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"Hunting Dogs Of The South"

I'm working on a documentary. It's called "Cohesive" and it's about a man who's training his wife's Service Dog. Sound familiar? Basically, it will show the love this man has for his wife and how he's willing to go through hell and back for her because, as he says, he can "deny her nothing". Apparently, this is what my hubby said to my friend Betsy once, that he can deny me nothing. That just doesn't sound like him. He doesn't talk like that. But, as they say, actions speak louder than words and by his actions, this is obviously how he thinks. He's a good guy.

Just a few days before Frankie's official Graduation Day, his mommy had to be put to sleep. She got lymphoma and went very fast. "Trenchy", as she was known, had a very hard life. She was a stray pup that basically grew up around a train yard. She was constantly taunted and tortured by the men who worked there. But then she was rescued by Willie's breeders, Tom and Lori of TL's Riverside Labs . She lived the rest of her days in their care. Obviously, she got knocked up... it was an accident. Tom says it's Lori's fault, Lori says it's Tom's. Frankie's daddy, Nigel, apparently knocked her up through the bars of her crate! He's like that, that Nigel boy. Anyway, she produced a litter of pups, and Frankie was one of them. At 7 weeks of age, Lori, The Dog Whisperer as I call her, felt in her gut that Frankie would make a great Service Dog for me. And she was right (of course!). So even though Frankie's mommy had a hard life, she produced a s...

HOW TO WASH THE CAT Thoroughly clean the toilet. Add the required amount of shampoo to the toilet water and have both lids lifted. Obtain the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids (you may need to stand on the lids so the cat cannot escape). Flush the toilet three or four times. Have someone open the door to the outside and ensure that there are no people between the toilet and the outside door. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can and quickly lift both lids. The now-clean cat will rocket out of the toilet and run outside where he will dry himself. Sincerely, The DOG

I took Frankie out shopping today at the mall. Yeah, I know, it's "black Friday", but that's the point. This day is a great one for "proofing" your service dog. The crowds, the tight maneuvers... they all contribute to helping you determine how your service dog is performing under stressful conditions. I'm please to announce that Frankie got an A+ today! He did very well. He did not react to the crowds any differently today than he does on a "normal" day. He did very well in a couple of stores that were particularly crowded (Bed, Bath and Body Works had some GREAT sales!). All of his subtle maneuvers were spot-on. I could whisper a word or two and he would respond immediately. He was very good with his own leash control. If he got tangled up in the short leash that connects him to my wheelchair, he managed to untangle himself without panicking and without making it worse. I decided that today is Frankie's Graduation Day! I will be removing...

Here's what happens when we go out for the day to our friends for Thanksgiving: All dog toys are strewn about the house. Every single one. All pillows are off the couch and on the floor. I have figured out that dogs and 4 year old kids hate to have pillows on the couch. When we FINALLY return, all dogs require that you spend "make-up" time with them. In other words, I MUST pet Frankie to make up for the 6 hours of petting that he did not get because I wasn't home. Can you tell I've been busy tonight? Oy.

What does it mean when my dog stares at me? Love? Wants to be pet? Needs to pee? Wants to eat? I'm going with love.

This Saturday night I went on my make-up ride-along with an Austin SWAT Cop(Frankie's trainer with the SWAT K9 department). Why a make-up ride, you ask? Because my first ride-along was more of a "ride along with the tow-truck driver" because we blew the transmission speeding down to a scene. Oy. "Whatcha gonna do when the tow-truck driver comes for you???" This ride was much more exciting, but unfortunately (for you), I'm still recovering from it today. So, I promise, more to come! I'll give you a hint: REAL FAST!

I think the hubby is in love. And I'm jealous. He's fallen in love with Willie. I can see it in his eyes. Willie can do no wrong. Willie is the "golden child". I saw this look in the hubby's eyes when he was training Frankie. He's able to bond so well with which ever dog he's working with. He's a dog trainer at heart, he just didn't know it until he met Frankie. Luckily, I've fallen in love with Frankie thru this bonding process. Even though I still feel guilty not working with Willie as much, Frankie is a fun dog to work and I'm really enjoying it. And so is he. We're such a weird family.

I feel I have to apologize to my readers for my lack of original blogging this week. Suffice it to say, me legs hurtie. That said, I thought I'd pass along one of my newly-learned tips for dealing with the side effects of pain medications. What side effects, you ask? How about constipation for one. Yeah, yeah, I'm talking about poop issues. But you see, in my family, we always discuss our poop issues. It's never been a taboo subject, in fact, most phone conversations include discussions about #2. Interestingly enough, my mother actually got colon cancer about 6 years ago. Talk about having all our poop convos bite us in the proverbial butt, that was a kick in the pants. (ok, I'll stop now) But my mom's been cancer free for 6 years now (knocking wood) and she's doing great. Anyway, back to the constipation. One of the crappy (ok, now I'm done) side effects of pain meds is constipation. But I recently learned and tried an old-timey remedy for this: Mineral O...

(I normally don't like to "steal" news stories, but this one really hit home. I hope you enjoy! The WillaWoman) Prescription for heart disease: pat a dog Nov 16, 9:07 AM (ET) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Just a few minutes spent patting a dog can relieve a heart patient's anxiety and perhaps even help recovery during a visit to the hospital, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. The effects were much more pronounced than when heart failure patients visited with a human volunteer or were left quietly alone, the researchers told a meeting of the American Heart Association in Dallas. "This therapy warrants serious consideration as an adjunct to medical therapy in hospitalized heart failure patients. Dogs are a great comfort," said Kathie Cole, a registered nurse at the University of California Medical Center in Los Angeles who led the study. "They make people happier, calmer and feel more loved. That is huge when you are scared and not feeling well." Stress c...

As an elderly lady sat on her front porch reflecting on her long life, a Fairy Godmother suddenly appeared and offered to fulfill three wishes for her. "Well," said the woman, "I guess I'd like to be rich." POOF: The Fairy Godmother turned her rocking chair into solid gold. "And I wouldn't mind being a young and beautiful princess." POOF: The Fairy Godmother turned the old woman into an exquisite young princess, with a priceless crown of jewels. "Your third wish?" asked the Fairy Godmother. The elderly woman's dog raised his head and uttered a single, weak, hoarse "woof." "Could you possibly turn my wonderful dog into a handsome prince?" POOF: There, in front of the old woman, who has now turned into a beautiful princess, stood the most handsome young man anyone had ever seen. More handsome than anyone could possibly imagine. She stared at him in awe, completely s...

... when Jack, the Boston Terrier, came to visit last weekend, he stepped on my foot and I didn't even feel it! Think they could pull a wheelchair?

Why is it that I feel guilty when I give some lovin' to Frankie? Why is it that I look to see if Willie is watching? Of course he's watching me, he's always watching me. I feel like I'm cheating. I need help. Oy.

Here's a great game to play with your dogs. It helps teach the "down/stay" and "come" command all at once and it's a lot of fun. This is also a great way to exercise your dog on a rainy day. I usually begin by asking my dogs "wanna play Hide and Seek?". They now know what that means and get all excited. Take your dog to one end of your dwelling, and put them in a "down/stay" Go to the other end of your dwelling and hide. At first, don't hide too well, you don't want the dog to get frustrated and give up looking. Yell "Jack, Come" (or whatever your dog's name is) It's really fun to watch them sniffing all over the house to find you!

You always hear talk of how us dog owners need to be the "alpha human" over our dogs. But just how do we attain and maintain that position? There are a lot of different exercises you can do to achieve this. Trainers take their cues from watching the alpha in a dog pack. The alpha says who eats first, doles out the discipline, and lays down the rules. If one of the problems you're having is that your dog won't always listen to you, here's one exercise that will help gain respect and solidify your alpha position: Put your dog in a down. When doing this, say "down", but don't say "stay". Look directly at the dog repeating "good down, good dog, good down". Make sure to maintain a position over and/or above the dog. Continually keep up a dialog with the dog... If the dog breaks that down in ANY WAY, do the following: YELL very loudly "EH" (Hard to spell this "word", but a loud, short sound is be...

How 'bout a cartoon? Enjoy!

This ad is reported to have been listed in the Atlanta Journal. SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant. I'm a very good looking girl who loves to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. I'll be at the door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me. Call (404) 875-6420 and ask for Daisy, I'll be waiting... Over 15,000 men found themselves talking to the Atlanta Humane Society about an 8-week-old black Labrador retriever.

I just wanted to post a link to some stuff I'm selling on Overstock Auctions. Here's a link. Yeah, I know this is probably a dirty deed, plugging my sales on my blog. But what the heck, I'm selling mostly musical equipment right now, and I know I have some loyal readers that are musicians... maybe I can hook someone up with some nice vintage synths. Oh, and I'm selling on Overstock because eBay is a whore. Yes, I said it. eBay is one of the richest companies around right now, yet they continue to raise their already too high fees. Well, I say "bite me". Overstock is a great site and their fees are low enough that a part-time seller like me can sell on Overstock and still make a small profit. Yeah, if my stuff doesn't sell on Overstock, I'll have to try listing on eBay. But it's nice to have a choice and not feel like eBay has me by the balls. If I had balls... boobs? Nope, none of those either. Ovaries! Ouch! (click to enlarge) This is freakin...

LL said... ok...cool I will try the leash by the door for unexpected visits. Now...for the roommate, what should she do when she comes in BESIDES ignore him esp when he is nipping at her hands/clothes. Its really hard to ignore that. She is more than willing to heed advice for training. The WillaWoman said... What is she doing now? I wanna know what's not working. LL said... She comes in and trys to calm him down. Saying sit or off. Usually off, over and over and he isn't getting off. She makes her way into her room (where there is a gate to block him from getting in. Thats all we've done to solve it. Jack has bonded with her more than any other previous roommate. He gets REALLY excited when she comes home and if my door is shut and she comes home (he even knows the sound her car makes when she locks it) he gets really upset when I don't open the door so he can see her. She also puppy sits quite a bit (about once a week they spend all day together). I can tell a hu...

LL writes: Newest issue I don't know how to deal with: when people first come into the apartment [Jack] is a maniac. Jumps sometimes 6 feet into the air just cause he wants to lick them all over their face. Also he will nip at their hands or purse or clothing. Its not an agressive nip but more of 'hey lets play'. He doesn't do this with me because he is coming out of a kennel when I come home...but when I have had my roommate pup sit...and he's already out when I come home, he DOES do it to me. Also he does it EVERY time to my roommate. She is a dog lover so is able to deal and doesn't get mad or anything, but I would like to be able to invite people over without putting him up and then leashing him when they first are introduced. When I do that, it usually still takes him a few minutes to calm down. He is just so people oriented. Its not that bad when we are out of the apartment believe it or not. (maybe because I am able to correct with a leash!) I've...

Just a note to my avid (and new) readers: Hi! Just wanted to letcha all know that the music on The WillaWoman's blog no longer requires you to download an MP3. Clicking on a song in the Juke Box will now automatically play a high-quality version using your default media player. If you would like download the better-quality MP3 version of a song, simply go to The WillaWoman's music page here: www.soundclick.com/TheWillaWoman Enjoy and thanks for listening!

Wasn't it just a scant few weeks ago that I was holding a snake for the first time in many years, getting over my fears and trying to learn about these creatures? So, why then, did I have a snake in my house the night before Halloween? Not in a tank or cage in my house, but literally IN MY HOUSE??? Here's the story: For Halloween, we like to use the lights and fog we still have from our 80's rock show days and make a nice, scary spectacle. This year, we set this up at our neighbors house, complete with some kewl Halloween decorations and a scary CD playing scary stuff (except for that rendition of some Irish jig... what's that about?). I decided my costume was going to be Mrs. Steve Irwin, The Reptile Hunter. Get it? I brought over my monkey-tailed skink Baby Doll and her climbing tree. Also brought a few leopard geckos and my toad in plastic tanks. A friend of mine, Tim Cole , knew what I was planning and asked if I would like to borrow a snake for the event. Kewl! Gr...

TALK TO THE DISABLED TUESDAY! The first Tuesday of every month is hereby proclaimed as Talk To The Disabled Tuesday . NOW, THEREFORE, I, The WillaWoman, do hereby proclaim the First Tuesday of every Month as TALK TO THE DISABLED TUESDAY . I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, parents, and all the people of the World to observe this day with the appropriate actions outlined below. Pretty official sounding, eh?! Goals : Raise awareness of the Disabled's plight of feeling invisible or feeling like a circus freak. Demonstrate to the abled-bodied that The Disabled are just like everyone else. Cause a generational avalanche of knowledge to the abled-bodied 's children. Make the day of a lonely, ostracized Disabled Person . Actions : Say "Hello" to a Disabled Person . Nod and smile to a Disabled Person . Strike up a conversation with a Disabled Person . Have your child say "Hello" to a Disabled Person . Look a Disabl...

On Friday, the hubby and I (and our friend Michele) went to a gun-safety class. We learned a lot, and I got to see the hubby shoot a gun for the first time. He wasn't bad, I must say. But I was better! (once again, note my healthy ego!) I've noticed a prevailing attitude amongst the pro-gun community in Austin: since we have the right here in TX to carry a concealed gun, then we should carry one. I guess it's because I wheel into the gun range, a "helpless" woman in a wheelchair. To these guys, I think I represent every reason they can think of to carry a gun. But I've told them I'm just not afraid enough to feel I need to carry a weapon. I have a dog, I have my wits about me, I think I'm very safety conscious. Hopefully I'll never get so afraid that I feel I need a gun on me to leave my house. Knock wood.