Where:

Go to the is link and click on the picture of Mugs the Cattle Dog.  Scroll through the pictures and you will see Buddy, Chris, me! Great event at Muttley Crew Cuts benefiting Animal Aid and Rescue Foundation.

Jake and his new cart

Chris, Izzy, Jake and I drove to Whidbey Island today. Besides being a lovely drive we got Jake a cart.  Jake’s left hind leg has lost it’s proprioception, is shakey and weak.  He is unable to go on walks.  Since getting his cart a few hours ago, his spine is straighter and he walks better when not in the cart.  We stopped by to see our vet, Dr. Brian Rowse at Ballard Animal Hospital, on our way back into town. He was pleased to see how well Jake was moving in his new cart!

This is our third cart from PMRC.  If you go to www.K9carts.com, click on Success Stories and scroll down to the dachsie with the red and green toy you will see my Buddy. Buddy got his cart (an early model) right after back surgery. I attribute his quick recovery to using the cart. That was in 2002, Buddy has been walking ever since and is now 17 years old.  I believe that a cart should  be a part of any animals recovery from surgery to improve mobility. 

One of the saddest things is that people often wait too long before getting a cart. I know it is difficult to accept that one’s belove pet’s mobility is impaired, but denial won’t make them walk better.  Using a cart is liberating – Buddy used to chase Jake when he was in his cart.  It is truly amazing to see the light dawn on your pet’s face when he realizeds he can move again.

Several of my client’s have bought carts for their dogs.  Otis was a very old and wise Pug.  We used to call his cart his “little red sports car”.  Otis’s cart allowed him to explore his grandparent’s farm on his own, without being carried.  Nati (a Red Heeler) used to chase her sister, Bella, in her cart. 

Here are the 7 Myths about Carts from the PMRC website:
Myth # 1 Mobility-Impaired Pets Cannot Live Long, Happy, Lives in Wheelchairs
Myth # 2 Euthanasia is the Only Choice
Myth # 3 Pets Do Not Adapt to Wheelchairs
Myth # 4 Cage Confinement is Necessary After Surgery
Myth # 5 It’s Best to Wait Until My Pet is Unable to Walk Before Putting it in a Wheelchair
Myth # 6 Pets Become Dependent on Wheelchairs.
Myth # 7 It’s Best to Wait Until My Puppy or Kitten is Fully Grown Before Putting It in a Wheelchair
PMRC rents carts in addition to selling them.  They can ship the cart to you if you aren’t able to make the drive. 
Barbara Parkes, the owner of PMRC, has 40 year of experience in the pet mobility industry.  I just love her, she is compassionate and passionate about what she does. 
Pet Mobility Rehab Center
1-800-578-6960
www.k9carts.

Heidi

 This saying by Rondi Lightmark (www.lightmarkphoto.com) expresses how I feel about Heidi, I wished she could have stayed forever. She died today after bravely fighting her illness. She joins her brothers Rocky and Victor and sister Princes, leaving behind her sister Opie and mother Candi.  I had the pleasure of working with her with Reiki and massage. She and Opie came to the house when her mom went to work. Heidi was a sweetie and slept next to me with the other dachsies.  The pack and I miss her already.

2nd Leash on Life has their grand opening celebration on July 9th. I will be doing a massage demonstration from 1-1:30.  Come check out this new pet store.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GC1Sw__ooE

“If you ever love an animal, there are three days in your life you will always remember. The first is a day, blessed with happiness, when you bring home your new friend. You may have spent weeks deciding on a breed. You may have asked opinions of many friends or done research finding a breeder. Or, in a fleeting moment, you may have chosen that silly looking mutt at the shelter, simply because something in its eyes reached your heart. But when you bring that chosen pet home, and watch it explore…when you feel it brush against you for the first time, it instills a feeling of pure love you will carry with you through many years to come.

The second day will occur years later. It will be a day like any other. Routine and unexceptional. But, for a surprising instant, you will look at your longtime friend and see age where you once saw youth. You will see slow deliberate steps where you saw energy. You will see sleep where you once saw activity. You will begin to adjust your friend’s diet and you may add a pill to her food. And, you may feel a growing uneasy feeling until the third day arrives.

On this day, if your friend or your higher being has not decided for you, then you will be faced with making a decision of your own on behalf of your lifelong friend. Whichever way your friend leaves you, you will feel as alone as a single star in the dark night.

If you are wise, you will let the tears flow freely as they must. If you are typical, you will find that not many family and friends will be able to understand your grief. But, if you are true to the love of the pet you cherished through many joy-filled years, you may find that a soul, smaller in size than your own, seems to walk with you at times, during the lonely days to come. At those moments when you least expect anything out of the ordinary, you may feel something brush against your leg. And, looking down at the place where your dear friend used to lie… you will remember those three significant days. The memory will be painful. As time passes, the ache will come and go. You will reject it and embrace it and it may confuse you. If you reject it, it will depress you. If you embrace it, it will deepen you. Either way, it will still be an ache.

But, there will be a fourth day when, along with the memory of your pet, and piercing through the heaviness in your heart, there will come a realization that belongs only to you. It will be as unique and strong as our relationship with the pet we have loved and lost. This realization takes the form of a Living Love, like the heavenly scent of a rose. This Love will remain and grow, and will be there for us to remember. It is a love we have earned. It’s the legacy our pets leave us when they go… and it’s a gift we keep with us as long as we live. And until we leave, perhaps to join our beloved pets, it is a Love we will always possess.”