I just came across this post on "paw nation" a few days ago and I thought it would be really useful for all of you who are pet-owners to have this information especially when planning a vacation with your pet(s). It can be so painful to leave your dog (or for that matter any pet) in a boarding place (even though these places take really good care of pets) when you go away on vacation with the rest of your family. And sometimes, you might want to take your pet along with you on vacation but the hotel you are planning to stay in does not allow pets. Sigh! I am so glad that paw nation posted this really valuable information because Elwyn and I are planning a vacation trip with Walley in a few months and thanks to paw nation, we can now conveniently book a relaxing vacation (with our munchkin) at one of these best pet-friendly hotels. This is so exciting!!
Check out the link below. Click away and start booking your vacation with your beloved pets!
Great post on Paw Nation!
Thank you paw nation!!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Our Walley pulled through the ordeal just fine; hats off to his sheer bravery and strength!
The time was around 6 pm. I was at home and so was Elwyn. I was sick with a viral Flu and I stayed home all day resting in bed. I could barely lift my head up and I could not even think of working 8 hours in an office. I was running a fever in the morning and looking at my pathetic condition, Elwyn decided to stay home as well. The day was like any other except that Walley was in his crate unlike any of the other days when were at home. We always play with Walley when we are at home and because I was so sick, it was impossible to spend anytime with him, He was quite down too; he always feels sad when someone is sick at home. He just slept all day. But he was cheerful when we tried talking to him several times a day. Morning turned into noon and then evening came with the worst we had not even dared to fear. It was the least expected thing and even now as I type, my hands tremble with fear and sadness.
Walley had urinated in his crate so Elwyn let him outside so he could clean his crate. A few seconds later,
“ Shilpa, look at Walley, Oh my God!! Look at him! What’s happening to him? Walley! Walley! What’s happening? Walley!”, Elwyn yelled.
I was laying on the couch since afternoon, barely able to think straight, the fever had drained out all of my energy. When I heard Elwyn scream, I sensed panic in his voice, but little did I expect what I was just about to see. I leapt out of the couch, in spite of my terrible body ache and turned to look at Elwyn and Walley. My heart skipped several beats; at least that’s how I felt when I saw Walley. Elwyn was carrying Walley in his arms, crying “Walley! Walley! What’s happening to you?” Elwyn kept asking me to call someone for help. At that time, my mind was frozen. I fetched for the phone and tried to make a phone call. My hands were trembling and I couldn’t think right. How could I? I was seeing Walley twitching severely like he was moments from passing away into another world. I was terrified. Just the thought of what I witnessed that day, makes my heart tremble. It was so frightening!
“Oh my God, he’s dying! Shilpa, he’s dying!, Elwyn was whispering.
Finally my voice was with me and I cried so loudly, not able to grasp what was going on with Walley. It was like my mind knew what he was wrong with him but my heart thought otherwise. For those couple of moments, Elwyn and I thought we had lost Walley forever.
“Oh my God! He’s dying! On no, he is going to die!, I was screaming.
“Shilpa call someone!, Elwyn said to me still holding Walley in his arms. I was tense and not thinking straight. I dialled 911. I told the person on the phone what was going on with Walley but of course, all they could do was connect me to United Way. I was on hold over the phone for only a few seconds when I saw Walley’s jaws get tense and his twitching slowed down and he was suddenly stiff as though he were dead. I put the phone down and went to hold Walley in my arms. Elwyn and I were sitting still thinking Walley was gone. A minute passed by. Walley was not breathing or moving. It was so terrifying. We were convinced we lost him. Just then, Walley jerked a little and then stood up on his four feet and began walking slowly and directionless. He wagged his tail briefly. Elwyn and I were a little relieved. It was then that my brain started working normally and I realized Walleye had a seizure.
We rushed Walley to the Animal Medical Center. Elwyn drove the car in haste while I sat with Walley in the back seat. He was making feeble crying sounds and his eyes would close intermittently. I tried my best to keep him awake as his breathing felt really slow. We finally reached the Emergency Center.
As Elwyn parked the car, I ran into the Emergency Center carrying Walley in my arms. I could barely speak, as I was so frightened. I frantically told the receptionist that Walley just had a seizure. The receptionist asked me to stay with Walley in a waiting room. In a few seconds, a resident came running into the waiting room and took Walley into the ICU. And asked me to wait outside. Elwyn and I waited for about a half hour in the general waiting area. We were scared and impatient. A little while later we were called to a small room where the resident asked us a few questions about Walley. She told us that Walley was doing fine. We couldn’t wait to see him so she brought him to us. Walley was still very disoriented and drowsy as he was in the post-ictal phase. He would sit next to Elwyn for a few minutes and then he would sit next to me for sometime. I was in tears while Elwyn comforted me. The resident told us there was nothing to worry about but she recommended that we transfer Walley to the Neurological ward just for the night so that the specialists could examine him and do a few routine tests. We thought it was good idea as even we were so concerned why a 6-month-old puppy would get a seizure. After spending some time with Walley, we went home. That night was one long night! We could not wait for the doctors to call us in the morning.
At 10:30 am, we got a phone call from the neurologists letting us know that we could take Walley home. Elwyn and I were relieved. We rushed to the hospital to see Walley. The doctors told us that Walley rested well at night. He did not have any more seizures. The neurologist-in-charge said that Walley's neurological examination was normal. So an MRI of the brain would not be necessary. Walley had slight anemia but the Doctor didn’t think that was the cause for his seizure. She said we could only wait and watch him over the next couple of weeks. We were given some deworming medication for Walley to treat the anemia. As we worked on the discharge papers, Walley was brought to us. He was so excited to see us as usual and so were we!!
We took Walley home after stopping at PETCO to buy him a new toy. We wanted to cheer him up.
On following up with Dr. Tufaro (Walley’s regular Vet) a week later, he told us that Walley has Idiopathic Epilepsy- cause of seizure unknown. He said that this could be the first of the many seizures to come or it could be the last one and we may never see Walley have a seizure ever again. Since then Walley has not had any seizures, thank God!!!
Walley is a one brave dog. He endures everything like it’s just a part of life. His strength goes a mile in talking about the amazing animal that he is! We were just so glad to have Walley back home- normal, healthy and happy as ever! The ordeal was over!
Walley had urinated in his crate so Elwyn let him outside so he could clean his crate. A few seconds later,
“ Shilpa, look at Walley, Oh my God!! Look at him! What’s happening to him? Walley! Walley! What’s happening? Walley!”, Elwyn yelled.
I was laying on the couch since afternoon, barely able to think straight, the fever had drained out all of my energy. When I heard Elwyn scream, I sensed panic in his voice, but little did I expect what I was just about to see. I leapt out of the couch, in spite of my terrible body ache and turned to look at Elwyn and Walley. My heart skipped several beats; at least that’s how I felt when I saw Walley. Elwyn was carrying Walley in his arms, crying “Walley! Walley! What’s happening to you?” Elwyn kept asking me to call someone for help. At that time, my mind was frozen. I fetched for the phone and tried to make a phone call. My hands were trembling and I couldn’t think right. How could I? I was seeing Walley twitching severely like he was moments from passing away into another world. I was terrified. Just the thought of what I witnessed that day, makes my heart tremble. It was so frightening!
“Oh my God, he’s dying! Shilpa, he’s dying!, Elwyn was whispering.
Finally my voice was with me and I cried so loudly, not able to grasp what was going on with Walley. It was like my mind knew what he was wrong with him but my heart thought otherwise. For those couple of moments, Elwyn and I thought we had lost Walley forever.
“Oh my God! He’s dying! On no, he is going to die!, I was screaming.
“Shilpa call someone!, Elwyn said to me still holding Walley in his arms. I was tense and not thinking straight. I dialled 911. I told the person on the phone what was going on with Walley but of course, all they could do was connect me to United Way. I was on hold over the phone for only a few seconds when I saw Walley’s jaws get tense and his twitching slowed down and he was suddenly stiff as though he were dead. I put the phone down and went to hold Walley in my arms. Elwyn and I were sitting still thinking Walley was gone. A minute passed by. Walley was not breathing or moving. It was so terrifying. We were convinced we lost him. Just then, Walley jerked a little and then stood up on his four feet and began walking slowly and directionless. He wagged his tail briefly. Elwyn and I were a little relieved. It was then that my brain started working normally and I realized Walleye had a seizure.
We rushed Walley to the Animal Medical Center. Elwyn drove the car in haste while I sat with Walley in the back seat. He was making feeble crying sounds and his eyes would close intermittently. I tried my best to keep him awake as his breathing felt really slow. We finally reached the Emergency Center.
As Elwyn parked the car, I ran into the Emergency Center carrying Walley in my arms. I could barely speak, as I was so frightened. I frantically told the receptionist that Walley just had a seizure. The receptionist asked me to stay with Walley in a waiting room. In a few seconds, a resident came running into the waiting room and took Walley into the ICU. And asked me to wait outside. Elwyn and I waited for about a half hour in the general waiting area. We were scared and impatient. A little while later we were called to a small room where the resident asked us a few questions about Walley. She told us that Walley was doing fine. We couldn’t wait to see him so she brought him to us. Walley was still very disoriented and drowsy as he was in the post-ictal phase. He would sit next to Elwyn for a few minutes and then he would sit next to me for sometime. I was in tears while Elwyn comforted me. The resident told us there was nothing to worry about but she recommended that we transfer Walley to the Neurological ward just for the night so that the specialists could examine him and do a few routine tests. We thought it was good idea as even we were so concerned why a 6-month-old puppy would get a seizure. After spending some time with Walley, we went home. That night was one long night! We could not wait for the doctors to call us in the morning.
At 10:30 am, we got a phone call from the neurologists letting us know that we could take Walley home. Elwyn and I were relieved. We rushed to the hospital to see Walley. The doctors told us that Walley rested well at night. He did not have any more seizures. The neurologist-in-charge said that Walley's neurological examination was normal. So an MRI of the brain would not be necessary. Walley had slight anemia but the Doctor didn’t think that was the cause for his seizure. She said we could only wait and watch him over the next couple of weeks. We were given some deworming medication for Walley to treat the anemia. As we worked on the discharge papers, Walley was brought to us. He was so excited to see us as usual and so were we!!
We took Walley home after stopping at PETCO to buy him a new toy. We wanted to cheer him up.
On following up with Dr. Tufaro (Walley’s regular Vet) a week later, he told us that Walley has Idiopathic Epilepsy- cause of seizure unknown. He said that this could be the first of the many seizures to come or it could be the last one and we may never see Walley have a seizure ever again. Since then Walley has not had any seizures, thank God!!!
Walley is a one brave dog. He endures everything like it’s just a part of life. His strength goes a mile in talking about the amazing animal that he is! We were just so glad to have Walley back home- normal, healthy and happy as ever! The ordeal was over!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Incredible post on Paw Nation!
A good friend of mine shared this incredible post that he read on Paw Nation with me and I thought I should share the news on my blog as well. After all, this blog is purely for the love of dogs. How amazing is a dog's unconditional love and bravery! In this story, Angel's genuine love, compassion and bravery is reflected in such a touching manner. There's so much to learn from brave Angel who ran straight into the path of terror to save her best friend, who happens to be a little boy. Hats off to Angel who has made dogkind and mankind proud of her! Click on the "Great Post" link below to read this really touching story. Don't miss the video! I hope Angel recovers from surgery soon.
Great post on Paw Nation!
Great post on Paw Nation!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
A heartwarming New Year's day for Walley and us!!
On the very next day after our trip to Woodstock, a very difficult situation confronted us. On the occasion of our Dad's 60th Birthday, we had planned a trip to Troy, MI to celebrate it with family. We were very excited to meet with our family; however, unfortunately, an important member of our family (our Walley) had to stay back in New York for those two days we were gone. We were not sure if Walley, being only four and a half months old, could withstand a 12 hour drive from New York to Michigan and another 12 hour trip back home. We wanted to give Walley enough driving experience of shorter distances before trying out such a long ride. Woodstock was just a two-hour drive but this was going to be 11+ hours and that too just one way. And we couldn't have considered flying him on a plane as he is definitely too young for that, atleast so we thought. We didn't even want to entertain that idea or take any such risks with Walley. So with all the protective thoughts towards Walley running in our mind, we decided to make arrangements for Walley to stay in a safe and comfortable place while we flew to Detroit, MI on the 30th of December to celebrate Dad's 60th birthday on the 31st and return to New York on New Year's day (01/01/10). This way, at least, we would back in New York to be with our Walley on the first day of the new year!
We made special arrangements to make Walley's stay( without us) comfortable and fun. We made a reservation for him (two weeks before we booked our own flight tickets) at the New York Dog Spa and Hotel. Yeah, they have hotels for dogs too; just in case you didn't know;-) We booked a private suite for him and made arrangements for him to play with other dogs of his age and/or temperament. Also, we asked for him to be groomed on the last day of his stay (luckily the hotel has a Spa too). But, whatever and however careful and thoughtful arrangements we made for Walley so he could be happy without us for those days, that moment of saying "Bye" was terribly painful for the three of us. When we walked into the Hotel to check Walley in, a really nice lady made Walley feel at ease and home and took him to the day care play room where other Pugs were hanging out too. We watched Walley from a window to see if he was doing fine there. He looked around himself for a little while and then laid down in a corner close to the door of the play area and then looked outside the window for such a long time to see if we were still there. He could see us and I could see him asking us so many questions while he looked at us. Why are you leaving me here? Was I not a good boy? Are you going to never take me back home? And, I felt so helpless. Our flight was to leave in two hours. I broke down crying. I just couldn't hold those tears. Thankfully, Elwyn was with me to make me feel better but even he was sad to leave Walley that way. I just could not see Walley lay that way and look for us. But in a few minutes, just before we left the Hotel, the Pugs tried to cheer up Walley and that sight led us to some happy tears. There was a black pug that was particularly keen on making Walley cheer up. The Pug would touch Walley with it's paws(I wasn't sure if it was a she or he) and literally ask Walley in doggy language to come along and play with the other pugs. It wasn't too long after that, Walley began playing with all the Pugs and we could leave the place with some relief that our baby was going to be OK. It was still very hard to leave Walley. He has become such an integral part of our life now!! We just can't live without his pitter-patter at home:-) We tried to make ourselves feel better by thinking it was just two days and we were going to meet with our loving family in Michigan and that the time would fly by quickly and before we would know it, we would re-unite with Walley again.
Dad's birthday was a really nice celebration and we had a really good time meeting with family members after such a long time. Everyone was asking us about Walley and his stories so Walley was present with us in a special way all the time we were away from him. We kept checking on him by calling the Hotel couple times a day if he was doing fine and it was so relieving to hear that he was enjoying the play time with other dogs. From what we heard, he was particularly friendly with a Cocker Spaniel puppy and would spend most of his day in the play room.
Before we knew it, it was New Year's day and the time to go back home to New York had arrived. We had mixed feelings. It was sad to leave our family with whom we had a great time and we were so excited at the same time, to be seeing Walley after two days and were anticipating our little munchkin's reaction on seeing us. Would he be happy to see us? Would he be excited? Or would he be angry with us that we left him and went away for two days? We just wanted to go to the Hotel and give Walley the warmest hug we had ever given him. When we reached the Hotel, we asked for Walley and a lady went inside the Dog Run to bring Walley to us. It was such a heartwarming moment to see Walley. He was so excited to see us!! He came running towards us wagging his tail constantly and made all sorts of baby-noises. We were on the floor to hug him and he was cuddled in our arms. Oh, we were so happy to see our baby was just fine. I have to say that Walley was a little angry with us for sometime in the car when we were driving back home. Well, we don't blame him. It was right for him to be angry with us to leave him and go. He didn't show his anger by barking. He's not that type. He would just turn his face away from us when we would ask him about his stay in the Hotel. But, that being said, he was showering us with kisses the whole time we were in the car and kept his chin on Elwyn's arm while he laid his belly on my lap.
When we got home, Walley was so happy to see his bed and toys. And really, he was happy just to be at home! Our Mom and Dad and brothers, Ben and Sol had given Walley so many squeaky toys to take home with us. So, after Walley settled down on his bed, we gave him the bag of gifts from them. He was super-excited to see the toys! He pulled the toys out of the bag, one by one, and played with them all weekend. Thank you so much Mom and Dad, Ben and Sol for those fun gifts you got for Walley. He loves them all!!
Here are some pictures we took of Walley opening the bag of toys and playing with them. A big thank you to Sol and Ben for picking up such cute and fun toys for Walley!
With that sweet note, I would like to wish all of you readers, a very happy and blessed new year. May all of your dreams and desires come true in the new year. I hope and pray that in this new year, there will be no homeless or abused dog in the world. May all the dogs in the world find a home and the love of humans. God bless.
We made special arrangements to make Walley's stay( without us) comfortable and fun. We made a reservation for him (two weeks before we booked our own flight tickets) at the New York Dog Spa and Hotel. Yeah, they have hotels for dogs too; just in case you didn't know;-) We booked a private suite for him and made arrangements for him to play with other dogs of his age and/or temperament. Also, we asked for him to be groomed on the last day of his stay (luckily the hotel has a Spa too). But, whatever and however careful and thoughtful arrangements we made for Walley so he could be happy without us for those days, that moment of saying "Bye" was terribly painful for the three of us. When we walked into the Hotel to check Walley in, a really nice lady made Walley feel at ease and home and took him to the day care play room where other Pugs were hanging out too. We watched Walley from a window to see if he was doing fine there. He looked around himself for a little while and then laid down in a corner close to the door of the play area and then looked outside the window for such a long time to see if we were still there. He could see us and I could see him asking us so many questions while he looked at us. Why are you leaving me here? Was I not a good boy? Are you going to never take me back home? And, I felt so helpless. Our flight was to leave in two hours. I broke down crying. I just couldn't hold those tears. Thankfully, Elwyn was with me to make me feel better but even he was sad to leave Walley that way. I just could not see Walley lay that way and look for us. But in a few minutes, just before we left the Hotel, the Pugs tried to cheer up Walley and that sight led us to some happy tears. There was a black pug that was particularly keen on making Walley cheer up. The Pug would touch Walley with it's paws(I wasn't sure if it was a she or he) and literally ask Walley in doggy language to come along and play with the other pugs. It wasn't too long after that, Walley began playing with all the Pugs and we could leave the place with some relief that our baby was going to be OK. It was still very hard to leave Walley. He has become such an integral part of our life now!! We just can't live without his pitter-patter at home:-) We tried to make ourselves feel better by thinking it was just two days and we were going to meet with our loving family in Michigan and that the time would fly by quickly and before we would know it, we would re-unite with Walley again.
Dad's birthday was a really nice celebration and we had a really good time meeting with family members after such a long time. Everyone was asking us about Walley and his stories so Walley was present with us in a special way all the time we were away from him. We kept checking on him by calling the Hotel couple times a day if he was doing fine and it was so relieving to hear that he was enjoying the play time with other dogs. From what we heard, he was particularly friendly with a Cocker Spaniel puppy and would spend most of his day in the play room.
Before we knew it, it was New Year's day and the time to go back home to New York had arrived. We had mixed feelings. It was sad to leave our family with whom we had a great time and we were so excited at the same time, to be seeing Walley after two days and were anticipating our little munchkin's reaction on seeing us. Would he be happy to see us? Would he be excited? Or would he be angry with us that we left him and went away for two days? We just wanted to go to the Hotel and give Walley the warmest hug we had ever given him. When we reached the Hotel, we asked for Walley and a lady went inside the Dog Run to bring Walley to us. It was such a heartwarming moment to see Walley. He was so excited to see us!! He came running towards us wagging his tail constantly and made all sorts of baby-noises. We were on the floor to hug him and he was cuddled in our arms. Oh, we were so happy to see our baby was just fine. I have to say that Walley was a little angry with us for sometime in the car when we were driving back home. Well, we don't blame him. It was right for him to be angry with us to leave him and go. He didn't show his anger by barking. He's not that type. He would just turn his face away from us when we would ask him about his stay in the Hotel. But, that being said, he was showering us with kisses the whole time we were in the car and kept his chin on Elwyn's arm while he laid his belly on my lap.
When we got home, Walley was so happy to see his bed and toys. And really, he was happy just to be at home! Our Mom and Dad and brothers, Ben and Sol had given Walley so many squeaky toys to take home with us. So, after Walley settled down on his bed, we gave him the bag of gifts from them. He was super-excited to see the toys! He pulled the toys out of the bag, one by one, and played with them all weekend. Thank you so much Mom and Dad, Ben and Sol for those fun gifts you got for Walley. He loves them all!!
Here are some pictures we took of Walley opening the bag of toys and playing with them. A big thank you to Sol and Ben for picking up such cute and fun toys for Walley!
With that sweet note, I would like to wish all of you readers, a very happy and blessed new year. May all of your dreams and desires come true in the new year. I hope and pray that in this new year, there will be no homeless or abused dog in the world. May all the dogs in the world find a home and the love of humans. God bless.
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