Step Up to the Plate for your Dog

 I've read several articles lately on the internet that have left me with a very achy heart and it has kept my mind spinning. In the past three weeks I have read 4 articles about pets being mistakenly killed by police, euthanized by veterinarians, and even a pet that was abused with food by allowing him to become so obese he couldn't walk!

I don't have children, so my dog is seriously like my child and I have the most unconditional love for him as a part of my family. If you knew me in real life you would probably think I'm some sort of whack job because I'm very protective and very particular about who cares for my dog and how my dog is treated. 

(In my opinion, I have every right to feel this way. After all, I'm the one who slept with him on the floor for 12 weeks while he was recovering from his surgery. I'm the one who hasn't slept past 6:30am in three years. I'm the one who takes time off work to take him to the vet. I'm the one who hasn't gone to the bathroom alone since his first night home. However, that's neither here nor there.)

I completely understand that not everyone has the same fondness for dogs or pets in general. Everyone has a right to like/dislike things and I'm fine with that. What I am not fine with is the fact that people and professionals are not respecting others opinions and beliefs to love and care for their pets. Pet owners should be be able to trust that their pet will not be harmed or mistakenly killed when taken in for routine procedures. Extra measures and steps should be taken in all situations where medical care is involved, with pets AND people! When something tragic happens to a pet, its not a joke. When something happens to a person, its not a joke. People AND pets have feelings and we all should be able to take our loved ones (furry too) to have medical procedures without additional worry regarding malpractice mistakes.

But on the other hand, I'm human and I'm an adult who knows that there are two sides to every story and there is always a fine line or grey area to every situation. So don't count me out yet, I'm not that horribly.

I have the up most respect for my veterinarian and I'm sure that she would never harm Bronx in any way shape or form on purpose. However, mistakes happen. People are human and we are not perfect. Its not only the vet's job to care for their clients properly but pet owners should also be involved with things that happen at the vet. Ask questions, read forms thoroughly, don't sign anything you have questions or reservations about. Get facts and do your research before making decisions. Ask others about their experiences. Make notes at visits and keep all medical history information in one location for easy use in the future.

If you've been reading at The Coach's Wife then you know I'm an avid dog lover and my Bronx is my world! I'm always VERY careful and watchful when I take Bronx in for any procedure so these are my 10 tips to ensure you have taken all steps necessary when taking your dog to the vet.  

1. Know EXACTLY what your pet is going to the vet for and why.
2. Do your own independent research about the procedure your pet is receiving.
3. Make notes and ask questions. You are paying for the service/care your pet is receiving and all your questions should be answered without problem. If your vet is hesitant in answering your questions or cuts you short because you have questions - it may be time to seek out a second opinion or another vet.
4. Ask for copies of information, pamphlets, or any material you can get your hands on directly from your vet. (Then always seek out your own independent information).
5. Never make hasty decisions about having a procedure performed without first thinking it through and making sure you are making the best decision for you and your pet.
6. Make sure your vet or vet tech explains every detail about the procedure or medication and take good notes or record the conversation for future use or additional questions that may arise.
7. Read EVERY.SINGLE form thoroughly before signing anything. Lots of forms at a medical practice look the same, but state VERY different information. Know exactly what you are signing before you place your pen to paper.
8. Call your vet to check on your pet if they are required to stay without your supervision for the procedure. Its your right to check on your pet, although if you have a really good vet they will call you periodically to give you status updates or feedback.
9. Request that your pet keep his personal identification tags/collar on during any procedure if possible and if not possible demand that a paper ID collar be placed on your pet in lieu of the personal ID. (I also go the extra step and paint ONE of Bronx's nails a specific color if I'm leaving him and his personal collar has to be removed. Yep, I'm THAT crazy dog Mom)
10. Keep your own records and review them before going to appointments. Its not only the veterinarian practice's responsibility to keep your pets records - you should do it too! I also make notes on Bronx's records as far as any reactions he has ever had after visits or medications. That way I can bring it up in the future if they want to prescribe the same med. (Its sure saved me a headache in the past when I've been able to tell the vet quickly over the phone not to prescribe a specific medication because it caused a reaction in the past)

Tell me, what steps do you take to ensure your 'little ones' of both the furry and human variety, are taken care of at their medical appointments and procedures?

 

I couldn't imagine not taking every step possible to ensure that sweet face is around as long as God will let him be! 

I'm here - I'm here

Although we have been SUPER busy, I'm still alive but blogging has been placed on the back burner lately. 

We do not have one single weekend free from now until the end of December! We are going to be really tired come New Years! 

I recently tried my hand at making my own laundry detergent -I'll try to post about that soon. 

 

I was down with a pulled muscle in my back for four days last week. The Bronxster and I caught up on some snuggle and snooze time :) 

It has done so much of this lately I thought we were going to need to buy a boat to commute to work....

 

And the sky has been very spooky lately with all the rain and the storms in our area. I'm so glad we're on to better weather this week. 

We have a few weddings over the next month so I hope to post lots of pretty pictures of all my friends who are finally taking the plunge!

7 Years

Its hard to believe its been 7 years....

So many lives were lost, worlds torn apart and so many torn and tattered remains still show the damage mother nature can create, the fury she can bring. Her name was Katrina

So today, seven years later, as Isaac threatens to come ashore, please pray. Pray that healing hands are put on those who may endure harm and pray that the storm sheds mercy on the people who live in its path.

I can not imagine what hurricane victims go through. I can not imagine the pain they still feel and the fear of another storm threatening them again. If you pray, I'm asking that today, you pray for people you have never met and probably never will, but they need your prayers and mine.

Isaac's Possible Path

50 Shades of Flustered

I normally read things that interest me or things that have been recommended to me by friends. I love a good love story and non-fiction. I'm even down for a good mystery or sappy old romance novel like the kinds my Nana would read when I was a child.

I recently joined in with all the hype and loaded up the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy to my good ole' kindle this weekend.

I'm usually a pretty brave woman when it comes to expressing myself or speaking to others about intimate topics, but whew-y. This book has me blushing and gasping, chapter after chapter.

I won't lie, its not the best book I've read. I have many other's I'd put in line before it on my list of favorites. However, it is one of those books you just CANT.PUT.DOWN. Seriously!

So here's to you Christian Grey - you've managed to make me skip my Sunday evening walk with my dog, turn the dryer back on at least 4 times, on several loads of laundry, stay up extremely late on Saturday night, and miss over half of the Yankees/Red Sox game yesterday.

Well done, Mr. Grey, well done.

Confessions for the Week

1. My husband's birthday was on Monday. We got all dolled up and went to dinner and I didn't take one single picture.

2. We went on a last minute beach trip last weekend and again....I didn't even take the damn camera with me. I guess you could say we were in a hurry to get out the door when we found out we had the okay from my sister-in-law that she would dog sit.

3. I currently have 4 cuts/scabs on my legs. I'm not being beat, I promise. I'm just REALLY clumsy these days!

4. I've come to the realization that its not in the cards this year for us to expand our family. We have too many "irons in the fire," as my Mom would say. We have too much going on right now with work changes, unexpected expenses, etc to even start thinking about it, so we put it on the back burner again.

5. I realized last week as I was filing all of Bronx's vet invoices - we should have gotten the pet insurance. I would spend as much as it took to make sure B is healthy, but it sure would have been nice to have the insurance company fork out all these thousands of dollars for surgery, meds, etc.

6. Husband went back to work this week, sans students. He thought it was the end of the world until his wife forcefully kindly pointed out that she works all the year round! :) How sweet she is, that wife of his! Hehe!

Happy Anniversary!

Not the normal anniversary you were probably thinking about.....but an anniversary, non the less.

Today, I have been blogging for ONE year! Go me!

Its been a little tough figuring out everything, and I'm still learning. Its been wonderful and amazing to be welcomed into the blogger world and even gain my first 10 followers!

I'm glad you came by, stuck around, and listen to all the junk I annoyingly post on the Internet! Don't go anywhere...The Coach's Wife has just begun!

How and Why Bronx is Bronx

I've never named a child, but if naming our dog was any indication as to how tough it will be then we are in need of immediate donations to pay for future therapy sessions we're sure to land ourselves in.

I won't lie - it wasn't one of those things where you just looked at the dog and said "you look like a ________." It just didn't happen that way. Nothing really just shouted at me, so it took us a while to come up with some possible choices.

The fact that Bronx was a surprise and I got to see him for the very first time late in the evening on Christmas Eve - Eve (the 23rd of December, in case you didn't grasp that lingo) didn't make it any easier to quickly choose a name before I presented him to our family on Christmas Eve.

Dave and I are very firm on names - its just something we both feel very strongly about. While I'm a little more bold and outgoing and like unique and unusual names (hello, my name is Charlee - did you think I would like ordinary names? psssh.) While the hubs is very traditional and many names in his family have been passed down his entire family tree.

Did we bicker? Yes. Did I stick my pouty face out a few times? Yes. Eventually were we able to compromise and found a name that suited our pup and us? Yes, and the key is compromise and learning to be realistic. 

 Bronx - Circa 2009 

6 weeks old

Since we had trouble just throwing names out there we set out on a different path. We started with what we knew.
We knew it had to be some what simple. Although labs are super smart, we needed to be able to use his name quickly and firmly when training and calling him. 
We knew we didn't want to stick with any of his names in his bloodline/family tree.

We thought all night on it and eventually Dave said "We both love the Yankees, we love the Bronx, we love the time and memories we've shared in NYC and we love Yankee Stadium, we were engaged there and its a place we'll always love- and now we love this nameless puppy so lets call him Jeter, after one of our favorite players of all time."

It sounded cute and it rolled of the tongue nicely, but it just didn't 'fit' like I thought it would. I didn't have the reaction I thought I would have when we finally picked his name. I wasn't sold. I don't think Dave was either but he said it a few more times trying to make it stick. I couldn't do it. I couldn't look down at that sweet sleepy puppy laying in my lap and give him a name that didn't fit.

 Giving my new pup some loving!

Almost simultaneously we looked at each other and looked down at our sleeping yellow puppy and instantly said one word, and that word was simply - "Bronx"
And just like that - Bronx became Bronx. We smiled, did a group hug, and our world has been rocked by that puppy named Bronx ever since!