Veterinary Wisdom® Café

Some Good Old Fashioned Communication?

Good communication...it's a simple thing and it can really make a difference in someone's life. A short while ago, I told you about the new medical marijuana dispensary that set up shop right next door to our pet hospital. At the time, I was very concerned given the nature of the"item" being dispensed. Many of you provided much needed reassurance but I was still concerned with all the controlled substances we have at our hospital. It seems my fears are justified, but there is a bit of good news as well. Since the dispensary opened (less than 3 weeks ago), there have been several calls to the police from nearby home owners about excessive noise and disruptive behavior (what a shocker). And then last week, two people broke into the dispensary overnight hoping to steal any of the marijuana they could find. Fortunately, the police were notified by the alarm service and both of these individuals were caught.

Good news you ask? A few days later, there was an article in our local newspaper about the situation. The owner of the dispensary was interviewed and he informed everyone that this dispensary isn't really a dispensary at all....it is simply a place where people can meet with a doctor in order to obtain a medical marijuana card! There are no products or drugs on site, it is simply a small doctor's office. That was music to our ears so please feel free to share!

My question is this...why didn't the dispensary owner share that information with us (and the other surrounding businesses) earlier? I already have enough gray hair thank you very much. So much stress could have been avoided with just one simple phone call. What do all of you think?

--Dana

Mambo dog

I'm a big fan of ballroom dancing. A friend sent me this video recently showcasing an amazing dog!

This Golden Retriever is one of the best dancers I've seen in a while! What an amazing job of training her humans have done! I don't know the story behind the dog because I don't speak Spanish, but I truly enjoyed watching the dance! I hope you do, too!

--Tammy

What makes your dog howl?

Last week while watching the Rachel Maddow show, one of her segments caught my attention! (Well, they all do, but this one made me go "Blog post in the making!")

In our favorite segment of her show "The Moment of Geek", the question was... "What about the Law and Order theme song makes dogs howl?" It seems that dogs all over the nation are howling along with this very familiar theme song! Rachel talked with canine behavioral expert, Robert Brandau, and Chomper, his dog.

Mr. Brandau thinks that there is something in the sounds of this particular music that triggers the response the dogs are having (to howl). (Watch the video to hear the full interview. It's pretty fun and interesting!) 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Do your dogs howl at anything on TV? Does Law and Order get them? I remember my poodle, Beau-Beau, from when I was a kid howling when we would tease him. My recorder from school was the thing that got him the most! (Remember learning to play a recorder in school?!)

--Tammy

 

If You Agree to Help....

Today, I want to go back to a question I received from a blog reader that we discussed a bit last week.  This person asked about agreeing to take another person's pet to the vet to be euthanized.  The situation presented was a bit more complicated than that since it involved a married couple, one of whom owned the dog but couldn't bring himself to make the final decision to euthanize or be the one to take the dog in for the final good-bye.

If you find yourself in this position, I understand the feelings of empathy you have for someone who seems to be so sensitive and so pained by the thought of losing a pet that he simply can't face it.  It's human nature to want to help.  However, there are several key issues you should get straight before agreeing to take responsibility.  The key is to reach clarity about the many, many decisions and choices that surround a pet's euthanasia.  If you don't think these choices through ahead of time, you will be confronted with them at the same time that you are emotionally distraught by the imminent euthanasia and may not make the decision that either you or the person you are attempting to help would want.

In a nutshell, these are the choices you and the pet's owner should discuss before a pet's euthanasia:

1.  When is the "right" time?  What signs will you look for?  What are the "bottom lines" that will signal to you both that the time has come to make an appointment?  For instance, for some families, incontinence or increasing 'nursing' care is the sign.  For others, it's when a pet stops eating and drinking water.  Decide what quality of life issues are significant to both of you.  Be sure to discuss these signs with your veterinarian so you will know what to expect and look for and, while you're at it, ask your vet how he or she prefers to perform euthanasias.  For example, can you be there with the pet, is home euthanasia an option?

2.  Where should the euthanasia take place?  Will you take the pet to your veterinary clinic or would you prefer to have your pet euthanized at your home?  Home euthanasias take considerably more planning as your vet may not always be available or even willing to come to your home when you feel it's time.

3.  Who needs to be present when the pet is euthanized?  Does the person you're helping want you to stay with the pet during the procedure?  Are there children who need to be included or at least offered the choice to be with their pet?  If no one feels the need to be there, do they at least want to say a private good-bye before you go to the vet clinic?  Be aware that every person's needs may be different so coordination and planning ahead is again essential.

4.  What method of body care is best for this pet and the family?  Burial at home (if legal) or in a pet cemetary, cremation, or even disposal by the veterinarian.  If you don't have a preference and choose to let your vet determine body care, you may want to ask what this is...rendering, the landfill...most vets don't have many choices in terms of how they dispose of pet's bodies if the owners don't wish to make their own arrangements for cremation or more formal burial.

5.  Is it important to secure a "linking object" of some sort from the pet before releasing the body?  Many people want a pet's collar, a clipping of fur from a favorite spot like the tail or ears, or a ClayPaws® print of the pet's paw.  Think ahead about what might be meaningful and ask the pet's owner what he or she would like.  You may not think these things are important at the time, but they can become extremely comfortable and meaninful mementos as grief progresses.  In general, if you're not sure, it's best to get them while you can and dispose of them later if they are not valued by the pet's family.

As Dana commented last week, communication is the key when you agree to do a favor like this for someone else.  Agree out of love for the person you're helping, but insist on a conversation to clarify your help so it won't damage your friendship (or marriage!) down the road.

--Laurel

The Wow Factor

Yes, it's true...American Idol has started it's new season. That's good news at our household as we always enjoy "family time" when we watch the show. As always, the first few weeks of the show highlight the auditions (where you can also observe a cornucopia of mental illnesses). For those with actual talent, I would imagine that the audition process is intimidating and quite overwhelming.

These contestants have a mere 5 minutes or so to make a positive impression on the judges. How do you "wow" someone in 5 minutes? You've got to have a good voice of course, but what else can you do to get noticed or be remembered (other than walking around naked)? It suddenly dawned on me that we also must "wow" clients coming to our hospital in a very short time span. Studies show that first impressions are powerful. If the first encounter is rough, it's very hard to get a second one. So...how do you make the most of those first few minutes?

There are the obvious things...a clean, uncluttered lobby, a warm environment, and friendly people, but I wonder what else pet owners look for in choosing a veterinarian? Most of the time, a client's first impression of us occurs before they even meet the doctor. Those precious few minutes are important (especially in our city where veterinary hospitals are practically tripping over each other).

My question to you is: how do you impress a pet owner in just a few minutes? What kinds of things should be done to stand out? I welcome your ideas (now is your chance to be Simon Cowell)!

--Dana

Would You Stuff Your Pet?

Sunday night, at the close of the Olympics, a new TV show called the Marriage Ref, premiered.  I thought it sounded like more fun than most reality shows, so I watched a bit.  I was surprised to see that the first "case" involved the death of a beloved dog named Fonz.

It seems that Fonz was the husband's dog before the couple was married and the wife never liked the little guy (he looked like a small bull dog).  The problem for the Marriage Ref was that, when Fonz died, the husband had him "stuffed" by a taxidermist and made a place for him to recline forever in the entryway of the couple's home.  Needless to say, the wife found this gross and creepy and wanted the dog gone!  After some discussion and, of course, a lot of jokes about the dog (and the husband), the panel voted in favor of the wife and Fonz was banished to the attic.

One of the most interesting things was a "fact checker" (Natalie Morales of NBC's Today Show) who helped the panel make the decision by providing up-to-date information about the issue under consideration.  She said that, in 2009, only 1,000 people in the entire country chose to have a pet preserved by taxidermy.  Honestly, I was surprised to hear that there were that many! (And also surprised to learn that she could find this information on the Internet!)

I certainly had the occasional client who expressed an interest in this method of body care when I was in clinical practice, but only a couple who actually found a taxidermist who was willing to do it.  Obviously, the practice is becoming more common.

Would you do this?  Honestly, I understand the appeal, but I don't think it promotes the healthy progress of grief and I also feel it's a bit disrespectful to the animal.

Did you see the show?  What would your call have been? (Photo from NBC.com)

--Laurel

Pet blood donors

I came across this article (and video) at CNN a couple weeks ago.

I would imagine that most people don't know that pet blood donation is a necessary thing for veterinary hospitals and clinics.

I don't know if this is still true or not, but while I worked at the CSU veterinary hospital, there was a room that housed a dozen or so cats. They lived there permanently and they were blood donors for the hospital. They received amazing care, and lots of attention. I used to take breaks and go visit the cats for some love.

I know that the hospital also had dogs who visited regularly to donate blood. I never really realized how important this was, but wow! It's really great to see 4-legged companion animals helping other animals!

--Tammy

Dog of war

Earlier this week, Treo, an eight year old black lab, was decorated for canine courage at London's Imperial War Museum.

Treo was awarded a Dicken medal, awarded for bravery and commitment in wartime. It is the highest military honor an animal can receive. Treo was nominated because of his service in uncovering a series of Taliban bombs during his service in Helmand Province in 2008.

Treo is the 63rd recipient of the medal since it was created in 1943.

I really like that animals are being honored for their service in the military (or otherwise actually.) The story mentioned that there had been some concerns when this medal was created that awarding it to animals would somehow devalue awards given to humans. I don't think this is true. These specially trained, amazing animals, do just as much good (maybe more sometimes) as humans! I love that they are honored! (Full story and photo from here.)

What do you think of Treo's award?

--Tammy

Is this a fair favor to ask?

I had a phone call the other day from a woman who's family dog was deteriorating quite quickly...incontinence, seizures, etc.  The dog actually belonged to her husband and predated their marriage.  The issue now was that her husband couldn't bring himself to make a decision about euthanasia and was leaving the timing (and the act of taking the dog to the vet) up to his wife.  Needless to say, this was causing her some angst as she wondered 'when' and 'if' she should euthanize the dog.

I know what I told her, but I'm interested in what you all would say, as well as whether or not you think this is a fair favor to ask of someone else.  Do you have personal experience with this situation?  Tell me what you think...

--Laurel

Benjamin P. Cat

Ben is the third of our boys. He is Mike's cat. Mike rescued him and Miss Girl about a year before we combined our households. Ben is a very sweet boy, a black and white tuxedo cat.

He and our late Miss Girl had been together their whole lives, but we don't know if they were siblings. They definitely didn't look anything alike, but that can happen. Ben loved Miss Girl, and he seemed to be her protector. They were in a horribly abusive situation when Mike rescued them. It took Ben a while to become a great cat - he was not a very good boy at first, but he has become a very lovey, sweet cat! He always looked out for Miss G. And he and Henry have become very close buddies. When Henry disappeared after his balcony dive, Ben was very visibly upset. He was so happy when Henry returned home!

Ben likes to "herd" his humans. He is pretty mouthy and usually lets us know in pretty clear terms what he wants. He LOVES to spend time on the balcony (he is still allowed since he has not tried to jump to the railing like Henry. You can see him curled in the rocking chair on the balcony left.) He also loves to go into the bathroom with his humans. He sees this as his own personal captive audience time. He wants the pets, but he also really likes drinking from the bathroom sink!

Ben also loves naptime. He tries to convince us pretty frequently that we need naps. I don't know how he knows, but he seems to have "nap-dar" and meet us in the bedroom if we plan on napping! He will curl up with either of us and stay for the length of the nap.

Ben doesn't purr very much. We think, unfortunately, that he and Miss Girl may have been punished for purring. Neither of them purred, and both started learning to after being with us for a bit. Ben does what we call "purrgling" now. He gets going with a good purr, but then it chokes him up. It's very sweet, and just a little funny! :)

Ben is a great cat now. He is the same age as our Henry - about eight years old. He has adjusted to all the changes he's experienced since he came into our lives. I really hate to think about the few years before that when his life was very unpleasant. I'm so glad that Mike found him and Miss Girl. We were able to give her a good home for a time, and Ben a longer time. (We miss our Miss G greatly. I think Ben does too, although it is hard to tell with kitties!)

--Tammy

Education Station

Every year, veterinary hospitals all over the country celebrate February as the official "Dental Health Awareness Month." The goal is to educate pet owners about the importance of keeping their pet's teeth clean and show how regular cleanings can add years on to their pet's life.

At Mountain Shadows, we promote dental health the entire year but in February, we usually offer a 15% discount on all dental cleanings in order to boost participation. So far, it looks like this discount may help generate some new business in this depressed economy. Our hope is that once the client and patient come in, our entire staff can answer their questions or concerns about dental issues.

What are your opinions about veterinarians becoming "educators?" I  talk about that frequently but I've always wondered what separates the good ones from the rude ones. How should a veterinarian go about educating his/her clients without sounding judgmental or critical? I welcome your ideas.

--Dana

Video of the week

For a while now, we've been posting a new, fun "video of the week" at our websites. You can catch a new video every Monday morning over at either the veterinary site, www.veterinarywisdom.com/businessteams.htm or at the pet parent site at www.veterinarywisdomforpetparents.com.

We have also archived the videos, so you can catch up on ones you may have missed. It's a good place to take a little "stress" break and watch some fun animals in action! www.veterinarywisdom.com/videoarchives.com or www.veterinarywisdomforpetparents.com/videoarchive.com.

If you have a fun video you think we should post, email me! webmaster@wbtt.com and I'll see if we can use it!

--Tammy

Ancient ClayPaws® prints

Well, not really ClayPaws® prints, but still!

Scientists have discovered that the world's earliest four-limbed animals (tetrapods) crawled onto land much earlier than was previously thought! In Poland, tracks have been discovered in a lagoon that date back 18 million years earlier than the earliest fossils for these critters.

The article in Discovery News says that these tracks "show how they walked on their short, thick legs through the mud of what was once a coral reef lagoon. That type of location, with its regular tides and abundant food sources consisting of 'washed-up dead animals', likely set the stage for the fish-to-land animal transition, according to the authors." (See full story here.)

The other thing that caught my interest from this story was that there are no living examples of what these creatures must have been like.

I don't know very much about science and history, but these type of discoveries really are amazing! We all belong to that huge group called tetrapods (dogs, cats, humans - anything with four limbs...). Finding out more about the history of our world is always a good, and exciting, thing!

--Tammy

I don't even know what to say about this one...

I recently heard about a sad experience that some acquaintances of mine had upon returning home from the holidays.  A friend of theirs had agreed to take care of their pet guinea pig.  Well, you can guess what happened.  The guinea pig died (I don't know how) and here is what my acquaintances came home to...they drove into their garage, the daughter saw the pet's cage sitting in front of the car, asked, "What's Simon's cage doing in here?" and started to jump out to investigate.  The mom, heeding the sinking feeling she had in the pit of her stomach, stopped her daughter and went to look for herself.  There was poor Simon, dead in his cage. 

When she talked to their friend, the friend said she had texted the mother about Simon's unexpected death and asked what she should do.  My acquaintance never got the text.  Not getting a reply, the friend unceremoniously dropped off the cage, along with the guinea pig, and figured that would be the end of it.  Really?

Why are some people so downright cowardly and insensitive to the impact that losing a pet has on people, especially children?  Couldn't she make a phone call?  Couldn't she at least hold on to the body, storing it in a cloth-lined shoebox, keeping it cold and preserved, until the family could be told?

What would you do in this situation if you were the 'pet-sitter'?  What would you do if you were the returning family?  I'm not even involved in this situation, but I'm angry about it... 

--Laurel

Henry Penry

Henry is our second of three cats that I'll tell you about. Henry was my other cat from before I married my husband. He is the friendliest cat - and he loves Mike! Henry has a lot of nicknames. I call him Henry Penry often. He is Henny, Hen Pen, Hanky, and other silly names!

Henry has given us a couple of scares since we moved to Oregon. He got really ill about a month after we got here. I honestly didn't think he would make it - he was so still and non-responsive for several days. I grieved that weekend, while still trying to medicate and force-feed him. It was a very scary time. He pulled through and has gone back to his "normal" self. He had one more incident that started similarly, but thankfully, it wasn't the same thing and with a round of antibiotics he was fine.

Henry is also the cat who dove off of our third story balcony and went missing for about 28 hours. I grieved for him during that time too, as I was not very hopeful he would come home. We live backing up to a State Park, which is very wild. Henry is not a very smart boy, and he has never lived outside, so I was very worried for his safety.

He was found by our apartment manager's wife and their dog. He had hidden under a car, and their dog, Notch found him! I was SO happy, and Henry's buddy cat Ben was super happy as well. He has been great since being back from his adventure. He isn't allowed out on the balcony now, as I am pretty sure he would try getting up on the railing again!

Henry is a very silly boy. He is about 8 years old, but still acts like a kitten much of the time. He has just found his voice, and he talks a lot now - actually, he squeaks a lot. He also chirps when he's wild and playful. He loves to play, and often takes over when another cat is trying to play. He LOVES Ben and they cuddle a lot. Henry's favorite place to be is "on". He needs to be ON my lap, sleeps ON me, etc. He is very much my cat, but he really loves Mike too.

I was very surprised at our trip across the country when we moved. Henry did the best of all the cats. He wanted to be watching out the car windows, and he talked a lot. He seemed happy, not stressed out! Henry entertains us, and is just all around a sweet cat!

--Tammy

Maui Waui And Your Veterinarian?

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd say the following words, "we've got potential pot problems at our pet  hospital." As everyone probably knows, it is now legal to dispense marijuana for medical purposes here in Colorado. I never really paid much attention to the hoop-la surrounding it  until I saw that a new marijuana dispensary has opened up right next door to our pet hospital (yes, the universe just keeps handing us these little goodies). We were stunned to see the sign outside (apparently there are few to no zoning restrictions for these dispensaries so surrounding businesses do not need to be notified when they've moved in).

Now I'm not going to get involved in all the political and philosophical controversies regarding marijuana usage. As a cancer survivor myself, I understand and agree with the need to help patients with their pain and side effects of chemotherapy. However, I am concerned about how this may impact our business. We are located smack dab in the middle of a residential area (the local elementary school is just up the road). We advertise ourselves as a family practice rooted in the community, but I wonder how the community feels about getting Fido's vaccinations while college students are getting their ganja right next door?

Let's face it, there will be people who buy the marijuana for something other than medical purposes. Ever since marijuana has been legalized, dispensaries are popping up all over the city like weeds (pun intended). As it stands right now, it seems fairly easy to obtain a medical marijuana card (most dispensaries can set same day appointments to see a "medical marijuana doctor" and from what I've heard, hardly anyone is refused). In fact, one can even apply for a marijuana card online (I found this out from reading hot tips from the "Pot Doc").

So here's my question...how much do you think this will impact our business? What, if anything, can we do to address this problem? Should we work to get this dispensary to move to a location farther away from residential areas and schools? Will we lose clients because of concerns over personal safety? I have no clear answers, but I can tell you that it makes me very nervous when I think about the many controlled substances we have on site at our facility. So I appeal to all of you out there.....help please!!!!!!!

--Dana

Puppy Tweets

No, I haven't gone crazy! I know it's birds that are supposed to tweet.

But, Mattel has invented a toy that will get your dog hooked up to Twitter and allow them to have their own page.

The collar attachment is called Puppy Tweets. It randomly generates one of about 500 canned tweets when it detects barking or movement. It will then automatically post an update to your dog's Twitter page. Mattel is quick to point out that this is just a toy, however. It isn't actually "translating" your dog's barks into words. It is random!

Puppy Tweets is supposed to hit pet stores and toy stores in the fall of this year, and will retail for $29.99. (Image from Mattel.)

What do you think about Mattel's idea? Will you buy one for your dog and get him or her hooked up on social media?! I honestly can't imagine doing this. I have a hard enough time keeping myself organized on social media pages like Twitter and Facebook. I can only imagine if I got my cats going on something like this too!

--Tammy

Cat executive

In Japan, a cat named Tama has been the stationmaster of a train station since 2007. But, that wasn't good enough for Tama!

Tama was promoted recently to "corporate executive" of the Wakayama Electric Railway Company! It's the first time in the world that a cat has become an executive of a railroad company. (Are there feline executives of other types of companies?!)

Since the company took over operation of the Kishikawa Line in 2006, annual users have increased by about 300,000. The company considers that Tama the Cat is part of that success. The president of the company said, "Tama has also contributed to drawing public attention back to felines as dogs continue to enjoy greater popularity'"

Tama is "paid" in cat food, but will not receive a pay increase as she is gaining some weight already! (full story here)

What companies in the US should have felines in charge of them?!

--Tammy

Oscar, the grumpy grey

I've talked about our cats here in the past, but I don't think I've ever properly introduced them to you. So, I thought I would write one post about each of our boys.

Oscar is our oldest cat. He has been with me since kittenhood, and he will turn 14 this May. He is a grouch, and I wonder sometimes if I jinxed him by calling him Oscar. His name suits him. He is the least social with the other boys too. He's my boy though. Loves to cuddle, often sleeps on my head, and purrs very loudly.

He doesn't act like an old man, even though he is getting up there. He loves to spin out on our tiled kitchen floor. He gets traction on a rug and goes spinning through the kitchen. Our downstairs neighbors must wonder what that racket is! He loves to play, most often with something simple, rather than "real" cat toys. His current favorite is a piece of strapping plastic from a Christmas box.

He HATES belly rubs. His fuzzy belly is quite enticing, so I keep trying, but he bites almost immediately. He teases us by laying on his back with his belly showing all the time! (See the photo on the left. Wouldn't you try to pet that belly?!) He misses our cat tree (which we had to leave behind when we moved.) His favorite places to hang out are in his cat cubes, or on the back of the couch. The cushion is permanently squished down from where he sleeps!

Oscar is a very smart cat, which often gets him in trouble. We have implemented no cat food out over night to prevent his brother, Henry, from gorging and vomiting. Oscar is NOT happy about this. He finds ways to wake us up through the night... His favorite thing is to get ahold of cabinet doors and bang them shut again. He has also gotten up on the counter a couple times and knocked stuff off! He's learning that it doesn't help, just gets him in trouble and actually delays breakfast in the morning!

Oscar was my cat before I met my husband. He loves Mike though. He talks to Mike a lot - telling him what he wants - usually asking for breakfast! Oscar looks forward to the sunny days here in grey Oregon. He likes to find a sunbeam and enjoy the warmth. He also likes to go outside on occasion - on a leash - and enjoy the grass. We don't take him out very often, but he loves it when we do! Our other boys don't like the leash so they don't get to go on these excursions.

--Tammy

Twilight Star adopts rescue dogs

I haven't had a celebrity story in a while. I have to own up to the fact that I'm a fan of Twilight. I've read all four books a couple times each. I've seen the movie Twilight in all its cheesiness several times, and I saw New Moon in the theatre recently.

I was pleased to see this story about Rachelle Lefevre adopting two dogs from a shelter who were in danger of being euthanized without adoption. (Lefevre stars as the very evil vampire, Victoria.) On December 17, Lefevre lost her dog Honey. She tweeted on December 30 that she was planning to adopt a new dog, and she has wound up with two!

She wound up taking home Momma Bear, a five year old Cocker Spaniel, and Jack Sprat, a four year old  miniature poodle. She is very happy with her new pooches, who she said she had an instant connection with. (Full story (and photo from) at peoplepets.com)

Have you ever adopted from a shelter? I haven't personally, but I've been with friends who were adopting. I almost wound up with a grey kitty named Olive who was a very small version of my Oscar. She was very sweet - reaching through the bars. I couldn't take her home, but I'm sure she found a great home!

--Tammy

Let The Goo Keep On Rolling

As any small business owner will tell you...bad things tend to happen in bunches so that when the goo hits the fan, there's a huge mess everywhere. Recently, we have found that owning a pet hospital can be a royal pain when the gooey mess comes calling.

Our goo started before the holidays when one of the water lines from our dental equipment cracked and ended up flooding our treatment area and surgery suite with several inches of water. But hey, after a $15,000-20,000 dollar repair and professional "restoration," things should be back to normal (if this was to be a holiday gift we would have gone with the rotten eggnog and stale fruitcake thank you very much).

Next came the groomer who has been theoretically renting space from us at our hospital. I say in theory because she owes us several thousand dollars in back rent. A few days ago, she dropped off the face of the earth after removing all her belongings in the dark of night. We've not heard from her since and I doubt we will.

But hey that's okay because the veterinary nurse we hired a few weeks ago just didn't show up for work one day. Not even the police know what happened to her but lucky for us she has a key to the pet hospital and we now must spend several hundred dollars changing all the locks and keys to the building.

Many of you have worked in or owned small businesses so these situations may sound familiar to you. My question to you is how do you get through it all until the bunches of goo stop coming?

--Dana

Send in Your Dog Tales

A loyal reader of our Veterinary Wisdom® eNewsletter is putting together a book about what dogs mean to their humans.  The proceeds will be given to the Iroquois County Animal Rescue in Watseka, Illinois. 

If you're interested in participating, email Reg at spandog11@aol.com and he'll mail you a form to fill out and return to him.  Questions include "why do you have a dog?" and "what wags your dog's tail?"  He's also interested in your comments about what happens to dogs in the afterlife...

It's a good cause and a good guy.  Let us know when your book is done, Reg!

--Laurel

Service dog to SURFice dog

A friend forwarded this video to me a couple weeks ago. It is a touching story about a dog who was born to be trained as a service dog. Turned out that Ricochet wasn't the right temperament for service dog training. She would get distracted too easily, and that can be  unsafe for the human she is helping.

So, her owner decided to see if she could surf! And she took to it! Now she is helping by doing fundraisers for people by surfing!

Take a look at her story. The video is worth watching all the way through! A very touching story!

--Tammy

Hounds for Haiti update

Wow! The Hounds for Haiti auction that Dr. V at Pawcurious sponsored (and we donated to) was a rousing success!

All total, the bids came to a whopping $1436.49!! That is a truly generous sum of money raised by a wonderful community of pet bloggers.

I am so happy that World by the Tail, and us at the Café were able to donate items. (And at least in my own case, bid and win a couple of items!) It feels good to help with something like this with the money going to a good cause.

Thank you, Dr. V, for taking on this monumental task and to everyone who donated, bid, and participated! Great job!!

--Tammy

"Call Me The Breeze"

"They call me the breeze...I keep rolling down the road. I've got that green light baby... I gotta keep moving on. There's no change in the weather... ain't no changes in me. I ain't hiding from nobody and nobody's hiding from me. Well now they call  me the breeze...I keep rolling down the road."

 --Lynyrd Skynyrd

This was the perfect life and theme song for my sweet 13 year-old dog Pfeiffer (we had to euthanize her last Thursday night) (see above picture). Despite having two terminal intestinal diseases, she was tough, brave, and still managed to stay casual and calm during rough times. She was an inspiration to our family because she always took whatever adversity she faced in stride. Yes...she had the wisdom to keep rolling down the road because she knew how to take each day as it came, never worrying about yesterday or tomorrow.

It would be an understatement to say that it was difficult for my family and I to euthanize Pfeiffer. As a grief counselor, I'm aware of the nauseous roller coaster that pain and grief can create. Yet, despite all this, I can take some comfort in knowing that this decision was the right one. We gave her a peaceful, loving and dignified death free of needless suffering. It was a hard day, but one I'd like to briefly share.

After the kids got home from school, we took Pfeiffer over to the Garden of The Gods. There are terrific pathways there for people and dogs to walk on (this was one of her favorite spots). It was snowing that afternoon (which we were very grateful for since Pfeiffer has always loved the snow and cold).  Although she had trouble standing up and walking, she was able to walk a little bit with us supporting her. After spending some time sniffing the bushes and listening to the birds, we took her home (after treating her to several Arby's roast beef sandwiches on the ride home). Once home, we put her on her most favorite blanket in our living room and then surrounded her with our own blanket of love.

I'm always hearing from people how helpful World by the Tail products are in working through grief. Last week, I experienced this first hand as we were able to memorialize Pfeiffer right away. We made four ClayPaws® prints (one for each of us). My son chose to use the heart shaped cutter while the other prints were the traditional circle shape). All four prints came out beautifully and were unique to each of us (by using the many charms, ribbons, and stamps available to personalize our prints). We also used one of the large body care bags to transport Pfeiffer's body to the crematory. Later that night, we all sat down together and read both Dog Heaven and A Special Place For Charlee.These books and our subsequent discussion afterward was very healing. During the next few weeks, we also plan to use the Sweet Petatoes® Pet Memories Box, The Photo Brag Books as well as the Deluxe Dog Scrapbook kits. All these products will help us with our grief and keep her close to us.

Like many of you, I'm grateful for the wonderful people and products at World by The Tail.  I'm also grateful that I could talk to you all about my dear, sweet, old lady. Who knows.. with World by the Tail's guidance and our family love, maybe someday I can return to rolling down the road.

--Dana