We all have or will have a day to face a loss that truly rends our hearts. Last fall I spent months caring for and eventually offering the final kindness of everlasting peace, and the release from pain for my best friend, and soulmate. The bond I had with Hailey was only the kind most people would dream of having with their pet. She was with me through it all from the birth of my first child to the birth of my last, and so much more. For 14 years she was my rock and constant companion. She always knew when i needed her and was always there to console me with what many people would call "that quiet collie presence" . It really took me a long time for the enormity of this loss to register, eight moths almost. I yearn for that unique connection again, an while I can't ever truly hope to have the same bond as that which I shared with my Hailey, I DO hope to find comfort and connection similar to that again someday. For all of you who hve had beloved pets pass over the rainbow bridge, my heart breaks with yours, and for those of you yet to experience such a bond, dare I say that I hope you do? Either way, these are my feelings, I miss my baby, and I hope that there is an over the rainbow for her and that she continues to look over me from there.
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So we have made it to the New Year! Seemingly little has changed since December 31st, except perhaps the cold and snowy weather mother nature has thrown our way. Did you hear about the Ice tsunami? Ice was literally crawling / walking up the Lake Michigan shore line and plowing into people's homes!! It must have been incredibly scary, but also so amazing to see!
At any rate, I know most of you have probably seen the warnings about how dangerous the cold is to your pets, and to be careful of the salt and chemicals used to melt the ice, but did you also know that dehydration is also a risk in the winter? For the most part dogs will get the moisture they need with the water you leave for them, but occasionally they do not. It is not a bad idea to monitor your dog's drinking habits, and if you determine a decreased level of water consumption to be worrisome, and a good way to determine that would be hard dry stool / straining to go, and less frequent urination, I would recommend a couple of ways to help with this, one, you could add water or low sodium broth to your dry dog food. You can also add a quality wet food to your dog's diet. When adding water to a dog's food, I would caution you to let it soak in the water and use hot water if possible so that any expansion that happens mostly takes place before you dog eats it. It also minimizes trapped gas and air, which some vets and medical sources state can cause bloat. Another thing you would do well consider is your dogs grooming and coat condition. Even though they are not necessarily out as much, and less likely to get extremely dirty, they are still likely to get wet at least, and possibly tread through salt and chemicals they will want to clean off their feet and pads. This can be toxic to them, and can make them sick. Attention should be spent on checking them for mats( in long coated breeds) when getting regularly wet and then drying without being brushed, and in double /under coated breeds, be aware that shedding starts very early, so a regular brushing and occasional bath will go miles in helping you stay ahead of the blizzard of fur that comes later on without the extra care. Hoping everyone had safe and happy holidays!! Until next time! And, no, I am not referring to coffee. I don't even drink the stuff, I detest it really. No, the grind I was referring to is daily life. We all have our own battles to deal with every day. An email community I belong to mentioned the topic of Autism the other day. It is one that I am fairly familiar with, and decided to comment upon. Herein, I get to my point. Despite that it is a grind, we still trudge dutifully through our days and struggle to make do in the seemingly endless tunnel, no light to be seen. This was my response to the topic posed in our group:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- subject: How do you see or describe autism? Response: I think, as parents, we learn that we will always have to ride the ups and downs as they come. It is easy to hate autism, because we gave it a name, but regardless of what we call it, we all, parents of children with autism or not, have daily struggles to deal with. Giving these troubles a name may give tools to cope with, or even fight our daily struggles, but it also gives them power. I do my best to be careful of that. I certainly know I fall short, time and again as a parent, but do my best as every good parent does. It is very easy to sink back into despair knowing that there is no end to the struggle. What I try my hardest NOT to do is blame autism for this. It is hard, but I try not to think of Connor as having Autism, but as him being himself, so I can look for ways to care for him as an individual, rather than as an autism case. It is difficult to put into words, but I try to see or describe autism as just a part of the loving wonderful child that is my son. To all of you, my best wishes for peace and serenity, today and always! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I know for me personally, there are times, when the grind sometimes feels overwhelming to the point where it gets hard to get out of bed in the morning, and for those who shake your heads and tell me you greet the morning with enthusiasm everyday, wait there while I go get my bat :P Just kidding...really!....no, not really! Are you dizzy yet? I do hope that the proverbial light shines for you, but if not, find comfort knowing that you are not the only one. You are not alone. If you are blessed as I am to have a reliable, steady canine companion there to help share the burden, then you know what unconditional love is, and there, we can find a faint glimmer at least. They don't even complain about you answering the door while dressed in pajamas and bathrobe! Look close enough, and no matter how dark, there is always a light to be found somewhere, even if it is very hard to see. -Alisha I am finding it more and more easy as I grow older to be reminded that I am mortal, and that my days here are limited. I have been struggling lately with, quite literally, a pain in my neck! I am not entirely sure what actually triggered this unfortunate mess, but the pain is almost indescribable.
Just another reminder, and maybe more depressing, is watching my collie girl growing older before me. She has always been very docile and easy going, but to the well trained observer (me), it is easy to see that she is growing older, and that HER time too, is limited. I cannot imagine my life without her. True to the collie nature, she has always been there right beside me, though everything. She was the second love of my life really. I only got her just shortly after being married. She knew I was pregnant before I did, she would curl up behind my knees on the couch when I was too sick to move, she went running with me giving me the determination I needed, she has been there to babysit my kids, and to help me asses other dog's temperaments. Sadly, she is the first dog (of mine) that I will have to see pass. I do not relish that day, the same that every true pet lover drea. I can only hope that I can do her justice by being there for her and having the same strength she has always shown me. Here is to being thankful for the time we are given, and to making the best of every minute we can of it! I know it is a bothersome thing for me sometimes! Today I was struck by the immensity of pride there is out there that prevents people from being polite. The thing that triggered this was a post of Prince George in a Christening gown posted to facebook, and the ensuing comments questioning what it was. Many likened it to a dress and wondered why. Some politely, others less so. Regardless of this misunderstanding, and the comments made, the replies to these comments, and even some comments made in anticipation of the less informed comments (yet to be made) were appalling! I personally blame social media. It is so much easier to say what you feel like saying, without regard to how you sound, when you don't have to look anyone in the face to say it. This leads me to my point. We take a great pride in what we know and believe, and yet, there is just so much more we don't know and can never understand. So who are we to judge others on their knowledge. Despite our belief that there are some things that are universal knowledge, this is simply untrue. Everyone lives and has lived their lives in completely different circumstances than every other person around us, therefore, we should not assume they know the same as us. Either way, the world would be a much nicer place to be if everyone were just a little more considerate and a little less rude. This is just the opinion of an unedumacated mom. Does anyone agree? I would like to amend my choice of wording. Perhaps arrogance would work better in replacing "pride". When Speaking of pride, in its truest form anyway, we think of good things. Thus, perhaps rephrasing Pride to arrogance, which is really what I am whining about makes more sense.
So many people have dogs today, and yet there are so many with issues so severe that the family feels they need to give the dog away. This is such a sad dilemma for so many of our pets. I understand the need for harmony in a household. Those not committed to doing what it takes to care for and discipline our canine family member(s) would be most prudent in choosing a pet that requires less effort. The lack of forethought and honesty with ourselves on the level of care we are able to offer often leads to an unhappy ending. This can be generalized to just about anything we do, from personal relationships to bearing children to the careers we choose. Quite often people will look for outside professional help when getting into the career workforce, or even when planning a family. And also, how is it that a couple can spend months if not years planning a wedding, something that comes and goes in a day and yet choosing a pet is often a product of a last minute decision? I don't want to trivialize the importance of planning and enjoying a happy and succesful wedding day, and hopefully an ensuing long lasting relationship. I would rather emphasize that HOPEFULLY we would want to start out relationships with our pets on close to if not on the same level. I am curious as to how long the average marriage lasts in relationship to our relationships with our pets. I guess my point is this, please help keep our pets and family members out of shelters, and other less savory situations by a making wise informed choices! What are your thoughts on this?
One of my favorite part of having friends over is when they bring their animal companions along with them! My dogs love it too! In this pic, we have 2 malanois, one collie, one standard poodle, and one Lab! They are all having a blast together, and get to go home happy and tired at the end of the day! :)
I have always found that most every time I work with a dog, any dog, there is always a lesson to be learned. For example, my latest work with a fantastic pitbull puppy really drove home the importance of the endless need for patience.
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AuthorI have always had a gift for working with animals, I love to ride, have had birds in the past, and previously owned and run a kitty kennel! Archives
July 2016
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