Vote For ROCKY!!!

So here is the deal. Bissell is running a contest for several weeks. The pet that collects the most votes could win up to $10,000 to donate to their favorite animal charity. The down side is you have to register an email to enter, but you don't really have to use your own, now do you?

http://mvp.bissell.com/mvp_PetDetail.aspx?id=8589937638

Wow, almost two years since I've had anything to say, about anything. It's been a tough two years.

I've had a lot of loss since the last time I blogged. My good friend, Shelly passed away in September 2007. Her illness took her very quickly. I miss her very much.

Our Cockatiel who was approximately 12 years old, died one day after becoming egg bound. Our Siamese cat, Simba had to be put down the Friday before Christmas 2007 due to kidney stones that were inoperable. It was very sudden and we had no clue that he had any health problems up until he was symptomatic.

My beloved horse, Lucky, was taken by God on September 8, 2008 at the age of 29 years 6 months and one day. I am grateful that no one had to make the decision to put him down.

I was forced to give him up prior to moving to Savannah, GA but was able to find someone who loved him as much as I did. On the day Lucky died, Brittany, the young lady I gave him to, sat on the ground with his head in her lap until he passed over. I am eternally grateful to her, for her love and care of my angel, Lucky.

After one year of unemployment, my husband finally obtained employment but we had to move from our home in Raleigh, NC to Savannah, GA, leaving many friends, Lucky, my horse and a house I could have lived in for the rest of my life.

The weather change was drastic and difficult for a New England girl to adjust to. Very hot and humid and flat here in Georgia. No real Fall season to speak of, which is my favorite season.

The job that I was hired for at a Savannah Vet Hospital has ended after 17 months of hard work.

I am working part-time and struggling with the loss of income. I am, however, much relieved to be out of there. I am not sure vocationally, where life will lead me next. I am open to most opportunities as long as I can physically perform what is required.

Out of all this loss, depression, downsizing of lifestyle comes optimism for a new year -2010!

Not sure why, just maybe sick of being sick of tired!

Everyone knows how loyal dogs are. Rocky carried it a little too far yesterday ...and I feel so badly. I was in bed all day because I hurt my back and I was trying to rest it. Rocky stayed by my side ALL DAY. He wouldn't even leave to go downstairs to eat or drink. Finally about 3pm. or so he starts dry heaving and of course all he had to vomit was bile. Poor thing. I called my husband and asked him to please take Rocky downstairs with him so that the poor baby could eat and drink! My little man waited to be told it was ok for him to be away from me to eat....
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww poor baby..

Today is Rocky's third birthday and I can't do anything with him to celebrate.... I feel so bad. Yesterday I reached up over the washing machine and somehow blew my back out. I have been in bed ever since. The pain is excruciating and the only thing that is going to make it better is rest. To make matters worse, I FORGOT and had to be reminded of it! I'm a BAD MOMMY! I guess we will have to celebrate it once I get back on my feet..........poor Rocky.........

Today I want to defend poodles. Let's face it, poodles get a bad rap. Poodles are made fun of because of the way they are groomed in the show ring. People can't seem to get past their appearance. If you were to strip a poodle down completely, it would look like a hunting dog, very similar to a pointer. Square, strong, athletic, intelligent, incredibly trainable, eager to please, happy dogs with a keen sense of smell. Poodles were bred to be hunting dogs in Germany. Check out this link for the history of poodles.. http://www.poodlehistory.org

Whether you have a mini or a standard, these dogs need a lot of exercise. They are real dogs. What they don't do is shed and they are not known to be vicious. Thank God! Poodles seem to elicit very strong reactions by people. Either they love them or hate them. As a rule, no middle ground. Poodles move with elegance and grace. They think pretty highly of themselves and they think you should, too.

For those of you who think that poodles are all frou frou, you obviously have not spent any time with them. I openly invite all of you who think poodles are too girly to meet my boy, Rocky. He is all male and all dog. Ask anyone who has even seen him.... He rocks our world. Thats why his name is Rocky!

Rocky naturally hunts by scent. He can smell game a mile away. He has been known to point and also to flush, but he loves to chase squirrels. We play the "FIND IT" game with him in the house. I present for him an object to smell, then I close all the doors to the kitchen and hide the object. Then we let him loose to find it. He always does, and usually in short order. The game can go on for hours in this house. Hiding something under rugs or other objects don't deter him.

We are the envy of the neighborhood.... Rocky has been retrieving the newspaper since he was a puppy. No going out in the rain or cold for us.... We just tell him to get the paper and he brings it in and waits for his "pay" of three little dog biscuits. Not two and God forbid, one. If you try to give him less, he will wait for the rest. If you give him four, he will drop the fourth and take his three to his bed to enjoy.

My daughter took her new white Standard Poodle to a dog park yesterday in Charleston. Her dog attracted a lot of attention, of course some good, some bad. She overheard someone say that Fable was "so prissy" and she replied, "that's not prissy, it's graceful!"

Men have a lot problems with poodles.....they don't want to be seen in their company... like it is some measure of their manhood... it drives me nuts!!!!! I have seen men who absolutely believe that they HATE poodles, be totally fascinated with my dog, Rocky. I'm talking men who walk around with a pit bull terrier on a thick chain!! It is so funny.

I admit that Poodles are not for everyone. Their high maintenance alone, is a huge monetary commitment. All that I ask is that people have a more open mind when it comes to them.

Rocky had to make a visit to the vet yesterday.....(always a good way to blow $100.) I had given the pupster a bath on Saturday and we took him to visit some folks with a new standard poodle puppy. Later that evening, I noticed him biting at his hindquarters....the next morning he had licked his back to the point where he had an oozing boo boo. Rocky tends to really fuss with his injuries. He has a history of licking them incessantly, and getting a staph infection, so I never wait too long to bring him to the vet on something like this. This thing was spreading and getting ugly!

Our vet REALLY likes Rocky. He always has, so when he said to me.... "I'm not going to shave him, but this injury really needs air to get better......" I knew it was going to be up to me. The doctor knows that I am a groomer and he has never put a scissor or clipper to him because of that fact. He gave us some antibiotic/anti-itch spray to apply to the injury twice daily, gave him his kennel cough vaccine and we left.

Upon getting home, I put Rocky on my grooming table. With my husband's help I attempted to take as little hair off of the wound as possible. I quickly realized that it needed a surgical blade to cut the hair away from the inflamed skin. Since his hair is pretty long this time of year, shaving even a small section really shows because it was on his top, back. He looks moth eaten! Immediately after applying the medication, the wound looked less inflamed. It looks even better today. So as soon it heals, I will have to groom him to blend the rest of his hair with this spot. Thankfully, his hair grows pretty fast, approximately one half inch or more per month, so we are only looking at about 3 weeks +/-. Sometimes it is good to be a groomer.......

I just have to write about this, I'm sorry... it just ticks me off to no end... Here I rant...

I live in a pretty affluent neighborhood with many dogs and many dog walkers. We have a dog poo bag dispenser just around the block. So will someone PLEASE tell me WHY is there dog poo on the sidewalk!? Why? I just don't get it. I mean, no one wants it in front of their house! Why are people letting this happen....

I will admit that I have occasionally been caught without a poo bag, but for the most part, I usually carry one with me. Furthermore, if my dog did poo on the sidewalk, I would at least try to kick it to the side or the gutter or something. Find a stick or something to move it! Have some class, will you?

No kidding. I went for an approximately one and a half mile loop and saw not one or two or even three, but four separate poos, probably done by at least three different size dogs. I swear I am going to take pictures of it next time I'm out walking Rocky.

For all of you dog walkers out there who let their dogs poo and just leave it.... you suck. You know who you are and I won't take it back! Be responsible, clean up after your mutt... No self-respecting dog owner would be caught dead letting their dog leave a load in the middle of the side walk. So disgusting.......