Titus has always been a big fan of tearing up any kind of packaging material we give him. Bubble wrap is a special treat. If it is the kind with big bubbles, Titus will try to pop every bubble. If it is the small bubble type, he just shreds it. Last night he was "helping" me put together some furniture for the guest room:
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Vet update
Thanks for all your comments on our vet visit. I 100% predicted who would comment and in what order so far. You guys are so predictable! I love pet-lovers!
I have changed Titus' vet visit to a new clinic for next month. I'll let you know how it goes!
I have changed Titus' vet visit to a new clinic for next month. I'll let you know how it goes!
Not our ordinary vet visit
*Warning- much complaining ahead*
Well, it's that time of year. Time for Titus' annual exam and vaccinations. Finding a new vet is not fun or easy. A few weeks ago I started asking friends for vet recommendations. I was given many names to choose from, but in the end I chose the one that had a convenient location with Saturday appointments and offered the rattlesnake vaccine (we've already seen 2 rattlers, so it's only a matter of time before Titus tries to befriend one!) Mom was in town and went with me and is my witness to all that follows in this entry! Remember that Titus usually LOVES the vet- new smells, new animals, attention from lots of people, and lots of treats- what could be better!?!
We show up and there is a separate cat and dog entrance. Well, that's no fun. How is Titus supposed to get the felines all riled up? Oh well, no cats anyway, just other dogs. The front desk people were very friendly. They took Titus' vaccination records, gave me paperwork to fill out, and took Titus' weight (96 pounds this year- yikes!) So far, so good. Then we were called to the back.
First of all, the vet was in jeans and a scrub top. Yes, it was Saturday, but we're not dealing with cows and horses on a farm here, we're in the city at a small animal clinic. A little professionalism would have been nice. Second, no vet tech but instead a HUGE man as an assistant. I mean this guy was HUGE in every dimension- I don't know how else to describe him. And he was in jeans and a t-shirt. Third, no introductions. The vet did not introduce himself to me, Mom, or Titus. He just came in and started a speech about the latest studies concerning 3 year vaccines vs. 1 year vaccines. Granted this was one of my questions, but who are you and why haven't you greeted us yet?
Next, the big guy asks the vet, "Do you want him on the table?" I begin to get worried and mention that Titus does not like to be picked up. Who puts a 96 lb dog on a table anyway!?! Nobody listens to my warning, and the big guy proceeds to pick Titus up. Titus starts growling (did I mention he DOES NOT like being picked up!?!) and the big guy bonks Titus' head on the table as he lifts him. After getting him on the table, he forces Titus to lay down and kind of leans across him to make sure he doesn't get up. He could have just asked Titus to lay down and he probably would have. No force needed, thank you. Titus is looking worried at this point and I'm already stressed. They took a blood sample for a heartworm test then began the vaccinations. They started with the Bordetella vaccine, which by the way, I did not ask for nor did they ask if I wanted it or tell me what they were giving Titus. Well, it consists of a spray in each nostril. Titus has never had this vaccine and DID NOT like it! He was squirming quite a bit, but big guy had him pinned down. Next came the worming meds, aka banana juice in a syringe. No warning or discussion involved, they just yanked open Titus' mouth and squirted the stuff in. Well, Titus was done at this point. He spit ALL the juice right back out onto me, the vet, and big guy. They tried again and held Titus' head up until he was forced to swallow. I kindly mentioned that if I knew that was coming, we could have just put the meds in a bowl and Titus would have quickly licked it right up without all this trouble. They didn't seem to care. They quickly finished with a shot in the leg (rattlesnake vaccine) which Titus never notices. They decided to wait on other vaccinations since we have to go back in a month for a rattlesnake booster and his shots are not really due for a few more weeks anyway. So at this point we were just waiting for the heartworm test results so we could get our preventative medicine and leave.
Does anyone see anything missing from this visit? Maybe an examination!?! The vet NEVER looked at Titus' eyes, ears, mouth, etc. No temperature taken, no listening to the heart, nothing! Keep in mind that this vet has never seen Titus before and also never asked for his medical history other than vaccinations. This guy just pumps all this stuff into my pup without even checking to see if he is healthy and well that day. I couldn't believe it! I just kept thinking about all this while the heartworm test was being done. Meanwhile, Titus is so stressed out that he is just drooling all over the place like he's never drooled before. Of course I'm on the floor with him apologizing for putting him through this torture. I think I took it worse than Titus, but he was definitely not himself. And did I mention NO TREATS!?! What vet doesn't have treats for their wonderful clients? I looked for them, but they were nowhere to be found. And he never loved on Titus at all. At one point Mom said, "This guy really doesn't seem like an animal person at all." Agreed. (Big guy did give Titus a little love at one point, but I can't remember when exactly.)
Finally, the test was done, Titus was negative for heartworm, we could get our meds and leave. The front desk people were again very nice, gave us a 10% ACU discount, made our appointment for next month, and we were done. My poor Mom had to hear me complain the whole way home and then Josh got an earfull too (and now you're getting an eyefull of my complaints!) I immediately gave Titus a treat and told him how sorry I was again. I dread going back in a month and I'm considering looking for a new vet before then. If I stick with this vet next month, it will be the last time he ever sees us. Maybe I'm crazy and this is how it's done in TX, but I think my baby deserves better. I hope this horrible vet trip has not taken away Titus' love of vets (or mine!) Thanks for letting me rant and rave!
Well, it's that time of year. Time for Titus' annual exam and vaccinations. Finding a new vet is not fun or easy. A few weeks ago I started asking friends for vet recommendations. I was given many names to choose from, but in the end I chose the one that had a convenient location with Saturday appointments and offered the rattlesnake vaccine (we've already seen 2 rattlers, so it's only a matter of time before Titus tries to befriend one!) Mom was in town and went with me and is my witness to all that follows in this entry! Remember that Titus usually LOVES the vet- new smells, new animals, attention from lots of people, and lots of treats- what could be better!?!
We show up and there is a separate cat and dog entrance. Well, that's no fun. How is Titus supposed to get the felines all riled up? Oh well, no cats anyway, just other dogs. The front desk people were very friendly. They took Titus' vaccination records, gave me paperwork to fill out, and took Titus' weight (96 pounds this year- yikes!) So far, so good. Then we were called to the back.
First of all, the vet was in jeans and a scrub top. Yes, it was Saturday, but we're not dealing with cows and horses on a farm here, we're in the city at a small animal clinic. A little professionalism would have been nice. Second, no vet tech but instead a HUGE man as an assistant. I mean this guy was HUGE in every dimension- I don't know how else to describe him. And he was in jeans and a t-shirt. Third, no introductions. The vet did not introduce himself to me, Mom, or Titus. He just came in and started a speech about the latest studies concerning 3 year vaccines vs. 1 year vaccines. Granted this was one of my questions, but who are you and why haven't you greeted us yet?
Next, the big guy asks the vet, "Do you want him on the table?" I begin to get worried and mention that Titus does not like to be picked up. Who puts a 96 lb dog on a table anyway!?! Nobody listens to my warning, and the big guy proceeds to pick Titus up. Titus starts growling (did I mention he DOES NOT like being picked up!?!) and the big guy bonks Titus' head on the table as he lifts him. After getting him on the table, he forces Titus to lay down and kind of leans across him to make sure he doesn't get up. He could have just asked Titus to lay down and he probably would have. No force needed, thank you. Titus is looking worried at this point and I'm already stressed. They took a blood sample for a heartworm test then began the vaccinations. They started with the Bordetella vaccine, which by the way, I did not ask for nor did they ask if I wanted it or tell me what they were giving Titus. Well, it consists of a spray in each nostril. Titus has never had this vaccine and DID NOT like it! He was squirming quite a bit, but big guy had him pinned down. Next came the worming meds, aka banana juice in a syringe. No warning or discussion involved, they just yanked open Titus' mouth and squirted the stuff in. Well, Titus was done at this point. He spit ALL the juice right back out onto me, the vet, and big guy. They tried again and held Titus' head up until he was forced to swallow. I kindly mentioned that if I knew that was coming, we could have just put the meds in a bowl and Titus would have quickly licked it right up without all this trouble. They didn't seem to care. They quickly finished with a shot in the leg (rattlesnake vaccine) which Titus never notices. They decided to wait on other vaccinations since we have to go back in a month for a rattlesnake booster and his shots are not really due for a few more weeks anyway. So at this point we were just waiting for the heartworm test results so we could get our preventative medicine and leave.
Does anyone see anything missing from this visit? Maybe an examination!?! The vet NEVER looked at Titus' eyes, ears, mouth, etc. No temperature taken, no listening to the heart, nothing! Keep in mind that this vet has never seen Titus before and also never asked for his medical history other than vaccinations. This guy just pumps all this stuff into my pup without even checking to see if he is healthy and well that day. I couldn't believe it! I just kept thinking about all this while the heartworm test was being done. Meanwhile, Titus is so stressed out that he is just drooling all over the place like he's never drooled before. Of course I'm on the floor with him apologizing for putting him through this torture. I think I took it worse than Titus, but he was definitely not himself. And did I mention NO TREATS!?! What vet doesn't have treats for their wonderful clients? I looked for them, but they were nowhere to be found. And he never loved on Titus at all. At one point Mom said, "This guy really doesn't seem like an animal person at all." Agreed. (Big guy did give Titus a little love at one point, but I can't remember when exactly.)
Finally, the test was done, Titus was negative for heartworm, we could get our meds and leave. The front desk people were again very nice, gave us a 10% ACU discount, made our appointment for next month, and we were done. My poor Mom had to hear me complain the whole way home and then Josh got an earfull too (and now you're getting an eyefull of my complaints!) I immediately gave Titus a treat and told him how sorry I was again. I dread going back in a month and I'm considering looking for a new vet before then. If I stick with this vet next month, it will be the last time he ever sees us. Maybe I'm crazy and this is how it's done in TX, but I think my baby deserves better. I hope this horrible vet trip has not taken away Titus' love of vets (or mine!) Thanks for letting me rant and rave!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Buckaroo
I think it's time for a funny dog post. A couple of weeks ago my Aunt Sharron came to town and brought us a really fun house warming basket. She filled it with all kinds of goodies from around TX. Of course she included 2 toys for Titus too. One is a little stuffed cowboy complete with hat, belt buckle and lasso. The other is one of those long floppy squeaky dogs that you always see on Petsmart commercials. Anyway, Titus is usually fascinated by squeaky toys, but the non-squeaky cowboy is his favorite right now. Here's a short video of him playing last night. I call this buckaroo- I think you'll see why.
With all this rough play, you can imagine that the cowboy has lost some of his "accessories." I should have taken a "before" picture, but instead I only have this "after" picture. Titus LOVES his cowboy!
(By the way, this blue room is still a multipurpose room. It's where we lived for the first few weeks until our upstairs carpet was installed. Last weekend it was a dining room for 20 people. Eventually we'll put some furniture in it and it will be a 2nd living area. It's also Titus' playroom!)
With all this rough play, you can imagine that the cowboy has lost some of his "accessories." I should have taken a "before" picture, but instead I only have this "after" picture. Titus LOVES his cowboy!
(By the way, this blue room is still a multipurpose room. It's where we lived for the first few weeks until our upstairs carpet was installed. Last weekend it was a dining room for 20 people. Eventually we'll put some furniture in it and it will be a 2nd living area. It's also Titus' playroom!)
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Updated office
Here are a couple pictures from my office update (at school). I'm not sure if I'm done yet, but it's gettin' there.
Before
After
Before
After
Monday, September 21, 2009
My exciting night
Josh and I had to make a very quick trip to NM to get our car from Mom's house this weekend. Since it ate up a lot of time, Josh decided to go straight to school and get work done as soon as we got back in town. I headed home, unpacked, did laundry and other housework. Around 9pm, I decided to call it quits, take a shower and go to bed. Well, when I got out of the shower, I found a snake in the bathroom (and of course Josh is not around)! First check the tail. Whew- no rattle. It's only about 18 inches long, so I'm not too worried. It acted scared and tried to hide from me, so I figured I had time to get dressed and call Josh. Josh said he wouldn't be home for several hours- great. Then he added, "You could probably just leave it and it wouldn't hurt anything." Thanks, hon, but I DON'T THINK SO!!!! There was no way I was going to bed with a snake running loose in the house.
I quickly realized that we do not have any good snake catching tools in the house. So here's what I came up with.
Tools for the job: 3 foot long BBQ skewer used for roasting hotdogs while camping, a yard stick, a 5 gallon bucket
Goal: Catch the snake alive (yes, I'm a biologist, we try not to kill unnecessarily)
Strategy: Use the skewer and/or stick to pick up the snake and get it in the bucket without harming it (some of you may already be laughing!)
I should start by saying that I'm not generally scared of snakes. I will pet them and hold them, but I've never had to catch one. I thought it would be easier, but this little guy was a fighter! I locked myself in the bathroom to keep the dog out which gave me about 3 feet to work with. Every time I tried to touch him with a tool, he would get pretty aggressive and skittish. Then he would hide, then he would get mad, and I was getting nowhere.
New strategy: Pin his head down, grab him and put him in the bucket.
He didn't like that idea either. As soon as I got his head pinned down, he would wrap his body around my stick then pop his head out. Sneaky little guy. I wasn't fast enough either. I could have pressed down harder on him, but I was still trying to avoid harming him.
3rd strategy: Get rid of the snake so I can go to bed!
The snake was pretty mad at this point, so I couldn't leave to get a better tool and risk losing him in another room. I just had to bop him with the yard stick. He immediately flopped over on his back. I poked him to make sure he was dead. He was dead, but I decided to give him an extra bop for good measure. Yep, still dead. Getting him in the bucket was much easier when he wasn't fighting! I left the bucket on the front porch so Josh could see him. My heart was still racing, so I called Josh to tell him of my battle. He didn't seem to care, he was too busy working. So I called Mom- she was very proud of me. That's what Moms are good at! She encouraged me further by saying, "There are other poisonous snakes in TX that don't have rattles, so it's probably good that you got rid of it." I still didn't know what kind of snake it was, but I could go to bed and not worry about it anymore.
I brought the snake to school this morning and a professor in the Biology dept confirmed it was just a rat snake. Aggressive, yes- harmful, no- oh well. Since it was dead, the professor took it to use as a specimen, but he would have preferred to release it alive. I would have too. Maybe Josh will be home next time and be able to handle it better than I did. At least our dog never saw it. Titus would have thought it was a toy and would have probably ended up with a few superficial bites.
So that was my exciting night. What did you do last night?
I quickly realized that we do not have any good snake catching tools in the house. So here's what I came up with.
Tools for the job: 3 foot long BBQ skewer used for roasting hotdogs while camping, a yard stick, a 5 gallon bucket
Goal: Catch the snake alive (yes, I'm a biologist, we try not to kill unnecessarily)
Strategy: Use the skewer and/or stick to pick up the snake and get it in the bucket without harming it (some of you may already be laughing!)
I should start by saying that I'm not generally scared of snakes. I will pet them and hold them, but I've never had to catch one. I thought it would be easier, but this little guy was a fighter! I locked myself in the bathroom to keep the dog out which gave me about 3 feet to work with. Every time I tried to touch him with a tool, he would get pretty aggressive and skittish. Then he would hide, then he would get mad, and I was getting nowhere.
New strategy: Pin his head down, grab him and put him in the bucket.
He didn't like that idea either. As soon as I got his head pinned down, he would wrap his body around my stick then pop his head out. Sneaky little guy. I wasn't fast enough either. I could have pressed down harder on him, but I was still trying to avoid harming him.
3rd strategy: Get rid of the snake so I can go to bed!
The snake was pretty mad at this point, so I couldn't leave to get a better tool and risk losing him in another room. I just had to bop him with the yard stick. He immediately flopped over on his back. I poked him to make sure he was dead. He was dead, but I decided to give him an extra bop for good measure. Yep, still dead. Getting him in the bucket was much easier when he wasn't fighting! I left the bucket on the front porch so Josh could see him. My heart was still racing, so I called Josh to tell him of my battle. He didn't seem to care, he was too busy working. So I called Mom- she was very proud of me. That's what Moms are good at! She encouraged me further by saying, "There are other poisonous snakes in TX that don't have rattles, so it's probably good that you got rid of it." I still didn't know what kind of snake it was, but I could go to bed and not worry about it anymore.
I brought the snake to school this morning and a professor in the Biology dept confirmed it was just a rat snake. Aggressive, yes- harmful, no- oh well. Since it was dead, the professor took it to use as a specimen, but he would have preferred to release it alive. I would have too. Maybe Josh will be home next time and be able to handle it better than I did. At least our dog never saw it. Titus would have thought it was a toy and would have probably ended up with a few superficial bites.
So that was my exciting night. What did you do last night?
Monday, September 7, 2009
Brokaw family pics
We took some family pictures about a month ago and just got them back today so I thought I'd share my favorites with you.
The only one I really like of me and Josh
The Brokaw clan
The sisters
Sisters with Mom
The brothers with Dad
Our nephews
The only one I really like of me and Josh
The Brokaw clan
The sisters
Sisters with Mom
The brothers with Dad
Our nephews
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