Dogs.and.Life

Old Dogs and New Tricks

2010-01-11T07:45:00.000-08:00

Miles is supposedly a 2006 model...right. We tell people that he is about 150 years old, mostly blind, with four teeth left but the courage of a lion and heart of puppy. He will still run off the FedEx truck that dares down our cul de sac. He shoots off after it if it passes our place when he is outside and as long as it moves on down the road, he will let it go, scratch the ground with his hind legs and trot back to me with his tail waving and head held high! (You can imagine my alarm - "he wouldn't do that - he's too old..." Surprise! That was the first and last time. On the ready now!)

Miles is an OOOLD dog. And you know what they say about Old Dogs and New Tricks, right? Can an ancient old Florida dog with thin blood be transported to snow country and be expected to survvive - let alone thrive? It can be tough enough for the strongest of constitutions to go from sunny hot days to the cloudy freezing temps. The extra time necessary to apply layers of protective clothing to venture outside is enough to make a person really contemplate if running out to do that errand is really so important. Many decide to just forget it and stay inside. This can lead to many more days of giving up and just staying inside... or giving up and staying on the porch instead of getting out and running with the big dogs.

How can we assure old dogs (including ourselves) will continue to strive and thrive? It's simple. Why would anyone that lives in tropical beautiful Delray Beach take an extended vacation in freezing Indianapolis during the winter months? Same reason. The mission - a purpose - a reason to do what we do - a reason to get out of bed - to venture out into life. We all need our "Missions."

So what about poor Miles? What might become of him when he can only tolerate 60 degrees as his freezing point and patrolling the world from the patio or open doorway is not an option? What will become of him? Well, Miles has taken on a new mission...He has claimed the bay window next to my office desk...Watch out FedEx Truck!

So what is your Mission? I'd love to hear about it!

Make it a Rockin' 2010!

Cheers to YOUR SuCCess!!

Janus

Janus Moncur CPC - The Co-Creative Coach™

LovePetz

Getting Ready to Get Ready? Still?

2009-11-11T13:42:00.000-08:00

So, the people that really know me know that I can be pretty reserve - downright shy around those I don't know. But when it comes to folks needing my help, I will go the extra mile. I'm not tooting my horn, I'm just saying that I can rally and be an extrovert when I need to be, and I realize it takes courage!

So many of us in business tend to keep getting ready to get ready... We need to be perfect, look perfect, have the perfect systems, have the perfect products...you know the drill - When the best thing is to just throw yourself into the situation and learn to swim - fast!

That's how Aisha and Corey's dog, Lucky, does things!

Lucky was a gangly little black "Lab" Denny and I picked up from the Hoot an' Holler Rescue League some ten years ago. Denny - not being an animal person, was rather horrified but tried not to show it when that little girl promptly threw up on the leather upholstery in the back seat of his spotless Intrepid.

Lucky was a present for Denny's kids - Aisha, Derek, Farah and Kalli. Lucky did not know she was being adopted by a family that was less than stellar when it came to dog-care etiquette of the super-dog-addicts - but the kids and Lucky grew up together. Today, Lucky has gained a little gray around the muzzle and has lost a bit of her stride, but let there be anything that needs her attention (snake, iguana, lizards, food, other dogs...) and she is right back in the hunt - leading the way! She has never been one to have to keep getting ready to get ready.... So take a bit of extra Lucky Courage and get out there today...and the day after that...and the day after that...

And remember the Love stays with us, too!! Just like Lucky is showing Uncle Derek here!

Cheers to YOUR SuCCess!
Janus

Janus Moncur CPC - The Co-Creative Coach™

www.TheCo-CreativeCoach.com

Dogs are Angels in Disguise

2009-10-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make. You know how we tend to love our dogs best and reserve that place in our heart for only OUR dogs? Well...

My favorite man ever, has a daughter that HAD to have a Pomeranian puppy...just HAD to have it. And yes, I've ended up doing most of the day to day stuff which does not always groove in with my own doggie duties... And Jack is a pain in the patootie at times as he is insistent and demanding when he wants your attention...

But to watch Jack with my favorite man in the world, and watching D's eyes light up with delight when that little puffball of energy jumps in his lap or dances at his feet...well it's all worth it. Jack has come along at a time when D's needed extra support and love that only a dog can give ALL the time.

So Chewie and Miles will have to accept and make a little bit of room in my heart for this little Pom Puppy that has come into my life... He is an angel in disguise.

So, don't be so quick (like me) to discount the people and other beings that come into our lives... They appear for a reason...and many are those angels we need and don't even know it!

Janus

I LovePetz and am a Pet Junkie!!

Our Dogs are Our Coaches…Three Tips to Conquer Craziness!

2009-10-06T10:41:00.001-07:00

Sitting along Atlantic Ave – amongst the other locals having their morning coffee, I had to chuckle at the sight of a perfectly outfitted lady and her perfectly poofed little toy dog. Both strut by in their matching attire - the lady with her little pink sandals and the pup with her pink harness and leash. It reminded me of the old saying about dogs looking like their masters and mistresses. Those two together made me realize that our dogs reflect more than just our taste in companions – our dogs reflect ourselves – our inner selves.

Ever witness the struggling dog handler straining to gain control of her lunging, yelping Poodle?

Ever stroll down the street and see a perfectly contented Lab lying outside a shop door, -minding his own business- while patiently waiting for his mistress inside?

Ever try to out-yell a hysterical Pomeranian?

Ever watch Animal Planet and marvel at a dog trainer taking the same terrorizing Terrier from his owner, only to have him settle right down and act like an angel?

Magic? No...

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Sometimes You Just Gotta Do What You Gotta Do...

2009-10-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

So Chewie is back home and we (Miles, Jack, Chewie and I) are all adjusting to the new rules.
Rule #1 - Feeding is twice a day, all dogs in separate places and eat or don't but bowls will be removed.
#2 - No treats - at least not around Chewie.
#3- Chewie is given her meds before the rest can eat (assume that takes away some of the medicine after taste?)

We have all had to adjust - the dogs can't eat whenever and since the food isn't just left out...they can't just nag and fight whenever (over their food rights.) I have had to adjust to make sure I time my schedule to work with the dosing and feeding. I have to admit, I really don't love having to do this..but I know I must to make Chewie healthy again. Kind of reminds me of having to eat my veggies with Mom rules or maybe make the phone calls or do the paperwork with Career Rules.

What rules would you just as soon not deal with? How do you make yourself do what you need to? Please feel free to share!

Me...and my Shaaaaa-Doe...

2009-09-29T20:36:00.000-07:00

My little angel is home again! It was so strange to not have her following me and being right next to me in whatever I might be doing at home. Chewie was so happy to see me. Her little face lit up and her tail started to wag as she fought to jump out of the arms of the technician. All I could think of is to scoop her up and hold her tight...My little Princess. Dr. Waugh kept me updated at least daily and told me that Chewie was pretty upset with her for not feeding her...(she had to have an IV for fluids so as not to further irritate the esphogus area.) Poor baby gets to live on gruel for three weeks. No solid food. She also has four medications that she has to take for the 21 days of yuck. So that means things have to be much more disciplined around here for a while. I am nuerotically vigilent (much to Kalli's dismay) about trashcans floor level, food and eatingware left around at doggie dash height and no "treating" in front of Chewie. Meanie, I know. And to top it off...I gave Chewie more of a haircut to blend in her shaved front legs that were done for the IVs. She wasn't too happy but is now back in her spot close to me while I write.....All is Good with the World. How in the heck do people ever have kids? I'd be a nervous wreck. My hats off to all the human parents out there. Dogs are challenging enough for me. xoxo

Looking for the Rainbow

2009-09-27T06:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was tough - even for a professionally positive cheerleader like myself. Dr. Waugh is the greatest! She scoped poor Chewie and found a bone that she could not pull out, so she had to push it into Chewie's stomach, hoping it will dissolve naturally. Now Chewie must be kept on fluids to help heal the esophagus, and she will have to have gruel for 3 weeks. This was the best possible outcome, really... and I'm lucky she is doing so well... and that I took her into Dr. Waugh. The weird thing is, I cannot figure out where she snatched that bone from? I mean, I know she was a stray and is always on the look-out for a snack to grab...but I tend to be a neurotic pet-parent...I even looked in our trash to find the pork bone from a couple of nights ago and found it still in the trash - whole... and D walked around the yard looking for evidence of "something"... so the mystery remains...

Lesson: No matter how long you have been with your companion, or how well you know your pet, you can never stop the vigilance for their safety and well-being.

It was weird not having Chewie around, particularly for our first time "outside" this morning. Miles sniffed around as I held Jack (Jack loves to go "visiting" at the speed of light so he goes out the side yard that is fully fenced.) While sitting there missing Chewie, I felt a drop of rain and noticed by checking the canal, that it had started to rain, even though the sun was still partially out... It triggered my normal response...to look into the darkest part of the sky for a rainbow.... Can you see it? It's there... Sometimes we just have to look harder...

The Things We Take For Granted...

2009-09-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

Chewie has seemed a little quiet and "blue." She has not been her usual sweet affectionate self - almost as if she was taking a bit of a back seat to Jack - the big personality Pomeranian that tends to push himself into everyone's center of attention... And D and I have taken a couple of trips this month so I wondered if she was a bit pouty with me... But yesterday she was more subdued than ever and she acted uncomfortable and threw up...then she grabbed her treat last night and almost choked on it until I shoved my finger down her throat and she threw up again... So today we went to our Vet and I am trying to remain positive after witnessing "something" blocking her insides... Dr. Waugh is the best and took her right into do a endoscopy to see if the blockage is in her gut or in the lung or in the wall... It is just very "there" and looks almost like bone as it shows up very white on the xrays. Chewie was a stray wandering the streets of Indianapolis when I found her. She was in rough shape but her sweet spirit was evident and she has been my little angel ever since. I just know that the time she spent as a stray tends to still color her behavior as she is possessive of her food and tends to gulp it...so I'm sure that she must have gotten a hold of something that has her blocked up... and Dr. Waugh will be able to ease that out of her and she will come home tonight feeling much better!!

Lesson: Watch how much you try to swallow at once. Don't take on too much and overwhelm yourself...in life and in eating!

The other point that has me thrown off balance is that I know my man, Miles, is a very old dog with lots of problems but with a primarily loving personality...as long as you don't mess with him... I would be ready for something major to happen to him but not to Chewie.

Lesson: Don't take anyone or anything for granted. You never know what might come up unexpectedly.

You Know It's Love when You Get Matching T-Shirts

2009-09-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

Did you and your sweetheart from high school ever get t-shirts of each other? Maybe that's way too old school. But cute... I just had to share about a big man that so many know and initially fear (especially if you have to work for him.) This big gruff guy has been putting up with my dogs and doggie life for over 10 years now and has been pretty good...but he never really could get too close to my dogs or the dogs his kids took in. I understand the allergy thing, but my two - Miles and Chewie - are hypo-allergetic types. I thought he just wasn't a dog-person..much as I doubted his eldest daughter was either..until she..well that's another story.

Get the big guy to give into his youngest daughter's begging for a Pomeranian puppy... have the daughter end up doing what most teenagers do with the dog they just had to have...and voila'. Doggie magic takes over.

So next time you think people or things can't change...think again...Pooch-Power

Welcome to Dogs.and.Life!!

2009-09-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hello, Fellow Dog-Lover!

I just want to take this moment to introduce myself..My name is Janus Moncur and I am addicted to dogs. If you share my addiction or just like your pets and want to talk about them and share pictures and stories, please feel free. I will be sharing a lot of my own life lessons learned from my dogs and other animals that I've had the pleasure of hanging out with.

Just to let you know, I'm a big advocate of adopting shelter and rescue dogs. Many of these pets have been given up or rescued from places that could not or would not give them the proper loving care required. Shelter pets have gotten a bad rap as imperfect, badly behaving, troubled animals and I'm here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. Some animals that end up in shelters and rescue groups are purebred animals that had to be given up for whatever reason.

And please don't get me wrong, I love all Dogs - including the purebreds. I just really, really want to help the dogs that we can save. I believe homeless dogs understand that we save them so they love us back even more.

So if you can remember to spread the word about how great shelter pets are, some homeless animal may just get a forever home because of it.

I thank you and my own rescued pets, Miles and Chewie, thank you, too.

A Great Big Thank You to Marcella. Most of the pictures you will see here were taken by the always wonderful and ever patient - Marcella M. Mirande-Ketcham of Wild Eyes Photography