Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter They are mysterious and elegant creatures who only pretend to be domesticated by humans. They are not unquestioningly compliant like cattle or sloppily subservient like dogs. They are independent. Cats relate to people—tolerate them really—on their own terms. A cat will do as it pleases, when it pleases, …
Read
Category:Pets
Kickass and the Chickens
Attribution: Kolforn (Wikimedia), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in stressing the importance of respect in trans-species relationships, even the one between humans and chickens. It is doubtful that chickens will ever work out the deal that dogs have, whereby humans take chickens for walks and …
Read
Kickass and Animal Waste
Attribution: Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, in his post- Father’s Day musings, recalls how his farmer father and all like him were necessarily burdened with the job of disposing of great amounts of animal waste as a major part of their earthy …
Read
Kickass and Species at War
Attribution: Kaleiteen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, tries to help the keeper remember how humans in their grand conceit think of themselves as the most advanced species as they devote their greatest energies and resources to killing each other with unimaginable weaponry and viciousness, and have been doing so …
Read
Kickass and the Balcony Horse
Chrisu, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsBy Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, sympathizes with the keeper for having mismanaged the Vista West balcony where he and Phyllis reside by allowing it to be taken over by messy sparrows, and having evicted them, now experiences a sense of balcony loneliness. One possible remedy was offered in …
Read
Kickass Takes a Day Off
Edralis, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, ever anxious to add to the world’s vast store of knowledge, shows that this is how a dog, and the keeper, take a day off………….. Top Dog Tips Photo by Bill Stokes See more at… The Bill Stokes Author Page
Kickass as a Puppy
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, approves of what might be considered a premature settlement of the keeper’s reincarnation issue since he is not yet in the reassembly process. But based on Phyllis’s over-the-top reaction to the unexpected visit by Maria and her Cocker Spaniel puppy there is no doubt …
Read
Kickass and Visiting Dogs
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in encouraging younger family members to use this blah time of the year to visit their elders, and to bring the dog along. Mike, Sarah and Jessie brought Boo–the command schnauzer, with them yesterday, and a very good time …
Read
Kickass and Winter Dog Walk
Dan Bennett, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, hears the pitiful whimpering of all the pampered couch dogs on this first day of real winter–snow falling and ice covering everything, and the-go-for-a-walk leashes coming out: “What about the cat! She gets to do it in the house! How fair …
Read
Kickass and Dogs in Heaven
Petful from New York City, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons http://www.petful.com By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper’s acceptance that there are those among us who speak of departed dogs waiting for them in heaven, but he is not sure that explains the following message which was recently delivered to him …
Read
Kickass and Saturday
Peter Paul Rubens , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in having no doubt that the creation story clearly designates Sunday as a day of rest, but is less clear about just what to do about Saturday, it being the day when Adam and Eve were created …
Read
Kickass and Ron and Bear
Photo by Rawan Yasser on Unsplash Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper happened to see parking lot action involving fellow Vista West resident Ron and two young women that he—the keeper did not understand at the time to be a final hand-off. Later he shared an elevator ride with Ron who commented matter-of-factly that …
Read