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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Scentsy! Your purchase will help us RESCUE and prevent Tail fires!

Going away to Veterinary School was a big move for me.   I had gone "away" to undergrad but was only an hour and forty five minutes away from home at any given time.
I coped with this separation by calling home routinely, twice a week. My Mom was always glad to hear from me, but when the conversation started getting too long, she would say, "Ok, that's enough." This was before the cell phone era (ok, I am dating myself), so each minute on the phone was a billed minute. Mom figured one minute less on the phone, was money put towards my education.

One night I was talking with my Mom on the phone. The only phone we had was in the kitchen. It was a rotary phone that was physically attached to the wall (again, dating myself). You were tethered to it by one of those curly springy cords connecting the handset to the base and you were very limited by the two foot cord in the distance you could travel while speaking.  This shortened any lengthy conversation a teenager might have because there was no privacy, and you had to sit down on a stool that was certainly not meant for long term use.  Again, no cell phones.


Mom stopped me in the midst of our conversation that evening by stating, "Hold on a minute, the cat's tail is on fire."

There was no panic in her voice. There was no urgency in the "matter of fact" statement at all. I hear the phone's hand set being placed down on the counter. Meanwhile, I am on the other end of the phone panicking!

"Mom?! What do mean on fire??? MOM?!!!!"

A few moments later, she calmy returns to the phone. "It's okay, I put it out." she says flatly,  and proceeds to continue with the previous conversation. Meanwhile, my heartrate is up, I am panting, and my eyes are widely dilated!  My mind is in a frenzy.

Mom had lit a scented candle on the center of the stove, part of her evening ritual. Oreo, our longhair tuxedo cat, had pounced onto the counter and proceeded onto the stove to investigate Mom's supper which was still in a pan on the stove. During the cat's investigation, her tail spent a moment too long hovering over the lit candle, and it quickly burst into flame. The cat was completely unaware of the danger it was in.

Mom noticed the flame, walked over, picked up the cat, carried her over to the faucet, and doused that tail under a cool stream of water before any harm was done. The cat was safe, and was more upset about the wet tail than the burning tail 

The funniest part was my mother's calmness during and after what could have been a disaster! What if the cat ran and spread the fire throughout the house?   The possibility of damage to the cat, to the house, and potentially to my Mom is very sobering.

While I love scented candles for the fragrances they provide, I dislike the potential for danger that escorts them into the house. With pets, children, and my swiss cheese memory, I worry about the risks of the candles getting knocked over or being forgotten and left to burn when no one is home. I also happen to be married to a man who blows the candles out as fast as I can light them. He worries about soot stains developing on the ceiling. Each time he blows them out, he declares "The wick is too long! The wick is too long!" like Paul Revere declaring that the Red Coats are coming during his Midnight Ride.

Recently, a friend and volunteer pet foster mom, approached me about a new product, Scentsy flameless candles. Scentsy Warmers use a low-watt bulb to melt scented wax slowly.  With no flame, soot, smoke or lead to worry about, the Scentsy system is a safe way to produce a pleasantly smelling environment.

The scents are fragrant and there are so many that everyone can find a favorite. If your child sticks their fingers into the melted wax, it is completely safe. It does not burn the skin. It is comparable in temperature to a paraffin wax dip. Warm but not dangerous. If your furry feline knocks the unit over, there is no flame to spread. The Scentsy burners are much more attractive than a half burned soot filled jar-o-candle.

I can finally have a nice scent emanating throughout the house without the fear of letting it burn too long or unsupervised. The Scentsy plug-in has taken the place of our night light in the hall. It provides plenty of light for the stairwell and we awaken to the scent of our preference each morning. I am so enamoured with this product that our South Hamilton Animal Alliance is having a fundraiser with our local Scentsy representative.

From now until September 30, we are holding a Scentsy products fundraiser. You can view the products at https://judebeme.scentsy.us/Home . When you arrive at this page, you will see a little box in the upper right hand corner labeled "My Open Parties". Scroll through them to find the "South Hamilton Animal Alliance Fundraiser" then click on "Buy from Party". You can then view the products, with styles that represent everything from animals to sports, contemporary to vintage, classic to country. If you already own a Scentsy burner, stop in and order a few new scents! The burners make wonderful gifts for showers, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and there is something to suit everyone's taste.   

With each purchase, you will help The South Hamilton Animal Alliance to provide shelter and medical care for our animals in need, as well as make your home a safer place for your family, furry and otherwise. If you order online, your order will be shipped directly to your shipping address, and the South Hamilton Animal Alliance will be credited for the sale.

You can visit our adoptable animals at http://www.jewellanimalhospital.petfinder.com/ . If you cannot find a Scentsy product that suits you, hopefully you will find a furry friend that will...






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Thursday, August 18, 2011

Mommy! Look! Mommy! LOOK!!!

We were at the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday.  I was on the phone talking to a pediatrician about a cat bite case that led to a rabies quarantine, when my son started yelling, "Mommy! Look! Mommy! LOOK!!!"  As I turn around expecting to see some crazy fair ride or giant deep fried snack that he is excited about, I see that he is jumping up and down pointing at a soldier in full camouflage military fatigues.  Then Miranda joins in, "Look Mom!" with an excited smile on her face. 

The soldier is only about three feet from Connor, so he was fully aware of my kids' exhuberant reaction as he walked by.  Being preoccupied with the seriousness of the phone conversation, I was unable to apologize for my kids making such a scene.

To my surprise, rather than continuing to walk by the two crazy kids, the soldier stops and looks at Miranda and Connor.  He stoops down, reaches into his camouflage pocket (I couldn't see it), and says "I have something for you guys." 

He pulls out what would be comparable to a baseball card, but one for soldiers.  His photo, taken in Afghanistan, is on the front, and his information including name and deployment history is on the back.  I wished I had not been on the phone when this happened, because I would have loved to have spoken with him and thanked him for his service.  I would have loved to have taken my kids' photo with him, but I am not sure I would have thought to take one at that very moment, even if I had not been on the phone.

After a brief conversation with them, the details of which I am unaware, he stands up, points at the kids, and says, "You guys take care."  I cupped my hand over the mouthpiece of the phone, and said strongly, "You too," hoping he heard both the concern and the respect in my voice.  I cried as he walked away.  Yep.  I did. 

I placed that soldier's card on the mirror above each of my kid's dressers.

I must admit I was surprised by Connor's reaction to the soldier, unsure of what prompted his excitement.  After thinking about it, I think I may have an idea from where the excitement originated.

When my father turned 18, our country was involved in World War II.  Years earlier, his mother had moved from England to the US around the time of WWI, sometime between 1914-1916.  His father remained in England to serve his country, and joined her in the US after his service in the Royal Armed Forces was complete.  

By the time my father was old enough to enlist, he did, enthusiastically.  He enlisted in the US Navy, and completed boot camp.  By the time he was ready for active duty, the war was officially over. While never doing active duty during wartime, his bravery showed in the choice he made to serve during wartime.  This choice is the source of my deepest admiration for my father. 



I remember noticing my father at parades when I was younger,  Every time a veteran's group walked by, whether they were marching, playing instruments, or riding,  he would remove his hat out of respect, hold it up in the air, and say "Thank you" to the veterans as they walked by him.  If the Star Spangled Banner was playing, my Dad's hand was over his heart, and he was singing with tears in his eyes.  I am not sure if any of the veterans noticed my father amidst the crowds of people present at the parades, nevertheless, he showed his respect, and I noticed, even if no one else did.

I always feel a deep admiration for soldiers when I see them.  Whether you agree with the political reasons behind a troop's deployment or not, you must have respect for the person.  You must have respect for the person willing to put their life on the line for what they believe in; a person willing to leave the people they love for months or years at a time for the country and people they love.  I don't usually approach the soldiers I see, but I have pointed soldiers out to my kids, explaining to them who they were and what their uniforms indicated regarding their choice of service.

So, perhaps this is where my son's excitement about seeing a soldier came from?   Perhaps he senses my respect when I see a soldier.  My father passed away a few years ago, but he would have been proud of Connor's reaction to the soldier that day.

OH SHOOT!!! 

I just thought of something. 

Perhaps Connor's reaction to the soldier stems from something else.

Perhaps it stems from the movie "Transformers"...the good soldiers vs the evil alien robots?









Na.  I am going to go with the pride and respect thing.  Transformers or not, soldiers are heroes.

Thanks Dad!


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