Current Conditions in Baxter-Land are Calm

The forecast, however, is uncertain.

We've been enjoying several weeks of 'uneventfullness' in Baxter-Land. He's recovering well from the surgery, and the minor reaction he had to the sutures is fading.

To borrow a movie cliché -- Things are quiet. Almost too quiet.

In any case, we'll continue to enjoy the non-drama. We have plenty to get excited about as Jenny's belly continues to grow. It won't be long now!

For the moment, here are a couple of pictures of Baxter behaving himself. He's been pretty friendly to our recent guests and generally chilling out. When he's calm, he's quite the snuggler!

These two are big fans of Trevor. Oh, and before you ask what girly drink he's holding, I will have you know it's the manliest of manly drinks ... The Manhattan.


Baxter is very friendly with Chris. He used to have a particular taste for Chris' fingers, but that seems to be a thing of the past.

Finally, Bax is quite the helper in the kitchen. He positions himself just so in case I drop anything. Easy clean-up ... thanks Baxter!
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Random Post -- Flight Aware is a Cool Website

Bear with me, we'll get to something dog-related in a bit. I've become a big fan of text/email alerts for arriving flights. Most airlines have a utility on their website where you can enter a number or email and they'll automatically drop a line if the flight is early or late. It's super handy if you're driving around and can't check flight status from a computer.

Well, I've found the mother of all flight tracking sites: www.flightaware.com. OK, it's a little overkill but it's sweet. First of all, it handles every flight and every airline (plus private aviation), so you only have to go one place to set up your alerts.

I highly recommend checking it out next time the 'rents come to visit or that old college buddy is flying in to drink beer and talk glory days.

OK, I promised dog stuff. Flight Aware has a large forum for pilots, and they post cool plane pics. I'm a bit of a plane geek, so I dig it. Here are some great pics of dogs on planes. These pooches don't fly coach. They don't even fly silly business class. It's straight private air travel for these lucky dogs:

Photo Courtesy of FlightAware.com

Photo Courtesy of FlightAware.com

Photo Courtesy of FlightAware.com

Photo Courtesy of FlightAware.com

Photo Courtesy of FlightAware.com

Photo Courtesy of FlightAware.com

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CA Considers Tax Credit for Adopting Animals

The California legislature is considering a bill that would allow a tax deduction up to $300 for costs associated with adopting an animal. This is valid for dogs, cats and other animals rescued from state and local shelters and non-profit rescue organizations.




Read a summary of Assembly Bill 233 here.

I'm noticing a pleasant theme here in California towards more responsible policies with regards to our animals. Read my last post Towards a Puppy Mill Free LA.

The Human Society is all over it, as you can imagine, and they're urging folks to call their representatives and support this bill.

Most donations to non-profit organizations are tax-deductible, assuming you do not receive goods or services in return. So, why would an adoption fee be any different?

Is it because you get something in return for your money?

Well, I choose look at it this way: You don't get goods or services in return. You receive love, loyalty and devotion for the life of the animal.

A couple of quotes I find appropriate, with regards to these recent developments:

"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
-- Immanuel Kant

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
- Mahatma Gandhi

Couple of heavy-hitters there. My man, Kant!

Interesting to note ... The aforementioned summary of AB 233 includes a mention of two related bills that failed to reach a vote during the 2001/2002 session. One would have created a deduction for veterinary expenses incurred by adopted animals (oh how I wish THAT had passed). The other would have created a deduction for spay/neuter operations for adopted or purchased animals.

Here's hoping this bill doesn't suffer the same fate.

Photo: sayheypatrick
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Moving Towards a Puppy Mill Free LA

Over the past couple of months, I've noticed weekly protests at a store right down the street from me called Puppy and Me. Protesters hold signs every Saturday to warn people that puppy mill puppies are being sold there.

I generally honk in support as I drive by, but I recently checked out their website to learn more.



The organization is called Best Friends, and they're committed to making LA County "puppy-mill free". I'm all for it, and it looks like they're gaining some traction.

For eight months last year, they protested outside Pets of Bel Air. In December, the store closed. Even more remarkably, it quickly reopened as a "store" for rescued dogs only. One of the shop's former employees is responsible for the turn-around. I suggest a quick read of this success story at BestFriends.org.

This is absolutely the right way to go. Puppy mills degrade the quality of all dogs by propagating recessive genes and hereditary defects. Plus, the conditions and treatment of the dogs is disgusting. Just ask Oprah, who did a whole show on it. If you can stomach it, here's video of her undercover report by Lisa Ling.

Even local government is getting in on the act. The LA County board of Supervisors is taking some steps to crack down on puppy mills in the area. Here's some info on the resolution they passed unanimously last month.

We rescued both Biscuit and Baxter from non-profit agencies. I don't say this to be "holier than thou". I just think it's important to stand up and say this is the right thing to do.

Plus, they cost about $200 each -- That's opposed to $1000+ you may pay for a rare breed puppy. And, you give the money to a non-profit group which is doing good and just trying to cover their own costs (which they don't always do).

So, I'm curious to see what becomes of the protest outside Puppy and Me. And if you happen to drive by, honk in support.


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The Dogs Help Build Our Crib

Earlier in Jenny's pregnancy, we got the same advice from several sources. "Order the crib early," they said. People consistently told us to order the crib at least 4 months before the due date.

We thought they were crazy.

Well, crazy or not we decided to take their advice. Jenny's due in June, and, after weeks of agonizing over the decision, we placed our first crib order in January. After that fell through (darn you phthalates!) We found a second choice right away.

Then three months went by. It eventually became clear crib #2 was a no-go, so after choosing a third crib, we finally had it delivered this week. We put it together right away, with some much-needed help from the dogs.

Biscuit was totally into it and very helpful.


Baxter just seemed bored.

Kind of the same way he acted when we played the crying baby CD. I have a feeling he'll change his tune once there's a little munchkin to chase around.
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Old Runner Loves His Old Dog

Life is full of interesting coincidences .... Having just posted about that great slideshow of old dogs, I had an interesting chat with an older gentleman out on a walk yesterday.

He was in his sixties and just finishing a run. Eyeing Biscuit and Baxter, he stopped me to ask what breed they were. He guessed King Charles Spaniel, and I was impressed that he had gotten close. Most people go with Chihuahua.

Then he asked how old they were, and I told him. He said that he had a German Shorthair who's 14.

"She's run a lot of miles with me," he said wistfully. "It's hard to watch them, you know, decline."

OK, this just got depressing.

He continued, "I just wish they could last forever."

All right. Thank you, Mr. Melancholy Runner Man, for making me feel like weeping. Can't we just go merrily about our business pretending they DO last forever?

That reminds me ... I've been meaning to look into dog DNA cloning. I hear it's getting cheaper these days. I'll report back with my findings soon. It's been a long-standing dream of mine to someday have 4 or 5 Biscuits running around the house. Come on, scientists, let's get to work on the important things!

Get some sleep, Biscuit. You have your cloning operation in the morning.

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Old Dogs are the Best Dogs

A friend sent me this link ... it's a great collection of pictures and kind words people have submitted about their long-time four-legged friends. It's heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, as many folks are remembering friends who have gone to the great dog park in the sky.

I try not to think too much about saying goodbye to our little ones. But these stories and pics from the book Old Dogs are the Best Dogs are worth checking out if you're truly a dog lover.

Here's a link to the slideshow: http://www.wowowow.com/photo-essay/old-dogs-are-best-dogs-our-readers-share-some-their-old-dogs-170867

And I found the book on Amazon for cheap!


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These Just Make Me Laugh

I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but I giggle at these silly pictures. My patience has paid off ... they finally got a Tibbie on IHasaHotDog.com:


see more dog and puppy pictures ........Read more of this post!

Baxter Drinks a Bunch of Pancake Syrup

A couple months back, Baxter sucked down a pretty large amount of pancake syrup. Suffice it say, he's now on a first name basis with Aunt Jemima.

A couple of lucky coincidences kept this episode from being far worse. But, it was still quite messy.

We had some friends over for brunch one Sunday morning, and made blueberry pancakes. Because, who doesn't love blueberry pancakes? Jenny likes her syrup served hot, so we microwaved the syrup and set it on the table in measuring cups. One was regular and one was reduced sugar.

After eating we walked our friends out to their car to say goodbye. Baxter didn't join us -- he sensed an opportunity.

While we were outside, Bax jumped up onto the table and went to town on one of the cups full of syrup, sucking it dry. He must have had his fill, because he left the second cup alone.

We returned moments later, unaware of his latest conquest. Everything was normal for about 30 minutes.

This picture was taken before all this went down. You can see there's
just less than a cup of syrup in the measure on the right. Not for long!

I was in the kitchen cleaning up when Bax came in and got a drink of water with unusual gusto. He was slurping water with such vigor that it struck me as a little odd. Sure enough, within moments he puked in the living room.

This was not a normal batch of vomit. It was golden brown in color, thick and viscous. Kind of like ... hmmmm, syrup? Jenny and I realized it at the same moment. We checked the table and confirmed that one of the cups was empty, even though we knew we hadn't finished it.

Here's a recreation of what we think happened.

Jenny called the emergency vet right away. They suggested that we come in immediately and call a veterinary poison control center on the way.

Oh my god. Seriously? The emergency vet again? We called animal poison control and hoped it wouldn't come to that.

First of all, who knew a veterinary poison control even existed? Turns out to be a great service. For $60 they take open a case for you and a vet reviews your info and tells you how to proceed. (See the Animal Poison Control site for some great info)

We gave the vet all the info, including the type of syrup. Turns out Bax had chosen the low-sugar variety. In a great stroke of luck, the syrup didn't include the fake sugar xylitol. If it had, he probably would have died.

The vet was concerned that such a spike in blood sugar could lead to a serious but treatable condition called pancreatitis. She told us to monitor him, withholding food and water, for two hours. After that, we were to introduce a little water and see what happened.

OK, so far so good. No emergency vet, and no immediate life-or-death danger.

The bad news? I had heard of projectile vomiting, but projectile diarrhea had now commenced. We spent the next two hours in the backyard watching Bax spew liquid from his butt. It was like his body had completely pulled the plug and was bailing everything. It was a mess and a little sad to watch.

Neighbor Phil submitted this recreation of what happened AFTER Bax sucked down the syrup.

As the vet warned, his metabolism was in high gear and he was dying for food or water. He had even tried to drink from the toilet at one point, something he'd never done before or since.

Eventually, the anal leakage slowed and we gave him a little bit of water. He slurped down the little bit we gave him, and we waited to see if he would vomit again. Everything went smoothly from there on out. We were on "pancreatitis watch" for the next 48 hours, but he showed no further signs of sickness.

We had all dodged a bullet. And Baxter learned a healthy respect for Aunt Jemima. ........Read more of this post!

On The Antibiotics Again & Random Pics

So, it seems as if Baxter has had a slight reaction to the sutures. There are a couple of not-so-little bumps on his belly that we've been monitoring for a week or two. Today we decided to take him by the vet to get them checked out.

When the vet said she thought he was having a little reaction to the sutures, we figured she meant the metal staples. But those were removed two weeks ago. She explained that he was actually reacting to the dissolving sutures, something that is not uncommon. What dissolving sutures?

Get this: Abdominal surgeries are often closed up with not one, not two, but sometimes three sets of sutures. The abdominal wall is closed first, then fat and other "subcutaneous" tissues, and finally the visible sutures to close the whole thing up. Yeah, we had no idea either.

The internal sutures dissolve over time, and apparently some dogs have a reaction as they break down. So, for the next two weeks Baxter will be taking antibiotics. The party never ends!

Just for fun, here are some random pics of the kids:

Yes, his shirt says "Security". Biz has one, too. In pink.

After a bath, with full fluffyness.

Biscuit being sweet. Baxter sniffing her butt.

Baxter helping out, trying on a baby gift.

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Baxter Makes Up with Neighbor Phil

As I'm sure you all remember, Baxter had a recent run-in with our neighbor Phil. Despite the physical and psychological trauma suffered by both (or, just Phil), the two seemed to have made up.

Phil returned recently to the scene of the crime, and Baxter apologized by sitting on his lap and shedding on him. How sweet!

It's good to have forgiving friends and neighbors.
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Ingenious Pet Product Alert: Soft Paws

People are so clever! I love hearing about smart, simple solutions to everyday problems. I found this one the other day.

Warning: We're going to talk (briefly) about cats on a dog blog. Take a few deep breaths before continuing.

One big knock on cats is that they can really tear things up with their claws. Declawing isn't a good option, so a vet came up with this brilliant solution: Soft Paws.

Basically, they're rubber tips for the front claws. And not only do they come in a wide range of stylish colors like hot pink (see pic above), but you can mix and match. Incredible!

They come for dogs, too. We once were denied an apartment application because the landlord was afraid Biscuit would scratch up the hardwoods. So, while less necessary, I can see the use.

What will they think of next!

See a photo gallery of cats and dogs sporting their stylish pedicures here.


Photo: kckoenig ........Read more of this post!