Tag Archive for dogs

Runnin’ on caffeine when you’re runnin’ on empty

January 17, 2010 dogs, nutrition, survivorship 3 comments
Cup of Caribou Coffee
Image via Wikipedia

I keep telling myself that I was younger then. And I was, ten years ago when I routinely showed my dogs two weekends (and sometimes three weekends) in a row. I also drove further and toted more weight for more creatures (a gordon setter, an english springer spaniel and an english cocker spaniel.)

Ten years ago was before an intracerebral hemorrhage and a cancer diagnosis. But this year, I spent the second and third weekends of January showing my dog – last weekend three days at American Spaniel Club in Valley Forge PA, and this weekend two days in one of the snow capitals of New York state – Hamburg. I rode with my friend Deb Bain down to Philly, but I drove myself to Hamburg.

Showing two weekends in a row was revisiting my old normal – but I had to reinterpret the old-normal dog show weekend with a five-hour nap on Saturday afternoon. I was able to touch base with old friends: Casey’s breeder Mary Frances, who hadn’t seen the old man for awhile and had a happy reunion with the old guy; Bard and Reu’s breeders Ken and Pat, who have a beautiful new gordon boy from the Pacific Northwest. I shopped, and found a made-in-NY pair of hand-crafted fleece glove-mittens. I watched dogs, caught up on my reading in the motel (the TV didn’t work…) and met a couple with an Old English Sheepdog special who were amazed that my traveling menagerie included Churro the cat.

I managed to get all the way home today and only had to stop once – but I owe it all to pounding a Burger King Mocha Joe and a Dunkin’ Donuts whole milk latte with a double-shot of expresso, both in less than two hours. I’m trying not to obsess about the fatigue, but I’m still concerned that I slept full nights on Friday and Saturday (nine hours,) and grabbed an extra five hours’ nap on Saturday afternoon…and right now, I could fall asleep with 5 minutes’ notice. Persistent, excessive fatigue is a sign of something wrong, a cancer marker. Part of me says that worrying about the fatigue is listening for cancer cells to grow. Part of me says that I’m worried for now reason.

It doesn’t matter how many clean scans you have, if you have even one cancer marker sneaking in to upset your serenity. Here’s to running on caffeine.

How do you keep going when you run out of steam? Do you use (or abuse) caffeine to get through your day?

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Why I get up at 5:30 a.m. & still can’t get to work before 10

December 28, 2009 life 4 comments

Have I mentioned lately that I hate Mondays?

Up at 5:30. Fifteen minutes of yoga stretches, 45 minutes of writing before Casey woke up (well, M. woke up but I told her to go back to sleep, and she’s still young enough to respect that.) Got dogs out by 7 a.m., noticed that the wind was picking up and the snow – the wet, sticky kind that turns coated dogs with furnishings into Michelin Man lookalikes – was starting to accumulate. Noticed that no one had plowed, or shoveled. So far, on schedule and on time.

Back indoors, dry off dogs and give them their talk-time while the hot water heater comes up to temperature. Dogs back in kennels; it’s Churro (the cat) time, but oops – need to go out to the car to bring in the new bag of cat litter. Noticed as I picked it up that the bag had a 10″ slit in the front. Carefully carried the split bag into the house, losing only a small bit when I tried (and failed) to brace the screen door open with one foot. Swheatscoop is the best cat litter I’ve ever used, but it’s not cheap, and both dogs think it’s edible. So I used a spare food scoop to transfer most of the cat litter to a dog-proof plastic container, losing another small bit because I over-filled the funnel. Carefully cleaned up the mess. Finished cat-litter changing. Delay in morning to deal with split bag of cat litter: 20 minutes. It’s now 7:45. Oops.

Make breakfast protein shake, take vitamins, check purse and briefcase. Switch travel mug full of protein shake from left hand to right hand to unzip brief case – and separate travel mug from not-quite-secure top. Protein shake splatters down the side of briefcase (thank the goddess for wet-suit material briefcases!), pooling inside the open pockets of my purse and on the fleece throw covering the right side of my couch. There are not enough paper towels in the house to contain 12 ounces of chocolate-coffee-kefir protein shake. Swab off briefcase and check company laptop inside (dry – whew!) Take throw off couch, empty contents of purse (luckily it’s a nylon Healthy Back Bag – wash ‘n wear.) Fill a second purse with the contents, drain the nearly empty travel mug. Delay in morning for unexpected clean-up: 30 minutes. It’s now almost 8:30. I should have been showered and on my way out of the house by now. Oops.

Carry shake-decorated purse and throw upstairs to toss in laundry – where I realize that I forgot to empty the washer into the dryer last night. Move now-damp clothes onto hangers to dry; put the laundry-to-be on top of the washer to deal with tonight. Shower, wash hair, get dressed. Delay to hang yesterday’s laundry: 10 minutes.

Walk outside, and discover we’ve accumulated three inches of snow since 7 a.m. Still no shovelers in sight (or plows, either, but that’s next paragraph’s delay.) Snow has begun drifting and blowing, so must brush off the car which lives in a carport (gotta love winter!) Delay to brush off car: 5 minutes (at least I got to take my new(est) snow brush for a test run.

Get on the road by 9:10 a.m. Discover that nothing has been plowed, visibility is about 300 yeards, and there is a plow STUCK on W. Genesee Street (at least I’m having a better day than that guy!) Have fun playing with the variable shift on the Jeep, which does come in really handy on mornings like this. Remember how much I like front wheel drive. Say a silent thank-you to the goddess who advised me that four-wheel-drive was a good trade-off for automatic windows (yes, I bought a brand new Jeep in August that has roly-uppy-windows…roly-uppy-windows vs. four-wheel-drive in Central New York is an ‘are you serious?’ question.) Drive to work – all elevated unplowed highway and bridges, all with frozen mucky sludge in all but one lane. Top speed, 50 mph. Glad I’ve got a good radio in the Jeep. Normal 20 minute ride takes nearly 45 minutes.

Total delays this Monday: one hour, 25 minutes (which some people insist on writing 1:25 hrs., so there you go.) Time arrived at work: 9:58 a.m. Number of people actually AT work this Monday after Christmas – 10 out of 130. Number of people who care that I am late: Zero. None. No one.

I could have worked from home.

Have I mentioned lately how much I hate Mondays?

Traveling light – Flying with dogs

July 8, 2009 dogs, travel No comments

I like to travel light…and when I fly, it’s a 20″ rolling carry-on that really IS 20″h x 13″w x 9″d, including the wheels, and a small (15x10x6″) backpack from eBags. My carryon fits in most overhead bins, even on small jets, and my backpack fits easily under the seat. In fact, on some planes, even my carry-on fits under the seat in front of me.

But I don’t have the same issues traveling light that hair stylist Sally Hershberger faces, and recounted today to a NYTimes interviewer. her “carry-on” is a dog-carrier for her Miniature Pinscher Cherry Ann, and Cherry Ann is an escape artist.
Sally Hershberger & her traveling Min-Pin

I’ve considered taking Madison aboard with me–she’s small enough to fit into one of the new soft pet carriers that fits under an airline seat, even though she’s an English Cocker. She can curl up into an amazingly small space, and fits nicely into a #100 Varikennel; an airline pet-carrier would be no problem.

But she CAN howl. It’s excruciating to hear. And once started, I can’t make her stop; she has to howl it out.
Hmm.
Maybe I should rethink it before I ever make M. a carry-on dog.
Meanwhile, I hope Hershberger’s new pet carry-on is a little more Cherry Ann-proof.
Happy travels!

The new 1st dog–and the public's right to comment

April 16, 2009 dogs, pets 2 comments

Portugese Water DogImage by mrs.McD via Flickr

The furor over Bo, the Portugese Water Dog puppy who has moved into the White House, continues in dog blogs across the internet. I read a number of dog blogs, but I’ve only permitted myself to comment on a couple, including Horst Hoefinger’s posts at Dogster’s For the Love of Dogs blog.

Yesterday, Hoefinger posted:

“However, when President, then Senator, Obama made the decision to announce at a public news conference that the family was looking at shelters it changes everything. Their private decision was no longer private, they invited the public in.”

The craziness of this statement takes everything I learned in journalism about public figures and the rights of the public and turns it on its ear. When I learned those things, the idea that the PUBLIC had a right-to-know was much more narrowly drawn than it is today–and the idea that the public had a right to vote on personal actions of public figures didn’t even come up. Public opinion was important–but not definitive. Public figures could still preserve SOME privacy regarding solely private affairs. Hoefinger’s post prompted my comment:

“Huh? How exactly? If the situation were reversed, would YOU let total strangers force your hand or narrow your choices in this decision? Would this furor even be happening if he’d promised the kids a gerbil or a goldfish?

“The US President is a public figure–which makes the public privy to a lot of stuff they normally wouldn’t know about the guy. Still, just because we are treated to a day-by-day of a lot of his moves doesn’t give us counselor status. Just because a public figure discusses a decision his family is considering does NOT ‘invite the public in’ to the decision-making process. We don’t get to vote on where he sends his kids to school, which color ties he picks…or what kind of family pet they choose and where that pet comes from.

“How incredibly presumptuous to think that public interest groups should even be invited into the discussion, much less that the president should listen to the viewpoints of thousands of strangers with their own agendas above the interests, needs and preferences of his own family regarding their family pet!”

In the previous day’s blog, Hoefinger’s post and the comments it generated (mainly) expressed their angst that the Obamas didn’t select a shelter pet. But I’d like to highlight here one of the smartest comments I’ve seen about the entire discussion, from a person I’ve never met who signed herself PoundHoundMom. This comment was so sane that I’m going to quote it:

“My first dog was named Bo and I got him at a shelter. I loved him dearly and have missed him every day for nearly 4 years.

“That said … come on people, get over this Obama should have gotten a shelter dog. He promised his **daughters** a dog, not the entire country. This is a personal decision and for crying out loud, he’s the president of the United States. Exactly when is he supposed to go to a pound and pick out a dog? And think about it … even if he did choose shelter dog, can you imagine the people who would crawl out of the woodwork with lame ass stories about how it’s their dog?

“People, a dog has a home. Two little girls have their wish. Perhaps they will have many dogs in their lifetime and perhaps they’ll adopt from a shelter.

“But for now, two kids and a dog have begun a wonderful life together. Don’t take it away from them with stupid talk about how disappointed you are that the president didn’t adopt from a shelter.”

He promised his daughters a dog, not the entire country. Man, I wish I’d said that! Very well done, PoundHoundMom.

For those who can’t tell the difference–there are bits of info we receive each day which are FYIs, little things which we can use or disregard in our daily life but over which we have no decision-control-power. They will happen as noted without our input. There are also bits of info we receive which will not progress to the next stage unless we do something–vote, express an opinion, take action. When I shared with my parents that I’d bought a new car, I was giving them information so that they’d recognize me when I drove up in a green VW 412 instead of an old blue Monte Carlo. I wasn’t asking them what they thought about VWs, 412s, or even whether I should buy a new car–I was merely giving them a bit of FYI about something that was going to happen regardless of their input.

President Obama was giving us all little FYIs in his announcements and updates about the choice of the family pet–this was something that was going to happen. It was not notice-of-need/right-to-vote, or even notice to express an opinion. Sure, the public expresses its opinions, all the time. But there’s simply no right-to-vote–or even a legal right-to-comment–granted by the US Constitution regarding every little thing our President does, including his family’s choice of a pet.

A blog? Well, that’s different. We write, we put our bits of opinion and info out there, and if comments are permitted to the blog, then we’re INVITING comment. So if Barack Obama blogged about his family’s pet considerations, and asked for input, things would be different. Since I’m blogging about this, you’re more than welcome to comment on *my* thoughts–as long as you’re willing to leave your name and stand up for your opinions (no anonymous comments, please.)

It’s high time we remember that an FYI from a public figure isn’t an automatic invitation to comment on their actions, express our opinions or expect that we get a vote.

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All content in “Gaelen’s Cafe: Life Out Loud” (c) by Patricia. A. Steer.
May not be reprinted without written permission of the author.

NY State Assembly puts anti-tail docking amendment on its agenda

April 4, 2009 canine legislation, dogs, pets No comments

Anti-tail docking legislation comes and goes in NY state; this year, it looks like the NY Assembly reps who want to attempt to pass this legislation have begun early and are making some headway.

The amendment currently in committee in the NY State Assembly is A07218, or Amd S365-a to the NY Agriculture and Markets Act. The
summary of A07218 and
full text of the amendment can be found at the NY State Assembly website. The amendment will make it a misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine to dock the tails of dogs except by a licensed veterinarian, for medical or health reasons.

From the summary for the amendment:
“SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section 1. The agriculture and marketslaw is amended by adding a new section 365-a: Any person who cuts thetail of a dog for reasons other than to protect the life or health ofthe animal is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not morethan five hundred dollars. Any person who shows or exhibits a dog whosetail has been docked or altered, at a show or other exhibition, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable as above. Any dog owner who is injuredor damaged by a violation of these provisions may institute a privateright of action in the supreme court of this state, to obtain redressfor such injury or violation. The provisions shall not apply to any dogor person who is the owner of any dog whose tail has been certified asdocked, cut or altered prior to August 1, 2009.”

However, the language of this bill falls short in several areas.
– it does not describe how an owner is to be ‘certified’ that his dog’s tail was appropriate docked prior to the effective date of the amendment
– it places the burden of proof that the dog’s tail was appropriately docked on the person in possession of the dog; instead, the burden of proof should rest on the state to show that the dog was INappropriately tail-docked. Effectively, owners of dogs with docked tails are, under this amendment, guilty until they prove themselves innocent.
– the language is unclear whether the proposed $500 fine is for each occurrence, or for every dog with a docked tail found in the person’s possession

In the summary, the authors/sponsors of the bill list fiscal impact on the state as ‘none.’ However, this bill will dramatically affect people who come into the state of NY (and spend money in the communities they visit) to show and exhibit and trial their dogs in conformation, obedience, agility, tracking, terrier trial and field events. Whether you have an opinion about the appropriateness of tail-docking or not, this restriction has the potential to seriously impact tourist and visitor revenue in those communities state-wide who host dog show and trial competitions.

Responsible pet owners and dog fanciers should express their opposition to this amendment directly to the members of the NY State Assembly Agriculture committee (contact information below.) Put “Oppose A07218” in the subject line of any emails you send to the committee members, or write those words on the envelope of any hard-copy communication you direct to the committee members. Remember–be direct, stay on point, and stand up for your dogs and your right to provide safe and informed care to them.

In order to directly contact a NY State Senator or State Assemblyperson on the Agriculture committees, check your representation on this list of committee members taken from the American Dog Owners Association site:

NY State Assembly Agriculture Committee – 2009
Committee Chair – William Magee
Assembly District – 111th
Counties Represented – Madison, Oneida, Otsego
Albany Office – LOB 828
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5807
E-Mail – MageeW@assembly.state.ny.us

Marc Alessi
Assembly District – 1st
Counties Represented – Suffolk
Albany Office – LOB 419
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455 -5294
E-Mail – AlessiM@assembly.state.ny.us

George Amedor
Assembly District – 105th
Counties Represented – Montgomery, Schenedtady
Albany Office – LOB 426
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5197
E-Mail – AmedorG@assembly.state.ny.us

Michael Benedetto
Assembly District – 82nd
Counties Represented – Bronx
Albany Office – LOB 919
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5296
E-Mail – BenedeM@assembly.state.ny.us

Marc W. Butler
Assembly District – 117th
Counties Represented – Otsego, Herkimer, Fulton
Albany Office – LOB 318
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5393
E-Mail – ButlerM@assembly.state.ny.us

Clifford W. Crouch
Assembly District – 107th
Counties Represented – Chenango, Broome, Delaware, Ulster
Albany Office – LOB 450
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5741
E-Mail – CrouchC@assembly.state.ny.us

Francine Delmonte
Assembly District – 138th
Counties Represented – Niagara
Albany Office – LOB 553
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5284
E-Mail – DelMonF@assembly.state.ny.us

RoAnn M. Destito
Assembly District – 116th
Counties Represented – Oneida
Albany Office – LOB 621
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5454
E-Mail – DestitR@assembly.state.ny.us

Gary D. Finch
Assembly District – 123rd
Counties Represented – Broome, Tioga, Chenango, Cayuga, Cortland
Albany Office – LOB 320
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5878
E-Mail – FinchG@assembly.state.ny.us

Tim Gordon
Assembly District – 108th
Counties Represented – Columbia, Rensselaer, Greene, Albany
Albany Office – LOB 529
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5777
E-Mail – GordonT@assembly.state.ny.us

Aileen M. Gunther
Assembly District – 98th
Counties Represented – Orange, Sullivan
Albany Office – LOB 435
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455- 5355
E-Mail – GunthA@assembly.state.ny.us

Stephen Hawley
Assembly District – 139th
Counties Represented – Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Monroe
Albany Office – LOB 531
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5811
E-Mail – HawleyS@assembly.state.ny.us

Barbara Lifton
Assembly District – 139th
Counties Represented – Cortland, Tompkins
Albany Office – LOB 555
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5444
E-Mail – LiftonB@assembly.state.ny.us

Peter D. Lopez
Assembly District – 127th
Counties Represented – Greene, Otsego, Delaware, Schoharie, Ulster, Columbia, Chenango
Albany Office – LOB 429
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5363
E-Mail – LopezP@assembly.stat
e.ny.us

Alan Maisel
Assembly District – 59th
Counties Represented – Kings
Albany Office – LOB 528
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5211
E-Mail – MaiselA@assembly.state.ny.us

Margaret M. Markey
Assembly District – 30th
Counties Represented – Queens
Albany Office – LOB 654
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-4755
E-Mail – MarkeyM@assembly.state.ny.us

John J. McEneny
Assembly District – 104th
Counties Represented – Albany
Albany Office – LOB 648
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-4178
E-Mail – McEnenJ@assembly.state.ny.us

Bob Reilly
Assembly District – 109th
Counties Represented – Albany, Saratoga
Albany Office – LOB 452
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5931
E-Mail – ReillyR@assembly.state.ny.us

Peter M. Rivera
Assembly District – 76th
Counties Represented – Bronx
Albany Office – LOB 826
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5102
E-Mail – RiveraP@assembly.state.ny.us

Linda B. Rosenthal
Assembly District – 67th
Counties Represented – New York

NEW YORK STATE SENATE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE
Darrel Aubertine – Chairman – email: aubertin@senate.state.ny.us
William Stachowski – stachows@senate.state.ny.us
Catharine Young – does not appear to have email – Albany fax is (518) 426-6905
Velmanette Montgomery – montgome@senate.state.ny.us
Neil Breslin – breslin@senate.state.ny.us
David Valesky – valesky@senate.state.ny.us
James Seward – does not appear to have email or a fax!
George Winner – does not appear to have email – Albany fax is (518) 426-6976
Michael Ranzenhofer – does not appear to have email or a fax!

Those STATE SENATORS without email addresses have a comment form on their web pages which can be accessed through the list of senators
http://www.senate.state.ny.us/senatehomepage.nsf/senators?OpenForm

All content in “Gaelen’s Cafe: Life Out Loud” (c) by Patricia. A. Steer.
May not be reprinted without written permission of the author.
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