This has certainly been a blockbuster summer for her:  swimming in the river in Willits and rollercoasters; a month in Arizona including a 7 day road trip to pick up Reggie; a week with Peta in San Francisco where she got to hang out at home and go on fun adventures; and three weeks of summer camp at the YMCA downtown.  I like having her as my commuting buddy and I'm going to miss it.

The end of summer means Indian Summer will soon be here.  We will finally get a reprieve from this...

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The first time I got bitten by a dog was when I was 3. Being extremely fond of my neighbour's cute little puppy I had hugged it tight. The puppy, alarmed by the tight embrace and thinking I was making an attempt on its life, bit my hand and escaped. What scared my parents, even more, was that the puppy was killed that very same evening by a train in Vandalur. My mother, for weeks, was praying that the puppy shouldn't have had rabies.

The second time, I got bitten was at my Uncle Nirmal's place. Uncle Nirmal and his wife Nirmala (apart from the names, they are also engaged in the same profession - medicine) love dogs and have this huge, affable German Shepherd housed in their hospital-cum-residence. The poor dog had been cooped up for more than three hours, because we were expected (my grandmother hates dogs). Not knowing this I happily went up to the dog and started patting it, seeing it wag its tail. Within a second I retreated with my hand bitten and everyone in an uproar. (My skin was indented and no bleeding).

The third time, it was definitely not my fault. I was walking up to my friend's house in Vandalur. Their house does not have a garden or a wall and looks out straight into the street. When I was nearing the house, I spotted a Doberman. Seeing it I halted in my tracks, but the dog with no provocation at all and with no warning bark or anything lunged straight at me (dogs usually give a warning when ur threatening it in some way; they bark before they attack). At 14, I knew that dogs tend to attack people if they run. So I stood my ground, expecting that the dog will sniff at me and then leave me alone. Instead it bit me hard in the arm. I was shocked, but I didn't struggle. After three minutes of holding onto my arm, it got bored and let go off me. My arm was bleeding and my dress was soon soaking. After 10 minutes of me calling for my friend Tamil selvi, she finally appeared and tied up the dog (the whole time the dog was standing there guarding me and giving me dirty looks).  She was shocked at what happened.

She said her relatives had purposely trained the dog to bite people. The local postman and the paper boy had earlier been severely mauled and disfigured by this dog. She said I was lucky to have so little a wound inflicted by that dog.

I was of course furious with the owners. It is so harmful for the dog and others if you train it to bite (unless its a guard dog, a police or military dog).

Everyone know why it is harmful to a person if a dog bites.

Why is it harmful for the dog, if it is trained to bite?  

• because the person, who was bitten by the dog, can take action. A complaint to the local police station will be enough reason for authorities to cart the dog away to the local pound.
• because the dog itself will become anti-social & unhappy. Of course, the individual owner's ego may get boosted if it becomes a one-man dog, friendly to him and a biter to all....but in the long run, the dog will be unhappy, if it is not properly socialised.
• because the dog will become a burden eventually; If it is trained to bite no one other than its owner can feed it, bathe it or take it to the vet. The owner cannot leave the dog with anyone and go off on a vacation

The fourth time, I got bitten by a dog, was when I was at vacation bible school. I had become very pally-pally with the neighbour's dog. On the last day of the event, there was the feast. I thought I'd give the dog a few tit-bits off my plate. I went up to the dog and it got really excited. It started jumping all over me trying to get at the plate. As I was wearing a sari, I lost balance when the dog jumped on me....In its attempt to get at the plate, its teeth accidentally cut through my skin. I didn't realise it had accidentally bitten me, till a few minutes a later, when I got up and saw the abrasive.

Moral of the story:Dogs are basically nice creatures, they don't bite unless provoked. When they bite, you can be sure some human being is it at fault (the dog owner, who didn't properly socialise it, or the person who provoked it).

*The photo isn't Rumba.  It's an image from Google.

I have a very strong and unrelenting sweet tooth, and sweets of any kind were the biggest problem I had in actually reducing to and maintaining my desired goal weight. If I had a glass of iced tea and used sugar to sweeten with, it would take 10 teaspoons full to get it right. I had no will power when it came to eating cookies, candy, cake, pie, pudding, etc. It was nothing for me to sit down with a bag of Pecan Sandies and eat the whole bag without even thinking about it until there wasn't any more. That's how bad I was and that posed my biggest problem, so I resorted to sweeteners years ago. I quit using saccharin when it was found to be harmful, quit using Sweet-n-Low when I found out it had saccharin in it, quit using Nutra-Sweet when I found out it had very harmful chemicals in it, and then came along Splenda. Splenda - a product made from the sugar itself. How could that be bad for you? WOW! it seems that Splenda is every bit as bad as all the others, maybe even worse. Dr. James Bowen, who suffered from the poisoning of aspartame which is Nutra-Sweet also found himself at the mercy of Splenda and his research revealed - well, let me quote a little bit from his article on Splenda:

"........Splenda/sucralose is simply chlorinated sugar; a chlorocarbon. Common chlorocarbons include carbon tetrachloride, trichlorethelene and methylene chloride, all deadly. Chlorine is nature's Doberman attack dog, a highly excitable, ferocious atomic element employed as a biocide in bleach, disinfectants, insecticide, WWI poison gas and hydrochloric acid.

"Sucralose is a molecule of sugar chemically manipulated to surrender three hydroxyl groups (hydrogen + oxygen) and replace them with three chlorine atoms. Natural sugar is a hydrocarbon built around 12 carbon atoms. When turned into Splenda it becomes a chlorocarbon, in the family of Chlorodane, Lindane and DDT....."

Now what? What is a person to do when all the artificial sweeteners seem to be so unhealthy - keep using them? Well, that is what I did, because I thought that it was probably better than the sugar and I was wrong. However, during this time period, I learned how to control my cravings and listen to my body and quit eating when I was satisfied. I could walk away from a dessert without even finishing it, and I could stop at two cookies and not eat the whole bag, and I could therefore rationalize that because I was eating so little sweet stuff, a few chemicals wouldn't bother me, and besides, I was having no adverse effects.

When Stevia was brought to my attention as a safe, natural, non chemical herb that you could use to sweeten foods, I started using it. It was good and took so little to actually sweeten anything. I did find that if I used too much, it would cause a bitter taste and that the powder was not as easily dissolved as the liquid. But a few drops of the liquid in any beverage or food was just enough to give me the sweetness I desired. For some reason, the FDA will not allow Stevia to be called a "sweetener", but has to be considered an herb or food supplement and cannot be sold commercially as a sweetener. For more information on Stevia, just "google" it in and you can learn all about it. It definitely has solved my problem of "How do I sweeten my drinks and food without harmful effects such as toxicity or becoming overweight" If you haven't tried Stevia yet, you can find it in any health food store and I would recommend getting the liquid for beverages, but the powder is great for baking.

Think Thin Thoughts

Adinear

I just noticed they put his picture up on the website graduate page!

Another type of dog lover's that are dog bigot's, are the individuals that automatically condemn and criticise certain breeds of dogs and the individuals that own them.

If you have a certain breed of dog, lets say for instance a Pit Bull,  German Shepherd, any kind of Mastiff, a big Black Lab, Doberman, Chow,  well actually any large breed dog it doesn't mater what it is. You have experienced this type of dog bigotry first hand in your vet office and not just by the other clients sitting in the waiting room, some of the veterinary staff as well. This type of prejudice is the result of our own fears and what we have heard about specific breeds of dogs.

The Spirit Dog

* source for superior synonyms

who are you?  what are you holding? what is that clicking noise?

Dálmata

Origem: Dalmácia

Tamanho: Médio

Características de comportamento:

O Dálmata é um cão que necessita de ambientes amplos para ser criado devido ao seu alto nível de atividade. É muito obediente e sociável. Tem uma incrível facilidade de adaptação às mais diferentes temperaturas. Muito bom para conviver com crianças pois tem uma índole calma e protetora.

Padrão da raça:

Tanto os machos quanto as fêmeas têm o mesmo tamanho, variando entre 48 e 59 cm de altura de cernelha. As cores aceitas são o branco com pintas pretas ou o branco com pintas castanho-escuras.

Phoenix was sixteen. She came to me when someone dropped her off at my brother-in-law's store in a box in Florida. The vet said she had not been weaned and was only about 4 weeks old. She had been thrown from a moving car on the highway and had a concussion. I took her home, picked fleas off her all night and fed her dog food from a can bigger than her, and she ate all of it!

She recovered and was the best dog I ever knew -- smart, obedient, a real people dog and protector. She was my best friend for many years, and I knew her long before I met my husband or had my children. We spent a lot of time together just she and I, and it's painful to think of her going somewhere without me.

She had been having difficulty walking in the last few years, and in the last month, breathing. She had many benign tumors, which we stopped having removed, and large ones lately that probably impinged on her lungs and heart. She just stopped eating and drinking and couldn't stand up and she passed away quietly in my living room just before midnight.

I'm glad she's at peace after the difficulty and pain she had, and hope she can play with Amie now like she always enjoyed doing when they were both alive. Above is her last photo, taken the morning before she died. Old doggie, so gray! Rest in Peace, Sweet Girl...

El equipo de Pumas Oro se lleva la serie con 4 ganados y dos reveses ante los Vaqueros de Xochimilco, en una serie esperada por los seguidores del futbol americano. La serie del domingo favoreció otra vez a los universitarios al vencer en dos encuentros, Falcons por un magro 6 puntos a cero y en Hornets por blanqueada de 25 puntos a cero, mientras que la única victoria de los verdes fue en Ponys por 14 puntos a cero.

La otra organización que ganó su serie fue Águilas Blancas que tuvo 4 victorias y 2 derrotas. En la jornada dominical, los de Santo Tomás solo perdieron en Tauros por 26 puntos a cero, mientras que en Rabbits y Irons vencieron a Dragones Rojos por 31 a 6 y 36 a cero. Bucaneros tuvo un empate a cero puntos en Rabbits ante la tribu tabaco y oro y una victoria de 9 a 8 en Tauros. Cherokees se lleva una victoria en Irons por 18 puntos a cero.

Pumas Acatlán se lleva la serie con 6 ganados ante Centinelas del CGP al culminar con victorias en Tauros, Irons y Rabbits por marcadores de 23 a 8, 32 a 6 y blanqueada de 20 a cero. Búhos gana en Irons a Comanches por 39 puntos a 6 y en Rabbits blanquea 20 a cero. En Tauros, la victoria es para Comanches 36 a cero. Redskins pierde ante Raiders en Falcons 30 a 8, empata en Hornets a cero y vence Raiders en Ponys 20 a 6.

Gamos sube sus bonos y apalea en dos categorías a Politos por 36 puntos a cero en Hornets y Falcons, mientras que en Ponys, ambas escuadras empatan a 14 puntos. La otra categoría de Ponys, pero esta del grupo Blanco, gana Politos a Pumas banco 32 a 6 mientras que en Hornets, Politos pierde ante Gatos Salvajes 38 a 32.

Corsarios del Colegio Elizabeth sufre dos reveses ante Doberman por 34 a 26 en Falcons y 26 a 6 en Rabbits. En Querétaro, Gatos Salvajes pierde 20 a 8 ante Patriotas y 12 a 6 ante Toritos en Tauros. En Tauros, Bucaneros pierde por 36 a cero ante Vietnamitas en el Juan García Piñón

FUENTE FADEMAC

* Available in red or black

You know who's not a good swimmer? Flirt.

In fact, she's a terrible swimmer. She flails around in the water like a total spaz. Momma tried to help her learn to swim by supporting her belly with one arm and using the other arm to keep her front paws under water - you know, basic dog paddle kind of stuff. Apparently, that was too much for her, so she climbed all the way into momma's arms and just sat there in the water, with momma holding her (momma and Auntie Colleen were very sad that they didn't have a camera with them).

Flirt later decided she should jump in like I do. Which would be fine...IF SHE KNEW HOW TO SWIM. Instead, she dove in nose first, and sank straight to the bottom. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos, but it looked something like this:

Momma jumped in with all her clothes on to save Flirty - who surfaced right as momma got to her. After Momma and Auntie Colleen got Flirt out of the pool, they almost drowned themselves from laughing so hard.

After her second near-death experience in a week, you would think that Flirt would be afraid of the pool. Nope, she kept trying to get back in the water. So, we decided we should try a safer activity, like running around the backyard instead.

It started off well

Then there was a minor foot-biting incident (I didn't bite her, she put her foot on my teeth!)

And don't ask me how she managed to do this

I'm all for cutting loose, but a dog has to maintain some semblance of dignity, right?

Oh, nevermind. Flirt, your lessons for today are over, why don't you take a break. Hey! Not with Big Ball!!!!

Of the cast of characters who play in my dog walking pack, the one that entertains me the most is the Pug. I won’t use his real name here, not so much to protect his identity, but because it is a mouthful, a dissonant hodgepodge of letters that don’t go together belonging to an obscure Reformation theologian, perhaps a heady wish by his owners that he would be an intellectual sort. The name could not fit him less nor could it be harder to say, so I just call him Pug-Pug.
He is a roly-poly little bundle of energy, stubborn as all get-out, with a tail that uncurls when he’s running around like a maniac. He’s a good-looking Pug, if you like that sort of smoosh-faced alien thing. Pug connoisseurs are always commenting he’d make a good show dog, but were he ever to go that route he would be disqualified as only one of his testicles ever descended, lending him one of his many nicknames, The Uni-baller.
He is a quirky little guy, and has gone through many stages of odd behavior, including standing and staring at the floor in a corner, then pouncing suddenly at nothing, also going through the house and scratching at closed doors, and eating dirt, twigs and rocks as we go on our walks. I couldn’t quite decide if he was a neurotic special needs pup with pica, or an eccentric misunderstood genius.
When he got his sole testicle removed, he had to wear one of those embarrassing Elizabethan collars for about a week to keep him from pulling out his stitches. Most dogs cower in the big pathetic plastic cone, but not Pug-Pug. He used the satellite dish on his head to his advantage in the game of fetch, knocking other dogs out of the way and cupping the tennis ball to the ground so no other contenders could get to it. It was things like this that led me to believe he might be smarter than he let on. But the following incident proved that theory wrong.
Pug-Pug has a buddy in the pack, a large Doberman Pinscher who uses him as a chew toy, gnawing on Pug-Pug’s juicy neck rolls. At first I was afraid Pug-Pug was getting mauled, but he always went back for more, kind of like a little brother who dotes on his older sibling so much he’ll take attention anyway he can get it, even if it means getting pummeled. Once Pug-Pug’s neck was protected by the plastic collar, however, the Dobie had no interest in him. Pug-Pug followed his every move trying to get his best buddy to play with him, but to no avail. It was at this moment I witnessed how dim he really is.
Tagging along at the much larger dog’s heels, Pug-Pug crashed into his ankles with the cone as the Dobie came to a sudden stop. Pug-Pug looked up and sniffed with great interest the nether-regions of the Pinscher, who I saw begin to squat and hunch his back in the “about to do my business” stance. Pug kept sniffing away, and sure enough, “Plop!” a gigantic Dobie doo as big as Pug-Pug’s head landed on the brim of his cone. I saw panic in his eyes, and he began to retreat, backpedaling as if he could get away from this offensive intruder into his personal space, but everywhere he went it hotly pursued. He backed himself into a wall, and stood there, paralyzed by the inescapable poo.
After making sure someone else had seen this to share in fits of laughter and cursing not having a video camera for what would be a sure thing on America’s Funniest Home Videos, I helped Pug-Pug out, ridding his cone of the consequences of his curiosity. I thought for sure, he’d learned his lesson, but the very next day, cone-free after a week of confinement, Pug-Pug perched himself at the tail end of his best friend for round two of his exploits into dog doodom. This time he stood back carefully until he thought the Dobie was done, then leaned in to investigate the steaming pile on the ground, only to receive the second helping square on the back of his empty little head.
I never again overestimated his powers of reasoning. The moral of the story is that you can judge a pug by his collar. That, and carry a camera. And handy wipes.

oh the vet just called.. logan's blood tests were all normal.. except he has minor anemia, but she said that's normal in puppies. so that's good. nothing majorly out of wack with him. i know i'm not psychic or anything but i just feel like he's going to be okay. but i'll keep that to a whisper.

ugh.. getting nervous about my sonohysterogram on monday.. eek..

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Today, I finally located this mystery address and I’m amazed they get any mail at all. It’s a landscaping company tucked away at the far end of a cul-de-sac, at the back of an industrial complex that appears, from the front, to be either under renovation or condemned.

Windows are boarded up and rusted-out wrecks sit in the parking lot. All that’s missing is a broken screen door flapping in the wind on one hinge — oh, and maybe Boo Radley on the porch.

I brought my husband with me this time and I’m glad I did. I never would have been brave enough to walk alone around the back of this building. Even with him there, I half expected a pack of rabid Dobermans to come bounding around the corner any minute.

But, to my surprise, there were only piles of rocks, paving stones and a lone landscaper unloading rolls of sod from a truck. He didn’t seem to notice us, so we walked into the “office” — basically an open garage with a desk, lots of gardening tools and an old rotary dial phone (I was tempted to use it for old time’s sake).

I put the envelope on the table and, as we left, walked over to the landscaper and explained what we’d done. Poor guy, I think we startled him. Working all alone like that, he should probably get a guard dog — maybe even a Doberman....

For one thing, that house I showed you last time, is not going to be my new house after all. It fell out of escrow in this crazy real estate market because it did not appraise.

But not to worry! Liz & Jon had a new offer accepted, and this house (it's a condo actually) is 2 blocks from this beach!

photo via tallcj at flickr

I love the beach. I haven't seen this house, but when I do, I will show it to you. I think I will wait to make sure it is going through this time though. Don't want to disappoint you again!

Anyway, to clear my mind during this tumultuous time, I have been taking long walks in the park near my house. It is my favorite place to go whenever I get to go out.

I always meet loads of people and there are always friends to play with. This last time, I met a new one:

He was super nice. He was rescued by our neighbors from a man who wasn't taking care of him. Now his life is fun and he gets to go to the park every day.

Of course I also made friends with his human family!

Nothing like a bit of relaxation to take your mind off things!

the worst part was that i could hear darby waking up from surgery in the background.. screaming and howling. it was awful. my poor baby.. and the recovery will be long and painful.

but overall, i'm relieved. it's over. no more hormones to cause problems and heat cycles anymore. and i've done everything i can to give her a healthy, happy, long life. even if the next few weeks totally suck.

so tonight, she will stay there recovering and our house will be sad and empty. hopefully we can bring her home tomorrow morning.. and hopefully she won't be too miserable.

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