cutest picture that made it clear that a good part of Rhonda's DNA is BULLDOG. But still...those puppy dog eyes, that eager gait!)
Zipcode 30303: Coco from Decatur
Her foster humans have spent most of two years giving this two-year-old dog a good basic education. She weighed 66 pounds, last time they checked, and has a decent report card.
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