bn_here_b4

In addition to the harnesses and crates and various other ways to keep your dogs safe when you travel, the most important is to know your limits. Stop if you get drowsy. I find that closing my eyes for 15 minutes followed by a quick walk or some stretches is a pretty good pick me up.

My sister posted and emailed about this. I came here to see if it was true. What a horrible thing.

I super glue my own cuts. Sometimes when I'm working in my glass I'll get a slice that is a little more than a bandaid but not big enough for a doctor. Out comes the super glue. Fix the cut and don't have to leave my project. It is actually pretty common practice among glassers. I have never had the occasion to try it on my dog.

Jody, my Border Collie, has a pronounced knot on top and he is a very smart boy. Bella, my Golden Retriever, has a head that is flat and smooth as a board. Hmmmm... Bella does have a great personality and beautiful hair.

D'Elle, I am really enjoying watching Kelso bloom through your eyes. I look forward to each new chapter of his story that you post. Thanks for takIng time to write these updates. Mary, isn't Simple Dog hilarious?!?!! One of my favorites.

It has been fun to read the stories behind the names. I always imagined SSCressa as a sturdy little boat, a metaphorical boat...but a boat none the less. Bn_here_b4 came about because I lost the password and locked myself out of my old hotmail account. It was CherrieJ. I finally quit trying to figure out how to get back in and decided to make a new name. Well, that wasn't going well as naming is a serious business for me. So the thought came - I've been here before, trying to name someone and unable to choose the name and move to the next step. Been here b4, unable to make up my mind... I've used that name for more than ten years now. Cherrie J

lololol!! kerrbluschnauz hava-wheat? Thanks anyway, I prefer Cheez-its. Too funny.

This just cracked me up. I have to share! Imagine the scene: Mom (me) in the kitchen cooking dinner. Son (15 year old) sitting on living room floor legs outstretched in front of him playing a video game. Jody, the border collie lying on the floor next to son. Such a sweet picture. Mom hears Jody begin to pace. Says "son, I think your dog needs to go out." A minute or two passes & dog is still pacing. More forcefully - "Son, stop playing the game and take Jody out. He needs to go now." Mom tunes back into the cooking chore to keep from burning the frying fish filets. Next thing I hear is my son, in a very annoyed voice saying Geez Jody, what did you do that for!!!! So I say ...did Jody have an accident? I told you to take him out... and get ready to deliver the you have to clean it up lecture. Except that it wasn't an accident at all. I think this one was pretty deliberate. Jody had walked over to my son's outstretched legs, straddled them, looked my son right in the eye, squatted and peed on son's legs. Jody did not get in trouble, but he did have to go in his crate until son changed clothes so they could go outside. Son had to do a load of laundry and clean the floor. I didn't want the dog to see me laughing over this, so I turned off the skillet and hid in my bedroom for a few minutes until I could put my stern face back on. BTW - Jody is 8 months old now and rarely has indoor accidents anymore. I would never encourage this behavior from him, but it caught me by such surprise that all I could do was laugh! Finally, I honestly don't think Jody's point was to pee in the house. He was using the peeing to make a point to my son. I could almost hear Jody thinking "boy, how dense are you. Listen to Mom, when I whine at the door I need to do this! Take care Cherrie

My Jody is 5 months old and he loves sticks too. He brings sticks from all over the yard & stacks them at the front door. Since I can't get my kids to pick up the sticks that are big enough to tear up the lawn mower, Jody's stick habit makes me very happy! Since his favorite thing to do is to make me happy, it is a win for both of us. That isn't much of an answer, and I'm surely no expert. Really, I am agreeing that maybe the best path is to relax & let Harlow be your bud. Since you play stick so much, could Harlow be focusing so intently on the sticks because she believes they are important to you?

I read that lame-a$$ article too. The only redeeming thing about it was that it made me pause a moment to be thankful that I am working and able to take care of my whole family. I also thought about things I would give up in a heartbeat before I would let my kids or pets do without something they need. Cell phones, cable, my addiction to Bath & Body Works soaps... All of it could go and I wouldn't miss it a bit. To add to some of the savings ideas y'all posgted - A cheap replacement for cable as long as you have internet is www.hulu.com. I watch TV shows and movies on that website at least 2 or 3 times a week. They have a large selection of both new and old programming and it is free.

Petsmart has hard plastic ones that were about $8 here in the Charlotte area. They aren't too big - one fit in the back seat of my HHR, but they are big enough for my full grown golden retriever to lay in comfortably. They are also specially made for dogs & seemed to be a little thicker than the Walmart ones. Actually the one I bought for the dogs last year was still good this year until my son sat in it & collapsed one of the sides. We keep ours on the deck next to the big pool so the dogs can cool off with the people. I empty the water about every day to keep down the mosquitos. Also, sometimes the water in the little pool warms up in the sun & the dogs don't want to go in. When it does that, I dump it on my flowers & give them some new, cold water from the well. Cherrie

Desert Ranger - hilarious!! I would much rather go to sleep laughing than itching.

Julie, you are correct. They do drop out of trees.

Soumds like a fun and well deserved relaxing time after your roller coaster week with/without Sam!

So glad Sam is back!