Wednesday, September 30, 2020

sept 30 2020 stowe

Going Fast forward-----    to the events of last night at 7:00 o'clock ,   Pam came and told me that the people who had stowe( one of our breeding harls stashed with foster family in new Hampshire  )            had called and said there was something wrong with her and they didn't know what it was so Pam offered to go pick her up …..which happened Pam then called me and said she didn't look well at all didn't think it was a bloat situation ..but what to do

not knowing much of anything I thought bringing stowe back here was not a good idea so I called the emergency veterinary hospital in Andover Bulger it's called and arranged for Pam to deliver the dog there------ the care of the dog at buldger  was apparently very very good  ---   the paperwork end of things was absurd .. I figured once they had the dog an my credit card number that all the critical things would be taken care of but probably due to computerization I had to go and find her exact birth date … which was apparently eight 9…2016 ..  then they would not do anything without sojmeone in the b uildingt....    

so I had to call Pam and make sure that she went back to there Fortunately she was still in the parking lot   they  got the dog on a Gurney and started her care which was fine they then called me to tell me what they initially had found an ask permission to do the tests they thought were indicated which was basically CBC urine and a few snap tests tick borne diseases which with India which would indicate

 

she had a temperature of 104.8 and was pretty lethargic , covered in fleas , and a mass of skin infection wias all we know at the moment .. as all these tests began to come back all night long they called me with the results and it seemed to be narrowing in a urinary track infection and a skin infection and the temp began to drop to 103 Boyd 4 .. I suggested a parvo test just for good luck and the vet proceeded quite rightly to lecture me and just when did anybody check on this dog and why didn't we know the dog was in such bad shape .. the dog was basically too far away for easy access up there in New Hampshire and I assumed one of the older trainers  who lived in the area, had actually  seen the dog     not true.

 

Back to current…  $2400 daily estimate which I ok’d  I really wanted the poor dog cleaned up before we could deal with her here..    plaqn is fotr the iv fluids to run with anitopic.. and I will check with The daytime doctor before 4:00 o'clock with the concept of picking her up late this afternoon Bolger hospital is probably 40 minutes away.

 

so I guess stay tuned is the Way to go .

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in the meantime the two horses in the barn are receiving adequate care and plenty of food and Janine had a long complicated story of how she ended up with those two horses .. having also giving away  a mule that she bought ..before she could load it a man came up in tears because he didn't have enough money to buy it and he wanted it very badly so she gave it to him To be retired on his twenty acre farm in the pasture should do fine ---- she also gave away the donkey that she bought leaving our October surprise present as the draft horse .. a Belgian draft horse seems to be very nice -----draft horses are generally very nice so if I have to have any horses I would choose a drafters   ---- I'm pretty sure I could just turn her out with the donkeys and let them figure out their pecking order without any of interference from me I will have to figure out hi bucket to put some grain in for the draft horse which is awfully thin ..she also has a pretty big sore on her shoulders looks like a harness rubbing sore so our dog traders today I've been asked to pick up a few bottles of hydrogen peroxide so we can keep after that gaping hole in the horse .

it's worth a shot .

the big black mayor riding mayor there's gotta go somewhere else probably Meredith farm .. she is a beautiful looking horse but she's a horse …. and she will do very nicely at Meredith and she will look good hopefully----- the Belgian mayor we'll settle in here and we'll see what happens next ----a great big friendly horse would be interesting for visitors to be able to touch and brush just for size alone it would be amazing …plus we do have a draft horse harness somewhere that went on Moe ..

 

Having had very little sleep last night don't expect much from me for today

to be continued



GOOD MORNING CARLENE,

HOPE YOU ARE ALL DOING WELL. 

I JUST WANTED TO SHARE AN EXPERIENCE THAT I HAD YESTERDAY WITH YOU. IT REALLY SHOOK ME TO MY CORE, REMINDING ME OF JUST ONE OF MANY OF THE SPECIAL THINGS LYDIA DID FOR ME ASIDE FROM KEEPING ME VERTICAL WHICH I BECAME ACCUSTOMED TO WITHOUT REALIZING IT,  HER ALWAYS HAVING MY BACK, WELL IN MY CASE MY LEFT SIDE. 
YESTERDAY WHILE I WAS IN A PARKING LOT WALKING WITH MY CANE I WAS RETURNING MY CART. I TURNED AROUND AND STARTED WALKING BACK TO MY CAR. I WALKED RIGHT IN FRONT OF A TRUCK! IT SHOOK ME TO MY CORE! THE VULNERABLY HAS RETURNED. REALITY HAS A WAY OF SLAPPING YOU RIGHT IN THE FACE SOMETIMES.
THANKFULLY THE DRIVER WAS PAYING ATTENTION TO ME! OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE BEEN SQUISHED! 

WHEN I RECEIVED LYDIA BECAUSE YOU TEACH THE DOGS "RIGHT AND LEFT", I TAUGHT LYDIA TO "LOOK LEFT" WHEN WE GOT TO A CROSS WALK OR IN A PARKING LOT ETC... BECAUSE THAT IS MY DEAF SIDE. BEING DEAF ON ONE SIDE CAUSES DIRECTIONAL CONFUSION, NOT KNOWING WHICH DIRECTION NOISES ARE COMING FROM, OR IN THIS INSTANCE WHERE DANGER IS COMING FROM. NOT KNOWING WHO IS TALKING TO YOU UNLESS YOU SEE THEIR LIPS MOVING. LYDIA WOULD LOOK AT PEOPLE WHO WERE TALKING TO ME, SHE GAVE ME THE DIRECTION. I HAVE DISCOVERED SINCE HER RETIREMENT, I HAD TAKEN THAT FOR GRANTED WITHOUT REALIZING IT. 

I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU IN CASE I NEVER MENTIONED IN THE PAST JUST ONE OF THE MANY SPECIAL TALENTS LYDIA HAD AS AN AMAZING SD. 

LYDIA IS ENJOYING HER RETIREMENT IMMENSELY! I WAS ABLE TO MEET WITH A DEAR FRIEND AND HER DANE SWEET MAMIE ON FRIDAY AT THE HENRY COVERED BRIDGE HERE IN VERMONT. LYDIA WAS IN HEAVEN GOING IN THE RIVER AS SHE LOVES THE WATER. SHE'S A VERY HAPPY GIRL. SENDING ALONG A PHOTO OF LYDIA IN HER GLORY <3

THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO! 
FOREVER GRATEFUL,

ANNETTE & LYDIA

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

SEPT 20 2020 MULE

 020 9 29

 

This will be a quick daily doggy we called Glenn and I are busy restocking several things she thinks I should restock like the chicken teriyaki snack what the hell are they lorefice ginger teriyaki something would she has to write a letter to their very good but you only get 15 tiny little pieces of product we need to write a letter to them saying it's very good but the cost of the stuff inside can't be very much so give me some more .   when and I can be a bad problem when scanning eBay .

 

funny story about Janine at the slaughter pen she bought two horses a mule and a donkey and she's out in the parking lot trying to load these onto a brand new trailer and some  OLDER man approached her and said what a wonderful purchase she had made with the mule and he really wanted to buy the mule but he didn't have enough money and he really thought it was a very nice mule and he was he was pleased that she was taking it but he really wanted it so she gave it to him having just spent $1000 to buy it many broke into tears but that's today and she was just trying to get the animal out of the slaughter pen and here she gave it away before she even got it home which I think that's a very interesting story .

 

Just a quick FY I I've watched that Belgian horse which is a big draft horse in the stall and he he or she I don't know what it is is very inclined to stand on one diagonal like the right front left rear so you guys can all watch him and see if it's always left front right rear in which case we have something to try and figure out with right from left rear it's very possible for a horse to stand on two legs on the diagonal actually if you're shoeing a horse in a hurry I'm told never never seen it done but I'm told you can shoot 2 feet at once the diagonal they certainly can sleep on 2 feet and I've seen this horse standing on 2 feet a lot so it should paste a slight bit of attention apparently I'm told the horse has a big gash over the top of its Withers which is where the caller would go I can't imagine what happened though because draft horses don't jump around a lot so for a draft horse to cut itself is most unusual that's why I like draft horses they're slower that's it for the day probably

 

I have to make good use of glenn's time      trying to educate me about laptops or something


TODAY KENNY SAID HE WOULD COME AND THINK ABOTU WALLS IN THE CELLAR....  I BOUGHT A BUNCH OF 2 X 4'S IN PREP...

 

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The hips and dysplasia used to be 20 years ago everyone did a hip X Ray and sent it to an orthopedic foundation someplace for $20 to read it just to try and forecast weather the Dane would have hip dysplasia then I think the University of Pennsylvania maybe started doing what was called a pennhip which was much more expensive like $500 involving anesthesia roll a dog on his back extending the legs backwards straight an X Ray in that position he was supposed to do this for every stud dog so I took in diegel who was our stud dog way back in 1990 maybe and when we got him on the table with his legs stretched backwards the tech vet tech told me that she knew his hips were fine because you if the hips were not fine you could not get them back straight in that position …OK go go backwards 90 years my father was born in 1900 and was a farm oriented person and he told me way back when you had to pick a puppy out of a litter pick the puppy who lay down with his legs stretched back absolutely straight because he'd be a good puppy that was way before the pennhip episode .. now Courtney has just sent me a picture of lilou sleeping on the couch and her and her hips are stretched back perfectly .and I knew from having her here that she can stand up at a fence for a very long time combine all that 2 I would say lilos probably got perfect hips

Monday, September 28, 2020

sept 28 2020

  

Certainly there's a lot of different eyes always see different problems and solutions ..Between Glenn daughter  and lynn   I have many things going through my head from the fact that the guest house has no vacuum cleaner which I just ordered and the handle of the water buckets is tough on your hands so I've ordered some of those and there's a whole raft of things between those things which have either gotten solved in the last two days or on the list for today /

probably the biggest is vacuuming my car and putting back all the valuables that I had to take out .

 

Chicken management is changing as the Guinea hens are starting to try their wings they're not quite 5 foot over the fences but it's only a matter of time … my goal hat is to try and aim them in the direction of the pond with fountains in it so they go that way looking for bugs as opposed to the other way which is into the development because they probably would not appreciate the Guinea hens in their tick eating because they are very noisy busybodies the Guinea hens that is .

puppies are doing well in their puppy porting device   they had a wonderful run on poppy Hill yesterday 15 puppies we're managed very nicely by 7 people and they were cute I hope somebody got pictures we did have applicants here yesterday and a couple of recipients so it was an active day .there was one guy who came with his family and just broke into a smile when he saw the puppies and from there on he laughed and carried on had a wonderful time best time he's had in days ever since they told him he had Parkinson's and could expect a usual bunch her Parkinson problems .. he was cheerful and a quick thinker so I told him he better talk quickly before he lost his voice which is another problem with Parkinson's he laughed with definitely the right attitude----  lookout world here I come ..

 

Kenny was here with a few piglet problems which between Lynn Haley and me.. we gave him lots of ideas on how to fix this problems ..  in a nutshell my suggestion was to make a more definite distinction between being allowed to do what the dog wants to do and being   (  I hate to say under control   )  but that's what I mean ..

so we tried having the dog stand next to him without sneaking in that half inch at a time so that the dog eventually as a better leverage at bolting into play mode .

dogs are funny they will work on a half an inch at a time sneaking forward or sideways or someplace and if you stop  That sneaking forward and still maintained your loose leash so the dog ends up making a choice to stand still without you having to hang on while he pulls .you then have to take the harness off and let him play ..

 

because he's not the quickest dog to to come when he's called , my suggestion is to then call him while he's loose playing give him a cookie or whatever and tell him it's OK to go run off again ..

you can't call him and do something he doesn't like and expect him to come the next time so you have to increase your percentages by giving him a really good cookie and nice Pat when he does come when he's called and let him run again immediately .

The mind of the dog might be going like this …” last time I went to him when he called me he wanted me to jump in the car which was too hot Because the air conditioner wasn't running yet “

I clearly heard the dog say that the other day ----so whenever dogs don't do things you have to figure out why and what they're saying      it doesn't do any good to practice recall the dog knows exactly what we're talking about he just didn't want to do it for some other reason so you gotta work at it from that angle… least I do .

 

My Most spectacular example there is the service dog who refused to get in a car with the owner because he was a jackrabbit driver and the dog was tired of getting slammed around the back seat as he stepped on the gas and slammed on the brake just once too often .

this has happened more than once but in one case the recipient ended up going to a veterinarian to try and have figure out what the matter was and the vet immediately said it's his hips and did all sorts of X Rays and Spinal Tap stuns but you name it a great deal of money it didn't prove anything they then took the dog do an animal psychologist I forget what that suggestion was but whatever it was it didn't work they ended up coming back to me and the dog jumped in my car without any trouble so I knew it was that car and I only had to take a ride with the recipient driving to understand what the problem was ..

he  needed my father's wine glass filled with water to the brim taped to her dashboard and if she spilled the water she did the wrong thing .

in a car you really should only do one thing at a time accelerate    decelerate    or steer around the corner------when you accelerate and steer at the same time what happens in the back seat is not pretty as far as the dog is concerned .  I learned this long ago trying to stand up in a horse trailer while somebody else drove… it's rough back there

Sunday, September 27, 2020

SEPT 27 2020

 

 
PUPPY VISITS    Can  be  enjoyed by bringing chairs anbd sittinbg in the driveway while they run around  " the used car lot." . hill of thier  own...   i wish i could move a camera    but just not  in the cards..  i moved teh walls in the nutt house to incluse enough space for all 15 pups.. 
---- 9 27
I have an EXTRAINIOUS Relative who is here here for the first time in 18 months maybe .. and when she arrives she looks through everything around here and find the things I've forgotten are there .. most notably at the moment the three vests that I ordered they got put away that are technically a wallet that you wear ... I think is what they're called .. basically a net vest into which have been sown many pockets which when I ordered them sounded wonderful as it does now having just dropped my cell phone in the bathtub and I bent over so she has one on I have one on and we had one that apparently is going to fit Janine I don't think janine's has to carry the paraphernalia that I  have to.
There are things I look for constantly .. especially in construction mode the three little gizmos that mean I can use my electric drill with the socket wrenches---- there are three different sizes requiring three different little gizmos and every time I have to find 1 I got very annoyed this is the kind of thing this vest may help with .
 
The success of the vest will be  reported on later ..
Matt and skip I did a wonderful job putting 2 doors on the yolk house AKA chicken coop again the white plastic ...rollers .And the other yolk house information is that we inadvertently mixed the regular chickens with the Guinea hens and though there were some not happy they didn't kill each other .. there is 1 red hen who does not like the Guinea hens .. there are two Roosters who ran around looking for an agreeable hen of any kind or color .
League all of them were were thrilled to have those dried worms which we got at Mail call .  thank  you !!!
--- 
i am suffering thru teh  wonderful ice cream  which arrived.. FROZEN !!
 ---
Speaking of other things there is 1 item in short supply and that is the double ended brass snaps about four inches long .. they are somewhat of a standard horse equipment ..and I have seen them for as low as $1.89 each but they can be as high as $4 each .. I will go out and look at our horse applying catalogs and see if I could find a bargain .. they must be brass to be used outside which most of ours are ..  If anyone finds them for $1.89 please let everybody know because we never can have too many .. they must be brass  double ended and about 3 to 4” long.

I FIND $2.50 EACH SO FAR....  KEEP LOOKING --- HORSE PLACES USE THEM TO ATTRACT BUYERS... 
 
With enough people we may get the pups to th puppy hill today....  I would guess about noonish..... Let us pray  


our mega  star....   
Hi Carlene, she’s doing GREAT!!  Still no regurgitating, so we are going on almost three weeks since the last time.

I must say, she’s the PERFECT puppy- eating sleeping and playing, just as she should. She’s curious, and absolutely loves being outside. I set up a blanket and my work laptop outside yesterday and we were out there almost all day!  I am finding that she’s able to tolerate at least a few sips of water at a time without any issues, but I’m still giving her the soaked puppy kibble in water at each feeding to make sure she’s staying hydrated. 

The Bailey chair is so great and she is definitely getting the hang of it - she’s gotten up to about 25 minutes in it so far, but I do think it’s almost too small at this point. Her belly is starting to push against the front panel when it’s shut, so we will likely go back to using the kitchen step stool at some point this week.  We should back at SDP for the Tuesday overnight and if she’s officially too big by then I’ll bring the chair with us.

I sent Linda the measurements she asked for earlier this week, but absolutely let me know if I can do anything else in regards to getting the next chair.  And, I know these chairs are perfect and so well built, but I do have a friend who’s offered to build one if that’s an option you want me to explore.

Thanks again for entrusting me with her, and we’ll see you soon!

Lindsay and Tilly

i have hopefully oprdered the next size chair for her.. first available for color and  cutout design...

Saturday, September 26, 2020

sept 26 2020

 LOTSA CUT AND PASTE SO I CA N  GET AT ORDERING THE VACCINES .. THE USUAL "C5" SHOT... AND   I DID ORDER SOME FOR KENNEL COUGH.. THERE ARE YEARS I HAVE NOT...   NOT ABSOLUTELY SURE WHY I DID THIS TIME...  IT IS RUMORED NOT TO BE 100% ANYWAY...  BUT THEN THERE IS TILLY( MYRTLE)  WHO IS DOING SO WELL... I WOULD HATE TIO HAVE HER GET KENNEL COUGH ON TOP OF MEGA...   .... AND I HAVE TO BUY VACINES IN LUMPS OF 25  .


WITH A BIT OF LUCK I WILL GET MY CAR BACK TODAY---  I DID TAKE OUT THE BACK 2 SEATS--NWHICH I SHOLD HAVE DONE LONG AGO..... I DO NEED TYO CARRY A "TRANSFER CHAIR"    FOR EMERGENCIES .. LIKE GETTING SOMEWHERE  WHERE I NEED TO STAND AROUND...  I CAN'T DO THAT  WITH ANY  RELIABILITY AT ALL... TO THAT CHAIR IS A ROLLING WALKER AND PORTABLE  SEAT...  I AM GOOD TO WALK  FOR  30  TO 40 FEET-- BUT THEN DON'T ASK ME TO STAND AROUND AND TALK...  DOESN'T WORK.. 

AND THEN THERE IS THE LEAKING TIRE DISCUSSION....

APPARENTLY THE CAR PEOPLE ARE PUSHING   A $299  fill of tires so they don't go flat....  well .... i have that on   the tractors..   it involved being gone for 2 weeks while some goo/foam cured.... and it is wonderful... i ride over nails without a care in the world.     but then i read the flyer that came with the car version... and with teh  purchase uyou got a free membership in the "fill er up again"   club..   WHOA RIGHT THERE...   why does it need to be refilled.?  . turns out it is some fancy air.. or somethign..    so i opted out of tha t  one.

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pupsw ae spending 8 hours a day outside  -- well they did yesgerday... it was beautiful...  unfortunately... it i s off camera   i can't get our cameras pointed  to the "used car lot"  with it's streamers to keep hawks away....   .. the se pups are big enough now so  i don't think a hawk wouold be a concern...   chickens ...???? yes...  htye have streamers and yapping dogs to protect them.
---
cutting an d pasting
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Hi Carlene!

“My kingdom for a Beagle!”  Well, perhaps...

These merry little hounds not only speak Rabbit, but while working for the US Government, they also detect produce, meats, plants, insects, hidden animals, currency, firearms, narcotics & human beings trying to sneak into the country. 
Much to their advantage, people have harnessed the Beagle’s superior sense of smell. 
The breed is perfect for the job because of its friendly & outgoing nature that’s paired with a strong food drive.

To a Beagle it’s, “My kingdom for a morsel!” 
Great Dog Fest once again! 
Early Happy Birthday, Carlene!  🎂
Best always,,   Lind

 ------

Dear Carlene and all the SDP family, 

Words are not enough to explain how grateful I am to have Gibson. A little over a month ago – August 1 – Gibson and I graduated from SDP. Being a volunteer at SDP, I have seen how you improve people’s lives and now I too am experiencing a fuller, “well balanced” life! Gibson senses my every move and is there to help me with tasks I could not do or had much difficulty performing without him. His disposition is tremendous, he is so well behaved, and his dependability is remarkable! I know some of these attributes come naturally but the formal training given at the farm cannot be overlooked or surpassed. We don’t leave the house that often lately because of COVID -19 but on the necessary errands we have to accomplish, Gibson is the “star of the show” wherever we go. Everyone loves him at the town hall, Walgreens, and CVS.  He loves “playtime” in our yard and the vast array of toys are proof he is present. However when he gets “Dressed Up”, he is all business, knows his job, and performs exceptionally well. When we are walking in the center of town and he has his “Dress Reds” on, he waits at stop lights, doesn’t get concerned about other dogs, keeps his head up, continually accesses the situation, and gives me the confidence I need to be mobile and accomplish daily tasks I could only accomplish on my “good days” in the past.  We also have established routines like watching the nightly news; Kim on one side of the couch, Gibson in the middle, and me on the other side of the couch. He is constantly with me –day and night- only two feet away while I work on my computer. If I get up to move, he immediately raises his head as if to say, “OK, where are we going?” We have a new vet in Norwood (15 minutes from us rather than Danvers which is 40 minutes from us) whom we will be going to see on October 5 for his two-year check-up (you may remember Gibson was born on November 10). 

Kim and I are looking forward for this terrible virus to subside so we can resume our volunteer activities at the farm. We miss you all!

I could go on and on with accolades for you Carlene and the entire SDP family (Linda, Laura,  etc.), but I’ll try to express my gratitude very simply by saying a heartfelt thank you, thank you, thank you for all you do and all the people you help. It’s so nice to have a “well balanced” life again! 

Stay healthy and safe,

Jim and Gibson

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This is probably only scary for me because i'm a city girl, however, I thought I'd share.

Oakley woke up growling and barking late last night, which means something is roaming in our yard. Fast forward to this afternoon - he and I were in yard watering plants, I came into house for a sec leaving him in yard for maybe 60 seconds. My phone was ringing off hook, it was the school (we living on boarding school campus) saying "thank god you answered, get Oak out of the yard! There is a momma bear with 2 cubs in your direct neighbors yard! The bears here have been roaming freely since March and have been my biggest fear. I am confident he would chase the bear.
Carlene, I think I threw the phone and practically ran thru my sliding screen door! I screamed for him a few times, that giant Dane snoot was already on the scent, he was in the treeline to my neighbors house. Thankfully he must have heard the fear in my voice he came running. 

We averted a dangerous "meeting" today but will have this issue until they go into hibernation.

Best,
"Terrified" Tracey
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Dear Carlene,

Last week we returned to New York City and Seagram was helpful and professional, as usual, despite that we had not been there in almost a year. The increased pedestrian traffic did not distract her and she remained totally focused on me. She adapted to the recent protocols such as lining up for symptom screening and temperature checks. Although Seagram is still a farm girl at heart, and prefers open grass to concrete, she showed perfect manners through many appointments.
All that she asked for was a comfy place to nap, 

When we returned home, I removed Seagram’s vest and she immediately took off, running zoomies in her yard and rolling in the grass. She was so excited about rolling around that she frantically dove down, rolled some, and raced to a nearby spot to roll again, as though reclaiming her yard. My husband played with her and he also thought her fervor was quite fun as she raced in circles around him. She dashed back and forth at the top of our “Puppy Hill,” playing “queen of the hill” with him.
 Seagram also helped me reclaim my back yard, which was almost inaccessible for years because of this sharp drop-off. And a cane didn’t make it safe enough because the ground is so full of lumps, bumps, and holes, while my walker could not easily navigate the drop-off & dips — but now I can walk that area confidently because I have Seagram there to steady each step back there.)

My husband & I agreed that the best part of the trip was coming home, to see Seagram’s exuberance. It warms my heart to watch these two who mean the world to me, playing happy and carefree. Thank you for the gift of Seagram, who keeps me moving safely, but also brings so much happiness in other ways.
AMY

Friday, September 25, 2020

SEPT 25 2020 WISE NOSE

 


JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT YOOU HAVE HEARD IT ALL.......
Wise Nose – Suomen Hajuerotteluyhdistys on koirien hajuerottelukoulutukseen ja -työskentelyyn erikoistunut yhdistys.
(BOY DO THE FINISH HAVE LONG WORDS/ NAMES.... !!!!!)   

Four Covid-19 sniffer dogs have begun work at Helsinki airport in a state-funded pilot scheme that Finnish researchers hope will provide a cheap, fast and effective alternative method of testing people for the virus.

A dog is capable of detecting the presence of the coronavirus within 10 seconds and the entire process takes less than a minute to complete, according to Anna Hielm-Björkman of the University of Helsinki, who is overseeing the trial.

“It’s very promising,” said Hielm-Björkman. “If it works, it could prove a good screening method in other places” such as hospitals, care homes and at sporting and cultural events.


After collecting their luggage, arriving international passengers are asked to dab their skin with a wipe. In a separate booth, the beaker containing the wipe is then placed next to others containing different control scents – and the dog starts sniffing.

If it indicates it has detected the virus – usually by yelping, pawing or lying down – the passenger is advised to take a free standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, using a nasal swab, to verify the dog’s verdict.

In the university’s preliminary tests, dogs – which have been successfully used to detect diseases such as cancer and diabetes – were able to identify the virus with nearly 100% accuracy, even days before before a patient developed symptoms.

Scientists are not yet sure what exactly it is that the dogs sniff when they detect the virus. A French study published in June concluded that there was “very high evidence” that the sweat odour of Covid-positive people was different to that of those who did not have the virus, and that dogs could detect that difference.

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 FROM THE NUMBERS LATER IN THE ARTICLE     4 DOGS  $400,000.00  

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 MY KINGDOM FOR A BEAGLE?????   WELL MAYBE NOT A BEAGLE.. THEY ONLY SPEAK RABBIT......

THE PROBLEM IS GETTING THE DOG TO BE BI LINGUAL...   THE WHOLE CONCEPT IS FASCINATING...


HOW TO DESCRIBE TO THE DOG WHICH SCENT YOU WANT..  COVID, MARAJUANA, OR DIRTY SOCKS.  

I KEEP TELLING PEOPLE, WE NEED TO SPEND MORE TIME/ MONEY/ENERGY  ON BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH DOGS... FOR OPENERS....  THEIR NOSES ARE FAR SUPERIOR TO MASSIVE COMPUTERS.. --

I SAID TRACKING A PERSON OVER A LAKE AND UP A STREAM WAS NONSENSE... UNTIL THE  MYTHBUSTERS  DID JUST THAT.. WITH A BLOODHOUND...IN GREAT MYTHBUSTER STYLE... THEY SPREAD EVERY RUMORED SCENT THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO DEFLECT THE DOGS...   COFFE GRINDS,   GARLIC. FEMALE DOGGIE SMELL, AND  BBQ CHICKEN...

 BEFORE I GOT INTO DANES FOR BALANCE, I CONSIDERED TRAINING  BOMB SNIFFING-- BECAUSE I FOUND AN OUTFIT WITH A N EXCESS OF HOUNDS.. LUCKILY SOMEONE GAVE ME A DANE AND THE REST IS HISTORY.   

------
COULD BE WE HAVE THE START OF THAT TRAINING...  SIT DOWN WHEN YOU SMELL THE SAMPLE..   LIKE CANNED DOG FOOD????  THAT IS A STRETCH...  I WILL WORK ON THAT ... MENTALLY... 
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SDP brings people together like a family and yesterday was one of those days where Kringle and my family grew.  We had a lovely day by getting to meet service dog Hoodsie and his mom Janet.  We ate breakfast together and got some beach time in the sun.  Kringle usually is low key but she really enjoyed playing with Hoodsie.  Service Dog Project has opened doors to all of our lives and it is so nice to meet people and the dogs from all over the USA 🇺🇸.

Good morning Carlene
There should be a tissue alert here for happy tears when reading about the wonderful and handsome Hoodsie. We met Hoodsie several times when we visited Crazy Acres and he has a special spot in our hearts. All of you at SDP gave him the very best start in life and then matched him with a person who clearly fully appreciates and treasures him.....and has made Hoodsie a Facebook page so his fans get to see him. In these pandemic/political days, every smile and happy thought is welcome and you all provide plenty of those.  Thanks!
Good luck with the car clean-out!
Cheers,
Molly B.

Finally had the surgery on Wednesday. It was a 3.5 hour procedure and a lot of repair work.  I will be out of commission for quite a while, and I do hope to get back up there in the spring or summer next year. I miss the place terribly, and miss you all. 
I hope you are well and continuing to stay safe and healthy. 
Peace & love - Steve

Thursday, September 24, 2020

SEPT 24 2020

 maybe we need a word of the day.....  like ANGST....  my mother always had a paper in the dictionary which sat at her elbow....  with her latest vocabulary improving list...

she also had an amazing  recipie file where she kept track of what meal she had searved to who... and comments like "ED DID NOT  EAT THE PARSNIPS"   
SHE DID NOT PASS ON HER ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS ---TO ME AT ANY RATE..... FRANNIE IS PRETTY GOOD... AND  DAUGHTER GWEN.... 

I DO THINK  ABOUT GETTING ORGANIZED....
 TAKE TODAY... LYNN IS GOING TO TAKE MY CAR TO GET RID OF ALL THOSE ANNOYING RED LIGHTS ON MY DASHBOARD..  JUST AFTER SHE RE-INFLATES THE FRONT TIRE SO SHE CAN GET THERE... ..  THE ONLY WAY I CAN ADDRESS THE SITUATION  IS TO GET A 6 X 10 TARP,,, OPEN THE DOORS AND DRAG OUT THE CONTENTS FROM IN AND UNDER... THAT CAR IS...  MY OFFICE....   MY SECOND HOME...MY HEATED GOLF CART...  ..MY KENNEL FOR 500 POUNDS OF DANE DOGS... TOWING VEHICLE FOR DUMP RUNS AND STONE BUYING...  TOOL STORAGE...  TRAINING EQUIPMENT..    AND OTHER THINGS I DO NOT HAVE A CLUE ..I WAS TOLD IT  IS  BASICALLY A TRUCK UNDERNEATH...  
 
IT PROBABLY HAS A WHEELBARROW OF STONE DUST IN THE FRONT  SEAT ALONE..  WHEN IT WAS BRAND NEW, I TOOK OUT THE BACK SEAT ONTHE DRIVERS SIDE SO MY OLDER DOG... BAILEY // COULD EASILY ENTER.. NOW "THE OLDER"  IS CHAOS... AND NOW BENTLY---  PAUSES FOR ME TO PLACE HIS BACKFOOT CORRECTLY ON THE DOORFRAME.   THE DEALER TOLD ME  TO REMOVE  THE SEAT WOULD RUIN IT'S RESALE VALUE..   THEY HAD NO IDEA  HOW USEFUL MY CAR IS TO ME   .. AND IT SUFFERS...  I USE MY CAR....AND NORMAL PEOPLE CRINGE...  LIKE THE DAY A TREE FELL ACROSS THE ROAD AND EVERYONE STOOD AROUND "WOW-ING"  -- THE TOP OF THE TREE WAS ONLY LIGHT BRANCHES... SO I JUST DROVE OVER IT... I WAS IN A HURRY...   

IF I TOTALLY EMPTY IT  , AFTER THEY CHARGE ME A SMALL FORTUNE FOR "UPDATING IT? THEY WILL HAVE A SHOT AT REALLY DETAINLING IT. 
EVEN WIPING OFF THE BRIGHT PURPLE PAINT WHICH GOT SPILLED OUT THE PASSENGER DOOR....
 MY CAR HAS NOT BEEN CLEAN SINCE MEGAN LEFT...  I COULD LOAN MY CAR TO HER AND IT WOUOLD COME BACK ALL WIPED CLEAN AS SHE CLEANED IT WHILE SITTING AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS..  
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KUDOS TO KENNY ( OWNED BY PIGLET)   HE COMES HERE OFTEN TO HELP-- AND THEY EHAD HIM FOLDING LAUNDRY.... UNTIL  I  HEARD THE WORD "CONTRACTOR" CONNECTED TO HIS ACTIVITIES....  I AKSED HIM IF HE MIGHT HAVE SWOME ADVICE ON DRIER VENTING.... WE MOVED TEH DRIER IN THE CELLAR TO HOPEFULLYMAKE ROOM FOR A LAUNDRY SINK AND HANDCAPPED W/C... SO HE PUT THE  WHOLE  VENT IN FROMTHE COLLECTION OF PIPING I HAD BOUGHT TO ATTEMPT THE JOB.   HE DID IT PERFECTLY..  I FORCED HIM TO EAT A N ITALLIAN SUB SANCWIDH  TO KEEP UP HIS STREGNTH !!     THEN HE ASKED WHERE I WAS GOING TO PUT THE WALLS... AND I HAD TEH NERVE TO SAY "ANYWHERE YOU WANT"   -- SO HE MEASURED THINGS AND LEFT.. SAYING   "I HAVE A PLUMBER FRIEND"-- 

 MIND YOU ... HE LEFT WALKING WITH PIGLET ...   WHO IS TERRIFFIC...  BEAUTIFUL    AND HUGE...  AND KEPT HIS EYE ON KENNY FOR HOURS WHILE HE PLAYED WITH SIZZLE AND JIMINEY.... 
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Hi Carlene,
I hope this email finds all well with you.  I'd like to give you an update on Hoodsie and I.  It has been 9 months since we were matched and our teamwork just keeps getting better.  As I've mentioned to you before, I am still amazed at how much Hoodsie thinks about his work.  He seems to do a very good job without my telling him what to do.  He is capable of thinking in almost all situations, however some small dog distraction is still a work in progress.  We are out and about quite a bit these days enjoying more freedoms in these COVID times before the disease transmission rate increases much more and we might be facing more lockdowns.  

Hoodsie has allowed me to get back into hiking in the woods which is something I had lost before being matched with him.  About 6 weeks ago we had a very strong tropical storm Isaias that brought with it hurricane force winds and tornados leading to downed trees on almost every road in my town and something like 80% of homes losing power.  A couple of days later Hoodsie and I ventured to a new hiking area and both of us got a great workout climbing over and walking around downed trees across the trails.  This is a completely new experience for us and he just knew what to do with me, no instructions given.  He was patient and concerned as each downed tree presented a different challenge.  At the very end of the trail as we were both physically and mentally exhausted, there was a very large tree across the trail and there was no way to get around it on either side, and it was up too high over the trail for us to climb over it.  It was also too low to walk under it.  I was just standing there looking at the situation and thinking and before I could come up with a workaround, Hoodsie got my attention and he lowered his body to army crawl under the downed tree to the other side.  He then turned around to face me and stared at me as if to say, "Come on, army crawl under the tree like I did and I'll help you."  Somehow we managed, I grabbed onto his service vest and he was able to help drag me out from under the tree while I was attempting an army crawl.  Hoodsie  then braced so I could stand up.  Once I was upright, I took a deep cleansing breath, looked at Hoodsie and I got all teary-eyed.  He stood regal and proud.  

Thank you Carlene, and thank you to all of the Service Dog Project staff and the army of volunteers who bred, raised and trained Hoodsie. He has allowed me to take back my life and look forward to tomorrow.