Dogs, the final solution

is perhaps the final solution. An unusual .22 centre fire cartridge made in the US by Remington with no USofA weapons to chamber it.

It was used in a tiny pistol made in Liege, France, called the VeloDog for cyclists ('velo' in French) who were being chased by Dawgs. Should be the VeloChien. Now a much collected item.

I should add that the origin of the name is disputed by many but it is a nice story.

You gotta be kidding me! This is the stupidest thing I've ever seen. Here's some excerpts from thier website: "Believe it or not, no matter how happy you dog may seem now, it's true that he is still a slave to you. You will feel even better once you decide to let your dog rediscover his/her ancestral roots. Dogs never want to leave the island once they experience it, so you will not be able to have your dog again."

"Dogs should live free, dogs should live lives unfettered by humiliation due to forced public defecation and having to walk on a leash. The main point is to let your dog walk you. A good way to remember this is to keep your hands in your pockets. *Note, some owners have complained at feeling embarrassment and sometimes even mockery from fellow humans. That's why we will throw in a complimentary Dog Island T-Shirt, which will provide all the defense you need. The front of the shirt reads "Yes, my dog is walking me..." and the back reads ..."But I'm freer than you are!"

Here is what they say about vacationing on Dog Island: "Vacation Island, on the other hand, is very very expensive. It is only for rich people who have that kind of money to spend. This is the only way to visit the island with a dog and still come back with your dog. Your dog will cry as the helicopter takes you and him away from the Island, but his memories will live forever, and you will have helped pave the way to a better future. We apologize to not offer this to poor people but it takes an enormous amount of money to afford this type of beauty. If you are very rich, and think you might want to visit the island, please email RichVisitor@TheDogIsland.com"

And here is a few other dopey excerpts from their site:

"Every now and then some dogs gang up and kill and then eat another dog, but this is just natural, and it's okay for it to happen now and then, but normally this is not the case."

"Teach your dog to be tough. Buy a BB Gun and get your dog a stuffed raccoon."

"The dog food your dog has gotten used to is such crap you have no idea."

"The weather is BEAUTIFUL on the Island so shelter is not really an issue. Dogs LOVE hurricanes, too, which we recently discovered!"

I think these people are nuts! This whole concept is totally whacked out in my humble opinion. Cindy Lou

Though I am a dog lover this idea brings to mind a short story by Truman Capote I read years ago: This rich lady is cruising off the Italian coast with her crippled son. She asks the crew to drop her and her son off to spend the night on this island. As it gets dark she is carrying her son towards the beach through the waves and she hears this deafening screech that sounds like millions of rats.

Back on the yacht the crew talks about stories they had heard of the island being inhabited with rodents. Of course they didn’t believe the tail.

A few years ago we moved to another house, and threw out a number of things that we left in plastic bags in the front of the street for pick-up by the municipality the next day.

Within hours, the bags had been torn to shreads, rummaged through, and a trail of garbage occupied the area for about a half city-block length. To this my wife commented "there are two aspects to contend with in Nicaragua, the dogs and the people. Sometimes I am not sure which is worse."

Dogs do what dogs do and we all understand that. Feed and train a dog and you have a dependable friend for life. So far my feeding and training of locals has been somewhat less predictable. (Yes, John, I got bit AGAIN)

It seems a gringo male in Nicaragua needs: a constant friend (dog), a verbal outlet in English when Spanish gets too much (Nica living), a slew of willing women but no commitments, a slew of drinking buddies for some drunken fun.

In other words, I moved here from Texas and nothing whatever has changed. No wonder I feel at home here.

I am in the market for a lab or a german shep or a samoid. If you want a drink "Mi refri es su refri". My new years resolution is to find a drunken bilingual woman. or two. I think I'm finally starting to understand this wonderful country.

Couldn't believe this is for real,they claim your dog stays there for free but they nail you big time whenever you go visit him, anyways I think this is totally absurd