Public Service Announcement: Free Puppies?

I normally really don't often journal more than once a week.

Usually it about little journal meme's or status at the beginning or end of the month.

I feel this would be something to discuss. I had mentioned about this in a tweet about almost getting trapped in a scam. As I promised, I would discuss why. Hopefully you will avoid getting caught in this scam like how I was able to escape mine.

Have you ever find yourself looking to get a puppy & someone is planning to give away a free puppy to a good home. Is it too good to be true? I've learned it usually often is.

The story -

Unaware & I admit, a bit naive - I had been struck with puppy fever. Looking up - I had come across some ads of people wanting to give a puppy away for free to a good home. No strings attached. "Free? It's too good to be true." So I inquired further since they had left an e-mail. They promptly returned a reply, telling me about the puppies. I asked about their temperament, what their angle is on why they were giving them away & what kind of things these puppies ended up going through the past 12 weeks. All reasonable & re-searchable considerations considering I already have an 8yr old shih tzu/chihuahua mix to consider. The communication seemed to have been hit & miss ( which was the first mistake looking back at it. ). The person ended up moving to Cameroon for some noble cause ( which will be mentioned again later on why everything logically didn't add up ). Yes - this is a Cameroon pet scam. Long story short to this part of the story was ultimately - due to my living conditions - my pursuit had stopped & I had e-mailed them saying I couldn't take them.

A month later - my cousin was telling me about the loss of her dogs & how her mom was looking to replace them. I mentioned about my earlier pursuit & my cousin asked me to look into it. So I did ... I e-mailed asking - figuring there was no way someone would bypass the opportunity of getting a free puppy. They e-mailed me back promptly 'claiming' they still had them & that they would wait for me to provide info for shipping ( looking back, that also seemed to strange / convenient / too good to be true ). I provided the minimal information, my name, phone number & the airport ( never my address, no thank you! ) where I can pick them up, she said she'd set up for the flight & delivery along w/ food an provided crate for the puppies.

When everything was said & done, I waited for a phone call & talked to a representative. Everything was ready for them to be shipped ... one problem ... they needed 'special crates' to be sent due to 'weather conditions' & this would ensure their health & safety. They provided an e-mail & information for method of payment. Credit/debit would only allow a $1000 so their prefered method was through Western Union. It's convenient, no tracing & no option to get any money returned. This immediately raised a red flag -- the supposed free puppies now needed 'special crates' in order to be shipped. At first, I admit, I was considering on paying the fee but after some consultation, chat w/ other friends & advice ... I ended up going against this. I first asked my aunt, seeing if she as still interested - she said if they're now asking for money, it isn't worth it & it'd be nice to not clean up the dog's area for once. Other friends said to be weary & one friend told me how their parents worked for customs & these 'special crates' were a fraud. I e-mail / text contacted the owner explaining the situation in a nice manner ( not mentioning about my friend's parents who works in customs ) saying that my aunt & myself are uncomfortable fronting that kind of money without guarantee or proof of their safety & arrival. After all - if this puppy owner was already willing to put the money upfront for flight & delivery, what's a lil more money for these 'special crates'? Did I mention - these 'special crates' are refundable once returned to the company? Well they were - so the puppy owner who was giving them away would get their refund, why would I want to steal extra pet crates to begin with? The owner e-mailed me back, telling me they were notified of the situation & insisted since they went through the trouble for the flight & delivery that I should just pay the deposit cuz now magically - they have no money to provide these crates for these puppies. So - once I had the opportunity, I replied back, being nice & courteous, fabricated a story ( made sense since they had one too ) of why neither my aunt, my cousin nor myself would provide a 'special crate' fee for the puppies & that should get them from the shipping company & cancel their flight & delivery costs. It was an all or nothing ordeal I know but if she really is that desperate to send them back to the states - she would have made that happen.

( I'll list all the inconsistancies after re-evaluating the situation )

After e-mailing her, I ended up doing more research, finding out about the Cameroon Pet Scam ( thank you internet ) & found strikingly similar stories. Some were lucky to avoid this scandal - some, sadly were not. Not to mention I had input the person who was giving these puppies away - the e-mail was listed on prior ads last year.

This Cameroon pet scandal has been a more recent trend of pet scams.

Now looking back & having no reply & reassured this is indeed a scam - the following events of these interactions didn't add up & I fully realized me & my relatives were almost scammed out of money.

1. She claimed she was a local who lived within the area - when contacting about the puppies, she had ( magically ) recently moved to Cameroon on a medical mission helping folks w/ diseases & would need to ship them from her current location cuz the place she lives at 'doesn't allow pets'. ( it's either me or she basically this was summed down as a doctor doing mission work, her *&* her husband )
2. Inquiring the temperament of the puppies - the communication was clear but it seemed like there was a lot of misunderstanding communication. ( i mean really - if she was local - I think she'd easily comprehend very easy simple questions about the puppies ) She later changed the topic & basically said things that I would like to have heard ( they magically became super puppies! )
3. The sudden situation she wasn't able to provide money for a crate fee ( let's be honest - if both of them are doctors on a noble / mission work their initial payment & delivery *the price seemed a little low* & what's a little more money to ensure these puppies would make it safely & the money would be refunded to her. )

So what is the lesson learned? - If you're looking to get a puppy, do your homework of what kind of dog you're looking to get for w/ your current live in situation in mind. Always be sure it is not a scam of any sort. How? If they are local or live relatively near by - take some time, meet them. Make sure to ask if you can meet w/ not only the owner but meet the puppy too regardless if they're free to a good home or they're selling them. Find out the puppy's personality & temperament is good for your live-in situation & meet the owner to see where these puppies are coming from & why they are being given or sold away. Never-the-less, don't rule out checking animal rescues & animal shelters, they might not be young or cute or puppy fluffy like, you may find 'the one' there ... shoot it could even be as young as a puppy ( if you're that lucky & reluctant ).

I know these trends & scam have been around but being nearly close to having that happen to myself - it would be good to pass the word regardless of how well known or establish problem it may be. You never know that you may end up in some sort of situation like this too.

I'm Water ~

Stolen from YumiCatGirl @ deviantART

[ ] - Your mother has more than 2 children.
[ ] - You are a smoker.
[ ] - You drink a lot.
[ x ] - You like to write.
[ x ] - You are religious.
[ x ] - You like to burn candles.
[ ] - You prefer juice or water over soda.
[ x ] - You have ridden a horse.

TOTAL SO FAR = 4

[ ] - You have done drugs.
[ ] - You are currently a drug addict.
[ x ] - You are very artistic.
[ x ] - You like stuffed animals.
[ x ] - You are attracted to shiny things.
[ ] - You have eaten a bug before.
[ ] - You love cars.
[ ] - Cats are your favourite animal.
[ ] - You hate animals.
[ ] - You are spontaneous and random

TOTAL SO FAR = 7

[ x ] - You like fruit a lot.
[ x ] - You drive.
[ ] - You make / made good grades in school.
[ x ] - You are going / are in / have been to college.
[ x ] - You like for things to be very clean.
[ x ] - You are very messy.
[ x ] - You love to eat.
[ ] - Christmas is your favorite holiday.
[ x ] - You like the beach.
[ ] - You hate the color pink.

TOTAL SO FAR = 14

[ x ] - You wear glasses or contacts.
[ x ] - You chat online a lot.
[ x ] - You always use correct grammar.
[ x ] - You like to take quizzes.
[ x ] - You eat out at restaurants more than you eat at home.
[ x ] - You enjoy swimming.
[ ] - You have more than 5 pets.
[ ] - You have more than 10 pets.
[ x ] - You believe in ghosts.
[ x ] - You have seen a ghost.

TOTAL SO FAR = 22

[ ] - You prefer comedy movies over romance movies.
[ x ] - You like dancing, either doing it yourself or watching.
[ ] - You have been to a strip club.
[ ] - You drink coffee in the morning.
[ x ] - You like to be awake at night.
[ ] - You don't go outside often
[ ] - You love to read.
[ x ] - You believe in an afterlife of some kind.
[ x ] - You have/had short hair.
[ ] - You know how to cook well.

GRAND TOTAL = 26

Answers

[ ]0 - 1 = Mosquito.
[ ]2 - 3 = A weed.
[ ]4 - 5 = Daisy.
[ ]6 - 7 = Janitor.
[ ]8 - 9 = Goose.
[ ]10 - 11 = Rock.
[ ]12 - 13 = Fireman.
[ ]14 - 15 = Rose.
[ ]16 - 17 = Mouse.
[ ]18 - 19 = Cow.
[ ]20 - 21 = Rabbit.
[ ]22 - 23 = Mental Patient.
[ ]24 - 25 = Grass.
[ x ]26 - 27 = Water.
[ ]28 - 29 = Bat.
[ ]30 - 31 = Hippo.
[ ]32 - 33 = Wolf.
[ ]34 - 35 = Vampire.
[ ]36 - 37 = Horse.
[ ]38 - 39 = Hawk.
[ ]40 - 41 = Spider.
[ ]42 - 43 = Flea.
[ ]44 - 45 = Princess or Prince.
[ ]46 - 47 = President

CherBear's Aspirations: May 2012

Month of May begins - San Diego Comic Con countdown officially starts. Even though it is two months away, I need to start planning & getting my affairs in order with proper preparation. I know I can't get ahead of myself because Anime Expo is at the end of June, possibly AM2 too & I'm excited about that too. There's a lot to discuss about ever since April & my reflection plateaus.

AM2 - I know that is on the way, I have no idea nor the details behind it, it's still up in the air but we'll see

Anime Expo - I will at least be hopefully going for the weekend, catching the Masquerade once again & soaking in the scene. I haven't seen (if there's even any) what is on the agenda.

San Diego Comic Con - Plenty to prepare. Thankfully I am apart of one of the staff so I will be meeting up with the group for room assignments. Not to mention, need to get parking in order, prepare for guests to stay over, possibly refunding my initial tickets I had bought for this year. I know there's more that I'm missing but that's just some of the immediate thoughts in my head. Whew - just thinking about that & I'm getting tired, yet it hasn't even happened yet!

The patience of dog obedience training - well, further into my 8yr old shi tzu/chi's training. She been getting her cue's down a lil more. Trying to mix it up & keep her on her toes. In return, continued positive rewarding & new routines for her & I are now a more daily thing.

Artwork & projects - still in the works w/ careful planning & consideration. Hopefully I will be able to work on them while & when I can but priorities first. I'll be posting more of stuff I have done during livestream sessions.

Continuing w/ goal of moving on - it's a matter of seeing what will stick. There's plenty of ample opportunities ahead & hopefully they'll be much more promising than my current situation.

There is also my monthly anime meeting I'm looking forward to, mother's day is coming up as well, not to mention other things such as birthday celebrations & everything in-between. Plenty to do & all while watching Legend of Korra & seeing where this series will be going. May ahoy!

CherBear's Reflections: April 2012

It feels like an unproductive month to say the least...in terms of artwork & everything due to real life circumstances that are taking priorities first. I won't delve into that too much but other than stressing over the little things due to the fact I have every reason to stress over the little things in the first place. There's been good & bad things that happened this past month though but I am taking things in stride & trying to keep a happy outlook on life.

I'll perhaps elaborate more if feelings allow me to do such. So let's see...

I've reached a plateau of realization that I need to move on from my current position & not dwell over the past 4 years of my life due to a hard tragic loss in my life. I admit, I got a little too comfortable & stayed stagnant by choice because life was consistent the past 4 years w/ unforeseen possibilities that maybe, just maybe life would get a little difficult & that would not be by choice or be within my control by any means. I miss the little things such as freedom to make choices w/o having to answer to anyone, move about a living area as I please -- in short, having roommates can be a bit cumbersome. Oh no...don't get me wrong, they're good company & fulfill a part of loneliness in life that can effect any person but prior to when living somewhat alone it was nice to abide by my own rules, set my own circumstances & have that kind of freedom to do as such -- a little selfish of me? Maybe ... but can you necessarily blame me? I'd like to think no. So hence, this unproductive month has strive me to find something to better my life situation where maybe, just maybe I can find what I lost long ago -- if it means slowing down on my initial passion, so be it...like I said in a tweet not too long ago -- I miss my sketchbook.

In the in-between of this search & artwork projects, I've embarked on a little challenge. Ever since my remorse of not claiming those two adorable 12 week old pugs (and now finding 2 4 week old pugs), I refocused my efforts on my 8yr old shih tzu/chi mix -- short story, prior owner & circumstances have accumulated about 4 years of bad habits, some neglect & common day to day daily routines that have been instilled into this pup that I have unknowingly inherited since living here. She's grown a strong pack & attachment mentality w/ us for some strange reason over everyone else in the household. Her prior owner comes by on occasion but they've already moved on, having adopted a new puppy who in their eyes is smarter, trained & well behaved & disowned their prior w/ harsh criticism & feeling their last dog was to say kindly, a failure. A rescue of some sorts w/ this now 8yr old shih tzu/chi mix, I did my fair research & challenged to see if this pup who's well into her middle age years & see if she can outshine her half sister that has replaced her. Not only is this for myself & my 8yr old pup, but for future reference of personal satisfaction of whether or not, foreseeing future pups under my care are cared for & trained properly. Rest assured, this isn't excuse to replace a need of having a kid but I personally see this as an achievement of a short term goal. On the note of kids? A pleasing thought but something much later down the line whenever I pass this plateau. How is the training going so far? About two weeks into the method of clicker training the 8yr old pup - sit, lay down & stay  are works in progress but have been proven to gotten through to her & I try on a day to day basis depending on weather, to reward her by going out on short walks.

Joys - I'll sum these up as much as possible.

- I've been adamantly watching Legend of Korra, 4 episodes in & I have liked where this is going so far. Regardless of the nay say & those who are, as I'd like to say 'core' Avatar: The Last Airbender fanatics who dislike this follow up, I've appreciated the progression of 70yrs down the line after Aang's story played through & how it focuses on this generation's pending problems & plights the main female protagonist Korra is going through. Though it is early on - its fun speculating the possibilities & inter-relating it to ATLA series & where this is going.

- Desktop: Is up & functioning. My friend who originally built my desktop finally had some time to come over to install the power supply that had died out on me. Thankfully it was just only the power supply & it didn't kill anything else on my desktop. With funds being tight I'd hate to solely rely on my laptop.

Other than that, celebrated a family relative's birthday - saw some other family I hadn't seen in a while. Saw more family too. Enjoyed Easter. After a somewhat 1 month long hiatus on Audition, myself & Milo had come around to see how things are even though a good majority of us have been running around Azeroth, smashing things up.

Woes - I'll sum these up too.

Other than the plateau of where my life is at, funds have been getting tighter too so the attempt to better the situation is a work in process & seeing where it sticks.

Buyer's remorse on 2 12 week old puppies that are free to go to a good home & now finding 2 4 week old pugs that are free to go to a good home & can't claim'em.

Desktop is acting funny but being clever I'm fixing the situation (thank you laptop for finding online solutions).

Anyways, a positive outlook on May & the countdown to San Diego Comic Con starts now.

I'm 36% Furry

From YumiCatGirl @ deviantART -- 

[ ] you meow/bark to get attention (trololol, like a fat cat XDDD)

[ ] you find pets toys amusing

[ ] you get hyper by the smell of catnip

[x] you growl/hiss when someone gets too close to your food

[ ] you growl/hiss when someone you dislike is too close to you

[x] you purr/shake your leg when someone shows you affection

[ ] if someone tosses a ball, you chase it and bring it back

Total: 2

[ ] you love to be scratched behind the ear

[x] you love fish/meat

[ ] you like to stick your head out through the window of a moving car (The wind  Btw-it feels good to stick your feet outside too :3)

[x] you like when people pet your head

[ ] people can make you stop doing stuff by hitting you on the nose with a newspaper

[x] you think feathers are fun to play with

Total: 5

[x] you sleep a lot during daytime

[ ] you enjoy scaring birds

[ ] you lick peoples faces to show you like them (No XDDD)

[ ] you bite people if they annoy you

[ ] you tend to steal food from your friends/family's plate when you have eaten all of yours (Heehee >:3)

[ ] milk or water is your favorite drink

Total: 6

[ ] you own a collar and you enjoy wearing it

[ ] you own a leash and enjoy wearing it

[x] you own animal ears/tail/paws or a fursuit

[ ] you enjoy long walks in the park

[ ] you meow/bark when you see something you want

Total: 7

[ ] you call your hands and feet "paws"

[x] you tilt your head when you do not understand what someone is talking about

[ ] you run to the door when someone mentions a walk

[x] you really enjoy cuddling (Waaaaah <333 X3)

[x] you stretch your body and whimper a bit every morning when you wake up

[x] you can wake up and go back to sleep right away after looking around

Total: 11

[ ] you have your favorite spot besides your bed where you like to sleep

[ ] you meow or bark very often (I make a lot of weird noises when I get scared and I enjoy meowing like a fat cat XDDD)

[x] you hide when you get scared

[ ] you run to the door to see who it is every time someone comes in to the house

[ ] you like to chase flying insects and try to catch them with your bare hand

[x] you tend to chew on stuff a lot (Heehee ^^'')

[ ] you like to do tricks to get a treat

Total: 13

[x] you own a wearable item/tag with your name on it

[x] you refer to yourself as an animal (We humans are animals DDD)

[x] your username has something to do with animals

[x] your e-mail has something to do with animals

[ ] if you get a bleeding wound, you lick it to make it feel better (The wound feels better and blood tastes good :3)

[ ] you look for edible stuff often

Total: 17

[x] you often find yourself looking through the window for a long time

[ ] you like to say hi to strangers

[ ] you like to be petted when you have done something good

[ ] people think you act like a pet

[ ] you growl/hiss at stuff you do not like

[ ] you like to eat grass

[ ] if you get wet, you shake to get rid of the water

Total: 18

Final total: 18

Take your score and multiply it by 2

Put your title as "I'm _% Furry"

A road to recovery

So I hadn't been posting nor doing much for the past four days - unfortunately feeling weak took its toll this month. I ended up resting & recovering. It doesn't help that even tho I'm still in the midsts of it but it doesn't help that I'm stressed too with a lot of things going on in life that may potentially have me stop drawing altogether since real life priorities come first too.  Even though I am starting to feel a bit better now, I'm getting back to my usual routine while trying to get my life priorities fixed since I can only do so much.

Other than that, with the status on my dead desktop - I scrounged up money for a new power source & I hope that's the only thing that needs to be fixed. I don't think I have much more to do any additional upgrades.

Unfortunately - I've been bitten by puppy fever again. I just find cavaliers & pugs just absolutely adorable. Not to mention corgis as well. Don't get me wrong, I adore my 8yr old shih tzu / chihuahua mix but I think it'd be nice if she has company since she can no longer have puppies. Oh well - on top of my very limited time schedule, I should just pro'ally bite my lip & see if I can manage to obedience train her properly.

Last but not least - I ended up luckily catching the new world premier of the Legend of Korra. Two episodes in & I'm intrigued to see where the creators are going with Korra. I shall continue to eagerly watch every Saturday.

CherBear's Aspirations: April 2012

Greetings! Here comes April -

Personal thoughts:

I've been going through buyer's remorse. Still reminiscing on obtaining to adorable pug puppies (for free), basically everything you can possibly ask for (potty trained, spayed etc.) but my landlord is I guess...against it. Why? Cuz I already have a 8yr old shih tzu/chihuaha mix (that  had somewhat was inherited to me) & my reasonable / logical thinking is 1) my 8yr old is still young & energetic enough to teach & mother them before she gets too old to be apathetic & slothy (like what happened w/ a prior pomeranian & pug). Rest assured, I would've dedicated my time to train all 3 of them cuz they would be my responsibility (not to mention my idle status). I mentioned it to a few other folks & they're like 'dude, that's a really good deal & opportunity.' considering people sell these puppies for like $150+ a piece (yes, I know, the *right* thing to do is to adopt from an animal shelter) & I'm thinking in the back of my head '...gee y'think?' The main question is, do I do the right thing & abide to the decision or do the wrong thing & just get them anyways? Eh, I'm torn but I think it's just a matter of the fact folks saying it's a good deal & opportunity so hence the buyer's remorse? Or is it some sort of other buyer thing ... either way. I *know* this is a golden opportunity that I won't run into again. I guess I should try to convince myself that this is for the best.

Another deal is that big lottery jackpot that 3ppl won. Granted, yes, there's the horror stories of one should never win the lottery due to the hazard & effects of it afterwards but it doesn't hurt to dream (not to mention pay off debts & fully dedicate myself into my  artwork) but I think that's more of a yearly thing w/ those golden opportunities. Who knows, maybe I may be lucky & get the opportunity to fulfill that dream (and get those pugs!) & not worry so much 'bout money issues.

--

Artwork projects:

I'm perhaps pushing some of my ongoing stuff to figure out a neat little celebration card for Redbana. It is always fun to participate in these kind of things cuz it gives me a chance to output my creative side & the slight plausibility of winning something out of it. Other than that, I'm slowly trudging through the rest of my requests & posting them when I can. Thank you for your patience & understanding considering of all the weird & unfortunate laptop problems I had suffered that delayed a lot of my work.

Eventually -- I would like to go through with my collaboration story/comic with Milo once we figure out the last of the kinks. I'm already gathering a small feedback group to read the story & make any suggestions. So far, it's been all positive & progressive with some of the people I have discussed 1 on 1 about.

Livestream is usually every Saturday, depending on this Saturday, I may hold it really late or really early depending on how things are. (I won't be talking this time around...sorry!) As I promised last Saturday, I will be taking requests (all sketches).

--

Anyways, I continue to look at this month with a positive outlook & with Easter coming around - we all realize, oh dear ... it's spring?! Ciao for now!