1800petmeds Review and Warning

 1800PETMEDS WARNING: 

If you cancel an order at 1800PETMEDS.com it is NOT really cancelled. The status will change back to a current order status within 24 hours.

I cancelled an order THREE TIMES this week (April 2023), and the status changed back all three times. 

I emailed them. I texted them. I tried to online chat with them, but no one ever answered. I called them on the phone and talked to an extremely UNhelpful representative, who even called me by a wrong name. 

I requested that the order be cancelled and deleted from my account multiple times. On the phone I was told that even a supervisor can not delete the order from my account. The representative said they can not remove it from the website, which I know is a lie. I promise you, someone can remove a cancelled order from that website.

I've been using them for years. NEVER AGAIN!!!!

What kind of shady company will not delete a cancelled order from your account and continues to change your cancellation status back to an active order?????

I explained to them that I accidentally chose the wrong dog. When I realized my mistake, I cancelled the order and reordered using the correct dog's name. They called my vet about the wrong dog's order anyway. My vet refused the wrong dog's prescription, of course. 

1800petmeds filled and shipped the correct dog's prescription, but they absolutely refuse to delete the wrong dog's order. I hope they do not continue to harass my vet. They said they really cancelled the order this time, but I no longer trust them.

I deleted all the information I could from my account. My "Delete Account" or "Cancel Account" options have mysteriously disappeared! 

I will continue to check to make sure my credit card, vet, pets, and other information does not reappear. 

I requested to NOT receive any more emails from them, but I am unable to delete my email address from my account, which makes me wonder what else they do with my information.

Order from them at your own risk. 

They are fine as long as you do not make a mistake or need to change or cancel an order. To me it's not worth the stress. I will not ever order from them again.

Reincarnation and Dogs: Questions and Clues

Back in the mid-1950s, I was born into a house full of older siblings, cats, and dogs. There were often cows across the street and always horses a couple of blocks away.  The neighbors kept guinea pigs and birds too.  We usually had at least one chicken out back for eggs.  I can't remember a time in my childhood without furry and/or barnyard friends. 

Around the time I was three years old, our collie mix girl, Lassie, and her beau, the neighbors' boxer bulldog mix named Honey, presented us with six tiny wiggly perfect puppies.  Lassie had them in a huge old hollow tree in the backyard.  My brother, Gene, crawled in the tree and removed them one by one.  Daddy put them in the dog house so they would be safe, and it wasn't long until Lassie came out of the tree and joined them.  Snug as a bug in a rug.

I can still see their little closed eyes and hear their soft puppy sounds.  I'd breathe in that sweet new puppy smell until Mama made me leave them alone.  I was enchanted.

As they grew and their little eyes opened, I was allowed to hold them.  I'd sit for hours holding and swinging a sweet little girl, who was sable and white.  I'd sit on that wooden seat of our backyard swing and swing and sing to her and she would snuggle up against me so very sweet.  

When she was about six weeks old, these mean boys came with their father and Daddy gave her to them.  I cried and cried and cried.  Truthfully, I will still cry over losing this girl.

Daddy said we could not keep her because she was a girl.  Well, I was a girl, so that disturbed me even as a child.  I couldn't understand why being a girl meant you weren't good enough to keep.  I knew my brothers got to do a lot of things that I would be punished for doing just because they were boys, but I honestly never made peace with that fact.  I could climb trees as good as them.  Why were they allowed to do that, but I couldn't? 

But I digress....

Daddy let me keep a black and white boy.  I loved him, but never quite as much as my sweet girl.  I, personally, never believed boys were better than girls.

About a year later, I went with Daddy to a house in Gaffney, SC, and there was my sweet girl.  The boys had beat her and made her mean.  She didn't even recognize me.  I will never get over this as long as I live.  I'm in my mid-60s now, so you can believe me when I say that. 

Many years later, when I was in my early 50s, I was looking for a companion dog for my boy at the time, a Texas Heeler named Buster.  It took me months to find her, but on April 15, 2006, I walked in an SPCA in North Charleston, SC and there she was, the perfect puppy.  Four months old.  Sable and white.  Sweet as pie.  I adopted her that day and named her Dolly because she looked (and still looks) exactly like a perfect baby doll dog. 

Dolly and I had a special bond from the beginning.  She was so sweet and would snuggle so still.  Precious.  But Dolly had been abused and was afraid of strangers especially, men.  Even more especially, mean little boys. There was something just familiar about her.  So special. She reminded me of my sweet girl puppy from my childhood.  Precious girl.

A vet told me Dolly was a sable Border Collie, and for twelve years I believed that vet.  Dolly looks exactly like a sable Border Collie, so I had no reason to think otherwise.

Then last year I came across a very good deal on doggie DNA tests and decided to have my dogs' DNA done.

My present red heeler boy, Stark's DNA came back as purebred Australian Cattle Dog, as expected.  He came from an SPCA, but he was obviously purebred.  No surprises there.
My girl, Dolly's DNA did NOT come back as a Border Collie!  Surprise!  Dolly's DNA came back as a Duke's mixture of breeds, but her father was a boxer bulldog mix.  Her mother?  Guess.  Yep.  A collie mix.
Dolly's parents were a Boxer Bulldog mix and a Collie mix!

Did the exact DNA mix of parents happen and attract the soul of my precious puppy??  I may never know, but it does make me wonder.  

Was the soul of my sweet puppy scarred by the mistreatment of those mean boys all those years ago? Is this why Dolly hides from strangers today? Again, I wonder.  

What about our souls?  Does God give us more than one life?  Will our next life be better??  Worse??

All these things make me wonder and are on my mind today. 

When we see someone we love or hate on sight, is this because our souls knew each other in a past life?

Do our beloved pets sometimes come back to us?
 
What are your thoughts?

***

Update: My precious Dolly lived to be 16.5 years old. She passed away in April of 2022. She had advanced Cushing's Disease and a brain tumor. So many seizures from the tumor, but she remained a happy girl her whole life long.

Dolly grew more precious every single day. I feel she still visits me from time to time to let me know she's happy and healthy again. I know we will meet again. My precious girl. 🙏🏻

Remembering My 2017

2017 began as a very traumatic year.  The New Year came a few days after my brother, Tom, died. Perhaps that set the tone for most of the year, or perhaps it just needed to be such a year.  I'm not sure, but there were a LOT of major changes in my life in 2017.  Here are some of the things I need to remember.  It was a very full year and I'm sure I'll forget to mention many things.  I'll apologize in advance just in case I forget to mention you as I write this tonight.

January 2017

January began with high hopes and fireworks in my neighborhood like many other Januarys before it.  In the beginning it was nice.  My friend, Boo, visited from Indiana and a bunch of us friends all got together at Pam's house on January 6th.  It was a fun evening.

But January took a turn for the worst.  A couple of weeks into the year, my dear friend and pottery teacher, Kris, took his own life.  I'm still shaken by this because Kris was one of the people in my life that I considered stable.  Dependable. 

Kris and I lived only a few blocks apart and we were both the proud parents of two fur children, so we saw each other at the local dog parks often.  It was always good to see him.

Kris's memorial was held at the Ackermann Dog Park in Charleston, SC.  Many friends, both human and canine, gathered for the memorial, and the couple who adopted Kris's dogs brought them to visit us for a last time.

It was a bittersweet day with high emotions.  So many people loved Kris and his dogs.

While we were there at the memorial that day, my male dog ended up in a dog fight over a dog treat someone brought, and I fell and tore the meniscus in my knee trying to break up the fight. At first they thought it was the medial collateral tendon, but whichever it was, it ended up costing me a LOT of money. I had to be in physical therapy from January until July this year to avoid surgery.  It was not fun.

(NOTE: Please NEVER bring treats to a dog park.)

Kris's dogs are pictured above with their new parents.

Toward the end of January some my friends from my hometown showed up for the Annual Lowcountry Oyster Festival. We got together a couple of times while they were in Charleston, SC. It was great to see them!

The last week of January I found a deer tick in my hair after a trip to James Island County park with my dogs. -shudder- No Lyme Disease symptoms so far. -knock on wood-

January was a struggle in 2017.

February 2017

In February I made a quick dash to Kings Mountain, NC to pick up my son, Eric, who lived with me from February until April while he attended Miller Motte Technical College's truck driving school  in North Charleston, SC.

I admit I LOVED having Eric stay with me a few months.  I will always miss my sons until I die.  Maybe longer.

I also had a quick visit with my eldest son and both my granddaughters while I was in Kings Mountain, NC.  I love them. 

These are my beautiful teenage granddaughters.

March 2017

March was spent working, making sure my son made his classes and had a way home, and painting painting painting in preparation of putting my house on the market come June.

Above: The newly painted bedroom in my West Ashley house in Charleston, SC, March 2017.

April 2017

April was a blast!  It started with my friend, Sarah's retirement party.  What fun!

You go Sarah!!

These are wild women!! Old friends.  So much fun!

I was still painting in April.  I LOVED the way my front door turned out!

My son, Eric, celebrated his birthday by testing for his CDL license.  He passed!!!  We celebrated by going out for pizza and then had birthday cake at home.  It was a BIG HAPPY DAY!  I'm so very proud of my son, Eric. 

 

Sadly, a few short days later his trucking job in Atlanta started and he moved away to do the over the road leg of his training with an experienced truck driver.  He received his own truck after a few weeks of that training and has been driving ever since.

The key words in that last paragraph are "moved away." -sigh-  Story of my life, but I'm happy to have had him with me a little part of this year.


Easter came and went. Church was beautiful, as always. Eric and I visited my sister-in-law and her family.  It was bittersweet without my brother there.  I spent a lot of time missing my brothers this year.

My beautiful granddaughter, Paige, celebrated her Sweet 16th Birthday (pictured above) in mid-April!  Eric and I drove up to Kings Mountain, NC to celebrate with her.  I took her shopping and told her she could have anything she wanted as a gift.  She wanted a new game controller, so that is what she got from me!  She loved it.

My male dog, Stark, pulled me down while we were walking and I skinned myself up pretty badly.  Skinned my leg and my hand.  Thank goodness I didn't hurt my knee again.  That boy dog is dangerous!  He never means to hurt me, but I get hurt all the same. 

April ended on a high note.  It was the Huguenot Society's Annual Meeting held at Charles Towne Landing this year.  I had the BEST time, as always.

At the French Huguenot Society Meeting with Huguenot friends, April 2017.

May 2017

May was a whirlwind.  I was still painting the inside of my house.  Finished painting the kitchen in May, but I hired the outside painted.  They did a great job!

Here is the before and after:

It was extremely hot outside in Charleston, SC in May.

A can fell out of my Walmart cart and broke my toe. 

My beautiful granddaughter, Sharon, attended her Junior Prom this month.  I didn't get to see her in her dress, but I enjoyed the photos she sent me.


We celebrated my friend Linda's birthday at the Joe watching the Riverdogs play.  It was very hot, but we always have a good time together.

They recognized my retirement at Dean Larry Daniel's annual end-of-the-year party at his house and gave me gifts!  It was great!!  Dr. Daniel's wife, Caren, is always such a good hostess.  I really enjoyed myself!

At the end of May, my son, Eric, got his own truck and a few days off.  This Mama was sure proud of her son when he showed up driving that big transfer truck!  He worked so hard to get his CDL. He deserves his success!

June 2017

Wow.  What a month! 

On June 6, 2017 I put my house on the market. 



The rest of the month was spent working, cleaning out my office, and preparing for my retirement.


At the end of June 2017, I celebrated my 62nd birthday and I RETIRED!!! 

Leaving The Citadel after 17 years was so bittersweet.  I miss a lot of the people, but honestly, I do not miss working at all!

Hmm...it seems I'm using the word "bittersweet" a lot to describe this year.  It fits.

July 2017

July was spent cleaning my house so the realtors could show my house, putting both myself and the dogs in my car and driving around or parking nearby until the showing(s) were finished...over and over and over and over.  

The only good part was getting to spend time visiting with my neighbor and friend, Norma, on her porch some days while they were showing my house.

August 2017

August was spent the same as July, but I did take the dogs to the groomers that month.  Look how beautiful they are!

   There was also a solar eclipse in August 2017.  Charleston, SC was in the path of totality.  My neighbors and I watched it from their yard.  Fascinating.

Toward the end of August I reduced the price for my Charleston house and received multiple offers.  I accepted one of them!  SOLD!  The closing was set for October.

After that the rest of August was inspections inspections inspections.  Ugh.


August 2017 was stress incarnate.  After all the inspections, those days (and nights!) were spent packing and house hunting in earnest.  My Charleston house was in escrow and I needed a place to live after the closing.


September 2017

September 1st dawned with a new house popping up for sale in Spartanburg, SC.  It was perfect.  I called my Upstate SC realtor, grabbed my purse and drove to Spartanburg.  

I loved the house, met the neighbors, put an offer on the house, and got approved for financing over the phone, all while standing in the driveway in Spartanburg that afternoon. 

The Spartanburg house ended up with multiple offers, but mine was accepted.  I had a house that I loved and could afford!  Whew!  What a relief...until all the inspections and finance paperwork, etc. but that's okay.

Hurricane Irma came to visit and caused record flooding.  The Folly Boat floated away!  But the flood water did not get deep enough in my neighborhood to get inside my Charleston house.  Thank goodness for that!

The rest of the month was spent mostly packing, but I also took some time to visit with friends to say my good-byes. Even though I sure hope to see them all again at times, I know it will never be the same as living close where we could get together anytime. 

I drove up to Murrels Inlet to visit with my friend Jennifer and her son, Ashu.  We went out to lunch and had a wonderful visit.  I hadn't seen her in years, since she moved away from the Charleston area.  That was a great September day!

There was a music concert in Allen Park in front of my friend, Margaret's house.  We all gathered on Margaret's front porch to listen to the music and enjoy each other's company.  That was a good night.

My friend Kathy and I visited our friend, Dan, in Mt. Pleasant.  Wow.  You should see Dan's house.  He has everything, and he even baked us some homemade sour dough bread!  We all went out for lunch.  It was such a good day.

My friends, Judy, Linda and I finally got around to celebrating my birthday with a day trip!  We went to Blackville, SC to eat at the Mennonite Restaurant, Miller's Bread Basket (YUM!!) and drink water from the Healing Springs.  We also did a little antique shopping in a nearby town and stopped in Branchville, SC for ice cream.  It was a great day!

October 2017

In October my friend, Karen and I went to the SC Aquarium to celebrate her birthday.  It was so good!  

But, honestly, almost all of October was nothing put packing and house closing stress.  

Finally the day came to load up the moving truck.  The movers couldn't get everything to fit, so I had to leave some things behind, but almost everything did fit.  

My good neighbor Isabella helped me get even more things loaded up after the movers left.  

The dogs and I were the last things loaded.  My male dog, Stark, accidentally broke my finger, and Isabella gave me a bandaid for the bleeding.  Poor Stark.  He was a rescue.  I fear the last time he saw a big moving truck his owners left him at the SPCA when he was 3 years old.  The truck really freaked him out.

I drove the truck pulling my car to my nephew's house in Moncks Corner.  His wife, Cindy, let the dogs and I stay with her for a few days until both houses closed.  

Thank God for Cindy!  I don't know what I would have done without her. 

The Charleston house closed the next day and I was homeless for a couple of days until the Spartanburg house closed and I drove everything up to Spartanburg for the Upstate movers to unload, which they did.  Four hours late, but they finally showed up that night.

My son, Dave, came and helped me take the U-Haul truck back, and then he helped me get my bed set up so I would have a place to sleep that night.  Thank goodness for that!

Then the unpacking started.  I'm still not finished, but I am working on it.

The first order of business the next morning was to get the new dog door installed into the kitchen door that goes into the fenced backyard.  It took a long time, but I got it installed.  

I had my new washer and dryer delivered the next day so I could start all the washing before putting things away.

I met more of my neighbors and liked them all.  They are so nice!

It was Autumn in the Upstate and so beautiful.  My nephew and his wife brought my older sister to visit and we all went to Hendersonville, NC to buy some fresh-picked apples and see the beautiful leaves.  We ate at a great Thai restaurant downtown and did a little shopping.  Then we shopped for farm fresh apples.  YUM!!  It was very cold that day.  There was actually a snow flurry while we were there!  Beautiful, but it didn't stick.  It was a great day!

At the Thai Restaurant in Hendersonville, NC with my sister, Miniver.

My granddaughter, Sharon, celebrated her 18th birthday!  My son, my granddaughters and I all went out to lunch together that day.  I was so glad to get to see her for her 18th birthday.  That's a big deal!

 My granddaughters and me on Sharon's 18th birthday!

I didn't have any Trick-or-Treaters for Halloween 2017, but that is okay.  I was just happy to have a wonderful house I can afford that is near most of my family and especially my older sister!!

November 2017

Autumn!  After 22 years away, I finally get to see Autumn everyday!  This is my neighbor's house across the street.

I figured out how to light my gas fireplace!  That was good.

My nephew and his wife took my sweet sister, Miniver, and me to Asheville one weekend this month.  We had lunch, went to the Farmer's Market, and took a ride on the Blueridge Parkway to see the gorgeous Autumn leaves.  It was a great day, and I bought some Amish butter that was sooooo good!

I bought some beautiful used chairs for my dining room on Craigslist and got a great deal!  I LOVE them!

My friends Sarah and Lorna stopped by for a quick visit and lunch one day when they were on their way back to Charleston, SC from the mountains.  It was so good to see them!  

My nephew,  Chris, and his wife, Debbie, put my awning up for me over my back door one rainy November 2017 day.

My childhood friend, Marilyn, came to see me and we went to lunch at Wade's Restaurant in Spartanburg.  It was so good to see her.  Such a great day!

I went out for dinner in my hometown with a group of my high school friends from my hometown. So much fun to see everyone!

I found some good hiking trails and took the dogs for long walks.

My son, Dave, brought his girlfriend, Sarena, to meet me.  We had Thanksgiving lunch together and visited most of the afternoon.  It was a good day!

I joined a Meetup group called The Spartanburg Walkers and took a couple of walks with them.  We walked in downtown Spartanburg and then went to the Spartanburg Christmas Tree lighting.  Fun!

December 2017

My old and dear childhood friend, Ruth, came to see me!  We were once best friends when we were young, and the years just fell away that day.  We went out to lunch and went to the SPCA to look at the dogs and talked and talked and had the best time.  It was a great day!

It snowed!!  The photo was taken when it first started, but it ended up being 4 or 5 inches deep.  Notice my swing that I bought.  I put it together myself in November! This is my backyard.

I went to visit my son, Dave, and we went out to breakfast in Shelby, NC for his birthday.  Then we drove to Lake Wylie and I got to see his girlfriend's house.

My friend, Terry, invited me to my lifelong friend,  Sudie's surprise birthday party!  It was a good time! I got to see Sudie's children and her sister, Annie Laura and her husband, Joe D.

My lifelong friends, Janice and Sudie.

I went to the Blacksburg Oyster Roast and saw a lot of people I haven't seen in over 20 years!

Dave's girlfriend, Sarena, became his fiance, and I met her children when they came and brought my granddaughter, Paige, to help me decorate my Christmas tree. 

The dogs and I explored more great hiking and walking areas!

Christmas came and went.  My son, Marcus, and his wife Anne, sent me the small version of an Instant Pot that I have been wanting!  So good!  Other family gave me too many things.  I ate too much and laughed too much, and generally had a great Christmas season. 

My son, Eric, came to see my house the day after Christmas in his big red truck (just the cab, no trailer attached).  It was so good to see him!

My friends Carol and Karen from Charleston and Bonnie from Spartanburg came to see me one day.  We had lunch together and just a great visit!  It was so good to see them!

All in all it has been a wonderful year.  Bittersweet, yes, but wonderful all the same.  It has had its ups and downs.  Good and bad times, like most years, but this particular year is a year to remember.  I absolutely love being retired and I LOVE my new house. I LOVE getting to see my sweet older sister every week too.  I'm enjoying settling into life here in Spartanburg as 2017 comes to a close, and have high hopes for 2018!

If you are still reading, you are a real trooper!  All the best to you and yours.  May love and joy come to you in the New Year!

HAPPY 2018!!

First Day of School

Here in lovely Charleston, South Carolina it is the first day of school for most students.  I spent part of this morning enjoying all the "first day" photos of my friends' children on Facebook.  Many of the younguns in the photos were holding signs saying things like, "First Day of First Grade!" or "First Day of Second Grade!"  They were all just adorable, and I find it amazing that those babies are growing up so fast.

My own granddaughters are both high school students this year.  The older is a Senior.  So hard to believe they are almost adults.

Time is such a tricky thing.

After seeing the photos I turned my attention to my teacher friends' posts.  Some said things like, "I'm so happy to be retired!" but most said things like, "I'm ready for the new year!" with excitement and happiness and hope. 

Teachers are like that.

With each new year they start anew.  Full of possibilities and plans.  Each bright new face reminds them why they decided to enter the teaching profession.  They are overworked and underpaid and certainly underappreciated, but they are driven to make a difference.  I've come to believe it is in their genes.  They have to help to be fulfilled in life.

If humans had breeds like dogs, teachers would be herders. 

Think about it a minute.  You can say these same things about both teachers and herding breed dogs.  They both:

• have to go to school/training for a long time in order to do their jobs effectively
• enjoy orderliness 
• demand respect from their herd/students (at least while in their presence)
• keep a watchful eye on everything
• immediately jump into action when one of their responsibilities strays from the herd (classroom)
• break up fights
• teach others how to behave
• move large numbers of beings from one place to another in an orderly fashion (lunchroom, recess, special subject areas, buses, etc./barn, field, pasture, truck, etc.
• remove troublemakers from the herd/classroom as needed
• understand that love and discipline go hand in hand
• make a difference to all who know them
• are well loved or well hated depending on the circumstances
• often inspire and delight all who know them
• have changed my life for the better

What would you add to this list?  

Hopefully everyone has a great year this year!  I'm hoping for many changes for the best!

For those of you who have time to explore, click HERE to see pictures of the training classes my herding dogs have completed. 

Have a great day!! 

This was my high school.  Torn down in the 1970s.
I marvel that I lived through all those school years with no air conditioning!

A Boy and His Dog: One True Story

Back in the 1970s, I was blessed with three wonderful sons.  The first came on a snowy December day, and my life has never been the same since. We named him Dave.

When Dave was two years old, my second son was born.  To keep my first son company while our family adjusted to its newest addition, we were blessed to have been given the BEST girl dog ever to walk this planet.  Her name was Lady, and she was six weeks old when a friend gave her to us. 

Lady was an Australian Shepherd who looked like a Border Collie because of her coloring, but her personality was pure Aussie.  We loved her so.

Lady watched over my oldest son constantly.  She was his savior more than once.  They were inseparable by the time my third son arrived when Dave was four years old.

One fine day around that time Dave had learned about dinosaurs.  He was fascinated with them, so when he told me he and his trusty steed (Lady) were going hunting for baby dinosaurs for me to cook for supper, I simply assumed it was because of the books we had been reading, so I told him, "Good idea!"

My mistake.  He really was hunting baby dinosaurs.  Guess what he brought me??

Yep.  You guessed it.  A big ol' lizard.

Dave and Lady had many adventures over the years.  I'm sure he has stories he could tell you that he has never even told me.  

Lady lived to be 14 years old. She was a joy every single one of those days.

If you are on the fence about allowing your children to have a dog, I vote for the dog.  They teach children about unconditional love and kindness.  They show them the important things in life like tummy rubs and never allowing a stranger too close to loved ones without warning them.  

Dogs are the best of God's creation.  If a dog allows you to be its human, you are blessed.  Yes.  Blessed indeed.

Dog Fights

Dog fights happen so fast.  One minute everything is okay.  The next minute it is on! 

I've broken up my share of dog fights in my time, but I am old and my dogs are big, so it's harder for me now.

Now, don't get me wrong.  My dogs seldom fight.  My girl actually NEVER fights if there is any other way of dealing with the situation, but the boy dog is large and in charge, so he will sometimes fight given the right circumstances. 

Friday night we tried to introduce him to the neighbor's new young pit bull, who is only about eight or nine months old and very playful.  My girl dog and the little pit bull play very well together, so we decided to introduce the boys.  NOT a good idea, as it turns out.

The dogs were fine after the fight, but I hurt my left hand, which is still very sore.

Then today we were at the dog park attending a memorial for one of my friends who passed away last week.  He was a dog lover and visited that dog park about every day, so everyone decided to meet there for his memorial.  It was a bittersweet kind of day.

The people who adopted his two precious dogs brought them, and everyone else brought their dogs too.  We all talked about our friend and told our memories of him.  We had been there for some time and all was well with my dogs, but someone brought dog treats, and Stark and Pepper, one of the deceased's dogs, decided they wanted the same treat, and it was on! 

Stark almost never fights girl dogs, but if treats are involved, he'll make an exception...like today.

I tried to grab him, but he got away, so I grabbed his hind legs and tried to pull him away from Pepper, but he jerked away and I fell backwards and twisted my knee.  I am going to be sore all over tomorrow.  I'm already feeling much stiffer than usual. 

A man, who was stronger than me, grabbed Stark and someone else grabbed Pepper and they got them pulled apart.  Someone had to help me up, but I could thankfully walk and didn't break anything this time.  Stark's mouth was bleeding pretty bad, so I brought him home.  Pepper was fine. 

Stark's mouth is fine now.  The bleeding stopped, and I honestly can't see where he was bitten.  He may have bitten his own tongue for all I know.  I'm honestly not sure.

I'm hoping that's all the dog fights I have to deal with for a good long while.  Thank goodness the dogs were not really that serious and no one was hurt worse. 

I've seen a lot of videos and television shows that tell you how to break up a dog fight, but, just so you know, when it is YOU in the middle of the dog fight, NONE of those things will work every time.

The WORST video showing how to break up a dog fight would be one like this:


Whatever you do, do NOT try breaking up a dog fight like this. Seriously. You will most likely be bitten.

Most of the videos say to grab the dogs by the collar or by the back legs and slowly pull them apart turning them facing away from each other.  Some say to squirt them with water or a special spray or some other thing that there is no way you are going to have handy unless it is your own dogs fighting inside your own house.  

I say there is not necessarily a right way to break up a dog fight, but there are plenty of wrong ways.  If it is your dog fighting, then you probably already know the best way to stop the fight.  I'll just leave it at that.

Dog fights are sure scary.  I'm glad the dogs are okay.  I seem to have been hurt worse than any of the dogs, which does not surprise me.  I'm getting too old for this.  Let's hope it doesn't happen again.

Will It Snow???

Today I'm thinking about snow.  It might snow tomorrow.  It might not.  It probably will NOT snow in Charleston, SC where I am right now, but it probably will snow back home in the hills where I was born and raised. 

When I was little, it snowed several times every winter.  I used to long for snow.  I loved pretty much everything about it except when the electricity would go off.  Actually, when I was really little, I didn't even mind that so much, as long as we had water and our oil or gas heater to keep us warm.  I really hated it when the pipes froze though.

I remember one year when I was young, it snowed knee deep back home, which is a lot for upstate South Carolina.  We built snowmen and broke through the ice in the horses' water so they could drink.  We made sure all the outside animals had food and blankets and a warm dry place to sleep. We slid down the hill on old cardboard or anything else we could get to slide.  We gathered snow for Mama and watched her make homemade snow cream.  She never measured anything, but it was always good. 

Afterwards, we'd gather around the gas space heater in Mama's den.  Red faced with cold fingers and toes and big bowls of snow cream on our laps.  We laughed and talked and ate snow cream until we just about popped. 

Those were the days, my friends.

When my own sons were little, it snowed less those winters, but it always snowed at least once.  Here is a photo of my eldest son, Dave, and our dog, Lady (aka: the BEST dog in the world!) back in the 1970s.

Lady's tail is wagging so fast that you can not see it!  Lady LOVED playing in the snow with her boys.  I may have given birth to those sons, but they really belonged to Lady, or so she believed.  She spent many long hours trying to round them up.  They never herded worth nothing.  Poor Lady girl. She was an Australian Shepherd and took her shepherding seriously. She just kept trying. Wagging that tail and smiling the whole time.  She was such a good dog!

Here is a photo of me in the snow in the 1980s.

By that time my boys were pre-teen and/or teenagers and mainly wanted to sled or have snowball fights! We had so much fun back then.  We'd take the sleds up the mountain to Batchelor Drive and slide down the road all the way to Dolittle Bridge.  Someone with chains on their tires (a family member or one of the neighbors) would follow in the truck to pick us up and take us back up the hill.  Then off we'd go again!  You could get up to 55 mph on those sleds going down that steep hill for a couple of miles or so before getting to the bottom.   Great groups of us would go together and slide.  So much fun!  Yes.  I know.  Very dangerous, but it sure was fun!

After I moved to Charleston, SC, I almost never saw snow, but it did snow about 9 or so years ago, and I took this photo of my good boy, Buster.  It clearly lets you know exactly what he thought of snow.  This may have been the first time he had ever seen snow.  Let's just say he didn't like it.  

I miss Buster so much.  Cancer is a horrible thing. Please pray for a cure!!  But I digress....

My girl, Dolly wouldn't even go that far out into the snow.  She would just step off the deck to do her business and back inside she would come.  That stuff was slippery and it just didn't look like you could trust it.  -grin-  I LOVE DOGS!

I have more snow pictures I'd like to show you, but they have not been scanned.  There is a project for my retirement.  Scan my literally thousands of photos, so I can more easily share them!!

Now I'm wondering what my boy, Stark, would do in snow.   I wonder if he has ever seen snow?  He was three when I adopted him in 2013, so he may have come from the frozen north for all I know.  I have to wonder.  I kinda hope it does snow so I can see what Stark does.  Can't control the weather though...at least not yet!

Cross your fingers and do a snow dance tonight!  Maybe it'll work!