Stacy

I braved the crowds this morning (and dont' usually). We decided that instead of getting each other christmas gifts we'd just find a good deal and replace the TV in our bedrom with a mounted flat panel. Got my first choice in line at circuit city this morning and was home and asleep again by 6.

I think Chipoltle is terrible! My "good" vote is for Moes or Tijuana Flats.

We went for our honeymoon.... Look up a tour company called Avispa's Adventures... they do great tours and not the cattle car kinds. We paid a few bucks extra and actually had a private full day tour. Great people and reasonable prices compared to what you get for the big bus-type tours. the place we stayed has since been bought out by a chain hotel (Hilton or Hyatt)- would have recommended it before but no idea what changes were made. Did one trip to Diria coffee plantation and that was one of the neatest tours I've ever done! ALso went to Miravalles, did some hiking to see some off-the trail waterfalls/jungle, zip lining and some horseback riding.

I'd side with rescuing or buying from a reputable breeder. I'd never buy from a pet store or mill-type operation. That said, I'd opt for a breeder if I were after a specific breed for a specific reason- ie wanted something that had good lineage to show in conformation, or needed a purebread for an interest in AKC sanctioned events. I wasn't "that" person, so I adopted 2. I found two dogs with personalities I liked and that would work for my lifestyle. Sometimes the dog's personality is more important than its breed, honestly.

whoohoo!

there was a video on myspace but it's down now.. If you search for flyball on youtube there are a bunch of videos, just not them. It's a team sport for dogs. 4 dogs on a team. They run (one at a time) down a lane with 4 jumps (each 10 feet a part), jump onto a spring loaded box that spits out a ball, catch the ball and carry it back over the jumps. The next dog goes as the first crosses the finish line. Their team runs 4 dogs down and back in just over 20 seconds. Jazz has been competing since July. Gizmo did her first races this weekend and titled in her first try! For a shy little girl that was afraid of everything, she's come very far.

Our pooches are finalists in the Sarasota Magazine Best Pet contest! If so inclined, please vote for them at http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/Misc/Vote-for-Sarasotas-Best-Pet.asp They are Gizmo and Jazz. If they win we get all sorts of cool stuff. They are rescues from our local shelter and were special needs dogs that we've rehabbed into Flyball title holders! Go Gizmo & Jazz!!

Our rescue dogs playing flyball. Usually we do so indoors. This one day we went out to a sheep farm to get photos in natural light. I find the one where Gizmo is running right at the sheep particularly funny. It's like all of a sudden she remembered she is a herding dog. ;c)

We just tried a really nice chardonnay by Merryvale last weekend. Also have had their cab before and like it also. As for Sauv Blanc, there's one called Fair Valley that's become a new favorite for us. Stanley Lambert has a nice sauvignon blanc, just came out with a really light pinot noir (I was surprised when I tasted it)- they have some different blends as well. All of their wines are in the 14-25 range.

well that explains why you were a no show at the wedding. Dagny couldn't compete in the tequila drink off! Congrats!

I can't answer your specifically medical questions- I'm not in the medical end. I'm in the psychosocial end. What I can say is that you cannot make a family sign a DNR or anything. Period. You also cannot deny them care because they wouldn't sign it. It's about choices. Yes, most families will have been spoken to by a professional from the team about the inevitable choices that will come up. Unfortunately sometimes we get a referral from a hospital, etc that is just too far along in the dying process for us to do everything we need to do. Getting the patient comfortable is the number one priority. Some things are not cut and dry. For example, feeding tubes. For someone with end stage alzheimers that is bedridden and has a feeding tube and the "feeding" isn't really being absorbed, yes discontinuing it may be best. For a cardiac patient who has a tube as a result of something else and is otherwise alert, oriented, able to be fairly independent- stopping a tube feeding si ridiculous. Unfortunately hospice deals with a lot of issues that aren't easily able to have a "yes" or "no" answer. We do our best to educate about the options and let the families decide. It IS different than the typical medical model. That is what is usually most appreciated by the families. I'm sorry that Jenfly disagrees. Until you sit through a training class no one really understands the complexities involved with the care we give. We take culture, religion, and belief systems into consideration as well. You would be surprised how much those things come into play. What may seem obvious and common to you or I may not to someone whose belief system dictates otherwise.

It's because hospice allows patients to make their own decisions about care. We can't force anyone to sign a living will, DNR, or POA form. We can advise them and give the pluses/minuses on each side of everything, but we cannot force them to sign anything. The patient and family design their own care program. I've been working full time in hospice for 6 years now and now am working my way "up" the line. I started visiting patients as a creative arts therapist, moved into running the volunteer program and now I oversee the 9 employees who run the volunteer programs in our service area. It's reqarding work, but hard work. Hospice is amazing becuase again teh patients and families dictate exactly what they want, what they don't and that is end of story. Services at non-profit hospices are provided regardless of any ability to pay.

we do a few things- we have an antibiotic spray called gentomicin (or something close to that) that we use. Also we spray the area with "Fooey" a nasty tasting spray that deters licking/chewing. If the wound is open, you may want the vet to look at it- if it is infected they will prescribe an oral antibiotic and may clean it out a little bit. If you tape, do not tape over the wound. Tape around it with Vet Tape- it won't pull hair off or stick when removed. Covering the wound will just keep it moist and dark and make yucky things grow in it. Gizmo has pretty bad allergies a few times a year (seems to be May and August). We have a script of Toperol (?) a mild steroid to give her when things flare up if we can't seem to manage them any other way. Make sure the dog is on a flea preventative (Frontline, Advantix, Advantage). Try to figure out what changed that made the dog get an itchy reaction. A lot of times it's a food allergy. We have one allergic to dairy and another that we're thinking it might be grain.

Blue Buffalo Chicken & Rice. We just switched to that. 3 days in the dogs coats are already shinier, softer, etc.

Actually, a s harsh as it seems, hugging them is the worst thing. It reinforces the behavior. They need to know it is OK to be scared, but not OK to bust out of crates, etc. We have one that is absolutely terrified of thunder and fireworks. She goes comatose and crawls ina closet and will not go outside for at least 6 hours after the noises stops. It's awful. We use rescue remedy as well, along with all natural chicken jerky chews called "Mellow Mutt"- the jerky is laced with lavendar, hops, etc etc. We used to use a tablet called "Quiet Moments"- but it made JAzz sick. The filler is all milk powder, and she is lactose intolerant.