These pictures really do make one say, “Awwww!”  Here’s my favorite from Buzzfeed:

This makes me miss our old cat Phyllis.  From petfinder.com,

Cocoa is a gorgeous white kitty with one eye blue and the other amber. This little miss is just 12 months old (5/19) and has been spayed, and she tells us she’s anxious to find her forever home. She can’t wait to meet you.

I’ve never been to Michigan! Cocoa could be worth the drive!

Aw. So cute!

We have a bluebird box near our house and for the first time, baby bluebirds!  It’s exciting to watch the parents bring them food.  I also enjoy watching the squirrels try (and fail) to get the bird seed from our feeder.  I adore just listening to the wind, the birds, the outside sometimes.  Like Hugauga,

The Rabbit was there. I think of him as THE now, i.e., the same little fellow. He is submerged in the green grass and white clover. The rain is brisk. I find myself wondering if Rabbits ever have colds or respiratory problems.

I love Rabbits. They know how to disappear just by standing still. I think of them as “role models”, in that way. Be present, but not be seen…

Yes sometimes it is necessary to be present, but not seen.

Photo from Living the Country Life.

During the dog days of summer – and in some places NOW since summer already seems to be here – protecting your dog from the heat needs to be a top priority of pet owners. A good rule of thumb is if you think you would be uncomfortable in the heat, so too would your dog!

Aimee of 4 The Love of Animals gives great advice,

• Dogs, like people, should not be out in the heat of the day without proper shade and adequate water.
• Dogs can get sunburned, especially on the nose, ear tips and any spots with exposed skin.  Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going out in the sun with your dog.
• You can trim your dog to be cooler in the summer, but do not expose their skin.  Do not shave your dog’s coat, because it can lead to sunburn and skin cancer.  A dog’s coat actually provides insulation from the sun and heat.

Remember that it’s not just dogs that can be affected by the heat, but horses, cows, goats, cats, and other domesticated creatures.

I don’t know what’s funnier – the guilty look on the guilty dog’s face or how the other two dogs look at him!

The U.S. Forest Service staff of Colorado’s White River National Forest have a little bit of a problem – actually a pretty big problem times six!  There are six dead bovines in a log cabin and they can’t drive a vehicle in to dispose of them because it is a protected area.  Their solution is simple, albeit gruesome.  From MSNBC.com,

But on Thursday, a crew set out with a solution: saw off the pieces and then dispose of them in nearby woods in Colorado’s White River National Forest, outside of Aspen.  … The team includes employees of the rancher whose cattle apparently got stuck in the cabin last winter and then were too packed in to get out.  They’ll be using a “Wyoming Saw” — which looks like a beefed up hacksaw.

Hikers and other outdoors enthusiasts are being asked to stay away from the area because the cows may have attracted predators to the area.