Human-Animal Bond

The Human-Animal Bond is alive and well.  Anyone that doesn't know about this has never owned a pet.  There have been countless studies proving the benefits to pet ownership.  From the stress release and decrease in heart attacks to the benefits of less asthma for children being raised with dogs and cats.  I had a visit from a father who had moved from Colorado a couple of years ago and had acquired several pet rats for his kids to soften the disruption of moving.  He brought me one of the patients Alice, who was struggling to live and needed to be eased out of her pain.  I could tell that this furry friend had been an important part of his families life and that this decision was not an easy one.  He had promised his children that he would stay with Alice to comfort her during her transition.  True to his word this father stayed with his charge to the end.  We talked about Alice's life and what she had meant to the children… "It's amazing how much these little creatures capture your heart and become a part of the family".  Through the years I have noticed that the people who own rats get very attached to them and this was no exception.  Thank you Alice. 

We are going to St. Croix in October for our Final Fix Project.  Please check out my other blog site at (abbeyanimal.blogspot.com).  This project is not only to help the pet population of St. Croix but to help the human population live more comfortably with the animals of this island (dog packs can be dangerous).  Their animal shelter is over run and they have a very high kill rate (up to %60) to keep them under control.  We are trying to control the existing population so there are not so many unwanted feral pets to be euthanized.  There are cultural differences that have to be overcome but we are making some progress.

Yikes!

Had another example of why we are going to St. Croix right here in the hospital.  This morning when we opened the doors there was a box by the front door.  One of our clients noticed it and said "what's in the box" to which Cortney replied, "what box?"  Low and behold there in a cardboard box was a bunny inside with a note on the outside.  Someone had left it out there in the hopes it would be rescued.  This bunny seemed very sweet and in need of a bath and a good home.  This one was probably an Easter Gift.  We will try to adopt her out to a good owner.  This is an example of what happens when people take on pets but can't (or won't) take care of them.  Bunnies are great pets but have been traditionally kept in a cage (Hutch) and outside.  They can be litter box trained and can be allowed to run around in the house.  They can be trained to respond to their names.  The oldest bunny I worked on was 16 years old and named Rosco... the owner said he liked to watch TV and eat Raisin Bran (with his owner!).  We had a rabbit called Pietry who would come when called.  One thing that a house rabbit needs, is to be supervised to prevent the chewing of electric cords.  For some reason they love to chew on cords, so those of you with bunnies need to make sure to take precautions.

Another Bunny to Save!

Well back to work, I have a broken K-9 tooth to repair… I think Alli is going to post that on our website.  Pray for our missions and thanks for the support.  Bye for now, Robin.

Meeting Phil

Continuing on with my quest for missions please visit my other blog to see how the Final Fix Mission is going at (Abbeyanimal.blogspot.com ).  The last couple of days have been very interesting.  Met an amazing person named Phil Bracco.  He is the author of a book called Living for Game Day (Livingforgameday.com )He is a three time (at least) cancer survivor.  His story was very inspirational and I recommend it for anyone about to go through some hard times… that would be all of us at one point or another.  

A couple of pups we delivered, doing great!

I met Phil at the gym where I go to try and recapture some of my youth.  It sounds crazy but at 54 the tide has turned on me and its all I can do to swim against it.  I read another great book called Younger Next Year.  In this book the authors talk about youth being like the ocean tide.  When you are young the tide is flowing in and you are able to float along with it to remain fairly functional.  As you age the tide becomes slack and you might have to swim a little to make any gains.  As the tide starts to go out it is very important to start your swim against the tide to keep your quality of life.  They talk about this time of life being the "last third".  I don't know if I like the thought, but being a Christian I think of it as only closer to the start of a better life!  I do think that God calls on us to remain active so we can accomplish more things while here on Earth.  I think that part of it is living a healthy life style… I can't say that I am always successful at following my own advice but I like the idea.  By the way the two authors that are writing this book include a senior citizen of 77 and his Doctor.  Both of them give sound reasons for why its important to keep moving.  I hope some of you will find the same inspiration in this book that I did.  I see the benefits of regular exercise every day!  Another book that fits well with this book is called the TNT Diet.  It talks about how to rearrange your body, and how diet is very important.  They provide some sound advice on how to loose fat and gain muscle.  Being in the medical profession, I know that the body becomes accustomed to a certain weight and will fight to maintain that weight so it is much easier to rearrange weight then to loose it.  I like the book because it shows you how to eat with the foods at your local grocery store.  The diet is surprisingly easy (not at first but then most things worth doing take some effort!) and effective.  It also lays out an exercise program that will help you achieve your goals.

Ok, well on with the next adventure!  I look forward to talking to Phil more and tapping in on his Zest for Life!  Pray for our missions and stay Active!  Bye for now, Robin.