Big Paws Only Dog Forums

I should add something more---


 I have six children. I'm by far not a "Super Mom". I burn dinners, I can't always get grass stains out of jeans and make them wear  those stained up, hole in the knees jeans anyway, I don't know how to sew anything other then buttons back on  shirts, none of my kids play socker (they play hocky, roller blade, skateboard, bike,  and football in the field behind our house), I don't have time to volunteer to much time at school so the teachers look shocked when I finally do show up for something, ect ect. In essence, I'm not the ideal mother--
If this was one of my children I'd be completly and utterly embaressed. Not embaressed with my child but myself. I'd feel ashamed that I allowed it to happen at all.

I guess I just don't understand how this woman dosn't feel ashamed, what so ever.

Not only would I have appologized to you, but I'd have most likely purchased a dog toy and me,along with my child  would return to bring you the "gift". Plus,  it would be theroputic for the little girl (besides a valuable lesson on respecting other people's property). Imagine this child might have a phobia of dogs in the future.

Oh m'gosh.

I knew there was a reason why I love men! Just too adorable. (Watchin' them  play football and mow each other down is even more fun.)

I've known a Pyr with Cronic Ear Infections. (not our's, however *phew*)

The vet had told the owners it was due to alergies. It could be a food allergy, or inhalent allergy.


Does it happen durring the a certain time of the year?  Worse then others? Or... heck, I dont know. I'd talk to my vet about other allergies that might affect ears.

  I was just e-mailed and told that I'm approved and my vet and references gave glowing reports on me!!!  EEEEEEEE!!!  Now I have to get across country, from WV to CA.  I've found the hotels that take pets, now I have to make sure I can actually drive the routes and make sure that the hurricane hasn't flooded where I need to drive.  I'll have to drive thru Missouri; does anyone know how the weather is there?  Any flooding there?

Congratulation s!

I'm in St.Louis and there's been no reported floods in Missouri at all. The weather is overcast, cool... but no true show of rain.

Pssst...here's a few names I wanted to name my daughters when I was younger (I wanted like, 12 kids and all of them girls..lol) but, my husband is Irish and would not hear of it.


1. Gianina- means  "God is Gracious"

2. Elena- means "Light of the Sun"

3. Mia - okay so it's not a name and my mother would have been quite ticked if I named my child "MINE!" but...  so what?

4. Rosalia- is the Italian form of "Melody"

5. Isabella- means "Consecrated by God"

I wrote to her, offering to take them. I sure couldn't keep them but I didn't want them to be put to sleep,either.

Fortunatly she wrote back and said she found a family that would take them both. So they are safe.

I've learned so much from this thread.


My two oldest are special needs kids and in the SSD.
I have a 15 yr old Bi-Polar (Non specific) who is right now, on only half days of school with her core classes as dicted by her IEP. Everything is highly structered untill they can get a specialist to come in and observe her. They want to place her in a seperate school setting . Her manic  cycle is so much more stronger and violent then they can handle. I had to sign a paper giving them permission to restrain her if she becomes a danger to herself or others. She is on so much medication and this week we had another emergency apointment for her. Her meds were increased. She's suspended for three days now, but in a way I'm releived. It'll give a chance and some hope the meds will kick in. She is also LD.  She can't read or distinquish letters. She sees a word and memerizes it's shape. She dosn't see them as words in a sentence, but a string of shapes that mean something. She's 15 and reading on a 3 grade leval. She's not MD, however. Her IQ tested at 132. That's border-line high.

My son's story is very sad,too.

When he was in kindergarden the school tried to diagnose him with ADHD too. They demanded he be put on medication. How the h*ll can a school, full of teachers,diagnose that? We were distressed but with him being one of our oldests we didn't know much and did as we were told for him. Things got worse. He was on just about everything the docter could give him. By first grade, he came home with bad headacks and would just lay limp on the couch. One day I just dumped it all. Every single  pill went in the toilet. I couldn't stand seeing my child so zoned and gone. He was growing more and more withdrawn, more and more obsessive, more and more impulsive. He wouldn't look anyone in the eye. He showed less and less emotion. Brilliant child, extremely brilliant. He was reading 12th grade leval books,  yet he couldn't even write his own name without putting holes in his paper. He was being sent home,suspended, so often it was a wonder he passed school at all for all the days he had been made to miss.

By third grade, things just doubled. He'd always been proned to outbursts, but things got totally out of hand at home and at school. Nothing we could do to console him at all. He still wouldn't look anyone in the eye. He was emotionally detached from everyone, including me and my husband.  His constant outbursts were to the point of shrilling, painfull screams and it was just this raw,primal anquish in his actions. Like he was being sucked into some odd,weird world that only he could feel and see. Alone..that's the best word to discribe my son at that time. He looked utterly lost and alone...and terrified for it. We looked from docter to docter for some professional help and everyone said the same thing..ADHD. But I knew it had to be something else. This didn't seem right at all.

Upon "Meet the Teacher" day,my husband and I went to  each of our children's classrooms. Then we walked into his. All the little desks so neatly in a row. We noticed cute name tags on each one so we started looking for his. But neither of us found it. I asked the teacher where Patrick's desk was,expectantly...and she just smirked (she really did) after unsuccessfully avoiding our question and pointed to way back in the corner of the room..FACING THE WALL!  That was his permanant seat. He was not allowed anywhere near the other students! He was isolated to the back of the room, not even allowed to look at anyone, let alone partisapate in any of the lessons.

That did it. My husband stormed out of there so fast I couldn't even keep up and he marched into the Princable's office. He demanded that our child get the education that is due him. That we had to work together and find something that works for Patrick, as a team!

Lot's of testing...load s of it revealed that my son does not have ADHD, but Asperger Syndrom. It's  high functioning form of Autism.

Once he was diagnosed, things fell into place. First,we had to undo all the damage done to him. Show him how to express his emotions without  screaming outbursts... and so many other life skills. We are still working on quite a few (He's 13 now) and he's still in a self contained classroom with some intrigation into other classrooms.  On his last year at the elementary school,something happened. It was like an awakening. He learned to cry, he learned to hug...and I remember one day, listening to my younger daughter's orchistra recidal, and my 11 year old son put his arm around my shoulder, layed his head down and just snuggled. I hadn't felt that from him for so long and he was still,content and connecting to the world around him.



Issues... I've got 'em too. You're right. Children force us to be stronger, for THEM. They need it.

Crappy people.



This summer, my daughter went camping with best friend's family. They have a sheperd mix named Bear.

He always goes and loves to splash around in the lake. Well,as they were walking back, one of their neighbor's dogs (they camp in the same place) charged at bear and bear bit back, pinning the dog to the ground by it's throat. Everyone panicked and of course seperated the two. The other dog was taken to the vet to get some stitches along his ear and they offered to pay. But the man who owned the other dog was really ticked and said the next time he  sees Bear, he'd kill the dog. That night the family and my daughter went to watch fireworks along the lake, leaving poor Bear on a tie out near the trailer. Way to trusting and a very stupid move. When they returned, his collar was left and there was no Bear. They found blood splattered everywhere. Bloody paw prints on the door as poor Bear must have panicked and pleaded for the safty of his family. There was a blood stained Sinder block and in the morning, gauges in the dirt where it had hit or missed. Some of Bear's teeth were found too.

For hours, there was a search party looking for Bear... but no one could find him.

Saddened, the family packed up and went home thinking Bear had died.

Four days later, a call came.Someone found Bear but he was in deplorable shape. Bad head injuries and having seizers. The family drove six hours to go get him and bring him home.

 Nothing the family could do. Bear is alive and home,but so badly injured he'll never be the same.


People like this make me sick.

Okay,so I've been smitten with Danes since yesterday when I got to meet and pet my first ones (from Dane LifeLine)



So anyway..this was flopping around my brain, loosely and I thought I'd cough it up.
 Sung to the tune of South Pacific's "There is nothing like a Dame"


We've got sunlight on the sand.
We've got moonlight on the sea.
We've got mangos and bananas we can buy at the Grocery.
We've got volleyball and ping-pong and a lot of   dandy computer games.
What ain't we got?
We ain't got Danes!
We get packages from ebay.
We get movies.
We get shows.
We get MTV and a rocker with a pierced nose.
We get Avon samples doused with perfume.
We get dizzy from the smell.
What ain't we got? You know damn well.
We've got nothing to push the phone MUTE  for.
What we need is what there ain't no subsitute for.
There ain’t  nothin’ like a Dane.
Nothing in the world.
Though their drooling is quite insane, there  aint  anything like a Dane.
We’ve seen Fawn.
We’ve seen Blue.
We’ve seen Mantel and Black, too.
We feel every kind of feeling and nothing left to prove.
We want to wrap our arms around something big, yet doesn’t MOO!
What don't we feel?
Well, it don’t  feel good.
Lots of things in life are beautiful but, brother, there is one particular thing that is in no way, shape, or form like any other.
There is nothing like a Dane.
Nothing in the world.
There is nothing you can name that is anything like a Dane.
Nothing slurps  like a Dane.
And nothing  books like a dame.
And nothing poops like a Dane.
And nothing acts like a Dane.
Or attracts like a Dane.
There ain't a thing that's wrong with anyone here  that can't be cured by trying to walk a Dane.
A big burly, lovable, huggable  Dane.