What a Day!!

I went to see Auntie Janice in the afternoon for my acupuncture session. Mum and Auntie Janice thought it would be neat to show exactly how fast I fall asleep as soon as the first needles were put in. You will also see Auntie Janice hooking the electric current to the needles to provide stronger stimulation to the acupoints.

So here it is: Pay special attention to my eyes as I fought to stay awake, it didn't take that long before I was ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz

MY clinic is located in North Vancouver, which is about a half an hour to forty minute drive from our house. Due to the distance, I don't usually get to go to N. Van unless I have meetings with Auntie Janice. It is such a shame because N. Van has so many fun parks, trails, and of course, the Seymour River for us dawgs to play our hearts out. So of course, when I do get the chance to be in N. Van, I make sure mum takes me somewhere fun!!

After my acupuncture treatment today, mum took me to my favorite place in N. Van (excluding MY clinic that is) - the Seymour River Park!! The water is getting a little cold because of the yucky weather ahead, but that didn't keep me out of the water.

I have a tendency to be a little bit greedy. I want my ball, but I also want my rock/stick, so my solution is usually - hang on to the ball with my dear life, and go stand over or on the rock/stick so that nobody else can get it!!! You know, I don't know why, but I think everybody else wants MY stuff.....sigh.

Then the most annoying thing happened, mum started snapping away with that annoying silver box in her hand. She didn't throw rocks for me anymore, she took my ball and told me I had to let her take a few good pictures. Up until today, I had been very patient whenever mum got into her trigger happy mode, but I just couldn't stand it anymore! NOT today!! I had to make my voice heard:

WILL.....

YOU.....

STOP...

TAKINGGGG

PICTURES!!!!!

I really thought that was gonna work for sure you know, but NOOOO..... Mum said because I wasn't being polite, so as my punishment, I had to sit through more photos!!! Oh my doG.......... just look at my face, can you blame me for not smiling??

I promised mum that I would not be rude to her again on this walk, and we continued our walk up the trail, to the grassy area.

The grass in this area is usually very tall, and I like to bunny-hop over these tall grasses to find rocks that mum threw. Unfortunately for me, the park ranger had cut the grass down. I was soo disappointed.... (I know I don't seem that disappointed in the picture, but I really was!)

Is this a funny picture or what? Nono, not the fact that a "terrorist" is "pointing", but ........ WHERE IS MY NECK?? Is my face really that long and rectangular??

I was still a little disappointed about the tall grasses being cut down when I met the 2 year old, Louie.... Ohhhh how my body still trembles when I say his name. His smoldering eyes, perfect physique, and respectful manners had me mesmerized. I was in love!!

However, Louie on the other hand, seemed to think his orange ball was sexier than the Airedale babe in front of him.... *humpt*

Oh well, at least I tried: (the memory card kept running out of memory, so mum only got short short videos)

Not only is Louie a well accomplished Canadian Champion, he also has his own personal chef who makes Calli's Cuisine for him! The chef just happens to be his breeder, now how lucky is this guy really?

**Louie looks a lot like the smoldering quarterback - Sam I Am, don't you think??

After my little flirt session with Louie, it was time to go home. I didn't complain much today since I had had a long day, and quite honestly, I was getting a little hungry thinking about the big fat beef rib sitting in the fridge. Little did I know, it wasn't gonna be for another "3" hours before I actually got to taste the rib!!

I'm sure you've all heard the saying "Like mother, like dogter". Well, no matter how much I would love to think that's true, I can't, just can't, not after tonight! I have the looks, the figures, and most importantly, I actually use my brain!

Mum had no idea what she was gonna do at the end of the day when she took this video right before letting me out of the car at Seymour River. It is a video of me un-locking my car door:

The first click sound you hear in the video is the car door being locked by mum via the remote. Then if you pay attention, you will see me pawing the area mum was pointing at and ultimately pulling the latch (you can kind of hear it), un-locking the door and popping the door. My reward was being let out of the car to play.

You have no idea how many times my un-locking door skill came to mum's rescue and how much $$ it saved her from having to call tow trucks. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could have done tonight to help mum......

As we made our way to the car from the park, mum decided to open the trunk first to put my ball in the toy box before putting me in the car. So being the smart hooman that she is, she somehow thought it was a good idea to put the key down in the trunk while she put my stuff in the toy box. My smart mum then proceeded to shutting the trunk while she reached into her pocket for the car key.

"Hey, where did the key go??" she wondered......

Thanks doG it didn't take the smart hooman long to figure out where she had left the key. So, she called her friend Dave, and asked him to go to our house for the spare key, and come all the way to the middle of no where. Needless to say, it took over an hour and a half before Dave got there because it was rush hour time!!

Mum took Dave for dinner as a THANK YOU for doing us a huge favor, and I had to stay in the car while they filled their tummies.....

Who was the REAL victim here??

BTW, do you believe in ghosts or guardian angels?? hehe...I was looking at my pictures and I came across this one.....

WOW... look at the shape of his head..... that's one gorgeous looking ghost Airedale.... just in time for Halloween!!

Acupuncture

Location: Mosquito Creek Veterinary Hospital in North Vancouver, BC
Weight: 61.2 lbs
Note to self: weight down again, need to do more hunting!!!

All that fence banging, or, some of you might call it fence "bashing" has made my arthritic elbow a little stiff and "crunchy". We call it "crunchy" if mom can feel the friction (kinda like bone to bone) in the elbow joint while doing stretching and range of motion exercise with me. When this happens, I get to go see my Auntie Janice for acupuncture. I love my Auntie Janice so much that I'm always trying to come up with legitimate reasons (such as splitting my tooth and scaring mom half to death!!) so that I can go see her.

When I found out that I was going to see Auntie Janice, I couldn't be happier! As usual, I marched into MY clinic, announced my presence to everyone, made my rounds around the clinic, nodded my head to Kayla (Auntie Janice's girl), and gave my favorite vet tech - Jennifer a nice growly head rub between the legs (my head, Jen's legs). After I was satisfied with the way things were running in MY clinic, I walked into my acupuncture room ready for my treatment.

Auntie Janice introduced me to Tanya, the new vet assistant of MY clinic. Tanya seemed really nice, and I look forward to getting to know her. Auntie Janice asked mom if it would be ok for Tanya to stay for my acupuncture session, and after consulting with me, mom said it was ok.

This was me, all happy and "awake" before the needles went in!!



It was Tanya's first time meeting me, so she didn't know that I usually get really sleepy as soon as the first needle goes in. So Tanya kept a firm grip on my harness throughout thinking that I would be struggling. Much to her surprise, I was calmer than a .............turtle???

First few needles went in, can you see my eyes getting dopy??

and dopier......

Trying very hard to remain standing.............but my legs were feeling quite "noodle-ly"....

Finally, I succumbed to my noodle-ly legs and laid down.....

Then my head started to feel heavy.........................

Soon afterwards, I was in dream land........

Auntie Janice and mom always laugh at me when they see me start to get drowsy, because I try to fight it, but can never keep my eyes open long enough LOL! It really is amazing how well acupuncture works on me. It was definitely an eye opener for Tanya the new vet assistant in training!!

You can read more about me, my vet, the clinic, and how acupuncture works on my previous post:

• MY clinic, MY vet, MY Janice!!!

After I was all "rejuvenated", mom took me for a swim in Seymour River. However, the usually emerald green water wasn't so emerald today. Instead, it was a disgusting murky, stale looking greenish water. Mom thinks it must have been because of all the digging they were doing upstream making the water all gross. We didn't stay long because of the water.............. Hopefully the water will clear up soon, or mom and I will just have to drive upstream to play...

Anyway, here are two photos of me at Seymour:

Before I got wet,

SMILE!!

After I got wet,

"Do we really have to go home??"

MY clinic, MY vet, MY Janice!!!

Location: Mosquito Creek Veterinary Hospital in North Vancouver, BC http://www.mosquitocreekvethosp.com/
Appointment time: 9:30 am
Treatment: acupuncture + some "LOV'IN"
Weight: 62 lbs - lost two pounds due to extreme exercise lately
Note to self: ask mom for more lamb flanks and chicken backs (fattier), and MUST remember to stand by the treat drawer AT LEAST "4" times a day.

This morning, mom told me we were going to see my auntie Janice (Dr. Janice Crook) for my arthritic elbow because it was starting to get a little "crunchy". I couldn't be happier because I hadn't seen auntie Janice for a little over two weeks. As soon as we got off the Lions Gate Bridge, I started to "sing" and do my "happy dances" back and forth in the car. I knew I was minutes away from seeing auntie Janice!! However, very typical of my mom, she took FOREVER to collect all the things she wanted to bring into the clinic. So I got a little impatient and started pawing at the door lock/latch and popped the door open myself (you can read about my unlocking door skill at "Un-locking" car door for mom ). When mom finally let me out of the car, I DRAGGED mom across the parking lot and marched right into MY clinic!!

Mom thinks it's amazing that even after my plate removal surgery, and all the pokes I have received at the clinic (for bloodworks), I still LOVE to go there and LOVE everyone who works there. In fact, I always storm in there and start "announcing" my presence like I OWN the place. Some people don't understand why I'm so "talkative", but auntie Janice and everybody else who work at the clinic know "Oh, that's Sunshade telling us she wants to be the center of the attention NOW!!!"

Sometimes, like today, the first thing I do after announcing my presence, is to do my "rounds". I feel it is my responsibility to check out who is in MY clinic, who has been in MY clinic, if everything is put in it's right place, and of course, if any treats are left behind..........

Then all of a sudden while I was making my rounds in the kitchen, this lady in blue brought in a cage that was covered by a brown blanket and she left it in MY surgery room!!! I wasn't sure what it was at first, but I could definitely smell it.........

I inched my way toward it, and then................. I saw an eye GLARING at me from inside the cage...

OMG...something is GLARING at me

Auntie Janice told me later on that it was a wild cat the lady in blue had caught in her yard, and he was there to be neutered. Boy did he ever spray, and stunk up MY clinic!!!!

After I "okayed" everything in MY clinic, it was time for some LOV'IN! This is what always ends up happening for the first 5-10 mins of our session......Can you tell HOW MUCH I love my auntie Janice?? I kept trying to lick and "nibble" on Janice's face..., only very special people get these from me!! Mom tried and tried to get some good photos of me and Janice, but neither of us would stop moving LOL!!

TAKE 1

TAKE 2 - trying to give auntie Janice "love nibbles" on the face.......

TAKE 3 - love nibbles on the shoulder......

TAKE 4 - still trying for the shoulder

TAKE 5 - auntie Janice trying to "stabilize" my head to get a good shot

TAKE 6 - hey look at that, my head is STABILIZED!!!

TAKE 7 - FINALLY! Auntie Janice and I stopped adoring each other, but both decided to not look into the camera LOL. It's kinda artistic don't you think?

Then it was time for some "serious" business. My acupuncture time!! Auntie Janice thinks I'm so funny because as soon as I assume the acupuncture position on the sofa, I can't seem to be able to keep my eyes open even BEFORE the needles went in!!!!! It's kind of embarrassing, but I just can't help it. It must be all the tranquility and positive energy surrounding Janice and the clinic that just make me "drift" into a deep sleep.

I'm already "drifting" away...even before the needles were in

Of course, as soon as the first needle went in on top of my head, I was G-O-N-E.....

Auntie Janice putting the 1ST needle in

1ST needle

The effectiveness of acupuncture depends on the individual just like it is with people. It can work miracles for some dogs (like ME ME ME), and do little for others. However, the trick is to have patience and give it enough time to "kick in". It is almost impossible to see overnight results when you first start acupuncture. Take me as an example: I was very lame due to my arthritic elbow back when I was only two years old. I couldn't stop limping so mom decided to give acupuncture a try despite her skepticism. It took a good 4-6 weekly sessions before mom noticed results. Even then, the improvements were not drastic. However, mom followed up with it religiously, and after about two months, the results were quite noticeable. Auntie Janice was able to get the inflammation in my elbow to the lowest possible point, which meant my elbow didn't get nearly as warm or swollen as it used to be. Ever since then, my elbow has been doing great and I can do almost anything a normal dog could do and not come back lame. Mom couldn't have wished for a better result!!

Running current through the needles provide stronger stimulation to the acupoints - since my elbow is the worst of them all, Janice likes to run current through there.

These days, I usually get acupuncture treatments every two to three weeks depending how much exercise I have been having and how well my elbow is doing. Mom can feel how well my elbow is doing during the stretching and range of motion exercises she does with me everyday. Usually when it's time for a treatment, my elbow gets tight, which means I resist a bit during stretching. Or my elbow gets what Janice likes to call it "crunchy", meaning you can actually feel my bones "loose" and grinding against each other during range of motion exercise. However, as soon as I get my treatment, I no longer resist stretching and there is very little to no "crunching" going on during range of motion exercise.

Ok, so I have been telling you how much I love MY clinic, MY vet, MY Janice right?? Well, now I'm gonna tell you how much I REALLY love MY clinic, My vet, My Janice and everybody who works at Mosquito Creek.

As you can see from my previous posts, I usually get along fine with other dogs. However, due to the fact that I think I OWN auntie Janice and the clinic, I get very "rude" to all the dogs and cats that come into MY clinic. I get very "mad" when I see auntie Janice or Jennifer or anybody else handling other dogs and I start protesting and threatening the other dogs at the top of my lungs. Mom tells me that's not a good girl behavior, and I know that in my heart, but I just can't help it. They are MINE MINE MINE!!! Auntie Janice knows I'm not a meanie, so she always tells people with a little chuckle, "Sunshade just thinks she owns the place!!!".

The interesting thing is that, the ONLY dog that I have never tried to be rude is Janice's "baby", KAYLA!! This is Kayla, can you guess how old she is???

Kayla had just started coming to work with Janice since last year, and I had only just met her then. She is about half my size, but for whatever reason, I knew the day I met her for the first time that I had to "respect" her. I knew I couldn't be rude to her like I was with all other dogs who set foot in MY clinic. Mom thinks it's because for some reason, I know that Kayla's mom, auntie Janice owns the clinic, and since Kayla OWNS her mom, that Kayla technically OWNS the clinic AND everyone else who sets foot in the clinic.

Just like me, Kayla likes to be in the center of the attention ALL THE TIME! She gets mad at Janice when Janice is in the examination room with clients, and starts complaining until her mom gives in and comes out to "fulfill" her "needs". I think this is totally and utterly ACCEPTABLE!! I would do exactly the same thing, just in a "pushier" way if MY mom were with other dogs all day!!

You must really want to know how old auntie Janice's puppy Kayla is right?? Well lets just say she would have been driving for a good 6 months now if she were a human! YES...Kayla is a healthy 16 year old who has been "raw fed" (My diet - The BARF Diet) all her life. Auntie Janice adopted Kayla back in 92' while she was still in vet school. Like me and mom, Kayla and auntie Janice are "soulmates" too!!

Another one of my favorite people is MY vet tech Jennifer!!

Jennifer loves me because I make the same grunting/growly noises her "Noelle Shirley" makes. Shirley is a very cute, 3 year old "lurcher" (any kind of sight hound mix with a terrier). She is a Scottish Deerhound cross with an American Staffeshire Terrier. Just look at her, isn't she adorable?? Mom loves that "scruffy" look and so do I!!

Shirley was thrown from a moving truck onto Jen's front lawn as a one week old puppy (?? check with Jen) by some heartless idiots on Christmas Eve, hence the name "Noelle" Shirley. However, it must be doG's wish to have Shirley "delivered" to Jen because guess what? Just like Kayla and me, Shirley is Jen's "one in a million soulmate"!!

You know what the common denominators for us three gals are??

• The world REVOLVES around US
• We have our moms wrapped around our little toes
• We are extremely smart yet "pushy" girls
• We tend to grab onto your heart and NEVER let go!!!