Animals
My Cats and the Escape Artist
We have two cats, Lord Harry S. Plushbottom, an 18-pound ragdoll who goes by “Harry,” and a nine pound black cat, Cayman Last, known as Cayman. (My daughter’s last name is Last and should Cayman outlive us, he will become a member of the Last family.) Harry is gentle, slow moving, and is content with […]
New Burro Arrives Just In Time for Bowling for Burros
Horses of Tir Na Nog welcomes Harlie, a new burro to the ranch, just in time for their annual Bowling for Burros fundraiser. Her two friends, Corey and Carolita, two older grey mares, accompanied Harlie. “All three of these equines were part of a County of San Diego Department of Animal Services case involving an […]
Attracting Backyard Birds with Mike Matherly
At its first meeting in 2020, Mission Hills Garden Club was entertained and educated about what we could do to encourage birds to visit our yards. A long-time member of the Audubon Society, Mike Matherly is well versed about birds. As he took us through his slide show, he knew what species was singing in […]
Grooming, Not Just For Looking Pretty
By Salvador Gomez, head groomer at VCA Hillcrest Animal Hospital One of my primary roles as a pet groomer is to make pet owners aware of certain things we experience with your pets. In some cases, our findings are life saving. One day I was grooming a dog and came across a new, mole-like growth. […]
There’s a New Dog Detective in Town
A dog named Willow is helping law enforcement in the ongoing fight against child predators. The sixteen-month old yellow Labrador works, in partnership, with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, the San Diego Police Department, and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. As a K-9, Willow has a unique distinction: she’s the […]
Grooming Pets for the Holidays and Year-Round
It’s around the holidays that we sometimes focus on making sure our pets look their best. And, to make this possible, I spoke to two animal groomers who are passionate about their work and truly enjoy their customers, cats and dogs. Salvador Gomez is the head groomer at VCA Hillcrest Animal Hospital, located at 246 […]
Celebrate Fall at Horses of Tir Na Nog
Celebrate the horses and other animals that call Horses of Tir Na Nog home at the annual Fall Celebration from 11 a.m. to noon, Saturday October 12 at Horses of Tir Na Nog and Rancho Samataguma, located at 26930 Old Hwy. 80, Guatay, CA 91931. Guests are invited to visit with the horses and then […]
Lions. Tigers, and Bears, Oh, My!
Jodie Cavenaugh organized one of our best field trips ever for the Mission Hills Garden Club. We visited Lions, Tigers, & Bears, a sanctuary in Alpine for rescued exotic and abused animals. We boarded a very nice bus in front of the nursery. Several of us brought grandchildren who were old enough to behave completely […]
Old McDonald Had a Farm
An elderly stallion, a llama, a donkey, a goat, and a turkey all arrived at Horses of Tir Na Nog on Saturday, August 10. Animal Services, as part of a large neglect case, rescued all of these animals. As a result of medical concerns, they had been transferred to the care of Horses of Tir […]
Birds, Birds, and More Birds
Last March my grandson (Nic) and I went to the San Diego Bird Festival, an annual event put on by the Audubon Society at the Marina Village Conference Center. Nic and I attended three of the scheduled presentations. The first was a talk on the parrots of San Diego given by Brooke Durham. Our local […]
