the foster has been adopted!

Yea! The foster I wrote about earlier, the one who was mistreated, has been adopted by a wonderful family with lots of GSD experience. She's going to be so happy there. It wasn't as hard to let her go as I thought it would be, probably because I had been preparing myself for a week. The house is alot quieter without her and my pack has relaxed again without her rambunctious self running around getting into trouble. It really is a wonderful experience to help a dog and see them go to a fabulous, loving home when they've been treated so badly.
So, now it's rest time for my pack and then on to another foster in need. The flood never ends and won't until people take responsibility and spay/neuter their pets. Unless you are a show quality breeder, stop breeding your dogs until the millions being put to sleep every year are in homes. When we don't have to euthanize unwanted pets, then we will be a thoughtful, caring society. Now, all people care about are themselves. It's infuriating.

Paws to Save Pets

PAWS TO SAVE PETS
http://us.merial.com/pawstosavepets/home.asp

This is a consortium between Merial (the people who make Frontline and Heartgard) and Petfinder to help lost pets. It's a wonderful program. Please support it.

new rescued dog update

The dog we took in a few weeks ago that I posted about earlier...the one who broke INTO my fence....has now been spayed. The vet said she was not pregnant so that's a blessing. She's also, thankfully and blessedly, heartworm negative. She is now updated on her shots, and her personality is beginning to show. She's sweet, super inquisitive, playful, and a velcro dog. The velcro dog part is likely due to her mistreatment so that now she's seeking protection and recognizes me as alpha of this pack and, therefore, her protector. She's learning to be a good dog and smart enough to get it pretty well. Her only drawback is that she'll counter surf. The danged dog ate half a wheel of brie! I left it on the table, stepped out of the room, and came back to the whole thing in her mouth. Fortunately, I was able to get her to drop it before she swallowed and made herself sick. I am the idiot who left brie on the table, but none of my dogs would ever touch it. They know better. Oh, well, she's learning and will make someone a great dog once she realizes that not everyone is going to hit her I shook paper at her to get her attention, without thinking that it would scare her, and she crouched down to the floor, braced for a blow. Stupid idiot previous owners must've hit her with newspapers or something. I hate people.

veterinary dermatologist helped

We've had our visit with the veterinary dermatologist. My poor baby has multiple instances of both bacterial and fungal infections, caused by the excessive licking/biting/scratching which is induced by allergies. We have to clear up all of the infections first before we can really do anything about the allergies. However, the doctor prescribed hydroxyzine 3x daily at 50 mg/dose to control the allergies for now. She's also taking antibiotics, antifungals, and ear drops plus a 1x weekly bath in two different medicated shampoos and an ear cleanser. She actually seems to be feeling better in just two days of medication and, especially, after the bath. Somehow my regular vet never even checked for the infections, even though I've taken her several times, and just kept giving her prednisone. The prednisone has caused her skin to be very thin and wrinkly and her hair to become very thin/sparse/dull/dry and just plain awful. I didn't know that was a side effect of prednisone until the vet derm told me. Great, thanks regular vet for being incompetent. My regular vet also did check for the dermatitis that is present in the webs of her feet or tell me how the bronzing in her fur is a sign of dermatitis. So many things the vet derm showed me seemed obvious once I knew what I was looking at and for. Shouldn't a trained vet know these things? Perhaps, perhaps not as a vet is basically a general practioner. Women go to specialists just for the annual gyne visit so why do we expect a general vet to be a specialist in everything. We can't. However, my regular vet also did not recommend the vet dermatologist. By chance, I found out that these specialists exist (also for cardiac, internist, etc) and happened to find one somewhat near. I'm so glad I did! Atleast now someone can help me figure out what is wrong with her and try to fix or manage it. They sent a blood sample to a lab for allergen testing. We can only hope something will pop that we can begin to manage with allergy injections. Otherwise, she'll have to have a whole panel of skin allergen testing, which is awful. One other possibility in this is hypothyroidism, but the tests for that are expensive and difficult so we're trying the allergen test first, but, also, the vet derm thinks it's allergies rather than her thyroid based on the symptoms and clinical presentation.
If your dog has very itchy skin, I highly recommend taking him to a vet dermatologist. It's not cheap, but it's worth it if the dog's issues can be managed and they aren't chewing themselves raw. Many people have suggested a food allergy, but she's been eating fish and potatoes vet food for 4 months with no change. That's not to say that she doesn't have a food allergy, she might, but that's not the only allergy she has if so.
We'll be going back to see the vet derm in a few weeks to see how she's progressing with the current therapy and to discuss the results of the allergen test. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

PS Of course, just today, I stumbled on this website
http://animal.discovery.com/guides/healthcenter/dogs/diseases/testing.html
that talks all about the allergy testing, etc. Would've been nice to find this a few months ago.

In New Hampshire, they adopt dogs out of shelters within a couple of weeks

How is it that dogs in New Hampshire are adopted out of a shelter within a couple of weeks yet down here in the south, they are being put to sleep at hundreds per shelter per month? Being an educated southerner, I do not believe southerners are dumber than northerners, as in unable to learn. I do think southerners are much more stubborn, though, which may be why these idiots refuse to spay/neuter their animals. I have always believed that education is the key to fighting ignorance (ha, antonyms), prejudice, injustice, and general lack of caring for others. How do you educate a region of people? I post on this blog to help, but only a few people will ever see this. I plan to hang flyers at pet stores, but, again, how many people actually shop in pet stores versus the number of backwater idiots that think they should breed Ole Sam to the neighborhood bitch to sell the pups. Not many. I see all of these adds in the local paper for puppies and it makes me sick. Most of those dogs will end up in a shelter, or worse, and put to sleep. The few lucky ones will be placed through rescue or adopted from the shelter, but not many. This dog that we rescued this weekend (see previous post) is a prime example. She is papered and 5 generation pedigreed, beautiful, and is now in rescue because the breeder is an idiot and sold her to someone who had way too many dogs who then gave her to my stupid neighbors. I have never wanted "big government" or the government interfering in my personal business BUT something must be done. I am coming to believe that all breeders who want to sell pups must be licensed. If you advertise to sell pups, you must give your valid license number. Otherwise, you should be fined and arrested. I am beginning to get behind the mandatory spay/neuter simply because so many people are so irresponsible. Back to New Hampshire, from what I understand, all dogs must be licensed and the fee is much higher for intact dogs than for spayed/neutered dogs. That makes sense to me and seems like a good way, but I can't imagine Joe Redneck is going to go license his hunting dog, who will knock up a number of females in his life and sire a hundred pups who will be put to sleep. How would you police this licensing? Perhaps the local animal authorities should visit up there to see how they do it. It must be working if dogs are not being put to sleep and are being adopted within a couple of weeks. Something must be done and I am sick of the lawmakers making laws for noise ordinances rather than preventing all of these unwanted and uncared for animals.

rescued another dog today

It seems that mistreated/abandoned dogs just fall into your lap sometimes. Or rather they find a way INTO your fence and won't leave. You send them home and they come back again. I have neighbors who had a papered, registered, beautiful German Shepherd Dog. When they first got her, given to them by people who had too many dogs and had already made her very timid, she was ok but very shy. Throughout the summer, she repeatedly escaped their fence, which they couldn't seem to fix, and started coming to my yard to visit with my dogs. She was initially a house dog until they decided there was too much dog hair so they put her in the yard, alone. Over the course of the summer, I repeatedly tried to advise them and help them to be better dog owners, to no avail. Considering I have 4 dogs plus 1 foster, I know a good bit about keeping down the dog hair and such. They wouldn't listen. They wouldn't get her spayed and didn't keep her inside so she may be pregnant with mongrel puppies that can't be placed. I offered to take her to the vet and pick her up if they would just pay, nothing doing. They didn't get her shots updated, only the state-law-required rabies shot. The catalyst this weekend that prompted me to nearly steal her from them was he told my husband that he had hit her so hard that he hurt himself. It was all my husband could do to not shoot that man, I think. We discussed it and decided we would take her, pay for her medical care, and foster her until a rescue could place her. We planned to go over and speak with them on Sunday. Low and behold early Sunday morning, she was trying to push her way under our fence. She was so scared that she fear-snapped at my husband when he reached for her. I got a bag of Snausages and lured her into the garage. After feeding her nearly the whole bag, we were able to get near enough to remove the choke chain the idiots left on 24/7 and put a regular collar on her. We're walking her on leash since she knows how to escape a fence. So far she's doing great. The hours that she spent in our garage before I went over with a release form for them to sign, they had no idea where she was and didn't really care. They didn't so much as walk over and ask if we'd seen her. I don't understand why they even took her when they obviously didn't want a dog. Stupid!
We'll be taking her to the vet and to the spay clinic in the next week or so. Then she'll be ready for a forever home where people will not hit her or hurt her but give loads of love and care. I now have so little respect for my neighbors that I can barely stand the sight of them. That old school idea of beating an animal into submission infuriates me. The poor dog will do anything I ask and is not stupid but you can't expect her to understand what you want if you don't show her. Hitting her only makes her scared to be near you. Somehow, the poor thing knew we'd take care of her. She actually wags her tail when I go down to get her our of her kennel. It will be a challenge to care for two foster dogs on top of our dogs, but what else could we do?
If you know of anyone who is abusing an animal, offer to take or buy the animal and then contact a rescue group to help get them placed into a loving home. You can contact the authorities and report them for animal cruelty, but it's a hard thing to prove and they will take the dog as "evidence". Not a good thing for a dog to be.

Death sucks

I've just found out that one of my graduate school professors passed away this morning. How horrible. He was not an old man, but he became very ill with cancer and passed away a year after diagnosis. He was, indeed, an utterly brilliant man who, I can only hope, will be remembered well. During school, students were afraid of him because he was so intelligent and could make you feel like a complete idiot without even meaning to do so. I found, after gathering my courage one day and just reckoning that I was an idiot compared to him, that he was extremely helpful and nice. Most of his scientific research is so far over my head that it might as well be in another universe, but I know that he will be remembered as brilliant and I am certain he made a large contribution to the scientific community. With 85 publications listed on his CV along with 2 patents, he will be remembered. But, I wonder, will they remember that he was a devout Jew who truly practiced his religion? Will they remember that he could ask a graduate student a question during a graduate seminar that could make or break them and that should only be answered with a "yes" or "no"? Will they remember that he was a zippy dresser who wore the best fedoras? Or that although he may not approve of your actions, he would only gently, if at all, say so. Maybe some will, I know I will. We will miss you Dr. Netzel.

Veterinary Specialist

Until just very recently, I was unaware that veterinary specialists existed, specifically veterinary dermatologists. As I've previously posted, my golden retriever has terrible skin allergies. I have found a veterinary dermatologist who is a professor at Auburn University, College of Veterinary Medicine, but who also has a practice with other specialists here in Birmingham. He will examine your dog, and I very much hope, find out what in the world is causing her terrible skin issues. Getting an appointment with him isn't easy and mine is 5 weeks away, but I am so happy just to find him and have some hope that we can fix or atleast help my dog's allergies. There are, apparently, also veterinarians for opthalmology, gastro, cardiac, etc. Now, why didn't my regular vet recommend him when I first went in with my dog and her issues? That I can not answer because I found out my vet knows the vet derm guy and the girl at his office is the one who told me about the vet derm practice in town so I wouldn't have to drive to Auburn. I guess my vet thought I should just keep my dog on prednisone forever. That I will not do. It changes her personality, makes her fight over food and generally not act like a golden retriever. I've also noticed an increased respiratory rate, which can't be a good sign though I haven't found it listed as a side effect. No, she won't remain on prednisone unless it is the ONLY option. First, she will be allergy tested so we can see what we may be able to do to help her. That makes much more sense!

following Microsoft's instructions actually worked

I have a Windows Vista machine with Office 2007 installed. Oddly, in PowerPoint, I can click an email icon and directly email the open file, without having to make it an attachment, but I can not do this in Word or Excel. Or rather, I couldn't. The icon was there but nothing happened when I clicked on it. I, bravely, followed Microsoft's instructions to edit the registry keys. Scary thing to do, but I figured if I was careful, I could revert it back. Plus, I have a complete system backup on DVD. After following the instructions and rebooting, the email icon works in both Word and Excel. Woohoo!

Finally got the allergies figured out--sort of

My little girl now seems to be on a good regimen to ease her allergy symptoms. As posted earlier, prednisone changed her personality. We tried hydroxazine, better known as Atarax, with increasing doses until we got it right. Now, along with a super high quality vet-prescribed diet, she is doing pretty well. She still has a few itchies, but nothing like before. She is ~45 lbs and take 35 mg of Atarax twice a day. Atarax is a anti-histamine, like Benadryl but better, that also has some anxiety reducing properties. It has very few side effects and nothing like prednisone has...no liver failure possibilities and such. Next year, now that we have something that works, we will start Atarax much earlier, pre-allergy season, so she doesn't get to the point of scratching herself raw. Crossing the fingers and toes that this works!

UPDATE: She had another flare up that caused her to bite and scratch several sores on her back in one night. She is going to a specialist, see other post.

What is wrong with people?

What is wrong with people and with our world when defenseless dogs are tied to a tree and left to starve? Dogs threw their towel in our ring thousands of years ago. They've aided us in the hunt, in protecting our homes and families, in companionship and how do we repay that undying loyalty? People tie the dog to a tree so it can't get away and then leave it to starve. Those kind of people have no place in a civilized society and should be removed. Send them to the moon, a deserted island, or shoot them, I don't care, but don't let them have animals ever again. Better yet, treat them as they treated these animals. The strong in this world are charged with the responsibility to care for and aid those weaker than us. This includes children, elderly, and animals...even adults that are unable to care for themselves. What kind of monster hurts and tries to destroy those weaker than themselves? There is a blackness, a hole, in those kinds of people that no amount of "therapy" or "rehabilitation" will fill or cure.
In working with a dog rescue group, you see all sorts of terrible human behavior. The worst part is we can't even file charges against the person because the authorities will take the dog as "evidence". For the dog's sake, especially after it has been through such tragedy, we must try to find it a new, better home and can only wish ill on the terrible person who hurt it. I hope that person rots in hell.

Medicine, prednisone, side effects, and dog personalities

Earlier in the year, I posted about giving my dog Prednisone to control her itching. While I still believe that medication can be worth the risk, I am no longer giving my dog this particular medication unless there is no other choice. We are currently undergoing a food trial by feeding her only hypoallergenic food made of fish and potatoes. She only gets fish treats. We started a round of prednisone at a high dose to stop the itching and allow the wounds to heal and the antibiotic to heal the small infection that was starting on her skin. The plan was to taper off the predinisone dose over a month while feeding this special food, continue with the special food, and see how she does. Oh, and a note, I also applied K9 Advantix to prevent fleas, ticks, and mosquito bites because I know my backyard has mosquitoes (in the south in the summer, always mosquitoes). After tapering down to one 5 mg pill a day, she is itching, scratching, licking again. It's been 3 weeks on the special food so I'll give it a few more (even though that stuff is expensive) to give time for any allergens to be completely expelled from her body. However, at this point, I just don't know what to do or what the problem could be. My vet tries very hard to help but I think he is a bit stumped, too. I am afraid it is non-specific inhalant allergies, but the vet says she should be licking her paws and rubbing her face, which she does not. The poor little dog is miserable, her licking and scratching drives me NUTS, and I'm afraid it's getting worse. I know her skin is dry and I bathe her in special shampoo, but that doesn't seem to help. Anyone with any inspiration????
Anyway, the point of this post was that my sweet little golden retriever mix has become a different dog. She has always been afraid that she wouldn't have enough to eat due to her early life as a stray. Now she steals food from her doggie siblings, causes fights with her doggie brother over food, and is generally a pain in the butt about food. She's generally very submissive, definitely the omega of the pack, but is now fighting for her chewy bone. In general, she follows my commands and does as I ask, but lately, especially if food is involved, she completely ignores me. I know all of this is due to the medication. I am just waiting for the day that the prednisone is out of her system and she is back to being my sweet little girl again. Anyone giving their dog prednisone should be aware that it is a steroid and will change a dog's personality. It makes them more intense and can cause them to fight. A dog on this medication should not be left alone with other dogs, especially if food is involved.
If we ever figure out what the cause of the scratching and itching is, I'll post it.

Siberian Huskies

As I have mentioned, I work in dog rescue. I happen to work with Golden Retriever and German Shepherd rescues, but my favorite dog breed is Siberian Husky. I have a Siberian who is, hands down, the smartest dog who ever lived. She has logic and reason beyond anything I've ever seen another dog do. When I tell people the things she does, they don't believe me. For example, if another dog has a toy that my Siberian wants, she doesn't try to take it from them because she knows the alpha (me) does not allow that. So she will go get another toy and make it seem like the most interesting, best toy in the world. When the other dog comes to investigate this new, interesting toy, my Siberian goes and takes the toy the other dog has now left. See the reasoning? She also recognizes that a phone call often means someone is about to arrive. When I was in school, my mom would keep her in the evenings. I would call when I was on my way to get her. When the phone rang, she would go sit by the door because she knew that meant I would be there soon. Is that conditioning? Yes and no. Yes, the phone would often ring before my arrival, but not every time the phone rang did someone arrive. She only went to the door when it was me on my way to get her. Somehow she figured out the difference.
Anyway, I began this rant to say that Siberian Huskies, true breed Siberian Huskies, are wonderful, smart, beautiful, playful, happy dogs. They are not mean or attack dogs or any of the other crap stupid people would have you believe. People call anything fluffy a "husky mix". NO, it is NOT. There are numerous fluffy dogs, like Chow Chows or Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, that could be involved in that mix. People also mistakenly think blue eyes means the dog is part husky, also NOT true. Other dog breeds, such as Great Danes and Australian Shepherds, can have blue eyes. The dog could be just as well mixed with those breeds. I just looked on Petfinder, a great place to find a new pet, and found the first page of Huskies only had two actual Huskies on it. The others were about 20% actual Husky mixes and the rest were absolutely not but people listed them that way. This is what makes me so angry about breed legislation and breed banning and the idiotic breed bite list. People will say they got bit by a Husky when it could have been a Chow or any other mix. (Don't get me started on people getting bit by dogs and blaming the dog when it is 90% of the time the people's fault) My mantra is "Any dog raised wrong can be dangerous. Ban bad owners." Small dogs are actually more likely to bite you because their owners don't train them. My Siberian Husky would run away from you and hide, never bite, but people are afraid of her anyway and ask stupid questions like "will she bite". No, but I might.
So, to end this rant, in general I find that people are stupid. They don't think and just go with whatever some other stupid person said. They don't investigate for themselves and make assumptions based on very limited knowledge. In the age of computers, that is inexcusable.

reliving your childhood

There is something amazing about those early crushes that can be completely revived no matter how old you are. My particular formative years crush was New Kids on the Block. They are now back together and making a new album. I've sat here watching their video, thinking "holy cow, what am I, 14 again?" I can't help myself, I have to watch it over and over. It's ridiculous. What is it about the influence in those crucial years that sticks with you well into your 30's (and older I am sure if my mom's everlasting crush on Herman's Hermits is any indication). The New Kids are obviously no longer kids and have other careers now. Being a grown-up myself, I find myself critiquing the video rather than silently longing as I did in my teens. It's amazing that the two of them with actual acting experience, Donnie in the movies and Joe on Broadway, are so much more believable in the video. Jordan, who may be gorgeous and have a beautiful falsetto voice, can't act his way out of a paper bag and it's obvious in the video. http://www.vh1.com/video/play.jhtml?id=1588642&vid=238677 Watch and see what I mean.

Anyway, this time around, I don't feel the need to stand in line all night to get concert tickets, but I will enjoy the new album to the point of wearing out my iPod (remember how tapes used to actually wear out!) and watch the videos with a grown-up eye. However, there will always be that small longing, that childhood-remembering.....that first, all-powerful crush.

use the library and encourage reading

In this time of national financial trouble, we have tried to cut back on "unnecessary" costs as much as possible. Although my husband and I make good money, the cost of gas and food has increased so much that we've had to cut out extras to keep up. I'm sure many people are finding this to be the reality right now. I really enjoy reading and have purchased numerous books in my lifetime. This last year, I have stopped purchasing and borrow instead. Our library system is really great in that all of the libraries are linked throughout the county and a card holder can check out books from any library in the system, not just the local small library that may not carry many books. The books are even transported, completely free, to your local library for you to pick up. It's a fabulous system and one that should be adopted everywhere. I have been able to read many more authors that I wouldn't have tried if I were purchasing the books. It's really great to know that I can start a book and just return it if I don't like it. You can check out cookbooks, non-fiction, fiction, anything. I've checked out cookbooks and just copied my favorite recipes into a spiral notebook to be later typed into the computer whenever I find the time. This way, you don't have a hundred cookbooks sitting around with only a few recipes in each one that you like and use. I like to read books on dog training or on cockatiel care. I've bought several in the past, but now I check them out and read them for any knowledge I don't already have from the purchased books. Many of the books contain redundant information and I see no reason to purchase this information repeatedly.
So USE YOUR LIBRARY. Your taxes pay for it. Make use of it. Take your kids there on Saturday and let them pick out a couple of books for the week, on any subject appropriate for their age. I absolutely guarantee this will aid them in their schoolwork and, eventually, in life. I spent many Saturdays at the library as a kid and now have a passion for reading and knowledge and completed a doctorate, so I can say it helped me in my schoolwork. Take yourself there and pick out something silly or smart or humorous or romantic or mysterious. Relaxing for an hour with a good book is the best regenerative time you can take for yourself. And if your kids and husband are sitting with their own books, you won't be bothered.
Encouraging your children to read instead of watching TV or playing video games or sitting at a computer will benefit them to an incredible extent. It will expand their minds, enhance their imaginations, increase their vocabulary and language skills, and--most importantly--provide quiet time for you.

clothes line dryers and helping the environment

My husband and I just purchased an "umbrella" style clothes line dryer. We've decided, living in the south with such warm, beautiful summers, that we should hang our clothes out to dry rather than using the dryer. Not using the dryer whenever possible saves on electricity costs and helps the environment in a small way. Imagine if everyone only used their dryer when hanging out clothes was impossible. How much energy would be saved? It also reduces wear and tear on the dryer so that it will last longer. In addition, drying clothes outside leaves them with that fresh, summer smell that can not be duplicated by a dryer sheet, no matter how hard the companies try. Sleeping on line dried sheets is a treat. I do recommend that, if you decide to line dry towels, bring them inside when just slightly damp and use the dryer for a few minutes. Otherwise, they will be stiff. Drying in the dryer for a few minutes will fluff them and still save on energy. You can purchase these stand-alone umbrella dryers from numerous places. We found ours at www.amazon.com. The only thing you have to do is dig a hole and use some concrete to stabilize the pole. The fast setting Quikcrete worked just fine for us. If you don't use the concrete, the weight of the clothes on the lines will cause the dryer to topple over so be sure to follow the directions for the depth of the hole, etc.

Service Magic finds contractors for you

I recently began using Service Magic. They have a service where you tell them what you need, concrete or an electrician etc., and they send your information to a local contractor. The contractor will contact you and set up an appointment for your needs. So far, we've found a roofer and an electrician this way. It's much easier than searching around the internet and trying to find someone. Also, I have my own customer service person at Service Magic whom I simply email my needs and he sends me the contractor's info. They charge the contractor for the service so it doesn't cost you anything unless the contractor includes it in the price of the work he does for you, which he may. Do remember that they charge the contractor whether or not you contract them to do the work so only use the service if you are serious.
www.servicemagic.com

fishy smelling appliance receptacles

If you ever notice a fishy smell that occurs when you have a major appliance going, such as a dryer, turn off the breaker and call an electrician. Don't continue to use the appliance. We had noticed this odd, fishy smell for about a week that occurred every time we ran our dryer. I finally got smart and googled "fish smell dryer" and found out that the smell is bakelite melting. Old receptacles were made from bakelite, a kind of plastic, that smells like fish when it is overheated and begins to melt. We called out an electrician who replaced the receptacle. He told us that there was a loose connection which generated heat and caused the whole issue. Had we not fixed it, it could've caused an electrical fire.
To replace a receptacle was $162, of which $110 was labor for 10 mins of work. If you are savvy and can replace the receptacle yourself, it will cost you $12. I was afraid there was some underlying cause that would need to be fixed so I wanted a licensed electrician to do it. Now that I know it was just the receptacle, I wish I could go back and replace it ourselves. Oh well, live and learn.

SCUBA diving and fear

SCUBA diving is something I've wanted to do for many years, since I was a teenager. I never took the opportunity to learn, but kept it in the back of my mind of desires for "someday". My new husband (read my posts on planning the wedding and changing my name) learned to SCUBA dive when he was stationed in Hawaii several years ago and has been encouraging me to learn. For my birthday, the wonderful man bought me my first diver certification lessons. I have now completed the classroom portion and the first closed water (swimming pool) dive. First, I must say that the initial going under water while breathing is really scary. The survival instinct is so strong that your brain starts screaming, "you can't breathe under water, stop inhaling". Coupled with the loss of control of being suspended in water, it's a scary experience. Fortunately, my instructor is really patient and let me continue at my pace. I can do all of the required skills and had no problems once I got over the "I'm breathing underwater". The loss of control is ok once you realize that all you have to do is inflate your BC and you'll be above water and remembering that as long as you have air in your tank, you're fine.
I have my open water certification dives in a couple of weeks and am still nervous, but I've almost convinced myself that it'll be ok. Check back for the open water post, but the reason I posted this is to say that if you want to do something, GO FOR IT. Don't let your fear stop you. As adults, we know all of the bad things that can happen, but statistically, it won't. Squash the fear and do it anyway. Once you've done it and survived, the next time won't be so scary. My instructor reminded me of learning to drive. The first few months, I drove with my entire body completely stiff, both hands gripping the wheel, scared to death something would happen. Now, I drive laid back, one hand on the wheel, totally and completely relaxed and enjoying controlling a powerful machine. I'm trying to look at diving the same way. The first dives are gonna be scary, but once I get them over with, the rest will all be fun.
I also think that parents should encourage their children to learn really scary stuff early. Once you're a grown up, you are much more fearful of new experiences. Kids aren't. They don't understand mortality or all of the things that can happen to you so they are much more eager to try new things. Let them, encourage them, get them involved in many different activities. When we have children, I plan to teach them to dive when they are very young so they will never be scared. Don't teach your kids to be scared, and they won't be. My mom was always so afraid that I would be hurt that I have always been fearful of anything dangerous. I don't want my children to be the same way because it's hard to overcome. So, if you want to do something, do it. Teach your kids to do it, too. Squash the fear! :)

volunteer, fundraise, do something

There are innumerable causes with which you may become involved. Pick one that means something to you and help out. The cause will benefit from your time and/or money, and you will benefit from the great feeling of helping others. I don't mean that you need to give all of your money to charity or spend every waking moment volunteering. Pick one cause, helping homeless dogs or walking to raise funds or reading to elderly people, and do it. I have recently re-begun helping a dog rescue organization. For the last two years, I have not been spending any time on charities and began to realize that I was unhappy with myself. After transporting two dogs (all rescue groups need "taxi" service), I felt so good for helping them on their way to a new, happy, loving home. There is something great about helping out that makes you feel wonderful. I think if unhappy people, those people that don't really know why they're unhappy, volunteered for something, they would find their attitudes changing and find themselves becoming happier. For me, volunteering and working for a cause gives me more purpose and direction than the day-to-day obligations. Many people think they don't have the time to volunteer, but they're wrong. You can spend 1 or 2 hr a week on a service and still really help an organization. If you have children, get them involved, too. Children who learn to volunteer and help others become better adults. Let the kids decide what they are interested in and what they want to do. Go to an animal shelter and play with the animals. What kids don't want to play with dogs and cats? There are several websites that will direct you to possible volunteer opportunities. Just Google "volunteer" and your location.
Do Something!

heartworms is preventable, why don't people give their dogs medication?

Heartworms, long, spaghetti like worms that infest the hearts of dogs and, sometimes, cats, are deadly and preventable. Dogs should take a monthly preventative like Heartgard or Tri-heart, and they will not become infested with these deadly worms. Since this medication is easily obtainable through any local vet, why do people refuse to give it to their dogs? I volunteer for a rescue group and picked up two dogs from their owner this last weekend. The owner was turning them into rescue because she could no longer care for them due to family trouble. This is what she told the rescue intake people of our organization. Well, as this may well be true, it is not the whole story. Once we got the dogs to the vet and checked out, we found that they were both heartworm positive. These dogs were strictly outside dogs (another rant I will get on if given the chance) and, as such, are at a higher risk of contracting all kinds of parasites. They should've had a monthly pill to prevent the heartworms. The treatment for heartworms is costly and difficult for the dog. Some dogs are not strong enough to survive it, even young dogs. Would you want long, icky worms living in your HEART??? Of course not, so why do people subject their companions to it when it is completely preventable? If you can not afford the medication, then you can not afford a dog and should not get one!

Always Flowers and Absolutely Flowers in McDonough Georgia

Always Flowers and Gifts, who is owned by Absolutely Flowers, located in McDonough Georgia will rip you off. For my grandmother's funeral, I ordered, online, a bouquet of white roses and white lilies. I paid for a deluxe version. Since I don't live there, they apparently thought I would never see them. Well, I fooled them because I actually attended the viewing and funeral. The bouquet was very small and not at all what it looked to be on the website. Considering how much I paid for it, I complained to the owner. Vanessa Hays, the owner, told me it was my fault because that's what I chose and insinuated that I was too stupid to read the measurements on the website. If the measurements are listed for the base version and you order the deluxe, don't you expect it to be larger? She started reading me some flower recipe, like I had any idea what she was talking about, and kept telling me that I chose it and I should've known that the picture was not what it would be because photography is deceiving. It's their website, their company, so I think they are responsible for how it looks. She repeatedly cut me off when I tried to speak and repeatedly told me "that's what you ordered". Well, no, I ordered what the bouquet looked like on the internet. She kept saying how her customers are always complaining when they order something on the internet. Maybe she should read into that and realize that she has a problem with her website? I tried to explain to her that people who don't do flowers have no idea what the measurements mean or that the picture is not what the arrangement will look like and that she should put the recipe on the website. That, she told me, is too much trouble and they just buy the website from someone else, blah, blah, blah. It is her company and, therefore, her responsibility to maintain a website that is real and true to what you order. I will never order from them again.

Internet Explorer 7 and Windows

Why is it that Windows came out with Vista but Vista and IE7 have compatibility issues?
My IE7 began crashing every minute or two so I went to the Windows website to figure out the problem. Seems like they should know how to fix their own software. I followed the instructions and completely reset IE7 to remove all addons, etc. That seemed to help a little, but it was still "intermittently" crashing. The Windows website actually states that it may be a compatibility issue between Vista and IE7. Well, what browser am I supposed to use then? Stupid.
Anyway, I figured out that it was crashing every time a website had a popup open in a new window. For example, many websites have a store locator that pops a new window. I went into the Internet Options in IE7 and changed the Popups rule to "let IE7 decide". This decreased the number of crashes, but it was still crashing when I would close it, especially with multiple tabs open. I finally completely uninstalled Adobe Flash Player using the Adobe uninstaller, making sure nothing else was running. After a fresh install of flash player, the problem seems to be fixed.
Is there some reason the people who wrote the friggin software can't figure out how to fix it? These fixes should've been listed on Microsoft's website.

pet supplies

As you can see by my posts, I have dogs. We actually have 4 because I had 2 and my husband had 2 so we are now a blended family. Trying not to break the bank caring for 4 large dogs, I've searched for pet supply places that are reasonable. The very best store is Jeffers at www.jefferspet.com. They are physically located in south Alabama, but they ship all over the country. They have lots of animal supplies, dog, cat, bird, horse, at low prices and they are quick and efficient. I've been ordering from them for years. I went to their store once on the way to Florida and they were super nice. If they don't have what you want, check out www.petedge.com. They've been in business for something like 30 years, formally under a different name, and they have a good bit of dog and cat stuff at reasonable prices. I personally do not care for Petsmart only because they are too large a chain and are really expensive. I like to shop the local Pet Supplies Plus because they are small stores and have reasonable prices and are locally owned. Ours tends to carry more bird supplies than the other stores, great for the cockatiels' happiness. Drs. Foster and Smith are good, if expensive. You can also always check ebay for pet supplies as there are many ebay stores available so you have a variety from which to choose. Just remember to purchase safe and fun chews and toys (Kong, Nylabone, good quality rawhide and natural bones) in large quantity to keep your furkid entertained and out of your hair when you're tired or busy and your pup will be much happier, as will you.

cockatiels

My husband and I recently purchased two cockatiels. I've never had birds, nor had he, and we originally planned to get an African Grey Parrot. However, when we realized that African Greys generally bond only with one person and then realized that they can take a finger off with their beak, we decided for first time bird owners, a cockatiel was a much smarter idea. We purchased our first one, Pudgie (so named because he is always in his food dish), from a local pet store. First, let me stress that you should make certain the store is reputable and that the animals there are well cared for and healthy. When I first met Pudgie, he sat on my shoulder and preened my hair. He would then walk around the store and follow people. So, we got him for his personality. After a couple of months, even though we played with him outside his cage every day, we realized that Pudgie was lonely. So, we found a local bird breeder and purchased what we think is a female cockatiel. She's a lovely little thing, hand-raised, but quieter and shyer than Pudgie, who we think is male. (You can't tell with a bird without a DNA test) They fuss, but Pudgie seems happier to have a cage mate. We are letting their flight feathers grow so they can fly, although Pudgie is not very good at landing yet. They are really a good deal of fun. They will sit on your shoulder while you read or surf the internet. Pudgie likes to sit on my hand when I'm typing or using the mouse. He's rather silly. So, lesson here is that birds make good companions, especially for someone who has limited space.

retractable leashes

Retractable leashes, those plastic handle things that many dog owners use, are really dangerous. I am affiliated with a rescue group who has observed several instances of the owner dropping the handle, the dog being frightened by the handle hitting the ground, and the dog taking off. The lucky ones find their way back home. Also, the cord can and has taken off more than one fingertip as an owner tried to grab it when dropped.
For training, these are horrible. The dog does not learn boundaries or how to behave on leash. A former neighbor of mine would let her little pug run out of her apartment on that stupid retractable leash when she had NO idea who or what was outside the door. More than once, the dog ran into the roadway and/or ran to my dogs and wrapped the cord around their legs. The dog was sweet, but it never learned any manners.
When I received my first dog (received because she was a birthday gift), I was one of those people who thought retractables were a good idea.....until my dog nearly choked herself trying to run after a squirrel.
My advice, walk with your dog (good for you and them) and teach them manners and break your retractable leash.

Planning a Wedding, especially on a small budget

First and foremost, plan the wedding for you and your soon-to-be spouse, not for everyone else. If your parents or his contribute financially, they do have some say-so in the guest list, but the overall wedding should be what you want. In planning, pick the couple of things that are most important to you and let someone (or several someones) do the rest. For instance, the music played at our reception was important to me so I took the time to research and download every song. However, the decorations, while important, were not my thing at all. It's not something I'm good at or something I care that much about. My mom is wonderful at it so I told her the colors and let her do everything else, which she very much enjoyed. This sort of thing will make the planning your wedding time so much easier. Also, don't believe the "it takes atleast a year" blah, blah, blah. We were engaged mid-September. I had the major things planned and in place in 2 weeks, officiant, flowers, photographer, location. It took longer to find a dress only because I didn't want to pay $650 and up for a dress for one day. I just think that is silly. I do believe if the marriage is meant, you can get it done in very little time. For us, everything just fell into place. We were married Dec 1 and everything was planned and done a month before.
When searching for a location, look at state parks. They often have a chapel and some kind of rentable room for a reception. The cost at a state park is 10x cheaper than a hotel or some such place. It cost us a grand total of $225 to rent the chapel and reception hall. Of course, they usually have some rules about using their catering, which is just fine if the food is good because that is one less company/person you have to deal with. For our 50 people reception, the food cost $800 total (without alcohol) and we had tons left over. State parks are great.
When buying decorations, dress, veil, suit, whatever....internet! I bought my veil, new and beautiful with a double layer, rhinestones, and hair comb for $2.15 on Ebay. We bought my husband's hand-tailored, 100% all weather wool, Italian suit for $125, brand new. Be creative and flexible and you will find it much easier to obtain the things you want without spending 10-20K. We spent all told, including our rings, $4000. We had a beautiful weekend at the park with friends and family, a beautiful wedding day, and we don't have any debt to pay off afterwards.
Some great internet businesses are Ebay, Amazon, Affordable Elegance (fabulous silk flowers, bouquets), and the local bridal sites (such as Bama Bride here in Alabama). Spend some time surfing the internet to find good deals for what you want. Also, your local craigslist could be helpful if you are lucky.
Involve as many people as you can to take the stress off you. We had numerous family members take care of things, such as cousins for music during the wedding. I told them to play pretty wedding music, gave them the one song for the unity candle, and left the rest to them. If you are not lucky enough to have talented people in your family, hire people, but tell them to use their professional judgement and take care of things instead of asking you 100 questions. Not having to decide on every minute detail will make you much more relaxed. For an officiant, consider your local probate court judge. Many of them will perform the ceremony for a cash donation and if they do it and you obtain your marriage license in their court, you will be processed and have your paperwork in record time. Our judge was the nicest man, did a great job at the wedding, and we had our official marriage certificate in 5 days so I could start the name change process (see other posts).
I know it's been said, but remember that you should have fun and enjoy your wedding day (or weekend in our case). Try not to stress, even when your photographer is 1 hr late. As long as the day ends with you and your spouse married, that is all that matters.

sometimes medication is worth the risk

First, let me explain that this is about my dog. I love my dogs as if they were my children. My littlest one, a 45 lb golden retriever mix, has recently developed severe allergies, at 3.5 yr old. She's always had some dry skin and itchiness that was mostly taken care of with a good bath in oatmeal shampoo and some Benadryl. In the last few months, it has gotten much worse. We tried changing to higher quality food without wheat products, a low side effect medication Atarax, baths, etc and nothing worked. The vet recommended Prednisone, a corticosteroid, to control the itching. However, I did not want to give it to her because it has alot of side effects and has been shown to cause liver damage. Granted, the damage usually occurs in dogs who have taken the medication at higher doses over long periods of time, but I didn't want to take the chance that my little girl would get sick from medication I gave her. With the terrible itching my girl was having, she was scratching awful welts on her stomach and sides and biting sores on her back and scratching sores around her neck and head. She is normally a very happy dog who smiles all of the time and bounces around the house, playing with the other dogs. With this last allergy attack, she was miserable and not smiling and not playing. I came to the conclusion that quality of life is sometimes more important than worrying about some possible side effects and gave her the medication. After two days, she was back to her normal, happy self. The vet says the low dose we are using over short periods of time will be ok. I really hope so, but I also want my girl to enjoy her doggie life and the benefits outweigh the risks in this case. In everything you do in life, there are risks whether big or small. Sometimes you have to ignore the risks and do what is in the overall best of interest of everyone.

rescue a dog and spay/neuter your animals

If you love animals and want a dog (or a cat), don't buy from a backyard breeder. While I must state that reputable breeders are ok and a good way to get a good dog, I feel that rescue is the best way. RESCUE! You can go through a rescue organization or your local shelter or the humane society. Millions of animals are put to sleep every year because no one will take care of them. Millionss! That is outrageous. And largely because people do not spay/neuter their pets and let them "breed just this once" and produce more babies than the humans are willing to care for. Many states have low-cost spay/neuter programs so that it will cost you very little to have your animal fixed. Also, if you adopt an animal from a rescue organization, they are usually already spayed/neutered, which is included in the cost of adoption. Most rescues make certain the animal is up to date on shots and in good health. Some even microchip so you won't risk losing your new family member. I adopted one of my dogs from Adopt a Golden Atlanta, a fabulous organization, and she is the sweetest little dog in the world. She was a stray that was about to be put to sleep at a shelter when, luckily, someone who knew someone at AGA called and got her rescued from the shelter. Rescuing from a shelter is a great way to get a great pet, too. Often, an owner will turn in the animal for some stupid reason and the dog/cat would make a great pet but it's put to sleep within 3-7 days. You could save a life and obtain a great pet just by visiting your local shelter or http://www.petfinder.com/.
For a soapbox moment, I must also state that if you are not able or willing to take care of an animal for the remainder of it's life, do not adopt one. No matter what happens, unless you are too physically ill to care for yourself, you have no excuse to turn your pet into a shelter where it will be killed. If you do, you have killed your pet. You might as well just shoot the poor thing. Or better, stop and think about what you are doing and that you are killing your pet because you don't want to take the time to care for it or find it a better home. That is on you. Animals may live up to 20 years (sometimes even longer) and it is your responsibility to care for one until it dies a natural death once you decide to take one home. Ok, soapbox moment over.
If you do not have the ability to take in a dog or cat, you can still help homeless animals. Rescue organizations are in constant need of help with picking animals up from a shelter, transporting to their new home or to the vet, making house checks for potential adopters, paperwork, etc. Contact one near you to see how you can help. The AKC website has a list of breed rescues, but you can find a rescue group just by going to your local pet store, like Petsmart. They always have contacts. Also, you can help your local shelter by going over to play with the animals and volunteer.
The benefits you will reap by adopting a homeless animal or by helping homeless animals find a home are enormous.