Swimming

Today was a nice hot sunny day, finally a day with no rain. Jim and I didn’t have any plans so we decided to call up a friend that has a nice pond in their front yard. The dogs haven’t done much swimming this year so we wanted to take them out.

The second I got out Charlie’s collar it was a mad house. They know when that collar comes out we are going somewhere! They run back and forth, from one room to the next with their panting faces and the look of delight in their eyes. They jump up and down, Dude barks and walks right next to you as if he is saying please don’t forget me while Charlie shakes with excitement.

We get the car “dog ready” which is getting an old sheet to put on the seats so that the dog hair won’t get all over the place. I role the windows down to air out the car; it was an oven in there and I didn’t want the dogs to be too hot. Jim and I gathered the dogs and off we went. Dude was sticking his nose out the window with his flapping lips and ears. Charlie isn’t big enough to get his head out the window but he was looking out, standing on the arm rest watching to see where it was we were going.

As we pulled up to the driveway the dogs are itching to get out of the car and start playing. Jim and I get out and make sure it was safe to let them out. This took us about two seconds but Dude wanted out right then and there and was barking his head off. The coast is clear, Jim opens the door and Dude leaps out. I wasn’t sure what my little man would do so I clipped his leash on just to be safe. To my surprise he jumps out and tries to run after Dude. He doesn’t even realize that he is on a leash and he does that whole “I’m gonna run and choke myself when I get to the end of the leash” thing so I finally caught up to him, unclipped him and he took off flying.

Dude is at the end of the field by then checking everything out as Charlie is trying his best to catch up. Jim and I meet up with our friend and start heading down to the pond. The dogs run back and forth and in circles around us with large smiles on their faces. It is a wonderful thing seeing them so happy.

By the time we get down to the water Dude has already jumped in. Charlie isn’t a big fan of swimming but he seems interested this time. He walks up to the edge of the water trying to decide if he wants to go chase after Dude or not. Of course, he doesn’t. Dude comes bounding out of the water, runs right up to Jim and starts barking. We all knew what it was he wanted so Jim grabs a stick and tosses it into the drink with Dude right behind it. He smashes the water with all his might like a kid doing a canon ball in a pool. Charlie wasn’t swimming so we tossed him in; we wanted him to cool down.

This went on for about an hour or so. Dude would come out, drop the stick and bark for you to throw it back in while Charlie would just whine. After a while it was time for us to leave. We walked up the hill back to the car. The dogs were rolling on the ground as if they knew we were getting back in the car and needed to dry off. We all got in and went on home. As I was driving I glanced back at the two mutts, they were exhausted and cuddled up with each other, and it was so cute.

Mt. Agamenticus Riding Stables

Mount Agamenticus is a small mountain that has a lot to offer. It is located in the small town of York Maine where I grew up. It’s a long drive to get to but it is worth it. There is beautiful scenery at every angle, trials to discover, and a big field to play in.

At the summit of the mountain there is a fire tower. My father used to man the tower, keeping watch over the town, making sure it is safe from fires. There was also a small riding stable at the base of the tower and I would go with my father as often as I could to visit the horses. I was about six years old when I discovered the charming little barn.

One day, when I was tagging along, I noticed the woman who managed the barn was out front staining the fence. I asked my father if it would be ok for me to see if there was any room for me at the stables, and he nodded his head and I took off.

I was nervous but I walked over to her with my head up high as she had the stain all over her hands. I asked if I could volunteer and help out at the stables and to my delight she said that she would love to have me help. My eyes light up and I was overjoyed. I ran up to the top of the tower and told my dad. He was so happy for me.

The next day, my father and I went back up the mountain and I was “dressed for success.” It felt like the drive was longer that usual, I just wanted to get there! We pulled up and I hopped out of the truck and ran down to the barn. The horses were out eating their hay, swatting the flies with their tails, and enjoying the summer sun. When I got up to the fence I stopped to walk, I didn’t want to seem too excited but it was a dream come true and I was itching to get there. The aroma of the horses and the hay was all around me and I knew I was in heaven and that this was the beginning of something special.

From that day on I was there as often as I could. I took riding lessons, helped with cleaning the stalls and paddocks, bathed the horses, cleaned buckets, put out hay and water, brought the horses in and out, helped with getting them ready for trail rides and everything else that there is to do with horses, I did it all. I didn’t mind, I was on top of the world.

There was one horse, she was beautiful. She was an appaloosa and her name was Cherokee. I loved her and everyone knew it. She took great care of me. She was the only horse that I wanted to ride, I rode others but she was number one. We went on long trail rides, short trail rides, rides in the ring and even just me sitting on her back with out a saddle, just hanging out. We were best buds, inseparable you could say.

We were out in the field at the top of the mountain with other riders on a beautiful sunny day. The grass was green and the sky clear. I could see my dad up in the tower looking down at us. Cherokee and I were riding around enjoy the sites as we got farther and farther from the group. She looked over and saw the others were far from us and took off at a gallop. I held on for dear life as it startled me, it was my first time going that fast. We got to the group and I was in shock. It was scary but fun all at the same time!

I volunteered there for seven years over the summers. It was my safe haven, a place where I could be myself and truly enjoy life. The trails were wonderful and the people were great but after a while it began to run down. The town couldn’t afford it anymore and the horses all left and I was in tears.

I saw Cherokee one day at a friend’s house. Her new owner’s were boarding her there. I only saw her at a distance and that was the last time I saw her. I still wonder where she is and how she is doing. I look online every once in a while just in the hope that I would find her and if I ever do I will have to buy her. She was my girl and I will miss her forever

Taco Bell Chihuahua, Gidget, dies at 15

Los Angeles Times – July 23, 2009

Gidget the Chihuahua, whose Taco Bell commercials made her a star, has died. She was 15.

The owner of Studio Animal Services in Castaic says Gidget suffered a massive stroke late Tuesday at her trainer’s home in Santa Clarita and had to be euthanized.

Gidget was the sassy mascot in Taco Bell commercials from 1997 to 2000. While other dogs had bit parts, it was her bug-eyed, big-eared face that was seen pronouncing “Yo quiero Taco Bell,” Spanish for “I want Taco Bell,” in a male voice dubbed by Argentine actor Carlos Alazraqui. A few years later, Alazraqui landed the role for which he is best known: Deputy James Garcia on Comedy Central’s “Reno 911!”

The Taco Bell ads provoked some criticism from activists who said they used Mexican stereotypes.

Gidget also had a role in the movie “Legally Blonde 2,” but others associated with the ad campaign weren’t so lucky. Earlier this year, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the creators of the Chihuahua character hadn’t been properly compensated for their work, and Taco Bell was ordered to pay $42 million.

Gidget’s trainer, Sue Chipperton, in an interview earlier this year with the People Pets website, described the diminutive dog as a consummate professional on the set. But, she said, Gidget had been the victim of typecasting, which limited her career choices (or, rather, Chipperton’s choices on her behalf).

– Lindsay Barnett

Being a dog person myself, it is hard for me to believe that cats can ‘control’ humans! However, on Yahoo news this morning, there is an article that says studies have actually shown this fact!

Check it out and let me know what you think. Do you have a cat that has control over you???

Click here to read the article

“The Dogs In My Life
And
The One Who Saved It”

Why do the pets we love most spend such a short time in our lives giving us the unconditional love we find no where else?

I can remember my dogs, their personalities, eating habits (virtually all the same), sleeping quarters (my bed) and especially the greetings I received when I arrived home. Those wet, slobbering kisses I loved so much.

As the years passed, I remember all the boyfriends, fiancées and one ex-husband who had come and gone. But not my dogs! They were always there. My present husband of twenty five years loves dogs and suggested that small dogs would be best. Over the quarter of a century of our married life, I have brought home an Old English Sheepdog (Waldo), a Border Collie (Foxy), a Belgian Shepherd (Buddy), a Collie/Shepherd-mix (Mugsy – my heart) and our current baby (Khan), our 90 pound German Shepherd. I think my husband Al has been wonderful about the few pounds difference in the size we had originally agreed upon. His flexible manner and love of animals has been the foundation of our past and thriving kennel as well as a loving marriage.

After Mugsy passed away I was devastated. I am certain other pet owners experienced the very same grief and pain when their beloved pets passed away. Of course there is always one that tugs a bit more at your heart strings. That was Mugsy. The day after he passed away I walked through the house hoping to see him running through the house and sliding down the hallway. But no Mugsy. That was Monday. By Thursday I thought I was going to lose my mind.

I called my friend Geri. She is a dog groomer, a good friend and provider of all my rescue dogs. She said she had some puppies and a beautiful German Shepherd and told me to come down to her shop immediately.

When I arrived all I could think of was how my beloved dog Mugsy and I had walked through the doors of Geri’s shop for baths, nail clipping, Christmas toys and Sunday adoptions. I prayed this visit would bring another pet into my life. I had survived from Monday to Thursday without Mugsy. I couldn’t wait any longer for a pet to love and share my life with as I had with Mugsy.

Geri greeted me in her usual manner-blow dryer in one hand and hug with the other. She mentioned that the puppies for adoption were around the corner and that I should take a look. My eyes however became fixed upon the German Shepherd on her grooming table. His face was quite dark with piercing eyes that looked as if his lashes had been painted with mascara. When he smiled at me as I approached he seemed to light up the entire room. He was the most beautiful Shepherd I had ever seen. As I moved closer he licked my face and I melted! It was love at first sight. I never made it around the corner to see the puppies. This was a final sale!

Geri knew I wasn’t leaving without him. “Well,” she said, “I promised him to another woman about two hours ago but I haven’t heard back from her yet.” When she saw the tears well-up in my eyes, I could see them in hers as well. “Susan, it would break my heart to let you walk out without this puppy. “Puppy,” I gasped. “Yes,” Geri said. “He is only two years old and growing,” she added. “Growing? How much does he weigh?” I asked. “About 90 pounds!” Geri laughed. “Well here we go again, another “small” puppy. Al will just love him.” I laughed as I remembered all our other “small” dogs.

It was about 3pm and time to call Al back. I noticed three voice mails on my cell phone which I had previously ignored. Al had no idea I had gone to Geri’s but after a morning of crawling around the house looking for Mugsy’s fur and putting it in plastic bags while crying, Al picked me up from the floor as he went down on his hands and knees to finish the fur-finding. How many husbands would have done this? He was wonderful and I was pathetic. Today was Thursday. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in bed.

I called Al back to tell him I was at Geri’s and had found our next dog, at which point I began to describe him. Al listened quietly and responded with one brief inquiry – “Oh, how large is he?” Al asked. I replied, “Well, he weighs less than Mugsy.” Of course I did not reveal that Khan weighed 90 pounds. Mugsy weighed 128 pounds, so I didn’t lie but withheld all other information.

When Geri saw tears in my eyes and assumed Al would not be thrilled with the prospect of a 90 pound puppy, she grabbed the phone and said “Al, just come down here and see the dog. The two of them are in love!” Well that did it! He didn’t have a prayer.

Al arrived a half hour later and saw Khan on the leash Geri had given me as the two of us were standing there waiting to go home. My husband had a smile on his face not unlike that of the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland. “Can we keep him?” I implored. To which he replied “Sweetheart, how can I deny you anything?” Well true to his word, Al could not nor did not deny me Khan.

Geri told us a bit about Khan’s background before we left with him. Geri’s son Nicky is a “canine cop” who worked with five German Shepherds with whom he lived. Nicky’s job is to search for drugs and arrest the dealers, with of course the help of his dogs. Khan was used as payment for a drug deal gone sour. He was neglected, starved and abandoned.When we adopted him, he was thin, frail and as we later discovered had the worst case of separation anxiety I had seen in any dog.Nicky arrested the drug dealers and took Khan to his mother Geri knowing she would have no trouble finding a good home for him. He was brought into Geri’s shop on Monday – the day Mugsy passed away and adopted on Thursday when we brought him home. God turned grief into joy and that was no coincidence! Anyway, Khan came to us and the drug dealers went to jail. I think that was justice.

When we brought our new puppy home, Al and I began thinking of an appropriate name – something unique. He was truly an exceptionally beautiful dog. He needed a name to match his regal appearance. Recently I had been reading a history of world conquerors. Kubla Khan and Genghis Khan were mentioned. We received numerous accolades regarding the originality of our puppy’s name.

Khan was surely a conqueror. He survived all the obstacles thrust before him and deservedly found a new home and a better life.

As a home-coming gift we gave Khan Mugsy’s Burberry blanket. We know Mugsy would have wanted him to have it. My close friend Judy had a mat made for Khan to lie on with his very own name on it. He was really home now. We also purchased two new beds – one for the living room and one for the bedroom.

There was a method to our madness. The bed in the living room was to keep him off the sofa (Mugsy’s favorite place). The bed in the bedroom belonged to both Khan and myself. When Al wasn’t home I permitted Khan on the bed. This was a very special time of the day for both of us. Whatever tension existed within me when Khan put his head on my stomach, all became right with the world. Somehow his presence released every bit of stress in my body. We took our afternoon naps together. Although the hours varied from day to day depending upon my daily schedule, Khan and I always kept our standing appointments.

Al does not permit Khan on the bed. This is a hard and fast rule. Khan has tried in the past but Al stares him down. Every now and then Khan will try but Al wins the first round. However it is Khan who really is the winner of this competition because in the evening when the three of us watch T.V., Al’s pillows are covered with Khan’s fur. During the time Khan spends with me during the day, he seems to find Al’s side of the bed the most comfortable. So every evening Al annoyingly gets the mini-vacuum to remove the dog hair. This is always a tremendous inconvenience because Al has to get out of bed to get the vacuum. Now he keeps it on his side of the bed.

We’ve recently moved to a wooded area in New Jersey and Khan enjoys his new virtual playground – an acre of land. We have daily visitors: deer, a friendly fox, a ground hog I’ve named Maurice and a very old tortoise we call Felix, who has joined our pack. Khan has employed a degree of selectivity because the uninvited visitors appear daily without invitation. After all this is his domain. An occasional howl or two manage to keep the trespassers away.

Khan has completed our family. We’ve all come full circle because of the dog we’ve saved and in turn saved us.

Written by Susan C. Bagwell
Copyright 2009

Charlie
I woke up to this little black face with big eyes and huge ears. My vision was blurry and I was half asleep thinking to myself, what is this, what’s going on? I sat up and put on my glasses. It was a Chihuahua!

I was living with my friend Stephanie and her family at the time. We both work at the veterinary hospital; in fact we got the job together. We met in college and she always knew that I wanted a dog, a Chihuahua to be exact. My mom had one and I loved her so I wanted one too. They are nice dogs if you train them right. They are mostly a one person dog which is what I wanted. A dog that always had the love in their eyes for me and only me! I had never had that friendship or loyalty. I saw what Stephanie had with her dog and I wanted it too.

I tried at first with a dog named Nabisco. He was a black and white German Shepherd Dog mixed with husky who was at work as a stray and needed a home. I took him home and he was great except for getting out and running away and getting skunked. That was a task, giving him a skunk bath. It ended up that he wasn’t good with cats and Stephanie had a whole litter that she was fostering so I had to find him a new home. I ended up putting him on Pet Finder and he got a wonderful new home where he could run and not get into any trouble. It was very hard letting him go. Stephanie and I cried on the way home but we knew it was best for him and for the kittens.

After a couple of months went by of being dog less I woke up to having the cutest thing in my face. Stephanie had gone over to the neighbor’s house that morning while I was sleeping. She found out that their family from New York had brought a little black, cute as a button Chihuahua with them. She “stole” him and brought him straight up to my room and woke me up without even thinking.

He really was the cutest thing. His big eyes peering down at me. He was so tiny and skinny. I immediately took him from Stephanie and asked where he came from. She told me and I knew I needed to help the poor little guy. When it came to pets and the neighbors things never went well. I looked him over and noticed he had a broken tail and four upper canines due to him not eating right. The baby teeth usually come out when they eat hard food but he obviously wasn’t eating anything at all. He was skin and bones.

For the rest of the week he was all I could think about. I talked about him at work, with my friends and family. I needed him. Finally, I told Stephanie to tell them that I would give them $100 for him and a week later…he was all mine. I was in my glory! At last, a dog that I can handle and is all mine. His name was Blackie but that changed instantly. I had always wanted a dog named Charlie and this was my chance.

Charlie is now a happy normal sized dog who loves life. He runs and plays with my boyfriend’s dog that is ten times bigger. They do great together. Charlie comes with me to work Sunday nights for a toy breed play social. He is one of the stars of the group. And oh man, Auntie Stephy is his love! She saved him and she is his saint. He flips out every time he sees her; it’s a funny sight to see. He is always there for through thick and thin. He is my best friend.

http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/2003/F/20033949.html

I am sharing this article above because I found it interesting. Well, not only that, but because this new cancer vaccine has a greater meaning to me…..it actually saved my dog “Big Ed”!  Could it actually helps humans one day too?

Let me tell you Ed’s story…

One day I happened to glance over at my 10 year old, 130 lb, rescued Rottweiler Ed, and noticed something in his cheek as he was panting. Upon further inspection, I noticed it was a growth of some sort. Because I am a worry wort, I called the vet and immediately brought him in to be checked out. The vet said it needed to be biopsied and we scheduled him within a few days to have it taken out and examined. All went well with it being removed, except for the fact that there were actually two of them in his mouth and both were taken out…..which meant to me…double the worry. Now the next step was waiting for the results.

Within a couple of days we heard back from the vet…sad news, Ed had cancer! After the realization sank in, we were determined to do everything we could for him as long as he was happy and ‘remained a dog’. We did not want him to suffer, but we wanted to explore every option for him. We got an appointment right away at a wonderful Oncology Vet here in Fairfield, CT.

After he had a chest x-ray, which came back clean thank goodness, and a lymph node biopsy, which also came back clean, we went over the options with the vet. We opted to go with this new cancer vaccine first. While very pricey, we felt the cancer was caught early and this was the most non-invasive form of treatment to begin with. First, however, the margins of the tumor removed were not large enough and Ed did have to go back in to our nrmal vet to have a little more of his cheek removed to make sure all of the unhealthy tissue/cells were gone. It was another quick procedure that healed nicely.

The cancer vaccine shots we chose to use were a series of 4 bi-weekly injections that were given via a needle-less delivery device…kind of like an air gun…it was shot through the pores of his skin. Every other week we took the 1.5 hour ride up to visit the special oncologist for this procedure and would trek back home hoping it was working. Ed didn’t seem to mind, and was just excited to go for rides in the car….oh, and he also loved the cheese that the oncologist gave him for his cooperation and best behavior

From what I understood, the cancer vaccine was actually made from actual melanoma cells in a lab that were treated so they could not divide and cause more tumors. This vaccine when given to the dog, makes his system build a resistance to the cells in the hopes that his body could fight any remaining cancer cells and help to not produce more.  They say there are no side effects to the dog, but we did notice that each time he got his shot, he would be mopey for a day….but then quickly back to normal. 

Through the series of shots, we all crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. Several months after the final shot, Ed has been checked over by the vet and also had another chest x-ray done to make sure no cancer was in the lungs…..and he has gotten a clean bill of health!!! No more growths in the mouth and he is his chipper, hyper, big-lug self! How Amazing!! We could not have hoped for a better outcome and hope he has licked the cancer for good. Regular exams with our vet will keep us on top of things and if anything does ever come back, we are hoping to catch it as early as the first time…but hopefully there will be no more.

What an amazing thing science is! To the person or persons that came up with this vaccine, I personally thank you! And I do hope that in the future, soon, we have something like this that works for humans too! I know there will be a day……

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I work at a Veterinary Hospital where there are, I think, 19 doctors and over 100 employees. It’s a lot of fun to work there for the reason that I get to see so many different things and animals. I see the different types of surgeries from simple spay and neuters to c-sections which I get to help out with sometimes. I also get to see all types of animals from the typical dog and cat to great horned owls, fawns, snakes, ducks, squirrels, and even the occasional goat or two.

There are also those pets that come in for boarding or who are the “regulars”. One particular boarder who came in often was Rizza. She was a black lab mix who was in a car accident and nearly broke her back. Her owner was paralyzed and has a hard time taking care of Rizza so the hospital let him board her there whenever he needed to.

Rizza is a sweet girl and, like I do with all the animals, I fell in love with her. I came into work one day and noticed a sign on the board asking if anyone would be able to foster Rizza for a short time. I didn’t even hesitate. I went up to her doctor and told him that I would be more than happy to help. I wanted Rizza to be able to run around and stretch her legs and not stay in a cage.

The next day I took her home. She was so happy to be out of the hospital. I took her everywhere with me. I lived in an apartment that only had a small back yard so when I would go to the barn she would come with me. The barn has a large area for her to run around in and she loved it. She loved the horses and Charlie. I took her into work every day to keep an eye on her and everyone was so pleased to see how happy she was doing. She always had a smile on her face. Her owner would stop by every week to see how she was doing and it was amazing to see her reaction when she saw him. She would jump up on his lap and give him a million and one kisses.

I eventually moved to the place where my horses were. Rizza was so happy to have that big yard to run and play in. She was so wonderful. I made her a bed and she knew that it was hers. We had a great routine in the morning and at night when it was time to feed the horses. It was fantastic having her around and knowing that she was much happier being with me than staying at the hospital.

After a couple of months it was time for her to go back to her owner. He was so happy getting her back; they were a match made in heaven. It was hard to let her go but I knew I would be seeing her again.