4th of July Weekend Kickoff!

Busy has not only been my middle name this week, but it has also been my first and last too!! Work has been H-E-C-T-I-C!!! So much so that by the time I got home, I just ceased to exist. I apologize for my neglect here. I can't believe it's 4th of July time already!! This has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love family, friends, cookouts, fireworks, and swimming. I LOVE the summer holidays. While I love all of the excitement, I'm all too aware that 2 of my dogs absolutely DO NOT!!! Shiloh and Fergie are both TERRIFIED of fireworks and big crowds. So, I make sure that I leave them indoors, where they are the most comfortable. I make sure that I let them out before the fireworks start. I don't let them out again, until I hear mostly no sign of them in the neighborhood. The American Humane Association, Humane Society of the United States, and the ASPCA all remind pet owners to keep their pets safe during the 4th of July weekend. Here is the ASPCA's list of tips to keep your pooches and kitties happy this weekend:

* Never leave alcoholic drinks unattended where pets can reach them. Alcoholic beverages have the potential to poison pets. If ingested, the animal could become very intoxicated and weak, severely depressed or could go into a coma. Death from respiratory failure is also a possibility in severe cases.

* Do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent product to your pet that is not labeled specifically for use on animals. Ingestion of sunscreen products can result in drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and lethargy. The misuse of insect repellent that contains DEET can lead to neurological problems.

* Always keep matches and lighter fluid out of your pets’ reach. Certain types of matches contain chlorates, which could potentially damage blood cells and result in difficulty breathing—or even kidney disease in severe cases. Lighter fluid can be irritating to skin, and if ingested can produce gastrointestinal irritation and central nervous system depression. If lighter fluid is inhaled, aspiration pneumonia and breathing problems could develop.

* Keep your pets on their normal diet. Any change, even for one meal, can give your pets severe indigestion and diarrhea. This is particularly true for older animals who have more delicate digestive systems and nutritional requirements. And keep in mind that foods such as onions, chocolate, coffee, avocado, grapes & raisins, salt and yeast dough can all be potentially toxic to companion animals.

* Do not put glow jewelry on your pets, or allow them to play with it. While the luminescent substance contained in these products is not highly toxic, excessive drooling and gastrointestinal irritation could still result from ingestions, and intestinal blockage could occur from swallowing large pieces of the plastic containers.

* Keep citronella candles, insect coils and oil products out of reach. Ingestions can produce stomach irritation and possibly even central nervous system depression. If inhaled, the oils could cause aspiration pneumonia in pets.

* Loud, crowded fireworks displays are no fun for pets, so please resist the urge to take them to Independence Day festivities. Instead, keep your little guys safe from the noise in a quiet, sheltered and escape-proof area at home.

Something Completely Different

I apologize for my absence yesterday. It has been REALLY crazy for me lately. I hope that I'll be back to normal soon. In the meantime, I thought that I'd share something completely different with everyone today. Last weekend, some of my friends in the 501st Legion went to a Sci-Fi convention (AdCon) in Knoxville. Although I didn't get to go myself, I'm really enjoying everyone's stories and pictures. One of the guests there was Ray Park. Ray Park is a respected martial artist, who is probably best known for his role as Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. I got the opportunity to meet him last year at DragonCon in Atlanta. He is really a super guy; very nice. He loves to meet his fans and talk with them. During one of the sessions, he took a few fans and recreated the awesome lightsaber duel between Darth Maul, Obi Wan Kenobi, and Qui Gon Gin. One of the members of the 501st caught it on film and posted it to YouTube.com. Here are the results. I love martial arts, so I think they're awesome!!

Goodbye Eddie

Frazier's ever famous Jack Russell, Eddie, passed away at the home of his trainer last Thursday. The dog's real name was Moose. Moose was 16 years old and apparently quite the character. In addition to his role as Eddie, Moose also appeared in the movie My Dog Skip, which I highly recommend (be sure to bring the box of tissues). Goodbye Moose, you will be missed. For more, click HERE.

Running Crazy

Today has been one of those days that I didn't know whether I've been coming or going. Some people would say, I have too many "irons in the fire" today. I have somewhat of a personal project that I'm working on that I'm not a liberty to talk about quite yet. Hopefully by next week, I can let everyone in on all the details. Don't worry. It's nothing huge, life changing, or bad. It's just something that I'm interested in doing, and I'm trying to make it happen. Until I have everything nailed down, I don't want to say anything.

Casey and I want to go to the drive in tonight, but we'll have to see how the weather holds out. It's been raining here, and that's o.k. It's been really dry, but the rain doesn't make for a good movie experience.

Other than my appointment at the local paper on Monday, I don't really have any other big plans this weekend. That's subject to change on a moment's notice, though. Everyone have a great weekend!

Local Story

A few days ago, I was contacted by one of my hometown newspaper's (Shelbyville Times-Gazette) reporters, John Carney. He is interested in doing a story on our small town's local bloggers. I quickly accepted his invitation. So Monday, I get to go to the paper and meet with him. It will be interesting to hear his thoughts on our local bloggers. I'm excited and a bit nervous at the same time. This blog is like my baby. As you all know, I use it as a way to educate and inform readers of homeless animals, pet related issues, and my life in general with my menagerie of pets. I've put a lot of my heart and soul into this place, and I'm a little nervous at the thought of such open exposure. It's so strange. It's not like I haven't had exposure before. Brittney over at Nashville's Talking has picked up several of my posts before. It's been wonderful. I've connected with so many people, right from my own area. There's a certain amount of safety being grouped with Nashville area bloggers. When it gets down to such a tight, small town demographic, it gets the nerves all a jitter. Has anyone had experience with this before? Any pointers? I'll keep everyone posted.

Get That Dog A Job!!

Click HERE to hear the theme song!

Tomorrow, June 23, is National Take Your Dog to Work Day. Take Your Dog to Work Day was started by Pet Sitters International back in 1999. Here's what the day is all about:

On June 23, 2006, Pet Sitters International will host its 8th Annual Take Your Dog To Work Day® event. Modern Dog magazine, Magna Hospitality Group and PETS 911 have joined PSI in its effort to bolster pet adoptions from shelters, humane societies and rescue groups and educate the public on the benefits of responsible pet ownership.

Pet Sitters International, the creator of the day, is asking businesses around the world to allow employees to bring their well-mannered dogs to the office on Take Your Dog To Work Day. The celebratory event is intended to promote the human-animal bond by facilitating positive interactions between dogless co-workers and their colleagues’ canine companions. However, there is much more to this annual festival of dog than simply celebrating man’s and woman’s best friend.

“Take Your Dog To Work Day is about confronting the realities of pet overpopulation in a positive and proactive way,” states PSI President Patti Moran. “People bringing their dogs to work in celebration of Take Your Dog To Work Day can make a huge difference in pet adoptions around the world.” Moran’s company, PSI, which represents approximately 7,500 independent professional pet-sitting businesses, says developing partnerships between businesses, animal shelters and pet-care professionals is key to the success of the day. The educational organization is asking participating businesses to open their doors to shelters, animal rescues and PSI members on June 23, in addition to allowing pets. “All dogs, especially those without loving caregivers, deserve good homes,” says Moran. “By working together, we can make a better day for dogs everywhere.”

Now if you're like me and it's not practical to actually take your dog to work, there are other things you can do to help promote the occassion. Pet Sitters International lists 10 things you can do on this day to help, whether or not your favorite companion goes with you.

1. Spearhead a Fido Fundraiser!

Designate the proceeds to a local animal charity, shelter or rescue group. Anyone can hold a fundraiser and the best part is that you're helping your own community.

2. Hold a Doggie Adopt-A-Thon!

This can be done at the office or at your local shelter. Make arrangements for a few animals from the shelter to visit your office and maybe your co-workers will take them home. That's what TYDTWD® is all about!

3. Put on a Pet Fair!

Invite local pet vendors and shelters to come and talk about their businesses. Ask them to donate products or gift certificates for a raffle or silent auction. Then, donate the proceeds to the local shelter.

4. Picture This - A Photo Session!

Last year, the marketing department of a participating company donated their time and expenses to take photos of the associates with their dogs. The photos cost $10.00 each and all of the proceeds were matched by the company and donated to a local shelter. At another company, the employer took photos with a digital camera and gave each dog owner a framed copy.

5. Party Hearty!

From a hot dog lunch with all the fixings to a simple afternoon break with dog bone-shaped cookies and doggie treats, everyone deserves a little “paws” at work!

6. Play Doggie Dress-up!

Let’s face it, dogs dressed as people are funny and adorable. Dress up your pup and hold a doggie costume contest or a puppy parade.

7. Educate Other Employees!

Sure, this day is about having fun, but what’s most important is raising awareness about homeless dogs! Use the day as a way to educate people in your community about animal misconceptions, homeless animal statistics, health benefits of pet ownership and more.

8. Decorate...Doggone It!

Be sure to put up posters, wear your TYDTWD® T-shirt and bring in your Doggie Briefcase to show your support for the event!

9. Make Mutt Memories!

Keep a photo album of the day as a souvenir. Add to it each year. Some participants even display their “Certificate of Participation” on their walls and Web sites.

10. Conduct K-9 Kontests.

Come up with contest ideas, such as best trick, friendliest canine co-worker, the “lazy dog” employee of the day or most talented. Use your imagination for other fun contest categories. Get local pet-supply retailers to donate prizes or order official TYDTWDay items HERE.

If any of you take your dogs to work, be sure to let me know how it went!!

Summer

Happy Summer Solstice!! Ah, the first day of summer. I wait for this day all year long. I don't have anything against the other seasons, but summer has ALWAYS been my favorite. I love the fact that we have more daylight hours today than any other day. I just love having lots of daylight, after I get home from work. I like going to work in the sunshine and coming home in the sunshine. I love taking the dogs out at nearly 9 p.m. and having a little light left. I just feel that I have more "me" time in the summer. All winter long, I wait for the first day of spring and warmer weather. In the winter, I feel like a prisoner, and summer is freedom. I LOVE to be outside. Most afternoons, you can find me out at the pool swimming my laps, or out walking the dogs, or just out on the porch visiting with my mother. Once I get off from work, it's very hard for me to stay inside. I just NEED that good dose of fresh air and sunshine everyday. So if you guys need me, I'll be outside.

Get Those Pets on the Pill

I have volunteered my time to animal humane activities and causes, since I was in high school. For some reason, I missed one of the newest things going. It's the movement to use oral contraceptives and implants as a method of sterilaztion for pets. This could be much cheaper than surgically spaying and neutering pets. There is an organization that is spearheading the research and ideas in this area. It is called The Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs. Here is what they do:

ACC&D is an international, collaborative effort to save the lives of dogs and cats and to reduce their numbers through developing non-surgical technologies for the humane control of cat and dog populations. Members represent the following collaborative interests: academics (research and teaching), animal welfare, veterinary practitioners, the pharmaceutical industry, funding foundations, and regulatory agencies.

Click HERE to view their mission statement.

They have an active petition campaign to encourage support for their mission.

Here is a snippet from the petition:

Imagine being able to sterilize your dog or cat without surgery or anesthesia, but with a simple injection. While a sterilization injection is not available yet, it will be. WHEN is a matter of how much the public pressures pharmaceutical companies, scientists, regulators and funders into developing the right tools. While many U.S. pet owners are able to afford and access spay/neuter surgery, it's often a different story for low-income pet owners and rural residents. Surgical sterilization is also logistically difficult and expensive for population control of un-owned animals, such as shelter animals and feral cats. An estimated five million cats and dogs die each year in US shelters alone.

I think this is a really good idea. It's definitely something that I'd like to research. I'm sure that it will take a while to get all of the details worked out, but the end means could be a great thing. I did sign the petition.

Happy Weekend!

We still have the little guest dog at our house. I was going to talk to her owners last night, but they hadn't gotten home by the time I called it a night (which was around 12:30 a.m.) Casey is going to try to catch them sometime today. She decided that she would overnight with us AKA we couldn't get her outta the house without a fight. She was as happy as a little lark, eating dogfood and chewing on the occassional Nylabone. The little stinker even chewed away on the corner of The Last Command. It wasn't too bad, but it still irks me. I haven't had anything like this happen, since Bear was a puppy. He read the middle of the 5th Harry Potter book with his teeth! It wasn't hard to break him from the habit with chews and other things that he COULD chew to his heart's desire. This little girl is well old enough to know better. Looks like I have work to do, if she's going to hang around with me. Maybe her family can convince her to go back home. It's still the strangest thing that I've ever seen.

I don't have any mind blowing plans for the weekend. The forcast is rainy, so I expect I'll be in the house most of the time. We might go rent a few movies to keep us busy. Casey has shelter duty tomorrow morning. I'll do my housecleaning tomorrow, since I have to take Mom for her doctor's checkup on Monday. She and I are planning to have a really nice lunch somewhere, but we haven't decided exactly where yet. We always have a good time on our doctor outings. It gets us out of town for a change of scenery. Other than that, my plans are wide open. Who knows what I'll get into. Everyone have a great weekend!

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

The strangest thing happened about two days ago. The neighbors that live behind us have this little dog. She looks like a little Sheltie mix, and she's Bear's size. They've had her ever since they moved in, which was about five years ago. We've always known her. She meets us in the back yard, when we let our dogs out. Whenever I would walk Bear in front of her house, she would finish walking the last block with us, and then cut through our back yard to go back home. She and Bear just love playing together outside. Anyway day before yesterday when Casey and I pulled into the driveway after work, she met us there. Not only did she meet us, but when I opened the door to get out, she jumped into the car with me. We finally got her out, and I didn't think anymore about it. Yesterday, it was the same scenario. She met us in the driveway and jumped into the car...but that wasn't all. When I opened the door to go inside, she just walked right in and made herself comfortable. She has very thick fur, so I knew she was hot. I let her stay inside and cool off until suppertime. Later I had gone to take a shower, and when I got done she was back inside!! Casey said she came in, when my friend Elaine stopped by. We let her stay inside until bedtime. She, Bear, and Fergie had the best time playing. This morning, she was at the backdoor waiting to come inside. She had a bite to eat and a drink of water. Again, she jumped into the car with us. For a minute, it looked like she was going to follow our car.

It's just the weirdest thing. She's known us for years. Why would she have such an interest in us so suddenly? Today as soon as the neighbors get in, I'm going to go down there and let them know that she's been hanging out at our house. I don't want anyone thinking that I'm trying to steal their dog or anything. When she comes into the house, she acts like she BELONGS there. The weirdest part is all of my dogs act the same way!! It's just like no big deal to them? I'm just left to think, "what do I do now?"

The Nose Knows!

Most everyone knows that dogs have been using their keen sense of smell to hunt down drugs, bombs, missing people, and now even cancer. But did you know that dogs are also being used to sniff out bedbugs in apartments and hotels and pirated DVDs and CDs? Now, many dogs have been put to work to sniff out these new items. Read all about it HERE.

James Estrin/The New York Times

Jada, with her owner, Carl Massicott, seeking out bedbugs for pay.

I wondered how they were able to do this for a very long time. I somewhat finally understood the process, when I began working at Kindred Spirits last year. This is how it was explained to me. When a dog catches a scent or smells something specific, such as a drug or food, he doesn't smell the combination of ingredients or substances. A dog can smell each ingredient that makes up the whole. For example if you had a bowl of creamed corn, a dog could smell the corn, salt, pepper, butter, and any other ingredient individually.

Here is another interesting fact about how acute a dog's sense of smell really is:

Smell is a dog's sharpest sense. Next time a dog sniffs at you, think about this: just by smelling, a dog can tell where you have been and what you have been doing, what you have eaten, and even whether you are not feeling well. (Perhaps it's a good thing that dogs can't talk.) The dog is using its nose the way you use your eyes to recognize people and figure out something about them. You know your little sister just came home from school because you see that she has her B backpack on; she had peanut butter and jelly for lunch because it is all over her shirt; and she looks might have a cold. A dog's nose enough to detect the scents your little sister picked up at school, the pb and j, and even the chemical changes that take place in her body if she is ill.

Here's another cool fact:

A classic study of dogs’ olfactory capabilities showed that dogs could reliably discriminate members of a single family, including siblings and even fraternal twins.1 A trained dog can retrieve the one stick handled by his owner from a pile of 20 or 30. In other tests, dogs trained to detect a certain odor were able to identify the scent even when presented with a complex blend of scents.

"So, just follow the nose. It always knows!!"

Need A Kitty?

This month has been so crazy I nearly forgot to remind everyone about this. June is Adopt a Shelter Cat Month. If you are looking for the furry, feline companion, please take a look at the animal shelter first. Shelters have cats of all kinds, just waiting for good homes. At this time of year, shelters are overcrowded with cats and kittens. If you adopt a shelter cat not only will you get a lifelong companion, but you help out the shelter and other cats as well. Take a look at the shelter stats below by the ASPCA.

There are about 5,000 community animal shelters nationwide that are independent; there is no national organization monitoring these shelters. The terms “humane society” and “SPCA” are generic; shelters using those names are not part of the ASPCA or the Humane Society of the United States. Currently, no government institution or animal organization is responsible for tabulating national statistics for the animal protection movement.

Approximately 8 million to 12 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and approximately 5 million to 9 million are euthanized (60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats). Shelter intakes are about evenly divided between those animals relinquished by owners and those picked up by animal control. These are national estimates; the percentage of euthanasia may vary from state to state.

According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP), less than 2 percent of cats and only 15 to 20 percent of dogs are returned to their owners. Most of these were identified with tags, tattoos or microchips.

Twenty-five percent of dogs who enter local shelters are purebred. (Source: NCPPSP)

Only 10 percent of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered. About 75 percent of owned pets are neutered.

The majority of pets are obtained from acquaintances and family members. About 15 to 20 percent of dogs are purchased from breeders, and 10 to 10 percent of cats and dogs are adopted from shelters and rescues. (Source: Ralston Purina and NCPPSP)

More than 20 percent of people who leave dogs in shelters adopted them from a shelter. (Source: NCPPSP)

Five out of ten dogs in shelters and seven out of ten cats in shelters are destroyed simply because there is no one to adopt them.

The following data are ASPCA estimates unless otherwise indicated.

Our grand cat of the house, Lucy, is 14 years old. She rules the kingdom from the top down, dogs included. I adopted her from my local shelter, when she was only 6 weeks old. She's been with me and Casey ever since. I wouldn't trade her for the world!

EXCITEMENT!!

Today has just been one of those run around everywhere days. Busy, busy, busy. I did find out some fantastic news. My humane association received a $1000 grant to use for our 2nd annual Celebration Pet Day. That means that we can do everything that we want to do, and we can do it nicely. The news came in this morning.

Last night, I had my planning committee's first meeting. The ideas and programming that everyone has lined up is fantastic. There's something for every pet lover. This year, we are also offering a lot of pet educational classes. I've even got a call in to a Red Cross representative about doing pet CPR certifications. This is all just the tip of the iceburg for us. I can't wait to see what all we put together. Gotta run...so busy today!! I'll fill everyone in tomorrow!

Visiting Melissa

After breakfast on Sunday morning, we headed out from Columbus to Cincinnati. We got to Melissa's around noon. It was so good to see her. The last time we got to visit was the end of last October, so it was a reunion of sorts for us. We sat around and just caught up for about an hour or so, before her sister, Sherry, arrived. After catching up with Sherry, we were headed out to see something of a religious monument. Melissa and Sherry just couldn't stop talking about it. It is a HUGE paper mache' Jesus that has been constructed by a local church there. It is so big, that it can be seen by traffic passing on the interstate. Melissa and Sherry said that it was such a sight to behold, that it was causing wrecks on the interestate and nearby streets. Of course, Casey and I just HAD to see it, so we were off. After about a 15 minute drive, it was finally revealed to us.

This thing is so big that in the picture you can see how it looms high above the roof of the church. There was a little amphitheatre in front of it, with a nice little pond and walking path in front of it. There were gardens, benches, and lots of ducks and geese there. Casey took lots of pictures as we were walking the path.

Sherry, me, and Melissa in front of the paper mache' Jesus.

After our visit with the paper mache' Jesus, we headed to Melissa's grandmother's house for a big family cookout. I finally got to meet the family that I'd heard so much about over the years. We met Melissa's grandmother, great grandmother and grandfather, her aunts, her mother and her fiance', and her uncle. They were all such warm, friendly, wonderful people. The food was fantastic, and the company was even better! When we finished eating, it was time for the great Cornhole tournament. Now before you all go off and make some terrible remarks, it's a bean bag game.

The object is to toss a bean bag (full of corn) into a hole in a slanted, wooden board. On the board is 1 point and through the hole is 3 points. I never got one through, but I always got close..."but no cigar". Casey, however, was quite good at it. Melissa and Sherry reigned as team champions. Late that afternoon, it was time to tell everyone goodbye and head back to Mel's place. On our way, Mel called one of her friends, Josie, to come by and join us. We spent the rest of the evening sitting out on Mel's patio talking, drinking wine, and eating chips and salsa. It was wonderful just to relax and visit. Josie is a great girl, and a whole lotta fun. Casey, who was surrounded by women, fit right in. We had some REALLY interesting conversations. Around 11:00, Sherry and Josie headed home, and me, Mel, and Casey went back inside. Mel had bought us a delectable treat, Graeter's Ice Cream! Folks, this is some of the BEST ice cream that I've ever had. Melissa introduced us to Greater's on our first visit, and we've been hooked ever since. After a HUGE bowl of mint chocolate chip and much satisfaction, I called it a night.

On Monday Mel had grad classes, but we had time for lunch. So, we went to another favorite place of ours, Skyline Chili. Here's a couple of shots Casey took, while we were there.

After a good meal and some very sad goodbyes we saw Melissa off to class, and we headed for home. All in all, it was such a WONDERFUL trip and a much needed break. I just can't wait to go again! Everyone have a good weekend!

COSI - Ohio

We were later leaving out for Columbus than we had planned. Since the vet had kept Slate overnight we had to pick him up before we left. We got him back home and settled in with my Mom. We quickly loaded the car and were on our way. The weather for the drive up was just horrible. It poured rain all the way from Nashville to Louisville, KY. That made us run even later. As we got on the far side of Louisville the rain finally stopped, and the sun came out. It was nearly dinner time, so we stopped right outside of Columbus for a bite to eat. When we got into town we went straight over to COSI, and met up with our friends. It was great to see everyone in costume and trooping. We had friends with both the Rebel Legion and the 501st. One of our friends managed to get us in for a sneak peek at the exhibit, Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination. It was absolutely INCREDIBLE!! So many of the props that were used in the Star Wars movies were there and up close to look at. It was sensory overload. There were robots that you could build yourself, an actual landspeeder that you could ride in, a flight in a lifesize cockpit of the Millenium Falcon, and many other interactive things.

After a quick preliminary trip through the exhibit, Casey and I headed over to the hotel to unload the car and freshen ourselves up (By that time it was nearly 9 p.m.) After a little relaxation, it was time to head down and line up for the midnight opening of the exhibit. We walked the 5 blocks down from our hotel. Columbus is a lovely city, so it was a really nice walk. While we waited outside, we got to talk with several people and interact with the troopers. The people were finally let inside at timed intervals to mingle, eat, get an autograph from Jeremy Bulloch (the original Boba Fett), and go through the exhibit. The food was great, and the company and exhibit were even better! We finally got back to the hotel and fell into bed around 3 a.m.

On Saturday, we got up and headed out for a bite to eat. While we were out, we decided to explore the city a little bit. It was so clean and neat. We found a really great cigar shop there with an even bigger reputation called Pipes and Pleasures. Casey loves cigars and pipes, so he was in heaven. Later that afternoon, we headed back to the exhibit and went back through to get some pictures. Everyone was clearing out for the day, so it was a lot easier to get them taken. We then headed back for the hotel, stopping on the river bank to get a bite to eat and take in some of the Art Festival the city was holding. After a huge gyro, it was back to the room and into the pool. Saturday night was the 501st and Rebel Legion party. It was great to get to eat and visit with our friends. Since I had missed him at the exhibit, I had a chance to get an autograph and speak with Jeremy Bulloch. All in all, a fantastic weekend in Columbus. Here are some pictures from the exhibit.

A Clone Trooper outside entertaining the crowd.

More Clone Troopers inside.

Me with Anakin's and Obi Wan's costumes.

Tusken Raider costumes.

Model of Luke Skywalker on his Taun Taun used for The Empire Strikes Back...look at that detail!

Casey with a Destroyer Droid

To see all of the pictures from the COSI weekend, click HERE. Tomorrow, the trip to Cincinnati...stay tuned.

Finally Back!

Well, I was away a little longer than I expected. I had this post ready yesterday, but Blogger was down every time I tried to publish....

I hadn't meant to be away Thursday, but it just turned out that way. When I got home on Wednesday afternoon, I noticed that Slate was holding his cast up and refusing to walk on it. For the past month, he'd been running around as fast as he could go on it. I knew that something wasn't quite right. I noticed that he had pulled all of the padding away from the top of his cast, so I figured that it may be rubbing his leg. I looked and sure enough there was a little bald spot there with a little swelling. I gave him a pain pill at bedtime to help alleviate some of the discomfort, and I hoped that he would be better by morning. At 3 a.m. on Thursday morning, he woke me up whining. Now, Slate is NOT a complainer in any way. He is one tough little dog, so when he started whining, I KNEW something was wrong. Casey and I were due to leave first thing Friday morning for Ohio, so I decided right then and there to take off Thursday and take him to the vet. Casey took the day off to help.

We got him into the vet's early Thursday morning. The tech got him in there and began to cut the cast off. If a dog's face could ever have a human expression, Slate had one as the cast came off. He looked like, "oh, thank you so much!!" As soon as the cast came off, we knew the problem. The cast had doubled over underneath and had cut a large gash into his leg nearly to the bone. I just cried, when I saw it. It looked horrible, and I can't imagine how much it must have hurt him. The vet decided to keep him overnight and surgically repair the gash. They cleaned it up and stiched it. They also gave him IV antibiotics to help. Luckily, his broken bones had healed enough that they didn't have to re-cast his foot. So after another surgery, night away from home, and another $160, we were able to pick him up early on Friday morning.

The vet said that he should be fine, and that we should go ahead on our trip. I called in the best possible caregiver that I know...my mom. She took fantastic care of him, while we were gone. She gave him his meds and many, many treats. He is soooo spoiled. Luckily, the stitches are still holding (the vet was afraid that he was too inflamed and they might not). The swelling has gone, and he seems to feel much better. I just want to hurt whoever put that BB into his foot. NONE of this would have happened, if they hadn't shot him. I swear if I EVER catch who did it, they WILL pay.

The Ohio updates will begin soon!! Stay tuned!