Uplifting Stories From A Sick Puppy

I know many of you have already learned of my newest health issue and I appreciate your well wishes.  For those FOA’s who haven’t heard, I’m dealing with an aggressive invasion of E Coli in my body.  My vet has prescribed another round of antibiotics (stronger this time) and I have been directed to rest.

As I learn more about my condition, I will fill you all in on the details.

resting in the rays through the window with a baby and my leash...

I’m not feeling my spunky self at all, but instead of dwelling on my ailments I’ve spent some time looking for happy and uplifting stories to cheer me up and share with you.

Yesterday, I tweeted a story about a little dog who had been found riding atop a freight train.  Seriously, some unconscionable human placed a puppy on the roof of a train.  And then, presumably, watched as the train (and puppy) pulled out of the station.

A family sitting in their car waiting for the train to pass, noticed something moving on top of one of the train cars.  They alerted officials and followed until the train stopped.  Four firefighters with extension ladders were able to rescue the pup, now named Boxy (Boxcar).  And the family who originally spotted the dog, immediately adopted him as their own.

A wild story with a happy ending.  Just the way I like my endings.

Earlier this week I read a story about Jon Bon Jovi and his latest project.  No, not a musical project or anything to do with his lovely hair or photogenic face.  His newest endeavor is a community project that will bring dignity and a full belly to those in need.

Jon and his wife Dorethea recently opened Soul Kitchen, a community restaurant where all are welcome.  The chef is creating entrees worthy of any quality dining establishment, but there’s a twist; no prices are on the menu and diners “donate” what they can afford.

If a diner cannot “donate” money, then they are put to work using their skills and time as currency.  And on the flip side, if a customer can easily afford more than the suggested $10 donation, they are encouraged to practice generosity with a larger donation.

I think this is a brilliant model!  We have more hungry people in our country than we’ve seen since the Great Depression.  And the reality is, these people will work hard for that one nice meal.

The Bon Jovi’s restaurant is in their home state of New Jersey and they hope their restaurant model will be duplicated around the country.  I love this idea!  Add in an organic garden that supplies the kitchen with fresh vegetables and this is a perfect idea!

Have you read or heard of any positive and uplifting stories lately?  If so, please share!

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Is Michael Moore My Guardian Angel? Part 2

I closed part one of this post wondering if a precocious pup like myself had any chance of receiving support from the illustrious Michael Moore with our health insurance battle.

You FOA’s know that I’m a persistent pooch and loathe to let injustices just slip by without trying to create some sort of change.  Hey, my tactics have worked (somewhat) with the Folsom Police Department and I had hope that Mr. Moore, one of my personal heroes, would somehow come to our aid.

I took it upon myself to tweet and email Mr. Moore last week asking his advice with mama’s situation.  Sure, he’s an Academy Award winner and busy with Occupy Wall Street right now but I was hoping he’d see himself in me (albeit, I’m a bit smaller & hairier):  he’s a truth seeker, I’m a truth seeker.  He seethes at injustice, as do I.  He strives to make our country a better place, and I do too.  And, we both look fabulous in baseball caps!

Michael & Me (notice the resemblance?)

I believe what happened on Sunday morning was a miracle of sorts.  Mama was getting ready to go to the Spiritual Center for Positive Living while I was checking statuses online.  When I logged on to twitter the very first tweet I saw was from Michael Moore saying that he was about to start a 3 hour interview on BookTV and calls were welcome.

Blimey!  Open access to Mr. Moore just as I was reaching out to him.  Mama tried and tried the phone number but kept getting a busy tone.  We figured if we got through before 10am that it was a sign.  & if not, it was also a sign (for mama to get her behind out the door and up to the spiritual center!).

At 9:55am we reached one of the producers and our question was “accepted”.  Now we had to wait until the interviewer said “we have Heidi on the line from California” and then we were live with Mr. Moore!  As expected, he was gracious and anxious to give us his advice.  He and mama even shared a little laugh.

Mr. Moore urged us to hold insurers accountable and fight, fight, fight!  Never give up.  He confirmed what we already knew (from watching his masterpiece, Sicko) about insurance companies:  it is their goal to deny as many claims as possible to enhance the wealth & profits for executives and shareholders over the health of it’s customers.

If Michael Moore (and dogs) ruled the world, these practices would be illegal.

We feel a renewed sense of feistiness to fight for what’s right — to fight for our rights!  Receiving encouragement from Michael Moore was like getting a vaccination against health insurers.  We feel strong and resilient; confident that with tenacity we will prevail.

Mama and I really feel that our opportunity to speak directly with Michael Moore about our plight was a miracle.  We prayed, wished and hoped for a conversation with Mr. Moore, and that conversation materialized.  A pawsome miracle, I say!

Have you had miracles, big or small, occur in your life recently?  Please share!

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Is Michael Moore My Guardian Angel?

Apologies for my absence, friends.  No, I am not injured or sick again (phew!) but the past week has had it’s trials.  You know that saying whatever can go wrong will go wrong?  Well, I think that statement describes the last week.

First, our laptop had a very sad and untimely death.  Thankfully we had nearly everything backed up (a reminder to always back up every day!) and we were back in action with our new MacBook Pro in a matter of a couple of days.  The new laptop is so pretty and shiny that it took some convincing on my part to get mama to let me put paws to keyboard.  Aw, this beautiful, backlit keyboard… I think I’m in love….

Computer up and running, data transferred and I was ready to rejoin the world of writing and my pack of virtual friends.

Not so fast, Fido!  It turns out that the computer burial would be the least of our worries this week.  Why is it that stressful situations seem to come in bulk?  One major speed bump a week is plenty for this pup.

I’ve mentioned that mama has had sports-related issues with her back, requiring some procedures and injections.  A few days ago we received notice from our insurance company (Anthem Blue Cross) that a post-procedure review by their “physician reviewer” finds these procedures were not “medically necessary”.  This was after the insurer had pre-approved them months ago!

why is this healthcare-for-profit, scam of an industry, legal?

I won’t go into the gory details (like mama losing her cool with the customer support person and eventually ending up on the floor with me in tears…) but bottom line is healthcare for profit is not a healthy model for anyone but the shareholders.

After many, many frustrating hours on the phone with the insurance peeps, I’m more convinced than ever of the sham and shame that is our healthcare system.  Of course we’ve seen Michael Moore’s “Sicko” multiple times and understand how the insurers are set up to hinder customers from receiving services.  But there’s a great difference between understanding an unjust system and being a pawn in their maze.

Wilbur and I listened to the conversations on speakerphone and my heart was pounding with angst hearing their mistruths and deliberate confusion.  How many hours on hold and how many transfers can any pup take — especially when each person we speak with has a completely different explanation than the last?

Mama is just one of hundreds of thousands in this country who everyday attempt to navigate the vast and untenable wasteland that is healthcare for profit — with little resolution, only greater frustration.

After days of this I thought, what would  Michael Moore do?  I figured he’d be the only person who’d know how to navigate this freaky system and wished to consult with him.  But what are the odds that this pup would have the opportunity to actually talk to the Oscar winning director?

Stayed tuned for the second part of this story coming soon…

Have you had any negative experiences with your health insurance carrier?  I’d love to hear your stories.

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Death of a Bookstore

As I recuperate, all my energy is concentrated on my healing.  With the little bit of zest remaining I’ve been reading and watching a little telly between naps, but I long to get out and about.

I understand that my body needs all the rest it can get and that I’m not supposed to run or jump (or do anything fun!), but I’m getting cabin fever.  My cone comes off tomorrow (can you hear my cheers?) and I know I’ll be back to the park and all my rambunctious activities soon, but today I just needed to get out.

Sensing my mounting stir-craziness, mama allowed Wilbur and I to accompany her to the bank and petrol station, including the drive-thru carwash.  I know this doesn’t sound like the most thrilling outing to most, but I was ecstatic!

As we were headed to gas up the dog-mobile I noticed one of those dancing humans with a sign on the

who doesn't love a good book? (and bookstore)

corner;  Borders — Everything Must Go.  70% off!  I wondered if there was anything left for me to browse and convinced mum to take us inside.

The death of a bookstore is not just sad… it’s brick & mortar grief!  I’m not a huge shopper & neither is my human, but we do adore bookstores and libraries.  All the stories, poetry, literature, biography, pet-reference books!  All the phrasing, alliterations, punctuation… all the Words!  As I itemize the losses I am wounded over and over again…. not by daggers but by paper cuts…

Border’s has been discounting their merchandise lower and lower each week since they announced their dissolution and I wondered what would be left.  Surprisingly, the store still had a fair amount of inventory.  It was a mess with employees shifting product around, hanging signs like “war history now in children’s area” and taping off sections with what looked like police investigation tape.

what should I read first?

I suppose the crime tape was apropos and the customers seem to feel the heaviness.  Although the space was quite crowded with shoppers, the silence was morgue-like and even my bounciness went nearly unnoticed as book-lovers circled and picked at the carcass.

People spoke in hushed whispers and the silence was not even punctuated with the usual soothing Bach or Bacharach in the background.  After we collected a number of interesting and notable titles for purchase we moved through the checkout queue with the other mute shoppers.  It was the last pass —- paying our respects at the gravesite.

I’ve never been a fan of the big chain retailers, but the death of Border’s hurts me as there are already too few physical bookstores left.  I can only hope that the end of Border’s means a rebirth for independent bookstores.

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Love & Gratitude From a Conehead

Happy holiday, FOA’s!  I believe I’m at the tail end of my healing and I am ready to get these sutures out and the satellite dish off my neck!  Do humans have any idea how cumbersome and awkward movement is with a plastic sphere tied around your neck?  It’s bloody difficult, I tell you!

Not only is the cone-of-shame hard for me to maneuver but I find myself inadvertently hurting the ones I love most.  Kindness and gentility are cornerstones of my being and this cone has chipped away at those pillars.  Not intentionally, of course, but I’ve caused a bit of chaos in my house.

Wilbur, being the loving little sidekick that he is, wants to show me love and get a whiff of my unusual medicinal odor.  But every time he gets near me I turn my head and whack!  At best, the cone hits him.  At worst, he’s hurled across the floor.  After a week of conage, I still don’t have a grasp of my added width and power.

Wilbur is now being attentive from the other side of the room, not daring to get too close except when I’m sleeping.

Bella, the fashion cat, suggsted I wrap my cone in a scarf... what do you think?

Bella’s a bit more cautious and is vocal about her dislike for my temporary appendage.  She’s a fashionista and thinks that this look went out with the Elizabethan era.  But it serves a purpose.

I’m happy to report that I am feeling much spunkier these past days and I’m antsy to get out and about.  Mama took us for a couple of short walks this weekend but it was obvious by the bruises on the back of mum’s legs that the cone was making a simple double-leash walk nearly impossible (and a bit painful).

I’m still supposed to take it easy (no running, no jumping) but after finally producing normal “business” I found myself running around my yard in circles yesterday.  Poor Bella had a surprise when I bounded into the house and right into her — literally scooping her into my cone!

Why is the camera always out of reach for these hysterical moments?  Well, it was comical to mama and I but Bella was none too happy.  She’s keeping an even wider distance from me now.

I am surrounded by love and support (and a cone!) and I am grateful for the sweet souls who call me friend.  I have been surprised and warmed by the outpouring of friendship and concern from my FOA’s, in particular a few of my blogging buddies.

Wilbur is staying a safe distance away from me & my chaotic cone

Trish and Bill are bloggers who often use themes like compassion, caregiving and benevolence in their writings.  This week these earthbound angels extended their love and generosity towards me with get well cards and some spare change to help with my medical bills.  I am humbled and filled with gratitude towards them and the countless others who have sent emails, posted comments and called inquiring about my condition.

I may be the most fortunate pup on this planet and I promise to pay my good fortune forward to others in need.

With love and gratitude…

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