Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Good Evening Friends and welcome to the next installment of the M and Zee's Blog Spot.

Those of you who, like, me, follow Major League Baseball are sitting now with baited breath to see how the Post Season will shape up. No matter which way it goes, it's bound to be a great World Series.

The Newf-L Baseball bet is still going strong....however Mary Belford's St Louis Cardinals are now officially out of the running for the National League Play-offs.

The Cardinals have had a really rough season: Chris Carpenter, their premier pitcher had been on the Disabled List most of the season and a few months ago underwent major surgery to his elbow which out him out for the rest of the season and perhaps well into the 2008 season. Jeff Suppan and Jason Marquis were traded to the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs respectively....and sadly Josh Hancock found out the hard way that living in the fast lane is not a good thing. Juan Encarnacion suffered a devastating facial injury from a wild foul ball; Scott Rolen had repeat shoulder surgery and Scott Spezio had had some personal issues that sidelined him for a number of weeks. Just a rough season all the way around. Perhaps 2008 will be a better season for the 2006 World Series winners.

Bronn Dennery's New York Mets have had their share of slumps this year as well but are still tops in the National League East Division and while they've won their last 3 games, the Philadelphia Phillies ( who had a remarkably entertaining celebration for their 10,000th LOSS this year ) have been sneaking up the Met's back door. The race is still wide open for the 4 Post season berths in the National League....although those Elimination numbers are getting smaller and smaller and soon we shall see who the contenders are.

In the American League...my beloved Boston Red Sox are still # 1 in the East but not by much as Donna Palen's New York Yankees are but 1.5 GB of the Sox. The Yankees won today over Toronto ( already eliminated ) but the Red Sox lost to Tampa Bay ( also eliminated earlier )....so the match ups should be interesting since the Yankees and the Red Sox would not play each other in the ALDS ( American League Division Series )...they would only play each other if both should win their games against the Cleveland Indians and the Los Angeles Angels.

But....since all monies wagered go to the dogs....even if we lose....the dogs WIN and that means we all win. Donna and I have already discussed and selected the recipient of the funds for the AL winners but we will not announce it till the winner is determined......

On the home front....Mollie continues to do well and each day I thank God for her and for that Lift and Assist harness I told you about last time. I really believe this device has been a God send and I wish at times I had had one for Ron's old Lab, Bonnie, when she'd had so much trouble walking. However, Bonnie's mobility problems were so much worse than Mollie's because Bonnie had been battling hip dysplasia and congestive heart failure for several years prior to her passing....and I have to learn not to beat myself up over the " Could have" ,"Should have" and "If only" ' s.

Zander, of course , is doing well and I have been considering some possibilities for a companion dog for him for when Mollie does make that final journey. One breed I have always liked is the French Bulldog....something about those bat ears and that wonderful smooshed-in face just gets to me . The main reason for my delay in actually adding a Frenchie is that many Rescues will not adopt to a home with cats because these little fellers can have quite a strong prey-drive where felines are concerned...and one thing I am NOT willing to do is re-home Smokie, my Siamese-mix cat just so I can have a Frenchie. I have been in communication with a show breeder that has some older, retired Champion bitches available for re-homing and since they have not been around cats this may indeed work out. I discussed this with Dr Howard ( who is himself a Frenchie owner ) and he doesn't seem to think that this would be a problem since a "eat the kitty" prey drive has not been allowed to develop...so we shall see how this goes. As I told the breeder in my introductory e-mail....time is not an issue....what I want is the RIGHT Frenchie to fit in and be a companion to Zander....and I am more than willing to wait for that RIGHT one.

If I were to name Zander's main problem...it is that of Separation Anxiety....I had noted this when he first came in as a foster and a short course of Clomicalm did help considerably...but it seemed that ( and you may remember this from Part 2 of his story )...Gramma Dog was also a very integral part of him learning to accept crating and separation from his humans. When Gramma passed away the issues came back and then some and now Zander, we have found, does not tolerate crating at all...he will break out of any wire crate made and the only crate he could not escape from was the Vari-Kennel and he would flood the crate almost every day with urine and sometimes poop. Well....this is NOT good and we then decided to clear out a spare bedroom and make this a secure kennel room for the dogs. Each dog still has it's own crate but all crates are left open and after the last potty run of the morning before I go to work the dogs are told to " Go to your bedroom" and they all herd in....lie down and I shut the door and head on into work. Ron comes home usually around 6 hours later and lets them out. This seems to work for Zander...he may indeed lie down and rest in his crate and I suspect that he does....but if he doesn't there's nothing he can get into. The floor in that room is in need of repair anyway and I hope to have that completely re-done in the Spring...possibly with Porcelain or other quarry type tile...some type of sturdy flooring that is easy to clean and resists damage from toe nails.

Jessie and Morgan, my elderly Goldens, are hanging in there. Jessie is around 12 1/2 ( we figure - she's a Rescue ) and Morgan was 13 in late July of this year. Morgan had had a problem with a recurring fluid filled cysts on her neck and I had decided to consult with Dr Howard ( Mollie and Zander's vet ) but just before we went to that consult, Morgan tore the cyst open ( we had been draining it with a sterile syringe and needle quite regularly before this ) and apparently this took care of the issue because the cyst shrank down after healing and has never come back. The initial injury certainly had me concerned as there was blood as well as the watery fluid but the area healed with no secondary infection . Morgan did enjoy her visit with Dr Howard and it certainly seems that he has a way with the older dogs so Morgan will hopefully be going back in January for another routine physical and blood work. It's always great to know that there are vets who appreciate and spend extra time taking care of our senior companions.

Now....for M and Zee's news....if you've been to the main page of my site, you will see a great new addition to our line.....the Puppy Play Pack. This came about in a rather interesting way. I was looking for a way for creatively package the treats for gift giving since the Holiday season will be on us before we know it. Having logo biscuit boxes made seems to be well out of my budget and since I insist on operating totally on on-hand funds and not to finance anything...that was a major concern. I wanted something unique as well as sturdy and one evening it came to me....Dogs like to play with Frisbees !!!! They're sturdy plastic ( US Made ) , fun for the dogs, and give us some exercise as well as that special one-on-one play and bonding time with our pets....so I found a supplier to add my new Logo to the Frisbees and there ya go.....

The Puppy Play Packs are a great gift to give when a friend or family member welcomes a new dog into their home and also a nice inclusion for those Puppy Packs that many breeders send off when placing their Show and Companion pups. Each includes an assortment of Regular or Wheat Free treats and a sturdy puppy toy...and the Logo Frisbee acts as the tray....so when the puppy finishes their, they still have 2 toys to play with and no box to throw away. For those of you who would not want the squeaky toy, let me know and I will add another package of treats in lieu of the toy....at no additional charge.

I have also been delving more into the advertising field ( again keeping in mind that I do not want to finance anything )...so I am anxiously awaiting this next copy of Newf Tide because you will now see our 1/4 page ad...letting more and more people know just how great M and Zee's Treats are.

I will also discuss with Regional Clubs on a special price for packaged ring favors for their Working Events and Specialty Shows....Newfoundland Club of New England members told me that their dogs at their recent Water test thoroughly enjoyed their cookies as a special reward for working so hard at their tests...

Now....on to the making of the post for the Newf -L Fall Challenge contest and yet another chance for you to help me decide where the prize donation will go....and the winner of the Fall Challenge will also win a Puppy Pack for their dogs.....the VERY first one to go out and I believe that with all the support you all have given me in the past months...that was the appropriate thing to do......

All of you have a great evening and please be kind to everyone you meet and remember Who to thanks for these glorious Fall days ahead.