Daisy Delight Susann King RN

Daisy Delight

Susann King RN (Ret) - Belvidere, VT

Have you ever wanted a dog so much it made you cry? Well, in the fall of 2015, that is how I felt. Our rescue dog Niki of 15 years had died, 2 years before. Due to us making a move from NC to VT, my husband was determined that we wait until we were settled. It would be just too stressful on a dog. So in Oct. 2015, we were in FL. for the winter-we are snowbirds. Peter had made me promise that I would not bring a dog home without him 1st meeting it. So, one day I drove to the Sebring, Fl. Humane Society to look at dogs. I first walked to the outside pens and saw so many sad BIG dogs.

A small dog was best for traveling. Then I went into the main building. Oh my, in the middle of this huge room was a plastic pen with 3 tiny Chihuahua mix pups playing. Donna walked over & said that these 3 sisters had been left in a cardboard box at their gate. At that time they were only one month old. She and other gals had raised them and since they had been “fixed”, they were ready to go now at 3 months. The biggest was spoken for by one of the gals that raised her. The smallest was a real runt. The middle pup came running over & wanted me!. Boy, I wanted her. But remembering what I had promised my husband, I said we’d be back at 9 am when they opened.

The next morning we were the first in the door. I walked over to the pen and picked up “middle” pup and handed her to Peter. He was smitten. He said, “ You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Then he said, “ what if she doesn’t get any bigger than 4 #s?”. I answered, “ We’re just going to love her!”

So, papers signed off we went to the pet store to get equipped. I decided to sleep with her in the spare bedroom, in case I had to get up with her in the night. Well, ‘get up’ was an understatement! About 2 hours after Daisy was tucked into her new round bed, beside me in the bed, I awoke to her scratching furiously. I turned a light on and what did I see--FLEAS!. Lots of them, in the bed with me also. I knew she was too young to take the flea meds, so I picked her up & we made a dash to the shower. We both got a good scrub with Dawn liquid detergent. I had used this trick before with an outside dog. Then I had to strip the bedding & wash it in HOT water. All the commotion woke Peter up. He just shook his head when I told him the story, and went back to bed.

Now, it’s 2021, Daisy is a delight. Wellbehaved, smart & travels well. Sort of, I must add. I had fixed her a bed on the back seat & had her strapped in, in case of emergency braking. But, she hated it back there. She cried so much I had to unclip her & sit her on my lap. She loved that--looking out the windows -but not safe. So, I had to buy a padded bike basket that I tied down in front between us & a tie-down strap for her protection. That worked great until she saw a cow near the road. What a commotion !--we had to stop & held her up to meet that cow! As we often take slow drives on the pretty back roads of Vt., now we often have to stop for cows. Ya, she’s spoiled--but so am I.

Pets Need Clean Air Too!

Heather Brouillard, Community Self-Management Coordinator - Rutland Regional Medical Center

It is well-known that smoking cig- exposed. Secondhand and thirdhand smoke behind is still somewhat unknown. But arettes and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) cause damage to nearly every organ in the body. Smoking remains the leading cause of death in the United States and is responsible for 480,000 deaths per year, including 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. But did you know that secondhand and thirdhand smoke has just as detrimental an effect on pets? Each year, 58 million non-smoking Americans are exposed to secondhand smoke. If that many humans are affected, imagine the number of pets exposure is unsafe at any level. Secondhand smoke is from both the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke exhaled from your mouth. The effects of secondhand smoke have been studied for many years and most are aware of the dangers. However, thirdhand smoke is a newer concept that may be unknown to some. Thirdhand smoke is the residue left on surfaces, clothing, and even pet fur by cigarettes and ENDS products. When talking about ENDS products, the content of the chemical residue left what is known about the chemical compounds left behind is cause for concern. The aerosols produced by ENDS products may produce higher levels of nicotine and other toxic chemicals as compared to combustible cigarettes. Additionally, thirdhand smoke is nearly impossible to clean. Studies have shown that thirdhand smoke can still be present in the dust and on surfaces for months. So how does this affect your pets? Nicotine and other chemicals from secondhand and thirdhand smoke can have