> Ani-mail Post@ Animal Designs February 2005
>
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> 1. What's New
> 2. Pet Journals
> 3. Featured Item
> 4. Elephants Saved Tourists From Tsunami
> 5. Drawing and Fun Stuff
> 6. Comments-Questions-Suggestions
> 7. How to Unsubscribe
>
> ** HAPPY VALENTINES DAY**
>
> 1) WHAT'S NEW
> We want your opinion!! While entering your name for
> the monthly contest would you please take a few
> moments to express your ideas for improving Animal
> Designs. It can be about the website, products,
> fabric patterns/styles, or any likes and dislikes.
> We do listen so that we can continue to make your
> shopping experience the best it can be. To submit
> your ideas and enter your name for the contest go
> here: www.animaldesigns.com/contactus.htm
>
> 2) PET JOURNALS
> For two years, I have been one of eight who has
> served as a volunteerfacilitator for a pet-loss
> support group held at the Seattle-King County Humane
> Society. Our coordinator was being given special
> recognition at the annual meeting, as she stepped
> down from over nine years of dedicated service. I
> wanted to be there for and with her! Beyond that, I
> had read in their newsletter of the opening of a
> brand new cat room which I HAD to visit! It is
> similar to one my husband and I visited last year
> where we found Mikey, our youngest kitty. To a cat
> person, and to cats, I believe, it is the closest
> thing to Cat Heaven. Several cats are selected for
> pre-adoption, spending their time with each other in
> an area far superior to a caged confinement.
> Besides having each other around and all the
> potential ownees (notice that I didn't say owners)
> to pet them and play with them, their food, water,
> litter boxes, climbing and resting areas were all
> there to be shared. What a neat way to prepare
> these kitties for their new homes! Sliding the glass
> door to the left and stepping in, there I was among
> seven or eight cats. My husband, Jim, showed me a
> large, long, tabby kitty. There was a feisty one in
> a basket, and a white cat with pink ears (sounds
> like a description of a bunny to me), but when I
> touched it, it was all cat! As we were making our
> way toward the door, a young dark tabby thought it
> might be a good time to wander out. Sorry, kitty.
> We headed him in the other direction and snuck out.
> Yeah right! That young cat knew what we were up to.
> He'd try again later with someone else -- perhaps
> go home with someone! Oh yes! The annual meeting
> and dinner! We hurried to our places and were so
> proud when our friend received her award -- a
> beautifully framed copy of "Rainbow Bridge", which
> is special to our pet-loss support group. The
> theme for this year's annual meeting was cats.
> After all, the Humane Society staff wanted us all to
> know that they indeed were not"dogcentric." Our
> keynote speaker was Anne Gordon, who has trained
> cats for films and television, including "Homeward
> Bound."Training cats? I didn't think those two
> words could be arranged in the same sentence! Not
> only did she explain how cats can be trained, but
> she brought her cat, Raider, to show us just how it
> was done. We were shown how the promise of a reward
> could be given by using a clicker to reinforce
> improved behavior, and when the desired behavior
> occurred, the primary reward, food, of course, was
> given, only when accompanied by a buzzer sound.
> Cats are trained to respond to certain sound stimuli
> so that multiple trainers can be successful. Raider
> responded to sit and stay commands (no, she really
> wasn't a dog) and waving and finally putting her paw
> around a glass as if she might carry it with her.
> It took several reminders for us not to applaud or
> laugh loudly, since Raider worked best in a quiet
> environment. Cats having their own minds as they
> do, even Raider occasionally did her own thing. It
> was explained to us that several cats are used for
> anything from a short commercial to a full-length
> movie since cats cannot be depended on for doing
> what they're told even after being well-trained.
> More than one Sasha in "Homeward Bound?" More than
> one Morris? It's true. Certainly it was amazing
> to learn just how trainable cats can be, but fear
> not, if you have cats that would never make it in
> the movies, you're not alone.
> www.petwarmers.com
> We all have stories that we like to tell our
> friends about our pets, so send us your favorite
> "tail", and we will select one each month to
> feature in our newsletter.
>
> 3) FEATURED ITEM
> Keep your tea warm with this handcrafted cotton
> padded tea cozy. It is washable and adjustable to
> fit most teapot sizes or it can be custom made to
> fit your own teapot. Makes a great gift or
> addition to your collection. See the many pattern
> choices and select yours today at:
> http://www.animaldesigns.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv
>
> 4) ELEPHANTS SAVED TOURISTS FROM TSUNAMI
> Agitated elephants felt the tsunami coming, and
> their sensitivity saved about a dozen foreign
> tourists from the fate of thousands killed by the
> giant waves.
> "I was surprised because the elephants had never
> cried before," mahout Dang Salangam said on Sunday
> on Khao Lak beach at the eight-elephant business
> offering rides to tourists. The elephants started
> trumpeting -- in a way Dang, 36, and his wife
> Kulada, 24, said could only be described as crying
> -- at first light, about the time an earthquake
> measured at a magnitude of 9.0 cracked open the sea
> bed off Indonesia's Sumatra island. The elephants
> soon calmed down. But they started wailing again
> about an hour later and this time they could not be
> comforted despite their mahouts'
> attempts at reassurance. "The elephants didn't
> believe the mahouts. They just kept running for the
> hill," said Wit Aniwat, 24, who takes the money from
> tourists and helps them on to the back of elephants
> from a sturdy wooden platform. Those with tourists
> aboard headed for the jungle-clad hill behind the
> resort beach where at least 3,800 people, more than
> half of them foreigners, would soon be killed. The
> elephants that were not working broke their hefty
> chains. "Then we saw the big wave coming and we
> started running," Wit said. Around a dozen tourists
> were also running toward the hill from the Khao Lak
> Merlin Resort, one of a line of hotels strung along
> the 10 km (6-mile) beach especially popular with
> Scandinavians and Germans. "The mahouts managed to
> turn the elephants to lift the tourists onto their
> backs," Kulada said. She used her hands to describe
> how the huge beasts used their trunks to pluck the
> foreigners from the ground and deposit them on their
> backs. The elephants charged up the hill through the
> jungle, then stopped.
> The tsunami drove up to 1 km (1,000 yards) inshore
> from the gently sloping beach which had been so safe
> for children it made Khao Lak an ideal place for a
> family holiday. But it stopped short of where the
> elephants stood. On Sunday, the elephants were back
> at work giving rides to the tourists on whom the
> area depends. German Ewald Heeg, who said he came
> from a small town near Frankfurt, said his charter
> company had offered his family -- wife, two
> daughters and one of their boyfriends -- the chance
> to go straight home, but he had turned it down. "Our
> family is OK so we stay here to make our holiday,"
> he said. "Today, we make a safari. We go by
> elephants at first, then we make a boat trip.
> Adapted from the Animal Radio Network
> http://AnimalRadio.com.
>
> 5) DRAWING & FUN STUFF
> Congratulations to Cheryl L...the winner of the
> pawprint polar fleece scarf. February's drawing is
> a pawprint flexible brim cap. After entering your
> name, check out the rest of the fun page at
> http://www.animaldesigns.com/trivia.htm Thanks to
> Jo G.. for this month's pet photos of
> Lady,(dachshund))and Sami Sue,(a vervet monkey).
> Stop by and see these inseparable friends. We want
> to honor your pet next month, so send us a copy of
> their photo either by email or snail mail.
> January's question was: Do you and your pet make
> new year resolutions? The total results were: Yes,
> made a pawprint deal (45%), They're already perfect
> (34%) No, couldn't agree on any(20%) and other (1%)
> with a real cute other "We shook Paws on It".
>
> 6) COMMENTS-QUESTIONS-SUGGESTIONS
> A recent question we received was "I just love your
> paw print monthly prizes. Can I order any of the
> items? Yes, any of the monthly prizes can be
> ordered. We will gladly make one just for you.

> As always, we appreciate your comments, questions
> and suggestions and we've provided this link for
> sharing this newsletter with your friends.
> http://www.tellafriends.com/p?id=2247 Thank you for
> taking the time to tell your friends and family
> about Animal Designs. It is the ultimate compliment
> and we greatly appreciate it.
>
> All the Best,
> Jeanie
> Animal Designs
> www.animaldesigns.com
> 1.866.468.1739
>
>




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