Abbey goes in for her second Distemper shot tomorrow---she's been doing really good since Round One.  Still, there will be one more to go in a couple of weeks after tomorrow but I think we got to her health problem early enough.  Now, if I could only get her to stop barking

I'm not saying anything bad about Abbey so try not to take this the wrong way because I knew no matter which dog I brought home from the shelter, there was bound to be a transition that I would have to get through, or overcome---no matter how little or how much time had gone by with Sadie being gone. And I also know that it isn't fair to compare a dog I had for 13 years to a new puppy only 6 months old. There obviously is bound to be a few major key (and expected) differences.  I never realized just how much I depended and counted on Sadie knowing what she knew---constant reinforcement to the rules wasn't an issue with Sadie, or necessary. She just knew what to do and how to be a dog.  In some respects, Abbey sometimes reminds me of a train wreck just waiting to happen---God forbid she ever gets a hold of any of the animals she tries to go after. I'm not used to dealing with the alpha mutt of the litter. Her fear aggression sometimes is off the chart and she challenges me on nearly every. single. thing.  

I know about the behavior she's expressing and how I'm supposed to deal with it. Having an alpha dog is a job and a half and Abbey needs to learn that she's not the pack leader between the two of us. Some days with the training are better than others but it is a process. Come hell or high water, it will happen. I may at some point need to put her in some type of training class to teach Abbey some socialization skills with other animals but she's just not ready for it yet. With the kind of sensory overload that would be for her right now, she would probably explode.  lol   

Sometimes I feel like I live in a cave. I've never heard of these guys until today while surfing, what has become, one of my newest favorite websites: Singers .

I learned a little about The EDLOS at Singers and listened to some of their most recent material but, it was at The EDLOS website where I discovered something from them totally unique.

They sing Rossini's, William Tell Overture.  Yes.  They put lyrics to the song and they sing it.  No instruments whatsoever. Nothing but vocals and nothing short of pure genius---an amazingly talented performance. When listening to the song and the lyrics, you learn that it took them 7 months to get the notes in the song right. I mean, let's be real, The William Tell Overture would so not be an easy number to take on and these guys pull it off flawlessly.

You might think it strange for someone like me, who loves the Beatles, all things Rock n Roll, and even the cheesy music from the 70s & 80s, that I would even take an interest in 4 guys singing The William Tell Overture.  But, even though I did grow up loving the Beatles and that cheesy 70s & 80s music, I also have a love for classical music, just as much---specifically Rossini. An old band instructor turned me on to Rossini's work when I was in 6th grade and it never left me.  

I'm going to post a link here to The EDLOS singing William Tell but, if it doesn't work, you can find the link to the song at their webiste.

Oh. And it probably should also be mentioned that you kinda might have to know a little about how the song goes and Rossini's arrangement to appreciate this piece of work. Then again, maybe you don't know anything about The William Tell Overture but will find an appreciation for this piece, all the same. Great stuff.

CLICK HERE

Gosh.

Ok. Don't laugh but I really hate giving up on this blog. 

I let the month of May come & go, and still signed up for another month. I was supposed to be out of here by the end of May and...well. 

Anyway....some exciting news and some not so exciting news. I adopted a dog!!! She's only 6 months old, her name is Abbey (as in Abbey Road. Go figure.)  

The not so exciting news, is news related to this dog. I've only had her a couple of weeks and already she is facing her first medical disaster. It seems the drama with me and dogs never ends.  I got Abbey from the Michigan Humane Society a couple of weeks ago. Naturally, in that kind of environment, a dog is likely to catch a case of kennel cough---which Abbey did.  But, this health condition became a major concern over the past couple of days, as the cough seems to have escalated into something else.  That 'something else' is called Distemper.

Abbey was tested for it today. The results will be back some time on Monday. Apparently, whoever had this dog before I did, didn't keep up with Abbey's vaccines and booster shots.  She had her first Distemper booster just a couple of weeks ago---which may have been too late.  For those not familiar with Distemper, it affects a lot of things with a dog's health but, most specifically, the nervous system and the brain.  In other words, if you don't catch the disease soon enough, a dog with Distemper would not live too long. 

This really isn't something I even want to think about after just putting Sadie down in April. I refuse to be a nutcase with this and will just wait until Monday to find out what's going on with Abbey. If she does in fact have Distemper, hopefully it will be caught in time before any of the devastating effects take hold of her bitty body. She did get  Round One of a series of shots today as the vet is 99.9% certain that Abbey has it (based on Abbey's symptoms and the overall condition).  

You know, it's funny.  Not really.  But someone I know recently told me that I go overboard with dogs and their health issues---they were referring to my dog Sadie. This person told me that I'm too quick to give my money away to vets and I would be better off just leaving the dog alone and the dog would just eventually get over their "issues".  That has to be the most dumbest advice I ever got from a friend---well, take that back. Not really a friend because no friend of mine would be that stupid.  Sadie had cancer, which is more than just an 'issue'.  Abbey might very well have Distemper---which is more than just an 'issue'.

Screw these people and their dumbass advice. They usually are the same kinds of pet owners who have a house full of animals and wouldn't spend a dime keeping them in good health. The same kind of people who would probably just let their animals suffer and die at home. Another form of animal abuse in my opinion---no matter how they try to doctor it up with their dumbass advice and telling me what to do with my dog. 

Oh. I almost forgot.  That's a picture of Abbey---the first day, on our way home from the Humane Society.  Yea. Not the greatest photo---taken with my cell phone.