Almost peed my pants laughing. (Almost, I said!)

OMG....

Next on list to get: trampoline. Can you IMAGINE my three behemoths on one of these?

Trampoline Dog - watch more funny videos

Hilarious :-)

Help Me Help Haitian Hurt Animals. With Update

UPDATE #2: I am nowhere near my limit. I will keep this post open until I get closer to my limit, or pass my limit. Please help spread the word. As the human aid starts to filter in and help, soon the animal aid will be ready to deploy.

UPDATE: I will now donate $1.00 per comment. Originally, I was worried this post might "go viral" as I saw other donation blog posts doing, but it's going slowly so I can afford to up my donation per comment.

For every comment posted on this entry, I will donate $0.25 to International Fund For Animal Welfare. I looked them up on CharityNavigator.com and they rate well. I've seen some other blogs doing this for human aid to Haiti, and they got thousands of comments. I highly doubt that will happen here, as I'm not that popular of a blog... but I'm curious to see how many I can get. I also have been wanting to donate since the earthquake, so this can be a way to determine how much to give.

When I traveled to New Orleans, a month after Katrina, the people were all gone and the streets were empty... but behind locked doors were starving pets, underneath houses were hurt dogs, scared cats, carcasses.... It was awful and it seemed like the aid was only going to humans. Let's not forget there are other souls suffering. So AFTER we take care of the people please, let's not forget to help those hurt animals.

As printed on the Animal Rescue Site (please go there and click on their link daily):

"As is always the case with disasters like this, many animals are also suffering and in need of help and care. Haiti has an estimated 5 million head of livestock, a large stray dog population, native wildlife, and, of course, an untold number of companion animals.

IFAW has partnered with WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) to launch a coordinated animal relief response. Together they will lead a coalition of animal welfare groups to help the animals of Haiti. Their first priority will be to treat critically injured animals. They are also very concerned about the possible outbreak of rabies, leptospirosis, and other diseases that can pass from animals to humans, so they'll be vaccinating animals as quickly as possible, as well as be distributing food, water, and basic medical care.

Animal teams are in the Dominican Republic preparing for this critical mission. They're setting up a mobile veterinary clinic, and donations are needed to stock it with medicine, syringes, bandages, food, and other supplies.

Once human relief efforts have taken hold and security is in place, and depending on the needs found on the ground, animal teams will deploy and begin their lifesaving work. No one is certain of all the challenges to be faced,we need to be prepared."

So post a comment and I will donate. I'll keep comments open until I hit my donation limit.

And pass this along!

Thanks!

I can't believe it. Speechless.

Due to lack of time and news, I have nothing to report for today. So instead, check out some of the fun links on the right and waste some time. Orrrrrr, check out this CUTE CUTE CUTE adoption story!!! The pictures won't fit and I'm not sure how to get them to fit, so you'll have to use the link. Believe me, you won't be disappointed :-) especially those of you interested in adoptive breast feeding ;-)

Following through on God promises

Do you ever make promises or "deals" with God when you're in a dicey situation?


Do you follow through on them?????


Some of you may remember my last airplane trip, in which we almost went down. I made a promise to God that if He let us live I would do something charitable that I really didn't feel like doing. Then I decided it would be a dog transport. And I would have to do the transport BEFORE my next plane trip or there's no guarantee God wouldn't crash that plane. I used to do these transports monthly, but since Charlie there's not room in the car and I'm worried about her being in the car with strange dogs.

But a deal's a deal so I signed up for a transport yesterday.

Transports are where you volunteer to drive a leg, usually about an hour, with a shelter rescue dog who's time is up, getting him one hour closer to his foster or forever home. It's kind of like an underground railroad concept, except above ground. Since many shelters up north are emptying of dogs due to awesome spay/neuter programs, and the South is lagging far behind and the shelters are overrun, the idea is to funnel these homeless animals north where there is starting to be a demand for rescued dogs. Which is great. The South has to get their act together. We are still euthanizing millions a year.

So it's a great way to help, because nowadays there is no way I can foster either (something I used to do pre-baby), but at least I can spend a couple of weekend hours helping save a few lives.

Here are the sweeties I helped yesterday:



One of them was so loving and gentle, I would have traded one of my monsters for her. Maybe.



Isn't she sooo sweet?

If you are interested in driving an hour or two once a month or once a year, let me know, I'll hook you up with the transport coordinators I know.

So, the question I have today is, do you make God deals and if so, how often do you follow through?

Ever had one of those days.....

Today has been AWESOME so far!

Have you ever had one of those days where everything goes right? You hit every green light, the lines at the post office are quick, everyone is doing a good job at what they do and no one is messing up your files? I usually have the opposite, I'm usually the guy in the shower who wants to kill the yellow freaks in the video above, but not today!

Today is one of the few days when Charlie is in daycare, and I'm off from work. I get about 2 days "off" from being a parent per year, and today is one of them. Well , 8 hours off.

So far, I've been able to accomplish the following (on ONE cup of coffee):

- dress Charlie and myself and drop C off at daycare
- get my car inspected
- go to fire dept. and get the car seat installed in new position
- pick up doggie prescriptions
- grocery shopping
- stopped at specialty store to buy cheese
- unpacked groceries and ate breakfast

All in, can you guess how long this took me???

Wait.....

Take a guess in your head. Seriously, how long would those items usually take?

Ok, ready?


90 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


So to reward myself, I'm having a 90 minute massage at 2 pm today.

WHOOP!


And also, today is Beulah's 4th anniversary of being freed from the house she was locked in after Hurricane Katrina. She was abandoned in there for 42 days without food or water. I don't know how she survived, but she did and I'm so glad. So today is her "birthday". She is getting one huge honker of a bone today. Go check out her before and after pictures here.



Happy Birthday Beulah girl! I wuvvvvvv you.

Blasted Dingos!

Raised by a pack of wolves?

These pictures speak for themselves... Please don't call social services on me!


"Ok, everybody LIE DOWN!"

"And this is your SISTER, Hannah..."

I know what you're thinking... and no, I've never shut the gate on her!

Disclaimer: The bowl had JUST been filled with fresh, clean water! No dogs had drank from it yet! I PROMISE!

This is proof positive she thinks she's a dog...

There's nothing more delicious than dog kisses... except maybe baby kisses!

(Please ignore the baby talk -ugh I can't believe I do that so much!)

It's not easy co-habitating with a pack of dogs, but sometimes it's really cute :-)

What do you guys think?

Splish Splash

Charlie loved the kiddie pool while we were on vaction, so upon returning home I bought her one. Her Opa had suggested getting her a kiddie pool at the beginning of the summer, but I hesitated due to wasting large amounts of water and cleaning the thing (it gets very heavy with all the water in it), etc. I had already bought a kiddie pool for the dogs one year, and they didn't use it at all and I ended up giving it away. I didn't want to buy something that Charlie might not use and then have to give it away. But since it was proven that Charlie really loves the pool, I got her the Zebra Pool.



I tried blowing it up on mere lung power and soon realized that would never work and borrowed the neighbor's pump. I didn't set up the slide part because Charlie's still too young for that. Maybe next summer.

Here are some pictures of her having fun in the pool, and Hannah deciding it was a good day to go swimming as well. I learned back in film school that trying to shoot babies or animals is the hardest type of filming one can attempt. These pictures prove that. Although they were super cute in the pool together, I was not able to catch the cuteness.




Do your kids like the water?

The Secret to No Longer Having to Sweep Your House!

Today I did what I should have done back in April: I shaved all three dogs! (Actually, I should have done this 7 years ago...) I bought a clipper on EBay (they are expensive!) and went to work. The girls look a bit strange, but who cares? As long as I don't have to sweep the entire house every day, I'm happy.

I took each dog, one at a time, out onto the deck. Charlie came too, of course, so I could keep an eye on her. She helped by "pruning" the plants while I shaved the dogs. Lethally pruning. I let her because I figured pulling leaves off house plants was better than her helping me "prune" the dogs. She also took this opportunity to lift my shirt, study my back, practice her octaves ("Wa-WAH-WAHHHHH, Daa-DAH-DAHHHH, Ma-MAH-MAHHHHHHHH!!!!!) and sample a tuft of dog hair off the floor.

Each dog was faster than the one before it, as I got better at understanding their fur direction (it goes back, forth, and twirls around... it's complicated!) They are all so soft now! They feel like velour cue balls. Not that I know what velour cue balls feel like...

Then later in the day, while Charlie and I were hanging in the kiddie pool, I took the opportunity to wash the three dogs (poor things, it was a really awful day for them!) So now I have a clean pack, virtually hairless, and smelling like Garnier Fructis (I couldn't leave Charlie to go downstairs and get the dog shampoo so I used my own).

Yay! No more sweeping!

Charlie lying down with the girls since I commanded them all to "lie down".

Boo (not much difference, she had short hair to begin with.)

Beulah (looks lighter in color, but also had short hair to begin with.)

Hannah, the most uneven job since her hair has a thick undercoat. Click on pics for more detail.

So, what do you think? How do they look?

First date!

(Beulah enjoying the shade.)

Lots of firsts at this age!

Charlie went on her first play date, with Haiden and Tait (the sons of a good friend of mine). We packed up and went to the park, with Beulah who's day it was to take a walk.

It was a success! Although it was very hot (92 degrees after a week of 70 degrees was quite a shock!) the boys played very nicely with Charlie. Haiden, especially, is an expert sharer (which he learned from his parents and Noggin TV chanel) and would bring toys over to Charlie and say: "Here Charlie, you can play with this pirate! Here, Charlie, you can play with this boat!" and Charlie would sit there eating grass and looking at him with wonder. It was so fun! We are going to try and find a pool to bring them all to on Friday.

Here are some pictures of the fun outing.

Learning to share. Well, at least Haiden is learning. Charlie's not quite there yet ;-)

"Breakfast of champions": Coke Zero and Nilla Wafers.

(Just kidding... Charlie did not imbibe any soda! She did, however, have a Nilla Wafer or two... although I don't allow sugar, I thought it wasn't fair for her to watch the boys eating and not get some.)

Also, check out her 70's terry cloth shorts. Snazzy, eh?

Haiden was very loving and gentle with Charlie. He gave her hugs and kisses freely and without being asked. Future suitor?

Charlie hasn't gotten over the "boobies" shock of yesterday.... Do ALL women have these things??? WOW-ZA!!! Life is good!


Stay tuned for Firday's pool trip.... I'm praying it doesn't rain. We are planning a trip to Dairy Queen after the pool, and to be honest, that is the main reason I want to go ;-)

I'm a pathetic dog owner. Let's hope I make a better mother.

Since we've gotten home, Boo has had a sore on the tip of her tail which I've been watching carefully. Honestly, I did not want to bring her to the vet because it's a colossal pain (they always make you wait, even when you have an appointment, at least 30 minutes) and now with Charlie, I could only imagine the utter mayhem that would ensue with an 80 pound dog trying to pull her hardest to reach all the other living creatures in the waiting room, and Charlie in her stroller vocalizing her discontent. Plus, not earning any money right now... if the sore was going to take care of itself, that's another $100.00 I really didn't need to be spending.

All week the sore looked the same, with a scab over it. But yesterday (Sunday, when the vet is closed, of course) I checked the wound, and the scab had fallen off and underneath was the grossest thing EVER. There was a HOLE in her TAIL. I could see the BONE. Ugh. Poor baby. I'm thinking she was bitten by some flesh-eating spider.

So this morning I called for a same day (read: "wait forever") appointment, packed up the crew with bottles, diapers, leashes, etc and headed off for a THREE HOUR WAIT.

Charlie was AWESOME. Not a cranky peep out of her. She was charming and pleasant. She had all the patrons wrapped around her finger from the first minute.

Boo was AWESOME. She was friendly to other dogs and obeyed my every command.

If either of them had decided to act up, I don't know what I would have done for three hours... but they were both perfect, thank heavens.

The vet...

well, he was a major guilt tripper....

"You waited HOW LONG before bringing her in? A whole WEEK? Do you know this looks VERY PAINFUL? This SMELLS AWFUL, it's definitely infected."

I tried to explain that normally I'm a better dog owner who wouldn't wait a week... but that I had just returned home with a new baby, I had a cold and couldn't smell anything (true, I had actually tried smelling her tail and it smelled like daisies to me), and that Boo was still eating normally and acting ok.... but then just petered off into guilty silence, looking at the floor, drawing imaginary circles with my Croc toe. Took my medicine, so to speak. Apologized sincerely to Boo when the vet left the room for awhile (she forgave me instantly) for being a HORRIBLE, NEGLECTFUL, doggie-mommy.

On the bright side, I met several wonderful pet owners in the waiting room and practically could write their eulogies after spending so much time with them....

I packed up the crew and $128.00 later, we headed home, no worse for wear. Boo needs antibiotics and that's it aside from a 30 inch Elizabethan collar which is banging into every surface in the house. We'll be back next week for a follow up, another $100.00, and more exciting adventures from the vet waiting room.

Chalk up one small victory for single parenting and dog owning, although Boo might tell you otherwise.

Raised by a pack of wolves

My friend Cate has 2 toddlers and 5 dogs. Her kids think they are dogs and line up for treats when the pack does, uses the doggie door, and (to her horror) has been caught on (my) film drinking out of the water bowl.

Charlie seems to have aspirations in the same direction....

And the world breathed a sigh of relief...

Ok, so maybe THE WORLD didn't breathe a sigh of relief, but I sure did!

We are finally home. Time to pick up the dogs at the kennel and see what happens......

The dogs were so INSANE with happiness to see me that they were completely uncontrollable at the kennel, jumping on everyone and the kennel tech couldn't really keep them controlled with a leash. I had a momentary twinge of fear at how they would react to meeting Charlie after watching their exhuberance. They were jumping 15 feet in the air! Ok, maybe 3 feet, but it seemed like it was really too much energy.

They also STANK to high heaven of urine, so the first step was to bathe all three of them. Then, once they were clean and relatively calm, one by one we introduced them to Charlie. I held her on my lap, as per Dogs and Storks class, and allowed them to sniff her ankle to start. Mostly they could not have cared less... they were more interested in saying hello to me again. Eventually I allowed them to sniff her arms and hands and seeing that they were calm and non-threatened, her face for a second. Charlie was pretty intrigued by the three dogs though, and followed them around with her eyes and tried to reach out and pet them. I'm already started with the "gentle touch" and preventing her little fingers from curling into a grasp and pulling (like she does with my hair!).

We bought some gates today and I already have crates. Basically I think it's going to be an exercise in chaotic crowd control until Charlie grows older or one or two of the dogs passes away. I plan on having a "dog zone" and a "baby zone" so the dogs can relax and not have to worry about being poked, and the baby can wreak havoc in her own area without eating too much fur.

 Here's hoping for a peaceful co-existence.

P.S. Please excuse my disgusting-ness. I had just finished bathing 3 large dogs and had some spit up on me as well.

"Dogs and Storks" class pointers

Ok, what do you see above?

Is this an "Aww, lookit how cute Bubba is with Junior!" moment? Or is it "Holy crap, Bubba thinks Junior is a groundhog and it's about to shake him by the neck relentlessly!" moment?

Hmm......

Well, after taking this "Dogs and Storks" baby prep class, I'd have to go with #2.

Apparently, parents are misreading many of the warning signs that dogs give out when they are uncomfortable or fearful. We think, aww how cute! when really the dog is begging us to provide distance and space from this little terror called a toddler!

I learned a lot, and it scared the bejeezus outta me, even though the teacher kept saying "MOST of time there's nothing to worry about...."


She did tell the story (which traumatized me and pissed me off.. so warning, skip to the next paragraph if you want to avoid that) of how when she was in vet school they had to put down a 13 year old Golden Retriever, who had been a gentle member of the family since puppyhood. the dog had bit the toddler for "no reason" and they thought the dog must have a brain tumor or something as it was so uncharacteristic of him. No one could understand why the dog behaved like that until the autopsy was done and they found a pencil stuck deep into his ear. UGH. Thanks, teach! Now that will be stored in "the vault" for my remaining days.

Ok, so for those of you who skipped that paragraph, it's safe to read again.

Here are some pointers I picked up. And I'm around dogs a LOT, so if I didn't think of them, maybe you haven't either. Hence, the sharing.

BEFORE BABY ARRIVES (i.e. prepping your dogs):

1) Shake baby powder on dog beds, baby items (such as the high chair, bouncy thing, etc). Babies come with many foreign smells. If the dog is already used to certain smells, he won't be as anxious when the real thing arrives.

2) Have dog sit next to baby items and give them a treat (you are acclimating the dog to the sight and sounds of the items. Some items make clicking noises as they rock, or humming noises, etc, that can sound very loud to a dog.)

3) Ignore the nudging or pawing that dogs do for attention. This can hurt the baby so get them used to not doing that now.

4) Train the dog to go to "his place", and train him to do this from a sitting position and a lying down position (you are lying down) so he knows to follow that command when you are nursing or co-sleeping.

5) Walk the dog with an empty stroller to get him used to it. Stroller are bulky and make a lot of noise. It's a very differnt kind of walk than what the dog is used to. Never put the leash on the stroller handle bars. One squirrel is all it takes for Junior to take the ride of his life.

ONCE BABY ARRIVES:

1) When bringing baby home, set her a top a higher surface, like the dining room table, and act like she is a purse. Meaning, don't treat her like anything out of the ordinary. Give the dog a stuffed frozen Kong, allow him to sniff the baby if he wants. He will probably be more interested in his treat than the baby if you don't make a big deal out of the introduction.

2) When dog wants to come over and sniff, hold baby sitting up in your lap. Hold out her heel in the palm of your hand for dog to sniff. Use your knee as a barrier if needed.

3) Most people think that *doggie time* is once baby is napping, but it's better to have dog get attention when baby is present. That way the dog associates the baby with good things. If the dog plays whenever the baby isn't around, and when the baby is around dog gets no attention, the baby is not such a wonderful being in the dog's opinion.

4) Have "zones" in the home. A dog zone and a baby zone. These are places the dog can be safe from the baby and the baby can be safe from the dog. You can use barriers to create these zones, or crates, or doors.

BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER:

The vet said she cringes when she sees parents bragging on how good the dog is with the baby, and the following signs are happening:

1) The whites of the dogs eyes can be seen (like a horse, this is anxiety and fear)
2) The dog is looking away from the baby
3) The tail is wagging and the dog is licking lips or yawning or panting
4) Dog is moving slowly
5) Dog is freezing (after *flight* and *freezing* comes *fight*)
6) The baby/toddler is LYING ON TOP OF THE DOG, or trying to ride the dog. The dog is then trapped. If you cut off the escape route, you give take away the option to flee (after *flight* and *freezing* comes *fight*).
7) The toddler is pulling the dog's tail or scruff of the neck (you must teach "gentle touch") as soon as the baby can reach out.

The vet said she often saw these signs and the parents were completely oblivious. She felt sorry for the dogs, because this is the way the dog communicates and he is not being heard. How many times a day, an hour sometimes, does a dog have to turn away from a toddler... before he reaches his limit and growls or bites? And then the dog is put to sleep and it was not his fault, it was the parents fault. That Golden Retriever (above) comes to mind... after 13 years of being a gentle, loyal family member, he acted instinctively, in pain and terror. The parents did not protect him. They failed at their job. And they punished the dog for their negligence.

Here is an example of the whites of their eyes being shown:
Even here where the dog is not fully trapped, his body language is fearful. The child is lying half on him. Don't let your kids do this!



Here is a dog turning away. Now he could obviously get away if he tried hard enough, but the dog may not feel like he is "allowed" to escape. The child has his neck over the dog's neck, signaling superiority over him:

So listen to your dog's body language! Allow them a safe retreat where your toddler cannot reach them. Keep them well exercised, and keep their minds busy (I recently bought the Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble and the Premier Twist and Treat which they all love.)

Much more info can be found at the Dogs and Storks website.

Another helpful website is http://www.livingwithdogsandkids.com/ and http://www.growingupwithpets.com/

I hope all your pets and kids end up growing up peacefully together, sharing and caring and teaching each other important lessons on life - (like where to find fresh water is an important one!)



Does anyone else have any tips to share? How's it going with your kids and dogs?

Ten things you absolutely need to know about my dogs

This is a gratuitous post so I can show off more pictures of my beautiful dogs.

1) If I were blind I could still tell who is drinking out of the toilet because they all have different rhythms of lapping.

Beulah: lap.....lap......lap....

Hannah: lappity, lap, lappity, lap....

Boo: laplapswallow, laplapswallow....

2) Same for barking!

Beulah: A-woo-woo-woo-woo-wooooo!

Hanah: Rarf! Rarf! Rarf!

Boo: Doesn't bark.

3) Boo is the best side sleeper in the world. She is like a body pillow. She makes tighter and tighter circles until she can't get any closer, and then plops herself down on my side, slides down to the bed, and there is no space between us.

4) Boo is a "paw-er". She is very needy and paws at you for attention. It's highly annoying.

5) Hannah will rip to shreds any dog she sees outside the home, but allows fosters to stay inside the home without a problem. WTH?

6) I can tell which dog's poo is in the yard. I won't describe how though. You are spared.

7) Boo can escape from a yard that has both a real 6 foot fence AND an invisible fence. A double barriered high security type fortress. She can also escape from any type of crate known to man, including the kind used to hold lions. She will also paw her way out of a closed room, so she cannot be held in a bathroom or bedroom. Therefore, she gets the run of the house.

8) When I first got Boo, and for the year after that, she would put all 80 lbs of herself on top of the dining room table. My table is now ruined. One behaviorist and $500.00 later, she would still do it so I keep the shades drawn to minimize the temptation (she would get on the table to look out the window)

9) Hannah was the only non-Pitt, non-Rottweiler at the Newark animal shelter and was so terrified the day I adopted her that she would not eat a McDonald's hamburger I bought her on the way home. I think she thought it was "her time". Poor baby.

10) Beulah has been in the newspaper and all over the Internet. She is/was a pretty famous dog at one point, and all her post-Katrina care was payed for out of generous donations from her "fan base".

So there you go. 10 essential facts to clutter your brain a bit more on this beautiful Saturday!

PS, What is with all the circular orbs in my pictures? I have them all over the place, especially pictures in my house. Some of my friends say it's a spirit.... What do you think?

I'd like you to meet Beulah.

Many of you already know Beulah in the flesh, but some of my readers may not. I have a story to tell about Beulah today, but first I'd like to introduce you.

Beulah was one of the few animal survivors of Hurricane Katrina. She was found in a house in the 9th ward on October 10. She was left there for another 2 days before being rescued.


She was found near the green plastic tub, barely able to move anymore. After all,this was 42 days after the hurricane hit. And there was no evidence that food or water had been left for her in the house.


After being glued to the T.V. for weeks, my heart breaking with every image of another dog trapped on an innudated porch, or swimming after Ann Curry's boat, I had traveled down to New Orleans as soon as I could get off work.... I camped for a week in a Winn Dixie parking lot with other animal rescuers and on my last day I met Beulah at a make shift triage center (otherwise known as an defunct gas station). I had never seen a more vulnerable, pathetic sight. Beulah was rooting around for anything she could find to eat, including paper and pebbles.

We had to load her on a tractor trailer to take her 2 hours away to a vet. She tried to howl, she didn't want us to leave her all alone again, but it came out as a croak... her vocal cords were too dehydrated from weeks of barking fruitlessly, and no water.






As determined as I had been NOT to return home with an animal, I could not turn my back on this dog. My family was less than pleased that I now had THREE dogs, and this one had heart worms, along with 4 different other kinds of parasites, and needed thousands of dollars of treatment that would take 6 months to make her better. She has no front teeth (I think from trying to gnaw her way out of the house)

But other than that there are few lasting scars from Katrina and her life before Katrina (which I do have reason to believe was not great). We did leave a note on the house for the owners and I was never contacted. Had I been contacted, they would have to sue me for her return. And even then....

SOooooo.... this brings us to today. For the past 4 years, Beulah has been living the life of Riley. She is my "heart dog", the special one, the soul mate of dogs. She sleeps by my head, and her snores and farts are as welcome as a fresh spring breeze. That's how much I love her.

On the weekends, we go for hikes on some trails near the landfill. The dogs can go off leash, since the trails are far away from any cars. We have been going several times per week for 4 years. With never an incident. Or not a major incident. Here is a picture of Beulah on her first hike, when she discovered running river water and spent 20 minutes barking at it. What a change from the Lower 9th Ward!




Today we arrived at the trails at 10AM. By 11AM we were heading back to the car. Beulah took off after some scent. And that was the last I saw of her.

I searched high and low.

I climbed that mountain from 7 different angles, on trail, off trail, up one side, down the other. I was parched, starved, had low blood sugar, had thorns tearing at me, was crying after about 3 hours of searching (I kept my cool for the first 3 hours). I kept thinking: "Is this how it ends for my girl? Alone in the woods? What if I don't find her by night fall? I'm NOT leaving her alone out here!" I went back to the parking lot and wrote a note pleading with hikers to look for her and left my cell number. I went off again, my legs barely able to move anymore. I called my neighbor to bring water so I wouldn't have to leave the site (her car was unavailable so that didn't work).

I had images of Beulah lying dead and that is why she could not hear my calling and my shrill whistle. It didn't make sense.... the trails are about 5 miles in all directions and I covered them all several times... why couldn't she hear me? Perhaps she was so exhausted, I thought, that she had a heart attack?

I was starting to feel nauseous, heat stroke in 50 degree weather is hard to acheive but I was getting there. It was almost 3PM.

I made deals with God: "If you let me find her, I will believe in You, I SWEAR." I wondered whether that prayer would actually work, since certainly it is the same prayer mothers of missing children say and they often do not find their kids.

I was just starting to plan how I would camp out that night, because sleep was not going to come to me, worried, at home in a warm bed. There was NO WAY Beulah was spending the night out there alone. Suddenly my cell phone rang.

"Hi, did you lose a dog?"

Yes, yes, yes, God, I did.

"Well, she's down here in the parking lot by your car."

I begged them to hold on the her and I ran down the mountain, slipping, tearing jeans, panting, crying. "Sure, honey, don't worry, we got her."

When I arrived at the parking lot, they had tied her to my car (DUMB!!! Her collar is so loose she could EASILY slip it!) but she was still there. Exhausted, bloody, torn up, muddy, tail wagging but not much. She could barely jump in the car, she was that tired.

We came home. She had a whole bowl of water, a banana for potassium, I cleaned her cuts and we all took naps. I can barely move I'm so stiff and Beulah is still sleeping.

My heart dog.



We are NEVER going to the landfill again.

Stressed already??!!??

1-8-2009

I just got home from parenting classes. They are every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 PM to 9 PM. Since I work 40 hours a week of emotionally heavy work, this additional 6 hours is very tiresome. I also have to make an extra trip home sometime during the day in order to let the dogs out. Sometimes I can manage that at lunchtime (crazy to try and make it there and back in 30 minutes when I live 15 minutes away!) but today was too busy at work. I could not leave for 30 minutes at any point. Thankfully, I have wonderful neighbors who can let the dogs out in a pinch. But I am gone from 8:30 AM until 9:30 PM, which makes for a very long day.

Today, at 4 PM (which is always the time of crisis... right AFTER everyone else has gone home) I was called to assist with a potentially suicidal patient. I spent an hour assessing whether to have him involuntarily committed or not. (Ended up not, but had to put several safety plans in place.) By 5:30 PM I was driving to class, emotionally exhausted, worried about being late and when I was going to have dinner. Caveat: I usually do not get emotionally invested in patients, and I didn't with this one, he was just a trying personality in different ways.

Class today was on handling the behaviorally challenging child. We had to do role plays (more active learning than just sitting back listening to a lecture) so there was no escape. In the middle of this I check my email (Blackberries are so cool, but sometimes I can be "too" connected!) and find an email from my parents reminding me that sometime between now (middle of class) and my flight (Saturday morning) I need to find the perfect gift for my nephew's christening on Sunday! Of which I am the Godmother! Oops! So when is that going to get done??? After work tomorrow when I'm dropping the dogs at the kennel or maybe Saturday before dawn when I'm packing?

Plus the flight there and back is not direct, so not only will I be going up and down 4 times (I'm a terribly fearful flyer especially on take off and landing), I will also be hanging out in airports for a fair part of the day. My return flight lands me at home around 1 AM and I have to wake up at 5AM and drive 2 hours to Charlotte and get my (third!) set of fingerprints taken, because for some reason government agencies cannot share fingerprints.

We can put a man on the moon, we can create cyber space, we can make cars drive on french fry fuel, yet we cannot share fingerprints between governmental agencies.

So, I am stressed OUT.

I wonder how a child will affect my stress levels?

Of course, I won't be taking these long classes and trips most of the time. I won't have fingerprints to give hours right after a trip either.

How do kids affect YOUR stress levels?

How do you handle it? Please list some sure fire ways that help you de-stress.

PS I still don't know what I'm wearing to the Christening on half my body.

Thanks for letting me vent... it is one way I deal with stress and it helps!


Edited 20 minutes later to add:
Ok, I just had the most wonderful experience and I wanted to share. My state of mind is completely changed and it all came from laughing uproariously for a good 5 minutes non-stop. Sigh. Wonderful. Belly hurting, ribs aching, out of control, full out, no holds barred, laughter.

I had decided this day needed to end and so I went to bed right after posting, at about 9:40 PM. the dogs joined me, as usual, but with a look on their faces like: "What the hell? it's way too early for bed...."

Somehow they always know what I need.

Hannah jumped on the bed and decided it was really important, nay IMPERATIVE, that she sniff out what I finally did have for dinner. She put her snout up to my mouth and starting HUFFING. Which got me giggling. Which got her sniffing harder. Which got me laughing, mouth open. Then she decided to sneeze, and I could taste a salty little droplet of her sneeze on my tongue, which although that was GROSS, was also hysterically funny. Then Boo decided this was too much commotion to miss out on and joined us. Boo thought it would be good to walk on me while I was laughing, which tickled and made me laugh "Ooo-Hoo-Hooo!" Beulah thought that was a strange sound and was determined to investigate and lick my inner ear (??) and soon I had three dogs walking on me, sniffing me, wagging tails, jumping around, the fitted sheet popped off, the eiderdown got twisted around us....Ahahahahahahaha A hoohoohoohoohoo... it was such a good 5 minutes. I feel so much better. What did I ever do without my girls....

My dogs are hands down the BEST DOGS EVER!!!

1-5-2009

Last night I asked the girls to sleep in their dog beds, on the floor, as an experiment to see how willing they might be to let me share my bed with a child instead of them.

Well!

They passed the test with flying colors!

Beulah was only petulant for about a minute. She set her muzzle on the edge of the bed and looked at me with sad eyes, while making a kind of....incredulous... whine of complete disbelief, and then turned around and snuggled into her bed.

Boo, on the other hand, tried the sneaky approach. She waited until the early dawn hours to try and *lightly* jump up onto the bed. I caught her and made her get off. She didn't try it again until 6 AM. I made her get off again and she stayed off.

Right after breakfast, I happened to pass by my room and there was Beulah, under the covers. But all in all, it was a much easier night than I ever expected. I think with an infant, making strange noises and smells, it will be much more natural for them to stay off the bed. After all, last night they had NO REASON, as far as they were concerned, not to be where they usually are. They took it with the good humour and grace for which they are known.

Disclaimer: Old photo.

Sleeping experiment

1-4-2009
I'm going to try a new sleeping arrangement due to the concerns listed in the below post "Dogs and Babies." Tonight, I've made a fresh bed with new linens and I'd really like to keep the hair off anyway! So I'm going to tell the girls to sleep on the floor. Tune in tomorrow to find out how it went.

Lately, I've had a perpetually stuffed up nose and I'm beginning to wonder if I have allergies. I'm hoping they are not allergies to dogs. In my 38 years I have never had an allergy to anything, but this fall I started being completely stuffed for major periods of the day, everyday. Someone told me it was the mold on the autumn leaves. OK. But now what is it?

So I vacuumed and made a fresh bed, left the windows wide open, turned off the heat and... we'll see.

(P.S. It's 60 degrees today! No wonder I felt like a little spring cleaning :-)

Dogs and babies

1-3-2009






Up until now, my dogs have slept on the bed with me, allowing me to keep my thermostat very low (50 at night). There's truth to the saying "three dog night!" They keep me toasty. When the baby comes though, I've been thinking they are going to have to vacate the alpha-bed and sleep on the floor. I'm plannng on "co-sleeping" wth my daughter, as part of following the "attachment parenting" philosophy that is recommended for adopted children. Which means there will not be enough room in the bed for all of us!

So the dogs will stay in my room (which is thier "den", but on the floor). My parents are even worried that won't be enough, and they will "accidentally" jump on the bed and, not knowing the baby is lying there, crush her. (Knowing my dogs can smell a squirrel 10 miles away, I'm not so worried they won't know the baby is on the bed with all it's myriad of baby smells.) But my parents do have a point, the point being "how are you going to incorporate a baby into the canine-human balance that presently exists?"

One thing I cannot stand is when I hear of parents-to-be who are planning on re-homing (or worse) their dog! When I first got into dog rescue I heard that story over and over and over. It's a heart breaker: "Well, my wife is worried the dog will lick the pacifier on the floor and the baby will get dog hair in his mouth so we'll be dropping off our loyal pooch at the shelter any day now unless you can help us find a good home for him." These are people who thought it would be a good idea to "practice" parenting on a dog, and now they are having a "real" baby, they are disposing of their most loyal and unconditionally loving dog!

First of all, adopting a dog should be for life, just like it is for adopting a human.
Secondly, a little dog hair is good for a baby. Boosts the immune system. I might sprinkle some in the formula.
Thirdly, you'll be lucky if your child loves you as much as your dog does.
Fourthly, teaching a child you don't throw out the dog when life gets more complicated is a good lesson to teach. Or would you rather your child regularly disposes of inconvenient responsibilities whenever the going gets busy?

I'm sure you get my drift.

So, I was thinking, my dogs are really good and although they may not LIKE sleeping on the floor, any time a baby has been around them, they have been gentle and deferential. This goes for baby kittens, baby puppies, and baby humans. They seem to instinctively know that this creature is vulnerable as all get out and not a threat. I'm a little worried that I may neglect my dogs play time needs and I will try to be super conscious of not doing that.

Having said that, I have also learned from watching my friend Cate (mom to 5 dogs and 2 kids under the age of 3 yrs old) that you a) never leave the kid alone unsupervised with a dog; b) teach the kid as early as possible to touch the dogs gently (no pulling tails, poking out eyeballs, etc) and c) if your dog bites your kid guess whose fault it is? Yup. YOURS.

A local vet here conducts a class for new parents on cohabitating with pets and new babies. Maybe I'll sign up. It's a great idea, I wish more vets would do that. Maybe less new parents would throw away their dogs if this became a normal, natural thing to do, KEEP your dog when your baby comes.

Her is a photo essay labeled as "the most adorable sequence ever captured on film", this Neapolitan Mastiff, and of course the baby, indeed make a cute photo. However, these pictures also make me cringe. A Neo. Mastiff can weigh around 150 pounds or more. The middle picture is especially scary. All it takes is a slip. Or the dog to forget for one moment that the baby underneath him is delicate. Supposedly, dogs are at a 2 year old's level of cognition. Would you trust a 150lb 2 year old around your infant? So while I think it's good to co-habitate, I also think there's such a thing as going too far.






Ok, now this last one is very cute. You'd have to have a heart of stone not to think it was adorable.




Please leave thoughts and comments on how you incorporated your baby into your dog's life, or vice-versa if you got the dog second!