Mavis and Me

Thank you Rebecca for sharing these wonderful stories and photos!!  Your Grammy will live long in the hearts of SO many!

What a great tribute to such an amazing person! Thank you so much for sharing - she was an even more incredible lady than I already believed her to be!  🥰

rangeley - Thank you for posting these pictures!!  We will all miss Roz's larger-than-life personality, but to those of you who knew her best, I'm so sorry for your loss.  ❤️

1 hour ago, Panamama42 said:

 

I am trying to let all of Roz’s friends know that she has passed away

 

I am so sad and heartbroken. I will miss seeing Roz’s weekly purple well-wishes and her enthusiasm for all thing travel! Roz and others on this forum gave me the confidence to cruise with my own service dog and I will be forever thankful!! Blessings to her family during this time of sadness.

15 minutes ago, lindaler said:

My question is does anyone else have problems with detection dogs?

Every time Mavis and I have gotten in a line with some sort of detection dog, they have asked us to move to a different line where there isn’t a dog. I think it’s partially because Mavis looks so powerful that they are afraid she could injure the other dog. I’m always relieved because I’m pretty sure that the other dog would injure HER!! The detection dogs I’ve seen have always seemed kind of spastic and uncontrolled, not calm and obedient like Mavis. This scenario scares me and always gives me anxiety!

Linda,

I am SO sorry to hear of your freak accident!!  What a way to spend the remaining weeks of summer. 😞  I hope you are able to heal quickly and thoroughly so that 2021 starts off where 2019 should have left off!  🤗

Just gorgeous - she looks so content! Thank you for sharing!!

16 hours ago, kmg365suzyq said:

Certification of Service Dog

I ran into this with the Bahamas too.  I sent in paperwork without the certification explaining that there wasn't such a thing here, and they sent it back as incomplete.  !?!  After talking with them on the phone and making no headway (they told me that they had received certification in the past from service dog handlers from the US, which I suspect was from program dog handlers), I gave in.  I had a card made with my dog's picture saying she was a service dog, her breed, her name, and my name.  I sent a photocopy of that along with the same paperwork as before and it went through just fine.  If you are paying for each fax/postage, I recommend making up something that looks official so you don't waste your time and money like I did!  It's not worth arguing with a foreign country because they don't care about our ADA laws.

As far as I know, service dogs can be in any cabin that their handler chooses to pay for.  We have to bring our own food, they do not provide food for the dog.  My dog had a great time cruising - I'm not entirely sure she even understood that we were on a ship.  I think she just thought we were visiting some weird village!!  There was another service dog on board my last cruise, but my dog and her dog didn't play.  They were both there to work.  I guess if I travelled with a friend who also had a service dog, and the dogs got along nicely, I could see maybe finding a quiet nook to let them blow off some steam together!

On 6/24/2020 at 10:01 AM, Algebralovr said:

Roz - I'm so glad to hear that Horton is doing well.  I know how stressed you were over him!

 

I'm not a hugger.  The one thing this virus has done is stop people who are huggers from wanting to hug us non-huggers.  Some people just really can't help themselves, and there are some of us who are just uncomfortable with it.  One thing I'm actually pleased about is that going forward, we should see more people that think before hugging.  

Yes!  I'm not a hugger either.  My side of the family gets that I'm this way, but my in-law side are super grabby and huggy.  It makes me incredibly uncomfortable, but trying to explain this would only hurt everyone's feelings so I tolerate it.  I will admit I am liking the social distancing.  My comfort zone is when everyone other than my husband is 6 feet away, then I can relax and participate comfortably!

12 hours ago, wizard-of-roz said:

Today, he will eat nothing.

Are you comfortable giving shots?  In the livestock industry (I'm a farmer) we use injectable Fortified Vitamin B Complex when an animal is anorexic.  It is very safe (for most conditions - check with your vet in regards to Cushings).  Because it is a vitamin, any excess is excreted out in the urine.  You can give it subcutaneously (under the skin) like many vaccines, or intramuscularly (into the muscle) like most antibiotics.  We give it to critters whenever they feel blah - 2x/day for as long as it takes to get them perked back up and eating again.  You should be able to pick up a bottle (it's pretty inexpensive too!) at a local feed store.  Ask your vet for a dosage if this is an option for you.  I give my 850 pound cow 20ml twice a day, and our 150 pound goats around 5ml twice a day.  If I were giving it to my 95 pound dog, I would probably give 5ml twice a day; like I said, it's pretty safe, so under normal circumstances, it's difficult to overdose.  I hope Horty feels better soon! 😘

22 minutes ago, wizard-of-roz said:

"Depressing News" Is there anything else?  

Not sure if you ever check out YouTube but there is a channel there called SGN (Some Good News) hosted by John Krasinski (aka:Jim in The Office). Very touching stories done from his home which include all sorts of celebrity cameos!!  I always find myself smiling when I watch it (if not tearing up just a little bit!)! ❤️

On 5/13/2020 at 4:58 PM, rpclmc said:

 

However, I was wondering what people on here recommend for supplements.

I have had phenomenal results using MSM on arthritic dogs!  I give it 2x/day to bowel tolerance for a couple weeks, then back off to about half as much/day for maintenance.

Happy to hear that sweet Horty is feeling better, Roz!  That sounded terrifying!

On 5/1/2020 at 2:56 PM, kmg365suzyq said:

I know it is because of her size. 

Oh for SURE.  The small service dogs totally get picked on (not only by the public, but by other service dog teams too!).  Half of my educational efforts are spent convincing people that a small breed like a Chihuahua can make a fantastic service dog.  Maybe not for mobility or guide work, but they are excellent at medical alert and many tasks related to PTSD!  I hear all the time silly comments like, "Oh, I can tell YOUR dog is a real service dog ... not like those little ankle biters I see in the grocery store!"  It drives me nuts!

On 4/30/2020 at 8:37 AM, springredheadsdd said:

Bella is now a full Service Dog instead of a SDiT!!!

Hooray!!  Congratulations to you and Bella!!  My girl did her Public Access test back in Oct 2017.  You can see it on her YouTube channel Mavis & Me.  I post all sorts of adventures that she and I take on there ... as well as some silly things that I want to share with my family and friends!  It feels so validating to have that acknowledgement that your dog has been 'approved' by someone, doesn't it?  I know that for me, I had this niggling feeling that I wasn't legit because I owner-trained Mavis and I have an invisible disability.  Once I had a third party evaluator 'certify' her, it helped me to feel more 'official'.  Which really is stupid - she makes my life better every single day whether she is official or not!  I can't wait to hear about the exciting adventures that you and Bella go on together!

1 hour ago, wizard-of-roz said:

Happy, Safe, Secure, Germ Free, Mask Wearing Weekend to Everyone.  😷

 

My job this week was to find someone who could come to my home and cut Horton's nails.......FORGET IT!!!!!  All the "portable" dog groomers say that they will be fined and lose their business licenses if they attempt to come to my home, [they are considered a "non-essential" business here in L.A. right now]  They all suggest that I contact my Vet's office and make an appointment. 

 

I do have some good clippers that CCI gave me when I graduated with Brenda.  I've never used them because after one attempt I wasn't very good at using them.  I'll see, if I can't get out, I may try to clip them myself.  Horton's nails are so black, so thick and sooooo long!!!!!  😲

For those who need to clip their dog's nails and are concerned about cutting too deep, a quick (no pun intended) observation of nail anatomy might help.  I'm attaching a picture (hopefully) that I just drew to help.  As you can see from my lame drawing, a dog's toenail isn't too different from a horse's hoof in that there is a stiff sole, which is surrounded by a 'hoof wall'.  In dogs, you want to remove any wall (nail) that extends past the sole, and you want to clip in a line that is mostly parallel to the sole (see my dotted line titled 'cut' ).  Most people nick the quick on their dogs because they are removing the nail perpendicular to the sole, more or less lopping the entire tip of the nail off which then removes the end covering the quick.  I hope this helps during times like this where professional services aren't available!  Odd timing - I just trimmed 3 of our dogs' nails today!

1 hour ago, Mabbiez said:

Thank you for this! I’ve been trying to find someone who has traveled to Italy with a SD just for some peace of mind. We are staying at an AirBNB that is already pet friendly, but they know I have a service dog. I plan on making sure anywhere I go is aware ahead of time.
 

 

About 8 years ago I was in Italy (at a train station near Cinque Terra) and I met a very nice lady from WA state who had a service dog.  It was a smaller dog that she claimed was for IBS.  I got the feeling that it was probably more of an ESA, but it was well behaved and stable, so I struck up a conversation about traveling with the dog.  She said that no one had ever given her any trouble throughout Europe crossing borders, and that she didn't have access issues due to the dog.  Talking with her made me feel much better about the possibility of some day visiting Europe with my current service dog!  I hope you and Mila have the same experiences that she had!

10 hours ago, springredheadsdd said:

Thanks for the advice. I have not taken her on public transportation since I never use it myself (I have a car and drive). I built a potty box on the covered portion of my back deck. It is bigger than 4'x4' but have not measured it (used scrap wood from the yard). In it I have a layer of pine pellets for absorbency and have filled it the rest of the way with nice horse stall pine shavings. Bella will not use the bathroom in it, but does go in it. I have tried to teach her to go to the restroom on command but no luck. (I have had her since she was 8 weeks). She also generally will not go to the bathroom on leash except when she REALLY has to go and we are on a walk. My plan for training is to put her on a leash when I take her out in the morning. If she goes big praise. If she has not gone within 10-15 minutes take her inside and put her in her crate for a little while and then try again. I am starting off on a 26' flexi leash and will be gradually shortening the leash as she progresses. After she is used to going to the bathroom on a short leash then we will move to the potty box. I think this will take a couple of months to accomplish. Bella is very smart but can be very stubborn. She is a show breed English Labrador Retriever and yellow in color. 

In my experience training adult dogs that are new to my home, it's probably just best to jump in and start potty training on a 6' leash in an area that your dog likes to go.  Take her out there, tell her "Potty" in a happy voice, and wait.  Don't let her move you around; stand in one spot and let her circle around you if she wants.  If she goes, give her a wonderful treat (chunk of meat or something she LOVES!) and make a big deal about how she 'went potty'.  Encourage her to drink lots of water, and repeat this every 4 - 6 hours.  If she DOESN'T go potty after a few minutes, tell her "Oops" and crisply take her in the house and put her in a crate.  Don't make a big deal out of it, but she'll sense that something went wrong.  2 hours later, walk up to her crate, ask her if she needs to go outside, put on her leash and walk her back to the same spot telling her to "Potty".  Often times dogs that don't go when we ask simply don't fully understand what we want from them.  If you are consistent with this schedule, by the end of the week, she'll totally get what the word "Potty" means.  Now, you have to generalize the command so she understands that "Potty" means the same thing in a new spot.  (Seems silly, but generalizing is a big part in training a dog.)  Once she gets the idea of the new spot, move to a different new spot, etc. Plenty of dogs potty just fine at home, but can't seem to get in synch with their owners on a vacation, which can cause problems (unnecessary messes, constipation, or UTIs).  Once your dog gets the "potty" command everywhere and anywhere, asking her to potty in a box won't even slow her down.  Mavis had never seen a potty box before our cruise and she didn't hesitate to use it.  I can ask her to jump onto a hedge and potty, and she will do it without any issues!!  ;)  Good luck!!

2 hours ago, springredheadsdd said:

Hi everyone. I am new to this thread but not new to cruising. I have been on 4 Carnival cruises (3 Caribbean, 1 Alaskan).  I am also new to having a service dog. I got my girl Bella in September. She is still in training (I am doing the training myself) but doing amazing. My first vacation with her will be a trip to Yellowstone in September. It will be her first time flying (she will be 14 months old). I am also looking into cruising with her next spring. The cruise we are looking at is the Carnival Vista out of Galveston Texas. We would be going to Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; Cozumel . I have been to Cozumel 2x on other Carnival cruises but not with a service dog. Bella will be fully trained by the time we cruise. 

springredheadsdd - WELCOME!!  I just went on my first cruise with my service dog in December.  We had a blast, and other than freaking out a little about the paperwork to take her, it all went very smoothly.  I am also an owner-trainer - my girl has been by my side for 4 years.  I think one of the best ways to practice for a flight is to take advantage of a bus system in your area.  (And maybe you've worked on this already.)  By making a habit out of the action of heading down an aisle, turning into a seat area, and dropping onto the floor out of the way, I bet she will not even realize that she's on a plane!  My girl didn't on her first flight.  To prepare a SD for cruising, the biggest challenge is actually getting them to use the potty box!!  They should already be good with loud noises, tucking under tables, ignoring food and people ... but getting them to understand that the glorified litter box full of bark chunks is where they are supposed to do their business can be confusing to them!  I look forward to learning more about you and Bella!

5 hours ago, rangeley said:

...they want him to have 3 benadryl tabs twice a day. I don't want him comatose all day. Anyone given this to their dogs? Does it knock them out? 

This seems like a reasonable amount.  Mavis (95 pounds) was stung by a bee/wasp 2 summers ago while I was a 4-H leader at the local Fair.  Her whole nose and muzzle became swollen - she couldn't even close her mouth.  My vet recommended 4 Benadryl 2x/day for a couple of days.  That first day I left her in the RV because she was in so much discomfort, but by the next day she wanted to go back to work.  I didn't notice any behavioral issues with her while we were on the go, but she did seem to fall asleep faster and more deeply when I would stop for a bit.  I'm not sure if I would have wanted her to be alerting to a brittle medical condition (seizures/blood sugar/etc.) but she did fine for what I needed.  She never seemed groggy or lethargic at inappropriate times.  I hope your boy's eyes clear up quickly!!  Has he had any new foods or anything strange recently?  Do you have a lot of pollen where you live?  We had a dog that would get hives off and on for about a year - we finally decided that it started if he ate chicken that was treated with antibiotics!

22 minutes ago, Miki_moto said:

A dog needs to be registered with the BC government to insure access.

Is this new?  I travel to BC several times a year with my service dog and I've never been asked about registration or paperwork of any kind.  I know that they have an optional registration for service dogs, but if you don't have a dog from ADI it costs $200 to have the dog tested.  When I was in contact with the agency they told me that I didn't HAVE to have my dog registered, but that it was available if I wanted to have some sort of PROOF so that I didn't get harassed when trying to gain access to places.  She made it clear that it wasn't at all required and technically I shouldn't have problems moving about the province without it.  For $200, it's worth a heated discussion with a business owner or a change of plans for dinner!

1 hour ago, Wendsong said:

I have run into a big snag in my preparations to leave for the Panama Canal on Princess Island at the end of March. Actually, two snags.

The first is teaching Jazz to use the box on board ship. I got a square child's wading pool 4x4 and filled it with cedar mulch (that's what Princess said theirs would have). Jazz had to be commanded to get in it, but would not relieve himself in it. I added some plants to make it seem more like the rest of the yard, but no luck. He refused to use the pool for a full 24 hours before I relented and allowed him to relieve himself outside of the pool. We then went on vacation and are back now and he is still refusing to use the pool.  Due to my frustration, I think he thinks I do not want him to relieve himself there and am actually teaching him not to go there. I have no idea what to do at this point. Any suggestions?

Can you move it to a whole new spot?  Maybe somewhere that is surrounded by concrete.  Try putting an exercise pen around it so that you 'kennel' him in there for a while.  Like going to a dog park or something akin to that.  Does he prefer any other substance?  Like grass?  If so, pick up a flat of sod and lay it in there; that might help him to understand.  You have time to get this worked out, so try not to get uptight or anxious about him going potty.  It will only result in him thinking there is something WRONG with pottying, which is definitely not what you want him to think.  When you walk him, do you stop before going into stores/etc., and tell him to potty?  Will he (urinate ... poop's a whole other topic!) 90% of the time ?  Or is it a hit and miss sort of thing.  People who have dogs that get mature bladders early on who can go for hours between 'breaks' have a more difficult time of teaching the potty command because the dog knows it can hold it for a long time so it won't go.  My puppies are on leash during potty opportunities for the first year of their lives, so they definitely KNOW what I mean and they'll do it anywhere/anytime.  The older dogs that I've gotten have been much more difficult in this regard because they are already housebroke, but they are often used to going potty loose in a backyard or a kennel, and they prefer not to do it connected to ME!!  :)  When I tell Mavis to potty, she will always squat and try; it doesn't always result in urine, but at least I know she understood what I wanted from her.  You might just start by reinforcing the command 'potty' (or whatever you use) on your general outings.  Carry HIGH value treats and lavish them on him when he goes.  Make a big deal about what a good boy he is.  Encourage him to drink lots of water so you have more opportunities to take him out to pee.  Use the wait command to build release, so that he's looking forward to peeing.  Walk him up to an area that he likes to pee, ask him if he needs to go, then tell him to wait.  (Be excited and happy, you're trying to build drive.  Think of it almost as if he saw something that he wanted to chase.  You'd say, "Do you see that [bunny]? Wait ... ...  OK!!! Get it!!"  You want him excited about the opportunity to pee.)  Then tell him, "OK!!!  Potty!" and just wait.  If he doesn't go, ignore it and lead him away.  If he starts to go, calmly say, "Gooood potty, gooood boy" so he gets that it's the act of peeing that makes you happy.  Then when he's done, jump and clap your hands with an excited "YES!!!" and shovel out those treats.  Once 'potty' is a reflexive action and not just a word, you can work on changing up the substance he'll do it on.  Mavis's most impressive places that she's gone are on TOP of a dense 2 foot tall shrub (that's all that was in the parking lot!), on a steel grate, and in the gutter in a busy city (we live on a farm).  He'll get it - he's a poodle - they are super intelligent!

4 hours ago, wizard-of-roz said:

FYI:  Princess cruise lines does not allow the use of pee pads.  It is mentioned in their paperwork that you're asked to sign and return to them.

Hmmm...I didn't know this.  Looks like others have had the same idea that I had, but maybe did something wrong and made a mess.  I didn't see anything about pee pads in the Royal Caribbean paperwork.  I had packed a bunch into Mavis's fold up crate along with her life vest for our flight because it was convenient to store all that stuff in there.  When I set her crate up in the room, I put all the pee pads on a low shelf in the closet.  Very obvious what they were.  No one said anything about them to me at all.  Good to know about the policy on other cruise lines, though.  Thanks for the info!

2 hours ago, kmg365suzyq said:

I am going to call the Special Access Department and see if the box can be put on the balcony.

Has anyone ever used potty pads in the shower stall in your room?  I considered it because it seemed really convenient (vs the long hike across the ship on Allure of the Seas).  I figured solids could be flushed down the toilet and the pad could be changed once a day for urine.  I ended up feeding Mavis in the stall instead (she eats a raw diet - yuck!) but seriously considered having her potty in there instead.  Hauling a weeks worth of potty pads seemed reasonable to me - and since it would already be in the bathroom it wasn’t all that gross!

On January 27, 2020 at 3:56 PM, wizard-of-roz said:

Thanks for being honest with me.  I am direct, sincere and non-withholding of my thoughts and feelings.  I know it can seem that I'm being judgmental and callous.   Please accept my apologies if I offended you in any way.

 

And, thanks for the information that you offered.

Roz, you remind me a bit of my mother-in-law, and I love her to pieces, so no harm done!  :)