On my way

Most of you probably already know that I've been studying dog and wolf behavior on my own for most of my life. I've watched all the documentaries and kept up on all the latest books. I used to volunteer at the zoo, have gone on trips to Wolf Park for educational seminars, and worked at a shelter where I had to evaluated dog behavior on a daily basis. Now I volunteer at a wolf dog rescue and still continue to learn on my own and give helpful advice to friends and aquantinces that need it. But I've never officially worked at a dog trainer.

After going to classes with Zoey I really liked the dog trainer and figured now is a good time in my life to give this a good go. So I talked to the trainer and she invited me to do an apprenticeship with her and I'm super excited about it. At the same time I am going to continue doing dog training with Zoey so she can become a certified canine good citizen, thus making her eligible for dog therapy. YAY!

Dealing with infertility

Corey and I have been trying to have a baby for over a year now. Many people don't understand what it is like to deal with infertility. Its very difficult and isolating to say the least. Obviously there are many people that go through it but i think the reason they don't talk about it is that if you talk to someone who hasn't been through it themselves, you always feel worse afterward.

People that haven't been through it say the most horrible things to you. Sure they think they are being helpful but they don't know. They say things like "just relax", and we think you might as well say "stupid" or "silly" at the end of that sentence. And of course everyone always knows someone who 'as soon as they stopped trying they got pregnant. so just don't think about!" wow! that's the simplest thing ever, why didn't i think of that before! i'm so dumb! thanks, i'll just go home and not think about when i need to have mechanical sex with my husband on a certain day out of the month to increase our ever dwindling chances!

Stress is not a cause of infertility like many people think anyways. The people that get pregnant after not trying or adopting would have gotten pregnant anyway. Those of us who are actually suffering from infertility have good reasons why we are not getting pregnant, whether we have the answers why yet or not.

Infertility cause s serious depression and self doubt. There are times where I have felt like less of a woman and wife because I have not conceived yet. In a good state of mind I know that is not true at all, but when i'm having a bad day, the littlest thing can set me off. Sometimes it catches me off guard when I see someone else with their baby, or hear of yet another person who is pregnant, or worse-when i get another negative pregnancy test. Sometimes I don't even care if i have a child, i just want to know that i could if i wanted to.

That's not to say that we infertility sufferers are not happy for people who become pregnant. But its an odd feeling to be really happy for someone because you know how much you want to have a child, so for someone else to have something that is so wonderful IS wonderful, but at the same time you feel like everyone else in the world can get pregnant no problem except for you so there must be something terribly wrong with you.

The best thing to do for someone who is expressing to you their troubles with getting pregnant is to just listen. You can say how sorry you are to hear that they are having a hard time and/or offer prayer or a shoulder to cry on when needed. But please don't offer advice, unless its something like a support group or counseling if you think its needed. Don't tell success stories of people you know either because sometimes this can be more negative than uplifting.

After all this time we are finally getting some answers and a plan of attack. I had always been uncertain at how easy it would be for me to conceive because of my history with ovarian cysts. To add to that my thyroid and prolactin decided to go crazy. Prolactin is the hormone that tells your ovaries to release eggs. My thyroid is under control now, but prolactin is not yet. I've had lots of fun tests too, all of which showed me to be fine, but things didn't add up because I'm still not pregnant. Today at the fertility dr we did an ultrasound which was very telling. My right ovary is storing up eggs and not releasing them, while my other ovary as a cyst the size of a golf ball that is weighing down on it restricting the fallopian tubes from catching my eggs. Our plan of action is to make that right ovary release an egg already with the aide of medication and also doing an IUI to increase chances of egg and sperm meeting up. We have three months of trying this method, and if at that time we are not pregnant we will have to reevaluate then.

I've debating a long time about blogging about this, especially because sometimes it would have sounded extremely negative and depressing to say the least. I know i wrote a little on what not to say to people struggling to get pregnant before, but it wasn't as personal. I felt I should because I wish more people talked about it so i wouldn't feel more isolated myself. I also thought that writing about it could help me feel better as well. I hope that if you are reading this it can help you or someone you love cope. There are time i have a hard time believing it myself, but there is always hope. it may not happen when you want it to, but never ever say never. thanks for listening.

Last weekend

My wonderful in-laws came to visit us. We took them to the cool spots-Lake Tahoe and Virginia City. They took us out to eat every night till we could eat no more! LOL

 My super sweet mother-in-law bought me this vintage sign. Its out of print too. I thought it would be perfect in my craft corner :)

And it is!! :) hehe

Shakin' N' Bakin'

The past two weeks I've been working at my new job as a baker for a gluten free bakery. It is mostly dairy free also. I absolutely love it! Its very rewarding, especially when people come in and can't believe that they can eat everything we have. I remember that feeling the first time I came in as a customer. Since I've been working I will have less time for blogging and some crafting but that is okay. Here's what's been happening in pictures :)

Last night Corey and I walked the puppies to Starbucks. Then we watched the A-Team, which was pretty good. That goes along with Gavin's newest nickname this year-Face-because he's so handsome(duh) and because when the movie came out we starting making up our own lyrics to the theme song about Gavin and Larry. Oh the fun never stops around here ;)

Then I woke up this morning to find my african violet blooming again-YAY! I don't do very well with plants, but I really like them. So when we moved in here I decided to give it another go. Of course I had to find plants that would not be toxic to dogs and cats though because guess who likes to chew on things? EVERYONE! African violets and the polka dot plant are both cute, fairly hearty, and non-toxic :) So far so good. I'm pretty proud of myself.

Today we are going for massages first. Then we are going to the antique mall which is pretty awesome. I'm looking for a ceramic figure that looks like Zoey to go with the little ones I have of Gavin and Larry :) I hope they have something good. I'll post pics if I find one. Then we are going to see Fright Night with David Tennant and Anton Yelchin. Love them! And back to the wolf refuge tomorrow to give some loving to my buddies :) Later this week my in-laws are coming to visit so I'm excited about that also but will be cleaning alot I'm sure :) hehe

Zoey and Gavin this morning

Zoey and Gavin have finally started playing together :) Its super cute. This isn't the cutest video by far, but its short and sweet. I like how they decided that my apron is a good toy to play with also :P hehe

Weekend

Started off watching Dr Who. We are behind and catching up for new season coming up. Here's pics of Zoey and Gavin while we got comfy on the couch Friday night. I've posted pics of them sharing Gavin's bed....well now they share Zoey's bed too! LOL The quality of the photos are bad but I knew if i moved to get better lighting or angle, they would move also.

Oh and I can't resist another owl sighting photo-here he is tilting his head at me :)

Then I took my second sewing class-made a purse. Super fun and I learned a lot.

Zoey and Larry playing

Larry and Zoey play and then Gavin "the nanny" comes in to make sure everything is okay :)

Dog Product Recommendations

A few things right off the bat:

1) Martha Stewart's Poop Bags: Like her or hate her, she actually has some great pet products available only at Petsmart. But if you've ever used poop bags before-you know they have a tendency to rip and not open properly. Its quite frustrating on top of knowing you will be picking up crap in a moment. You kind of want it to go as smooth as possible. Her bags are sturdy, open easily and do not rip-at least not as easily as some when you are trying to separate them.

2) Next is actually a cat product, but you can use it on dogs too. Cat Wipes that I find at Petco. They come in a little tub like baby wipes. I use them on my cat, Larry to help with shedding and cat dander. They are very nice and if the dogs need a spot check they work for that also.

3) If you know me at all you will know I trust Royal Canin food before any other brand. I have been a vet tech and worked in both shelter and hospital environments and I don't know any other food better or more recommended. It is the best well rounded diet for dog or cat. They do a crazy amount of research which is the part that really impresses me. They don't spend any money on advertising-it all goes into research. They not only research the best ingredients, but they research right down to what shape dogs and cats prefer to eat. Crazy cool! Gavin, my collie has a nervous stomach and sensitive skin-he's on the skin support diet which contains tumeric(a known cancer fighting spice among other things) and he's done awesome on it. Zoey and Larry eat their own Royal Canin diets also and love it.


Now for tiny dog recommendations:
Its been fun to learn about this stuff since I've never had such a small fry. Its hard to find stuff that fits a 4lbs doggy let me tell you!

Harness: the first one I got was close to a cat harness. It worked, but Zoey likes to protest walking sometimes and so I needed something that would not only be more comfortable to her, but not let her drag herself across the grass :P

So I finally found this one by Lil Pals at Petco (there's a blue one for boys too)

Then I found a knitting pattern for tiny dogs (xxs) in a book on Amazon called "Dress Your Dog:Nifty Knits for Classy Canines" It fits pretty good. I'm going to try again with different yarn and colors. But this was specifically for her Piglet costume for Halloween ;)

So far wearing clothes is not her favorite but she will put up with it. Though she has yet to do anything in them other than lay down. LOL
Here I thought she was probably someone's froufrou dog in her previous life that had a ton of outfits. Perhaps not ;)



Today I found these two t-shirts at Petsmart and had to get them! My Little Pony!! I couldn't help myself. Then the terrycloth is a Martha Stewart collection. It was on sale for $5. I thought it would be a good apres-bath sweatshirt-because she is always chilly then.
I'm not really a dress my dog up person, but small dogs need the extra warmth. The other night we walked the dogs to Starbucks. It had been like 90 degrees that day, but a storm was moving in and it cooled off and was breezy. We wore our jeans, but still just had t-shirts on top and poor Zoey was shivering. So I tucked her in my bag and held her close. I wouldn't have thought it would be cool enough yet for her to need something. Like I said, though, I'm still learning about these little guys ;)

Barn Owls!!!!!

My most favorite animal next to a wolf in the wild!!!!
Too hot for them to be in their boxes today. Trees are cooler :)

Going to town with crafting this week :)

Here's the laboratory ;)

Here's the second dress and Zoey-no fabric is safe!!! LOL

Craft Day!

I decided to break out my new vintage sewing machine. I've been kind of afraid of using it because I don't want to break it and its been so long since I've used one(6th grade!). But I'm taking a sewing class this coming sunday and I want to be able to at least thread my machine hehe.

Here's a pic of my classic 60's sewing machine:

I have the manual for it. It gave me a little trouble at first, but the pictures online are much easier to follow. Then I decided I'd give this simple "pattern" a try thanks to Rachael from Talk to the Trees. The instructions are really great and easy to follow like it says :)




That went well and I'm glad I tried it. I probably need to perfect a few things, but for my first time on the sewing machine I think I did quite well :)

So then I was reading about making dog sweaters out of old sweater sleeves for Zoey. I thought why not old long sleeve shirts? I had one that I was going to give away anyways so I gave it a go.

The first time I made two mistakes: 1)the holes I cut for arms where not far enough apart 2) I put the seam on her back instead of under by her belly
The good thing is with sleeves, is that there are TWO! :)

I measured basically by putting the sleeve up to her body and then eyeing the arm holes(this took me two tries like I said though haha). The cuff on the sleeve works nice as a fold over collar on her I think.

So here's the after photos:

Ahhh! Saturday mornings :)

Since moving to Nevada and not having a proper job, this is the first time in a really really long time that I've had saturdays free to enjoy with my wonderful husband, and of course our little fur-babies :)

This morning we walked the dogs and headed to Starbucks. It was great!

Gavin is afraid of weird new stuff. He freaks out around a little commotion and new places. This is when he was still settling down. Once we go enough he will be fine.

Yes that is a vintage Batman shirt I saved from my brother's early 90's clothes :)
Oh yeah and Zoey is cute too! hehe

Gavin settles down and Zoey sits with him

I got a puppy pouch!

Zoey was super tired this morning for our walk, plus it was a little hot outside even for me. It wasn't even 80 yet, but the Nevada sun beats down even when its 60 out! I'm also still getting used to having a little dog that doesn't have the same body temp regulation as a collie :) So i carried her for a little bit and had to take pictures. I'm carrying her in my awesome purse my friend Holly made for me. I get tons of compliments on it and now I have yet another use for it. She does customs stuff(which is what my bag is). Check her out at www.maeflower-designs.com

New Fur-baby!

I can't believe it'll be three weeks tomorrow since we adopted Zoey. I had been looking for a second dog for us casually since we moved into our new place but didn't think it would happen anytime soon. We were looking for a smaller dog like a pomeranian or so and they are few and far between out here, especially if you prefer adoption. When smaller dogs do go up for adoption they don't stay long, and/or have spoiled small dog issues. If you know me and my background in dog behavior etc, I'm picky when it comes to the personality of an animal I want in my house.

So I was just looking on petfinder one day about a month back and saw Zoey at a local rescue group. A chihauhua-pomeranian mix(probably papilion though) about 2 years old and 4lbs! I'm not usually a chihuahua fan but it said she was good with cats, dogs, and kids so I figured it wouldn't hurt to meet her. I filled out the application and they said they get back to people within 48 hours, which I thought was pretty impressive for a rescue. But the lady called me back within the time period and we brought Gavin with us to meet her. She is the sweetest and most well-behaved little dog I think I've ever met! She and Gavin didn't mind each other but they weren't playing either being in a very distracting environment so we did a second meeting later in the week. That went better but we figured given their size difference it might take time. I had a gut feeling about it though that everything would be fine knowing my animals.

So far so good. Now Zoey and Larry have played a little. She's still learning to trust Gavin in play, but is happy to exchanging sniffing and sharing a dog bed, even though she has her own :) She's still learning to walk well on her harness, but for the most part she likes the morning walks we take and is doing well on them. She likes to say hi to everyone just like Gavin too-animals and people.

Nature pics

Been walking the dogs early in the morning because it gets too hot later in the day now. Here's what i've found :)

not sure what kind of bird this is

pretty sure this is a stork...he's been there the last two days now.
its funny how different birds and ducks come and go