Cata-what?

The Rainbow Bridge is Brighter

2010-10-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

This week Mom's friend had to let her sweet boy Maximus go to the Rainbow Bridge. He started having trouble walking earlier this week and the vet found lesions on his brain. She made the difficult decision to let him go yesterday.
If you want to leaver her condolences, her blog is http://babiesandbeasts.blogspot.com/. She has several posts about Max and Mom and I agree that she shows courage and compassion that many people can't imagine.

Saturday Blog Hop and Potential Therapy Cat

2010-09-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

Francine here! Mommy said that I could get my very own entry to tell all of our furends and Blog Hop new furends about what she and I are doing!

You all know that I like to cuddle. I cuddle with doggies, kitties and humans! I also really like to get pets. I make sure to purrr, puurrr, purrr when I get pets so everyone knows I like it. I als o know how to do tricks that Mommy taught me. She says my bestest trick is that I walk on my hind legs when she tells me to. All I know is that I get a little piece of lunch meat when I do it.
Because of all this, Mommy thinks that I would make a great therapy cat! Therapy kitties (and doggies and other animals) go to places like hospitals, nursing homes, schools and libraries to make people happy and let them read to you or pet you or just talk to you. Mommy says there is still a while before I can get certified because I have to be a year old.
Are any of our other kitty or doggy furends therapy animals? For our therapy kitty furends, what organization do you work with?

*Link up your blog name and URL using the Linky Tool below. You only need to add your link once to be seen on all the Saturday Pet Blogger Blog Hop Linky Tools for that week.

*Grab the “Saturday Pet Blogger Blog Hop” button at the upper left of this blog and include it in your Saturday Blog hop post so that your readers will know what is going on. *Note – posting is optional. Feel free to just link and follow.

*Follow your co-hosts listed in the first 3 slots of the Linky Tool.

*Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you’d like

*Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you’re from the blog hop.

*Follow back when you get a new follower through the Saturday Pet Bloggers Blog Hop

Wordless Wednesday-Retirement is Good

2010-09-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday Blog Hop and The Most Excellent Cat Toy EVER

2010-09-11T12:39:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Karma and Francine here to tell you about the most fantastic toy Mom and Granddad got us this week!

One of the delivery men left a giant box at our house and Mom told us it was for us. We thought she meant the box, which is a pretty cool toy in and of itself. But she said no, that wasn't it.

She said it was the thing Granddad was putting together. We weren't really sure what he was putting together but it looked like fun to us! It came with some furry mice toys attached and those are always a good thing.

Francine she decided she was going to help Granddad and practice her snoopervising. She made sure Granddad was putting it together perfectly so his grandcats didn't have to worry about it falling down or breaking or anything.

After a while, Granddad finally finished and put the last piece on the very top. See how tall our most excellent new toy is?

Of course, we immediately went to check it out. Francine was enjoying the view from the top part of it. She doesn't usually get to be on the top of the other cat tower (which is much shorter than ours) so she is really enjoying our new toy.

We have been spending lots of time on our new tower. It has so many toys and places to climb and scratch that we haven't even got to play with everything yet! We even have enough room to play on it together.

It even came with a nice hammock bed that we can lay in and still play with the mouse toys! This, my friends, is probably the best toy ever.

We hope everyone has a great day! Mom and the dogs are watching football all day, which we think is boring but they seem pretty happy.

News about My New Brother!

2010-09-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

Mom got some great news this week!
She gets to go meet and bring home my new brother in March!
If you want to learn more about it, go to her blog at The CRPS Girl (click here)

A Most Excellent Labor Day

2010-09-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Labor Day, a national holiday, which means that most of our friends and family had the day off work.

My Aunt Jennifer was off work and since Uncle Nick broke his phone and is going to use Mom's old one, she decided to come up and get it (Uncle Nick couldn't come). She hadn't come up in a while so we were all really excited to see her! We met her at the door and may have not behaved quite as well as we should....what can we say? We were excited!
Mom and Aunt Jenn talked and Aunt Jenn played with Lola and I and made sure to give us lots of pets and hugs and cuddles. Then we went outside so Lola and I could run around and play with the other little dogs and Aunt Jenn could say hello to them too. We all ran around and wrestled and played until Mom had to go in. Then we went to take a nap on Mom's bed while Mom and Aunt Jenn hung out.
Right before dinner, Mom's Uncle Kyle, Aunt Janet, cousin Abby, Aunt Kay and cousin Laura all came over for dinner. Granddad made some really good human nommies and they ate a talked while we napped.
Lola is going to tell you about what she did after the people finished eating. Mom was a bad Mom and forgot to take a camera, so she doesn't have any pictures of this weekend.
Helloooo bloggy furends! Lola here, most fantastic agilitees doggie! After Mommy and Aunt Jenn and evfurrybody finished eating, we went outside with Mom's cousins to practice my agilitees with Abby! See, Abby is a super fast human and she is the only human as can keep up with me! We hadn't got to do agilitees in a long time so I was a little confused at first but then I remembered. Mom said that I did very very good and that I worked really well with Abby! She also asked if Abby would be my handler if I start competing and Abby said yes! Now we are looking for a doggy agilitee class that will let Mom and Abby be there.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day!

It's The Happiest Time of the Year and the Saturday Blog Hop!

2010-09-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday everybody! Before we start our post we thought we would let everyone who ahs been following Mom's story know that she got some GREAT news this week! If you want to hear about it, you can go to her blog, The CRPS Girl.

This is one of our entire family's favorite time of the year. What time is that? The start of college sports, of course! Mom was raised to love sports from the time she was born (during the ACC basketball tournament) but she was raised to cheer for a different team. Fortunately, once she went to college, she found the RIGHT team to cheer for.

Yep, we're NC State Wolfpack fans! Mom makes sure we all get to participate in the fun. Here you see Lola modeling Mom's jersey with her game face on.

Looks like Lola is really getting in to the football spirit! I guess she thinks she's a quarterback. Maybe someone should tell her that they play with footballs, not antlers. It might hurt if someone threw an antler when the QB yelled hut!

And here I am in the jersey. We used to have our own but they got too small so Mom is working on getting us new ones. Until then we will share hers.
Here you see me with my game face on! I asked Mom is I could try some facepaint but she said not this time. Maybe I can convince her for next time. Then I will have the ultimate game face!

I'm ready! Put me in! See, I'm a veteran at this football stuff. I've been through three football seasons with Mom before this one, so I know how to cheer, how to get mad at the ref or players and when to just stomp out of the room or change the channel. Of course, I was lucky enough to learn from Mom AND Aunt Jennifer on how to be a real Wolfpack fan. Trust me, when Mom and Aunt Jennifer get together, they act like real fans.

How to pawticipate:

Link up your blog name and URL using the Linky Tool below. You only need to add your link once to be seen on all the Saturday Pet Blogger Blog Hop Linky Tools for that week.

*Grab the “Saturday Pet Blogger Blog Hop” button at the upper left of this blog and include it in your Saturday Blog hop post so that your readers will know what is going on. *Note – posting is optional. Feel free to just link and follow.

*Follow your co-hosts listed in the first 3 slots of the Linky Tool.

*Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you’d like

*Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you’re from the blog hop.

*Follow back when you get a new follower through the Saturday Pet Bloggers Blog Hop

Wordless Wednesday: Francine Proves She Helps Snoopervise

2010-09-01T10:59:00.001-07:00

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Saturday Blog Hop and It's hard to Snoopervise

2010-08-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody! It is Karma, most excellent snoopervisor to the mom, here to talk about my job. Mom has a business making cute collars and leashes for other cats and dogs (and, of course, us!) and I have to work as her top snoopervisor. She makes everything herself, so snoopervising everything she does is a full time job!

Here you see one of my snoopervisor duties. I make sure to test every fabric Mom buys to make sure it is comfortable enough for collars. After all, we have to wear these things all the time, so they need to be as comfortable as possible. Fortunately, these fabrics all passed my rigorous inspection.

As you can see, my snoopervisor-in-training is not as dedicated as I am to her job. She insists on taking breakfast breaks, brunch breaks, lunch breaks, afternoon snack breaks, dinner breaks, evening snack breaks and midnight snack breaks! I know she is a growing kitten but that is a bit excessive. Of course, I take breaks but my dedication to my snoopervising often comes before that!

Sometimes Mom forgets that I deserve the most fantastic rewards for my work so I have to take matters in to my own hands. Silly Mom has this idea that cats shouldn't eat any people food but I generally ignore her when she starts talking crazy like that. After my long day of snoopervising, I decided my reward should be some of my mom's powdered doughnuts. If you other cats have never had these, you are missing out! Of course, Mo caught me this time so I only got a quick nibble of my reward but don't worry, I'm planning to get some more when she is distracted.

Wanna learn about Mom and her disease?

2010-08-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

Obviously, a lot of our lives revolve around Mom and consequently, her illness. We try to keep most of it off the blog since this is, after all, us dogs and cats' blog and not hers.
Mom has started a new blog about her and her journey with her disease, CRPS. If you want to read about it, you can got to http://thecrpsgirl.blogspot.com/

We''l be back to our regularly scheduled blogging tomorrow :-)

Taking Care of Mom is a 24/7 Job!

2010-08-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

Y'all know that I still take care of Mom even though I'm retired. Sometimes that means in the middle of the night, since Mom's disease isn't predictable at all!
Lately, Mom has started having ouches in her stomach and the doctors don't know why yet. Mom thinks it is the same thing Grandmom has called Chron's Disease but they don't know yet. It has been waking Mom up at night and nothing helps except her heating pad.

Of course, I wake up with Mom and keep her company until she feels better. Sometimes the pain sets off one of her pseudo-seizure attacks (which she is seeing a new neurologist for Monday to figure them out!) so I have to tell her before that happens.
But lately, I've had some extra help when Mom isn't feeling good! Francine always knows when Mom is sick or sad and comes to make Mom feel better. For a cat, she has remarkable instincts and will come from anywhere in the house to sit with Mom and make happy purr noises to her.

She is only a little baby kitten but she is pretty smart! I think she heard about me being a service dog before I retired and decided to be a service cat at home. She is pretty cute and Mom says her fur is very soft, so I guess those are good qualities in a service cat! In all seriousness, it is nice to have a helper who knows when Mom is getting sick or sad.

Of course, once Mom is feeling a little bit better, Lola and Karma come to cuddle with her to so they can make sure we took good care of her!

Vaykaytion by Lola

2010-08-04T16:06:00.001-07:00

This summer I hav lerned about somefing called vaykaytion. When Mommy sayz that she is gunna go on vaykaytion, it means that I get one too!
Really, I think Mommy just goes away to make sure I gets vaycaytions. She packs up my noms, bed, pink monk-e stuffie, braided giraff and says I get to go to Camp!
See, Camp is my daycare, Camp Bow Wow, where I gets to play wif ALL my furends there! I get to see a lot of my favorite peoples too. I play all day (well, except for my nap time) then gets to eat my noms, cuddle with Pink Monk-e and go night-night after I get my medisin.
Mommy said I have to get a b-a-t-h while I'm here, but that is kind of ok since I get extra time with Miss Erica who is one of my favorite hoomans there! Her dog Indigo is a Standard Poodle just like Mommy's new Service Dog will be and he is very fun to play with.
My vacation will be overs on Saturday, but that is ok cuz I gets to see Mommy then.
ok, I gots ta get off the computer before the Camp hoomans see me!
~Lola

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100th Post-Looking Back and Ahead

2010-07-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

It is pretty amazing that we have reached 100 posts in the blog! When I decided to start this, Mom wasn't sure if anyone would read it or how it would go. We've met so many awesome people and pups and cats through this! We thought we would look back at what has happened through the past 100 entries first.
Mom got sick before we started the blog and had continued to get sick. She had first discovered my ability to alert and was starting to learn about service dogs and if I could become one. She had talked with my old trainer and started my service dog training.

A crazy little black puppy showed up. She was 5 weeks old, dirty, skinny and dehydrated and the perfect addition to our little family. Mom named her Lola and she grew in to a smart, crazy little sister for me.

We did a lot of traveling while Mom was trying to find a doctor who could diagnose her. We went to Atlanta and Florida. While we were in these places, we got to go do some fun stuff, like visit the fort at St. Augustine in Florida.

Mom finally got referred to her aesome doctor who was able to diagnose her. He did a test that confirmed his diagnosis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and gave Mom and hour of relief (and an hour to pet me with what was at that time her bad arm). Mom's CRPS had started to spread in earnest through all this and soon after moved to her entire upper body, including her right arm.

Our newest member of the family was left in a box in our driveway a couple months after that. She was a scared, fluffy little kitten Mom named Francine. After she got over her scare, she warmed up to me and Lola, obviously LOVED Mom and adored Karma. Karma adored her back and Mom knew she was the perfect kitty addition to our family.

Soon after that, Mom's CRPS spread to her legs and that meant she needed a service dog who could help her if she fell or get her to her wheelchair. I have a bad knee and poor hips, so I can't do that stuff and Mom decided to retire me. Retirement has meant that I get extra spoiled by everyone and I get to hang out with every body more and I get to sleep more! I still help Mom around the house and tell her before she gets sick when she's home.

Now we are waiting on a new service dog for Mom from CARES in Concordia, Kansas! She will be getting a male Standard Poodle. In the next 6 months we should find out exactly who my new brother is!
Mom's business, which she started in January, has really taken off and she has been busy with that. Of course, that means that I'm busy supervising and modeling Mom's work! We even get to test out the beds Mom is thinking about making!
Mom is working towards getting me certified as a therapy dog so we can go visit hospitals, nursing homes, schools and the local Victory Junction Gang Camp! She is working on agility with Lola so that she and Lola can compete next year. And of course, the cat sisters are getting in to everything. Mom is making sure that Francine knows some tricks (yes, Mom trains the cats) and that Karma keeps up with hers. We are hoping she gets her implant trial soon and that it helps so she can start doing more and maybe walking a little bit too.
Here's to another 100 posts!

Dixie's 3rd Gotcha Day

2010-07-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

May 31st was the third anniversary of the day Mom adopted me! We celebrate this every year since I love Mom so much and she loves me and is so thankful that she adopted me! She got me a really yummy cake and it said Happy Birthday since she couldn't find a Gotcha day one (she is going to special order it next year).

It was really yummy! Of course, Mom made me pose with it before I ate it and this was after she had taken like 5 pictures. Enough is enough Mom, especially when special treats are involved!

It tasted so yummy! It was grain free, so it didn't make my tummy upset. Mom always tries to do something special for my Gotcha Day and this cake was awesome!

I even shared some with Lola. Of course, she only got to lick the icing because she is allergic to so many things.

I thought that I would share the story of how Mom adopted me.
Mom and Aunt Jennifer had just signed the lease on a new apartment where pets were allowed and Mom knew she wanted to adopt a dog. She also knew that she was leaving for Australia to study abroad in a week, so she thought she would just go to the shelter with Aunt Jennifer and get some dogs out of their kennels to play (at that shelter, dogs only get out if they are taken out by an adopter or volunteer).
They walked through the shelter and made a list of what dogs they wanted to take out. I was the first dog on that list. Mom said I was happy and she had never seen a dog like me or even heard of a Catahoula! When she and my aunt got me in the room, they both thought I was a great dog. After 45 minutes, they taught me to sit and Mom had totally fallen in love (Aunt Jennifer too!). They agreed that I was the right dog for Mom but weren't sure about adopting a dog right before leaving for a month. A volunteer came in and said that I had been there for months and that someone had sponsored my entire fee. Mom decided to call Grandmom and see if she would mind dog sitting me until Mom got back.
Grandmom said yes and Mom grabbed my papers and ran up to the adoption counter. Mom officially adopted me but they said she had to wait until the end of the week to pick me up because the spay schedule was full until then. Mom and Aunt Jennifer stayed with me for a little bit more but then they had to leave. Mom spent the rest of the day getting everything she needed for a dog.
The next day she got a call that she could pick me up 2 days early! They got me in for my spay early. Mom came to visit me after my spay and then picked me up the next day.
In the 3 years since we have had so many adventures together. I've been a service dog, I'm going to teach the new service dog what to alert to, I've taught people who didn't like dogs how to love them, I've got to meet so many awesome people and dogs. I can only imagine what the future holds!

July 4th Name Game!

2010-07-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

We have been reading about Frank at Frankly Speaking having a July 4th Name Game and we thought it was too fun not to pawticipate! We will update you on the past month and half hopefully this week!

Ok, I'm first. My name is Dixie and that was my name in the shelter. I was a stray so someone at the shelter picked my name and by the time Mom adopted me, I already knew it very well. It wasn't her style of name but once we had been together awhile, it was obvious that was the right name for me. From the beginning she thought it did kind of fit since the Catahoula Leopard Dog is the state dog of Louisiana. Some of my nicknames are Dix, Dixie Pixie, Pix, Pixer, Pixy, Monkey girl, Princessa, Purty Girl. My full name is Dixie Lou

Lola was originally going to be Delila. That was the first name that Mom thought of when she saw her in the yard but once we got to know her, we knew that wasn't the right name. Lola showed up when Mom was having a hard time coping with losing so much of her independence and abilities and she gave Mom something that she had to give round the clock care and training (and I helped!). She also made Mom laugh all the time! Grandmom said we should name her something to do with laughing and Mom, who is a big IM'er, thought about LOL and then realized that the name Lola has LOL in it! Lola's nicknames are Lola Badola, Crazy Girl, Bad Puppy, Silly Monkey. Her full name is Lola Belle.

Karma was supposed to be Rosalyn form Shakespeare (Mom loves him!) but once she took over Karma's care, she realized that she was way to fiesty to be Rosalyn. She kept running through names when all of a sudden the word Karma popped in to her head and she knew it was just perfect! Karma's nicknames are Boogie, Boog, Bad Cat, Stinky, Booga.

Francine showed up at a special time. She was left at our house 2 days after what would have been Mom's Grandpa's birthday. he passed away almost 6 years ago and Mom was very close to him and loved him very very much. She has a tattoo to honor his memory. Francine showed up and the whole family was trying to figure out her name. Grandmom suggested FB (which was Deeda's initials...Deeda is what the grandchildren called him) for Fluffy Butt but Mom doesn't like letter names. Deeda's name was Francis so Mom decided that her name should be Francine, since once again an animal came in to her life at a rough time and a time when she was really missing Deeda. We think maybe she was a gift from Deeda since he isn't here with us. Her nicknames are Fluff, Fluffer, Little Bit, Itty Bitty, Bine, Little Bine, Princess.

Note from the Mom

2010-07-03T19:12:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone!
I am so sorry for our sudden disappearance from the blog. The past couple months my CRPS has continued to decline at a fairly rapid rate. Just getting through the day doing the bare minimum and working on my collar business has left me exhausted.
I haven't talked too much about CRPS before so I thought I'd explain a little more about it and what it is like for those of us who have it. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. It is a neurological condition brought on by a traumatic event (sprain, broken bone, surgery, etc). They aren't sure what brings it on or why some people develop it and others don't. The nervous system is essentially stuck in the "on" position and non-painful stimuli hurt a CRPS patient. The affected areas can also swell and change color, but pain the main symptom. The majority of people with this disease have a mild form that is quickly diagnosed and sent in to remission with physical therapy and pain medication. Those that don't display the typical severe swelling and radical color change have a much harder time getting diagnosed (like me). If diagnosed before the 6 month mark, the chances of remission are high. After that, they go down until the 12 month and above mark, where the chance is much much lower. It can also spread to other areas of the body besides the one it started in.
My CRPS is fairly atypical. I had the swelling, although it wasn't as bad as the typical CRPS patient's is, I had the extreme pain but I didn't have the color change. Over the past 17 months, my CRPS has spread from my left underarm to my left arm to my upper body and in the past few months to my entire left leg. In the past week it has spread to my entire left foot, including the bottom. When I take a step, it feels like I am stepping on needles heated in a fire. The smallest touch, a good wind, movement causes that pain all over my body. I can't wear tight fitting clothes or rough fabrics. I haven't worn jeans since January (and I loved my jeans). I haven't drive my car in 16 months. I'm on a heavy duty narcotic pain killer called Methadone to manage the pain (a good day for me is a 7 out of 10 on a pain scale) which leaves me extremely drowsy, out of it and with slurred speech. It is hard to think and write sometimes, especially since I use speech to text software. There aren't many hours where I'm clear enough to write a good blog and let the girls on here.
We are going to try and get back to blogging, although it might not be very regular. We will (and have been) reading everyone's blogs but we might not comment.

-Ashley the Mom

What Memorial Day is All About

2010-05-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Memorial Day here in the United States. Memorial Day is always on the last Monday in May. It is a federal holiday, so most places are closed and a lot of people have the day off. But that isn't what the day is about.
Memorial Day is a day to remember all of those brave men and women who served in the Armed Forces that have left us. The flag is flown at half staff from noon until sunset in honor of their contribution and loss.
So while everyone is enjoying time with their friends and family tomorrow, take a minute to remember all of the wonderful people that have already passed on who served our country.

Saturday Blog Hop and an update on ther service dog process

2010-05-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

We thought today we would update everyone on Mom's search for a new service dog. When Mom adopted me and when Lola was dumped at our house, Mom had a lot more energy and her disease wasn't near as bad as it is today. Because of that, Mom isn't up to finding a good service dog candidate puppy and raising and training him/her so she decided to go the route of a program trained service dog.
Mom has a pretty unique situation, so it was hard to find a program that would work with her. First, she has two different disabilities that she needs a service dog's help with and only 5% of all service dog programs in the United States will train a dog for multiple disabilities.
Second, our family has a lot of four legged members and they are a part of our family as much as Uncle Andrew or Granddad or Grandmom is! Many programs that Mom contacted told her they would only giver her a dog if the family gave up the other animals, which was totally out of the question. Everyone here is well taken care of, spoiled and healthy and loved.
Finally we found CARES who was willing to train a dog for both of Mom's disabilities and who said they never penalize an applicant for having pets. Mom e-mailed them a lot of questions and she got answers within hours of asking them. They sent Mom their full application and she has been working hard to get everything it needs.
They want 2 letters of reference, they want a letter from Mom's doctor and the medical records that show she really is disabled and the application form filled out by Mom. After they get the application, they find a dog that is good for Mom then will interview her so the know they have the perfect match for her. Mom is asking for a Standard Poodle and they agree that a Standard is the best match for Mom's health and personality. We will talk more about why in another entry. It takes around $15,000 to $20,000 to train one service dog, but they only ask for a small portion of that from the handlers who receive service dogs and they won't refuse to give a dog to someone who can't pay that. They are a non-profit and always welcome donations so they can help more people!
We hope everyone has a wonderful (and maybe long if you are here in the US) weekend! Mom and the rest of the human family are having a cookout and hanging out by the pool on Monday

We Like Sharing!

2010-05-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

We do a lot of sharing in our house. Most of the time, Mom decides to share with us. Well, except for Karma and Francine, who tell Mom they are sharing AFTER they have taken a bite of whatever Mom has!

A couple nights ago Mom made herself some dessert and finished off the whipped cream, so she let me and Lola lick the tub! There wasn't much left but it still tasted yummy! This is the only time we get people food, so it is a very special treat and Mom makes us do our tricks to get it.

Sometimes we share and sometimes Mom tells us to take turns so we each get equal amounts. As you can see, Lola wiggles a lot when she does it and she also manages to get the whipped cream all over her face!

Awww, Mom, did you have to pick this picture for me? Yea, so I guess I get pretty in to these special treats too. But it tastes so yummy! And it makes Mom laugh, which we all like to do.

Do any of you share with you family? I have to say, we all love to share

Wordless Wednesday-Oh Hai!

2010-05-26T17:15:00.000-07:00

Saturday Blog Hop!

2010-05-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

We are participating in the Saturday blog hop! Check out sponsor Life With Dogs. LWD, along with Two Little Cavaliers and Baby Patches at Nip and Bones. Want to join? Check on the link or the button in my sidebar! We are looking forward to getting to know new friends!

It has been one of those weeks for Mom. She is learning how to live in a wheelchair rather than using her legs and it is a BIG change for her. Whether you have 2 legs or 4, learning to use wheels instead of legs take time. We have to get used to it too, because first Mom had a manual wheelchair, but that hurt her arms too much, so someone loaned her an electric one, and that one moves different and makes weird noises. We also had to have a ramp built, since every entrance to our house has stairs, and Mom can't walk up stairs any more. We are all adjusting, but it has been a little hard.
We are excited to announce that Francine is going to be the final feline member of our family (for now). She loves Mom very much (and us too!) and everyone loves her.

After being scared of everything when she first showed up (and really, who can blame her? She was stuffed in a box and left at a place she didn't know by a busy road!) she has really warmed up to everyone. Francine and I like to snuggle at night with Mom before she goes to sleep
(Mom says I need to let Lola say something too) Hellloooo bloggy furends! It iz Lola, most fantastyc syster of Dixie here! My new kit-in syster Francine is a purfect syster! She loves to plays with me and she makes her kit-in happy noises and nevur evur makes mean angry kitty noises! She is nice and cuddlee too when I wants to take naps...and she is soft, so she is the purfect napping partner
Hello everyone. Karma, supreme empress of the universe(KARMA! You may be Mom's top snoopervisor but you aren't the empress of the universe). Whatever you say Dixie remember, Supreme Empress of the Universe Karma. (Karma! You are supposed to be talking about Francine!).
Ah yes! My newest protege, Franicine. She has a luxurious coat that is sure to be almost as beautiful as mine one day. She understands how life should be and makes sure to beg Mom for everything, take bites of any food of Mom she wants when she can sneak it in and she understands how to play with a dignified, wonderful cat like myself. The perfect addition to our family and an excellent snoopervisor in training.

We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and that you enjoy time with your families, no matter who is part of it!

Saturday Blog Hop! ( a liitle late)

2010-05-15T22:52:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday-Mom says Grandmom and Uncle Andrew spoil me. I say she is silly

2010-05-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T19:37:00.001-07:00

We are all very thankful for the Moms in our lives! This year we have definitely learned the lengths a mother will go to for her kids, whether they have 2 legs or 4! We hope all the moms had a wonderful day!

I goez to Dogge Daycares!

2010-05-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

So my Mommy got more sickers this week and she can't walk much and can't run at all! She haz troubles getting outsidez cuz we gots lots of steps to get out of our houze. Becuz of this, Mommy can't do my agilitees with me lyke me usually do to get me my exercises.
So Mommy called this place called Camp Bow Wow and made an appointments for an interview so they knows if I play nice wif the other dogges! She sayd if I behaves, I will be going to daycares evury week.
So yesterday, Mommy put on my seatbelt harness, we got in the scary car thing and started going! I waz wurried at first that were were going to the scury V-E-T playce, but we didn't! We got to a playce where I could hears lots of dogges playing! We went inside and the nice lady took me away from Mommy to a roomz where I had the first interview. I passeded that of course and while they were doing that, Mommy was taking a tour-thing of the place (which really means she got to see evurything).
Then one of the nice ladiez took me to a yard with a bunch of other dogges playing and having fun! I got to go in and at furst i waz a lyttle scured, but I got over that. Would you believe I got to stay ALL DAY and play wif all my new furends?
Grandmom came to get me and they said I did very very goods and passed my interview! So Mommy is going to start taking me to daycares to exercize and hang out wif my new dogge furends! They even gave Mommy a surtificat (although I didn't see any cat...except for the ones I live with) that said I could come back any times! I can't waits to go backs!!!
Ok, Lola owt!

Retirement

2010-05-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

This is a post Mom and I have gone back and forth about writing. But is part of both our lives, so we are sharing.
On Sunday night, while Mom was taking a bath, I went to my Uncle Andrew's room (after jumping the baby gate in Mom's room) and then ran to the bathroom door where Mom was. Mom opened the door and I already knew something was very wrong. Uncle Andrew followed behind me and found Mom obviously not doing well. Mom wasn't using her left leg, so he went and got Grandmom and Granddad. Mom's CRPS had spread to her left thigh and that left her unable to put much weight on that leg. Mom's thigh had been more swollen for a while, but Mom said she was in denial about it because was very scared of losing the use of her legs.
So now Mom is using a walker part of the time (which is very hard on her arms and leaves her in a lot of pain) and a wheelchair the rest of the time (which isn't as hard on her arms but doesn't give her leg any exercise). Mom knew this was a possibility but we all hoped it wouldn't happen.
This also affects me. Mom's balance is poor, it is hard for her to get her wheelchair started and she has many other problems. As everyone knows, I am a shelter dog and it is apparent that I was bred by a very irresponsible breeder, because my hips and knees aren't great...they are good enough for my regular service work and carrying a lightly loaded backpack though. But now Mom needs more than that. I could learn the new tasks she need, but Mom will never ever do anything that could possibly hurt me. So Mom is going to apply for a mobility service dog and I will retire and go back to being Mom's pet dog with Lola. We will still keep up the blog (after all, we have a lot of adventures here at the house) and we will let the new dog add some entries too.
Mom says that since I love people so much, we are going to get me certified as a therapy dog so I can go visit people at nursing homes and hospitals and make them feel better! I think that is a pretty fantastic job and am really excited to start!
Oh, and Lola says to tell y'all that she will be writing a post Thursday or Friday, so everyone get ready! (Silly little sister!)

Introducing the Wee One in the last post and some words about Mom

2010-04-30T08:49:00.001-07:00

So the cute little kitty is the newest animal dumped at our house. Someone put her in a box and left her in our driveway. She was very scared when Mom brought the box inside (thinking that it was one of Granddad's or Uncle Andrew's boxes) and opened it to find a tiny little fluffy kitten. She was a little bit skinny and scared of Lola and I.
She is very cuddly and has finally started to warm up to us. She spent last night on the bed with us and is starting to hang out with Mom and both of us dogs during the day! Right now her name is Francine but that might change as we get to know her better.
We don't know who keeps leaving animals at our house but Mom thinks that it must be someone who knows us (or of us). Unfortunately, that doesn't narrow it down much, since our family have lived in this area for a very long time. It makes everybody sad that we might know some one who abandons animals.
We always go back and forth about talking about Mom;s medical stuff. But we figure that it is such a big part of all of our lives that we should share. and we never know who might read this and be struggling with something similar.
Mom's doctor recommended that the best treatment for Mom's Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (a severe pain disease) is a Spinal Cord Stimulator, which has electrodes on her spinal cord that block the pain signals. It isn't a cure and won't stop her pain but it will help a lot. The insurance company required a psychological evaluation for approval. That was the doctor who didn't approve of Mom having a service dog.
Unfortunately, he denied Mom. He said that she either needs to do a very expensive ($35,000 after insurance) comprehensive treatment that Mom's doctor said wouldn't work because physical therapy makes Mom worse or very intensive personal counseling with another psychologist until they approve Mom. We are going to talk to Mom's doctor next week to see what he says. Mom has also gotten worse again (CRPS is progressive) and we need something until she get approved.
We are all staying upbeat and Mom is still trying to do everything she was before, just doing it in shorter sessions. She is still working on her business and training Lola and I and everything else. We are all excited because it is super warm outside and Granddad opened our pool! As soon as we get the pump fixed, we all get to swim (with life jackets on) and hang out by there!

Wordless Wednesday-The latest animal dumped at our hosue (in a box no less!)

2010-04-28T17:04:00.001-07:00

(Note from Mom: Please excuse how crappy I look. when I'm at home, I don't put on nice clothes or make up or do my hair since it is so difficult)

Please Don't Pet

2010-04-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Those words can create an amazing range of emotions. Anger, fear, sadness, understanding, interest...the list goes on.
There is a reason Mom and many other service dog handlers ask that people do not pet us while we are working. It is because we are working and it is hard to do our jobs when people are trying to pet us or talk to us.

Mom and I know how hard it is for people not to pet me. If we are at a store (especially a book store, like in the picture) I am in a down stay while Mom browses. Some people haven't been around calm dogs or they may be usually afraid of certain types of dogs. Mom doesn't want them to think I'm unfriendly (it is quite the opposite, as many people learn when I'm off duty) so she has my brochures to hand out.
Mom also taught me a special trick to make up for people not being able to pet me. When Mom tells me to say hello, I wave my paw at the people. We get a lot of smiles for that and Mom says it has really helped some people overcome the stereotype that any dog with a square head and a broad chest is mean or aggressive! Mom says that she wants to "pay it forward" to other dogs for what I do for her since she thinks she can't pay me back (which I still think is silly since I get to sleep on her bed on my own pillows, get the best food, chewies and stuffies/other toys. I even have a pool to lounge in when we're outside with Mom). But we all want to help homeless animals, especially those that are misrepresented.

Wordless Wednesday-Now this is the South we love!

2010-04-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

(aka finally emerging from the depths of a ridiculous and unheard of arctic winter in NC)

(Note: We have a special pool cover that is extra sturdy and made to be walked on. We also don't get to be outside without Mom to make sure we're safe. Basically Do not try this at home!)

The Less Fun Side of Service Dogs

2010-04-13T10:05:00.001-07:00

Well, not for me but for Mom as my handler. Access Challenges. An access challenge is when a worker at a place service dogs are allowed to go (there are some places we can't go where itwould make a place unable to operate like sterile parts of a hospital) says that the service dog can't come in.
We have been very lucky that we have had few access challenges in the time I've been a service dog. A couple weeks ago, we went to Mom and Grandmom's favorite store to find some summer clothes for Mom. Mom was ready to try on some clothes and the attendant said first that I couldn't come in, then that we couldn't take all our clothes in, then that we could and then that the handicapped dressing room wasn't useable (Mom needs help from Grandmom to try on clothes and it is hard to fit 2 people and a service dog in my gear in a regular one). Then another worker came up and said I couldn't go in. Both people were very rude to Mom and Grandmom We explained to both of them what I did and that I am allowed by ADA law to be with Mom.
After Mom tried on her clothes (and we found out that the attendant had let a fully-abled woman with much more clothes than Mom in the handicapped room) we went to talk to the Manager. We explained what happened and that he might want to reteach them about the Americans with Disabilities Act.
To help inform people (both friendly and not) Mom has made brochures That talk about me and what I do and service dog laws and etiquette.

It has some pictures of me working and me with Mom. It also gives websites where people can learn more about service dogs, the ADA and me! These brochures really help Mom educate others about me and all service dogs. The more people that know good service dog etiquette and the laws, the easier and better it is for everyone.I am also registered with the stated. This isn't required by law but it is very helpful if a service dog team every has to go to court over an access challenge. I have a tag with my registration number, an ID card and a letter from the Department of Health and Human Services that say I am registered.
Mom had an upsetting encounter with a psychologist last week. For her to get her spinal cord stimulators (implants that block pain signals), the insurance company requires a psychological evaluation (similar to that for transplant patients) before we can proceed. The psychologist was rude and condescending to Mom and told her that how fast she got sick, how many doctors she has seen (because no one could figure her out and kept referring her to other) and having me as a service dog were all bad coping techniques. He didn't want to learn what I do and wouldn't answer Mom's, Grandmom's or Granddad's questions about what he meant. Mom is worried, since if this guy says no, Mom won't get her SCS's. So everyone keep your paws crossed that he says yes!

Lipizzaner Stallions! (aka Big White Horses that dance)

2010-04-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we went to the Coliseum to see the Lipizzaner Stallions with Grandmom, Aunt and Mom's cousin. Mom has wanted to see these big white horses since she was very little (and saw the movie The Miracle of the White Stallions, which is still one of her favorites) but has always missed it.Granddad got tickets for everyone and they were floor seats (second row!). That means we were sitting down on the edges of the floor where the horses perform! Mom was a little worried that I would get scared or distracted. But she didn't need to. I looked at them when they first came out and smelled all the wonderful horse smells, but stayed on my mat like I was supposed to.
The horses were pretty cool. They could do all sorts of tricks and the moved really fast! It is pretty amazing that those giant white horses can dance and do all those moves! One horse even knew how to bow like Lola does!
When they did the really cool tricks, they told us that two of the four horses that do these really hard moves were very special. They were rescued from severe neglect and were rehabbed for years, then taught these tricks! So they have rescued horses in their show along with the well raised Lipizzaners!
They even had these horses do the tricks with the people on the horses backs! It was pretty amazing. Mom and I also met a new friend there who is sick like my mom! She was very nice and an animal lover like our family.
It was a very fun day! After the Lipizzaners, we went to one of Mom's favorite restaurants where she got to eat sushi (which is her most favorite food). Mom said she was very proud of me, since I had never been that close to horses before, and I was able to focus on my job and stay in work mode.

Oops! Blame it on Mom

2010-04-07T14:49:00.000-07:00

We are so sorry it has been so long since we posted but it has been a few crazy weeks for Mom. Her health,a s always, is up and down. We have had good adventures, which we will share in the next few days, and bad adventures, which we will also share. Mom has been trying to get her school stuff figured out and getting registered with Disability Services. She is also working very hard on her business, which went live last week!
Things should calm down some, so we will be back to regular posting. We will also be commenting more, since we have really slacked on that lately.

Mom's birthday day

2010-03-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, besides being ST. Patrick's Day, was also Mom's birthday! It was a very full day (and Mom and I both made sure to wear green!).
We started with Granddad taking us to the courthouse so Mom would file her business paperwork. Now she is a real business! There is this thing (which is actually lots of different things called the same thing) called security that you have to deal with before you can go in. Mom had to take off my pack and set it on this x-ray moving belt thing then she put me in a sit stay, walked through the thing she said was a metal detector, then said I had to walk through. Everything was fine and the security ladies were very nice. The lady at the counter where Mom turned in her paperwork was very nice too. Mom told all of them what I did when they asked and they were very impressed!
After that, we went to C Distinctive Eyewear, the place that Mom bought her cool new glasses (which you can see on her in my Wordless Wednesday). Everyone there is very nice and they know they aren't allowed to pet me or distract me. We went to Ham's for lunch with Granddad and then came home so Mom could take a nap.
Then, in the evening, Mom's Aunt Kay came to pick us up. We went to Mimi's cafe (where Mom is allergic to most of the menu as we found out) and then we went to Old Navy to get some spring clothes for Mom. We picked out some clothes for her and cousin Laura, and they tried them on (I took a short nap).
It was a very fun day, although Mom was exhausted!

Wordless Wednesday-Happy St Patrick's Day (and birthday to Mom!)

2010-03-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

A week of birthday festvities!

2010-03-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

This week both Mom and my Uncle Andrew have birthdays! Uncle Andrew's is on the 13th and Mom's is on the 17th. Things started out with a birthday dinner at our favorite Japanese steakhouse (and sushi place for Mom!) with our whole extended family!
Mom's 2 aunts, 1 uncle and 2 cousins all went out with us and then came back to the house for birthday cake (which was my favorite part because I get to go "off duty" and play with everybody!)

Then on Saturday , we went to Uncle Andrew's birthday party at Abba's Place coffee house. We brought a cake for him and his friends brought him another one! Everyone there was really nice and they didn't try and pet me (which Mom really appreciated because her new medicine makes her dizzy if she is up for too long and needs me to concentrate on her)
Uncle Andrew had a bunch of friends come and he had a great time!

This weekend my Aunt Jenn is coming to visit Mom and me! We can't wait!

Wordless Wednesday-First Antler Chewies

2010-03-10T12:17:00.001-08:00

We got a prize!

2010-03-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

Our friend Bentley over at Secondhand Scottie had a drawing to give away some fleece tugs that his mom made and we won one of them! It arrived yesterday and we were very excited to start playing with itLola and I both love to play tug, and this is the perfect thing to do it with (most of our other toys are too short or dead).

Thanks Bentley! We are having lots of fun with our tug!

Adopted!

2010-03-07T16:24:00.001-08:00

Remember our foster kittens, Sabian and Zeppelin, that Mom hand raised when they were abandoned at our house? Well, they are about 5 months old now and got spayed and neutered this week.
The reason they got it one this week? Their new family was picking them up Saturday!
We will definitely miss them, but their new family is very excited to have them and will take wonderful care of them.
We all really enjoyed having them around. Mom and Grandmom are thinking about applying to be foster parents for orphan kittens at our local humane society! I really hope they do because Lola and I love to help raise them!

Update on Mom

2010-03-05T17:03:00.000-08:00

We left early Tuesday morning for Duke for the nerve block. Mom and I both napped on the way there, since neither one of us like early mornings.
Once we got there, Mom checked in with the nice ladies behind the front desk and we waited for them to call us back. They took us to a room first and a nurse and then the doctors came in to talk to us. Once that was done, Mom said I had to stay with Granddad for a little bit, because the procedure room had to be sterile. For this procedure, they inject lidocaine in to the nerve bundle in Mom's neck using an x-ray to make sure they found the right place. It didn't take long (maybe 15-20 minutes) and they brought Mom back to me and Granddad.

She was a little nauseous and lightheaded at first, but once that passed, she was very happy. The lidocaine numbed the nerve and she didn't hurt in her left side (which is much worse than her right side)!! Mom got to pet my with her left hand for the first time in a very long time. I was happy because I could tell Mom was in less pain, so I relaxed and enjoyed the time with Mom.
Because this worked, it told the doctors for sure that Mom has Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Now that they know that, they are very very sure that they can help Mom. They are going to implant 2 spinal cord stimulators (which block the pain signals before they reach the brain) and Mom will have AT LEAST a 50% reduction in pain! I will still be a service dog after this, since my ability to sense Mom's pain spikes with let her know she needs to turn her SCS up.
I will be going with Mom to all of this. Even though it isn't one of my tasks, having me there helps her to calm her down.
We really appreciate all the thoughts, prayers and vibes we got from everyone. It really means a lot to all of us!

Good News for Mom!

2010-03-01T16:58:00.000-08:00

Mom called her doctor today to let them know she had gotten much worse and left a message with the nurse. The nurse called back this afternoon and said that the doctor wanted her to move the sympathetic nerve block (which will tell them for sure whether she has Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or not) up to the closest appointment.
The nurse was able to change Mom's appointment from March 11 to tomorrow morning! This test will give Mom a few hours of relief, answers and is also what they need before they schedule her spinal cord stimulator trial, which will hopefully give her significant and more permanent relief.
This also shows us that this doctor is taking Mom seriously and also wants to help her get better. After so many doctors who didn't believe her or weren't willing to figure out her medical mystery, this is truly an amazing thing.
I will be going with Mom tomorrow and Granddad is going to take some pictures of me working and taking are of Mom. If you all will keep Mom in your thoughts and prayers and send her good vibes, we would all really appreciate it!

The Bond

2010-02-28T16:47:00.001-08:00

Mom has been having a bad couple of days. She fell on Thursday (and I already gave her my most irritated look for not having me with her) and it has set off a turn for the worst. We are hoping that her doctor will either be able to move p her procedure or speed up the process to get the spinal cord stimulator test done.
When Mom is hurting, she relies on me alot. I can tell her before she has a seizure or pan spike and I try and help her stay calm and stress-free. I stay with her through everything, I snuggle up against the parts of her that don't hurt, I wag my tail and smile at her when she looks at me. Mom and I depend on each other.
Some people think it is odd that Mom depends so heavily on (what they see as) "just a dog." Mom can explain what I do, but there is more to it than just my job. Mom and I have a bond that can't be described. I know when her body is failing her and can tell her long before she knows (human senses being as poor as they are and all :-p). Mom knows when I'm nervous, what my smallest signals are, even if I'm not feeling well.
The thing a lot of people miss is that we've always had this bond. We made that connection when she looked through the chain link door at the shelter and saw more than an exuberant puppy who had never left her kennel. I saw my Mom (ad my wonderful Aunt Jenn too). Mom has guided me through many fears and uncertain situations and I have been with her through happy and sad times.

Wordless Wednesday-Mom got a new camera

2010-02-24T16:19:00.001-08:00

You can calls me Agilitee Pittie Lola

2010-02-23T13:11:00.001-08:00

Helloooooo bloggy furends! It is Lola here, most fantastyc syster of Dixie the Catasumthing.
So last week my most awesumest Granddaddy made me a kind of funnee lookin thing. Mommy said it was called an ad-just-able agilitees jump.

Well, I didn't knows what an agilitees jump was, but I like to jump so I figured it was something good. Boy, was I rite! Thys is anothur part of the agilitess competition along with my big blu tunnel!

Mom has been teaching me a command callyd "Over" which means I jumps over the white bar on the agilitees jump. We both run up to the jump and I jumps over it! Thys iz a really fun thing and I am learning that I loves agilitee!

Here you can see me doing my agilitees jump. Mommy says I has really good form and that I will be really good at this agilitees stuff! I just know that it is funs and I get to spend tymes with Mommy all by myself (Dixie was taking a nap on the porch synce she has to always be with Mommy to make sure she stays healthys).
So, from now on, just calls me Lola the Agilitee Pittie
Lola owt!

Sorry for the unexpected blogging hiatus!

2010-02-20T08:52:00.000-08:00

Sorry we haven't updated in so long! Mom has had a very up and down past few weeks and I have been helping and taking care of her. Cold makes Mom's pain worse and it has been abnormally cold here in North Carolina these past few weeks (we've had more snow this year than we have in the past 5ish years combined!). She also has a bad immune system so she caught a virus and bronchitis (which is very bad when you have asthma) and was stuck in the house for a week and a half!
She did have time to modify my backpack to make it easier for her to put on me (her condition is still deteriorating). My pack used to have snap buckles like a collar that were getting too hard for Mom to close with one hand. So she replaced them with some D-rings and pink webbing (my backpack is a bit drab) and heavy duty velcro.

We finally got to go back to volunteering at the spay and neuter clinic! Mom loves helping them out and I like getting to go to new places with her and make sure she stays safe and healthy. Mom says she is lucky to have me because I can also alert to when her pain level is going to spike. This happened on Thursday and Mom was able to get her pain meds and call Grandmom to come pick her up before it got really bad.
We did get some good news this week! Mom went to this place called Duke and met a new doctor who is sure he can help her. She is going to have a sympathetic nerve block March 11 (unless there is a cancellation before that) that will tell the doctor for sure if she has Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. After that, they are going to do a trial run with something called a Spinal Cord Stimulator that should reduce Mom's pain level a lot! We are all very excited that we found a doctor who listens to Mom AND wants to figure her out (he even walked in and told her she was a mystery, which most doctors aren't willing to admit). I will even get to be part of everything since I can detect Mom's pain spikes and that will let them know if the SCS is working right or not!
Lola has some exciting news too, but I will let her talk about that tomorrow :-)

What a Year It Has Been

2010-02-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marked one year that Mom has been disabled. It has really been a roller coaster year for both of us. I have sat with Mom through many tears, many seizures but also many good times. She has learned so much about service dogs and has met (online and in real life) so many wonderful people and pups.
We don't know what this next year will hold for us. We are back at square one trying to find a diagnosis again and Mom is getting worse. I am going back in to training to work on some more complicated tasks to help Mom out. Mom is starting her own business. Who knows what else will happen?

Vote for me please!

2010-02-04T17:11:00.001-08:00

Please vote for me in Mango Minster 2010 Hard Worker category!

Wordless Wednesday-More Snow Fun

2010-02-03T17:32:00.001-08:00

Even service dogs (and their sisters) get time off!

2010-01-30T10:24:00.000-08:00

A lot of people worry that since I'm a service dog, I don't get time to play and have fun. Well, that is just silly! When we are home I am always ready to alert if Mom needs it but I get to lay on the bed and play with stuffies and chew bully sticks like any other dog!
Today (well, it started last night) we got 8 inches of snow! It is still snowing and sleeting and the weatherman says we might get as much as 12 inches! That is a lot for us North Carolinians! I used to not like snow much, but now that Mom has more winter gear for me (boots, a sweatshirt and a waterproof coat) I enjoy it a lot!
Sometimes Mom goes a little overboard with the pictures. We were ready to go out but she insisted that she get a picture of us in our coats.Once we got out there, Lola was ready to play and decided that the best way to get me to join in is being annoying.
Lola: That wazn't annoyings, that waz playings! Duh Sissy!
Whatever. Anyways, this snow was a lot deeper so it was more fun to run in. I had snow flying from all 4 of my feet! It was pretty fun to jump in too.
Lola: WHEEE!! I wuvs the snow! This snows is much much better than layst time cuz there is lots more of its!
Lola: And boy, does the snows taste yummies! I likes to stick my faceie in its and nom nom nom! Mommy sayz I gets a snow beard whatever that is!

It isn't going to get above freezing until Tuesday, so we will have lots of chances to play in the snow! It isn't even going to stop until this evening! We hope everyone is having a great and fun weekend as well!

First Day of Our New Adventure

2010-01-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day Mom and I volunteered the humane society's low cost spay and neuter clinic!
First, Mom did these things called reminder calls to remind all the pet owners that they had an appointment tomorrow and when to drop them off and pick them up and to make sure not to feed them in the morning before surgery. While she did that I sat under the table and wagged my tail at the people Mom introduced me to. I saw a very cute puppy (a foster puppy they said) that the director lady was holding, but I couldn't play with him because I was working.
Then Mom made some posters on the computer and printed them out and put them up for a big meeting tonight! I saw the director's dog and one of the other lady's dog but I wasn't allowed to meet them because I was working. It doesn't sound like much but it took Mom 3 and a half hours to do all that!
We both had a really god time and are excited to go back on Thursday!

New adventures for me and Mom!

2010-01-23T08:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Mom and I went to this place called Planned Pethood that Mom says is a spay and neuter clinic that costs less than most vets do so people who don't have a lot of money can get their animals spayed/neutered. Mom is going to volunteer there! They really need people to do administrative work (paperwork, data entry, answering phones) and maybe work on their Humane Education program to teach others about the clinic and why it is important to get this done!
Mom used to work at a vet clinic before she got sick and she really enjoyed it (the clinic she worked with did a lot of work with the community including accepting low cost spay/neuter vouchers and doing low cost rabies clinics plus working with the homeless community) so she really missed the work while she has been sick. She can't do the vet tech stuff any more but she is very very excited to be doing something good and kind of working with animals. Of course, I will be going with her to make sure she doesn't have any attacks or anything.
Mom also met a new doctor this week. Unfortunately it did not go well. The doctor didn't believe that Mom was really in as much pain as she is, so she was very rough with her. I tried to stop the doctor because pain is what cause Mom's seizures. I body block people if they get to close to Mom (Note from Mom: This isn't aggression, it is a quiet, polite task that Dixie does to prevent people from bumping my arm and causing an attack) but Mom said that I had to let the doctor do this and asked me to sit with my grandmom. I was not very happy but as soon as the doctor stopped, I went and sat with Mom. I quietly alerted and we managed to avoid Mom's attack! Fortunately, her pain psychologist and physical therapist were very understanding and know Mom isn't "faking it."
We start volunteering at the clinic on Tuesday and we are so excited for it!

Wordless Wednesday-Kitten Cuddling

2010-01-20T13:24:00.000-08:00

Mango Minster 2010!

2010-01-19T19:50:00.000-08:00

I'm entered in Mango Minster 2010! You should go visit the Mango Minster blog and check everything out. Mango also has a store to buy Mango Minster merch and they are donating the proceeds to NEADS Assistance Dogs who train rescue dogs and donated puppies as service dogs like me!
I am entering the Hard Working group because, as most of you know, I am a service dog for my mommy and she says that is hard and important work, although I think it is fun to be able to help Mom and keep her healthy!
We want to give a big THANK YOU to Mango and his Mom for setting this up and working so hard to make a great event (and to Dexter for taking over Mango's regular blog)

The Blue Tube and Pretty in Pink

2010-01-17T17:16:00.000-08:00

Hellooooo bloggy furends! Lola here! We gots our second piece of agilitees eqypment thys week! It is a giant blue tube! It is lots of funs to run in and if you run through it all the ways you get yummy treaties from Mommy! If thys is what agilitees training is about, I thynk I is really really gonna likes it! Oh, and you can sees even the crazee kitties like it. My cat syster Karma (the fluffy orange one), Pippin (the big white kitty with orange ears and feets and tail) and Runt (the huuuuuge kitty that is white and dark orange with the orange tryangle on his chest) were all tryings it owt fur me!
Ok, Lola owt!

I got something new to this week! Mom decided to make me a new pack cover that stood out more and was hopefully easier to read. My old one was a black background with white letters and had only text on it. This time she decided to do a pink background with two patches that say medical alert service dog and use black letters to say do not distract.
I think it looks really great imams as it seems like a lot more people pay attention to it now. I think it's pretty great because it's pink and I know I look lovely and pink. I think mom did a pretty good job, what do you think?

Finally let regular blogging commence

2010-01-14T18:10:00.000-08:00

Our uncle Rafael finally got mom some good speech to text software so we can start updating again regularly without her hurting moms bad arm or taking forever to type something with just one hand.
I've been going with Mom to physical therapy and this is much harder on her than it was before. We really hope this is good work and make her feel better for right now is making her worse solution lost more use of her good side. The new therapist still doesn't quite understand everything I do and my reactions so sometimes when I'm trying to help Mom stay calm she misunderstands and thinks that I what to play with her but I know I'm not supposed to play when I'm working. Mom has had a couple of attacks but I've called them early enough that she got her medicine in time to only shake a little bit for just a very few minutes.
Mom has also been working on getting a lot of collars made so she can start from one store and start building up her savings again. I like to just sit and watch when she does that may be taken.
Now mom says I need to share with Lola and let Lola tell you about what she's been doing these past few days.
Heellooooo bloggy furends! This iz Lola, most fantastic syster of Dixie the Catahoula! I've been working to take cayre of Mama with Dixie to and also makes her laugh and smiley when she'z feeling bad. Mom is also working on getting someone to help her build some agilitee equipments so we can start practicing. She already has a shoot thingy and a gyant tunnel and I think those are a lot of funs! Mama says she thinks I is going to be a really really good agilitees puppy!
Okay Lola owt!

Wordless Wednesday-How Mom bribed us to get her body pillow back

2010-01-13T13:57:00.000-08:00

Mom is getting crafty and I am branching out in my alerts

2010-01-08T15:46:00.000-08:00

Today Mom had an appointment with her new physical therapist, who had to touch and move all of her bad parts. The therapist said that I was a big help because I know when Mom's pain level is getting too high and I let her know and help her calm down and relax. The physical therapist said that my alerting to Mom's pain level gave her a better idea of what Mom can do than she usually gets from patients! This is what Mom calls another natural alert since she did not teach me to do it, I just did it on my own.
Mom got a sewing machine for Christmas. It is something she can do easily with her good hand and not stress her ouchie parts. She also hopes to eventually sell collars, leashes, beds and maybe even fleece dog jackets to help contribute to my food and vet costs (which my awesome grandparents took over when Mom got sick)She decided since I helped her and the pysical therapist so much that I deserved something special. She made me a brand new collar! She was really surprised at how well it turned out, especially since she was having a bad pain day.

Here I am modeling my new collar. Mom might embroider it with my name or the words Service Dog, she hasn't decided yet.
A close up of the design on it!

You can just call me Teacher Dixie

2010-01-07T08:44:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday Mom, the foster kittens and I went to visit Mom's cousin Laura's Girl Scout Troop. Mom talked about being good, responsible pet owners and about service dogs and what to do if you see one.Mom said I was there to show them what a good service dog does when they are out in public with their owner. Which, when Mom is in one place for a long time, means me laying down and taking a nap! Don't worry though, I am always on alert for Mom's attacks.

After Mo finished her presentation, she took off my backpack and let me be off duty so I could say hello to the girls and get some pets. They were all really nice and gave me lots of pets and let me give them lots of kisses!

The kittens (who still haven't found a forever home!) also came and got to play with the girls too. They had a good time but they were exhausted when we got home and went straight to bed!

As most of you know, I am a Catahoula Leopard Dog/American Pit Bull Terrier. In our area, dogs with square heads and big chests are feared and many people think they will "snap" and eat everyone. Mom says that she wants us to pay it forward to other dogs, so I am an ambassador for my breeds (which I think is a kind of silly title but, hey, if it makes others think differently, I am all for it).
It went very well! The girls listened and learned a lot and asked Mom great questions. Mom will hopefully get to speak at some of the other troops that meet at this church. We both really enjoyed it (Mom was a TA before she got sick and loved teaching her students!).

Wordless Wednesday-Teaching with Mom

2010-01-06T15:02:00.001-08:00

2009 In Review

2009-12-31T12:19:00.000-08:00

(Mom is having a hard time typing right now and is trying to find a speech to text software that will work on the internet so it is easier to get things written)

Wordless Wednesday-Enjoying Mom's Christmas present

2009-12-30T15:52:00.000-08:00

We hope evfurryone had a wonderful Christmas!

2009-12-26T16:06:00.001-08:00

PS Mom is sorry we haven't updated much this week. It was a very hard week for her and the trip to Mayo was a disaster. She has needed both Lola and I to help and comfort her. We will get back to regular posting and commenting this week!

Wordless Wednesday-Perks on the Road

2009-12-23T18:32:00.000-08:00

(Note from Mom: Dixie is very happy that we have a double bed and extra pillows for her in the hotel. We were sharing a single bed at my grandparents and that is not up to her standards)

On the road again! We just can't wait to get on the road again!

2009-12-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

That's right, we are getting ready to travel again. Mom has to go back to the Mayo Clinic place because her pain has spread to her good side and we need to look into more treatment options so she doesn't lose function in her good arm.
Tomorrow we leave for Charleston, SC to visit Mom's grandparents. It is hard for Mom to travel in the car for long periods so it is best to break it up and give her a day to rest. This means we will do an early Christmas with them then leave on the 23rd for Florida.
We will go to Mom's appointment at Mayo on Christmas Eve then we will drive back home to hopefully be able to take part in our big Christmas Eve dinner. We invite friends and family to this every year and it is Mom's favorite part of Christmas.
We will try to blog from the road, but don't know how our internet access will be!

Snow!

2009-12-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

Dixie: As I'm sure you all know, we live in the South. It is usually a warmish and only occasionally wet place. But yesterday a terrible thing happened! That icky cold wet stuff fell from the sky and stuck to the ground :-/
Lola: Dixie the catasillly does NOT know whut she is barking bout. This iz the furst time I has gots to see snows (since I iz only 7.5 monthz owld) and I think it iz one of the most fantasticest fings I have ever seen! It iz eatable and playable anf just playn FUNZ!Dixie: I insisted that Mom put on all of my snow gear (sweatshirt, coat, Muttluks) before I would consent to go out. Even then I was skeptical.

Dixie But Mom and Lola finally convinced me toplay since there was no chance my feet would get all wet and cold and snowy
Lola: The snowz iz AWESOMES! I wuv running and and pwaying in itz!
Lola: Heres evfuryone can see I iz trying to gets Dixie to plays some mores!
Dixie: It is cold. And wet.
Lola: I was vury vury exciteds about the snows and playing in its! Mommy took this grrrate picture of me!
Dixie: So there is our foray in to the arctic outside. Now I am going to try and get warm again (and hopefully stay warm this time) by the fire place.
Lola: I iz going to rests up so I'z ready to play when we go out in the snows again!!

We're Back!

2009-12-17T19:33:00.000-08:00

Mom is done with exams and so now we are able to get back on the computer and start updating and commenting everyone again! We will write a longer update tomorrow once it isn't bed time :-p

Wordless Wednesday-Are you done studying YET?

2009-12-09T19:15:00.000-08:00

Mom is very busy with exam season

2009-12-05T17:17:00.000-08:00

We are very sorry we haven't updated. Last week and this coming week are filled with projects bring due and exams for Mom, so she has been on the computer any time she isn't sleeping. Because she needs to pass her classes, we are letting her hog the computer and taking a break from the blog until she is finished!

Wordless Wednesday-Tandem Sleeping

2009-12-02T09:39:00.001-08:00

Mom is on the mend and our week

2009-11-28T17:25:00.000-08:00

Mom found out that she had a really bad sinus infection that moved into her lungs because she also has severe asthma. She is finally starting to feel better today!
I have had alot of new adventures this week but Mom forgot to pull the camera out (I think she is just very happy to be out of the house and back on her feet).
Last night we went to something called a movie theater. This is the first time Mom has been out to the movies since she got sick and we went to see something called New Moon. Mom didn't think about it until the movie started but the movie has lots of dogish sounding noises and she didn't know how I would feel about that. Silly Mom, she should know not to worry about me when I'm working. I laid down at her feet and slept through the whole thing! Mom was very very proud of me.
Today we went to go buy some Christmas gifts for the family and we went to a place called Macy's. There were these moving stairs called escalators and Mom and Grandmom were worried that I would be scared of it. Now, I have to admit, it was pretty weird to get on stairs and sit and still move but I did fine. I went up and down and everyone was very impressed with me.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Please Vote for Me!

2009-11-27T08:46:00.000-08:00

Click Here To Vote For Dixie!!
I'm entered in Hallmark's Photo Contest and I would love your vote!

Mommy Update from Lola

2009-11-24T19:02:00.000-08:00

Hellloooo bloggy furiends! Thanks you all so much for your thoughts and pray-ers for Mommy. She had the See Tee thingy today and there was no em-bol-isym or newmonia. The doctor people did find somefing called a nodule on her lyung but they sayd for nows, they iz jyust going to monytor it every 6 months to 1 year with a See Tee scayn.
Mommy is still feelyng vury vury sickie and sleeping lots. She iz going back to the doctor person tomorrow to do more tests. Hopefully theys wyll figure owt somefing soon becuz Mommy can't keep much fyood down and she really really wants to eats Thanksgyving dynner
Ok, Lola owt!

Mom is sick again

2009-11-23T16:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry we haven't been commenting or posting for the past week. Mom has been sick and she is having a CT scan tomorrow to see if she has a pulmonary embolism. She lost her voice because her throat hurts and she is feeling crappy and sleeping a lot.
Hopefully the doctors will get this figured out soon so we can get back to commenting on everyone's blogs and posting more.

Wordless Wednesday-Pit bulls are exceptionally cold natured (like their mommas!)

2009-11-18T10:19:00.001-08:00

Mom ate raw and new coats!

2009-11-14T11:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to a place called a Japanese Steak House. I was hoping that meant I would get some steak so I gave Mom my best poor sad puppy face. Unfortunately, I knew that I'm not supposed to eat while I am working so I had to wait until I get home to eat my dinner.
They did bring some steak and set it about 10 inches from my nose. I knew I wasn't supposed to eat it (that would be very bad) so I just kept napping. Mom said she was very very proud of me.

Now here is something I thought was weird: Mom was eating some raw meat (well, fish) too! She said it is something called sushi and it is her most favorite food in the entire world.
Today we went to one of my favorite pet stores, All Pets Considered, to pick up some treats, supplements and cat food for the kittens. They were having a big sale so Mom and Grandmom decided to see if they had a good coat for me to wear when we go to Minnesota and this winter. Mom put this one on and it is warm, water proof and it fits under my pack. I think it looks pretty good too!
Heellllooooo bloggyfurends! It is Lola, most coolest syster of Dixie the cata...yea. Mommy sayd she could not takes me to the doggy store becuz she had to goes to a medycal supplyes store to get a different kind of arm im-o-bil-yzer for her arm and only service doggys can go in that store. She did brings me some new venyson and salmon tureats! And Mommy brought me this thingy called a coat. I gets vury vury cold becuz my furs is not vury thick so Mommy got me some extra furs! She sayd it is a Diva coat. I just knows that it iz nyce and warms!

Sometimes Mom gets silly notions

2009-11-12T09:28:00.001-08:00

Yesterday started out as a fairly normal day. We went out to lunch with Mom's Aunt Kay and my favorite little human. We did some shopping after lunch then Mom said we were going to do something called Christmas Card Pictures.What that really means is Mom dresses up and puts silly collars on us then tries to take pictures of all of us together so we can put one on a card. Here are some of the ones that didn't make the cut (with commentary from both of us)

Dixie: Uh, Lola, that is Karma of the many sharp and pointy appendages. Bad Idea.
Lola: But she started itz! I swur Mommy, she bited me furst!
Dixie: Yea right.
Dixie: I tried to be good and do what Mom said
Lola: But I hadz this most fantastyc toy jingle thingy around my necks! Must. Bitey.
Dixie: Lola. This is a FAMILY GROUP picture. Not Lola as the star picture.
Lola: But I iz a STAR! Looks how gud I poses. Think Top Model will takes me?
Dixie: I could only hope
Karma: Seriously Mom? You suck

Wordless Wednesday-There are No Words

2009-11-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

Most fantastyc new fing

2009-11-07T22:57:00.000-08:00

Today before the people Dixie calls Aunt Jennyfur and Unka Nick came Mommy and Grandmom took me and Dixie on this most fantastyc new fing called a walkie. I waz not so sure at furst because Mommy put on my heady halltur thing (Note from the Mom: While I don't want pit bulls to get a bad image in any way, I have to use a head collar on all dogs I walk simply because and tug on my upper body is very painful. Once Lola has better leash manners, I will put it away, but until then I want to be able to walk my puppy. I know it looks like a muzzle, but it is the best for avoiding unnecessary pain-which is a main focus in my life-while maintaining what independence I can still salavage) and then took me out into the scury thing Mommy and Dixie tell me is a carrrrr. All I knows is that when I waz a lyttle puppy it only tookded me to V-E-T place.
But thys tyme it did not tookded me to the V-E-T place! It tookded me to somefing called a walkies trak. On this walkies track Mommy and Grandmom and Dixie and me got to walkies around the new place and smell all kynds of new fings! And guess what?? Mommy had my leash and let Grandmom walkies Dixie! Thys is a vury exciting fing since Dixie is a working dog and goes on walkies evurywheres with Mommy! It was vury vury funs but it also made me sleepys. When wegot home I tookded a lyttle nappy.
Then thur was a not so fantastyc fing. Mommy took me outsydes and sayd I was gunna meets a new furend. Instead it was avury skury little monster! (Note from the Mom: Said monster was my best friend Jenn's 18ish lb beagle/dachshund/jack russell mix who was very friendly. Ah, the fierce pit bull ::end heavy sarcasm::) I had to jump up in Mommy's not sickie arm to get away frum the monster! Mommy said I was a scurdy cat but I says better to be scurdy cat then monster foods!
Ok, Lola owt!

This week

2009-11-06T13:30:00.000-08:00

This week started when Mom pack up all of our stuff and put me in my seatbelt. She said we were going somewhere called Atlanta in Georgia. We were in the car for a pretty long time (but not as long as when we went to the Mayo CLinic place).

We stopped in a place called South Carolina for a potty break and Mom made me pose in front of this sign.
We got there and met my Mom's great Aunt Ann. She also had a big dog who was very rude and got in my face despite Mom trying to block the dog. I didn't like that so Mom said we were just going to stay apart (I don't like rude dogs very much). I got to see Mom's great Uncle Sam again and I was very excited because he loves dogs. Mom was tired and sore from the car ride so we just had an easy night.
On Tuesday we woke up and got ready to go to the lady Mom was going to see to help her. First we went to a friend of my grandmom's house so she could take us to the place. I met two little dogs there who barked at me a little bit but were much more polite and I liked them. We went to some taco place for the humans to get lunch then went to the lady.
She brought in a little white dog that I made friends with and did something called acupressure massage on Mom. I knew it was hurting Mom so I kept sticking my nose up on the table to tell the lady that Mom was hurting.
We went home and I knew Mom was hurting more than normal. She laid down and I made sure to stay right beside her so nothing happened without me knowing.
Since then, Mom has been worse. She can't use her left hand for anything anymore and she is hurting alot more. She hasn't had any attacks but I have been staying with her all the time to make sure she is ok. That is why I haven't been able to get on my blog.

Helloooooo bloggy furends! It is Lola here, most awesomest syster of Dixie the Catawhatchacallit! While Dixie was travuling with Momma, I had to stays home with Karma, who is my cat syster who I cannot eats or chase or anyfing! As yoo all can sees, I even had to shares Mommy's bed with that tooo fluffer thing!
Ok, Lola owt!

We're still here

2009-11-05T16:28:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I haven't updated much this week but Mom is havinga rough week so I am staying by her side. We hope to do a real update tomorrow!

Halloween

2009-11-01T09:51:00.000-08:00

We went to this thing called Trunk or Treat where all of the humans have the back of their cars open and give candy to all of the little humans who are wearing lots of silly clothes. Mom said the no petting rule was off for the night so I got to makes lots of friends with the little humans.
This little girl was one of my favorites. She came back to see me a lot and she petted me every time!

This is Percy, Mom;s Aunt Kay's puppy. He wouldn't leave me alone the whole night.

This is another one of the little human in silly clothes and face that came to pet me

Here is another little human and a mommy petting meHere is Lola (as a witch), Mom (as a wench) and me as a princess before we went to trunk or treat

Wordless Wednesday-We don't do rain

2009-10-28T12:12:00.001-07:00

New Diet=Very Happy Girls!

2009-10-26T18:42:00.001-07:00

I was going to write this post last week but then the kittens showed up and Mom and I have been very busy taking care of them. She also said I have to let Lola be a guest author more often so she is going to butt in...I mean write too.
I have quite a few allergies and because of that, I can only eat a few kinds of kibble which is very expensive. While Mom will spend any amount on me, she has been researching a better diet since I still wasn't 100% on that food. After much research, she decided that it was time to take the plunge and go to raw feeding. She says this is a biologically appropriate diet for me. I don't know about all that, but I do know that now I am super excited to eat my meal! Mom has had to coax me into eating all of my kibble and I just didn't enjoy it that much (I was eating Wellness CORE Ocean, so it was the high quality, grain free kibble). Now I am very excited to get my food and sit down and crunch the bones and eat the meat. Right now we are only eating chicken quarters to make sure it is an easy transition. I am already less itchy and much happier.
Helloooo evfurone! It is Lola, most awesum pittie bull syster of Dixie the Catasomefing! This new most awesum raw diet is grrrate! Mommy says I have the allurgies too but all I knowed is that my ears would be red and itchies and my skin was the same ways. Now I am a much happyier puppy and I gets to eat most yummie foods that befor I wasn't aspossed too! I'm pretty sure my Mommy is a gud Mommy for this!

(Note from the Mom: I know some people are averse to raw feeding, but I did do quite a bit of research along with what I know from my college Animal Science classes. They will have a very balanced diet that is not only cheaper but much healthier for them than kibble. If you want more info, I would be more than happy to pass on the research I've done!
Edit: Honey is right, right now, the girls diet isn't balanced. Once their stomachs are ok we will add in organ meat, other meats and it will be an overall balanced diet [though not a daily balance like kibble])

Temporary Additions

2009-10-23T22:15:00.000-07:00

The reason I have not updated after Wordless Wednesday. We have some unexpected temporary additions to the house. Mom found 2 3-4 week old kittens by our pool pump and is going to foster them until they are old enough to go to forever homes. I love helping Mom with the babies so I've been helping her keep an eye on them and bathing them. The grey tabby and white kitten is called Zeppelin and the orange tabby and white is Sabian/Lil Debi depending on who you ask (they aren't quite old enough to be sexed for sure).

Crazy little kittens!

Watching out for Zeppelin

You ok there kids?

Smelling the babies

They will be ready for homes in 5 weeks. If you are interested in one of them let me or Mom know!

Wordless Wednesday-Taking care of Mom

2009-10-21T09:59:00.001-07:00

Dory's Smiley Fest 2009

2009-10-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

My friend Dory is having a smiley contest. We are supposed to post a smiley picture and tell the story behind it.

I a smiling because I am enjoying time outside in the sun with Mom! I love being a service dog but I love just hanging out with Mom even more. Mom and I both love being in the sun when it is warm.

Mom says I have to let Lola play too so here is her and her story:Hellooooo Dory! This iz my sooper happy pittie bull smile. I am doing one of my most favoritest thingz which is choowing on a bully stick and that makes me vury vury happies!

Hellloooo Wurld!

2009-10-16T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hello bloggy wurld! I am Lola, most fantastic syster of Dixie the Cata...whatever. Mom has somethin icky called the flew and is not feelin gud (or plain wif me!). Dixie has been takin care of Mommy and helpin her so she hasn't had time to update this bloggy. They are bowth nappin at this momunt so I thought I would be a very nice lil syster and be a "guest awthor" for her.
Sence Mommy has been sickies, I have been tryin to make her laff. I roll my tricksy tweat ball all over and sometimes I even throw it! I think it is tuns of fun when kibbles fly in the air but Mommy is not so sure. I also kiyl stuffies for Mommy and that does make her laff lots.
My grandpa and uncle Andrew have been letting me run on this big thingy cayled a treadmyll. I walk fast but don't go anywhere. Mommy says it makes me less krazie, whatever that mean.
I am being a good doggy tho, I snuggles with Mommy a lot. The only problem is that she has these really scawy things called fleese blankies. They jump on my head and sometimes my whole self and tries to eated me! I cry and Mommy saves me from them.Ok, Lola owt!

Wordless Wednesday-Royalty?

2009-10-14T09:05:00.001-07:00

Sunday Awards Show (like Dennis' but without the annoying smurf)

2009-10-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

First, I got the climbing to the top award from my friend Boots.

You are supposed to pass it on to other top dogs so I give it to Honey because she is doing so well at so many things and Bentley because he is doing so well learning to play nicely with other dogs!

I also got the Happy Harvest award from my friend Buddy Dawg.

This is just a happy award, so I want to give it to Dory because she is a very happy dog and she is having a smiley contest, Dennis because yesterday was his second Gotcha Day anniversary and Princess because she is a very happy pit bull (just like my sister)!

My Aunt Jennifer

2009-10-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

Today my Aunt Jennifer came to visit me and Mom! We were both very very excited to see her! She lived with Mom for 2 years and has known me since Mom adopted me (she actually helped pick me out!).

My Aunt Jennifer is awesome! She gives me loves and hugs and pets and lets me give her kisses! When we lived with her, Aunt Jennifer let me sit in her computer chair (which wasn't very big) with her while she did work. Today she let me sit with her and everything! She even put up with Lola, my little sister, who was being very obnoxious.

We went to a place called Bruster's where Mom and Aunt Jennifer got ice cream. Even though I was working, I got a little bit of vanilla ice cream which was very very yummy! We all went to the TJ Maxx place so they could shop and then we went to dinner with the whole family! After that we came home and hung out until Aunt Jennifer had to go back to her home. Overall it was a wonderful day!

I hope everyone one else had a wonderful day! If you could send up some thoughts and prayers and good happy vibes for my friend Buddy Dawg, that would be awesome. He is having a rough time right now.

Wordless Wednesday-The Stay Game

2009-10-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

Last Mayo Day (sorry it is late)

2009-10-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry I didn't update earlier. Mom had a rough day and then we went to Mom's grandparents' house where there is no internet.

We started Thursday morning with Mom getting a breast ultrasound. It made her hurt so I was very worried about her and on high alert for an attack. Thankfully, she did not have one. The ultrasound was normal which Mom said was very very good since breast cancer runs in her family.

After that, we went to do the standby thing (and Mom sat through this one too!) for a pain medicine doctor. They didn't let her see that doctor, but she also had an appointment with a pain psychologist in the same place. I went in with Mom to this appointment and was happy because he didn't touch her hurt arm.

He told her that she does, in fact, have Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome. They are sending her to a different Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota for a 3 week "pain rehab" program. He also told her that it was unlikely she would get to go back to working at the V.E.T. because it could make it worse again if she gets better. So now Mom wants to be a trainer or behaviorist.

She also found out that I do more for her than she thought. I've always been able to tell when she was going to hurt more (even if she wasn't going to have an attack) and she found out that people train service dogs to do that! She says she is very very lucky to have found me since she says I am a natural CRPS SD!

Doctors today

2009-09-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

TOday after lunch we went to the nice chiro doctor lady who loves me! She did the cold laser thing on my Mom again and then gave her some human supplements to take to help her. It was a pretty quick appointment and then we went to the Mayo Clinic.

Mom saw a breast doctor to make sure there wasn't anything that started there. She messed with Mom's arm alot and made her hurt. Once Mom sat back down, I knew she was about to get an attack and I told her. She took her medicine and only got a little bit shakey but didn't have a full out attack. Mom was very very happy and said I am the Best Dog.

After that we went to Target and then came back to the hotel. Tomorrow Mom has more appointments and tests.

I'm very tired so I am going to bed. Sorry for the short post.

More waiting for Mom, a fort and a not nice beach

2009-09-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

So Mom's tests got cancelled today and her insurance thing won't is giving her doctor problems about getting other tests approved. She got an appointment with a breast doctor who specially asked to see Mom! Her other doctor said he is going to keep trying to get the insurance thing to approve the tests she needs.

After Grandmom did her work (and Mom tried to do her school but couldn't), she said we were going to something called a fort. We got there and the park ranger lady asked about me but she didn't give us any problems or anything. This fort thing had lots of old things and somethings called cannons which Mom said threw big heavy metal balls a really long way. Mom really liked it so that made me happy.

We also went to the beach place. But this beach was NOT a nice beach! The sand was full of broken shells and not very big and the waves almost knocked Mom and me down! I was not a fan so we didn't stay long. Mom says most beaches are like that and we will got to a beach place where the water is gentle not mean.

Mom and I on top of the fort!

Mom and I in front of one of those cannon things

The pretty designs on the cannon that Mom liked

Us on the ocean side of the top of the fort

One of the tower things at the fort

Me and Mom at the mean beach

Me trying very hard to get away from the mean wave

I'm wet!

Mom said I had the ultimate test of my training...

2009-09-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

We went to this place called the Jacksonville Zoo on Sunday. There were a bunch of animals there that I have neither seen nor smelled ever before! When we got there, we had to go to a special window and the zoo lady announced to all the other zoo people that we were there and what my name was and what I looked like. She said we couldn't go in the aviary (because the birds are loose and they don't want me to scare them) or the reptile house. Mom doesn't like how hot and humid the aviary is and Grandmom doesn't like the reptiles so we were ok with that.

Me and Mom in front of a painting of animals

That is a giant kitty! Our kitties at home are the size of that kitty's head!

Those things are called giraffes...they are really tall and their necks and legs are super long.

This silly thing called a monkey was really interested in me and followed us around his kennel

This is me and Mom in front of a fake elephant thing

This is the most annoying bird in the world. It squawked way too loud for me.

This huge thing is called an elephant. Thankfully Mom said it only eats plants.

We saw a lot more animals at the zoo but they didn't bother me. I knew I was working so I ignored them. I also ignored all of the people and small humans who petted me even though Mom said no. Mom said she was very proud of me. After the zoo we went to dinner with some of Mom's friend on the computer board she types on all the time. We all has lots of fun!

Today we had to get up very early to go to Mayo Clinic for Mom to be on standby (whatever that is...she sat the whole time) and I took a nap. They couldn't do their test, so we came back to the new hotel place and Mom and I took a nap. After our nap, we went to the chiro doctor who really likes me. She did some stuff to Mom, but it didn't hurt her, so I was ok. After they were done, we went to some outside stores and then to dinner at a place called Cheesecake Factory. Well, Mom and Grandmom had dinner, I slept on their nice cool floor under the table. When we got up to leave, the waitress lady and the people across the aisle at a table said they didn't know I was there. Mom said that was a very very good thing and that I was a Very Good Dog.

We are in Florida!

2009-09-25T16:56:00.001-07:00

We left kind of early Thursday morning to go to Florida. Mom buckled me in (Mom says everyone has to be safe and secured in the car) and off we went. I took a nap.

I got to drink some water. And napped some more.

I asked Mom to pet me. And napped on her seat back

I woke up and Mom said we were there! It was warmer and it smells different here. Mom says it is because of the ocean (which Mom said I will get to see this week)

I went with Mom to all of her appointments and tests today. It started with a doctor that messed up Mom's arm and made it hurt more. I was really worried about her but I behaved. Then Mom had to let some lady take her blood! I had to stay out in the waiting area with Grandmom and I was very worried since I wasn't there to make sure Mom was ok. We had lunch and then Mom had something called an EKG and and x-ray. Grandmom and I wasn't allowed to go with Mom to those either. It turned out ok and we went back to the hotel to take a nap.

Then we went to another doctor called a chiropractor (whatever that is...) and she did some more tests on Mom that I couldn't stay in. It went ok and she didn't hurt Mom so I liked her much better.

After Mom was done with all of the doctors for today, we came back to the hotel to rest before dinner. We went to Target and Mom and Grandmom got me a new toy because I am being so good.

Wordless Wednesday-per Mom, my new rockstar collar

2009-09-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

We leave on Thursday...

2009-09-20T16:09:00.000-07:00

for that place called Florida! The Mayo Clinic place said they could see her this Friday!

Now, don't get me wrong, I love my job. And Mom doesn't know if her seizure things will go away once they figure her out. But I really want her to be healthy again. We loved going to the dog park and the lake and to coffee with my aunts. I think Lola would really like living there too.

So we are off on an adventure! Mom says I will get to go to the beach for the first time while we are down there. I'm pretty excited about that, since I love water!

Mom says that she is going to have Grandmom take pictures so I can blog about my trip!

6 Little Things That Make Me Happy

2009-09-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

My friend Princess the Pit Bull tagged me to play this game. We have to talk about/show 6 little things that make us happy!

Thing #1: Sleeping in the bed with Mom (cuz I have to make sure she is ok at night)

Thing #2: Playing with pink squeaky toys

Thing #3: Being Mom's service dog and telling her when she has an attack

Thing #4: Playing with my sister Lola (she is a lot bigger now!)

Thing #5: Hanging out by the pool

Thing #6: Playing chase with the other dogs

Now I want to know what Bijou, Paxton, Buddy Dawg, and any one else who wants to play (I am a bit tired and Mom says she needs the computer back!).

Wordless Wednesday (almost late!)

2009-09-16T20:53:00.001-07:00