Pet Safety Tips for the Fourth of July
Always keep you dogs and cats inside when fireworks are going off to avoid their nature to find a safe haven. Make certain your pets are walked prior to fireworks going off, close all windows and doors. Draw the curtains. Ensure your pets are wearing ID tags, even if in the house, as many animals are expert escape artists. Never leave your dog alone in a vehicle during the celebrations.
You can also prepare a den for your pets inside the house with blankets and pillows in a location they will feel safe. There are thunder shirts you can buy for your dog that relieve the stress of thunderstorms and I’m told fireworks too.
As far as our pet box turtle, Sammie, she 51 years old, but the fireworks don’t seem to bother her. Since a lot of what she feels come from vibrations though out her world, we make sure she has a den in her house with overhead logs to feel safe. She has lots of experience with this holiday, so she handles it just fine.
From time to time we escape the city and take everyone with us for a nice quite mountain Fourth of July. Still we see all the fireworks from afar. But they can’t be heard or felt. a win win for all.
Pet Safety Tips – Now let’s talk a bit about companion parrots who have to endure this noisy holiday too.
Let me give you an example. Taco and I sit outside in the sunroom every evening after I’ve finished writing for the day during spring, summer, and fall. Over the past week (end of June first of July) the boom of fireworks are prevalent from early revelers. Taco is normally a fearless Eclectus. She’s learned the outside hawks can’t get to her through the glass of the sunroom. Thunder and lightning doesn’t bother her either, she’s been conditioned from an early age to understand there is nothing to fear. Now softball size hail falling is another story and a tale for another time. But, the sudden, unexplained noise from the fireworks has her flying off her perch and cowering on my shoulder. So we have to go inside during this time. Boo Hiss.
First we need to remember pet birds (unlike dogs and cats) are prey animals. They have evolved with their eyes on the side of their head, to enable them to spend long periods of their life looking over their shoulder. Some birds can even see better behind them than in front of them.
By nature, birds are neophobic, meaning they naturally want to retreat and avoid anything unfamiliar. By perceiving a new object or sound as a potential threat until proven otherwise, they increase their chances that they won’t end up as someone’s dinner!
This means birds and Parrots are constantly evaluating their environment and can become stressed much more easily than you may think.
Let’s consider some ways to help our pet birds and Parrot reduce the amount of stress, anxiety and fear they suffer with the loud booms, and sudden light displays.
Pet Safety Tips – Suggestions for birds in the home…
Alternatively, cover any windows with blankets, to block out those sudden burst of light.
Covering the bird’s cage with a thick blanket can help muffle any loud noises, plus it helps make the bird feel more secure.
The use of white noise machines or having the TV or radio on a little louder than normal can help drown out the sudden noise of fireworks.
Please note, noise isn’t normally the problem, as Parrots are noisy by themselves, but the sudden sound of an unknown loud noise is what frightens them.
If bird(s) don’t live in a cage it may be wise to utilize a travel cage. Even Parrots who have had their wings clipped have been known to fly off when scared which could cause injury!
Some pet bird owners have been known to play recordings of random noise, including those of fireworks to their birds – be it in the home or those outside in an aviary before firework season begins. The idea is that they eventually learn that unknown noises won’t harm them.
After the celebrations are over, make sure to check your yard any pick up any debris from the spent fireworks or maybe those that didn’t go off. These are harmful to your pet should they chew or ingest these items!
Most importantly in keeping pets safe: NEVER TAKE YOUR PET TO A FIREWORKS DISPLAY!
The American Veterinary Medical Association and AKC have more safety tips. Check them out. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!
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Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged fourth of July, Safety tips for pets, Tips for Dogs, Tips for parrots, tips for turtles by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
Olympic Doping Scandal – AGAIN – Can You Believe It?
Olympic doping scandal – Again! Well, I was forced to grab my soapbox from under the bed, dust it off, and take a stand. I’m not sure which infuriated me more, the fact that some of the 2022 Winter Olympic hard-working athletes will not get a medal ceremony moment, acknowledgment for their accomplishments or because Russia dopes (15-year-old skater) again and got away with it for now. WHY? Because the International Olympic Committee and a hastily assembled CAS panel will permit Kamila Valieva to compete on the ice. I don’t care that she is only 15 years old. SHE tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned heart medication. Does Valieva have a heart condition none of us was aware of? Odds are against that thought. Why would she take it? TMZ is thought to give endurance athletes a boost because it may help the heart work more efficiently, enhances the body’s ability to utilize oxygen under stress. In other words, the drug may give the athlete a performance enhancing edge making the difference between a gold over silver or bronze performance Or not placing at all.
Which brings up another question in my mind. Are Russia’s athletes so sub-par that they can’t compete on a level playing field and win medals without doping?
Changes are needed. According to the WADA doping code, athletes under the age of 16 years receive special consideration, because it’s probably the adults in the room who are to blame if something illicit winds up in their young bodies. This may be why Russia’s latest blatant violation of the doping rules involves a minor. They knew what they were doing and of the outcome.
However, the CAS committee in Beijing ruled Monday — Vaileva, as a “protected athlete” by virtue of her age, would suffer “irreparable harm” if she was not allowed to compete. What about the “Irreparable harm” to the other women skaters that played by the rules, passed their drug tests, and spent most of their lives chasing their Olympics dreams, yet, will not get to stand atop the podium because Russia chose to dope a 15-year-old “phenom” favored to add to their gold medal count. Knowing if they got caught AGAIN, she was a protected individual. If Valieva is such a “phenom” why did she need to dope? Food for thought.
All this may have been avoided if the Olympic Committee had taken a strong “no doping” stand back in 2014 at Sochi when dealing with a country that ran a massive doping scheme. If Russia had been kicked out of an Olympics or two, at the least, the country may have thought twice about trampling over the international doping rules like so much gum on their shoe. Maybe, just maybe they would have cleaned up their act before the 2022 Olympics. It’s a long shot, but now we will never know.
Immediately after the CAS decision was announced outrage sparked around the world including the United States. Not to mention ordinary citizens! An athlete testing positive for an illicit drug being allowed to compete then may eventually be stripped of any medals she wins (one can only hope) is ludicrous! I believe the irreparable harm is to those skaters who compete against her, win medals, and will go home without a ceremony or medals. Just my opinion. What’s yours? Tell me what you think in the comments.
Having got that off my chest (thanks for reading), I’m jumping down off my soapbox and shoving it under the bed again, for now.
Views: 1102
Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged Banned by Olympics heart medication, ice skating, Kamila Valieva, No Ceremony, No Medals, Olympic Doping Scandal 2022, Russia, trimetazidine by Tena Stetler with 10 comments.
Halloween Spirit Search – Forty Three Days Left
Halloween only Forty-Three days left! Can you believe it? Toil and Trouble continue their search for the Halloween Spirit. What do you think of the Halloween count down calendar?? I’ve something a bit different for you this year count down to Halloween with a quest for the Halloween Spirit.
No, it’s never to early for All Hallows Eve! Halloween is my favorite time of year. Cooler weather, sight and sound of colorful leaves falling or crunching under foot. The smell of fall in the air, pumpkins and pumpkin flavored everything!! Love it! Also Halloween is the only day you can be anyone or anything you want and no one will say a word. Don’t forget it’s the day the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest! What will you be this Halloween? Taco our parrot will be a witch and Mystic our chow dog will be Wonder Woman. Check back in the coming weeks to see them in their costumes!
Well, September continues to break heat records here in Colorado with a sweltering 90 degrees as we continue the annual Halloween countdown. I am confident things cool off soon. Keep the faith! To help me this year are skeletons, Toil (Unicorn) and Trouble (dragon) they are in search of the Halloween Spirit. This week they enlisted Wyoming dragon to help. They discovered the computer screen and on it was a picture of Mystic looking for the Halloween Spirit out the front door. Unfortunately, neither the computer nor Mystic had any clue to where the Halloween Spirit could be found. Darn it! So the search continues.
Their friend, Dave (Skeleton), from Texas (thank you Jessica) is unpacking the Halloween Village to get his friends Mort and Buster, his pup, to help in the search this week. They searched every box of Halloween items and came up empty. He has to get a correct calendar or learn to count better. Forty-three days Dave!
Each week, on Friday, there will be new pictures of where Toil and Trouble are searching and how Dave is helping. In the month of October beside their search for the Halloween Spirit, Toil, Trouble and Dave will help me list the most haunted cities in America. A visit to haunted places in Colorado, my own stomping ground, Spooktacular tips to keep your pet safe this Halloween season. Do you suffer from Samhainopobia? I’ll tell you later. These are just to name a few. Please check back!
Only forty-three days days until Halloween! Bwwwaaaaaaaaaa!!!!
Plus a Halloween themed book from my collection will be featured each week: You do know I write paranormal romance/mystery. Right? This week, we are talking about vampires! What’s Halloween without vampires and things that go bump in the night? A Vampire’s Unlikely Alliance is on sale for a limited time – only 99¢!. So hurry grab your copy and join the #fantasy #adventure! You won’t believe what happens at Glacier National Park, and Australia to induce a trip to Ireland.
A little about A Vampire’s Unlikely Alliance: On Sale for 99¢
Stefan is a Native American vampire, former assassin for the Vampire Council. In a twist of fate, he now DJ’s the midnight shift for a small radio station in Whitefish, Montana, on the edge of Glacier National Park where his secret is safe until…
Born in Ireland, Brandy now works as a park ranger and trail guide in the park. During a full moon, Stefan and Brandy’s paths cross in a near physical collision on a trail. Their attraction is immediate and undeniable, almost as if fate demanded it.
Their union was foretold long ago in Irish folk tales where vampires and gryphons, warlocks and demons, witches and faeries must work together for the good of man and magic kind. Is a trip to Ireland the key to unraveling secrets and returning the magic? And even more importantly, will their love survive the trip?
A sneak peek between the pages of A Vampire’s Unlikely Alliance!
Brandy slept in Stefan’s arms while he watched the lace curtains flutter as the ocean breeze, heavy with brine, wafted through the window, open just a crack. A white mist swirled into the quiet room through the opening. It grew thicker and began to take shape settling into the antique rocking chair in the far corner of their cozy room. A man with long flowing hair the color of straw, dressed in jeans and a shimmering multicolored sweater, now sat in the rocking chair, left boot propped over on his right knee, watching Stefan with genuine interest.
Stefan’s body stiffened, his fangs pierced his gums as he shifted Brandy to a more secure position, though he sensed no threat. Too many stories around the fire?
Undisturbed, the apparition’s lips twitched. “So you’re the súmair fala that stole our Brandy’s heart. An interesting turn of events this is.” He mused nodding his head toward the window and pointing his finger toward Stefan, then to the outside. As quickly as he’d appeared, he was gone, leaving only a light mist floating across the floor.
Blinking his eyes, Stefan slowly looked around the room. What the hell was that? I wasn’t asleep so it couldn’t be a dream. Stealthily, he slid out of bed without disturbing Brandy. He yanked on jeans, pulled an ivory cable knit sweater over his head, and grabbed his boots as he padded silently down the stairs out of the house. The storm had passed, leaving a light dusting of snow covering the ground. Behind the light mist, a nearly full moon hung among the twinkling stars across the frosty dark sky. For a moment, he stilled listening as the waves crashed against the shore off in the distance.
See you back here next Friday! You won’t believe where Toil and Trouble wound up. Dave with his friends are always searching, will they come up with leads? Until then enjoy the warm weather, fall is coming bringing with it Halloween Spirit! Yippee!! Now all we have to do is find it! While you’re here, check out my other paranormal romance mysteries.
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Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged A Vampire's Unlikely Alliance, Buster, Dave, fantasy, Halloween Spirit, Mort, Paranormal Romance/Mystery, Tena Stetler, Toil, Trouble, Vampire, Witches by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
September 11, 2001, A Day that Everything Changed
NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 11, 2001: . (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Twenty years ago, a fiery blasts rocked the south tower of the World Trade Center as the hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston crashed into the building September 11, 2001 in New York City. Today, one day away from the anniversary of that horrible day I sat at my computer and debated whether or not to write about it. Funny how a great many things fade from memory as the years go by. However, this event is etched in my memory as clearly today, as it was twenty years ago. I hope you don’t mind my sharing with you my thoughts and feelings on that horrible day.
I was sitting at my computer at home paying a few bills before I headed off to work at a new job and career. I’d left my paralegal job and began a new less stressful job at an electronic contracting firm. A friend’s husband, Nigel, called me and asked what was I doing. I told him. There was silence on the other end. I quickly asked if something had happened to Patti, he said um no, but I better turn on the TV before I left for work. I said okay and we hung up. Yes, it was a strange conversation.
Rather than turn on the TV, I searched the computer for the days events. I was dumbfounded when I saw the images flashing across the screen! My first thought was this wasn’t possible, not on the United States soil. This cant be happening. I closed my eyes then opened them again hoping….I don’t know what. But it was real. Then I continued to search the internet and finally turned on the TV. Reality began to sink in. Not only had we been attacked, panic rose up inside me, then turned to fear and finally anger. How could they. How could we let them. (I know irrational thought.) Next desire for retaliation. My heart was pounding out of my chest and as I write this the feeling washes over me again. So many lives lost over the last twenty years beginning with this horrific event. Yet, what have we learned? Not going there, here. Anyway, I headed off to work. We watched the events unfold on computers the first half of the day, then the boss sent us home, with pay. That’s one first day on the job I will never forget.
My thoughts, prayers, and thanks go out to the first responders at the scene on that fateful day and their families. Nothing had prepared them or us for this. Yet, they had a job to do and did it heroically. God bless them all. When I sat down here, I didn’t know what I was going to write, but the words tumbled out and somehow this has been therapeutic for me as I end my thoughts. For some reason this year the memories hit me the hardest. I can only hope that September 11th passes with profound remembrances and that’s all. NO violence. If you care to share your thoughts in the comments about where you were, how you felt, or your memories. I would be honored. God Bless America!
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Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged 2001, New York City, September 11, Twin Towers by Tena Stetler with comments disabled.
