New Year, New Moon

This past year has been hard on everyone I know, for one reason or another, but we have all endured and greet the coming year with open arms. Thank you, family and friends, for your laughter, love, and support. The New Year begins with a New Moon, a rare and very symbolic occurrence. A fresh start for everyone. Hoping 2014 will be full of light and laughter. Brightest Blessings to everyone.

Parathyroid Glands and Hyperparathyroidism

Something I wanted to share about Parathyroid Glands and Hyperparathyroidism because of things friends of mine are dealing with. Something I probably need to have checked again because I had high blood calcium levels.

Three Wise Ones

I saw the strangest thing on my way home this evening. Traveling down the country highway, I noticed a dirt road turnoff ahead of me. The reason I noticed it was stark white and black fur contrast against the road and surrounding vegetation. I slowed down a bit to get a better look as I passed: Three huge German Shepherds all laying next to each other watching the road. A solid white, solid black, and a black and tan dog. It was such a surreal sight. Considering the searching I have been doing recently, it spoke volumes of symbology to me.

The holiday

Drove across the Lake to spend the holiday with family at my great aunt's. It was real nice getting a chance to see everyone again after so long. She lives out in the country like my grandmother, so it was quiet and smelled of nature. Lots of good food and company.

Merry Yule / Christmas

Wishing everyone a Merry Yule / Christmas ( or whatever you celebrate ). Have a safe and happy holiday!

Winter Solstice

Bright and blessed Winter Solstice.

Snarky wrist

After messing up some sculptures, jewelry, and other art I have tried working on despite my wrist injury, I have grudgingly come to the conclusion I should wait until it stops hurting so much before attempting to work on these things again. Which is highly aggravating because it means people are waiting longer and I was hoping to have them out for Christmas. Typing hurts but I don't care. No amount of using braces, ice/heat therapy, resting it, 'squeeze' therapy, or TENSing it is helping. Doctor says it may take another 3 weeks or more before it heals. I have an ice pack wedged against it as I try and type, and pressure against it agitates it on top of pain. UGH. Is it too much to ask not to feel any kind of pain at all for one whole day?

Raven Dunks Mouse

Have some Raven cuteness. And Ember dog too!

Silly cat

As I was sitting here getting ready for a doctor's appointment, Raven dunked mousey in the water bowl. I tried to catch it on video, but only caught the end result as she pulled it out. Will post it later.

New research sheds light on mysterious fibromyalgia pain

New research sheds light on mysterious fibromyalgia pain

By Karen Weintraub

Special for USA TODAY

"Fibromyalgia affects 1% to 5% of Americans, mainly women, but until recently, scientists had no idea what might be causing its severe and mysterious pains. For decades, doctors told patients their agony was imaginary, the result of emotional hysteria, not a physical ailment.But this year, researchers finally began to get a handle on the condition.

( Find full article at: freep.com/article/20131216/FEATURES08/312160055/Fibromyalgia-research-condition )

"What's happened is in 2013 there's been this absolute explosion of papers," says neurologist Anne Louise Oaklander at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "The whole view on this has shifted.

"Oaklander published two studies this year showing that half or more of the cases of fibromyalgia are really a little-known condition affecting the nerves. People with this small-fiber neuropathy get faulty signals from tiny nerves all over the body, including internal organs, causing an odd constellation of symptoms from pain to sleep and digestive problems that overlap with symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Neuroscientist Frank Rice and a team based at Albany Medical College also discovered that there are excessive nerve fibers lining the blood vessels of the skin of fibromyalgia patients - removing any doubt that the condition is physically real.

These fibers in the skin can sense blood flow and control the dilation and constriction of vessels to regulate body temperature, Rice says, as well as direct nutrients to muscles during exercise. Women have more of these fibers than men, he says, perhaps explaining why they are much more likely to get fibromyalgia.

"Blood vessel nerve fibers are an important target that haven't been in our line of thinking to date in chronic pain conditions," says Rice, now president and chief scientist at Integrated Tissue Dynamics LLC, a biotechnology research company in Rensselaer, N.Y.In recent years, scans of patients with fibromyalgia have revealed brain changes associated with pain, but the new research suggests these are a symptom rather than the cause of the condition.

This new understanding of fibromyalgia will hopefully lead to better treatments, Rice and Oaklander say.

Right now, most people are treated with the antidepressants Cymbalta made by Eli Lilly, or Savella by Forest Pharmaceuticals, or with Lyrica, a seizure medication from Pfizer - which have all been federally approved for use in fibromyalgia.But these drugs have side effects and don't help everyone."We're looking now to understand more about other features of the pathology that might lead to a more targeted approach and less of a shotgun that causes side effects," says Rice, also an adjunct professor at the University at Albany, State University of New York.

The trigger for fibromyalgia is still a mystery, although stressful events in patients' past have been thought to play a role.

Rheumatologist Richard Chou says there is some preliminary evidence that the nerve damage is caused by the immune system.

"We're hoping some day we'll be able to say exactly how your immune system is causing damage to the sensory nerves that results in fibromyalgia pain," says Chou, an assistant professor at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in New Hampshire. Researchers don't yet know whether the pain causes the other problems of fibromyalgia - disrupting sleep, for instance - or whether both pain and sleep disturbances share the same cause.

Fibromyalgia's constellation of symptoms is very similar to those of chronic fatigue syndrome and Gulf War syndrome, which Oaklander's group also studies. "If someone has more of one symptom than another they might call it one thing, like chronic fatigue, but it's not clear that these are different," Oaklander says.

She says researchers still have a lot to learn about these conditions, but scientists are taking them more seriously and making real progress for the first time.

Carolyn DiSilva of Maynard, Mass., one of Oaklander's patients, says she was stunned to learn that she had small-fiber neuropathy caused by an overactive immune system, instead of fibromyalgia.

"I think a lot of people, they get a blanket diagnosis as fibromyalgia because doctors don't know what's wrong with them," says DiSilva, 47, who has suffered from unexplained pains for about 14 years. The non-stop agony and the pins and needles that plagued her for hours at a time forced her to give up her work as a hair stylist, she says.

Understanding what's causing her pain has helped her, she says, because doctors and others take her problems seriously, instead of dismissing her as they used to do.

And now that it's clear DiSilva has an immune problem, Oaklander has put her on intravenous immunoglobulin treatments - instead of conventional fibromyalgia therapy - which seem to be making a profound difference in her health.

DiSilva says her pain has dropped from a 10 on a 10-point scale to about a 4."I always hope that someday I'll wake up with no pain, but I'm so grateful that I've come this far." "

By Karen Weintraub

Special for USA TODAY

Source Link:

freep.com/article/20131216/FEATURES08/312160055/Fibromyalgia-research-condition

Last Call For Yule / Christmas Cards

Because images seem to get more notice than text. Email me your address if you wish.

Ember's Short Cut

Ember got a serious haircut today. They did a great job. You can really see her poor toe now.


Before:

After:

Sites For Service Dog Fundraiser?

So, internet savvy friends. Which donation / fundraising sites do you think would be best for me to use to raise money for acquiring my future service dog and expenses related to it?

Service Dog Talk With Mom

Feeling a huge sense of relief. I talked with my mother about eventually needing to somehow find a dog that would take over as my service dog when Ember retires. She admitted she had actually thought about it. She even said she realizes I would be better off with a larger service dog. She admitted she didn't know how we'd afford it, but that she'd back me 100% and help explain the necessity of it to the rest of the family.

Another random surprise to bring lots of smiles

My aunt hasn't put up her Christmas tree for many years because it is an older, huge tree ( have to insert *each branch* ), and it is too much for her. So I went and got the one Mike and I have out of storage, and surprised her with it when she got home this evening. She was all smiles and thanks.

Adorable Scottish Fold cat in a bag

Pokke the male Scottish Fold cat decides to hide in an empty McDonald's takeout bag for a game of peek-a-boo. He really seems to love watching his owner from the comfort of the bag until a treat catches his eye.

http://www.wimp.com/bagcat

A crow does tobogganing using a mayonnaise lid

A crow does tobogganing using a mayonnaise lid.

http://loiter.co/v/a-crow-does-tobogganing-using-a-mayonnaise-lid

Help others

There needs to be more kindness, consideration, and caring like all of this in the world.

 http://www.interestingfunfacts.com/this-video-made-the-whole-world-cry-must-watch.html?h=2

Wasabi gave me a massage this morning!

I woke up with a sore hip this morning, and grumbled about it to Ember and Wawa. He meowed and proceeded to walk across my back and hips, stepping so that pressure from his paws were hitting *just* the right way. It felt like a massage. He did the same thing while kneading at the spot. He did this several times purring up a storm and nuzzling me as he did, and I couldn't help but laugh and thank him, upon which he sat on me with a satisfied look.

To the women who choose not to have kids, I have one thing to say: thank you

"Thank you for not having children" isn't something one hears every day (believe me), but after reading this post, I'd just like to say: You're welcome.


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To the women who choose not to have kids, I have one thing to say: thank you.



To The Women Who Choose Not To Have Kids

By Abby Rosmarin

http://thoughtcatalog.com/abby-rosmarin/2013/12/to-the-women-who-choose-not-to-have-kids



To the women who choose not to have kids, I have one thing to say: thank you.

You probably don’t hear it enough. In fact, you probably don’t hear it at all. What you do hear is an array of pro-childbearing responses, such as, “You’ll change your mind someday,” or, “Doesn’t your mother want grandkids?” or, “You’ll never find a husband if you never want to have kids.”


All things considered, “thank you” is probably on the opposite end of what you hear.

But seriously: thank you. Thank you for recognizing that childrearing isn’t for you and being true to who you are. It doesn’t mean you hate kids. It just means that raising one is not part of your path in life.

Thank you for not succumbing to the societal pressures. I’ve known far too many parents who had kids because that’s what was expected of them. Working in childcare, you see more of this type than you wish to see. The resentment is almost palpable. They love their children — at least, they have no choice but to love their children — but every single movement seems to scream, “I wasn’t meant for this.” I’ve known too many people who grew up with at least one parent who harbored that resentment, who let that resentment dictate how they parented. I’ve seen how that influenced the way these former children are now as adults, or even as parents themselves.

Thank you for not trying to compromise who you are in an effort to keep a partner around. Thank you for being honest and open and refusing to apologize for who you are. Everyone has different values. Everyone wants something different in life. It takes a lot of guts and confidence to say, “This is what I want in life. It’s not the orthodox way, but it’s my way.”

Thank you for not trying to silence that feeling in your gut as a means to validate your life. There are too many people in this world who cannot figure out their path — or have stumbled while walking down said path — and decided that maybe having a child could provide that meaning and definition instead. You understand that down this path lies vicarious living and hurt emotions and you recognize that there are so many other ways to find love and meaning and joy in your life.

Raising children is a difficult, onerous, frustrating, and disappointing gig. It’s tough enough for those who want it. It is a rewarding and loving gig as well, but it’s not something one should go into while focusing only on reward and love and societal acceptance. In this day and age, with a booming population in almost every country, it makes no sense to pressure every person to have a baby. But we’re sticklers to tradition, ritualistic to a fault.

So thank you. It’s not easy to stand firm with your belief. Honestly, truly, and genuinely: thank you.

FDA Approves First Generic Versions of Cymbalta

OMFG YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!

FDA Approves First Generic Versions of Cymbalta


http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/fda-approves-generic-versions-cymbalta-21184401

Ember fuzz

One of Ember's misplaced fur growths. I found it stalking this Kong not long after I vacuumed.

It was nearly as big as Wasabi!

So Long to Sales Tax (on Art)

Massholes and Connecticutians now have a new reason to head to the Ocean State: no sales tax on art. That’s right, the 7 percent price increase is gone. No more. Dead. And may it forever rest in peace.

Of course art purchasers benefit most from this abolishment, as they no longer have to pay, for example, an extra $10.50 for a work worth $150. But the question a lot of economists (and residents) are now asking is this: will it be good for Rhode Island as a whole?

“I think the answer is yes,” said Ed Mazze, professor of business at URI. “But more importantly, for Rhode Island, the art community — defined very, very broadly — is a very important economic engine. When you look at the state, we have the Rhode Island School of Design, we have various and sundry art programs from all of the colleges and universities, and many of the communities in RI have art festivals.”

Self-described as “the guy who did one of the studies on the motion picture tax credit” and “involved in the theatrical tax credit,” Mazze knows a thing or two about the Rhode Island’s artistic community — especially when discussing how that community benefits the state’s economy. And according to him, the lack of tax on art is in fact a boon for all Rhode Islanders, artistic or otherwise.

What it comes down to, he argues, is “sustainable competitive advantages.” Every state is known for industries or assets “that really are used to attract or keep people, or to attract and retain businesses.” Massachusetts has its technology industry. Connecticut has its aircraft, guns and nutmeg. Now, Rhode Island has its arts community. “But it’s definitely not the only sector,” added Mazze.

He points to Pawtucket’s revival as an example: “Pawtucket, which has already received all sorts of attention for being a community encouraging the arts — and also one of those zone areas where there was no tax in art — has really brought a lot of good attention to Rhode Island.” The destruction of sales tax on art serves only to broaden this attention by creating more artistic bastions similar to the Hope Artiste Village or Tiverton’s Four Corners, which reinvigorate and revolutionize nearby economies.

“The arts community, it’s more than photography and painting. It involves woodcraft, glassblowing, all of these other things that are really being taught at RISD and other schools. [The sale tax abolishment] is a way to keep these young people in the state, because they see a future as an artist here. It’s basically a vote of confidence in the creative arts community.”

That last bit bears repeating, as it’s the takeaway of this whole economic shift: the death of the sales tax is the local government’s “vote of confidence” in its growing arts community. It’s the bureaucratic way of saying, “Keep up the good work” and “Way to go, kid.” With this kind of change, the arts are allowed that much more financial room to flourish, and thus that much more room to attract artistic entrepreneurs and independent artists from nearby states (and beyond).

“For a lot of businesses, there’s no question that they look at [a state’s] education and medical facilities,” said Mazze, “but they are also concerned with theater and art — all of the things that make one’s life more enjoyable.”

And that is now one of Rhode Island’s sustainable competitive advantages: a humanities-minded environment in which artistic talent is nurtured and encouraged to metamorphose into financially successful creative careers.

Only time will tell if it actually works.

- See more at: http://motifri.com/so-long-to-sales-tax-on-art

Ember's Toe

Because several people were concerned and asked, I figured I would explain.

One toe on Ember's hind leg now twists sideways. You can see it if she stands the right way or sits, or walks on it funny. I noticed her hip was swaying differently when she walks. I did notice changes when she first started having issues with the drain/grate objects. But I thought it was more with the avoiding behavior. I want to kill whoever at Petsmart grooming caused it. But it explains why she's so afraid of drains now, because she ended up with a physical injury we were not aware of.

I have been paying more attention since we discovered it a while back. She does walk funny on it at points and it has effected the way she walks or shifts her weight, which in turn effects how she stands and tries to do the tasks I ask of her when bracing or counterbalancing. A few times it has made her lose her footing or bump into me.

I just wish we would have seen it sooner. The doctor didn't even see it the first time. Ember had a checkup just to make sure she looked okay and didn't have any obvious injuries when all this first happened upwards of probably a year ago. They manipulated everything and said she was okay. With her full coat and fuzz feet you couldn't clearly see it. Ember's fur was juuust long enough over the toe.

This time around the vet's groomer offered to do a full cut and trim it all back since she knew we were moving to a warmer area, and that's when we realized it was twisted. The doc looked at it before we left town and manipulated it and said it was an injury that had healed and may have been fractured but was hard to tell without xrays. We couldn't afford them, so he said to keep an eye on it because it could give her problems if it developed arthritis, somehow became reinjured, etc.

My worry is sometimes I think it does hurt her, and she is just very good at hiding it. Animals in general are good at hiding signs of injury or illness. She is also a high drive dog. She's worked herself to exhaustion and near heat stroke playing in our yard when she was younger, because she just keeps going. She wants to please so badly, and I have to slow her down and stop her and make her take breaks. So it really makes me wonder how driven she is to work despite pain and discomfort. I know other people who have dogs as driven, who kept working despite pain and injury that wasn't physically obvious.

We'll wait and see.

Trying

Trying so hard to do things despite the pain and fatigue. The animals are all extra clingy and following me from room to room any time I get up. Have so much to do, stuff around the house and commission and art stuff. I get so frustrated because I want to do it and need to do it, but I start hurting so much and energy is zapped and I can't get anything done. Hard to even sit here very long. I get up and try to move around a little and that hurts too, and I start feeling weak. Trying to sculpt or paint is failing because my wrist and shoulder hurts so much. Laying down doesn't help. Pain meds are doubled and not working. It's been getting worse all week. It's just one of those days I guess, but I'll keep trying anyway.

New Service Dog Will Be Needed

I have been doing a lot of thinking about service dog things recently. One of the things that keeps crossing my mind, is what will happen when it comes time for me to get a successor dog, when it is time for Ember to retire. I'm at a loss.

When we were in Minnesota, and had access to Can Do Canines, it was pretty certain how I'd come by a successor dog, and that was years in the future, having the help and support of their amazing and knowledgeable staff and network, as well as having an amazing network of dog training and canine behavior people around me in Rochester. Even if I trained my own dog again like I did with Ember, I had the right mixture of professionals surrounding me with their awesomeness to help along the way.

Being back in New Orleans after being gone 8 years, I don't have a clue who is still here and who is reputable in the dog training and behavior field locally. I also have no idea what assistance dog organizations are around local. It doesn't seem like there are any remotely like Can Do Canines, and I am not sure if I trust the... largeness... of some of the organizations that say they offer placement nationwide or can help get a field trainer close to you.  Because such places normally have an outrageous waiting list for dogs. To go through the whole crazy process of applying, and then waiting, all over again. It could take another year or two. I am not even certain where I will be then. We sure didn't expect to have to leave Minnesota, but doing so changes everything.

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Bigger Is Better

If I choose to train my own service dog again, I have to go about finding the right dog. I need a larger, stronger dog for mobility assistance. I love Ember to death. She is the most amazing, smart, crazy Golden Aussie mix I could ever ask for. She has a great personality and her work ethic knows no bounds. But because she is a medium sized dog and petite, she is limited in what she can do for me without risk of injury.

We work well together as a team, but there are some things I am finding I need help with now, or know in the future I will need, that she cannot do. Up until now we have been able to find... creative... ways around it, modifying things and improvising a lot. We manage, but sometimes it takes a lot out of both of us.  The older she gets, the more difficult it will become.

There are certain breeds or mixes I have considered. Overall I would be most inclined toward a working line German Shepherd, or a German Shepherd mix that had more of the GSD characteristics. I'd also consider a Rottweiler for many different reasons. Golden Retriever would be another option. As much as I love Labrador Retrievers because of all the awesome labs I know, I don't feel that I would want one as my next service dog. Not a pure bred anyway. They are overbred and sometimes overpriced here because of popularity with hunting. I would probably lean more toward a Golden Retriever and Labrador Retriever mix. I'm normally more inclined toward mixes simply because they tend to be less prone to health issues in the long run. I'd have to find a dog that wouldn't risk developing hip dysplasia and other such issues, so OFA checks on hips, elbows, and knees would be a must.

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Puppy or Adult?

Which is where the next difficult decision comes in. Do I get a puppy or very young dog, or do I get a dog at least a year old? Do I find a good breeder and hope they'll work something out with me so I don't have to pay an insane amount? Or do I go through the local rescues and hope I can find a dog that doesn't have any existing behavior concerns and hasn't come from a situation of neglect or abuse? Either way, there are pros and cons to both.

Getting a puppy or very young dog, I have the ability to start training as soon as I get the animal, and better chances of shaping desired behaviors and proper socialization, and exposing the dog to all sorts of different situations and stimuli so they would be comfortable in all environments, and have the general sort of demeanor needed in a service dog. Getting a dog at least a year old means I may have to reshape undesired behaviors like I did with Ember, but I have a better idea of how large the dog would be and if it would be able to meet my needs. Either way, have to wait for the growth plates to settle before doing direct weight bracing.

Normally I wouldn't even give looking at the local shelters and rescues a second thought. If the dog I intended to get was strictly going to be a pet dog, and I didn't have to worry about public access issues. In fact, that's normally what I try and encourage others to do. But the dog I would need to find is one with very specific behavior criteria and stable background.

The benefit of getting a puppy or yearling from a breeder or from a private owner is that theoretically they would know the entire life history of that dog, and the parents, and underlying health risks, etc to a certain extent. Whereas getting a puppy or yearling from the shelter or rescues, it is possible that there would be no known history on where the dog came from, or what kind of treatment it had experienced to that point in life, unless it was born at the shelter.

Many assistance dog organizations will try and find good candidates for training from the local shelters and rescues, but coming from that environment it is hard to find a dog that can make it through the training. Most dogs flunk out for one reason or another, and have to be 'career changed' because they wouldn't make a good assistance dog. Which is a reason why many assistance dog organizations have started their own in-house breeding programs, selecting dogs with certain key traits to produce sound puppies with those same traits.

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Time To Decide

Sure, certain things can be overcome with a lot of work and dedication. Ember had plenty of quirks when we first got her, and we had to work through them simply as pet dog owners. It was even more important when we started training for service work. By then she was about 3yrs old. She will be 6 years old at the beginning of 2014. For her breed type and size, average life expectancy is around 11 years. Obviously I hope she will be with us far longer, but by then she likely will not be able to work anymore. There is also the issue of her twisted toe that will likely effect her ability to work.

It could take at least two years, maybe more, to train a new dog for service work. That comes after all of the general obedience and advanced obedience skills are learned and proven.

The other thing to consider is getting funding for expenses related to acquiring a successor dog. From the adoption fee/purchase of the dog if I can find one locally, to beginning veterinary expenses with vaccinations, heartworm treatment and flea/tick prevention, OFA xrays needed to ensure the dog is physically sound just as we did with Ember, costs for obedience training classes ( exposure to other dogs and people in these classes being the key benefit ) and costs for general supplies that will be needed. The flipside is if I am able to find an organization who can provide a dog, I likely will still have to pay many of these expenses, and pay for hotel and travel expenses to their facilities, or travel out of state for acquiring the dog, from breeder, rescue, or organization.

These expenses would be out of my pocket, but are a necessity either way I look at it. The only factor is how long it will be before I need the money. A friend of mine told me I should start now to be safe. Start some sort of donation campaign or something like the service dog organizations do, to help raise the money. Since I am unemployed and limited in my ability to work, and looking to apply for disability assistance, I'd have to find some way to get financial support.

With all of these things in consideration, should I start looking for a successor dog candidate option now? I almost feel guilty thinking about a successor dog because Ember is my first service dog. It's not something I am trying to rush in to. As evident by me typing all this, I have been giving it a lot of thought.

I still have a lot to think about.

Zap

Who knew running jolts of electricity through yourself could feel so good? ::Cranks it up::

Wrist Woes

I made my left wrist angry at some point last week, and it is still bothering me. Only hurts when I bend it 'just the right way', but of course that seems to be when doing anything at all. It's making sculpting, painting, and typing quite a challenge and slow going because I need to keep taking breaks to rest it and wear a brace. On the bright side, feeling is slowly returning to my right hand and fingers and the numbness and tingling is returning to the 'normal' amount I experienced before the injury a few months back. Want to buy new body.

Service dog blurb

Worried about Ember's twisted toe and how it is going to effect her working ability long term.

Inside The Pound

Please note, this is in reference to city run animal shelters ( aka the pound ).  There are rescue groups that exist, some of which are fortunate enough to have their own no-kill shelter space, or others that are foster-based, funded solely through the support of their volunteer networks and public support, who do their best to try and save animals from these high population kill shelters. Unfortunately, they can't save them all.

The very sad and harsh truth. This is why I have spent so many years in animal rescue, rehabilitation, and educating the public as much as I can. The brutal, honest truth is what most people need, because far too many do not value the lives of other living, breathing, thinking creatures, and this is the result.

= = =

Written by Al Ramirez – Facebook: AlleyCatALF

I think our society needs a huge “Wake-up” call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all… a view from the inside if you will.

First off, all of you people who have ever surrendered a pet to a shelter or humane society should be made to work in the “back” of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would stop flagging the ads on Craigslist and help these animals find homes. That puppy you just bought will most likely end up in my shelter when it’s not a cute little puppy anymore. Just so you know there’s a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it’s dumped at? Purebred or not! About 25% of all of the dogs that are “owner surrenders” or “strays”, that come into a shelter are purebred dogs.

The most common excuses: “We are moving and we can’t take our dog (or cat).” Really? Or they say, “The dog got bigger than we thought it would”. How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? “We don’t have time for her”. Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs! “She’s tearing up our yard”. How about making her a part of your family? They always tell me, “We just don’t want to have to stress about finding a place for her. We know she’ll get adopted, she’s a good dog”.

Odds are your pet won’t get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn’t full & your dog manages to stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats & sleeps. It will be depressed & it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don’t, your pet won’t get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door & the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose.

If your dog is big, black or any of the “Bully” breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door. Those dogs just don’t get adopted. It doesn’t matter how ‘sweet’ or ‘well behaved’ they are.

If your dog doesn’t get adopted in 72 hours & the shelter is full in most cases, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn’t full & your dog is good enough & of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of execution, but not for long. Most dogs get very kennel protective after about a week & are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles, chances are it will get kennel coughor an upper respiratory infection & will be destroyed because the shelter gets paid a fee to euthanize each animal, & making money is better than spending money to take this animal to the vet.

Here’s a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being “put-down”.

First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look like they think they are going for a walk happy, wagging their tails. Until they get to “The Room”, every one of them freaks out & puts on the brakes when we get to the door. It must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it’s strange, but it happens with every one of them.

When it all ends, your pet’s corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed, waiting to be picked up like garbage.

What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? Or used for the schools to dissect & experiment on? You’ll never know and it probably won’t even cross your mind. It was just an animal and you can always buy another one, right?

I hope that those of you who still have a beating heart & have read this are bawling your eyes out & can’t get the pictures out of your head, I deal w/ this everyday. I hate my job, I hate that it exists & I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some changes & start educating the public. Do research, do your homework & know exactly what you are getting into before getting a pet.

These shelters & humane societies exist because people just do not care about animals anymore. Animals were not intended to be disposable but somehow that is what they are these days. Animal shelters are an easy way out when you get tired of your animal & breeders are the ones blamed for this. Animal shelters & rescue orgs are making a hefty profit by keeping this misconception going.

Between 9 & 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters (Humane Society of the US estimates 3-4 million) & only you – as a pet owner can stop it. I just hope I maybe changed one persons mind about taking their dog to a shelter, a humane society, or buying a dog without researching. For those of you that care— please re-post this to at least one other Craigslist in another city/state. Let’s see if we can get this all around the US and have an impact.

THINK before your selfishness begins to take over.

The Shedding Situation

Since we got to Louisiana, Ember's level of fur shed has reached epic proportions. She is an Australian Shepherd / Golden Retriever mix, and her coat type is a blend of both breeds, and makes her more prone to shedding. In Minnesota it was bad, but we had carpet to 'trap' most of it for the weekly vacuuming. My aunt's house is all tile floor except for one room. The clumps of fur frolic and dance down the hall, mocking you as you chase after them.

I am having to vacuum every other day, sometimes every day, having to get behind nooks and crannies and finding 'dust bunnies' big enough to make new animals hiding. Even sometimes after I have just finished vacuuming, I will turn around and see a freshly shed clump fly off of her as she wags at me, and mock me as it rolls across the floor.

I have no problem with vacuuming, it's that I am not always able to do it as constantly as it needs to be done because my body can't keep up with the physical demand, which is making my body angry. Thus I am considering getting Ember a very short haircut, where she'll probably end up looking more like a lab. I hate doing this because I absolutely love her feathering, but there's not much else we can do. She gets regular baths and brushing at home ( normally bi-weekly ) with shed control and skin stuff to moisturize, she is on a healthy diet with fish oil, and she has gone to the groomers regularly for years.

I intend to have this done by a professional groomer. My concern is messing up the way the fur grows back out. I have heard and read some people with Goldens refuse to cut them short for a number of different reasons, but I have also seen people who decided to try it despite having the same worries as mine, finding once it was done, they had no problems at all and their dogs' fur grew back normal as ever afterwards if they decided to let it grow long again.

I was thinking more along the lines of a "puppy cut" or "summer cut", but I'm not sure if that's the correct way to word it. Ideally I'd like to get it as close to normal Labrador length as we can.


One comment I came across by a groomer said this:

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"In my area, a lot of Goldens are prone to hot spots in the summer, so a lot of owners have them shaved down. If you decide to do this, I usually find that a #4 or 4F blade works best on most Goldens, taking them short enough to avoid the hot spots but leaving them a little bit of fur for protection from sun and insects. I also use a #7F on the ears and a #1 or #0 clipper comb on the tail. The result is that he looks like a yellow Labrador. If you give these instructions to a groomer they should know exactly what to do."
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And this site showing before and after images and comments from the owners:

http://maxthegoldenretriever.com/2008/08/11/max-the-golden-retriever-summer-cut-before-and-after


So fellow dog people, thoughts or feedback on your own experiences with grooming Goldens, Aussies, or dogs with similar coat types?

Warming

Louisiana, one of the few places in the US where you can now listen to frogs, crickets and other night symphony in December. In my childhood I remember having frost and it being in the low 30s, sometimes lower this time of year.

New Species of Cat Discovered in South America

Not an ocelot, margay, or oncillas.

This newly discovered species, dubbed Leoparda guttulus was believed to have been the same species as L. tigrinus, a cat that looks incredibly similar with a nearby range that are also known as oncillas. Genetic testing of the mitochondrial DNA of oncillas in the northeastern and southern regions of the cats’ range has confirmed that they are two distinct species who do not interbreed. In fact, they have not interbred for thousands of years.

See more at:

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/new-species-cat-discovered-south-america