In the midst of snow-maggedon, when many are tight on patience, sometimes we just need to pause and appreciate the cuteness in life.
And so, here is Little Man, with his heart melting look.
I hope it warms your day, even if you have mountains of snow outside your door!
Did you know that dogs can suffer from hypo-thyroid condition? Did you know that it is more common than you would think?
From the time we brought home Little Man, Big Girl seemed grumpy with him. I wrote it off to adjustment to a new puppy, who cannot help but be annoying and try the patience of a saint. But as he grew, and time passed, I found it odd that Big Girl still didn’t seem to adjust. She got along so well with our foster dog Jada, and so I was beginning to worry that she might not adjust at all.
Then one day I was walking both dogs and noticed from behind her back end looked a little, well, threadbare. Like she was losing hair. I observed her for the next week, and noticed that the skin around her neck was hard, like leather, and her breath was bad. Well, bad breath, you kind of expect that from a dog, but it was worse than it should have been. I began to pay attention to her movement, how much she slept, eating habits, coat shine and general disposition. Big Girl has been complimented on her soft and glossy black coat, sweet disposition and good naturedness, none of which she was showing an abundance of.
At the end of the week, I mentioned to my husband that something was just not right and I was going to take her in to the vet. We have a wonderful vet, who I met through the adoption of our Miss Maize, the first dog we adopted from the Humane Society after moving here. He was a veterinarian who volunteered to give the centers newly adopted pets a courtesy exam, and he has remained our vet for going on our fourth canine family member.
She and I arrived and dutifully she stepped on the scale. Holy Moly, I knew she looked a bit pudgy, but she was downright heavy! I explained to the vet that there was just something wrong with her. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but explained her symptoms and behavior. He drew blood and ran some tests, coming back with the diagnosis of Hypo-Thyroid. Her results showed no measurable sign of the right hormone. None. He gave her a prescription of a loading dose for 2 weeks, then 1 pill/day for the next month. I was to come back then, have her retested and adjust the dosage accordingly.
After one week on medication, I noticed a marked difference in her attitude. She suddenly had energy and started to tolerate Little Man. Then, slowly, her skin started to soften, her hair began to grow in, she increasingly actively played with Little Man, eventually running and playing chase. She went through a phase of skin shedding (which was annoying and a bit gross) as all that dead, hard skin sloughed off. She lost weight, and didn’t act as those she needed to eat as much. She became the dog I know her to be.
Why a post on this odd condition? Because I wonder how many people out there have dogs affected by a milder version of this condition. Dogs they have written off and resigned themselves to be crabby, lethargic, pudgy, with skin conditions. Just like with human medicine, sometimes vets can misdiagnose a condition. If your own pet shows some or all of these symptoms, I encourage you to explore the potential that they might be hypo-thyroid. My vet says this is a condition that is common in dogs. I saw my sweet baby girl go from the loving, fun and good natured, sweet heart to a dog that wanted nothing to do with Little Man or us. I have my Big Girl back, and that is a very good thing.
(Miss Mia-Big Girl-in purple. Ruger-Little Man-in red)
(my baby girl back to her old self!)
(snow fun in the sun!)
After a few hours of sleep, it was rise and shine for the main event: The SuperBowl! Dressing for the event was by itself, a challenge, as the weather and temperature forecast had been changing all week long. I packed for the predicted 30 degrees, but that morning the forecast was saying mid, to upper 40’s. I ditched the long johns and zipped the liner out of my ski coat, donned some fleece lined leggings, a thermal t-shirt and my NorthFace HeatGear half zip pullover. I had brought my Uggs, but debated if I should wear my Smartwool socks, deciding yes I would, just to err on the safe side of cold.
First up was brunch, where we met the last of our football celebrities, who entertained more Q&A’s. This morning was a delightful group: Mark Schlereth from ESPN (3 time Super Bowl winner), Derrick Brooks (newly inducted 2014 Hall of Fame), Jerry Rice, and Tony Gonzalez, who had a great repoire with each other. You could tell, they genuinely enjoyed each others company.
I’ll again be honest: since I am not a huge football follower, some of what they said was lost on me. That said, I was absolutely MESMERIZED by Tony Gonzalez! I don’t know what it was about him, his voice, or his demeanor, but he absolutely reminded me of Tom Jones! I just kept expecting “Its’ not unusual” to be belted out at any spontaneous moment! (Um, yeah, I know I’m dating myself!)
Derrick Brooks had just been inducted into the Hall of Fame, and he shared some of his personal moments and emotions as he waited to see if he made the Hall of Fame status. Mark Schlereth was a simply charming man, having repeated SuperBowl experience, and a unique perspective as an offensive lineman. Hearing about the physical toll the game took on his body, from years of defending a quarter back, was eye opening. I guess I’d just never really thought about these men who put it all out there, with the very real risk of having their careers cut short at any point in any game, nor the long term effects of that physical abuse. They addressed the concussion concerns within the sport, and the need for more research to be invested. There is real justification why sports seem to pay well upfront; the back end has a lot of health issues to contend with.
I learned that for these guys, there is no worse word in english to be called than ‘soft’. Those are fighting words. I learned that these men loved their sport, felt gratitude at being able to make a living doing what they loved. I learned that in order to succeed in their field, you needed smarts, as well as brawn or talent. I was surprised by this general feeling throughout the weekend. All these men were smart, humble in person (I cannot attest for their TV or field personalities, this is my personal observation in a small setting), passionate, and grateful for their success and achievements. I found my own appreciation for the humanity behind the game growing. The press loves a good scandal and over the top bad boy behavior. These are the ones the public hears about, making news for their outrageous antics, casting a negative taint over the whole sport. I have a feeling, more of the players are good, down to earth, likable people, like the ones we met.
(M trying on Mark Schlereth’s SuperBowl ring, it was HUGE!)
The brunch was wrapped up and then it was off to the official Superbowl Tailgater. I have 2 words to say about it: Hot & Overwhelming! We were in the Meadowlands Racing track facility, which was next to the stadium and holy cow: IT. WAS. HOT. They had a coat check, so we left our coats to pick up later, but with everyone dressed for the outdoor game, and the looming dark sky potentially bringing either rain or snow, that place should have been air-conditioned to a reasonable temperature! I was grateful my HeatGear is designed with wicking properties, otherwise i’d be drenched like some of those poor servers, who were dripping in their polyester shirts, vest and ties! There were 3 floors filled with various food stands, bars and music, crammed in to every nook an cranny of the building. There was a ‘main stage’ area, and we watched some of Philip Philips play.
Flanking either side of the stadium were giant tents, one dedicated to the Seahawks, one to the Broncos. We were smart to start at level one, breeze through, then move to the upper levels quickly before the rest of the crowd had arrived. By the time we were done with the top level, the timing was perfect to head back to the main level and hang out in the team tents (which had better bars anyway) where it was much cooler, with the live concert music blasting through the doorway.
From the tailgate, we walked over to the stadium…us, and a mass of humanity moving the same direction. We found our seats, opened up the goodie bags attached to the seat cushions and settled ourselves in for the game. It was expected to be a nail biter, with the best defense playing the best offense. In all the Q & A’s, the general consensus (with the exception of Derrick Brooks who favored the Seahawks) was that the Broncos would (because of Manning and general team experience) beat out the Seahawks by a narrow 24:22. What I think no one, and I mean NO ONE, expected was the blowout that ensued. Since I was rooting for the Squawks, I had fun, as did these guys!
For the number of Broncos fans who surrounded us, well, let’s just say they had a less than enjoyable experience. Halftime was, meh. The acoustics were not the best in an open air stadium but the fireworks were amazing! Bruno Mars reminded me of really great MoTown sound and feel, but the Chili Peppers?? Seriously, put on a shirt man! You are at the SuperBowl, live, with millions of families and small children watching! I found it tacky, in poor taste and boring repetitive music. For the love of pete, even Mick Jagger had the decency to wear a shirt that covered his chest. To show up half naked, prancing about, is just insulting to the audience. (I know some love the Chili Peppers, and to each his/her own. It was the attire, or lack thereof, I have a problem with)
After a GREAT game, (for me anyway!) it was back to the hotel for a lovely little late night hors d’ouvres bar and fun play by play banter with Broncos fans! Alas, all good things come to and end, and after a long, fun filled day, it was off to bed with real life to face the following morning.
Wrapping up the entire event, I left with an appreciation for a sport that I did not have entering. It has reminded me not to be judging of a the many, based on the actions of a few. It reminded me that there are real human beings behind the faces we see on TV. I was reminded these are men who have wives, children, parents, siblings, just like the rest of us. These are men who have, with talent and a bit of grace, been able to rise and achieve success, through discipline, hard work, and perseverance. I think our current culture of entitlement and instant gratification has a lot to learn from these men and their sport. I know that I was blessed to be able to attend this event and meet these individuals, but I didn’t expect to be so moved, motivated and inspired. But I was, and I am. It’s awesome when life throws you a curve ball, or should I say – a Safety?
Rockin the Mom Role 