Updates

Spending the weekend with my niece and am contemplating the Zoo with a 2 year old for Sunday - please someone kill me now. Ringo will probably become Jack Rabbit the flying dog from Neverland when I make things official. Since he passed his CGC and I'm going to test him for his TT in October and hopefully enroll him in a TDI class later this fall.....I should probably make him a part of the family.

Been considering getting one of those dog powered scooters for him. He has such a high energy level and frankly, I'm too old to pick up my roller blades again. I don't need to risk breaking a leg or a wrist just to make sure he's tired enough to go in the crate. The flirt pole works great but I'm getting tired of using it.

Still nothing on the house hunting front. I just think I'm too picky. Looks like I wont' be getting the tax incentive since you have to close before the end of October. Here's hoping that next year brings an incentive package too. I am going to really start working hard at finding something after the first of the year if not before then.

I've upgraded my Imac to snow leopard and bought some new memory. Now I have 4 gig of ram, not that I really have noticed a huge difference. I created a website for the VA dogfighting taskforce using iWeb and damn if I don't think I did a pretty good job. My only concerns are that some of the widgets don't quite work if whoever is browsing doesn't have the lastest Safari, FireFox or IE. Sometimes it isn't all that great to be on the cutting edge if things don't work. It was smooth and easy though - uploading was not the easy part. Homestead likes you to use their stuff and well, their stuff is crap. After about two hours of troubleshooting - it's all there and looks super!!!!! I can't help being pretty proud of myself. Check it out. (http://vaanimalfighting2.homestead.com/Home.html).

Does HE deserve a Second Chance?

Does Michael Vick deserve a second chance?  This is a very hot topic with just about everyone stepping in to voice their opinion and I will add one more to the fray. As far as the law is concerned, he has paid his debt to society.   He served 23 months in jail for federal racketeering.  He plead not guilty on animal cruelty and that was washed away in a plea agreement.  So, no, I don’t think he recognizes or feels sorry for killing those dogs.  He is sorry he threw away his career; he is sorry he got caught and he is sorry that he was found guilty. Let’s not forget how vigorously he blamed others for what happened and for leading him astray while declaring his innocence.  One would think from reading the letter to the judge and listening to his constant denials the he had no ability to think for himself. No ability to understand right from wrong or know that he was breaking the law and not only that, he was causing willful and cruel destruction of life.

Michael Vick was one of the highest paid players in the NFL and he threw it all away. He was the golden boy with a golden life and when he was caught, he lied and denied for as long as he could until the evidence piling up became overwhelming and all of his co conspirators turned on him.

After mere months in jail, he has been reinstated to the NFL and has found a a team to support him.  While he should be employable as I hope all people can find gainful employment, returning him without penalty to a multimillion dollar career where he serves as a role model for young children is a mistake. A horrible and tragic mistake. He is not role model material and while there are quite a few criminals and miscreants in the NFL, it is disappointing none the less.

I don’t know many felons (outside of the NFL) that are allowed to return to multimillion dollar careers.  Most individuals who are found guilty of a felony have to spend a long time atoning for their sins.  They become pariah’s in the community.  They find it difficult to pick up where they left off and few people are willing to give a second chance for fear they will fall back into the same old pattern.  That is not inappropriate in this situation.  As far as the law is concerned, he has paid his dues but as far as his moral culpability and his deficiency in character, that requires a lifetime of atoning.  For those who think Michael Vick is being singled out, that is simply not the case. I believe that all thugs, criminals, and drug dealers should be expelled from the NFL.

I watched the interview on 60 minutes and I was not impressed.  He stated his commitment to working with the HSUS and using his influence to stop cruelty.  However, he did not truly accept responsibility for his actions.  His statements were clear.....  "I was disgusted, you know, because of what I let happen to those animals” he said. "I could've put a stop to it. I could've walked away from it. I could've shut the whole operation down."  All the while with a slight smile on his face and compassionless/expressionless eyes.

What Vick does not acknowledge and has never acknowledged, either in his letter to the judge prior to incarceration or his 60 Minutes Interview post release, is how he participated in these crimes.  In both instances he skirts responsibility citing that he should not have let it happen, not that he actively took part.  He didn’t just fund the operation from the sidelines.  He didn’t let it happen as a spectator or silent partner - he was an active participant.  He was physically involved in the electrocution, drowning, beating and hanging of dogs that didn’t make his team.  Electrocution by car battery while drowning in a swimming pool is a cruel and horrible death and does not happen quickly. He stood and watched while his dog struggled to get out of the pool while it was fighting to live. To truly atone for his behavior he needs to acknowledge his participation in these crimes. He needs to take ownership of what he did, he should say to the public that he physically slammed a dog into the ground until it was broken and dead and for that he is truly sorry.  And he should mean it.

I watched this interview more than once hoping that I could come up with some defense for him, hoping that I missed one spark of true emotion or apology but I didn’t. When he was asked when he truly realized what he had done was wrong and Vick responded with:

“The first day I walked into prison and they slammed that door, I knew the magnitude of the decisions that I made..." and, "What I did, being away from my family, letting so many people down, letting myself down, not being out on the football field, being in a prison bed, in a prison bunk, writing letters home. That wasn't my life. That wasn't the way that things were supposed to be."

It is all about him and what he is sorry he lost. Over and over he has acknowledged it was wrong but only in relation to what it took away from him, not the lives that were broken and lost.  He ‘now’ knows it was wrong but we’re not sure he understands why it was wrong.  I am not sure he truly grasps the horror that most people felt when they heard or read about how he and his friends killed dogs with their bare hands.  How much pain and terror those animals must have felt being killed by their owners after suffering abuse at their hands.  We are not sure he grasps that at all or really understands pain and suffering.  A dog’s capacity to love at times seems much greater than ours and their forgiveness is extraordinary.  The animals have probably forgiven him where we continue to debate…

There is one clip in the interview where it shows him speaking to children and encouraging them to love their animals - whatever animals they own. That appears to be the extent of his message.  He does not offer why. He does not offer that we should love and care for them because animals have the ability love and they feel and suffer when we are cruel.  And that life is valuable and should be cherished. That kindness is a gift.

If my opinion were solicited, I provide a resounding “NO”.  The American public does not need this kind of role model.  And as a spokes person for animal cruelty - a louder “NO”.  He does not speak for OUR breed and he should not be considered a positive influence. His decisions were not merely mistakes, they were a series of horrible decisions and a lifestyle of cruelty and suffering.  Six years of running a dog fighting operation  and systematically torturing and killing those dogs that didn’t fight hard enough or die in the pit is not simply a mistake.  A mistake is forgetting to mail a letter, not beating an animal to death. This is not simply one mistake but a long string of horrible decisions that potentially cite an inability to empathize with suffering, a lack of compassion and an outright disdain for life.  We have all read the few pieces of transcripts and evidence that was posted on the internet that explained in detail how the dogs were killed.  Pages and pages of documentation of terrible things that were done and done repeatedly if the dog didn’t die right away.  There is surely more that we were not privy.

He is not capable of spreading a compassionate message. He is not able to explain why we should care for our pets and treat them with kindness because he is not able to understand compassion for animals and kindness.  Certainly not while he himself does not understand and continues to skirt the responsibility of his actions. He has a deficiency in character that can not be fixed and certainly wasn’t fixed by 23 months in prison.  And will not be fixed as he is restored to his former glory without consequence.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the 
way its animals are treated." Mahatma Gandhi”

It's been a week

It's been a week since we took Rex and he's settling in nicely.  I haven't heard the first word about Linus but I really don't expect to hear about him. It's been a relief since he's been gone.  I feel bad for the little dog but after living with me a month, there was still no trust and no security. I hope that now he has a fenced area where he doesn't have to approach or interact, he will have more success. I hope he is more at ease now. I am also hoping that this person will end up keeping him and incorporating Linus into his doggie rehab programs. Linus is dog friendly and unassuming with other pets. He should fit in nicely to a multi pet home. And since this guy was interested in adopting a pit bull - perhaps Linus will fit that bill.  I have my hopes.

The Dog Swap

Well, the other rescue came through. Their deal was for our rescue to consider a dog in the local shelter and then that dog's advocate (who couldn't take him home due to cat aggression) would take Linus and "rehabilitate" him.  We loved the other dog and he's up on our pages as Rex. A fat headed young American Bully whose owner is in jail and not getting out anytime soon. He's a super chunk but has a great temperament and good with other dogs.  But he is really really young so that could change.

So after we pulled Rex, I got the call about Linus. I honestly think all of the dancing around regarding meeting up this week was to make sure we took Rex. Now I totally understand that some rescues can be wary of the turn and burn but we are not like that.  We already had an idea we would like Rex (pre a prelim eval on tues) or we never would have agreed to the swap.  

Yesterday afternoon I took Linus to his new foster home. Carried him through his house and put him in the backyard.  As predicted, the new foster home was not able to pet Linus as he retreated to the back of the yard.  He did manage to get his fingers sniffed as he made a close pass when playing with the other dogs.  It's going to be a long haul for Linus if he can ever make the bridge ( I am not confident). Either way, he's safe in a secure fence and does not need to worry about meeting anyone new.

I wonder still about the impact a potential placement will have on the breed and will always hope for the best.  I am not sure at all that Linus should not have been humanely euthanized and that may be what happens in the future - at least he will have some happiness in a yard before that happens.  The lesson here though is that when pulling a dog, make sure your expectations are clear from the starting gate and two organizations collaborating on the same dog may have different opinions in the end. If you feel your goals may not be in complete alignment - it is best to make sure that there are no shared custody arrangements.

Sad and reflective

It's been sad dealing with Linus. He may get a stay of euthanasia though in that the rescue that originally pulled him may take him back. We never transferred him officially so he technically still belongs to them.  They've made a bargain for us to look at another dog in the shelter and if we take that dog (all of the if's there) then they will take Linus.  Honestly, not sure how I feel about that but it's not up to me.  Linus has had a sad hard life and while I certainly feel bad for him and hope he can be successful somewhere - I can't help but worry about the impact an adoption could have on the breed. I truly don't feel he is a good example at this time.  He certainly could prove me wrong and blossom.  I probably wouldn't feel so conflicted if he was a different breed of dog. His behavior seems almost typical of a used up hound dog. You know, one of the ones you find on the side of the road in eastern NC that have all but given up the hunt.  Wary and nervous, they don't want to make friends but they are so alone they don't have a choice but to trust you just a little.

It's been a tough month and I've been sick with a summer cold twice already.  Which is why it's 12:43 in the morning and I haven't gone to bed yet. I'm all hopped up on cold medicine and can't lay down without choking on my own spit.  Too many dogs, too many animals really, not enough time in the day and I wish to hell I could find a house that I want to buy.  I do think it will seriously reduce my stress to have Linus safely in another place and out of my frame of worry.  Out of sight, out of mind and hope for the best.

Changes are in store for work as my manager put in her notice to move to a different department.  That will make life interesting to say the least.

Linus bit me

Linus bit me yesterday, not the first time but this is the first time that he really meant it and really tried to hurt me.  He broke the skin and I have a bruise. It's not bad, just the back of my hand where he managed to pull up some skin and pinch really hard to get me to let go of his foot.  I was retrying a behavior he did from the other week....when I thought he had something stuck in his pad and looked at his foot. That day he closed his mouth over my hand and bit down, hard enough to hurt but not hard enough to break the skin or make me let go.  I was trying it again but going to use the "uhuh" words to see if he accepted correction.  Well, half of the time he does and half of the time he will bite the hell out of me.  Seems like when he's had enough and feels he needs to pull away, a panic reaction sets in and he can't control himself and other times when he's more relaxed (and there can be just minutes in between) he tolerates it.  But tolerates not without some pulling and a definite head and shoulder turn away from me to let me know he's really uncomfortable.

Sadly, this brings and end to the Rosebud diaries since I am not going to personally keep this dog and I don't have endless resources to rehabilitate him.  Now that he has bitten he is no longer able to be rehomed.  I know that would come as a surprise to some as many rescue groups give biting dogs a second chance.  Because of his breed, the liability associated with biting and the sheer numbers of homeless dogs, we don't feel it is the right choice to take the chance that he wont' bite again.  We know that once he has bitten, he is more likely to do it again.  My concern all along was once he started to gain confidence that he would potentially become a fear biter.  He just seemed to have been too roughly treated and probably had a more delicate temperament to begin with.  I do think there's been a head injury in his past because of the way he holds it and because of the way he searches for fallen food as if he can't see it. He makes wide strange sweeping motions with his head because he can't locate what he's looking for on the ground.

Weird biting -the Linus diary

The weird biting behavior is back and it's a happy weird biting but that does not make it a positive behavior.  I'm going to go sit outside with him in a little bit and see if I can videotape it.  Saying ouch makes him quickly recoil but then again any loud nose or fast motion makes him scoot away.

It's when he's happy and trying to initiate some type of contact and it maybe a play behavior but I'm not sure.  I'll sit down on the steps and he'll come over wagging, moving forward and backward, back and forth, touching my leg, not touching, touching, then nuzzling (kind of strange) then when he gets bold enough he will open his mouth and start nipping at me and biting at my legs.  It had stopped for a while because I got to the point before  of just getting up and going away, not inviting that kind of interaction.  But then he needs to learn to interact with people.  So how do I encourage interaction but not this kind of interaction. He's making contact but in a really inappropriate way.

Off to sit outside with weirdo.  On another note, he managed to get out of his second harness this morning after breakfast and when I came outside after getting dressed, he was curled up asleep in the bush by the porch - not tethered to anything.  He is clearly not going to ever leave someone's backyard if he can find himself in one as I have no fence and he makes no move to leave a 15 foot area in front of my porch (but not actually on the porch or near the door) - makes looking for dog poop a necessity before walking to my car or anywhere within 15 feet of my porch.

#$@%^$#@

!@#$%^&*%$#

I truly think that Linus is trying to kill me some days.  He has such a frantic dash when he feels "freed" from the trees, he will whip against my legs with the cable and turn to whip in the opposite direction when he hits the end.  One of the reasons I had him on a harness so he wouldn't injure his neck. with that thing.  I try not to touch him at all and get him to do it himself (just following me with my averted eyes)  but some days it's just impossible as he won't cooperate - dashing in the wrong direction to practically clothesline himself.

I am just really frustrated when he hurts me.  It's not his fault, he is just such a freaking pain in the ass and is making no discernible progress. I just don't think he will ever be a pet dog and it is very sad to look at him day after day and know that he is on the fringe of society like a feral or wild dog. I think at best he will be a yard companion for another dog - but who the would pick a pit bull to be a companion for another pet?  I wouldn't want him to go as a companion for another pit bull just because of the risk he would get hurt.

My legs really freaking hurt from the cable burns and bruises.  I'm getting too old for this.

The Quincy diary -

My mother would like to rename Linus "Quincy". I still think of him as Rosebud and I don't think he will ever bloom. he had a great night Friday playing in my parents yard with Ringo. He just loves to be free in the yard. Free to back away and avoid people if he wants and to take treats if he feels like it. They (the parents) managed to get in a pet once or twice but that's all he would allow. Met another friend on Sunday - a male person, shorter in stature but very upright posture and he would not make friends. Came forward to get a treat but did not allow petting.  

I keep him on a cable to do his business and sometimes I think he's trying to kill me. He will wrap himself around a tree and when I try to extricate him, he acts like a freaky ass and bolts to wrap around my legs the minute he gets a free foot or so. The other night I had to literally pin him to the ground and unwind my legs so I didn't bust my ass. My legs have plenty of cable burns. He really needs a fenced yard and grass so he can come to terms with his own problems on his own timeline without being forced. He is not getting better. He does like to rush up behind me and put his nose the back of my legs. His way of making contact that is safer than approaching from the front.  

He whines, he barks. He's unhappy in the crate but happier there than loose in the house. Happiest outside but starting to want company but not company enough for petting. Just company to look at. Again, if he had his own choosing, he would be tearing up a backyard with another dog - humans be damned. At least he is now crate trained and does not use the bathroom in it.  

He does not have bite inhibition. Friday night I grabbed his paw when he was licking it (the last time he was displaying licking and chewing his pads, he had a thorn). He pulled away and when I wouldn't give he nipped my hand. But then I put my other hand around on his collar. Repeated the paw pick up on Sunday and he very slowly and firmly bit down on my hand to let me know to let go.  

Just don't know where to go from here with him. I am not sure he will ever be ready to be a dog.

The Diary of Linus the Rosebud

He LOVED Sunday at Sue and Craig's house.   Met Sue wagging when he was on leash. But once in the backyard, he retreated to the grass to a good time and only came two feet on the patio.  He'd lean in and lick a bare toe but not come any further and resist any attempt to lean forward to bring him closer.  The pic to the side is zoomed and cropped. He really had a great time. Tried to make friends with everyone.  Instead of the I'm taller than you are game, he actually shows submissive posturing, lowering himself, not making direct eye contact, turning his head, allowing sniffing, etc. He's desperate to make friends with other dogs and when he does, he's the happiest little thing in the world.  He's got a goofy run and bounces around like a happy rabbit dog.

Yesterday he actually managed to get himself out of his body harness while I was inside on the phone with Kathi and when I came out he was still in front of the steps - leash less.  His harness smashed into the mud where he found it amusing to dig at it and play with it.  So, no fence and no leash and he still stuck right there. Too afraid to wander off and get into trouble, in this case was a good thing. I can't imagine another dog sticking around that long - the phone call was 20 min.

Then I brought him in and he went right to the crate and I being scatter brained like I am didn't shut the crate or put up the baby gate. He just stayed in there all night until I went to walk them again at 10:30, then he came out.

It's been a while (the rosebud diary et al)

It's been a while since I posted on the progress of Rosebud and we are actually going over to a friend's house to let him play with her female pit bull Kayla.  Hopefully that will go well.   He is so submissive and appropriate with other dogs, I don't think there will be any problems.

Basically there has been no progression with the bud with the exception of knowing now that he can not live without the presence of other dogs. When other dogs are around, he seems more normal, more social, more willing to interact.  Without another dog, he goes back to being freaky little rosebud.  

We tried to take another walk and he approaches that like he does the tie out, spurt a little forward, eyes ahead and on me, when he gets to the end he might panic a little and do a quick "bolt/freeze" then we move ahead. Starting and stopping the whole time.  I am of course walking him without the presence of another dog.  That most certainly would help but Annabelle doesn't want to have anything to do with him and Ringo just wants to hump everything that moves.  Even though he (Ringo) lost his balls last week - it hasn't helped so far and the constant "no", "uhuh" and grabbing him around Linus just doesn't help.  Too many negative verbal cues and fast movements for his (Linus/the bud) comfort.

He clearly needs more exercise than he is getting now that his weight has improved and his body is healthy but it becomes more difficult since he can't walk on a leash yet and I have no playmates or fenced yard. He can't play with me because he is a little inappropriate and he needs to know that teeth aren't for people. So now he just tears up things he can reach - tore up some potted plants, dumped and shredded the recycling.  I can't get him interested in hooves or bones, he doesn't know how to handle them yet.  The only thing he seems to enjoy chewing on are those rope toy balls and I have filled his crate with them.  He's now on avoderm senior and that seems to be working well for him.

I did give him a filled rawhide the other day and he chewed it until it was soft all over then swallowed the whole thing - hoping that won't cause problems later.

Annabelle's going senile (more on that later), the Cosmo allergies, Zelda diarrhea again - @#*#!@$&@#$ and I'm in love with Ringo.  

Two new dogs

I should be shot. Went to the shelter to check out a dog that someone offered to foster.  She didn't pass her evaluation - just too many issues. I hope someone helps her.  But we ended up bringing home two more dogs -another puppy with a broken leg!!! and a young adult male pit bull.

No place really for either one of them but those little gems couldn't stay behind.

Dinner inside (the rosebud diary)

It's official, he's decided he will eat breakfast outside in the peaceful morning but he will not eat dinner outside. He spills his meal and just generally farts around.  When I clean it up and bring him in, he happily eats in his crate.  Tonight he's eating with the door open and actually, he can leave the crate if he wants. I've got the baby gates up in the kitchen. He's been standing in there for ....oh, about 50 minutes now.  He came out once when I was setting up the gate on one side of the elliptical and once he saw the baby gate on the other side of the kitchen, he scrambled back through the narrow hallway to his crate and hasn't come back out.  Weirdo.  Took a flying leap down the steps and cracked open his chin again when his front legs didn't' catch him and I didn't have a good hold on his leash.

Has started making alien noises when I come home. At least the crate was dry today : )

Zelda has diarrhea again, now that we've gotten past majority science diet in the food bin and has a higher ratio of blue buffalo sensitive skin....the diarrhea is back. Guess I'm off to buy more science diet to mix in.  damn it, you would think a month+ of gradual change would stave off the diarrhea.  Nope.  Just when Cosmo's allergies seem to be improving.  *!@#&#!@

Dinnertime with the diary

Linus didn't eat his dinner tonight. I put it out as usual to his spastic self and returned in to feed Annabelle.  Came out a few minutes later to it almost entirely spilled on the ground and a half gallon of water downed instead.  He shows no interest in food tonight and didn't eat all of his food this morning either.  He did eat it when it was put in his crate with him.  As he is now tonight back in his crate with the nearly full bowl.  Maybe he no longer wants to eat outside and has graduated to the comfort of indoors.

He did pee in his crate today and again immediately on the stones just below the steps when let out.  No poop (or no evidence left at least).  I'll walk him again in a minute since I'm sure he will have to pee again in no time and then put on his underwear that arrived today.

The jerk that returned Tugboat today didn't bother to return his underwear that we could have really used - or anything the things we sent with him (blanket, bones, nice leather collar).  People will disappoint when given the chance : (

Dinnertime

Dinnertime for the bud.  This is the time when he's most vocal and most excitable and most interactive. He dashes about still wary of me but eager to get food. He will skitter about once it is set down.  He dives in but quickly backs off if I am too close or try to pat his head.  He also barks and whines when I come home because he associates that with food as well.  He eats best outside, alone.  Though today he did eat in his crate in the AM because of the rain.  When he first arrived, he was too nervous to eat in his crate and would leave the food spilled all over the crate.  He eats slower outside and takes his time and eats slower when I'm not close, no gulping and spitting it back up.

poop eating

Scratch that on the poop eating....blech. How do you stop a dog from eating his own poop - and I mean fresh out of the factory.  Turns right around to start licking it.  I couldn't help a verbal and leash correction this morning and he still tried to go right back to it.

The rosebud installment

Poor dude, he's so jacked up.  I wish there was something I could do to make steps easier for him.  Aside from building a ramp, I'm not sure. He has short legs and a long body and his roachy topline makes his butt taller or nearly than his head. This presents a big problem with steps, even short flights of steps.  When he tries to go down on his own, he almost always goes down on his elbows or hits his face on the flagstones. Part of the problem is the speed in which he attempts it.  When he is less scared of them, he may slow down and it become easier.  For now, I keep his front end elevated with the harness/leash so he doesn't smash his face.  The picture insert is from Saturday, one of the times he laid down close but just out of reach.  I'm glad he's not afraid of the camera and in general doesn't seem too afraid of inanimate objects unlike most shy dogs.  That's interesting.  No fear of the car, the camera, the recycling, the trash cans, mailboxes.  His wariness is people centric - and closed in places like doorways and hallways and weird things like steps.  He also doesn't seem too wary of sounds, cars, alarms, the icecream truck, kids yelling and screaming.  Big difference from Kiki but then she had lived in a small run on a small farm, behind some buildings out in BFE, a silent existence.  Maybe living on a chain afforded him a little more environmental experience.

We did our daily laydown in front of the crate. Everyone joined in this am, zelda, cosmo and even Annabelle stood over me. Peering down like the snoopy vulture.  All wags from inside but no dice. Cosmo rubbing on the crate did nothing to entice.  He did lean out and lick my fingers once but no dice on leaving his sanctuary.  But instead of closing the crate to come back later, I just got up, walked away and he followed.  He also puts himself back in the crate when we come in.  Goes back through the kitchen on his own (usually I'm still closing the door) and then panics just a bit going through the tight hallway. His back feet kind of slip out from under him and he bolts through.  He doesn't bolt through on the way out, just the way in and if I'm close he'll panic and shoot through and gouge my bare feet in the process.  So I let him do it himself. If I take too long, he'll come back out.  Then when I get there, he'll put himself back in or miss the crate and head down in the corner.  When his underwear gets here we will start letting him explore more inside the house. Right now we spend a lot of time just watching each other outside.  His crate should probably be moved to a central location but I don't have a central location that's big enough. We might switch to a smaller crate so I can do this next week.

He seems to take treats better and it could be because his weight is increasing.  He is certainly very "charged" at meal times and very vocal.  I have increased his meals to 3.5 cups per day and treats in between. That seems to help the desperate air around feeding and he has slowed down a lot.  No more gulping.  I also leave him alone mostly and just watch from the door.  Overall though I do think he's getting a little more gentle.  Maybe learning where the food ends and my fingers begin.  With something really delicious, he forgets and tries to take my fingers too.

Kiki and Linus (the rosebud diary)

I don't think anyone truly understands how difficult this is, to have Linus in my house because of Kiki.  It's my own fault because I like to keep things pretty close to the chest.  So no-one knows how much Kiki hurt me, how much I wanted to keep that little dog if my living situation would have been different. How much I really loved her and wanted her and saw something special in that little body - that twinkle in her eye that said "I want to live" even though she was so scared of the world.  How much I cried when she took her last breath.  I would have kept her, kept her safe and she would have been much like Annabelle eventually.  Not adoptable but to the general public, a pretty good example, her mistakes and shortcomings kept private.  How I couldn't in an rental house, in a neighborhood of inappropriate children, with my own niece coming over.  How I contemplated just quitting rescue after putting her down.  How much I still think of her and wonder if I did the right thing, if I somehow couldn't have made it work.

Now, one year later, another unadoptable dog in my house, my niece moved to tennessee and on the cusp of purchasing a home....this isn't Kiki.  This isn't my squirrely little girl.  It hurts and it also hurts because of the other dogs that don't need this much work that won't get a chance.  Same conflict I had over Kiki, all of the other dogs without her issues that need a chance and won't get one.  Dogs that are currently "adoptable".  The whole host of issues that come with a dog like this.  Things I think about every day.   I can't help comparing the two.

Perhaps I'm the perfect place for Linus. I have no expectations for him so there is no need to be impatient with him when he doesn't meet them.  He's shy, unsocialized and lacks bite inhibition.  His reactions are sometimes unpredictable.

I can open his crate and lay on my back 5 feet away and he will stand inside and wag his tail.  Most dogs will come when I do this, even the shy ones.  I just lay there looking up at the ceiling and he won't come.  Zelda comes to say hi, even walks into the crate to rub his face because she knows he's a twinkie. He wags his tail harder but doesn't come. Eventually he will lay back down and we will have a stalemate.  I close the door and go away. Then I will come back, open the crate and walk away.  He follows to the door, I hook him to the cable and help him down the stairs.  We spent a lot of time looking at each other and just sitting outside.

A Good and Sad Day - The diary of Rosebud

Today, the day before independence day was a nice break from work. I took the creatures over to the parents house for a relaxing day in the yard.  I took off Linus' harness and lead when we got there so he could enjoy the freedom of a securely fenced yard.  He really seemed to enjoy himself and at times sprawled out on his side in the green grass.  Almost a smile on his face, look of contentment, blissfully free of chains and bindings.  He tried to initiate a little play between the fence with the neighbor's dog, Annabelle and my parent's dog - all rebuffed by the old fogies so he went about his business.  Even got into a little mischief when he stole his harness in an attempt to destroy it.  Rolled in some poo and scratched his back. He seemed to have a really nice day of freedom.  When he napped, he seemed to nap heavily.

My parents got to meet him.  I held him while my dad patted him and he accepted it though it was clear from the lowered tail and leaning away that he would rather be elsewhere.  He accepted a treat from my mother on outstretched fingers later as he scooted away quickly once he grabbed it.  He slipped up behind her to sniff her back while she sat in the grass.  Her fingers were able to touch his head on one pass.  He wags his tail apologetically but will not come forward.  He probably edged in to three feet away head on and hung around in the general area when we sat in the grass. He would lay down with us but just out of arms reach.  I can walk up to him and pet him, sit down beside him and otherwise handle him but he is not sharing that with anyone willingly at this point.  Sometimes he even still seems wary of me and will get a little squirrely.

It is sad, to see in his eyes the lack of trust, the uncertainty. Just sad to see this neglect he must have suffered.   The berth he gives people, the dash at sudden movements.  They got Fios cable and three cable guys were in and out of the yard and Linus seemed friendly but only at a distance. He wags when you speak to him and raises his head, flicks his ears but he will not approach.  One of the guys got down on his knee and tried to make friends but he made no headway.  Linus just skittered to 10 feet out and wagged his tail in apology.

He will be adoptable when he is able to greet strangers freely (without fear) while off lead in a fenced area. That is our goal for him.  When he can greet people face to face while unleashed and untethered and otherwise of his own free will.....then he will be able to go to a new home. When he learns bite inhibition and does not nip and bite on the rare occasions when he tries to initiate some play with me (or anyone).

His body looks better, still on the thin side but his backbone is not clearly visible.  He has the general sausage shape now and hopefully he will begin to build some muscle.  It seems like his chest is looking better.   Overal he seems to have enjoyed his 6 hours of freedom this afternoon.  He has in general seemed to have a better attitude this week. Turning over the recycling to destroy magazines and newspapers and general naughtiness that means he is thinking about more than just being miserable.

House Hunting Et Al

Still house hunting. The little maplewood house I love so much might be getting a makeover for me in anticipation that I will buy it from a general contractor.  I'm excited about it but still looking for a house in the interim.  Who knows if the numbers will work for me.  My price break is not a good one, there is a lot of "crap" out there. Ill kept foreclosures, poor neighborhoods and older homes without current updates (like air conditioning).

I really want to have my own piece of the american dream.

Thankfully on another note, Linus the rosebud seems to have stopped eating his own poop. Small blessings for progress even though he is still wrapped up as tight as a new bud on the bush.  Baby steps.  He is looking better, spine not so clearly visible but beginning to take an unformed sausage shape.  He did come up onto the porch on his own twice this week when I went back inside and actually took a nap on the door mat.  He is also getting better crashing down the stairs (maybe, it's probably my aid).

The muzzle punching the bowl also seems to have stopped and that's probably because I have stopped trying to hand feed him or hold the bowl. He is definitely more comfortable if I am several feet away.  He jerks if I touch him while he's eating and touching his head will cause him to bolt from the bowl altogether.

Initiating play

Trying to initiate some play after breakfast before I put him up and left to work.

Diary of Rosebud installment

Picked up Linus, formerly known as Rosebud and also known as "the twinkie" from the vet this afternoon.  He was vetted and is home now sans balls, hw negative and vaccinated.  The vet indicated he was easy to work on, a cupcake in her estimation.  They had no problems with him at the vet except he seemed somewhat fearful.  Didn't want to come from his run and had problems walking on the leash.  He was carried back on Thursday as the tech had no luck getting him to walk with him. No coaxing in the world was going to get him to leave the lobby.

He walked out on his own tentatively but at least on his own.  He is quiet when he rides, just curls up in a ball in the back.  He wears a body harness when he's out on the tie and on a leash since he can't back out of it nor can it slip off his head. It's a "right fit" in a figure 8 style that prevents slipping out.  We spend a lot of time just looking at each other. Me from the porch with my zoom lens and him from the yard.  At least he is not freaked out by the camera as many dogs seem to be.  He seems the most comfortable outside.

The Diary of Rosebud

Rosebud is what I thought of when I was looking him over with his delicate little blush colored nose and pink lips.  He was pulled from a shelter this week and I'm concerned about him and his ability to move into a pet home. He is not an adoptable dog - not now anyway.  He seems shy, too shy, too un-socialized.  It's sad, really sad to see this dog and see his general distrust of people.  I've unfortunately seen this before in other dogs that haven't made it.  There is a little bit of hope that he can come around and adjust and learn to actually like people.  I just don't know. He's a mature dog that came from a cruelty investigation. Living on a chain his whole life and probably has met very few people outside of a neglectful and potentially abusive owner.  He is easy to handle, doesn't offer any aggression. Allows himself to be manipulated and evaluated but it is clear he does not enjoy it and would like the touching to stop.   He accepted his first bath, grooming, vet inspection and even allowed me to give him a dental today to clean the tartar from his teeth.  He has a long time to go before he can be considered adoptable and I wonder if he can make it to be a pet.  Everything is new, leashes, cars, crates, bowls, stairs, doorways everything is a new and painful experience to him.  He seems to struggle with the basic concepts.  Only time can tell if he will improve.  A sneeze during his meal sent him reeling about three feet before he recovered.  He would still rather not eat unless I am several feet away from his bowl.

I don't know what will become of him and how I can reconcile this if he doesn't make it. I know that I can't put down another unstable dog.  Kiki broke my heart and I just can't bring myself to take part in it again.  I would rather walk away than do it again but this time the choice is not up to me. He is here now for better or for worse and how we will manage is something I don't yet know.  

Fruit flies

I don't know if they are fruit flys or gnats but they have been plaguing me for weeks now. I don't know where they came from...the fruit, potted plants or what but they are a nuisance. Just when I think they are gone, another one flies in front of the computer screen or my face as I'm watching TV.

The wine in vinegar remedy hasn't been tried yet because I've been sick and can't bring myself to ruin a good bottle of wine if I can't imbibe

The truth about Euthanasia

I wish people would "get it", listening to the excuses is heartbreaking.  So many wonderful animals and there is nothing left for them.  No-one cares and everyone wants to blame the shelters for their owns shortcomings as human beings.

A version of Meet your Meat (what they don't want you to know)

Ants and Houses

This has been a frustrating Spring/Summer. I've been attacked by ants, both the crawlies and the flying. I don't know where they are coming from.  This spring, I had ants in the bathtub and it seemed worse when it rained. Now that they are gone...I've got the flying kind and I can't see them coming in anywhere.  I've never had this many bugs.  going to have to sprinkle that seven dust around the foundation to see if that will make them go away.

Crazy cosmo still has his allergy problem and that's new this year with the eye discharge and dirty ears.  We are now eating a combo of Science Diet Sensitive Stomach and Sensitive Skin blended with the Blue Buffalo Sensitive Skin.  Put him back on the Derm Caps

As far as the house hunting. There's a lot of crap out there in my price point.  A lot of angry and just plain ol nasty livin people.  The way some people take care of their stuff is gross when you have to look at what they leave behind. Makes you wonder if they were raised by wolves or pigs.  Then the angry people who just tear up stuff on their way out pissed at the Bank for calling their note.  So much for taking personal responsibility. The banks did a whole lot of shady lending when housing was at it's peak but that didn't mean you had to cash in on the deals.  You only suffer in the end.

House hunting again

Going to look at another house today.  It disappeared and re-appeared on the listings last night. From a price reduced motivated seller, now selling for 3K more.  This all seems like a game. Dropping houses off the market so they don't appear to have been listed that long.  Everyone knows a house that stays on the market has "problems" so they play these little tricks to make you think it's brand new.  Maybe if this motivated seller isn't the bank the house will have hope to look nice. It's not nearly as cute on the outside as the previous house.  I really loved that rounded front door.  I could have totally seen myself in that house.  Sadly, I just don't have the skills to make the amount of repairs needed to make it habitable.

House Hunting

That time of the year and I really want to own my piece of the American Dream again. It's been three years since I had a place that I could call my own and it really makes you feel like you are a permanent member of society, not just out on the fringes. My landlord wants to suck me into another year lease and I can't find a house that will allow me to move out. The tenants upstairs smoke in the house so it filters down to my place. The neighbors can't find the time to supervise their kids so I have to put the toys out of the drive way to go to work. Kids everywhere and not a parent in sight. Hope they aren't surprised one day. I don't think I could stay inside and not watch my preschooler play in the street. There must be a completely different race of parents out there today.

I'm tired of living here, feeling like I can't make this place better or do things I want, own pets I want to have or just plant a garden, fence a yard....the simple things that make you feel like your house is a HOME.

I found the cutest little house today that would have been perfect. In a nice area, nice houses and in a place where it looked like people cared about what they owned. Until I walked inside and realized it was a foreclosure and the bitter owners tore the place from stem to stern making it un-inhabitable for the next person. There is no way I could pay the price of the house and spend the 50K to make it habitable again. They even tore out the ceiling in the living room. Tore the screens out of the porches and nailed the backdoor shut. So sad, such a cute little cape with a round edged front door and a full attic that could be expanded to become living space.

Quote

Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you’ve never been hurt and live like it’s heaven on Earth. (Mark Twain)

White Squirrel

I'm stalking the white squirrel I found the other day when I was out walking. I took my camera today when I was walking the dog and tried to get a good picture. I don't know if it is a boy or a girl but I haven't seen it before in the area

zelda fascinated by her tail

Now Annabelle!

Now Annabelle's sick....can I ever not have one sick animal in the house? She's had diarrhea since I brought Izzy home. I'm trying not to think they are connected and maybe instead I bought a bad bag of Avoderm but Izzy's eating it just fine. She started off last Sunday or Monday with a blow out in the middle of the night. She's such a good girl to get me up so we can go out. Now she has consistently loose and the Kaopectate for pets is not working.

It doesn't help that Frank's back for the week so this little house is VERY crowded. Frank did get a good vet visit (Finally he came home with NO MEDS!) and his new family can adopt him next week when they get home from their trip.

Maybe it's a combination but I've tried to keep them all pretty separate. Izzy is crated when she isn't outside or being walked and of course I don't know how she does with other pets. She was WAY too intense and rough with Frank and seemed really intent on pinning him to the ground. Then once he was down she really got too jazzed. Since she got a nice correction though she has laid off the pounding and been very social....but not interested in playing. I'm good with that. She can be a social dog, sniff butts but never want to play. She's a little gamey so her new owner would have to keep an eye on the intensity.

Zelda still has loose stool from the new food and Cosmo is still battling allergies. They aren't as bad as they were prior to the vet visit so maybe the diet is working. If only everyone could just adjust and their intestines could work right.....I'd be a happy girl. Could be that this house is just freaking NASTY. I hate renting and god knows how long this carpet has been here. I can't stand to walk on it barefoot. I've got my own rugs down so that I don't have to look at it.

Michael Vick for PeTA?

I am still in a state of shock that PeTA as radical and weird/over the top they are that they would consider Michael Vick a spokesperson for animal abuse. This man has not shown an ounce of remorse for what he did. He was only sorry that he got caught and consistently blamed others for "leading him astray". The letter he sent to the judge before his sentencing was proof. He does not give one flying flip about the dogs he killed and the horrible things he has done. He's just sad that he was held accountable for being a piece of trash. This is just media ploy by him and I'm disgusted with PeTA for being such whores. They are just looking for donations anywhere they can get them. They also don't care about pit bulls but would like to see them all exterminated.

My New to me Cedar Chest

I finally got around to polishing my cedar chest with lemon oil. I just love looking at it. I was looking around online at craigslist and thinking to myself that I'd always wanted a cedar chest. I saw one in a "moving sale". The picture online wasn't all that impressive but I wanted to go see it anyway. The minute I saw it, I knew I wanted it and it had the LANE burn mark on the lid.

She had been using it as a toy chest with her child and it was covered with colored chalk on the inside. It was pretty and looked like it was old. A few nicks, scratches, missing lock and a couple of screws but it's sturdy and solid, only one loose board on the top. I got it for the cash I had in my pocket book : ). I didn't find out until later looking at the "moth free" certification that it was from 1927.

I am pretty sure that I lowered the value when I drilled a new hole and put an additional screw in to hold down the loose top board but the heck with it (you can see in the picture the loose board on top makes it look like there's a crack down the middle).

I'm not like I got it for a re-sale anyway. I did use a brass screw and got it to look as close to the original as possible. I spent several hours looking for ones that matched. I've never seen one like this before and I love it. I just need to rub the inside with a little fine grain sand paper to bring out the cedar smell.

So It's finally polished and shiny and ready for the blankets as I pull them off the bed. Love, Love, Love it. Thankfully it wasn't posted by a psycho who would kill me and stuff me in it but I took Frank with me just in case. Nothing like 100 lbs of American Bulldog for "security". No-one had to know that he couldn't even walk around the block at the time.

I give up

I give up trying to feed the cats two different cat foods.  I can't believe how hard it's been and how often I've just thrown in the towel and put their bowls away until the next meal.  Pour one and they both come running.  Try to pick up Zelda and she runs under the couch. Pour her bowl and Cosmo looks up - more food?  Put hers up high on the cat tree and she runs up there (sometimes). He immediately leaves his bowl to come and eat what she's got.  I chase him off.  She eats a little and then jumps down.  Two minutes later I see her eating from his bowl and try to pick her up and she runs off again.

Damn it.  I'm just mixing the two foods together and damn her upset stomach.  Going to have to go with Science Diet Sensitive Stomach.  I hate that food, it's just corn based crap.  I really wanted to keep feeding the Blue Buffalo.  The first ingredient is deboned turkey, not corn gluten meal.

Looking for a Senior Dog Foster Home

I'm looking for a foster home for a senior pit bull. He's in an all breed sanctuary and would like to have a soft spot to call his own for a brief time. Please email if you know of anyone that would be willing to take on a foster dog that could take a little while to place. It generally takes a little longer to place the oldies but there are the great rewards of making a dog's final days sweet and kind.

Merging

Merging/Merged the two blogs, into one (smilinpitbull.blogspot.com) to make things a heck of a lot easier on myself. Not that I blog about anything important to begin with anyway. So much easier to have one online diary than two, three if you count the one for the rescue that I can't seem to manage on a good day. This way all of the crazy mess in my life can be in one concise page. I can rant about trying to force fed Zelda Kaopectate for kitties and lament on finding some lusciously delicious black bean tortilla chips to take to work and share only to read the bag later and notice that there's FREAKING CHEESE in them. Damn it! Everyone else enjoyed the heck out of them. Why do they always have to slip some damn animal part in the good stuff - they were low fat and everything!

Off to drown my sorrows in some home made hummus and pita chips...well, shit, no chips so I'm off to the store after I put ointment on my scratches and put on a long sleeve t-shirt. After I wipe off the keyboard, mouse and spot clean my pants. Did I mention that Torti's are bitches?

I'll post an easy recipe for the hummus later so I can remember it when I want to make it again. I have to search my own blog for my baklava recipe because I can never freaking find it. I'll delete the other blogs so someone else can recycle the names.

Cats too

They can always find a way to bend their body into a relaxing position

Relaxation

How I wish I was feeling. Dogs really know how to relax.  She can sleep just about anywhere and sleeps hard.  She didn't even wake for the photos.  We could learn a lot from them. In a good home their troubles can just fall away like leaves from a tree.

more pictures

Some beautiful pictures of the conservatory, the flowers and the Biltmore Inn where my brother and his new wife stayed.  We stayed in a hotel across town ; ). The estate is massive with the estate house, the Winery, the Inn and even another small Inn.  Then there are little houses on the property where the caretakers stay.  This requires 24/7 upkeep. The amount of thought and manicuring that takes place - it's hard to imagine.  Everything is spotless and beautiful. Puts my place to shame.......cuz I haven't dusted in ages and it sometimes takes me days to get my laundry finished and folded.

Sunshine!

Sunshine is taking a trip to the Keys! As I am writing, her wonderful foster mom Kathi is taking her down to Florida to meet her new potential family. A vet from a small practice in far south florida somewhere between Small Key and some other place I can't remember was surfing petfinder and found our girl. Completely by accident she used her old NC zip code and it was love at first sight. So off they went after all the i's were dotted. Her foster mom is going to spend a few days down there soaking up the sun while Sunshine gets to meet and spend a little time with the new family. Here's hoping that it all works out and Sunshine will be in the Sunshine STATE!

Frank

Frank is now in a foster to adopt home. He's really improved and his potential family has taken him home (actually they took him home over a week ago, I'm just tardy). So far he is doing well. He has almost finished all of his meds for his skin and his ataxia seems to be improving a lot. Maybe it's just building strength or there could have been some underlying health issue that we never figured out. At any rate, when he's done with his meds we will take one last look and either put him on more or go ahead and give the adoption the green light. He's a great boy. We are so happy we've found a good match for him.

cat foods?

I have some real questions about cat foods and how to get my cats on a diet that helps with allergies. I switched the cats to Blue Buffalo Sensitive Skin and my allergy cat has adjusted just fine to it but the kitten who is healthy - she's sick. She is still active and bright eyed but her stools are just soo loose. Force feeding her pet pectin is causing us some real stress (and minor injuries).  Torti's can be such bitches!  So I have tried to put her back on Avoderm and that's just a miserable fiasco trying to keep the cats from eating each other's food.

Cosmo's ears are starting to get dirty again and his acne appears gone but just barely. Maybe the blue buffalo is not the best choice but I just don't know what to do! Thank God the dog is so much easier. She eats the Avoderm and her coat is just fab.  I could kick myself for not putting her on that sooner.

WOW & home

Wow, just home from a trip to Asheville to see my brother get married.  What a lovely place! It is very very swanky. While there for the reception, they had requested a vegetarian meal for me but the head waiter noticed that I didn't eat the cheese on my appetizer and switched out my meal for a vegan meal instead. Kudos to noticing the small things, his attention to detail was just marvelous. The chef made me a nice grilled portobello mushroom with fingerling potatoes. I was really impressed and thought they overall did a very good job with everything from start to finish. The attention to detail was very nice. I'd recommend going there with a loved one for a nice tour of the grounds. I didn't ask about their fining agents and none of the meals in the bistro are vegan so maybe eat in town at one of the hippy joints : )

What I would not recommend is a three day whirlwind trip with the parents including a shared hotel stay and a total of 12 hours on the road. Streaming CNBC/Fox News in the hotel room and I'm lucky there were no sharp implements with which to slit my wrists. No murder/suicide and a day later I am almost back to sanity.

New Post

Geesh, I haven't posted in a while so thought I'd put up a nice update just in case anyone is really interested in what's going on in the world of my nutty pets.. We've figured out that at 9 years of age that Cosmo is developing allergies. That's the cause of the acne, dirty ears and the eye discharge. So when we did our vet check we took bloodwork just in case and then he got a shot of depomedrol (steroid). The improvement was dramatic. We also put him on derm caps but I'm not sure if he will stay on them long term. Cosmo has always had a bit of a sensitive stomach and I think they give him a little diarrhea. Of course it is hard to tell exactly as I switched his food too. I put both of the cats on Blue Buffalo sensitive skin formula. It had the best nutritional label I could find in petsmart and wasn't full of a lot of grains and fillers. It is mostly meat and is supposed to have the omega fatty acids that will help his allergies.

It is a much richer food than they are used to and I think it will just take a few weeks to adjust. His blood values were perfect, not one single value was off and he looks like a much younger cat. Teeth in great shape - because I only feed hard food.

I also bought them a cat tree so they could exercise a bit more and they seem to be really enjoying the climb.

AVSAB Position Statement on the Use of Dominance Theory in Behavior Modification of Animals

AVSAB Position Statement on the Use of Dominance Theory in Behavior Modification of Animals

http://www.pbrc.net/misc/avsab_ps.pdf

A good read. If you have time check it out. The benefits of positive training and the downfall of alpha rolling. Not all dogs that misbehave are doing so because they are challenging authority.

Court Rules Miami-Dade County Pit Bull Ban Unenforceable!

http://www.animallawcoalition.com/system/files/PIT+BULL+EVALUATION+FORM.doc

Court Rules Miami-Dade County Pit Bull Ban Unenforceable!

Posted Mar 19, 2009 by lauraallen

Miami-Dade County, Florida (March 19, 2009) Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation (MCABSL) and Animal Law Coalition applaud a hearing officer's ruling that the Miami Dade County Pit Bull ban is too vague, and the county cannot enforce the finding by animal control that a dog named Apollo is a pit bull that must be euthanized or removed from the county. 

The ruling came in a case challenging the finding by Miami Dade County Animal Control that a family pet named Apollo was a "pit bull" that must be removed from the county or euthanized.

In Ordinance No. 89-22, the county bans all dogs that "substantially conform" to American Kennel Club standards for   American Staffordshire Terriers or Staffordshire Bull Terriers or United Kennel Club standards for American Pit Bull Terriers. 

To determine if a dog substantially conforms to these standards, animal control uses a chart that lists 15 body parts such as "head", "neck", "lips", "chest", "eyes", "tail", "hind legs", etc. The officer places a check mark to indicate whether each characteristic conforms or not to a pit bull. If 3 or more characteristics are checked "conform", the dog is declared a pit bull. The county's pit bull evaluation form is attached at the end of this article and can be downloaded.

Rima Bardawil, the attorney for Apollo, pointed out that there is no such chart authorized by the ordinance and it is not clear what standards animal control is using in making its determinations.

Also, Dahlia Canes, executive director of MCABSL, testified that animal control is "constantly" mis-identifying the breeds of dogs. She told the court about one dog that was declared by an animal control officer to be a pit bull mix and ordered euthanized.  Canes arranged to have the dog re-evaluated and he was determined to be a mastiff mix. The dog was then adopted to a family in Miami-Dade County. 

In this case the animal control officer photographed Apollo from several feet away and then using the photo, picked 3 body parts he said he thought conformed to pit bull standards, whatever those are.

As Canes pointed out later, "Many breeds of dogs and mixes have the same or similar traits. It is impossible to determine breed this way. Seriously, you are going to say a dog is a pit bull based on 3 traits like round eyes, broad shoulders and a muscular body?  Dogs are many times genetically a mix of many different breeds. The judge agreed. This proves breed shouldn't be a factor in deciding whether a dog presents a danger."  

Go here for more on a possible legal challenge to the Miami Dade County pit bull ordinance.

                                                    ###

Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation was formed in 2008 and its members work for the repeal of the Miami Dade County pit bull ban. For more information visit, http://www.mcabsl.wildapricot.org/   

Frank's not better

Well, last week we had a little setback with Frankie poo. I think it is probably a set back from his neuter and tooth removal but it didn't pop up until he had finished his antibiotics. He got all itchy again and began getting little pimply bumps. So we went back to the vet. Another round of prednisone and a month's worth of antibiotics He's now on day 4 of the prednisone and the itch is completely gone.

His hair is not so bad looking, it's actually starting to fill in. He still has the coordination issues. That progress has pretty much come to a standstill and while he can stand and keep all four feet under him on a slick floor, he tends to drag instead of lift his feet. He's like a lazy kid wearing flip flops, scuffing along. Except that when he's really tired, he scrapes the top of his toes. A nice long walk yesterday reminds me I need to lay off the exercise on him.

Today he's outside on the porch enjoying the fresh air along with his fresh breakfast. I am going to switch his food to a limited ingredient although I am not convinced he has a food allergy. I am 90% sure he just had a tenacious skin infection and that he needed more than 14 days of antibiotics to get through it. Last night after looking at his gums (still very pale), I decided that I needed to get over my meat aversion and maybe take him raw for a little bit. So I bought about 10 pounds of ground turkey and beef, skipped the turkey necks and bought some fresh Kale. I cooked the Kale down and then blended it into a paste and I'm going to mix the paste with the pearled barley, sardines and the rest of his duck and potato canned food. That with the gound meat balls should do the trick with the weight gain issue as well as making sure he gets the right nutrition.

He's a good boy. I'm going to talk to the vet about the possibility of testing for another tick born disease (babesia) and treating his thyroid to see if those are things that would help his coordination.

An easy cold weather soup

Take a 2 quart crock pot

1 can of diced tomatoes

half of a small sweet onion chopped fine

some fresh or dried (not dehydrated) button mushrooms

1 can of diced sweet corn

1/4 c of frozen spinach

1 medium carrot

vegan veggie bullion

a little bit of water

sea salt to taste

pepper to taste

a tiny bit of garlic

Cook in the crock pot until the carrots are tender, then serve with a fresh tomato or rice cheese sandwhich

Frank's improving

Frankie poo is taking it easy tonight. He lost his manhood today as well as a badly broken tooth. He is recovering nicely from the mange. His coordination has really improved!  He is now weaning off the prednisone and as he does he is starting to limp so we did x-rays today too. His hips look good so we are leaning more and more towards the HBC theory.

Sunshine also got a new splint today and is boarding at the vet in an effort to keep her from destroying another cast and keep her quiet.  Her leg has started to heal.

So how IS Frank?

Well, there's not a whole lot going on with Frank. He is improving
steadily since Tuesday. On Tuesday morning, I actually thought that I
might have to put him down. He was miserable, skin inflamed, seemed
feverish and was refusing water. His ataxia had not improved and
seemed a bit worse. I called my vet and luckily they said "go ahead
and bring him in" and I dropped him off to stay for the day.

Seems the vet on Saturday misdiagnosed his demodex and it is really sarcoptic mange. Which is contagious but easier to treat and not re-occuring. The only thing she did get right was the severe pyoderma but 

because we were only treating that and not the mange...he was not
improving. The dose of ivermectin for demodex is much less than the
dose for sarcoptic.

We took him off the pain meds, put him on prednisone to work in the
inflamation and allergic reaction to the mites. Changed his ivermectin
dosing. Since that alone did not account for his ataxia, we decided to
re-do his HW test to include lyme and erlichia, did a fungal culture
and bloodwork.

Not a whole lot interesting in his bloodwork except for a couple of
values. His thyroid is below normal at .8. He could be hypo thyroid
secondary to his current illness or this could be a growing problem
for him and in rare cases hypothyroid can cause some ataxia and muscle
weakness along with lethargy and weight gain. It would be hard to
tell at this point which is the first one because he is definately
very tired but he is on the thin side of healthy weight.

He is also mildly anemic, again could be secondary to what is going on.

WBC normal range so for the moment we are ruling out an infectious
agent at this point.

tick titers were normal

So for now we are going to work on his skin and closely monitor his
neurological issues this week and come next week if there is not
improvement as his overal health improves we will re-address and
perhaps do a thyroid panel. If his anemia and thyroid values are
secondary to whatever is going on....they should begin to resolve.

None of this really addresses the cause of his unsteadiness and we
still don't know the answer. If we had more history, we could
potentially know if he was born this way, got this way due to trauma,
trauma of a single event like HBC or multiple events (abuse), etc.

He said if we choose to go the thryoid panel and get no results, then
there is the spinal tap and/or mri and possibly a specialist. I am
not ready to consider those options at this point.

Oh! Valentines Day

One of the saddest days I've had in a long time. I went down to a
shelter in the next town to look at a dog and ended up sitting in my
car crying before I made the decision to take Ol Frank with me. I
couldn't find a vet that would stay open long enough for me to get
back to Richmond and I was so worried he had something contagious that
I didn't want to take home to my 12 year old dog. Thought I was going
to have to leave him with a request he be put out of his misery or go
to VEC on Cary and mortgage my future children to pay for his care.

Thank goodness though I had a friend call Fairfield AH on Nine Mile and they were still open but walk in's had to arrive by 1 and I was going to be just shy of 1pm. So a friend ran up there to start filling out paperwork so we would make the deadline. So, as Frank and I are outside waiting. Me watching the day pass by, frank just passed out on the grass....my friend approaches with a little red puppy in her arms and trailing behind is her "owner". He bought her on the 13th and let her get hit by a car just a few hours later. Now it's mid afternoon on the 14th and she still hasnt received any care for her dangling left back leg. I am sure it's broken. He isn't planning on getting her care because he claims he can't pay for it - even though he just paid for her yesterday. He's just planning on dropping her off and hoping that someone will come through. So now we have passed out Frank and dangling leg puppy and still waiting to see the vet. The world works in mysterious ways. 

The puppy's (see sunshine, she's up for adoption) tibia is broken and it's getting pinned on Tuesday 2/17. She will have a cast for a while, then finish up her vetting and find a new home. She will recover completely and be better for it. She'll get a home that will walk her on a leash and not let her be abused or neglected in any way. She's a typical punky pit bull puppy.

Frank, frank, frank. He's a different story and I wish we knew where he came from and what happened to him. He walks like he's drunk and has some ataxia like motor problems. Stiff legged walk, wobbly off balance and has a difficult time on slick flooring. He doesn't have enough muscle mass for his large frame and that's just one of his problems. He has a raging skin infection and mange. His skin is weepy and itchy all over his body. He scratches himself to blood and he is unable to settle down and can barely walk without falling over from trying to scratch his itchy body. He has meds for pain, meds for infection, meds for mange and meds for worms. We won't know if Frank will be put up for adoption for a while. I can only hope that where ever he came from...that person has a visit with Karma. It is tragic that a dog could be allowed to get in this condition.

Beyond dog breed myths

This is a great article!

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902090331