Spotted: Sooper Tramp

I am so excited to introduce Sooper Tramp, a fantastic chic doggie accessory boutique.  FYI, tomorrow I will be offering a FREE giveaway and one lucky blog follower will win a free dog collar of your choice (excluding the bow-tie collars).  So come back tomorrow to enter to win!

Sooper Tramp is owned and ran by the talented Suzie Brown. You can find Sooper Tramp's products on Pinterest,  Facebook, shop for bow-tie collars here and collars and leashes here.

I am curious which styles and patterns you love? Leave me a comment.

A 20% Discount will be offered on all products for Sooper Tramp facebook followers.  Become a follower and use Coupon Code: celebrate20.  

 

Charlie's Clues: Dog Teeth Cleaning

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A couple of weeks ago I decided that Charlie needed to get his nasty teeth cleaned.  His breath was killing me and he hadn't had his teeth expertly cleaned in several years.  I was leery of having him put under anesthesia to get his teeth cleaned and not to mention it is quite costly ($250-300).  I heard about the Well Animal Institute here in Denver, Colorado that offers anesthesia-free pet teeth cleaning for only $150-165.

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Why choose anesthesia-free dental cleaning for your pet? The SAFER Option : Zero anesthesia or other drugs used means safety from potentially harmful side effects and recovery times of commonly used drugs. The AFFORDABLE Option : Runs approximately $165.00 per pet. The HEALTHY Option : The same perfectly cleaned and polished teeth you’d expect from any cleaning, to assure improved breath and long term health. Is your pet exhibiting signs of dental disease? Bad breath Yellow/brown plaque on the teeth or near the gum line Red and swollen gums Pain or bleeding when your pet eats or the gums are touched Drooling Loose or missing teeth Pawing at the mouth

We decided to give it a try (well honestly Charlie had no decision in the matter).  

This is how it went down.

We went to the vet that was hosting the Well Animals Institute teeth cleaning clinic and Cindy, one of the owners, took Charlie into a room just off of the waiting room.  I was advised not to be in the room because the dogs do better when their owner isn't in the room watching, but I was allowed to observe through the door window.  Cindy wrapped Charlie up tightly in a blanket (I completely forgot to take pictures but you can see how it is done via the video on the bottom of the blog), but it looks like this.

 

The tight blanket was to help Charlie feel safe and secure and so he couldn't wiggle around.  Then she talked to him all soothing like and stroked his face and mouth and just started cleaning his teeth...and he let her. I was shocked.  She used a regular looking dental tooth scraper.  It was amazing and only took about 20-25 minutes.  Charlie came out of the room a new man with sparkling teeth. Check them out.  I highly recommend you try anesthestia-free teeth cleaning for your dog or cat.

Watch this video on how the anesthesia-free teeth cleaning is done.

BEFORE                                                                                    AFTER

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Weekend Wag: Portlandia & Other Goodies

Happy Friday friends. I hope everyone has fun plans for today and this upcoming weekend.  Currently I am lounging in my PJ's in my family room and staring out the window watching snow fall at a sharp diagonal and almost horizontal angle.   I hope this won't continue all day.

CP (Charlie Pants) and I are going to meet up with a friend at good ol' Starbucks in a little bit and then head over to the gym to do a little Body Pump.  I took CP to the gym yesterday and he was really great while I took a class until the very end when we were doing crunches and stretching. He got up and decided it was the perfect opportunity to lick my and nearby neighbors'  faces.  It was quite comical.  Thank goodness everyone loves him or else his stinky breath could have been detrimental to their endorphin educing experience.

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 can you see his face poking out from under the blanket?

 Crap Iphone picture. He crawled into my lap while stretching. Can you spot him curled up between my legs?

Anyways, we wanted to share some lovelies from around the web for you to enjoy while you are at work or at home.

Curious to know some tips on ways to talk to someone in a wheelchair?  Check this inspirational story posted yesterday on attitude.

Boulder Co Daily Camera article on Training and Play for old Soul Dogs

Fun dog wallpaper. I am a fan of the beige one with the dog silhouettes.

Fantastic wine for dog lovers. Donates to dog causes like human society, shelters, rescues, and working dogs.

Cute dog business cards here and here.  I made one for Charlie's Blog

Dog park episode from Portlandia. Do you watch this show?  So funny.
(Whose dog is that with the lips that are falling off? most favorite line.)

Life&Story: All In Your Attitude

I am delighted to start a new weekly feature called Life&Story: Inspiring Moments where I select a story I find to be amazing and post it here.  I am looking for entries so please nominate someone you would like to highlight and send me their story and every Thursday they will be highlighted here on superdogcharliepants.blogspot.com.  Send all entries to leahstone17 (at) hotmail (dot) com

I am so happy to share this amazing story with you.  It is a story about choosing your attitude even when life throws you a curve ball.  My friend, Grant, recently celebrated his 12 year anniversary since his accident and while some might find that to be a somber day, he and his family celebrate this day and recognize his fantastic accomplishments. I think that is brilliant. Enjoy! If you love Grant you probably love his daughter Tracy. Click HERE to read about her highlight as the friend everyone should have.

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My life took a twist at age 46 after a ski accident left me a paraplegic.  Now I’m 58 and still learning what joy each day can bring.  You see it is all about attitude.  If I had chosen a bad attitude, and those around me had allowed me to do that, things just wouldn’t be the way they are.

I discovered that even though I couldn’t walk, I could still enjoy the world around me.  With the help of my family, and friends I returned to work after six months.  I continued that work until I was able to retire.  Working gave me the confidence that I could do many other things as well.  Special programs allowed me to try skiing again.  I have been kayaking; I have purchased an off road four wheeler and ridden in the back country.  I even traveled to Hawaii and went snorkeling.  Now these things I have mentioned take a considerable amount of effort and assistance from others around me but they are still a lot of fun.

So a friend asked if I would share about what it is like to be in a wheelchair.  I have found that some people are uncomfortable talking with me, even sometimes looking at me.  As a result I often look away from them to help relieve their pain.  Some people however are very comfortable talking with me, often I find out these people have a family member or friend who is also in a wheelchair and so they do not find talking with me uncomfortable.  Sometimes they even kneel on the ground and get down to my level; this is nice since looking up for a long conversation can make my neck really sore.  So don’t feel sorry for me or others in a wheelchair, just talk to us like anyone else, get down on our level and look us in the eye it will be a nice gesture.

Now some people are worried about saying the wrong thing or asking to personal of a question.  Don’t worry about that too much,  it’s not such a big deal with me after all I have been through, what is important is that people respect me as a person, don’t run away from having contact with me.  I’m pretty open about things so if you want to ask a question just ask, I imagine most people with disabilities are pretty much the same.  I do think however some people may be touchy about barriers that prevent them from being able to do things.  Can you blame them?  When it gets harder to do almost everything in your life, it can get pretty frustrating and send you over the edge sometimes.  So when those around us try and help remove those barriers it is greatly appreciated, believe me.

Things to consider:

If you see someone in a wheelchair waiting outside in a line and it’s cold, invite them inside because their circulation isn’t very good and once they get cold it takes forever to warm up.

All people with disabilities are not the same; if you have questions ask them.

Before you help someone you should ask if they want your help.

If you are talking to a person in a wheelchair for a long time, sit or kneel down so that you are at eye level with them so they don’t have to strain to look up at you.

Think of a person in a wheelchair as a person first, with feelings just like anyone else.

Travel Time:Service Dogs Disneyland or Disneyworld

I have been to Disneyland twice with Charlie the amazing seizure-alert service dog.  Both times have been brilliant experiences.  Disneyland has phenomenal customer service and employee training and I am thrilled to report that every interaction with a Disney employee was amazing.  I was never discriminated against because I had a service dog. I actually saw about 5 or 6 other service dogs in the park during the 4 days we were there.

What do I do when I get to Disneyland?
When going to Disneyland with a service animal it is very important to check in at Guest Services (at Disneyland I believe Guest Services is in California Adventure on the left hand side right when you enter the park).  The park likes to know you are there and gives you a special pass to assist with waiting in lines.  Disney doesn't want the dogs to have to wait in the lines so you get to enter through the handicap line to ride the rides. Brilliant.  This pass allows you and 5 other people access onto the ride.

Click on the following link for more info
Services for Disneyland Guests with Service Animals

What do you do with your service dog while riding the ride?
Well someone in your party has to stay with the dog while you ride the ride.  When you get back that person can then ride the ride. 

On some rides you can bring your service dog with you.  Charlie rode almost all children rides (Small World, Peter Pan, Wild Toad, Sleeping Beauty, etc) and he even was allowed on the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean.  So fun.  The service dog has to lay down at your feet while riding the ride.

Overall, Disneyland was a blast with my family. We rang in the New Year at Disney and just had an amazing time.

One of our trips to Disneyland was during the horrendously busy Christmas time. For Christmas my parents gave the whole family a trip to Disneyland! Charlie and I met my family at the Long Beach airport and were so excited to see all of them. Counting myself and nieces and nephews and in-laws I believe there was 16 of us total (2 were MIA as they couldn't get work off, my bro-in-law Aaron and my hubby Paul--sad for them). How do you get 16 people from the airport to the hotel if the hotel doesn't offer a shuttle from the airport and you don't need to or want to rent lots of cars? By traveling in a quadruple stretched hummer limo---that's how!

Charlie wasn't so sure about the Disney Characters.

Check out the other photos on my Picasa page!

http://picasaweb.google.com/leahstone17

Spotted: Little Darlings by Sharon Montrose

I love Sharon Montrose's work.  I blogged about her HERE as my dream job obsession. She is a brilliant photographer and one of her specialties is photographing animals.  Check out this new line of photos for a nursery called Little Darlings.  These photos below are all by Sharon Montrose and are found on her blog sharonmontrose.com/blog.  You can see the entire collection of Little Darlings HERE.