Good evening friends and welcome to another installment of the M and Zee's Blog.
There's been some neat things happening here ! And a lot of it is thanks to all of you !!
First, I'd like to thank the Newfoundland Club of New England for their purchase of M and Zee's Treats as favors for their recent Water Test. Each dog that earned a Title also got an extra pack of Title ( WD and WRD ) cookies and some that tried and just didn't quite hit the mark also had the opportunity to enjoy some extra treats as an incentive to keep on trying.
I'd gotten some wonderful comments on the Title cookies I'd posted the picture on last month's entry....so many of you thought they were very cool and very unique.....so...in response I now have:
yes....celebrate a Championship with some C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N cookies !! I have already sold several and I think it's a great way to treat your dog for accomplishing this very prestigious title or to congratulate a friend ! While they are not yet available on the web site...you can still order them....they are $ 7.00 and that includes the postage...and if this is a gift for someone else...I will include a CONGRATULATIONS card as well as a Gift Card from YOU !
I also have:
Mark a Special Day for your Dog with this set of HAPPY BOOF-DAY cookies !!! This "platter" averages 8 oz net weight cookies...in Regular or Wheat Free and are $ 10.00 including Postage. And as with the CHAMPION cookies, this will include a CONGRATS card and a Gift Card if you want me to send this on to a lucky dog that would enjoy a special healthy treat for their special day !
Other Titles and Greetings are available upon request......all you need to do is let me know what you want to say in cookies and I'll make it up for you !
Soon...there will some rather unique packaging....M and Zee's Logo Frisbees !! What better way to have a sturdy....yet reusable packing for the cookies....your dog will not only get some delicious treats but when the treats are gone....they will still enjoy a toy ! Those should be available within a few weeks.
Now.....most of you know that my darling Mollie, age 11, has an on-going battle with arthritis...but hey, 11 is a grand age for a Newfoundland and in remembering that comparison age chart I saw in her vet's office...she would be the equivalent of a 90+ year old woman...and I hope to God when I am that age I get along as well as Mollie does.
But...the kicker is that we live in a 2 story house with the main living area upstairs. Mollie doesn't particularly like to do stairs...she never has...BUT she wants to be with "HER" people and if that's what Mollie wants then I will do my darndest to see that I can make that happen for her. She is already on a "cocktail" of anti-inflammatory as well as analgesic and herbal medications and so far she continues to respond to those...and we haven't really hit the "industrial strength" pain medications as of yet....thank God ! Although I will tell you, several future options are being considered as Mollie ages more and more....
When Mollie has her not-so-good days, she gets very wobbly in the rear...sometimes her rear legs will buckle underneath her and I find myself having to "hoist" her upright again and then after a short rest she is OK....so the question was...what to do to help her along more ??
I do have a sling from Northland Newfoundland Club and have had to use it several times already and on the UP side it does the job...but on the DOWN side...I'd still have to be able to get the sling ON Mollie when she got wobbly or her legs collapsed. This, I can imagine could be quite painful for Mollie so I needed another alternative and off to the Internet to search....
About two weeks ago I happened onto a site http://www.handicappedpets.com/ and lo and behold it looked like they had the solution ! What I wanted was something lightweight that Mollie could literally wear 24/7...so it had to be easy on-easy off....comfortable for Mollie, non-restrictive under normal conditions ( walking, standing lying down, and pottying ). It had to be washable...and it had to enable me to assist Mollie without "interfering" with her movements. And, it had to be affordable......
After discussion with Julie Thomas...yes, even after all these years as Mollie's Mom, Julie stands by as a mentor and I know I can discuss any aspect of Mollie's care with her...and exchanging several e-mails to the Handicapped Pets people....I selected what I believe will be the best daily option for assisting Mollie and after I tell you more and you see the pictures...I believe this device may be of use for other things Newfie.
What I chose was the Lift and Assist harness....shaped in many ways like a regular dog harness but it is made of a lightweight , sturdy neoprene...has two adjustable cinches...the front one loops though the breast plate...and the second one is a little further back at what would be Mollie's "waist" level. The best thing is that on the top of the harness is a built in handle; while Mollie is going up or down stairs I can still walk beside her and hold onto the handle to support and ease her along but without interfering with her walking and without stressing her out by rushing to loop the sling around her to help her.
The Large size fit Mollie perfectly and that is even without adjusting the cinches to their maximum lengths...I believe the Large would fit a dog with up to a 48" girth and folks that would be one helluva BIG dog.
One can view this harness on the http://www.handicappedpets.com/ web site and they also have an eBay store.
The price was so affordable that I ordered two harnesses; since they have to be hand washed and line dried, I wanted a "spare" for Mollie to wear while the other one was being cleaned. The Lift and Assist is Easy On and Easy Off so it can be quickly removed for grooming and bathing and it does not interfere with Mollie's collar. And...the color Red really suits Mollie's glorious coat, too.
Now Mollie being Mollie...at first she was not too amused when I first put the Lift and Assist on her but after adjusting the cinches she quickly accepted it and now seems quite comfortable wearing it. I feel better knowing I can better assist her while she is going up and down the stairs....I simply grab the handle as I would a suitcase handle ( shades of Fred Flintstone ) and we go strolling along.
Here are some views of Mollie in her harness...and please bear in mind a photographer I am NOT:
Now....as for other potential uses....I think some of you were also discussing harnesses which could be used to help your Newfie while swimming...and also perhaps helping the Newf in and out of a boat ...well...could this Lift and Assist harness also maybe serve that need as well ????
Have a great evening folks....there's a ball game coming on soon and I have cookies in the oven....so please hug your dogs....be kind to everyone and remember Who to thanks for the love of friends, family...and your dogs !
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