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SOCKS THE CAT tm FAN CLUB NEWSLETTER
and BUDDY'S BUDDIES -- ISSUE #20 -- Autumn 1998
© 1997, Presidential Socks Partnership, Inc.
703-920-5193 -- fax: 703-521-6157
email: SOCKSTHECAT@WORLDNET.ATT.NET
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6157
For a free copy of SOCKS THE CAT NEWSLETTER,
please send your name and address and two 32-cent stamps to:
SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB, 611 South Ivy Street, Arlington VA 22204-2429
WELCOME TO SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB
by SOCKS FAN CLUB President Jay Jacob Wind, Arlington VA

      Welcome to SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB! We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter. We cover White House news from a cat's-eye view. Please note that some of our articles are copyrighted and used by permission, so please contact us before reprinting. Send us articles and letters by US Mail or send us e-mail at
      SOCKSTHECAT@WORLDNET.ATT.NET  We may reprint any articles, letters, photos you send us.
      You can join SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB / BUDDY'S BUDDIES. Every member gets a SOCKS FAN CLUB or BUDDY'S BUDDIES t-shirt, button, membership card, and the next newsletter. You can also choose many other SOCKS FAN CLUB and BUDDY'S BUDDIES gifts. We donate 10% of everything we earn on SOCKS gifts to Humane Society of the U.S. and Children's Defense Fund and 10% of everything we earn on BUDDY gifts to Children's Hospital in Washington DC.
SOCKS THE CAT'S BOOK CLUB

      Inside-The-Beltway authors Jon Mathis and Mary J. Shomon recently published Scratching the 'Net: Web Sites for Cats (Andrews McMeel Publishing). This funny book features more than 80 parody "home pages" of cats, celebrities, companies, and culture icons you'll undoubtedly recognize:

  • The Internet search engine Yamew
  • The online cat health site Hairball
  • Software giant Micro-fuzzy-n-soft
  • Major newspaper The New Yowl Times
  • Online bookstore Siamese.CAT
  • Talk show maven Opurrah
  • Tabloid newspaper the National CuriousCat
  • Radio therapist Dr. Laura Pussinger
  • Newsgroup site Deja Mews
  • The Publishers Clawinghouse Sweepstakes
    Their parody websites use "Netscratch Navigator" in the ".CAT" domain. You can join the fun at http://www.Scratching-the-Net.com.
    Their parody of THIS website, "Socks-Web," is particularly funny.
    It's at http://www.scratching-the-net.com/sample2.htm.


SOCKS TO VISIT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

      Once again this December, SOCKS will visit the National Children's Medical Center (Children's Hospital) in Washington DC.
      The actual date will not be announced until December, but last year's visit was the Friday before Xmas. Last year, SOCKS "worked the crowd" in the first floor atrium from 9:00 am to 10:00 am, while the First Lady visited very sick children upstairs.
      Then, at 10:00 am, SOCKS went back on his leash when the First Lady arrived downstairs, and several children's musical troupes performed. They danced and sang while the First Lady and sick children, many in wheelchairs, cheered and applauded. Finally, at 11:00 am, the First Lady sat with SOCKS and read stories as several children came up to greet her, to play with SOCKS, and to ask them both questions. SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB NEWSLETTER hopes to cover their visit once again this year.


Dear Socks The Cat Fan Club,
    Did Buddy really bite a Marine helicopter pilot and the bite required stitches? If so, who was it and what were the circumstances?
    -- K.J., Arlington TX
Dear K.J.,
    I am afraid it's true.  Here is the story from the Washington POST.  That's another reason cats are better than dogs.  -- SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB
COPTER PILOT FEELS BUDDY'S CHOPPERS
by Ann Gerhart and Annie Groer, The Washington POST
Wednesday, November 11, 1998

    Buddy the first dog has drawn blood.
    On Sunday, the 14-month-old chocolate Labrador sank his teeth into the hand of a Marine Corps helicopter pilot who ferries President Clinton to and from Camp David.  Stitches were required to patch the wound inflicted on Major John "Ken" Faircloth.
    "It was not a bite," maintained White House spokesman Barry Toiv.
    "It's probably more accurate to say that his hand was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  He was playing ball with Buddy. Apparently he went for the ball with his hand at the same time Buddy went for it with his mouth. His hand scraped a tooth and he had a couple of stitches and he's fine," said Toiv.
    As for Buddy, Toiv said, "There's not a vicious bone in his body."
    Buddy's breeder, Linda Renfro, said she was "totally floored" to hear of the incident. "This is so irregular for a Lab's nature. Usually, I have kids putting their hands in a Lab's mouth, pulling their ears and bending their tails, and the dog will just look at their master like they're saying, 'Please, save me from this kid.' "

Copyright 1999, Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Company 
and The Washington Post.  All rights reserved.

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PetWorld Writer STEVE DALE honored for columns and coverage

    On page 5 of this issue, you'll find an article by Steve Dale, Chicago Tribune syndicated columnist.
    For the second consecutive year, Steve was recently honored with the Cat Writer of the Year Award from his colleague pet writers. He also received the Column of the Year award.
    "My New Year's resolution for 1998 was to change the image we have of cats, and that's what I might talk about," said Steve. "And it does relate to Socks. Socks enjoys people - that's not an image everyone has of cats. I've set out to prove cats are trainable; my cat, Ricky, has been taught to play the piano, as well as to 'sit' for treats and jump through a Hula Hoop."
    Steve hosts one of the few pet radio shows in the country. Anyone anywhere in the world can listen free via the Internet at http://www.wgnradio.com/listen. His twice-weekly PetWorld newspaper column is the best-read in the country.
    We are pleased to welcome Steve's article to our newsletter