Babies & Beasts

Shameless request on behalf of Maximus

2011-03-31T12:32:00.000-07:00

I came *this* close to winning a contest for a painting of Maximus for Beckett's room. I had a sneak attack planned, but alas, the artist announced a winner this morning instead of having the contest run through the end of today. C'est la vie!

BUT

He is having another contest inspired by those of us who have loved and lost our bulldogs. I would be so very thankful if you would consider liking on Facebook Bulldog paintings by Drago:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bulldog-paintings-by-drago/148597685191352?ref=ts

And then liking the 2 photos I have up of Maximus:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bulldog-paintings-by-drago/148597685191352?ref=ts#!/photo.php?fbid=1946983600194&set=o.148597685191352&theater

and

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bulldog-paintings-by-drago/148597685191352?ref=ts#!/photo.php?fbid=1946996520517&set=o.148597685191352&theater

Beckett and I would be very appreciative. I try not to dwell on here as I sound like a broken record, but we really miss Max and I would love very much for Beckett to have something special like this to honor his best buddy and his first dog. If you are so inclined to share on Facebook or your blogs, it would be an honor.

Thanks,
Pittieboo

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

Equal opportunity lover

2011-03-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

As noted, my blog title has the word "beasts" in it as I am an equal opportunity lover. Yes, I prefer the company of dogs, but I will stop for any animal that needs my assistance.

Introducing Mr. McNutty, the baby squirrel:

That is how he looked when I found him when playing outside in the sandbox with Becks. Still alive, but not looking so hot. He fell about 3 stories out a palm tree in our backyard. His mom/dad like to torture my dogs but I had no idea they had babies up in our tree. So we called a wildlife hotline for a rehabber and waited the 2 hours for mom and dad to return. Because baby squirrels can have a hard time staying warm, we were told to place him in a shallow dish with some old towels and a hot water bottle:

We were given the ok to give him water so we carefully used a medicine dropper for him to drink from. He had blood on his nose and I wasn't sure how hurt he was:

So we waited. No sign of mom and dad. With the sun setting, we took him inside for the night and made plans to take him to the animal rehabber the next day. Here he is snuggling up next to the hot water bottle on some old towels and heating pad in a box in my bathroom:

Too soon it was time to take our friend to the animal shelter. Thankfully, Becks knows all about the good work animal shelters do so it was a nice experience to take him to one in a positive manner. Here is our last faux family photo:

Kisses goodbye from faux mommy:

And one last pat from Becks:

I'll call the rehabber today for an update. Please send Mr. McNutty your best wishes for a long and happy life!

Stop and smell the flowers

2011-03-07T10:30:00.001-08:00

I have been a bad blogger. What can I say? Been busy at work and struggling to keep up the A+s in school. Shelby is still with us and it's breaking my heart she doesn't have a family of her own yet. Everyone sees and comments how attached she has become to me. Perfect person for Shelby, where are you?

On a sad side note, yesterday marked 5 months of Maximus' passing. And my freaking custom urn for him has yet to arrive. I'm about to have to get ugly with the Etsy seller. And I just know when it does it's not going to be right. Freaking intuition.

ps- you can follow my random animal related musings on twitter now @pittieboo
Are you on twitter? I'd love to follow you. Comment with your twit name!

Snow day in Texas!

2011-02-01T12:06:00.000-08:00

Like clockwork, February brings us snow.

Monday Maximus

2011-01-24T08:38:00.001-08:00

From my amazing friends, many of whom never met Maximus but loved him all the same.

If you need something to memorialize a beloved, be sure to check out the Etsy shop PetMemories. I sent her pictures of Max playing in the pool, told her I wanted something that looks like water, and 2 tbs of his ashes. The light blue square sitting next to this is a piece of his last cone of shame. This sits above my desk where I do my schoolwork. I also wake up facing this window every morning.

Friday- forced love

2011-01-21T09:39:00.001-08:00

I keep wondering if/where Shelby's limits might be. With me, I can get away with anything like holding her like a baby, something my dogs would never allow and were always too big to do past puppyhood. She now will elicit pets and loving from the husband. Here he asks for a kiss, but she is not a kisser. It's a rare and special treat to get a very quick and dainty kiss from Shelby. She saves them for me and Becks! Maybe one day the hubby will get one...

My loves

2011-01-14T07:22:00.000-08:00

Bellona and Becks sharing some blankets and sunshine.

Shelby the Shark

2011-01-13T06:53:00.001-08:00

With it being freezing cold here, I decided after 2 months of Shelby not eating the towels I give her to lay on to try and see what she would do with a proper bed. Maximus used to eat his beds, so I knew going into this to give it to her under strict supervision. Well, a few hours in, I step away and this is what she was able to accomplish. I then doused the bed with Pfooey spray and let it dry. She was given the bed back at bedtime. I then slept with my ears tuned to her for sounds of gnawing. She actually slept on the bed all night! Woot!

Then the morning came. While blow drying my hair something sounded off. I walked out to find her de-stuffing the bed. Great. Not even Pfooey spray (which is the strongest stuff on the planet) deters her.

Today she is back in her ex pen with just her towels. I wonder if I can train her to not eat her bed? But even then, I don't think she should ever be trusted not to eat all things fabric if given the opportunity; obstruction surgeries are $$$$$ and scary. Some silly dogs are just like that I suppose.

Dog Heaven

2011-01-11T14:10:00.001-08:00

Last night Becks picked out this book for one of his three bed time stories. We made it through the book, but it wasn't pretty. I tried my best to read it aloud without cracking but could not. Thankfully Becks knows how to handle an upset momma- sweet back rubs, gentle kisses, and reminders that it will all be ok.

The empty spot next to our reading chair reminds me every night of the boy we miss deeply.

ps- have you ever heard about Dog Chapel? Sadly, the artist, Stephen Huneck, creator of this amazing piece of art committed suicide one year ago on Friday 1/7/10. Dog Chapel has always been on my bucket list of places to visit. You will probably recognize his work. Stephen, you will be missed. My thoughts go out to your loved ones.

Heartworms are scary

2011-01-10T08:07:00.000-08:00

So we know Shelby is HW+ but we do not know what her load is. Is she mild or moderate or severe? Tomorrow I am taking her to my vet to find out. With her hunting prey drive in full effect, I am noticing her hacking up phlegm after sprinting around the yard and in/out of bushes looking for critters to kill. A cough is not a good sign for a HW+ dog. I am forever haunted by a friend who lost her rescue dog very suddenly after receiving a low + on his HW test treated by monthly heartworm medication. After treatment, he died running in the yard in front of them as a result of having all male heartworms discovered during necropst- the antigen test only looks for antibodies for female adult heartworms; there must be at least 5 adult female worms to receive a positive hit on the test. This was a very rare case but very real and continues to be on my mind as a what if.

Be sure to keep your dog on heartworm preventative. You can read more here http://www.heartwormsociety.org/veterinary-resources/canine-guidelines.html#8

ps- outdoor cats can also become infected so be sure to treat your cats as well though I will tell you as domesticated animals they would be better off inside 24/7.

pps- I bet you won't be eating spaghetti for dinner tonight, will you?

Making friends

2011-01-08T09:39:00.001-08:00

Shelby has slowly earned more out of the ex pen privileges. Last month when off leash for the first time she and Bellona had a loud and nasty sounding fight. No one was hurt, but I went back to crate and rotate to keep everyone safe. I suspect Shelby was trying to find her place in the pack and needed me to remind her I'm the leader and Bellona is my second in command. She has now been spending time with me on leash using the umbilical method. She and Bellona have been doing great ignoring one another and for now, this is our manageable comfort level. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

Shelby is so tolerant of Beckett though I can tell his fast movements and loudness at times scare her a bit. I think she will be great with kids in the long run. She will let you poke and prod her, feet, tails, and even infected ears without a single complaint . She is such a snuggle bug and longs to have her belly rubbed and her velvet ears rubbed. I hope her forever family finds her soon for I fear Beckett is getting attached. I mean who wouldn't? Look at that cute mug? Please pass her around to anyone in the Texas area who might be worthy of such love and devotion!

What a difference!

2011-01-04T07:14:00.000-08:00

Shelby the day I pulled her out of long term boarding:

Shelby today:

2 months in and she is looking so much better! Let's hope in the next 2 months we find her a family to call her own. She certainly deserves it!

I am full of win!

2010-12-21T08:04:00.000-08:00

I pulled off straight A's in school this semester. You know you are a geek when you get a 99, 99, and 97 in college and get a little mad at yourself for the 97.

I've got my sights set on a set of magna cum laude graduation tassels. Go me!

Maximus' Urn

2010-12-20T12:39:00.000-08:00

It's still not with me yet- the maker had some issues with the glaze so she is going to make another. I should have it home by what would have been his 9th birthday next month. Having Shelby around does help take my mind off of him, but I still burst into tears at random times. Yesterday, while cleaning out the front hall closet I decided it was time to let go of his last cone of shame. I cut out a small aquare of the baby blue plastic to hold onto and burst into tears. Thankfully I have an awesomely emphathetic little boy who rubbed my back, gave me hugs, and told me it would be ok. And I know it will be one day...

Cards are in the mail

2010-12-16T07:45:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays from our family to yours.

Scensty fundraiser for TABR

2010-12-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

Hi all, I am fostering a dog for the Texas American Bulldog Rescue (Shelby). They are a small rescue with limited funds and have had a few major unexpected surgeries that have left them with considerable vet bills. They are currently participating in fundraising with Scentsy.

They are great for pet owners, parents and anyone else that loves great smells. This is perfect for Christmas shopping and 20% goes to the rescue. Go to lauraslovelysmells.scentsy.us and find our open party (on the left hand side of the screen) and click on the buy link next and shop away. Please consider this for your Christmas and holiday shopping.

Most importantly please forward and share this with your friends, family, and co-workers.

Thank You and Merry Christmas!

PittieBoo

3 for the road

2010-12-06T11:42:00.000-08:00

This weekend Becks and I took part in a transport to save 3 female boxers from a high kill shelter in Louisiana. Their final destination is cold and snowy Minnesota! It was a nice day, albeit windy across the great plains of Oklahoma, but uneventful. Well, except for everyone clamoring to sit on Beckett's lap!

2010-12-02T06:52:00.000-08:00

Today the tree comes down from the attic along with all of our stockings. Except he won't be here and now I have a stocking with his name embroidered on it. It would simply be wrong to hang it. So, now I am off to search for new stockings because I just can't deal. I might not break down in tears every day, but I miss Maximus every single day. Almost 2 months later, it still doesn't feel real and it still isn't fair.

Pics galore and a plea for help.

2010-11-29T09:24:00.000-08:00

I have spent the past 2 Sundays at the local no kill animal shelter torturing the animals with my camera. I have taken over 2,000 photos for their use on their website, Petango, and special Animal Angel Tree. I have knees that look as if I have been working the corner if you know what I mean. My back is sore, my eyes are windburn, and I'm exhausted. But it is all so very worth it. Here are just a few sample pics of the babies waiting for their forever homes.

Now that you have seen the pics of some of the lucky adoptables at the no kill shelter I volunteer for, I respectfully ask for donations for Miss Shelby's struggling rescue group. With no shelter, no vets on staff, and no large private donors they are hurting for funds after a few medical emergencies and large unexpected vet bills. If you could all possibly spare even just $1 today to their ChipIn it would be immensely appreciated. Until we raise some funds and adopt out a few dogs we are on an in take freeze which means adoptable dogs such as Shelby will be euthanized in your local city shelter for lack of space in rescue. Sorry to be such a downer, but that's the sad reality of rescue. So few bullies ever make it out alive...

Here is the Texas American Bulldog Rescue ChipIn. I did donate as well- $25. I promise I talk the talk and walk the walk!

Shelby in pics

2010-11-22T10:17:00.000-08:00

Mean foster mommy

2010-11-17T08:03:00.000-08:00

Dear Target,

Thank you for the cheap entertainment. The $1 bin headbands fit perfectly on the pups for fun photo ops.

Sincerely,
PittieBoo

*************************************************************************************

Dear Target,

We hate you.

Not a fan of yours,
Bellona and Shelby

What is this red staining?

2010-11-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

Hi there blogger friends. Despite having 2 mostly white dogs, I have never dealt with red staining on their fur. Seeing how Shelby was in a kennel for some time, she has red stained white paws and the white on her head is stained as well. We have not yet braved a bath but will later this week- any ideas on getting this staining out safely? I have been feeding her a high qaulity diet that is helping immensely, supplementing with fish oil, and applying a Resicort lotion to help clear the minor staph infection she had on her head. She's definately looking better, I would just love to speed up the process if I can... I'm impatient like that!

Becks and Shelby

2010-11-14T21:07:00.000-08:00

By the time we are done with her, Shelby is going to be the perfect addition to a family with small kids. At this point, she wants love, love, and more love. I am turning her raised paw for attention into a high five so it doesn't morph into pawing at you incessantly. I think once she gets comfy enough, she might even be a lap snuggler! I know she's too big for most to consider a lap dog, but compared to mine it works.

Need tips for a timid dog / dog intros

2010-11-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I've been all pictures and no talk. Today I am all talk, no pictures. Miss Shelby is settling in as best as a scared dog possibly can. That's where I need YOUR help.

I don't know if Shelby has lived inside a home, but she is potty trained. On night #1 there were no treats interesting enough to get her to venture outside with. She held it all night long. The next morning, I physically had to drag her every few feet, praise and love her, repeat, until we moved past our big bad pool to get to the yard (which was out of sight due to the layout of our yard). Once she saw the grass, she was thrilled and got down to business. Once done, she darted past the big bad pool, shaking, tail tucked, to the back door waiting to get back to the safety of our master bedroom. Last night and this morning it was easier to get her to the yard, but probably because the hard food switch and treats gave her the big D. Amazing that she held it like she did all day and most of the evening.

She likes to lay under my desk or in the safety of the ex pen we set up when we realized that asking her to climb up stairs to a plastic airline crate just wasn't a good choice for her right now. She will explore parts of the house with me, but shakes and tail tucks quite a bit. She and Bellona have met through the ex pen and have shared the same room while awake and sleeping while safely seperated by the ex pen. I have been praising and rewarding them both for good behavior. Bellona however likes to talk a lot and her talking is very growly. I try to redirect her and or have her move when she does that because I can't tell if it is further stressing Shelby out.

Last night, the babysitter who comes over so that I can study 2x a week opened the baby gate I had up keeping Shelby in the room with me and Bellona in the rest of the house. I didn't hear her do this (on the phone with the rescue) and turned around to see Bellona investiagating the contents of the ex pen. Shelby was under my chair and didn't move an inch and made no sounds which is a good thing- I think. I ushered Bellona out just to be cautious. I like dog intros slow and steady. Which gets me to thinking, if I can't get Shelby out of the bedroom, let alone the house, how can I intro them on neutral turf like I typically would after a long walk together? Add to that Shelby is HW+ and I don't want to over extert her or stress her out.

I'd love any tips you have for easing a soft and timid dog into a home. I am being patient with her but would love any insight on bringing her out of her shell and integrating her into our home so we can make her a wonderful family pet for someone. I am so used to pushy, dominant, stubborn dogs that I feel a bit lost with this sweet soul. I really appreciate the help my blogger friends.

Shelby, first kong

2010-11-09T06:49:00.000-08:00

Meet Shelby, our foster

2010-11-08T20:33:00.000-08:00

Details to follow later. That sore you see if from her rubbing her kennel while stressed. Ouch!

Shelby- our potential foster

2010-11-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

Meet Shelby. She is an American Bully like Max and is currently in rescue but housed in a boarding facility for lack of an available foster home. This is where we come in. I will be taking Bellona to meet Shelby tomorrow. If all goes well, I will pick her up on Monday to begin fostering her. I don't anticipate problems, but never having properly socialized my dogs with a large variety, I need to make sure Bellona will be accepting of another dog and that Shelby won't care that Bellona is queen bee. Beckett and I will then pick her up on Monday to make sure a little person doesn't scare the beejesus out of her. Thankfully, with as crabby as Bellona can be, Becks is dog savvy enough to know that Shelby will require special and supervised only handling.

Shelby is understandably experiencing the stress of long term boarding. It's really not an ideal situation for her and as result she is sad, scared, and lonely. We hope to shower her with TLC and help her re-adjust to life in a family situation which will make her more adoptable. Lucky for her I love to take photographs so I can pimp her out properly; it's a fact that great photographs get dogs adopted.

Please shower us (and Shelby) with lots of good luck vibes!

4 weeks today

2010-11-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Maximus' life and not our loss, today I signed up to foster for Texas American Bulldog Rescue. I'm sure we will do some sort of a homevisit/reference check and all that jazz, but I know soon enough we will help save a life.

Dear Maximus, send us a nice dog who reminds us a little of you in all the right ways.

Love always,
Your mommy

Want to foster / Scared to foster

2010-11-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

Princess was my lone foster dog and one I did all on my own. Her integration into my pack was slow and steady- many weeks of baby gates, and even then Princess escaped the gates to make her own hellos. I get nervous introducing strange dogs and thus my dogs have had select friends to play with. Bellona played well with Princess post her adoption after a long walk on neutral turf. I didn't let Maximus play with Princess for a long time because it was so stressful on me; Maximus was so enthusiastic that he often missed another dog's warning that he was simply too much for them and I was worried he would start a fight on accident. Bellona and Maximus do/did great with Sidney who is a regular guest in our home though playing for my old gal is really pretty minimal these days. She gets the odd zoomies, but mainly prefers to lounge and observe.

But my house seems lonely without the force of nature Max was and I know I could help save a life. We always said if we were ever a 1 dog house, we would foster. But now I'm scared. How do I take on an unfamiliar dog with a crabby resident dog who is all alpha, a 3 1/2 year old, working FT, and school. Am I insane? How could I successfully find a foster that would work well in our home? Could it be a puppy? A pregnant or nursing mom? A male? Not to mention that Beckett has told daddy he misses Max and wants another dog (sniffle). Could Becks be ok with taking care of a dog only to let it go? Ack. I feel so lost. I keep hoping Max will send the right dog to us, but at this point, I'm not sure I'd recognize it.

I'd love any thoughts you all might have on the topic- pros and cons welcome.

ps- that's Carlos the Wonderdog, a friend's foster through Broken Hearts Mended Souls Rescue

Sneak peak of Bellona and Becks

2010-10-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

Just one of the many awesome shots of Bellona and Beckett. If only the hubby and I were as photogenic!

In the spirit of Halloween

2010-10-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

Last year's Maximus pumpkin. It was so hard to carve, but now in hindsight, all too perfect.

ps- Becks was a scuba diver.

pps- you can get your cool dog stencils here

The case for pet insurance

2010-10-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

Maximus was one in a million and as a result, we spent close to that on his care. I know not everyone could have afforded him this care, but with pet insurance (and care credit), you can eliminate some of the pressure of decisions made based on cost. For some couples, pet insurance keeps the marriage happy as one usually has a higher limit than the other for care. My husband was not a fan of the large vet bills, but he knew when he married me that when it came to care of those I love money is no object provided quality of life is there. If you ever have a few dollars to spare, In Memory of Magic is an organization that is always in need to donations to help provide care for companion animals when their caretakers are financially challenged. This link for a now defunct group has many similar links to help cover costs of medical care for animals and owners in need.

This is not a complete list, but rather the really big ticket items we spent on Maximus in his 8+ years. This does not include the multitude of regular visits, follow ups, or trips for assistance in inducing vomitting to prevent foreign body obstructions. I would happily spend all of this and more for any dog in our care.

* TPLO #1 - $3,500 (at board certified surgeon)

* TPLO #2 - $3,500 (at board certified surgeon)

* Foreign Body Surgery #1 - $3,500 (at emergency vet)

Foreign Body Surgery #2 - $3,500 (at emergency vet)

Foreign Body Surgery #3 - $1,300 (at regular vet and less invasive than prior)

MRI, euthanasia, and private cremation- $3,200 (at neurologist)

* items we did not have insurance for at the time

Total- $18,500

With our Pets Best Insurance, 80% approx. of his recent medical bills were covered. I am thankful to them for not excluding my senior nor dropping us after his repeated foreign body surgeries. If you have ever considered pet insurance, be sure to look around and look for what is included and what is not in each policy. I can personally vouch for Pets Best and am so happy I never once had to consider if we could afford to treat Maximus, because Maximus was priceless. Unfortunately, his nine lives ran out and no amount of money could have changed this outcome.

All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again...

Just need a place to put it out there

2010-10-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

Maximus has been gone for 13 days. 13 days worth of thoughts and questions need to come out.

I have tried my best not to Google but when I did, I think my theory has some weight. Given Maximus' serious uptake of ingesting non-food items in this past calendar year I have to wonder/think his brain lesions had something to do with this. There is research out there supporting this. And a part of me wonders that if we had thought of this sooner, could we have had a few more great days with him? When I pressed for answers for his increasing pica, it always came back to me needing more preventions because some dogs were just like this. I felt like a crappy pet owner this past year with our multiple foreign body surgeries and trips to the e-vet. I was *this* close to ordering him a scary muzzle to wear at home. The tape measure I bought to take the measurements of his head sits unopened on my kitchen counter. I don't know what to do with it now. So it sits there reminding me that I miss my dog.

More than missing him, I feel robbed. While Max was technically classified as a senior, he didn't act it and he didn't show any signs of slowing down. I always thought Bellona would be the first to break my heart. I had no time to prepare for my dog to die and the hole it would leave in my heart. I didn't get the opportunity to take him home and spoil him rotten one last time. It's not fair and it hurts. Especially when earlier this week I forgot and went to wake Max for one last potty break before bed before remembering he's gone...

Banana Popsicles

2010-10-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

Tillie, we hope dog heaven is full of banana popsicles. Maximus never had one, so please introduce them to him. You can check out his class Sock Eating 101 though something tells me your tastes are more refined.

Today one more angel gains her wings

Please visit Tille on her blog here and send your condolences.

Holiday Bellona

2010-10-17T13:46:00.001-07:00

Bellona sporting the bow she wore to our holiday photos this year and working it for a cookie.

Here come the holidays

2010-10-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, we are taking our annual photos for our holiday cards. It is really sinking in that Maximus is no longer with us. It sucks. We go all out for our holiday cards thanks to my friends who are pro photographers and donate all of their sitting fees for holiday cards to a local women's shelter. Not to mention it's our once a year chance to have a family photo taken. Being a hobby photographer, I'm never in photos of our home life. Sadly, I think there are maybe only a handful of pics of me with my Max as a result.

I've been thinking of some way to still mention Max without being too weepy for the general public. I think I've come up with a brilliant solution. I am going to use one of my photographs of him and make custom stamps with his cute goofy mug. You can do this here.

Another great way to spread the message of animal rescue is by purchasing Zazzle's holiday stamps in conjunction with the HSUS here. I love the Patrick McDonnell "Mutts" comic strip ones the best.

Last year we incoporated the importance of rescue on the back of our cards stating under the family pic with the beasts that 7-8 million animals are put to sleep every year for lack of a place to call home. Maximus and Bellona encourage you to adopt, don't shop, for your fur-ever best friend. When I have a captive audience, why not share my passion?

So, does anyone else go all out in including their pets in their holiday cards?

In happier times

2010-10-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

It's been 1 week today. I am trying my best not to wallow in my sadness for fear it could swallow me whole. I am trying hard to remember the happy times, the times when Max was simply being Max instead of the box of ashes I picked up on Saturday.

Maximus loved the sun tan ledge in the pool. He could not swim, in fact he sunk like a stone, but he jumped into this shallow water even when we didn't want him to. He loved to kick up the water, bite at it, and chase any reflections the sunlight made on the bottom of the pool. He developed a habit of trying to dig to China which I encouraged because it helped file down his front nails. I know he looks fierce in the top photo, but I was having fun with my camera and action shots while Beckett and daddy shot a water gun across the pool to an excited Maximus. I'm so thankful it's fall and we won't be using the pool anymore this year. It just wouldn't be right to be in it and not have Max there to play with.

Bellona

2010-10-10T16:19:00.000-07:00

Bellona isn't quite sure of her new life these days and I can't blame her. She was always alpha even though she is 8 months younger. Without him to keep an eye on, she seems a little lost without him. My lone wolf has certainly been seeking more affection and the extra cuddles are helping us all heal.

My dogs are/were/will always be spoiled. So in a fit of guilt last night I ordered her the water fountain I had been eyeing, a new cover for the bed that was once Max's, and spent a lot of time brushing her teeth last night. Somehow these were all little things on my to do / to purchase list that kept getting bumped by other more important priorities. But now, those trivial things seem much much larger to me. Frankly, I'm petrified my time with her is limited. Her dad passed away of unknown causes at 9. I can't take any day for granted.

Bellona enjoyed destroying a stuffie last night as well. We never allowed them in the house because the risk of ingestion and surgery was simply too great with Max the goat around. Ironically, I grabbed a frog totally forgetting the rubber frog Max once ate and then birthed out whole if you know what I mean. When my friends pointed this out, I had to laugh. It was probably the first time I laughed and had a happy memory. I guess that's progress however fleeting those moments are right now.

Bellona also played with her Nina Ottoson toy. Too bad she's too smart to get as much mental stimulation out of it as I'd like, but she had fun. I hope these little moments help her feel normal again. If you have lost a dog, how did you other dog grieve? What did you do to help ease their unspoken pain?

A boy and his dog

2010-10-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

Our morning conversation:

Becks- HA! Look mom, Max's toy in his bowl (placed there recently to slow down his eating and inhaling of food which was increasing due to the unknown brain lesions)
Me- Yep, that's his. Silly dog. (choking back tears)

Becks bounces ball across the tile floor.

Becks- Max can hear that.
Me- That's right he can (openly crying). You know, you can tell him you love him out loud any time you want. He will always be able to hear you.

If only every child was blessed with a Max, what a happy place this earth would be.

What it was like...

2010-10-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

We took Becks with us to visit Max. When they walked Max into the room, it was clear to me he was already gone. There were no wags of the tail, no barks demanding to go home, and no kisses to be had. Becks in his very limited understanding of the situation said goodbye to Max not really understanding the meaning despite me explaining that Max was sick, was going to die, and was not going to be coming home. I know that a lot of information for a 3 ½ year old and some parents would make up some happy fluffy story about heaven, but I wanted Beckett to know the truth. With a little prompting, Beckett gave Max a hug (something typically forbidden in our home) and told Max that he loved him super big. Tommy then took Becks to school and I sat with my four legged boy and tried my best to tell him how much we loved him and that we would let him go.

Max was coughing and hacking quite a bit from the kibble they had found in his throat. He panted non stop. His eyes were red and haggard. With every stroke of his body, his legs shook and hair flew everywhere. As I sat with him on the floor, it took a long time of petting him to get him to rest his head on my lap to rest. Somewhere in the middle of all that awfulness, he kissed away my tears. We sat like that for a long time and it was peaceful. When Tommy came back, he brought Bellona. I didn’t want her to wonder where her brother had gone… she had already been skipping meals without him around. He had no energy to greet her and I saw the fear in her eyes- she wanted out of there and fast.

When it was time, we walked Maximus outside into the sunshine. I brought from home his blanket and a pillow. Tommy and Bellona sat at the edge of the blanket; she had her back to us either avoiding the situation or on guard. We spooned in the sunshine and told him what a good boy he was. He wore no collar, and no leash. I offered him his PB kong and he refused. We also had his favorite toy, the one we played fetch with nightly, beside us. At one point, a small dog was walked outside by the staff and Max made no effort to say hello. That right there felt like someone turning the knife inside of us. To know Max is to know the mere sight of a small dog elicited from his an insane amount of whining with excitement.

It was time to say our final goodbyes. Maximus left this world with his head cradled in my arms, my arms tightly around his neck, and every inch of my body pressed tightly to his. I stroked his velvet ear and told him over and over again as he was sedated I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you. And then he was gone.

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." - Unknown

Goodbye Maximus

2010-10-06T04:40:00.000-07:00

Maximus, you were one in a million. Which is a good thing because who else could afford to keep up with your antics or vet bills? And really, of all the ways to leave me, you had to choose this over a pair of my tasty underwear or toddler socks? It figures, normal just wasn’t your style you silly goat.

I was blessed to be your mom. You were always the sunshine to my rainy clouds. I was never one for frat boys until I met you. Sweet, silly, goofy you. I have as many wrinkles on my face from worrying about you as I do laugh lines. Swimming next summer just won’t be the same without you jumping in and making waves and trying to dog to China.

You were such a challenge and I’m sure many a person wondered why we kept you or paid those vet bills, and that makes me sad. I would go to the ends of the earth for you and back a million times over. You were worth e.v.er.y.t.h.i.n.g. and more. After all, if I didn’t have you, how would I have ever known I had it in me to be a mom? You were the best training wheels ever. Thanks for letting me make so many mistakes and never holding a grudge against me. I’ll lock that special gift of yours and keep it in my heart forever.

Thank you for being such a good boy and being the BEST dog a little boy could ever have. Sure, you snapped at him a few times, but he totally deserved it… I’ve got your back. Becks is going to really miss you. You know, you were his favorite and rightfully so. The spot next to the chair during story time is going to be sacred ground. I pray his memories of you never fade. And if they do I have pictures and plenty of tales to tell.

I already miss your velvet ears, your cold snout, your wrinkly forehead, and that perfect little patch of brindle that told me just where to pat your booty. The house is going to be very quiet without your snoring, the sound of you chasing after your toys, and your demand barking which never annoyed me because it always reminded me to spend some one on one time with you and take a break from whatever not so important life task I was in the middle of.

And now I will do the kindest thing I can do and let you go even if it means shattering my own heart into a million pieces. I know I can do this for you because as usual, you will make me dig deep to find the strength I didn’t know I had.

We love you Maximus, always and forever, ad infinitum.

Maximus Lee
Loved without measure…
January 24, 2002 – October 6, 2010

Max is having a MRI

2010-10-05T13:06:00.000-07:00

He is knuckling on front legs

Can't stand, but has some strength in back legs

Still has deep pain, but is slow to retract on front legs

No poking or prodding in physical exam elicits a pain reaction from him

Dr. concerned with my mentioning his relatively new habit of wandering the house to get water and such at night; I thought old age she thinks maybe a brain tumor as a potential cause.

He was sent off for an MRI. I won't know results until very late tonight, possibly early tomorrow as they only work 8-5. He will be cared for at night by the same emergency docs that have come to know and love him as they share the same space.

MRI's are very expensive. Like $2,500.

Surgery could cost upwards of $5,000 and lasts anywhere from 2-3 hours.

If it's a tumor, we will let him go. I refuse to torture him for our sake with surgery and radiation to buy time.

So, more worrying, crying, and regretting all the things I wish I had just one more day to do with him. I'm just thankful we have insurance because without it, I think we would have to let him go. Just thinking about it makes me want to vomit.

Need good thoughts

2010-10-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

Mr. Maximus, my million dollar baby, is severely injured. Something has happened to his cervical spine and he cannot walk well right now. He is at out vet for care- mainly steroids and rest. Tomorrow we take him to the neurologist because he is getting worse instead of better which means surgery might be our only option. Even then, the odds of surgery are somewhat scary. If it's not surgery, it's the big E. I am not prepared.

I can't eat.
I can't sleep.
I can't stop crying.

But the world will not stop for my crisis, so I must complete homework assignments due tonight, and take an exam for school. I have to be a mom and try to not fall apart in front of Becks. I will have to explain to my boy why his dog isn't here. I have to find a way to cope and I really just want to sit in a very dark room, in a very tight small, and wallow in my sadness.

Please think of Max.

Please hug your babies for me.

And please take pictures of them. I am realizing I haven't taken a photo of him in weeks and I may never forgive myself for that.

Pity Party

2010-10-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

The no kill shelter held a Pity Party last night for our adoptable bullies. I had the easiest most laid back dog ever, Zara, a one of a kind American Bulldog and Cattle Dog mix. I'm not used to having an easy dog on the other end of the leash and let me tell you, I could get used to it and fast! She is going to make a wonderful companion. She's ridiculously soft, nevers jumps, loves to get kisses, loves all dogs of all sizes, and walks well on a leash. To think her time was almost up before the shelter pulled her...

We also had a very special dog among us. This is Mel, saved from the Vick bust. Mel is still a work in progress, but look how far he has come! This poor guy was a bait dog. You can read about him here.

And here are some other pics from the party!

I don't want to kill your happy puppy buzz, so I'll tell you the what kind of person brings their unaltered male bullies to a rescue event story later.

Happy Friday!

Dog shows- fun for the whole family

2010-09-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

I like to record dog shows for background noise when hanging out with the kid. He gets a kick out of them and likes learning about other breeds. yes, my 3 1/2 year old asks me "what kind of dog is that"! Maximus also gets a kick out of them but for all the wrong reasons. He sees them prance around the ring and he is convinced he can jump through the tv to join them. Bellona, eh, she could care less. While she is an Anatolian Shepherd, on the tv is the AKC recognized Kuvaz. American Bulldogs are not recognized at this time. Really, I could care less. All dogs are worthy of love and from here on out I anticipate all of our future dogs will be rescues purebred or not.

Recent recap

2010-09-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

So, my life as usual, has been full of adventures.

1. I am back in school for the fall attempting 9 hours while working FT. I am excited but nervous as 2 of my classes involve working in the non-profit sector, 1 of which is grant writing. Agh. I hope to do well but am scared I have bitten off more than I can chew. It feels as if this class would be easier for me to understand if I were taking it in person. The other class requires 30 hours of volunteer work. I love, love, love to volunteer but you can only imagine how hard it is for me to squeeze that into my life. Basically, I don't have much time and free time is a luxury I don't have. Thankfully I am volunteering at the no kill animal shelter I volunteered with prior to Becks arrival. I love it there, I'm just worried about keeping my A+ grades up (serious over achiever here)while tending to our house, the beasts, and little man. Wish me luck please.

2. Maximus ate 2 toddler socks on 9/11. I was scared to death because we didn't catch it until it was too late for upchucking at the evet so we watched and waited. I tried to roto rooter out his tummy with oatmeal + Metamucil with every meal. Gah, I was such a wreck. He pooped one out (with some assistance from mom) on 9/15, just in time for us to catch our plane to NOLA for a mini vacation. I spent the rest of the trip worried as my BFF was dog sitting and poised to take him to the evet for surgery if needed. On our last day of vacation, he upchucked the sock for her early in the morning. Thanks for not letting me relax even a little Maximus. Max is now being measured and fitted for a scary looking muzzle to wear at home when he isn't in his crate. I was shocked to find a 3rd sock in the yard in his poop we knew nothing about. We can't win and I'm done trying to stay 2 steps ahead of him.

3. We went to NOLA. We ate, we drank, we rode bikes, we had tummy aches. Oh, and I got to pet a real live alligator in the swamp!

Now I am back at work, exhausted, dying for sleep and thinking of nothing but homework.

Flashback

2010-09-08T13:12:00.001-07:00

Look at what I found in my old Google Video archives; one newly mobile baby Becks and his 2 big dogs. Enjoy the show.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2609737561426483381#docid=2363690675531314558

Boo bear

2010-09-02T10:17:00.001-07:00

Bellona was being neglected in the blogosphere, so here is my gal pal. She's a very good girl when she isn't being crabby with the little man. She loves to sun herself even in the 100+ degree weather. Why, is that Texas snow you see? Why yes it is, props to the Furminator brush we could not live without!

We are all still alive... barely.

2010-09-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

2 weeks ago, our lovely dear Maximus decided that when his PB filled kong got wedged in between his fancy orthopedic bed and his ex pen, he would kill his bed for this travesty. In a mere 1 1/2 hours while we are at a hospital visiting friends and their new baby Maximus ingested a sh!t ton of memory foam. Fantastic. I threw little man at the hubby and jumped into the car to take Max to induce vomitting at the e vet. I thought for sure in that small timeframe that he would puke it all out. Um, yeah, well then he wouldn't be Max and I would actually be lucky for once.

2 rounds of emesis (fancy doctor talk for puking)
1 round of endoscopy (stupid foam wouldn't hold together for removal)
=
His 3rd emergency obstruction surgery in just 1 calendar year. Yeah, we are pretty famous at the e vet. I find myself explaining to everyone that will listen that we really are good pet owners. In fact, I hardly ever talk about Bellona because she is so damn good. Sigh. My life is anything but boring. Which leads me to wonder what I do to bring this on. Is it merely because I am a special (as in crazy) enough to care for this dog? Is Maximus' sole purpose in life to teach me patience? Needless to say we are all tapped out financially even with pet insurance so Maximus is now relegated to a hard plastic airline crate when we aren't home. No comfy bed for your bionic knees dude, too bad so sad.

Here are some pics to marvel at. One day his epitah shall read "Maximus, the goat with 9 lives"

Saturday fun

2010-08-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

First, some puppy love from a transport for 3 puppies for the NASRN( National Anatolian Shepherd Rescue Network)

Then some fun in the sun

Followed by

Zzzzzz (that's Max snoring)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

Meet your future leader

2010-07-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

Goliath

2010-07-01T07:41:00.001-07:00

Becks and I were able to squeeze in a transport this past weekend. While school has been kicking my booty, I have kicked it back even harder. I have a 100+ average in one class and a 94+ in the other. So you bet your booty I deserved a little down time via transporting. Volunteering for me is better than any time spent in a therapists office! The fact that Becks loves our adventures just adds to my joy. I think, I hope, these adventures are instilling in him the wall words that dominate his room - Treat Every Living Thing With Kindness.

Goliath was a rescue out of a Louisiana shelter with a massive chemical burn down his back. If you saw my FB wall, you would see how common chemical burns really are. It is very upsetting for me to imagine the life of a dog that ends up in a kill shelter with burns all over their body. More so when it is a breed that can go to rescue only because of the breedism that many shelters and ignoramuses subscribe to. As a rottie, Goliath had a small chance in hell getting out alive. To think he could have been gassed or heartsticked (I dare you to click on those words and educate yourself) after being chemically burned truly gives me nightmares at night. What kind of society do we live in? How can I have any faith in this cruel human race?

Becks and I talked before picking up Goliath so he was prepared to see his boo boo and knew not to touch it. I for good measure reminded him that touching a dog's boo boo could hurt and then the dog could bite him. Some call that fearmongering, I call it a safety precaution. Really though, Goliath was about as sweet and chill as they come for a transport passenger.

Goliath is now safe in a Colorado rottie specific rescue where he will heal and be treated for Heartworms. The family that adopts him is going to be very lucky... I only hope they have some little humans available as Goliath seemed to have a sweet spot for little man!

I'm still alive!

2010-06-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

Princess is now back with her grandparents while her mom and dad are out of country for work this summer. She eased right back into our family unit in no time and we really enjoyed having her with us. Beckett pink puffy hearts Princess and woke up ever morning asking if she was still at his house. The feeling was quite mutual on P's part. We hope to have Princess come over again soon for some playdates! I updated about some of her adventures on her very own blog, www.princessthepit.blogspot.com, so be sure to visit it sometime.

I am in survivor mode trying my best to manage school, work, and the small shreds of my personal life. In life, I am a very stubborn and determined person which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the situation. Luckily, these work in my favor for school and as it stands now I have a 100% average in both of my classes. Yes, I am a full on nerd and proud. I'm staying up every night until midnight to keep up with the class readings and online discussions and earning every bit of extra credit I can. My family has been a blessing in taking Becks on Saturdays so I can cram in about 6 hours of uninterrupted work. I've taken one exam so far and nailed it- 100%. I have another exam on Friday and while I know realistically I won't get a 100% on it, I am aiming for a high A. It's been a difficult pace to maintain and I'm looking forward to July 9th (last day of summer school) so I can have a break before I juggle 3 classes and work full time in the fall on top of being a mom. OMG what was I thinking? Hopefully in my off time I can drive a few transports and take a few photos so this blog doesn't look so neglected.

Hope summer is treating you all well. Enjoy a few pics of the brat pack and my awesome new plates!

L, XL, XXL

2010-05-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

Ack!

2010-05-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

Today is the big day- my first day back in school (online courses) in oh, what, 10+ years? I am d.y.i.n.g to get out of work to get home and log in to see what homework I have. I'm taking some very fast paced summer school courses while dealing with my SPD kid, and the beasts. Ack! Sleep? Who needs sleep?

I'm also counting down- 3 days until Princess comes for an extended stay. I'm a wee bit nervous because trying to re-introduce 3 dogs makes me super paranoid. Max and Princess have not played in oh, years. Yes, years. It was always too much for me and P's mom to do meet and greets with my brats with baby Becks running about. Guess I'll just jump off the deep end!

Edite: For those of you curious, I'm heading back to hopefully become a special education teacher.

Don't do this

2010-05-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

We all have them, friends and family who let their babies/children climb all over and essentially harass their dogs. Some think it's cute, some think it's perfectly normal, and some think their dogs actually enjoy it. They don't. And what might not bother them today might become a huge issue as they age.

Teaching your little one how to respect a dog's space is going to prevent them from a dog bite plain and simple. I don't care how tolerant (and tolerance is not enjoyment) your dog is, what happens when your baby comes over to say my house and attempts to treat them like one of their own? My dogs would surely correct your baby and rightfully so. Said correction would come in the form of an open mouth full of teeth attached to a 125 and 90 pound dog. You would freak out and blame my dogs wouldn't you? But aren't you really the problem here? Didn't you inadvertenly teach your child this was appropriate behavior? To keep your child safe around ALL animals, you must raise them to respect them all. Anything less and you will have failed to teach your child potentially lifesaving skills.

Things you should not allow your child to do (no matter how cute that photo op is):
Hug a dog around it's neck
Use a dog as a pillow
Pull on ears, paws, or tails
Touch a dog's food or water dish while they are eating
Remove a toy or bone from a dog
Lay on top of a dog
Attempt to ride a dog
Never touch a dog while sleeping
Do not lay on dog beds and or dog crates
Do not put your face in a dog's face
Do not chase a dog
Do not tease a dog with food or toys
Do not eat snacks while walking (at my house, you might lose a finger if it's something Mack wants)

These are just some of the no nonsense what ought to be common sense rules I use to keep Becks safe as well as my dogs.

ps- when most kids come to my house, my dogs go to their safe space with a yummy treat. Cranky seniors do not like "those" kids. It's a win win situation and they appreciate me looking out for their best interests very much.

pps- you should all read this and share it far and wide
http://www.dogmagazine.net/archives/5388/fatal-dog-attacks-why-lessons-are-not-being-learned/

Photo dump

2010-04-29T08:32:00.001-07:00

Just so you all don't think I have been slacking in my animal rescue adventures, here are the babes Beckett and I have recently transported. Last weekend, we drove back and forth to Oklahoma on 2 different days to transport 3 dogs and 3 cats. Thank god for my in car DVD player and McDonald's playgrounds.

That's Pasha the American Bulldog. She was found as a stray caring for Pumpkin, the 5week old puppy, who was NOT her biological offspring. She was super protective of her, so sweet little Zelda the puppy mill franchie had to ride in the front seat with me in a soft carrier. Pumpkin likes to nurse on Pasha's chest where her hair swirls. Amazing story, isn't it?

Babies and Beasts oh my

2010-04-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

Don't think my lack of blogging as of late means my home life has been blissful. It's been anything but.

Let's see, Mr. Mack decided to eat something inedible yet again unbeknown to us. You'd think we'd be winning the war, but alas, he decided to eat some bed stuffing in a super secret way that left us clueless until it was too late, i.e. the puking had began. How can a bull in a china chop tear his bed so there is a little flap he can put back into place making the bed look 100% boggles my mind. That basically sums up my month of March. This obstruction was nothing like the one he had 6 months ago, so we racked up over $4k in bills shuttling him to and from the e vet to his regular vet before going in for exploratory surgery. Thankfully this time he was covered by pet insurance which helped us recoup about 80% of that back. I however, will not get back those sleepless nights, nor will I lose the wrinkles he gave me this go around.

Becks we have discovered has some special needs. Gosh that sounds so depressing when in reality it's not really a big thing. Ironically, I enrolled back in school to finish a degree so that I can become a special needs teacher, all prior to B's diagnosis. Becks has SPD which is Sensory Processing Disorder. Essentially he is a sensory seeker which explains why as an infant he *never* wanted to be still and or sleep. I accepted I had a high needs baby, but to be able to look back now I see how his lack of a properly functioning regulatory system probably was a factor. The best word to describe Becks is MORE. Yes, the all caps is necessary. B likes to run harder, climb higher, laugh louder, go to whatever extreme he can to fill up his sensory cup. Where for a time I thought I just had a toddler who was bolder than most it turns out he is going to need some help filling his sensory cup in other ways so that we (and his teachers) can avoid the dark side of SPD sensory seekers- the anger overload tantrum that comes when the cup isn't filled. Hour plus long tantrums filled with rage, violence, room thrashing, call CPS someone is killing a child in that house, a rage that no one can diffuse or soothe away, not even mom. We have sought professional help and will soon be on a journey filled with occupational therapy, private schools, psychologists etc... No one said motherhood was easy.

Well you know how some say God only gives you as much as you can handle? I might not be big on the whole concept of God, but I do know if anyone was going to be tossed some major hurdles to jump it might as well be me. What can I say? I've always been a fan of the underdog, I get more out of giving than I ever do receiving, I'm a champion of the abused, misunderstood, and neglected. So this is my new path which comes with it's own unique challenges. At the very least I feel validated that my struggles with Becks are not imaginary or not the result of me being an under qualified mom. Love the built in mom guilt!

Enjoy some pics of my loves.

Record snowfall in Texas!

2010-02-16T10:12:00.001-08:00

and she shall be called Jenny

2010-01-12T13:10:00.000-08:00

This is actually part 2. I figured, why not start with the good news before hunkering down to rehash the difficult road it took to get here.

Momma has a foster home!!! I'll be picking her up tonight and transporting her to the foster home. As it has been determined, she is far enough along that she will be having her litter of puppies. It's been an awful roller coaster ride for me and I can't thank everyone enough for helping save her life and the life of her puppies. This would not have been possible without a whole network of amazingly dedicated and compassionate people. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I'll be pimping out my photography for donations to her care so stay tuned. If you would like to contribute to her care, here is the rescue information and the vet that will be caring for her so you can make a donation directly.

Friends of Everman
321 Johnson
Everman, TX 76140
sidemark checks for Jenny.
She is named after a beautiful rescuer who illuminated the earth and left it all too quickly.

Dr. Betty McDaniel
817.561.5090
We are located at 6619 Forest Hill Dr. Ste. 10 Forest Hill, Tx. 76140
http://www.ablek9.com/animalClinic.htm

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
- Margaret Mead

Bake these

2009-12-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

I love me some The Bark magazine. Thanks to them, I found this simple dog cookie recipe I have whipped up for gifting. They are Princess approved! Mack and Bella had 1 and scarfed them up as well, but I anticipate they will go bat sh!t crazy over the cheese twists I will be baking tonight as published in this months issue.

Really easy and pretty much stocked pantry ingredients:

Gingerbones

Makes 5 to 6 dozen cookies.
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup molasses
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 tablespoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions
Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly to combine.
Roll out dough on floured surface to about ¼ inch thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut into desired shapes. Combine dough scraps and continue to roll out and cut into shapes until all dough has been used.

Place cookies on ungreased foil-lined baking sheets and bake in preheated 325º oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

From The Home Spa Book for Dogs by Jennifer Cermak, published by Quarry Books, 2005.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-23T07:36:00.001-08:00

Sometimes everything goes to sh!t

2009-12-22T07:06:00.000-08:00

On Friday, I found out that the spunky and sassy Hero passed away from Parvo. His brother Piglet is still in the hospital, but his outlook looks good. I'm still in shock that a puppy full to the brim with piss and vinegar is gone. I can still imagine what his little wiggling warm body felt like in the palm of my hand. It upsets me greatly, and in turn, makes me think of all of the animals being put to sleep in the time it takes me to write this. For those that don't know, that's on average 15.2 animals per minute. Does it make you want to puke as much as it does me? Which begs me to ask myself why I like to torture myself so much. So for now, my transporting and emergency fosters all must have pretty clear vaccination schedules and have to have at least 3 distemper shots before riding in my car, stepping foot on my back lawn, or entering my house for a period of one year. Parvo is the most hateful virus on the planet.

On Saturday, Bella gave me a minor anxiety attack with some inexplicable drooling out of one side of her mouth. It really scared me and for all my poking and prodding I found nothing. By the next day it had stopped, but not after my house was covered in drool and we had amassed a large collection of soaked drool rags. We went to the vet yesterday and he theorizes she ate a bug that potentially stung her. Good thing I gave her some Benadryl when the drooling started thinking it would be a safe way to cover my bases. She is now all UTD on shots, HW negative, and a little bit leaner which is a good thing for those aging hips of hers.

I dropped off Mack this morning as his anal gland infection is not clearing up after 2 weeks of antibiotics. Why is his bum broken you ask? Because the frat brat has been eating toilet paper and tissues like a heroin junkie. Very hard to control when everyone in the house has spent countless weeks sick from the swine flu and the regular cold. Little sh!t even ate the entire roll off the powder bath wall a few weeks ago... while he ripped the hardware off the wall, at least he didn't eat that. So today he's being knocked out for the 2nd time this year to get his glands flushed and packed. Fun times. At least I had the chance to meet the vet's other famous goat patient. We have heard all about one another in the 9 years I've been taking Mack to the vet.

In between all of this I have been frantically trying to save some dogs by networking. I was even trying to pull a dog to get to a foster home about 1,600 miles away. At the last possible second, the dog was adopted by hopefully a forever home. Phew.

Fingers crossed that Mack's butt will smell funky no more, ok?

Too many kisses!

2009-12-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

1 toddler, 2 foster puppies, and too many kisses to count. Taken with our awesome and easy to use Flip Mino HD. If you don't have one, I highly suggest them as gifts!

Click here for the short video clip.

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/8fbfb16882400abceb884a1aa4702dc7/video/7789705

My most recent transport

2009-12-04T12:54:00.000-08:00

11/6- I almost forgot this one for no reason other than it was blissful. It was later at night than most are scheduled for, so I hired a babysitter and drove it alone. My friend was going to join me, but then caught the lovely swine flu Becks and I have already had. I had almost forgot what it felt like to be in a car alone without a chatterbox toddler talking my ear off. I was actually able to opt for really loud music instead of a Disney movie! Woot woot! It's the little pleasures in life.

Tank and Gunner were the remaining bait babies from my prior transport that had a harder time recuperating. Also along was Romeo, a gorgeous owner surrender who only understand Spanish. I took Spanish when I was in the 7th and 8th grade and it did not stick. I tossed out my umpicito espanol and probably had him super confused. But he liked my world famous ear rubs so he forgave me the babbling. After only a few days of being boarded together, he became the puppies surrogate parent. They spent the whole trip cuddling together with the occasional break to pop up and see where we were.

My how fast they grow, here are their updated rescue pics and adoption info:
Gunner http://www.midwestanimalrescue.org/animals/detail?AnimalID=1922062
Tank http://www.midwestanimalrescue.org/animals/detail?AnimalID=1936621
Romeo http://www.midwestanimalrescue.org/animals/detail?AnimalID=1936618

And I'm sad to see these transport passengers of mine still waiting for a home:
Heidi http://www.midwestanimalrescue.org/animals/detail?AnimalID=1372741
Chico http://www.midwestanimalrescue.org/animals/detail?AnimalID=1754362

Aggression: Do you even know what that means?

2009-12-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

In light of the self righteous mother dumping her dog on the mythical farm where all unwanted indoor pets go to live because it scratched her baby, a sure sign of aggression I am told by many other moms, I bring you this:

Dog Aggression

The Humane Society of the United States

A dog's bark may be worse than his bite, but most of us would rather not find out one way or the other.

Growling, baring teeth, snarling, snapping, and biting are all aggressive behaviors. Although these messages are among the handful of communication tools available to dogs, they're generally unacceptable to humans.

Because aggression is so complex, and because the potential consequences are so serious, we recommend that you get professional in-home help from an animal behavior specialist if your dog is displaying aggressive behavior.

Types of aggression
Dominance aggression is motivated by a challenge to a dog's social status or to his control of a social interaction. Dogs are social animals and view their human families as their social group or "pack." Based on the outcomes of social challenges among group members, a dominance hierarchy or "pecking order" is established.

If your dog perceives his own ranking in the hierarchy to be higher than yours, he'll probably challenge you in certain situations. Because people don't always understand canine communication, you may inadvertently challenge your dog's social position. A dominantly aggressive dog may growl if he is disturbed when resting or sleeping or if he is asked to give up a favorite spot, such as the couch or the bed.

Physical restraint, even when done in a friendly manner (like hugging), may also cause your dog to respond aggressively. Reaching for your dog's collar, or reaching over his head to pet him, could also be interpreted as a challenge for dominance. Dominantly aggressive dogs are often described as "Jekyll and Hydes" because they can be very friendly when not challenged. Dominance aggression may be directed at people or at other animals. The most common reason for fights among dogs in the same family is instability in the dominance hierarchy.

Fear-motivated aggression is a defensive reaction and occurs when a dog believes he is in danger of being harmed. Remember that it's your dog's perception of the situation, not your actual intent, which determines your dog's response. For example, you may raise your arm to throw a ball, but your dog may bite you because he believes he's protecting himself from being hit. A dog may also be fearfully aggressive when approached by other dogs.

Protective, territorial, and possessive aggression are all very similar, and involve the defense of valuable resources. Territorial aggression is usually associated with defense of property, and that "territory" may extend well past the boundaries of your yard. For example, if you regularly walk your dog around the neighborhood and allow him to urine-mark, he may think his territory includes the entire block. Protective aggression usually refers to aggression directed toward people or animals whom a dog perceives as threats to his family, or pack. Dogs become possessively aggressive when defending their food, toys, or other valued objects, including items as peculiar as tissues stolen from the trash.

Redirected aggression is a relatively common type of aggression but one that is often misunderstood by pet owners. If a dog is somehow provoked by a person or animal he is unable to attack, he may redirect this aggression onto someone else. For example, two family dogs may become excited, and bark and growl in response to another dog passing through the front yard; or two dogs confined behind a fence may turn and attack each other because they can't attack an intruder. Predation is usually considered to be a unique kind of aggressive behavior because it's motivated by the intent to obtain food, and not primarily by the intent to harm or intimidate.

Individual variation
The likelihood of a dog to show aggressive behavior in any particular situation varies markedly from dog to dog. Some dogs tend to respond aggressively with very little stimulation. Others may be subjected to all kinds of threatening stimuli and events and yet never attempt to bite.

The difference in the threshold prompting aggressive behavior is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. If this threshold is low, a dog will be more likely to bite. Raising the threshold makes a dog less likely to respond aggressively. This threshold can be raised using behavior modification techniques, but the potential for change is influenced by a dog's gender, age, breed, general temperament, and the way in which the behavior modification techniques are chosen and implemented.

Because working with aggressive dogs can be potentially dangerous, behavior modification techniques should only be attempted by, or under the guidance of, an experienced animal behavior professional who understands animal learning theory and behavior.

What you can do

First, check with your veterinarian to rule out medical causes for the aggressive behavior.
Seek professional advice. An aggression problem will not go away by itself. Working with aggression problems requires in-home help from an animal behavior specialist.
Take precautions. Your first priority is to keep people and other animals safe. Supervise, confine, and/or restrict your dog's activities until you can obtain professional guidance. You are liable for your dog's behavior. If you must take your dog out in public, consider a cage-type muzzle as a temporary precaution, and remember that some dogs are clever enough to get a muzzle off.
Avoid exposing your dog to situations where he is more likely to show aggression. You may need to keep him confined to a safe room and limit his contact with people.
If your dog is possessive of toys or treats, or territorial in certain locations, prevent access and you'll prevent the problem. In an emergency, bribe him with something better than what he has. For example, if he steals your shoe, trade him the shoe for a piece of chicken.
Spay or neuter your dog. Intact dogs are more likely to display dominance, territorial, and protective aggressive behavior.
What not to do
Punishment won't help and, in fact, will often make the problem worse. If the aggression is motivated by fear, punishment will make your dog more fearful, and therefore more aggressive. Attempting to punish or dominate a dominantly aggressive dog may actually lead him to escalate his behavior to retain his dominant position. This is likely to result in a bite or a severe attack. Punishing territorial, possessive, or protective aggression is likely to elicit additional defensive aggression.

Adapted from material originally developed by applied animal behaviorists at the Dumb Friends League, Denver, Colorado. All rights reserved.

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/aggression.html

I'm thankful for my senior dogs

2009-11-30T13:44:00.000-08:00

Meet my Thansgiving emergency fosters Hero (L) and Piglet (R). I kept them (or should I say they kept me) from Wed-Saturday. Oh my gawd I forgot how awful puppies are. Not in a devious way, but the energy, the nipping, the humping, the pee, the poop! My thighs look like that of a battered woman. Every time they went outside to pee/poop, they would attach their humping little bodies to me shins. I could walk with them attached to me humping away. So annoying!

Hero was a houdini. No barrier I constructed could contain him other than a crate. He literally could climb his way out of anything. It made for tricky child rearing and cooking for the holidays.

Night #1 they stayed in my laundry room in an ex pen. Thanks to the dewormer it took me 1+ hour to clean my sh!t covered floor and poop splashed walls. Nasty. And of course they were so happy to see me in the morning they had a dance in it.

Mack and Bell did well given we let them interact only thru baby gates. No sense it having puppies eaten alive by Miss cranky pants and or broken by the bull in a china shop. Bell and Becks were also mad that mommy was trapped in the kitchen with the puppies because the second I was out of sight, Hero was making his escape. Oy.

By the end I had them on the road to potty training and doing well in a crate- no pee or poop accidents in the crate even at night! I was a little misty when I had to drop them off at the vet, but all in all I really don't understand how/why someone would want the daunting task of puppy rearing while having a small child. It's too much work, for real. Times 2 over a holiday weekend= I plum lost my mind. Trust me, I'm glad they were alive, but it would have been worth my paying to board them at the vet! I'm still worn out and feel like my entire house is sprinkled with poop particles.

Lesson learned- if you have small kids and you want a dog, skip the puppies and rescue a senior. Trust me.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-24T08:39:00.000-08:00

Beauty and the butt

Miss Molly, gone too soon

2009-11-24T07:46:00.000-08:00

2 weeks ago a friend emailed a photo of a dog looking so scared, so lonely, and so defeated in a cage at a high kill shelter. She looked like a bully mix (immediate death sentence here in the south) and had a broken leg (another way to move to the top of the euth list). I get a lot of email blasts of deserving dogs slated to die because their families gave them up. Most days I don't read them because I truly cannot handle it. I'm the kind of person who has nightmares when she watches the news. On this day, it was sent directly to me and I couldn't look away.

I began spreading the word about this poor girl looking for a safe harbor knowing every rescue is filled past capacity right now. Their bank accounts are past empty trying to save dogs who don't have broken legs. So I did something I don't usually do because he has a history of saying no. I asked my husband if we could save her life and foster her. If we didn't, she would be put to death on Friday the 13th. How cruel and unfair is that? Amazingly, my husband granted my Christmas wish and I had her pulled with the help of some veterna rescuers. We got her to the vet the next day and began the task of raising funds for her surgery and care. Molly was full of every worm imaginable, but miraculously was heartworm negative. It appeared she had been hit by a car, breaking her femur in half. X rays were taken that showed multiple pelvic fractures. Through it all, she was nothing but a big ball of love. If you have never felt the joy of a bully kiss, then you are truly missing out. The vet decided to rest her, feed her, love her, and give her antibiotics to help the surgery go a little smoother. 1 week later Molly was slated for surgery.

On Friday the 20th of November, Molly had a pin placed to hold her broken leg together. The surgery was a little more complicated than expected, but she did great and went into recovery just fine. While in recovery, Molly crashed. The vet and her staff worked for 30 minutes to bring her back, but she was gone. We were all devastated. Many strangers were rooting for Molly and had dedicated money to her care. And so I went breaking the bad news, devastated that I had not even had the chance to touch my never was foster dog. All I have is the picture you see here.

In rescue, you win some and you lose some. It's the ones you lose that you remember the most they say. I will remember Molly forever and I think I have found a way for others to as well. All donations made to the vet are going to remain at the vet to care for the next hard luck case that might be dead otherwise; pay it forward. All donations made to Molly's paypal account are being passed onto Stormy, a dog very much in need. Stormy was drug behind a moving vehicle and suffered tremendous wounds. Without funds to continue covering her care, her rescue was considering euthanizing her. Well, Molly deserved a shot despite being broken and so does Stormy. You can read all about Stormy here: http://thestormystory.blogspot.com/
(but I warn you, you had better have a box of tissues next to you)

So in the spirit of Stormy, find a way to pay it forward this Thanksgiving. What might feel like the smallest of contributions could very well change someone's life.

Lather.Rinse.Repeat...

2009-10-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

Under supervising is not cause for overreacting but rather reflection. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

• If you leave your baby unattended around a pool and they fall in, it’s not the pool’s fault your baby drowned.
• If you don’t baby proof your electrical outlets and your baby sticks your keys in the socket, it’s not electricity’s fault your baby got zapped.
• If you leave a sharpie marker in reach and your toddler colors on your new dining room set, it’s not the marker’s fault your furniture is ruined.

Yes, I am a broken record on this subject because someone needs to be. In this era of helicopter parenting I find it puzzling that somehow supervising a child around a dog suddenly becomes too much work, requires too much effort, and is somehow impossible. Those who demand the dog’s head on a platter after a snap become the vast majority and I become the minority, aka the crazy dog person. I had no idea supervising my child and shaping his behaviors around animals made me certifiable. Quick, someone better call CPS on me.

So let me scream this at the top of my lungs a little louder. It is YOUR job to make sure baby and beasts are all on their best behavior. It is YOUR job to monitor their interactions and determine when someone has had enough. It is YOUR job to raise your child to respect an animal’s boundaries. It is YOUR job to become acutely aware what those boundaries are. It is YOUR job to baby proof your pets long before it becomes an issue.

I know my parents didn’t do much to prepare our dogs for kids. They got lucky. I yanked on Winston’s hair to pull myself up and learn how to walk. I used to try and ride my Doberman Satan for fun. You know what, they got really lucky and in hindsight they know it. It is not a reasonable expectation that a family pet will not at some point have been dished out more than it can take. You have so many tools at your disposal, you just need to implement them.

Take some time to learn how dogs communicate:
http://www.greenacreskennel.com/pages/Articles/ART_How_Do_Dogs_Communicate.html
http://www.amazon.com/Canine-Body-Language-Photographic-Interpreting/dp/1929242352

Prepare your dogs before the baby comes home from the hospital:
http://www.dogsandstorks.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Childproofing-Your-Dog-Complete-Preparing/dp/0446670162

Raise your child from day 1 to follow these rules of respect. The rules will not only keep your child safe around YOUR pets, but also animals that are unfamiliar.
1. Do not ever touch an animal while it is eating.
2. Do not ever touch an animal while it is sleeping; further do no allow them on the dog’s bed and or in the dog’s crate at any time. These are baby free zones.
3. Do not ever hit/pinch/pull/kick/or hug an animal.

Invest in tools to help manage babies and beasts for those moments you can’t be in all places at once. Minimize the opportunity for an accident to occur. Be observant and be vigilant.
http://www.kongcompany.com/
http://www.dog.com/dog-crates/exercise-pens/7/
http://www.dog.com/dog-crates/plastic-crates/1293/
http://www.dog.com/item/bully-sticks-by-the-case/130662/
http://www.babyhomesafety.com/pressure_gates.htm

I don't want to be on a soap box. I don't want this to be twisted into some contest of who is a better parent. I want this to be a wake up call for everyone. I want this post to help save a dog's life. I want this post to protect your child from getting bitten. Please read it and then stew on it with that frame of mind.

Who has questions for me?

2009-10-05T13:55:00.001-07:00

I wasn't able to pull a transport last month and my home life with the baby and beasts is thankfully status quo. I've been keeping myself quite busy with various fun endeavors like photographing my former foster Princess' family engagement portraits.

Currently, I'm fresh out of topics so help a gal out. What burning questions or issues do you face as you mingle babies and beasts? No question is too great or small to tackle so let me know what's on your mind.

Dog Day Afternoon

2009-09-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

A local shelter has this event yearly and we finally made it to one! Too bad Becks was in a sleep deprived foul mood, but I was able to pop off a few good shots. I'm just sad I have to wait a whole year to try again. There were so many cute pups around and they were all so eager to have their picture taken! I was especially proud that as usual my dog friendly kid walked right up to some of the biggest dogs there for loving. No fear, no bias based on outward appearances, let's hope that lesson carries over his entire life.

Gasp!

2009-09-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

What kind of a mother encourages her child to feed a PIT BULL goldfish right out of his mouth?

Me.

Note: No child, no dog, and no real live goldfish were injured during this photo op.

1 toddler, 2 bullies, and 3 puppies

2009-09-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

I am again remiss in updating. Still battling Mack's incision from emergency obstruction surgery. This is week #3 of the cone of shame if you are keeping tabs. We are all ready to ditch it, but probably most of all Becks. Poor kid keeps getting rammed and knocked over now that our bull in the china shop's head circumference is three times it's normal size.

Becks and I had the pleasure of driving a car full 2 weeks ago. Oh my. This one was a tad bit stressful. In hindsight, we now know that both Pudge and Chico had been recently neutered... but Pudge was really in pain from his. Any signs of exuberance on lovey dovey Chico's part were met by a growl and snap from Pudge. Not good when you have a toddler in the back and you are doing 80 down the highway. I stopped at least three times trying various configurations before Chico was tethered just right to keep from pestering Pudge. Problem was, he was so close to Becks that he wanted to melt into Becks. Becks wasn't too thrilled with it, but they all eventually settled down and we made it to our hand off spot before driver #3 arrived.

The darling little puppies were actually used as bait and left to die on the side of a highway. To complicate matters, one of the puppies broke with Parvo immediately following the transport. Tiny Tim is holding his own and we pray no one else catches this insidious virus. Parvo is not curable, only manageable. It will be up to Tiny Tim's body to win this war with supportive care. It is also highly contagious and takes me out of the running for transporting puppies for about a year. I am working on cleaning my SUV as best as I can with anti-virals but it's still a risk I don't want to take. I have also had to bleach the grassy area driver #1 met me at while giving them all a potty break. Luckily I did not let them touch the ground at my hand off, so my usual meeting spot should be Parvo free. What I have learned however is that I am adding a spray bottle of anti viral to my arsenal so I can spray areas used for bathroom breaks on transports just in case.

Please send some love Tiny Tim's way, he needs all he can get. I will keep you posted on his fate.

My dog is not a dog

2009-08-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

Happy 35th birthday to me. That's Mack sporting his super special e collar. Mack is fast approaching 8 years old and he has eluded emergecny surgery for an obstruction more times than I can recount. Seriously, he has more lives than a cat and a stomach of iron. On his worst day, he could out eat a billy goat. However, his luck finally ran out. On my 35th birthday, instead of going to see a movie with some friends, I made a run to the e vet with Mack. He just wasn't acting his usual jovial self, he seemed uncomfortable, he was shivering, but what really sealed the deal was his refusal of food. That is not the norm for my food whore.

Let me back track a bit and tell you what led to this e vet trip. 2 weeks prior, my hubby was doing laundry on his day off. He has a bad habit of sorting laundry on the bathroom floor and letting Mack free roam the house. The rule has always been Mack is to be locked up while laundry is taking place. His huge gullet can swallow anything you drop before you ever realize something was dropped. It will then reappear at 3am on the carpet, or out his backside resulting in poo patrol being more like an archaelogical dig. All sorts of things have made their way into the depths of Mack's gut- dirty baby diapers, toy rubber frogs, wooden puzzle pieces etc.. If there were an advanced degree for inducing emesis, I'd have a PhD! I came home from work and saw the laundry on the bathroom floor, the door open, and Mack out and I knew we were in trouble. It would just be a matter of time before I knew exactly how much. Later that night Mack puked up 1 lone sock and I thought we might be ok. Over the next few days he would hack now and again and I thought there might be more laundry lurking. Sure enough, 6 days later in the back yard 2 pairs of underwear and 5 socks appeared in a pile of puke. I was so freaked out but thought phew, that was the luckiest anyone on this earth could be. I was wrong. 5 days later we were at the e vet.

I won't go into my entire meltdown at the e vet but suffice to say there were lots of x rays, lots of gas dilated loops, a ginourmous bladder, a colon in the wrong place, no obvious foreign body. We watched, we waited, and I pulled the trigger knowing in my gut laundry was lurking. Mack had surgery at 3am for a lone sock lodged in his small intestine. It was not going to come out on it's own so I'm tahnkful we caught it before it did any major damage.

Since his escapade, he has been quite the naught patient. Last week I was at the vet 3 times in 4 days for a ripped open incision. We have gone through 1 set of staples and 2 sets of stitches while we wait for his incision to heal. Currently the incision is being slathered in Manuka Honey 16+ 2x a day in an effort to get it to close up. I'm also tranquilizing him in an effort to minimize any damage he could do while I am at work. Sigh. I am so ready to close this chapter.

Comanche

2009-08-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

I have been remiss in updating the blog, but rest assured, I'm still a transporter! I've just been busy. You'll see why in the next blog entry.

Becks and I had the displeasure of picking up an Anatolian Shepherd from her owner. Yep, the owner who was dumping her. I don't know why, but the whole situation was weird weird weird. One minute the woman is telling me she was training her to be a service dog and the next she is handing me her paperwork and going over how much $ she has put into the dog. Barf. You are talking to the wrong person if you want to talk about how much money it takes to properly care for a dog. I was not impressed.

Comanche was a very scared girl. I had to have the owner tighten her collar and get her into my car because her collar was way too big (easy to back out of) and the woman refused to send her with a leash. I tell you, she was a real peach. On top of that, she informed me she would also be sending no food bowls, water, or dog food. Fine, great, I'll take care of it. Thank god this dog landed in rescue and will find a home who will love her without limits.

Comanche was a very quiet passenger and with her nervous tummy pooped a little in my car. Luckily Becks was riding with me and was able to tell me because at first we thought she just had gas.... which the 2 year old found to be hysterical. A quick clean up and we were back on the road to hand off. Thank you Clorox bleach wipes!

For Sophie

2009-07-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

A dear friend lost her 15 month old lab, Sophie, yesterday to a tragic accident. Sophie went swimming and drank too much water while playing resulting in water toxicity also known as hypernatremia.I had no idea a dog could die from this, and it was quite sudden. She went swimming in the morning, to lethargic, to gone before the evening due to her body chemistry being completely out of whack. Because her case was acute and sudden, the vet was not able to reverse the damage done.

Hypernatremia is defined as an elevated sodium concentration in the blood. Although mild hypernatremia is often detected on serum chemistry panels, hypernatremia does not commonly warrant specific treatment. When marked hypernatremia is present, however, clinical signs can be severe and can result in death. The treatment of hypernatremia can be challenging, and success depends on an understanding of sodium and water balance.

The brain is the major organ affected by hypernatremia. When a hyperosmolar state develops, water from brain cells moves down the osmotic gradient into the extracellular space. This results in brain parenchymal cell dehydration and an overall decrease in brain volume. The cerebral veins rupture as a result of pia mater blood vessel tearing, resulting in subarachnoid and intracerebral hemorrhage. At presentation, affected animals have evidence of neurologic disease. They can exhibit lethargy, ataxia, and weakness, which progress to seizures, coma, and death in severe cases. Clinical signs appear as the serum sodium concentration approaches 170 mEq/L. When hypernatremia develops slowly, the brain has time to compensate, and neurologic signs are minimal. However, when hypernatremia occurs acutely, more severe and potentially irreversible neurologic signs develop.

The prognosis for patients with hypernatremia depends on the underlying cause, severity of hypernatremia and clinical signs at presentation, and response to fluid administration. Hypernatremia has a high mortality rate in humans, and mortality has been found to be associated with the initial plasma sodium concentration, severity of neurologic signs at presentation, and response to treatment. A recent study of hypernatremic dogs and cats found a 42% mortality rate; another study in kittens with experimentally induced hypernatremia found a 30% mortality rate in the first 24 hours. One dog with diabetes insipidus and a plasma sodium concentration of 203 mEq/L was treated and survived. By understanding the pathophysiologic basis of this disorder and using this basis to guide appropriate treatment choices, clinicians can successfully manage severe hypernatremia.

From: http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:GV6BRifwRq4J:www.veterinarytherapeutics.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp%3Fsid%3D%26nm%3D%26type%3DPublishing%26mod%3DPublications%253A%253AArticle%26mid%3D8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791%26AudID%3DBE924B06C44442DE9033CA13B621B284%26tier%3D4%26id%3D19024D32FEC7489890AF50693F2BE322+hyponatremia+%2B+dog&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

I keep thinking of the Spring Fling I photographed and all of those lab babies having the time of their life fetching balls out of the pond and swimming non stop. I felt compelled to share Sophie’s story to maybe prevent this tragic accident from happening again to someone else. Thanks for reading and for sharing.

On the road again

2009-07-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

I've been ridiculously busy at work. The kind of busy that drives you to drink and gives you nightmares busy. Hate it. So when I had a chance to drive a transport for 3bully babies on Friday evening I jumped all over it. There is something relaxing about cruising along going 80 miles an hour listening to whatever kid movie (this week- Hotel for Dogs)I have popped in for Becks and petting the occasional puppy head.

Our passengers this week were Tank who had bar none the prettiest eyes I have ever seen, Mia a silly little bossy girl who found a way to get her lead to stretch all the way to my center console, and Love Bug who was a perfect gentleman and was chill the entire drive. We got to our meeting spot only to discover drive #2 was running very late. It was then I realized the pups had fleas. Ack! Becks and I made it out unscathed, but I have yet to figure out if the buggers have been hatching in my car yet. I picked up some Borax yesterday just in case. Oh well, such is life. While waiting I finally got a chance to shoot a few pics because my dear sweet hubby cleaned up (i.e. hid) the small camera I can easily shoot one handed over my shoulder while keeping my eyes on the road. Can't exactly do that with a D90!

Tank and Love Bug both went immediately into their new homes, but sweet and sassy Mia is still available.

A dirt lot

2009-06-16T09:20:00.001-07:00

This is where Princess used to live.

On this dirt lot she dodged 18 wheelers and gravel trucks. She once had her foot run over and lost a nail as a result. When she was spayed in an effort to shut me up, she recouperated here, in the dirt and motor oil. Often, I tended to various war wounds she ended up with. I'm pretty sure she wasn't missing a chunk of ear when we first met. Occasionally, she was allowed in the air conditioned offices to cool off. I don't think she was ever kept inside during thunderstorms. She slept outside 99% of the time no matter the season. I have no idea how often she was given clean water or what they fed her but I'd bet money it was Ol Roy. At one point, someone tried to steal her in the middle of the night and had her backed into a corner of the chain link fence until the man living on the property came out to see what all the fuss was about. Finally, the day I had a new collar and proper tag for her with my information on it and the words "spayed" engraved on it, she went missing. I'll save that post for another day. It's amazing what I have chosen to forget... I hope she has too.

I'm an OklaTexan

2009-06-15T08:23:00.000-07:00

Becks and I had another little Oklahoma adventure this weekend. Our passengers on this trip were the adorable Jones (floppy ears) and Isabelle (cropped ears). Both were total love bugs and Isabelle was content to hang her head in B's lap while Jones kept manuevering to sneak his way into my lap. We had dog #3, Egore, a massive 135 pound American Bulldog following in a seperate car due to his size and dislike of most male dogs. It was uneventful, just the way we like them, and B was treated to McDonalds for an ice cream cone and the opportunity to stretch his legs on the playground. I know how much he enjoys our rides as he is always quick to talk to me about them while we rock before he drifts off to sleep. His last word before falling asleep that night was Isabelle.

To date we have transported 10 dogs that would be dead otherwise. If you don't already transport, please do. It is the simplest way to contribute to animal rescue and is tax deductible! Ask me how to volunteer.

Happy 4th anniversary Princess

2009-06-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

4 years ago today my life changed in more ways than I could put into words. A wiggly, roo-ing, pit bull ran up to me and I was not afraid to bend down to pet her. In that moment I fell in love. She wore a purple collar, no tags, and a cheap flea collar with her teats hanging loose from her. She had to belong to someone and so on that day I grabbed my office camera and took this photo of her to assist me in breaking the language barrier near my office while looking for her owner. From this day on we fell into an easy routine of car rides, pig ears, and belly rubs. She needed a name and I dubber her Precious. It was just a week later before I figured out her real name was Princess, and she was a victim of breed bias. Once someone's pet, one they felt compelled to breed for profit, kicked out of her home to the dirt lot across the street from my office to be a junk yard dog. Why? Because they had kids at home and they were worried because she was a pit bull. And so I became her guardian angel and she became the reason I am involved in animal rescue today. Thank you Princess for giving my life meaning and purpose. Thank you nesties for holding my hand every step of the way. It is because of your amazing thoughts and prayers that she is as loved as she is today by all that have met her and her amazing mom L. I love you all very much. Keep up the good fight.

Big news!

2009-06-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

Princess my foster baby is coming to stay with us this weekend. I am super duper excited but admittedly anxious. Don't panic L, I'm just a worry wart. Princess hasn't technically seen/played with my dogs in 2+ years. It was just too much to handle when Becks was a baby and I'm a little worried about how they are going to behave or if I am going to have to re create Fort Knox using baby gates and such. See, when I took Princess in the first time we lived in a crazy fortress of double baby gates and buffer zones for weeks on end because I was too chicken to let them interact. Instead I used clicker training coupled with time and patience for them all to acclimate. Even then, it was only when Princess escaped Fort Knox to introduce herself to the dogs did they become a pack of 3. Luckily I do have a friend coming to town (poor her!) so I'm sure she will be helpful even if it is simply refilling my wine glass while I freak the F out!

So, if you have any tips for me on not projecting my crazy nervous energy I am totally open. Thanks peeps!

Rest in peace Walker

2009-05-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

Walker passed away today on what should have been his 3rd birthday. He was a friend's foster dog though she had plans on adopting him. He was to be her partner in crime as her marriage is coming to an end. He was going to be chapter one in her new life.

Walker went through 2 homes before landing back at DFW Lab Rescue. How someone could deny him a forever home escapes my thought process. My friend was his foster home, his safe refuge, and I am so glad he knew what it felt like to be truly loved. I had the pleasure of meeting Walker at a rescue event I volunteered to photograph. He was madly in love with him foster mom much to the chagrin of potential suitors that came to meet him.

Last week walker tore his ACL ligament and underwent surgery to repair the injury. While on the strong pain medication and antibiotics required post op, he began throwing up and peeing blood. He went into the vet's office on Monday and was diagnosed as being in acute renal failure. Yesterday morning he was on death's door, but by the afternoon the vet had decided it was not kidney failure but a massive kidney infection. My friend went to spend some time with him and when talking to her last night all seemed like it would be ok and he would pull through. This morning at 8:05 I received an email letting me know he had passed this morning. I am in shock, but mainly I am angry. It is not fair. Walker was supposed to be her fresh start. Walker was supposed to be celebrating his 3rd birthday today. Walker was supposed to finally know what it felt like to be home.

Walker, you were loved.

When Princess comes to visit

2009-05-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

I am most thankful I found the world's most perfect adopter for Princess the pittie. We get to stay in touch and visit and for that I am forever grateful. P came to visit over the weekend and Becks could not have been more thrilled; well as thrilled as a 2 year old can be. I took the opportunity to get some pretty adore-a-bull shots of her. I know I keep promising to share her story but it's a hard one to tell for someone like me who has an amazing way of supressing unhappy stuff. I leave for NOLA tomorrow and I swear when I get back into town I will share with you all Princess: Chapter 1 and go from there. It's a doozy of a story.

Paws for Courage

2009-05-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

Copied directly from their website. This is a must read. Feel free to cut and paste it and email it to every one in your address book. Chances are you know someone who is being abused and or was once a victim of domestic violence. It is all too common and all too taboo.

"Almost 50% of those leaving domestic violence situations delay leaving their abusers. They fear for the lives of the pets they will have to leave behind. Beloved pets often become pawns in abusive relationships. A “thing” to be used to instill fear in their victims, to further control them, to punish them or show them what will happen if they tell about the abuse or get out of line.

It's this fear that keeps victims of abuse frozen with terror. They know that the minute they leave, their abuser will take their anger out on their pets by seriously harming or even killing them. By the time victims are ready to leave their abusers, their self esteem has been battered and they have been alienated from most of their family and friends; they don't think they can leave and more often than not, have no place to go. And the longer a victim waits, the greater danger they put themselves in.

When a victim is finally able to leave, more often than not, the domestic violence safe havens they seek refuge at do not allow pets to be brought in or do not have the appropriate facilities to house animals. There are many domestic violence shelters that have cooperative agreements with local animal shelters for temporary holding of animals while victims are residing at the shelter. Unfortunately, due to time constraints and limited space, animals can only be held for very short periods of time...anywhere from a week to 30 days.

Paws For Courage was created with the purpose of diminishing the high number of those who feel they cannot leave because of their pets. 50% is a VERY high number and a rather disturbing statistic. Time is of the essence in domestic violence situations; any delay could prove to be deadly. Paws For Courage is a network of shelters, foster homes, and transporters dedicated to giving domestic violence 'victims' a greater chance of becoming 'survivors'. Please read our Volunteer page and consider joining or supporting our cause. An animal's (and humans') life may very well depend on it. Just a note, some of our pages are currently under construction, so please remember to keep checking back...we're always updating! If you have any questions about anything on this website (or about our organization), please feel free to contact me at any time."

I signed up to help transport and foster. I hope you find it in your heart to help in any capacity that you can.

http://www.pawsforcourage.org/volunteer.htm

Itty bitty yoga kitty

2009-04-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

Tuesday nights are yoga night for me. A mom has got to find herself a little slice of peace and quiet and yoga at the local gym is mine. Imagine my surpise when walking towards the door this itty bitty kitty jumped out of the bushes at my feet and let out a miniscule meow. I look around at the crammed parking lot and the bustling highway near me and wonder how many other people chose to ignore this little baby. I had no choice but to scoop her up and quickly run her back to my house to be safely sequestered away from my kitty eating beasts in an upstairs bathroom. I then hightailed it back to yoga because I am just that dedicated :)

She is a mere 8 weeks old, 1.8 pounds, and negative for feline leukemia and hiv, but a nasty case of pesky fleas. I am thankful that I found many rescues willing to help me out provided I got her vetted and helped pay for her spay. For $100 I will have stopped one more cat from being a breeding machine and or road kill; I figure that's pretty cheap for some good karma. She will leaving tonight in search of her forever family. I'm pretty sure Becks is going to miss her. He has loved having something so tiny to pet and love on. Too bad his perception of gentle is akin to a scene out of Of Mice and Men, but I digress. Another wonderful lesson offered to him about the importance of stopping to help someone/some animal in need. Sure he might not get it yet, but I've got the photos and stories for his baby book... and let's face it, this itty bitty yoga kitty will not be the last random animal momma brings home.

O is for Oklahoma

2009-04-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

Becks and I made another pilgramage to Oklahoma this past Friday to help save the lives of 3 bullies in need for MARS. It was a nasty rainy day here but mother nature was kind enough to clear our path all the way there and back. In total, we drove about 200 miles and spent about 5 hours and 45 minutes travel time including a dinner break and some play time for Becks. He enjoyed meeting Jack, Phoebe, and Heidi who all rode like champs in the car. They all hunkered down for some snoozing while Becks wached Bolt. How appropriate, right? A big thank you to my college roomate for riding along and keeping me company. It was a nice opportunity to catch up. So transport #2 was another success. I look forward to my next adventure with B!

I love to shoot dogs...

2009-04-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

With my camera. I picked up a new hobby, or mainly just finally took the time to really invest in it, and have a new Nikon D90. I am constantly shooting pics of the kid and the dogs. Recently I had the opportunity to shoot a few friend's dogs so I thought I'd share some of my faves. Jesse the lab is dying of terminal cancer. I really hope his mommy likes these. I don't know how you can prepare yourself for the end of a 16+ year relationship with a boy as loving and loyal as Jesse. I can only imagine her heart breaks a little more with every glance they exchange. I hope to play around in photoshop and do something special to one of these for her when it's time. I think he looks so sweet here, don't you?

Pitty the Fool- we have a winner!

2009-04-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.pbrc.net/misc/foolcontest/contest09.html

That's my girl! Ok, so really she is L's but you know what I mean especially if you are a dog foster mom. Woo hoo!

Vote for Princess!

2009-03-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

This is for my former foster dog. All you need to do is to vote with #93 in the subject line to pbrccontest@gmail.com

Only one vote per email address, so please spread the word.

4th Annual 'I Pittie, The Fool' Photo Contest

April Fool's Day - A Day for Tomfoolery
Who defines being a fool better than a pit bull? To celebrate our dogs, we’ve created this showcase of jokers and jesters submitted by our supporters. Now you get to help decide which one will be crowned this year’s #1 Pittie Fool!

http://www.pbrc.net/misc/foolcontest/contest09.html

I promise my next blog update will be the story of Princess.

Mommy martyrs

2009-03-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

Definition: a mommy who thinks being a mother is so hard that taking care of their pets is a source of insurmountable suffering thus they look for ways to justify their need to dispose of, get rid of, or re home their pet.

You know one I bet, I come across them all the time. Somehow these women think shooting a baby out their coochie is life's most important accomplishment. They think they practically invented motherhood and no one can possibly relate to their struggles. Well people I am not in that camp. I'm in the total opposite camp, the one that thinks my most important life accomplishment will be maintaining my own identity outside of being a mother; one that continues to honor herself daily by continuing to be all of the things that make me who I am. Because if I cannot do that, then what the hell do I have to offer my kid outside of the basic necessities? I ask why did you bother becoming a mother if you find honoring and upholding something so basic as providding food, water, medical care, and love to a dog or cat as being impossible?

Mommy martyrs you are screwed, I am onto you and I'm not the only one...

Dog pee will not kill you or the baby.

2009-03-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

That is not to say that marking or pissing all over your house is acceptable, but it's not the end of the world. Let's take today to talk about why some perfectly housebroken dogs suddenly start peeing in the house.

1. Urinary tract infection. Yes, just as we humans are prone to them so are dogs. Any time a dog suddenly starts peeing in the house, a trip to the vet is warranted. UTI's and other issues such as kidney stones and kidney infection can be fatal if left unchecked and untreated.

2. Your dog is feeling insecure and anxious. Think about possible big changes in the house that could be causing the stress. Is it the new baby? Is it the unveiling of all the new baby gear? Did you alter the dog's schedule too much too soon? Did you move your dog's safe place (crate, ex pen, bed) etc... thus causing anxiety?

3. You never got around to neutering your male dog and now he is marking his territory.

4. Your neutered dog feels competitive with another dog in the house and they are in a pissing match for dominant ranking.

5. Your unspayed female is letting all the boys in the hood know she is available for mating. What a hoochie!

6. Your dog doesn't like the new smells on something unfamiliar so it marks it- this could be a pair of shoes you wore to volunteer at the animal shelter, a shopping bag, or new furniture.

Now lets talk about some of the possible solutions. None of these will be a magic bullet, but used in combination you can hopefully find the one that fits your situation.

1. Spay and Neuter your pets- it is never too late. In males testosterone plays a large role in marking. It most likely will not cure the marking habit, but it will make breaking the habit easier for you. If you are a parent as well, you should know that intact males are much more likely to bite than their neutered counterparts. It's also no wonder that 42.8% of dogs relinquished to shelters are not fixed and 96% had no prior obedience training. http://www.petrescue.com/library/relinquish-pets.htm

2. To properly break the habit, a dog must be caught and corrected in the act i.e. mid stream. Yelling, hitting, and rubbing your dog's nose in it is not going to work. To do this, you must keep all eyes on fido at all times. I know you don't have eyes in the back of your head so I suggest crate training or using the umbilical method. To do this, your dog is on leash and attached to your waist at all times for constant supervision. This method of training is really effective for correcting many undesired behaviors, so keep it in mind for any other challenges you are facing.

3. Use the most effective house breaking method- praise. Become a cheerleader when your dog pees outside and in the appropriate place. Treat them like mad for "insert your pee catchphrase here" with a high value treat such as freeze dried liver. My catchphrase is "go pee, go poop" and by training and rewarding them using this phrase, mine will do their business on command. Very useful when juggling the demands of a baby, dogs, and work. It's also easy so Becks can give it to them as well.

4. Don't kid yourself into thinking that a dog marking while having the run of the house while you are gone is going to stop. For some dogs, confinement is the only answer. Mack resides in a 4'x4' ex pen daily while we are at work. While he doesn't pee, he does ingest inedible things that could kill him when not supervised (see my previous post). Trust me, it's safe and is not cruel. If it keeps your dog alive and your house in one piece then it's a win win situation. Look into crate training, it is literally a life saver.

5. Thoroughly clean any areas with an enzymatic cleanser. I blot the area first, flood it with enzymatic cleanser, re blot, then re flood the area and let the enzymatic cleaner air dry. If for some reason I can still smell pee, I repeat the process but use my steam cleaner loaded only with enzymatic cleanser to soak and then suck up the mess. Using products like carpet shampoo will only mask the smell since your dog has a nose 100x more sensitive than yours, not to mention they leave a sticky residue that will trap dirt and create a whole new stain. To seek out old and hidden stains use a blacklight. You can find black light bulbs at most home improvement warehouses or online places that carry hand held devices like this: http://www.sitstay.com/dog/supplies/servlet/product_10001_10001_41570_-1_Urine-Finder+Black+Light__13902_

6. When all else fails, there are prescription medications than can ease anxiety in dogs. These are also not a magic bullet, but could help smooth things over enough to make training easier on you all. Examples of medications are Amtriptyline, Buspar, Prozac etc... Be your pet's advocate and ask your vet about them. Many vets are not up to speed on their uses as they fall into the realm of behavior and most vets are busy staying on top of more health related subjects such as heartworm treatment. If your vet doesn't consider them an option, find a new vet, perhaps one that specializes in behavior and or one that has a holistic practice. Information on these medications and more can be found here: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/pharmacy_center.html

Lastly, for anyone who freaks at the thought of their baby maybe crawling over some random wet pee spot in the carpet, urine from a healthy animal is sterile. It is only as the urine sits that it turns into alkaline salts feeding bacteria and thus giving off an odor. If you think that's nasty, just wait until your kid comes down with Rotovirus...

From BadRap- a great blog about kids & pitties

2009-03-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

http://badrap-blog.blogspot.com/2009/03/unintended-consequences.html#links

Seriously, I cannot applaud loud enough. Amen Bambi.

I'm human, my dogs are beasts, and we all need some work.

2009-03-17T17:10:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of total honesty, enjoy! This was my evening.

So, my beasts have not been walked lately. Bad weather for the little man, dark too early, etc... so tonight I took them for a spin individually with DS. Big boy sent across the street neighbors running into their house despite the fact he did't bark and was obviously baby safe. Whatever. Later we came across a neighbor lady all while DC didn't want to ride his bike like he said he did, so I was stuggling to contain big boy while holding the ride on my hip while trying to keep DC from exploring traffic. Big boy in his enthusiasm bucking like a mad fool then knocks DC down and out of his shoe. Tears ensue. Great.

Get back to the house, damn DH set the sprinklers for this random evening time and we get soaked trying to get back into the house. More crying.

Go to get big girl and realize when I had DH alter the pinch collar, he did it wrong and the ends won't connect. Can't find the part to fix it. Put her in a choke chain but think to myself, this not good, she freaking weighs more than I do.

Take big girl out, she flips out at bike passing by. Ugh. We are calm and carrying on until we come across freaky neighbor and his little girl- the ones that like to spy on us and freak out big girl. They start walking towards us and big girl then goes apeshit. I proceed to tell him that she won't let him get near us because she hates strange men. DC is refusing to walk this entire time, so I am also wrangling her while walking with him on my hip.

Get home, finally, and the damn sprinklers are still on. Me thinks I'll be paying someone to get them reacquanited with leash manners/strangers because I physically cannot. Ugh. I hate being a quasi single parent on nights like this the most. Goes to show you why training never tops!

End of vent. Phew. Thank god for dog walkers and trainers for professional help!

Does your dog know you are pregnant?

2009-03-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

With pregnancy comes many changes- new smells from the hormones coursing through your veins, ever changing moods, changes in appearance, extreme exhaustion, constant puking and nausea. Don't think for a second your dog doesn't know big changes are in the air, he/she might even know before you ever pee on a stick. Some dogs adapt well to these changes, though some more sensitive dogs might show some anxiety.

Bell, my strong alpha dog sensed I was weaker and took it upon herself to become more protective of house and home. To keep her in check, we had to keep clear boundaries and use commands and obedience as a gentle reminders I was still in charge and a capable leader. One key technique is called Nothing In Life Is Free aka NILIF. Essentially asking her to perform her commands as a way to earn rewards such as food and affection helped keep her from staging a coup against me. It also helped us identify the commands she needed the most brushing up on which is another critical element in preparing dogs for baby. Examples of commands to practice: sit, down, stay, leave it, wait, and gentle.

Mack is my sensitive jock. While I spent the better part of oh, say, 34 weeks of non stop nausea and puking so did he on occasion. If I closed the bathroom door, he would whine and cry right along with me. More than once I swear he puked out of pity. I eventually learned that if I left the door open, he would lay down outside the door to watch over me and once done, he would escort me back to the sofa. He was the perfect nurse maid who always stuck close to me and not once did he get mad at me for having hardly any energy for a walk or a game of ball.

I think I got off pretty easy in this department. I hope you do too, but here are some other examples of how your dogs could react to your pregnancy:
1. Marking/peeing in the house. If this occurs, get thee to a vet to rule out kidney stones or a urinary tract infection first. Then, if your male dog isn't neutered, correct that immediately. Not only will it help cur marking, but statistically intact male dogs are more likely to bite. Stock up on an enzymatic cleaner and be sure to revert to crate training if the housebreaking continues to regress.

2. Becoming more aloof to you. You look like my mom, but you sure as heck don't smell like her. Give the dog the time and space to adjust, he/she will accept your new scent.

3. Becoming more velcro like. You are my mom, and I love your new smell, so I must follow you everywhere you go and protect you. Be sure to keep the house rules clear and maintain your place as the leader as this will help your dog relax.

Good luck and enjoy the ride with your furry babies.

Anyone out there?

2009-03-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hi readers. As you know, I'm new to this blog thing. So far I have really enjoyed the outlet for talking about the loves of my life- my mini human and my beasts. While I could ramble on endlessly on the topic, I'd like to know if there are any topics you all would like to see addressed? Please feel free to chime in and leave your suggestions in the commments section. I look foward to reading them.

- PittieBoo

Service Dogs

2009-03-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Becks had the pleasure of meeting 3 new dogs. We met 2 up at the local park, a sweet nippy little puppy and a sweet adult golden retriever. It always makes me chuckle that the minute he sees a dog he grabs my hand and we make a beeline to ask if we can pet them. The highlight of the day however was meeting Joey, a service dog, at the grocery store. I saw Joey hard at work but know that service dogs are working and aren't to be approached and loved on while doing their jobs. It wasn't until a little girl, probably about 7, screamed at the sight of Joey that I figured it would be ok to pet him. Joey's poor owner tried to reassure her that Joey was the "nicest of nice dogs" but this little girl was having none of it. I thought about how sad it is that she probably isn't exposed in a positive manner to dogs and most likely has never had the joy of being raised with one. Beckett did his part by practically leaping out of the shopping cart, grinning ear to ear, ready to love and dote on Joey. We spoke with his owner for a few minutes and he was thrilled to have someone recognize how special Joey was.

Did you know that service dogs:
Cost approximately $20,000 just to train
Only 6% of dogs tested make it into a training program
Of those in the training program, only 1 in 8 go on to perform as service dogs
Are often adopted from local shelters based on their special temperaments
Are every variety of pure breed and mixed breed dog
Many institutions are using inmates to care for and train service dogs
Can assist the blind, hearing challenged, provide independence for the disabled, monitor those with neurological disorders, and work as socially therapeutic animals
for those with psychiactric disabilities
Can be fostered by someone as awesome as you?
http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/service_dogs.html

Older dogs and younger kids

2009-03-06T08:07:00.001-08:00

My dogs are both large breeds, 7 year old Mack weighing in at 90 pounds and 6 year old Bell weighing in at 125. With their size and advancing ages, they are technically speaking seniors. Being seniors, their bodies are ever so slowly starting to wear down. When Mack was 3, he blew out both of his CCL ligaments (aka ACLs in human terms), and we endured two rounds of TPLO to put him back together with titanium plates and screws. Given those injuries, Mack's knees developed arthritic changes in them at a young age. Bell had her hips x-rayed while under for a teeth cleaning last year and we discovered she is severely dysplastic in one of her hips. Needless to say, my beasts are not getting any younger. As a result, they both probably have varying amounts of discomfort daily based on the weather and their weight.

As a means of fighting the good fight, they both are kept as lean as possible so as to avoid any added stress on their joints. Did you know obesity is one of the leading diseases in veterinary medicine today. Be kind to your dogs and give them added years on their life by keeping them slim and trim. To further enhance their quality of life, they both get human grade fish oil pills (a natural anti inflammatory) and a giant glucosamine/msm/chrondroitin (helps cushion their joints and rebuild cartilage) pill tossed in at dinner. I also invested in some nice orthopedic beds from Orvis and they have never seemed happier. Their post sleep limps are almost nil.
Glucosamine/msm/chrondroitin: http://tinyurl.com/7fesnb
Bed: http://tinyurl.com/98s966

Even with all I do, I cannot stop the ever present march of time. Some of my new challenges as a parent involve an overenthusiastic toddler who can sometimes pet a little too hard which can hurt their aching bodies. Becks has also fallen on Bell a few times when going balls to the walls. In both instances, he has been given a correction by the dogs- a growl, a yelp, and an open mouth on him a time or two. I try hard to keep my calm and carry on as they say, but I know it will only get more tricky as they get older and crankier. Becks and I have a lot of little talks about how that hurts and he is giving them a boo boo. Luckily, as they age, he does too which makes these life lessons easier for him to understand. I know one day they will teach him the hardest lesson of all by exiting this world as we know it, but I know in my heart he will be a better human being for it. I wish all kids were this blessed.