Happy to report our vet told me Merlin could stand to lose about 5 pounds.
( So much discussion about vets not noticing or discussing over-weight
dogs ). Merlin gained five pounds since his last check-up last year. Now
I've got to *bitch-slap* dh into knocking it off with the treats already.
He gives that dog at least five treats everyday, from the time he gets home
from work, until bedtime, just for nothing. I went into an intense version
of my monologue on the subject of *treats*. Even made up some dire **** to
throw in. IIRC, wasn't it Perry who also had a dh who wasn't cooperative??
Gracie remained the same weight. Both dogs healthy, and *we* decided on
only the three year rabies vaccination for them both. ( Thank you, Jack ).

For some reason, I've had the urge to belt out *Hair* as I'm brushing Merlin
in the backyard.

Hair! (hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair)
Flow it, Show it;
Long as God can grow it, My Hair!

Let it fly in the breeze and get caught in the trees
Give a home to the fleas in my hair
A home for fleas, a hive for bees
A nest for birds, there ain't no words
For the beauty, the splendor, the wonder of my hair

She asks me why...I'm just a hairy guy
I'm hairy noon and night; Hair that's a fright.
I'm hairy high and low,
Don't ask me why; don't know!

I swear, I'm lucky if I get ONE brush-load from Gracie. Merlin, I could
brush until my arm falls off. Okay, a *bit* of an exaggeration, but he is
one hairy guy.

And, going on 17 days without a smoke. I keep myself busy during the
daytime. Late night is the hardest for me. My 'winding down' couple of
smokes. Still miss them like hell. (


td

On 2008-09-19 10:47:47 -0400, "tiny dancer"
said:

Still miss them like hell.

You miss your abusive boyfriend.

Remind yourself that you don't want to live with a guy who beats you up
every time you see him.

As far as the treats go, it's obvious that DH loves to give treats and
dogs love treats, so just change the treats!

On Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:47:47 -0400, "tiny dancer"
wrote:

Merlin gained five pounds since his last check-up last year.

Yep, it's so easy to sneak up on you that constant vigilance is
necessary.

I've got to *bitch-slap* dh into knocking it off with the treats already.
He gives that dog at least five treats everyday, from the time he gets home
from work, until bedtime, just for nothing.

If the "treats" are suitably nutritious, you should be able to allow
for those 5 treats when you calculate his remaining daily feed ration.

Both dogs healthy, and *we* decided on
only the three year rabies vaccination for them both. ( Thank you, Jack ).

You bet. Good for you both. Your dogs will thank you for it.

And, going on 17 days without a smoke.

Great! Keep up the good work!

I keep myself busy during the
daytime. Late night is the hardest for me. My 'winding down' couple of
smokes.

Maybe a small glass of wine would help?

And it's good for you, too.

--
Handsome Jack Morrison

"We are the [vermin] we've been waiting for".
http://jimtreacher.com/archives/001600.html

Important Public Health Announcement.
http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball...-announcement/

The Democratic "poison pill" on drilling.
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/1...l-on-drilling/

The NYT (finally!) Discovers The Chicago Annenberg Challenge.
http://justoneminute.typepad.com/mai...mes-disco.html
http://globallabor.blogspot.com/2008...-ny-times.html

Ten Myths About Budget Deficits and Debt.
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/bg2178.cfm

The Fallacy of 'Green Jobs'.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/art...reen_jobs.html

The two Americas: One likes kids, the other doesn't.
http://rightcoast.typepad.com/rightc...its-all-a.html

This is what happens when you don't build power plants.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/...ritain-warning

The Culture War's Decisive Battle has Begun.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/...ve_batt_1.html

The *Real* Google Agenda. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
http://pajamasmedia.com/edgelings/20...google-agenda/

Do you really want this person to be your new First Lady? (Be sure to read her *entire* thesis).
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8642.html

If this doesn't scare the **** out of you, you might be a fascist.
http://volokh.com/posts/1220243277.shtml

tiny dancer wrote:

I've got to *bitch-slap* dh into knocking it off with the treats already.
He gives that dog at least five treats everyday, from the time he gets home
from work, until bedtime, just for nothing.

Get really small treats or cut/break them up. That way he can give treats,
Merlin probably won't care, and they won't contribute as many calories.

But don't let him give more treats.

And, going on 17 days without a smoke. I keep myself busy during the
daytime. Late night is the hardest for me. My 'winding down' couple of
smokes. Still miss them like hell. (

Good going! I missed smoking for several months, but the desire gradually
diminished and by the end of a year or so revulsion at the idea had pretty
much wiped out any desire. See if you can find something else you enjoy to
'wind down.' (Train yourself to substitute a desirable behavior for an
undesirable one.)

FurPaw

--
Why do people who embrace Social Darwinism object to teaching the theory of
evolution?

To reply, unleash the dog.

"montana wildhack" wrote in message
news:2008091911442416807-montana@wildhackcominvalid...
On 2008-09-19 10:47:47 -0400, "tiny dancer"
said:


As far as the treats go, it's obvious that DH loves to give treats and
dogs love treats, so just change the treats!


Ah, if only it was that easy. I'm married to a *Leo*, a stubborn *king*.
;-) He comes home with treats he picks up during his shopping excursions
at lunch. He's only about five or ten minutes from major shopping at work.
He browses Home Depot, Lowes, and the pet store during his lunch hours. I
have my canister of the tiny little bitty Mother Hubbard veggie treats on
the kitchen counter, right next to *his* canister of the bigger dog
biscuits.

http://www.petmountain.com/product/c...odie-bone.html

This is what he *fills* with the dog biscuits, when ever Merlin brings it to
him to be filled. Plus he simply *has to* put treats in all the openings.
Believe me, I could smack the **** out of him sometimes. I've talked,
reasoned, harped, nagged, threatened...............all to no avail. I've
told him "they don't have any concept of *treat size*." All they want is
recognition, something, they are just as happy, thrilled, with one of my
tiny sized biscuits as they are with your completely filled to the brims,
kongs. They don't respect you, they don't listen to you the way they listen
to me, because you are just the *treat-guy*.

I've told him "merlin is a big, long-legged dog, he is far more at risk for
hip/joint/arthritis, yadda yadda yadda. Oh, he'll *promise* to 'cut back',
but to him anyway, giving them treats is his reward, his lavishing love on
them.' I've told him, 'they would much rather you take them outside and
play with them, over a treat.'

td

"Handsome Jack Morrison" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:47:47 -0400, "tiny dancer"
wrote:

Merlin gained five pounds since his last check-up last year.

Yep, it's so easy to sneak up on you that constant vigilance is
necessary.


How about I ship you my hubby for an intense training session? You have my
permission to kennel him until he shapes up.



I've got to *bitch-slap* dh into knocking it off with the treats already.
He gives that dog at least five treats everyday, from the time he gets
home
from work, until bedtime, just for nothing.

If the "treats" are suitably nutritious, you should be able to allow
for those 5 treats when you calculate his remaining daily feed ration.


See the reply I made to montana. I've told him, "the treats you give
him add up to more calories than his food!' And "the treats don't contain
the balanced nutrients, vitamins, minerals, essentials for his diet, yadda
yadda yadda.............."



Both dogs healthy, and *we* decided on
only the three year rabies vaccination for them both. ( Thank you,
Jack ).

You bet. Good for you both. Your dogs will thank you for it.


I was very happy to see my vets response to my concerns about
over-vaccinations. He's a 'house call' vet, comes out in a camper on the
back of a pick-up truck. We do all the dogs at the same time, my daughters
four and our two, so we only get charged one housecall visit. No matter how
many dogs you have, it's just one visit charge. He always dispenses generic
drugs, so he's not into making his money on those high priced prescriptions
like so many vets do. And he's originally from Louisiana, so he really
loves Merlin. He doesn't see many Catahoulas outside of La. His eyes sort
of light up when he sees Merlin, like catching up with an old friend.
He did test all our dogs for a tic borne disease because Kali tested
positive for it. Kali is the puppy mama stray. None of the other dogs
tested positive for it, so he thinks Kali could have had it when she was
dumped, just too early to detect last year when he saw her. So she's being
treated with an antibiotic for it. But all the other dogs tested out well.
Even Whiskey. He listened to her heart and lungs and said 'both were still
really strong.' The specialist she saw last year, about her leg/limp/etc.,
said she had a large lung tumor on the x-rays. But our vet said 'she has a
strong heart and lungs'. So he doesn't see any signs of decline in her.
The specialist gave us the impression that she had only 'months' to live
last year. Our vet said 'she's doing well as far as he can tell.' Other
than her limp, she's strong and healthy still.



Late night is the hardest for me. My 'winding down' couple of
smokes.

Maybe a small glass of wine would help?

And it's good for you, too.


Thanks Jack, I think I just might give that a try. My insurance sent me
some nicotine lozenges, and I've been using them late at night. But a drink
might do me just as well. I'm supposed to be sucking 20 of these lozenges a
day, but so far I've only been doing one or two a night, just before
bedtime. Although I am on my second box of plastic straws. I chew the hell
out of them. Cut them into cigarette size.


td

"FurPaw" wrote in message
. ..
tiny dancer wrote:

I've got to *bitch-slap* dh into knocking it off with the treats already.
He gives that dog at least five treats everyday, from the time he gets
home from work, until bedtime, just for nothing.

Get really small treats or cut/break them up. That way he can give
treats, Merlin probably won't care, and they won't contribute as many
calories.

But don't let him give more treats.


See above reply. Believe me, I used to argue with him about treats way back
when my Murphy was still alive. He equates treats/snacks/food/people food,
with LOVE. I just am at my wits end of what to do with him.




And, going on 17 days without a smoke. I keep myself busy during the
daytime. Late night is the hardest for me. My 'winding down' couple of
smokes. Still miss them like hell. (

Good going! I missed smoking for several months, but the desire gradually
diminished and by the end of a year or so revulsion at the idea had pretty
much wiped out any desire. See if you can find something else you enjoy
to 'wind down.' (Train yourself to substitute a desirable behavior for an
undesirable one.)

FurPaw


So far I've been substituting M&M's. ;-) One night I had this craving for
red licorce. Dh was already asleep. So I went into the bedroom and was
staring down at him sleeping. You know, that staring that wakes the
sleeping person up? I mean, I didn't touch him or anything, he just
eventually *felt* my presence there, hoving over him. He slowly opened his
eyes a bit, and then nearly jumped out of his skin until he realized it was
me standing there. I said, very slowly and carefully..........I NEED red
licorce. He replied "right now?" to which I said, 'no, tomorrow will do,
but I NEED red licorce." The weather was still hot last week, when this
happened, so he was laying there naked on top of the covers. I gave his
balls a yank to make sure he REMEMBERED. ;-) And then I thought to
myself, "poor guy, by the time he brings that red licorce home, my craving
will probably have morphed into something else." LOL.

I've really not been bitchy or anything. I view most of it as humourous,
like that late night escapade.

I do appreciate the support, Thanks to all.


td

tiny dancer wrote:
The weather was still hot last week, when this
happened, so he was laying there naked on top of the covers. I gave his
balls a yank to make sure he REMEMBERED. ;-)

Uh, td? As far as I'm concerned, this is _waaaay_ TMI.

FurPaw
--
Why do people who embrace Social Darwinism object to teaching the theory of
evolution?

To reply, unleash the dog.

"tiny dancer" wrote in message:

http://www.petmountain.com/product/c...odie-bone.html

This is what he *fills* with the dog biscuits, when ever Merlin brings it
to
him to be filled.

How 'bout if he fills the bone with kibble and then maybe wedge the holes
with the treats? Would that be an acceptable compromise? You'll each get
your way a little bit. Or maybe you can agree that he can fill a smaller
goodie bone instead. Or, you figure out just exactly how many calories are
in one of those filled bones, and he can feed it as long as he walks it off
with the dog as well.

Suja

On Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:42:28 -0400, "tiny dancer"
wrote:

Yep, it's so easy to sneak up on you that constant vigilance is
necessary.

How about I ship you my hubby for an intense training session? You have my
permission to kennel him until he shapes up.

You bet. I just happen to have an opening, but it's an outdoor
kennel. Does he have his winter coat yet?

If the "treats" are suitably nutritious, you should be able to allow
for those 5 treats when you calculate his remaining daily feed ration.

See the reply I made to montana. I've told him, "the treats you give
him add up to more calories than his food!'

That can't really be possible. Can it?

And "the treats don't contain
the balanced nutrients, vitamins, minerals, essentials for his diet, yadda
yadda yadda.............."

You can't even get him to agree to feed only nutritious treats?

Both dogs healthy, and *we* decided on
only the three year rabies vaccination for them both. ( Thank you,
Jack ).

You bet. Good for you both. Your dogs will thank you for it.

I was very happy to see my vets response to my concerns about
over-vaccinations.

Most are, once you convince them that you know what you're talking
about, too.

He listened to her heart and lungs and said 'both were still
really strong.' The specialist she saw last year, about her leg/limp/etc.,
said she had a large lung tumor on the x-rays. But our vet said 'she has a
strong heart and lungs'. So he doesn't see any signs of decline in her.
The specialist gave us the impression that she had only 'months' to live
last year. Our vet said 'she's doing well as far as he can tell.' Other
than her limp, she's strong and healthy still.

This would concern me. The specialist took pictures, your vet didn't.
Maybe a small glass of wine would help?

And it's good for you, too.

Thanks Jack, I think I just might give that a try.

Have your husband drink one, too, and then you can "talk" to him about
giving the dogs healthier treats, say, while you're wearing your
latest purchase from Victoria's Secret.

Trust me, that will *always* work better than yanking on his balls.

shudder

--
Handsome Jack Morrison

British "ethicist" (and apparently a relative of Paul Schoen) wants to euthanize the senile. Too costly for the state!
Think about *that* the next time you think about "national health care".
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/1...d-be-put-down/

Obama instructs supporters to "argue, get in their face". How's that for "change"? spit
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/20...ers-argue.html

More examples of liberal Jewish "tolerance" for people of other faiths and beliefs.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/542z5f

"We are the [vermin] we've been waiting for".
http://jimtreacher.com/archives/001600.html

Important Public Health Announcement.
http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball...-announcement/

The Democratic "poison pill" on drilling.
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/1...l-on-drilling/

The two Americas: One likes kids, the other doesn't.
http://rightcoast.typepad.com/rightc...its-all-a.html

This is what happens when you don't build power plants.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/...ritain-warning

The Culture War's Decisive Battle has Begun.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/...ve_batt_1.html

Do you really want this person to be your new First Lady? (Be sure to read her *entire* thesis).
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8642.html

If this doesn't scare the **** out of you, you might be a fascist.
http://volokh.com/posts/1220243277.shtml