Briarwood Pups

EIGHT WEEKS!! Woohoo!!

2012-01-29T08:56:00.001-05:00

Made with Practically Perfect by LDrag Designs to be released soon at gingerscraps.com

It's a beautiful day in the House of Briarwood! The pups turned 8 weeks old yesterday - hard to believe!! I should have planned a birthday party! But they had lots of fun as some prospective parents came to visit and the babies got to play till they collapsed :)

So let's go back to where we left off. With several trips to the vet, with homeopathy, tinctures and a few tricks up my sleeve, the pups came through their rough spot with no more than loose stools. It was such a critical time - they could have turned for the worse at any moment, so there were many sleepless nights and lots of emotional strain making sure that we stayed on top of it, getting them appropriate treatments. I'm soooo relieved that we are on the other side of all of that now. I think the problem was worms that the wormer wasn't getting. But one never knows with little ones - the best we can do is run tests and take our best guess. Thank goodness natural medicine treats the body, not just the symtpoms, and gives them what they need to recover, covering a multitude of maladies.

And in all this, of course, I lost little Gable. Followed by the intense time I had to take for the pups so I didn't lose anymore, and so close to the heels of Mohawk, I just didn't have it in me to try to communicate with him to find out why. I wanted to, I just... couldn't. So a dear friend and talented animal communicator was going through my facebook album and she tuned into him for me. She discovered that his incarnation was an oops of sorts. He really wanted to be incarnated as a big dog, so being the smallest in a pack of toy dogs just wasn't going to cut it, no matter how big they are in personality. So back he went for an upgrade. Personally, I thought he made a most awesome and excellent pug! His handsomeness inside and out will be missed and I wish him well on his journey. The sad times are definitely made easier knowing that their spirits live on.

Raising the pups so excluded has had its benefits and disadvantages. There was one day that they found they could go under the bed, under the end table, under the curio cabinet and poop where I couldn't reach it. So down came the whelping pen and the room got a bit of re-arranging so I could get back there and clean. Then, of course, with the secret hideout being exposed, it wasn't fun anymore, so they went back to the puppy pads. Silly kids....

But the largest disadvantage is socialization. In the living room, even in the ex-pen, the exposure to all the dogs and people coming and going really gave them a lot more socialization than I realized. I took Reba and Asher to the office the other day with me and Asher did ok, but Reba was so scared! So I've been starting to take them to the office more, and we have a couple of playdates lined up with neighbors to get them out into the world in a safe environment where they still are around Isabelle and me and can experience life with their bodyguards near them. This will help them when they go to their new homes, to know that they can be in a new place and it doesn't have to be a scary thing. All pups will go through a time of adjustment, but pugs are so great at settling in and taking ownership of their new people and new homes!

Now yesterday when the whole pack went to the office, they had a blast! They played hard and napped hard! They had special visitors and made good use of the extra laps.

And my favorite moment of the day - when Rocky FINALLY came to a stop. He just collapsed and went from total energy to a puddle of black fur - he entertained us all! Don't worry, his new dad scooped him up and made him more comfortable - lol.

And in other news, the pups had their 8-week checkup on Friday and they all got two thumbs up! Well, Mystery got one thumb up - she has a little bit of eye bugars going, but nothing that won't clear right up with a dab of silver. But the vet checked them from head to toe, including their joints, and we picked up their first set of shots to bring home with us, and now it's time to find them homes!

If you are looking to add a pug to your home, we are going to be placing 1-2 more puppies from this litter, and we also have a 4-month old awesome little black girl as well as two adult males for placement. There might be one more litter on the way, but after that, the two remaining girls are getting spayed and I plan to retire from breeding pugs. I love them, we have some great dogs/lines, but it is a lot of work for the body and the heart, and they've worn me out! Now I just want to sit back and love on them without heat cycles and sleepless nights.

I'll still have puppies in my life because my friend, Tony, will still be doing the shepherds, but I'm here to tell you - there is nothing like a pug puppy. Shepherd puppies bite you, pug puppies LOVE you. So I've been concentrating very much on living in the now, and enjoying each and every moment of these babies and I thank all of you for joining me on my journey!

briarwoodpups@yahoo.com

Pups Holding Strong

2012-01-17T09:28:00.002-05:00

I don't consider the wee ones out of the woods yet, and no one has had a poo that makes me jump up and down with joy, but they are eating, eliminating, playing, and wreaking havoc like normal puppies. In addition to the vet-recommended Albon, I think that the Wrm Clear by HomeoPets has played an important role. I finally caught a stool sample this morning that wasn't ground into a puppy pad, so I'll drop that by and see what they find out.

Asher (whose new name is Ziggy, chosen by his parents! :) has been our resident puffalump, very mild-mannered, and belly always full. Well, this week he's been playing more and more, and I think the space to investigate and see what else is going on has him up and about more so he's actually getting a sleek body. No longer can I look down and tell it's him immediately - lol. Everyone develops in their own time, in their own way, although they all follow the general guidelines for development.

With keeping a close eye on the pups, when I hear a noise, of course I investigate immediately. So one day Rocky whimpered a puppy sound and I came running to see what it was. What? I can make her magically appear? So then later he came over to the side of the bed and looked up and whimpered. Poof! I popped my head over the edge and like an elevator, he was transported to the top of the bed for extra snuggles. So now he knows that anytime he comes up and demands it, he gets some loving and playing (and some medicine, but I won't remind him of that part). So far he hasn't abused his new-found puppy powers, but I'm sure that day will come soon :)

Baby Rocky

So now Bella has picked up on the advantages of the cute puppy whine and when she hears Rocky pulling out his moves, she high-tails it over to the side of the bed, throws down her own puppy beat, and also gets magically transported. She thinks that is sooooo cool. Last night when she got up on the bed, she got some medicine, then to my surprise, she snuggled down in beside the quilt I'm working on and took a long nap! I could get used to that! :)

Baby Bella

Next will be Reba, I think. So far, she comes running, too, and then watches the other two get picked up, then she's soon to follow, but she hasn't come on her own and whined yet. Not far behind!

Baby Reba

Let's see... Asher's phots were posted yesterday, so we're just missing Mystery. She's been sleeping quite a bit, and grumpy when I wake her, or she's trying to follow me out the door on my way to work, so I haven't been able to snap as many of her, but here she is planting herself on the top of my head for a nap. Pug owners - look familiar?? She OWNED my pillow. She's a natural!

Baby Mystery

Hopefully I'll have more good news for you soon!!

Puppy Update - what week is this, anyway?

2012-01-15T14:48:00.001-05:00

We've been through thew ringer the past two weeks. I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up on the posts. I tried writing this blog post earlier and people have seen it, but it was hard to write and a task I was not looking forward to, so it came off as cavalier, but my feelings are anything but. I lost little Gable on Friday night when symptoms appeared suddenly - vomitting, diarrhea, fever, and despite my best efforts, he didn't make it through the night. We were back at the vet's office Saturday (yesterday) and we couldn't come up with a stool sample so that they could figure out exactly what it might be, so they sent me home with Albon just in case it was coccidia since I had already covered the bases the days preceeding with panacure. I have consulted, researched, prayed, read, brainstormed, even dowsed for answers for these little ones - my passion for them stops at nothing. I have some miracle working products in my pockets from previous litters and we added another homeopathic remedy yesterday that seems to have really helped the others - they were starting to show diarrhea, but none of the others have had the fever/shaking that Gable did, and they seem (knock on wood) to be on the other side of it now. I am keeping a very close eye on them and have not left them all weekend for longer than it takes to do a quick chore like laundry. They are getting albon, homeopathy, parvaid and colloidal silver. Albon is for potential coccidia, homeopathy to treat the whole body, parvaid for digestive distress, and colloidal silver to negate any potential bacterial/viral/protozoa issues.
For those who don't know, Parvaid became well-known for an effective treatment of parvo. However, given its unique formula, it is beneficial for parvo imitators, i.e. anything that has to do with vomitting and diarrhea. So when the tummy is upset for any reason, Parvaid is one of the first things I grab. Won't have a litter or a puppy without keeping some on the shelf!

As far as daily life with the pups goes (and trying to not talk about something so depressing), we've had an interesting evolution. Usually I have a crate set up downstairs surrounded by an exercise pen and their little area is all contained and easily managed. But there is a shepherd downstairs and so this litter, I'm raising in my room so she doesn't try to steal them. Insane, I know, but curiously interesting. Thank goodness I have hardwood floors :) Like the fact that every time one of them would get loose from the puppy condo area I made for them here (couldn't fit the ex-pen there, so had to make do with some creative engineering which didn't work quite as well), they would run around the loveseat, around the bed, to the opposite corner of the room and get under my dresser and poop. This did two things - it encouraged me to proceed with my long-awaited project of hanging my power strip up on the wall and cleaning up my cords so that they were no longer under the dresser. And it made me curious what they would do if they had free reign of the room. Much to my surprise, I have removed their barriers and they will sleep on the softest surface available (which happens to be in their crate) and I put a puppy pad under the dresser and they have used it consistenty. I'm very surprised!! The good news for me is that they have been extremely easy to clean up after by going potty in the same spot, but the bad news for you new owners is that they might try to find a similar hiding spot till they're house-trained!! I never imagined that pug puppies could be so potty-responsible when given so much room!

Here is a puppy pile picture from today when they took over the comforter I had tossed on the floor to be taken to the laundry room.

The pups got to play with some little girls today. Their favorites were Rocky and Asher because they were the ones who took their loving for the longest time - lol. I wish I had some pics but was without my camera for a few minutes.

As far as their development goes, this is the time when they're supposed to be introduced to all sorts of surfaces and environments. If you have a dog planned for service dog, now is when you'd take them on an elevator or other things that might cause fear as an adult. The general rule of thumb is 7 surfaces by 7 weeks. Normally gravel is one of those surfaces, but with the snow and frigid temps, that's out of the question and I'm trying to think of other odd surfaces in the house to put them on. I've been challenging them with climbing on/over things, like the comforter on the floor. Some say to make their food a light challenge. Don't just plop a food bowl in front of them, but do something easy like they have to crawl over something to get to it, or put a paper plate over it that they have to knock off - just something easy that prevents immediate/instant gratification and both makes them think a little and gives them a second to get to it. They say that this simple exercise prevents food aggression in adults. I think free-feeding prevents food aggression, but I've never raised a food aggressive dog, so I'm not sure what makes them that way other than obviously if a dog is put in a survival situation or is a stray for a while.

We've been keeping up on the nail trims, but pug eyes are always susceptible to being scratched. And when you have this many in a litter, we're bound to see a scratch before they go home. I had what I thought was my first eye scratch last night. Mystery squinted her right eye, so with my ninja-like reflexes, I grabbed her up, flushed out her eye with colloidal silver and put a dab of antibiotic eye ointment in. I did it so fast, she didn't even have time to argue with me. But she did blink at me like "what the heck just happened here?" and I realized I might have over-reacted. I think she just had some dust or something in her eye. But better safe than sorry!!

I'm bound and deterined to take new pics of the pups today, but to tide you over till I get them taken and downloaded, here is a photo series from Asher. You can tell he was protesting when I put him on his back!

P.S. I look it up and we're 6 weeks old today!!

Sad news about little Mohawk

2012-01-06T20:29:00.001-05:00

It turns out that the open fontinel wasn't the real problem with Mohawk (so named because all the hair on his head was pushed to the center when he was born and it gave him a cute little mohawk). The reason that the onset of symptoms was so sudden was due to hydroencephalitis. The fluid on the brain pushed everything up and out, making the open fontinel more apparent and putting pressure on the brain.

The first vet we went to today was the cranial specialist and she really worked through the whole process to find if there was something either physically or energetically that could be done to help the little guy, but no matter how we approached it, the door to wellness remained closed. I have to extend my sincerest heartfelt thanks to a vet who seems not only very adept at her main skill/profession, but also with kineseology which really aided us in our appointment today. I came away with answers that I didn't have when I went in that really helped me make a decision in the puppy's best interest.

So on the way home, I called one of my primary vets and asked them for an appt. He's the one who explained the hydroencephalitis to me and why his condition was going to deteriorate from here forward in more technical terms and he fully concurred with the decision that the best thing was to not let him suffer. Again, my heartfelt thanks for a solid voice of no doubt as to the best course of action to take which helped me in my moments of "am I really doing the right thing?"

And if you have dry eyes up to here and want to keep them, proceed with caution. Some of you know I have become somewhat proficient with animal communication. It's not as though I'm good enough that I hear constant chatter, but when there is something important or of substance to say, or if I'm in the right frame of mind and pose a question, I can most often receive a communication from the animals.

Now there are a couple of things to mention first. Up till now, I had no real eye contact with Mohawk. After his eyes opened, when he was at the age to start really processing what he was seeing and start to make eye contact is the same time that the hydroencephalitis kicked in and affected his eyes/vision. So he had a hard time really seeing/registering things around him. The other thing that is important to the story is that last night, I brought up the macaw to see the pups. He sat on my shoulder, and I leaned over, bracing myself on the edge of the whelping pen with my elbows and above the pups, sang them rock-a-bye baby (surprisingly on-key!). As I softly sang to them, the macaw rocked back and forth on my shoulder to the beat and it was a sweet moment for all as the pups settled down for their next nap.

Ok, so fast forward to our time sitting in the office, waiting for our appointment. Although logic said it was the right thing to do, I wanted to try to make contact with Mohawk himself to see what he thought about all this. He layed in my arms and I lifted him up to me and he gave me puppy kisses as he lightly pawed at my chin. I asked him if he felt like he could have possibly accomplished what he wanted to in his short life here on earth. To my surprise, he both made eye contact with me for the first time, and he gave me some images that I'll do my best to translate. According to him, he has spent so much time on the other side, and there is so much love there, that he wanted just a short time incarnated to remember what love felt like when living in the physical world. It's so pure over there, and he wanted to be sure that he could feel it here before committing to a longer lifespan. In this short time, he felt very loved and very wanted. He felt strong love from Isabelle, his mother. He felt a warm and companionable love from his littermates and the rest of the pack. He felt loved and wanted by the humans, and believe it or not, all you people out there who have looked at his picture online and have sent him loving thoughts, he has felt you, too! He showed me that your thoughts of love, adoration, and support are like tendrils of positive energy that float from you to him, and he felt those and was bouyed by them, and so his existence, although all too fleeting, was a positive time with good results. He even joked about going back to the other side and telling them that if they wanted some good feelings, to be incarnated as a pug.

So I put aside my feelings of stress, of doubt, of concern, and mustered up the most pure feelings of love that I could, given the situation, and surrounded him with all the love that was possible, so that he could carry with him these feelings to the other side. The vet administered a sedative, and left him with me to fall asleep. As he snuggled back down into my arms, he asked me to sing rock-a-bye baby to him again. With a not-so-on-key and crackling voice, I sang him his song as he gently fell to sleep.

So thank you, my sweet little one, for sharing this time with me and for sharing your beautiful insights with me and with all of us. I wish you all the love in the world on your journey.

Week 4.5 Update

2012-01-05T20:29:00.000-05:00

So sorry that I've fallen behind in my postings! These little tots are keeping me BUSY!! Between upping the number of feedings, trying to keep up on making enough of the ground food, and them making everyday chores more interesting, I've been running to and fro! Even changing their bedding is a challenge because it just doesn't seem like anywhere is a safe place to put them while I change it. These guys are super fast!!

Speaking of super fast, I crack up when I watch Gable. He's like the little kid on the playground with all that zip and zing, running circles around all the other kids and yelling, "Catch me if you can!" I still think he's the heartthrob of the bunch, but Tony came by the other day and checked them all out and informed me that Rocky was the best example of breed standard and that he was the best looking of all the pups. Well, since I love them all, I guess I can't argue.
I just can't help but reminisce about Daisy's first litter whenever I see this group - they are just so similar. And Daisy's pups are the best pups, ever, having very solid and pleasant personalities, and I'm expecting the same thing out of this litter. Like the cool kids vs. the annoying kids - these are the cool kids.

They now have little teeth and are full of play - you know, play hard for 5 min, then collapse for an hour's nap. And they are at that super cute stage where they now see beyond their face and when they hear a person enter the room, heads bob, tails wag, and they are soooooo happy to see you. I tell you what, there is NOTHING that will make you feel as adored and loved as a litter of pug puppies when you're bringing them some food. I don't care that I'm being used as a personal chef, the waves of total love and happiness are more than enough payment :)

Once the ears open, the pups get introduced to more and more new sounds. This is a time of conditioning, so that they aren't fearful of normal noises later. I still haven't found a crying baby to introduce them to, yet. In fact, now that I have access to macaws, I should have trained them to make all these noises on command - crying, sirens, blenders, blow dryers, so that I don't have to run around finding the real things - lol.

And, as I promised you all with the outset of this journey, it's time to share the good with the bad. Right after the last update, I noticed that Mohawk has open fontinel. It's a condition where the plates in the skull are not fully joined and there can be a soft spot of brain exposed. Human children often have the same condition when born. This is very common in dome-headed breeds and we have seen it before in litters, but the time or two that we've had it, it has been a very mild case and closed up easily and naturally as the pup grew and the skull continued to develop. But Mohawk, I have to be honest, I'm worried about the little guy. In addition to moma's milk, the raw puppy food with appropriate supplements, he has also been getting a homeopathic remedy to help the bones close naturally. And when I noticed it, with the help of a friend, we found a veterinary chiropractic professional who also does cranial work. I left a message and she's willing to look at him for me, so cross your fingers - tomorrow is the appointment. I'm hoping that she has some magic fingers!!

Mohawk is such an endearing little guy. I had him out earlier and he just gently nudged my finger with his snout and then snuggled up to my hand in typical puggy fashion. We just layed there and communed for a while. He is still hanging strong with the rest of the group, but they are starting to get active enough now that I'm afraid that someone might unintentionally bop him in the head, so tonight the pups got split up. The four most active pups got put into the new puppy condominium on the floor, complete with a crated area for sleeping, a potty area and an eating area. Then Mohawk and two that seem to be more gentle with him are still in the whelping pen. I figure this will help Isabelle feed them MUCH more easily, too! So we'll try it for a day and see if any adjustments need to be made to the arrangement.

And you'll never believe who was the first to peek out of the whelping pen? Little Baby Bella! The one who started out so timid in life is now the first to jump to see what's going on when she hears a noise and the first to realize that whimpering might get you picked up and cuddled. Now the others are all catching on and she's not liking the competition! Rocky sure knows how to work the system, too! :)

Little Reba started out in the spotlight, but she's taking the mellow road now. Chillaxin is her motto.

Asher is setting aside the whole "feed me" thing and trying on "ain't I cute" for size. He certainly isn't shy about reaching out for his share of the attention, either! Of course, none of them are :)

And last, but not least, little Mystery. She's been studying at the school of Rocky and is right behind him on all of his exploits. Like a little sister following a very interesting big brother. Whatever he's into, she wants to try it, too!

They are all so addictive. I just love coming home, letting everyone out, then running upstairs to check on the babes. And breathe in all that wonderful puppy breath!! There is never enough puppy breath!

That's all for now!

Week Three Update

2011-12-24T14:03:00.003-05:00

Isabelle is still holding strong. As part of her master plan, she has been begging for double the meat, then eating part of it in her pen and when I walk away, burying the other part of it in creative places. No wonder she won't let other dogs in the room. I didn't notice the special spot in the bottom of the wardrobe till the other dogs gave it away. And today she had the nerve to drag the meat out of the pen and onto the sofa and try to bury it in the laundry basket of fresh clothes I brought upstairs right in front of me. What is this child thinking?? As I said, it takes a special kind of love....

I told you all that around the 3 week point, we were prepping to go ahead and start the initial weaning process, by introducing ground food to the pups to see how they'll take to it. When I woke up this morning, I was stirring and as I rolled over and opened my eyes, Isabelle was intensely staring at me from her whelping pen with 7 voraciously feeding, lip-smacking puppies at her teats and she asked me, "So, is it 3 weeks yet?" I laughed and said, yes, it's 3 weeks. I promise we'll make some puppy food today. Was going to make it earlier in the week, but I haven't gotten my grinder back yet from our neighbors.

I bet you're ready to hear about the pups! Well, let's see... they've had their nails trimmed for the second time now. They're all getting their legs underneath them better and are much quicker/more mobile. They are eliminating easily now and are starting to congregate on one end of the whelping pen to sleep and the other end to eliminate. Amazing at how naturally this and peeing on towels on the floor comes to pug puppies. Their ears are open, so when Isabelle jumps anywhere near the pen, you see little heads bobbing up and down in anticipation of their momma coming to see them. The one little guy last week, Asher, kept waiting and waiting and waiting for Isabelle to jump in the pen and when she didn't, he stretched his chin up and gave a respectable "woo-woo" of frustration. I told you all.. don't mess with his food. I was so proud of the little guy for this landmark behavior!

Gable is the only one that I have a concern about right now. He is smaller than the others, and I think the situation is purely his stature is going to be smaller, but I have been pulling him out for individual feedings with Isabelle just to be sure. If a pup falls behind, and they are not as strong as the others, then it's a Catch-22, not being strong enough to get to the milk to get stronger. So you always have to keep your eye out for those so they don't lose out at the milk bar.

Pictures? Why yes, I have pictures here somewhere....

See them chowing on Isabelle's meat?? Or trying, anyway. Kind of hard to do without teeth! That's Gable on the north side of the meat.

Wow, that recessive fawn gene sure shows up with the flash of the camera! The difference is not that obvious in natural light!

Well, guess it's time for me to get away from the camera and the babies and go make them some food! Thanks for sharing my pups with me. From our little family to yours, we hope you have a very blessed and happy Merry Christmas! May your days be touched by the special kind of love that Christmas brings :)

Week Two Update

2011-12-18T01:02:00.002-05:00

Are they really two weeks old?? Wow, didn't that go fast? I've been trying to savor every moment, and this litter seems to be progressing more quickly than any other. Maybe it's because I know it's my last litter of cuddly, snuggly pugs for a long, long time.

#4 Rocky - Tried to crawl away from the huddle just now and got too close to the edge of the bed! No worries, though - I saw him coming a mile away. He is actually starting to get his legs under him just a little. That little bit of loft gives him even more speed - going to have to watch out for this guy! Dew claw removal looks great. Rocky is on the far left of the huddle picture above and here are a couple more pictures of him. Many pups are born with white markings that fill in as they get older. Some will be gone by the time they are 12 weeks old, some will close in between now and 24 months old, depending on the dog. And occasionally you'll have a dog who carries the white marking forward through adulthood, although usually smaller than when it was a puppy.

#5 Mohawk - His cute little head is silky soft, and he's still a snuggler. Especially when his belly is full. Which is all the time. His dew claw removal looks good.

I love that we can still see his little line from this angle.

#2 Gable - Dew claw removal feels like a success here, too. His double-black coat with no white marking is just so pure and beautiful. Must be why he reminds me of a swatch of styled black hair on a classic silver screen man.

#7 Bella - Definitely a recessive fawn gene in there, from the looks of her fur. Dew claws seem to be holding, but a tiny bit of concern about the right one.

#6 Mystery - little mystery aired her differences with me when I put her on her back to take a picture. They all did, but even though I know she can't see yet, I'll swear she glared at me! She's showing a little bit of spunk and confidence - can't wait to see how she will continue to develop!

#1 Reba - recessive fawn gene showing through a little. Her white patch is changing so that hers and Mystery's markings look almost identical! In fact, I got them mixed up at first, mostly because Mystery's personality seemed a little stronger than Reba's when I just took the pictures. But knowing that #6 was the darker black is how I got them all straightened out again. You might notice that the yarn system lasted less than 24 hours - lol.

See - doesn't she look like Mystery?

And that's not Isabelle - the curious adult face is old man, Cooter, who managed to get on the bed without Isabelle chasing him off.

#3 Asher - His and Rocky's markings are starting to look a lot alike, too. In fact, I've gotten them confused a couple of times, till one of them starts wondering off, then I know which one it is :) Asher is showing his all-boy side these days. Eat, pee, sleep, and don't interrupt the routine! They all take their food seriously, but boys show more attititude regarding their food - cracks me up. They can sometimes remind me of a grumpy old man.

Well, when I went through them this time, all their dew claw removals felt pretty good, but I could swear there was one puppy that didn't take well. Or maybe that was a dream. When you wake up a few times during the night, dreams and reality can get a bit hazy :) So next time they're all moving around, I'm going to feel them all one more time. At the moment, t hough, they are sleeping peacefully!

Thanks for sharing another day with the babies!

Guess whose eyes are opening?

2011-12-16T21:24:00.001-05:00

Time is moving by way too fast. The little babies have doubled in size, they're all eating like pigs, and now their little eyes are starting to open. I remember a cute story about a veterinarian who had her first baby and the first words out of her mouth upon seeing the bundle of joy was, "Oh! Her eyes are open already!" There is something so incredible about nature's built-in protection for the animals, this being one of them. Now just because their eyes are opening, they won't actually register what they're seeing for a bit. Gradually, they adjust and start to acknowledge things around them. Eventually they start focusing farther away, and when they realize there is a whole wide world out there, it's such a cute time in their lives!

So last night, I woke up to find a pup who had gone up and over the bumber on the crate mat and got stuck between it and the crate bin in the little corner there. And he landed on his nose and cried for momma. Twice. And don't worry - it's fixed now so that no one else can do that. But guess who it was? Both times it was Rocky. I guess we do have an adventurer in the group after all. With the first time, I scooped him up and put him with the rest of the pups. The second time, I brought him over and put him on the pillow by my head. He nuzzled his way along my head and settled in by my ear and made little "I was stuck and I was sad" sounds. He still had some leftover whimpers and sniffles. So we snuggled till he was all comfy and cozy and till he glowed again with puppy warmth and love, then tucked him back into the pack.

Isabelle's eating pace has slowed down just a tiny bit. I'm wondering if maybe her jaws just got sore from all the chewing. Speaking of sore, she was stalking me as I slept this morning and as soon as she saw the first twitch of a muscle move as I awoke, she ran over and put her head under my hand and wanted her morning massage. So I worked her over up and down either side of the spine as we normally do, then she let me know that she'd like more attention paid to the tops of her arms and shoulder area. Evidently propping herself up to provide more teat exposure is making her a little sore there. So she moved to where I could massage those muscles a little better, and she melted like butter.

Oh, and I have some fun news! It appears that little Mohawk has his own fan club! I'll have to remember to get some new snapshots so you all can see how he looks in the face now. And some good news - I believe he has already scooped up a home! That's right, the cutie patootie has already weasled his way into someone's heart :) In fact, it looks like we have 3 of the 7 potentially placed at this point.

Tomorrow is chore day, with a list a mile long. I guess I should be glad they're growing fast since all I manage to do is sit around and look at them, neglecting other things I need to do. I probably have a pretty good pug head tilt myself - lol. But one thing I have to do tomorrow is stock up on more goodies. Time to go ahead and make a concoction of several different meats, organs and their bones ground up to use as a base for supplements for Isabelle as well as the first stage of weaning for the pups. It can be kept in portioned sizes in the freezer till I'm ready for it, but Isabelle is ready for something easier to eat right now, and I can't blame her!! I'll also make sure she gets some cottage cheese and yogurt. If I can swing it, I'll make some liver treats, too!

Yum!

Cancer in Our Pet Population - Dr. Patricia Jordan

2011-12-15T11:23:00.002-05:00

This article is written by Dr. Patricia Jordan for the Dog Naturally Magazine. If you enjoyed this and you want to see more informative and incredible articles/information, please consider a subscription to their magazine. You can also "like" Dogs Naturally Magazine on Facebook.

Here is the link to the original article.

I'm only copying and pasting this here because it is such an extraordinarily written article and I'm afraid that like some really important things on the internet, it might disappear at some time and it would be nice to have access to this info in the future.

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Cancer in our Pet Population

by Patricia Jordan on December 15, 2011

…why is cancer on the rise?

In l999, the WHO named the veterinary vaccine adjuvant a grade 3 out of 4 carcinogen, with 4 being the most carcinogenic. The adjuvant identified is aluminum hydroxide, a component of most of the currently used veterinary vaccines.

Adjuvants are not the only way to trans-mutate a body’s genome. Environmental poisons and toxins, viral oncogenes, proteins, drugs, nutritional deficiencies, hormones or mimickers and disruptors of hormones, geophysical forces, ultraviolet radiation and electromagnetic forces can all cause genetic mutation. Protecting one’s DNA from transmutation is a current topic of health interest. Reversing damage done to the DNA an ongoing source of research funding.

Vaccine Induced Tumor

What the research tells us, is that in animals, vaccine adjuvants, in this case aluminum hydroxide, stimulate an inflammatory reaction and therefore create oxidative stress that results in a mutation of the p53 suppressor gene. The p53 suppressor gene is supposed to help the body stop malignancies by suppressing tumor growth. When p53 is doing its correct job, it is a nuclear transcription regulator. The integrity of the genome is guarded by many policemen. However in this case, the result is a loss in translation, so to speak. When a mutation of p53 occurs, malignant tumors results.

Cancers are found in not only in vaccine injection sites, but in other areas of the body not directly the vicinity of the injection site. Documented cases of lymphoma have resulted in patients developing vaccine injection site fibrosarcomas. For more information on cancer and vaccines, read here.

Vaccination is lacking in any scientific evidence for long term safety. In fact, research is starting to show that vaccines produce chronic disease as a trade off for the missing acute disease. The yearly administration of combination vaccines given by veterinary practices all over the world has burdened pet owners with a medical procedure that is not evidence based. In fact, revaccination was the unscientific, unresearched and unwarranted musings of a roundtable discussion among veterinarian members of the AVMA. We have no information what, if any, role the pharmaceutical companies manufacturing the vaccines may have played in those “musings”. Lacking any scientific validation, the veterinary medical institutions of our great nation essentially turned veterinary doctors into vaccine pushers.

Many practices still revaccination at yearly or triennial intervals even now, despite recommendations to not vaccinate needlessly coming from the AVMA, AAHA and the AAFP. Without informed consent and without full disclosure to pet owners, veterinary medical doctors continue to burden pet owners with vaccination reminders and their pets with immune assault.

Furthermore, there is no excuse for vets who vaccinate pets exhibiting symptoms of illness – including allergies, joint disease, irritable bowel symptoms, etc. This practice is in direct violation of the FDA regulations.

Another Tumor at a Vaccine Site

Vaccines have been repeatedly associated with auto antibodies and autoimmune disease, the degenerative diseases, the endocrine diseases, neurotoxicity and seizures, allergies, asthma and the continued evidence of cancer.

Vaccinations, and the resulting chronic diseases it creates, are big business for veterinary clinics. Pharmaceutical companies also benefit; cancer treatment is big business. Cancer diagnosis means expensive drugs, possibly surgery and chemotherapy if treated via conventional medicine.

An important paper was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, “The Contribution of Cytotoxic Chemotherapy in 5 year Survival in Adult Malignancies”. The objective of the paper was to accurately quantify and assess the benefit of chemotherapy in the treatment of adults with the most common malignant cancers. All three of the authors are oncologists. The meticulous study determined that in Australia, chemotherapy protocols were 2.3% effective and in the United States, they were found to be 2.1% effective.

Chemotherapy is cell poisoning, but isn’t that already accomplished with the injection of the vaccine? The treatment for this disease is often worse that the disease itself. A study took place among the pet owning clients of cancer victims, the “quantity” of time left for the cancer patient was not as important as the “quality”. Chemotherapy gives you neither.

The treatment of cancer is not likely to be found in conventional medicine. The multilevel, multifactorial causation made complex by the medical industrial complex will not provide the answer. Conventional wisdom will not allow conventional medicine to find an answer to cancer because it would not be profitable to do so. As said by Albert Einstein “We can’t solve problems with the same thinking that created the problems”. Of course, we have to get the medical community to see the problem first. Getting everyone to see that the emperor is not wearing any clothes is a feat in itself. Getting veterinarians to stop a practice that feeds their wallet is another thing altogether.
Dr. Phillip Kass, at the Discussion for the Feline Injection Site Sarcoma Task Force, presented these words of wisdom from Sir Austin Bradford Hill from the l965 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine:

“Finally in passing from association to causation I believe in “real life” we shall have to consider what flows from that decision. On scientific grounds we should no such thing but in another more practical sense we may surely ask what is involved in our decision. All scientific work is incomplete, whether it is observational or experimental. All scientific work is liable to be upset or modified by advancing knowledge. That does not confer on us a freedom to ignore the knowledge we already have or to postpone the action that it appears to demand at a given time”

Dr. Phillip Kass continues with: “you can’t always wait to have irrefutable scientific evidence before you have to take some sort of action, the vaccine associated sarcoma is a real phenomena and the cost of waiting and doing nothing is much greater than the cost of acting now.”

Well, that is the medical profession of whom I am not brethren. The veterinary profession can and needs to make the decision in this vaccine debacle. To ignore this issue is to commit malpractice. If a member of the profession does not understand this, he should be reminded of the veterinary Hippocratic Oath upon most of our profession was sworn into the profession:

Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge. I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity, and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics. I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence.

One Week Update

2011-12-11T23:48:00.001-05:00

Well, a week and a couple of days, but close enough. The puppies are still hunkered down, dealing with survival skills. They are all very talented at eating and sleeping right now.

#1 Little Reba hasn't really run her chops since her first 24 hours, but she still strikes me as a strong female who will be able to stand on her own.

#2 Gable is super sweet. All of the black pups have a bit of a white patch except #2 and #7 and it's like they're twins - they look a lot alike and they both have meltingly sweet personalities.

#3 Asher is taking it all in. He gets a bit grumpy when you pick him up. He likes his warm little area he's made and don't disturb his peace and quiet!! And especially don't pick him up with cold hands!!

#4 Rocky cracks me up every day. Tony looked at him and said, wow, look at the head on that one! And as he picked up Rocky, he came up swinging. I didn't even have to see the mark to know which one he had in his hands. So funny! But he has finally started settling into my hands when I'm holding him (which is part of his exercises, but the turning point was when he let me comfort him after doing his dew claws).

#5 Mowhawk is just too darned cute. He is going to be your typical pug boy. Love, love, love oh, and show me the food. He will be very easily trained with treats - lol. Can't wait to see what happens with the hair/markings/wrinkles on his forehead.

#6 Mystery - this one surprises me. I expected her to show me something of herself by now, but she's playing it low key, just biding her time. She is really concentrating on being a puppy, and taking one day at a time. The mystery is still a mystery!

#7 Bella - talked about her with #2, but the other funny thing about Bella is that she always finds herself at the bottom of the puppy piles. When I move the litter to change bedding or for whatever reason, she is almost always the last puppy I pick up, and has been protected by her position in relation to the rest of the puppy pack/pile. She's adorably sweet and cuddly! And quiet - she might be my favorite - lol.

Isabelle is hanging in there tough. She's attentive, keeps them very clean and warm and taken care of. She is starting to rotate them in shifts. Mostly they eat together, but she is starting to divide them into groups of 3 and 4. They have to get just a little more mobile before she actually succeeds, but I give her props for trying. Isabelle rocks!

She is letting out her inner diva, though. The other morning as I was getting ready for work, she sat in her whelping pen and started bossing. She wanted the bedding in the pen changed, she thanked me for the strip of venison that was longer than she was, and she was happy that there was kibble available, but she made me promise to bring her some chicken with bone at lunchtime to keep up her calcium. Not that I wasn't handling it all, anyway, it was just the WAY she started telling me what needed to be done that cracked me up.

Even when she's out of her pen, she isn't very far from her pups. Here is Isabelle keeping vigil while her pups sleep.

Dew Claws, Puppy Exercises and Helping Isabelle

2011-12-09T15:01:00.001-05:00

Isabelle's hyper-vigilance is starting to calm down a little. And I think she's second-guessing her refusal of nanny help from anyone else because cleaning up after 7 puppies is a lot of work! So I've been stepping in and helping with the eliminatory duties to take some of the burden off of her. I'm gearing up for an early weaning with this group, although as with everything else, we take things one day at a time and re-evaluate as appropriate.

The pups are like one big lump of squiggly fur. They are the least spread-out group I've seen. Usually I have one or two that constantly seem to wander off or get caught in folds of blankets, or are where they shouldn't be. But this group just seems happy and content to be where Momma puts them! Little Mohawk sure does stand out in the crowd, though. What a cutie patootie. He is growing faster than the others, and his fur is so.... so something, maybe plush is the word I'm looking for. He just looks like a little ewok and his facial expressions are so funny!

And in continuing with their development, their dew claws have been removed. The general guideline is that they should be removed between days 2-5. Prior to two days old, some believe that the blood will not coagulate properly (although I have met breeders who remove dew claws on delivery day without a bleeding issue), and before 5 days old when their nervous system is more fully developed, and therefore feel more pain. We used to have the vet do the dew claws, but it's funny how life leads you in different directions. A combination of events happened - the vet tech who wrote me down for dew claws and tail docking and I had to save the tails in the nick of time, then the vet tripling his prices and on the same litter, half the dew claws grew back. So I started researching how to do it myself. This BOOK was instrumental with it's instructional video, and networking with other breeders has really been very beneficial. And through the process, I've learned a lot of tolerance. I remember how mad I was at the vet when half the dew claws grew back. Well, now that I've done many litters myself, I have found that toy dogs are very difficult. Everything is so small and it's sometimes difficult to know that you've gotten the whole thing. So I understand that when you're rushed, and dealing with tiny bones, that it's not as easy as you'd think! But doing them at home still has huge advantagse! First of all, they aren't exposed to potential illnesses at the vet's office. Secondly, instead of being handed a bag of screaming puppies and having to deal with a very upset mother dog, each puppy can be handled one at a time and at their own pace. When I did their dew claws, they were held, cuddled, relaxed, dew claws removed, then snuggled again and given reiki until they were totally relaxed and ready to go back into the whelping pen. One at a time, no rush, as much love and care as possible, and even though it took 1.5 hours instead of 15 min at the vet, it was worth it. Isabelle didn't even get upset!

For those of you wondering why remove the dew claws, I will freely admit that if I didn't think it was necessary, there was no way I'd do it. It's one of the most difficult things to do and I really have to work up my nerve for the process. There are several situations where I feel that dew claw removal is necessary/acceptable, but the main reason for pugs is their eyes. The brachycephalics, with their facial structure and protruding eyes, are very susceptible to eye damage and scratches. A pug simply trying to wipe something off its face could scratch their eye with a dew claw. So the removal of one more environmental hazard to their eyes is very important.

PUPPY EXERCISES

To give the pups every advantage and to help give them the best start in life, all litters go through their puppy development exercises. The first phase is the Military Super Dog Exercises which have the benefits of:

Improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate)
Stronger heart beats
Stronger adrenal glands
More tolerance to stress and
Greater resistance to disease.

These exercises last from day 3 through 16, which usually is right about when their eyes open. I have to laugh at the name of the exercises in conjuction with pugs. It's not like they're going to be military super dogs. But if I know of something that will strengthen their bodies and make them stronger and more resistant to disease, how can I say no? And if they happen to get commissioned to the military because they are the coolest pugs ever, well, I won't stand in their way :)

Reindeer Names?

2011-12-08T14:17:00.000-05:00

My friend, Mary, asked about reindeer names! What an adorable idea! So I had to try it on for size.

Aren't they cute? The problem is that I have to sing the song every time to remember all the reindeer names, so I'd have to not only sing the song, but then figure out which one was in my hands to call them that, so I guess we'll stick with Plan A and go based on personality ;) But thanks for the idea, Mary! It sure was fun!

Seizures in Dogs, the 5 Most Important Remedies

2011-12-07T10:10:00.001-05:00

Dr. Andrew Jones is a fascinating vet who works diligently to educate pet owners on medical issues, health, nutrition, and holistic remedies. He has formulated his own health supplement, has a site with video tutorials on topics including first aid emergency treatments for dogs and cats. Check out his newsletter and website for more information.

http://www.theinternetpetvet.com/

He has written this article describing the most common causes of seizure activity in dogs, as well as some important remedies to know and have ready. I found his pressure point to help control seizure activity to be especially interesting!

http://www.theinternetpetvet.com/seizures-dogs-5-important-natural-remedies/comment-page-1/#comment-75835

The one thing he didn't mention in his article, which I found very surprising, is mercury. Have you heard the term "mad as a hatter?" That came from the era when they made felted tall hats, and they used mercury in the process. The workers, as the mercury invaded their system, would eventually go crazy and end up in asylums - mad as a hatter. Mercury is one if the few items that can cross the protective blood/brain barrier which safeguards your brain.

Unfortunately, the videos have been removed from the internet, but when researching the flu vaccine in the year that the bird flu was all a big hype, I ran across a 4-part series by a neurosurgeon talking about how brain plaque is really mercury buildup in the brain. And how vaccinations for children have increased so drastically that where we used to graduate high school with an average of 12 vaccinations in our lifetime, in some systems they are averaging 64 vaccinations up through graduating high school and the neuro fields are seeing increases in people in their young 20's with failing memories and what appears to be alzheimers. Not to mention the link between vaccinations and alzheimers.

Personally, we had one pug with seizure activity, but she was also given 3 shots before she was 10 weeks old by a well-meaning breeder who thought puppies had to have 3 shots and had no idea of the ideology behind the concept. If we knew then what we know now, we would never have let this happen.

So what can we do to help prevent vaccination-based seizure activity in our dogs? First, learn and understand the role of vaccines in our lives. Adopt a minimum-vaccination protocol. And find a product that detoxes the body to pull that mercury back out of the system.

And here is a shameless plug for my absolutely favorite detox product - Waiora Natural Cell Defense. Although I disagree with the laws regarding rabies vaccinations, we do follow the legal requirements, which means that when I pump in a vaccine that is good for up to 750# into one of my toy dogs because the law won't allow it to be prorated for size, then I have to find a good way to pull the crap back out. So we detox with NCD after each and every vaccination and I truly believe it makes a huge difference in their overall health! (Essiac Tea is my second favorite detoxer :)

Oh, and for those of you who made it through this dry commentary on one of my soapbox issues, here is your reward. A little bit of cuteness.

A Spitfire has Emerged! And a Lesson on Early Puppyhood

2011-12-06T11:01:00.001-05:00

#4 is now being called Rocky instead of Rambo. It's not so much that he's an adventurer, it's that he comes up swinging. Yesterday, he honed in on a teat and was crawling full force toward his goal. The problem was, Isabelle was propped up on one front leg as she sniffed over the pups by her belly, seeing if anyone needed a cleaning, and she was getting ready to lay back down. Seeing a squish about to happen, I swept in and scooped him up when he was THIS close to the nipple. He started kicking and yelling at me. Ever been chewed out by a 2-day old puppy? He was not very pleasant. And to make matters worse, he was just so warm and snuggly, that I didn't want to let him go right away. I tried to give him reiki, but he was on a mission, I had just interrupted him, and he didn't want any part of snuggling. SHOW ME THE MILK! And it seems that every time in the last 24 hours that I've picked up a pup on the verge of trouble, guess who it has been - that's right.... #4.

It's really interesting to see these black puppies side by side at this age because you can tell that there are 3 double blacks and 3 recessive fawns, with the sheen of their coats being slightly different - you can see it in the group pics posted the first day.

Now for the biology/nutrition lesson. Lots of people reading this will already know, but for the non-breeders out there, the miracle of birth and early puppyhood is fascinating. When the puppies are born, each one has it's birthing sac and an afterbirth. The umbilical cord is attached to the afterbirth. Some mothers will clean the puppies first, others will eat the afterbirth, then follow the cord up and bite it off, and then take care of the puppy on the other end of it. It gets tricky because the puppy needs to get out of that sac, and have its airway cleaned within a certain amount of time or you could lose it. I will proudly say that Isabelle did an excellent job processing the pups and she might have even been able to handle most of them on her own, but not wanting to risk it, I did help her with the pups. In the wild, when the mother eats the afterbirth, it gives her enough nutrition and moisture to last her for several days. This natural provider allows her to remain with her pups through the first critical stages and keep them fed, safe and warm to where she doesn't have to go forage for food. Because the afterbirths looked healthy, I did allow Isabelle to eat as many as she wanted (she ate them all, God love her). As a result, she wasn't interested in outside food for at least a day. She did take some fresh water, and she has both water and Blue Buffalo kibble by her bedside. And I bring her fresh meat once a day, as well.

Puppies are born with their eyes and ears closed. And the mother emits a certain pheromone that keeps everyone calm and in a state of bliss. In fact, this is what they have harnessed for DAP, a product that they sell to keep dogs calm while the owners are away, especially those with serious separation anxiety. The mother licks the puppies clean, keeping the pen spotless so that there are no smells to attract predators. They are the equivalent of human babies that have just been bathed and powdered and have that cuddly smell, without the fear of being burped up on - lol. It's no wonder that I can't seem to tear myself away from their bedside, soaking up all that good-feeling mojo. As the puppies mature, they will open their eyes first, but they don't really see well. And that's all for now till we reach the next stage!

Excerpts from Schultz's paper on vaccinations

2011-12-06T10:15:00.001-05:00

Minimum Duration of Immunity for Canine Vaccines:

Distemper- 7 years by challenge/15 years by serology
Parvovirus – 7 years by challenge/ 7 years by serology
Adenovirus – 7 years by challenge/ 9 years by serology
Canine rabies – 3 years by challenge/ 7 years by serology

Dr. Schultz concludes: “Vaccines for diseases like distemper and canine parvovirus, once administered to adult animals, provide lifetime immunity.” “Are we vaccinating too much?” JAVMA, No. 4, August 15, 1995, pg. 421.

To read an article by Dogs Naturally Magazine with even more excerpts and good info, check it out HERE.

And to give legislators the proof they need to extend the rabies vaccinations to 7 years, donate to the Rabies Challenge Fund - my #1 charity at this time!

Meet the Litter!

2011-12-05T09:20:00.000-05:00

With this many puppies, and most of them looking alike from the topside, I can see we're going to have to do some identifying, which we haven't had to do for a long time. So to make life easier, I'm trying to think up puppy names for them which we'll use in the house on a temporary basis till they get their forever homes and names. So with that in mind, here is my first go at some names (unless I get something better down the road).

In order of birth:

#1 - Reba (brown yarn)

Reba came out of the hatch mouthing and didn't stop till morning. She settled in, finally, but I sense a strong personality, a soul who knows what it wants and isn't afraid to tell you all about it! But she's not a difficult personality, just able to communicate :)

#2 - Gable (green yarn)

Gable is a studly, handsome young man, who will someday amaze and charm the opposite sex. He reminds me of an old, classic movie star. I was shooting for James Dean or Dean Martin when my friend said what about Clark Gable? So Gable it is!

#3 - Asher (blue yarn)

He's a sweet male, but he's very quiet right at the moment. He hasn't really reached out with his spirit yet to give me a glimpse into who he is. He's just busy being a puppy right now, getting the basics of life covered, and when he's ready. But for now, I like this name a friend suggested - Asher - means blesssed. And who doesn't want to feel a little blessed in life?

#4 - Rambo (red yarn)

This little guy reminds me of Sylvester Stallone - compact, strong, with a force behind the facade, and an air of confidence. Or is that cockiness?? I might go with Rocky instead of Rambo - haven't totally decided yet.

#5 Mohawk (no yarn required)

When I broke open the birthing sac of this little guy and his head popped out, I had to ask, is that a cowlick? All the hair from both sides was pushed up into the center and it actually was enough that it kind of folded over, like the guy's hairdos in the 50's.. It's already starting to disappear, and I wish I had taken more pics when he was born, but hey... had my hands full.

#6 Mystery (invisible yarn - it's a mystery!)

Before they were born, as I held my hand on Isabelle's belly one night, I actually got a sense from one of the puppies. I've never had a "communication" with an unborn pup like this before, but I knew that there was a puppy in there, and it felt like it was the 3rd one up on one side, and buddy, she wanted out. She has been waiting for this incarnation, she's ready and raring to go, and she couldn't wait to get out and surprise me. So the stage has been set. I am not 100% sure if this is the one who sent me the message, but so far, she's definitely the frontrunner. And whenever she touches me, she settles right in, like she has no other place in the world to be. I half thought about naming her Pandora, but anyone who knows pugs knows that could be sentencing myself to a whole lot of orneriness!

#7 Bella (peach yarn)

Bella wasn't sure she wanted to be born. In fact, she was so unsure, that while her brothers and sisters all popped out like clockwork, one after the other, we actually thought we were done at #6. So Isabelle and I settled in for a nap and slept for 2 hours, and then when the pups cried for their feeding, out popped #7. Guess she thought she'd stay for a spell, after all! For her first 24 hours, she was very hesitant, though. So I looked for a shy, sweet name for her. I ran a couple through my mind, but they just didn't fit. So I asked a friend for help and she said Bella. But that's too close to Isabelle! Can't help it - she wants Bella. So Bella it is! Then later, I realized that by having a name close to her mom's name, it'll help her feel close to her, more linked in a way, to help ger her up and running for this life she has ahead of her. She's already feeling stronger, both physically and emotionally.

Isabelle's Litter!

2011-12-04T22:44:00.001-05:00

Well, we've come full circle here at Briarwood Pups. Everyone says "how can you place the babies?" Well, it's not easy, but I'll tell you what's harder - placing the adults who have lived and slept with you for years. Any good breeding program has to be willing to place at least enough adults to allow space for new, younger dogs to be able to carry the lines forward, but I find that hard to do. And since our house only has so much space, I've decided to discontinue breeding pugs. Maybe in the future, as mine get older and pass away, 3-5 years down the road, I might reconsider having one litter out of a younger pup, but as far as being able to average a litter a year, we won't be able to do that anymore.

With that decision, we thought that Jolene's litter born in August would be our last because only she and Isabelle remained intact and Isabelle couldn't have any more babies. And what a shame, I kept thinking to myself, that we couldn't have an Isabelle pup to keep and have for the future since most of our remaining pugs are all around the same age and statistically, will probably pass close together. But with family histories, and Isabelle's previously unsuccessful matings, we knew that we were just out of luck as far as getting a pup from her was concerned. So when she came into her last cycle and didn't have any bleeding, we were totally surprised with a hook being our only indicator that she was in heat. But, I didn't even bother to write down the date since I "knew" she couldn't have puppies.

Well, as Gomer would say, Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!! Isabelle became not only pregnant, but as huge as the Hindenberg. I could see the puppies kicking her ribs, as though if she didn't let them out soon, they'd just dig their way out the side and be done! And their little heads were bumping on her ribs and she begged me not to put my hand on their stomach to feel them because it only encouraged the little devils.

When the day came, Isabelle spent the preceeding 24 hours destroying anything fabric in my bedroom. She opened up my wardrobe and completely pulled everything out of one side and made a nest in there for herself, and she left the rest of the room in shambles. I was up all night with her, trying to put things back only for her to sneak them back out and around again. And we were up till 4am when I finally dozed off into a deep enough sleep that I managed a few hours before going to work the next day. So she stayed with relatives all day, being watched like a hawk for any signs of contractions. The following night, she began labor and delivered 7 puppies between 11:30 pm and 7:30 am on December 3, 2011. And they are beautiful. They are strong, healthy, gorgeous, and full of life and love. I feel so blessed to have this precious gift.

So Isabelle, thank you for this gift to bring this stage of our lives to a close. Girl, you sure know how to go out in style!

We invite you to join us in this journey, in the lives and adventures of this litter over the next two months with all the ins and outs that breeding can have, and join us in sending love to these little ones so that their lives will get off to a great start to help them in finding and fulfilling their destinies!

Beer as a Wormer

2011-10-07T10:55:00.000-04:00

This is from another board I'm on (in response to a dog who is heartworm positive and so advanced that it is danger of dying from the treatment) and I requested permission to re-post and it was granted:

This will kill heart worms without endangering the dogs as what the beer does is is make the worms sterile. It's seen as food by the worms so they don't put out the poison to try and stop the dog from eating anything more that 'bothers the worms', plus the die off of the worms is slow so there's not toxic overload there. This was studied in Japan.

The tests were done with several types of beers and the Guinness Draught is the one that works. This is because 1) the special ancient type of hops they have there and 2) the really good water. It's the hops that sterilize the worms. This special hops is only in the Draught Black Label beer imported directly from Ireland. I originally purchased Guinness Stout but when I got home I read where it comes from Canada and they don't have the special breed of hops. Only the Ireland Import does.

The dosage is 1 ounce of beer to 25 pounds of weight. Normally people let the bottle sit with the lid off to get rid of the carbonation (so the dog doesn't get gas). It's ok to let it go completely flat, and if you don't use up the whole bottle in one setting you just cap it and put it in the fridge. The hops never 'go bad' and so it will work until you empty the bottle.

So you give 1 ounce of Guinness Draught to 25 pounds of weight every 2 weeks. Just pour it over their food if they won't lap it up (some will, some won't) After 3 months you can have the dog tested to see if there are any filarie left (baby worms). If so, continue for another 3 months and test again. When all the baby worms are dead then you switch over to dosing once a month.

This kills all worms except whip worms.

I hope her dog can last long enough to utilize this treatment. Very simple, very cheap and it works. There are a couple ladies on a pet list I'm on who foster dogs. They have had dogs tested to have heart worms, put them on this beer method, and then the dogs are tested and--no heart worms. All the foster parents in their groups use this now.

-------------------------

Further posts discussed how hops is toxic to dogs, but it turns out that it's misinformation - the hops dregs from making the beer is toxic to dogs, but not the portion of hops that remains in the beer. They researched this heavily because they are in Florida and in rescue and many dogs were coming through as heartworm positive. The amount of alcohol needed to kill the worms is not harmful to the liver, and the treatment has been extraordinarily successful in their rescue program.

To Those Who Feed Stray Cats

2011-06-08T10:31:00.002-04:00

There is a lot of resentment from people who don't like to attract stray cats, who are upset at the odor of feral tomcat sprays, who don't like the moaning of strays in heat. All of those are valid concerns, but let's look at it from another angle.

I work with animals and have been a part of helping in many , many situations where dogs get away from their owners. When you see a stray dog, there are many possible reasons including:

- an electronic fence collar whose batteries went dead

- someone travelling to a dog show and a beloved show dog getting away from them

- someone moving across country and staying with relatives when one of their children opens the door and the dog gets loose

- a meter man opening a yard gate and neglecting to latch it back correctly

- a trucker's companion animal getting spooked at a rest stop

There are many, many reasons why dogs get away from their owners, owners who are desperately searching for them. Even when chipped and tagged properly, dogs can become scared or suspiscious enough that they will not allow someonen to catch them. In almost every lost dog case, the thing that has kept them alive until their owners can be reunited with them is the availability of cat food being left outside.

So before you judge someone in haste, or allow resentment to build in your heart because you may not like cats, just step back and consider how many lives have been saved by someone's good heart. Take time to see the goodness, the love these people have in their hearts, and how they are trying to make the world a better place. Perhaps then we can work together from a place of understanding and appreciation and find win-win solutions.

I used to be neutral on the matter, but while helping yet another lost dog try to find its way home, I have to say a huge thank you to those who feed cats :)

Flea Prevention Step #1

2011-06-02T10:21:00.002-04:00

We have done our best to care for our dogs and family as holistically as possible. The past two years have been horrible for fleas, though, and last year we caved and one month out of the season we resorted to Frontline (which didn't seem to help) and spraying the yard with chemicals (which did give us the respite we needed to be able to recuperate).

This year, we are being more proactive in the prevention of a flea problem in hopes that we are able to find that magical combination.

The first thing we did was to get some barrier plants established. See the full post on plants that help with this.

So far we have planted some bee balm, artemisia and two kinds of mint. I'll be adding more bee balm, marigolds, and more mint next time I make it to the greenhouse, as well as perenial mums.

We don't have carpet, so the next thing I did was treat the sofas, also part of spring cleaning. I vaccuumed them, spritzed them with vinegar, washed cushion covers where possible, and then when all was dry, sprinkled a mixture of borax/diatomaceous earth/table salt onto the sofa base under the cushions. If you have a flea problem, you can sprinkle the whole sofa with this, wait a few hours or overnight, then vaccuum. Since it's not an issue yet, I'm just leaving this dust under the cushions as a preventive measure and the borax offers up a fresh, clean scent.

Next step will be to give everyone a bath at the same time, ensuring that we don't have any fleas to start with, then spray with an essential oil that will repel them. You can find a recipe here. Or I might use a product I just read about this morning which sounds amazing - Triple Sure. And now I finally understand why peppermint oil is so often used in natural sprays, and why peppermint itself (and all mints) is high on the list of plants to have in your yard as a barrier.

And while the animals are being bathed, their bedding will also be washed, which happens frequently in our house anyway, but this time we'll be adding a new trick. Once the fresh bedding is placed in the crate, it will be sprinkled with salt. The salt will dehydrate the fleas and not be bothersome to the pets. I am so excited about this simple solution that I can't wait to see if it works!

And then there is the lawn... not sure what I'm going to do about it this year. I found a recipe for mouthwash/dishwashing liquid/tobacco juice and I made that and sprayed it on the front yard, but haven't made my way to the back yet. In the meantime, found out that the tobacco juice is harsh, indiscriminant (killing beneficial insects, as well), and possibly harmful to the dogs since nicotine is a neurotoxin. So I'm still researching that solution before I spray it anywhere else. I can honestly say I haven't seen any bugs or even ants on the front porch since spraying, though. Also read that a coat of lime in the grass will control a large percentage of fleas.

So we'll be doing whatever we can this year to not have to resort to harsh and harmful chemicals. The dogs literally hate Frontline, so even if I have to go back to baths every week, we won't be using that anymore.

Feel free to share what has worked for your family!

And some of my favorite pages

2011-06-02T10:19:00.009-04:00

Catching up on scrapbook pages

2011-06-02T09:53:00.014-04:00

I've been scrapping like mad in the wee hours when I'm too tired to do anything constructive, but maybe not tired enough to go to sleep. I love scrapping pages of my babies, so here is a post to catch you up on some of them.

Little Prince

2010-11-03T10:07:00.010-04:00

Made with "What's Bugging You?" by Marshella Designs

Made with the Hands Across the Gulf collab kit. Prince is on the left.

Lil Prince is on the right.

Puppies playing 07-30-10

2010-08-02T08:41:00.002-04:00

Jolene had her babies - 7-6-10

2010-07-18T12:45:00.002-04:00

Little Miss Jolene had a great pregnancy, but a difficult delivery. After the first pup was born out of the sac and breech at home, it was two hours of contractions later that we gave up and went to the vet for a c-section. On the way to the vet, I was watching her and driving straight, but the road curved, and we had an auto accident that totalled the car out on a country road. A very caring farmer came to our aid, though, and finished rushing her to the vet where she had one more puppy naturally, one that didn't make it, and the final one being delivered via c-section. Her litter goes down as the most expensive litter EVER, at least in my books. But the good news is that she's fine, I'm fine, and we have 3 beautiful babies who are eating, sleeping and snorting their way into the world with much gusto!

I've mentioned on my facebook page how often the pugs use my phone. Every time I turn around, they're buying ringtones, or doing something sneaky. Well, I finally captured them on film. Miss Jolene is so proud of her pups that she was texting all her friends! See for yourself!

Mariah was not pregnant

2010-07-18T12:43:00.003-04:00

For those of you who have been watching to see if we had a litter of frenchies, Mariah is not pregnant. She had a patch above her tail with a skin issue and I wanted to be sure it was all cleared up before stressing her body with a pregnancy. Just wanted to let anyone know who was waiting that there are no puppies this time around. Maybe on the next heat cycle with clear skin and the vet's thumbs up :)

Using Plants as a Natural Flea Repellant

2010-07-18T12:25:00.005-04:00

My friend, Paula, lives in the country in middle-America, and is a long-time dog show breeder and trainer. One of her friends told her about these plants, and at first she dismissed it, but then when her friend gave her starts of the plants, what did she have to lose? Turns out that the plants with built-in insect repellants provide an excellent barrier for your home, as well. Once she planted these around the perimeter of her property, she hasn't had any more problems with fleas. And, she points out, that if you plant especially the mints where the dogs can roll in them, then they will self-treat when necessary!

Here are some of the plants she recommends:

artemesia
perilla
mums
marigolds
bergamot
all types of mint (lemon, chocolate, apple, peppermint, catnip)

Artemisia (wormwood):
Artemisia absinthium
Botanical info on different varieties

Perilla:
Wild basil

Mums:

Marigolds:

Bergamot (bee balm):
wild bergamot
how to propogate

Catnip:

Peppermint:

The fleas have become progressively worse the past 3 years and this year I had to break down and use chemicals on the lawn. So I'm clearing out some areas to plant some of these plants next year and I can't wait to see how well they do!

Shepherd pups playing

2010-04-12T08:49:00.003-04:00

2009-09-17T14:35:00.000-04:00

Using the kit Angels Among Us by Dancing Princess Designs sold at GoDigitalScrapbooking!

scrapbook pop

2009-09-12T21:43:00.003-04:00

Created for the creative team challenge at GoDigitalScrapbooking. It was so much fun to document the little guy's day! Used a kit called A New Day be designer Christy Skaggs.

Big Day for Little Pop!

2009-09-06T17:22:00.004-04:00

It was a big, big day for little Pop (of Snap, Crackle and Pop). He was the one who got to come outside and help me with my chores today! It was his first time outside and his first time without mom or brothers within hearing distance, but after he got over the initial surprise, he took the yard by storm! He got to meet the shepherd puppy through the fence. He got to frolic in high grass and run with the chickens! He also did very well finding me no matter where I walked in the yard. No small feat when you legs are that short.

Here's our cutie in action!

Huge Sale at GoDigitalScrapbooking.com!

2009-09-04T15:49:00.002-04:00

For anyone interested in getting started in digital scrapbooking, this is a great weekend to jump in with both feet! GDS is celebrating their third birthday with a huge 50% off store-wide sale! They've just added new designers, too, so there is even more to choose from!

And if that weren't enough, they have lots of games and prizes. There is a scavenger hunt, a crossword puzzle, and other games, each with fabulous and FREE prizes!

Come and join the fun!

2009-08-31T10:49:00.000-04:00

Pups feeding 8-28-09

2009-08-30T16:58:00.001-04:00

DPD Info

2009-08-28T11:00:00.002-04:00

I just LOVE to scrapbook my babies. All of them! So here is a page I did using the recent pics of the boys. The layout is made with a kit by Dancing Princess Designs called Bliss. Bliss is actually a 3-part series, two parts being sold (on sale now!) at GoDigitalScrapbooking and the 3rd as a give-away during September at Scrapbook Dimensions Magazine. Also, Jenn, the designer, has some contests and giveaways going, so be sure to check her BLOG for more information!

2009-08-26T13:29:00.003-04:00

I am so thankful for the ever-increasing number of veterinarians (vs. human doctors) who are making the connection, seeing the light and doing what is right for our animals. Some by not over-vaccinating and others by not vaccinating at all. They are more in tune with their patients and more willing to make the connection between the health of the animal before and after the vaccines to see the extent of the damage they are, indeed, doing to our animals. And they are doing no less damage to humans, but human doctors seem much more blind to facts, preferring instead to believe what they are told by the medical cartel. That term is in this interview and I like it. That's pretty much what they are. With no checks and balances. The FDA is a joke these days, merely pushing paper in a guise to test and approve when really all they do is try to squash the competition (supplements and natural health).

Please take the time to research vaccines and vaccinosis in regards to your pets before irreparable damage is caused. People want to blame many health issues on genetics, when most health problems have their basis in environment and are affected more by vaccinations and diet than they are genetics. Not to mention it has been proven that vaccines can alter the DNA of the host and it can take generations to bring that line back to an acceptable level of health. Long term breeders say it takes 1-2 generations to damage the animal and 5-6 to undo that damage that was caused. I know that with each generation of minimally vaccinated dogs we have, we are seeing MUCH improved health and resistance to fleas and pests. I support the Rabies Challenge Fund because I have to keep my dogs legal with their rabies vaccinations, but I don't like it. So we run a detox program after each one, and hope that we get some legislators in there who operate with their brains and not their fear, and get the laws changed to something more reasonable.

2009-08-26T11:11:00.003-04:00

SNAP

CRACKLE

POP

Meet the boys!

Snap is the oldest by at least 5 minutes. He has a tiny stripe on his chest which will likely disappear as he nears 8-10 weeks old. He has monster sized paws and is a big ole cuddler. Fromt he beginning, he has gravitated toward me. Toward my breath, my touch, and now toward my voice. He loves his cuddles and snuggles from wherever he can get them, and now that he's more mobile, he was the first to try to climb out of their whelping box. So Monday night they got moved to the larger whelping pen! He reminds me of his Papa. Cooter was the largest puppy in his litter, but he turned out to be a very nicely-sized small adult.

Crackle is the middle boy. He loves lazy days, Momma Rizzo's tender care, and plenty to eat. He lolls around, rolls over slowly, yawning, giving ample opportunity to tickle him and kiss his belly. Life is good for ole Crackle.

Pop is the smallest came out full of vim and vinegar. Within hours he had discovered that his tiniest sounds would gather the attention of everyone around, waiting to meet his every need. For the first week he really used this to his advantage and I thought he might turn out to be quite demanding. But already he has mellowed out and is kicked back like his brothers. He doens't roll on his back as much as the other two, preferring instead to tuck all his paws underneath him into the cutest little fluff ball. But when there's loving to be had, he'll expose that belly in a heartbeat.

All 3 boys are moving around pretty good now, getting up on their feet to eliminate on their own. They are starting to interact with each other as more than just mutual aid heating pads. They are more snuggly than playful, but the play will develop over the next week or so as they become even more mobile. They are starting to make things out with their eyes and soon we'll start testing to see how well they're tracking.

Rizzo has turned out to be one of the best moms ever! She was VERY good about not smothering them the first two weeks (a frequent hazard with pug moms, unintentional, but usually requiring constant supervision). She tells me when she needs something, or something extra. She gets saved the best treats and gets the best meals and loves the extra pampering!

Rizzo's Pups

2009-08-19T12:18:00.005-04:00

The dog formerly known as Rizzo (she has been known to change her name on numerous occassions, the most recent two selections being Delilah and Madonna), is announcing the birth of her wonderfully cute and cuddly little boys. It was a tough delivery. Her due date was on a Thursday, but early Monday morning, I got a call from an intuitive friend at 3:30 in the morning and all he said was "your dog needs you." I pried my eyes open, and found that Rizzo had been in labor. A few minutes later, the legs from a breech birth came out of the canal, but nothing else. We've had plenty of breech births go fine, but this guy was very large in size, and he was good and stuck. It's very tricky with puppies because you can't grab ahold of the body or the legs that are presenting without causing harm, so you have to help up along the sides of the birth canal, but he didn't make it. We lost him, but then 3 more males were born in rapid succession. A couple of hours later, the only female was stillborn, with her umbilical cord and afterbirth wrapped around her as it had been en utero, preventing her from surviving.

But the remaining three boys are full of life, love and energy. Their temporary names are Snap, Crackle and Pop, and they are keeping my life busy and full of joy. Delilah is an awesome mother, attending to their every whimper and every need. They were born around 4am on August 3rd, and now have their eyes open and are just shy of having their ears open. They are very mobile, and their fur is plush and soft.

Will try to keep everyone updated on this litter better than I did the last one! Where does the time go??

Rabies Challenge Fund

2009-08-10T10:07:00.004-04:00

The rabies vaccine, mandated by legislators from the fear factor who don't understand immunity, is one of the most damaging vaccines given to our companions. It is linked to unexplained aggression, crippling arthritis, and encephalitis (swelling around the brain). Vaccinations that are made without harmful substances and which are used wisely can provide much-needed protection. However, the current industry standard contains damaging preservatives and adjuvants that do more harm than good, and repeated vaccinations lead to a condition coined as vaccinosis. To help put rabies vaccinations into a proper balance, the industry is demanding that scientific studies be done to prove their efficacy rate and length of coverage, but the industry won't pay for such studies because they make far too much money off of the vaccinations as well as the treatments for the conditions that are created as side effects. So the study has to be done via a grass roots method and funded by people who care about their animals. Rescue groups should ESPECIALLY be interested in this because many of the aggression problems that they deal with in the turned in pets who become unwanted could have been avoided with proper vaccination, avoiding over-vaccination.

Here is the latest from the Rabies Challenge Fund.
-----------------------

Greetings:

The goal of The Rabies Challenge Fund Charitable Trust is to extend the legally required interval for rabies boosters to 5 and then 7 years, based on the findings of the rabies challenge studies currently underway at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. If the studies' results demonstrate that the rabies vaccine confers 5, and possibly 7, years of immunity, there would be a significant impact on controlling rabies and reducing adverse reactions associated with the vaccine.

Today I am writing to ask for your help. The Rabies Challenge Fund relies on donations to finance the multi-year challenge studies that began in November 2007. Due to the economic downturn, the Fund has a $125,000 shortfall for the third year of the studies, scheduled for this fall. This deficit threatens the future of the research.

Costs for the studies' third year are $175,000. Since January, we have raised nearly $50,000 of that amount. We need to have eighty percent of the total funding for the year's budget in hand to begin the third year of the studies. Please contribute what you can, as soon as you can. All donations received will be used to finance the direct research costs of the rabies challenge studies.

With your help, we can raise the $125,000 necessary to complete the third year of the 5 and 7-year rabies challenge studies. Tax-exempt donations can be mailed to The Rabies Challenge Fund, c/o Hemopet, 11330 Markon Drive, Garden Grove, CA 92841. Credit card donations can be phoned in to Hemopet (specify they are for The Rabies Challenge Fund) by calling (714) 891-2022, ext. 13.

Thank you for your support of this important work.

Sincerely,

Kris L. Christine
Founder, Co-Trustee
The Rabies Challenge Fund
www.RabiesChallengeFund.org

ledgespring@ lincoln.midcoast .com

Successful efforts by The Rabies Challenge Fund over the past year leading to changes in state rabies laws/municipal ordinances to the 3 year national standard:

Cheyenne, Wyoming

Wichita, Kansas

State of Alabama

State of Arkansas

State of Rhode Island

The Rabies Challenge Fund Charitable Trust is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization [Fed. EIN # 84-6390682].

How Love Deepens Us; How the Animals Teach Us

2009-08-07T14:24:00.003-04:00

This is an article written by Catherine O'Driscoll, the author of several books. Although Ms. Driscoll has written with logic and is able to easily convey the intelligence behind her decisions, the poignancy of this writing reaches beyond logic and touches a very deep place in the hearts of those who read it. Here, as portrayed so beautifully and lovingly, is the heart of the matter. Catherine, thank you for this incredible writing that holds so much truth and beauty. I cried all the way through!

By Catherine O'Driscoll

I begged my parents for about two years before I got my first dog. Kelly was a Shetland Sheepdog. I was only twelve, and I didn’t have much of a clue about how to look after a puppy, so we walked for hours together over the surrounding countryside. One day, when she was seven months old, a larger dog lent down to sniff her, and within a split second, she lifted Kelly up between her jaws and shook her, breaking her spine. The life in Kelly had gone before we reached the vet.

Years later, when I was 28, my house was burgled while I slept upstairs in bed. This, combined with the fact that I was now working from home, gave me the excuse to realise the dream I had cherished since a child. Chappie, a Golden Retriever, came home with me. He was eighteen months old, the product of a broken home. That first day, he explored the house and garden, and then he came and sat beside me on the sofa. He looked at me, and I looked at him, and without words we bonded. In that moment, we came home to each other and settled into each other’s hearts. Had it been a Disney cartoon, birds would have fluttered and beams of light would have danced upon us, and angels would have sung – even though, to the uninitiated, Chappie was just a dog.

I have spent many years in the company of dogs, and the love we have shared has shaped and enriched my life. When I think of Chappie, long since gone to the Great Mystery, I feel complete, and loved. I feel tenderness and joy. I see the sparkle in his eyes as he digs for mice or chases a rabbit scent. I can run my hands over his body in my mind, and feel every muscle, every curve. I remember how he would lie next to me by the bed, and jump up and dance and smile because I was awake. I remember how he would play with Oliver, so gently, and then Samson, so gently – allowing the pups to bite his neck, never once reacting in anger. Never once.

Every so often, Chappie would look at me, and I would look at him and I’d feel as though I was looking at myself. Our energies had merged, and we were one. There was no separation. He was me, and I was him.

I shall always speak his name.

Sophie was another beautiful soul. She was wise. She knew about wisdom, acceptance and contentment. She knew how to play. Sophie would go into the garden and do her Tai Chi exercises, which no-one had taught her, and she’d sit and look at the light dancing through the trees and smell the air, and sigh contentedly, and wag her tail. She’d take you to another realm, just watching her.

Sophie taught me about leadership. She never once raised her voice in anger, or snapped. She never once pushed herself forward or exerted her authority with the younger dogs. Instead, she’d just look and raise her lip slightly, gently, and the other dogs would do as they were told. She had presence, and focus. She was a natural leader, more in control than any blusterer or bully. The other dogs listened to her because she was wise, and safe to follow.

I used sit alone late at night while the dogs slept around me, thinking about the day. Sometimes Sophie would wake up and look at me and bark quietly, and wave her paw gently at me. For a long while I thought that she just wanted a cuddle. Then one night I realised that she only barked at me when I was thinking negative thoughts. She was teaching me to be aware of them, drop them, and be at peace.

Sophie was always a calming presence, but she knew about elation, too. She is still with me, in my heart. If I close my eyes, I can see her beautiful silver hair and her pretty pink nose. I can smell her: she smells of flowers, and she shimmers with light. I can look into her eyes, and she sends me messages. She works with me now from the other side, bringing me peace, teaching me acceptance, helping me not to worry. She taught me that once there is a bond of love, it is never broken.

I can’t prove to any scientist that Sophie speaks to me from the other side, but I know that she is a resource for inner peace, even now. While on this earth, that little dog embodied the qualities of wisdom and motherly love, and I believe that once you make contact with those qualities, and have someone to anchor those qualities upon, then they are at your constant disposal.

I shall always speak her name.

And then Oliver and Prudence bowled into our home like whirling dervishes: two little puppies full of life, determined to remodel the garden and house. I think they came from a special place where larger than life people are made.

Nothing Oliver did could be described as dull or unexciting. He was funny. The way he walked made you laugh. The way he talked made you laugh. The way he played, the things he did, the set of his tail . . . everything about Oliver just made you well up with mirth. His own inherent joy leaked out of him, like a virus. People would come towards him on walks, and burst out laughing. I used to lie down next to him and put my arms around him, and feel deep joy. It’s amazing how something so seemingly simple – like hugging a friend - can account for the happiest memories of your life.

Oliver was a collector of people. Everywhere he went, people would gather round him and feel good, just to be in his presence. No-one could ignore him. If workmen came to the house, his nose would be in their toolbags, tail wagging, stealing their tools. If we went away for the weekend and stayed in hotels, Oliver would work his magic around the sitting room, making friends and getting everyone talking together.

Oliver came to me with a mission. All animals, including humans, come with a mission – of this I am certain. Oliver knew he didn’t have long on this earth – four short years – so he packed every second full with his unique brand of joy and excitement. He made sure, good and sure, that when he died, I would be forced to ask why, and forced to follow through. He made sure that I would love him beyond measure, beyond reason – beyond all fear and caution. He turned me into a lioness, fighting for the survival of a species. He came with a mission and broke my heart in its accomplishment. He made me courageous on behalf of the dogs. He taught me to banish fear.

I shall always speak his name.

We all need our hearts cracked open at some stage or another. It can set our feet upon the path. And when you buy a dog, you are setting yourself up for a broken heart.

In life, Prudence was my protector. She was a punk, and a love bucket. Prudence only ever wanted to be with me. She protected us from hedgehogs in the lane and horses in the fields, and she protected the exuberant boys from each other. Once, I believe she saved my life when we met an unsavoury character in a lonely lane.

The last month of Pru’s life was distressing, and tender. I was devastated yet honoured to hold her hand as she made the transition. We went for walks together, just the two of us, and she was so grateful. She took me, with determination, to all the houses inhabited by the children who were her friends. They had always come to us, but somehow Prudence knew where they lived.

It was quite something to walk into the village with my darling girl, and allow her to lead me where she wanted to go. She took me through the various streets and straight up the garden paths of the houses inhabited by her friends, never once wavering. She knew precisely where she was going, even though she’d never been there before. She knew it was time to say goodbye to her dear young friends.

I washed Prudence and kept her clean, and she was so grateful. I gave her my permission to go, which she was waiting for, and she thanked me and told me that she loved me. And then she was gone. I can still feel her head resting on my lap. I can still see her dancing and pumping out beams of light. I can still hear her cheeky fun-filled bark. I can run my hands over her body in my imagination and feel every inch of her. And I can nestle my face into her neck, and she isn’t gone at all.

And I can know, because of Pru, that the only thing that matters when we die is how much we have loved.

I shall always speak her name.

And then came Samson – the little Buddha. Animals, like humans, are evolving along their own spiritual paths. Samson was highly evolved. When you talk about a person like Samson, words do not exist to describe his energy. You’d have to sit with him, in the silence, to understand fully. Awesome, limitless, sublime, pure love – these words only come close to describing the experience of being with Samson.

Samson was devoted to me. He didn’t want to be anywhere where I was not. He took care of me. If I was working too hard, and was tired, he’d come to me and take my arm in his mouth and walk me through the house and up the stairs and into the bedroom, and he’d guide me onto the bed and tell me to get some sleep.

Sometimes, when we were out walking, he’d be so overcome with joy and love for me, that he’d fly at me and wrestle me to the ground, and – helpless with laughter – I’d lie there while he kissed me.

Samson was very mindful of time, and very keen on order. He liked to ensure that routines were kept in the home, and that enough time was allocated to rest and relaxation. “Stop work now”, he’d say. He was always on my side, wanting the best for me – and when I failed to attend to my own self care, he told me that I mattered, and insisted I listen.

Samson was a dog with a very big heart, and a very big brain. A very big soul. He embodied unconditional love. I have access to that love, still. I just have to close my eyes and he is with me, shimmering with light, wrapping his love around me.

I shall always speak his name.

Our little Gwinnie died last week. She was fifteen years and eight months old. She was gentle, and joyful. She was a peacemaker.

Fifteen years and three months ago, Gwinnie came home with me and fell in love with Samson. I can still see the wide smile on his face when we brought her through the door. “Thank you, thank you,” he said. He showed little Gwinnie the house and the garden, and she wrapped her teeth around his neck, and he let her. Their eyes shone. They had found their soul mates.

Gwinnie had a mind of her own, and she used it well. She was a rabbit hunter, a wall jumper, a nimble footed speed chaser. Gwinnie was also a cuddle magnet. “Stroke me here,” she’d say. “No, not there, here. Stroke me again. Tickle me there.” And I did.

Gwinnie was an enigma, a dichotomy. She was strong and wilful and self-determined. She lived life on her own terms. But she was also tender and loving, gentle and kind.

Time never robbed Gwinnie of her spirit. Old and frail, we helped her up the steps, we helped her stand when she couldn’t get up. We changed her diet. We gave her supplements and remedies. We willed her to keep going. We watched carefully, observing. Is she OK? Is she happy? Is there anything more we can do?

And she rallied round. She began to stand on her own, to walk up steps on her own. Her footing got steadier. “We’ll have another two years with her,” I said. I believed myself.

Only the day before, she had come walkies with us, down to the bottom field. She refused to stay home. Spirited, wilful. “How dare you go on walkies without me!” She would not let us. She made us laugh with love. Only the day before, she had danced across the garden, sparks of joy flying from her eyes. Only the week before, she had walked into my office and stood next to me, and told me she loved me. Only a few days before, she had paddled in the puddle. Only the night before, she had followed me for left-overs.

They say there is no time on the other side. No body to wear out. No time to run out. Time will never take her love away.

I shall always speak her name.

When a dog comes to live in your home, he settles himself into your heart – if you let him. He will teach you many things. He will take the conditional love you were raised with, and show you how it feels to be loved without limit, without demands.

In caring for your dog, you will learn how to care for yourself. You’ll discover the healing power of exercise, of being out in the fresh air, whatever the weather. You’ll learn the importance of good nutrition, and he’ll show you how, once broken, bodies are difficult to fix.

A dog will teach you how precious life is, and how precious is time.

He’ll teach you the value of little things – like balls, sticks, stones, and rabbit smells. He’ll make you play and forget your worries. And he’ll do everything in his power to remind you how beautiful you are. When you share your life with a dog, you will never feel alone.

When you lose the people you love, as you must with a dog, it changes you. You realise that you are not God, that you cannot control the world. There will be no-one to argue with, no-one to complain to. There will be no-one, and no-thing, that will bring your beloved back.

Feeling the pain of loss, you may come to a deep decision to refrain from bringing pain to any other person. When a beloved friend dies, you may place your feet upon the path of harmlessness. Healing – becoming a healer – is part of that path.

Your dogs will teach you, if you listen, that you can bring health, and healing, to yourself and your loved-ones by listening to the laws of nature. You can become knowledgeable about foods that bring health, and foods that bring disease. When you take medicines, or give medicines to your loved-ones, you can seek to understand what it is you are giving, and the effects that are likely to ensue. You can begin to understand about preventative healthcare, and start to make informed choices.

Ultimately, when you connect with another living being with love, you place your feet upon the path of self-determination and self-empowerment. You step out of group thought, and into individual thought. As Kahlil Gibran wrote in ‘The Prophet’:

When love beckons to you, follow him,
though his ways are hard and steep . . .
For even as love crowns you so shall
he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth
so is he for your pruning . . .
And think not you can direct the course
of love; for love, if it finds you worthy,
directs your course . . .

So you take a dog – your dreams – into your arms, and he sets your feet upon the path of love. There is no going back, for love is the Creative energy. You have no choice, when you buy a dog, but to go forward, create and expand. All the while, your dog wants you to see that you are more beautiful than you can possibly know. And you, if you follow the path of love, will ever seek to be worthy of your dog’s love.

Natural Flea Treatment

2009-08-06T15:40:00.002-04:00

Diatomaceous Earth is one of the most effective tools against fleas and many other parasites and problems in the life of your animals (and you!).

One of the best sites for finding out information on how to use Diatomaceous earth is www.wolfcreekranch.net.

I also found an article in my inbox today from Only Natural Pet products that explains how to use DE specifically for fleas in your home and it has some good, practical advise.

There are more specific instructions for use at the bottom of the page and the link is in the paragraph above.

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There’s nothing quite like a flea infestation to strain the harmony of your household. We hate to see our cats and dogs suffering with fleas, but we know that the harsh, and often toxic chemical products offering a quick fix can come at a high price for everyone in the family – pets, people, and the environment as well. (For more information on the dangers of chemical flea and tick products, see our Information Resource links at the end of product description).

Fortunately, Only Natural Pet Store has a comprehensive line of natural products that work in tandem (see Complementary Approaches below) to help keep your pets and your household safely free from these stubborn parasites. Using the best of nature’s ingredients for remedies against fleas and ticks, you can take control of your household and bring back the peace – all using a natural approach that keeps everybody healthy and protects the planet.

Only Natural Pet All-In-One Flea Remedy – The Foundation of Natural Flea Control

Our All-In-One Flea Remedy is the ultimate natural weapon against fleas. Named "All-In-One" because it kills fleas in all three zones of flea control (on pets, in the home, and in your yard), this non-toxic, natural compound has been used to kill insects for centuries. It is widely used for pest control in agriculture and gardening, and it’s even used in livestock feed and in storage of grain used for human consumption, since it’s harmless when ingested.

Comprised of diatomaceous (dye-atom-ay’-shus) earth, or "DE," a mineral substance formed by the fossil remains of prehistoric algae, this powder is fine and smooth to the touch. While non-toxic to people and pets, at the microscopic level, it is razor-sharp and is lethal to insect pests like fleas and ticks, whose shells are cut as the powder covers their bodies. Fleas, along with their eggs and larvae, become dehydrated and die within hours when exposed to this powerful substance.

This mechanical, rather than chemical killing action protects your pets and the environment because it doesn’t create chemically resistant "super fleas," which become increasingly harder to eradicate. It also protects your human and animal family members, as it won’t pollute your home or our water supply with chemical residues that can linger in our bodies and the environment for years, causing damage to our health, and the health of our planet.

The versatile, odorless powder can be safely applied everywhere fleas hide – directly in pets’ fur, in their bedding, carpets, furniture, and even in your yard. This is extra bad news for fleas, since most of their growth and reproduction time is spent around rather than on your pet. All-In-One Flea Remedy can penetrate the smallest spaces and the closest of carpet weaves to get at the fleas where they are most vulnerable and break their reproductive cycle.

With noticeable results seen in 2-3 days, our All-In-One Flea Remedy will make your pets and your home flea-free within weeks – with no chemicals, toxins, fumes, oily residues, or unnatural substances of any kind. All-In-One is an elegant solution from Nature offering effective and safe flea control that's economical, too. There's no need to pay a lot for chemical treatments that have too high a cost, in more ways than one. Thousands of pet owners have used this natural approach to flea control with complete success. Choose All-In-One Flea Remedy and join the ranks of the many eco-smart and health-conscious pet lovers who are committed to safe, effective, non-chemical approaches to winning the war on fleas.

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

We are pleased to offer a 100% money-back guarantee on Only Natural Pet All-in-One Flea Remedy. We are so convinced that your flea problems will be eliminated that we will gladly refund your cost for the product if you are not completely satisfied with the results. We ask only that you follow the instructions for use for the initial three-week treatment period. If your flea problem has not been resolved to your satisfaction, just call us or send us an email, and we will issue you a refund for the full purchase price.

8 oz. bottle

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Ingredients:
Diatomaceous Earth, Sage, Eucalyptus, Yellowdock Root, Fennel Seed, Rosemary Leaf

Natural Rearing Vs. Survival Of The Fittest

2009-08-06T15:25:00.002-04:00

An excellent summary on the topic of how natural rearing affects the health systems and thereby affects the population of a species.

Here is the article.

http://www.thewholedog.org/NRBA.html

The Wood Pile

2009-07-25T18:52:00.002-04:00

Dad loves to chop wood and stack it up in perfect rows, all the same size. I have to admit that it's a good-looking pile of wood that he has! As with all manual labor, it's more fun to do with a little help, so when he comes home with load of wood, I usually go over for an hour or two and give him a hand with some of the lifting and carrying to the pile.

Today we worked in unseasonal weather with pockets of rain for about an hour. I took Cooter and Isabelle with me so they could run around and sniff and get out of the house for a bit. With the rain, it was cool, but it was also wet. We got through it pretty quickly, though, so overall it was still a good day!

Cooter's version:
I got to pee in new places and was recognized for my studliness and ability to strut. Yep *sniff/snort*, I'm da man!

Isabelle's version:
Oh my God, was this day EVER going to END? They just kept walking and working and bending and tossing, and there were NO laps to sit in. I couldn't even go lay in the grass because it was WET. I finally had to ask mom to open the car door so that I could sit and watch from someplace comfortable. And it interrupted my beauty sleep.

Demodectic Mange (demodex)

2009-07-25T18:37:00.003-04:00

This is an excerpt of an article written by Dr Jeannie Thomason (Veterinary Naturopath, Small Animal Nutritionist, & Natural Animal Health Care Consultant/ Educator) who is a wonderful person making huge differences in the lives of dogs all over the world. She has intimate knowledge of brachycephalics, which is how we found each other, and she has written great articles on many health issues which can be found on her website.

The full article concerning mange can be found here.

This is just such an excellent summary that I asked her if I could share it here for everyone.

--------------
A dog's immune system does not fully mature until 12-18 months of age, a puppy or dog with demodectic mange that has not had it's immune system kept in good, strong condition, may have relapses until the immune system is fully mature. Demodectic mange in dogs over 2 years of age is usually classified as adult-onset, and occurs secondary to an underlying cause.

Dogs with immune suppression due to over-vaccination, poor nutrition, illnesses or disease, are also candidates for demodectic mange. Demodectic mange can also occur in very old dogs because the function of the immune system often declines with age due to poor nutrition and chemical bombardment through out its life time.

Demodex mites feed on cellular protiens, systemic yeast, dietary yeast and/or sugar in the system. If you break the cycle, you weaken or starve the systemic yeast and the mites are not able to colonize in the pores. This is why it is so important to NOT feed any grains, vegetables, fruits or brewers/ nutritional yeast. And preferable fresh raw meat and bones.

As for supplements, look to boost the immune system... Colostrum, Transfer Factor, etc. and Anti-oxidents... Vitamin C (with bioflavonoids), Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Selenium, Zinc (chelated type) Fish Oil, etc.

Probiotics and Enzymes are very important!

Topically, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Ionic Silver, Colosturm, Raw Coconut Oil, Aloe Vera, Essential Oil of Lavender and or Purification (I only use, trust and recommend Young Living Oil as I know they are theraputic grade and pure) .

REMEMBER: NO DRUGS. NO CHEMICALS. NO DIPS. NO VACCINATIONS. NO GRAINS, POTATOES OR YEASTS.. Each of these will only further damage the immune system.
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Excerpt from the Spiritual Evolution of Animals

2009-06-25T10:11:00.002-04:00

"We tend to think animals are lower than us, but all the scientists in the world couldn’t design and operate a bumblebee’s wing. We can’t jump or run very fast, and we can’t carry vast weights like an ant can. We can’t see in the dark and we can’t fly except crammed in a noisy tube like sardines, which doesn’t count. Humans compared to animals are almost totally deaf, and we can’t smell a fart in an elevator by their standards.

We are finite and separate, and neurotic, while the consciousness of an animal is at peace and eternal. We strive and go crazy to become more important. Animals rest and sleep and enjoy the company of each other. We think we have evolved upwards from animals but we have lost almost all of their qualities and abilities.

The idea that animals don’t have consciousness or that they don’t have a soul is rather crass. It shows a lack of consciousness. They talk, they have families, they feel things, they act individually or together to solve problems, they often care of their young as a tribal unit. They play, they travel, and medicate themselves when they get sick. They cry when others in the herd die, they know about us humans. Of course they have a soul, a very pristine one. We humans are only now attempting with the recent rise in consciousness to achieve the soul that animals have naturally."

Stuart Wilde, in an article entitled "The Spiritual Evolution of Animals"

For more information regarding Stuart Wilde and his work, visit his blog.

EPA issues warnings for chemical flea preventatives

2009-06-10T16:29:00.003-04:00

After receiving over 44,000 complaints from side-effects from chemical flea preventatives ranging from mild to death, the EPA has issued a warning. Evidently there is also a class-action lawsuit in the works.

I can say that personally, I had a pug puppy who was old enough to safely use Frontline per the instructions, and at half the recommended dose, the puppy exhibited a negative neurological response, losing control of normal motor skills. I immediately washed off the chemicals and he immediately improved with no apparent permanent ill effects. This was not reported to the EPA - how many others are there out there that have never been reported?

After a friend lost her cat to a flea treatment last night, I felt compelled to research things a bit more and to share the information. Here is a page that addresses the EPA's warning along with some alternative solutions to chemical flea preventatives.

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/pestcontrol.htm

We primarily use garlic internally to repel, along with diatomaceous earth and essential oils externally. Based on a high quality diet, with these preventative, there are few situations in which a chemical alternative is necessary.

P.S. - A common natural solution for grubs and fleas is the use of nematodes in the lawn. Although this is definitely a viable alternative for fleas, it also negatively affects beetles. And in areas with fireflies, that means them, too. So if you would like to preserve the beetles and fireflies, please be judiscious regarding the areas on which you choose to use nematodes!

We hope you feel better soon, Miss JoAnn!

2009-06-06T10:45:00.004-04:00

Miss JoAnn,

The folks from the AC board would like to send you a card, but we weren't sure how to get all those cyber signatures on there to wish you well. So here's your card - be sure to read all the comments which are sure to make your day a bit brighter :)

Parvaid Enema

2009-05-27T10:00:00.003-04:00

Here is an excellent video on administering parvaid via an enema. Hydration is very important when the body is battling this illness. A parvo self-help guide can be found on any of the following sites:

www.wolfcreekranch.net
www.ambertech.com
www.parvopuppy.com

And here is a link to the video!
http://www.cidclub.com/parvoenema.html

Video of Tiki's Boys

2009-05-26T11:57:00.002-04:00

Isabelle is panting in the background. She had just finished a good, hard run on a hot and humid day! The pups had so much fun playing in that tall jungle grass till it got cut down. Kind of like playing hide and seek :)

We had hoped that Tiki would be in her retirement home by the beginning of 2009, but she had an accidental pregnancy that kept her here longer than we anticipated. But with being in the busy season at work and living in a house with 6 people at the time, 2 of them toddlers, sometimes these things happen. At least it was with Cooter, the preferred male. She had a litter of one puppy when she was 5 and she rejected it, which is the main reason (combined with health issues) we decided not to breed her again, thinking she was no longer interested in breeding. But just as she turned 6, she mated and this litter with two boys has been a true joy. It's almost as if she knew we were retiring her and she wanted one more litter. I've never seen her play so much with her puppies before. Not that she didn't play with previous litters, just that she seems to take special pride and joy in this final litter, and she never, ever gets tired of them or wants to be away from them. The boys are 3 months old now, and the three of them are playing at my feet as I type this. Tiki walks through the house proudly and I'm sure she's bragging about her boys and flipping mental photo albums to all the other dogs she meets along the way. We have been so busy with work and with projects for the Village that we haven't spread word about the boys, but here they are!

Wakonda

2009-05-25T09:09:00.003-04:00

Wakonda is a Native American word meaning mystical powers. Isn't she beautiful! We just had two dogs evaluated for schutzhund yesterday and they both have tremendous potential. Personally, I'd rather bring out their herding instinct so they just keep the pugs out of trouble - that would make me happy :)

Tiki in the Sunshine

2009-05-25T08:52:00.003-04:00

These pics were taken just the other day when Tiki was helping me with the mulch pile. Actually, I got to work and she got to close her eyes and put her face to the sun and soak up all the good rays. We had moments of sheer bliss. It was definitely a good day.

Just a reminder - I'm having all this fun on godigitalscrapbooking.com. I just finished up a BUNCH of layouts this month using kits from Dancing Princess designs. And since I hurt my foot in the parade yesterday, will probably get many more done today!!

Petunia & Her Greenie

2009-05-25T08:48:00.004-04:00

No worries - this picture was taken several years ago before the dangers of greenies were known. Even though they have been reformulated, we haven't been brave enough to try the new ones. But this is still one of my favorite pictures of a carefree Petunia, running through the yard on a summer day, as happy as it gets!

Takeover

2009-05-25T08:44:00.001-04:00

The full story is somewhere in this blog (try key words for storytime, Isabelle, or Ellie Mae), but this page's journaling talks about when Isabelle was having a false pregnancy and tried to take over Ellie's litter! Int he end, Ellie, won, but welcomed Isabelle's help feeding and caring for the little ones.

Kangee's Story

2009-05-21T14:21:00.004-04:00

A distant relative of Tony's called one day to say that his elderly german shepherd probably wasn't going to make it through another winter, to keep an eye out for something that might come his way. He would prefer a male puppy, if at all possible.

Enter Kangee. Two weeks later, in early January 2009, he was born and his mother immediately rejected him. The breeder, who found himself in unfavorable circumstances, contacted his friends to see if someone would be able to bottle feed him. He was born in the wee hours of the morning and by the time the breeder woke and was handling the litter, and called around, almost 12 hours had gone by. When I got to him, he was cold and practically lifeless.

I immediately stuck him in my shirt so that my body temperature would help raise his temperature on the way home. While stopped at a traffic light, I had a flash of insight, a vision of him as an adult. I was stunned at the beauty of him, at the powerful presence he possessed. Once we hit the house, he was so lifeless he could not even suckle a bottle, which he desperately needed for energy.

We pulled out all the stops and between the two of us, we alternated caring for him. Puppies require feeding every 2 hours, and he had to be tube fed until he was able to adequately bottle feed.

In the first week, I noticed scabs all over his body - where did those come from? Did the mother dislike him enough that she tried to kill him? It didn't make sense, but I couldn't figure out what else it could be. As it turns out, he was actually born with a systemic staph infection. Between tendons that didn't stretch properly, the staph infection, and corresponding signs of being premature (very tender skin), he certainly had the odds stacked against him. Due to complications with the infection, he lost the tip of his paw before he was even a week old and smelled of gangrene. I was worried we would have to amputate, but the vet encouraged me to see how it might heal up before we made that decision. Besides, we had to get his internal infection under control before considering a major surgical option (HUGE props to colloidal silver for clearing things up right away once we figured out what the problem was).

There were so many times I wondered if he would make it, or even that we were doing the right thing. What quality of life would he have? Were we playing God and fighting against nature? But then I'd remember that vision of him as an adult. He certainly seemed to have a higher purpose on this earth. Together with the encouragement of lots of other people who also sensed something very special in him, we worked our way through one scenario after another until he was truly on his feet. During that time, his prospective family did a lot of soul-searching as well. They lived in the woods, where sometimes strays are dropped off or he might meet a coyote or two. Would it be fair to put him at a disadvantage? Maybe they should wait for the next shepherd that became available? But in their hearts, they simply could not say no. So they made other arrangements to protect him in case he might prove to be at a disadvantage as an adult and they welcomed him with open arms.

At 8 weeks old, Kangee went to his new home where he is growing into a gangly, loveable adolescent, full of vim and vinegar. He has charmed the elderly shepherd to the point where they have caught the two of them together outside in the dogbox, with both heads sticking out the same hole. He never messed in the house, and has Mom so wrapped around his paw that someone would have to fight her to get him away from her. He simply could not be in a better home!

And although he lost his paw, the pad that traditionally grows behind the dew claw wrapped itself around the base of his stump so that he has a pad to walk on. When I look at him, I'm in awe of the miracle after miracle that I've witnessed. I have been so blessed to be a part of his journey; the gifts he gave me in the 8 weeks he was with us are priceless. He is an old soul, with a special purpose, and a proud heritage.

God be with you and protect you, my little friend.

2009-05-21T14:18:00.002-04:00

2009-05-21T14:00:00.003-04:00

More scrapbook pages

2009-04-29T16:15:00.007-04:00

Scrapbooking was my late night, I-can't-sleep, stress relief for tax season. I hope you enjoy the pages of the kids as much as I do!

AUGGYDIGGITY DOG EXCLUSIVES

2009-04-27T11:19:00.002-04:00

http://augdiggitydog.googlepages.com/

These polymer clay sculptures are absolutely adorable!! Check them out! I'm thinking the commissioned pieces will make great Christmas presents, but be sure to order yours early!

Healing Modalities

2009-04-27T11:17:00.001-04:00

A teaser presentation on some different alternative therapies. Worth watching!

http://www.veterinarysecretsrevealed.com/healingmodalities/

Pet First Aid: Choking

2009-04-23T16:23:00.001-04:00

An explanatory video on choking in pets, along with how to perform the heimlich maneuver:

http://www.veterinarysecretsrevealed.com/choking/

Natural Heartworm Prevention and Treatment

2009-04-22T09:29:00.002-04:00

More and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of holistic care with their companion animals. One of the questions that often arises is how to prevent and/or treat heartworm outside of the commonly accepted heartworm prevention tablets. Here is one of the more comprehensive articles I've seen, written by Dr. Kim Bloomer, holistic vet.

http://www.thewholedog.org/heartworm.html

2009-04-20T06:18:00.003-04:00

Hey, folks! I'll be catching up the blog next weekend, if not before, but to tide you over, here's a picture of Daisy in front of a bed of hyacinth at the local bulb festival this past weekend. It was a beautiful stroll through all the gorgeous flowers! Spring has definitely arrived.

Can NCD help with Ehrlichia?

2009-03-24T07:49:00.003-04:00

Q. Is there a way that NCD can help a dog infected with Ehrlichia? I am wondering how it would help (if it can) clear the infection? As you may already know, studies are showing that there is a high link between ehrlichia infections and hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma, so it would be nice to know if the NCD can help clear the infection.

A. Good question! Here's some background. Erlichia is caused by transmition through a tick bite of a micro-organism called a rickettsia. This is between a bacterium and a virus in nature. So the disease is not unlike Lyme disease in some ways... transmitted by a tick bite. The organism causing Lyme disease is bacteria.

The NCD works to remove toxins... and does that very well. It also removes particles like viral pieces, seeming to inhibit the production of more viruses. In the case of Lyme disease, people are reporting good results using NCD.

Just based on that, I am wondering if there is indeed a connection between certain canine cancers and these micro-organisms. In my opinion (and this is only my opinion) if the conditions in the body are such that the person or animal is compromised in some way, its harder for the body to heal. That said, using NCD to remove toxins and then adding the Agarigold product makes sense to support the immune system. (Agarigold shows a support in enhancing the formation of natural killer cells, a big part of a strong immune system.)

So my question back to you (and researchers) is this... is there a connection between a body that is compromised by toxins and an increased rate of not only cancer but also infectious diseases. My answer would be yes. Then what can we do to promote a healthy body? Remove toxins and support the immune system.

Although Louis Pasteur discovered a connection between germs and disease (germ theory) we know that a healthy body is confronted daily by micro-organisms which could potentially cause disease. But they don't, do they? More often than not, we don't get sick. Something is working right and we need to support that.

Thanks for the thought provoking question and news. I hope my answer helped.

Rosemary
www.rosemaryssolutions.com

Rooster in da house!

2009-03-19T15:21:00.003-04:00

Thanks to an FHA project, I now have chickens in my back yard. At least temporarily. But for a couple of weeks, they were in the basement crowing as I worked on the computer. So this generated some comments in one of my groups. This one was cute, so I asked if I could share!

Paraphrased from a forum on the internet and cross-posted with permission.

OK, so when I was a kid, my teacher had an incubator and we hatched some eggs into chicks and I volunteered to take them home. I ended up with two of them and they were my pets. I used to go on walks with them and turn over rotted logs and such so they could find juicy grubs.

Then I taught them some tricks so I could enter the hen into the science fair. I would have entered the rooster as well, but he had some sizable spurs on his legs and wasn't shy about using them.

Well, unfortunately, a dog killed my hen and the rooster used to crow for me outside my bedroom window. So I started sneaking him inside to sleep in my bedroom at night. My bedroom had sloped ceiling so I had really short closet door and I opened it and put newspaper under it and he used the top edge for a roost.

I used to sneak him back down first thing in the morning, and everything was going well till his inner alarm set him off crowing one morning at 3:00! I jumped up and grabbed him and held his beak shut and that's how I found out that a rooster can crow almost as loudly with his beak held shut!

And that's how I found out that my mother could yell louder than that bird could crow, LOL which was pretty darn loud in the house in the wee hours of the morning.
So that's one of my chicken stories...
Brenda

Ohio Bill Strips Away Dog Ownership Rights

2009-03-14T11:29:00.000-04:00

Monday, December 17th 2007
7:28 PM Ohio Bill Strips Away Dog Ownership Rights

A bill before the Ohio legislature takes aim at the concept of dogs as private property, stripping away the right of private ownership of dogs. The legislation redefines owners of kennels as having “custody of or control” over dogs, but does not grant them the right of actual ownership. The bill is designed to regulate kennels having nine or more breeding dogs. It requires additional regulation of kennels that sell more than 25 dogs and puppies a year, which are called “intermediary” kennels.

House Bill 223 gives dogs the same legal status and rights as human children or wards of the state, and incorporates many of the basic principles advocated by extreme animal rights groups such as the Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. HSUS and PETA believe that all animals should be granted rights equal to those guaranteed to humans, and the Ohio legislation reflects this position.

The American Sporting Dog Alliance (ASDA) has identified the Ohio legislation as one of its highest priorities for 2008, and is assembling a strong leadership team and legal representation to fight back against this blatant attempt to take away our right of dog ownership and infringe on the vital concept of private property.

“It’s not going to be an easy fight,” ASDA Director John Yates said. “The Ohio legislation (H.B. 223) already has the endorsement of 38 members of the 99-member Ohio General Assembly. That is close to 40-percent support, and the bill still is in committee.” The 38 Ohio legislators who endorse the bill will be listed at the bottom of this article.

“I ‘smell a rat’ with this legislation,” Yates said. “First of all, it was not introduced into the House Agriculture Committee, even though it would be administered and controlled by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Instead, the bill was introduced in the State Government and Elections Committee. This is a tactic use to minimize the influence of pro-farm legislators, who would recognize the fundamental danger to farmers when animals are granted equal rights with humans, and when the concept of private ownership of animals is destroyed.”

Yates said it also seems fishy that numerous sensationalistic and inflammatory news articles, television news stories and National Public Radio broadcasts have appeared in Ohio over the past month. National Public Radio is funded with tax dollars, and ASDA plans to demand equal airtime to counter these biased news stories.

Yates urges all Ohioans who have sporting dogs, own dogs of other breeds, who farm or who simply care about basic human rights to take an active role in this fight by joining ASDA and volunteering their time and talent to strike down this legislation and put real heat on the 38 legislators who support it. ASDA also has assembled a list of Ohio organizations that support this legislation, and businesses that support these groups, and will urge sporting dog owners to boycott them.

ASDA’s website can be accessed at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org. Frequent updates about the Ohio situation will appear on the organization’s journal blog, which can be accessed through this site.

A full political and legal analysis of this legislation will be published on the ASDA website this week, but here are some of the most significant aspects of H.B. 223:

· All litters of puppies born by regulated kennels must be registered with the state agency.

· Each kennel operator will be required to post surety bonds and carry insurance to pay for the cost of any enforcement action against him or her.

· The state will be given the power to confiscate dogs, both for alleged mistreatment and for technical violations of the kennel law.

· Although violation of any part of this law would be considered a First Class Misdemeanor, subject to the criminal code and possible prison sentences and stiff fines, accused kennel owners are granted only the right to an administrative appeal through the Department of Agriculture.

· It allows the Department of Agriculture to pass judgment on an applicant’s competence to operate a kennel, without defining what standards will be used to make this determination, and gives the power to deny licensure to anyone deemed lacking “the expertise or capacity” to meet the requirements of the law. Photos of an applicant’s kennel and various affidavits must be filed with each application.

· The bill requires initial and annual criminal and personal background checks of kennel operators, and of all of their employees and family members who have contact with dogs, and also requires fingerprinting of each person involved. Kennel owners thus will have to meet the same background requirements as people who work with children or adults in schools, institutions, group homes and social service agencies. A kennel license would be denied if the operator, a kennel employee or a family member have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to animal abuse or domestic violence allegations at any time in their lives.

· Grants complete power to the Department of Agriculture to create and enforce specific regulations about the care of dogs, kennel management, paperwork and facility design. The bill does not require either legislative oversight or public participation, and the specifics of the regulations are not contained in the text of the legislation. Specific information is being withheld from the legislature and citizens.

· Annual kennel license fees ranging from $150 to $750 are imposed by the bill. Intermediaries (anyone who sells more than 25 dogs or puppies a year) are required to pay an additional $500 license fee. In addition, any citizen can request an inspection of any intermediary facility at any time and for any reason, and the request will be mandatory.

· The bill also sets up contracts with animal shelters and rescue groups to house and care for any animals that are confiscated by the state.

· Creates a 10-member oversight commission consisting of two members of the general assembly and eight members “representing various entities with an interest in dog kennels.” There is no requirement for any of these representatives to be stakeholders in the issue, and the door is open for representation by animal rights groups. These eight seats will be held by political appointees who are not accountable to the Legislature or the voters.

Here is a list of the 38 co-sponsors of the bill: Ohio Reps. Hughes (the prime sponsor), R. Hagan, D. Stewart, Flowers, Skindell, Combs, B. Williams, Seitz, Okey, Fende, Setzer, Bacon, Beatty, Brady, Otterman, Peterson, Brown, Yuko, J. Stewart, Luckie, Wolpert, J. McGregor, Webster, Evans, Ujvagi, Blessing, J. Hagan, Distel, Heard, Dyer, Celeste, Foley, Chandler, Hottinger, Strahorn, Schneider, Bolon, and Miller.

Yates urges Ohioans and others to contact these legislators both in person and with strongly worded letters of protest aimed both at defeating this legislation, and having the co-sponsors formally withdraw their support from it.

ASDA also is working to save Ohio field trial grounds at the Kildeer Plains and Indian Creek Wildlife Management Areas, which are being closed to trialing this coming April by state and federal wildlife agencies.

Oprah’s Puppy Dies Of Parvovirus

2009-03-14T11:13:00.001-04:00

Oprah’s Puppy Dies Of Parvovirus

Came From Extremist Chicago Animal Rights Shelter

by JOHN YATES
American Sporting Dog Alliance
http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org
asda@conline. net

This article is archived at: http://eaglerock814 .proboards107. com/index. cgi?action= display&board= general&thread= 29

CHICAGO (March 13, 2009) – Paula Fasseas might have some explaining to do.

Yesterday, Fasseas testified before Chicago City Council and claimed that veterinarians who oppose a spay/neuter mandate are greedy. She said the veterinarians care only about protecting their business interests. Both the city and state veterinary medical associations have opposed the mandate because it enables government to make medical decisions for a pet that should be made only by medical professionals.

Her testimony came only hours before tragedy struck the home of talk show superstar Oprah Winfrey, who adopted two puppies from the Pets Are Worth Saving (PAWS) animal shelter that is operated by Fasseas. An outspoken disciple of the radical Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Fasseas founded the PAWS program and remains chairman of its board.

Winfrey lost one of those puppies to dreaded parvovirus, which apparently was contacted while it was living at the PAWS shelter, the American Sporting Dog Alliance (ASDA) has learned. In addition, PAWS shelter staff took some of the puppy’s littermates to the Oprah Show, and a beloved puppy previously obtained by Winfrey was exposed to the deadly disease and now shows symptoms of it.

Winfrey reportedly is fighting now to save the second puppy’s life. Emergency clinic veterinarians, whom Fasseas accused of being greedy, have fought round the clock to help Winfrey to try to save the two puppies.

PAWS recently completed a luxurious $9 million shelter to house only 20-plus animals in separate rooms, tour guides report. Crystal chandeliers adorn the lobby, and fund-raisers are diamond-studded black-tie affairs. It’s a pretty cushy set-up, and the PAWS board has been very successful in attracting large donations from wealthy people and companies. PAWS is known for taking the most desirable and easily adoptable dogs from local animal shelters, and then putting them up for adoption. So-called donations to purchase a puppy from PAWS reportedly range upward from $200.

Unfortunately, the PAWS staff and Fasseas apparently haven’t learned the basics of disease management and prevention in an animal shelter with a constant turnover of dogs from many different sources, and the puppies and Winfrey have paid the price.

It also is ironic that Fasseas has been critical of private breeders, commercial kennels and pet stores for allegedly selling many puppies that are seriously ill. Fasseas echoes animal rights movement propaganda that people who raise dogs sacrifice their dogs’ health for money and profit.

It is tragically ironic that Winfrey also has adopted this HSUS stance, and a special report she aired last year on “puppy mills” pointed to the disease allegations and touted rescue programs as a preferred alternative.

The American Sporting Dog Alliance has documented the trail of the sick puppies to Winfrey’s doorstep. This is the way the story unfolded.

Angela M. Brown, a Chicago woman who is active in the rescue movement, obtained an American cocker spaniel bitch from a relative in South Carolina. The dog was in poor shape, and Brown soon realized that the dog was pregnant.

Weeks later, eleven puppies were born. Brown took great care of the bitch and her puppies, and appears to have done everything right. One of the puppies died at a vey young age, three were adopted to private parties, and seven were relinquished to the PAWS shelter “in mid February when they were 9 weeks old,” according to the rescuer’s website.

Winfrey obtained one of those puppies from the PAWS shelter. She named the precious female puppy “Sadie,” and introduced her on the Oprah Show. Sadie apparently did not have parvovirus, but Winfrey reported that she was up all night with the puppy the day after she obtained it from the PAWS shelter. She said the puppy had “a little virus.”

Winfrey fell in love with Sadie and asked to adopt a second puppy, which was a male named Ivan. Ivan and some of his littermates appeared on the Oprah Show on March 6.

But Ivan came down with a serious illness at some point after Winfrey took him home, and she rushed him to an emergency veterinary clinic. Ivan was diagnosed with parvovirus and died last night. The disease is most often fatal to young puppies, which are very susceptible if they are exposed to it. Parvovirus is highly contagious and is spread very easily.

Based on the dates when the puppies were relinquished to PAWS and the appearance of the remaining littermates on the Oprah Show, it would appear that the puppies were exposed to parvovirus at the PAWS shelter. They would have clearly been at the PAWS shelter during the incubation period for the deadly disease.

During this period, PAWS personnel brought some remaining littermates to the Oprah Show for exposure to a national audience. As it turned out, at least some of the remaining littermates were infected with parvovirus. The infected puppies also came into contact with other guests on the show, and possibly with show staff members and people in the audience.

Winfrey’s beloved Sadie also was exposed to the litter on the TV show, and reportedly came down with the disease. Sadie’s fate remains uncertain.

It is not known if any of the puppies were vaccinated against parvovirus at the PAWS shelter, or if they were isolated from the general population of dogs. These are standard disease prevention and management practices for young puppies with undeveloped immune systems.

The American Sporting Dog Alliance offers our prayers for the speedy and full recovery of Sadie, and also for the continuation of the fine work done by many Chicago rescue and sheltering programs, which are among the finest in the nation. Our hearts go out to Winfrey.

Here is an example of the animal rights movement propaganda that is published on the PAWS website: “Inhumane ‘backyard breeders’ have found a profit-center in exploiting pets that are often used in dogfighting, other illegal activities or simply given up when no longer wanted…Many backyard breeders keep pets in inhumane conditions and are not registered or inspected. This ordinance will require registration of breeders and a mechanism to monitor that breeders engage in safe and humane practices.”

We have found that people who live in glass houses should be careful about throwing stones.

The American Sporting Dog Alliance represents owners, breeders and professionals who work with breeds of dogs that are used for hunting. We also welcome people who work with other breeds, as legislative issues affect all of us. We are a grassroots movement working to protect the rights of dog owners, and to assure that the traditional relationships between dogs and humans maintains its rightful place in American society and life.

The American Sporting Dog Alliance also needs your help so that we can continue to work to protect the rights of dog owners. Your membership, participation and support are truly essential to the success of our mission. We are funded solely by your donations in order to maintain strict independence.

Please visit us on the web at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org Our email is asda@csonline.net .

PLEASE CROSS-POST AND FORWARD THIS REPORT TO YOUR FRIENDS

The American Sporting Dog Alliance
http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org

Kangee @ 8 weeks old

2009-03-08T13:08:00.005-04:00

WARNING - these pictures contain optimum cuteness. Beware!!

GSPs and other hunting dogs looking for homes

2009-03-08T13:07:00.001-04:00

http://web.me.com/msalyers/GSP_Rescue/Home.html

Out of Missouri. A very sad story for the owner. Hopefully they'll be able to find good homes for all the animals!!

Samoyeds Looking for a Home

2009-03-06T07:59:00.001-05:00

I haven't verified this information, but it came from a reliable source. Please crosspost as you see fit:

There are 7 pure-bred female Samoyeds who need a "forever home" because their owner/breeder, Cathy Pendleton, is losing her battle with breast cancer. She can no longer care for her dogs and has been moved to Hospice after being in the hospital for a week.

I'm giving this a wider distribution than usual, so some of you may receive it more than once. Even though you may not be on a "rescue" group email, I'm including you in the hopes that you can forward on to the widest distribution so that these girls all have a chance to find the perfect new home. The dogs are in the Atlanta , GA , area, but they will allow them to be adopted out of state.

All the owner/breeder wants is for all of these girls to get good homes. Currently, they are not wanting to place any of the dogs in foster care because they are trying to move the dogs only once. My understanding is that the older animals have been spayed. Because she is a breeder, the younger dogs are not spayed; however the new family would need to have the dog spayed if she is less than seven years (The dogs range in age from 1.5 years to more senior dogs.)

One look at their picture (below) shows how extraordinarily beautiful these dogs are. (I count 8 in the picture, but perhaps one has been placed already.) All are healthy and well cared for, up to date on shots, heartworm, flea treatment, etc. The new "forever" home will need to have a fenced yard with sufficient space for an active dog. The folks who are placing the Samoyeds for the owner may do a home visit either before, after, or both to ensure that the dog and their new family are a good fit.

If you think you might be interested after reading Velvet's email (below), her contact info is v.a.simmons@ att.net.

Thanks for giving this the widest distribution possible. Following is the email from the lady who is managing the adoption of these 7 lovely ladies.

MJ

Charity Scrapbook Package for Australian Brushfire

2009-03-02T15:11:00.001-05:00

The wonderful talents of 34 creative designers have combined to create a mega kit of scrapbooking designs, the proceeds of which will be contributed to the victims of the Australian Brush Fires. Check it out:

http://digilovers-addiction.blogspot.com/2009/02/are-you-ready-for-big-surprise.html

Top Ten Reasons Why Your Pet May Be Itching

2009-02-26T17:50:00.003-05:00

Top Ten Reasons Why Your Pet May Be Itching
by Cynthia Holley-Connolly - Staff Writer, Only Natural Pet Store

Itching is one of the most unpleasant sensations imaginable - and a cat's or dog's never-ending scratching, biting, and licking can seem nearly as aggravating. Watching your pet suffer with a chronic itch is an all-too-common experience facing pet parents these days. If your pet is constantly shaking their head, or scratching, rubbing, chewing or licking some area of skin, you can bet that there's likely some agonizing itching going on. Left untreated, areas of itchy skin become vulnerable to damage from your pet's scratching or licking, to hot spots (areas of oozing, dry or inflamed skin), and even to secondary infections from bacteria. What may be causing the itch, and what can you do about it?

We've compiled a list of the top ten itch-causing factors and some suggestions on what you can do to help your pet escape from that irritating itch. Before your pet is tearing up their skin, pulling out their fur, or forced to wear a cone-shaped (Elizabethan) collar, consider these common causes of itchiness in pets and work with your vet to get your pet some relief:

1. Poor Quality Diet - We're not talking about food allergies here (more on that shortly). A surprising factor underlying a vast number of allergic itch reactions is simply a poor quality diet that inadequately nourishes a cat or dog. As we always say, a good diet is the foundation of good health. Even the best medication won't eliminate allergic skin reactions when your pet's immune system is unable to function properly due to lack of nutrients. If you're still feeding a grocery store, veterinarian prescribed or commercial chain pet store food, we urge you to read our article, "What You Need to Know About Your Pet's Food," check the label on your companion's food package, and find a natural food for your cat or dog. A good daily multivitamin is a great way to enhance the nutrient levels your pet gets each day as well.

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

For the rest of the story, see their web site!

Rescue Remedy Pastilles now SAFE!!!

2009-02-26T17:50:00.001-05:00

Happy to report that when I checked the ingredients for the pastilles today, that they no longer have xylitol as one of the ingredients. Bach responded to feedback and they have reformulated their products, once again preserving the integrity that makes them safe for ALL of their customers :)

Kangee @ 7 weeks old

2009-02-24T22:40:00.001-05:00

2009-02-19T08:49:00.002-05:00

This was created for another challege at www.godigitalscrapbooking.com. The challenge was journaling and I also did a scraplift (where you find a layout you like and use it as the basis of how you place your elements.

2009-02-19T08:42:00.003-05:00

Kangee is now 6 weeks old and full of vinegar. He is biting everything in his path to try out his puppy teeth. I gave him a limb from a bush yesterday and he was in heaven! He almost discovered shoelaces yesterday, but the unsuspecting victim moved their foot in the nick of time while I distracted him to something else.

Here is a picture of his mom. Check out the distinguished pedigree!!

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/pedigree/401089.html

Vet Bills

2009-02-07T15:12:00.004-05:00

When it rains, it pours. It all started about 6 weeks ago with Rizzo the pug getting attacked in the back yard. She had some serious wounds on the underside of her chest and was found close to dead in the back yard one winter day when the temperatures were low. She was rushed to the vet and made an amazing recovery, but required sedation on two different days and multiple stitches. The at-home care was rigorous for a few weeks as necrotic tissue disappeared and her body began the rebuilding process. Her wounds required flushing several times per day, but she was a good sport.

And to top it all off, the security cameras weren't at the correct angle to pick up what happened and it was a mystery what happened to her, but unfortunately all indicators pointed to Yoshi, the older german shepherd female we opened our home to when she was retired from breeding at her former residence. Yoshi is an incredible dog, worth her weight in gold, and very non-confrontational, so why the attack? After 3 years of peaceful living?

A week later, we noticed two masses on Yoshi's abdomen that were very tender to the touch. They weren't there two weeks prior, so that would explain the attack if she had been under the weather while these were developing. A preliminary visit to the vet with x-rays to see if it was cancer and perhaps if it were widespread indicated that the removal of the masses might be sufficient. So she underwent a mass removal and spay. Her body looks horrible with all the stitches and a big drain tube coming out of her abdomen, but her eyes are bright. She seems happy and very thankful to be on the other side of that procedure.

In between this, we took in a german shepherd puppy who was rejected by his mother at birth. He had some huge obstacles to overcome, including battling a systemic staph infection, being bottle fed, and the loss of one of his feet. He was the runt and is still far too tiny for his age of 4 weeks, but he is strong and vibrant, with a great appetite and is developing on course other than size. He's been into the vet at least 6 times in all this, getting his paw re-wrapped with bandages and being on anti-biotics.

Back to Yoshi, on day 3 of her post-spay care, we went through the two-man procedure to administer her medications. When she doesn't want to open up her mouth, there aren't many who can make her and successfully get medicine down her. And she was too nauseous to fall for the ole "wrap it in hamburger" trick. So on that morning, two of us got the anti-biotics and the rimadyl in her, but then were distracted and walked away from the scene of the crime, for which we paid dearly later.

That same day, coming home for lunch, it was discovered that 5 pugs had opened up the rimadyl (left on the coffee table) and scarfed it down. The culprit gave himself up when he started puking all over the sofa. He was rushed to the vet for 2 days of IV's because rimadyl can cause liver damage.

So roughly $2000 later, I hope we're done going to the vet several times a week. I almost refused the rimadyl because I have some great natural pain relievers that don't have harmful side effects. Wish I would have followed my gut!!

I'm just glad that everyone is ok and on the mend. But man, I need a vacation...

Fabio's scrapbook page

2009-02-07T09:41:00.003-05:00

The scrapbooking challenges at godigitalscrapbooking.com have been keeping me busy. It's so much fun to relax at the computer, putting pieces of beautiful artwork together in new and creative ways. The best part is that I can walk away from the project and there's not a whole table that has to be dedicated to scrapbooking stuff!!

Here's the latest with Fabio made up primarily with pieces from the Plumbago Kit and the February Collaboration Kit.

More Scrapbook pages

2009-02-01T10:09:00.003-05:00

Can you tell I'm having fun with the new digital scrapbooking pages?

The elements, papers, etc. for these pages came from the designers at godigitalscrapbooking.com

New page for Gator

2009-01-28T11:05:00.002-05:00

This was made for a challenge to learn how to blend a photo into the background. All paper and elements are from various artists online, none are original creations.

2009-01-20T20:10:00.002-05:00

There is a lot of meaning to the word where this little guy is concerned. Maybe one day his whole story will be posted. He's a brave little soul, with lots of (hutzpah?).

More pictures of Buzka & Fabio's puppies

2009-01-18T23:25:00.004-05:00

Buzka's mom sent me more pictures of the cutie patooties today. She said both the boys are chunks. Big balls of pure luvin. Check 'em out.

Digital Scrapbooking fun

2009-01-18T23:14:00.004-05:00

More fun with scrapbooking. The layout with Kangee is a template and paper kit from No Reimer Reason at www.godigitalscrapbooking.com and was the product of a challenge to do a multiple photo layout.
Jolene's is also from a challenge on the same site from speedscrapping night, but using a paper pack from www.shabbyprincess.com called Promise.

Puppy Updates

2009-01-18T09:22:00.005-05:00

This little guy has lots of obstacles to overcome, but he has a team of knowledgeable folks on his side.

Temporarily, until a permanent name is found, we've been calling him Kangee which means raven in one of the native american tongues. Here is a picture of Kangee's older sister from a different litter.

Little GSD puppy needs some extra TLC

2009-01-08T16:16:00.000-05:00

Over the night of January 6th, Allie & Axel (belonging to friends) welcomed their litter into the world. Among them was a little baby that was smaller than the rest and wasn't getting the same attention as his siblings. When he was about 12 hours old, the breeder called to say that it wasn't going to make it, the mother wasn't caring for it. When I got there, the little guy was separated from the other puppies, cold and weak, and hadn't yet been stimulated to release his first elimination.

I scooped him up, put him in my shirt primarily for body temperature, but also so he could feel the love. Once he got his temperature up and some food in him, he started getting stronger and stronger. This little guy has a bright future ahead of him. Once he's doing well, he's going to a home that is custom-made for him. They've been waiting for a male german shepherd puppy and it will be a perfect fit.

Fabio & Buzka's pups

2009-01-04T08:25:00.006-05:00

Buzka and Fabio had their puppies at the end of November. I got to visit with the of the pups a couple of weeks ago and they were absolutely precious. The parents are in the top picture, the little apricot male was sleeping in my lap, and the little fawn girl and fawn boy were with their mom in the final picture. The boys are sweet and lazy, perfect cuddlers. The little girl is sassy and bossy and already tells the boys what to do. They are absolutely beautiful!

Merry Christmas from the Dogs

2008-12-23T14:50:00.001-05:00

Clydesdale Budweiser Commercials

2008-12-22T11:26:00.003-05:00

They have some of the best commercials! Some will make you laugh, others made me cry. Someone sent me links to this collection of commercials and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Streaker

Foal

Snowball Fight

9/11 Respect

And the Clydesdale Donkey
I must be emotional today - even this one made me teary-eyed.

Cats keep lost boy warm

2008-12-21T22:48:00.000-05:00

MISIONES, Argentina, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Argentine police say a destitute 1-year-old boy was kept alive by a colony of stray cats who shared food scraps and kept him warm in the city of Misiones.

The boy, who had been missing for several days, was found by Police Officer Lorean Lindgvist, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday

"The boy was lying at the bottom of a gutter. There were all these cats on top of him licking him because he was really dirty," Lindgvist said. "When I walked over they became really protective and spat at me. They were keeping the boy warm while he slept."

Lindgvist said she noticed scraps of food near the boy and surmised "the cats knew he was fragile and needed protecting," the Telegraph reported, noting doctors said the warmth of the cats saved the boy during freezing nights that could have killed him.

The boy's father, who is homeless, said his son vanished several days ago and that cats had always been protective of the boy, Lindgvist said.

Christmas Tree Woes

2008-12-19T09:39:00.002-05:00

The three calamities I expected with the Christmas tree this year (animals eating tinsel, ornaments breaking, tree tipping) have amazingly not occured. But in an house with dogs, cats and toddlers, the poor Christmas tree is still suffering its fair share of mishaps this year.

This past summer was one of the worst we've had for fleas in Ohio, and during the worst of it, the pugs learned that if they get underneath the decorative bushes by the deck, that they can rub their backs on the lowest branches. Oh, heaven! So when we put up the tree, they naturally thought we had installed an indoor back-scratcher just for them. It stinks when the branches pop out of the little holders and fall out. Kind of defeats the purpose. And it's even worse when the german shepherd puppy grabs said branches and takes off around the house with them, dragging streams of icicles, tinsel and ornaments behind her.

Now that the weather has turned cold, the cats have been training me to let them in and out. They enjoyed the fall weather outside so much that they don't want to return to a totally indoor experience, so they go out for a bit while the dogs use the potty, then they come back in, too. They also decided that the upstairs was too crowded with the toddlers, so they're trying to create a comfortable spot downstairs where everyone can live in peace and harmony.

Winter, the more sociable of the two, decided that any laundry pile or the master bed was good with her, and that's where she can usually be found. Luna, being more reclusive in nature, has gone through a number of hiding spots, but just hasn't found her niche. Until the tree went up. Turns out that the bottom two rows give too much (they're sagging very nicely now), but the third row from the bottom is just right. Not too weak and the branches not too far apart. It evidently makes a perfect perch and sleeping spot for a reclusive cat. To her credit, she somehow manages not to disturb the ornaments in her mount/dismount.

With the cats formerly living upstairs or outside, the dogs haven't been around either of the cats in a significant way for quite a while. So to help establish her place in the house, one day Winter hid on a chair and as unsuspecting pugs went by her, she smacked them with her paw. Didn't hurt them, but the sheer surprise of the sneak attack served its purpose and now the dogs don't know what's around the next bend of their formerly perfectly safe house.

Luna is totally black, so when she hides in the tree, there are very few dogs who know she's there. Last night, the german shepherd puppy was sleeping on the living room floor (a miracle in itself, with all that puppy energy) and the tree wiggled. Her head snapped up and it wiggled again. A threatening low growl was emitted at the same time Petunia came around the corner to find herself a cozy place to lay. When the tree wiggled a third time and more vigorously, Petunia jerked around, ran out of the living room with the german shepherd on her heels. No one wants to live with a haunted Christmas tree, you know.

Message from the Horses

2008-12-17T08:18:00.003-05:00

Communicating with animals, and especially with the consciousness of the groups of animals can provide very profound information. Some gifted communicators have written books with information such as this. Here is an interesting excerpt.

From the Horses:
"This time in the Earth’s history will involve enormous changes in the vibration, and consequent consciousness and evolution of life on the planet. Within the next decade animals will be considered in a new light, as spiritual equals with rights and freedoms, with important gifts to contribute to the survival of L.I.F.E. (Love In Finite Expression) forever. Man has been struggling through the dark ages of their existence in matter. Human Mass Mind Consciousness, shaped by universal consensus i.e. TV, Radio, Newspapers, has been mired with an ego driven need to fight for and accumulate material possessions. Those possessions have made it increasingly difficult to find time to commune and connect on a spiritual level with the rest of life. All of creation except the majority of mankind has been holding the vibration of love which flows freely from the All when consciousness is open. Have you noticed recently that horses are everywhere inspiring a new understanding of their gifts as wise teachers and healers. Natural Horsemanship, Equine Facilitated Therapy and Therapeutic Riding are just the very beginnings of the possibilities in Horse/Human communication. Open your minds and hearts to the messages we send you and consider us not as pawns to be exploited and tamed but as messengers from heaven, here to guide you in the experience of oneness here on earth."

Liz Mitten Ryan
http://www.onewiththeherd.com
http://www.lizmittenryan.com

Otters holding hands

2008-12-13T21:01:00.001-05:00

Scrapbook Page - Ellie's first litter (Jan 07)

2008-12-05T15:07:00.004-05:00

Scrapbook Page - Ellie Litter 2

2008-12-05T15:00:00.005-05:00

Scrapbook Page - Ellie 1

2008-12-05T14:57:00.001-05:00

Jasper & the Unbaked Yeast Rolls

2008-12-05T14:53:00.001-05:00

We have a fox terrier by the name of Jasper. He came to us in the summer of 2001 from the fox terrier rescue program. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this type of adoption, imagine taking in a 10-year-old child you know nothing about and committing to doing your best to be a good parent.

Five weeks ago we began remodeling our house. Although the cost of the project was downright obnoxious, it was 20 years overdue AND it got me out of cooking Thanksgiving dinner for family, extended family, and a lot of friends that I like more than family most of the time.

I was assigned the task of preparing 124 of my famous yeast dinner rolls for the two Thanksgiving feasts we did attend.

I am still mad at the electrician for getting the new oven hooked up so quickly. It was the only appliance in the whole house that worked, thus the assignment.

I made the decision to cook the rolls on Wednesday evening and to reheat Thursday morning. Since the kitchen was freshly painted, you can imagine the odor. Not wanting the rolls to smell like Sherwin Williams latex paint #586, I put the rolls on baking sheets and set them in the living room to rise for five hours.

After three hours, Perry and I decided to go out to eat, returning about an hour later. An hour after that, the rolls were ready to go into the oven.

It was 8:30 p.m. When I went to the living room to retrieve the pans, much to my shock, one whole pan of 12 rolls was empty. I called out to Jasper, and my worst nightmare became a reality. He literally wobbled over to me. He looked like a combination of the Pillsbury dough boy and the Michelin Tire man wrapped up in fur. He groaned when he walked. Even his cheeks were bloated.

I ran to the phone and called our vet. After a few seconds of uproarious laughter, he told me the dog would probably be OK; however, I needed to give him Pepto Bismol every two hours for the rest of the night.

Who knows why I thought a dog would like Pepto Bismol any more than my kids did when they were sick. Suffice it to say that by the time we went to bed, the dog was black, white, and pink. He was so bloated we had to lift him onto the bed for the night.

Naively thinking the dog would be all better by morning was very stupid on my part.

We arose at 7:30 and as we always do first thing, we put the dog out to take care of his business. Well, the dog was as drunk as a sailor on his first leave. He was running into walls, falling flat on his rear. Most of the time when he was walking, his front half was going one direction and the other half was either dragging the grass or headed 90 degrees in another direction. When he ran down the small incline in our back yard, he couldn't stop himself and nearly ended up running into the fence.

His pupils were dilated and he was as dizzy as a loon. I endured another few seconds of laughter from the vet (second call within 12 hours) before he explained that the yeast had fermented in his belly and that he was indeed drunk.

He assured me that, not unlike most binges we humans go through, it would wear off after about four or five hours. He then told me to keep giving the dog Pepto Bismol.

Afraid to leave Jasper by himself in the house, Perry and I loaded him up and took him with us to my sister's house for the first Thanksgiving meal of the day.

My sister lives outside of Muskogee on a ranch (a 10- to 15-minute drive). Rolls firmly secured in the trunk (124 less 12) and drunk dog leaning from the back seat onto the console of the car between Perry and me, we took off.

Now I know you probably don't believe that dogs burp, but believe me when I say that after eating a tray of risen unbaked yeast rolls, DOGS WILL BURP. These burps were pure Old Charter. They would have matched or beat any smell in a drunk tank at the police station. But that's not the worst of it.

Now he was beginning to pass gas and it smelled like baked rolls. We endured this for the entire trip to Karen's. We were thankful she didn't live any farther away than she did.

Once Jasper was firmly placed in my sister's garage with the door locked, we finally sat down to enjoy our first Thanksgiving meal of the day. The dog was the topic of conversation all morning long and everyone made trips to the garage to witness my drunken dog, each returning with a tale of Jasper's latest endeavor to walk without running into something. Of course, as the old adage goes, "What goes in must come out," and Jasper was no exception.

Granted if it had been me that had eaten 12 risen, unbaked yeast rolls, you might as well have put a concrete block up my behind, but alas a dog's digestive system is quite different from yours or mine. I discovered this was a mixed blessing when we prepared to leave Karen's house.

Having discovered his "packages" on the garage floor, we loaded him up in the car so we could hose down the floor.

This was another naive decision on our part. The blast of water from the hose hit the poop on the floor, and the poop on the floor withstood the blast from the hose. It was like Portland cement beginning to set up and cure.

We finally tried to remove it with a shovel. I (obviously no one else was going to offer their services) had to get on my hands and knees with a coarse brush to get the remnants off of the floor. And as if this wasn't degrading enough, the dog in his drunken state had walked through the poop and left paw prints all over the garage floor that had to be brushed too.

Well, by this time the dog was sobering up nicely, so we took him home and dropped him off before we left for our second Thanksgiving dinner at Perry's sister's house.

I am happy to report that as of today (Monday) the dog is back to normal, both in size and temperament. He has had a bath and is no longer tricolor. None the worse for wear, I presume. I am also happy to report that just this evening I found two risen unbaked yeast rolls hidden inside my closet door.

It appears he must have come to his senses after eating ten of them but decided hiding two of them for later would not be a bad idea. Now, I'm doing research on the computer: "How to clean unbaked dough from the carpet."

~Author Unknown~

Advice from a professional baker:

While its a cute story I need to point out that it is not accurate as
far as the danger of un baked dough. As a professional baker for 18
years and a dog owner I can tell you that had that really happened, it is
likely the dog would have died.
I only point this out so if your animals happen to eat yeast dough it
is very serious and they need to get it out of their stomach quickly.
My friends pug nearly died of a this from a bit of dough less than
the size of a golf ball.

If your dog eats dough call your vet. I'm the wet blanket on a cute
story.

M

The Dragonfly Story

2008-11-23T09:23:00.001-05:00

The Dragonfly Story

Down below the surface of a quiet pond lived a little colony of water bugs. They were a happy colony, living far away from the sun. For many months they were very busy, scurrying over the soft mud on the bottom of the pond. They did notice that every once in awhile one of their colony seemed to lose interest in going about. Clinging to the stem of a pond lily it gradually moved out of sight and was seen no more.

"Look!" said one of the water bugs to another. "one of our colony is climbing up the lily stalk. Where do you think she is going?" Up, up, up it slowly went....Even as they watched, the water bug disappeared from sight. Its friends waited and waited but it didn't return...

"That's funny!" said one water bug to another. "Wasn't she happy here?" asked a second... "Where do you suppose she went?" wondered a third.

No one had an answer. They were greatly puzzled. Finally one of the water bugs, a leader in the colony, gathered its friends together. "I have an idea". "The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk must promise to come back and tell us where he or she went and why."

"We promise", they said solemnly.

One spring day, not long after, the very water bug who had suggested the plan found himself climbing up the lily stalk. Up, up, up, he went. Before he knew what was happening, he had broke through the surface of the water and fallen onto the broad, green lily pad above.

When he awoke, he looked about with surprise. He couldn't believe what he saw. A startling change had come to his old body. His movement revealed four silver wings and a long tail. Even as he struggled, he felt an impulse to move his wings...The warmth of the sun soon dried the moisture from the new body. He moved his wings again and suddenly found himself up above the water. He had become a dragonfly!!

Swooping and dipping in great curves, he flew through the air. He felt exhilarated in the new atmosphere. By and by the new dragonfly lighted happily on a lily pad to rest. Then it was that he chanced to look below to the bottom of the pond. Why, he was right above his old friends, the water bugs! There they were scurrying around, just as he had been doing some time before.

The dragonfly remembered the promise: "the next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk will come back and tell where he or she went and why." Without thinking, the dragonfly darted down. Suddenly he hit the surface of the water and bounced away. Now that he was a dragonfly, he could no longer go into the water...

"I can't return!" he said in dismay. "At least, I tried. But I can't keep my promise. Even if I could go back, not one of the water bugs would know me in my new body. I guess I'll just have to wait until they become dragonflies too. Then they'll understand what has happened to me, and where I went."

And the dragonfly winged off happily into its wonderful new world of sun and air.......

Thank you God, for the story of the water bugs and the dragonflies.

Please remember________who left the pond we live in...and remember me...

STICKNEY, D. (1997). Water Bugs and Dragonflies. Explaining Death To Young Children. The Pilgrim Press.

I rescued a human today

2008-11-19T15:32:00.001-05:00

I rescued a human today.

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels.

I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life.

She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.

I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved.

At least I could save one.

November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month

2008-11-19T15:26:00.002-05:00

Top 10 Reasons to Adopt a Senior Dog

1. Older dogs are house trained. You won't have to go through the difficult stage(s) of teaching a puppy house manners and mopping/cleaning up after accidents.

2. Older dogs are not teething puppies, and won't chew your shoes and furniture.

3. Older dogs can focus well because they've mellowed. Therefore, they learn quickly.

4. Older dogs have learned what "no" means. If they hadn't learned it, they wouldn't have gotten to be "older" dogs.

5. Older dogs settle in easily, because they've learned what it takes to get along with others and become part of a pack.

6. Older dogs are good at giving love, once they get into their new, loving home. They are grateful for the second chance they've been given.

7. What You See Is What You Get: Unlike puppies, older dogs have grown into their shape and personality. Puppies can grow up to be quite different from what they seemed at first.

8. Older dogs are instant companions -- ready for hiking, car trips, and other things you like to do.

9. Older dogs leave you time for yourself, because they don't make the kinds of demands on your time and attention that puppies and young dogs do.

10. Older dogs let you get a good night's sleep because they're accustomed to human schedules and don't generally need nighttime feedings, comforting, or bathroom breaks.

Please save a life and adopt a senior pet today. If you're ready to bring home a senior pet, please visit the below links.

Pet Finder

The Grey Muzzle Organization

The Senior Dog Project

Old Dog Haven

Searches can also be done for the breed rescue of your choice (such as the Ohio Pug Rescue) and, of course, your local humane society. Often older dogs never make it out because people want younger dogs who will be with their families for a while longer.

Also, please take time to make provisions for your animals if something were to happen to you so that they don't end up in a hopeless situation.

Veronica addresses a pet who has died

2008-11-19T15:24:00.002-05:00

www.innerwhispers.net

Dear Veronica,

We adopted a precious pit bull puppy about thirteen years ago. He was a wonderful dog and everyone who knew him adored him. He recently died of what we think was just old age. He didn't like being alone, he was quite sociable. We are heart broken and want to know if he is with either mine or my husband's family on the other side and if he knew we were trying to help him by giving him medicine.

Also, he was quite large and striking, white with a brindle right eye and ear. Since his death, there has been a large white bird with dark markings that comes to our house and flies over, sits in the tree, sits on the fence and chirps, and I wonder if it could be a sign from him. We've never seen a bird like this before and we've always had a busy bird feeder. I did get a good photograph of him.
-Karen

Dear Karen,

The dog is neither with your husband's family nor your own (on the other side). He is free and taking shape close to your own family. Since he felt such closeness to both of you he decided to keep his energy close. The bird was an easy mark and coincided with the freedom he sought from a malfunctioning body that no longer served him. He remembered a moment of envy when he saw birds flying by and sought to have the experience for himself.

He seeks another body that will make its way to you. That is why he chose a bird, to be able to see all opportunity. He is your buddy and wishes to stay with you. Seek a moment where you will let a newer version of himself to you.
He awaits the opportunity. He is not finished being with you!

He will fly until the moment serves him. He knew quite well how much you loved him. You did not want him to go and he knew it. He will return to you. Be watchful.

-VERONICA

April's Editor's Note: Pets, particularly dogs and cats can "blend" with other pets to hang around or visit after they "die". They also reincarnate and return to the same family more often then most people might suppose. Some of April's clients have had remarkable experiences with this... as have we.

Rescue Remedy Pastilles now SAFE!!!

2008-11-16T18:07:00.002-05:00

Upset that such a trusted company could produce something that could potentially cause harm in a dog, I wrote the company, as I'm sure many others did. I heard back that the product wasn't recommended for dogs and that they would forward the information on to marketing. Out of curiosity, in Feb of 2009, I became curious and looked up the ingredients for the pastilles. A huge thumbs up to Bach for reformulating their pastilles, making them safe for ALL their potential clients, and for restoring the integrity of their products. I'm so relieved and appreciative!!

Here was the original warning:

Bach, the manufacturer of rescue remedy, has released a candy that is sweetened with xylitol. For those who don't know, xylitol is toxic to dogs. The original liquid formula is fine for your furry friends, but please avoid the candy version. Xylitol is also commonly found in chewing gum, so please keep this safely out of your dog's reach, as well.

http://www.oes.org/page2/12235~No_xylitol_for_dogs.html
http://www.twenga.co.uk/offer/42372/5700515133048530975.html