Rambo's primary daily exercise usually involves at least one session of fetch. I have some days that it really hurts my shoulders to throw even the smallest dog ball. I tried one of those plastic arms that holds the ball and lets you send it a lot farther than you can throw it by hand. It seems its a lot easier to lose balls over the fence that way too. (Seriously, as long as Rambo and I are together you should invest in stock of the company that makes Chuck-It balls. I don't just buy them when we run out, I have a monthly subscription!)
Ahem....where was I? Oh, I was browsing Kickstarter again the other day and ran into a fun looking gadget. Check out the Kickstarter Campaign. Its over in just a few days!
I'll share my own video when I get to take Rambo out and watch him look at me with a confused stare wondering when I'm going to throw the damn ball already! He hasn't been a flying disc kind of dog but I'm hoping this new toy will change that.
I will have some more Rambo adventures posted up soon. I have a lot of photos and videos to sort through!!!!
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Monday, March 28, 2016
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Kurgo March of Dogs Giveaway
Click on the banner below to enter in the Kurgo March of Dogs Giveaway before its too late! Just click on the pick to go straight to your entry page!
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Bill in Congress to force VA to pay for PTSD service dogs
I woke up to some interesting and hopeful news. K9s for Warriors, a Florida based non-profit group that works to provide service dogs to veterans with PTSD, put on their boots and marched the halls of Congress. Obviously frustrated with the VA's refusal to recognize service dogs trained to help veterans with this life-crushing disease, they took the issue to Congress and asked for help.
On one hand, if a successful bill makes it through the House and Senate and is signed by the President, it will be a clear victory for veterans and the service dog industry. On the other hand, the VA is notorious for ignoring, stalling and refuting the mandates of Congress. I will be happy to provide numerous references to anyone that seriously doubts that a federal agency willfully ignores laws and mandates issued by Congress. The VA's blatant refusal to follow the laws of the land is not only frustrating to veterans, in many cases it compromises their health and well being.
I can certainly understand the VA's desire for empirical evidence. In this case I think the circumstantial evidence that PTSD service dogs greatly improve the lives of veterans is overwhelmingly favorable. That should be adequate to convince any responsible agency that taking care of their constituents would be the right thing to do. The key word here is responsible.
It boggles my mind that the VA will issue a $22 billion dollar contract to upgrade their current, nightmarish information technology, a mess they made themselves, but they clench their butt cheeks together when it comes to investing in the health of affected veterans. I will vouch from personal experience that properly caring and providing for a service dog is not a cheap endeavor. Some help with pet insurance would go a long way in giving me some breathing room in my monthly budget. Food, insurance (liability and health), a health maintenance plan, OTC medications for things like itchy hot spots or after-bath ear cleaner, treats (healthy ones!), toys, requisite gear and grooming items easily takes a $200 to $300 chunk of my limited income every month. At least.
I spent around a grand getting everything I needed for Rambo when I brought him home. Granted, I got the best items I could so that is probably a little on the high side but not by much. I also made sure I had things like a flotation vest, car seat covers and other nice to have items someone on a tight budget could forego, at least initially. This is not to mention that he came with a $7000 price tag and that was five years ago!
Is a properly trained PTSD dog worth the expense, regardless of where the money is coming from? Without question! Rambo is worth every penny ever spent on him and much, much more! You can put a price on his raising and training and tally up his monthly expenses and that total won't even come close to the value that I put on this dog. I would take a bullet for this dog faster than a Secret Services agent protecting the President. And I wouldn't even have to think about it.
Let me put it in just a little clearer perspective: what monetary value would you put on a human life? Without a trained service dog, my life was absolutely worthless. Now, can you put a price on my life? I sure as hell can and it's readily more than all the money in the world.
Now.
I owe that to my dog and his training organization.
I wish I could get my hands on what the VA pays for medications. Throw in all the overhead for the managing, distributing and dispensing of all those medications and it adds up to a substantial sum, I'm sure.
I realize this is a rhetorical question, but which of these solutions is more cost effective, provides a true holistic approach and doesn't come with any dangerous side effects?
Would you choose this: (A photo of all the medications I take on a daily basis that I can't figure out how to put in the right place using the Blogger app)
Or this? (a picture of my amazing dog that I also can't figure out on the app. Sorry. I'll fix it as soon as I can.)
Yeah. Me too.
If you want to see the number to make this real, the VA spends around $8000 on the first year of care for a veteran with PTSD. Based on my experience, even with spoiling my dog to no end, the most my average yearly cost is $3,600. This figure is not counting the purchase price of the dog. So add in the $7000 for training, $1000 to get him outfitted plus the $3600 yearly cost and the first year cost of a PTSD dog $11,600.
So the first year of the dog is more expensive than VA treatment. Let's look at the long term costs including first year expenses over 10 years (estimated useful career of a service dog.
Dog: $44,000
VA (therapy, drugs, suicide prevention): $80,000.
A difference of $36,000! This does not factor in group discounts and negotiated contract rates the VA could secure which would bring the cost of the dog down significantly. Moreover, you can actually subtract the cost of VA treatment since that money wouldn't be spent in the first place.
It comes down to common sense of which the VA bureaucracy is seriously lacking.
Time for politics:
Please take a few minutes to write or call your Congressmen's office and ask them to support and sign onto this bill. the 2.7 million plus veteran who have had their lives destroyed by PTSD will thank you.
Are you one of those people who always tells a veteran, "thank you for your service?" Well, here is a simple way to make those words count. If you aren't one of those folks who thanks veterans for their sacrifice on your behalf, here is a chance to make up for it.
Get on the phone and make some damn noise! There are people you elected in Washington DC that do listen if you bother to speak up. Make democracy work for those who put their very lives on the line to protect it.
And now for the news.......
Jeanne Blaylock, WTLV-TV, Jacksonville, Florida reports,
WASHINGTON -- Leaders from "K9s for Warriors" just returned from lobbying in Washington D.C.
They are pushing for the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA) to pay for service dogs to help veterans with extreme Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Executive Director Rory Diamond says the VA has refused to recognize how effective the dogs are.
Congressman Ron DeSantis from Florida is sponsoring a bill to force the VA to implement at $10 million dollar pilot program to pay $27,000 per dog to certified training organizations.
He said it’s cost effective in the long run. His office cited a congressional budget figure of $8,000 for the first year alone to treat a vet with PTSD.
Diamond said he believes the VA is just “wrong” when it comes to saying there’s no research that service dogs can be pivotal in successful treatment of PTSD.
He said the VA’s solution of giving sometimes 30 to 40 medicines a day to a veteran doesn’t work.
“I think it numbs their pain. Perhaps keeps a warrior quiet," he said. "But it doesn’t give a little girl her dad back. The meds don’t give a warrior their life back.”
Diamond says out of 217 graduates so far from K9s for Warriors, not a single one has committed suicide.
As for the money if the bill passes?
Diamond said "K9s for Warriors" does not take government money. But the non-profit’s board would have to make a decision about this pilot project.
He also said that no matter what, it’s a “huge breakthrough” for veterans with PTSD.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Tikr: A Treat Activity Toy for Dogs!
Rambo's handler has this to say:
I often back Kickstarter campaigns. I usually go after some small tech gadget and rarely pledge more than $25 or $30. Over the last couple of years I've been lucky to get in on some really cool campaigns, getting the product at a less-than-retail price.
One campaign that caught my eye recently is from SBARK. They currently have a campaign on Kickstarter (Tikr: A Treat Activity Toy for Dogs!). They have developed a pretty novel dog treat dispenser called Tikr. Click on either of the links in this paragraph to learn more. If you like to spoil your dog I urge you to go support their Kickstarter campaign and get your dog a Tikr! You can bet Rambo is already signed up for one! They have more designs they are working on that you can see at the SBARK website.
And, yes, I spoil my dog. He deserves it!
Tikr: A Treat Activity Toy for Dogs!
by SBARK dog toys
Rambo has a lot of balls!
When we go camping it's my job to keep watch over the camp site and chase away any strange critters that try to get into our area. At night I warn about any animals or people that come close to our tent. When I growl they go away! I am very protective when we are out in the "wild." Last year we went camping a lot. It was my first time camping it took me a few nights to get used to sleeping in a tent. At first I growled at every little sound but I soon learned that not every noise is a threat. After a while I learned just to curl up on my camping bed and go to sleep when it is bedtime. I still listen for critters but they don't dare come around when I'm on watch! I can't wait to go camping this year!!!
Rambo's handler has this to say:
Like just about any dog, Rambo chows down as fast as he can go when I give him his food. He has a German Shepherd chest which makes him susceptible to Dog Bloat. Dog Bloat happens when too much gas or other things get into the dog's stomach and the stomach can become distended and even twist over on itself. This is a true emergency and can kill a dog. Consequently I have to be careful with his activities after eating to make sure he doesn't jump around for about an hour after each meal.
After eating, he usually comes over to me, licking his chops, and probably hoping for more food. All too often he lets out a big burp. I figured maybe if I slowed him down when he was eating he wouldn't swallow so much air. I looked up various ways of slowing down a dog that eats too fast. Crazy designed bowls aside, the best suggestion I found was to put things like large rocks or balls into his bowl to make him work at getting to his food which also serves to slow down his rate of ingestion.
During Rambo's next meal time I dished up his kibble, added some water, then took three of his Chuck-it balls and put them in the bowl. Then I thought that maybe that isn't the best move. Rambo is clever enough to look at the balls and take them out to get to his food. Much to my surprise he paid no attention to the balls and went right after his kibble. Putting the balls in the bowl did indeed slow him down. I guess getting his dinner was the most important thing to him and he didn't really care about the obstacles. It worked like a charm. It slowed him down and there was no after dinner burp.
After he finished his dinner I paid no mind to the empty bowl as usual. I didn't think about the balls still in the bowl but Rambo did. One by one he quietly went to his bowl and took out a ball. Then he would slink off to some corner of the apartment, hide the ball and then go back after the next one. I didn't pay too much attention to this and figured he could have some fun chomping on the rubber balls.
The next morning as I was fixing his breakfast I went looking for the balls. I looked in the usual spots but I couldn't find any of the balls. So I told Rambo to "get the ball" and he scurried off and ducked into his hiding spot and returned with a ball. We did this for the other two and went on with breakfast. After breakfast he did the same thing, taking the balls one by one and stashing them. I tried to watch where he hid them this time but each time I moved to see what he was doing he popped up and came right over to me with the ball. Dang dog was pretty slick with this whole hiding the ball thing.
That ended the balls in the dog dish experiment. Even if I picked up the bowl and put it on the kitchen counter, Rambo knew where those balls were. He would sit right in front of the counter where the bowl was and just watch. He would occasionally look over at me hoping for a little help. No matter what I told him to do he would eventually end up back in the same spot. He won't get up on the counter without permission so he patiently waited. This was making us both crazy so I gave him one of the balls, washed the other two and stashed them in his toy drawer. So much for that experiment.
Rambo's favorite physical possession is his Chuck-it balls. One day I decided to see what he would choose when presented with his dinner and a ball just a foot away. Without hesitation he grabbed the ball and took off to give it a good chomping. I was amazed that he passed on dinner. I tried this at a few more mealtimes with the same result. This is why I thought he would just take the balls out of the bowl to get to his dinner. I have really become interested in animal behavior since Rambo has come home with me. Each time I do something like this to see how he would behave I learn a little more about what drives him. It's all very interesting.
Thankfully, Rambo's personality leans strongly towards his retriever side. The only thing he loves more than playing with his Chuck-it balls is swimming. If we are some place where he knows he is going to get in the water he gets so excited he becomes almost uncontrollable. When I take him off the leash he makes a beeline to the water and jumps right in. Last year we went to Detroit Lake several times so he became very familiar with the area. He knew when we were walking towards the lake and he would just as soon drag me right into the water if I let him. With absolutely no one around, I let him off his leash a good 100 yards from the lake. The second he felt that lead come off he ran like the devil was chasing him and took a flying leap off the shore and right into the lake.
I have a float toy that we play fetch with. Rambo would stay in the water all day if I let him. When I figure he's had enough I literally have to drag him away from the water. Rambo is normally very well behaved but that retriever brain goes haywire when there is a chance to go swimming!
You can see more videos of Rambo swimming in various places as well as his first experience at an ocean beach on his YouTube channel: My Dog Nose on YouTube
Rambo's handler has this to say:
Like just about any dog, Rambo chows down as fast as he can go when I give him his food. He has a German Shepherd chest which makes him susceptible to Dog Bloat. Dog Bloat happens when too much gas or other things get into the dog's stomach and the stomach can become distended and even twist over on itself. This is a true emergency and can kill a dog. Consequently I have to be careful with his activities after eating to make sure he doesn't jump around for about an hour after each meal.
After eating, he usually comes over to me, licking his chops, and probably hoping for more food. All too often he lets out a big burp. I figured maybe if I slowed him down when he was eating he wouldn't swallow so much air. I looked up various ways of slowing down a dog that eats too fast. Crazy designed bowls aside, the best suggestion I found was to put things like large rocks or balls into his bowl to make him work at getting to his food which also serves to slow down his rate of ingestion.
During Rambo's next meal time I dished up his kibble, added some water, then took three of his Chuck-it balls and put them in the bowl. Then I thought that maybe that isn't the best move. Rambo is clever enough to look at the balls and take them out to get to his food. Much to my surprise he paid no attention to the balls and went right after his kibble. Putting the balls in the bowl did indeed slow him down. I guess getting his dinner was the most important thing to him and he didn't really care about the obstacles. It worked like a charm. It slowed him down and there was no after dinner burp.
After he finished his dinner I paid no mind to the empty bowl as usual. I didn't think about the balls still in the bowl but Rambo did. One by one he quietly went to his bowl and took out a ball. Then he would slink off to some corner of the apartment, hide the ball and then go back after the next one. I didn't pay too much attention to this and figured he could have some fun chomping on the rubber balls.
The next morning as I was fixing his breakfast I went looking for the balls. I looked in the usual spots but I couldn't find any of the balls. So I told Rambo to "get the ball" and he scurried off and ducked into his hiding spot and returned with a ball. We did this for the other two and went on with breakfast. After breakfast he did the same thing, taking the balls one by one and stashing them. I tried to watch where he hid them this time but each time I moved to see what he was doing he popped up and came right over to me with the ball. Dang dog was pretty slick with this whole hiding the ball thing.
That ended the balls in the dog dish experiment. Even if I picked up the bowl and put it on the kitchen counter, Rambo knew where those balls were. He would sit right in front of the counter where the bowl was and just watch. He would occasionally look over at me hoping for a little help. No matter what I told him to do he would eventually end up back in the same spot. He won't get up on the counter without permission so he patiently waited. This was making us both crazy so I gave him one of the balls, washed the other two and stashed them in his toy drawer. So much for that experiment.
Rambo's favorite physical possession is his Chuck-it balls. One day I decided to see what he would choose when presented with his dinner and a ball just a foot away. Without hesitation he grabbed the ball and took off to give it a good chomping. I was amazed that he passed on dinner. I tried this at a few more mealtimes with the same result. This is why I thought he would just take the balls out of the bowl to get to his dinner. I have really become interested in animal behavior since Rambo has come home with me. Each time I do something like this to see how he would behave I learn a little more about what drives him. It's all very interesting.
Thankfully, Rambo's personality leans strongly towards his retriever side. The only thing he loves more than playing with his Chuck-it balls is swimming. If we are some place where he knows he is going to get in the water he gets so excited he becomes almost uncontrollable. When I take him off the leash he makes a beeline to the water and jumps right in. Last year we went to Detroit Lake several times so he became very familiar with the area. He knew when we were walking towards the lake and he would just as soon drag me right into the water if I let him. With absolutely no one around, I let him off his leash a good 100 yards from the lake. The second he felt that lead come off he ran like the devil was chasing him and took a flying leap off the shore and right into the lake.
I have a float toy that we play fetch with. Rambo would stay in the water all day if I let him. When I figure he's had enough I literally have to drag him away from the water. Rambo is normally very well behaved but that retriever brain goes haywire when there is a chance to go swimming!
You can see more videos of Rambo swimming in various places as well as his first experience at an ocean beach on his YouTube channel: My Dog Nose on YouTube
Friday, March 18, 2016
A Campground Standoff
On a lonely, dusty campsite, a squirrel and a dog face off to the end, both shaking as they wait for the other one to make a move. Finally, Rambo's ears can be seen quivering until he can't stand it any longer and ends the standoff decisively!
Thursday, March 17, 2016
St. Patrick's Day
Today is St. Patrick's Day and I have on my special scarf to celebrate the day!
Here is what my handler had to say today:
Rambo is subscribed to Barks & Beads Boutique's Barks Bandana Swag Bag. He gets a new scarf and a surprise each month for only $10! Barks & Beads Boutique is run by Kelly Lepley out of Parkville, Maryland.
Kelly has all sorts of dog and cat goodies on her site. From bandanas to stuffed toys, she provides a variety of items so your pet can get in on the holiday fun, root for your favorite sports team or even get a Birthday Swag Bag to celebrate your pet's special day.
I found her site on cratejoy.com which has a bunch of other fun subscription options. I absolutely love Rambo's Barks Bandana Swag Bag and look forward to each month's new shipment. I let Rambo carry the package in from the mailbox. Then I let him tear open the package which he seems to enjoy just as much as the surprise waiting inside. I'll post pictures when next month's swag bag comes in.
(This is not a paid endorsement. I am sincerely recommending Kelly's site because she is awesome!)
Now, on to a Rambo tale:
Here is another case that proves my dog is smarter than I am.
We went to the grocery store today. It was somewhat crowded but not too bad. As soon as we got inside Rambo had to go into a full-on shake. I try to discourage him doing that inside public places as sometimes he will fling drool hither and yon. It is particularly alarming in a grocery store.
Anyway, he did his shake thing then, as he has learned to always do in a public place, he clung to my side. He moved and swayed while I did the shopping dance which involves lots of changes of direction and careful movement by Rambo so as to not get stepped on. He has gotten so good at this task that I often pay him little attention while my mind is on the products on the shelf. I've come to trust him to the point that I know he will communicate through his lead if something on his level is going awry. Not today. He was well-heeled, as they say.
I wasn't picking up too many items so I found myself at the register after about 10 minutes. I needed to take off my backpack to get out my grocery bags which necessitated my switching hands with Rambo's lead. I let out some slack on the lead and heard the clip clank on the ground.
I looked at the lead.
Then I looked at Rambo.
Then Rambo picked up the lead and offered it to me with big puppy dog eyes. I know inside he was laughing at me.
That dog was off his lead the entire time we were in the store and I never knew it. Every once in a great while his lead will pop off when he goes into shake mode. This time I missed it.
All I needed to do was act like he was on the lead and he did the rest. Flawlessly.
I am so lucky to have this incredible diamond-in-the-rough dog!
Here is what my handler had to say today:
Rambo is subscribed to Barks & Beads Boutique's Barks Bandana Swag Bag. He gets a new scarf and a surprise each month for only $10! Barks & Beads Boutique is run by Kelly Lepley out of Parkville, Maryland.
Kelly has all sorts of dog and cat goodies on her site. From bandanas to stuffed toys, she provides a variety of items so your pet can get in on the holiday fun, root for your favorite sports team or even get a Birthday Swag Bag to celebrate your pet's special day.
I found her site on cratejoy.com which has a bunch of other fun subscription options. I absolutely love Rambo's Barks Bandana Swag Bag and look forward to each month's new shipment. I let Rambo carry the package in from the mailbox. Then I let him tear open the package which he seems to enjoy just as much as the surprise waiting inside. I'll post pictures when next month's swag bag comes in.
(This is not a paid endorsement. I am sincerely recommending Kelly's site because she is awesome!)
Now, on to a Rambo tale:
Here is another case that proves my dog is smarter than I am.
We went to the grocery store today. It was somewhat crowded but not too bad. As soon as we got inside Rambo had to go into a full-on shake. I try to discourage him doing that inside public places as sometimes he will fling drool hither and yon. It is particularly alarming in a grocery store.
Anyway, he did his shake thing then, as he has learned to always do in a public place, he clung to my side. He moved and swayed while I did the shopping dance which involves lots of changes of direction and careful movement by Rambo so as to not get stepped on. He has gotten so good at this task that I often pay him little attention while my mind is on the products on the shelf. I've come to trust him to the point that I know he will communicate through his lead if something on his level is going awry. Not today. He was well-heeled, as they say.
I wasn't picking up too many items so I found myself at the register after about 10 minutes. I needed to take off my backpack to get out my grocery bags which necessitated my switching hands with Rambo's lead. I let out some slack on the lead and heard the clip clank on the ground.
I looked at the lead.
Then I looked at Rambo.
Then Rambo picked up the lead and offered it to me with big puppy dog eyes. I know inside he was laughing at me.
That dog was off his lead the entire time we were in the store and I never knew it. Every once in a great while his lead will pop off when he goes into shake mode. This time I missed it.
All I needed to do was act like he was on the lead and he did the rest. Flawlessly.
I am so lucky to have this incredible diamond-in-the-rough dog!
Barks & Beads Boutique
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