World Animal Day Blog Hop

Choices, choices…I love animals (here's a guest blog post with pictures of my fur babies), so signing up to join the World Animal Day blog hop was a no-brainer (be sure to visit this hop stop for an explanation of what World Animal Day is). The brain-power part came in to play in trying to decide what to blog about. Favorite animal? Favorite books featuring animals? Favorite movies featuring animals? Favorite cute animal picture? Ahhhhhh—too many options.

So, in the interest of my sanity and the fact I’m feeling a little…SQUIRREL!...wait, was I saying? Oh, yes, blog post topic...today, I present you with: Terri’s Mixed-Up Mash Up of Random Favorite Animal Things.

Favorite Animated Comic/Shorts Featuring Animals
simonscat

Hands down, it has to be Simon’s Cat. The funniest/best part of these shorts is the noises the cat makes—makes me laugh every time. Whoever does the sound effects for these deserves some kind of award.

Favorite Humor Book Featuring Animals
frenchforcats

Hands down, I have to go with “French for Cats” by Henry Beard. The one liners are funny enough, the illustrations make them hysterical, and somehow, then saying it in French makes it laugh-so-hard-I-cry funny. I don’t know why, but everything is funnier in French.

Favorite Animal-Related Childhood Toy

bunbun

If you ever read "The Midnight Folk" by John Masefield or "The Dollhouse Caper" by Jean S. O'Connell (or watched Toy Story), then you know that our toys come to life when the humans' backs are turned. Bun-Bun, being a stuffed animal, is of course, doubly magic - as evidenced by the fact that she is more than thirty years old (and other than her fur being a bit dull and worn, is in pretty good shape!). Bun-Bun only ever spoke "rabbit" (everyone knows, of course, that rabbits say "me-me") but still managed to evince all the best traits of rabbits...er, which, apparently, are faithfulness and courage (who knew?).

Favorite Song Featuring Animals

AtTheZoo

At the Zoo by Simon and Garfunkel - I mean, how can you not love a song that has the lyric, "And the zookeeper is very fond of rum?!"

Favorite Stand Up Comedy Act Featuring Animals

emophilips

This is a tie between Animal Square Dance by Emo Philips (an oldie but goodie—starts out so sweet and fun and then quickly turns dark (and hysterically funny!)) and Shakespearean The Three Little Pigs by John Branyan (this has me rolling on the floor every time!). And yes, this is a picture of my sister and I with Emo Philips...and yes, he's just as cool in person as he is on stage!

Feature T.V. Show Featuring Animals

It’s Me or the Dog! I don’t have cable, so every time I stay in a hotel that has animal planet I’m glued to the t.v., watching this show. I’m both horrified by the out of control behavior people put up with from their animals and the amazing change that Victoria is able to work. I have learned so much from this show and I’ve been able to use many of this techniques myself in working with cats and horses.

Favorite Video Featuring Animals

staceywestfall

Hands down it’s Stacy Westfall’s 2006 championship AQHA Congress Freestyle Reining run—bridleless and bare back! This is the most amazing riding I’ve ever seen—it really qualifies as art. Even if you don't know the least little thing about horseback riding, you can't help but be amazed by the rapport between horse and rider and the skill of both--without a bridle, the only way the rider has to communicate what she wants to the horse is leg and seat commands (which is no small feat, let me tell you!). The video is made my poignant by the fact the Roxy (the horse) died recently.

Favorite Hobby Involving Animals

riding may2009 001

Hands-down, horseback riding!! No question!

Okay, well, hopefully that gave you all a laugh, and maybe introduced you to some new animal-related enteratinment. Now, in all seriousness, I would like to close this post by highlighting three of my favorite animal charities. These places do wonderful work and if you have the opportunity to visit them, then please do so - it’s SO worth the trip. These places could not do what they do without support, so please, today of all days, consider making a donation—in any amount—to these great organizations or one of your favorites. And please, spay or neuter your pets.

Serenity Springs Wildlife Center, Silver Springs, CO
serenitysprings

This place is AH-MAZE-ING! My husband and I visited this big cat sanctuary in 2007 and have never forgotten it. The educational tours are incredibly informative and definitely made me look at big cats in a whole new light.

Kisma Preserve, Tremont, ME

kisma

This small preserve, just outside of Mount Desert Island (home of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park) is a small treasure. My husband and I try to stop here at least every other year during our annual anniversary trip to Bar Harbor. Kisma preserves a safe haven for a wide array of abused, neglected, and abandoned animals, including big cats, primates (LEMURS!), and reptiles.

Lucky’s Legacy, Epping, NH

LuckysLegacy

This is a fairly new (to me, anyway) animal rescue organization, but I went to their open house in the late spring/early summer and was very impressed with what I saw. With a caring and committed core of volunteers and staff, this organization is doing what it can to help the growing number of horses in need.

Before you leave....

Be sure to enter the World Animal Day $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY!

And

Enter to win this fabulous Goth Bunny Journal (blank journal for writing!

To enter (alas, Rafflecopter is not being my friend today, so we'll have to do this manually):
1. Leave a comment below and include your email address by midnight EDT, October 4th
2. I'll give you an extra entry if you tweet about this giveaway (include the URL of your tweet in your comment)

I'll draw one lucky winner on Friday using random.org, and contact you via email for your mailing address.

Be sure to visit all of the other stops on the blog hop!

Terri Bruce is the author of Hereafter, a contemporary fantasy about a woman's search for redemption in the afterlife. Terri has been making up adventure stories for as long as she can remember. Like Anne Shirley, she prefers to make people cry rather than laugh, but is happy if she can do either. She produces fantasy and adventure stories from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats.

HEREAFTER: Thirty-six-year-old Irene Dunphy didn't plan on dying any time soon, but that’s exactly what happens when she makes the mistake of getting behind the wheel after a night bar-hopping with friends. She finds herself stranded on earth as a ghost, where the food has no taste, the alcohol doesn’t get you drunk, and the sex...well, let’s just say “don’t bother.” To make matters worse, the only person who can see her—courtesy of a book he found in his school library—is a fourteen-year-old boy genius obsessed with the afterlife.

This sounds suspiciously like hell to Irene, so she prepares to strike out for the Great Beyond. The only problem is that, while this side has exorcism, ghost repellents, and soul devouring demons, the other side has three-headed hell hounds, final judgment, and eternal torment. If only there was a third option…

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