New Subscriber Link

I have added a subscriber link for those that want to know of updates. Thanks to the Sawatzky's for the idea!

I wanted to stop spamming everyone and this way those of you that would like to know of updates can be aware of the udpates without my spams!

BTW, if you haven't noticed, Valentines day is Wednesday!!!

Frankendog is Recovering

Atilla is recovering at a great pace and though you can tell he has some sore muscles, one would never know he has a pace maker. He wanted us to share a couple photos so everyone could see how he is half the dog he used to be.




Before his surgery his heart rate was in the 20-30 beats per minute and now with his new pace maker it is in the 80's and it is motion sensitive so it will speed up when he moves around. Amazing to see how easy it is for him to breath now, no more gasping to get enough oxygen to fuel his body. We're very lucky to have him still with us and now so healthy looking.

For those that are not familiar with pace makers, they are just like human pace makers. They implant an electrical device (in Atilla's right shoulder area under the skin) that sends electrical signals to the heart telling it when to beat. The pace maker has a lead which goes from the pace maker down through the carotid artery to the heart where the lead is embedded. The pace makers batteries will last about 5 years and he will need to visit the vet a couple times a year to have the device checked. Pretty simple as todays' surgeries go..........

The Bionic Dog Comes Home

Over Christmas holiday we found out Atilla, our black 7 year old Chow Chow has a heart problem. The poor dog was lethargic, quiet, completely listless and was panting/breathing hard all the time. So off to the vet we went to get the dog over his "cold". The vets had a different idea though.........the veterinarians said he has a 3rd degree heart block which means his brain does not send the right signals to his heart to make it beat at the proper rate. His heart rate was in the 40's around Christmas and would not speed up when his activity changed. The vets thought he probably had the heart problem most of his life and that we would have to watch his activity.

Since that time he got better, he got worse and better again but last week, he really got worse. Upon checking his pulse it was down to 28 beats per minute... note the normal resting heart rate for a dog is in the 70 beats per minute range.

We went back to the clinic on Monday (Feb 5th) and met the owner vet of our clinic, Dr Scharg. He checked Atilla over and said you have two choices, take your dog in for a pace maker or Atilla would die. Wow.....both options were scary. He referred us to UC-Davis Veterinary clinic.... which he said would be cheaper than a private veterinarian that does pace makers.


As soon as we got home we called UC Davis, our vet had already called and they got us in on Wednesday for a preliminary check. The vets reviewed our previous exams, did their own tests and said he needs a pace maker and they could do it tomorrow (Thursday).

Today (Friday) we drove to Davis and picked up our new bionic dog with his own little pace maker. He looks like a mess but he is not panting anymore and could even breath with his mouth closed. Amazing what a regular heart beat can do. Someday the hair on the right side of his body and his legs will grow back and he'll look like a normal dog again. Maybe even the cut on his shoulder where the pace maker is embedded will heal and no one will even know the bionic dog is on the loose.

If you cannot tell, we're now broke but happy as all that he's healthy and will be in our lives for many more years!!!

1st Trip of the New Year!

The new year arrived after a not so fun Holiday Season. The holidays brought with it a sick dog, a couple colds and lots of stress. Over the Christmas break we found out Atilla has a heart problem and we have been nursing him ever since. We were desperately in the need of a short vacation and our dog sitter was nice enough to attend to Atilla.

Last weekend we finally made it away on a short getaway and we headed north to the coast this trip. We stayed inland at Rohnert Park, CA which is a small college town and used that as our base for trips to the coast 30 miles away.

After checking in at our hotel we headed to the coast, drove by Bodega Bay (famous for Hitchcocks "The Birds") and enjoyed the view along the coast. Just north of Bodega Bay we stopped and viewed the ocean from one of the many turn outs and grabbed this photo of the coast.

A little farther north and Chris caught one of the actors from the movie practicing his moves.

The weather was overcast with a few sprinkles but winter is California is nothing compared to other parts of the country.
As you proceed north along the coast we crossed the Russian River where it dumps into the Pacific. Easy to imagine this peaceful looking spot is where some species of salmon spawn each year.

We continued along the coast to Timber Cove which is a popular place for scuba divers, stopped had a warm drink then decided to return to our hotel for the night.

On our trip back down the coast to the south we had what a person could call a "spectacular" sunset. We managed to grab a dozen fantastic photos before the sun dipped behind the horizon....here is one of our favorites.

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On Sunday we visited Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve just north of Guerneville, CA located along the sometimes scenic Russian River. What I mean by scenic? In so many places the river is a scenic wide river passing amongst the trees and in other places, the shoreline is lined in trash.. very sad.

This photo was taken inside the park among the redwood trees.
It was a great crisp 46 degree morning with few people, clean air and an almost secluded feeling. Unfortunately we were cold.......... so our visit was rather short.

We left the reserve and headed back towards the coast again, towards Jenner and back north along the coast.

The weather was much nicer but not gorgeous so we took a few photos but not a lots. One of the scenic shots from the day. We then enjoyed our trip home.......... end of the journey.