Watson's Canine Lymphoma Blog

Walking to raise awareness

2009-09-29T10:53:00.002-04:00

Thanks to a post at At Home with Herbie, I just started reading about 2 Dog 2,000 Miles. Luke sold his truck, put his belongings in storage, and set off on foot with his two dogs, Hudson and Murphy. They are walking from Austin to Boston to raise awareness of canine cancer. Please visit their site, or you can follow them on Twitter. It's inspiring!

New blogs to read, fake links, wonky leg

2009-08-18T09:24:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I've checked in.... shame on me as I can give you a hundred excuses (work, home, summer vacation, etc.) but I really should be better about updating the blog.

This past Sunday was the second anniversary of Watson's passing. I still think about him often and we reminisce about his time with us. Time does heal, but time is also funny that an event can feel distant and close all at the same time.

Little Waldo is not so little anymore. He turned 3 in June. Still healthy, although he will go for leg surgery in December. His left leg is overly basset (i.e. crooked) and he needs some corrective surgery to hopefully give him a better quality of life as he ages. The leg is affecting his gait and his shoulder.

I've been keeping up on canine lymphoma news via Google alerts and have noticed a disturbing trend. Many of the canine cancer or canine lymphoma tags that Google picks up are actually URLs that direct you to a spam site when you click on them. It's been very frustrating to sort the wheat from the chaff.

That being said, I've found two new blogs worth a read. The first is simply titled "Canine Lymphoma" and offers facts about the disease and treatment. The second is a blog by pet nutritionist Susan Blake Davis called "Ask Ariel". Specifically, her post in response to supplements for a golden retriever with lymphoma caught my attention.

Updated Vetinfo.com pages

2009-05-28T10:56:00.003-04:00

Hi All,

It's been a while since I've updated the blog. I am happy to report that no news means good news. Waldo is doing well and is enjoying the spring weather in New England.

I wanted to post a link to some helpful information from Vetinfo.com's pages, including How to Recognize Canine Lymphoma and 5 Subtle Canine Cancer Symptoms. There are links on these pages that lead to other informative articles too.

New canine cancer research from North Carolina State (USA)

2009-04-08T18:55:00.001-04:00

NC State Researchers Find Soy May Aid in Treating Canine Cancers

Researchers at North Carolina State University are looking to soy as a way to make traditional canine cancer therapy more effective, less stressful for the dog and less costly for the owners.

Dr. Steven Suter, assistant professor of oncology, and NC State colleagues studied genistein - a molecule found in soy that has been shown to be toxic to a wide variety of cancer cells in humans - to determine whether it would also inhibit the growth of canine lymphoma cells.

The researchers found that a commercially available form of genistein called GCP was effective in killing canine lymphoid cells in a laboratory setting, and that GCP is “bioavailable” in canines - meaning it is absorbed into the bloodstream where it can affect cancer cells in the body. The researchers hope that their findings will lead to the use of GCP for their canine patients in conjunction with traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy.

The researchers’ findings were published in Clinical Cancer Research.

“Humans have been using soy in conjunction with traditional chemotherapy for some time as a chemo potentiator,” Suter says. “This means that the GCP makes the chemotherapy work more efficiently and faster, which translates to less stress on the patient and less money spent on chemotherapy.”

Since dogs absorb GCP in much the same way that humans do, Suter hopes that veterinarians will be able to offer this therapy to canine patients in the near future.

“Since GCP is a dietary supplement, it is harmless to patients,” he adds. “Plus it’s inexpensive and easy to administer in a pill form. There’s really no downside here.”

Source: http://v3.news.ncsu.edu/releases/nc-state-researchers-find-soy-may-aid-in-treating-canine-cancers/

National Canine Cancer Foundation blog

2009-03-04T14:57:00.002-05:00

I recently found the National Canine Cancer Foundation blog and thought this post "Notes by Dr Kent’s on his canine Lymphoma Cancer research with Nanoparticles. Research funded by a grant from NCCF" was interesting. Sadly, it notes that only about 5% of lymphoma dogs will be alive at two years. On the bright side, there is a new chemo trial happening specifically for relapsed lymphoma dogs.

Read more at the link above.

Meet Jack

2009-02-25T10:45:00.001-05:00

Hi, All! Apologies to those who get the blog feed. I accidentally published a blog post for my AV blog on this one. I guess I haven't had enough coffee today. ;)

As the title to this post suggests, I'd like you to meet Jack, a 6-year-old Mini Schnauzer from Australia who was recently diagnosed with canine lymphoma. Please go visit Jack and his mum at their blog and offer your support as they undertake a huge fight against this horrible disease.

Would you clone your dog?

2009-01-28T18:34:00.002-05:00

I saw this story today about a couple in Florida who paid $155,000 USD to have their dog cloned! Their dog had died of cancer and, since he held such a special place in their hearts, they had him cloned. It got me thinking as to whether I would have done that for/to Watson, and I am unsure of the answer.

This couple had their dog's DNA frozen prior to his illness. But doesn't that mean that Cloned Dog would have the same genetic disposition to cancer as Original Dog? It would be heartbreaking to have the new dog die in the same horrible way.

So, would you have your dog cloned? Thoughts?

Q&A video about canine cancer

2009-01-19T16:32:00.003-05:00

Here is a video by the Morris Animal Foundation featuring three veterinary oncologists from Colorado State University discussing canine cancer prevention and treatment. According to the video, cancer is the number one killer of dogs over two years old. Take a moment and find out more.

Snowy days

2009-01-19T15:21:00.005-05:00

We've been trying to enjoy the snowy days here, although arctic cold has made it difficult to go for walks sometimes. Here are some shots from a recent walk in the woods after fresh snowfall. Waldo has such thin fur that we got him a coat this year. Red, so that the hunters know not to shoot him!

Here he is bounding off onto the trail.

It seems like the cold weather has lessened the appearance of his sebaceous cysts, as well. Near the end of the summer, I was in a cycle where I thought every lump must mean that dreaded "c" word. Looks like I officially have my first lumpy dog! And what a relief that is.....

Happy Christmas to all

2008-12-23T17:02:00.003-05:00

It's been a busy month so I have been lax about writing on the blog. We experienced two snowstorms in a row here over the weekend and Waldo is having the time of his life, running around in the big snow drifts.

We are looking forward to a quiet Christmas at our house. Waldo will have a new bully stick to chew on, Peanut the cat will have new catnip, and we will count our blessings that a full year has gone by without any major illnesses - for man nor for beast.

Speaking of blessings and thanks, now is the time of year when we are all feeling a bit more charitable. Please remember the smallest of creatures, who may not have the nice home they once did.

I wish you all a very happy and safe Christmas holiday!

Studies show dogs have sense of fairness

2008-12-08T17:27:00.003-05:00

I was smiling today when I came upon this story about a recent study that showed dogs do know when a situation is unfair. Per the article:

Dogs, like people and monkeys, seem to have a sense of fairness.

"Animals react to inequity," said Friederike Range of the University of Vienna, Austria, who lead a team of researchers testing animals at the school's Clever Dog Lab. "To avoid stress, we should try to avoid treating them differently."

When Waldo first joined our home, he was quite an obnoxious pup. He was always muscling in on Watson's space, stealing his toys, eating his treats, etc. I always tried to make sure Watson still knew he was my baby, especially after he got sick. Well, I wasn't always successful. The photo below is one of my absolute favorites. You can see the look on Watson's face (right):

Most certainly there were thoughts of unfairness running through his head.

Mmmm, turkey....

2008-11-26T14:40:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! Waldo can't wait until Friday for all the leftovers!!

More news about canine cancer treatment

2008-11-20T10:54:00.003-05:00

I am so pleased to see movement in the areas of canine cancer diagnosis and treatment. I read this announcement from PharmaCom BioVet that they will use PetScreen, LTD's Lymphoma Blood Testing at their companion animal treatment centers.

As with any chronic, life-threatening conditions, early detection is just as important as the right course of treatment. I hope to see an acceleration of collaborations such as this one - and soon!

Meet Jenna

2008-11-10T14:17:00.004-05:00

Jenna's mom, Cheryl, recently found this blog through her search for canine lymphoma sources. Jenna was diagnosed with lymphoma a few months ago and is on Week 9 of her chemo. Please visit Jenna's blog and show your support for her fight.

Did you know...?

2008-10-22T10:31:00.005-04:00

November marks the fourth annual Pet Cancer Awareness Month sponsored by VPI Pet Insurance. I just got their e-newsletter and it is loaded with canine cancer information, including the article called "Pets Fighting Cancer - An In-Depth Look with Dr. Ingrid Pyka" As many of you know, we decided to insure Waldo with VPI after the ordeal we had with Watson.

I am so glad to see more and more information out in the public about canine cancer, and especially about canine lymphoma. This truly gives me hope for more awareness and more research dollars to help heal future canine cancer patients.

And now, a cute look from Waldo:

More developments in the canine cancer field

2008-10-21T09:56:00.003-04:00

I am pleased to see the rush of news lately about new treatments and new treatment centers for canine cancer, and particularly for canine lymphoma. This news release just came across my desk announcing two company's plans to explore "direct injection of liquid brachytherapy radioisotopes into tumors".

As Lesley said in a comment on a previous post, it's too late to save our little loved ones like Watson and Prince, but the recent flurry of news means that there is hope for future canine lymphoma patients.

Waldo gets a new bed

2008-10-15T09:41:00.004-04:00

It may be scary times out there, but life in Waldo World is pretty darn good.

News: new canine bone marrow transplant center

2008-10-10T10:50:00.001-04:00

PharmaCom BioVet, Inc. has announced they are actively formalizing an academic/industry collaboration with the Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University to form the world's first dedicated veterinary canine bone marrow transplant center. Read the press release here.

Flexi-dog

2008-09-30T17:09:00.004-04:00

With my impending birthday next month, I noticed that I feel the hands of time beating on my body more and more. Waldo, on the other hand, is still young and flexible enough to twist his body around like a pretzel.

His new sleeping position (below) is rather impressive. His spine is in an "S" shape with his bum and his snout facing in two different directions! I don't know about you, but I am not sure if I was ever young and flexible enough to do this!!

This other pose (below) is what we tend to call "chicken legs" since he looks like one of those flayed chickens at the butcher shop.

Oh, to be young and flexible!!

On empathetic dogs

2008-09-17T18:00:00.002-04:00

I found this interesting article about a new study that suggest that domestic dogs have the capacity for a fundamental form of empathy. How did the researchers come to this conclusion? Because they found taht dogs can "catch" a human's yawn. According to the article: "The phenomenon, called contagious yawning, has been found only in humans and other primates such as chimpanzees and is thought to relate to our ability to empathize with others."

Anyone who has spent time with a dog knows they have empathy. I, for one, don't need a contagious yawn to tell me that.

A photo rediscovered

2008-09-02T15:17:00.006-04:00

I don't often lose things - material objects like wallets, keys, etc. - but when I do, I've been known to send a little prayer to Saint Anthony, the patron saint of lost or stolen articles. The best occurrence, though, is when you find something that you never knew you lost - like this photo below:

I found this photo on our new-ish digital camera totally by accident. The camera has built-in memory in addition to whatever size memory card you stick into it. I had the removable memory card stuck into my computer to download some photos from the weekend, when I turned on the camera and saw this photo. Apparently the camera reads from the memory stick by default, so I had forgotten about the photos still left in the camera itself.

I know this photo isn't much, but it's nice to see my boy again. This photo was taken in my office. Watson is on his green bed with a heating pad laid over the top of it. We started giving him a heating pad in the winter since his bones were getting more creaky and the New England winters weren't helping.

Oh, how I still miss him.....

No pets left behind in New Orleans

2008-08-31T22:17:00.001-04:00

It is good to know that we do learn from our mistakes.

News: Pet-food recall leads to 6,000 claims and counting

2008-08-26T17:48:00.003-04:00

There is an article in today's USA Today newspaper about the class action lawsuit over the melamine-tainted pet food last year.

The article states: "Almost 6,000 claims have been filed in a class-action settlement stemming from last year's massive pet-food recall.

Menu Foods, other pet-food makers and retailers in May agreed to set up a $24 million cash fund to compensate pet owners whose cats and dogs became sick or died after eating food that had a contaminated ingredient from China.

The filing period for claims began May 30 and will run until Nov. 24.

"I expect that number (of claims) will go up a lot. There's quite a bit of time to go," says attorney Sherrie Savett of plaintiffs' law firm Berger & Montague.

The Food and Drug Administration never identified how many pets were affected, but it received more than 17,000 complaints."

For more info, read the article here.

365

2008-08-16T08:34:00.001-04:00

One year ago today, I held your head in my hands and watched you slip away. The look on your face said you were worried to leave me, but I was relieved that your suffering was over.
People tell me that I am crazy for missing you. Maybe I am, but I miss you anyway.

Thinking of you, Bubbe.

hello!

2008-08-06T16:55:00.002-04:00

I know... You all probably think that Waldo and I have fallen off the face of the earth. I am happy to report that there is nothing to report!! Besides destroying a new throw rug, Waldo's life is free from drama. Everyone's health is good (myself, hubby, and cat included) so there is nothing to complain about.

Oy, I hope I didn't just jinx us!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-07-16T11:11:00.003-04:00

Help feed hungry dogs

2008-07-16T10:40:00.003-04:00

Last week, I added a link to Freekibble.com at the top of the blog. The site was founded by a girl in Bend, Oregon, who wanted to help feed the dogs in her local animal shelter. For every daily trivia question that is answered, 20 pieces of kibble are donated to hungry dogs.

Yes, you can only answer the trivia question once per day so please keep visiting the site. Even 20 pieces of kibble can make all the difference!

Petscreen, I am not impressed.

2008-07-11T17:28:00.006-04:00

I got a call from my vet's office this morning. They were confused as to why Petscreen used my name and then insisted on their mailing address so that they could be sent more information. I had posted back in December that I had signed up for the Petscreen newsletter but have only heard from them twice in the past 6 months.

I must have given them my vet's information when I signed up, but I have since changed to a new vet. The vet tech and I surmised that they must have called my former vet and discovered we had gone to a different animal hospital. Anyway, the call totally confused my new vet since they never knew Watson or his story. The person calling from Petscreen didn't clear up matters and only kept saying that I wanted the vet to get this information.

Hmmm.... that seems fishy and odd to me. Or perhaps just really disorganized. Either way, I am not impressed so far with their communication or their outreach efforts in the U.S.

New toy

2008-07-06T12:32:00.005-04:00

We just picked up a new toy for Waldo yesterday called the Chilly Bone. We've had such hot weather here lately that I've tried several methods to keep him cool and occupied - frozen Kongs, frozen Busy Squirrel, ice cubes, etc.

The Chilly Bone is essentially canvas sewn around a non-toxic sponge that can be soaked in water and then frozen. The jury is still out on this toy. Within 10 minutes, Waldo had chewed off the small tag on its side and was well on his way to manipulating that small hole into a much bigger one. I'll have to wring it out, sew the hole shut, and try it again.

"Catch it!"

2008-07-02T16:35:00.005-04:00

We've been trying to teach Waldo how to catch food in mid-air, with our command phrase being "catch it". Here are some shots of us practicing the other night.

As you can see, some are hits, some are misses but the action shots are pretty funny!

Please help BONES, if you can

2008-06-30T17:13:00.002-04:00

I just found out about a great program that benefits the Beagles of New England States (BONES). If you save your Shaw's or Star Market receipts and send them to BONES, they can turn the receipts in and get a cash donation for their charity.

We adopted Watson from BONES in 2005. I can personally attest to the great job they do of rescuing and fostering beagles. Please help them if you can.

More information on the program, including where to send your receipts, can be found here: http://www.bonesbeagles.org/shaws.htm

Sometimes I am glad I write things down...

2008-06-27T10:51:00.002-04:00

I am not good at keeping a diary. I never have and probably never will. Blogging is the closest I have ever come to keeping a diary of some sort. But sometimes I am glad I write things down (as in, paper and pen). I am cleaning my office today and came across my old day planner pages from 2007. I had taken them out of the binder and tucked them away on a bookshelf.

I was just leafing through the pages to make sure there wasn't anything important tucked into the pile when I opened it to July 2007, the height of Watson's sickness. I don't remember much from that time except faint impressions of panic and sadness, of hope and praying for a miracle. But looking at those pages reminded me that I somehow went on living despite the horror that was happening to his body.

I saw a movie (Bourne Identity), I went to the farmer's market, I made phone calls to people... yet I must have been sleepwalking because I can't remember any of it. Those pages remind me that I still put on my normal face and interacted with people, that most had no idea how sad or mad or distraught I was over Watson's cancer.

I am not sure what is the point of this post. Maybe you do. Maybe I am sleepwalking again.... but the well of emotion is open again. Just by looking at some calendar pages that had been forgotten.

How to find a lost dog

2008-06-26T14:24:00.003-04:00

With the summer here and the upcoming July 4th holiday, everyone - pets included - will be spending more time outside. I thought it would be good to post this link: "How to find a lost dog". While basic, it is a good review on what to do.

A week at "camp"

2008-06-25T10:30:00.003-04:00

Waldo spent the past week at "camp", also known as boarding and daycare, while we were away on a business trip. He came home exhausted (great since we were too!) and I think he's still trying to recover. There has been an awful lots of napping around here...

Besides the trip away from home, life has been quiet. Waldo spends time outside in the yard each day while I tend to the gardens. Life is good.

Summertime and the living is easy

2008-06-10T10:41:00.005-04:00

Day 4 of a heat wave and the pets are hot! We are camped out under the A/C and 2 fans trying to keep cool. Waldo is getting a steady stream of ice cubes, while Peanut has figured out that if she sits on the arm of the couch, she can feel a nice breeze coming out of the window A/C. Smart girl....

We are celebrating two, yes TWO, birthdays today. My niece Lauren turns 8 and Waldo turns 2 today. Before I knew we were getting the hot weather, I had planned to bake him a cake today. Considering it will reach 94 degrees F, I will run to the market to get him some Frosty Paws instead!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-06-04T10:43:00.000-04:00

Bump watch

2008-05-27T09:38:00.002-04:00

We found a new bump on Waldo's ear. It's small like the one on his back (about the size of a pencil eraser). Glad that we know what we're dealing with; otherwise, I'd be hauling him off to the vet again. It's made me wonder about how to spot a bad bump versus a benign cyst. I've been reading up on this topic and will post if I find anything interesting.

Other than the bumps, nothing new to report. I've been spending every free moment out in the garden with Waldo by my side sleeping in the sunshine and the grass.

It's a cyst!

2008-05-21T14:02:00.005-04:00

Went to the vet today to have a look at Waldo's bump. She's 95% sure that it's a sebaceous cyst. Whew. I've never had a lumpy dog, but apparently these cysts are common in bassets. Dr. Karen says it will probably be the first of many bumps on him.

We could opt to have it surgically removed, but that would mean he'd be anesthetized just for one cyst. Anesthesia is very low risk, but why risk it at all for something benign. We decided to just keep an eye on it and see if it gets any bigger or starts to bother him more. In the meantime, she recommended that we put a warm washcloth on it to see if we can get it to go away.

Now I feel silly for being so alarmed over a bump... but I would rather err on the side of caution than to wait for something obviously bad to happen!

Uh, oh..... a bump.

2008-05-18T21:50:00.002-04:00

Sorry to have been away from the blog. Spring is turning into summer here, and the garden chores have taken precedence over blogging when I have spare time from work.

As I had posted a few weeks ago, Waldo got a clean bill of health from his new vet. Since then, we've noticed a small bump on his lower back (above his haunches) grow bigger. It's clearly bothering him as we recently noticed he often tries to chew on it. I first noticed it a few days ago since it is now big enough now to make his fur stick up.

The bump is about the size of a pencil eraser and is firm. We're calling on Monday to bring him back to the vet. I don't want to seem overly-neurotic.... but I can't helping thinking of the "C" word.

Fingers crossed....

Mr. Crooked Leg

2008-05-06T09:41:00.004-04:00

I realized yesterday while on my walk with Waldo that I never answered Fiona's question on why his leg is crooked. I thought I should post about it since it is a question we get all the time.

Basset hounds, as you can see from this stock photo on the left, tend to have "crooked" legs. In fact, they are bred to look this way even though the end result is that they have ankle and other leg joint problems as they age. It doesn't help that they also like to eat and tend to get fat, also putting more stress on their joints.

Waldo's left leg is more crooked than most, and his right leg is straighter than most. When side-by-side, it makes the left leg look even worse. People often ask us if he has broken his leg or sustained some kind of injury. No, as far as we know, he hasn't.

I asked our new vet this question and she said that maybe there was some damage to his left leg growth plate when he was young, or maybe he was born that way. It's hard to tell by a visual examination.

Judging by how quickly he runs and how high he can jump, the leg doesn't seem to bother him. We have noticed that when he sits for long periods (more than a minute), his leg will shake and he will shift weight to/from it. He doesn't seem to be in pain when he does this, more so that he feels unstable.

Dr. Karen says that what we are doing - keeping him slim and giving him joint supplements - is the right thing for now. He may have issues with the leg as he ages, but only time will tell.

Clean bill of health (again)

2008-04-28T09:58:00.013-04:00

Waldo went to his new vet this morning and received a clean bill of health. He had his annual checkup in January, but needed his kennel cough vaccine for daycare. He saw his new vet, Dr. Karen, so he got another once-over (without blood tests this time - much to his relief).

Besides his overly crooked left leg (as illustrated in this photo to the left), he doesn't have any major issues. She did warn me that keeping him slim and continuing him on joint supplements will help him in his old age. Arthritis in the leg will be a given; it's just a matter of when and how severe. What we do now will help him in the future.

Otherwise, things at home are fairly quiet.

Summer is here and Waldo grabs some sun every morning in the kitchen as we eat breakfast. He is such a cutie....

We've gotten him a few new treats: cow ears and a 24-inch bully stick. Yes, the stick is 2 feet long! It was like everlast candy since it took him days to consume. He was so happy to get it that he carried it around the house for a while.

Below, he enjoys a cow ear in my office.

I somehow missed Weds...

2008-04-24T08:50:00.004-04:00

I was getting ready to post my Wordless Wednesday post when I realized.... it's THURSDAY. Hello? How did that happen? I was fully present yesterday yet somehow never realized it was Wednesday. Again I ask, is this what happens when you work too much?

Anyway, I am still posting my WW photo despite the fact it is a day late.....

Here it is:

What a RANDOM holiday

2008-04-18T10:59:00.014-04:00

As I had written before, one of the things we learned in the aftermath of Watson's cancer is that pet insurance is a necessity. Watson was not insured and the cost of his care was startling. We insured Waldo with Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) soon after Watson was diagnosed.

I got an email from VPI this morning with the subject line "Happy Pet Parents Day". Huh? It turns out that VPI is pulling a Hallmark-esque marketing move and designated the last Sunday in April as Pet Parent’s Day. Their site says: "Our first Pawsitively Purrfect day for celebrating pet caregivers falls on April 27, 2008." You can even send an e-card to commemorate the day.

For the record, I am not a huge fan of "Hallmark holidays" like Valentine's Day (basically any holiday that was created to further useless consumption). Frankly, I am not sure of the point of Pet Parents Day other than a marketing tool for VPI and a way to collect personal information from people who send and receive their e-cards.

If the day were being used to help a pet charity or to raise awareness about animal abuse or animal adoption, then I would be on board. I don't think the world needs another meaningless "holiday". What do you think??

Report: High chemical levels found in dogs and cats

2008-04-17T10:07:00.004-04:00

There is a new report out today from the Environmental Working Group that found high levels of toxins in a small sampling of dogs and cats. To quote the report: They "found levels of brominated flame retardants (used in furniture, fabrics and electronics) in cats 23 times higher than in humans, and mercury levels (likely from fish in pet foods) five times higher. In dogs, levels of perfluorinated chemicals (from stain- and grease-proof coatings) were 2.4 times higher than in people. Overall, 35 chemicals in dogs and 46 in cats were found."

Why? They are still unsure but it is speculated that "Pets' high levels of exposure come about because they spend their days in direct contact with floors and the ground, where dust, dirt, chemicals and pesticides concentrate."

I've written about this concern before about greening our cleaners so that less toxins will be present in our house. I am so glad spring is here and have been opening the windows every afternoon to get some fresh air inside. Again I encourage anyone with pets to really think about what you use to clean your house. Anything that sprays becomes airborne and then settles on the floor where your dog or cat gets it on its paws and then ingests it. Also, please look at what you use to mop your floors since that has the same impact. Please be careful for you and your pet's health!

PS. On another note, you may have noticed that I now moderate the comments. I've been getting spam lately and will moderate comments until it stops.

Wordless Wednesday: Chasing the sun

2008-04-16T10:35:00.001-04:00

Changes

2008-04-11T12:25:00.009-04:00

The theme for this post is changes.... First, a sad goodbye to Cole, another dog who was battling lymphoma. Cole was obviously very loved by her mom, Teresa, who posted so many great photos of her. My heart goes out to Teresa, her husband, and to Cole's sister Bridget.

In the blogosphere, Graham has decided to take a break from his blog. I found his blog shortly after Watson was diagnosed with lymphoma and I was frantically scouring the Net for resources. I feel like Graham and I have been on parallel tracks since we first met. He lost Prince and then I lost Watson; he gained Tilly and I had Waldo. I hope that he reconsiders and will keep us posted on how Tilly is doing.

On the weather front, Spring struck here yesterday but only for one day. It was almost 72 degrees F and I was finally able to clean up the vegetable garden and plant some seeds. I checked on the asparagus, but it's too early. Just some wishful thinking! And now back to the cold spring rains...

And finally, we have switched to a new vet. Our long-time vet has sold off her practice and taken a break. While we are waiting for her to land, we've started with a new vet down the street upon recommendation of some friends. Dr. Jill is quite pragmatic and level-headed, qualities that I like in a vet. Peanut went for a check-up and Waldo will meet her in a few weeks. Otherwise, all is quiet on the health front.

Best wishes to you all for a good weekend!

What would you do??

2008-04-03T16:16:00.002-04:00

This headline caught my eye: "Woman bites dog who attacked her dog". If that happened to you, what would you have done?

Wordless Wednesday in the sun

2008-04-02T09:33:00.007-04:00

Who? Me?

2008-03-27T10:27:00.014-04:00

Waldo is quickly mastering the art of the "Who? Me?" face. He is a well-behaved dog most of the time, but when he gets obsessive about an object, he just can't stop himself.

This week, he's taken a fancy to Peanut's round, plushy bed. It's beige terry cloth with a black nylon bottom (the style most commonly found in pet stores). Peanut doesn't find it irresistible but Waldo certainly does. The bed has sat in my office for months without a glance from either of them, until yesterday.

Since we are about 65% into a bathroom renovation, there have been many strangers coming in and out of the house. Waldo gets very nervous around strangers; we've kept him separated from them, but yesterday he decided he must put that nervous energy to work somehow.

Whenever one of us would turn our backs, he would march into my office and abscond into a dark corner to chew on the cat bed. "No!" "Damn it, Waldo!" "What are you doing?!?!" "No, no, no!!" were some common phrases heard throughout the house last night.

This morning, he finally got the best of the bed. He breached its defenses and came away with strings of nylon stuck to his face and hanging from his jaw (see photo). When we caught him, he did his best to sit and look at us like"Who? Me? No, I wasn't doing anything wrong." Indeed.

Wordless (but silly) Wednesday

2008-03-26T10:24:00.002-04:00

32 bagels and a loaf of rye

2008-03-17T06:50:00.005-04:00

I finally had 2 days off in a row and what do I do? I bake! It was a busy weekend, starting with three dozen bagels (plain, onion and cinnamon raisin) and loaf of rye.

Here are some photos of my rye and my onion bagels. I'm still trying to perfect the art of the perfectly formed bagel. In the meantime, Waldo is having a good time eating the deformed ones (notice the subject of my post was 32 bagels and not 36!)

Meanwhile, he is perfecting the art of looking cute and begging. This is picture of him in the kitchen, trying his best to look hungry.

Afterwards, we took some time for sleepy belly rubs on the couch.

And there is always, always time to taunt the cat.

We won an award!

2008-03-11T18:14:00.006-04:00

Fiona at Yogi's Journey has given us the "You Make Me Smile" Award.

Yay! This is our first award!

Waldo's one year anniversary!

2008-03-09T09:00:00.018-04:00

365 short days ago, Waldo joined our household. He was adopted at the age of 8 months from my vet, who had taken him into her home from a pet store who could no longer sell him (due to suspected health issues and his advancing age).

Turns out he was just fine; but with 2 dogs already in her pack, my vet asked if we'd be interested in adopting him as a little brother for Watson. I only promised to drive over to her house to meet him, but once I met him... there was no turning back. In less than an hour, he was stuffed into a small crate in the back of my car and we were headed home. The first photo was taken on March 10, 2007, a day after joining our brood.

I will always be thankful that Waldo and Watson had a few months together to bond before Watson got sick. I am sure that Waldo was nothing less of a nuisance to him, but the Old Man taught him manners in a way that we could not.

Here is a photo of Waldo overstepping his boundaries and trying to sleep in the Old Man's bed.

Finally, here is Waldo doing his best "angel face" as he is caught stealing an apple from the bin. Little did we know that we would see this face often over the next year!

Please give Fiona a (virtual) hug

2008-03-05T16:53:00.006-05:00

Yogi's mom, Fiona, is having a hard time with his passing. Please visit her blog and send her some comfort. We've all lost someone in our lives - be it a pet, a relative, a friend.... please reach out and let Fiona know that the dark time doesn't last forever (even though it may feel like it does).

Busybody

2008-03-04T10:29:00.012-05:00

Waldo is close to turning 2 years old, and I was hoping that his need to chew would lessen somewhat as he's gotten older. No such luck. In the past week, he has mangled several items around the house - including the cord to the new space heater I got for my home office. Inside of 30 seconds, he managed to chew through the cord with such surgical precision that it looked like it was cut with scissors. Amazing.

Give him a Kong! (He has one.) How about a rope toy? (Yep.) Rawhide?? (Yes.)

In my quest to keep his jaws happy, I think I have found the answer. Meet the Busy Squirrel: Kong-like in its durability, but the insertion hole at the bottom has tiny little rubber fingers that keeps the contents inside the toy.

I have found some success by stuffing in some Purina Carvers treats (they look like flattened road kill, and smell like it too), which has resulted in hours of frustration and gnawing on Waldo's part.

Let's hope this continues to work!

Wordless Wedneday

2008-02-27T09:25:00.005-05:00

Goodbye, Yogi.

2008-02-26T08:14:00.003-05:00

I am sad to tell you all that Yogi-bear of Yogi's Journey has succumbed to his lymphoma. Yogi and his mom Fiona fought a very brave, very difficult fight.

As someone who knows that it's like to say goodbye to a good friend, there are no words.

Rest in peace, little guy.

He does not get tired

2008-02-25T15:20:00.005-05:00

Of course, the "he" in the subject line is Waldo. We received about 9 inches of snow on Friday and have been making the most of it. I've taken him out for several off-lead jaunts in the woods and he is loving life. I am bone tired, yet he naps for an hour and is ready to go again. It must be great to be young!!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-02-20T11:09:00.011-05:00

Overworked Tuesday?

2008-02-19T10:42:00.015-05:00

The worse thing about calling out a specific day of the week in a post (e.g., Wordless Wednesday) is the marker of time. I usually have no idea what day it is since I work almost 7 days a week. Today I realized it's been an entire week since I last posted! Oy. And you know what has happened around here? Nothing exciting. =(

I quietly marked the 6-month anniversary of Watson's passing on Saturday with a brief visit with this ashes. I try not to be too morbid or dramatic about it since the rest of the world has moved on. I do miss him still. He was always by my side; no matter what I was doing or what room I was in, he would do his best to be near me.

These days, Peanut the cat could care less (I swear she's one of those cats who are waiting for one of us to die so she can eat our eyeballs - evil, she is) and Waldo cuddles only when he is tired. Otherwise, he is on a mission to chew on something.... anything.....

So here we are, another week ahead. Best to all for a good week!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-02-13T08:17:00.005-05:00

To sign up for Wordless Wednesday, go to http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/?page_id=7

Petscreen newsletter

2008-02-11T11:05:00.001-05:00

As you may remember from this previous post, I had signed onto the email list for Petscreen, a company based in the U.K. that is working on a canine lymphoma blood test. I just received my first newsletter with some interesting info (in bold). Here it is below (note: I did not edit the newsletter except to embed URLs):

Some time ago you registered on the PetScreen website and asked to be kept up to date with our progress. This e-mail message is therefore the first of periodic updates that we will be sending to you.

It has already been a very busy year for us. We have recently returned from the North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC) where we met up with many friends and collaborators in addition to meeting new potential partners to help us develop our range of tests and to supply them around the world.

Notably, we had a very enjoyable meeting with Dr Patty Olsen, President of the Morris Animal Foundation – an exceptional person who is making great strides in the fight against cancer in dogs. If you have not already seen the MAF Canine Cancer Campaign website, take a look here.

We discussed the progress on the research projects into osteosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma to which our Chairman, Graeme Radcliffe has provided donations. We have attached the Morris Animal Foundation’s press release to give you more information.

Straight after NAVC, Dr Kevin Slater (our Chief Executive) travelled to The Veterinary School at Columbia Missouri for meetings to discuss the collaborative work we are doing with Dr Carolyn Henry. Some exciting new ideas emerged which should help in the application of our DCA test to the treatment of lymphoma in dogs.

Later in February Kevin will be going to Copenhagen where he will give a paper describing the latest results from our lymphoma blood test to leading canine oncologists at the First World Veterinary Cancer Meeting. Dr Henry will also be giving a key note address on the subject of cancer screening in veterinary medicine. You can find out more about this meeting here.

Straight after the Copenhagen meeting it will be Crufts. We have a stand in Hall 5 number 132. If you are planning to attend Crufts this year, please come to see us. It would be good to meet you and to tell you in person more about our work.

Recruiting blood samples to enable us to develop new screening tests for cancer in dogs and cats continues to be a major focus for us. If your dog or cat has been diagnosed with cancer and you would be willing to donate a small sample of their blood, it would go a long way to helping us fight this disease. You could either let us know directly by replying to this e-mail or by going to the donation section of our website.

Finally, we thought you might be interested in the attached article from the Australian Shepherd Club of America which talks about fighting cancer in their breed and also makes specific reference to our lymphoma blood test in this capacity.

We hope to see you at Crufts, but if you cannot make it, we will be sending you another e-mail update in the coming months.

Kind regards
Renu Tuli

Operations Manager

Petscreen Ltd

I had no idea that they were asking for blood samples!! I'm not sure what I would do, even if I had known of this when Watson was sick. What do you think? Would you ever donate some of your dog's blood? Why or why not?

Green cleaning, revisited

2008-02-07T15:30:00.000-05:00

I was in the car yesterday and happened to catch an NPR segment about Clorox entering the green cleaning market (listen to the segment here at NPR.com). Even though the green cleaner market is very small, it is a fast-growing segment of the overall market. As you all know, I have been doing my best to green up our household for a while now.

According to the Clorox web site, Green Works cleaners are not tested on animals and use recyclable packaging. The packaging looks eco-friendly with green liquid and a giant yellow daisy on the label. However, there are a few things that strike me as being a bit off about these products.

1) They do not disclose the ingredients. According to the NPR story, Clorox will not disclose the ingredients for several reasons. A look on their web site also comes up empty. As I said in this post, I don't use cleaning products without an ingredients list.

2) It is not made from post-consumer recycled plastic. You would think that a large, wealthy, multinational company like Clorox would have the resources to use recycled plastic in their packaging! Perhaps that can be a next step for them.

3) As a selling point, lists "Powerful natural cleaners that work as well as conventional cleaners." This perpetuates the myth that natural cleaners do not work very well. I disagree totally; in fact, some of the best cleaners (like ammonia and water, or baking soda) are considered natural cleaners.

I am a fan of seventh generation, method and Mrs. Meyers cleaners. If you want to clean up your house without creating a toxic environment for you and your pets, please check them out*!!!

*Note: I do not benefit in any way by referring people to these companies.

All's quiet

2008-01-28T08:13:00.001-05:00

All is quiet in our corner of the world. I have a new dog recipe I want to try, but I ended up working this weekend and couldn't do it. Waldo's leg seems to be back to normal, which is a huge relief.

In a physical sense, he is well but we may have to get him into counseling for his emotional state. Peanut the cat is on a special diet for a bladder condition, and seems to have taken issue with the fact that Waldo has better food and treats than she does.

Whenever he eats, she will sit close-by and try to eat from his bowl. In this photo to the left, take note how he is looking at her with one eye while trying to eat.

She will sit patiently and wait until he's not looking to inch a little closer.

Waldo seems quite distressed about this and will do nothing to defend himself since it's just not in his nature. He hasn't quite realized that he is much bigger than her!

I have also tried feeding him in his pen, but she will camp outside of it (like in this photo) and reach through the bars to try and get to the food. Poor guy is being bullied by a cat. Do you think there is a support group for dogs in this situation?!?! =)

A working leg

2008-01-23T17:56:00.001-05:00

Update: Waldo's leg seems to have recovered. We're not sure if it's the meds or the rest, but as of last night he was walking on all four legs again. Hoorah!

another gratuitous photo

2008-01-21T15:48:00.001-05:00

Because we are so cute....

Limpy dog

2008-01-21T15:25:00.000-05:00

Waldo seems to have developed a limp late last week. We noticed he was a bit droopy and he was favoring his right rear leg so I took him to the vet on Thursday. Last year around this time, the same thing happened. His energy was low, he began to limp, and he was sleeping on his back with all four feet in the air.

After that trip to the vet, it was confirmed that he was Lyme positive, despite having the vaccine. We are also faithful users of FrontLine every month. It can get cold here in the winter, but I still keep up his FrontLine applications when it is not officially tick season. So, least year he was put on a treatment course of docycycline antibiotics and Previcox for pain.

Since he was showing 2 of the 3 symptoms from last year, our vet ran a C6 blood test for Lyme and put him on the same course of treatment. The next day (Friday), the results came back negative (meaning no active Lyme in his system). Given the result, we have the following choices as to what may be wrong:
1) an autoimmune reaction to leftover Lyme in his system
2) early arthritis
3) a ruptured ACL (although my vet did a physical exam and felt nothing wrong)

He will continue with the doxy and Previcox for a few more days. He has shown marginal improvement on the meds, as in he is now touching his right toes on the ground rather than lifting up the entire foot. If he is not better by Thursday, we may need x-rays.

In the meantime, I need to rest him completely - no running, jumping, stairs, etc. Someone needs to tell him that though...!

Pet insurance as a corporate benefit

2008-01-15T22:40:00.000-05:00

As I had written in this post a few months back, we had decided to insure Waldo after our experiences with Watson's vet bills. Today, I saw this interesting article about companies that offer pet insurance as an employee benefit.

Even more interesting was this statistic from the article: "Pet insurance is still relatively rare, with only about 2 percent of pets in the United States insured." I am such an advocate of pet insurance knowing how expensive cancer treatments can be. If you don't have your pet insured, please check into it!

Easy dog cookie recipe

2008-01-14T10:21:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I baked my first batch of dog cookies this weekend. I started with an easy recipe for Cheesy Garlic Chunks that I found here. The recipe is simple with few ingredients, all of which I had in the cupboard already. Instead of margarine, I substituted a half stick of butter and also added turmeric in addition to the garlic.

Blending the ingredients by hand was very simple, much like an easy bread recipe. Per the recipe, I added enough milk to form the dough and let it sit for a bit in the refrigerator.

Speaking of forming, I did not bother to cut out shapes. I figured that Waldo would not mind that it was round instead of bone-shaped. Hand-rolling them seemed much faster and easier than rolling them out and then cutting them with a cookie cutter. I had to adjust the temperature and the cooking time to ensure that the thicker pieces were baked through.

I put the piece on two different baking surfaces - a Silpat covered cookie tray and a baking stone. The baking stone wins hands-down. The pieces on the Silpat tray burned quickly on the bottom and took longer to bake. The baking stone pieces were a uniform brown color even though I did not turn them during baking and the pieces were nice and dry within 25 minutes.

Overall, I would make these cookies again. Waldo seems to like them, the recipe makes several dozen, and it was easy!

Thanks for Herbie's mom for the recipe links. I will have to work my way to up Liver Cake...!

Newspaper article

2008-01-13T08:09:00.000-05:00

Here is an article from today's New York Times about something we already know: Cost is No Object When It Comes to Your Pet

Makin' (dog) cookies

2008-01-09T09:48:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I tend to get obsessive about certain activities. Like I wanted to learn how to knit, so a few years ago I spent all my free time teaching myself how to knit... and then going to knitting workshops... and reading knitting books. Most recently, I've been learning how to make bread at home sans electric bread maker. It's been a fun project, but clearly it is easier to knit a scarf than to bake a good loaf of bread.

An offshoot to this latest obsession is the quest for a good dog cookie recipe. I have an official taster (Waldo... and maybe Rich) and all the ingredients since I already make bread. I will start documenting my "makin' cookies" progress this weekend, along with which recipes worked or didn't work (and why).

If you have any links to a dog cookie recipe you've tried or want to try, let me know!

One more thing - dogs in the news

2008-01-05T12:34:00.000-05:00

One more thing I wanted to mention. There are two news stories that I saw this week concerning dogs; neither of which I can get out of my head.

The first was this story about a woman's lost dog who was found, but then given away as a Christmas present to the finder's daughter. How did she know? She got a letter in the mail with a $20 bill that explained what happened to her dog.

And then there was this horrible story about a man's dog who was lost on Halloween. To quote from the story: "He picked up the phone and couldn't believe what he heard.

Children were demanding $600 or else they would kill Edna, his beloved beagle mix. Whiting listened in horror to what sounded like the jingle of Edna's collar, and an animal yelping in pain. He agreed to pay the ransom.

"You don't understand, mister," a boy replied. "I want to kill your dog anyway."

What on earth is wrong with this world??? So, yes, I can't get these two stories out of my head. These poor people.....

We can't feel our feet!

2008-01-05T10:55:00.000-05:00

It's been super cold here this past week. On Thursday, the high temp was 13 degrees F. Yikes! Waldo has very thin fur, so when it is cold and windy he has a very tough time. I've been in search of a coat or sweater for him, but his big chest and small neck/head make it difficult to fit him. Being the creative craftsperson that I am, I've begun to knit him a sweater. Considering how slow I am, it will be finished just in time for the Spring Thaw. ;)

In the meantime, we are all spending alot of time indoors due to nasty weather. He went to daycare on Friday and was able to run and go crazy. Gibson Kennels seems to be a good fit for him. There are 6 caretakers there during the day who play with the dogs and keep them stimulated. When one of us arrives to bring him home, he usually doesn't want to leave. We are boring, I guess. =(

All in all, I completed the clean-out of the treat cabinet. It good to see that you guys do check your treat labels. We had gotten rid of the bad pet food, but for some reason just hadn't paid attention to the treats. I had started giving Waldo the dried chicken breast treats but wasn't going overboard because they are relatively expensive ($6-$7 for a small bag). But I like the ingredients list of chicken and not much else.

Peanut likes the dried chicken too, and is quite aggressive about it. If she could, she would rip my fingers off to get them. Instead, she muscles her way in front of Waldo and stands in my lap to make sure she gets the first bite... and the second bite.... and the third bite. Obnoxious girl....

Hey, it's 2008!

2008-01-02T09:42:00.001-05:00

Wow, can you believe that 2007 is over? Up until the past few snowstorms, I was in denial that it was winter. My brain was still thinking about those last few plants that never made it into the ground (the dead ones that are still in nursery pots and now under 4 inches of snow!)

I haven't blogged in a while, so there are some new updates to the site and to life in general. I finally updated my blogs/links list with some blogs that I read. There is some good news - Yogi is in remission! - and also some new friends (check out Sophie). I also added a poll asking if you guys check the ingredients label on your pet treats (more on that later in this post).

Our household had a good Christmas and a quiet end to 2007. Waldo was spoiled rotten with toys and treats from family and friends. He even got a nice little snowman squeaky toy from the daycare folks at Gibson Kennels.

From the moment Mr. Snowman made it out of the bag, Waldo took to dragging him around the house by his face. His face! Do I have a budding serial killer on my hands?!?!

Waldo also got his fair share of bully sticks; here he is chewing on one with the sweetest expression on his face.

As I have written about before, we've tried our best to clean up his diet, including switching him to a raw diet supplemented with high-quality kibble. Christmas is a time for indulgence, and I probably let him have more treats than he needed.

After Christmas is also the time when we all start to notice our expanding waistlines again, so I thought it was particularly funny when someone gave Waldo a bag of "Guilt-Free Treats" (tm). The marketer in me appreciated the marketing angle. I also appreciated the effort of them trademarking the generic phrase.

In case you can't read it, the front of the bag says "1/3 less fat" and "spoil 'em more often". When we got home, I left it by the table next to his kennel. (Each time we tell him to "get in your pen", we give him a treat.) This morning, I happen to turn over the bag and read the ingredients. The third ingredient was high fructose corn syrup! What??/

We've tried to rid our own diet of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) by actively reading the labels when we are at the market. (If you want more info on HFCS, here are a few good clips- one from the Mayo Clinic and another from San Francisco's major newspaper.) I'm still trying to make reading labels a regular habit; this weekend, I saw that Campbell's soup was on sale and threw a few cans in our cart without thinking twice. Rich picked them up and read the labels - each had either MSG or high fructose corn syrup in them. Yuck! No more creamy tomato soup for me......

Anyway, I hadn't thought about HFCS as an ingredient in pet food. I know it's used as a sweetener in sodas and cookies but I hadn't realized that it's in our pet foods too. I checked the pet treat cabinet and was surprised to find several forms of corn syrup (either high fructose corn syrup, regular corn syrup or corn syrup solids) listed as an ingredient in all of the bagged treats.

There are proponents of HFCS that will argue that it is not linked to obesity and that it is a cost-effective alternative to sugar. However, I can't think of any reason that HFCS should be in dog or cat treats! Dogs are carnivores whose digestive systems are meant to process meat; not HFCS.

So, I will ask the blogosphere: do you check your pet treat labels? Please take the poll (upper left of the blog page). If you need more space to weigh in on HFCS, please leave a comment.

Thanks and happy 2008 to all!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2007-12-24T08:38:00.001-05:00

Twas the day before Christmas
and all I can see
are images of Bubbe
spread out before me.

The stockings are hung
by the stairway with care
but his little stocking
is no longer there.

I miss his sweet face
and his loving eyes
especially in the kitchen
when I was baking a pie.

Waldo the basset
is my biggest fan,
but now on this day
I think of the Old Man.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! I'll be back on the blog after January 1, 2008.

Fritz

2007-12-13T12:45:00.000-05:00

All, I am very sad to tell you about the passing of sweet, handsome Fritz yesterday. Here he is being snuggled by his mom Suzanne. She had discovered the blog and had written to me last week about his diagnosis of canine lymphoma three months ago. Unfortunately, Suzanne is now walking the path that many of us have already traveled.

Fritz left this earth yesterday to join his canine brother Buzz, who passed away last February. They are now happily playing at the Rainbow Bridge, waiting for their mom.

Please send your good thoughts and well wishes to Suzanne during this terrible time. Fritz, we wish you peace and a continued journey free from pain and cancer.

PetScreen outreach

2007-12-12T12:24:00.000-05:00

So as I wrote in a previous post, I recently learned of a company called Petscreen that offers blood test to detect canine lymphoma. After signing up for their mailing list, here is the email that was sent to me:

Dear Linda

I hope this email finds you and your pets in good health. Thank you for your recent registration with Petscreen. I have now sent details of our services to your vet and if you wish to have your dog screened for lymphoma then please feel free to make an appointment from next week and take them along to the vet. If you have any questions, or would like further information, then please feel free to contact me on the number listed below, alternatively you can email me at this address.

I look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Kind regards
Renu

----------------------

Renu Tuli

Operations Manager

I think it is interesting that their outreach strategy is to send information to people's vets one at a time. Considering the thousands of vets in the US, that could take a long while before any and all vets know about it. I also wonder about the cost of the test. As we all know, canine diagnostics can get very expensive for even in-house procedures.

To Suzanne

2007-12-09T17:34:00.001-05:00

This post is to Suzanne. I just wrote you back privately about Fritz but since I have a unique (i.e., weird) domain name, sometimes my replies end up in a SPAM folder. If you didn't get my reply, please let me know.

Petscreen / healthy cookies?

2007-12-09T17:12:00.000-05:00

I can’t believe another week has flown by! Yay, Friday! Work has been absolutely insane and I feel like I can’t get a grip on the fact that it’s (a) winter and (b) the holiday season. I now understand why old people are always talking about how time flies and how life “used to be…”

Anyway, I have both a question and a piece of info. Folks in the UK like Graham and Lesley may have already heard of Petscreen, a company based in Nottingham. The company has developed a screening test for canine lymphoma. I don't know many details about it since I am still reading through their web site. As far as I know, Petscreen is not very well known or available in the US. Has anyone outside of the UK heard of this screening? If so, have you done it? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts/experience.

Also, I am on the hunt for a healthy dog cookie recipe. I have found countless dog cookie recipes on the web, but would like a recipe that has been tried and tested by someone I know. Upon reading the labels on dog treats, I am appalled at the number of ingredients that I can't pronounce. Right now, I feed Waldo the dried chicken breast treats or the natural dog treats from my local pet store. The cookies have less than 10 ingredients and all are naturally occurring. If you have a dog cookie that you can share, please leave a comment as well! Perhaps we can have our own version of a canine cookie swap.

New daycare / Prozac nation

2007-12-02T17:59:00.000-05:00

Waldo completed his first full day at Gibson Kennels. He did really well and tons of doggy fun. Prior to his arrival, I had received several printed handouts from Gibson that covered everything from basic info (pickup and dropoff times) to the daily schedule(play from 9am to 12pm, nap from 12-2pm and then more play until dark) and other FAQs. I have been impressed so far regarding their written communication. They also made sure I had a copy of the policy, which I thought was great attention to detail. The cost compared Dogma is the same (about $20 per day).

When I arrived to pick him up, I got another printed handout about "how to care for sore paws" with first aids tips. The daycare yard is mulched with stone so sometimes dogs with sensitive paws come home after their first day of playing with sore feet. Again, nice touch.

As for the second part of the title of this post, I now have my first official pet that has been put on Prozac. No, not Waldo. Peanut... the neurotic cat. I won't go into the details since this blog is supposed to be about doggy stuff, but let's just say that she is quite manic. The vet suggested a few weeks of Prozac to help with her transition. We'll see how that goes....

Busy busy busy!

2007-11-29T09:37:00.000-05:00

Sorry to have been away from the blogosphere. It seems like forever but it's only been about 2 weeks. In the meantime, I am way behind in my reading of my favorite blogs as well as updating my own.

Speaking of updates, there are plenty. I started the new job in Boston and am thankful it is part-time. There was an accident on the highway the other morning and it took me nearly 2 hours to get to work! I've been working from home for 5 years so I am a bit "soft" when it comes to dealing with rush hour traffic. In the meantime, I am still keeping up with my full-time job as a freelance magazine writer and am up to my eyeballs in work. A blessing and a curse, as they say.

As for the animals, Peanut the cat is settling in nicely. Waldo wants nothing more than to play with her, and she wants nothing more than to try and rip his face off. All in all, there is order in the animal kingdom.

Peanut is the typical cat. Here she is loving up her cardboard scratcher (all the better to sharpen her claws so she can swipe at Waldo!)

He is thoroughly confused by her cat-like ways; such is the case here where he can't figure out why she is sitting in this box. Note the look of annoyance in her eyes as she waits for him to leave.

And here is a cute but totally gratuitous photo of Waldo watching a dog show. I wonder what he was thinking...?

Oh, and Waldo passed his interview at his new daycare place. His first day there is tomorrow. They do not use bark collars and will put a dog in time out if he gets too riled up. I spoke with the daycare manager about how they deal with the dogs throughout the day, and this place seems to be more aligned to how I like to communicate and how I like to discipline. They will certainly call and/or let me know at pickup if there was anything out of the ordinary.

Sorry for the short update. More to come....

Three months today

2007-11-16T09:30:00.000-05:00

It's been three months since Watson's passing. I look forward and see the holiday season.... and imagine Watson standing in the kitchen waiting for a taste of whatever is cooking. He was so patient when he wanted something. He would sit and watch me intently, waiting for any kind of signal that I was going to give him a bite of food or the lick from a spoon headed for the kitchen sink. Eating was his absolute favorite activity.

I look back and it seems like yesterday that we were bringing him to the vet's office for the last time. He rode in the car so well. He would just settle down in the back of our SUV, lying on top of the folded-down back seats. It seems like the memories from his last day are right over my shoulder. If I turn around fast enough, I can catch a glimpse out of the corner of my eye.

Now when I hear paws on the tile floor, it's Waldo.... who brings me much joy and entertainment, but has yet to fill that space in my heart that was occupied by Watson's companionship.

For all who have experienced the loss of a good friend (canine or otherwise), I wish you peace and comfort as we begin the holiday season.

Interesting Link from Lesley

2007-11-15T14:09:00.000-05:00

Lesley just left this story link in the comments section and I wanted to elevate it as a full post.
"Welsh Assembly To Ban Electric Shock Collars For Dogs"

I will post more later, but for now I am in the crush of deadlines, extra work because next week is a holiday, Peanut the new cat and a stress headache that makes my noggin feel like a bowling ball.

We can't all have as much fun at work as Graham does.

Waldo gets a sister!

2007-11-09T09:42:00.000-05:00

We are picking up Waldo's new sister today! Peanut, a three-year-old girl cat, is joining our household this afternoon. Waldo has already snacked on her cat litter (good thing it's all natural, right?), so it should be an interesting weekend.

I'll be off the blog for a few days but will post about Peanuts arrival next week.

Perspective Watch - I'm glad I live on high ground, and not here... or here....

Blah-g entry

2007-11-07T10:17:00.000-05:00

I have a few things to write about today and I couldn't think of a proper title. So today is the generic blog entry.

First, the neck update: The infection has cleared up, the scabs are gone and we have fur (woo hooo!) I have loosened his collar enough that it sits below the bald spot but I have to be careful as it can still slip over his pinhead. There is a bit of baby fur coming in, so hopefully it will continue to fill out and I can leave his collar on full-time again.

We were recommended to another daycare/boarding facility by a co-worker of Rich's. The place is in Grafton, MA; it's a bit more out of the way. I did ask how they discipline the dogs. They don't use bark collars; they spray with water or a hose, do time-outs or just ignore them and let them bark until they have a headache. I like that they do training there as well. Waldo likes his trainer, but some reinforcement while at daycare or while boarded will do some extra good. He needs his kennel cough shot first, so we won't have our intake interview for about 2 weeks. Of course, I will post about the visit when it happens.

Through this whole neck thing, I have gotten emails and posts about how my perspective is screwed up; how I shouldn't be sweating "small stuff". That is a matter of opinion, for sure. What's small to you may not be small to me. Of course, there are always larger issues that take precedence and priority over "stupid" things like the use of a bark collar on a dog. To this end, I have added a Perspective Watch that I will include at the end of each post. Yes, there are bigger issues... but give me the freedom and right to focus on whatever issues I deem important in my daily life.

By the way, the Tuffie toy is also still holding its own. We are at two and half days and counting. I am impressed. The stuffing is all out and now there are 2 holes in it, but the stitching is holding together. Waldo has extracted 2 of the 4 squeakers so far but he is having problems with the last 2. So far, I feel like the $12 was worth every penny!

Oh, and when did Winter happen? I am sitting here typing and the gentle voice from the local NPR station just pleasantly announced that there is a chance of snow showers on Friday. Blech!

Perspective watch - At least I was not born with 8 limbs nor am I paying $8 for gallon of gas
(Sorry to blog readers in the UK. I don't mean that as a dig. I don't see how you guys manage with those gas prices though!)

the myth of the indestructible dog toy

2007-11-05T17:34:00.000-05:00

Besides the hard rubber and nylon chew toys like the Kong or the Nylabone, I've always thought that fluffy, fuzzy or squeaky dog toys labeled "indestructible" were a joke. A clever marketing scheme to get us to buy endless amounts of chew toys, only to have them ripped to shreds in a matter of minutes right before our very eyes.

I've had dogs most of my life, but Waldo is second only to a crazy beagle my mom had when I was in college in expertise in ripping apart dog toys. He is adept at finding the absolute weakest point in a chew toy and working on that one spot to eviscerate it. He will attack the toy like it is his sole mission in life to disassemble it in record time. Have you ever seen those scenes in movies where the highly-trained military officer can dismantle a gun in seconds while blindfolded? Yeah, that's Waldo with a new chew toy, except that he's not blindfolded.... nor does he have thumbs. =)

I had to run to Home Depot this afternoon and stopped by Petco on my way there to get him a new toy. I found a chew toy called Tuffie's, the world's "tuff"est soft dog toy. Well, okay... I have tried almost everything else in the chew toy aisle so why not. I have spent $12 on worse causes.

The toy has 4 layers of material and 7 rows of stitching (woo hoo!). The label even says "Tired of paying $$$ for dog toys only to have them destroyed in minutes?" YES! Of course! Here I am getting sucked into marketing writing again.... ironic considering I do that for a living. "No matter," I think to myself. "This one will be different. The label says so!"

The Tuffie has 4 fabric layers (600D nylon, PVC, another layer of 600D nylon and then the soft fleece outer layer) and each squeaker is sewn into it's own compartment. The fabric also has a repeating cross-stitch to keep the layers intact. Yippee.... I have high hopes that this one will last the night!

It's been two and a half hours since I gave Waldo the Tuffie and this is what I have to report: he's breached all 4 layers, yanked out about 5 handfuls of white batting, and has managed to remove and destroy one of the 4? 5? squeakers sewn into the toy. Here he is on his favorite rug in the kitchen, working his way to the next squeaker.

I do give this toy props in that it took him hours and not minutes to rip it. I think he will have it fully eviscerated by tomorrow.

Anyone have other experiences with tough chew toys that last longer than 5 minutes? Leave a comment and let me know.

Somehow I am the bad guy?

2007-11-01T09:31:00.000-04:00

To the anonymous commenters, I think there has been a misunderstanding. Please take a look at this photo of Waldo's neck, taken this morning. This is a direct result from a bark collar used on him. His neck is bald, irritated and also got infected. How can you look at this and tell me that I can't be upset?

ADDED NOTE: For the record, I have never used the word "abuse" in any of my posts. Abuse is a serious word that I would not use lightly. Please be clear that I am not accusing Dogma of abuse. My point seems to have been lost in the flurry of comments.

This situation is a result of poor communication and my inexperience with doggy boarding. This injury happened to him when he was there from Friday to Sunday, over a weekend and not when he was there for daycare during the day. I had asked about his food for the weekend but because I did not know that boarding/daycare places use bark collars, I did not know to ask. On the flip side, I was never told about this practice either.

I would like this discussion to be constructive. People should know to ask about these things. And if they are okay with it, then great! I am not a fan of those collars and yes, he is in obedience classes to help control his barking. He's been in obedience classes since we adopted him! But bassets are stubborn and he is a slow learner. =)

Anyway, someone please tell me how to prevent this from happening again. Is there a cream or a supplement he should be taking to help his skin from reacting this way? Are there other places like Melisa's recommendation of PetSmart Petshotel that will just let them bark to their hearts content?? What are the questions that need to be asked when boarding your dog?

Neck Update

2007-10-31T13:47:00.001-04:00

The vet prescribed a tube of Tritop ointment and some chlorhexiderm solution for Waldo's neck. The wound has progressed into a skin infection so these meds should help keep it clean and microbal-free. My vet says that the fur *should* grow back... I just hope he doesn't have a bald spot there forever. It's in the general area of where a collar would sit, so having bare skin there will be uncomfortable for him.

The Tritop is to be used for the next 5-7 days. Hopefully he will heal up in that time and we can get back to normal.

no words

2007-10-30T15:12:00.000-04:00

I received a call back from Tracy at Dogma about 30 minutes ago. I almost have no words to describe how angry, frustrated and stupid I feel right now. She returned my call and immediately volunteered the fact that they had put a bark (shock) collar on Waldo when he was boarded there last weekend. Before she knew how upset I was, she continued on to say that sometimes a dog will have an allergic reaction to the collar and will scratch at that area.

I am angry because he has been going there since the summer and not once did they ever tell me that (1) his barking was a problem, and (2) that they use bark collars. She immediately said that I had signed the contract saying I understood they have to control barking but I don't remember reading anything about shock collars. I'm sure there is come legalese language that absolves them of all responsibility for anything anyway.

All she had to do was call me while he was boarded there and ask if that method was okay with me (it's not). She even said that she didn't want to take him out of group play since he plays so well with the other dogs... so of course the only other option is to put a shock collar on him?? No. If I had been asked and given a choice, he would have just sat in a kennel until he calmed down and stopped barking.

I am frustrated because I am trying so hard to make positive, healthy changes for him yet I royally screw up and leave him in the hands of people who hurt him.

I feel stupid because I should have read, re-read and sent a copy of that contract to an attorney!! I know that last part would have been overkill... but....

Before I signed him up at Dogma, I toured the facility and asked questions about how they care for dogs. I saw where the dogs play, saw the food they are fed, saw the place where they sleep. Now I know to ask how they are reprimanded. I never even thought to ask about shock collars because I don't use them and just didn't think. On top of my due diligence, I was recommended to this place by a colleague who was a former vet tech who also brings her dog there.

I thought I had done my homework.... but Waldo still ended up being hurt.

I offered to email her the photos of his neck but they do not list an email address on their web site. She just kept saying she was sorry and that they are not in the business of hurting dogs.

He will not go back there again. And I will let everyone I know who will want to listen to me that they use shock collars......

How do you feel about this?? Leave a comment and let me know. Better yet, write Dogma a letter and let them know how you feel:
154 Riverlin St.
Millbury, MA 01527

You're right...

2007-10-30T11:32:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I just called Dogma, the doggy day care place , and left a message. Lori's comment on the previous post about Waldo's neck just pushed me to call. Everyone keeps telling me to say something so I am. Hopefully they will at least call me back and tell me if they did indeed tie him up or use a bark collar on him. Either way, they should have called me. When I picked him up on Sunday, 10/21, all they said was the he had a good time and would sleep well that night (presumably from the tiredness of playing all day).

Today his neck is still red but many of the scabs have fallen off (see photo). The skin underneath is nice and pink, so hopefully the fur will grow back soon. Here is today's picture.

I am also emailing my colleague who recommended this place to me to let her know what has happened. I'm also sending the photos so she can see for herself. She has an American Pit Bull, so maybe her much sturdier dog doesn't have these problems at Dogma.

Yay, Sunday!

2007-10-29T09:36:00.000-04:00

Sunday.... it's my favorite day of the week. And what a great Sunday it was yesterday. The Red Sox won the World Series and I can finally get to bed on time again.

Saturday night we went to the Tragically Hip show at the Orpheum Theater in Boston. The Orpheum is a very old, run down but sort of cool theater. The seats may be small and uncomfortable, but the bands who play there really do put on a good show. I brought my sad, pocket-sized little Sony digital camera and tried to take some photos. Most were too blurry and dark, but here's one happy accident that actually is a pretty cool picture.

Waldo was in his pen for about 8 hours while we were gone. He does really well in his portable x-pen. I had never thought of putting him in a portable pen until we saw on in use at our local pet store. I like that it can be made into different shapes and sizes, depending on where we are and what we are doing with it. It folds nearly flat for transport too.

Waldo's neck update is that his wound is healing, although it looks worse now than at the beginning of the week. The scabs are slowly coming off but also taking his fur with it. The skin that is showing looks healthy, so I hope his fur grows back quickly. For now, we are calling him "Bald Neck". Really though, it looks worse than it actually is... I'll keep an eye on it and, if it doesn't look better in a week or so, I'll bring him by the vet to have a closer look.

Good Book, Sleepy Puppy, Meet George

2007-10-25T09:07:00.000-04:00

I have been enthralled by Barbara Kingsolver's new book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life" for the past week or so. The book was released in May 2007, but I only read about it recently and picked up a copy at our local library. The book is part memoir and part information guide and tells the story of how her family decided to grow all of their food and/or buy locally for an entire year. That means no hothouse-grown strawberries in December and no South American asparagus in February.

I'm about 3/4 of the way through the book now; so far, so good. The author lives on a 100 acre farm, which makes life easier when it comes to growing all you need to feed a family of four for a year. I've been gardening on a small scale for about 3 years now, and I still have so much to learn. Much like what we're trying to do with Waldo, we've also been cleansing ourselves of pesticide-ridden, commercially grown fruits and vegetables. We have several great family-owned farmstands around us that operate from April/June to October, but I haven't quite figured out what to do for the winter months. I'm not sure if I can handle eating a mealy, tasteless tomato from the supermarket again.

Speaking of winter, I just put in a heating pad for Waldo's bed. The pad was originally used for the Old Man and his aching bones. I figure that Waldo would enjoy it as well. What do you think?? Is that a sleepy puppy or what?

And finally, what has been big news around our house has nothing to do with dogs or dogs with cancer. I'd like you to meet George, our new MINI Cooper S. We picked him up last night and had fun driving him back home. Rich is super excited about it since he chose all of the accoutrements, so I suspect that I'll be allowed to drive it in a few months. =)

Vermont weekend

2007-10-22T11:17:00.000-04:00

What a weekend! We took off on Friday for a long weekend up north. The fall foliage is amazing this time of year, and it so happened that Friday was also our 5th wedding anniversary. Waldo was dropped off at the kennel and we were on the road early towards the Burlington, VT area of the world.

There were a few must-have stops on our trip; the first being Simon Pearce for lunch and some window shopping. There is nothing like a bowl of their cheddar soup! And their glass blowing is truly an art... someday I hope to have a set of their drinking glasses. Once I win the lottery, that is....

Over the weekend, we also visited my personal mecca known as Gardener's Supply Company. They have anything and everything to please the gardener's soul. I was especially happy about their outlet store. A new shovel is great but even better when it's on sale!

On the way back on Sunday, we were stuck in horrendous traffic and were late picking Waldo up from the kennel. We had to pay a late charge or otherwise pick him up in the morning. I was adamant that he not stay another night and paid the $20 fee. He was happy to see us and seemed tired when we got home. I immediately threw him in the bath since he had spent the past 3 days rolling around with other dogs in the pond mud (and he smelled like it).

It was after I got his fur wet that I noticed some injuries to his neck. His mid-to-upper neck was swollen (below the jaw, above the collar line) and there were scabbed-over markings on his neck. (See photo.) It didn't hurt him to touch that area but it looked suspect. My gut says that they tied him up and he was pulling and straining against his collar. I chose this kennel (which is also his daycare place) on a recommendation from a fellow dog owner; I liked the fact that the dog could roam around in fenced areas. There should be no reason to tie him to anything, especially since they have a dozen or so crates for the misbehaving dogs.

There have been times that he has returned from a day at daycare with some injuries that were inflicted by other dogs. A bitten ear or a scratch on his back. I know they can't watch all dogs all the time, so I didn't say anything. These marks look more significant, but I am debating as to whether to say anything. I've pretty much made up my mind that we won't go back there, so I don't know what use it would be to cause a fuss. They would, of course, deny any wrongdoing and I, as the departing customer, would have no use for whatever discount they might offer.

After his bath, Waldo did his usual mildly damp, mad dash around the house. He runs from room to room like his tail is on fire, occasionally stopping to wipe one side of his head on the nearest throw rug.

I had purchased some Neptune's Harvest fertilizer at Gardener's Supply and had prepared my watering can to give my plants one more feeding before winter. Before I knew it, Waldo had snuck his long snout into my watering can and was drinking from it. Yikes! What happens when a dog drinks fish emulsion fertilizer? It's organic... and he is still alive 24 hours later. Should I worry??

Two months and two days

2007-10-17T14:17:00.000-04:00

It has been exactly two months and two days since Watson passed away. How time flies. Lesley, if you still read this blog, I have to tell you that you were right. Time passes and at some point you say to yourself "I feel better". His illness and death seem so far away at this moment. At some point I've stopped looking behind me and have moved forward.... just a little bit though, as I still miss the sound of his paws on the tile floor, and I still look for his sweet face staring from the landing at the top of the stairs when I go up for bed.

I started letting Waldo sleep upstairs with us. He's in Watson's old spot, right next to my side of the bed. The choice was either to let him come up or to put the bed away. I couldn't really stand to wake up and see the empty bed anymore. I have pretty much sniffed Watson's smell right out of it anyway.

I do still sleep with Watson's collar next to my pillow. Morbid, perhaps, but I will often fall asleep with it in my hands and thinking of the Old Man. I say a little prayer for him and tell him once again that I hope he knows we loved him, and that we tried to do right by him.... There is so much I know now about canine lymphoma that I didn't know before... I'm ready for the "next time" but my heart is still heavy that I had to learn it all at Watson's expense. I'm sorry, Bubbe, we tried.....

Apples = cyanide poisoning?

2007-10-17T14:09:00.000-04:00

My niece and I went apple picking over the weekend and brought home a huge bag of apples to share. Of course, Waldo was intensely curious about the bag too. On Monday, he managed to steal an apple and played with it/ate it over the course of an hour or so. I thought "oh, how cute!" when I noticed that he ate it from the bottom-up (core and all).

Well, not so cute as I have since learned that the seeds in apples are not good for dogs. The seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides that break down as cyanide when digested. Not good. I can't seem to find any information on the levels of toxicity, but I can only assume that he will be okay since he is still alive and kicking two days later. Now I feel foolish for thinking that it was cute and at least the apple would give him more fiber in his diet.

Sponge Bob and a hot dog

2007-10-15T14:42:00.001-04:00

This weekend was more activity that I've had in a long time. I had my niece Lauren and my friend Melanie over at the house for the weekend. Waldo was beside himself and was so happy to have the company. He is still is unsure of new people or even people he hasn't seen in a while, but once he warms up to them then he's fine.

Lauren brought her Sponge Bob Squarepants shirt so I thought I would put Waldo's shirt on him as well. He can't quite figure out the clothing thing yet. I don't dress him up too often so when I do, he tries to rip it off with his teeth. Either that, or he trots around and pleads for help from anyone but me.

But seriously, how cute are they??

Speaking of dressing the dog, Waldo's Halloween costume came in the mail yesterday. Some of you may remember the poll I posted to take votes on what he should be for Halloween. I bought the chicken costume in a size medium, but the head was too big and the body was too small. Waldo is quite stout, so he tends to wear a size large. However, he has a bit of a pin head that needs a size small. Instead of the chicken, we have opted for this lovely vintage designer hot dog costume that simply has 2 Velcro straps around his mid-section. Fashionista in the making!

Web site

2007-10-15T11:13:00.000-04:00

I just read about the web site Dogsindanger.com that works with 120+ shelters in the US that destroy dogs. The MSNBC article states: "How much time the dogs get before death varies from state to state. In New York City, for instance, a stray dog must be kept a minimum of three days, while a shelter has the legal right to immediately destroy an animal that is abandoned there by its owner. About 4 million dogs are put to death each year in the United States, by injection or gas."

I'm not sure how I feel about the countdown clock though. But it strikes me as very sad that some of us do whatever we can to keep our dogs alive, yet 4 million of them are put to death every year because they can't find a home. Shameful.

What I love about dogs, part deux

2007-10-12T14:58:00.000-04:00

Lost dog walks 7 miles to find his home

IRWIN, Pa. --Bailey didn't need MapQuest or a navigation system to find his way back to his North Huntingdon home. Instead, the 10-year-old bichon frise dog used his nose.

Bailey was lost late last month when his owner took him to Darragh, where he was cutting wood for his sister. The 15-pound dog disappeared.

Three days later, Bailey showed up on his own front porch, whining from hunger and with a few scratches.

Since his trek, Bailey has become something of a star, getting phone calls and cards from around the country, a few gift baskets and even a free grooming at the Cutie Petutie dog salon in Westmoreland County.
------
Information from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, http://pghtrib.com

What I love about dogs...

2007-10-12T06:12:00.000-04:00

We had to get up at the ungodly hour of 3:30am to get Rich to the airport for a 6am flight this morning. Why 6am flights even exist is beyond me. I can see how it was easier to fly that early when it didn't take 2 years to get through security lines at the airport! One of the many things I love about dogs is that they are so absolutely *happy* to see you no matter what time it is. Waldo's kennel is right off the kitchen, so he can hear everything that's going on. I let him out to give him a snack, and Mr. Wigglybutt Waldo was doing his happy dance around the kitchen. He had no clue that it was the middle of the night, still dark out and not really time to get up for the day. I put him back in his kennel before we left and he happily sat there and watched us walk out the door.

Duh

2007-10-09T14:44:00.000-04:00

File this one under: are you an idiot? Waldo and I were just out for our (leashed) walk. There is a pleasant loop from my house to our quaint downtown that is about 1.5 miles. We had reached the downtown area when Waldo saw his arch-nemesis - a delivery guy rolling a handtruck down the sidewalk. (As an aside, Waldo spent the first 6 months of his life in a cage at a pet store. We got him as a rescue at 8 months, so he was really behind in terms of socialization and exposure to life in general. Objects on wheels still scare the piss out of him.)

Anyway, he was already nerved up about the guy and it was all I could do to keep him walking. We pass the guy when no sooner do I hear "oh, baby! hello! come here, baby!" coming from the opposite side of Main St. It was emanating from a woman who was waving her arms and smiling. I honestly didn't think she was talking to me/us so I kept walking.... so she screamed louder. Yes, she was talking to us. She was trying to call Waldo across a busy street. She was trying to call my dog to run across a traffic-laden street!

Hello!??!? Is your brain on?? I was so mad. So then she waits for traffic to pass and trots after us. Then she literally stands in front of us and tells me that she has a few dogs of her own but that they weren't afraid of traffic. Uh, duh. Is it because you make them play chicken in the street?

I'm sure she was trying to be friendly (we do live in a small town) but COME ON. If I didn't have a tight hold on his leash, he might be a hood ornament right now.