Welcome!
Shaping Chaos is my blog about dog training and health. It is an outlet I have created for myself, where I can write about my experiences, my joys and frustrations, my successes and failures, in trying to help my dogs ‘be all that they can be’. Most of the entries will be focused on my undertakings with the three dogs I have currently: Hannah, Ross and Mira, pictured above in that order.
My adventures in dogs started in 1989 with a Border Collie named Jake. Jake was my best friend and constant companion for nearly 14 years. We did everything together, including extensive travel and exploration of North America. We also did a lot of training together, although I didn’t discover dog sports until he was 10, and too old to start.
(Forever watching over me)
By 10, Jake was showing signs of the disease that would eventually kill him 3.5 years later – kidney failure. Undiagnosed at that time, I still knew something was wrong. Vets ignored my uneducated intuitive guesses, but his poor health launched me on the path I am still following. Trying to save Jake taught me the importance of proper nutrition, of eliminating toxic substances from their bodies and environment, and the incredible healing powers of holistic medicine in chronic disease.
Jake died in 2003. Since then, I have adopted three new dogs, and have fostered a couple of dozen others. Each has taught me a little more about health and training, as well as the importance of combining the two for real progress.
Today I am a devoted advocate of homeopathy, natural rearing and positive training methods. I am involved competitively in sheep herding and agility, as well as have fun with obedience, Rally-O, tracking and Search and Rescue. I even have dabbled a little in musical freestyle! I will discuss each in my entries as a way of documenting what I have learned, and what I still have to learn. The former, of course is only the very tip of the iceberg of the latter.
G-d bless you for writing this article. Whether or not people agree with the reasons (ie those that scoff at homeopathy or the idea of vaccinosis),just the stress factor and the adverse effect on the immune system is enough reason for me to wish the shelters would LAY OFF! Yes,they are trying to prevent outbreaks at the facilities ,but that has more to do with hygiene and air control and overcrowding of dogs with compromised immune sysytems.The vaccines are unneeded in the vast majority of dogs.(ie a totally unvaccinated dog is rare). In order to adopt a dog out, we must give a rabies shot because of course the dog we don’t will nip someone,but I do not vaccinate my own dogs against rabies after a certain age and certainly no more than every three years when younger .
I do rescue and many of our dogs come from shelters where they must be “vetted” before we take them. We try to at least get them before they are neutered where possible so they can at least have a time out for that. I also understand the time factor but I wish that with owner turn-ins the shelter could at least ask for vet records or contact the vet to see what the dog had already,but that would take too much (wo)manpower. It’s odd that the worst shelters that do nothing to their dogs are in a way doing them the biggest favor (except for the dog with a broken leg which sits untreated for day)
Sadly, we have to give at least a DHP if the dog has no record of same altho we try not to vaccinate older dogs. When owners give dogs to us we have to stop them from”bringing their shots up to date”.We sometimes will do titers but that’s expensive .
I applaud your ability to connect post-polio syndrome to chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. These three illness overlap a great deal as they do with Gulf War syndrome and other auto-immune diseases. They are approached as separate entities altho can co-exist and share in the same treatment modalities;I hope that continued research will shed new light.
Re the signs of rabies and the similarity to other behavioral conditions,these are indeed symptoms of an irritated brain;ask someone with classic migraine. Whether the behaviors are the result of the vaccines or not (ie a low grade case of rabies per se) the fact that these behaviors have a common source is important. Tellington Touch is another modality that addresses the hyperstimulated brain and tries to address the situation via tactile reprogamming of the neural circuits.
One day,people will listen. I look at my elderly dog and shake my head thinking of all the problems he might have escaped had I not so diligently “cared” for him with repeated vaccines. Well, live and learn.
I like your forthrightness, something sorely missing in too many. It seems we have interests in common, especially a realistic affinity with our carnivore companions, and, it seems, a respect for all life forms. I lean more towards a natural order outlook, not having much faith in mankind’s cognitive manifestations, but I respect those that at least understand the concept of doing no undo harm
) Of course, if you’ve seen my more recent journal, you already know all that.
I picked up on your site from Michelle’s, and I’m glad I did. Keep up the good work and interesting life
)
My best to you and yours,
(and give the dogs a hug for me)
Lee C
“Life is a journey of adventure and understanding, traveled along the slippery slope of self gratification.” — ;o)
Lee – thanks for taking the time to read my blog and post your comments! Cheers
Hello – we have a lot in common – border collies, positive training methods, homeopathy and blogging about it! My dog Dasher (a rescued BC mix, actually) has been diagnosed with vaccinosis. Sigh –
I would like to add your blog to my blogroll, if you don’t mind. I’ve just cancelled my type pad account
(600 +posts!) and have started all over again with WordPress. My site is http://www.bethlowell.com.
Cheers!
Hi Beth – thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog and by all means, please feel free to add me to your blogroll! I look forward to reading your blog as you rebuild. I’m particularly interested in learning more about reiki. I’m sorry you’ve lost all those posts. One of the reasons I chose WordPress is because it allows you to transfer your posts should you wish to change platforms. Hopefully you won’t lose any more info!
By the way, I was delighted to discover the link to Particia McConnell’s blog on your blogroll. I love her books and am excited to read her blog.
Hi,
You have a very interesting blog.
Could you please tell me who you are and your background.
Hi Wayne – Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I checked out your website and see that your veterinary clinic is exploring options around vaccinating. I commend you for this! Minimizing the drugs and chemicals our pets are exposed to is essential in maintaining their good health.
To answer your question – I am a concerned pet owner who has done extensive research on issues related to the health of my animals. I am an academic with a strong background in the life sciences.
Reading your site postings about rear leg paralysis in dogs and its possible link to rabies vaccinations was interesting, as a neighbor just lost a rather young beagle to a strange series of events that culminated in rear leg paralysis, resolved temporarily with prednisone, then suddenly reappearing, and the poor dog died the next day. I will check on when he was vaccinated last. Merial makes a rabies vaccine that has no adjuvants (preservatives). I am involved in a rabies vaccine study for wolves right now, and can tell you I insisted no preservatives/adjuvants be included in the oral vaccine we were using. I believe you will find the true culprit in the adjuvants, just like in human vaccinations. It is well known how they activate the brain’s own immuno- responses, and how that leads to disastrous results in many, both human and animal. The fact that Merial decided to create a preservative free vaccine for rabies, I believe, not only shows there must be a lot of evidence to support the problems with the adjuvants, but also speaks highly for them to go to that expense (extreme expense) to effect this change. If you are therefore going to vaccinate against rabies, insist on their brand that has no preservative. Interesting site, thanks.