The northern winter sky on the Magothy River, it kind of leaves me ‘wordless.’
Have a wonderful Wednesday.
This is a Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop. Thanks to BlogPaws for the hop. Head over there and see what they are blogging about.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
Tags: Animal, animals, Blog, blog hop, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, Magothy River, Pet, pets, postaday, sky, squirrel, winter, Wordless Wednesday
To jump, or not to jump, that is the question: 
“Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover’d country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.–Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember’d.” – Hamlet by William Shakespeare
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Alas, I guess I better not. My Mom would kill me. – Sofie Bear
What mischief did you get in today?
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This is a blog hop. I hopped it from MYBrownNewfies. Check them out for more mischief.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, blog hop, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, hamlet, lorian lipton, Mischief Monday, Pet, pets, postaday, William Shakespeare
Why is it that no matter how many fun toys a dog has, the cat toy is always preferred?
Is that a cat paw sticking out from under the bed about to grab Sofie?
Have a great Sunday!
This is part of the Black and White Sunday Blog Hop. Thanks to Dachshund Nola and Sugar for hosting.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, Black and White Sunday, blog hop, cat toys, cute dogs, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, Pet, pets, postaday
Every time I think that I may be getting a handle on Sofie’s night issues, I feel like I am going backwards. The medication worked for about one week. Now Sofie is having her night terrors every couple of nights instead of every night (which is a blessing). She woke up last night at 3:20 AM and barked uncontrollably for about 5 minutes. Then, I was able to calm her enough and get her to go back to sleep. (Was she really even awake?) What triggers this behavior? No one was walking around the house – I did not hear any cars or animals outside. I am not sure if the waking is inside her head or externally triggered at this point. I call what happens to her ‘night terrors’ because they are feelings of great fear experienced on suddenly waking in the night. That to me is what she is experiencing. She is fast asleep and then she wakes barking, ruff up, tail erect, in alert protection mode.
I tried the holistic route (Composure Pro, Shen Calmer, Adaptil); I tried the medical route (Xanax, Prozac, Phenobarbital, Clomipramine); I tried the behaviorist, what is left? Don’t say a pet psychic (not that I won’t try it), but just knowing that she is in pain doesn’t tell me how to help her. Getting an MRI to rule out a brain tumor is very costly, and, if true, would confirm concerns but not leave me with any additional solutions. I have so many questions:
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Medical: Was the Clomicalm just sedating her for the first week and now she is hearing outside noises again?
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Herbal: Do I add Melatonin or some other night booster to help her sleep? (Vet said 4mg at night is OK)
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Behavioral: Do other people’s dogs wake every night because of unseen noises? Is this just ‘normal’ for some breeds? Should I start walking her before bed to get her more tired?
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Psychic: Is she picking up on something that I am doing during the night that I am not aware of? I am a lousy sleeper (have been for years). But I don’t startle awake and she tends to be sleeping when I wake during the night on my own.
I am feeling like such a personal animal parent failure. If love could fix things all my animals would be perfect, but that does not work. It is very lonely on this path to find a solution for Sofie. It seems to me that Sofie and I have been abandoned by Vets, the Behaviorist, the family. When something gets this complicated, no one wants to touch it.
Until I get her sleep under control, how can I hope to address her separation and thunder anxieties? Oh, Sofie, I know you want to be calm.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animal awareness, animals, Dog People, DogBlog, DogDaz, lorian lipton, nature, night terrors in dogs, pet blog, postaday, sleep disorders
I had to do a lot of calling because the dogs wanted to swim out to the platform in the icy water and eat the Cormorant. I am afraid she would have eaten them.
It is interesting that there is 2+ feet of snow up by the house but not on the banks of the river.
Have a wonderful Wednesday.
This is a Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop. Thanks to BlogPaws for the hop. Head over there and see what they are blogging about.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, Bird, Blog, blog hop, Chesapeake Bay, cormorant, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, Magothy River, Pet, pets, postaday, sea birds, squirrel, Wordless Wednesday
2 PM Friday 8 AM Saturday 8 AM Sunday 29.2 inches of snow Lost the fence.
This record breaking blizzard was not fun. The dogs want the grass back!!!! Finally, Louise taught Sofie how to make a path to the pine trees where the snow was a little less deep. Happily spring is only 47 days, 3 hours, 7 minutes, and 24 seconds away (time now 23:22 EST).
What mischief did you get into today?
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This is a blog hop. I hopped it from MYBrownNewfies. Check them out for more mischief.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, blizzard, blog hop, dog, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, funny dogs, lorian lipton, Mischief Monday, Pet, pets, postaday, Snow
After a romp in the tall snow, Lulu looks like a puppy.
Have a great Sunday!
This is part of the Black and White Sunday Blog Hop. Thanks to Dachshund Nola and Sugar for hosting.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, Black and White Sunday, Black Lab, blog hop, cute dogs, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, Napping, Pet, pets, postaday, sleeping dogs
It took months, but I am glad to say (knock wood) that the current medicine, Clomicalm (1/2 tab 2X a day), is allowing her to sleep through the night. (Also using Adaptil spray on a bandanna every 4 hours.) When she sleeps, Mommy sleeps (thank you thank you thank you). She is known to break through all previous medicines, so I want to give it several weeks before I jump up and down with joy, but a few days of sleep, especially through the blizzard last weekend, makes a world of difference. Understand that sleeping does not mean she is not anxious; just this morning, when I awoke at 5 AM, she was lying in bed panting. There were no stressers that I was aware of, so I am still perplexed.
Now that we are sleeping better, I can start to address some of her stress behaviors and see if we can get separation anxiety, barking her head off at everything, and cat chasing, under control. The Behaviorist has no recommendations at this point, so I guess I am on my own. Gosh, I love this dog and have every hope that together, with modern chemistry, and significant love and training, we can find peace once again.
I will keep you updated.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animal awareness, animals, Dog People, DogBlog, DogDaz, lorian lipton, medicine, mental illness, nature, pet blog, postaday
Louise does not really like any one (except maybe Mom) touching her. But Sofie, ever since she was a puppy, has made it her mission in life to cuddle up to Louise. Secretly maybe Louise likes it, but I don’t really think so. BOL (Bark Out Loud)
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This is a blog hop. I hopped it from MYBrownNewfies. Check them out for more mischief.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, blog hop, dog, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, funny dogs, lorian lipton, Mischief Monday, Pet, pets, postaday
Sofie is not a big fan of the car.
Rarely is it just her without Louise.
She had the whole back sit to herself.
She does not look amused.
Have a wonderful Sunday.
This is part of the Black and White Sunday Blog Hop. Thanks to Dachshund Nola and Sugar for hosting.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, Black and White Sunday, blog hop, car ride, cute dogs, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, Labrador, Pet, pets, postaday, Puppy
This record breaking blizzard was not fun. The dogs want the grass back!!!! Finally, Louise taught Sofie how to make a path to the pine trees where the snow was a little less deep. Happily spring is only 47 days, 3 hours, 7 minutes, and 24 seconds away (time now 23:22 EST).
