Avalanche Continues to Amaze Me

Even after living with this beautiful and sensitive Siberian Husky for over 5 years and nursing him after his debiliating spinal cord injury, he still can continue to amaze me. Those of us that really live and love our dogs know how intelligent they are, but it certainly seems that when I have a heart-to-heart talk with this boy, he truly understands. I know years ago a favorite vet of mine shared with me that she felt that bright dogs had the same comprehension as a 3 year old child. Sometimes I feel they might even be brighter than this. I have had the 3 year old child and yes, often my Avalanche acts just like one. He becomes stubborn and single minded and I have to work and manipulate to get him to see things my way; but his ability to remember and apply conversations seems very uncanny. But then again, I haven't had too many opportunities in my life to be as close to a dog as I have been with him.

As an example, he has bonded with me more than my husband since I do more of the care-giving. He has recently started to refuse to go outside in the evening with my husband if he knows that I am not coming out right away to walk him. On nice afternoons, we often let him lie in the shade of a tree in the front yard to see the happenings of the neighborhood. He is such a social animal this is very important to him. Then after a while I will take him for his evening walk which is a slow saunter around the block without leash, shoes, or walkabout (the things he usually has to have on for his morning walks with his dobie brother and sister. I let this be at his pace so he can smell as much as he wants and visit with neighbors, other dogs, etc. Recently he has decided that if I am not available to do this with him, he would rather not even go out. If my husband gets him outside he will hang for awhile but then want back in and wait until I have the time to walk him.

Last night I had to rush off to my son's Back to School Night so I couldn't walk him. He decided to wait and when I walked in the house he got up - ready to go! While we were on our walk I let him know that since it was late we couldn't go that far but that I would make it up to him in the morning and by gosh, he remembered and we had a wonderful 1 1/2 hour walk this morning and he is as happy as a clam! What a great guy!

Where oh where has my little dog gone...

Wow! I can't believe I haven't blogged for almost a month. I guess my life really has been crazy. My puppy girl, Diva went to the vet a few weeks ago and I was shocked to be confronted with the reality that my baby girl has grown up - she is now 80 pounds! Holy cow, now I know why I have no time or money. We have settled into our summer routine which means shorter walks due to the heat and mom usually sleeping in some so we start later.

Avalanche continues to show improvement and a couple of weeks ago, he heard some dogs playing around the corner and he tried to run, scoot, and hobble to get to them. You got to love that guy who always tries to keep up and loves the other dogs. I have taken them to the dog park in Laguna Niguel a couple of times recently and overall they have done pretty good. Avalanche loves the place, but after his injury I avoided it since the one time I took him in his wheelchair - he was not very at ease. Now, he is strong enough to walk around on his own and then he parks himself in a strategic location (by the water dishes) to visit with everyone who comes his way. Diva sometimes needs reminding that she is NOT is charge of the whole place and by simply showing her my pearl whites and licking her on the nose she can settle down and enjoy the day. She likes to chase runners, but doesn't want them to chase her. Go figure - she's a girl!

Home Repair Causes Doggie Disruption

A couple of weeks ago we had the unfortunately experience of having a slab leak in our home. Well, what an experience this has been for our family. At first the cats thought this was very cool, when all of the furniture and items were removed from the room, lots of great stuff to explore and smell. But then, the HazMat team kept coming back and establishing "containment" zones within the house. The icing on the cake was after they had to move out the built in ovens and built in refrigerator which made the normal paths of ingress and egress impossible. The cats were blocked off from their normal eating location and where their litter box is kept. The dogs could not get to their backyard, garage, etc. without a roundabout path that they found extremely confusing. Well, one day of messing with the dogs lives and my dobies started vomiting and have loose stools. By day three, I had just about had it and the containment zone was removed and the loud de-humidifiers were shut off and removed.

The disaster is not yet over but the external stress has been lessened. Dogs and cats are such creatures of habit that this type of problem cannot be explained to them and becomes extremely stressful. Trying to keep two cats and three large dogs out of the way of plumbers, drywalls, general contractors, etc. is practically a full time job. My husband had the right idea and went on a business trip! Oh, well this adventure will keep on growing and we are learning patience (at least the humans in the house).

Avalanche: The Hunter

Even as Avalanche continues to recover from his spinal cord injury, he is so determined to resume his old life. Now that he has some mobility he is trying to get back into his bunny hunting. You should see him trying to scramble through bush trying to catch rabbits. He has bunny on the brain and thinks of nothing other than trying to catch his next rabbit. Good luck my special needs friend!

It is his determination that has gotten him this far, so who knows where he can be in another year!

Watch the Weather With Your Pups

With warmer weather upon is, you really need to remember that your pets can get stressed from the heat. Avalanche, our special needs Siberian Husky definitely slows down on warmer days and enjoys the coolness of our tile floors. Diva and Deon, being Dobermans, with black coats cannot handle the heat either even with a whole lot less fur. My son, not thinking took Diva for a run at 4:30pm the other day while it was still in the upper 80's. Needless to say, the pads on her feet got really sore from the hot pavement, and it took her a long time to cool down. Remember, dogs cannot sweat to cool themselves down. Their only option is to pant to release the carbon dioxide in their bodies, so take it easy with the pups and remember shoes are always on option on those hot days.

Avalanche - Got An Itch and Was Able to Take Care of it Himself

We certainly take things for granted. If we have an itch, we scratch it. Imagine being a dog and not being able to scratch! Well, Avalanche has been in that situation for the past 17 months after recovering from a spinal cord injury. Finally there is some relief for the left side of his body. For the first time since his injury, he was able to connect and actually scratch his own left sided itch. He has learned how to communicate with me when he needs an itch scratched, but I am not with him 24/7 - so the poor guy has to get by. The total look of satisfaction on this dogs face when he was scratching was so awesome. Way to go Avalanche!

Avalanche Keeps On Truckin'

It has now been 17 months since our "special needs" Siberian Husky, Avalanche suffered his spinal cord injury and he continues to make amazing progress. For having been paralyzed from the waist down less than a year and a half ago, he can now walk around the block on his own without any assistance! He sometimes gets going too fast and falls and then often he can get himself back up but sometimes he wants help. He lets me know which way it is going to go. Walking requires a tremendous amount of energy and focus on his part and he often gets excited to see kids or other dogs and just tries to move too fast. Yesterday he headed down the hill and walked all the way into a new neighborhood. I know he headed into this neighborhood because he heard kids out playing. When he was first learning to use his wheelchair or K9 cart this is where he would head. He loves children and the attention he gets from them. He did encounter a big cat in a garage of someone we know. This is one hell of a cat! The cat is very territorial and was stalking my 80 pound dog. Avalanche was so confused! He is used to stalking cats since we have two at home, so he barked at the cat and then tried to play with the cat, but of course, the cat would have nothing to do with this. We were not able to let it play itself out since I had to get my son off to a basketball practice, but it was very funny to watch. We will have to see what he has in store today for his evening walk.

Avalanche Keeping His Eye On Things

Avalanche likes to monitor what is going on with the family. Here he has cruised into the dining room to monitor the family. He really enjoys the newly fought for freedoms he has earned since his spinal cord injury. Being able to move around the house let's him feel more like his old self before he became a "special needs" dog.

Going Away While The Doggies Play

Having a number of pets can create some problems in trying to get away for a vacation. For a long time we had a young woman come into our home and stay, taking care of our 2 cats and 3 dogs. After Avalanche, our Siberian Husky suffered his spinal cord injury, it was impossible to even think about going away for the first eight months or so. Since he does not have bowel control, leaving him at home with someone who has another job to be at all day, just would not work, so I had to start looking when we decided we really needed to get away for a few days.

I then discovered this really awesome place called Paws Pet Resorts here in San Clemente. They have doggie day care and also do boarding. I checked it out with the dogs and then took them to play group for a day. They seemed to have liked it, but how can you tell? I let a week go by and then one day on our daily morning walk I decided to walk in the vicinity of this place to see what they did. Well, a total thumbs up! They all headed straight to Paws. That convinced me and since then they have gone to play group for day care on numerous occasions, and we have boarded them now for the third time. I have told lots of people about this place, since it is really the next best thing to leaving them with a dog sitter.

Some of the dog sitting services are horrible! We had a neighbor who used a service like this and someone would show up for 5 minutes twice a day, and the poor dog barked for the remainder of the time.

It isn't easy having a "special needs" pet, and the staff at Paws treats him wonderfully. My doggie kids are always excited to go and play but when I come to pick them up they are also ready for home. The added benefit is that they are always so exhausted after spending a day or a week there that they (my special needs and older dog in particular) sleep for the next day or two. Diva, my baby was really tired after the last four nights there. Some of their fatigue is due to the strangeness, the noise, the not being at home and anxiety; but alot of their fatigue is the fact that they have been on vacation having their own party. An added benefit is that they have a Webcam, so if you take your laptop, you can watch your doggie kids play.

This is the only place away from home that I have ever left my dogs and we have had dogs for over 20 years. Chris the owner is a wonderful woman and she has employed some fabulously caring staff. Way to go! And it allows you the peace of mind to go away!

Miss Diva On Her 1st Birthday

Here is a photo of Diva after we went shopping for her birthday. She is wearing her new "big girl" collar which my son calls her "rapper bling" jewelry. She also has her new toy "princess" which is in the process of being destroyed. Shopping and a walk on the beach! What a great first birthday.

Avalanche...What a Guy!

Being handicapped as a dog I can definitely see some advantages. Avalanche our almost 5 year old Siberian Husky who is handicapped has become so in-tune with me that it is almost scary. A few days ago while on a walk, Avalanche comes to a stop and starts his talking routine. Rarararararara! Well, what's up guy? He repeats himself this time pointing his nose up in the air and looking up. Well, I look up and there on the street light is a beautiful hawk! Avalanche knows that I love to watch the hawks, so he was letting me know that there was one to watch. He spoke a couple of more times and I praised him and then the hawk got annoyed and took off, so back to our walk. It's strange how he knew there was a hawk up there. He never stops to talk to the crows, or doves or other birds. Dogs can truly be amazing creatures. I just adore this handicapped Siberian Husky...he is such a guy!

What A Guy...Avalanche

Avalanche, our almost 5 year old handicapped Siberian Husky is such a sensitive awesome guy. Last week I had a bad head cold and felt horrible. Rain or shine, in sickness or in health...my dogs go out for their morning walks. Well, I felt bad, but they sick need their morning ritual. Avalanche who often leads the pack (two dobermans, Diva and Deon), what totally awesome; he headed us out in the direction of a simple easy walk that was also very short. For two days, he was the most cooperative, easy going guy. He set the standard for the other two who followed. We had easy short walks, hardly any potty accidents, he cooperated with meals, etc. Come day number 3 when I started to feel better, he was instantly back to his old self. Dogs can be truly amazing creatures that can be so in tune with us, their humans; while maintaining their own doggy lives. I just love that dog, Avalanche you are AWESOME!

THESE ARE THE BOOTS!

These Boots Are Made For Walking...and That's Just What They'll Do

When I was in Las Vegas this past November, I discovered this awesome dog boutique in the shops at the Mandalay Bay Resort, Lush Puppy. It really has some very different items and I found Avalanche, my handicapped Siberian Husky some really fabulous shoes. I have tried other types of dog shoes for his, most of which are the mukluk type. But these boots! They have a hard rubber sole and have a center zipper and a velcro strap around the ankle. They are very easy to put on and take off but they don't have very much padding so I have to use double infant socks that I tape on his fee under the shoes. The shoes are great in that they are letting his toenails grow out since he drags his rear legs. These shoes would also work well for dogs with hip dyplasia since they tend to also drag their rear feet. Nike please take note, Air Nikes for dogs would be awesome!

Miss Diva

Here is a photo of our Miss Diva! We really gave her an appropriate name. She is now 11 months old and continues to raise as much hell as a dobie pup can. This poor couch is really ready for the trash. She plays a game where she jumps onto it against the back pillows with such force that she literally bounces off - flies across the room to where the big dog bed is (a twin mattress on the floor with dog beds on top), then flies back again. When she lands on the dog bed, she will play with either brother that happens to be laying there, either Deon her dobie brother or Avalanche her husky brother. She really doesn't care. When her brothers get tired of her and her tricks, they head out to the garage where their "condos" are for a little peace and quiet. We call her an "equal opportunity terrorizer". When not bothering her brothers or sleeping she is lying in wait for one of our two cats to come into her domain (she is confined to a part of the house via a baby gate).

Dogs Can Be So Sensitive

Recently, my 90 year old mother-in-law was staying with us for about two month until we got her into assisted living. Having three dogs (2 dobies and one husky) plus 2 cats, can keep our house very busy. Well, my mother-in-law is not a cat person (whatever that is) and so the cats avoided her and the area she stayed in the house. Now, who isn't a dog person? Well, even house guests can be too much for the mildest of dogs. Over the past couple of weeks I have been noticing how the dogs want out into the garage for more and more time. Even my handicapped dog, Avalanche wanted out of the house. She is now gone and what a difference it makes for the animals. They could pick up on her negative energy and were cranky like the humans that also live in this house. It is like a deep dark winter has turned into a fabulous spring.

It was hard managing an older person with a puppy. Our floor is always cluttered with dog toys and chewy items. Besides, having a handicapped dog, there can always be accidents left on the floor. One morning she did manage to step right in the middle of a nice big pile. You would think a persons nose could detect something amiss. We were always worried of her falling and breaking a hip or something. Having a puppy who literally flies through the air with the greatest of ease along with a 90 year old is an interesting combination. Our puppy, Diva loves to jump over the arm of the couch and land right in the middle of the couch to start playing. Up until the last day our Mary was here, we had to remind her that it was dangerous to sit on that end of the couch. I really think it might have been easier to train my puppy versus my mother-in-law.

Our house is now back to its normal crazy dog and cat oriented self and it feels so good to have a long term house guest gone. Having pets helps minimize the stresses of life, but some stresses are too great to overcome with pets along.

Diva As A Pup Playing With Her Handicapped Big Brother

They continue to play very well together. Diva quickly learned what Avalanche could and could not do and so she takes advantage of his handicapp frequently. Avalanche remains quick on the front end and he plays ruthless! It is hard for her to hurt him with her mouth since his fur is so thick. However, if he happens to snag one of her ears or nips her for real, she cries like the biggest baby! She is now probably almost the same size and weight, but she jumps on his back and grabs onto the back of his neck and with his backend not working very well, she definitely has the advantage.

Siberian Husky: Avalanche

This is my handicapped Siberian Husky, Avalanche. He is almost 5 years old and what a sweet heart. It is amazing how well he has learned to communicate his needs since his spinal cord injury. He remains a true husky, being extremely independent and with a strong free-will. The other day I had to get to work and he knew I was running late so he walked slower than slow. Since he needs help walking, I thought that I could try to pull him along. Oh no! The more I tried to speed him up, the slower he walked.

Shoes for Handicapped Dogs

I am still searching for a soft but durable shoe that my Siberian Husky, Avalanche can wear on his two back feet while out on his daily walks. Avalanche suffered a spinal cord injury back in November 2005 which left him paralyzed from the waist down. He has improved to where he can walk to some extent on his own, however, his right leg still drags and his body mechanics are poor so his left foot wears his pads down to where they get sore and bloody if not protected. I have been buying infant socks and taping them on his rear legs for our daily walks, however, like today, he wore through triple socks on each foot, that is 3 pairs of socks a day! The hard sole dog shoes don't work because his right foot doesn't get to move in them and they get twisted, fall off, etc. The soft sole dog shoes he can wear holes in them in a day or two and that gets expensive. Any ideas? If I take the time to wrap a double infant sock in duct tape across the top, it does extend the life, but it takes time to do this. Avalanche spent the first year of his rehab in a K-9 cart or dog wheelchair. He doesn't like to use his wheelchair anymore and he needs to continue to build the strength and flexibility in his rear legs. In the meantime I am getting an awesome bicep muscle on my right arm by helping to hold up his backend for our 2 mile daily walks. There is a fantastic product on the market for dogs with rear end problems such as hip dyplasia, it is called a "walkabout". It is made of a neoprene type material that you slip each rear leg into leg holes, then you pull each side up over his back end, where it attaches with velcro as well as clips. The whole contraption has two handles, one over each hip. This product literally saved our backs and provided so much help in moving our handicapped dog around especially during the first few months of his rehab. The "walkabout" is machine washable, and I have two of them, in case of poop accidents. We found these products on a website and the people behind the website were so amazing and helpful. If you need specialty dog products for handicapped pets, they have some amazing things. Our biggest problem is that our Siberian Husky is 75 pounds. Not as many products for large dogs as the smaller ones.

Dobies Can Be Personally Dangerous

As if I can't learn from past experience, another female dobie gave me another black eye. Years ago, I should have learned from my first female dobie black eye. That was received while I was trying to give her a big hug and love. Their darn heads are so hard and they are so jumpy. That girl, delila just got excited and decided to jump while I was leaning over her. Last week, while reaching over to give my handicapped Siberian Husky Avalanche a morning love, Diva, my latest and greatest baby dobie girl; could not resist ducking under my arm and fly over the end of the couch since my attention was with Avalanche. Well, her head and my eye connected and I am the one who came up short. Diva actually slowed down for about 21/2 seconds while I went running to the freezer for some ice. As I nursed a swollen and bruised eye, I realized that it is only my baby girl dobies that have been personally dangerous to my face.

A Run In With A Coyote Walking the Trails of San Clemente

Wow, we had a run in with a coyote this past Saturday that was freaky! I have walked all over with my dogs and have usually found that once they start barking at coyotes, they usually take off. I was walking with my 10 month old doberman, Diva, heading home after 4 miles of trails over the hills in Talega of San Clemente. We had come off the Talega golf course on a short-cut home when Diva, started to go crazy. Up ahead was a nice healthy coyote, that really looked more like a German Shepherd. His coat was more black than I have seen before and he was easily 60+ pounds. At first as Diva was barking at him, he started to take off, then he turned around and took a stand. I automatically looked for a rock to throw and all I could find were pebbles. Diva was going crazy barking and pulling on the leash, so I decided to go for it and we took off running towards the coyote who was about 20 feet ahead of us. As we charged him, he took off. There was a bend in the path and he must have ducked into the brush because as we hit the bend, we lost sight of him. Then the creepy part happened, we had no idea where he was or if there were more hidden in the bush. So Diva and I ran up the trail stopping every few yards, turning around to make a stand so it didn't look like we were dinner running away. It was one of those experiences that leave your heart beating fast and furious. Great walk with a favorite puppy dog on a beautiful day in Talega.

Packs - Dogs, Wolves, and Human

As I watch our dog with a disability, Avalanche continue to make progress over the past year; it seems that his desire to remain a member of his "pack" is crucial to his persistence and preseverance. He wants and really needs to belong to his pack and as such continues to push himself to remain a part of the pack. For awhile I was trying to sneak off in the morning with our puppy, Diva to do a long walk with her first before walking the boys. He caught on to this strategy very quickly and now positions himself either by the door, so I can't get Diva out without going past him, or he acts like he needs to go out and then positions himself in the garage so I couldn't possibly walk one dog without him.

In the wild, he would have been left for dead with his paralysis; but since he belongs to a human pack as well, he has learned to work both packs for his own benefit. My husband and son have been having difficulty getting him to eat his dinner. They take it to him and try to get him interested and when he ignores them or gets up and leaves where they are, they get frustrated and don't want to be responsible for feeding him. He needs his dinner to be a part of his social interaction. If you sit with him, talk, and scratch his face; he feels that he is a part of his family and then he will play the eating game. Without the interaction or you could call it foreplay, he becomes extremely stubborn. This is the only dog, we have ever had that you have to work at feeding. My dobermans have always been waiting for dinner; while this Husky needs mealtime to also be playtime.

As you start to think about packs of animals such as wolves, you realize that our children also belong to their own packs. Even as adults we have our social order and packs that we operate under. We might change the name to "peer group" or social group, but the reality is that these really are our packs, and the behavior we exhibit when we are in our pack; is dictated by a hierachy of social order. This even fits into what I am experiencing with my female doberman, Diva. She is intent on protecting me. A friendly lab gave me a big sloppy kiss this morning, and she growled at him. She gets upset if I am "too" friendly with dogs we meet out on our walks. She expects me to growl and bristle like she does while she is assessing the situation. I certainly hope as she matures, she is able to mellow, since when she is with her "pack", she is far more aggressive than when she is doing a solo walk. As I say her brothers make her a crazy bitch! What a perfect word for a female dog! But that will have to be another topic for another day of blogging.

Keeping A Dobie Pup Busy - The Secret to Sanity

Getting a puppy enough exercise to keep them too tired to destroy your house is a key ingredient in maintaining sanity while preserving your home. This weekend I walked our doberman pup who is almost 10 months old twice on both Saturday and Sunday and what a difference it makes in her behavior. Saturday, she did a brief mile or so with her brothers (Deon an 8 year old male doberman and Avalanche, a 41/2 year old Siberian Husky) and then did another 4 mile hike with my son and myself and she was pooped when we got home. The wonderful thing is that it lasted through the evening. Then again today, she walked with her brothers for about 2 to 21/2 miles and then I took her down to the beach to do the beach trail in San Clemente. We walked from North Beach down to T-Street and then back. Of course she had to bark at all of the bicycles that went by and the other passing dogs, but overall she had a great time. For Diva, any new walk or experience heightens her anxiety level which also increases her level of fatigue. She has been so mellow this evening that she is a total delight. I just need to find a way that I can spend two to three hours a day just walking my dogs. Diva has been destructive in the past with a hole in the wall of our family room. Holes in the cushions of the sofa. The skirt ripped off a chair. Besides assorted chewing on tables, chairs, benches, etc. You cannot have a perfect house and dogs. That is if the dogs truly belong to the family and live with the family. People who say they have dogs but make them live outside, really do not have dogs. I don't make my son live outside so why would I have my dogs live outside? They are all a part of our family. We call them "doggie kids," "kitty kids", and then just "kids". Either way they all beat up a home, but if you can keep them tired, the damage is minimized.

Dogs With Disabilities Special Product Needs

Having a dog with a specific disability can be extremely frustrating in finding products to meet very specific needs. Our Siberian Husky, Avalanche suffered a spinal cord injury a little over a year ago. He has made amazing progress and is now walking. The problem is that his right leg drags and therefore his nails drag and are worn down to where they bleed. His left leg is not bearing weight correctly and therefore he has one pad that is worn down to where it bleeds. I have tried a variety of dog shoes, but either they don't work very well, or he can wear out a pair in one 2-3 mile walk. I have been using infant human socks taped onto his leg with adhesive tape, but with the distance he is now walking he can wear out three socks per foot on one walk. That's three pairs of socks a day. Any ideas?

When You Need A Good Laugh

This evening as I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, Diva, my 9 month old doberman, was "helping" as usual. As I put the dishes in the dishwasher, she checks to make sure I didn't leave any good licks. Since we had Lobster Gram for dinner, the dishes were particularly good. Anyway, her license tag gets caught in the bottom dishwasher rack and when we went to move, she was stuck to the rack. Well, being a cool calm and collected doberman, she panicked and took off running out of the kitchen with the dishwasher rack stuck to her tag on her collar. The rack had plates, dinner plates, and bowls all loaded and she managed to get about 15 feet away dragging the rack before her tag finally let loose and all went tumbling to the floor. She was so scared that she went to hide on the couch in the family room and when I went to her she was shaking like a leaf. Poor little girl! Her new trauma is the dishwasher, and she used to get so much pleasure from cleaning the dishes. Amazingly, nothing got broken! I found a wheel to the cart rolling across the floor, but not a single broken dish. I just wish I could have gotten a photo of it. Her brothers had to investigate after she created such a mess and huge noise, but found that she had already completed the cleaning of the dishes to the best of a dogs ability. What would like be without a dog to keep you smiling?

My Marketing Team

The following photo was taken of me with my three best friends, Avalanche, Diva, and Deon at the San Clemente Pier this past September. Diva, my baby girl was getting tired of the photo shoot, and decided to take matters into her own hands, or should I say paws and make it a true family photo. My 13-year old son, was busy shaking a bag of doggie treats to keep their attention. This is the photo I use on my business cards, since so many people know me by my dogs. My dogs, my life, my business - real estate. These guys are my marketing team! If it was up to Avalanche, I would spend my days standing around on busy street corners waiting for strangers to compliment him and give him a good ear scratch. That I think is one of the hardest parts for Avalanche in being handicapped. Since his spinal cord injury, he still does not have complete control over his back legs, and therefore it has been over a year since he has been able to scratch himself. That is a total bummer for a dog! He can look at you and let you know which side needs a good scratch, so this is now my job, or the job of complete and total strangers that he solicits. He is so sweet and kind and gentle...that even small children are taken with him. The fact that he is drop-dead beautiful also helps. Besides, he knows he is gorgeous and has the attitude that goes with it. What a wonderful life...a nice morning walk, a breakfast treat, and then a morning and afternoon of naps. Followed by another walk, dinner, more evening naps then bedtime to start the day all over again. If there is reincarnation, I would love to come back as a dog in my own house...what a life!

My Dogs: Avalanche, Diva and Deon

My Dogs, My Sanity!

The wonderful thing about having dogs in your life is the bit of sanity they can create in a crazy out of control world. My guys, Deon, an 8 year old male doberman, Diva, a nine month old female doberman, and Avalanche our 41/2 year old handicapped Siberian Husky are my daily bit of sanity in my world. We walk every morning and I really don't know how I would get through my day if I didn't have this little bit of peace in my world. Dogs, just love you. They don't talk back, they really don't complain, and an encouraging word and a big hug or scratch is all they need to feel good. I guess this is why they are now using dogs as companions for critically ill children as well as seniors in retirement and nursing homes. I love my cats, and I feel that they help keep the dogs in balance, but my dogs are my mental health. Life without dogs would be life without purpose. I know my guys are completely and totally spoiled and I would endulge them more if I could afford it. They are just wonderful creatures of habit that they can really keep you on track. My little female, Diva, thinks I need managing and always needs to "help" me prepare her dinner. She has developed this new game with our two cats, Pawsz and Kenya. The cats eat and have their litter box in the laundry room next to the kitchen. They have to pass all the way through the kitchen to reach their destination. The game begins when they want to leave the laundry room. Diva sits patiently next to the laundry room waiting until they decide to make the crazy break and run through the kitchen to make a sharp left turn, over the baby gate and into the freedom of the remainder of the house. At first I thought that Diva was terrorizing the cats, but then after taking the time to watch this "game". The cats won't leave unless Diva remains in her position to go. The cats always win, since they have a lower center of gravity and can bank into the left turn with ease. Diva, doesn't give up. She will sit and wait for a half hour, until they one by one go for it. I should try to film it, since it is really quite funny. What simple pleasures pets can bring into your lives.