Showing posts with label cat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cat. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 13, 2026

Petfinder Post: Japanese Chin, Black & White Cats

Moving through the list of dog breeds the British Bossyboots want to ban, we come to the Japanese Chin breed. This is not a common breed in the US; Petfinder has a page for the breed, but not every city has even one dog listed as a Chin or crossbreed. 

The closest "relative" to the Chin would be the Pekingese. These two breeds have sometimes been considered the same, but in the US, recently, breedrs have selected for different traits. Pekingese dogs average shorter and heavier than Chins.

The Japanese Chin is a terribly cute breed--long-haired, flat-faced, standing up to 11 inches high at the shoulder and weighing up to 11 pounds. Chin is said to mean "catlike dog," referring to these dogs' small heads and self-cleaning behavior. Owners rate these little dogs high on behavior and personality. They tend to get along well with other pets and with children.  However, the short snout is not really a functional trait for a dog, and some additional problem genes have bred in. Breeders are now trying to breed tendencies to health problems out of Chin bloodlines. Meanwhile, though small dogs generally are likely to live more than ten years, these particular small dogs average only ten to twelve years. Their average health is not as good as a Chihuahua's or small terrier's. Improving the breed's average health might mean sacrificing their small, flat, "catlike" faces.

The most disturbing condition a Japanese Chin dog might inherit is gangliosidosis, a progressive, fatal neurological disease that's been compared with Tay-Sachs Disease and with mad cow disease. Affected animals' behavior changes, with gradual loss of muscle control. Dogs who have this condition are usually euthanized. The American Kennel Club recommends having a Chin's DNA tested to find out whether the dog is likely to develop gangliosidosis. These little dogs tend to bond with their humans, so watching the disease develop in a pet is heartbreaking.

More common problem genes are also present--the heart, joint, and eye problems that are common to inbred pedigreed dogs of all types. 

Because their faces are relatively flat, Chins are vulnerable to breathing problems. Obesity aggravates this tendency and must be prevented. Panting being the only way dogs can cool down, Chins can have a very hard time in hot weather. 

Having long silky coats with super-long hair (6-7 inches) on neck, tail, and hind legs, these dogs need brushing at least twice a week and bathing when the coat starts to smell bad. Their floppy ears need cleaning, too.Their toenails are said to grow faster than other dogs' nails and need trimming. If this extra grooming time is likely to be more of an inconvenience than a bonding experience for you, you should adopt a different kind of dog. 

Active, stubborn, and hard to train, Chins like to take rather short and slow walks with their humans and run around a fenced yard. Because they're easy for drivers not to see, vulnerable to predators, and also unlikely to heed instructions like "come back" or "stop," they must not be outdoors off a leash. They enjoy learning to do tricks, and they like to be clean, so some aspects of training may be easy...while other aspects of basic dog training continue to baffle the experts. It is very difficult to get Chins to do anything they don't want to do. They happen to want to stay close to their humans, stay clean, be groomed, and learn to do things that entertain their humans; this in no way implies that they ever signed a contract to consider humans' opinions about what they shouldn't explore. They benefit from half an hour's walking (altogether) with their human every day. During this time, experts say, the trick is for the human to learn to get the Chin to believe that it wants to do the same thing the human wants it to do, and good luck with that.

The current condition of this breed sounds like a regular old mess of problem genes and dysfunctional traits, but those genes have been bred in and can be bred out. Still, along with our general policy that animals with dysfunctional genes should be adopted since shelter and rescue organizations usually demand the animals they place be sterilized, adopters should realize that breeders offer sterilized animals for adoption (directly, or through organizations) when those animals have problem genes. Sometimes that can mean a throwback to some look that isn't "typy" enough to satisfy breeders but may be healthier than the look breeders want. Sometimes, especially with a problem-prone breed, it means the worst form of the breed's distintive genes. Adopters are advised to have a Chin's DNA tested. 

Purebred Chins are two-tone dogs. They come in a range of shades of brown and white, too, but the best known pattern is black and white. (Black and white Chins sometimes have reddish brown markings and might be described as tricolored.) So today the cats we consider are black and white.

Zipcode 10101: Minnie from Middletown 


People who breed and fany animals with dysfunctional traits often seem to me to lose some of their humanity. Minnie, we're told, snores and makes "the cutest little noises" as she struggles to breathe, though otherwise she's quiet. Really. I wonder whether the person who wrote that description ever had COPD, or a relative who did. I wonder how person would feel about someone who described human coughing and wheezing as "cute."They don't mention the results of any DNA test she's had, but want you to fill out an application to pay $800. They specify that, although Chins generally do reasonably well with children, Minnie should not be around children.

Juice from Tennessee by way of Suffern 


Found badly injured beside a road, Juice ran up a big vet bill (probably more than the $150 adoption fee--the organization probably accepts donations). She's cautious about new people, understandably. Nevertheless, her photo gallery shows the attitudes of a kitten who intends to be a Queen Cat. She's friendly once she decides to like you. 

Zipcode 20202: N/A 

There's no Japanese Chin dog or crossbreed currently listed as adoptable within 100 miles from the zipcode 20202. But there is an extra one in Georgia so why not consider...

Extra Listing from Zipcode 30303: Sasha Sam from Alpharetta 


Sasha Sam has been through some hard times. It's affected his pawsonality. Though house trained, crate trained, and leash trained, he's wary of new people; he goes into barking fits if exposed to noise, and he may completely freak out if exposed to anything unpredictable such as children. 

No information is available on whether gangliosidosis could have anything to do with his hypersensitivity. I'd want that DNA test done before I tried to get to know this dog. 

Jessica from Reston 


The $190 adoption fee covers mandatory veterinary care including things, like microchips, you might not agree that she needs. They also stipulate that Jessica must be adopted by someone who's at least 21 years old and together with another kitten. (Kittens are easier to live with when they chew affectionately on each other instead of making an unsatisfactory substitute of your shoe.) They just happen to have a large selection of potential foster brothers for Jessica. Take two, they're small. 

Zipcode 30303: Dior from Dallas 


That's Dallas, Georgia. Dior is a Georgia girl and is available for local adoption only. Just sixteen months old, she's had standard veterinary care, including spaying. She has done well with other dogs, cats, and small children. She is young and full of energy. Her adoption fee is $400.

Winston & Yurman from Chattanooga  


Despite having different coat types these two "Tuxies"have decided they are brothers. Winston has long hair and is more sedentary. Yurman has short hair and is bouncier. They like to nap together. Social cats like to nap with other cats of similar colors, possibly for camouflage. They can be adopted together for $300. 
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Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Petfinder Post: Great Danes and Large Cats

Great Danes are another dog breed the Bossyboots of Britain want to render extinct. They're another large dog that, though usually gentle and mellow, are kept to intimidate intruders. They're not America's favorite breed, but they're popular enough that most people have probably known one. At least most Americans are familiar with one on television: Apart from his cartoon superhero talents for saying words in English and unmasking criminals disguised as ghosts, Scooby-Doo was a fairly typical Great Dane.

Should people breed more Great Danes? Arguably not. They certainly don't fit into the apartments the Socialists want to herd everyone into. They're not the smartest or most interesting canine companions, too big to be easily transported or bathed but not nearly big enough to win any size records, not very long livers. They've been called "the heartbreak breed" because they age fast and normally live less than ten years. They are vulnerable to several medical conditions, including a tendency to swell up and die from indigestion as well as heart, bone, joint, glandular, and neuromuscular diseases, and may be more likely than other dogs to develop cancer. They seldom bite, but often intimidate people--often enough that some landlords won't rent to people who live with Danes.

"Gawrsh," you say. "Why would anybody want one?"

Because they're there, and they need loving homes, and for a few years they love you back. With a minimum weight of 100 pounds for females, 120 pounds for males, and a rangy body that may stand 7 feet tall when the dog stands on its hind legs, Great Danes are often bigger than their humans--as are many of their humans' humans friends, the Great Danes' humans tell us. You don't mind dating a person who is taller than you are if person is otherwise pleasant to be around, you don't disown your children if they grow up bigger and taller than you, so why would you mind living with a dog who stands taller than you do? Anyway there's something to be said for a dog who will prowl through mean streets with you, guard your house at night, and, if anyone suspicious approaches, knock the person over and lick his face unmercifully. Person is neutralized as a danger to you but, unless he went down unusually hard, in no danger while you flee and/or summon help. Great Danes aren't aggressive but an intruder who gets aggressive with one deserved what he got. They can bite when provoked. They are strong.

Great Danes like to walk with their humans, and they like to sit and lie close to their humans. They can be trained not to rest right on top of you if it affects the circulation when they do, but that is a typical Dane's preference. They're one of the lighter breeds in the mastiff group; they still eat a lot. They need grooming, normally, just once a week (except in spring); there is still a lot of dog to groom. They usually need more visits to the vet than smaller dogs do, and they're no treat to load in and out of cars. But they are patient, kind dogs who offer unconditional love.

Because some Great Danes have heart disease, advice about activity for this breed can seem schizophrenic. Exercise just before or, worse, after meals may precipitate fatal indgestion. Letting a young Dane trot beside you on pavement may damage its growing bones. On the other hand healthy Danes like a good brisk walk, and some Danes thrive on an "athletic dog" lifestyle and participate in competitions. Ask your vet about your dog!

Great Danes and crossbreeds aren't the most common breed in shelters but, because they are just more dog than some people can deal with, they are fairly easy to find in shelters. People are always suffering financial reversals, injuries, opportunities in cities, and so on, and leaving dogs behind. Big dogs are more often left behind than small dogs. 

Along with this photo contest for adorable adoptable Danes, why not a contest for extra-large cats?

Zipcode 10101: Dredd from NYC 


Dredd is a crossbreed; he weighs only 52 poounds. You can get to know him as a foster dog before making the commitment to adopt him. Foster families place dogs more effectively and humanely than shelters can, but you do have to agree to meet new people who are interested in adopting the dog if you don't. 

Cheeta from NYC 


Not fat, just big, Cheeta gives audiences to potential adopters right in town. You need to be over age 18 and have an extra-large carrying cage and litter box. Cats like him usually behave like ordinary house cats; they were born as ordinary house cats but, for no obvious reason, they just kept growing back to the size that was typical of their ancestors. They startle strangers. They purr and cuddle just as normal house cats do. 

Zipcode 20202: Duke from Silver Spring


This one's also undersize for a Great Dane at only eighty pounds. He is known to behave especially well with toddlers and cats. The object inthe foreground is another dog's tail. That other dog would be his brother Cash, who was also available for adoption when the web page was set up. 

Baby Mr Grey from Alexandria 


He's a "misfit" because he's one of those giant cats who started out as normal-looking kittens and just kept growing to the size of their ancestors. Our house cats have been intentionally bred down to the midget end of the size range for their species. Norwegian Forest, Maine Coon, and Manx cats often revert to the full size; even Domestic Short Hair cats ocasionally do, and this one apparently has. Through no fault of his own his head comes up, when he's sitting down, to a level most cats have to be standing on their hind legs to reach. These extra-large cats typically behave like other house cats and don't give much extra trouble, as long as the litter box, carrying cage, etc., provided for them are big enough for them to use comfortably. 

Zipcode 30303: Bearon from Alpharetta 


Bearon may be in the clutches of control freaks; they mention wanting to visit your home, or if you're further away communicate with another animal rescue organiztion from which someone has visited your home. They do reasonably want to make sure they're not sending this 65-pound dog to live in a flat where the terms of the lease prohibit large dogs, although Bearon is only half the size of a show-quality pedigreed Great Dane. Bearon generally behaves well around other animals and children, but he can be a little too protective of his space and toys, so they recommend him only for homes where he'd be the only pet.

Azula from Decatur 


Being in a shelter for months, facing daily rejection, has made this great big fluffy cat a little wary of strangers, but she does like being brushed and admired. Her web page doesn't say whether her "secret crush" was on another cat. I'm guessing that means it was--and he's already been adopted.
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Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Petfinder Post: Glen of Imaal, Bassets, and Manx

Last week I asked whether it was Petfinder or Microsoft that was interfering with this web site's bringing you photos of adoptable Dogues de Bordeaux, or crossbreeds. On the Tuesday morning, it was Microsoft. By the Friday night...I'm seeing clear evidence that Petfinder is under attack by the control freaks who want to censor domestic dogs into extinction.


Like this little crossbreed. More about him below.

Speaking personally and frankly as a pet owner, my recommendation would be that people looking for a good pet expose themselves to animals of the species that appeals to them--friends' pets' puppies, kittens, etc., shelter pets, Petfinder features--and see for themselves that, even if they have preferences about size, color, and coat type, it's easiest to bond with a mixed breed. Given their choice, animals will breed out funny-looking dysfunctional mutations and produce healthy offspring. Not only will natural selection do this; animals who aren't forced or desperate will usually choose healthy mates who don't share any defective genes they may carry. Thus our Serena consistently rejected tomcats who showed the Manx gene until one winter when the only breeding male in the neighborhood showed that gene, and gave birth to a kitten who died from the effects of the Manx gene rather than, as usual, the Seralini gene.

(Having kittens is Serena's best chance, as a Seralini cat, to survive all the drive-by spraying to which we've been subjected. She has not been feeling well this summer. If she didn't have the Seralini gene I'd think she might be more comfortable being spayed; since she does have that gene I know she might not live a year after being spayed. Silver's still alive, but she's not the beautiful healthy cat she used to be. We've all been poisoned. With overtly, admittedly, murderous intentions. Why I think so little of the men who are currently alive may have something to do with the fact that one of them is trying to kill me, under the terms of a loophole that shouldn't be in the law, over a small patch of land that's not even arable, and I've yet to see any of the others doing one thing about it. Well...the one who might be expected to do something is over eighty years old and has been poisoned too. I expect online readers are at least leaning hard on all of your elected officials to close the loophole, making it illegal to use or sell "pesticide" sprays outdoors. They have been and are used to injure and kill human beings. I have some names. And if the busybodies gave a dahm about animals, they'd stop whining about dog breeds and focus on those poison sprays.)

Anyway, mixed breeds tend to be healthy and lovable and, if you're not obsessed with a specific breed's look, appealing to the eye. But that's only one side of the coin, here. As Americans we need to be concerned about censorship. We must never allow censorship to work in the way the people who demand it want it to work.

There are some breeds of animals whose look depends on genes that I'd agree should be bred out of the pool. Bulldogs? Absolutely. Manx cats? Totally. Sometimes the lethal gene can be bred out while the valuable traits that go with it, other than a freaky look, are passed down separately through a line of normal-looking animals. Serena's grandfather had a defective tail, but although the Manx gene is dominant, Serena is only a carrier; she has a normal tail. If the fathers of her kittens also have normal tails, and the Seralini Effect doesn't turn fetuses into mere self-cleaning mechanisms for the mother's body, the kittens will be healthy. Meanwhile Serena is an American Short Hair, if on the wide-framed side, known to have a Manx grandfather and a Siamese great-great-grandfather, and she has all the best features of all three breeds. It's worth getting to know crossbreed dogs, too.

But that's before the busybodies stomped onto the scene, screaming for suppression of any mention of the breeds they hate--even beagles (maybe they got some funding from Anthony Fauci?). Right. Until the busybodies have stepped forward to confess, repent, and atone, it would be a good thing for human society if people intentionally adopted dogs of those breeds. If the look is in fact dysfunctional, then adopting those dogs from shelters where they've all been sterilized anyway is a good option. 

Failing that, one can also adopt them from responsible breeders who sterilize the puppies who show the worst problem genes--the bulldogs who not only can't swim and have trouble breathing in hot weather, but also inherit heart or eye disease, e.g. 

Either way, the individual dogs may not live as long as dogs of different breeds born in the same year, but so long as they're not in pain, they can be valuable to society by making a statement about censorship. We can burn up the Internet with pictures and stories of what wonderful pets our beagles and corgis and spaniels are. We can show the would-be censors that interest in dog breeds rises when idiots squeal that they want newspapers to stop printing pictures of certain types of dogs. The censored newspaper have, I believe, already learned how much censorship is costing them. We all need to work to remove any possible pay-off from any kind of censorship.

In the case of dogs whose breeds are defined by defects, like the next breed on our list, the ideal thing would be to rescue the dogs from shelters. Free shelter space for other animals in need, and choose a dog who won't be adding any more problem genes to the pool to parade past a bossyboots' house every evening. 

Petfinder is trying, with this next breed...but people are sabotaging efforts to get these dogs neutered and adopted.

The first breed I looked up today was the Glen of Imaal Terrier. This is a small, somewhat defective dog that was first bred in a remote rural corner of Ireland. I had never heard of it before the name turned up on the list of breeds the would-be dictators want to render extinct. There are some obvious problems with the breed; few Americans are interested in it. I was surprised that Petfinder even had a page for it, but they have one.

Shelters and organizations associated with Petfinder have created a total of three pages for Glen of Imaal Terriers in search of homes in Washington and eleven in New York. And all fourteen pages are in aid of exactly two dogs. Both are crossbreeds. I was able to get a photo and web page address for the gray dog, shown above; his web page at 


...is likely not to work by tomorrow morning. Enemies of the US Constitution right here in the United States have tampered with most of the web pages set up to help these two lovable little crossbreeds find homes. Other pages for these two dogs didn't work. Some opened messages saying the pages did not exist. Some redirected back to the main page with all the mixed breeds, which I thought could probably be guaranteed an effective way to steer someone looking for a specific type of dog straight away from rescue organizations, running to a breeder. People yapping for censorship in the name of animals do not, in fact, give a dahm about the animals. They are all about control.

The Glen of Imaal Terrier has a look defined by a gene for a type of dwarfism. It's a full-sized dog on miniature legs. Short legs both reduce the efficiency with which terriers can dig and reduce the size of the tunnels they need to excavate to dig out rats and other nuisance species, so their overall effect on survival may be neutral. Nevertheless, to most people a purebred, truly typy GIT looks ridiculous.

A show quality GIT is a little over a foot high at the shoulder, weighs 30 to 40 pounds, and is likely to live ten or fifteen years. Most owners give these dogs full marks for affectionate bonds with the family, high marks for behaving well with children, and average ratings for relationships with other pets--terriers have been known to eat other pets who were smaller than the terriers. Tendencies to joint, eye, and neuromuscular diseases run in some bloodlines; responsible breeders will sterilize the dogs who inherit these genes and at least tell you what you're adopting. The coat needs brushing and the ears need cleaning once a week. (The American Kennel Club recommends buying a "grooming table" for a GIT; they don't recommend this expense with every breed.) Grooming is necessary to keep the coat from forming mats that harbor fleas; GITs don't shed much. They need frequent exercise but will flop down when tired, before those stubby little legs can carry them very far. For the first year puppies should be protected from jumping off furniture or going down stairs. They're intelligent enough to be easy to train, can be stubborn about training that goes against their instincts, and are not known for bonding with other dogs. All terriers are built to run and hunt differently than other types of dogs; few could run very far with a pack of hounds and collies, but the Glen of Imaal Terrier is sometimes said to be more independent than other terriers. I have seen homeless terrier and spaniel type dogs running in their own little packs. But some, not all, GITs attack other small dogs. 

Problem? GITs like to be with their humans. When they're left outside in a fenced yard, see something they want to chase, and burrow out under the fence, then there may be a problem for neighbors' pets and potentially for your GIT. If your dog stays near you or indoors where it can't get out, there should be no problem.

There aren't a lot of GITs in North America and there probably don't need to be more. There aren't a lot of the next breed on the list, either. Petfinder doesn't even have a listing for Grand Bassets, but it has plenty of Basset Hounds. We looked at them last spring. There are enough Bassets in shelters that we can look at them again. 

Bassets are also good-sized dogs on short stubby legs. And they have long floppy ears, which busybodies don't like. They are also prone to the delusion that they can sing, which your neighbors may not like. 

Since I found three cute Persian cat photos last week, this week I'll go with Manx.

Zipcode 10101: Tigress from Corpus Christi by way of Ridgefield, New Jersey 


Part Basset and part Labrador Retriever, Tigress is unlikely to be mistaken for any other dog. When that photo was taken she was not quite 6 months old and weighed 32 pounds. She's probably bigger than that by now and likely to keep growing. She is described as a sweet, gentle, affectionate pet. Neither Bassets nor Labs are known for cleverness, but she can probably learn basic dog etiquette if people are patient and gentle with her.

Cressida from Mississippi by way of Oakland 


Typical gray tabby Manx, Cressida likes to make up her mind about when or whether to snuggle, but when she lets her inner snugglebunny out to play she makes people feel loved. 

20202: Beau from Jarrettsville, Maryland


Have you seen a more classic Basset? This young hound is described as a sweet pet who needs some work--basic training, ideally with a better trained senior dog companion. He's prone to stray and needs lots of walks, with a double leash, to burn off his adolescent energy and a strong deep fence to keep him from being a nuisance. He does well with cats. He does not do so well with men or children. So he's not for everybody, but he'd be a great pet for some people.

Sasha from Herndon 


Sasha is available as a foster pet! She likes to take her time getting to know people. While she's getting to know you, you can get to know her, free of charge. If you can bear to part with her, you can help her find a purrmanent home. 

30303: Gelato from Carrollton 


This Basset-terrier crossbreed is just five months old--a friendly, bouncy, yappy puppy who likes going for walks and running up to the fence to greet other dogs. He needs someone who can discipline his enthusiasm without breaking his happy spirit. 

Jinx from Winder 


This cute, quiet, slightly shy kitten has no tail at all. If you love her, which you probably will, you'll have her spayed. She takes her time about deciding whom to snuggle up beside. If she chooses you, you will know you've been chosen. 
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Sunday, September 27, 2026

Has Petfinder Caved? Rare Censored Dog Breeds

We have been considering a list of dog breeds that some control freaks in England want to render extinct, demanding that dog shows stop admitting them, media suppress pictures of them, and so on. We have found some of those dog breeds, or crossbreeds, up for adoption on Petfinder. Since shelter dogs are not going to be reproducing in any case, the position of this web site has been that adopting these dogs is a good way to see firsthand whether breed characteristics are produced by dysfunctional genes (as with Manx cats and Araucana hens). While we might even agree that some genes should be bred out of the pool, we don't think it's good for control freaks to give them any suggestion that they can dictate to other people which kind of pets to keep. Advise, yes. Warn, yes. But not dictate.

So, moving down our list, I turned to Petfinder for information about the Dandie Dinmont Terrier. This is a small, long-back, stub-legged, long-haired, floppy-eared animal that does need special care from the people who think it is cute enough that they're willing to are for it. Few Americans do, in this case. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is a regional specialty in Scotland. Elsewhere there seems to be a consensus of opinion that having a terrier who can't be allowed to jump, climb, and dig, which are most terriers' favorite things, defeats the purpose. There was a Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club of America, once, but they've disbanded.


It's hard to imagine this ridiculous little fluffball being kept as a rat catcher in the Cheviot Hills, but so they were. Their dysfunctionally short legs made it easier for these terriers, who stand less than a foot high, to dig into prey animals' burrows. Walter Scott invented a fictional character, Dandie (Scotch for Andrew) Dinmont, based on a real man called James Davidson, who bred and loved these dogs. Scott's novels were bestsellers in the nineteenth century and created a market for Davidson's dogs, six of whom appeared in the novel Guy Mannering under their real names. The dogs were tough for their size and would dig out badgers and even otters, as well as rats and rabbits.

Apart from the obvious continual job of keeping the ears and coat clean, and the dog's difficulty in keeping up with anybody or staying sanitary on a walk, the main problem with Dandie Dinmonts was found to be their long backs. The dogs tend to try to bend their backs as if they were cats; their backs often fail to take the strain. Keeping a DDT alive for its rightful twelve or fifteen years means keeping it indoors, away from steps, and walking it only on flat smooth ground. 

This is generally a healthy breed when people help compensate for its physical peculiarities. It needs brushing and ear cleaning on a daily basis but is not especially prone to genetic diseases. Most owners rate their DDTs good with other children and animals. Most also consider them good watchdogs with a loud big-dog bark. Terriers are not the easiest dogs to train; they need patience. Though small, they can be dangerous to other pets as they aggressively attack other small animals. 

Next on the list comes the Dogue de Bordeaux. At least it's easy to see why this breed is not for everyone. Long-haired terriers look like stuffed toys to humans while having the instincts of miniature wolves. The Bordeaux Dog is one of the huge mastiff breeds. You can look at one and know that, despite their reputation as gentle giants, this dog will not be easy to load in and out of the car, take to the vet, or bathe. A show-quality Dogue weighs at least 100 pounds. And it has a bulldog-like face, too, with all the problems that entails. 


(All photos from the American Kennel Club.)

Genetic problems the Dogue de Bordeaux can inherit include bone and joint defects, susceptibility to cancer, heart disease, epilepsy, and a tendency to swell up, sometimes fatally, when they've eaten the wrong thing. They drool continually, allowing infections to form in their wrinkled faces. For their size they don't seem to have a lot of hair, but they shed a lot each year. They have to be well trained to be manageable at all. Their backs are not especially long, but may be damaged if the dogs are allowed to jump or run up and down stairs. 

They live five or six years, on average. Give or take three years. This means that, if someone does everything right for one of these dogs, it might die while only two years old.

Right. So I'm convinced that people should stop breeding Dogues de Bordeaux. To me it looks as if no dog should have to be that big and that ugly. Nevertheless,  although Petfinder has a page for these dogs (it does not have a page for Dandie Dinmonts), and that page theoretically lists five adoptable dogs in NY and one in DC, Petfinder refuses to open those pages. Maybe the control freaks think that seeing  a picture of a shelter dog up for adoption is going to make people open puppy mills just for the purpose of breeding more animals that look like steroidal bulldogs?

We should never reward control freaks by giving them what they want. I think it would be cruel to breed any more giant bulldogs. However, if for some reason other people want a Dogue de Bordeaux, the AKC page for each breed does have a list of breeders who are informed ab, out lethal genes and are conscientiously not breeding dogs with genetic defects. The best way of doing that is to sterilize purebred dogs with genetic defects and let them be adopted on the sort of terms shelters usually offer. If Petfinder is refusing to help shelters place these dogs, people might want to ask breeders about them. It may be not only more humane to adopt a neutered dog directly from his breeder, but also cheaper.

Moving down the list of dogs the busybodies hate, we come to French Bulldogs. This breed has the same problems American Bulldogs and, to some extent, even Dogues de Bordeaux have, except for the ones caused by being oversized. French Bulldogs are a miniature breed, standing about one foot high and weighing up to 30 pounds. They have the chunky build of American Bulldogs. 

At least Petfinder is not trying to prevent anyone seeing and adopting these dogs. What you need to know about the breed is that they can't swim--their distinctive body shape won't stay afloat when they paddle as all dogs instinctively do--and are genetically vulnerable to bone, heart, eye, and skin diseases. They don't shed much and need brushing only once a week, but their faces need careful cleaning and drying every day. Being small, they usually need only short walks and play sessions to keep fit. They have more trouble breathing in hot or humid weather than most dogs have, and should not be allowed to overexert themselves. They like food treats; you may have to warn people not to give them too many, because overweight will bring out all of those genetic medical issues and will aggravate snoring and flatulence. They like a good game and may do well in size-appropriate dog athletics. 

The cat breed most physically analogous to bulldogs might be Persians, but they're not often found in shelters. If I don't find Persian cats I'll pick Manx. Again. 

Zipcode 10101: Sunny from NYC 


Nobody knows much about Sunny but she has a French Bulldog body shape. 

Zipcode 20202: Porsche from Texas by way of Brookeville


Her other ancestors include Miniature Schnauzers. Porsche is a spring puppy who can give the right family fun and games and snuggles for years to come. 

Vanilla from Connecticut 


Abandoned by humans who suddenly left the US, Vanilla was given to the doorman with instructions to "throw her out." She had a hard time as a stray, not being built for survival, but she's been rescued now. They recommend some of the pricier brands of cat food--Purina Pro Plan not Purina Cat Chow.

Sezar from Fairfax 


Though rescued from what seemed to some people in Fairfax like a bad situation (some people in Fairfax have extremely high standards so it's important to ask them to define these terms), Sezar is said to be a cool, well-mannered cat who gets on well with people and other animals because he's a follower. They would prefer that he go to a home where the humans have experience brushing a long-haired pet every day. Some people in Fairfax can be so adorable. 

Zipcode 30303: Valley 22912 from Cumming 


...has a photo gallery. In some of his photos it's quite clear that he's a dog, but this picture, which made me think "Is it a dog or a piglet?", also made me smile. Valley has more than the usual share of problems for a French Bulldog. He is also deaf. His family will have to protect him from dangers a normal dog would hear and fear, like traffic. Dogs can learn sign language; deaf dogs can learn to do tricks in response to signs just as well as hearing dogs do in response to words. Valley is friendly, loves to play, and can play just a bit rough. He is not recommended to families with small children. He will always need a lot of protection, even from himself. 

Mason from Powder Springs 


He would have had a chance at the prize for best photo of a Persian cat in a shelter near Atlanta even if his hadn't been the only photo of a Persian at in a shelter near Atlanta. Mason is not very snuggly but solicits neck massages. If you are not an emotionally needy person, Mason is a well-mannered low-maintenance cat who might be the pet for you.
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Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Regular Petfinder Post: Dachshunds and Shorr-Haired Cats

This is Biscuit from NYC. See below.


I do know what got into me today. The cats have missed Wonder-kitten. Silver missed having kittens; she inherited the Seralini trait and most of her kittens seemed to be nothing but little bundles of excreted toxicity that nature never intended to live, and the first time she gave birth to living kittens who wanted milk she seemed to have some trouble starting the cycle, but she enjoyed nursing kittens. Most female cats apparently do. I think she's been spayed, without my consent. This year, either she's had more unpleasant glyphosate reactions due to being unable to sequester toxins in fetuses, or she's had more unpleasant reactions to something in "New Roundup," or maybe both. She's often looked as sore-eyed as Pastel used to look. She seemed miffed that Wonder didn't want to start a lactation cycle, and then, after he died, one evening she solicited attention and even snuggles, which she never does under normal circumstances, and I've not seen her since. Apparently Wild Thyme died by misadventure and Silver went off in search of kittens. If she can't have kittens of her own, knowing Silver, she's likely to look for another cat who has some and try to be that cat family's nursemaid. Social cats normally do rear kittens together. Normal cats may or may not understand.

I've missed Silver, but, docile though she is, she wants what she wants. She was delighted to be an indoor pet in winter. In summer, not so much. The alternative to letting her go out and endanger her life would have been to keep her, literally, like a caged animal in the house. As things are...if she finds a mate, or even a cat family that will have her as a nursemaid, she may want to move in with those cats' humans, and if not she may be able to remember the way home again. Or someone might recognize this little face, on what is now a middle-aged cat, and bring her home.


Silver is still small and slim, healthy weight eight or nine pounds; not particularly cuddly and not particularly gentle, but not aggressive, likely to sit beside a person or on person's knee with her claws out; usually very quiet and polite, not usually likely to overeat though she has a good appetite and eats quickly. If she looks bleary-eyed, sniffles, wheezes, or coughs it's probably a glyphosate reaction that will pass. She was treated for worms after living as a feral cat two years ago, responded well to treatment, but may have an additional, less common parasite problem--a vet would be able to tell from a fecal sample. She is a sensitive little animal who wants very much to be loved by other social cats. She accepts love and affection from humans, but it's just not the same.

Missing Silver, who neighbors think is roaming around in the woods, may have something to do with the fact that I became involved with what is apparently a routine event in two towns in California, the slaughter of pets who've not been adopted in one month. This shouldn't happen. I didn't want to believe it would happen if people posted about it on social media--but after "trending" in the middle of the night, the topic was overshadowed by more ignorance about Lindsay Clancy in the daytime. 

So there was that, when I was awake, and then there was the stage of a glyphosate reaction that involves narcolepsy, interference with both waking and sleeping, and probably kidney damage. I blame the brainfog on having gone out in the beautiful, cool, sunny morning to talk to visitors. Thought as well as movement, even typing, are taking place at about half my usual pace. It's now almost 10 p.m. and here I am finishing the post I should have had up here before 10 a.m. Anyway. Here are the usual shelter animal photos.

What's a Clumber Spaniel? you might be asking. The name was familiar to me from a short story by Eleanor Farjeon, in which a young man with few advantages in life wrote to a woman, "MY LOVE! I love you because you are lovely like my Pup." 


This is a show-quality "Clumber Pup." So Farjeon may have been saying that the girl was not what we would now consider very pretty.

Clumber Spaniels differ from other spaniel breeds in being thickset, short (up to 20" at the shoulder) but very heavy (55-85 pounds). This breed originated in England and has mostly stayed there. Clumber Spaniels do exist in the US, and Petfinder has pages for them, but no shelter in the Eastern States currently has one seeking adoption. They are a breed the Bossyboots of Britain do not approve of, probably because they have long hair and floppy ears.

So we move on to the next breed on the list of dog breeds the Busybodies & Nannies hate, which is Dachshunds, which are better known in the US. Dachshunds are the "sausage dogs" with the long slim bodies and short legs. There's a larger variety that stand up to 9" high at the shoulder, and a "miniature" variety up to 6" high. Not bred to be able to survive on their own, they appeal to humans because they're small and non-threatening. Like Chihuahuas, they can chomp, if they're driven to it, but they're not hard for a human to kill. If the human believed they needed to be killed, anyway. The normal human reaction to a Dachshund is to want to pick it up and cuddle it. Adult dogs usually don't want to be picked up and cuddled, but if they're Dachshunds they usually can learn to tolerate this behavior.

But a friend's Dachshund asked me to tell you that she would prefer that people let her sniff their feet and then throw something for her to chase. She has that in common with my non-cuddly cat Serena. She will snuggle beside her human and take naps, as adult cats and dogs normally do with friends of any species, but she is not a baby and does not want to be used as a substitute for one.

Small as they are, Dachshunds are indeed hounds--hunting dogs. The larger variety were bred to dig badgers out of their burrows, the "miniatures" to dig out rabbits. They are strong for their size, and heavy (the taller ones can weigh up to 30 pounds), and they can be stubborn. They can usually bark like big dogs, which makes them effective watchdogs. They can be reckless. They were bred to go into small places and kill and carry out animals as big as they are, or bigger. You want them to tell you when strangers approach, not get themselves killed by tearing into a sharp-hoofed deer, a man, or even a bear who persists in approaching. 

If they get enough of the right kind of exercise Dachshunds normally live 12 to 16 years. They may need help to maintain a healthy weight and avoid forms of exercise that might overstrain their backs.  Jumping or climbing stairs can be dangerous. They are generally healthy dogs but should be checked for heart and joint defects. They need exercise on the level; they prefer to be near their humans, are often happiest as indoor pets, but live longest if they walk outdoors regularly. They are most likely to pay attention to the noises humans make when they love and want to please thei humans; they don't like to feel that they've been bullied into doing anything. 

As a breed Dachshunds receive full marks for loyalty to their humans, good marks for good behavior with other animals and small children. 

Zipcode 10101: Biscuit from NYC 
[see above]


They think a Dachshund managed to crossbreed with a German Shepherd. Biscuit was picked up as a stray dog, but seems friendly and eager to be a pet (again?).

Moonshine from NYC


Though they think the person who put him in the shelter was unkind to him, and he's very wary about loud noises and sudden movements, Moonshine is said to be generally friendly. He wants to sleep on his human's bed and is said to meow to be let into his foster family's bedrooms, but "will stop after about twenty minutes."  

Zipcode 20202: Delta from DC 


Thought to be about 8 months old and part retriever, Delta currently weighs 18 pounds and is expected to grow to as much as 30 pounds. She's not fully trained; she's just a puppy.

Garbanzo Bean from South Carolina by Way of DC 


Seriously? The rest of the litter of kittens named after varieties of bean were cuter than that? I don't want to know. Anyway, this is the kitten who's remained unadopted long enough to be advertised in DC. Basic spring kitten story. To her former human family I say: if you could put that little face in a shelter, any cat who puts up with you probably deserves to be sterilized. Just do it. 

Zipcode 30303: Jazmina from Douglasville 



She's in a county shelter; they don't have much to say about her. I'm not sure why her best photo displays sidewise. Blogspot does not have a mechanism for fixing this.

Sailor Pluto from Chattanooga by way of Atlanta 


They think this one is a future Queen Cat with that way of staring at people before she decides to snuggle. There's also a "Sailor Mercury" whose distinguishing quality appears to be shyness. They don't insist on the two kittens being adopted together, but two kittens are generally easier to live with than one kitten...unless you have a young adult cat like our Drudge, who really seemed to enjoy reliving kittenhood with Wonder. 
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Petfinder Post: The Deadliest Shelter in California

Posting on social media, very late at night, can be dangerous.

I was up last night, being my own nightwatchman again. About 2 a.m. I finished an e-book on Book Funnel, deleted it, and clicked over to X to note that I now preferred to read e-books on Book Funnel rather than Kindle because on Book Funnel, when I've read a book and thought that one reading was enough, I just click on "delete" right there on my "library" page, whereas Amazon now requires us to open a new tab and click around on the Amazon page to delete books from Kindle. 

Wait a minute. What was on the "Trending" list? At 2 a.m., what people were tweeting about was a dog execution day in California.

California likes to claim it's a no-kill state, but actually it has two county shelters, in Modesto and in a little town called Apple Valley, where pets get three or four weeks, max, and then they're killed.

Today is the last-chance adoption day for several pets. 


This is Myrtle from Apple Valley. Myrtle is not scheduled for execution today but she has plenty to yowl about. 


Apple Valley's "browse pets" page is long. Cats and dogs of every description and a tame turtle and a pet pig. Apparently, according to the video a shelter volunteer posted, they're still kept in a traditional shelter arrangement. While the volunteer was trying to show how friendly one puppy was, all the other dogs were barking and howling, "Me! Pick me! No me!" in the background.

All overpriced, until the 15th of the month. Then many are available free of charge. Then the ones who weren't picked go to the gas chamber.

"Harvey" caught my eye. "Harvey" is a handsome dog with a black and tan coat, a mix of Doberman and German Shepherd. 

Beautiful breeds. 

Handsome dogs. Strong. Healthy. Clever. Good instinctive hunters. In the wild they'd go feral and devolve back into coyotes, but they'd probably survive on their own. 

They are of course good-sized dogs. They eat a lot. They can trot beside you for a few miles, and nobody's going to bother you during that walk, but you need to be fairly strong and fast to train these dogs to walk at heel. In the event of problems, including needle phobia, you also need to be strong to get them into a carrying cage ("crated") and deliver them to the vet. 

Harvey was apparently spared at the last minute in August, but not actually adopted, so he's on death row again this month. 

Nobody has said he's been anything but a good dog. Dobermans have a reputation for biting, and they can bite, if they want to, but when they're well kept they don't want to. 

So why has his picture been pulled off the "adoptable" page and, instead of being shared with other organizations in other States, is this reportedly well-behaved dog going to die tomorrow? I don't know. The shelter is in a small, even rural, sort of town and reportedly has room to hold a few dogs over for another month. But they just clear space by killing a lot of animals.

If you are in California, you may still have time to drive out and save a life. Before slaughtering these shelter animals they do offer free foster arrangements and, for some animals, free adoption, to people they consider "local." 

I saw "free foster" and posted that I'd foster a dog if they didn't find someone closer. 

California is a big State. There must be someone closer than I am who can at least feed these dogs for a month or two while advertising them to other people. 

I don't seriously imagine that any volunteer is going to drive or fly out to Gate City, to meet me (in the parking lot in front of Food Lion), check that I'm not on a list of animal abusers while I walk the dog around the parking lot, and deliver the dog to my front gate. But I'll do that, if they will, rather than let these dogs be killed.

Meanwhile, will everyone who can't foster a dog please share pictures everywhere. Tag everyone you know on every social site you use. Possibly, in addition to rescuing dogs, people will feel moved to set up better options for abandoned dogs in Apple Valley and Modesto.
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Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Petfinder Post: Chowchows and Domestic Short Hair

Next on the list of dog breeds that bother the Buttinskis of Britain is the Chowchow, often shortened to Chow, a breed of Chinese origin whose popularity peaked a few generations ago in the US. One reason may be that in the US "chowchow" also refers to a kind of seasoning sauce made of mixed pickled vegetables. Not everyone likes the relish and not everyone likes the dogs. 

The American Chowchow is a sort of Spitz-type dog bred to be mostly a watchdog. It is sturdy and chunky and solid, standing 17 to 20 inches high at the shoulder and weighing 45 to 70 pounds. There are fluffy-coated and smooth-coated types. Their life expectancy is 8 to 12 years. They are notoriously clean dogs, said to be as fastidious as cats, with little odor. They are known for having aloof, "dignified," "refined" personalities. 

Eye and thyroid disorders run in some Chowchow bloodlines. While responsible breeders work to screen out these genes, and the genetic joint disorders found in many pedigreed dog breeds, those who really want people not to be able to own dogs scream that it would be better just to let this breed go extinct. 

Even the short-haired Chows have dense coats and need a lot of grooming. The heavy lion-like section of fur around the head can become messy--and these dogs haaate when their coats smell bad and attract parasites, but what can they do? Humans have to clean their "beards" and "manes." 

Chows don't tolerate heat and humidity well, but they do need daily exercise. They can thrive in urban conditions as long as they are walked regularly. Living with lazy humans, they can become lazy too, become obese, and develop expensive, nasty diseases like diabetes. 

Typically intelligent but stubborn, this breed can be hard to train. They need patience and kindness. They are tough and strong, and should not be antagonized. They are valued as watchdogs--"nobody's going to break in and throw THIS dog a treat while he robs our house" is a claim people make. Even a Chow breeder coyly admits that while their male dogs usually take everything into consideration before they attack a potential threat, the females tend to "bite first and ask questions later." I understand that this breed description may be tempting to people who want to rid their homes of annoying relatives and Jehovah's Witnesses, but it can also perturb lawsuit-phobic landlords...If your property is surrounded by a fence with signs warning that your dog may bite, then in most states neither relatives nor Jehovah's Witnesses can sue. Your homeowners' insurance may still rise, because "dangerous dogs" have been known to bite "licensees" such as mail carriers who have some right to approach your home, and insurance companies will never let an excuse to demand more money go to waste. 

Socialists really, really don't like the idea of anyone having a right to protect their property. For people who don't think voting against Socialists is enough, owning a watchdog who won't be disarmed by petting or treats may be an appealing idea. But do consider how you plan to protect your friends' toddlers from a Very Serious Watchdog.

As family pets Chows rate four stars, having neither outstandingly good nor outstandingly bad records. They do recognize their humans' children, and they can be "fluffy teddy bears" for their humans' families. They're not known for having much sense of play or humor, though, and may teach children their boundaries the hard way. They don't have much patience for more playful dogs. They tend to be, to put it charitably, very dominant over other pets. They can learn to coexist with cats, but don't naturally like cats; they are one of the breeds known to kill and eat cats. In fact, since most Chows see themselves as leaders, they can be dominant even with their owners. 

Finally, because they're smart and stubborn and loyal and loving, Chows can be hard to adopt. They don't accept right away that they've been sold, or even "adopted." You probably want to spend some time getting acquainted before you adopt one. If it accepts you as its master, it may be a wonderful pet; if not, you may be sorry you brought it home.

In fact, if you adopt a Chow (or any Spitz-type dog) and love it, you may be tagged by the organization as a Spitzperson and begged at least to foster any other Spitzen who come to the shelter. Some people are delighted with this aspect of being Spitzfolk. You might want to give it a second thought.  

So Chows are definitely not for everyone. There are still a few of them in the United States, however, and occasionally dogs with some Chow ancestry can be found in shelters. For those who don't want these dogs to languish in shelters, here are links to what Petfinder currently shows as Chowchows and crossbreeds. Since most of these dogs are crossbreeds, our cat photo contest will focus on Domestic Short Hair cats.

Zipcode 10101: Nash from the Mexican Border by way of Scarsdale 


Real Chows have blue-black tongues, and see that tongue! He's just a spring puppy, so it's hard to be sure, but they think his other ancestors were short-haired terriers and his weight will stay at the low end of the "medium" range (26-60 pounds). 

George from NYC 


Just another spring kitten whose mother's humans were too lazy or cheap or ignorant to have her spayed. It's one thing to want kittens; it's another thing to let unwanted kittens happen. Anyway, he's a lovable little fellow who needs a good home with another bouncy-pouncy kitten, and at least one good-sized room where shelves are for climbing on and furniture is for hiding behind. 

Zipcode 20202: Sunny from Texas by way of Bethesda


He's from Texas too, but he has a ruff. Four years old, 65 pounds, Sunny loves children, other dogs, riding in the car, and playing in snow whenever he's had the chance. He does have a playful side. He likes long walks. He is absolutely not recommended to homes with cats.

Cookie from Fredericksburg 


This pretty Tortie would prefer (they think) to be adopted together with her solid black buddy, Pepper. She's already been scheduled for spaying in the next few days. She's just another kitten...stop me before I rant again.

Zipcode 30303: Ramen Noodle from Houston by way of Atlanta 


At 49 pounds, thought to be about 7 years old, Ramen Noodle was found wandering on the streets of Houston's Chinatown. He's available for adoption in New York, DC, or Atlanta actually, and in other places, through various "partner organizations." If adopted by people based in Atlanta he's eligible for a discount with a dog trainer there. He has behaved well when exposed to other dogs and children. He's not been exposed to cats.

Cheeky from Atlanta


What does it mean when a cat seems to be purring with delight, then hisses in warning? There are several possibilities. Cats can sustain brain damage from illness, anesthesia, medication, etc., so one possibility might be hallucinations. More likely, though, especially with a diluted orange cat, she's saying "Oh yes, scratch there, rub there--er, NOT there." Anyone who's ever wanted to leap up off a massage table and bolt, towel and oil and all, can relate. The organization are convinced that people who get to know this quirky little cat will love her. So much so, that they'll pay you to be her foster human for up to two months. If you want to adopt her, just save the money! Fostering means you agree to let other people meet and possibly adopt the cat--to forestall that, you'd simply pay the fee and adopt her yourself. 

Bonus Dog: Dallas from Johnson City (Tennessee) 


Taken in as a potentially dangerous stray, Dallas is an older dog who might have outlived his human. He has no criminal record but he needs a good home, from which he will not be allowed to stray on the streets.  

Bonus Kittens: Latte & Cappuccino from Johnson City 


Either they didn't set up a web page for Cappuccino, or someone has already adopted Cappuccino. The web page is all about Latte, but then it says she needs to be adopted with Cappuccino, but then they give no information at all about Cappuccino. Anyway isn't that a pretty diluted Tortie face?
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