Oh My Dog!

obsessed with dogs

On being married to a blogger

John here. Maggie is on her way to Chicago for a pet expo, so I decided to take over her blog for today and tell you my side of the story!

When Maggie first decided to start a blog I was excited because I knew that she really needed a creative outlet. More than that, she needed something that was all her own. We have lots of things in common and enjoy doing many things together, but everyone needs that is just theirs. And so Maggie started this blog.

John and the boys
I’m not in very many pictures because I’m usually the one behind the camera.

What started out as something to do just for fun has blossomed into an amazing career for her. She’s gotten involved in rescue organizations, has built a loyal readership (thanks!), and has found one of the most supportive and fruitful networks one could ask for. She’s now going to conferences, getting pitched products, guest posts, and is being asked for her expert advice. I’ve been so happy to see this blog grow and I hope that I’ve been as supportive to her as I have been in my mind.

I’m sure you’re asking yourself what it’s been like for me. Probably not, but I’ll tell.

Friggin’ awesome.

And stressful. Sometimes weird. But mostly awesome. Since Maggie got this blog going, here are a few things I’ve gotten to do:

– Handed out anti-BSL postcards in Denver (I remember the late nights printing and organizing the HUNDREDS of postcards that came in through that)

– Participated in countless photoshoots with Halloween costumes, Christmas decorations, Mardi Gras beads, grilling equipment

– Tested countless toys, grooming products, dog beds, cat carriers, vitamins, and really cool technology (Newt’s collar cam, the water fountain from PetSafe, etc)

– Talked more about dog allergies, poop consistency, canine oncology and chemotherapy, and all the horrors that are the “what-if” situations

– Listened to Maggie on various radio and internet sites talking about the things she’s passionate about

– Read her amazing work, from posts to e-books, to the hilarious things she says on Facebook

– Watched her travel several thousand miles with Emmett to be in the Pinups for Pitbulls 2015 calendar and associated book (order yours today!)

– Met some of the coolest, nicest, funniest people on the planet (you know who you are, ladies! Rod, too)

John and the boys
My princess. (Sorry, Maggie.)

Bust most of all, I’ve gotten to support Maggie being Maggie, and watch her do exactly what she wants. I look forward to the next photoshoot, the next conference, the next round of free dog and cat stuff (what can I say, I’m cheap like that), and the next anything. If it weren’t for Maggie and this blog, I’m not sure I would have kept Newt, I’m not sure we would have fostered Molly for as long as we did, and I’m not sure we would have been on the email list for the organization that brought Cooper home to us. So, Maggie, keep doing what you’re doing. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Guest Post: “Get busy living, or get busy dying.”

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post written by Sharon of GrouchyPuppy. This is an especially meaningful post to me as this is something I’ve been dealing with as Emmett has started to encounter many age-related health problems. Thank you, Sharon, for contributing an open, thoughtful post about this important topic. 

In the movie The Shawshank Redemption there is a key moment near the end when you hear Morgan Freeman’s voice say the phrase: “Get busy living, or get busy dying.” You don’t see his lips move but hear his deep distinct voice inside your head. I’ve seen that movie several times and that is a favorite scene. The movie came on TV recently and once again the words resonated, only this time when I heard them I was looking down at my old dog lying at my feet. As the credits rolled, my eyes teared up as I had one of those aha moments.

Anticipatory Grief

The first time I realized that I was stricken by anticipatory grief was over two years ago. My dog was showing signs of aging but otherwise life was good, then suddenly she developed diabetes.  The toll on her big Shepherd-Husky body showed. Overnight the aging process sped up, and before we knew it she lost her vision from cataracts.

Managing her diabetes had us radically changing our life. My husband and I rarely go anywhere together because someone needs to be with her. In the beginning we had an elderly dog walker who was willing to keep Cleo with her for a day or two, and was comfortable giving her insulin injections. Unfortunately she retired. With Cleo’s complete blindness we now schedule our days so one of us is home.

Why did I react differently this time when Red had his own aha moment, and uttered those words? While I thought I had successfully gotten past my anticipatory grief over a year ago, I realized it was a lie. As I looked down at my sweet old dog, I knew that for months now I was seeing Cleo as if she was busy dying, rather than busy living.

She will eventually leave this world. Cleo is an old dog, and I can’t change that, but why was I skipping to the end? Our experiences togethers are pages and chapters in a book. What joy is there in reading a good book when you jump ahead to the ending? You miss turning all those pages, and experiencing the journey and story as it unfolds. As I thought about Cleo in this context, and the current chapter we’re in, I felt better. Our time together felt natural again.

I realized that if I stay busy living my life with Cleo, I will have many more memories to carry with me until we meet again. So for anyone else out there living with an older dog, or one whose time here is coming to an end, take heart, I believe Morgan Freeman is onto something.

Have you ever or are you currently experiencing anticipatory grief for a dog? How have you managed it? Any tools or resources you’d recommend to others?

Resources:

About the author: Sharon Castellanos is a long-time blogger, marketing and communications professional, and occasional consultant. In addition to founding the award winning GrouchyPuppy dog blog in 2010, she is an Editor for LIFE+DOG where she contributes regularly with a byline and without.

Help Stop Canine Cancer: The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study

Quick note: As you guys know, we hate cancer around here. Having gone through it with Emmett then again myself, we’re committed to anti-cancer initiatives. When Katie reached out about this project to help stop canine cancer, I jumped on board to share this information.

Octo 123

You try to keep your dogs healthy in every way that you can—you feed them the right food and bring them to the vet for checkups.  There is still a lot we don’t know about how to really keep our dogs healthy, though.  Morris Animal Foundation is trying to find out more about canine healthcare by sponsoring veterinary studies.  Morris has launched The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study to try to learn more about how to prevent and treat cancer and other diseases that affect our canine companions.  Fifty percent of all dogs in America older than ten die because of cancer.  Hopefully, this study will help to change that statistic.

The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study is looking to sign up 3,000 Golden Retrievers.  The study will mainly consist of checkups and questionnaires.  If you have a dog that you would like to sign up for this study or know of someone who has a Golden who might sign up his or her dog, check out the requirements for enrolling your canine:

  • Golden Retriever owners must be over 18 years old and reside in the contiguous United States in order to participate.
  • Golden Retrievers must be healthy and less than two years old.
  • Golden Retrievers also must have a three-generation pedigree.

For more information about signing up, visit The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study.  Thank you for your help!

Author Bio: This is a guest post by Katie F. on behalf of Morris Animal Foundation. Visit morrisanimalfoundation.org/ to learn more about the animal health research that Morris Animal Foundation participates in.

 

On the ground: What it’s like to volunteer at Villalobos

This is a guest post from John, the man behind the blog. 

 

Maggie and I like to volunteer whenever we get the chance. It feels good to help causes that are important to us. Simply due to our schedules, Maggie was often more active than I was, but it was something I still liked to do. When I first got to Louisiana and Maggie was still in Indiana, I took the opportunity to put in as much time as possible at work. I wanted to make a name for myself, and I figured that since we weren’t in the best situation, I’d try and make the most of it so that it would pay off in the future. That meant that I didn’t have much time to do anything else.

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After I’d been here for about 10 months, we were well into winter and things slow down for us, meaning I had more time on my hands. I told Maggie that I wanted to look into volunteering somewhere around here, and she immediately suggested that I get in touch with Villalobos, the pit bull rescue organization from Animal Planet’s Pit Bulls and Parolees. I went to their website, filled out their forms, and heard back a few weeks later. I got to volunteer at the rescue facility early on a Saturday morning in February. There were already people walking dogs when I got there, and I quickly figured out they were employees. There were only about 6 or 7 volunteers there, and there were too many dogs for all of us to walk. We had additional forms to fill out, and we had to write our name on a piece of paper and hold it in front of our face while a production assistant took our picture. We were told not to approach any of the cast members unless we had a real reason because they were filming the whole time. It was weird having cameras all over the place, but I got used to them quickly and was so busy I ended up not noticing them.

Katie

The whole process was a well-oiled machine. In their main parking lot/courtyard, they set up folding chairs with water bowls next to them. A leash was handed to us with a dog at the other end, and they had us all walk a pre-determined route. We were told to keep all of the dogs away from one another, just in case we had one that wasn’t comfortable around other dogs. But, we were allowed to give them as many treats as we wanted, we could take a little extra cuddle time. We could run if they wanted, and they had photographers snapping pics of everyone.  When we were done walking and made it back to the courtyard, another employee would direct us to a chair and we had to wait until someone came and took the dog from us. Then, someone else would bring another and we’d do it again. Throughout the day, I probably walked 10 or 11 dogs in total, all of them wonderful. There was Tiger, Marsha, and my favorite, Gilbert. Right before we got started, the volunteer coordinator said that since I was the biggest volunteer there, I would probably get the stronger dogs, the ones that liked to pull.  Seeing as how I had about 5 inches and 60 pounds on everyone else, I said, “Sure! Not a problem!”

Then came Gilbert. No one wanted to walk Gilbert. The same coordinator said to me, “You sure you can handle a puller? He’s big and he goes where he wants to go.” I told her that as long as he’s friendly it wouldn’t be a problem. If he weren’t friendly, I’d like to know so I could be sure to be extra careful. She said, “Oh, no! He’s happy as crap!”

Gilbert

Apparently, “happy as crap” means 120-lbs bulldog that goes wherever he wants. He was the sweetest giant I had ever met, but I had never felt so helpless on the other end of a leash before. By the time we were done, my wrist, ankles, shoulder, and back all hurt. When we made it back to the courtyard, the coordinator had everyone else move because she knew exactly where Gilbert was going.

The rest of the day went by quickly. At the end, we were given a tour of the facility, and we got to see some of the dogs that were rescued during last season’s episodes. They had on displays the chains that were used to secure dogs in yards, chains that looked too heavy for me to hold. They had dogs that were terrified of everyone but a few of the employees.

Villalobos_3

But, the important thing to remember, regardless of how sad any of their stories were, was that these dogs all were getting a second chance. Even though I was just walking a few dogs for one day, that day was better for those dogs than any day before they got there. What those people do every single day is nothing short of amazing. That goes for any rescue organization. And yes, I did get to briefly meet Tia Torres. And yes, she’s just as bad-ass in person as she is on TV.

Read more about pit bull advocacy:

Why some pit bull advocates make me crazy

Going to hell with a leash in my hand: Pit bull advocacy in 2018

Idiopathic Head Tremors: Everything you need to know

UPDATE! Start here —–>>>>> Welcome! I’m glad you’re here, though I wish it were for reasons other than researching head tremors. Please check out a more recently updated FAQs about head tremors, treatments, what’s worked, etc. I also recently shared his diet and routine that has helped nip the tremors in the bud! 

Idiopathic Head Tremors- What you need to know

Editor’s note: This is a guest post that I requested on behalf of everyone whose dogs are suffering from idiopathic head tremors. Based on the comments from my previous post (found here) I knew this was a topic that warranted further review. If you have additional questions, please leave them in the comments so we can continue our discussion! 

What You Need to Know about Your Dog’s Idiopathic Head Tremors

Many dog owners have to watch their precious friends suffer from idiopathic head tremors on a regular basis. This problem can make owners feel helpless as their pets experience uncontrollable “head bobbing.” Some dogs bob their heads side-to-side, while others bob up-and-down. Either way, many have described the bobbing as resembling the “dog version” of Parkinson’s disease in humans.

Idiopathic head tremors can occur with just about any “bully dog breeds.” Some of these breeds include Bulldogs, Pit Bulls and Doberman Pinchers. Researchers continue to conduct studies. Yet, currently, no one really knows for sure why the tremors occur. Theoretically, the tremors are harmless. However, they can sometimes resemble seizures, which can be very stressful on owners.

How to Deal with Your Dog’s Idiopathic Head Tremors

If your dog experiences these annoying tremors, it’s important to remain calm. According to experts, the head bobbing doesn’t actually affect your pet. Yet, panicking will only cause your best friend to panic as well, which may cause the tremors to increase.

Instead, evaluate the condition of your dog. Is your buddy responsive and alert? What color are your furry buddy’s gums? Have any other parts of your pet’s body been affected by the tremors?

A typical idiopathic head tremor episode will generally last around three minutes. Once the head bobbing is over, your dog should return to normal, as if the tremors never occurred at all. If your dog does appear to have been affected, contact your local veterinarian immediately.

If your dog suffers from tremor episodes several times per day or over a period of a few days, that’s a good reason to visit your vet. Most pets never experience tremors while actually in the vet’s office. So, try to get your dog’s episodes on video. That way, your veterinarian can review the footage and use it to help him/her make an educated diagnosis.

Are Idiopathic Head Tremors Hurting Your Dog?

Many dog owners have reported their pets having recurring idiopathic head tremors for a while. Then, they suddenly just stop altogether. Until that happens, keep a journal which details the tremors. This will help you better understand what some of the possible triggers may be for the head bobbing condition.

In the meantime, remain calm, because these seizure-like symptoms are not life-threatening. That means they have no long-term effects on your dog. The actual point of treatment is to lower the stress and anxiety levels of dog owners who hate watching their pets suffer.

Dog owners with pets who suffer from idiopathic head tremors say that their buddies are entirely aware during episodes. Their ears stay up as if alert. They respond to your calls and commands as usual. And, their appetites aren’t affected.

The next time your dog suffers a tremor episode, simply try calling her/him over to you. Then, have your pet sit still so that she/he can focus. Usually, this will help to release your pet from the “tremor trance.” Some owners even say that treats can also release them from the trance.

This article was written by Ryean Bishop for Bannock Animal Medical Center (BAMCvet). Worried about your pet’s idiopathic head tremors or other medical issues? Contact BAMCvet to schedule your pet’s appointment today.

For reference, here’s a video I captured of Cooper having a tremor:

Idiopathic head tremors: A typical Cooper tremor from Maggie Marton on Vimeo.

Please visit the updated FAQs about head tremors, treatments, what’s worked, etc. and the details about his diet and routine that has helped nip the tremors in the bud! 

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