DOG FOOD IS A RELIGION TO SOME..... LOGIC PROBLEM OF THE DAY....
I HAVE FED PURINA FOOD LONG BEFORE THEY STARTED DONATING IT- AND I COULD PROVE IT TO THE PURINA "BRASS" ON THE PHONE IN ONE SENTANCE--- " I AM GIVING AWAY BOSE RADIOS" HISTORICALLY IF YOU WERE A KENNEL AND SIGNED UP , YOU COULD COLLECT THE WEIGHT CIRCLES AND AFTER 14,000 POUNDS, THEY WOULD SEND YOU A BOSE RADIO... I HAD AT LEAST 5- SOME STILL IN ORIGIONAL WRAPPING.-- I CAN EASILY SAY OUR DOGS HAVE BEEN ON PURINA AND NOT MUCH ELSE FOR 20- 25 YEARS.- I DON'T THINK OUR DOGS COULD LOOK BETTER... "OUR DOGS" BEING ABOUT 400 DANES IN THE 20 YEARS.
DURING THOSE YEARS WE HAVE HAD 2 ON GOING ISSUES - YOU DO NOT let your DANE drink out of the pond... or FEED A them A HAM SANDWICH AND WALTZ AROUND TEH MALL... THEY DO HAVE A DELICATE GUT WHICH THEY NEED TO EMPTY WITHOUT WARNING.... -- WHICH CAN BE DUE TO ALOT OF THINGS-- USUALLY CURED BY 3 pills and some yogurt -
the second issue- maybe once in a while- particularly "bailey" who was white-- would get a skin "thing" which looked like ringworm-- could also be those tiny no see em' flys- i dunno--- by the time i got around to asking george what they were, they would go away..
in neither case did i change their food.... in spite of teh fact that neaRLY EVERYONE GAVE ME THE "FOOD ALERGY" LECTURE...WORST CASE... IN MY OPINION.. WAS THAT FRIEND IN NEW YORK WHO FED ( AND SOLD) A SANDY GROUND UP FOUL SMELLING MIXTURE OF FISH AND SEAWEED PRODUCED BY A GUY IN POUGHKEEPSIE NEW YORK. SHE WOULD GUARENTEE NO HIP DYSPLASIA IN HER DANE pupS IF YOU FED ONLY THIS STUFF AND NEVER ANYTHING ELSE.. AND SHE USED TO SHIP 50 POUND BAGS ALL OVER THE STATES .
THEN THERE IS TEH "RAW CHICKEN NECK" BUNCH. I HAVE STOOD AND LISTENED TO A VERY INTELLIGENT PERSON EXPLAIN HOW BAD I AM THAT I DON'T FEED TEH NATURAL RAW CHICKEN NECKS.. OR THE "IT IS THE CORN THAT IS POISON TO MY DOG... OR THE WHEAT... OR HEAVEN FORBID BEET PULP--- BECAUSE BEET PULP WILL CAUSE HEART DISEASE... AND THRU IT ALL I KEEP FEEDING PURINA-- WITH ... IF YOUNG OR PREGNANT... A NORMAL ONCE A DAY VITAMIN. SO WHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THAt the one of our danes cost them $300 a month in special food because of a food allergy, i have a problem with that. but thie belief is so strong that it seems opointless to present my opinion..
which in many ways is just as strong.... which you can not say is based on finances... because i used to buy the stuff -- and get free bose radios...
I HAVE 399 RELATED DOGS AND TEH PROBABILITY OF ONE WITH A FOOD ALLERGY IS NOT TOO HIGH-- ALLERGY MAYBE YES=-- RUG SHAMPOO, FLOOR CLEANER, BUG KILLER, GRASS GROWER, ICE MELTER, FABRICK SOFTNER, AIR CLEANER.... BUT ONE FOOD allergy WITH 399 STILL CHOMPING AWAY AT THE SAME STUFF????
point of the day... whether it is raw chicken necks or politics- i think we need to ask "who says so" more often.
specially where the $$ are involved.
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fran ( sister) arrives today--
every family has a well dressed , well behaved person.. in our family it is frannie.
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another long one from erica and asher
WITH MY SUMMER 2019 POSITION OFFICIALLY LOCKED IN, I'M SO EXCITED TO SHARE THAT, FOLLOWING OUR INTERVIEW AT THE EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS CAREER FAIR LAST MONTH, I WAS ONE OF TWO STUDENTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY SELECTED TO INTERN FOR A MIDSIZED PUBLIC INTEREST LAW FIRM IN MANHATTAN, IN THEIR DISABILITY JUSTICE PROGRAM!
THAT WEEKEND OF INTERVIEWS DIDN'T COME WITHOUT SOME SERIOUS PREPARATION, AND I WOULDN'T HAVE HAD SUCH A SUCCESSFUL COUPLE OF DAYS WITHOUT ALL THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO ME AT SCHOOL: I PRACTICALLY LIVED IN OUR CAREER SERVICES OFFICE, DRAFTING AND REDRAFTING COVER LETTERS AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MOCK INTERVIEWS. ASHER AND I ALSO MET REGULARLY WITH THE FEINSTEIN CENTER FOR PRO BONO & EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION STAFF WHO CHEERED FOR US EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. BUT I WAS STILL BLOWN AWAY WITH THE OUTCOME FOLLOWING THE CAREER FAIR - BY THE TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOLLOWING OUR TRIP, I HAD OFFERS FROM MY TOP TWO CHOICES AMONG OTHERS AND IT WAS UP TO ME TO CHOOSE. THE ORGANIZATION I'LL BE INTERNING WITH DOES BOTH IMPACT LITIGATION AND DIRECT REPRESENTATION OF LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES, AND I COULDN'T BE MORE EXCITED FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ON ISSUES LIKE DISCRIMINATION, ACCESSIBILITY, AND EDUCATION - ISSUES THAT I DEAL WITH MYSELF EVERY DAY - WHILE GETTING TO KNOW CLIENTS ON A PERSONAL LEVEL FROM ONE OF THE BIGGEST CITIES IN THE US.
SPEAKING OF SPENDING THE SUMMER IN NYC, I REALLY WANT YOU ALL TO UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MY DECISION TO INTERN IN THE CITY I'VE REALLY COME TO LOVE, AND ASHER'S INVOLVEMENT IN IT. NEW YORK HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMEWHERE I WANTED TO LIKE; I'M A HUGE BROADWAY FAN AND I HAVE SUCH AN APPRECIATION FOR THE LOCAL FOOD SCENE, IN LARGE PART DUE TO MY CULINARY BACKGROUND. BUT EVEN IN COLLEGE WHEN WE'D TAKE DAY TRIPS TO VISIT ALL THE FAMOUS MANHATTAN BAKERIES AND I WANTED TO LOVE THE ENERGY AND DIVERSITY AROUND ME, NAVIGATING THE CITY WAS OVERWHELMING AND JUST NOT ENJOYABLE, ESPECIALLY WHEN I WOULD RETURN TO CAMPUS THAT NIGHT IN SO MUCH PAIN FROM WALKING ALL DAY. LOTS OF PASTRY SCHOOL GRADUATES LIKE MYSELF WANTED TO SCORE THAT BIG JOB IN SOME WELL-KNOWN NYC PASTRY SHOP, BUT IT JUST WASN'T PRACTICAL FOR ME. A COUPLE YEARS LATER, WHEN I WAS ACCEPTED INTO BROOKLYN LAW SCHOOL, I WAS READY TO TRY IT AGAIN. MY SUPERVISING ATTORNEYS AT MY PROVIDENCE LAW FIRM INSISTED THAT WE TAKE A FEW DAYS TO SEE BROOKLYN AND THE SCHOOL, SO WE PACKED OURSELVES UP FOR A ROAD TRIP. IT WAS A BLAST, AND I ENJOYED WALKING THROUGH THE STREETS OF BROOKLYN AND MANHATTAN WITH THE TWO OF THEM CLOSE BY. BROOKLYN LAW IS HUGE AND BEAUTIFUL, WITH ITS TALL COLUMNS AND EXPANSIVE LAW LIBRARY. I HAD TOLD MYSELF AND MY PARENTS THAT IF I WAS WOWED ENOUGH, I WAS OKAY WITH THE HIGHER TUITION TO BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE VARIETY OF CLASSES AND CLINICS THAT BLS OFFERED. AND I WAS CERTAINLY WOWED AND READY TO PUT IN MY SEAT DEPOSIT. BUT I STILL KNEW THAT I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO NAVIGATE ALONE, AND I STRUGGLED WITH MAKING THE DECISION THAT WAS BEST FOR ME, EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T WHAT I WANTED AT THE TIME. THOUGH I'M INCREDIBLY HAPPY WITH MY CHOICE OF LAW SCHOOLS NOW, AND LOVE THE SMALL AND INTIMATE ATMOSPHERE WHERE MOST STAFF AND ALL OF MY PROFESSORS KNOW ME (AND ASHER!) BY NAME, I WAS INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTED THEN THAT I JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE ABILITY OR THE CONFIDENCE TO LIVE IN SUCH A BUSTLING CITY, EVEN THOUGH I SO BADLY WANTED TO.
BUT THEN ASHER ENTERED THE PICTURE, AND SO DID MANY FRIENDS THROUGH SERVICE DOG PROJECT. ASHER AND I HAVE BOTH LOVED THE OPPORTUNITIES WE'VE HAD TO GET TO KNOW AMY AND SEAGRAM SEVEN THIS YEAR, WHO SPEND SOME TIME IN THE CITY OCCASIONALLY. WE'VE ENJOYED PLAY TIME IN CENTRAL PARK, BROADWAY SHOWS, AND EXPLORING MANHATTAN. AND THIS YEAR, WITH ASHER NEXT TO ME, I'VE LOVED STROLLING THROUGH THE CITY, NAVIGATING THROUGH THE CROWDS AND FEEDING OFF THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE (EXCEPT FOR TIMES SQUARE. THAT'S A SCARY PLACE WITH WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE IN A SMALL AREA. ) AT EVERY CORNER. I NO LONGER FELT LIKE I WOULD BE SWALLOWED UP BY THE MASSES OF PEOPLE WHEN WALKING ALONE, BECAUSE I HAVE ASHER TO HELP GET US TO WHERE WE NEED TO GO. IT WAS AFTER THOSE VISITS THAT I KNEW I WANTED TO SPEND SOME MORE TIME IN THE BIG APPLE, AND THAT I WAS READY TO MAKE IT WORK. ADD IN THE FACT THAT I ENDED UP WITH MY CHOICE OF THE TWO NYC DISABILITY RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS I LONGED TO WORK FOR BUT THOUGHT WOULD SKIP RIGHT OVER ME FOR STUDENTS AT BIGGER SCHOOLS, AND I THINK I'M FINALLY RIGHT WHERE I'M SUPPOSED TO BE.
I KNOW THAT WITHOUT ASHER, I WOULD PROBABLY STILL BE DEALING WITH MAJOR SELF CONFIDENCE ISSUES AND PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE ANY DESIRE TO LEAVE THE COMFORT OF MY TINY STATE OF RHODE ISLAND. BUT THANKS TO HIM, I HAVE A WHOLE HOST OF NEW ADVENTURES TO LOOK FORWARD TO WITH PLENTY OF NEW PLACES TO EXPLORE. THIS IS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST ILLUSTRATION I HAVE TO DATE OF HOW A GIFT OF SUCH A WONDERFUL SDP DANE DOES MORE THAN HELP WITH MOBILITY AND BALANCE - HE GIVES ME THE CONFIDENCE TO GO OUT AND LIVE THE LIFE I NEVER IMAGINED FOR MYSELF, EVEN JUST A FEW SHORT YEARS AGO.
WHILE WE STILL HAVE ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS OF SCHOOL TO TRUDGE THROUGH BEFORE WE GET TO TAKE ON MANHATTAN FULL TIME, I'M HOPING THAT THIS HUGE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL WILL GIVE US (...ME) THE MOTIVATION TO FLY THROUGH SPRING SEMESTER!
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p.s. doctor connie thibeault ( aged dvm) used to say-- there was nothing wrong with a dog's gut that could not be cured with green beans and buttermilk.. he cured a lot of dogs !!!
