Author Topic: Pet Therapy  (Read 23273 times)

HeadCase2

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Re: Pet Therapy
« Reply #45 on: December 06, 2007, 07:59:32 am »
Patti,
  Elvis is a Samoyed.  I'll see if I can post a more recent picture, he's a lot bigger now.
Regards,
 Rob
1.5 X 1.0 cm AN- left side
Retrosigmoid 2/9/06
Duke Univ. Hospital

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Captain Deb

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Re: Pet Therapy
« Reply #46 on: December 10, 2007, 04:11:57 pm »
Speaking of big, we went to visit the parent chocolate labs on Saturday--they are huge! The pups were born on Thursday night, but were in the birthing kennel and we couldn't see them yet. I think I am getting a high energy dog here! Maybe it's what I need to get me a little more active--I'm a bit of a slug and unmotivated to get out and exercise or take a walk.

The parents are absolutely beautiful dogs and a bit on the untame side, but very affectionate. Untame probably because they aren't fixed. I'm not fixed either and I'm pretty untame!

Eric's new project is to build a proper pen and covered doggie deck for her. We pick her up in 6 weeks! I'm figuring out how to hide my shoes already.

Capt Deb
"You only have two choices, having fun or freaking out"-Jimmy Buffett
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lori67

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Re: Pet Therapy
« Reply #47 on: December 10, 2007, 05:43:11 pm »
You may want to keep your shoes at your neighbors house.  My lab somehow managed to open closet doors to get to my shoes - some of them brand new - still in the box!  I still haven't figured out how she did it.

One day i came home from work and she had knocked one of those big tins with the 3 kinds of popcorn in it off the counter, got the lid off and ate all the popcorn.  I only knew it was her and not our greyhound because the caramel popcorn was still stuck in her fur all around her head - she looked like a black lion with a brown mane!

She stayed in her puppy stage for about 3 years and then finally calmed down and was normal.  I suggest buying a lot of cheap flip flops that you aren't too attached to!

It's a good thing they are such lovable dogs - it makes all their antics worthwhile.  The fact that they're cute helps too! 

Lori
Right 3cm AN diagnosed 1/2007.  Translab resection 2/20/07 by Dr. David Kaylie and Dr. Karl Hampf at Baptist Hospital in Nashville.  R side deafness, facial nerve paralysis.  Tarsorraphy and tear duct cauterization 5/2007.  BAHA implant 11/8/07. 7-12 nerve jump 9/26/08.

Static

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Re: Pet Therapy
« Reply #48 on: December 10, 2007, 06:44:16 pm »
None of my girls have ever eaten any of our shoes.  They've sucked on a few socks in their time, but they've never destroyed any.  There are so many dog toys around this house, you'd think I have a toddler.  Oh wait, I do!  Their favorites were always rope toys, and they each have these treat balls.  They are about 6" in diameter and hollow with a recessed hole, and we put small treats in them and they push them around the house with their nose or their paws, it's hilarious!  Zoey is very meticulous about it, but Roxy is like on crack or something when she does it LOL!  They are so much fun to watch with those balls.  OMG, they are definitely alot of fun in pairs.  We can't keep a stuffed toy alive in this place for more than 5 minutes once Zoey sets her sights on it.  She bites a tiny hole in it somewhere and starts pulling all the stuffing out then gets the squeaker, kills it, and spits it out!  Roxy has learned to do the same.  We have one toy who has survived, it's a bunny and we call it baby.  hey also like the legs off of jeans.  When my jeans get old and I make cutoffs out of them, or would otherwise throw them out, I cut off the legs and tie a knot in the middle and we play tug with them.  Give that pup plenty to play with and your shoes will surely survive!  Make sure you give her a big golden hug from my girls and me too! 
~Karen
3.5cm AN removed 1-21-04
CSF leak repaired 5/04
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Captain Deb

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Re: Pet Therapy
« Reply #49 on: December 11, 2007, 10:33:33 am »
Ursa never chewed a shoe either, Eric was home all day with her and she had plenty of toys and exercise. I think that makes a difference. Dogs chew on stuff they aren't supposed to because they are bored. I plan to be with this pup 24/7 or she will be penned in the kitchen or with us.  If we had to leave the house, we just took Ursa with us. We even took her to the movies, she loved being in the car, it was her den on wheels. The truck was her favorite. When we would work in the garden, we would open the truck door and she would climb in and just hang out there and watch us.

I'll be on the lookout for some of those treat toys, Karen. Aren't there some that you put peanut butter in?

Capt Deb
"You only have two choices, having fun or freaking out"-Jimmy Buffett
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Static

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Re: Pet Therapy
« Reply #50 on: December 11, 2007, 05:21:37 pm »
Yeah, you can put peanut butter in a kong, or you can just put peanut butter on your finger and let her lick it off of your hand.  I call that bonding LOL!  Also, it's fun to put some peanut butter in the roof of her mouth and watch her get it out, that's called cute!   ;)
3.5cm AN removed 1-21-04
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Captain Deb

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Re: Pet Therapy
« Reply #51 on: December 11, 2007, 05:33:55 pm »
I cleaned out my sock drawer and saved them all--really good thick ones to knot up and make toys out of.  Ursa loved sock toys. We always had a couple of "baby dolls" hanging around the house. She would put one in her mouth and then bat her tennis balls around the house soccer style.  We called it puppy soccer.  It was hilarious. I always wanted to put her in a large room with no furniture, like a basketball court, and let her have at it.

Capt Deb
"You only have two choices, having fun or freaking out"-Jimmy Buffett
50-ish with a 1x.7x.8cm.AN
Mid-fossa HEI, Jan 03 Friedman & Hitselberger
Chronic post-op headaches
Captain & Designated Driver of the PBW

Static

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Re: Pet Therapy
« Reply #52 on: December 11, 2007, 05:53:12 pm »
Our house is maintained solely for the comfort of the dogs  ;D
3.5cm AN removed 1-21-04
CSF leak repaired 5/04
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TP

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Re: Pet Therapy
« Reply #53 on: December 11, 2007, 09:02:10 pm »
We had a black lab/golden retriever mix and she was the sweetest dog. She loved pine cones and could chew a brand new green pine cone into little pieces in a matter of minutes. Every Christmas season when I hang up my wreath it reminds me when Sheta got loose only to go a few houses down the street to find a beautiful hand made pine cone wreath on my neighbors front door. She jumped on my neighbors door and pulled down her pine cone wreath and ate every single pine cone. When she wasn't eating them she wanted you to throw them and she would play fetch for hours. She never got tired.
4+cmm left retromastoid of cerebellopontine angle tumor removed 6/5/06; Dr. Eric Gabriel, St. Vincents, Jacksonville, FL
Left ear hearing loss, left eye gold weight, facial paralysis; 48 year old female. Dr. Khuddas - my hero - corrected my double vision

4cm in Pacific Northwest

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Re: Pet Therapy
« Reply #54 on: December 12, 2007, 09:05:19 am »
TP,

I love the Christmas Pine Cone wreath story! Hilarious!

Back in my youth I had 3 cats living indoors. (Family allergies has us only with one barn cat living in the garage as to not become coyote h'orderves for their howling holiday party outdoors...) One year these 3 crazy cats all climbed up the freshly decorated live Christmas tree and managed to smash every glass ball into a zillion pieces as it timbered over … not to mention that once we did finally upright it again… they had to redecorate anything dangling on the bottom limbs.

So far my lab has not ever used our live Christmas tree to mark his territory …as he does the other trees on the acreage.  :D We’ll be sure to not hang any pine cone decorations… ;)

Cheers,

4
 :)
4cm Left, 08/22/07 R/S 11+ hr surgery Stanford U, Dr. Robert Jackler, Dr. Griffith Harsh, Canadian fellow Assist. Dr. Sumit Agrawal. SSD, 3/6 on HB facial scale, stick-on-eyeweight worked, 95% eye function@ 6 months. In neuromuscular facial retraining. Balance regained! Recent MRI -tumor receded!

lori67

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Re: Pet Therapy
« Reply #55 on: December 13, 2007, 12:51:16 pm »
TP - the wreath story is hilarious - but I'm guessing your neighbor didn't think so!

Static - Have you ever read the book "Life is Good"?  It's written by Trixie Koontz who is author Dean Koontz's golden retriever.  (I think she had a little help with it).  It's written from the point of view of the dog.  It's really funny, cute and one of those books that just makes you feel good.  I've bought copies for some dog-lover friends and they enjoyed it.  You should check it out if you haven't already.

Lori
Right 3cm AN diagnosed 1/2007.  Translab resection 2/20/07 by Dr. David Kaylie and Dr. Karl Hampf at Baptist Hospital in Nashville.  R side deafness, facial nerve paralysis.  Tarsorraphy and tear duct cauterization 5/2007.  BAHA implant 11/8/07. 7-12 nerve jump 9/26/08.

TP

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Re: Pet Therapy
« Reply #56 on: December 13, 2007, 10:30:39 pm »
Lori - you know what - my neighbor was probably the sweetest lady around. She had little girls who were also very sweet and polite. She may have cussed my dog out (which I would not blame her at all) but she never said a cross word about my dog or anyone  - unlike me  :o The neat thing about Labs is everyone usually loves them and they are just fun to hang out with. 

4 - your coyote kitty cat story is funny. I bet you live in a great place. I can imagine how fun it must be living in the northwest. We've been there a few times and the land is beautiful! Truly God's country.
4+cmm left retromastoid of cerebellopontine angle tumor removed 6/5/06; Dr. Eric Gabriel, St. Vincents, Jacksonville, FL
Left ear hearing loss, left eye gold weight, facial paralysis; 48 year old female. Dr. Khuddas - my hero - corrected my double vision

Captain Deb

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Re: Pet Therapy
« Reply #57 on: December 14, 2007, 02:03:48 pm »
OK, Dr Love just returned from Lowe's with a truckload of lumber to build a shed roof on our doggie deck! Steps, too, leading out to a pen. Gonna have to reinforce the pen as we are gonna have a much younger more energetic doggie. I'm practicing doggie calls and pretending I have the pup in the studio.

I am just so excited and scared at the same time. I had an 18 hr migraine on Wednesday. Who's gonna take her out to pee and poo if this happens when Dr Love is at work? I can hardly take myself out to pee when I have one of these. I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed. Keep lots of newpapers handy, too.

I'm loving all the pet stories. Keep 'em comin'! Pinecone eatin' doggies. Hah!

Capt Deb
"You only have two choices, having fun or freaking out"-Jimmy Buffett
50-ish with a 1x.7x.8cm.AN
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4cm in Pacific Northwest

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Re: Pet Therapy
« Reply #58 on: December 15, 2007, 09:11:08 am »
Deb,


RE
"I'll just keep my fingers crossed"

That will be ya legs that ye will be a cross'n

 :D ;D ;)

4
4cm Left, 08/22/07 R/S 11+ hr surgery Stanford U, Dr. Robert Jackler, Dr. Griffith Harsh, Canadian fellow Assist. Dr. Sumit Agrawal. SSD, 3/6 on HB facial scale, stick-on-eyeweight worked, 95% eye function@ 6 months. In neuromuscular facial retraining. Balance regained! Recent MRI -tumor receded!

Captain Deb

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Re: Pet Therapy
« Reply #59 on: December 15, 2007, 09:37:28 am »
Newspapers for me too!

Capt Deb
"You only have two choices, having fun or freaking out"-Jimmy Buffett
50-ish with a 1x.7x.8cm.AN
Mid-fossa HEI, Jan 03 Friedman & Hitselberger
Chronic post-op headaches
Captain & Designated Driver of the PBW