Dire Straights

Let's face it, things are becoming dire. 

During these desperate times its easy to fall into the black hole that is depression. The way I look at it we have a choice: fall into the black hole or step back and decide not to jump head first. How about we decide to take a deep breath and tap into all our strength and courage? Resiliency is needed, because we are all resilient and sometimes we surprise ourselves with what we are capable of. 

Me? The health and well being of my family is what keeps me going these days. That's what's important. So today, I'm going to tap into my resolve and enjoy the little things that make me happy. 

• FaceTime chats with my friends and family make me happy. 
• Group text messages with my entire extended family, sharing photos and checking in makes me happy. 
• Family dinners, enjoyed together makes me happy. 
• A cocktail after a stressful day makes me happy. Thank God for liquor.
• The 2 shamrock plants that sit on my counter top that I bought for St. Patty's Day make me happy.  
• A vigorous daily workout makes me happy. (but not while I am doing it)
• All of those hilarious videos of "Corona Compilations" that talented, bored people are putting out make me happy. 
• A hike in the woods and walking the dog make me happy.
• Netflix makes me happy. 
• The daily jokes my friend tells on Facebook makes me happy.
• People that are home-making masks for the first responders who so desperately need them, even though some vigilantly say they they are not safe? Ask the professionals who sometimes have no other choice, their efforts make me happy. 
• Even doing the laundry makes me happy and gives me a sense of purpose. 

We all need a sense of purpose. So hold on tight everyone! Stay home and stay healthy and pray for those who are the sickest and offer your support. It's all we can do. Be grateful if you are healthy and follow the guidelines to stay that way.

This too shall pass, God willing, and trust that the powers that be are trying to help us out of this mess the pandemic has created. 

It's a better choice than succumbing to dire straights.

Dog Days Of Summer

You're either a dog or a cat person. I'm not a cat person, so the doggies are King today on the Daily Dandy!
Some of these are literally LOL worthy!

I miss my little pug Jingles....

I see this just about every morning from Buddy...

Tell me about it baby...

Grandpa doggie wisdom.

If this ever happens to me, I'm not asking questions.

Ohhh boy they are getting creative!

Seen this before..more than I care to remember. 

Now that's funny...

This one reminded me of Frick and Frack...I wonder why?

I couldn't resist this one...

Love this one!

Somedays I feel like Buddy is looking at me this way.

Happy Tuesday Bloggers! Enjoy the dog days of summer while you can!

Boston You're My Home

Recently my new favorite TV pastime has been Netflix. My favorite is "House of Cards" starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. Juicy, edgy, evil and down right horrid is the best way to describe Kevin Spacey's "Frank Underwood" character. During the Academy Awards telecast on Sunday, Spacey came out to present an award in character. He began his speech in his best 'Frank Underwood', much to the crowd's delight.

I had mentioned to my BFF that I loved Spacey and the Netflix series and the next day she sent me this:

Cuddles and love to Kevin and Boston! You are much more the man than Frank Underwood could ever be.

Pug Pretty

It's times like these that make me miss my baby girl Jingles: Happy Haloween Jingles.

My baby girl Frankenjingle

These are her furry counterparts:

Pugkin Latte

Wrecking Ball Pug

Chia Pug

Baked Pugtato

AstroPug

Marilyn Pugroe

Puggie The Riveter

The Little Pugmaid

Lord of the Pugs

Deep Sea Diver Pug

Puganna

Bjork Swan Dress Pug

Yoda Pug

Tin Pug

Spock Pug

Darth Pug

Case O' Pug

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattbellassai/costumes-that-prove-pugs-always-win-at-halloween

Golden Moments

So, I literally just saw this on TV, and I hardly wiped the tear from my eye when I ran here to tell you about it.

See that gorgeous Golden Retriever there? That awesome animal is part of a wonderful organization called K9 Comfort Dogs. A charitable organization run by the Lutheran Church, K9 Comfort dogs are a group of 60 dogs whose sole purpose is to be pet and provide comfort to those in need. These trained service dogs are providing the country with a whole lot more than comfort. 

Since the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary shootings, Maggie, a K-9 Comfort dog has been serving at the Sandy Hook Elementary School everyday since the deadly shootings. Tim Hetzner, President of the Lutheran Church Charities, says the dogs are sometimes better than a grief counselor. 

"Some people hold onto the dog for five minutes or more because that's what they need," Hetzner said. "It depends on the person and what they're going through."


Soon, Hetzner said, the people begin speaking to the dogs. 

"They tell the dog the story of what happened," Hetzner said. "Dogs are great listeners…. They can sense when someone is struggling."


Those fantastic K9's jetted to Boston the day after the Marathon bombings and laid on the bricks just outside the First Lutheran Church on Berkley Street to provide hugs for those in mourning. Studies have shown that just petting a dog can decrease a patient's stress. 


"Being around dogs helps decrease patients' stress by prompting the release of oxytocin, which is the hormone that bonds mothers to babies. Studies have shown that patients who are around dogs have increased levels of dopamine -- the "happy" neurotransmitter that helps relieve depression – as well as endorphins and adrenaline."

I agree. 

And there's no better way to take away the pain, if just for a brief moment, by hugging or petting a loving animal. I think the world could use a little K-9 Comfort. Don't you?

Talking Sh*t

Editorial Discalimer

I want to begin today's blog post with the disclaimer. Today's post is literally

about fecal matter. If you are of the faint of heart please leave now and except my sincerest apologies. Please come back tomorrow when I'm talking about something frivolous like celebrities, nose jobs or boobs. Thank you.

Can we talk? Or the question is can we talk sh*t? 

I got to tell someone because I'm about to blow. I've got to confess that my dog has a shi*ty problem Or a shi*ting problem. Whatever you want to call it driving my family and I bonkers.

My dog is old. Probably about 13 to 14 years, we are not quite sure because he was a pound dog. About six months ago he started pooping on the kitchen floor, upstairs in the hallway and several other places in my house at night. We would let him out 1030 or 11 o'clock at night to make sure he was doing what he needed to do before bed. Sure enough, the next morning there was a package lovingly left somewhere in the house. It's gotten to the point that there are gates cordoning off almost all of the house that the dog is allowed to be in.

Now I know you're saying to yourself, "Haven't you taken him to the vet?" Of course we took him to the vet. We have changed his diet at least six or  seven times in the last six months, yet every night the dog manages to find his spot. The vet has diagnosed him with "hyper diarrhea". I like call it night shi*ting. You've heard of night eating? I think he has night shit*ing. For the last month he has been on probiotics and an anti-diarrheal medication. He takes half an antidiarrheal pill and a pill probiotic with his dinner.

I guess I can be frank here. Since medication, I can report that his fecal specimens have been firmer and better shaped, therefore much easier to clean the package off of the kitchen floor. Thank God for the bulk pack of Clorox antibacterial sanitary wipes at Costco. I might have a nervous breakdown without such a tool to clean up this daily occurrence. And I'm going through them about as quick as anything the dog eats and then goes through him. 

And its not getting any better. We are about to see the vet again for possibly the 5th time since this started and I'm beside myself with the prospect of getting up in the morning to face what awaits me. And here's the thing, this is not about me, it's about him and his health. The vet says his weight is fine and he does not seem to be suffering any ill effects from the chronic pooping. That is good, but WE are suffering from the amount of work and unsanitary aspect of this entire shi*ty situation.

I guess what it all comes down to is love. 

Love is a funny thing, because it makes you do things you would normally never do. Cleaning up dog poop daily is not the way I foresaw my dog living out his golden years, but if this is what I've got then this is what I've got. Like it or not, I love that dog more than I love his problem. So I trudge on, like a trooper hoarding Clorox wipes and supermarket bags to dispose of the problem and hope for the best. Tough sh*it, right?

Maybe it's psychological? But I draw the line at a doggie shrink because if this continues, I'm the only one who's going to need a shrink. 

A Bunch Of Crap I Could Have Written Full Posts About But Didn't

• I fell asleep during the debates last night. What the hell is wrong with me? Shouldn't have had that second glass of wine;). Heard it was a sleeper anyway. Romney made Obama look like a little girly man and that was early on, from what I saw. What's your take on last night's debate? Did it change your vote?

• The Red Sox (I can't believe I'm going here) are done for the season. Stick the long awaited fork in them, FINALLY. You haven't heard much about them this season at The Daily Dandy, and there's good reason for that. They truly sucked. I don't think I have watched a full game since late July. The calls for Sox manager Bobby Valentine's head have been heard loud and clear, especially today. If I were him, I'd be looking for a quick way outta town. (if he hasn't left already)

• For all you dog lovers out there, check out this story: "Susie" a cute, white, female poodle mix, was hit by a car in Taunton, MA and immediately became wedged in the front grill of the car. The driver, unaware that he had struck a dog, continued driving for another 11 miles. He even crossed state lines into Rhode Island with Susie still stuck in the front grill. When the driver became aware that the dog was stuck, he drove to the nearest police station and the dog was immediately removed. Unbelievably, the dog sustained a concussion and  only minor injuries. Susie was recently reunited with her owner. I gotta ask, how do you not know that you've struck a dog with your car?

• I love this best of all....This is Carter, who uses a wheelchair. His dad made him this for Halloween:

A Dog's Life

So I'm back from the big city. I spent a whooping 24 hours there, but it was well worth it. While enjoying the fabulous company of my BFF, we took a leisurely stroll through her neighborhood on what was a splendidly perfect NYC summer evening. Besides all the sights to see in New York, (and believe me there are many) I was taken by how many dogs of all shapes and sizes there were around the streets.

It seemed at every turn, there was a really cute, little face, panting and prodding for my attention. And I'm a sucker for a cute face. And while I walked by the majority with a smile, I must have stopped and patted at least 5 or 6.

New York is very dog accommodating. I even saw several leashed dogs enjoying a spot at an outdoor cafe of a restaurant. No one cared. It was all quite normal, even. It would seem to me that dogs live a good life in the city. Here in the burbs, it's very rare you see a dog in a restaurant, and even then, the dog is in a bag and tucked somewhat lovingly away. But not in New York. Dogs rule the streets.

We saw this guy a few times, with two different people, which means the dog probably has his own staff. On my last trip to the city, I saw a special dog park, complete with doggie sprinklers and cork floors, all for that special little pampered New York City pooch. And if that's not enough, there are doggie day care places and doggie spa's on almost every block in New York. It's big business in a city that is small on space. Henri Bendel, the chic, extremely upscale New York department store has one of the nicest doggie boutique's I have ever seen. The fashions, the accessories, the dishes and bedding is enough to make a young child jealous and your pooch the envy of every other dog in town.

Yes, it must be a dog's life for a New York City dog. They are respected on the streets and enjoy the sites of the city. Who's to say that a dog needs lots of acres to be happy. It seemed to me that these pooches had the best of both worlds. Let's not forget Central Park, for when the country is calling.

And there's always the Hampton's....