SEPT10  2017

JANINE'S DONKEY DERBY---  WHAT A DELIGHTFUL SCREWBALLED IDEA--  IT WAS A  SMALL REALLY BIG DEAL.....HOW BIG???THERE WAS ONE FAMILY-- ABOUT 4 CARS-- WHO SET UP A BBQ  TAILGATE EPISODE WHICH WOUOD DWARF MANY TAILGATE PARTIES. AT FOOTBALL GAMES..  NO ONE BUT JANINE COULD HAVE PERSUADED THE PRESTEGIOUS MYOPIA HUNT TO ALLOW A BUNCH OF DONKEYS EVEN ON THE PROPERTY.. YET THERE WAS MO.... CAREFULLY PARADING AROUND   CARRYING A RED COATED HUNTSMAN WITH A 3 FOOT LONG BRASS HORN TO CALL TEH RACERS TO THE POST...99 % OF THESE EQUINES WERE RESCUED BY THE EQUINE RESCUE NETWORK  --ERN---  

THE EPISODE STARTED WIHT A LOVLEY BLACK HORSE GALLOPING IN  A HUGE CIRCLE WHILE THE RIDER DISPLAYED THE  AMERICAN FLAG.... AFTER WHICH JANINE EX[LAINED THAT HORSE WAS  BATTERED UP SKIN AND BONES AND DECLARED UNRIDEABLE A YEAR BEFORE WHEN JANINE  INADVERTANLY RESCUED IT... FOR   30 CENTS A POUND--- NOW  BEAUTIFULLY  TRAINED AND RIDDEN BY A YOUNG GAL, IT WAS A SPECTACULAR TEAR JERKING  OPENING... TH E MODE WAS NICELY RESET BY  MO-- STRAIGHT OUT OF  PLOWING THE FIELDS IN AMISH COUNTRY- WITH THE SCARS  ON HER SHOULDERS TO PROVE IT- WITH THE RED COATED  RIDER STRAIGHT OUT OF CURRIER AND IVES.  THE INTELECTUAL FACT THAT WAS  AMAZING WAS... IN FRONT OF HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE, IT WAS MAYBE THE FIRST TIME MO HAD EVER  HAD A PROPER SADDLE ON... AND HAD BEEN RIDDEN ONLY A COULE TIMESS HERE AT THE FARM... AND THERE SHE WAS..  CAREFULLY PICKING HER WAY AROUND IN FRON T OF ALL THOSE PEOPLE INSTEAD OF BUCKING THE GUY OFF IN A HEAP.  MIND YOU SHE  DIDN'T REALLY STEER TOO WELL.. THAT WASNT NECESSARY  

ALL THE DONKEYS WERE PARADED IN FRON T OF THE  "PATRONS TENT"  AS JANINE INTRODUCED THE HISTORY OF EACH.. SOME STILL LOOKING LIKE THEY HAD NOT BEEN IN  PROPER CARE FOR VERY LONG... OUR BUNCH WERE VERY RESPECTABLE-- EVEN TEH VERY SKINNEY MRS.HARL,

THE RACES WERE RUN IN "HEATS"  -- SOME PEOPLE HAD OBVIOUSLY CHEATED BY PRACTICING AHEAD OF TIME...  RUNNING ALONG IN FRONT OF A DONKEY WITH A BUCKET OF GRAIN....  THERE WAS ONE KID IN A FULL CARROT OUTFIT TRYING TO GET HER DONK ACROSS THE FINISH LINE.  EACH DONK HAD 2 HANDLERS AND A FLY SWATTER -  

I HAVE TOLD YOU ALL BEFORE... A FRIGHTENED DONKEY STANDS STILL  AND A FRIGHTENED HORSE RUNS... A DONKEY HAS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON BEFORE HE/SHE WILL MOVE MUCH... THEY ARE CAREFUL-- HORSES ON THE OTHER HAND DO THE  OPPOSITE.. THEY PANIC AND RUN- THERE WERER A BUNCH  OF MINI HORSES THERE ALSO RESCUED- NOW  INCREDIBLEY FAT- WHO RAN THE COURSE AT FULL SPEED..

 THE CROWD-- AS CROWDS CAN OFTEN THINK... THOUGHT THE HORSES WERE WONDERFLYLLY OBEDIENT RACING AROUND... WHILE  THE DONKEYS WERE BEING STUBBORN... IN ACTUAL FACT THE HORSES HAV E A MINDLESS WAY OF REACTING TO THINGS.. WHLIE A DONKEY HAS TO THINK ABOUT STUFF. A CARLENE QUOTE " YOU CAN'T OWN A HORSE FOR A MONTH  WITHOUT HIM CUTTIN HIMSELF ON SOMETHING.. AND I HAVE HAD DONKEYS ( ALOT OF THEM) FOR 40 YEARS WITHOUT A SCRATCH..."  SO AS THE SHOW WOUND DOWN, AND PEOPLE WER JUST STANDING AROUND  DRINKING WINE AND TALKING... THERE WAS OFTEN A DONKEY  JUST STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GROU[P.. YOU COULD NOT DO THAT WITH HORSES-- WITH ALL TEH CHEERFULLNESS GOING ON AROUND THEM... A HORSE WO ULD HAVE TURNED ON CIRCLES AND DRAGGED THEIR OWNER ACROSS THE FIELD.. WHE ALL THOSE DONKEY-- MANY BEING HELD BY A CHILD OF 4 YEARS OLD.. JUS T STOOD AROUND VERY RELAXED..  THERE WAS NOT ONE KID HOLDING A HORSE.... HORSES WERE PROMPTLY TRAILERED.

I HOPE THAT POINT WAS NOT MISSED ON EVERYONE...  YOU COULD NOT DO WITH HORSES WHAT THOSE DONKEYS ACTUALLY DID-  JUST PROVIDING AN UN COMPLICATED FUN AFTERNOON WHILE BEING ALLOWED TO CAUSE THEIR HANDLERS TO  LOOK  INEPT?  ??

I HAD ONE EAR OPEN FOR ANY "ANIMAL RIGHTS"  PEOPLE WHO MIGHT THINK- CARRYING A FLY SWATTER WAS ABUSIVE... NO... TEH DONKEYS WERE NOT THE SLIGHTEST BOTHERED BY THE FLY SWATTERS...   HOWEVER  THEY MADE THE PEOPLE LOOK VERY STRANGE.  

IF ANY PEOPLE WERE  REALLY THINKING.. I WONDERED HOW THOSE FLY SWATTERS LOOKED COMPARED TO THE WHIPS CARRIED IN THE NORMAL HORSE RACE...  WHY CARRY WHIPS IN A HORSE RACE?    WITHOUT WHIPS ONE HORSE WOULD CROSS THE FINISH LINE BEFORE THE OTHER... WHY ARE THEY NEEDED?  GOOD QUESTION.

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GOING BACK TO  THE DOGS ??

 HAD ANOTHER  PANIC'D PHONE CALL LAST NIGHT-  I WAS ASLEEP... 8PM ISH...  - THAT IS 3 NIGHTS ON A ROW.....  AND NOW THAT I HAVE HAD  MORE SLEEP I MIGHT CONSIDER BEING MORE REASONABLE... BUT I DID SAY ONE MORE NONSENSICAL PHONE CALL AN D I WAS GOING TO SWITCH  OFF THE PHONE AND THROW A TOWEL OVER THE CAMERA...  I DON'T WANT TO DISCOURAGE ANYONE FROM  CALLING IF THEY HAVE DISCUSSED IT WITH THE GOUP OF EXPERIENCED CP'S--A FIRE IN THE BARN IS AN OK. PHONE CALL..... A BIRD IN THE BARN IS A BIRD IN THE BARN.

WE TRY AS BEST WE KNOW HOW TO RAISE EVERY ANIMIAL WTH ALL CARE AND CONSIDERATION... HOWEVER I NEED MY REST OR THE WHOLE THING COLLAPSES.. I LIKE MY SLEEP AND FOOD... AFTER THAT I CAN WORK.

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AN INTERESTING THING ABOUT THE DONKEYS... IS THAT THEY HAVE A LOT OF THE SAME  CHARACTISTICS AS A GREAT DANE SERVICE DOG... YOU DON'T  (EASILY) TRAIN TRICKS TO A DONKEY-- AND THEY ARE BORN TRAINED IF YOU DON'T WRECK THEM TRYING TO GET THEM TO BEHAVE LIKE A HORSE.

 ENJOY WHAT THEY HAVE TO GIVE -- THEY ARE ALOT LESS STRESSFUL THAN A HORSE .. BECAUSE WHEN TEH SH1T HITS THE FAN, THE FASTEST ANIMAL OVER A 30  MILE  COURSE IS A DONKEY-- AND  THE CROSS COUNTRY RACE OF SEVERAL HUNDRED HORSES AND ONE MULE... WAS WON BY THE MULE....  TORTOISE  AND THE HARE???

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DEAR CARLENE ~~    PLEASE DO PUT TOGETHER A VIDEO OF THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF SDP'S DOG TRAINING.  IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT!  YOU HAVE FIGURED OUT A WAY TO GET ENORMOUS DOGS TO BEHAVE IN A WAY THAT MAKES THEM A JOY TO BE AROUND.  AND THE BEST PART IS THAT THEY SEEM REALLY HAPPY ABOUT IT ALL.

PLEASE DO THIS!   I THINK THE WORLD NEEDS IT! 

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I AM THINKING 

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PIXIE AND I HAD A GREAT TIME AT THE CASINO AND SHE DID WONDERFUL. SHE WAS SO WELL BEHAVED AND ALL THE STAFF AND THE PEOPLE JUST WHERE BEYOND THEMSELVES WITH HOW WELL MANNERED SHE WAS WAS. IT WAS A FUN TIME. WE PLAYED SOME GAMES AND PLAYED BINGO AND LUNCH AND DINNER. 
IT WAS A BIT CROWDED IN SOME PLACES AND SHE WOULD STEAL ME OUT OF THE CROWDED WAYS TO A LESS CONGESTED AREA TO WALK.
 PIXIE SHOWED OFF HER SKILLS OF IGNORING MISBEHAVED DOGS. I WAS SO APPLAUD THAT A OFFICER HAD TROUBLE KEEPING HIS K9 DOG UNDER CONTROL. THE DOG WAS YANKING AND PULLING HIM AND NOT OBEYING HIS COMMANDS. PIXIE LOOKED AT ME, LOOKED AT THE WILD BARKING DOG AND LOOK AT ME AGAIN GOT UP TIGHT TO ME AND CARRIED ON WITH HER JOB. SHE SHOWED THEM HOW A WELL TRAINED DOG ACTS. I HAD A STAFF MEMBER STOP ME TO COMPLIMENT ME ON HOW SHE WAS BESIDE HERSELF WITH HOW PIXIE HANDLED THE SITUATION AND KEPT ON WITH HER JOB AND STILL MADE SURE SURE I WAS SAFE. SHE WAS SO IMPRESSED.
PIXIE WAS MY SHINNING STAR