Hi Everyone!!!! I can't believe that Memorial Day is almost here and that June is right around the corner!!! Even though summer isn't yet in full swing, I've still been enjoying a lot of the fun things I love most about the summer. I've had lots and lots of playtime in the yard which is one of the things I really love best of this time of year. It's now light out for so much longer and that means that I get even MORE playtime. My favorite toys are my soccer ball and Frisbee but this week Mom decided to change it up for me a little and she let me play with her stability ball out in the yard. It was the biggest ball I've ever played with and while Mom thought I might be a little afraid of it rolling around down the hill at me, I showed her and Dad that I'm every bit as tough as I look!!! I was absolutely fearless in the face of that huge ball and I muscled it around the yard like a champ!!!!
The one downside to all of my recent time outdoors has been the ticks. They are truly horrendous out there this year as many of us who are outside a lot have well figured out by now. My Mom and Dad walked me a few weeks ago on the Great Valley Rail Trail (an awesome trail in our beautiful Sussex County!) and Dad found that I'd picked up at least 10 ticks along the way. He also found three on himself!!! Mom and Dad have been trying to feed and otherwise care for me as holistically as possible and they aren't too keen on any tick repellents that involve chemicals. They are instead using a number of different natural approaches to try and defend me (and them, because unfortunately I often bring the vile creatures into the house, onto the couch, etc.) from the ticks this year. I have been wearing a special collar tag that utilizes a proprietary bio-energetic process to work with my inherent energy and send out frequencies that are supposed to repel pests. Mom has also been rubbing rose geranium oil on me (which I really hate because it makes me smell very flowery rather than dogly) because she has read this is one of the best natural tick repellents. I've also been getting some special treats with garlic (my favorite, by far, of all of the remedies being used in this war against the ticks) and getting baths with some special shampoo (this remedy ranks right down there with the rose geranium oil). The jury is still out on all of this stuff as I have still been getting SOME ticks on me, although never as many as that one day we went walking on the trail. The collar tag has to sync with my bio-energy before it will work and this takes about a month and we just started with the oil this week. I will keep you all posted on how this stuff ultimately works out for me. In the meantime, if anyone wants more information on ticks in general and natural tick repellents, Mom found a very informative article that was featured by Dogs Naturally Magazine (although prepare yourself to be somewhat skeeved by the read, Mom said the article made her skin crawl as ticks certainly aren't the stuff that fairy tales are made of). Please always remember to check yourself and your children (furry and nonfurry) very well after being outside because ticks that aren't attached very long aren't as likely to have passed along any of the dreaded diseases that ticks carry. Also be very aware of the symptoms of tick-bourne illnesses (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has put together some useful information in a reference manual it publishes) because early treatment is always key to a better and speedy recovery.
I hope everyone has a very, very wonderful Memorial Day weekend!!!! Please be sure to stay safe out there as it is a busy travel weekend for many of us!!!! May we all be sure to take some time to appreciate and honor the very brave men and women who have served in the U.S. armed services!!!! We so very much appreciate their service and the sacrifices they have made for the sake of the freedoms we are all so fortunate to enjoy every single day!!!!!
See you all again in June!!!!! Until then, I send you the warmest wishes for a very, very happy rest of Spring!!!!
With lots of love and puppy kisses,
Piper, The Rescue Mutt
