Super Lance Revisited: Paralyzed Pooch to Therapy Dog

We're sure that you remember handsome red smooth 'Lance,' the Florida therapy Dachshund on a mission to brighten the days of the patients at Miami's Children's Hospital.  Lo and Behold, The Associated Press has recently done this Video Essay on Lance!    They note:  when their 6-year-old dachshund became paralyzed, Caio Stinchi and Claudia Machado had a specialized wheelchair made. Now little Lance has become "Super Lance", a therapy dog visiting sick children in Miami.

Keep up with Lance at his super website. 

Running of the Weenies

Mindy Brucker imparts a few encouraging words to her Dachshund, 'Marley,' at the starting line of The Running of the Weenies contest at the 39th annual Germantown Festival on Sunday in Germantown, Tennessee near Memphis.  According the The Commercial Appeal, defending weenie race champion 'Tux' took top honors again, leaving all other dogs in the dust in his preliminary heat and a final championship round. The USA-flag-clad Dachshund's prize winnings will go to the Collierville Animal Shelter.  Way to go Tux!  Read all about the event at The Commercial Appeal.

Dachshunds in Pop Culture: Marilyn Monroe

Just when you think you've seen all the possible major players in Popular Culture with a Dachshund, a kind Dachshundist sends in a new gem.  Yep, it's Marilyn Monroe.  Who?  We think you know.

Marilyn Monroe (June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962), born Norma Jeane Mortenson, but baptized Norma Jeane Baker, was an American actress, singer and model.  Her early film appearances were minor, but her performances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve (both 1950) were well received.  By 1953, Monroe had progressed to leading roles. Her "dumb blonde" persona was used to comedic effect in such films as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and The Seven Year Itch (1955). Limited by typecasting, Monroe studied at the Actors Studio to broaden her range, and her dramatic performance in Bus Stop (1956) was hailed by critics. Her production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions, released The Prince and the Showgirl (1957), for which she received a BAFTA Award nomination, and she received a Golden Globe Award for her performance in Some Like It Hot (1959).
The final years of Monroe's life were marked by illness, personal problems, and a reputation for being unreliable and difficult to work with. The circumstances of her death, from an overdose of barbiturates, have been the subject of conjecture. Though officially classified as a "probable suicide," the possibility of an accidental overdose, as well as the possibility of homicide, have not been ruled out. In 1999, Monroe was ranked as the sixth greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute. In the years and decades following her death, Monroe has often been cited as a pop and cultural icon.  Source.

Thanks ever so much to Caroline for sending in the photos and their history.  She writes:

Dear Joey and Maggie,

Firstly, can't tell you how happy we (me, Paul & doxies Louie and Milo) are to read about Joey's continued progress .. I read the blog out every day to keep the whole pack informed on how the little man is doing.

I have attached some very lovely photos of Marilyn .. Marilyn never owned a dachshund herself, but she adored all animals and owned a basset hound named Hugo and later, a Maltese called Maf.

In March 1959 Marilyn was awarded the French Crystal Star for best Foreign Actress (for The Prince and the Showgirl). She accepted the award at the French Ambassador's home, and was enchanted by his two Dachshunds. Indeed, she spent a great deal of time cuddling and fussing over these little dogs, and some really lovely pictures were captured.

Hope you like them.

Love and best wishes.

Sir Elton John honored Marilyn Monroe with 1973's Candle in the Wind.

Waiting...and walking...and watching.

I've arrived back at school, but the prospect of a greyhound hasn't left my mind, and continues to give me something to look forward to when I sadly have to move out of my beloved apartment. I still like the name Winry.

I start to wonder though...will she be all I hope she'll be? And is it asking too much? I currently follow Never Say Never Greyhounds where I read about Jennifer's greyhounds as they compete in agility and obedience training, all of them looking wonderful, but all of it sounding so challenging. Yes, I want a greyhound for the sake of their low maintenance reputation, but I also want to be able to take the dog anywhere with me without too much bother (that is, friend's houses, downtown, to the vet, to dog parks, etc). I am, of course, willing to work with and socialize the dog to make this more likely, but what if they are, for example, terrified of cars? Or too food motivated and cause conflict? They are, as I am humbly (and unnecessarily) reminded by a rescue group, not Labradors, but when Cesar Millan says, "A dog is a dog is a dog," how much of that is true? Will my natural affinity with dogs shine through to her and leave me nothing to worry about?

Regardless, that is more than enough philosophical questioning for one day. I really have been spending too much time with my dear Hamlet in Wittenberg.

In any case, preparations are still being made. My mother just called from Aldi, where a special is being had on extra large dog beds for $15. She asked if I wanted dark blue or maroon (I actually went for the red, believe it or not!). I've also been knitting away on my greyhound striped sweater, hoping to god it turns out all right. It should look something like this, though brown with shaded stripes:



Again, something I really won't know until she's here (late December, early January, fyi. Mark your calenders ;)). My parents have additionally decided that the greyhound shall be my graduation present, so I will be free of adoption fees and the first vet check up and Lyme vaccine. Yay :).

In the meantime, I continue to walk Carly and her new sibling, Shadow, three times a week, with occasional visits to the dog park. Carly has been increasingly great on walks, but Shadow, with limited experience in the world, tends to be jumpy and unpredictable. I do think he'd be a lot worse if Carly wasn't always next to him, calm and sure of herself (and me). Luckily, he can usually calm down about half way through, and has learned to trust my judgment rather than use his own. This is especially the case when we walk near other (rude) dogs. I have successfully been able to have both he and Carly sit, while the tiny (rude) dogs bark incessantly at us. I haven't, however, been able to stand it long enough for the tiny (rude) dogs to stop barking up a storm, so usually leave after about 5 minutes. But the fact that Shadow and Carly can stay there, calmly gazing at the surroundings, says a lot, and I am proud :).

I really do need to take more pictures, but I'm hoping to refrag my computer in the very near future, so it may be a while. As the title entails, waiting will again be the key.

I really do love school but...is it December yet?

A Note From Joey and Maggie: Joey's Follow-Up Vet Visit

Your 'Long and Short of it All' hosts Maggie and Joey relax on the porch, Tuesday evening, September 14, 2010

Joey continues to recover very well following his recent surgery and the complications which ensued.  Today was his follow-up visit with his Internist, as it has been nearly 2 weeks since he was discharged from the doggy ICU, and he was due for his second monthly shot of DOCP, a drug which he must now have for the rest of his life because he doesn't have any adrenal glands.

When we walked into the Veterinary Referral Center for the 1 PM appointment, all the ladies behind the front desk got excited - "JOEY!!  Joey's here!"  They filed out one by one to get on the ground and greet him, and he responded with lots of tail wags.  One cute gal said to Dad "Did you get your phone reminder about Joey's appointment?  That was me yelling in the background at the top of my lungs that Joey was coming to visit!"   We were ushered into an examination room like VIP's when the veterinarian's assistant came in and said "I saw Joey's name on the list today and told the doctor that I get to be the person to take his case.  I had to see my Joey again, I missed him!"  She carried him away to get his weight, and also took him for a short visit to all his friends in the ICU before coming back to the exam room.  He weighs 20 pounds now, up two pounds since he was discharged.  His normal weight is 22 or 23 pounds. 

His Internist, Dr. Mordecai, came in the room, all smiles to see Joey looking so well.  Joey hid behind Dad's legs and didn't really want to come out from behind them to see the doctor.  Another vet tech came in the room to say hello, and Joey tried to escape out the door.  "Not again, they're not keeping me this time," he must have thought.  The good doctor sat on the floor with us to examine Joey which made him feel a little more comfortable. 

He got his last dose of Plavix this morning, the anti-platelet medication he was on for his pulmonary embolism.  It wasn't used to really treat the PE, but to prevent any other clots from lodging onto it if they were to break loose from either his incision or where his central catheter was placed in his jugular. 

The vet also discussed an oral medication instead of the DOCP shot for his Addison's Disease, but the vet warned "if you were to miss a dose, you'd really be in trouble."  Dad chose to keep him on the shot until things are a little more under control and to think about the oral medication later.  So, he got his second DOCP shot.  He will require electrolyte monitoring in 11 days, and again when it is time for the next shot so the dosage can be titrated if necessary.  Essentially the shot regulates the amount of potassium and sodium electrolytes  in Joey's system, and based on those levels, the drug is titrated up or down.

Dad also asked about the daily prednisone and the risk of ulcers - should Joey be on Pepcid or something for his stomach?  The vet didn't think so - the prednisone is supplying what the adrenal glands would normally produce, so it shouldn't be an issue.

Then Dad asked about the surgery-induced pancreatitis - is pancreatitis going to be a lifelong problem for Joey?  Again, the vet didn't think so - "We know that the surgery caused the pancreatitis, he should be able to go back on his normal diet in a month or so."

Dr. Mordecai carried Joey out to draw some blood to check his electrolytes.  As the door closed, Joey's eyes stared intently at Dad as if to say "please don't leave me here again."  Poor fella.  All of his labs came back normal, with a lower sodium and higher potassium - still within normal ranges, but these values are expected with an Addisonian Dog.

The good doctor doesn't want to see Joey again until December so that he can get an ultrasound and see how his "gallbladder sludge" is doing, and to see if the ursodiol he is taking is helping to reduce it.  His DOCP shots and titration can take place with his regular vet.

And with that, we were off to the exit - Joey prancing through the halls of the hospital as if he owned the place - head held high and tail wagging hard - much to the delight of the visitors and staff.  Dad was proud of his handsome boy.

Time For a Treat

You know you're having a great day when you come home and find a package on your doorstep.  It gets even better when you open it up and find a super cool Piebald Pale Ale t-shirt from III Dachshunds Beer Company inside!  While we can't decipher who the package was from, we've got a pretty good idea.  Thanks!  Unfortunately Dad didn't have any Piebald Pale Ales stocked in the fridge to go with the t-shirt, but he said the III Dachshunds Root Beer he usually has around was "pretty darned tasty."

The Vintage September Dachshund

September can only mean one thing:  that's right, our favorite month of the year, Dachtober, is right around the corner!

Calling All Girls, September, 1961