Friday, July 30, 2010

2 dogs + 3 little boys = summer memories and unconditional love

My grandsons (lr) Joshua, Joseph and Benjamin along with their best friends Cody (GSD) & Suzie (retriever mix)

National Canine Cancer Foundation

Thursday, July 29, 2010

2 dogs, 2000 Miles: Sometimes life is tragically unfair and unjust...

Some of you know that I have shared my life and home with a Great Pyrenees. Some of you know that my ♥dog, Tony, died of hemangiosarcoma. Because of Wilow and Tony and because my Scout and Freyja bring so much to my life I have supported the 2 dogs, 2000 Miles journey (check out the wonderful items you can purchase in support of their cause). Rather than tell you about Luke Robinson and his dogs, I'll let him tell you their story in the video below.


What is the point of today's post? Sometimes life is so totally unfair and unjust and tragic that the unthinkable happens. After ending their journey of 2000 miles bringing public awareness to the need for canine cancer research,  it was discovered that sweet Murphy has nasal cancer. Yesterday was his first radiation treatment as he 'fights the good fight' for his life. Luke is devastated as are all of his legion of friends and supporters. Today all I have done is cry when I think about the injustice of Murphy's diagnosis.


Turn off my music on the right before you begin this video

Please, if you can, stop by their blog to leave a word of encouragement. Or, visit with them on Facebook for the latest news about Murphy, Hudson or Luke. If you have a dog that has been diagnosed with cancer, would you please consider donating a sample of your best friend's blood to the Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium's (CHCC) drive toward 2,000 samples. If all of us work together we CAN find a cure and we can find that cure within our lifetime, I am sure of it.


I cannot imagine the heartache and heartbreak I would be experiencing after walking 2000 miles with my beloved dogs to find that one of them had contracted cancer and that I may loose another to this scourge of a disease. And remember, it is often found that discoveries for our animals that lead to cures for the humans that we hold dear. If you would like to contribute to help find a cure for canine cancer go to their donation page.
 
 Luke, Hudson and Murphy, Brooklyn Bridge
Please, please, pray for Murphy. He needs all the angels in heaven to help him fight the good fight.

National Canine Cancer Foundation

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Summertime and the livin' is easy...


National Canine Cancer Foundation

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Run as fast as you can AWAY from this 'helpful' product

Mimi's note: Quite frankly, ANYTHING, that hurts one of my animals I DON'T consider to be 'good' or helpful or a training aid. I've seen this 'thing' on teevee for a while now and was wondering what in the world it did to stop the barking since it wasn't a collar. The second I read that some dogs 'yelp' or refuse to come back into a room - well, I can tell you this - those folks won't get a dime of my money and not a dime of my friends' money, if I can help it. To be honest, I can't think of one friend who would buy anything that would hurt their animals.


PeoplePets.com  My Top 5 most annoying sounds: 1) car horns, 2) jackhammers, 3) the ShamWow! guy, 4) any song by Katy Perry and, much as I hate to admit it, 5) the ear-splitting clamor of my five little dogs barking. One of them woofing solo is no big deal, but when they start yapping all at once, pushing each other to shrill new heights—instant headache.

Which is why I was eager to try BarkOff, a nifty new device designed to "stop your dog's annoying barking anytime, anywhere." Basically, it's a small battery-powered stick that emits ultrasonic sound waves—which, for you nerds out there, are sounds with a frequency greater than 20 kilohertz and thus audible to dogs, cats, bats and dolphins but not to your average human. You just switch it on and either carry it around or leave it in the room where your dogs hang out, and when they start barking it triggers the sounds waves that stop them after a mere yelp or two.

So, did it work? My five little dogs live in a city apartment where all sorts of noises set them off, so I was skeptical this thing-a-majig could quickly silence them all. But it did! After just a couple of barks they looked confused and clammed up, just like that.

I did notice that my oldest critter—Manley, the Maltese—sometimes kept barking. Turns out BarkOff isn’t quite as effective on older dogs with hearing problems. But that was okay—without the rest of the gang yammering along with him, Manley soon gave up and stopped howling.

I also noticed that two of my pups—Nino the Shih Tzu and SheShe the Chihuahua— reacted to the sound waves by slinking off and cowering in a corner. Nino, in particular, refused to go back into the living room, where I put the BarkOff, for a couple of hours. Ultrasonic sound waves are absolutely safe for animals, and certainly much more humane than electric shock collars and other anti-barking devices. Still, it bothered me to see my guys act so terrified in their own home.

So, for me, it's a tradeoff. BarkOff is super-effective and, at just $10, a super deal. I take it with me when I walk the dogs and it works great outdoors, and I switch it on indoors whenever it's important to keep my guys quiet. But other times, I let them bark. We all have to get it out of our systems once in a while, don't we?

Now, can someone please locate the frequency that will shut up the ShamWow! guy?
National Canine Cancer Foundation

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Oooooo, that bad, bad, naughty, naughty Miss Freyja....

Sweet Miss Sierra Rose asked her momma ta send us some cookies in da mail. They come'd wif da mailman a while back. Momma gives us one of them every now and then when we is really and really goods. This was one of those times. Scout inhaled his and it is gone. I like to save mine to torture him and make him drool.
I sniff mine and nudge mine and savor mine and Scout watches. All he has left of his cookie are the crumbs on his lips and a vague memory of its savory crunch and yummy taste. Then, when Scout is 'bout ready to cry an' make a big, pathetic, slobbery scene like a little puppy -
I grab that cookie and I eat that cookie and I enjoy that cookie like no body's business. WOOF!

National Canine Cancer Foundation

Monday, July 19, 2010