My Videos of African Wild Dogs

          I thought I would share some videos I took of the African Wild Dogs at one of my recent trips to Brookfield Zoo. Occasionally the keepers will hang a butchered pig up in their habitat, this is the best time to see them active and interacting with one another.

          African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) is known by various names - African Hunting Dog, Cape Hunting Dog, African Painted Dog, Painted Wolf, Painted Hunting Dog, Spotted Dog, and Ornate Wolf.

Order Handmade Items Early For All Holidays

          Buying something from a handmade artisan isn't like going to the local big box store. At big box stores items are mass produced and you can take your purchase home right away. However with handmade you often have to wait for your order to be made, depending on what you are buying the wait time will vary. The quality and uniqueness of handmade direct from the artist makes going with them well worth the money and time.

          I want to give you all a little tip whether you order from me or some other handmade artisan -  place your gift orders early! You need to figure on how long the artist will need to make the order and then ship it. Talk to the person you are ordering from and let them know you are giving this as a gift and when you need to have your order. They will then be able to let you know how long it would take and the latest you can place your order for it to arrive on time. Christmas is usually the most busiest time for all made-by-hand artists, not only for them but also for the mail services. Handmade artists can only make a finite number of orders, which means if you don't place your order in time they may not be able to accommodate you until after the holiday.

Here is a list of gift giving times:

Anniversaries
Baptism
Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Birthdays
Bridal shower
Christmas
Easter
Father's/Mother's/Grandparent's Day
First Communion
Graduation
Hanukkah
Home-warming
New Baby
Valentine's day
Weddings (also wedding showers and engagement parties)


Do you know of any other times or holidays that people give or exchange gifts?

Fussy's Degenerative Myelopathy

          This video of Fussy was taken back in May. Currently she can't get around much without help, she mostly scoots on her butt but she can make it to her feet for a few steps once in a while. When her mobility issues started it was due to arthritis and old age issue with her hip. As time has passed it is become clear that she in all likelihood also has Degenerative Myelopathy. In a very basic nutshell it ever so slowly paralyzes the dog starting for the back end. However there is a one good thing about this disease is it causes no pain. So even though it makes dogs wobble and lose control over their legs it is completely painless.

          Fussy is currently dependent on her wheelchair when she is outside and is now at a point that she needs one of her legs strapped up in the chair's stirrup. Her bathroom functions are all in working order so far. I'm not looking forward to this disease progressing but for now she is doing just fine.

I Have Birthday Photos!!

          As promised I have taken photos of Fussy eating her birthday cupcake. I had her eat it on the couch sitting at a snack tray so I would have better lighting and a clear view of her to take my photos. At first she was unsure that this was a good idea because she knows she normally isn't allowed up there to eat, but after I told her it was ok and gave her a little bit of encouragement she was all in. (I had the two younger dogs out of the room so they couldn't see, only to keep them from getting bad ideas for later.) I cut Fussy's cupcake up into bite sized pieces to make it easier for her to eat, also hoped it would keep down any mess.

Enjoy!

My favorite photo of the bunch. Check out the cupcake hanging in her mouth!

"Fussy you have a little frosting on your nose."

Good to the very last crumb. Yummy!

Fussy's Idiopathic Head Tremors

          Fussy was never officially diagnosed with Idiopathic Head Tremors / Idiopathic Head Bobbing Syndrome, but it is very unlikely that it is anything but this. Do a Google search on Idiopathic Head tremors or bobbing for more information on what exactly it is. But essentially it is involuntary head shaking that lasts for short intervals, the cause of the tremors is unknown and does no harm to the dog. The cause of these types of head bobbing tremors aren't exactly known. If you think your dog has this please get him diagnosed by a veterinarian because there are other medical problems that can be similar to Idiopathic Head Tremors but require different treatments.