YTNR Ball October 13-15, 2011

Make your reservations now for the
2011 Yorkie Ball October 13 - 17

Sheraton Music City Hotel
615-885-2200

There are very few rooms left so if you are planning on joining us please reserve your room soon.  

With Love...

MaryElizabeth

 

This month's spotlight shines proudly on Shannon and Shaune Bailey, who are new members of the organization. Shannon and Shaune began as New York volunteers, rescuing "NYA" and then promptly failing Foster 101. We are delighted to have them on board, and are excited to provide you with this spotlight:

YTNR: Tell us about yourself? Your family?

Shannon: I just moved to NY in September from Western Canada. My husband Shaune is from New York so we decided it was time to come back home. We have been married almost six years. I have two children: a son who is 25 and a daughter who is 20. They both still live in Canada. Shaune is an Emergency Room Nurse and I work as a Terminal Support Coordinator at a tank wash in Albany New York.

YTNR: How did you become interested in Yorkies? First Yorkie? Current Yorkies?

Shannon: I saw a little Yorkie one day and just fell in love. About six months later a lady I know had a litter and I decided I wanted a little boy from the litter, I ended up getting the smallest guy, when he came to live with us he was 14 weeks old and only 1/4 of a pound, so very tiny, he scared me silly. He was my little shadow and I spoiled him rotten, he loved being wrapped in a blanket like a baby would be and rocked to sleep so I obliged him. It got to the point where he would not go to sleep unless I rocked him to sleep, we had to stop that habit in a hurry. Currently I have two girls, Pixie and Nya. Pixie is nine years old and I have had her since she was four and a half weeks old. The puppy mill I bought her from (unknowingly) told me she was 12 weeks old and I found out later when I got her registration papers she was very young. We have had a lot of health issues with her and I just call her my million dollar baby.

YTNR: How did you hear about Yorkie Rescue, and how did you get involved?

Shannon: I have always known about Yorkie Rescue, but when I lived in �anada there were no rescues in Alberta so I could not get involved at that time. When I lost my little boy in January of this year there was a hole I wanted to fill. My husband said "No more dogs for awhile" but I convinced him to let me foster Yorkies and he told me it was fine on the condition I did not fail fostering. I was with another rescue and it was so full of drama and that is not my idea of rescue. I was in it for the dogs and not the drama so I left the rescue. When we started fostering for YTNR our first foster was little Nya, Shaune pretty much fell in love with her the minute I walked in the door with her. He kept saying "It is going to be awfully hard to let this little girl go." About seven weeks after we got her he called me on my way to work one morning and said "I have a problem, but you are not allowed to point and laugh." I said "Okay what is the problem?" and responded " I cannot let Nya go." She is such a love bug! She truly believes her whole reason for being is to love and be loved. She lays on Shaune's chest so she can be as close as possible and not be sharing his skin. She happened to do this the morning he decided she would not be leaving us.

YTNR: What do you love about Yorkies?

Shannon: Definitely their personalities. I have never had a dog like a Yorkie before and I cannot imagine ever having anything other than a Yorkie now.

YTNR: What are your thoughts so far about YTNR?

Shannon: I love it. YTNR is there for the dogs that are in need. That is why I got into fostering. It is a really good fit.

BECOME AN ADVOCATE FOR YOUR ANIMALS!

When I first noticed Heidi turning her left hind paw under and resting on the top of her foot, I thought little of it. Horses often cock a back hoof when relaxing, and I assumed my dog was simply relaxing, too. She repeated that posture several times in the following days, until finally I realized something was amiss. I quickly made an appointment with our vet, then began writing notes on Heidi's behavior to share with him during our visit.

Our vet at the time was widely respected. A warm, supportive, competent staff and sparkling facility enhanced his aura of trustworthiness.   His large, loyal clientele included many dog professionals willing to drive great distances for him to treat their animals. A few years into my relationship with him, my husband and I and our considerable animal family moved to a lovely small farm almost an hour from the veterinary clinic. Without a second thought, I became one of those commuters willing to travel for his services.   We'd been through many life and death situations with this doctor. I trusted him because I saw no reason not to.

The day of our visit, notes in hand, I described how Heidi frequently dropped her left hip and rested on top of her turned-under her paw.

"Let me tell you what's going on here" he said with assurance, practically ignoring Heidi, but looking me straight in the eye.   "She's torn her anterior cruciate ligament." He described the associated symptoms, and immediately recommended a specialist to do the required surgery, which would be followed by six weeks rest and confinement.

Shocked by this news, I told him I did not see in Heidi the symptoms he described. Insisting his diagnosis was correct, he strongly implied I did not know what I was seeing. I felt angry, confused, and worst of all, powerless. He was the veterinarian, The Authority. Somehow, if he said so, I must be wrong. Feeling powerless in the face of his 'rightness' , I denied my own reality, betrayed my own truth, and needlessly risked Heidi's health and well being.  

With a heavy heart, I delivered Heidi to the specialist for ACL surgery, bid her a reluctant goodbye and went home to await word that her surgery was completed. The call came surprisingly fast. The specialist himself was on the line. "We anesthetized Heidi, took X rays and examined her knee. There's nothing wrong. Her ACL is fine. She will wake up soon, and you can come get her."

I drove to his office in an altered state, flooded with relief, but seriously confused. Heidi was ready to go home the moment I arrived, but the doctor wanted to talk with me. He was curious about the diagnosis, wanted the details. When I told him about her tucked under paw, his frowned. "That's usually a sign of nerve pain. Let's look at that."   Further X rays revealed spondylosis, a condition in which, for Heidi at least, bone spurs growing out of the spine put pressure on nerves, causing pain that would grow more severe in time.  

The spondylosis diagnosis engulfed me in grief. Then grief was momentarily overwhelmed by my anger. What if the specialist had taken the first vet's word and and cut open Heidi's leg without double checking . The first vet's refusal to listen to me, to actually hear what I told him about my dog, had put Heidi in jeopardy. I saw myself as an observant, aware guardian of my beloved animals. I thought the vet and I were partners in my animals' health care. I was wrong.

I never returned to the veterinarian who misdiagnosed Heidi's problem. I did not leave over any concern about his abilities, even in light of his mistake. I left because he did not listen to me, because he refused to hear what I had to say about a dog I lived with, loved and observed on a daily basis. I could never put my faith in him again.

I am no longer angry at that vet. On the contrary, I've at last arrived at a place of gratitude to him. After all, the experience facilitated powerful change in me.   I finally see that I did not act in a responsible way in that situation. I was not an advocate for Heidi, or for myself. I failed us both. That realization fuels my quest to recall and embrace my personal power. That realization spurs me toward expanding and deepening my passionate advocacy for animals.   In words penned and sung by the late, great John Hartford, I wouldn't be here if I hadn't been there!"(exclamation point mine)

In my Tellington TTouch practice I see many animals subjected to long term prescription medications. Almost to a person, their guardians are concerned, even frustrated:. " I don't like having my animal on this drug, but the vet said she had to take it.   I wish there was another solution, some other way."

We as a society have long put doctors, veterinarians included, on a pedestal. We unfairly burden them with expectations of infallibility they do not have and cannot achieve.   In a very real way, we have traditionally given both human and animal medical professionals our personal power. My experience with Heidi is only one example. You may very well have your own.  

The time is now for us, on behalf of ourselves, our animals, and our Mother Earth, to restore the integrity of our personal power. The time is now for change.

No one knows our animals as fully as we know them. Certainly veterinarians see them with highly educated, often very experienced, eyes. Nevertheless, vets observe and examine our animal for a very short time, and they need to hear what we can tell them about that animal's status and behavior in daily life.   As the ones who really know our animals, we are responsible for being their advocate.

Advocacy means educating ourselves about our companion's physical and emotional needs. It means knowing which foods create wellness in our animals.   As advocates, we support our animals by understanding their need for exercise and mental stimulation, because lack of either of those qualities leads directly to health and behavior problems.   Advocates seek information, ask questions, get second opinions, explore options.   Many medical procedures and protocols long considered necessary and safe are being questioned and found wanting, as we learn more about side effects and long term consequences of these practices for our dependent, vulnerable animal friends.  

When we are true advocates for our animals, we choose a competent veterinarian   who hears us. We choose a vet who welcomes our questions, who answers us completely and is respectfully open to other health modalities we may provide our animals.     It is also our responsibility to listen carefully to what the vet tells us.

Then, standing in the truth of our reclaimed power, we, as Captain, make that veterinarian part of our animals' health care TEAM. We can do this. And as a community of animal guardians stepping into our Advocacy, we can help and support each other.

In columns to come we will share resources to support you in being an Advocate for your beloved friends. If you'd like to share resources that have been useful to you, email them to me at Star9fish@aol.com .

This month:

SPEAKING FOR SPOT

Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life

(100s of tips for the savvy dog lover)

by Dr. Nancy Kay

Till next time

Penny Case

Guild Certified Tellington TTouch Practitioner

star9fish@aol.com 

Copyright Penny Case, 2011

On Saturday July 16th Yorkshire Terrier National Rescue (YTNR) was invited to hold an adoption  event at the Dupage County Animal Care and Control in Wheaton Illinois.   

This event attracted many people looking for a new pet, our rescues created a lot of interest in the YTNR organization; potential adopters and volunteers. It was an exciting and fun day for everyone.
Thanks to the many of our Illinois and Indiana volunteers came to help make this event a success.

Electricity equals Power

Ever wonder why Humans call the Electricity, Power?
Meee and my Pack, experienced three and a half days without electricity due to a very intense storm with 70 mph winds.
Well, us Munchkins had fun at my house following our Pawrents with flashlights in the dark; more reasons for my Sis and myself to "voice" our opinions about every single noise in the house :o)
My Pawrents were not as thrilled as we were without electricity though.
I kept hearing my Mommy saying: "Thank God at least we have running water!"
Every activity was stopped in the dark without electricity. No TV, no phone communication, no internet. My Mommy could not even leave for us during the day our "favorite" CD, ~ The Three Tenors ;o) She seems to think that it is soothing for us; little does she know that we just "sing" along even louder from our lookout window :o)
Sooo, Meee did some thinking and came to the conclusion that electricity gives our Humans power! They feel powerful in accomplishing their daily chores according to their busy schedules. Personally, Meee thought that is was a nice break for them without electricity except for the fact that when it finally came back, my Mommy went to the extremes by using every single equipment in the house that runs on electricity. You would have thought that we were without it for a month. Humans...

Meee has to update you about my little sister, Aida. Although her name is Princess Aida Chi-Chi Spaulding, her manners are not in sync with her name. The name Princess should be dropped in my humble opinion and replaced with Spice Girl. She is very feisty and pretty much has my Pawrents wrapped around her paws. The first week she came, Meee and my Bros were very nice to her and handled her with the care that one would handle a Princess. Well, after a week of letting her think that it was alright for her royal highness to just take everything she felt like taking from us such as treats while we were eating them, toys while we were playing with them, food while it was given to us, Meee finally had enough! She was told by us Boys that the "honeymoon" was over and she should just roll with the punches. Guess what? She actually said O.K. and now we are all equals again; well my Mommy still calls Meee her Sunshine and Aida seems to be alright with that. After all Meee was here first!
We all adore her though because she is really a lot of fun to have around. Wish she would stop picking at my little tail while we are playing. Do not understand why she thinks that is funny?
My Daddy is very happy now because she stopped running after him and nipping at his ankles. He says that Aida is like the girl in the movie 50 First Dates because every time she sees him she acts like she has no memory of him or their previous meeting.
She is getting better though with each passing day. My Pawrents are showering her with lots of Love and that seems to be working for her.

Wishing you all a Blessed summer!
Love,
Neeko :o)

The flight attendant watched a passenger try to stuff his hopelessly overloaded bags into the overhead bin. Finally she informed him that he would have to check the over-sized luggage.
"When I fly other airlines," he said irritably, "I never have this problem!"  
She smiled and said, "Sir, when you fly other airlines, I don't have this problem either." ~

Love to all,
Neeko :o) 

 Chiklet found her own personal pool at the dog park. Don't worry the water is fresh & clean. The colors in the water are the reflection from the beach umbrella. She had a fantastic, fun day.

"Tootsie Pop" & I are enjoying our first cup of coffee on the deck. Its a beautiful morning here. She is such a love bug :)