Dog About Town

Ninja Update

2010-10-27T01:49:00.001-07:00

Ninja had his cardiac echo last week. The results were shocking to say the least. We suspeced HCM (Hypertrophic cardio myopathy)Which is a thickening of the heart walls so much that the heart can't work properly. What we found was that Ninja has DCM (Dilated Cardio Myopathy)which is a thinning and weakening of the heart wall. DCM is very very rare in cats and its just unheard of in kittens. The normal cause is a Taurine deficiency. Years ago before commercial cat foods supplemented Taurine, lots of cats died of DCM. Now, its virtually irradicated.

So we've sent off a Taurine level test. If its low, then we will supplement his taurine, and if he is able to process it properly, his heart will prepare and he will be ok. Thats the hope. The reality is, it takes years for Taurine deficiency to cause this level of heart disease in a cat. Ninja has only been alive for 6 months. This indicates that its a congenital defect. If this is the case, prognosis is grave. Weeks to months to live. We've sent off a Taurine level test, results back in 2 weeks! 2 weeks! Might as well be an eternity.

Meanwhile I'm just enjoying every day with him. If figures that MY cat has the weird diagnosis and short lifespan. I seem to get a lot of that. But maybe thats just God giving me the special ones, because he knows I'll take care of them. Or maybe God is punishing me for putting my pets before him in my life.

I don't know. All I know is, it sucks. Ninja is a cool cat, and I love him so much.

And Sully Wully, looking handsome

Really? A year?

2010-10-16T04:36:00.000-07:00

I can't believe its been a year since I updated this thing.

Well, lets make short work of this.

Moxie. Three months after my last post, I had Moxie's labwork rechecked because I was worried about her liver enzymes being elevated. My vet was reluctant, wanted to save me money, but I persisted. SO thankful that I did. Moxie's liver enzymes were seriously elevated. Follow up bloodwork showed her bile acids also elevated. She was referred to CVSC (center for veterinary specialty care) for an ultrasound.

Dr. Gulikers was amazing. He investigated her whole abdomen, including her intestines for the source of her chronic diarrhea. I was terrified she had liver cancer. Turns out she had gallbladder disease.(Which is funny because a few weeks later, I was in the hospital myself having my gallbladder removed!) Bile was backing up into the liver from the gall bladder causing the elevated labs. The good news is this could be treated medically. After 2 months on Actigall, her bloodwork was COMPLETELY back to normal (except for her kidney values, which were still elevated but unchanged from 6 months previously)

A secondary finding in Moxie's ultrasound, was that she had IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) causing her diarrhea. We spent about 9 months trying different home made diets to no avail. I finally gave up and tried a commercial diet, Wellness Simple Solutions. It has one grain and one novel protein source. Moxie loves it, she has done great on it. Her stool is normal 95% of the time. She occassionally needs a dose of metronidazole, but those days are few and far between.

Today, her major issue is arthritis in her front limbs from her accident, as well as stiffness in her knees and some spondylosis in her spine. Basic old lady dog stuff. She cant' take anti-inflammatories due to her kidney disease, so we started her on Adequan Canine injections two weeks ago and so far she is doing well. She turned 11 years old in July, but has no idea she's not a puppy. Its almost sad to see her body failing her years and years before her mind is ready to give up.
We moved this year and are now within walking distance of the local dog park. She loves her morning walks to the park and romp with the tennis ball. We still practice our obedience and our tricks and are still doing therapy visits every week. We started a new visit at the Juvenile Detention Center this summer and love it!

Sadly, Kobie passed away in June. I'd try to explain the circumstances surrounding his demise, but would only frustrate myself. He had a simple ear infection that went haywire. He stopped eating. Even with a feeding tube, he rapidly went downhill. In the span of one month, he was painfully thin and had just given up. So I let him go June 1, 2010. I miss him SO MUCH! He was a very special cat, I can't even write this without tearing up. Run free sweet Kobie. I've always been told animals don't have souls, therefore, won't be in heaven. I really want that to NOT be true. There is a book out there that claims a biblical framework for pets going to heaven. I haven't read it yet, because I don't think I can do so right now with a clear and unbiased mind. Maybe some day.

Also over the summer (it was a busy summer) I came to have a little baby black kitten, just days old, to help bottle raise. For some reason (and this was even before Kobie became ill) I was immediately smitten with this kitten. I named him, Ninja, before his eyes were even open. When Kobie passed, the pain was so great, I needed a diversion. Ninja was about 8 weeks old at that point, so I just brought him home to stay. And he's stolen my heart completely. He's six months old now and a complete joy.

But, what pet of mine has ever been so simple. A few weeks ago, while Ninja was playing and leaping about, he suddenly stopped and started panting. I didn't think too much of it at the time. In fact, I thought, "I can't believe I've actually tired him out!". Since then these panting episodes are more frequent and come about with less and less exertion. Its probably HCM (Hypertrophic Cardio Myopathy) which is a thickening of the heart muscle. Its 100% fatal. There is no cure. Its basically a matter of time, and he could just drop dead at any minute. Now, he still needs a cardiac echo to confirm this which I am in the process of setting up. I wonder why my pets always get sick. Then I think maybe God sends me the sick ones because he knows I'll take care of them. Will keep you posted on Ninja.

Sully is sully. He's doing great. He did not like the move at all. But after a few weeks, he's come back out of his shell and is his old self again. Its funny really, how much we thought Sully was a naughty kitten and cat.....we had no idea cats like Ninja existed. Ha! He looks like a saint in comparison.

Thurston stayed behind with Mom. James has since reclaimed him in a sense. I still bring the boys over to visit him sometimes. I feel bad for him, since he has always had and enjoyed other cats for companionship.

So thats it! Pics next post. I'm on a new computer and don't have my pics readily available. Trust me, there are tons!

Check out my new blog if you so desire. http://soulninja.blogspot.com

Long Update

2009-11-05T21:01:00.002-08:00

Well since two months have passed since I last updated....I guess I'll never get the hang of regular updates. Anyway, moving on.

Moxie

As you can see I've been mistreating her. ;) She is doing pretty well. She had her three month checkup yesterday. Her eye are doing well, no glaucoma, but her cataracts are continuing to progress. Her kidney values are holding at the same levels so no worsening of her kidney disease. However, she did have some elevated liver enzymes on this round of labs that are of concern. Despite a diet change, pumpkin and probiotics, Moxie is still plagued by periodic bouts of diarrhea that we are still trying to get to the bottom of. Abdominal xrays are next.

Speaking of xrays. We got digital radiology at work. Its been playing up more than its been working, so we were testing it out the other night and took some pics of Moxie's leg, the one she broke four years ago.

You can see the plate and part of a broken screw still left after her surgical repair. What is less obvious is the way the radius and ulna are bowing outward, and the bone walls are very thin. All of this leaves her succeptable to future fractures. We sent these rads off to the specialist for a second opinion. He said there really isn't anything that can be done surgically to repair or prevent fracture. So this means she is now completely retired from agility and rough play. We had our therapy visit tonight where we usually do agility and she was perfectly content to just reap the attention of everyone there.

Oh the humanity!

Everyone else is fine. I'll leave you with some new pics of Sully and Kobie.

Veterinary double talk

2009-09-04T16:57:00.003-07:00

I'm so frustrated and upset right now, I just need to vent, so here goes.

Before I left for NY, I took Moxie up to work with me because she had been having intermittant diarrhea and started drinking more water than usual. I just wanted to make sure she was okay before I left town. We saw Dr. S. I like Dr. S because she is very thorough, but she sometimes looks for zebras when its just horses if you know what I mean. Anyway, we ran labwork and a urinalysis, and found out she was Azotemic, had signs of a urinary tract infection, and a low urine specific gravity which along with the azotemia, indicate kidney disease. Dr. S went on VIN (Veterinary Information Network, basically a mecca for all vets to collaborate on cases with a huge searchable database) and printed me out all this info on a disease called Pyelonephritis, which is a chronic kidney infection that leads to damage of the kidneys. This was Moxie's second UTI in as many months, and with the elevated Creatinine levels in her blood, this really seemd like a plausible diagnosis. We sent a sterile sample of her urine to the lab for a bacterial culture and sensitivity.

The next day we saw Dr. W, my regular vet. Just to consult about the bloodwork and see what she thought was going on. She was not as concerned about the azotemia as Dr. S was, and in general was much calmer about all the test results. She wanted a re-check urine specific gravity with a first morning sample and wait on the C&S. So the next morning we rechecked a urine specific gravity and it came back 1.020, which is too low, meaning the kidneys are not concentrating her urine very well. She also wanted me to measure how much water she was drinking in a day, and I did and it averaged 3.5 cups per day, which Dr.W asserted was a normal amount to be drinking.

And so I waited for the results of the C&S.

Results came back on a Saturday, and we saw Dr. J. The results came back "no growth". Dr. J felt like this meant that the bacteria in the urine sample had died before it got to the lab, so she started Moxie on a two week round of Clavamox for a UTI.

I go off to NY for a week and she does great while I'm gone. When I got back I scheduled an ultrasound of Moxie's kidneys and bladder per Dr. W's instructions, and a recheck urinalysis per Dr. S's instructions. The appointment was with Dr. W. The ultrasound was unremarkable. Dr. W feels like her kindeys MAY be polycystic, but she isn't sure so she sent the images out for another opinion from Dr. X, a specialist of some sort. The re-check Urinalysis came back normal, except again for a low specific gravity. The shocker this time was Dr. W didn't want to even look at the rest of the UA, besided the specific gravity, because there was "no growth" on the C&S so there was no infection in the first place.

Huh? This is not what I was told by Dr. J. And if there was no infection, how do you explain all the red and white bloodcells in her urine sediment that Dr. S had found and gone over in detail with me. Dr. W went ahead and checked anyway and said there was nothing in the sediment that made her think infection. I think she was more than a little put out by my questioning her not checking the whole UA, but who do I believe here? Who is right? How am I supposed to know?

So I'm confused. Does she have pyelonephritis? Does she have polycystic kidneys? Does she have kidney disease at all? Why is she still having diarrhea and why is she suddenly drinking at least two to three times as much as she has ever drank before in her ten years of life??? It may be a normal amount of water, but its not normal for her!!! Nothing adds up here. I'm so confused and I don't know who to turn to for answers. I feel like the more I ask people what they think, the more confused I become, and the more I annoy the vets I am working with because I keep questioning things instead of just taking what they say at face value.

So on the one hand I think I need to stick to one vet and one vet only. I've known Dr. W my whole life, she loves Moxie and I know she has her best interest at heart. I also know that Dr. W utilizes VIN and consults with other doctors, so its not like I would be isolating my options to just one doctors opinion. Dr. S is great, but kind of an alarmist. I still don't know if I should be as upset and scared and she made me feel that first night. I think Dr. J just blew me off, because frankly she's a bitch. I won't be consultiing her again thats for sure.

Meanwhile, I'm reading and reading about diet, as thats really the only way to manage kidney disease. Everything I read tells me that the K/D diet she is on is for dogs who are far sicker than she is. The protein is too restricted for a dog in early stages of kidney disease. I found a lot of research to support a home made diet, and found a great list with tools to calculate how much of what to put into her meals each day. Things like protein, phosphorus, calcium, calories, fat, sodium, and potassium are tracked in a fancy spreadsheet. The studies I've read to support that low phosphorus diet with moderate amounts of protein for a dog at this stage of kidney disease are all quite clear and back each other up. For a sampling of what I've read check out Dogaware.com These are scientific studies by vet schools and animal nutritionalists.

Anyway I forwarded those links on to Dr.W and she just ignored my email. I think she thinks I'm just some nut. All I really want is what is best for my dog, thats going to give her the best quality of life for as long as possible. Is that really asking so much? I don't feel like I CAN just lay down and accept everything everyone tells me as the gospel truth and absolute best care scenario, because I'm getting so much conflicting information. Its just frustrating. I just needed to rant. Thanks for reading.

Summer Time and the livin is easy....

2009-08-08T18:44:00.003-07:00

A brief update, and then we will get to the pictures.

Moxie turned ten years old on July 26th. We celebrated with snacks and play time and cuddles. The past nine years have been tumultuous, but with Moxie by my side, I have come out in a better place. She is my best friend. I will never love another dog like i love Moxie, there will never be another Moxie. I hope I have ten more years to spend with her, but realistically, I know that isn't likely. :(

In an effort to immortalize my precious pup, I asked a friend of mine from the UK to do a clay figurine, a mini moxie if you will. I even sent her some fur clippings which she used to complete the model. Its a piece of Moxie that I will treasure always.

In other news, Moxie has learned to feed herself. For the past three weeks or so I've had moxie on the pumpkin diet (replacing her canned food with canned pumpkin, mixed with her kibble). Thursday morning, I woke up to find a can of her old dog food on the floor of my bedroom. Apparently Moxie was hinting at something. When I didn't take the hint, she took matters into her own paws. When I left for my birthday dinner with the girls at work, she dug a can of food out from under the hutch, brought it into the living room, and proceded to work at it until she opened it, and ate the contents. I have a hard time opening those pop top cans, but she had little trouble apparently. Next thing you know she will be stealing my credit cards and ordering take out when she doesn't approve of my menu. Darn dog is too smart for her own good!

Moxie has had more than one great accomplishment this summer, she (and I by proxy) won our obedience clubs annual obedience award for achieving the top three scores in a row for the year. We submitted our scores from the ASCA trial last August where Moxie got her CD.

A pic of the gorgeous girl with her prize.

Checking that her name is spelled properly....

And finally the best of that photoshoot I told you about in May. I think I will treasure these pictures always as well. Thanks Jamie!

As for the cats, Kobie has decided that eating is a good thing, I hope that lasts. Sully is currently hiding from the big mylar butterfly balloon my friends at work gave me for my bday. Thurston is leaving Kobie alone these days, mostly, in favor of rough housing with Sully. I'll take that!

Next week, I'm off to NYC with Shawnbear for a week. The kids are staying with Mom, with a backup pet sitter in the wings. Something always goes wrong when I leave town. I hope this time will be the exception.

Back online

2009-05-11T20:49:00.002-07:00

Hello everyone! Well I'm back online after my lenten hiatus. That went a bit easier than I expected, although now I have an iphone and never have to go without the internet ever again.

So an update on my critters. First Kobie has made a complete and miraculous recovery from whatever the heck it was that was making him so sick. I round of antacids and he's right as rain now, and back up to over 11 pounds. He cleans his plate at every meal. I don't know what was wrong with him, I'm just glad its over and I have my Kobie back.

Sully had a birthday April 1st. He turned two whole years old. If he was my test on how I would raise a human child, I failed miserably. He is positively rotten to the core! He's on the counter, he's in the trash, he's picking on the other cats, he's stealing food from the dog, he's stealing food off my plate, he's a little monster. But I love him and I wouldn't trade him for the world.

Moxie has had some medical problems. First her eyes have gotten much worse. Dr. Cathy is sure she is completely blind from a cataract in her right eye. Also, her kidney values are continuing to rise so we've put her on the K/D diet to counteract the kidney damage. All of this makes me sad because I hate to think of anything wrong with my baby, that could possibly take her from me. I consulted with an animal opthamologist about Moxie's eye, and decided against the surgery. Ultimately, its just too costly to repair a condition that is not life threatening or painful or effecting her quality of life. I just worry that something life threatening, painful, or detrimental to her quality of life WOULD come up, and I wouldn't have the money to fix it if I did the surgery. Besides, there are complications and no guarantees involved.

Moxie and I are going for a photo shoot on Thursday to get some new pics of us together for my Mom for Mothers day. I can't wait. I'll post up the good ones.

Now I'm off to catch up with all of you!

Less than a month since my last post!

2009-02-27T18:23:00.002-08:00

I'm getting better at this.

So really the only news since my last post is Kobie. He's lost another half a pound. Re check bloodwork was COMPLETELY normal except for high cholesterol (how does a cat that doesn't eat have high cholesterol?) Even his kidney values are normal now. So why won't he eat.

Dr. Cathy thinks it is just him being picky. SO I switched foods and he ate well for a few days then stopped again, so I switched back to the kidney diet and he wouldn't eat that either. Tonight I fed him a new food entirely and he ate that. But he's started throwing up now.

So what is wrong with this cat? Who knows? We did an ultrasound of his abdomen that was beautiful. Completely normal. So my next step is to go get a bag of dry k/d and see if he will eat dry food any better, though I am loathe to do it, the cat has GOT to start eating! He's wasting away to nothing.

Our last ditch though is that maybe he has a subclinical tooth abscess or something that makes it painful to eat. Just looking at his mouth everything looks great, but I think if this continues I will have him sedated for dental xrays and a cleaning.

As for Moxie, not much going on. I've been sick, working, and studying, so she's been at home alot lately. I did renew my committment to excercise so hopefully we will be getting out on long walks more frequently.

I had to stop going to training classes because I had to switch off my monday night shift at work so I could start attending bible study again. Its really important to me right now that I start to grow as a Christian, and bible study is key to that. Plus I really need a network of good Christian friends. So I've been trying for months to get someone to switch monday for friday, since Friday is my one night I'm normally not doing anything. No dice. No one would switch. Until it finally dawned on me, maybe I am going to have to sacrifice something important to me, to get closer to God. So my two choices were Tuesday night and Thursday night. Tuesday night is GTDOG, and Thursday nights we volunteer at UBH with Therapy pals. Well, I wasn't willing to give up volunteering, so I gave up GTDOG. No more training nights at the club for the foreseeable future. So far, I'm okay with that. Moxie and I will just have to make more time to work together.

Speaking of Sacrifice, I finally decided what I am giving up for Lent this year. (And yes, I know I'm late.) It took me a while to figure out what to do. Actually, thats not true, it took me a while to convince myself what I knew I had to do all along. I thought of all the usual suspects, chocolate, caffeine, fast food, etc. But those are all things I NEED to give up anyway to be healthy, but I don't really NEED them in my life to begin with. It doesn't really put me out to give any of that up. The whole point of Lent is sacrifice. God has been teaching me alot about sacrifice lately. So the first thing that crosses my mind to give up as a sacrifice to God, is the Internet.

At first I dismissed the idea as crazy. It would be far too difficult to give up the internet. But then I started thinking. God gave his only son to die on a cross for my salvation, and I can't give up the internet for forty days for God? What is wrong with this picture?

So the internet it is. No email, no facebook, no forums, no google, for forty days starting at midnight tonight. So, if you need to get in touch with me you will have to call me at 940-391-5106. And please call, because as most of you know, I do most of my socializing via internet, so I will be pretty lonely without it. In return I PROMISE to be better about keeping my phone, charged, on and with me to take your calls, I know I'm bad about that.

So thats it. If you are the praying sort, pray for me, because this isn't going to be easy.

Acupuncture, sticks and grass

2009-01-31T14:49:00.003-08:00

Hi again. I promise, I will be better about updating this thing. I just forget about it!

Kobie update, he's doing okay considering. I still struggle to get him to eat most days. He's lost about a pound since his last vet visit. He goes in on Friday to get his labwork updated to check his kidney function. I'll let you know how that goes. He started acupuncture and chiropractic treatments for his pain issues last week. We have another session this week. Dr. Ave was super nice and knowledgeable. She was great with Kobie, he seemed to take to her right away. For the most part he really seemed to enjoy the treatments, he just laid there and purred. He only protested a couple of times. Dr Ave says thats when she was stimulating his hot points, or where he was experiencing the most pain. He seemed to be doing well the first day or two after the treatment, but no noticeable progress since then. He has another session on Monday. I don't know if this is going to work, but I am desperate and will try anything. This is costing me an arm and a leg so I hope it works. Dr. Ave thinks he may be a candidate for surgery on that left hip. She gave me a surgeon's name to contact. Then I found out we have a boarded surgeon on staff at our Carrollton location that would do the surgery and I would get a discount. But there has been so much drama at work lately, I'm not even sure I would get the discount. So I'm conflicted and haven't made an appointment with anyone. I think I'll take the xrays to Dr. Cathy on Friday and let her look and get her opinion. One things for sure, the vet that originally did his surgery effed it up royally. He wouldn't be in this pain today had that vet been conscienscious about his treatment of my cat, but since it was just an employees pet, he got assembly lined and a shoddy job done. Typical. I'm so glad I don't work there anymore.

Well, that was a ramble. Moxie is doing well. She had her annual physical a few weeks ago and got a clean bill of health apart from her eyes. She is going blind. Very little if any light is passing through the lenses now to the back of the eye, so Dr. Cathy doesn't know how well she is actually seeing. So far Moxie seems to be coping well to her disability. Like every other animal in this house, you would never know anything was wrong with her. She also has underproductive lacrimal glands (she doesn't produce enough tears) so her eyes are chronically dry. I put drops in them several times a day. She hates this, but its for her own good. Like baths, and nail trims. I've changed her diet again. For the past year or two, her labwork has come back with an elevated BUN, which by itself really means nothing. I've done some reading and a diet high in protein can cause this. So soon after Kobie's diagnosis, I don't want to take any chances with Moxie's kidneys, so I put her on Wellness' Senior formula. She gets canned Merricks mixed in for variety. I don't know if it really matters to her if she eats the same thing every day or not, but it makes me feel better. Some of those foods look good enough for people to eat.

I'll leave you with some pictures of Moxie.

Moxie giving Shawn some loving, this was in October sometime.

Moxie and Shawn posing.

Moxie romping at the dog park.

I really need to be better about updating this thing.

2008-12-05T13:03:00.002-08:00

Sorry it's been a while. I've been busy with school and work lately.

Well, Kobie has been diagnosed with renal insufficiency. Once again I'm trying to change his food to something better for him and he isn't cooperating. He's losing weight at an alarming rate and refuses to eat about half the time. I have a feeling the decline into renal failure isn't going to take very long. I'm very sad about this. Kobie is only 8 years old. In my adult life, I have yet to have a cat live into the double digits, despite my every best effort. Yet, my childhood cat lived to her twenties, and ate nothing but science diet and had millions of health problems her whole life. It just doesn't make any sense. I've been in denial about Kobie's diagnosis for the past few weeks, but I'm finally coming to accept it. Poor Dr. Cathy has had to put up with my millions of questions. Its not as if this is the first cat I've ever seen with kidney failure. But its the first of MY cats to ever have the disease. It's so much harder to understand and accept when its one of your own. If any of you have gone through renal failure with your cats, any advice is welcome.

Moxie is fine. She's bored mostly. Outside of therapy visits we haven't done anything all semester. No classes because I had to go to class on Tuesday nights. But thats all done now and we can start going back to GTDOG when the sessions begin again after the new year. Now that the semester is over and I have more free time, I'm going to try to take her out and do things with her more often. A nice trip to the park, a good long walk, all the things she deserves but doesn't always get. But she never complains. I really don't deserve such a wonderful companion.

I'll bring my camera and get some good pics of her. Its been a while since I've gotten decent pics of the mutt.

You've been blessed

2008-10-04T16:02:00.002-07:00

Moxie has had a packed social calender this week.

We met up with the gang at the dog park last friday. My friends dogs stuck nearby, frequently returning to their moms to check in. Now Moxie. She was off and about being a social butterfly. Any dog that wanted to chase, or any human that wanted to throw a ball was fair game. She had a wonderful time. She ran around for two solid hours, and still wanted to play when we got home.

This week we've had two therapy visits. Thursday morning it was cooler than it has been (but still in the 80's) so I got up early and took Moxie to the park to play ball and have a walk. She played fetch with her usual exuberance for about 20 minutes before running off with the ball and laying down next to the car. Game over? She has NEVER voluntarily ended a game of fetch before, so I was a bit worried. I walked her around and made sure she wasn't hurt or sore. We got a drink and rested in the shade, but she was done.

That night we had a visit at UBH. I was afraid she would be drained. I need not have worried. She was in fine form. She was the favorite for the kids to run the agility course. She must have run that course a dozen times in half an hour. She was barely winded. Then she played with the next group for another 30 minutes, doing her tricks, demonstrating obedience skills, loves and cuddles of course and a couple more rounds on the agility equipment kept the adults entertained for another half hour. As that group left, another group of adults showed up. We were only supposed to be there for an hour and the other dogs were exhausted, but Moxie is the energizer dog. She doesn't get tired. We got out her holee roller ball (which in her opinion, is the best toy ever) and she played catch and fetch with the men for another fifteen minutes. She spread a lot of joy that night.

Today we had a visit at the senior care center, a nursing home in Denton. Its a huge facility, it took us nearly two hours to get through it with five dogs. Everyone loves seeing the dogs (well almost everyone) Moxie seems to know she's making people happy and joyfully goes up to each resident for pets and cuddles. She minds her manners and refrains from giving kisses (her favorite thing to do, I call her the stealth smoocher because you never see it coming)

After the nursing home, we headed over to the St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Denton for their annual "Blessing of the Animals." I figured we could use all the blessings we could get. It was nice ceremony, with lovely prayers and bible readings punctuated by the ocassional bark. A few ill mannered pooches caused a couple of ruckuses but for the most part the dogs (and one cat) were all well behaved. The priest seemed quite taken with Moxie and took a moment to rub her belly after he blessed her.

Mom says I brought the wrong animal to be blessed. I told her that perhaps the Annual "Casting out of Demons" mass would be more appropriate for the cats.

Little heathens.

Kobie is doing okay. He's still in pain. He is eating again. *sigh* I just don't know what to do with him.

Midterms this week. Off to study!

Kobie's day

2008-09-17T09:24:00.003-07:00

Monday I took Kobie in to my regular vet for an exam and x-rays for a referral to the animal chiropractor/acupuncturist. It was supposed to be a straight forward, easy, pleasant experience.

Kobie was his usual charming self. He was a real gentleman as Dr. Williamson prodded his back and hips, but she could tell he was in pain, so it was off for some quick x-rays.

When Dr. Williamson came back into the room I knew something was wrong. "I don't want to show you this" she said as she put the xray up on the view box and pointed out the quarter of Kobie's pelvis that was just gone, obliterated, poof! Odd, I thought, what could cause that? "I don't want to tell you this" Dr. Williamson said with a sigh, but I think we have a bone tumor.

Shock. Disbelief. Sadness. Anger. All wash over me. Cancer? My cat has Cancer? This was just a routine visit, and you're telling me he has cancer? As I search for answers on my vets face through tear filled eyes I know that she would not have used the "C" work with me unless she was pretty sure. We have a long history, she knows how I am about my cats. And she knows I've been down that cancer road more than once.

She said she would send the films off to the veterinary radiologist for review to confirm the diagnosis. She gave Kobie a shot of Buprinex and sent us home. On the drive home the reality of the situation set in. Bone cancer is super painful, and incurable. I had only one real option here, and that was to give my little kitty back to God.

Back at home I sent the other cats back to the bedroom for the day so Kobie could have the house to himself. We shut off the AC and opened up the windows in the kitchen so Kobie could sit in them and look out, his favorite activity. He got more treats than he could eat and all the cuddles and love he wanted. We wanted his last few hours to be special and happy.

Monday night I couldn't sleep at all, I just laid in bed next to Kobie and cried and cried. Tuesday afternoon Dr. Williamson calls. She had just gotten off the phone with the radiologist who said she didn't think the bone loss was due to cancer at all! It was likely a result of his injury 7 years ago when he was hit by that car.
We were filled with joy! Our Kobie was going to be with us for many more years to come. It was a good day.

Mom reading the Funnies to Kobie

A tearful cuddle.

Looking out the window

Cat about town

2008-09-05T20:37:00.002-07:00

A few new snaps of the kitty crew.

First Kobie enjoying our new Sofa.

I love how my new camera captures every little detail.
We also caught some scandalous action on the dog bed.

Who can blame Thurston. After all, who could resist those sultry blue eyes. Sully is such a sexy siamese.

Weekend Disapointment

2008-08-31T16:18:00.002-07:00

Well, I didn't go to the agility trial this weekend. Thankfully, Moxie has no clue what she missed out on. I didn't tell her about it beforehand to save on the incessant pestering. Thank goodness she didn't know, or you know I would have never heard the end of it.

In other news, I'm worried about Kobie. He's becoming increasingly neurotic. (I know, I know, how can I tell, right?) He's so clingy and very wary of the other cats. He can't stand the other cats to molest him in any way. When I pet him, he can't tolerate me petting him beyond his shoulders. When he's laying asleep he's violently thrashing his tail. He's unhappy. I'm beginning to think its all pain related.

I got him after he'd been hit by a car. The vet that fixed him up did a piss poor job of it. He did a shitty job on the hip and didn't even try to fix his pelvic fracture. He's been gimpy his whole life, but increasingly so lately. He doesn't run, leap or play anymore. He can't tolerate another cat even sleeping with him. I think the other cats perceive his weakness and pick on him even more.

The limits of traditional medicine are many. There is just no effective way to manage chronic pain in cats. Pharmacology has failed us. So I'm looking into alternative treatment methods. Perhaps a chiropractor could make some adjustments. Or regular acupuncture could give him some relief. The trouble is finding a practitioner that I can trust. I know some of you readers take your pets to chiropractors, if you have a recommendation let me know.

Agility Weekend coming up

2008-08-25T13:14:00.002-07:00

Moxie and I are entered in the TWANG ASCOT ASCA Agility trial in Fort Worth this weekend. This will be our first agility show in something like six years. We also haven't trained on any contact obstacles in over a year. We haven't trained any agility period in more than a month due to the heat. This should be interesting.

I knew better than to Sign up for both days, but I'm a glutton for punishment, what can I say? We are only doing two runs each day, so Moxie will be fully rested. But I have also volunteered to be a ring slave, I mean, steward, both days. I want to join the club that is hosting the show, and I have to work two shows to do that. I wonder if Saturday and Sunday are considered separate shows, or if I'll have to put in another full weekend before I can be considered for membership?

Still haven't heard anything about my job, but I'm hopefull that I will hear something this week. Wish me luck!

A much younger Moxie takes a hurdle at the PAWS NADAC trial in Rhome Texas, this was the last trial we went to. 3/1/03

Reminiscing

2008-08-25T12:49:00.002-07:00

I was cleaning my room today and came across an old notebook with a bunch of random stuff in it. Most of it is scribbles and to do lists pertaining to my work in Mexico and my job at UNT. But a few pages in the middle there is a scribbled out journal entry. I read it, I remembered it, and I wanted to preserve it somewhere safe, for posterity.

Written on 3/21/2005 upon returning from a spring break trip to Mexico.

I feel the chill of the departing day sweep over me and shiver. At this moment, I wish I could sink with the setting sun into blackness. Just when I begin to feel enlightened, like I finally understand everything, I realize I don't understand anything. I don't know if the key to understanding my life lies in understanding my past or understanding my future. Maybe I should just try to understand the moment. This moment. This sunset. This first spring breeze. This song. This breath. This thought. What is right now all about?

Each time I return from Mexico a bigger mess than the last time, but a better person just the same. Settling back into the U.S. American way of life after any amount of time away from it is a process much like unpacking. Taking those crumpled, damp or dusty thoughts; haphazardly packed, pushed, crammed and zipped up in my head, pulling them out, and deciding what is to be done with them. How to make those vestiges of Mazamitla fit for exhibition in U.S. American culture, in this life, this place, this moment. Cleaned, folded, tucked neatly, softer and milder than Mazamitla. How to make myself palatable to my culture? What to do with those things that don't seem to fit here, no matter how cleaned or pressed. Toss them back? Zip them up, pack them away until my next trip? Hide those things so no one can see? Hide the things that don't fit, and walk around with huge voids in my heart and mind where the best of Mazamitla would be? The bright colors, the bold flavors, the laughter, the depth, the raw power, the beauty, the emotion. I cannot be without those things. I have become those things. I am Mexico. I am wild, raw, vibrant, and intense. Pressed to the heavens from between the rocks and the earth. I am not something many people here in my culture can tolerate. I am too extreme for America, yet too mild for Mexico.

I walk through my day, interacting with different people, knowing that not one of them understands my heart. Not a single person I meet in the hall, talk to on the phone, drive with on the freeway; not Brandon, Not Syl. They know my mind, my body, but no one yet knows my heart. I sit by the waters edge in the grey early night holding those damp, dusty, bold, vibrant pieces of me, washed in the earth, dried in the moonlight, while the lights from the city twinkle in the distance. I sit by the waters edge, whole. Every piece and part unpacked, exposed and unashamed, my heart on display for anyone to discover. But there is no one. I am alone tonight.

Oh Mexico. Oh how ALIVE I felt in those days. I sometimes wonder if I will ever feel vibrant, bold or excited about life ever again. I truly hope so. I hope someday to find my passion again.

On another note, Brandon? I haven't thought about him in AGES? I wonder what he's up to these days?

Now back to your regularly scheduled dog blog.

A brand new title!

2008-08-03T15:32:00.002-07:00

Moxie and I were entered in two grueling days of Obedience trials this weekend and we've come away with a couple of ribbons and a brand new Title. She now has a CD from both the UKC and ASCA! In watching the open and utility dogs, I'm itching to try something a bit more challenging, so we will be working that dumbbell! I hope to be showing in Open classes this time next year.

We got lots of great feedback from judges and other experienced dog people who were all very kind and, I think, glad to see some younger blood interested in the sport. I've got some good things to be working on to improve our scores and our work as a team. So enough training to keep us busy for a while.

It was SO HOT this weekend. Even in the Indoor with the AC on it was like an oven by the afternoon. On Saturday, Moxie and I were practicing in the parking lot, and I asked her for a stand stay, and I knew it was hot because while remaining completely in place she would gingerly lift one paw then the other as if to say, "Ouch Mommy! The cement is burning my feet!" We moved over into the grass after that.

I should have some video of the trial to upload and share with you soon.

Moxie on Mutts Day

2008-07-31T17:31:00.003-07:00

Today is Mutts day. In honor of this prestigious occasion, my dear friend Labcablady held a photo contest on the best dog forum in the world, Ruffdogs! It was an open call to all mutts on board and my own dear Moxie mutt won the contest.

This is the winning pic.

She is well pleased with herself. She is getting a gift certificate to petsmart so we get to go shopping for a present for her. I promise to get her something fun, after initially threatening to get something practical like cat litter. I tried to explain to her what my being unemployed meant in regards to her lavish lifestyle, but she just kept throwing her squeaky toy in my lap and looking at me adoringly. Thats the wonderful thing about dogs, they don't care if you are working or not. They just love you.

So go on over and visit Moxie at It's the Dogs life.

Happy Birthday Moxie

2008-07-26T14:46:00.002-07:00

Today is Moxie's 9th birthday.

8 years ago today, I made the best snap decision of my life, and brought a skinny, mangy, sickly dog home with me. I've never looked back.

Moxie is my best friend, my constant companion, my confidant, my partner, my love. I have never been so richly blessed in life before Moxie, and will never know a love like this again. She is my soul dog.

So I raise my glass in a toast to Moxie. The best dog ever. May we have many more happy years together.

So far we have celebrated with Birthday cookies (from me and her grandmama) and a pup cup ice cream treat. Lots of pets and cuddles of course, and some indoor romping and playing (its 104 degrees outside today) I'll probably take her to the lake to play on Monday when its less crowded. Then a bath, then a therapy visit Tuesday morning.

I do plan on getting Moxie her Swamp cooler and a custom made new collar for her birthday. Those may have to wait though, until I start getting regular paychecks again.

Dog Days of Summer

2008-07-13T19:51:00.002-07:00

It's hot. Too hot to hang outside for very long. As a result, Moxie is very bored. GTDOG is on summer hiatus, so no obedience classes and it's been far too hot for agility. I tried some tunnel to weave pole entry the other day and Moxie did it, but would run to the shade up by the garage with her toy at the end. It was just too hot.So other than doggy daycare on Thursdays and the odd therapy visit, poor Mox just has nothing to do.

I'm thinking of investing in a Swamp Cooler from Ruffwear. Maybe with something like that, we could at least go hiking during the summer instead of staying inside and training in the living room.

Moxie's birthday is coming up. I'm thinking of having another party for her. I was hoping we could rent out the doggy daycare for the evening to let the dogs play in the air conditioning, but I'm not sure how that will work out. The backup plan is the Denton Dog Park. Last year was fun. I'll bring a cooler full of ice to help keep the pups cool. I don't know what to get her for a present though. What do you get the dog that has everything? Maybe her swamp cooler could be her birthday present.

Can you believe my baby girl is nine years old! I hope to have at least another nine years with her. I hate to think of my puppy getting older. But to look at her, you'd never know she was nine. She acts like a puppy, people are always surprised when I tell them her age.

This week, Kobie is getting his teeth cleaned (More teeth pictures!) and Moxie is getting her second Lepto vaccine. I've never vaccinated for Lepto, and in fact, had only seen one or two cases ever in my years in veterinary medicine. There's more controversy over that vaccine than most others. But my vet said she's seen near a dozen cases of lepto this year, in city dogs too. I take Moxie to lakes and other water sources all the time so I figure I can't be too careful. So I started the vaccine series. I trust my vet to recommend whats best for my dog. This is a good practice too vaccine wise. They have actually adjusted their vaccine protocols to match the AVMA and AAHA three year protocol that came out several years ago. A lesser practice will still insist on yearly boosters despite the fact that its been proven unnecessary. Sad fact really. You really have to be your own dogs advocate.

Anyway, happy summer.

Auditions

2008-07-06T14:03:00.002-07:00

Well auditions yesterday were fun. Sully did pretty well I think under the circumstances. It must have been pretty strange for him and he must have been pretty weirded out about the whole thing. He was scared. Not completely freaked out, but not his normal confident outgoing self that he usually is.

For this reason, I don't think we'll be selected. But if we are, we probably won't go. I don't want to risk stressing him out so bad his IBD flares up again. We would be talking 4 days of non-stop stress for him, I think thats too much to ask. Besides, I wanted this to be something fun we could do together. If he isn't enjoying himself, then it defeats the purpose.

Dawn's kitty Kiki did really well. He was very relaxed and composed, I think he stands a good chance. Also Hali's kitty Cassiopea auditioned today and also did well. I hope one of my team mates gets selected. How wonderful would that be! They are picking 1 team from each city where they audition, plus two back ups from each city. There were only maybe a hundred people there yesterday, maybe, if that many, so odds are pretty decent!

Good luck everyone!

Big Day for Moxie

2008-07-02T14:55:00.003-07:00

This morning Moxie and I and a friend went hiking at the clear creek nature preserve in Denton.

Camo dog.

Happy dog. Look at those pearly whites. I've been brushing her teeth. They look fabulous!

Moxie looking longingly at the not so clear creek waters I wouldn't let her swim in.

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Moxie in the shade

Silly dog

The many faces of Moxie. The preserve was beautiful, but the trails were a bit overgrown in the north part of the park. Moxie and I were covered in burrs.

I realized she would need a bath, so I decided to let her have a bit of fun first so we headed out to the lake and spent an hour swimming. I didn't take any pictures.

After the lake I decided to try out this new place in Flower Mound called the "Blissful Bark" Dog wash. It was great! The tubs were clean with no slip matts and drains that didn't clog up with hair. The water was temperature control and the wash nozzle had different settings. They provided everything, the shampoo, conditioner, ear cleaner, towels, everything. The best part was the forced air dryer. Moxie really NEEDS to be blown out after a bath or she mats up really badly. The whole process took about an hour and only cost $15. Well worth it for me to bath my dog in air conditioned comfort with no mess to clean up afterward.

So now I'm off to try to get some AKC worthy shots of her before we lose the light of the day.

Some parting shots of Kobie

EDITED TO ADD: Moxie's AKC pics

Front:

Right Side:

Left Side:

SO what do you think. I'm thinking Border collie. Any suggestions?

Game Show n' Go

2008-07-01T20:33:00.002-07:00

Well tonight was the last class at GTDOG before we break for the summer. So we went out with a bang. Moxie was fabulous. The more I work with this dog the more I realize just how incredible and special she really is. She is so smart and this dance that we do trying to communicate with each other is so intricate and beautiful.

Tonight, we had a breakthrough in agility class. Moxie loves agility. She likes to tell me how much fun she's having while we work, which is fine with me. I'm all for the dog expressing her joy. Doesn't bother me a bit. Now what does bother me, and it another thing all together, is the herding barking that she also does.

The difference between her gleeful yapping and her demanding yodeling are subtle, but I can tell. One minute she is listening to me and watching my signals and following my lead, the next she's trying the call the shots herself. Finally, my instructor offered a simple solution. "She's trying to control you, remind her that you are in control. Tell her to down" So when she starting the herding, I firmly told her to down. She did, and that was the end of it for the night. No more herding the rest of the evening. Brilliant! A communication breakthrough. Now whether or not it will last to the next session remains to be seen, but at least I've found an affective way of communicating with when she goes into herding dog mode.

I've started the process of joining this new club, TWANG. I'll start by stewarding at the Labor Day Trial. I think I'll just enter Moxie in jumpers that weekend, and spend the rest of the time just soaking it all in and learning the ropes.

I've also decided to bite the bullet and try to get Moxie her ILP (or rather PAL as they are now calling it) for AKC. I'll take some photos tomorrow and post them up here and let YOU decide which ones to send in, and whether I should try to pass her off as a Border Collie, or a Sheltie. I got one vote for each tonight. I need a tie breaker. I'm personally leaning towards Border Collie. I have never seen a sheltie Moxie's color, but I HAVE seen border collies overly speckled and frosted like Moxie. So I'm leaning towards Border Collie. I'll post the pics and let you weigh in.

In other news, I'm trying out for a game show this weekend. Fun, yes! Its a show sponsored by Meow Mix called "Think Like a Cat" and it pits 8 teams of cats and their owners against each other in a series of games, everything from a jeopardy style quiz game to a "how well do you know your cat" challenge. It sounds like tons of fun and the grand prize is a million dollars! And who couldn't use a million dollars! So anyway, tryouts in Dallas are this weekend and I'll be taking my sweet Sully and giving it a go. I figure, the worst thing that could happen is Sully freaks out, and we have to leave. But if he keeps his cool, we have a hollywood style screen test, a multiple choice cat quiz, and a taped interview to complete. I'm excited. Full details about the Game show and auditions can be found here.

Wish us luck!

Back in the saddle

2008-06-24T14:35:00.002-07:00

Moxie and I have joined a new agility group. I'm even planning to go to a show on Labor day. I'm also entering an obedience trial in August. So after a hiatus from trialing that has spanned most of Moxie's life, we are going to get back into competition, just in time for her 9th birthday.

I'm nervous. She's happy. I'm thinking ASCA is my new favorite venue. She has GOT to learn to work away from me though. Any help with that? Anyone? The dog is fast. She was impressing some hard core agility folk last week with her speed and enthusiasm. Also, she WILL work distance for someone else, not me though. Too much of a mommas girl. I know she can do it. She would be kicking butt and taking names if she had a better handler. The lesson I am quickly learning is that agility is just as much a test of the handlers skill as it is of the dogs agility. I'm just better at a slower pace. Thats why we clean up in obedience.

I'd love to go to a rally trial this summer while I'm off. I'm starting grad school in the fall. I registered for classes today, so this is my last free summer for a while. I'd love to finish her Rally 1 title. Thing is so few people offer APDT Rally. Its all AKC and AKC has this RIDICULOUS policy about no crossbreeds in their sporting events.

Sorry about the ramble. Maybe some pictures of her working tonight. Or a video? I don't have a class buddy to do these things for me.

Wet Wild Summer

2008-06-14T16:59:00.002-07:00

Moxie and I made our first trek to the lake of the season in Wednesday. We found a nice quiet area with a boat ramp for easy access for Moxie.

Its hard to take pictures and interact with Moxie at the same time, so I didn't get any action shots, but these turned out pretty well. Never mind her tail, her fur hasn't quite grown back from her hot spot.

Happy Summer!

What would I do

2008-05-26T19:46:00.002-07:00

What would I do at three o'clock in the morning when I'm lying in bed, can't sleep, can't stop the spinning in my head, if I didn't have pets to cuddle, caress and keep me company. Moxie listens intently to all my secrets, so long as I'm rubbing her belly. And Sully is content to lay on top of me and purr away my worries.

If I had a husband sharing my bed, there would be grumblings of waking him up in the middle of the night or at the very least heavy snoring and heat production (sleeping with a man is like sleeping with a furnace)

How do people make it through life without an animals companionship?

Affirmations

2008-05-23T19:25:00.002-07:00

I subscribe to a newsletter called "Your Dog." Its put out by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, one of the premier vet schools in the U.S. There was an article in the May issue about caring for senior dogs that actually recommended a higher protein food. The article said that senior dogs need extra protein to prevent muscle wasting and maintain a lean weight. They went on to say that a high protein diet will not damage the kidneys. I was elated to read this. As you know I've been battling with trying to find the perfect diet for everyone for months now. Moxie is on the grain free high protein Wellness CORE dry food, with a premium wet food mixed, or Natures Variety Frozen Raw Medalions. (I hate the idea of her eating the same thing every day, so I mix it up a little. Her gut has never minded this, but I don't recommend it for those with sensitive tummies) So according to this article, this is an ideal diet for my senior dog.

I weighed Moxie last month and she was 25 pounds which is the least she has ever weighed. When I adopted her, she weighed 26 pounds and I thought she was scrawney then. I've been worried lately that she's too thin, but the article really extolled the virtues of keeping your senior dog lean and fit to prevent muscle wasting and joint damage. I think this means my diet search is over! YAY!

Everyone else is fine. Sully is getting pudgy. I upped his meal rations about a month ago on advice from my cat forum peeps, thinking that feeding him more might curb his ravenous appetite. This cat would eat ALL DAY LONG if I let him. He spends his whole day (not spent sleeping) hunting for food. He's into everything and he will eat ANYTHING and I mean ANYTHING. Well, increasing his food hasn't helped one bit, so its back to his usual portions with maybe some pumpkin mixed in for bulk. No fat cats. No fat pets! And hopefully, one day, no fat me!

Let start with the cats.

Sully is cuddled in my arms right now looking perfectly innocent and sweet like he wouldn't dream of causing any trouble. Moxie is laying in the middle of the floor on her back looking the picture of cute. Kobie and Thurston are curled up together on top of the dog crate.

I love my little fur family.

I'm back, poor Moxie

2008-05-06T19:06:00.002-07:00

I just got back from a trip to Boston to see my Shawnbear. My kiddos seemed to do okay while I was gone. Everyone ate. Everyone did their best to annoy my mother. You know, business as usual.

The first thing I noticed when I got home was Moxie holding her tail weird and acting very strange. I felt her tail and it was very painful and matted to the skin over the center where she had clearly been chewing on it for some time. I clipped the matts off when my crappy clippers and found a massive hot spot underneath. Poor baby, its so sore! She whimpered and cried all night long. I took her in to work with me, setting aside my objections to our new policies on treating our own pets, because shew as uncomfortable. We clipped it up, cleaned it up and its looking better already, though she is still sore. She holds her tail to the side and acts like something is biting her when she walks. She is being good about leaving it alone though.

Mom says she didn't chew on herself during the day, so she must have been so upset about being alone at night that she chewed her tail. I can find no other reason for it. No fleas, her skin looks perfectly healthy otherwise. So now Moxie is wandering around with a half shaved tail, its shaved from the base to about mid way up with a pom pom left on the end, like a lion cut. In fact, the way she carries her tail over her back, she reminds me of a low chen.

Moxie is very embarrassed about the current state of her tail, her former crowning glory, and has made me swear NOT to take any pictures. So I won't be gracing this page with pictures of hot spots (to the delight of those of you already sick of looking at teeth)

Instead I will post my pics from my Boston trip as soon as I get them all uploaded and edited.

Dental Day

2008-04-22T16:11:00.003-07:00

Today was Thurstons turn to get his teeth cleaned. He needed it bad. So does Kobie but I can't afford to do them both at once. Apparently Thurston had a bipolar attitude today. He was fine for the blood draw then flipped out when it came time to give him his injection. Silly boy. I think its a black and white thing.

Here is the before and after. I think its so cool that they give us pictures!

Kobie came with me to pick Thurston up and he got his Rabies booster and his ears looked at. Nothing to report on his ears, he just scratches them to be scratching them which is a perfectly acceptable explanation for any behavior when you're an orange cat. He was a little love, purred the whole time. I think he rather enjoyed the trip and the attention. He's a weird cat.

My vet, Dr. Cathy, is about the best vet you could ask for. She's gentle, she's thorough, and she's always been there for my pets. Unlike my employer, she doesn't treat my babies like second class citizens (probably because I pay like a first class citizen) but its worth it to shell out the bucks and know I'm not getting fluffed off.

Well my bank account is a bit lighter, but I'm happy knowing I've done the best for my pets. Its totally worth it to know they are happy and healthy. Poor Thurston looks like he has a hangover. He keeps squinting his little eyes. So sad. Maybe some dinner will perk him up. Not until 8pm though, doctors orders.

A couple of recent pics of the kiddos.

2008-03-26T18:36:00.003-08:00

Thought I'd share of few pics from the past few weeks.

Thurston and Kobie on the pup-couch. They probably kicked poor Moxie off the couch so they could sleep there.

AWE Thurston!

Sully in the Cat tree

Sully catches the bird with one arm

Moxie and her ducky toy. This is the first toy I ever bought her. So cute.

Nothing new

2008-03-25T14:17:00.002-08:00

Hello all,

Well there isn't much to report. Things are just rolling right along. Moxie and continue to do our therapy visits at UBH. These visits are the highlight of my week, Moxie's too. Its the one thing I'm doing right now that I feel is making any real difference in the world. I can't wait to get going in grad school and get back into social work.

I'm taking an online spanish course right now, and I'm even beginning to dream in broken, terrible spanish! Despite all the hurt, I just can't get Mexico out of my mind. I want to go back with a group in June, but I don't think I could get the week off of work, and I'm not sure I'm ready to go back. Ah well, no matter what I do, the spanish will come in handy.

Right now Moxie is eating half Wellness CORE, and half Natures Variety Frozen Raw Medallions. So far so good. I think I'm happy with this arrangement for now. We'll see how I feel in a few weeks. Moxie doesn't care than I change my mind every few weeks. She likes the variety.

The cats are fine. Everyone is healthy. Thurston and Sully, aka, Frick and Frack are busy wrecking havoc most of the days. Kobie is thriving on his new diet, no more tummy troubles and he seems much happier.

I guess thats all for now. I'm off to see what you all have been up to.

Snow Day

2008-03-06T16:00:00.004-08:00

We've had a couple of random snowstorms in the midst of an early spring. I got to leave work early today because the weather was so horrid, so Moxie and I got a snow day. Moxie was at Doggy Daycare so I had to go and pick her up then make my treck south on I-35 which took two hours. But we made it alive.

The snow is so much prettier when you aren't driving in it.

Here is my beautiful girl in the snow.

Just some snow pics.

So on the diet front, I've still made no decisions. I'm thinking Innova maybe (not evo), or Natures Variety prepackaged raw. Moxie's doggy daycare sells both. I think I'll get the Natures Variety and give it a go. I'm really happy with their cat food.

The trail mutt rides again

2008-02-26T17:56:00.002-08:00

Moxie and I and my dear friend Marie hit the trails this weekend in perfect hiking weather!

Here is Moxie with the Ruffdogs forum mascot who also joined up on our hike.

Moxie is queen of the hill!

Beautiful Moxie

Moxie loves her auntie Marie!

In other news. Kobie seems to be symptom free after his steroid injection and food change. He is LOVING the Natures Variety INSTINCT formula. Good thing as its two bucks a can. YIKES! I think I will be keeping Sully on the Wellness as its a bit cheaper and he's doing well on it. If it aint broke....

Not sure what Thurston's diet will be. He is going in to have his urine rechecked on Friday. If he is crystal free, he can stay on the wellness, but if he still has crystals, he'll have to go on a special diet. Yuck. So hope for no crystals for Thurston.

While we are discussing diets, I'm re-evaluating Moxie's again. Moxie's just gaining too much weight on the CORE, even the low fat version. I'm thinking, at nine years of age, she would probably do best on a good senior diet, so I'm in the market again for a good dog food. Any suggestions welcome.

IBD or Lymphoma, those are your options

2008-02-22T21:02:00.002-08:00

Kobie is still sick. He vomits at least once every day. He's having diarrhea. His eating is sporadic, though this has gotten somewhat better. I took him back in today and took more x-rays and Dr. McClannahan had another look at him. We decided to give him another shot of steroids to see if that made the symptoms go away again like they did last month. If so, then we've got one of two things going on here, either IBD, or Intestinal Lymphosarcoma. I happen to be well acquainted with both of these; Sully has IBD, and Tyler and A.C. died of Lymphosarcoma. I'm going to schedule an ultrasound next week to confirm one of these diagnosis. Lets all hope its IBD.

I'm going to go ahead and say its IBD and I'm going to blame the multiple protein sources in his food (Wellness grain free varieties, canned). So I'm switching him to Natures Variety INSTINCT formula. Its 95% protein source and liver. They are all single protein sources and novel proteins like Venison and Rabbit. I haven't decided which variety I will be using yet. Rabbit and Duck seem more natural for a cat to be eating, but Venison has a good reputation among IBD pets. They have a Lamb variety, but I remember reading somewhere that Lamb wasn't a good staple protein for cats because its low in Taurine. I think thats what it was, don't quote me. I've posted the question to my Yahoo Group FelineIBD. They were such a great resource with Sully. Now that I've gotten him sorted, I'll work on Kobie. Then hopefully Thurston won't need a special diet for his bladder crystals. I would really prefer if I didn't have three cats on three different special diets.

So thats the latest from the cat house. Poor Moxie. Its been all about the cats this week. I didn't take her to class, or to the therapy visit Thursday night. To make it up to her, we are going hiking tomorrow. I will take pictures to post.

Sick Kitties

2008-02-16T19:58:00.002-08:00

This week both Kobie and Thurston decided to get sick on me. I noticed earlier this week that Thurston was visiting the kitty box frequently. When he took the opportunity to pee in front of me, I noticed that he was straining, and producing a very small amount. He normally pees a large volume with a good stream. He gets UTI's about once every 6 months like clockwork. I think this is going to be a chronic issue with him. For the first time this time his UA showed struvite crystals. He is on antibiotics and an anti inflammatory. Hopefully if we can get the infection cleared up, the crystals will go away on their own. I don't want to have to put him on a special (Read Hills) diet for crystals. On the advice of my natural cat forum peeps, I'm cutting the dry food out of his diet entirely and putting him on the fully wet grain free wellness, just like Sully. So now the only cat in the house eating dry food is Kobie....

Not that he's eating much of it. Kobie's not been eating well for about a week. He just won't finish his meals, leaving fully 1/3 to 1/2 of his food behind. He is also having intermittent diarrhea and vomiting. He had this same problem about a month ago. I took him in and ran a full panel of bloodwork and took two full cat x-rays. He was a little constipated, and his intestined looked mildly inflamed, but everything else came back normal. I'm worried about intestinal lymphosarcoma. I've had two cats, A.C. and Tyler, die of this particular cancer, and this was how it started too. Random vomiting, diarrhea, not eating well, losing weight, just generally looking puny. But for weeks and months we did tests and tests and found nothing. When the tumors became palpable or visible on x-ray they were already on deaths door. Kobie's blood calcium levels were high normal, but the calcium levels don't always elevate with lymphosarcoma. Its such a hard cancer to diagnose. I guess I'm just gunshy. He may just have developed IBD late in life, but somehow I doubt it. I have an IBD cat and his appetite and attitude are both in hyperdrive. Kobie just isn't right. I'm so worried about him. So I'm thinking of just putting him on all wet food diet too and eliminating dry food forever, but we will see. I don't want to do anything to make him eat even less than he is already eating. He at all of his dinner tonight for the first time in a week.

In an effort to improve everyones over all health and water consumption, I bought a premium drinkwell pet water fountain last summer. Its been sitting in a box in my room ever since. This latest bout of illnesses prompted me to put it together and plug it in. Not one cat has touched it. I put them all up there to see it, they sniffed it then hopped down. They don't care about the running water. Meanwhile, the only place I could put it was in my bedroom, so I get to listen to the sound of running water all night long, resulting in a few latenight trips to the bathroom. The fountain is sitting on my metal filing cabinet right now, and the motor makes the metal vibrate a little bit, so I'm wondering if thats not putting the cats off drinking from it. I'll move it to my desk when I get my desk cleared off....which would be sometime this century.

I got a visitor in the mail from the UK this week. The Ruffdogs forum mascot has come to see what my corner of Texas is all about. I'll have him with me all week and I'll take photos to document his stay here. So far, he has met Sully and Moxie (the others weren't feeling up to it) His run in with Sully perhaps a bit traumatizing for him, so I think I'll keep him clear of the cats for the rest of his stay.

Well I'm off to poke pills down cat throats. Joy!

LOLPETS

2008-02-13T20:43:00.002-08:00

I really have nothing to report at the moment so I thought I would post up some of my favorite pics from a few of my favorite sites.

There are two that seem to be the same concept. Not sure which came first but here they are:

Icanhascheezburger.com And
Lolcats.com

I have a few pics I'm going to submit some day.

Answers from the Cat Whipserer

2008-02-05T19:54:00.000-08:00

These are the results of the animal communication session I bought from a woman in England for my cats.

Kobie:

Does he feel okay/is he in pain?

He feels a little down, but there is no physical pain with him.

He does seem to be depressed

Why does he cry at meal times when I'm not in the room

He feels threatened when he is alone with the others, he feels that you are his protector, and can stop the others. He is quite insecure.

a bit odd as he's shut in the room alone, the other cats can't get to him, but maybe he doesn't know that?

Why does he let the other cats eat his food

Again he feels he he is being intimidated by the others, so he just keeps out of the way, or steps aside if the others try to but in, he would rather back down that stand his ground.

This is exactly what he does, he just steps away. Its really sad!

Why does he want to go outside all the time.

He feels he can make the outside world more his own, he has his own fave spots, and hide outs, and he smugly comments that the others don’t go there. He feels more secure in the wide open space, as he can get away fast if he needs, he can hide out, he feels safe, he feels like he isn’t having to watch his back all of the time.

And I want him to know the following
That I love him very much, I'm never going to leave him again, and I'm never going to give him up or let anything happen to him That I don't want him to go outside because its dangerous and he might get hurt, sick or killed and I couldn't stand losing him.

Kobie is aware very much on how much you love him, he likes to have his time, his freedom, and doesn’t want you to take this away. He wants to negotiate. Maybe come to some sort of arrangement with him, that you can let him out during the day, but he must come in at night, or you can let him out for an hour or two, and he must come home after that. It may sound silly, but talk to him yourself, tell him your conditions, he will understand, and should listern…… if you meet him half way, you will both help each other a great deal.

Yeah, but I'm not going to let him go outside, at all, end of. Its just too dangerous. Maybe some day I can afford to build him an enclosed porch or yard that he can't get out of and I'll feel okay about it, but not right now. I couldn't stand to lose him to some horrible tragic end outside all alone.

Thurston:

I want to know why he beats up on Kobie all the time. And I'd like to convince him to leave poor Kobie alone.

Thurston is very driven by prey (& attention) it’s a natural response for him to target the weak, he seens kobie as a weaker cat, and Thurston feels he should take advantage of this, and get the best spots to sleep, the best and most food etc, and if kobie gets in the way, he just gets pushed out of the way etc. He knows what he is doing is wrong, but as mentioned above, he can sometimes do this negative behavior to gain your attention, in a cats mind, any attention even negative attention is better than no attention at all.

True, but how do I not pay attention to this behavior? I'll need to find a way to work around this

I also want Thurston to know that his Daddy had to go away, but he didn't want to leave him. That his Daddy loves him very much and asks about him all the time and that his daddy will be coming home in a few months and he'll never leave him again.

I feel Thurston was most affected by this, im not sure if he is more the mans cat, or if he just has a very close relationship with his daddy, but again he feels like he is missing out on so much attention, and will be pleased when he comes home.

His behavior definitely got worse when James left, and I do feel like he is starved for affection. I feel sorry for the poor little guy.

Oh, and if you could mention that the scratching posts and cat trees are for scratching and the furniture and carpet are not :)

(again this refers to his negative attention seeking!)

again, hard to ignore

They have to live somewhere

2008-01-28T20:44:00.000-08:00

This may be a wildly unpopular opinion, but I think sex offenders are people too. Once they've served their debt they should have a fighting chance at having a home and a way to make a living. Tonight the city of Lewisville city council voted to increase the distance a registered sex offender can live from places where children congregate from 500 feet to 1500 feet. This new ordinance effectively makes Lewisville a no mans land for sex offenders, with 90% of residential Lewisville now off limits.

Its true, to make the "list" of sex offenders, you must have been convicted of some pretty heinous crimes, but to be living in the community, you must have already spent your hard time in prison. Punishment dealt, punishment completed. Being on "the list" already means you have restrictions on where you can live and work. No one will rent to you or hire you as it is. Now, lets put ridiculous limits on the distance your home has to be from schools and daycares and you've effectively banished all sex offenders from the city limits. As more and more municipalities pass these ordinances, soon there will be no place left for a man to start over.

Now really, what is this extra 1000 feet going to do? Absolutely nothing. To the hardend child molester that was going to re-offend, he will re-offend, regardless of how many feet he is living from a school. All this ordinance does is further punish the ones that have already changed their ways. Society needs to make up their minds about sex offenders. If we truly believe that they are a continued threat to our children even after release, then we need to lock them up forever. At least in prison they will be afforded food, a job and a place to sleep; something that the current laws do not allow them. I, for one, think child molestation and rape should be a capitol offense, punishable by death. But currently, neither of these are the case. Under the current laws, once released, sex offenders should be returned to active contributing members of society. This is becomeing increasingly impossible. What are we trying to do exactly? Force all our sex offenders to move to Mexico? Herd them all together in communes, like the Indian reservations? If we are going to imprison them in society, we should just cut to the chase and keep them in prison.

The route we as a country are going down now in regards to sex offenders is simply inhumane.

Lonely Kobster

2008-01-19T18:33:00.000-08:00

I heard back from the animal communicator, and she says Kobie is lonely. She says he doesn't have the right companion. I guess it could be true. We have the two other cats, but he did lose his friend when Mocha died six months ago. Come to think of it, the odd behavior really began then. Well, too bad Kobie, I'm not getting you another kitty. Sorry.

Actually Kobie has bigger worries today. He has an upset tummy. He's on a 24 hour fast which is he not impressed with. Hopefully he will be feeling better tomorrow.

Meanwhile, In an espresso induced high, I came up with a five year plan. Five years from now, I plan to have achieved the following:

1) Earn my Masters degree in Social Work
2) Achieve fluency in Spanish
3) Achieve a healthy weight and lifestyle
4) Grow Spiritually
5) Work through and overcome my abuse issues

Its nice to have a plan of action. Now I'm off to work on my Spanish.

On hate

2008-01-16T15:14:00.001-08:00

First, please pardon the non-pet nature of this post. I just need to get this out and make it public knowledge.

Ever since I forgave my dad back about a year ago, I seem to have lost the ability, or desire, to hate. I recently found out that a man who raped me several years ago is in the hospital, fighting for his life, and I have nothing but well wishes and compassion to offer him. I searched my soul upon hearing this for any signs of hatred, or joy in his suffering, and try as I might, I found none. I originally found this to be odd, but now I think it is a blessing. God has blessed me by taking hate out of my life. All thats left now is love, and love is never wrong.

"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us" I feel like I am finally practicing what I've been praying all these years.

My inability to hate really couldn't have come at a better time for some people. I've recently found out the heinous truth behind the years of lies lavished on me by the one person I was closer to than God. (That being the first mistake I made) I am disappointed, and saddened, and much much wiser today for having heard the truth, but I don't hate him. I don't wish him harm. Instead I feel intense pity for his poor tortured soul. Old and alone, with nothing but his paranoia to keep him company at night. Someday all the lies and all the pain he's caused will come crashing down upon him like waves and he will become awash in a sea of misery of his own design. Its not a fate I wish on anyone, even him. So if you are out there, and you are reading this, and you have lied to me, used me, and sold me out, then have no fear of reprisal from me. I forgive you. You need only make your peace with God.

-Rachael

Beautiful Moxie

2008-01-15T21:24:00.000-08:00

We went to training class tonight and had a ball. She just loves to work. She did great and we spent a lot of time off lead. I need to work her off lead more often, I need to trust her. She's better than I think she is. Sometime I'll get someone to take some more video of us. There's an AKC trial in April in Denton, but Moxie doesn't have an ILP, and I don't think I could get one to be honest. Oh well. Keep your eyes peeled for me a local obedience trial. ASCA, or UKC, would work.

Animal Communicator

2008-01-12T18:36:00.000-08:00

I believe that some people have been given a gift, and are connected at a deeper level to animals than most. I am not one of these people, but I do know someone who is. She's a good friend of mine and she runs a rabbit rescue and wildlife rehabilitation center. I took my cat Kobie to her out of desperation several years ago when he was desperately sick and none of the vets knew why or how to fix him. This person also practices alternative healing methods including Reike. I don't know much about Reike, but I do know that within 48 hours, Kobie was completely well again. While I had Kobie there, she talked to him. She knew nothing about this cat, but knew that he had been hit by a car and had to have hip surgery, she even knew which hip it was. She also told me that Kobie liked to watch the birds. Ever since then, I've left the blinds raised about a foot and a half so he could see out.

So today, there is a woman on Ruffdogs who is claiming to be an animal communicator, and says she can talk to any animal, all she needs is a name, a gender, and a picture. The picture is to make she she isn't talking to a different animal with the same name. Now, I may be a tad skeptical since I got taken by the whole breed test scam, but I don't quite believe this. She offered a free reading so I sent her a picture of Kobie and a question to ask him. I'll let you all know what she says.

Noise phobias

2008-01-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

I don't know what to make of Moxie lately. Her noise phobias are just spiraling out of control. Today at work, she absolutley FREAKED out when the someone used the electric stapler, she ran to the reception area and hid under a chair for half an hour (I didn't try to coax her out because I didn't want to reinforce the fear, that and I was busy at the time) She did go back in the office when I made her, but she hid under the desk and shook. When I pulled her out from under the desk she would just circle and look for a corner to sit in and shiver.

She is increasingly anxious when I bring her to work, to the point that I don't want to bring her anymore because I think she's miserable. She won't settle down and go to sleep. She's jumpy, on edge, she whines, she's clingly. She's not a happy puppy. All of this is recent, though. I've been bringing her to work for 8 years and she's never been phased by anything at work.

Tonight at the therapy visit, some of the kids started playing with basketballs and again, Moxie got all weirded out. She used to be bombproof about stuff like that. I don't know whats going on with her lately. I'm completely at a loss. Any advice would be much appreciated. I don't know where my confident happy dog went? She had a full checkup today, with physical exam and bloodwork and there isn't a thing one wrong with her physically. Should I call in a puppy psychologist?

New Camera

2008-01-01T19:14:00.000-08:00

Here are a a few of the first shots with my new camera. I hope to get some good ones in the next few days as I figure out how to use it.

Kobie. I love this picture

Having a scratch

Thurston wasn't up to being a model tonight. He said he'd have his agent call me.

Sully was all about posing.

He's gotten big hasn't he?

Sexy Sully

Cuddled up with my foot. He's so sweet!

So how did I do?

2007-12-30T19:04:00.000-08:00

I just took a gander at this blog from this time last year. Wow, so much has changed. As for my new years resolutions for 2007, I did pretty well. I have become a much happier healthier individual. I exercise on a regular basis and I make wise and healthful food choices. Mentally, I'm the best I've been in a while, but still have a ways to go. I have become a better friend, sister and daughter. I was the best teacher I could have been, and now I'm the best Vet tech that I can be. I've made great strides in all areas of my life. Though the trials have been many, overall, its been a good year, I think. At the beginning of 2007, I could never have forseen the changes that were to happen in my life, or to this journal. We said Goodbye to Mocha, and hello to Sully. I moved to a different country. I decided not to start a family, in fact, never to start a family. I changed jobs. I changed my home, my friends, my priorities, my life. I survived it all. Now THAT is something to celebrate!

*Pops the cork on some sparkling cider*

Now for my 2008 New Years Resolutions

1) I will continue in the vein of last years goal to live a healthier lifestyle. This year I will go ahead and make a pledge to lose 100 pounds. I will exercise six days a week. I will weight train a minimum of twice a week, and I will work out at the gym a minimum of three times a week. I will stick to my Sparkpeople diet plan. I laid the groundwork for this last year, so I am ready to tackle the big problem now.

2) I will strengthen my relationship with the Lord. I will find a church home, I will attend bible study weekly. I will spend time in Prayer and in worship. I will seek His path for my life. Its clear that I cannot be trusted to steer this ship. Its time to let go, and let God.

3) I will cultivate deep, meaningful relationships with other people.

4) I will make important decisions about school, career and general direction of this next chapter of my life. I hope to have a plan mapped out by the end of the year, and a new set of goals for 2009.

I hope you all had a good 2007. I hope you met and exceeded all of your goals. Most of all, I hope that 2008 is better than you could ever imagine.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T17:01:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

I'm still here, still alive. I haven't posted much for two reasons. 1) Not much has happened of interest, and 2) my camera broke so I can't bless you with new pictures of my beautiful babies.

I have been saving up for a new camera, and I was going to buy it for Christmas, but I decided to spend half of it on a present for my Mom instead. I figure I can wait a couple more months, besides, seeing her open her present was well worth it.

Moxie got a new toy, a package of Greenies and a Bully stick for Christmas. I have never known Moxie to chew on anything for more than five minutes ever, but she sat down yesterday afternoon and ate the whole bully stick. It was a 12 incher. And as one might expect, she was puking this morning. I would have taken it away from her sooner, but I really didn't expect her to do that, its totally out of character. I'm going to take the excessive chewing to mean she's bored and has too much pent up energy so I need to work harder at wearing her out every day.

This year was Sully's first Christmas, so I tried to really do it up for him. We actually put up the Christmas tree, solely and entirely for his benefit, as neither my Mom or I care much about decorations. He's been amused by it. Since I shelled out a pretty penny for a new cat tree and scratching post this year already, I kept the presents light. I actually bought them a new feather attachment for their flying bird toy. I got it out and played with them with it a day or two before Christmas and Thurston destroyed it in a matter of minutes. So I went back to Petco and bought them out of feather flyer attachments. That should last this crew about a week or so.

Kobie has taken a turn for the strange in recent weeks. He's decided that he cannot eat alone. I must be in the room with him when he is eating his meals, or he will refuse to eat. At first I thought this was just him getting weird in his old age, but then the real reason for it came out. I've been nothing if not really busy of late. Between work and taking care of house and family and volunteering and cultivating friendships, I don't have much extra time to take care of me. Last week, I picked up an old journal, flipped to a fresh page and spent the twenty minutes I would usually pass doing nothing sitting in the room with Kobie, writing. So now I have daily built in journal time, to process my day, and set my goals for tomorrow. Its brought some much needed structure to my chaotic life, and I have my precious little neurotic orange cat to thank for it.

So thats the long and short of it now. Expect copious updates when the new camera comes in, featuring many pictures of the fuzzy beasts.

Whats in a breed.

2007-11-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you take one of these:

add a little of this:

and a little of this:

and a dash of this:

Don't know? Well, according to the idiots at Mars Veterinary, you get this:

Can you believe it! Its like instead of doing the test, they just threw darts at an AKC breed poster. These idiots are trying to tell me that my dog, that MOXIE, is a beagle mix!!! WTF! DO they think I'm stupid? Well obviously I am, I actually paid these people to do a DNA breed test on my dog. $85 wasted.

I'm so angry I could spit nails. I've been royally had!
What makes me even more angry than the money I wasted, is the fact that this company assured us that this test was complete and accurate, and something useful and factual that we could offer our clients. Now its our integrity on the line, and you can bet we won't be offering this test in our office anymore. Moxie's was the first profile we did, and I wish we had waited to offer it to clients until we had her results and were satisfied. As it is, we had two other clients do the test. I'm so ashamed. I just hope whoever is playing darts over at Mars Veterinary has better aim with their tests.

Believe me folks, don't waste your time, or money on the Mars Wisdom panel DNA breed test.

Back to blogging

2007-11-14T18:46:00.000-08:00

Well long time no blog. Moxie and I have been very busy with work and training and volunteerings.

I took a trip to Boston a few weeks back and Moxie and the cats stayed behind to torment my mother. I believe all but Moxie will have to be boarded next time I go out of town.

Sully has entered the "complete nuissance" stage of his development. He is constantly into everything he shouldn't be, and looking pleased as pie with himself when I'm retieving him from the shelf, or fishing something out of his mouth. He swats at me with his one paw and looks endearing with those blue eyes, and I just can't be mad. I remember this phase with Thurston. It lasted about two years. Oh brother, what have I brought into this house.

Kobie and Thurston both have ringworm, and I have no idea how they got it. I don't have ringworm, Sully has been over his for months now. Its a complete mystery. But it isn't too bad and it seems to be healing with treatment. I hate ringworm. Its one of those things I will ask God about when I die. "God, why ringworm?" I just hope Moxie doesn't get it.

Last Tuesday I sent off Moxie's DNA profile. I should have the results in another two weeks. Can you believe it! Two weeks and we will finally know what makes a Moxie thanks to the fine folks over at Mars Veterinary Wisdom Panel. We've already had several clients request the test. I'm thrilled because I was insistent that we carry it. I had to really convince my boss that I wasn't the only one CRAZY enough to spend that kind of money to know what breed mix my dog is.

I've been seeing other dogs.

2007-10-27T20:18:00.000-07:00

Moxie has had her suspicions. First, the strange red hairs on my clothes, then, the strange collar in my car, and finally, the distinctive "canine" smells on my hands. Well her fears have been confirmed. I have been seeing another dog.

This is Bosley and he's stolen my heart.

He's actually my bosses dog. I pet sit for them when they are away. They want to get Bosley into pet therapy so I've been working with him. He's great in the house but needs some work outside, so I've been taking him for long walks with Moxie and practicing our basic commands. He's getting much better. He's such a sweetheart though. He will sure bring a ray of sunshine into the lives of people in need. Just look at this smile.

He's at the top of my dognapping list for sure.

Today Moxie and I went to "Bark in the Park" a community event to benefit the Hickory Creek Animal Shelter. My therapy dog group trains on saturdays in the front room at that shelter. The town has been very generous to donate the use of that space. They are raising money to build a new shelter, which is desperately needed, unfortunatly. Don't you wish there was no need for animal shelters at all? In a perfect world....every dog and cat would have a loving wonderful home.

This past week was the week of terrible pet owners at work. Some of the people I worked with don't deserve to have pets. I cry for those poor animals. Suffering at the hands of willfully ignorant, lazy and heartless owners. Sometimes I just don't have the stomach for my job.

After Bark in the Park, Moxie and I went to visit our friends, Kathy and Jally. I visited with Kathy, and Moxie visited with Jally. We all had a lovely time. After that we went over and took Bosley with us on a nice walk. Moxie spied something strange in their backyard. She couldn't quite figure what it was.

After a short game of "chase the giant hopping rat" We played a game of "leave the kangaroo" that wasn't nearly as much fun according to Moxie. Bosley just ignores it. After all he lives with a lemur. He's already seen it all.

I'll leave the keeping wild animals as pets rant for another post. Suffice it to say, I don't agree with the practice.

But keeping Golden Retrievers as pets is perfectly acceptable!

Training Disaster

2007-10-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

So tonight was my first night to teach basic obedience at my local obedience club and boy was I nervous. I have been on edge about this for the past 48 hours. So I pull up to the fairgrounds after work and I notice there are some people inside the building, which is very odd. I waited for someone else from the club (someone with some guts) to show up. Ann fit the bill, and apparently, the fairgounds double booked our building! We've had that building every Tuesday night for the past 15 years, but they gave it to the 4H club.

So that put us in a bind, and our students were beginning to arrive. We set up a makeshift registration in the parking lot. I had left my jacket at work and was freezing. Our first student is a finished champion smooth collie who wants to start on some competative obedience. Nice dog, the lady is going to be difficult. Then the rest of the class shows up. Three families, with FIVE 5 month old German Shepherd Puppies between them. Two of them are dragging small children behind them through the parking lot. Two are barking and lunging at the Collie. The fifth is hiding, cowering behind his owner. Oh brother.

So I explain to the parents that no, their children cannot train the dog in class. The mom informs me that I have the honor of informing her children of this. Great. I'm terrible with kids. So I broke the news, gently I hope. They didn't cry, thats a good sign right? We talked about collars, leashes, treats, class rules, and I talked a little bit about teaching attention. It was too dark to do much else so everyone left and we will extend the session a week.

So I'm thinking I'm in WAY over my head. I have a week to do some research and figure out how I'm going to handle this crew. The training director offered to see if our resident GSD expert would be willing to teach this session and I graciously bowed to experience. I really hope she says she will teach because I am really nervous about this. I mean, these owners with the GSD's are dog novices. Two of them have littermates in the same home. In watching them interact, they clearly know nothing about dog behavior, or basic training. The dogs are 5 months old and already a nightmare. I think they can be helped but I don't think 6 weeks at an hour a week is going to be enough time.

So, Lord help me.

If someone else takes the class I'm going to bring Bozley and put him through his paces every week. He's a great dog, just needs some manners. I've been babysitting the Boz man two out of the past three weekends, and his owners are going away again tomorrow until Sunday. I'll get some pics of him and let you all see how lovely he is. Such a sweet boy.

Moxie and I haven't trained in three weeks now because, first, I was sick, then, last week Moxie had the pukeys, and this week this mess happened. I hope to do some work with her tomorrow so she doesn't lose ground.

Sully is doing great and on NO meds or supplements. Guess what did the trick? the all canned food diet. If he gets into the other cats dry food, or the dogs dry food he gets the squirts, as long as he just gets his canned food, he has normal solid poops. I'm feeding him only the Wellness grain free varieties. He has no complaints about it. I wouldn't have dry in the house except Kobie is being difficult and won't eat enough of the wet and was losing too much weight. Meal time around here is a circus. I have to lock everyone in separate rooms and when I open the doors, dash in and pick up the bowls before Sully or Thurston run in and stick their face in the bowl. Little piggies! But I love them. Sully is getting so big. A little too big in fact. I've cut his rations back as he's a bit podgy already! Actually, I don't think I feed him too much, its all the food he manages to steal. I swear he's taking lessons in being bad from Thurston. Now I have a pack of little thugs terrorizing the house.

I am going to Boston next week! YAY! I'm going to visit Shawn. The kids are staying with Mom, with lots of backup phone numbers. I'm wondering if I should just ask someone to take Moxie for a few days but I just don't know what would be best. Maybe I should board the cats too, so Mom doesn't have to deal with the feeding fiasco. Or just Sully, with his special diet. I just don't know. This is precisely why I don't leave town more often. Any ideas?

Goodbye Hazelnut Latte Bear :(

2007-10-14T20:45:00.000-07:00

I'm really sad tonight. Little Hazel, who was doing SO WELL, took a turn for the worse last night. I took her back to the animal emergency clinic when she developed labored breathing and a pounding heart beat, and began grinding her teeth, all signs of pain.

They admitted her to the hospital and gave her some pain meds, then ran some bloodwork. The results weren't good, their were significant changes from Friday mornings labwork. her liver values were about the same, but her electrolytes were all out of whack and her CBC was dangerously off scale. The bloodwork painted a much bleaker picture than I had originally thought for Hazel. We decided to treat her overnight and see what it looked like in the morning.

The doctor called at 10am and said Hazels labs were actually worse this morning, and that things didn't look good. At this rate Hazel was going to need a blood transfusion just to restabilize, and the list of possible reasons for her illness was full of dire prognosis. It just didn't look like she was going to pull through, no matter what we did. So I called Shawn and there was a coordinated effort between myself, the doctor and Shawns parents for a while, then a decision was reached to let Hazel go.

I met Shawn's parents a the ER, and we held her and stroked her and told her how wonderful she was as she slipped away. It was even harder to say goodbye once I saw her. She looked more alert than she had in days, and was managing a weak purr. I cried like a baby. It was like losing Mocha all over again. I feel so guilty for letting Shawn and his family believe that Hazel was going to be okay. I just never saw this coming. I really wanted her to get well. She was such a fighter. She never gave up. What an incredible little kitty.

Run Free Hazelnut Latte-Bear. Give your mom and your brother love from me.

Hazelnut

2007-10-11T20:52:00.000-07:00

Hazelnut is improving hourly. She is home with me tonight for feedings. Her eyesight is returning gradually, and she is more alert today and able to stand a walk a few steps. She will get better, there is just no other option.

Here she is tonight. Does someone look like her mama or what?

Here is Mocha mommy and brother Tyler for comparison

Hazel looks like an old cat after her ordeal. Very sunken and unkept. I can't wait until she returns to her former glory. She was quite a stunning cat before all of this.

All your thoughts and prayers are helping! Keep it up!

MIRACLE!

2007-10-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

IT'S A MIRACLE!

Hazel was found, ALIVE, one block from her house. She is dehydrated and emaciated but alive! She was taken by her rescuers to the Animal ER where Shawn's parents and I met up with her. I was expecting her to look alot worse than she did. She raised her head, meowed and made several attempts at grooming. She is very weak, just exhausted the poor thing, but very happy to be found for sure. I can't believe it! Two months to the day she dissapeared!

She had some labwork draw. Remarkably, her kidneys are healthy! Her liver enzymes are elevated and she is a little yellow - she probably has a condition known as "hepatic lipidosis" or Fatty Liver disease, common in cats who are overweight and stop eating. Good news, we can beat Fatty liver disease. I think she can survive this. We will see what my docs think in the morning. I'm up for the challenge, I'm just so glad she's been found! I had given up hope! Only just last week, Shawn's parents had given me all of Hazel's things and I never took them out of my car (not because I had a feeling, just because I'm lazy)

So everyone send your best prayers and healing vibes to Hazelnut! She's a fighter though, I really think she will pull through this. What a miracle! An absolute Miracle!

Beating the Drop on Recall Demon

2007-10-02T22:15:00.001-07:00

Another breakthrough night at the training club! I'm so excited! Moxie and I have been working on the drop on recall exercise for open level competitive obedience for some YEARS now (though not consistently) and tonight it finally "clicked". I started out by leaving her in a sit stay and walking out about 20 feet. Then instead of calling her, I asked her to "down" in place. (This made possible though years of work proofing downs anywhere, anytime) I used her verbal mark, "yes" and praised then returned to her and gave her a treat. Then I would put her back into a sit, go back out, and ask for a down again. Mark. Treat. Repeat a few more times. Finally I left her in a sit, went out, and called her front then asked her down about five feet out and she dropped like a stone! I was amazed! No creeping. No hesitation. It was an immediate, picture perfect down on a single command! I through a puppy party over it of course. I was very excited about this down, which of course meant Moxie was excited about it, and is more than happy to do it again and again for all the praise and yummy treats.

I just can't believe that was all it took to get her to "get" it. I have tried every which way to teach this skill. I tried using a helper and a leash to stop her while I simultaneously give the down command. She was too smart for that one, she knew when she was tethered and when she wasn't. I tried proofing moving downs, drilled them and drilled them and she would drop on recall, eventually, but she clearly didn't understand what I was asking of her. I tried using her favorite game, fetch. I would throw the ball for a retrieve and as she brought it back to me I would ask for a down and the minute she dropped, I would throw another ball for her. Again, she would drop, eventually, but it wasn't an immediate response and she clearly didn't understand the concept.

But tonight was just brilliant! I was so proud of her! Our relationship grows stronger with each passing day. If only my people friends could read me as well as Moxie can. She's amazing. Other highlights from tonights session include an great improvement in heel back/backup. She is performing the skill correctly more and more frequently and with greater control and precision. We are getting there! Her attention and heelwork is spot on. I wish I had some good video of us heeling to post as it's quite flashy from where I am, I'm sure its fun to watch.

One negative, my new trainer is all about correction, which, I believe correction is necessary in training. Don't get me wrong. But its also imperative that you know your dog, and trust me, I know my dog. I cannot leash correct my dog. She shuts down. Moxie is a super soft touch. She works best completely hands off. All I have to do is change my tone of voice for her to know when she is doing something correctly vs incorrectly. So I use a verbal correction, "eh" or "wrong" in the right tone of voice is all thats needed to get Moxie to reorient to me and try again. So tonight I lost her attention for a split second during a heeling with distraction exercise and my instructor says "correct her!" which I did! I gave her an "eh" and then a command, probably a watch me, or a leave it, I don't remember, but it worked. But no, she wants me to leash correct Moxie. It doesn't work and I won't do it. She shuts down. She cannot be manhandled like that she's too sensitive. Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree with a leash correction as long as it is done properly and not overdone, done out of anger, or done to "hurt" the dog. I just don't agree with leash correcting my dog as she doesn't respond to it.

Fast forward to the end of the night, I asked the trainer to put Moxie through some heelwork as I'm trying to get her used to other handlers so she will be more responsive to the patients during the pet therapy sessions. So she takes the leash and moxie responds brilliantly to her. She was heeling Moxie in a weave pattern through a line of dogs performing down stays. Two of the dogs in the class are less experienced and are still learning the meaning of stay. One of these dogs is friends with Moxie, so when the trainer walked Moxie past her, she broke her stay and tried to initiate play with Moxie. This commotion made the next dog break his stay to move out of the way. Meanwhile the trainer is trying to heel Moxie through the mayhem and Moxie turns her head to watch the dog that is coming up behind her. The trainer leash corrects her. Moxie cowers down and turns her head away (sending her best doggy calming signals) and what does the trainer do, she gives ANOTHER leash correction. I was alarmed to say the least. I mean, all she needed to do to get her back was to say her name and "heel" in an upbeat voice and Moxie would again trot happily next to her. Fortunately, once the other two dogs were back under control Moxie recovered and finished heeling. The whole thing probably only took a couple of seconds, I just couldn't believe the trainer didn't read the situation better than she did.

The positive outcome was that Moxie did work for this other person. She did recover from the correction and we were able to end the night on an up note. So all's well that ends well I suppose.

New Frontiers!

2007-09-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

Long time no update. Moxie is doing well with her training. We are working with a new trainer at the obedience club and are really being challenged. She loves working with me in class and learning. Its fun for her. We worked some on weaves the other day and she is starting to go out and do them without me next to her which is a huge step for us. There is a UKC Obedience comp in Denton tomorrow that I've decided not to enter as we are at the open level in UKC and not ready to compete. We have everything except a reliable drop on recall and dumbell retrieve. I am using the Shirley Chong method to teaching the retrieve and we are making real progress, but still have a ways to go.

I have the trialing bug though, BAD! I would love to find an APDT Rally trial, an ASCA obedience or agility trial of any flavor to compete in. Moxie and I are bored! We want some rosettes for all our hard work.

On the cat front, Kobie's paw has healed perfectly and he has had no futher complications. Sully has had a setback. His stools went soft on me again after I took him off his supplements, so I put him back on the slippery elm, probiotics and digestive enzymes. He's on a three times a week dose of budesonide and his stools are coming back to normal. This tells me, though, that we are probably dealing with IBD as it recurrs when we stop treatment. I was hoping it was just residual inflamation from the coccidal infection.

Finally, a bit of my own news. My obedience club, GTDOG, approved me as a trainer and I'm doing my first basic class starting next session. I'm super nervous and excited. It should be fun, I just hope I'm good at it!

Lightbulb Moment

2007-09-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

I'm reading the book, "Control Unleashed" by Leslie McDevitt and so far its been pretty good, but doesn't really apply to me and Moxie because Moxie doesn't have reactivity issues, and she rarely ever has a "shut down" moment any more. Though its all good stuff to know so I can help others who have dogs that do have these issues. Moxie's big issue that I was hoping the CU course would help with is she becomes so excited over certain things that her brain fogs over and she can't concentrate, listen, or learn anything. Its a big problem in agility, it also happens sometimes in obedience.

Last night, Moxie and I went to our twice a month visit to UBH to do pet assited therapy. On these visits, we set up a short agility course and have the dogs run the course, then get the patients to work the dogs through the course. Moxie gets SO WORKED UP she isn't listening to the patients commands and it ends one of two ways, either everyone laughs at the silly dog, or the patient feels like a failure, which is something I would really like to avoid. Something else she does on these visits is she fixates on treats. She won't calm down for petting, or pay attention to the patients. She keeps her eyes focused on me at all times, ever vigilant, hoping for a treat. So while I was reading the book last night, it was talking about rewarding calm behavior and I finally made the connection that half of Moxie's problem is she is overmotivated by food.

I started to really think about it, and I almost always feed her when she's in an excited state of mind. Including meals, she is always worked up and excited before meals and I reward that state of mind by feeding her. So, the new regiment is no food until she is relaxed. We are going to do some relaxation excercises with the ultimate goal being an ability to cue relaxation. I want to build in an off switch basically. The book has given me some good starting points, but if anyone has any ideas feel free to chime in.

In other news, SULLY HAS NORMAL POOP! The budesenide has worked wonders for him and so far no unwanted side effects. I am slowly weaning him off all his supplements. Hopefully, once we stop the budesenide, he will continue to have solid stool. Everyone keep your paws crossed!

Declaw Remorse and Training Breakthroughs!

2007-09-18T21:27:00.000-07:00

I got Kobie about six years ago, and as a matter of course, I got him declawed the same time I had him neutered. I was young and dumb and thought that 1)declawing wasn't causing any real long term harm to the cat and 2)that it would be impossible to teach a n adult cat how to use his claws indoors, and 3) that because my other cats were declawed, I had to declaw Kobie.

I have since discovered how wrong I was, on all three counts. I have since trained several cats to properly use their claws indoors. I have since learned of, and seen first hand, the deep psychological and physical damage that declawing causes. I have declaw remorse, in a bad way. And to make it all worse, six years after the fact, Kobie has developed a painful declaw complication. His toenail was not entirely removed in the first go, and has for the past several months, been slowing regrowing through the bone and under the skin of his toe. This has caused pain, swelling, infection, and drainage. He had to have surgery today to remove the bone spur and sharp little kitty claw. I almost cried when I saw it, I can only imagine how painful that must have been. And now he will need to recover from a (second) amputation of the last digit of that toe. My poor baby.

There are 101 reasons not to declaw your cat, and this is reason number 101.

He deserves better than this. :(

On a happier note, Moxie and I had a wonderful night training with our club, GTDOG. We spent the first hour helping people from the community train their dogs to be well mannered pets. This is very rewarding in and of itself. You should have seen the look of sheer joy and amazement on this dear womans face when her 6 month old lab puppy finally "got" sit. The light finally came on, and she starting picking things up faster and faster as the night went on. I love teaching, its quite satisfying.

The second hour Moxie and I did some formal obedience practice. We started with heelwork and I must say Moxie was looking fantastic. She was flashy, she was correct, she was "On" and it showed. Her turns, her pivots, her halts, her finishes, she never put a paw wrong the whole night. I was so pleased with her. If we can perform like that in a trial we'll be coming home with a HIT and titles coming out our ears! *Dreams of a High in Trial Win* As icing on the cake tonight, Moxie and I finally clicked on two skills we've been working on for a long time now.

Get Out: Go away from me and around a stationary object as directed. This is something I have been trying to teach her for use in both agility and obedience. She needs to work away from me more in agility and Get out would make that easier. My dream would be to be able to stand in the middle of the ring and call out commands and let Moxie run the course (hey, we can all dream can't we?) This is also an essential skill for Utility level obedience and several skills in Advanced and Excellent Rally. Moxie, I could tell, was quite pleased with herself and happily "Got out" around an alley-oop, cones, bowls, toys, whatever I told her. She was having a great time. She knew she had "gotten it" and was quite pleased with herself.

Back up (Back straight) : Heeling backwards, both in a straight line and in a figure 8. We were getting this right 90% of the time by the end of the night. Right now she mostly just scoots or shuffles backward with very little control in her direction. But she did have a couple of good attempts were she moved her feet independently and deliberately. I think we are getting there. I think, as with Get Out, once she gets this, there will be no stopping her.

So overall, I am quite pleased. Now to find some trials to enter, both agility and obedience. I want to enter the TWANG ASCA Agility trial in December, and would love to find an obedience trial in October or November. Anyone has any leads, let me know!

Furry Angels

2007-09-15T17:29:00.000-07:00

Well the therapy visit on Friday went really well (once I finally made it there). Moxie just LOVED the kids and they just LOVED her. They wanted her to play with them on the playground equipment (Which happens to be one of moxie's favorite things to do!) So she ran through the plastic tunnels and up and down the slides and over the swingy bridges and kids romped and chased and hugged all over her! I don't know who was having a better time, her or the kids.

These kids are going through some tough times. At the moment they are living in a safe house, their mothers have left an abusive relationship and many are in hiding, fearing for their lives. Most left with nothing but the clothes on their back. I loved that I was able to share my dog with these kids, give them a night where they didn't have to think about friends, homes, pets, belongings and lives left behind and the strange newness of their current situation. The moms were able to relax and have a good time too. They were eager to chat with regular folk. I'm sure they feel quite isolated and lonely. When a battered women makes the brave decision to leave the abusive relationship, it usually also means leaving behind her entire life, her things, her friends, her job, etc. I can't remember the exact statistic, but a shocking number of women who are murdered are killed by their partners, so the desperation these women are feeling is based in a certain cold harsh reality. I admire their courage. I wish I could do more for them.

Really, I don't know who benefited the most from our visit, Moxie, the kids, their moms, or me. It was a good night all around.

Today Moxie was the Rally Obedience Demo dog at the Bow Wow Pow Wow in The Colony. Moxie was proud to represent GTDOG and strut her stuff. She did well, unfortunately, no one really cared. I'm sure we would have gotten more of a response with an agility demo, but what people don't realize is that ill mannered dogs won't do agility either! Besides, Rally is such fun. Oh well, perhaps it really wasn't the right crowd.

Moxie has always been a challenging dog to work because her drive overrides her brain sometimes. She gets so worked up that she can't concentrate and listen to me. I was recommended a book called "Control Unleashed" that is supposed to help with this. I got it in the mail today and I can't wait to read it.

Update on the cats. I took Kobie and Sully to work with me yesterday. Kobie got his yearly labwork done and it was all normal. He also has a strange abscess on his toe that the doctors think is a declaw regrow. He will have surgery next week to investigate. This is reason like 500 that I wish I had never declawed him. I'm so sad, and so sorry that I did that to poor Kobie. He will never know the satisfaction of a nice full body stretch, never be able to properly climb or scratch. He may develop arthritis due to being forced to walk in an unatural position. And now this! He will have to have another painful operation to declaw him AGAIN. I could just kick myself. I should have known better. Thurston and Sully both have all the claws they were born with and I don't intend to change that.

Sully got his last kitten vaccine and his microchip implanted. We also rechecked his stool, which is still diarrhea, but showed nothing unusual upon anaylsis, as per ususal. We are going to try him on a course of a GI acting steroid called Budesenide. I was afraid to put him on steroids because of their immuno suppressive effects, but this is supposed to act only on the GI tract and no where else in his system, so I thought I would give it a go. For those keeping up with the homeopathy treatment, we are now on Slippery Elm, Probiotic mix, Digestive Enzymes, Psyllium Husks, and Collostrum. He's on an entirely grain free diet. The next step is to switch to a novel protein limited ingredient food, but I really don't think this is a food allergy issue, as protein allergies in cats are actually pretty rare.

So thats the scoop on the poop! Glad you tuned in!

School is back in session

2007-09-11T22:05:00.000-07:00

After a five week break in training, Moxie and I hit it hard again tonight. We did alot of heel work and worked on our open level obedience excercises. Its been a while since we've done any of that and it shows. Her drop on recall is hit of miss and her dumbell retrieve is awful! We didn't have a broadjump to practice with, I think I may invest in one soon. We don't get to use the broadjump often enough in agility or obedience practice.

She did wonderful as per usual. I have to really watch MY attitude when we train. She really picks up on it when I'm frustrated or tired. She had a couple of shut down moments on me tonight. During the dumbell retrieve, I think she got spooked when the dumbell clattered on the floor. We took a short potty break and moved on to something else and she perked right up. We ended the night with a fun game of fetch.

Moxie has a busy week coming up. We have a therapy visit Friday Night at Friends of the Family battered women's shelter. Then Saturday we have another visit at a nursing home and then we will head over to the BowWow PowWow in The Colony where our club is giving a Rally Demonstration. I'm looking forward to it. The weather has been so nice lately, hopefully it lasts through the weekend.

The cats have been spoiled this week. I bought them a new cat tree, a new scratching post, and some new litter mats to prevent tracking. Moxie's new food came in too. I decided on Wellness CORE Reduced fat. We'll give it a try and see how it goes. This is what the cats are eating now. Though, Now that I've settled on a dry food for the cats, I've about decided an all wet formula is best. Figures. I've two bags of their old food to give to some needy kitties somewhere. Anyone have any suggestions?

Teeth!

2007-08-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

Moxie got her teeth cleaned today. They did an excellent job and it was well worth the money I paid to have it done outside of our clinic. Here are the before and after pics.

As you can see, they really weren't that bad to start with, but her breath was horrible and her gums were beginning to show the signs of peridontal disease so I wanted to get her mouth overhauled and I'm quite pleased with the result.

They ran some labwork before her anesthesia and everything looked good except for some very slight, very mild elevations in one kidney value (BUN). It's probably nothing, but I'll have it rechecked in a few weeks to be sure.

Being the OCD freak that I am, its making me rethink her diet, and I'm on the hunt now for the perfect dog food. I only just decided on the perfect cat food after almost a year of searching and researching. I've decided on a 100% canned food diet. I chose Wellness because they use human grade meat and their canned food is grain free. Of all the canned cat foods on the market I was most impressed with wellness. My only concern is they package the food in pop top cans, and there is some chatter about a link between pop top cans and hyperthyroidism in cats. I've decided not to worry about it though (yeah right!) To read why cats need canned food click Here

In other news, Sully's stools seem to be improving on the slippery elm and acidophilus supplements. He had one partly normal, partly abnormal stool yesterday. Its a step in the right direction and I'll take it. If he keeps this up much longer I'm going to seek out the advice of a specialist. I don't want him losing nutrition during his formative months.

I've been seeing other dogs....

2007-08-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

Poor Moxie. I went to a dog obedience class tonight and I left her at home.

She was not amused. I came home smelling or Lamb chunks and lots of other dogs. I think I feel guilty enough to take her to work with me tomorrow.

Working Derby was alot of fun. I didn't know alot of his command words, which made communication difficult, but he and I seemed to generally understand each other. We worked on straightening his sits and they were looking fab by the end of the night. He heals like a dream really. He's just a chronic crooked sitter. He also does not stay sat or down for very long, but that was improving at the end of the evening too. Derby will make a fab little obedience dog, as well as cleaning up in agility. I wonder if Jamie realizes what a little gem she has. I also LOVED getting to use the clicker. I really enjoy clicker training. Too bad Moxie hates it.

I also got to glean some free training advice. I think I need to start seeking out and taking classes in different places every now and then, just to get a new perspective on training problems.

Well Moxie will got to work with me tomorrow, there is no therapy visit, it was canceled. She will get a bath at work. Friday she is going in for a dental cleaning. I know she will be fine but anesthesia always makes me nervous. I just don't think I could survive without my baby girl. There will never be another dog like Moxie. I coulnd't ask for a better friend. She's always there for me, even if I have been training other dogs.

You are my sunshine...

2007-08-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

my only sunshine
you make me happy
when skies are grey
you'll never know dear
how much I love you
please don't take my sunshine away!

As sung to the kitty in my lap at any given point in time.

I had a revelation this week. We had a gas leak and with workers in and out of the house I began to look at myself, my home and my life through someone else's eyes....and its weird! The first night when the inspector came over, he rang the door bell as I was feeding the cats. I answered the door with an open can of food in my hand, three cats swarming at my legs and a dog in the mix too. I lead the poor man down our hallway, shoving the play tunnel out of the way with my foot only to find it won't budge with a cat in it. Cat litter crunches on the carpet by the bathroom was he opens the hot water heater closet. In the garage I toss carriers and litter boxes out of the way in an attempt to clear a path to the attic. Suddenly I realized, I AM the crazy cat lady. This will be the house that this guy goes home and tells his wife about. Sheesh.

If nothing else, it shamed me into cleaning the house today.

Moxie is booked in for a Dental Cleaning on Friday. I'm going to have her eyes checked and her nails cut short at the same time. She's got some clouding in both eyes, I think its just age related lenticular schlerosis, but I want to be sure.

Wednesday I'm working Derby in a Rally class over at Woofgang. We have a therapy visit on Thursday. These are the dog days of summer so not much going on. Its too hot to be outside.

Roll on Autumn, Roll on....

Cool down

2007-08-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

It was nice cool evening so Moxie and I filled up the poor bedraggled wading pool.
Dog + Pool + Nice summer evening = Magnet for every neighborhood kid in a three mile raidus. I spent a full hour supervising four boys, three of whom I'd never met until today, playing ball with Moxie. They had a blast. Moxie thoroughly enjoyed herself. The kids had an absolutely wonderful time playing with her. I was on pins and needles the whole time.

I was so worried that moxie was going to get over excited and go for the ball and accidentally catch a finger and then I'd have a lawsuit on my hand, or worse, irate parents calling for my "vicious" dog to be put down. These are sad times that we live in. If I wanted to be indignant about it, I would ask myself, where were these irate parents when their kids randomly invaded a strangers yard and started playing with her dog? Not one of them asked first. Its sad really, that instead of enjoying what really was a beautiful moment, where kids were being kids, and Moxie was being Moxie and all were having a great time, the video games forgotten, and a sense of community emerging, I was too worried about impending litigation.

No wonder I'm an old fuddy duddy. Just want to play in my own yard with my dog without having to worry about liability from every wayward child that wonders in. Its a constant worry, those neighbor kids. I drain Moxie's pool everytime we're done playing because I would hate for some neighbor kid to wander up to our property and drown in it. We'd be sued for sure. I can't store any of my agility equipment on the porch because some kid would try to play with it and break it. My mom has two wheelchair ramps, from the driveway to the porch and the porch into the house, and we have to block them with trashcans (read huge inconvenience for my mom) to keep the kids from riding up and down the ramps on their bikes and skateboards. I have two pets burried in the front garden, both of their graves have been desecrated by roaming hoodlums. Is nothing sacred anymore? Where are these kids parents and why don't they teach them manners!

Really wish I had a fence. :(

Too Hot!

2007-08-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

So for the past couple of weeks its been too darn hot to do anything outside. Even the pool water is boiling. So today, the only day its cool, and I'm too sick to take the poor dog for a run.

She'll be filing a report with the SPCA soon.

Bored Border Collie.

Actually, I doubt she really minds that much. For such a high drive dog, she is really lazy. I have to crawl over her to get out of bed in the morning, she likes to sleep in. But bring out the toys or start some agility work and she's on it like flies on a rib roast...probably with all the same enthusiasm. She has an off on switch and its incredible to watch her switch modes. Its most apparent when we do our Thursday night sessions at UBH. We do agility demonstrations and let the patients work the dogs. Moxie can be on like a floodlight running the course, then off and into love and cuddle mode mere moments later. She is truly a marvel. Looking at my current ability, or disability depending on how you look at it, I probably couldn't handle a normal border collie. I definitely couldn't meet the needs of a pup like Cheetah. So maybe it's good that I'm not getting that border collie puppy. I'm developing quite a liking for Golden Retrievers lately. They have a nice working style too. Maybe when I get a puppy, it will be a Golden.

After all, there is nothing cuter than a Golden Retriever Puppy.
Except a Moxie puppy of course.

But all puppy talk is years off anyway. No puppies until Moxie passes. So hopefully, that will be a very long time off. Moxie HATES puppies. The older she gets, the less tolerance she has for them. I'm not going to make her miserable just so I can have my puppy fix. Besides, I've got this hooligan three legged cat to raise. I might adopt an older dog before then, but only if it was the right dog. Thats also probably a few years off too.

Sully still has diarrhea. We've officially tried everything medically to treat it. So I'm changing his food from Solid Gold to Wellness Kitten. I seem to recall having foster cats in the past that got icky tums on the Solid Gold. I've been wanting to switch to wellness anyway for a while. I just like their formula. The canned foods especially. They have a new grain free dry food called CORE that I bought a bag to try. I'm more keen on the cats having a grain free diet, as cats are obligate carnivores. An obligate carnivore is an animal that requires in its diet nutrients that are found in sufficient quantities only in meat or other animal products. Grains hold no nutritional value for cats. Some may argue that its the grains in dry cat food that cause our cats to become overweight. One of my cats is a carbaholic. We can't leave any bread product out in the house, he will find it and tear into it sometimes before we can even get it out of the grocery sack. Hopefully a high protein diet will make them feel fuller, longer and they can lose the excess weight and generally feel better.

I'm not so concerned about Moxie's food being grain free, as dogs are not obligate carnivores. Meaning they can derive nutritious from food sources other than animals or animal products. While carbs are probably not the best for Moxie, they aren't killing her. Her food, Solid Gold, contains Barley, which is a higher quality grain, easier to digest and with more nutrients than something like corn or rice. Besides, Moxie has done really well on Solid Gold. She's been on it for a long time. She has nice normal regular stools, she maintains a healthy weight, she has a good coat, bright eyes, wet nose, essentially the picture of health.

Who would have thought pet food could generate so much chatter or make me so happy! Well fed pets are happy pets.

Updates

2007-08-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

Sully is: Feeling better, no more fevers, but still has soft stool. :(
Hazel is: still missing. We need positive thoughts and prayers.
Moxie is: Hot! and bored. Its just too hot to exercise outside. We have our therapy visit in the morning, the offending dog will be there, I hope all goes well.
I am: BUSY!

Cat Crisis

2007-08-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

I'm not having the best of luck with the cats lately.

Sully is sick. On top of his chronic diarrhea and fungal infection, he has developed viral pneumonia. He's on five different medications and has been on eight different meds since I brought him home a week and a half ago. He's feeling better this evening, but had a 105.5 fever earlier this afternoon and wasn't eating.

Remember me telling you about Hazel? Mocha's daughter. Tyler's sister. Shawn's cat that he left behind when he moved to Boston. Well I just got the call that she's been missing from his parents house since late Monday night. She's declawed, and never been outside in her life. She is also not up to date on her vaccines, surprise surprise. I'm sick with worry. I've made a poster that I will fax to the shelter and various vet clinics in the morning. I can't get round to check the shelter until the weekend. If there is anyone in the area that can check the shelter for me before Saturday, please let me know.

I lost Tyler, I lost Mocha, now have I lost Hazel too?

Incident at the Therapy Visit

2007-08-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

So here is what happened Tuesday Morning

A new dog joined us for our regular 10am Tuesday morning therapy visit at University Behavioral Health, a mental health hospital. Shes a german shepherd and shes actually been with the group longer than I have, she just hasn't been attending this visit.

Moxie, the shepherd and a little Yorkie all arrived at the same time and we gathered in front of the facility to wait for any others to arrive. Sam the Yorkie came right up to greet Moxie and they said their hellos then Kadie the Shepherd came over to greet same. The three dogs were sniffing each other and wagging their tails and the owners are all chatting.

Suddenly the shepherd tears into Moxie. It was alot of noise mostly but it scared the pee out of me and Moxie. Moxie didn't aggress back towards the shepherd she just ran behind my legs and hid, shaking. The shepherds owner corrected her, then proceeded to blame me for allowing my dog to rush up to her dog. My dog didn't rush up to anyone, Kadie approached her, not the other way around. She claims that her dog has been attacked before and is wary of other dogs but she just never does that and she must have been scared, (Of WHAT, Moxie was minding her own business)
So she claims this is just because she doesn't know Moxie.

A little history, Moxie and Kadie met briefly once before about a month ago at a non-working group gathering. A very similar incident occured between Kadie and another dog that day. I remember thinking that the dog was a loose cannon and should she really be a therapy dog at the time.

So I get Moxie calmed down and we get up to go inside (thats right, she wasn't asked to leave!) and Moxie gets up from laying down and starts to walk with me towards the door and as we pass in front of Kadie she goes for Moxie AGAIN! This time Moxie wasn't even LOOKING at the sheperd. I had her attention and had her working in a heel, her eyes were locked on mine.

I was SO MAD! Whatever the reason for this dogs aggression, it;s dangerous and she should have been asked to go home. So I'm seething by this time, but I'm determined not to let it ruin the visit. We get inside and meet with some people in the lobby and Moxie relaxes and goes into therapy dog mode and everythings okay.

Our first stop was the childrens ward. They were all outside in the play yard. They all rushed up and loved on the dogs and wanted to walk them, then wanted to run with them, then someone got out a ball and a game of fetch broke out. Sam the Yorkie, the Dobie Holly and Moxie were all off lead running. and playing with the kids. Kadies owner kept Kadie on lead but told the therapy coordinator that it was because her dog and Moxie "got into it" outside. She told him that Moxie rushed up to her dog and they got into a fight. I was LIVID! He was looking at Moxie like she was about to attack one of the patients and I've been visiting there with Moxie for weeks now! That NOT how it happened at all! The whole time we are outside Kadie is giving Moxie the evil eye, Moxie had her full attention on the kids and is ignorning Kadie, so much so I have to call her away anytime she runs near Kadie as I'm afraid the dog is going to jump Moxie again.

Time's up with the kids and we move to the adult unit. In the halls Kadie is still pulling towards Moxie and eyeing her. The other team members are putting themselves between Moxie and Kadie. In the Adult Unit, we were inside in the day room. Moxie and I like to work the room, go from person to person, meet and greet. But the room is pretty small and we had to keep a wide berth of the shepherd. We ended up boxed in a corner. Moxie didn't mind but I was really mad at this point.

This shouldn't have been happening, Therapy dogs are supposed to be bombproof! They have to pass a test that includes working near an unknown dog. How the heck did she pass that test! I don't understand at all. The dog is fearfully reactive to new dogs. How can she work as a member of a team that gets new dogs and handlers all the time? This can't keep happening all the time, its dangerous. I think that the shepherd should have been asked to go home. She's a great dog, she's great with people, but she has a major training issue, one that should not be worked out in the theraputic setting, putting other people at risk and giving our club a bad reputation. I called the person in charge, who was there and saw the incident, after we left and told her my concerns. She seemed to feel that the Shepherds owner was aware of her dogs problems and was cautious and responsible during the visit, so it was not a problem. She too said that Kadie only responds that way to dogs she doesn't know. By this time I'm thinking of dropping the Tuesday visit, even though its my favorite one, because I don't want to have to deal with this dog every week. But I decide to contact Kadie's owner and see if we can work it out.

So I call Kadie's owner and recommend that we get together and walk the dogs before the next visit. That way we can introduce them properly in a controlled setting and hopefully avoid another incident. Well our schedules didn't match up and we couldn't find a time, so her owner says, well, you know, I think they will be okay, we'll just keep them away from each other. Oh, and she again tells me, it happened because her dog was scared because Moxie rushed up to her which didn't happen! Evil or Very Mad

So I don't know what to do. I'm thinking of trying again next week, but if anything happens and she isn't asked to leave, I'm leaving. I really think that kind of behavior is out of order for a therapy dog, and her problems need to be worked out before she is allowed to go on visits with other dogs. The dogs have to be able to work together. I'm afraid that something will happen, if not when Moxie is around, then another new dog, and someone will get hurt, or scared, and we won't be invited to visit there anymore, and we'll get a bad reputation in the community and won't be able to volunteer anywhere. The people in charge, though, don't seem to see it that way. I really love the therapy visits and I want to keep doing them, but I'm not comfortable with the way things are being run.

What should I do?

Moxie Reviews!

2007-08-05T18:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the very first edition of Moxie Reviews! Each week Moxie will review a new doggy product.

This week, Moxie reviews the Holey Roller Ball.

This ball came highly recommended by the fine folks over at Ruffdogs. I picked one up today at Petsmart for $8.89. A little pricey for a ball, but I was willing to give it a go.

Strait out of the bag moxie had little interest. It wasn't fuzzy, it wasn't a tennis ball, and it didn't squeak. A quick toss, however, and she changed her tune. The minute she picked up the ball she went puppy on me, dashing about the room, tossing the ball up in the air and catching it again and chewing and shaking the ball. An immediate Hit! The ball is lightweight and soft so it scores point for safe indoor play. The cagey build collapses in on itself and springs back into shape when released. It also holds up to moderate tugging and chewing.

During our outing today we also picked up a wading pool at Wal Mart on sale. I set it up and we headed outdoors for some more product analysis. The Holey Roller ball scores bonus points as a cool submersible toy, easy to find and grasp under water. Moxie dove for her new ball over and over again. This is actually the first time Moxie has willingly put her face under water repeatedly. Our 9 year old neighbor jointed in the fun and spent about 45 minutes playing with Moxie and the ball. The ball is easy to throw and its cage design means little fingers stay clear of border collie teeth. The ball is easy to toss, fun to tug and holds up well to long periods of rough play. The holey roller does roll, but does not bounce, so it loses a few points for lack of chase appeal.

Over all the Holey Roller ball gets four paws up from Moxie, one satisfied customer.

Though its not really a doggy product, the wading pool purchased from Wal-mart and pictured above gets two paws down and a whine for an overall flimsy design that doesn't stand up to the rigorous play of a border collie or a nine year old boy.

In conclusion
Holey Roller Ball - Worth the price
Wal Mart wading pool - Waste of money
Nine year old boy with ADHD - Priceless!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The kitten that would not be named has officially called "Sully". I finally made the decision by purchasing two kitten collars and two tags, one engraved "Sully", the other engraved "Sushi". I put the tags on the collars then had mom pick the collar she liked, without looking at the tag. She picked the sully collar. I think Mom is a little attached to her grand cats. What do you think?

Cats or Dogs

2007-08-03T22:19:00.000-07:00

You Are: 60% Dog, 40% Cat

You are a nice blend of cat and dog.
You're playful but not too needy. And you're friendly but careful.
And while you have your moody moments, you're too happy to stay upset for long.

Are You More Cat or Dog?

What makes a cat person, a cat person? What makes a dog person, a dog person? And what about those of us who, like me, are both?

I love dogs because I've never met a dog in a bad mood. Dogs don't have bad days. A healthy dog is always up for a romp, a walk, or an adventure. Dogs are pure love. Dogs are unselfish, forgiving, and great listeners. Dogs are what good people should aspire to be. My dog is my best friend and partner in life. I wouldn't/couldn't be without her.

I love cats because they don't need people, but they choose to share their lives with us anyway. I love how cats call the shots in their lives. They choose their humans, and they manipulate their environments to suite them. I love how individual they can be. I love how they are picky about the people they share affection with. I love the catitude. I love the very unique way a cat and a human interact. Its a whole new language you have to learn, but once you do, you stand in wonderment of these amazing creatures. Raising cats is what I imagine raising kids would be like, only better.

What do you think?

Why don't you talk about you.....

2007-08-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me today, "Why don't you ever talk about you on your blog?"
Well, the short answer is, because I'm smarter than that. I kept an online diary for several years in college, and while it was very therapeutic for me, in the long run it turned out to be a bad idea to publish that much personal information on the world wide web.

The long answer is, because its not what people want to hear when they ask, "how are you?" No one wants to know how you really are when they ask that question. Its almost a rhetorical question, "how are you?" It's almost never meant as an inquiry into your present state of being. I try not to be this way, but I am occasionally guilty of it myself. After introducing myself on the phone during a business phone call, my first question is "how are you today?" I would be quite taken aback if anyone said anything other than "Fine, and you" or something similar. That just falls too far outside the social norm for formal conversation, or even casual conversation among people who don't know each other.

"Thats all well and good, but shouldn't you be blogging for you" you might be asking. Ideally, yes. In fact when I began blogging something like seven years ago, I did do it for me. But it is simply foolish, this day and age, to publish anything remotely resembling personal information on the internet. Its just going to come back to bite you in the end. So these days, I keep my private thoughts to the pages of my notebooks.

I didn't start this blog for me, I started it for my friends and family, who might want to keep up with me while I was off in Mexico. It was a well intentioned gesture, but as things got more dark, desperate and difficult in Mexico, my posts became increasingly vague, full of tails of outdoor adventures with Moxie at the center. As much as I would have liked for my loved ones to know what was really happening to me in Mexico, I could not post it here.

I still can't talk about what happened, but since I've been asked, I'll go ahead and share with you, "how I am doing" now that its all over.

In the words of Bruce Springsteen, it's like someone took a knife, edgy and dull, and cut six inch valley through the middle of my soul. Would that this was the only rift in my soul. It hurts every day. Images of places, voices of people, pictures of faces, that had infected my life for five years haunt me day and night. I take comfort in knowing that I held nothing back. I gave every ounce of myself. Given everything I know now, I'd do it all again, and hope for a different outcome. I think someone once told me that was the definition of crazy. A very smart man once told me, "What you give your attention to, grows in your life" the corrollary to which is, "What you ignore in your life, will eventually go away" So I don't spend much time thinking about the pain. I've thrown myself into my work, my family and my friends. Maybe someday that valley in my soul will have healed enough to let me look back in a constructive way, and make sense of this chapter in my life, or even revisit it.

Enough of this. Here is the lushious Sully. I'm waffling on the name again, I'm thinking maybe Vader (as in INvader). Sully just doesn't feel right. I keep coming back to Sushi, but Mom doesn't like it.

More pics of the new arrival

2007-07-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

Meet Sully, named for the lovable blue monster in the movie, Mosters Inc. As he is both lovable, and a monster.

He has completely stolen the hearts of everyone in this house, He bounds from lap to mischeif to lap to new adventure. He is full of purrs and cuddles. He is wonderful.

A Sad Farewell and a Warm Hello

2007-07-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

I received an upsetting comment on my last post, it seems my friend Oscar the Airedale has passed away suddenly. He was only just over one year old. Oscar was my first Dogs with Blogs pal. He was a wonderful dog, well loved, and well deserving of love. He will be deeply missed. Run free at the Rainbow Bridge, lovely Oscar the Airedale

Saturday afternoon, I welcomed into my home and my life, a new kitten.
He's a three month old Siamese, whose leg was amputated last Wednesday due to irreparable crushing injuries. He is very special, super affectionate and absolutely perfect for my family. He's adapting well to having just three legs. He walks, plays and washes himself with relative ease. He's pretty laid back generally, with spurts of playfulness. He will lay in my lap and purr for hours on end. At the moment he is playing with his catnip lobster.

He needs a very special name, as he is a very special kitten. Any input appreciated.

He's a bit difficult to photograph as he's a wiggle worm.

Borrowed Dog

2007-07-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

I'm pet sitting my boss' dog Bosley this weekend. He's a fabulous four year old Golden Retriever. What a sweetheart! He greets me at the door with a huge stuffed animal in his mouth and a wag in his tail. I took him for a walk today with Moxie and he got the hang of walking nicely on leash rather quickly. I could tell he doesn't get walked much. He pooped out after a mile while Moxie was still rarin to go! In fact a three mile bike ride/run, and a mile walk only took the edge off Moxie's energy. The dog is insane. Maybe my next dog will be a golden!

My boss wants me to get Boz evaluated as a therapy dog, but we need to learn some basics first. Sit, down, walk on lead, stay, and come. He has to know this solid to pass the test. Bosley has a rock solid temperment and he will pass that portion of the test with flying colors. So I'm embarking on a new adventure to train a borrowed dog.

I'm excited. This will be fun. I'm used to working with herding breeds so a Golden is a whole new ball game. Walking him to drain his energy won't take near as long for starters! Having a new dog to work should hone my skills as a trainer and maybe fill a void that having a second dog would fill. Since I can't have another dog for a while, this is the next best thing.

So my plan is, walk him daily, and two 15 minute training sessions a day to start. Lots of praise and positive rewards. Do I dare clicker? I don't think I will. We don't want competition obedience, just pet level obedience and he's quick to learn.

So pics of the handsome Mr. Boz tomorrow.

New Pics!

2007-07-24T22:22:00.001-07:00

I got some new pics from a coworker today of the party. I thought they were funny so I would share.

First Moxie, the party princess!

These pics are for mature audiences only, no puppy eyes, please.

This is Rio Bravo, AKA, Chester the Molester, having his way with every Big male dog that would stand still long enough.

His poor Mom spent the whole time hauling him off other dogs. She really needs to get him neutered.

Some of my friends from the UK and I were having a discussion recently about cropped ears. Here is a Dane with cropped ears, and one with natural ears. Also, the dobe in the above picture has cropped ears. In defense of the owners of both of those dogs, they were cropped before the current owner adopted them.

We didn't have training class tonight. I showed up, but no one else did. I'm sure I missed something, somewhere. I didn't go to the therapy visit this morning either because I was lazy. Moxie went to work with me, but she got stepped on twice and dropped once. So it wasn't a good day for Moxie. :(

The Pawty!

2007-07-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

Today was Moxie's 8th birthday party at the Dog Park!

Everydoggy, who was anydoggy, was there!

Moxie shared her very special day with Dallas the Great Dane. He turned 1 year old today!

Friends gathered.....

Love connections were made....

A good time was had by all!

Moxie was treated like a princess!

And got lots and lots of new toys!

Thanks everyone, for making my birthday pawsome!

Licks, Moxie

Moxie's Birthday Blowout Extraveganza!

2007-07-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

Come one come all to Moxie's 8th Birthday Party Extravaganza at Wiggly Field Dog Park, Denton Texas Sunday July 22nd at 2pm. Collect your party hats at the door!

Moxie's wounded paw

2007-07-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

Took Moxie to the lake on Sunday for a swim. The water was so high the park was closed and we actually swam in the parking lot. Moxie cut her foot on something, at some point. But she was having too much fun to notice so she didn't tell me her foot hurt until I got home and gave her a bath.

She basically "scalped" her toe pad, tore the tough outer pad part off leaving a sensitive bloody nub. Nothing that can be sutured or closed so we have it bandaged to heal. Hopefully it will heal quickly. Moxie is not amused by her bandage. She was really good about not chewing it. She left it alone all night, until I went to take my Mom to the car dealership this morning. I was gone 40 minutes and she had it off when I got back. Grrrr! So its on with the e-collar while I can't watch her.

We went ahead with her therapy visit at UBH this morning but decided against going to training. She got lots of sympathy pets and cuddles from the patients in the hospital, but I could tell she was sore at work, so we just went home and skipped training this week. Hopefully she will be better by Sunday. Sunday is her big birthday blowout party at the dogpark. Everyone, who is ANYONE will be there! Loads of pics to come!

2007-07-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

Well I tried to train today, but every time I got everything set up outside, the skies opened up. We got some weaves done, not much luck on our go on practice, it was thundering and she was distracted. I did find out, however, that Moxie will still chase a tennis ball during a thunderstorm, her obsession doth run deep.

So I went to Toy r us and picked up a child's play and crawl tunnel. I set it up in the living room and Moxie and I did a mini training session in left and right tunnels entrances. I would have gotten more meaningful work in, but the cats took an intense interest in the tunnel.

Moxie got tired of dodging cats and went on in pursuit of other interests.

Kobie, in particular, LOVED the tunnel. He spent well over an hour playing in the tunnel. I have never known him to play with anything that long. His assessment of the tunnel is as follows:

"This tunnel is a toy much too sophisticated for the canine tastes. The brilliance lies in the subtle detail...the velcro tassles, the mesh windows, the general rollyness, the swishy fabric. This is quite a versatile toy, one can play in it, on it, or under it, alone or with a friend! The tunnel also doubles as a secure snooze spot. In short, the tunnel is the best thing to hit this house since the advent of the cat tree. I give it four paws up!"

Moxie and I got some weave practice under the shelter of the porch. (please pardon my fat ass!)

Will it ever stop raining?

2007-07-07T18:43:00.001-07:00

We finally had a break from the rain today so we got some outdoor work in on jumps and weaves. Her weaves are pretty solid on all sides and she is even starting to anticipate the weaves and work away from me a bit. I still have the channels open about an inch. I don't think she's quite ready to have them closed all the way. I want her to be confident and solid so I want to set her up to succeed by not moving on until she is ready. We are working "go on" over jumps. She does well as long as I throw a ball for her. I am also setting up the jumps at varying distances and heights to help regulate her stride and jump style. We also did some single stride jumps to make her more aware of her hind end. I wish I had known to do these things when she was younger, but at least its never too late to train the right way! Weaves are a prime example.

The Karen Pryor Clicker + arrived yesterday and its super cool. It has five different sounds it makes in soft and loud modes. I was hoping that the sounds other than the click sounds might work for Moxie. Unfortunatly, Moxie saw the clicker in my hand and it was all over. She has developed a totally irrational fear of the clicker, and I'm not going to fight it at this point. She responds best to verbal praise anyway so if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

We went back to UBH for a therapy visit on Thursday night and things went well even if Moxie was a bit hyped up. After 16 straight days of rain, she hadn't had any real excercise in weeks and it showed. She got the chance to run and went nuts. It didn't help that I brought treats and she was hungry. So I've learned two things about this particular visit, I need to wear her out ahead of time, and I need to feed her so she isn't begging for food the whole time. On another note, I recognized one of the patients. We were hospitalized together last summer. It was awkward, but I don't think he recognized me which is good. It was a nice example of how far I have come in a year, and a reminder of how much further I have to go. I am not so far removed from the state hospital and my illness that I could not return someday. Though I hope not. I also hope this young man finds some peace himself. Though a far cry from the mental hospitals of yore, being institutionalized is no picnic, thats for sure. UBH, being a private hospital, is considerably nicer than the state hospital, but its still no place you want to be. Its lonely and frightening. I'm just glad I have the opportunity to give back now, and bring some warmth and love in doggy form to the patients at UBH.

I find myself living my days in anticipation of my next doggy event, therapy visit, training class or competition. I think I'm addicted. Well I got paid yesterday, so I can go get the things on my want list now! Yipee! Shopping!

Thurston the STUD MUFFIN!

2007-07-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

....mostly muffin ;)

Moxie the model

2007-07-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

Moxie modeling her new therapy dog cape.

So proud!

It's Here!

2007-06-30T20:35:00.000-07:00

All my stuff came in!

Moxie's jumps and weaves are PAWSOME! Easy to assemble, light weight, and came with decorative tape so they have been stylized! I set them up in the living room tonight and Moxie did fab! She is going to have incredible weaves in no time, now that we can practice every day.

Her new therapy dog cape came in and I have affixed her patches so we can go to our visit on Tuesday in style! The leash tab I ordered came in also, but isn't quite what I thought it would be, so I don't know if it will work for my purposes. The patients at the hospital tend to want to hang on to the very end of Moxie's leash where they don't have much control and Moxie isn't sure what they want. I was thinking a super short leash would do the trick, give the patients control and give moxie the freedom to move when they let go (through the tunnel and chute). I think I may have to make one myself.

The only total bomb of my recent shopping spree was the i-click. Obviously, this is not the clicker that I encoutered at agility class a few weeks ago, as Moxie had no reaction to that clicker, but completely shut down when I started using this one. She can't stand the sound of the clicker. She was shaking, hiding, running away, pretty much acting the same way she acts during a thunderstorm. I don't know why she hates the clicker so much. I've tried to introduce it to her three times and the same reaction each time. She just shuts down and acts like she is terrified. I don't get it.

I have ordered this as a last ditch effort. If it doesn't work out, I guess I have a whole mess of clickers available for the next ruffdogs charity auction.

One week to my next paycheck and I can get my last two wanted items. I just got a huge promotion and raise at work. I'm head of veterinary nursing now, with a dozen of so employees under my purview. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I have alot of added responsibility and pressure, but I think I can handle it. Plus more money equals more dog stuff, more dog shows, more dog classes, and some stuff for the cats too.

Pictures tomorrow!

What dog breed are you?

2007-06-27T16:59:00.000-07:00

discover your dog breed @ quiz meme

Meme

2007-06-23T19:17:00.000-07:00

I need to figure out how to join DWB's officially.

Anyway, here is Moxie's Meme

1. Your age? - 7 years and 11 months.

2. Your age when came to live with your people? - about one year old, give or take a few months.

3. What color is the collar you’re wearing right now? - Bright green with white and pink daisies.

4. Who is your favorite person other than the people you live with? - Um, everyone! Especially if they have cookies, or they pet me, or they might have cookies, or pet me.

5. How much do you weigh? - 28 pounds

6. Most expensive thing you’ve ever chewed up? I have never chewed up anything I wasn't supposed to. I'm a good dog.

7. Do you like other Dogs? - Yep, I am super sociable!

8. Who is your best non-human friend? - Derby, Aspen, Boomer, and Jally.

9. Squeaky Toys or Tennis Balls? - BOTH! I like the squeaky tennis balls.

10. Do you like to be brushed? - NO! I hate it. But mommy brushes me all the time.

11. Peanut Butter or Cheese? - Um, Cheese is easier to eat. But Peanut butter is good frozen.... I'm going to say, both, please!

12. Do your people cut your toenails? - Yes, all the ding dang time. I hate it.

13. Any formal education? - Yes, tons of obedience training, agility training, therapy dog training, and I've even trained to rescue people in the water!

14. Couch potato or Energizer Bunny? - I can go from 0 to 60 in no time flat!

15. Five nicknames your people call you - Muffin, Lambchop, Pumpkin (notice the food theme)Moxiemoos, Pupperdoodledog

16. What is your best trick? - Whisper.

17. Do you like kitties? - I am the personal guardian of a flock of cats. I take my job very seriously. I rule my cats with an iron paw! Mommy calls me the enforcer.

18. What did you have for breakfast? - Breakfast! I hardly remember. My mommy never feeds me! *send treats*

19. Can you hunt (aka have you ever killed anything living)? I killed a baby duck once when Mommy wasn't looking. I also tried to kill Mommy's love bird once. Oops.

20. When & why was the last time you went to the V.E.T.? - I go all the time. My mommy works there. I just got my boosters last week.

21. Where do you sleep at night? - On my bed, or on Mommy's bed, I go back and forth.

22. Do you like to swim? - I love water! I can swim for hours!

23. Can you make puppies? - No more puppies for me. I had puppies before mommy got me, but she fixed me and I've been puppy free every since!

24. Your favorite place to visit? - The lake.

25. Do you give kisses? - To anyone who asks!

26. Can you potty on command? - Yep, I respond to "go potty" and "hurry"

27. To Cuz or not to Cuz? - I don't have a cuz. Mommy, buy me a cuz!

Read on to find out what Mom's been up to!

Shopping Spree!

2007-06-23T17:59:00.000-07:00

Well I was having a good day. I went on a therapy visit this morning, then out to lunch with the ladies from the therapy pals group.

On the way home I got a call from Shawn, he made it safely to Boston, but did not take his cat, Hazelnut, with him like I thought he was going to. Hazelnut is Mocha's biological daughter. Shawn adopted her from me when she was a wee kitten. Hazel is family. Shawn left Hazel with his sister, who adores her, so its fine, except her room mates are allergic to Hazel so she is with Shawns parents now. Shawn's Mom loves Hazel, his Dad, not so much into cats. The future does not bode well for Hazel. There is absolutely no reason why he couldn't take her to Boston, so I'm slightly miffed about that, pets are for life.

But what hurts worse is when I posed the question of bringing Hazel into our home to my Mother, she exploded on me. This isn't just some Random cat off the street, this Hazelnut, this is Mocha's daughter, this is Tyler's sister. This cat is a huge part of my heart because she is so much of her Mother and Brother now both at the bridge. When she said (read screamed) no, it was like losing Mocha and Tyler all over again. I won't stand by and let that cat end up in the shelter. I can't stand the thought of it. I don't know what to do. This isn't my home, but I moved here to help my Mother. I didn't move here to be treated like a twelve year old. I'm thinking of finding a house or duplex here in town to move into. That way I'm nearby to help, but not living here. I can't believe she would really let Mocha's daughter, Tyler's sister, go to the pound.

This is Hazelnut, with Mocha. Hazel is about 6 months in this picture.

This is Mocha with Tyler the same day. (Also 6 months old) Can you see the family resemblence?

All of this on top of some really stressful news on the work front make for a weepy afternoon. I just want my Mocha back. Thats the long and short of it. :(

So to ease my pains, I went on an internet shopping spree. It started with the need to replace Moxie's therapy dog cape, which was lost in the Mexico fiasco.
I got her a red one. She was given a nice Therapy Pals patch and I'll get a new Delta Patch and get her all official again.

Her cape will look something like this. It's a medium.

I got this at Sitstay.com If you have never been to sitstay.com, I recommend a visit. I found everything to be quite affordable.

I also got a new travel crate for Moxie, because, you guessed it, Moxie's was lost in the Mexico fiasco. When I said I lost everything I owned, I meant it, and everything Moxie owned too, including some of her favorite toys. :(

Here is the crate. It was a great deal.

I also bought some of those coil wristband to hold a clicker, when I realized, I still don't have a clicker for Moxie, so I headed over the Clickertraining.com and bought a five pack of
Karen Pryor i-clicks.

So then, inspired by Boomers new weaves, I surfed onto Affordable Agility.com and dropped a load of money on some
jumps and weaves .

I had to stop there, but these things are still on my want list:

A forced air dryer

and a cordless dremel

I thought these were both reasonably priced. Will have to get them on my next pay check.

So do I feel better after my spending spree. Not really. But I think once I get all my goodies, the training time with Moxie will be very therapeutic. ;)

Therapy Dog Extraordinair

2007-06-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

One of the good things about living in the U.S. again is getting to do all these things with Moxie that we used to do. One of those being Animal Assisted Therapy, where we go into therapeutic settings, hospitals, nursing homes, juvenile prisons, etc and work together with the therapists, using Moxie to further some therapeutic goal.

I've done this with Moxie since she was 2 years old, and she was born for it. She intuitively KNOWS when to be bouncy happy Moxie, and when to be soft, sweet cuddly Moxie. She is the consumate Therapy Dog.

Well Moxie and I had to get recertified but we finished that process and went on our first visit with Therapy Pals tonight to University Behavioral Health, a Mental Health Hospital. We spent an hour with a group of adolescents, and the second hour with a group of adult patients. Moxie was an absolute star! We got there first and spent about fifteen minutes with the kids Moxie went up to the girls, rolled over on her back, snuggled up in their laps and gave kisses on command. When the boys came in, Moxie got to show off all her tricks. Some of the boys "taught" her new tricks (with me standing behind them giving her hand signals) and were pleased as punch with themselves and all smiles. I had some treats for the kids to give her and one of the boys actually asked me, "Don't you ever feed her? She's STARVING!" Moxie is awfully convincing with her poor starving and attention deprived puppy dog routine.

The whole group was in the gym and the rest of the "Therapy Pals" team arrived. Amy, a 4 year old Golden Retriever, Sam, a two year old Yorkie, Cosmo, a six year old Havanese, and Dale, a ten year old Boxer Mix. We set up an obstacle course; some cones to weave through, a tunnel, a chute (soft tunnel), several jumps and a tire. We introduced the dog and talked a bit about dog training, about having a positive attitude, communicating effectively, teamwork, etc. Then we had the kids run the dogs through the course. Well they had a blast, dogs and kids both. The therapists were on site to make the connection with the kids between what they were doing and how it applies in their lives. We got some great feedback from the therapists about some of the kids in particular. They had had a really rough day, but seemed to really relax and open up during the session. I was so pleased with Moxie. We both had a great time.

The next hour we worked with adult patients, we did the same thing and added in some obedience work. We did sit stays and down stays and had the patients try to distract them and get them to break their stays. They really enjoyed it, lots of laughter and joking and fun. One lady came up to me afterwards and said this was the highlight of her week. Moxie was the favorite of some of the athletic young men who loved to run with her through the course. One lady was a little shy of dogs, so moxie laid down about four feet away and belly crawled every so slowly closer and closer, stopping periodically and flopping onto her back to show the lady how nice she way. At the end, the women was laying next to Moxie on the floor, loving all over her. Everyone participated in the activity, even the patients with mobility issues had a turn.

I thinks its the rare dog indeed that can combine something as exciting and high energy as agility with something that requires the self control and awareness that therapy work requires. All the dogs in this group had that rare ability and we were all more than happy to share them with these people during a difficult time in their lives. It was a very fulfilling evening for both me and Moxie. I can't wait to go back in two weeks.

Mourning

2007-06-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

I got Mocha's ashes back today from the pet crematorium.

I cried.

I've cried every single day for the past week, since Mocha first got sick. I'm starting to get that sick, hungover feeling you get after you've spent yourself crying. I just miss her so much. Every time I think about her, which is all the time, I just ache with her loss. Everything reminds me of her. I hope that the pain starts to fade soon.

Kobie is also in mourning. He is very depressed, poor lad, he spends all day up in his cat tree. When I come home he is stuck to me like glue. Thurston seems a bit confused by everything, but is taking it all in stride. Moxie was more bothered by her run in with a baby kangaroo than with Mocha's death. After all, in the beginning there was Mocha and Moxie. They were rivals for my affection every day of their lives with me. No wonder Moxie doesn't seem to miss her. She is upset that I cry at night. Its always bothered her when I cry.

I know that I am not alone in my grief tonight. Big cyber hugs to my friends, Kim and Marie, who are also mourning the loss of their beloved pets. May we all take some small comfort from our mutual understanding. Run Free Clark, Daisy and Mocha. Wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge.

Tribute Video

2007-06-16T21:12:00.000-07:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Rest in peace dear Mocha

2007-06-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

Mocha took a turn for the worse in the night. She struggled all afternoon but her blood sugar was dropping hourly. When she began to seizure again, I knew it was time to let her go.

Run Free at the Rainbow Bridge my dear Mo kitty. You were the sweetest cat I've ever known. I could always count on you for a love and a cuddle anytime I was feeling low. I loved the way you wrapped your arms around my neck, nuzzled up under my chin or in my hair, and purred and kneeded and snuggled for hours. You were always such a love. You would have preferred to be an only child, but you begrudgingly shared me with Moxie and the others for eight years. You were a green eyed stunner, looking up at me with wonder. It saddened me the most at the end, when you couldn't see at all. I hope that you can see me now, from the bridge, and know how much I love you. You were always such a lady. Too prim and proper to join in the with boys rabble rousing and rough housing antics. You did have your guilty pleasures; your cat tracker, your ten cent mouse, your starlight mints in the cellophane wrappers. I have so many fond and fun memories of you my Moki, I know I will never run out of them. I have cherished these last few nights together, cuddling close in the wee morning hours. I hated having to poke you with all those needles. I wanted so badly for you to get well. Thank you for holding on for me, thank you for letting me down easy. I got a second chance to say goodbye. I will never forget you Moki-moo. I love you baby!

Wait for me on the other side.

Cuddling with Grandma last night.

Napping with her daughter, Hazelnut, circa 2000.

Gorgeous green eyes!

Close up!

With her buddy, Kobie.

Kisses.

Loving.

Taking care of Moxie

Pretty Girl

With Mommy.

Together with her son Tyler at the Rainbow Bridge

Rest in Peace my love

Mocha

2007-06-14T21:00:00.001-07:00

Tuesday about noon I got a phone call at work from my Mom. She said I had to come home right away, Mocha was sick. I arrived home to find my nine year old tabby cat unconscious on the floor. Her breathing was ragged, her pulse thready, I rushed her back to the clinic where my coworkers stood by to save her. By the time I reached the clinic Mocha was near death, but the vets and techs worked quickly to save her. I was completely beside myself and of no help whatsoever. With the medications the doctors administered Mocha came out of her coma and began having cluster seizures. Her body temperature was dangerously low as was her blood sugar. When I transfered her to the Emergency clinic that night she was completely unresponsive, and the prognosis was grave. It was a long night. Mocha is a little fighter though. She made it through the night and was able to roll over and hold her head up by morning. She was stone deaf, blind and severely neurologically impaired as a result of her brain being deprived of oxygen for such a long period. The doctors all agree that the damage is probably reversible, and I need to give her time.

She improved steadily all day yesterday. Her body temperature returned to normal and she was able to swallow on her own so we began syringe feeding her. Her blood sugar levels were all over the place though, and she was still having seizures. My vets were optimistic that she would pull through. Back at the E-vets the doctors painted a darker picture and I cried all the way home. However, this morning, Mocha could hear me and was responding to my name. She has improved drastically from this morning to this evening and her blood sugar is still low but has leveled out at just below normal. I was able to take her home with me tonight on a dextrose drip. She is still blind. She isn't really sure where her paws are. She can't quite get the lick-swallow thing down so she can't eat without help. But she KNOWS she is at home. She lit up when I set her down in the living room. She spent most of the evening sitting in my lap watching TV, just like a normal night.

She still has a long way to go, but for a cat that was dead two days ago, she is looking pretty darn good. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for her and us, your thoughts and prayers have really helped. Keep thinking of Mocha as she continues down her road to recovery. Moxie has volunteered to be Mocha's seeing eye cat until her sight returns. Kobie had missed her but is very unsettled by the Mocha I brought home this evening. He won't go near her. Thurston is curious about it all. I am very tired, but very happy to have my baby home with me again. I will never take another moment with my fur kids for granted. Mocha can steal my french fries, sit in my lap and kneed her paws on my neck anytime she wants and she'll hear no complaints from me. I'm just happy to have my Mokiki back.

I will keep you all posted on her progress.

Work pics!

2007-06-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share some pics of the gang at work.

Parker opens a special delivery "Mox Box"

The girls in reception get down with Moxie

The staff works together on a kangaroo with a tail abscess

I got the best part, holding the Joey!

Doctor J busts a move in treatment. Its a very fun place to work!

Its been a busy day off for me. After the photoshoot at the clinic, Moxie and I went to the dog park and played for a while. Then we went and toured the doggy day care facility. Its very nice and I affordable. I think I will start bringing Moxie in once a week or so, and I will use them when I get my puppy. After that we went to Petco and bought cat food and litter. Back at home I did some light cleaning then sat down to sort out my photos from today. Moxie and I have agility tonight at 7 after which I will hopefully, finish cleaning the house.

Maybe I'll get some good pics tonight at class.

UPDATE: Class went really well. We got about 30 minutes of practice in before class so she was just tired enough for me to keep up with her on the courses. Our last run was clean and fast. I am very pleased with her progress. I am going to give Moxie a previcox tonight though, as a preventative. She did an awful lot of running today.

Tonight at class, one lady had this whisper quiet clicker. I borrowed it and used it with Moxie and she didn't react (negatively) like she always does with clickers. I'm so excited! I think I am going to order a few of these and retrain Moxie to the clicker now. I never could use one before because she hated the sound. I'm at a point in training her that I need to be more discerning about marking her behaviors and I need to use fewer treats. I think using the clicker now will really take us to the next level. So, off to order a Karen Pryor clicker.

Dog is Love

2007-06-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

I sucked it up and went to Rally class last night with Moxie, even though I wasn't feeling well, and I'm so glad I did because my old dear friend Kathy was there with Moxie's pal Jally! I was thrilled to see Kathy. Moxie was less thrilled to see Jally. She's much more interested in other people than other dogs. They played for a while though and Moxie showed off a little for her.

We worked on the Send dog out over jump returns to heel owner runs by. We have a little work to do with this because I have to teach Moxie to differentiate between an agility jump and an obedience jump which will be difficult. I would rather lose ground in agility than obedience because Moxie was and is primarily an obedience dog. She is good at agility, she's fast, but she's not controlled. She (and I) really need to hone our skills and we just don't get enough agility practice to ever be really good at it. Hopefully this summer I can join TWANG (Texas Working Agility Novice Group) and get some more practice time in. I guess at the end of the day, I really need to teach both, because I will want the puppy to do both also.

There is a new doggy day care open now in Denton that I will be checking out tomorrow. I talked to them today on the phone for a long time. I'm hoping it will be a suitable place to stash the pup on my long work days. I'm hoping for quality stimulation and socialization. I may have Moxie do a test run and see how she likes it. I think she would be more upset about me leaving her someplace strange, but then thats my perception of a human emotion that Moxie my child might have. Moxie my dog may have other plans entirely. I'll just have to try it to see. You know I've never left her with strangers before, ever. I think if I start with the puppy young, he will be a more well rounded, better socialized dog for it. I don't want a dog with issues. I will do everything in my power to avoid that. I want to do everything right with this one. No mistakes. Thats alot of pressure. Raising dogs really is like raising kids, especially for someone who will never have kids.

In other news, we are treating a mother Kangaroo and her Joey for an infection at the clinic. She is staying there all week. I am taking my camera up for pictures tomorrow. The Mom looks like a deer almost. The Joey is SOOOOO cute its unreal. I've been tossing around the name Joey for my puppy, since he is a baby roo!

Well I've rambled on long enough. Let me just end this by saying, I WUV MY MOXIE!

The Comeback Kid

2007-06-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

Its been a year this month since Moxie's accident. I was just sitting here with her tonight, marveling over just how strong she is, and how much ground she has covered in twelve months. I have a lot I could learn from this little grey dog.

I made this little montage in tribute to Moxie, my comeback kid!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Names

2007-05-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

I've settled on two names. They could always change of course but I like them both and they kind of stick to the theme I started with "Moxie".

For a girl, Kharma.
For a boy, Savvy.

What do you think?

Or I really like Zen, it meets the short name common a working sheepdog in England. As does Cam, which was my first choice.
Then there is Rooqui (rookie) Made up of dads name Roo and mums name Quiche.
Or Te Quiero, same concept but spanish for I love you. Of course I would call him Te (tay) for short.....

Oh I don't know! GAH! This is hard.

Tagged!

2007-05-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

Hiya pups! My friend BadPanda and her super survivor pup Oso tagged me.

Here are the rules:

Each player starts with seven random facts about themselves. Dogs who are tagged, need to post in their Diary the rules & their 7 pawsome facts. Then choose 7 dogs to tag and list their names.

Here are 7 fun facts about me! Introducing, Moxie!
1. My favorite toy is my ducky. I've had him since the very first day my Mom brought me home from the shelter
2. I hate it when the cats play with the laser pointer.
3. I love going to the mailbox. Somehow going out the front of the house is a whole different outside than the outside thats out the back door.
4. I still have buckshot in my back leg.
5. I am a shameless begger at mealtimes.
6. Sometimes I tell people my mommy hasn't fed me, even when she has.
7. I will do ANYTHING for ice cream.

Pass on the fun...
Love,
Moxie

I choose:
1) Brutus and Rufus
2) Marley
3) Morph
4) Derby
5) Boomer
6) The Poi dogs
7) Cara

Crufts

2007-05-28T20:16:00.000-07:00

Crufts 2008 is March 6th - 9th. If all things go to plan and the stars align properly, that weekend will coincide with my new puppies 8th week of life. What does that mean?

I may be in England for Crufts! How cool would that be. Could I be so lucky? Fingers crossed all around!

More Puppy talk

2007-05-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

Just came across this tonight. A webpage dedicated to my puppies sire, Roo.
Weircourt Truly Un Roo Lee

Looks like it hasn't been updated in a bit. There are a few fab videos of him running agility. He has a knock out pedigree. I was already sold on this breeding but now I'm even more excited.

I've decided my puppy will be called Karma, if its a girl, and Cam, if its a boy.

Its going to be a LONG six months.

Is it possible to be over prepared?

2007-05-25T21:25:00.000-07:00

I've found out the requirements for importing a dog from the UK to the US today. No rabies vaccine required as the U.K. is a rabies free country! This is excellent news it means I can collect my puppy at 8 weeks of age. Otherwise I would have to wait until he was 16 weeks (30 days post vaccination date at 12 weeks). I want to spend every moment possible with my puppy and really bring him up right.

I found an airlines, Lufthansa, that flies non-stop from DFW to London and will allow me to carry an animal less than 8 kilos in the cabin with me. I wouldn't do this if I had to ship the dog below as cargo. I plan to make my plane reservation as soon as the pregnancy is confirmed. I'm hoping to make the reservations at least three months prior to departure date to get a better price. I'm looking at a little over $1000 for the round trip ticket, another $100 for the puppies return ticket. I'll also need to pay for ground transport in England, Lodging and food while I'm there. And stuff for the puppy I'm sure. Probably a vet visit, food, etc. I'm going to buy the travel kennel and ship it to the breeder ahead of my arrival so she can start getting him used to being in it and quiet. I also want to spend a few days bonding with my puppy before the trip. I want to eliminate as many possible stressors as I can. So being familiar with the crate and with me should help him remain calm on what must be a very strange experience for a dog, an airplane ride.

So these are the things I want to have paid for before I collect my pup:

The puppy itself
The trip to England (flight, transportation, lodging, food, extras)
A travel crate
One of those warming toys with the heartbeat sound the keep the puppy calm in the crate.
A soft pad and several absorbant pads for the trip.
A crate for home.
Bowls
Food
Toys/chews
Leash/Collar
A puppy pack at my vet (Inlcudes all puppy vaccines, wormings, exams, flea/heartworm prevention/ and spay/neuter)
$1000 in an emergency account.

Anything I'm forgetting?

Puppy Update!

2007-05-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

It official! Im third on the waiting list so Im pretty much guaranteed a puppy as long as the breeding takes. The pups should be on the ground by January 2008. Merry Christmas to me, Im going to England to pick up my puppy!

Dogs make life worth living.

2007-05-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

Moxie and I went to Rally class last night. It was fabulous! I can't wait to start competing again.

Here is our run.

She heels like a hurricane. She is so focussed and snappy. I love it! She's a fabulous little dog. I'm so proud of her.

I'm going to skip agility on Thursday night to attend the GTDOG business meeting so I can join up again. The club has really changed since I've been there last. I look forward to taking part again.

I'm in communication with a women in the UK with two fabulous BC's whose careers I've been following for the past few years. She is planning a litter and I mean to have one of the pups. I have a puppy fund in the works.

This is Quiche the Dam, she is two years old this month.

Roo, the gorgeous sire

Mom and Dad together

A video of Roo

Both of these dogs are amazing. They are everything I want in a border collie. I'm going to put my deposite down soon. Hopefully I can save enought to fly to England to pick up the pup and fly back with it.

Moxie - Back in action!

2007-05-18T19:49:00.001-07:00

Moxie and I started taking classes again this week. On Sunday night we went to an agility class. I was unsure of how we would do as its been more than two years since we have been active in agility. Moxie was spot on, though. She ran courses like she had been doing agility every day her entire life. I was far more rusty than she was. Encouraged by our success on Sunday, we made plans to go to a more advanced class on Thursday night.

Tuesday night Moxie and I went back to GTDOG, the obedience club we belonged to and trained with many years ago when I lived in Denton. We dropped in on a Rally class and Moxie was a little star! This was the first time we have even attempted some of the more advanced obedience commands in many years also, but Moxie fetched them from her memory banks and performed each task flawlessly! Next week we are running a full Rally course. I will try to get someone to video our run, so I can show you what a fabulous obedience dog she really is.

Last night we hit that more advanced class in Agility and had a blast. Moxie was very excited and charged up. She is super fast and I am super slow which causes problems for me handling her (she has no problems completeing the obstacles). So we will start working on some distance work to see if we can improve our course times and get some clean, tight runs. I like this class so I think I will stick with it. I may pick up another class if I can find one.

Here is some video from last night. Not clean runs, but deffinately fast. Look at Moxie's tail, it never stops wagging!

This is a jumpers course. Both dropped bars were my fault, handler error. Shes just so fast and I have to be faster. I'm jumping her at a low jump height, just 12 inches, because she is coming off that injury, and she is older, and its been a while since we have trained. I may work up to 16 inch jump heights, but I won't ever run her at full height again. I'm going to put her health over what the agility clubs say she should be jumping.

This is a standard course. Would have been fabulous except she kept anticipating the five second pause table, and we kept having to go back and do it again and again until she held her down for five seconds. We missed the entrance to the weaves, but that was my fault too.