I’ve heard it said that people eventually begin to look like their dogs!

I wouldn’t mind looking like Cindy. She’s such a cute little thing.

We are totally bonded!

Val

In the early hours of this morning, a burglar tried to get into our house. The burglar guards were too strong, so he tried to hook whatever he could find (unsuccessfully) through the window. Our brave pooches went into High Gear.

“There’s a burglar! There’s a burglar!,” yapped the little Toy Pom.

“WHERE’S THE BURGLAR? WHERE’S THE BURGLAR?” growled the Black Labbie.

The chap took off at top speed and disappeared back over our six-foot fence.

My Doggie Pals make great Burglar Alarms!

Val

I just read the most delightful book called Rufus Takes Charge by Peter Erikson from Cape Town.

It’s a collection of humorous episodes about a Pavement Special called Rufus and his Incorrigible owner, Oupa. Absolutely enjoyable. If you are a Dog Lover, you will enjoy this thoroughly. I couldn’t put it down and read the book in one sitting.

Muffin and Cindy come nowhere near in terms of being so funny and mischievous!

Just thought I would share that with you. I’m not sure where you can get the book, but if you email Peter I am sure he will be able to point you in the right direction.

Val Waldeck

I’ve been trying to train Cindy to sit and “wait” when I go out in my car. She happily does that for treats – but the moment my car gets to the gate, she sneakily runs at top speed and tries to beat me out the gate. Very trying!

This is for her own good. Why doesn’t she get it?

Reminds me of us sometimes. We obey God’s Word when it benefits us, but most times we rush ahead with our own plans anyway. His principles are for our own good. Why don’t we get it?

Val Waldeck

Our two pooches adore toys that squeak. They know how to squeeze them to get the most noise. Their eyes light up and they have such fun.

That is, until Cindy gets tired of the game. She knows exactly how to “operate” on the toys and remove the plastic bit that makes them squeak. Our house is filled with non-squeaky toys as a result.

So like us humans. How often we destroy the very things that bring joy and laughter in our lives. By our attitudes and critical spirits, we tend to stop the squeaks of delight we used to enjoy with our friends and families.

“Fathers, don’t aggravate your children. If you do, they will become discouraged and quit trying.” — Col. 3:21.

This goes for Mothers and Children, Employers and Employees, and Friends too.

How do we love people best? I believe it is by being KIND to them in all circumstances.

Val

(P.S. I lost my camera so no pix for the moment.)

Cindy loves paper and she LOVES scratching in my waste paper bin. She fills the floor with all the papers she can get her teeth into. Good thing I have a Home Office!

I think the Lord sent us Furry Friends to bring light relief, laughter and unconditional love into our lives.

No wonder the Bible says: “A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” (Prov. 12:11 NIV)

The godly know their animals are a Gift from the Lord.

Val Waldeck

(Cindy and Muffin don’t think much of it)

For a fee, a new service run by Atheists will place your dog or cat in the home of a Caring Unbeliever on Judgment Day

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

MINNEAPOLIS. MN (ANS) — Many people in the U.S. — perhaps 20 million to 40 million — believe there will be a Second Coming in their lifetimes, followed by the Rapture, says an article in BusinessWeek by Mike Di Paola, a reporter for Bloomberg News.

Atheist says Fluffy and Mittens will be safe on Earth when their owners go to Heaven.

Di Paola says: “In this event, they say, the righteous will be spirited away to a better place while the godless remain on Earth. But what will become of all the pets?”

Di Paola quotes Bart Centre, 61, a retired retail executive in New Hampshire, who says many people are troubled by this question, and Centre wants to help. He started a service called Eternal Earth-Bound Pets that promises to rescue and care for animals left behind by the saved.

Promoted on the Web as “the next best thing to pet salvation in a Post Rapture World,” Paola says the service has attracted more than 100 clients, who pay $110 for a 10-year contract ($15 for each additional pet.)

If the Rapture happens in that time, the pets left behind will have homes — with atheists. Centre has set up a national network of godless humans to carry out the mission.

“If you love your pets, I can’t understand how you could not consider this,” he says.

Di Paola says Centre came up with the idea while Cover artwork for The Atheist Camel Chronicles while working on his book, The Atheist Camel Chronicles, written under the pseudonym Dromedary Hump. In it, Centre says many unkind things about the devout and confesses that, “I’m trying to figure out how to cash in on this hysteria to supplement my income.”

Di Paola says that whatever motivates Centre, he has tapped into a source of genuine unease.

Di Paola writes that Todd Strandberg, who founded a biblical prophecy Web site called www.raptureready.com that draws 250,000 unique visitors a month, agrees that Fido and Mittens are doomed.

“Pets don’t have souls, so they’ll remain on Earth. I don’t see how they can be taken with you,” Strandberg says.

“A lot of persons are concerned about their pets, but I don’t know if they should necessarily trust atheists to take care of them.”

According to Di Paola, this paradox poses a challenge for Centre. Centre says he must reassure the Rapture crowd that his pet rescuers are wicked enough to be left behind — but good enough to take proper care of the abandoned pets.

Centre says that rescuers must sign an affidavit to affirm their disbelief in God — and they must also clear a criminal background check.

“We want people who have pets and are animal lovers,” Centre says. They also must have the means to rescue and transport the animals in their charge.

His network consists of 26 rescuers covering 22 states. “They take this very seriously,” Centre says.

One of Centre’s atheist recruits is Laura, a woman in her 30s who lives near the buckle of the Bible Belt in Oklahoma, and who prefers not to give her last name. She has two dogs of her own and has made a commitment to rescue four dogs and two cats “when — if — the time comes.”

“If it happens, my first thought will be, ‘I’ve got work to do,’” Laura says. “The first thing I’ll do is find out where I need to go exactly.”

Di Paola says the rescuers won’t know the precise location of the animals until the Rapture arrives, at which time they will contact Centre for instructions.

“I’ve got to get to [the pets] within a maximum of 18 to 24 hours. We really don’t want them to wait more than a day,” Laura says. A day she believes will never come.

Di Paola says Centre doesn’t think he will ever have to follow through on the service he offers. But he believes in virtuous acts. His Website directs about $200 a month in proceeds from Google ads to food banks in Minnesota and New Hampshire.

And to pet owners, he has already delivered something of great value: peace of mind, for just 92 cents a month.

“If we thought the Rapture was really going to happen,” Centre says, “obviously our rate structure would be much higher.”

ASSIST News checked out the Atheist animal rescue website which says on its homepage: “You’ve committed your life to Jesus. You know you’re saved. But when the Rapture comes what’s to become of your loving pets who are left behind?”

The Atheist website Eternal Earth-Bound Pets http://eternal-earthbound-pets.com/Home_Page.html says it “takes that burden off your mind.”

The website states: “We are a group of dedicated animal lovers, and atheists. Each Eternal Earth-Bound Pet representative is a confirmed atheist, and as such will still be here on Earth after you’ve received your reward. Our network of animal activists are committed to step in when you step up to Jesus.”

The site says Eternal Earth-Bound Pets is currently active in 22 states.

“Our representatives have been screened to ensure that they are atheists, animal lovers, are moral/ethical with no criminal background, have the ability and desire to rescue your pet and the means to retrieve them and ensure their care for your pet’s natural life.”

They currently cover the following states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North Carolina, and Georgia.

They say their service is plain and simple; their fee structure is reasonable.

The site says: “For $110.00 we will guarantee that should the Rapture occur within ten (10) years of receipt of payment, one pet per residence will be saved. Each additional pet at your residence will be saved for an additional $15.00 fee. A small price to pay for your peace of mind and the health and safety of your four legged and feathered friends.”

It goes on to say: “Unfortunately at this time we are not equipped to accommodate all species and must limit our services to dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and small caged mammals. [Please note: we can now offer rescue services for horses, camels, llamas and donkeys in NH, VT, ID and MT]

“Thank you for your interest in Eternal Earth-Bound Pets. We hope we can help provide you with peace of mind.”

An addendum says: “{Note: A portion of income generated from advertising on this site is contributed to community food shelves/food banks in Minnesota and New Hampshire}.”

This ASSIST News reporter is pleased to note that those ‘left behind’ in these two states won’t go hungry and the pets of those going to Heaven will be safe.

——————————————————————–
** Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent of ANS, is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael’s volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department — ‘Michael Ireland Media Missionary’ (MIMM) — of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649,at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can donate online to support his stated mission of ‘Truth Through Christian Journalism.’ If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please co ntact him at: A NS Chief Reporter

She got hold of some anti-cockroach chalk and started eating it. Fortunately, it made her sick and there was no harm done.

Just shows, what we put into our bodies affects us whether we like it or not.

And that specially goes for what we put into our minds and spirit!

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” – Proverbs 23:7

Entrancing Echo Ailsacraig (also known as Muffin) is now an official member of Facebook. She is sad because she has so few friends and invites everyone to become her buddy. She has some interesting things to say from a K9 perspective!

Muffin (formally known as Entrancing Echo Ailsacraig)

Cindy thinks this is great, but she also wants you to know that her owner does not speak for Muffin!

Cindy, Muffin's Good Friend

My Cat Doorstop Disembowelled by Cindy!

Cindy permits no competition, even if it is only a cat doorstop! This pooch is an adorable Destroyer.

Shouldn’t we be like that in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? He wants all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. No competition.