Designer Dogs - aka Expensive Mutts

Interesting article.

The person who created Labradoodles and is responsible for the Designer Dog boom, regrets it.

No More Phone Envy

Eewww, spent too much money yesterday.  A perm and cut are NOT inexpensive, but if done well are so very much worth it.  After years of budget perms and cuts I've been going to Denise for a year and am so satisfied with her work.  She's very careful and thorough and loves to cut hair.  Watching her work is like watching an artist, and she can do things with my hair that I never thought possible.  I'll be pretty curly for the first week until the perm relaxes a bit, but with a good cut too I can wear it that way with little extra work on my part.  After sleeping on rollers for 30 and using my curling brush for 20 years, it's nice to have some time off.  Especially when it looks so good.

Last night I finally ordered my iPhone!  After suffering Phone Envy for many years I am finally getting a smart phone, but am sure it will be smarter than I am, at least for awhile.   Gotta remember to read the instructions, but I suppose they are on-line rather than included in the shipping box.  Ah, remember the days of getting a manual with all electronics?  I wonder if anything comes with instructions now, or if Quick Start Guides are the norm?  What do people do that don't have computers?  

Falling Apart

Honest to gosh, there are some days when I feel as if I am falling apart!  Aging sucks, although I suppose that it beats the only actual alternative!  This morning I start with an eye pressure check with Dr. Blatt who I see almost as often as I see my mother!  My borderline glaucoma decided it was no longer under control, and no longer responds to the drops I have been using for years.  He's testing me with different drops to figure out the best alternative.  My extreme nearsightedness was resolved when I got corrective lens implants after cataract surgery, but the perfect vision I had then isn't quite as good anymore.  The AMD has also been "under control" for a long time, but that could change tomorrow.  Pigment Dispersion Syndrome adds to the fuzzy vision as well.  Am lucky to have a good health plan and an excellent specialist.

This afternoon I get a new perm for my thinning hair.  Thinning hair runs in my mother's side of the family - thanks, Mom!

Tomorrow I get fitted with a hearing aid in my left ear.  Unfortunately, that ear has two different kinds of deafness, and the nerve deafness can not be corrected with a hearing aid.  So my hearing will be slightly better in that ear, but probably not enough better to keep me from saying, "What?" so often.

And then I need to decide if I will drive the dogs out to Jess's for baths this weekend.  In the summer I can bathe them on the grooming table outdoors, but in the winter they have to stand over the floor drain in the basement and my back does NOT like that, and limits me to one dog bath per day. 

Although I've always taken good care of myself, watching my weight, getting plenty of exercise and eating sensibly (most of the time), there are some things that are beyond my control.  I'm fortunate that the only prescription drug I use is eye drops, and that my ankle break healed uneventfully, but there are some mornings when I feel particularly creaky.  Maybe another cup of coffee and a couple of Ibuprofen will do the trick!  And perhaps a visit to the Sports Med Doc for some exercise tips.  Am sure I can do better.

So Ready For Boredom

OK, I'm ready for some boredom around here!  No holidays, no extra dogs, no company, no places to go or things to do.  I just wanna go to work, come home, and spend peaceful evenings and weekends for awhile.  I'll get the house cleaned, do water changes in all the fish tanks, work on my website or blog, order my iPhone and learn to use it, and play with and train the dogs.  Maybe we will go out to eat a few times, but mostly I will just hang out at home!  And everyone needs to stay healthy!

But first, an eye appointment and perm tomorrow, an audiology appointment on Friday, and I really need to get the dogs bathed.  Because my back objects, I'll have to drive them out to Jess's or make an appointment at PetCo.   And Friday is Friday The 13th, which I hate.  Not exactly superstitious but that is NOT my favorite day.

I really just want to be bored for awhile.  I want to go to bed early, finish the book on my iPod and get a tank ready for the new Limia nigrofasciatus that I will order on Friday.  I've been looking for "Humpback Limias" for ages.  No dog shows for awhile which is fine.  We had fun last weekend, but I can go another 5 or 6 weeks without shows.

The Responsibility Of Dog Ownership

And that, my friends, says it all.

Although genetics is an important part of temperament, how dogs are raised can make such an enormous difference.  Owning a dog is a serious responsibility.  Even small dogs can do damage if they apply their teeth to inappropriate things - such as faces and fingers.

Dogs and puppies should NOT be added to the household unless you have the time and motivation to raise them properly.  Firmness, consistency, exercise, and training are absolutely essential.  Even the small things make a difference.

Although Eddie is a wonderful dog, inherited a terrific disposition, and is very well socialized, he is going home with a list of training suggestions.  Putting the time into training a young dog can make such a difference and make him so much easier to live with.  Little things like waiting at the door, sitting to have the leash put on, waiting in a crate until told it's OK to come out.  Sits and waits make dog ownership so much easier, and they remind the dog to pay attention.  The little things all add up! 

All Is Well

. . . but no time to post this AM.  Good weekend at the dog show, with Eddie going BoW both days, Nena WB both days (needs only a single point to finish) and Pauli going BoB both days with a Group placings on Saturday.  Everyone showed well and schmoozed with the public, so they did their doggy PR.  Rosie brought Weather along - she's Letty's sister, the other pretty liver bitch from the litter.  We were delighted with how she is looking right now - what a pretty girl!