Sunday, April 30, 2006

A Thank You to Our Sponsors

Today was a fabulously beautiful day to be out on the Esplanade. It was happiness to have Jeffrey, Riley, my neighbor, Camille, her son, and lil Mandy Dandy all out together for a great cause, the March of Dimes. The Hatch Shell was swarming with fathers and mothers, dogs, and babies. Oh, babies and babies and more babies. Twins and triplets and teeny weeny little premies. It suddenly occured to me how challenging it must be for these parents. How much work it must be to get all of their little bundles out of the house, in the car, into the city, and out to the Esplanade, only to have to change them, feed them, burp them, change them again, rock them, then feed them again, and so on and so forth. Wow! We were completely enamoured by my neighbor's 11 month old premie and of course, our dogs.

My fund raising goal was $500. I would like to proudly announce my final total: $815!! I am so thankful to all the families, friends, collegues, and of course, Jeffrey, for sponsoring me in this very important charity event.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Jungle Greens

As our family gravitates toward a more organic, natural, and wholesome healthy lifestyle, we have brought our pets along on the journey. In actuality, I had my pets on a far healthier diet before I started myself. And I *still* love a good processed McD's meal every now and then (yum). Jeffrey, however, is now the poster child/man of organic, natural living.

Yesterday a package arrived on our front steps from the GREENS company. I figured it was another order of wheatgrass powder and green bars and left it for him to open. This morning I discovered a jar of Jungle Greens+ on the counter, a superfood for pets. What are they you wonder? Just little power-packed wafers of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fiber, and antioxidants. There are no genetically modified, engineered, or altered foods in the ingredients. Plus no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives, which is hard to come by in pet food treats these days. Reading the ingredients list, it all sounds pretty good for Riley. The only suspicion I have is that they suggest this product for birds, cats, dogs, and even horses! Four very different species with very different nutritional needs and very different digestive systems. I'm befuddled by this realization but will ignore it. The ingredients look fine for Riley. I won't blame the cats if they don't take a liking to a circular, hard wafer that smells like barley grass, wheat grass, alfalfa, or spirulina.

Lucky dog.

More stuff to try

I have heard that Animal Elementals Flea and Tick Spray for Dogs is good too. Soooo much info on these dog lists, where to start?! This stuff is all natural & contains the following:

De-ionized Water
Witch Hazel
polysorbate 20
Cedarwood Oil
Aloe Vera
Lemon Grass Oil
Tea Tree Oil

The Animal Elementals can be found at www.animalelementals.com

This combination sounds like it should smell better than some other concoctions.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Ticks the Season

Aaaah, so Spring is finally upon us and though it is glorious to be outdoors, those bugs are out.

Parasites. Yuck.

I will certainly have my share of mosquito bites this summer. Every year I set out to use the least amount of harsh bug-defying chemicals I can stand and inevitably I am slathering the stuff on like a second layer of skin. Riley is lucky, he has a natural protective layer, his coat.

I have seen him covered...yes COVERED in mosquitos, hopping around his body, trying to get through his coat and they are mesquito-miles away from his skin. Unfortunately, I think his nose is quite vulnerable.

Ticks are more the problem. We had a pretty mild winter and a lot of those buggers never even died out in the frost. I have a feeling they will be bad this year. They are gross, blood-sucking parasites. I have started Riley on a garlic diet, though we will not go full force until we get out into the woods. Then it will be a clove of crushed garlic a day. And I will have to concoct some good natural spray. In years past, I have used a spray bottle of diluted Avon's Skin So Soft on all of us. It was worked pretty well for tamer mosquitos but not much for ticks. I typically end a day in the woods with a nice long brushing over a white towel and a hands on body massage to feel out the ticks. Perhaps I will try some of the natural repellants this year. Or I have heard of boiling lemons down into a concentrate. Walking around smelling like a lemon tart ain't so bad, right? ANYTHING is better than smelling like OFF! I'm sure.

Here is one recipe someone uses, unfortunately, it's toxic to cats:

Rose Geranium is a natural tick repellent.

Fill a small spray bottle with the following.
· 2 drops each, rosemary and lavender oil *
· 3 drops of citronella oil DON'T USE AROUND A PARROT ;-)
· 20 drops or so of rose geranium (plumarosa) oil
· 1/2 ounce or one tablespoonful of alcohol based tincture of bay
· 1/2 ounce or one tablespoonful alcohol based green black-walnut hull tincture
· 8 ounces of distilled water

*You may, if you prefer, use 3 to 4 drops of one or the other.
This can be sprayed directly on one’s dogs every time they go out, or onsself for that matter. Spraying it on things like lawn or deck furniture can also be very effective.
*********************************
Note that this recipe is NOT safe for cats!!

I used to have another list of premade "natural" repellants. When I find it I'll have to post it. I really don't know how well any of them work. I kinda feel like the brushing and checking method is the most thorough way to go without going the toxic route, but I may try out a few products this year just to see anyways.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Leaving Puppyhood

Happy Birthday to my Berner bundle of joy. Today is a bittersweet day. Celebrations are certainly in order for Riley, but I am saddened by this day. I do not look forward to more Bernerbuddy Birthdays because I do not want to think of Riley getting old, Riley having ailments, Riley without bounce. So I wished him a very happy, sweet, 3rd birthday, gave him an extra long hug and lots of kisses. I talked to him and told him how much I loved him and how lucky we are to have him in our lives. He listened to me talk, as he always does, and reached out his paw to hook my arm in a gesture of understanding. His eyes softened to my voice and he looked in my eyes intently as I spoke. Those eyes could see right into my heart, those soulful, honest eyes.

I got home late from work today. And when I arrived home, no Berner puppy came to greet me. Riley was too busy with his turkey drumstick in the kitchen. He looked up from his birthday meal and gave me a few good tail thumps to welcome me, but did not slow down one bit. My husband fills me in that he has already had two appetizer treats prior.

I look to the table and see a bag of treats and a new toy for Riley. Jeffrey took him to the park for a good afternoon romp and stopped by the pet store to buy Riley birthday treats. Riley picked out a new Green Frog with long arms and legs that you can velcro together. Jeffrey picked out some chewy treats and birthday dessert: Peanut Butter Frosty Paws. What birthday is complete without ice cream, right? I am pleased that Riley spent a good part of his birthday doing things that he loves: running in the park, playing with other dogs, playing in the creek, eating treats, chomping on a free range turkey leg, getting lots of hugs and kisses, and best of all, getting to have peanut butter ice cream. I am sure he has no idea why he got so many extra yummy treats today but today was really like no other day to him: he is happy and grateful for what he is given. I can only hope we will be able to provide him all that he will ever need because he has given us more than we could have ever imagined...

Happy Birthday Jack vom Kortenhof, aka "Riley" CGC... the Berner Sennenhunde of our hearts.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Birthday wishes to big sister Mei



"Everybody loves the Meister!"









This is a household motto...one of many. Mei Mei is celebrating her 5th birthday today. Although there is not much celebrating and a whole lot of lounging. But that is what the Meister-turkey-baster does the best. Another nickname we have for her is, "the Tank." She's a big girl. On her birthday, I will not divulge her weight. She is a healthy 5 year old and we are happy to see her come into middle age in good health.


Recently, Mei Mei has shown increased affection with Riley. She walks up and nuzzles up against him, affectionately curling her tail up his legs. Very suggestive! I don't think Riley cares for her much, however. I will have to remind him to not step on her today and maybe even reciprocate the nuzzles.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Just a sprain

"There's no permanent damage."

These words answered my prayers. Riley developed a limp about 2 weeks ago. After 6 days of rest we went to our regular dog park to play with his friends. That night the limp returned. Now, another 6 days later, we are at the chiropractor's office in Framingham. This wonderful woman is a human chiropractor but also sees horses and dogs. She is highly recommended in the world of animal orthopedics. The doctor took a look at all of Riley's joints, watched him trot up and down the corridor a couple of times, and made two sets of adjustments. Most of the adjustments were to Riley's hips, but a few were in his neck and shoulders. She explained to me that dogs play rough, often wrestling, tousling, snapping, jerking, and body slamming. This puts the skeletal system out of whack. Quite similarly to how people get un-aligned, I suppose. So Riley's right side was showing weakness because it was slightly lower than his left side. Thus, the injury was simply one symptom of his weaker side. We will be back next week for a check up. But regardless, we are delighted with the wonderful news. The fears of arthritis, dysplasia, and bone cancer have melted away.

On another note, Riley had a wonderful visit with some of my clients today. I brought him to meet three of the children I see in a social therapy group. We talked about non-verbal body language and how we can communicate feelings without talking. Their job was to monitor their own body language around Riley and watch to see what he was trying to tell them through his body language. It was the perfect task for these children who struggle everyday with the subtle social cues of non-verbal communication. Concepts such as point of view suddenly became clearer to them as I helped them understand how Riley must feel, not knowing anyone, strangers crowding around him, all wanting to touch him. They were quick to notice if he was backing away, wanting some personal space. They were also delighted to see his tail wag when he came up to smell their noses. Gaining attention and eye gaze are often difficult tasks for individuals with Autism and PDD. Today, the children practiced giving Riley commands by calling his name, waiting/watching for his attention, before telling him to sit, or walk, or shake a paw. The children were enthralled and all did wonderfully.

Riley was himself. And he did wonderfully.

Contract work

Riley has a job this afternoon. This opportunity really came about because I need to bring him to Framingham this evening because he has an appointment in Framingham at 7:20 to see about the limp. We will know later tonight if this will be anything serious.

Since I doesn't make sense for me to already be in Natick at 5:30 and go home to only go back to Framingham (especially not with these gas prices), I will stop home to pick Riley up earlier in the afternoon and take him with me to Natick. After the Consortium, I typically drive to Natick three days a week to work for a private practice, run by Emerson Alums. It is great contract work and I love the change in population.

Riley will wait for me in the car for most of the afternoon, but we have plans to have him join the Social Pragmatics group to work with the kids. There will be two boys and three girls. All the children in this group have difficulty in social situations. Either they are diagnosed with PDD, Autism, Sensory Processing disorder, or language disorder. Riley typically is not a good candidate for working with children, but for this job, his apprehensiveness with children will help these children learn to control the "engine" in their bodies. The calmer they, are, the more relaxed and playful Riley will be. By looking at Riley's body language, they will need to adjust their own body language to show him they are calm. Riley is highly sensitive to eye gaze, personal space, and tone of voice. These children all have difficulty modulating their body to be socially appropriate.

And after work, Riley and I will enjoy the reward of running around Cochituate State Park until his appointment. Yay!

Friday, April 07, 2006

Must share, will laugh

From one dog to another.

You should have your human fixed, even if it's a purebred human. There are
too many humans, and our big cities are over populated with them to the
point where we are unable to feed and shelter all of them.

If your human talks too much, we suggest using a shock collar.

If you must breed your human, even though we do not believe there are any
good reasons for breeding humans, at least do genetic screening to help
insure your human is a healthy one that conforms to breed standards.

Some humans are very hyper and will pull on their leash constantly. For
these extreme cases, we recommend a choker collar.

If your human is aggressive and frequently starts fights, please put a
muzzle on it when you take it out in public.

You should feed your human something better than Purina human chow.

If your human is sick, you should not put it down just because you can't
afford the cost of surgery. You should re-arrange your budget or mortgage
your dog house.

Don't buy a human for your puppy just to teach it responsibility.

You should always carry "money" treats to reward your human. Humans love
money and will do almost anything for money treats.

If your human attacks a dog, it should be put to sleep.

If you already own a male & a female human, you should be careful about
getting a third human. Two males will often fight very aggressively for
the attention of the female, and two females will often do the same over a
male human.

A good way to test a human for temperament is to takes its money or food
away from it to see if it reacts aggressively.

Some humans have a bad habit of peeing in the water bowl; if your human
continuously goes to the bathroom in the house, we suggest you chain it
outside.

To err is human; to forgive, canine.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Rain, rain, wash it all away

I am not fond of rain. Rain brings dark mornings, extra layers of clothing, and wet pant cuffs. I do not love rain. But I know we need it. Not only are we desparately low on rainfall this month, but it washes things away. Things that have become a little more than just an annoyance around my house.

I am talking about the new springtime mulch and pesticide ridden lawns around my condo. Last week, Riley had two episodes within two days of retching yellow, foamy bile. The first episode, Jeffrey recounted to me. Riley walked from the bedroom, into Jeffrey's office and proceeded to show him that he was sick. A bit puzzled, I tried to figure out what he might have gotten into, but Riley is not accustomed to ingesting inedibles. (well, besides dirt...) On the second day, it hit me when Jeffrey told me Riley really loves running around in the fresh new mulch they just put out on the CVS lawn across the street. Bingo! It is springtime and the landscapers are back. Anything other than playground mulch is treated wood. I understand playground mulch is sterilized, thank goodness! But regular mulch is often made from treated wood and they treat it to fend off termites. Well, my Bernerboy may love to run in this stuff, but when he gets home, he finds that that mulch leaves a scent on his paws, which he dutifully licks clean. Thus, nausea and retching. Sigh, okay, no more running on the mulch.

Then yesterday, my good husband calls me while I am in my car.

"Every piece of grass is covered in pesticide. Where do you suggest I walk Riley?"

Ah NO! I begin to feel uncomfortable that our entire condo and block is ridden with freshly sprayed pesticide. Is my family breathing this? Does our morning paper now come in with traces of toxins?

Luckily, my clever husband suggests just wiping down Riley's paws. Brilliant idea.

But I'm now hoping that it will rain a lot more today to wash it all away. I don't think I have ever wished for more rain. Come on down rain, and wash it all away.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Beach Day




The gorgeous sun is out today. We flipped the page on our Berner calendar for April and the new picture shows two happy Berners standing on the beach, wet from the ocean, sand in their coat, smiling big smiles. They look like they've just enjoyed a great romp in the waves.

We will be taking Riley to check out Newburyport beach today. We've never been there and it's a perfect day to be out. Unfortunately, Riley did not make it to the MSWALK. I had to walk without my partner this year. Friday night, after a nice long walk along the Charles River, Riley began to limp slightly. It wasn't anything severe, but he had obviously strained his right front leg and whenever he got up from resting, he appeared very stiff. Once moving, four to five steps later, the lameness was less noticiable, but it was still there. I treated him with a homeopathic remedy and figured a 6 mile walk was definitely not going to help the situation, so he had to stay home and rest. How upset was he when he saw me get ready to go out and he had to stay home! And he had to stay home all day, no afternoon romp either. So today he is looking fine so we will be treating him to an extra special outing. I am looking forward to this family outing too!

Here are photos of the first time we ever brought Riley to a beach. This is Wingersheek Beach when Riley was just 6 months old.

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Roger Caras