The trouble with vision

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The trouble with getting old? Things start to fail. Tori has been back on track with her eating and energy but even before then we noticed she was having vision problems.

Mostly it had to do with darkness and stairs. At our house you have to go down stairs to go outside. The light at the top tends to burn out. I noticed that Tori would wait until I went down the stairs and turned on the light at the bottom before coming down. If for some reason I forgot or thought it was light enough she would start coming down and inevitably trip. There are two stair leading into the garage and this is the same situation. She has a lot more issues going down stairs than up in the dark.

Secondly, we have guest in and out of our house all the time. Used to be Tori would bark but as soon as the person appeared at the top of the stairs she stopped. Now guests comment that she keeps barking at them until they walk up close to her. It’s as though she can’t clearly tell who they are until they are close.

Of course Tori isn’t letting any of this get her down and we are keeping an eye (hahahaha) on it. Nothing much can be done as it is age related. It just makes us call her a grumpy old lady more often :)

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Auto Dog Fence Barrier – Review

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The folks at Dog Fence DIY asked me if I wanted to review their Auto Dog Fence Barrier. I jumped at the chance. Like many people, I have used the metal ones that you install by expanding the bars until they are so tight that the fence doesn’t move. This works in theory if you don’t have a Mesa.

Who me? Im innocent

Who me? I’m innocent

Mesa’s have giant block heads and a fear of crates. The fence looks like a crate and the head works as a battering ram. Put the two together and the fence doesn’t work! She is able to knock it over in a matter of minutes making the fence useless.

Enter the Auto Dog Fence Barrier. It is made of cloth and hooks around the headrests of your vehicle. Mesa’s are not afraid of this (we have a pop up crate that doesn’t scare her). Here is more information from the website:

Winner of best pet product by Fido-Friendly Magazine the Auto Dog Fence Barrier is a practical and affordable solution designed to keep your dogs safe on the road. The Auto Dog Fence Barrier is adjustable and fits the majority of car interiors. Keeping your dog contained in the back of the vehicle ensures your focus remains on the road by blocking the little space in the center console that serves as a route for your dog to move back and forth creating hazardous situations for everyone involved.

The Auto Dog Fence Barrier is made of soft canvas and can remain in the car even when you have additional passengers in the back seat. This barrier will not isolate your dog. You can still reach back and provide contact and comfort as needed.

auto-dog-fence

 

The installation was easy and it works great. We almost always have our seats folded down due to having 4 dogs and we love it. I recommend getting your hands on one if you too have problems with the metal barriers!!!

The best Christmas Gift of them all!

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Now that the holiday season is over, its time to get back to the real world. While the rest of ya’ll are freezing, we are unusually warm here in Alaska! Our snow is melting! We want the cold weather back!

Luckily I am working in Tacoma this week instead of Omaha. Not only is it a shorter commute but I avoided the flight delay nightmares that many travelers had.

For Christmas, Big Carl got the best gift. A Giant Pink Unicorn. I always look at the giant stuffed animals and think they would be great dog beds. I found this one on clearance and knew I had to get it. So far the only pup who hasn’t used it is Tori. And Mesa is napping on it, no one has humped it… yet

How was everyone’s holiday? Are you staying warm?

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Book Review: Dreaming in Libro

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This is the sequel to Bark If You Love Me, though it is much more popular so many don’t know it is the second book about Libro. In this book, we continue through Libro’s life as he adjusts to life in NYC and all the quirks it has to offer. I found the book to be well written and it gives some of the background information from the first book so I can see how people would not realize it’s a sequel. This book takes us through the end of Libro’s life and how Louise copes with life post Libro. Overall I recommend this book for its laughs (and sometimes tears).

Book Review: The Dog Who Rescues Cats

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9780060927806

 

I am not a cat person. I know many people with cats who love them but I am just not one. I guess it doesn’t help that I am allergic to them. That being said, this book is about a man who adopts a dog after a work accident leaves him partially disabled. His neighbor convinces him it’s a good way to stop him from becoming a hermit. The dog he adopts has a knack for finding special needs cats. They also start feeding and giving shelter to the homeless cats in their area, doing catch, fix and release operations to curb the numbers. The stories of some of the cats are sad but overall the book is heartwarming and shows the compassion that animals have.

Meet the Bloggers – A day late

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dogcrazy

 

Hey guess what? I’m behind! Surprising I know. Anyways I wanted to take the chance to let you get to know me a little bit more so here goes.

First off a recent picture of me. Well there are many with me in it on this blog but I’m normally being smothered by a dog. So here it is, just me:

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Ok now on to the questions!

What’s your favorite non-animal related book?

  • I read a lot of trashy romance novels. Currently I can’t stop thinking about the Fifty Shades trilogy

What’s your favorite non-animal related movie?

  • Empire Records. Damn the man, save the Empire!

What’s your favorite non-animal related food?

  • Hashbrowns. I will order them any time of day at a restaurant if I can

Who’s your favorite actor?

  • I don’t have one but the hubs’ favorite is Matt Damon so I see a lot of his movies

What’s one thing you have to do every day?

  • Sleep. Preferably also get a nap in but sleep is key

What makes you feel fabulous?

  • A good workout. Not only do I feel great but I get to eat more!

What do you wish you were more skilled at?

  • Being content in one place. Those who have followed for a while know we move a lot.

What’s your favorite holiday?

  • My Birthday. That’s totally a holiday

What’s your favorite meal?

  • Steak and potatoes (I’m a Midwestern girl originally)

What do you like to do in your free time?

  • Read, nap

What one word would people who know you use to describe you?

  • Jet-setter

If your pets could talk, what one word would THEY use to describe you?

  • Crazy

If you didn’t have your current pets, what pets would you choose to have?

  • Horses. We have a horse property and I plan to add some but that day cannot come soon enough!

 

So that’s me in a nutshell. Any questions?

Tori’s been sick

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I haven’t been meaning to ignore you all but Tori has been very sick, and I was on the road and having a hard time dealing with it. I posted a bit on Facebook and Twitter but didn’t want to put up a blog post until I really knew what was going on.

It started Sunday morning. Tori was slower moving and didn’t want breakfast. I finally convinced her to eat about half way through the day but she was lathargic. It then progressed after I went to the airport.

Sunday PM: Tori refuses dinner and is so lathargic that she opts to go to the bathroom inside becuase going outside is too hard (I didn’t know about the potty part until I got home)

Monday AM: While the hubs is still sleeping, Tori is on the sofa and pukes all over it but has no energy to move from it so lays in the pile of puke until my husband finds her. She again refuses to eat.

Monday Afternoon: Trip to the vet shows that Tori has a high fever. Blood work is drawn and results are pending. Tori again refuses to eat.

Tuesday AM: While the hubs is out doing stuff, a roommate notices Tori is SUPER lethargic and barely responds to his touch. He texts the hubs and calls my mother in law in worry (I didn’t know about this till I got home)

Tuesday Afternoon: Vet calls with lab results, nothing shows up as wrong. We schedule a follow up appointment.

Tuesday PM: Tori refuses dinner

Wednesday AM: Tori refuses breakfast but shows interest in the hubs’ eggs. She munches on grass outside and has a bit more energy. At the vet we learn her temp is back to normal and xrays show a completely empty digestive system other than the bit of grass from the morning. An antinausea shot is given, bland diet prescribed and we are sent on our way.

Wednesday PM: The hubs cooks up ground turkey and rice and feeds Tori a half cup every hour or so. She tolerates the food.

Thursday: she keeps tolerating the food and is gaining more energy

So here we are on Sunday. Tori is mostly back to normal except for the runs which was to be expected. She has most of her energy back and is eating again though we have to coax her off the sofa (never had to in the past). The vet is still stumped as to what was wrong. The tests should have shown if there was an infection or blockage. I am hoping that she doesn’t get sick again when I am gone this week because it is terrible being away. It makes me feel helpless. I am going to take extra time to snuggle Tori today before I head out though, you can be sure of that.

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Book Review: I Thought You Were Dead

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i thought you were dead

I am surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. It’s a novel that to me reads like a memoir. I can easily see the story unfolding in real life, well other than the talking dog. Then again, I talk to my dogs all the time and sometimes think that they have actual answers for me. I also read into their actions and expressions as though they were saying things to me. An enjoyable, but sad (the dog is old…) book to read.