Yunah, the service dog :) - Our beloved Yunah has crossed The Bridge

[SasAndYunah]

Let me start with a quick and short introduction. I came here, a few years ago because Boncuk, my (former Turkish stray) dog was diagnosed with Cushing's disease. Unfortunately, he had so many different health issues, he passed away within less then 6 months after his Cushing's diagnosis due to complications caused by all his health issues and medications needed for them, combined. He was only 5...

Then Sogno came into my life, meant to become my service dog. Sadly enough, it turned out he had extreme hipdysplasia and he passed away when he was only 16 months old...

And now there's Yunah, my service dog. She came into my life almost 2 years ago, July 11th, 2007. She's 17 inches, weighs 13 kilo's and was born on December 11th, 2005. Her mother is a black Labrador and her father is a Border Collie/Frisian Stabij mix :) She is in perfect health, extremely clever, very dedicated to her work, loving, gentle, kind and always ready to do whatever it is we're going to do :)

And a little about me... I am 47, live in The Netherlands by myself with Yunah, and am wheelchairbound due to a connective tissue disease, called the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome :)

Yunah and myself love to give demonstrations, show people what it is Yunah can do for me, how she helps me and just how special she is to me :)

On May 9th 2009, we had a demonstration for the Kiwanis International (http://www.kiwanis.org/) Convention in The Hague. The chairman at this time is an American, mister Don Canady, and I spoke with him for quite a while. He said he had seen quite a few service dogs but never one like my Yunah ;) She is something else indeed...

On May 20th we had a demonstration for the children of a special needs school (ages 4 till 12), my favorite audience, children :D They had organised a "charity fair" and all the money earned that day, went to the servide dog foundation :)

Here you can see Yunah and myself... She opens a drawer, jumps on my lap (she's too small to hand me something from that drawer otherwise) , gives me a "facial" :D , picks an item from the drawer, hands it to me, jumps of off my lap and closes the drawer again ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN_LtTqgf5Q

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Dollydog]

Hi to Saskia and Yunah,
It's great to see you here and get a wonderful update. Thanks for the video...she's an awesome dog and looks like she has a great time "working" for you!
Take care,
Jo-Ann & Lady :)

[labblab]

Oh Saskia, I'm so glad to see your new thread here!!!!! :) :) :)

Somehow, I had overlooked it until just this moment. It is such a treat to find our "old" friends back here with us ;) -- just as it should be. As always, your youtube video shows us just how special Yunah is. I have to agree with Mr. Canady: I have never seen a service dog with Yunah's sensitivity and abilities. She is a remarkable girl.

I left you a Visitor's Message asking you to please start up a photo album here. I never tire of seeing sweet Yunah, and am missing all the wonderful pictures that we had in our old gallery.

How are you doing, yourself? I know that you had at least a couple of procedures scheduled during the course of the year. I am hoping that both you and Yunah are doing well...

Once again, it is so good to have your new thread posted on the forum.
Many (((hugs))) to both you girls from Marianne

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Saskia!

Glad to see you and Yunah here with us! It is always good to hear from you and hear what new things you and your baby are into. I swear, ya'll are very busy! We could have told Mr. Canady just how special Yunah is but I am glad folks get to see it with their own eyes. You and Yunah have such a special bond I don't know how anyone could miss it!

Personally, I enjoy your input on behavior issues and find them very helpful! Just another reason I'm glad to have you back home. :)

Hugs,
Leslie and the girls

[SasAndYunah]

Jo-Ann and Lady,

Thanks :) It's great to be able to have a place again where we can all hang out...eventhough the Diabetes board did a wonderful job giving us, homeless folks, a place to stay ;) And yes that's probably the best thing about Yunah, the one thing that makes all the difference between her and other service dogs, her love for her work, her neverending enthousiasm, the sheer joy she displays when doing...whatever :D

Hi Marianne and Peg :)

Thanks for the message. I am doing well considering. I had all my procedures done and they all went well :) Unfortunately, my Ehlers-Danlos is getting worse and worse and I was just asked by my specialist to please no longer give demonstrations. They are taking too much of a physical toll and with a neck that's so incredable instable, they fear I might end up paralysed when making a "wrong" move with my neck. So, that took me some time to accept but in the end, it's my health that comes first :) So, apart from one last demonstration, June the 20th, here at my own vetclinic, my (and Yunah's) demodays will be over. But I couldn't let the vetclinic down. They have been so amazing with both Boncuk and Sogno...they deserve the best. And the best is Yunah :p But I am in good spirits and still enjoying every day :)

Hi Leslie and your girls :D

Strange heh, how I keep coming back here eventhough there's no Cushing's in my life...at this time. There's not much I can say to people when it comes to Cushing's, just perhaps mention the odd differences between "the Dutch way" and the "USA way" ;) But I have found so much love and understanding here when I first came here with Cukie...it's hard to let go of those that have meant so much to me in those days... As a "non Cush mom" at this moment, I must admitt it's difficult to keep up with all the new stories and all the new members. But I do try to at least read most and on occassion I think I can help with some comments on epilepsy, behavior or perhaps IBD. Never Cushing's though :) And if I miss anything, there's usually at least one person that pm's me, to ask me to have a look at a certain message...and glad they do :) Cause if I can help, in anyway, I still love to do so.

Sol, it's good to "be back home"...

Saskia and Yunah :)

[labblab]

Dear Saskia,

I very much regret learning that your Ehlers-Danlos is worsening. And I can so easily imagine your disappointment in discontinuing the demos. Yunah is such a remarkable girl, and it has been such a wonderful gift to be able to show people what she is capable of doing on your behalf.

But you are absolutely correct. Your health must come first. And for Yunah, assisting you is HER gift and her life's purpose. The demos may have been great fun for her, as well. But I feel certain that for her, nothing can compare to the gratification of being your helper and your heart's companion. Those are the two most important jobs that she can possibly have. :) :)

So do take care, and please do give "our" girl some special hugs and pats. I know that she has earned each and every one, and so many more to come!!
Marianne

[SasAndYunah]

Thanks Marianne... "Our" girl Yunah sure enjoyed those hugs and pats ;)

I started a new album on Yunah...and saw both my Cukie and Sogno in the 2006 - 2007 album. My two precious babies, still a shock to see them unexpectedly. Boncuk's third "anniversary" was just 2 months ago and Sogno's second "anniversary" will be in only 8 days. It's like yesterday they were still here...and yet it also seems so long ago when I realise Yunah will be here 2 years in July. Glad to say that both still frequent me in my dreams, so they are never far away. We hug and cuddle, in my dreams, and yet, every time they return to where they came from....saying they are happy there but they will never be far away. And then when I wake up, I can still feel them in my arms, smell them... :) My oh so difficult but brave Boncuk and my softhearted Sogno, how I love them still :)

I will look to see if I still have that letter to Boncuk...if I can find it, I will post it again :)

Love to all,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Hi all,

I updated Yunah's album and added albums of both Sogno and Cukie :)

We're doing great and I have a funny video to share. I had to go to the dentist last week and Yunah just hates being without me. But bringing her to the dentist with me is no option since she will start howling like a wolf when the drill starts :D

In the video, Yunah is at home with one of my maids who she knows very well and who she loves dearly.... Yet, with me not there, Yunah is not a happy camper, hahaha... Please turn on the sound for this one ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuOveOUbp-s

Saskia and Yunah :)

[gpgscott]

Hello Saskia and sorry that I have not properly welcomed you until now, somehow I missed your first post in early June.

I am also sorry about the worsening of your condition and hope the Drs. treating you are able to stabilize your issues.

Thanks very much for posting the Boncuk letter and the other postings here in this forum. I find you an inspiration and I know others will as well.

Best to you and Yunah, I hope you are able to continue educating people for many years to come.

Scott

[SasAndYunah]

Scott...thanks :) I will always find ways to educate or contribute in some way, I have no doubt at all ;) I just applied to become a foster mom for abused dogs from countries like Turkey, Greece or Spain. Yunah is "complete, finished", nothing left to teach her, no unwanted behaviour I need to change with her :) And with the demonstrations now no longer an option, I had to find something else to do, right? :p What better thing to do then to help other dogs, socialise them, train them a little and make sure they are ready to be adopted into a good forever home... :) I can do all that at home....from bed even if needed :D And with Yunah, the perfect "dog example" helping me as well, I am sure Yunah and myself can change the lifes of a few strays from countries that have no respect for animals. So, I am now waiting to hear when a dog will be brought to The Netherlands that I can foster :) And of course, when that happens, I will let you all know :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[mytil]

Saskia,

I have been late in posting here and I am so very happy that you have posted again. I was sad to read that you are no longer able to do public demonstrations due to declining health, but it is your health that remains the most important. I am sure that you and Yunah will come up with something that allows the world to see how wonderful services dogs are even though it cannot be through traveling around. I think you practically do this through youtube anyway. I still look at those wonderful youtube videos of sweet Yunah and by watching these, one can see these wonders.

Poor little Yunah in this last video - she really misses you.

I continued to be amazed at the diligence you show in helping those incredibly unfortunate dogs from those countries who have a disdain for them. And to be a part of this movement is wonderful. My hat is off to those people in those countries who are trying to change it.

Keep those updates and videos coming
always my best
Terry

[Roxee's Dad]

Hi Saskia,
I didn't have the honor of knowing you and your pups prior to my joining late last year. I always read your very informative post and viewed your wonderful video's. Meeting people like you and many, many others on this forum still give me hope that someday we will no longer know cruelty to animals.

I would love to give you a big hug, maybe a cyber hug :) for all that you do to give hope to the many needy pups (and needy humans). I am glad you are here and look forward to many more post by you and continued updates on Yunah.

Belly rubs to Yunah:)

[SasAndYunah]

Hi Terry, thanks :)

I always carry...how do you call those :confused: ...little cards that have Yunah's website address on them...and hand them out to everyone that is interested :D That's a way as well to inform the people (through Yunah's website) and let them know about Yunah and what she does for me...and means to me :)

And yes, poor Yunah, can't stand to be without me, hahahaha.... Luckily, the dentist is only twice a year (if nothing happens) so she'll just have to endure those two times ;)

It's an honour to be a tiny part of the bigger picture...and if there's one thing I can still do, it's helping dogs :) Most of my own dogs have been trained for the major part when I am resting on my bed, hahaha...and they turned out just fine. Amazing what one can do from bed :p

My best to you and yours,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Hi John,

and again the hugs go to me and the belly rubs to Yunah :p :p :p Just kidding ;)

My life wouldn't be fulfilling to me if I wouldn't do what I do. There would be no meaning to just live my life...and not be involved :) And as you said, that's one of the appealing parts of this board, there are so many of these wonderful people here that care and act...on behalf of animals who so need their support. Makes me proud to know them :) In that regard there are no boundaries and we are all close...even with all these miles between us ;)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Just wanted to let you all know that tomorrow a foster puppy will come to live with Yunah and myself, till a forever home is found for him :) He's an approximately 5 month old pup from Turkey. He and his siblings were dumped when they were just 3 weeks old, in the middle of winter, can you imagine :( Luckily, they were found and brought to a shelter. But, a Turkish shelter is nothing like what we know. It's a group of hundreds and hundreds of dogs, all in one huge, open area with no shelter at all except for the holes the dogs dig to try and survive the winter, with just 1 or 2 persons looking after them (basically meaning, feeding them bread and anything else they can find, to at least try to have the dogs survive) So you can imagine, there's no time for interaction, cuddles, hugs, brushing, etc. Therefore, this pup, who lived in such a shelter eversince he was 3 weeks old, knows nothing. I am looking forward to him coming here for a while so I can teach him slowly what the world looks like :) And with a really confident and calm Yunah at his side, I'm sure he can grow a lot, in the time to come...

His name is Panda...a black and white puppy :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Squirt's Mom]

Hey Saskia,

This is great news! I know both you and Panda will grow from this experience, and I hope you find as much joy as I do in working with fosters. Most of them are very special little souls and quite a few are like Panda - know nothing of a home, love and TLC. This little fellow is very fortunate to be going to yours and Yunah's home as his first taste of life in the hands of someone who cares.

Are there any pics yet? I gotta go check just to see! :D

Huge hugs,
Leslie and the girls

[Squirt's Mom]

Oh! He is a doll! That last photo of him stole my heart. Any idea as to what breed/mix he is? He looks almost like a large JR in that first shot. :p

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Saskia,

I am so happy for you and Yunah, and it really takes a special person to do what you are doing. Bless you Saskia.


So you can imagine, there's no time for interaction, cuddles, hugs, brushing, etc. Therefore, this pup, who lived in such a shelter eversince he was 3 weeks old, knows nothing.

That is about to change for Panda, you and Yunah will be able to teach this pup so much, I can tell from your post that you know alot about dogs. With your loving, kind heart combined with the gentle guidance of your hands this pup will be so utterly happy.

Please keep us updated and the best of luck to you.
Lori

[SasAndYunah]

Well, Panda arrived Fridaymorning around 10 in the morning. He had been sick all during the 2 hour carride and was terrified. He peed when you even looked at him, poor thing. So I put a leash on him and let him be after that. (the leash is so that I didn't have to handle him directly when I needed to get him, for some reason) He sniffed at Yunah, Yunah sniffed at him, and that was that :)

Today, Sunday, he's already doing a lot better. He comes to me, waggs his tail, and lets me pet him and tickle his belly. When I move in his direction, he still runs, but the fact he is coming towards me, is a very good sign. He plays with Yunah, knows his place and is very gentle. He's been on several "lap-walks" with Yunah and myself. The first 2 times, he would absolutely panick when he saw something...a human, a car...didn't matter. Today, he was getting so curious, that he wanted to leave my lap and so I put him on the ground. He was pretty scared but also very curious and really wanted to explore things, in a "jumpy" kind of way :) I keep the leash on him at all times and it works just fine. He doesn't mind when I grab the leash and even walks on it, it's much safer then to have direct contact with me/my hands :) He did not have one accident, he did all his pees and poo's outside, which is incredable :) When he hears a scary noise, he will look at Yunah (who, of course, doesn't react to it) and when he sees she's not reacting, he'll calm down as well and just ignores the noise... :) So, everything is going well so far :) He's a cutiepie and I have no doubt he will find a forever home somewhere in the future...

And yes, I also think there's some terrier in him, possible terrier/pointer mix :confused: But who knows, both his father and mother (and grandparents) probably already were the results of all kinds of breeds/mixes :)

I will post some pictures of him...

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Harley PoMMom]

So happy Panda is progressing so well, looks like he is learning from the leader of the pack ~ you, and Yunah also. :D

Keeping the leash on him...what a great idea...I never would of thought of that...you do know alot about dogs and their behavior quandaries and how to solve them.

It is hard to believe that he is house-broken ~ no poops & pees in the house, yippee!:D:):D:)

Thanks for the update, and keep-em coming :D

Hugs from your PA. friends.
Lori and Harley

[SasAndYunah]

Lori,

I am a certified dog behavioral trainer, that helps ;)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Harley PoMMom]

I didn't know that...well then I have a question for you and would really like your honest opinion. What do you think of Ceasar Milan?

Lori

[labblab]

Oh Saskia, I have just now had the chance to read about Panda and to see all your new Gallery photos! (I am travelling right now, so am not able to check in as often as usual). What a heartwarming story, and what wonderful photos of ALL your beloved companions. And Yunah (of course!) is being a perfect auntie and mentor. Please keep the updates coming!!!!!

:) :D :) :D :) :D
Marianne

[SasAndYunah]

Lori,

Can't say much about Ceasar Milan since he's not on Dutch television :) I've heard about him but that's really all I can say... Sorry.

Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Hi Marianne,

good to see you, as always :) And yes, Yunah is truly a blessing for me but also for Panda. He finds the courage to do all kinds of things through Yunah, she's priceless and a great "rehab"dog on top of everything else ;) And I just love to have a puppy around that needs care, attention, love and training ;)

Safe travels!

Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Well, I have 2 videos you all must see :D

This one is where Panda has a private class of "how-to-walk-properly-on-a-leash", hahaha...I tell you, he's a brilliant student ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG5uyXvJGRg


And here's Yunah being the best service dog ever, hahaha... Panda is still so little. Especially for me to reach for his leash when I'm in my wheelchair...so, like the good service dog she is, Yunah gives me a hand ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR3f9Np6Xtw

Aren't they just the cutest couple??? :D

Saskia and Yunah :)

[BestBuddy]

I just love watching your videos. Panda is a quick learner and he has got a good teacher in Yunah.

Jenny

[SasAndYunah]

Today it's 2 weeks since Panda came to live with us and it has been a hectic two weeks...ofcourse :p Panda is doing extremely well! He turned from a very frigthened dog into a loving, kind, gentle and somewhat shy soul and his progress is truly amazing :D His personality is adorable and he's about the sweetest pup I have encountered. Doesn't destroy a thing, doesn't use his teeth, doesn't bark...in short, he's perfect :D

Now for the hectic part... After several days I discovered he had a mild case of Demodex. Another couple of days later I had his stools examined since I didn't trust the sight and smell of them (yehaaaawwwwwwwwww poo patrol again for me :p) And sure thing, he has Giardia, a nasty parasite :( Poor thing... Well, both the Demodex and the Giardia were treated (and of course, Yunah had to be treated as well) and apart from all the cleaning and desinfecting and bathing...everything went well. Today I saw he limped a little bit with his left front paw and when I had a look, I saw the strangest "growth" in his pad I had ever seen :eek: Called the vet and I could come in this afternoon. It turned out, he had 2 corns in his pad! I had never ever heard of dogs getting corns...??? :confused: Well, they had to be removed because they are very painfull. Without any sort of sedation, the vet was able to pull both corns out of his pad...Panda cried a bit but remained calm on my lap, not trying to bite or growl at the vet, what a sweetheart he is :) Because trust me, it was very painfull to have done...and it was bleeding profusely. So after cleaning the wound the vet put a bandage around the front paw to help stop the bleeding. And that lovely Yunah was standing right beside me during the procedure, giving Panda kisses...as to console him...awwwwwww how I love that Yunah :)

I hope his pad will heal soon an uneventfully. I will post some pictures and some videos...:)

Saskia, Yunah and Panda :)

[BestBuddy]

I didn't know dogs could get corns either. I suppose it makes sense because they can also get calluses it's just that I have never come across a corn. Poor Panda but it was so nice to read that you have his trust and he sat still for the pain. Yunah makes a great nurse! Hope it's all better soon.

Jenny

[SasAndYunah]

Gosh, forgot to post the links to the videos.... :rolleyes:

Panda having fun at the doggy park with other dogs. A week ago, he was too scared to leave my lap...and look at him now :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZpsITup6Dk


And this is what it looks like when we go for a walk:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgXgfPATlik

Saskia :)

[Harley PoMMom]

Oh My Saskia,

Thank goodness Panda is in your loving hands. I didn't know about pups getting corns either...you learn something new everyday.


And that lovely Yunah was standing right beside me during the procedure, giving Panda kisses...as to console him...awwwwwww how I love that Yunah
Awwwwww, that is adorable of Yunah.

Hugs to you, Yunah, and Panda.
Lori

[SasAndYunah]

It's been 4 weeks now since Panda came here, time flies :) You wouldn't believe the difference... He went from a dog that 4 weeks ago was too scared to be handled and didn't know a thing, to a dog that now loves to cuddle, who is familiar with normal household things and knows his basic obedience commands and enjoys life as a happy and playfull puppy :D

The only unfortunate thing is, that after the removal of his corn, the corn came back right away. So now we have surgery scheduled for next Monday to remove a part of his pad, the part that contains the corn in it. And since he will be undergoing this surgery and will be anesthesized anyway, he will be neutered at the same time :)

I will update some new pics in panda's album.

And here are a few links to some videos:

Here we are practising heel and sit...off leash :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLlpJCF6l10


And here we are training the Sit and Wait commands:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQTedOeASRk

Hugs,

Saskia, Yunah and Panda :)

[acushdogsmom]

Panda is looking wonderful! Is there any chance you may decide to keep him?

And thanks for the video links. I love them! What happens, though, whenever you post a link to a video, is that I go to have a look and I end up watching 10 or more of the other videos that you posted. :D

(((hugs!!!)))

[AlisonandMia]

The only unfortunate thing is, that after the removal of his corn, the corn came back right away. So now we have surgery scheduled for next Monday to remove a part of his pad, the part that contains the corn in it. And since he will be undergoing this surgery and will be anesthesized anyway, he will be neutered at the same time

Sounds like he might have a bone spur or something causing the corn - that happens in humans anyway. Has he had an X-ray of the foot taken?

I can't wait to see the videos - once our internet connection speed picks up in a few days - can't even really look at photos at the moment.:(:p

Alison

[Harley PoMMom]

Saskia,

He is so adorable...and what vocalization he has...awww. One can tell he totally loves and respects you.




And thanks for the video links. I love them! What happens, though, whenever you post a link to a video, is that I go to have a look and I end up watching 10 or more of the other videos that you posted. :D
Me too!



Love and hugs.
Lori

[SasAndYunah]

Yesterday, Panda had the surgery for his corn. I could bring him at 10.00 and pick him up again at 13.30. Everything went well and hopefully this surgery will get rid of the corns permanently :) His paw is in a bandage, he has pain medication and antibiotics for 5 days and tomorrow I have to take him back to check on the wound and to give him a new bandage. They want to keep a bandage on his paw for at least a week...so we might end up going there a few times to change the torn bandage and replace it with a fresh one ;) Panda was so brave and such a lovable dog to everyone that handled him at the clinic, they adored him! :D Can't even imagine that just a few weeks ago, he couldn't be handled by anyone since he was too scared...but now he's a real hugable and lovable dog :) Even with all the painful procedures he had performed already on his paw, he still wags his tail at the vet and gives him kisses :D He came a long way in just a short time...

Saskia and Yunah :)

[frijole]

:p
Can't even imagine that just a few weeks ago, he couldn't be handled by anyone since he was too scared...but now he's a real hugable and lovable dog :) Even with all the painful procedures he had performed already on his paw, he still wags his tail at the vet and gives him kisses :D He came a long way in just a short time...

Saskia and Yunah :)

What an awesome dog. I imagine he had a lot of help from his loving owner. :p Glad he is on the mend. Kim

[Harley PoMMom]

So happy Panda's surgery went well and I hope too, that them nasty corns never return.

He most certainly did come along way in such a short time, and as Kim has pointed out this is bc of you...and with alittle help from Yunah too. :) Panda and Yunah are becoming best buddies, I looked at your recent picture with them sleeping together "paw to paw"...just adorable, them two.

Love and hugs.
Lori

[SasAndYunah]

Wow, didn't realise it had been such a long time since I last posted an update :D Well, here it is...

Since 2 weeks, Panda is now living with his forever family and doing great :D It's a family of 5, parents and 3 children, ages 14, 16 and 18. He's dearly loved, loves them all back and is doing wonderfull. So that was a happy ending for that little scared doggy... :)

Yunah, being the stoic that she is, never missed him. She went right back to our day-to-day mode as if nothing had happened :rolleyes: She accepted without questioning that he joined our lives and in the same way she accepted without questioning that he left our lives, nothing upsets Yunah ;)

There's a lovely video of me and Panda that shows how wonderful he had adapted to living a normal doggy life...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MGFlI9hu_w


And here's a video of Yunah, all happy and excited she can throw something in the garbage...hahahaha something you cant get many children to do :p So hooray for dogs ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii4FSy3jGe0

So you can see, we still have a wonderful life together. Yunah is doing great, I am doing great...

Big hugs from us to our friends here :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Roxee's Dad]

Hi Saskia,

That is wonderful news on Panda. I'm so happy she is now enjoying the good life. :D:D:D

Always love your video's, they just make me smile :D:D:D

Happy you are doing well. So do you have another foster to be rescued lined up? ;):)

[mytil]

That is so great to hear about Panda. I hope you can see him now and again.

Oh that Yunah, there is nothing she cannot do! She is the happiest little doggie.

Keep updates coming.
Terry

[Harley PoMMom]

Oh Saskia,

Panda definitely blossomed under your and Yunah loving care. I am so happy that he got a forever home...this must be of been such a bittersweet moment for you. You are such an awesome and wonderful person.

Just love your videos...and Yunah. I believe you could teach her anything...she is so smart, and you are quite the teacher. :D

So I am wondering like John...do you have another foster to be rescued lined up?? :confused::)

Love and hugs.
Lori

[SasAndYunah]

Lori, John...I have offered to be available for the"difficult" foster cases. That way I don't have a constant stream of fosters (would be a bit too tiring for me) but still this charity will have a good place for the difficult cases so they don't have to reject them :) So I'm sure that sooner or later, there will be another foster running through the house and in the meantime I can rest and focus on Yunah :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

So, time for an update :) Usually there is nothing much to tell about Yunah, except of course the usual, how amazing she is ;) This time there is some other news...

I took Yunah to the vet because I was rather worried about her lower canines, they are so worn that the pulp is showing/exposed. And she is only 3, she should be using her teeth for many more years to come, in order to do her work properly. But both canines are wearing so fast that at this rate, she won't have any lower canines left in another 2 or 3 years.

We consulted a veterinerean dental specialist and he gave us 2 options. The first option is to wait and let her canines be worn down till they are more or less gone and then replace them with 2 "fake metal teeth" :eek:

The other option is to give her a rootcanal for both canines (drill out the nerves and pulp), then fill the canines with porcelain and add a 2 component ....material, to provide extra strength to the teeth. This should prevent them from wearing down more, stop the wearing of her canines. I lean towards this second option since I prefere that she gets to keep her own teeth if possible. I know I would want to keep my own :D And...the insurance is paying for the entire procedure, yippie!!! So glad we have such wonderful insurance for our pets :)

So, one way or the other, it seems like we are looking at quite an extensive dental surgical procedure for Yunah, sometime in the future...poor thing. Well of course she doesn't have a clue so she is blisfully ignorant ;)

Also, she lost quite a bit of weight and is 4 lbs under her minumum weight at the moment. She is such a Border Collie in that regard, always active, always alert and I sometimes forget to stop her :) She should be weighing 32 lbs but right now she weighs only 28 lbs so for now it's eating lots and lots (Yunah is not complaining, hehehehe...) and giving her more rest.

But other than that, she and I are doing perfectly fine :) Yunah is still a happy little camper, enjoying her life and work, enjoying our playtime and naptime...I just have to hit the brakes every now and then :)

Here is a movie of a nice relaxing walk through the forrest...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlFfvhpTz0A

And I also uploaded some new pics in Yunah's album :)

Hugs to all,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Saskia,

Oh poor Yunah...I can't believe that she isn't in any pain with the pulp showing/exposed...altho I have to admit I don't know much about them canine teeth. Do they know why her teeth are wearing so fast?

I did look at the new pics. in your album, and when was your birthday?? No post in the calendar...tsk, tsk. :(:eek::confused: So:

Happy Belated Birthday Saskia

I hope you had a wonderful time on your special day.

Love and hugs.
Lori

[SasAndYunah]

Thanks :) My birthday was October 21st, Yunah's 4th birthday will be December 11th :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[forscooter]

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Just stopping in to say hi and I will be in touch soon!!!

Just lots going on!

And HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY from all of us too!!!!:D:D:D

Love and hugs, Beth and the crew

[SasAndYunah]

Well, there's some news that calls for an update :D

I got contacted by a friend in Bodrum, Turkey, about a straydog she found. An approximately 9 month old pup with severely deformed frontlegs. She took the dog in but asked me if I can get the dog to Holland for the much much needed medical care and a forever home of course... He's a very social, very friendly little guy but he won't survive a life on the streets with his deformed frontpaws.

Since this is (financially mostly) too much for me to take on by myself I contacted the organisation that I fostered Panda for and asked if they are willing/able to help me with this doggy and they agreed. But they too, dont have lots of money so we are all going to try to get funds to get Yamuk (the doggies name) here and to sent him to an orthopedic veterinarean and see if surgery is an option or else to get him some braces for his paws... Anything to help him. So, it won't be like he will be here next week but we're working on it :)

I already contacted a Turkish lady who went to vetschool here at the Utrecht University and she will get in touch with a vet in Bodrum and have him look at Yamuk legs. That way we will hopefully have a better understanding why his paws are like they are and what can be done... I will post some pics of Yamuk, he is adorable :) I already fell in love with him just by looking at him on the pictures :D

Will keep you all updated on how things are progressing...

Saskia and Yunah :)

[labblab]

Awwwww...I already love Yamuk, too, just by hearing about him...:o

You are doing wonderful work, Saskia. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that all will go smoothly and Yamuk will soon be getting the help he needs.

In the meantime, please give Yunah some special hugs from her auntie :)
Marianne

[Dollydog]

Belated birthday wishes coming your way, Saskia. And wishing you all the best with this new pup...am off to look at pictures now.
Jo-Ann & my Dollydog angel :)

[SasAndYunah]

Well, good news about Yamuk! :D He was seen by a vet and (what I already hoped for) he's suffering from calciumdeficiency. Happening lots in countries like Turkey and thankfully, since Yamuk is still young, calciumshots will take care of the problem with his frontpaws, yippie :D He's doing well, playing with the other pup there and he's a very gentle soul dispite his life on the streets that must have been harsh on him. They never cease to amaze me, dogs....how they (usually) stay so gentle :) He will be put up for adoption on the website of this organisation and hopefully he will have a new forever home here very soon... :)

And now for something very different... It seems like I am going to have 2 very, very special visitors this coming Sunday :D Beyond my wildest dreams :p Hehehehehe... ;) If all goes well, I will show you the pictures :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[labblab]

What wonderful news about Yamuk!! :) :)

And I can hardly wait until Sunday to see your surprise revealed!!!!!!!!!!! :p :p :p :p

Marianne

[Dollydog]

That's great news about Yamuk!! :D :D

Can hardly wait till Sunday to see your surprise....hope all goes well.
Jo-Ann

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Saskia,

Good news about Yamuk! :D I know that was a relief for you as well.

Am looking forward to seeing your surprise pics soon, too!

Hope you and Yunah are doing great!
Hugs,
Leslie and the girls

[BestBuddy]

Great news about Yamuk but so not fair making us wait for the pictures of the special visitors.

Jenny

[SasAndYunah]

Ha! I just learned that several of you already know who will be coming to visit :eek: So here it is, Terry (mytil) and her man are coming to The Netherlands and they will visit me and Yunah while they are here. Isn't that just great...??? :D :D :D And everyone who's able to join them, please do and be welcome just as much :D I think it's truly amazing that I will be able to meet them in person.... We've met in 2005 on this Board because our dogs (now at the Rainbowbridge) brought us here. Mytilda and Cukie must be smiling right now, that we are actually meeting :) I mean, one would expect others to meet way sooner then I would meet any of you...being all the way here. Yet, I have the privilige and honour to meet Terry and Peter, I couldn't be more happy and excited. Maybe I can teach Yunah in time to sing the "The Star Spangled Banner" to welcome them, hehehehe... :p

Anyway, just wanted to share this special event :)

Hugs to all,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[sunimist]

Saskia, just remember we are all there in spirit to meet you and Yunah, so there will be lots of cyber hugs to spread around! :D :D
I am so happy Terry and Peter are able to actually visit you! We love them very much and can hardly wait for a report and pictures.

Love to all,

Shelba and Suni

[Dollydog]

Saskia, I hope you have a great visit and will look forward to pictures of all of you together. What a treat :D ....some day I hope to meet up with some of the people on these forums that I feel so close to.
Jo-Ann & my Dollydog angel :)

[labblab]

Saskia, I am so excited for you and Yunah and Terry and Peter that I am about to burst!! Please give Yunah fair warning -- Terry is bringing along ARMLOADS of hugs on behalf of all of us...:p :p :p

It does seem like a dream come true -- having the chance to personally spend time with one another. Just as Jo-Ann has said, that is also my fondest hope -- to one day meet my dear k9cushings family members. :o

I know you will have a wonderful visit, and so many more of us will also be there in spirit. :)
Marianne

[Roxee's Dad]

This is so cool. Expect to see lot's of pictures and for Terry to get to meet you and :D Yunah :D is just so cool. :D

[lulusmom]

Saskia, we are all ecstatic that your meeting with Terry and Peter is really going to happen. What an incredible opportunity for all of you. You and Yunah are very special for many reasons so I understand why and applaud Terry for taking time out of her busy schedule to meet you and your wonderful girl, Yunah. I'd love to meet all of you and I am totally jealous. [insert green envy emoticon here] :D

Hugs,
Glynda

[mytil]

Okay I will be off and running on Saturday and will arrive Holland on Sunday morning and will go straight to Saskia's. (I will sleep on the plane) :) I have packed my bag with tons and tons of smoochies and hugs and hellos from everyone here. . . .

And if Yunah does sing that would not surprise me because she can do anything! Do you want me to bring anything over Saskia? I have something I would like to bring that I love and it is big from my area - called apple butter. . . .

Terry

[Squirt's Mom]

Coming in late here, but this is so exciting to hear, Saskia! How neat to be able to meet in person after all this time! I hope ya'll are having a blast and all leave each other stunned with joy.

Hugs,
Leslie

PS. Add my little "green envy emoticon" here, too! :p

[Harley PoMMom]

I too am coming in late to convey my happiness for this very special meeting...my heart is bursting with such jubilation that such special and wonderful people like Terry and Saskia are going to finally meet in person :D:)

I know you all will have a fantastic time and I can't wait to see all the pictures.

Love and hugs.
Lori

[SasAndYunah]

Awwwww, I'm sorry for all these little, green, envy emoticons :( I sure wish you all could come and join us :) Rest assure I will sent Terry back with her suitcase full of hugs, cuddles and bellyrubs for all you and your pets :D

And Terry, you don't have to bring anything, just you and all thoose smoochies :D But apple butter...does sound delicious :p

See you in 3 days....hahahaha. Feels soooooo good to say that ;)

Hugs to all,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Just to let you all know, I just spoke with Terry on the phone. She and Peter landed safely in Amsterdam, dropped of their lugage at their Amsterdam hotel and are now in the train on their way to Doetinchem :D They will be here in about 1 hour...yehaaaaaw! :p I better get the soup ready... ;)

Will be updated later this evening...

Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Okay, Terry and Peter arrived at noon and OMG....we had such a wonderful time :D They both were so familiar...we had a great time, talked lots and Yunah and I just waved goodby to them as they were heading off to the trainstation again. Poor things, little red eyes because they were so tired...awwwww :) They are amazing, warm, kind and loving persons and I am sooooo terribly glad I had the change to meet them :)

There are some pictures I have uploaded to an album. Terry and Peter made lots more pictures that I am sure they will upload here as well later on :) You all will have a blast seeing me and Terry :D Terry being so small and me being so tall :p They are adorable and we had the best time ever...I almost didn't let them leave, hahaha.

Well, time for Yunah to have some dinner, poor thing had to sit and watch us having lunch and eat and eat some more...so now it's her turn ;)

Big hugs,
Terry, Peter, Saskia and Yunah :)

[Roxee's Dad]

Hi Saskia,
Very nice pictures:) Thanks for posting them already. I can feel the excitement way over here. ;) I'm so glad you all had a wonderful time and took advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Very, very nice. :)

[SasAndYunah]

John, can't begin to put into words how wonderful it all was :)

And the giftwrapping, yes, hahahaha...Yunah is the designated gift unwrapper in my house, so now that she couldn't unwrap the gift, she at least had heaps of fun afterwards with the giftpaper :D She even destroyed one of her toys, something she never does, unless she is extremely excited :p

Oh, and I now know what apple butter tastes like :eek: It's great :D

It was just....too incredable for words. Can't wait for Terry's pictures... :)

I sure hope they both are sound asleep by now and I will go and follow their example.

Goodnight hugs,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[acushdogsmom]

It's so wonderful that you had the chance to meet in person. :D

Thank you for the photos that you posted, Saskia! I'm looking forward to seeing Terry's photos, too. :)

[gpgscott]

It is great that a good time was had by all.

I used to hate applebutter:D

Scott

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Saskia,

What great pics! I am so glad you all got to meet and visit for a bit!

Hugs,
Leslie

PS. Ain't apple butter is a wonderful thing? :D Yummmmmm...:p

[lulusmom]

Saskia, thanks so much for sharing the pictures with us. I guess we'll have to wait until Terry and Peter get back to see their pics with you. Yunah knows how to shred gift wrap. I thought my family helt the record but I think we'll have to concede. :D It did my heart good to see Terry and Peter breaking bread with you at your very own table. It was an incredible opportunity and it is now documented forever. I hope you all got a good night's sleep.

We, or at least some of us with hillbilly relatives, have a saying which goes; "this or that is the best thing since apple butter". I bet you understand that concept now. Apple butter is my favorite topping for toast. I also love it on peanut butter sandwiches. Yummmm!

Glynda

[sunimist]

Thank you for sharing the photos Saskia! They are wonderful and I can hardly wait to see more. It must have been such an honor to be house guests of you and the most awesome and celebrated Yunah!


I almost didn't let them leave, Sure am glad you did let them leave, cause we couldn't do without Terry. She's very special!

((HUGS))

Shelba and Suni

[frijole]

How great it was to see the photos... almost like we were all there. Big hugs to you and Yunah. Thanks for taking in our dear Terry too. What a wonderful opportunity to meet one of our members overseas. Kim

[mytil]

Hey,

I had the most incredible few hours with Saskia and Yunah. I actually cried a bit when we left in the taxi - I wished I could have stayed much longer. I will post my photos as soon as I get home but we have a very special traveler with us (the gift from Saskia and Yunah) right now we call her "Tdoggie" She has been all over and I have also taken photos of her at the stations, on the train, learning french and being a very tired little doggie going to sleep.. . . More later...my internet time is running out.

Terry (Peter and Tdoggie) from Strasbourgh (here are two I have - could not load them up in my album -problem from my end) You can see Tdoggie getting ready for bed. And a great one of me, Saskia, Yunah and Tdoggie as we were leaving)

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Terry,

Well, I cried seeing the pic of you and Saskia...with your doggies. :p How wonderful for all of you! Tdoggie is just precious and I know full of incredible memories!

Can't wait to see more pics!

Hugs,
Leslie

[SasAndYunah]

Dear Terry, Peter and Tdoggie :D

More tears here, boohoo....but still so very, very happy that we did really meet :) Funny thing though that it is somehow comforting to know you're still in the "neighbourhood" ;) I got my new pc installed and therefore I now have entered the 21st century, hahahaha :p

Aren't we the spitting image of the small, the tall and the furry...? :D

Stay safe and well...:)

Big hugs from me and Yunah to you, Peter and Tdoggie :)

[mytil]

Here are two more photos but the rest will have to wait until we get home. One is at the station waiting for the early train to Strasbourgh (Tdoggie was very tired).

Now you must have to download Skype so we can talk for no charges. Just make sure your new computer has speakers or you can get inexpensive Skype capatible headphones.

Big hugs to you Saskia and big smoochies to Yunah
T.

[SasAndYunah]

Hahahaha Peter has all the good pictures :D Love the one with the message to our K9C family....turned out great :p

Great to see Tdoggie travelling all through Europe ;) But he's not the only one being very tired, I'm sure :) Zurich.....ahhhhhhhhh, you must have some Swiss chocolate then :p French fries, Swiss chocolate, sounds almost like a cullinairy trip :D

Sleep well, be safe...

Hugs,
Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Time flies....and we move on to the daily things happening in our lives. But still remembering Terry's and Peter's visit vividly, as if it was yesterday... :)

While I had no internetconnection for an entire week, Yunah came down with a bad case of the "flu" complicated by a pneumonia. She has been very ill but thanks to the antibiotics and the codeine (to stop the coughing) she's now recoverig nicely :) So the past 10 days, I have been Yunah's Service Human... :D And she deserves it too ;)

Another thing is Yunah's teeth. This week I spoke with a veterinary dentist (both a veterinarian and a dentist) about Yunah's teeth and he asked me to take some pictures of her teeth so he could hopefully assess the situation without me having to travel to him. I posted some of the pictures I mailed to him, in Yunah's album. He is one of only 4 veterinary dentists in this country and eventhough my local vetclinic does do some dental work (mostly cleaning and stuf) I want her to have the best in this area of expertise. He's at the other side of the country but hopefully, if the pictures tell him enough, I can go to that specialised clinic just once, where they will do everything needed in one session (if possible).

He said he would call me after he had seen the pictures...so once he has called me, and I know more, I will let you know :)

Hugs,
Saskia and Yunah :)

[Harley PoMMom]

Oh Saskia,

Poor Yunah, I am so happy to hear that she is feeling better now.

Ouch...I seen the pics of her teeth, I wonder if the veterinary dentist will put some type of cap/crown on them. My boy Harley goes in the 23rd to get his teeth cleaned and I'm afraid he will lose a couple of them. :( Our poor pups.

Please let us know what he has to say about Yunah's teeth and give her a hug from Harley and me.

Love and hugs,
Lori

[SasAndYunah]

Hi Lori :)

Well, I hope to avoid the crowns. If possible I would like Yunah to keep her own canines (I would want the same for myself ;) ) I hope he can give her a rootcanal for both canines (ouch, poor Yunah) then fill the "hollow" canines with some type of special rubber and top it off with a 3 layer filling, with 3 different "materials" that should last her the rest of her life and stop further wearing of the canines. He will assess the pictures and call me with what he thinks is possible and best for her teeth, also in relation to her work of course. It's wait and see now... :)

Good luck with Harley's dental..poor guy. I really really hate going to the dentist so if an animal has to go...it's even worse to me :(

Hugs,

Sas and Yunah :)

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Saskia,

Poor Yunah! :( I hope she doesn't hurt from those! Of course, I know you wouldn't let that happen if at all possible. I hope that specialist can and will help her and she keeps all her teeth. As a dentist's daughter, loosing teeth is almost sacrilegious! :eek:

Sending prayers and hugs to you both!
Leslie

[SasAndYunah]

Leslie...? A dentist's daughter??? :eek: Yes, I agree, saving ones teeth, human or animal, is a must if at all possible.

And this evening the dental specialist called back after he had seen Yunah's dental pictures. And much to my surprise, what I thought was a cavity (wich puzzled me greatly because how on earth could Yunah have a cavity :confused: ) wasn't a cavity at all. She actually broke off a part of that tooth! :eek: And that tooth needs a rootcanal treatment and a filling afterwards.

So far her front tooth... Then the two lower canines. The dentist wasn't absolutely sure if her nerves in the canines were exposed so he will be taking an x-ray of those canines. If the nerves are sound with no signs of inflammation, he most likely can simply fill both canines and stop further wearing. If the x-ray shows any involvement of the nerves, Yunah will receive rootcanal treatment for both canines as well..followed by the filling.

Her upper canines he wants to x-ray as well, to see in what state they are and hopefully predict if, and if so, how soon she might get problems with those.

So we're looking at at least full anesthesia, 4 x-rays, 1 rootcanal and a filling, 2 fillings and depending on the x-rays 2 more rootcanal treatments. And all this will happen december 23rd (same day as Harley gets his teeth cleaned).

We should make december 23rd international "poor doggies who have to go to the dentist" day ;)

Saskia and (blisfully ignorant) Yunah :)

[gpgscott]

Hi Sas,

Wow, a root canal for a pup.

I can tell you that Vandy has had several and I have had one. One of her's led to bone loss and finally a bone graft, implant, and prosthetic tooth. And she brushes, and flosses.

I will never have another. The first Dr. left nerve and over a year later it had to be repeated under anesthesia, and required an implant to stabilize the remaining tooth.

There are so many variables, and infection is a big issue in recovery.

I am not an expert, but I am advising you to seek confirming advice, and from someone who does not perform this procedure.

A dog should do fine with an extraction and have no further pain. I cannot see a reason to perform root canal for a dog.

Please seek the opinon of acushdogsmom.

Scott

[SasAndYunah]

Hi Scott,

I can surely understand your concern or even surprise :) But, however strange this may sound, in dogs, a toothextraction, particular of the canine tooth, is much more painful due to the size of the roots. The root of dogs is twice as long and wider then the crown (the part you can see). It is oral surgery and not a simple extraction in canines especially. There's a risk the jaw may break during extraction and some other complications. Also, the canines are very important for several rerasons. In Yunah's case she needs them to do her work but also for eating and in case she ever gets attacked by another dog, without her canines she will stand no change to defend herself.

All in all, a root canal is actually much safer, holding much less risks for complications and a less severe procedure to perform then an extraction :)

I am going to the absolute best in this field of expertise, he does root canals on every animal from lions to ferrets... For the past 10 years, he dedicates his career to dental veterinary only. And definately not saying this to "insult" you....really, but the notion that extraction is the easiest, simplest en best solution is, due to all new technologies, better understandings and new insights, an "old fashioned" look on canine dentistry. But the one that most people are still familiar with...so many people still share your idea :)

Hugs,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Dollydog]

Hi Saskia,
I am so glad that there is a plan in place to help your wonderful dog. I'm also glad that she is seeing the best....she deserves it! Will be sending lots of prayers your way for that special day. I won't have computer access at that time but will check in again towards the end of the month.
(((HUGS))) for the both of you, especially Yunah,
Jo-Ann & my Dollydog angel :)

[gpgscott]

Saski,

Not suggesting that you have not reseached.

And it is important to understand there are differences between the species.

I believe that dogs endure without our knowledge. I have not had serious dental issues with pups, and am not imformed except to my personal experiences.

I am not impugning, just asking.

Scott

[SasAndYunah]

Oh Scott, I really wasn't trying to be mean to you or something. I do understand your concern and your surprise why I decided what I decided, many people react the same way :) With my reply I wanted to reassure you and to explain why I decided for the root canal(s). But I know that my way is usually pretty direct and therefore can get across "harsher" then I intend and I appologize if you felt hurt or insulted in any way. I remember growing up, that many adults had hardly any teeth left, and that was pretty standard those days. These days, people (and dentists) will try and save their teeth. And with veterinary dentistry it is not much different, Not too long ago it was standard procedure to just extract a tooth that caused problems. But recently that's changing as well, And the importance that also animals keep their own teeth if possible, is sinking in slowly. But in all fairness, even my own (general) vetclinic, recommended to have Yunah's canines wear down and than place a metal jacket/crown. Something that's done usually in working dogs only, for quite some time now. But views are changing, and untill I spoke to the veterinary dental specialist I had no clue either about all the possibilities. They can even make braces..and not just that they can, they actually do use braces in animals :) I for one never had heard of that ever before..

But since my vetclinic said to let the canines wear and then replace them with "metal teeth, and since I would not want to loose my real teeth if I could prevent it (shrinking jawbones and all kinds of missery), I asked myself if there wasn't a way to safe Yunah's teeth as well. And that's how it happened and how I learned about all the possibilities and the pro's and con's of the different kinds of treatments :) And I noticed that if you start to research this on the internet (mostly USA studies) they all agree that extraction of a tooth should be the last option and that saving the tooth should be a priority. So I feel very comfortable, hope you do too now :)

Oh and I have no idea what impugning means, but I am sure that's not what you were doing at all :)

Hugs,
Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Hi Jo-Ann,

thanks! :) Hugs back to you and yours,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[gpgscott]

Sas,

To impugn, is to accuse, but I think in an indirect way.

Thanks for repsonding. I have to say that I am still not convinced.

I have learned a bit about dental surgery and know that most dentists that perform it here in the states do so with the grace of God.

Vandy and I are now under the care of two Drs. who have the most up to date equiptment.

I find it hard to believe that a Veterinary Dr. would be able to offer the same.

I know whatever path you have chosen has been done so with care, but I also feel compelled to comment.

Scott

[SasAndYunah]

Scott,

what would we be if we couldn't comment on each other? I know I do comment... So please comment all you want, I for one don't mind at all :) I only worry that a person could think I was being rude or something like that. And that, and you have to believe me on that, is never my intention, even when things come out in a direct manner.

And the person I am taking Yunah to, is not "just" a veterinary dr, he is also an official dentist :) That's why I picked him. There are only four of those in my country, the others are indeed veterinareans with an interest in dentistry. His equipment is state of the art, it's for a reason he is the one that gets asked to give a root canal to lions in our largest zoo, for example. And perhaps, but this I really don't know, but perhaps it's possible that veterinary dentistry is more advanced here than it is overthere...? I wouldn't know, really...

I do know however, that if Yunah had to quit (even part of) her job because I would have her teeth extracted, she would be one unhappy dog, she loves her work, she lives for it. ( I remeber when terry was here, Terry needed something from her handbag. Yunah noticed Terry reaching into her handbag and Yunah stood right there, waiting to be given an item she could bring to me. And so Terry gave Yunah the item she was looking for and Yunah brought it to me. And before Terry could get back to her seat again, Yunah stood next to her...waiting for the next item...and the next and the next. She kept going till Terry had nothing left in her handbag...Yunah would be miserable if she lost those tasks) But also, as I said earlier, I would do anything to keep my own teeth since it is far better to keep them then to extract them. And if I would do that for me, then I have to do that for Yunah as well, she deserves nothing less then I would deserve :)

We might never agree on this subect, which is perfectly fine by me...really, I don't mind a difference in opinion at all. Just as long as you know that what I decided was decided with the utmost care and solely in Yunah's best interest, at least, in my eyes :)

Sas and Yunah :)

[gpgscott]

Sas,

I am just saying that I have experienced less than satisfactory results.

I would not want Yunah to have to experience the same.

And what I have learned about root canal surgery makes me suspect of a Veterinarian being able to offer this service.

Please make sure.

Scott

[SasAndYunah]

I have and will...promise :)

Sas and Yunah :)

[AlisonandMia]

Here's a link to info on root canal therapy for dogs: http://www.mypetsdentist.com/site/view/113097_RootCanalTherapy.pml

Looks like the least bad option to me - even though I wouldn't be too happy with the idea of having a root canal for myself as a human (I could be convinced but would take some convincing;)). I remember being told by a vet that the roots of canine canines run up into the sinuses just below the eye and extracting those teeth is a really, really big deal - this was from a vet who is one of the leading small-animal dental vets in Australia. Mia had a teensy little incisor removed (it was impacted with a canine) and its root and and the amount of tooth below the gum line was pretty darn impressive - can't imagine how big and well anchored a canine would be.

It seems service dogs that use their teeth extensively need some sort of preventative capping before their teeth are damaged. Is such a thing possible/available?

Alison

[SasAndYunah]

Alison, that is one of the things that will be discussed. Apart from the dental treatment, he will also see if he can find a specific reason why Yunah's teeth are wearing as they are, because they shouldn't. It's not "normal wearing" you would see in a service/working dog. It's excessive and there has to be a reason for it. Even if the reason would be an unsatisfactory one such as "genetically determined soft teeth" and from there we can see if and what we can do to slow down the process (sealing of some sort, diferent food, additives...I have no idea) But till we have seen him and he took the x-rays and such, we won't have any answers...so, as so aften, it's wait and see at this moment :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Just because it's so cute... :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbq6PHOCzwo

Sas and Yunah :)

[gpgscott]

Astonishing Ali,

My second Dr. used realtime imaging and that his how he determined that the first left nerve. Although I knew it.

I did not suspect that this was available in the Veterinary world.

Scott

[SasAndYunah]

Apart from work and walks, Yunah and I also play a lot together. And for Yunah, the ultimate form of play is using her brains :D Here's an example of the incredible fun she has when she has to pick the item I ask her for. And eventhough you guys can't understand what I am telling her to pick, trust me that she picked them all correctly :D

Just look at the fun she is having...I love seeing her this happy and enthousiastic, I am probably enjoying it even more then Yunah is, if that's at all possible ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_hYqswHgTY

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Roxee's Dad]

She is certainly happy. :):D:) and pretty darn smart too. :D:D:D

[littleone1]

I've enjoyed watching the videos of Yunah. She is definitely very smart. She seems so happy! :D You've given her such a good home.

[SasAndYunah]

Today I took Yunah to the veterinary dentist. I am very exhausted myself since it was quite a long drive and winter has hit hard here...lots of snow so the driving was quite difficult.

Everything went entirely different than anticipated. Her canines needed no treatment at this time, so that was very fortunate :) Her fronttooth however, was beyond help and/or repair and had to be extracted, much to my grieve :(

A much more evasive and risky procedure but there was no choice. The tooth was extracted, her jaw needed stitching (due to the hole in it because of the large nerve) and now she's not supposed to use her mouth for at least 7 till 10 days. Except for eating and drinking :D But no playing with her toys, definately not her ball and no work.

I am too tired to tell you all the details and to even load up some pictures. But for those interested, you can see the pictures also at Yunah's site:

http://yunah.punt.nl/?id=475804&r=1&tbl_archief=&

I will return later to write about the details, why her canines didn't need any work at this moment, etc :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[gpgscott]

Sask,

Even with the good news about the canine teeth, I am so sorry that this tooth was beyond salvage.

I also know how painful this type of surgery is and hope you can keep her medicated to relieve the pain.

Hugs and prayers to you both. Please continue to keep us posted.

Scott

[littleone1]

Hi Saskia,

I'm glad Yunah didn't have to have any work done on her canines at the present time. I'm sorry she had to have a tooth extracted. I know they don't really understand some of the things that happen to them. I hope Yunah doesn't have too much pain.

I hope you have a very good holiday.

Terri

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Saskia,

Oh poor Yunah, and I am sorry it did not go as you expected and hoped. :( But that's good news for her canines!! :) Will be waiting for your detailed post about this.

Hoping you are getting the rest you need and so deserve after that long and arduous journey.

Love and hugs,
Lori

[Franklin'sMum]

Hi Saskia,

I'm so sorry Yunah's appointment didn't go quite to plan :( but great news about her canines, though :).

Give her big cuddles from us, and hope you both rest well.

Jane and Franklin xx
________
WEED VAPORIZER (http://weedvaporizers.org/)

[Squirt's Mom]

Hey Saskia,

I hope Yunah is doing much better by now. It is a shame she had to loose a tooth, especially one of those little flea-bitting teeth (you'd think I'd know the name of them, huh? :o ). But I am glad the canines are ok for now.

Since she can't work, is someone helping you out? I bet Yunah is having a hard time not helping with things. Poor baby. :( But she will be back in true form very soon.

Merry Christmas to you both!
Hugs,
Leslie

[SasAndYunah]

Okay, I've recovered somewhat from the trip and here is a more detailed post, as promised :)

So, Yunah's fronttooth was truly beyond repairing and had to be extracted. She had a huge "root point'' infection, clearly visible on the x-ray and the remaining part of her tooth was starting to die (blueish/greyish discoloration) I can't understand Yunah didn't give me any signals she was in pain (which the dentist said she most definately had to be in a lot of pain from that infected end of the root) So from that perspective, it was a blessing for Yunah that she got rid of that nasty tooth.

Her canines, well, they were clearly worn. But, unlike humans, dogs are capable of producing new layers of dentine. The black "dots" that are visible in Yunah's canines, are the pulpa showing. But the dentist showed me that the black spots were "shiny"...meaning there was a thin layer of dentine covering the pupla. When the pupla is not shiney...then you have a problem with an open connection to the pulpa and thus the nerves. (not shiney means, no new layer of dentine covering the pupla) So he felt it was best not to interfere with her canines at this time and just keep checking the black dots/pulpa on her canines....and as long as it remained shiney, she should be okay :)

Another thing that he reveiled to me was that all Yunah's teeth were worn. Not just the obvious canines but all her teeth and molars were worn and were missing the enamel on top of them. On the sides of her teeth/molars (towards the gums), there was enamel, only on top of her teeth was it worn off. This to him was a clear sign that having been allowed to play with a real tennisball in the first year and a half of her life, had caused the damage. And without the hard enamel cover, her teeth will wear a lot faster.

On a good note, they did check her teeth for tarter and/or plaque....she was under anyway so best to have it all done, right? And they could not find the slightest trace of tarter or plaque anywhere :D According to the dentist this was extremely rare for a 4 year old dog. And a huge compliment for me doing my best keeping her teeth clean ;) I was happy to hear I was doing everything right, from brushing her teeth, to her food and her toys and the things I allow her to carry in her mouth and play with or not, in preserving her teeth the best possible :D

Another wonderful thing was that he is an extremely nice man, very "accesible" and open. So I asked him if perhaps he wanted to write an article for the Service Dog Magazine on how to keep and preserve the canine teeth...and he agreed :) He was even very enthousiastic and started talking about pictures he could use, etc... so that was also good news :)

So all in all it was a very worthwhile visit that tought me a lot, that freed Yunah from a very painful, infected tooth and made for a nice person I can add to my list of people that I can contact anytime, anywhere, for whatever it is I want to ask :) He gave me his personal emailaddress and phonenumber and saiid to never hesitate to contact him, now, in case I had questions or worries about Yunah after her procedure or in the future if I was unsure about the condition of her teeth or anything else that was on my mind :)

I will post some pictures in Yunah's album now.

Oh and Yunah? She is doing very well, physically, but I feel very sorry for her since she is very confused and kind of depressed actually since she can't work. She doesn't understand it, she wants to help me with everything and she looks at me with such sadness in her eyes... Without her work, without helping me, her life's purpose is gone and she feels downright miserable and that's hard to watch. I cannot even distract her with her toys or a game since they almost all involve using her mouth :( So that's the sad part of it. She will have to hang in there for 5 more days but it will be very hard on her, poor thing :) Her daily routine is gone, everything she is used doing, working, playing with her ball, going to the doggypark, playing with other dogs, walking around and squeeking her toys...all that is forbidden for now. But the jaw is healing nicely, she has some clear discharge from the same side of her nose that the tooth was extracted but that's all.

But I and Yunah too, will be so glad when she can return to her normal every day business.. :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[mytil]

This is really good to hear Saskia. Poor little Yunah :( but I am very glad to hear she went through this just fine and is recovering.

It is amazing that she did not give you the signals of the pain at all. Now I feel bad that I let her carry all those things from my purse, especially the hard cased wallet - it must have been painful for her.

It is amzaing how driven she is ~ no work means no purpose for her.

I had wondered if this is also some kind of a genetic deficiency in her with a lot of the enamel being worn. I truly had no idea a tennis ball could play a role in damaging the enamel to this state :( ~ luckily we do not use tennis balls because the first time we did several years ago the girls immediately sat down and tore them up ~ so now it is the kong balls.

Big healing smoochies to sweetie pie Yunah
and to you for a great New Year. :D
Terry

PS - I just saw the photos - it is really nice they let you keep an eye on things while they were performing the extraction.

[SasAndYunah]

Terry, there's no stopping Yunah :D Once she gets going, she will keep on going till the end (or till the bottom of the purse anyway ;) ) as you now know :p I had no idea at all she had a painfull tooth so you should certainly not feel guilty that Yunah carried all those items, you saw her, she just had to do it, she wanted to do it so badly...

And yes, tennisballs, wood/branches and stones are notorious for causing damage to dogs teeth. The "hairs" on a tennisball act like sandpaper and the sand that's usually on branches and stones, have the same effect, they work as sandpaper on dogs teeth. The perfect alternative for dogs that are crazy about tennisballs, I found in the USA at Planet Dog ( http://www.planetdog.com/home/ ). I have ordered them several times already and when I showed one to the dentist, he was really enthousiastic. He too has a tennisball crazy dog and could not find a good and safe alternative. But he loved the Orbee-Tuff tennisball I use for Yunah :D So now the 2 Goldens of the dentist will also be playing with the Orbee-Tuff tennisballs soon ;)

Yunah's jaw is healing nicely but her spirits are low....she misses her work. She just has to hang in there a few more days...I'm sure those smoochies will help :D

Hugs,
Sas and Yunah :)

[littleone1]

Hi Saskia,

I'm glad to hear that Yunah is healing well. I know it's very difficult for our furbabies when their routine is interrupted. I'm sure she will be so happy to get back to the things she knows and loves to do.

It sounds like you have found a wonderful dentist. He sounds like a very caring and knowledgeable person. I think it's great that he took the time to explain everything to you, and is also willing to write an article for you.

As far as Yunah not giving you any signals that she was in pain, Corky was the same way. I think they have a very high threshold for pain. Corky didn't do any wincing or crying, but I started to notice a few things. He started to drool a little when he was eating or drinking water, which he never did before, and he would take a piece of his favorite treat, which is strawberry licorice, and then not eat it. He was eating his meals and his other treats and biscuits. I called the vet to have his teeth checked, and that's when he found Corky had two fractured teeth. He has to have them removed on Jan. 4th.

I hope Yunah continues to do well.

Terri

[Dollydog]

Hugs to Yunah....will try to read all the updates soon. Hope she is feeling herself real soon,
Jo-Ann

[SasAndYunah]

Thanks all for the good wishes :) Yunah's jaw has recovered very nicely and the stitches came out on day 8 and 9. That meant she was allowed to work again, the happiest day of Yunah's life :D

Between her work and all the snow, Yunah is a happy little camper, loving every minute of every day ;)

Here she is helping me recycle... :p The cartboard box has to go in the box for the "old paper" so it can be recycled...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdM1A2JW7HI


And here she is at the doggy playground, having fun running around in the snow with a Rottweiler...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpDqqlZUZ3E


Wishing you all the very best,

Hugs,
Saskia and Yunah :)

[littleone1]

Hi Saskia,

I'm so glad that Yunah is back to her normal self and is a happy camper again. She looked so happy in the videos. She really is a treasure.:)

[SasAndYunah]

Everything is going well here...Apart from the cold, that is. The temp has dropped till -15 degrees Celsius (= 5 degrees Fahrenheit) and that's midday! And it will snow all day tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. I sure hope the snow will kind of forget this area so I can still go out in my wheelchair :eek: I was stuck at home for several days around Christmas due to all the snow....don't like to see that repeated :D On top of that, "they" are running out of salt to sprinkle on the streets due to the extreme snowfall we've had already so it's becoming more and more chaotic here :)

But Yunah and I don't get bored, I tought her today how to "pull the top off of a banana"...not sure how you say that in English ;-) It's hard for me to do so since I lack the strength but for Yunah it's easier so she now has a new task :p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdpfsxRnewQ

Everyone be safe and well,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[littleone1]

Yunah is so precious Saskia. :D She did a good job peeling the banana. I'm glad she's doing good.

I'm sorry that you're having so much snow, and that it's so cold.:( I'm glad I'm here in AZ. I know my family and friends on the east coast have really been getting alot of snow and having freezing temperatures. Hopefully you will be able to get out.

Take care.

[Harley PoMMom]

I just love watching your videos, and Yunah...she is amazing.

It is really cold here in York, PA. too, tom (Saturday) it is supposed to get a high of 15 degrees. :eek: I woke up to about 1 inch of snow today and Harley and Bear were loving it...me, well, one inch of the powdery white stuff is just ok! I don't love it but I don't hate it either.

Stay safe and be well too, my friend.

Love and hugs,
Lori

[SasAndYunah]

Time for an update :D

I have been pretty sick with a pyelonephritis wich was very hard to control. It took 3 courses of (different) antibiotics to finally get rid of it. Now I am in the process of recuperating from all the meds and getting rid of the "blahhhhh" feeling ;)

And Yunah was just diagnosed with Keratoconjuctivitis sicca (KCS) or in other words "Dry Eyes". Her tear production is not sufficient enough to keep her eyes moist and protected. So now she is on daily (every 4 hours) artificial tears and Vitamine A drops twice daily. And due to the inflammation at this time, she also needs 4 times daily an antibiotic cream applied to her eyes. She's being very good about it, the brave girl :D Also, the eyespecialist told me that I needed to take some other meassures wich would improve Yunah's eye condition. Making sure the air in the house wasn't too dry and to have her wear glasses when riding on my lap and/or when there's a lot of sunshine. Glasses? :eek: So of we went to get Yunah some glasses :p

And she's loving her glasses :D She didn't try to struggle once... The moment we put the glasses on her nose, she seemed actually pleased about it. It must feel good to her eyes, I suppose...especially at this time with the inflammation going on. I will post a few pics of Yunah with her glasses...she looks like a "biker babe" :D

Hugs to all,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[labblab]

Ah Saskia, I hate it that you and Yunah are both having health issues :(. But as always, you are right on top of getting your girl the help she needs :).

By any chance, are Yunah's glasses anything like the "Doggles" that Stephanie's Pallie had to wear for a time? I've forgotten what prompted Pallie to need them, but I've always LOVED Stephanie's photos of Pallie with her Doggles on. These are some of my fondest photo memories of sweet Pallie...:o

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=49&pictureid=682

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=49&pictureid=694

Here's hoping that you'll soon be feeling much better, too!

Marianne

[Spiceysmum]

Hi Saskia,

Sorry to hear you have not been well but glad that you are improving!

My non-cushings dog, Brin suffered from KCS when he was 3 or 4 years old (he his now 13). He had what we thought was an eye infection for a month or so but it didn't clear up. By the time they did the test he had no tear production at all in that eye and was put on optimmune which did not help at all. The vet at the time, who we are no longer with, said that was the only treatment available and he would probably never see out of it. It was just about fully closed by this time and his nostril was very dry and crusty and he could not breathe out of it properly. I eventually found an opthamologist who kept him on the optimmune but also added artificial tears and FML drops or cream. I think it is no longer in use but it was a steroid ointment. After a month or two I could see his nose getting more lubricated and gradually his eye started producing tears. I was told that he would probably be on it for life but as we reduced the frequency of giving the optimmune I began to think he could manage without it. To cut a long story short, we did stop it eventually and he has never suffered since.

I know every case is different but I am convinced Brin's could have been caused by him running full on into a patio door a while before and the steroid drops kick-started it into working again. That's my theory, though it was probably just a coincidence!

I bet Yunah looks cute in her glasses!

Linda, Spicey and Brin

[littleone1]

Hi Saskia,

I'm sorry to hear that you were ill. I'm glad that you're finally on the road to recovery and feeling better.

I hope Yunan's eyes also start to improve. I'll be looking for the pictures of her wearing her glasses. That's great that she didn't fuss about wearing them.

I'm wishing both of you the best.

[SasAndYunah]

Hi Linda,

glad to hear that Brin's eye recovered :) In Yunah's case it is indeed a bit different. She used to have frequent eye infections (about 5 times a year) so they did the Shirmer tear test already a year and a half ago orso. At that time her tearproduction was a bit low. 18 and 19, where they prefere a number around 20. So at that time it wasn't really KCS (KCS is diagnosed when the tearproduction is 15 or lower) but they already put her on artificial tears, once a day to see if that would help prevent the frequent infections. And for a while it did :) But she now had another real bad eyeinfection and after doing the Shirmer tear test again, the numbers had dropped till 13 and 11. That, and the repeated eyeinfections and the pressence of mucous in her eyes that sticks to the eyeballs made the diagnosis definitive. Thankfully her numbers aren't that bad or low right now so we don't have to use Cyclosporin and hopefully we can manage her dry eyes with the daily application of artificial tears every 4 hours including the nights (Lacriforte) and Vitamine A drops twice daily. That and the airhumidifyers and her glasses :)

Marianne,
Yunah's glasses are from "Dog-Goes", a German made product but sold in the USA as well under the name "Petlenses". My main reason to decide for "Dog-Goes" is that they offer a wider range of different sizes, 5 or 6, where "Doggles" only has 3 sizes. They are 4 times the price of Doggles :eek: but offer more flexibility to fit the dog's face perfectly. And I must say, Yunah's glasses do fit her perfectly and are so extremely comfortable, it's worth every euro. And of course, her eyes are pretty important so whatever it takes to keep them as healthy and in good shape as possible :) Luckily the prognosis for KCS is rather good (more so for cats then for dogs though) and a lot depends how moist you can keep the eyes and how dilligent the owner is applying the meds. Well, setting the alarm, once every night to apply the artificial tears, is no big deal to me and I will be more than happy to do so if that is what it takes :) So minimising the infections through the meds, the humidifyer, the glasses etc will prevent too much scaring from happening, and that's worth everything.

I do like all doggies when they wear glasses :D It's kinda cute ;)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Thanks Terri :)

Hugs to you and Corky from us,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[gpgscott]

Hi Sas,

I am sorry that you have not been well, I understand the big gun antibiotics and hope you are past all that.

Thanks for getting back to us and best you you and Yunah.

scott

[Roxee's Dad]

Hi Sas,
Sorry to hear about the troubles and hope you both get better soon. I do know that Yunah can be in no better hands. :):D:)

[SasAndYunah]

Hi Scott and Hi John,

Thanks :) Yes, the antibiotics were quite an "attack" on my system but apart from feeling "blahhhhhh...", I'm fine ;) Yunah's eyes are getting better with each passing day and she seems genuinely happy to wear her glasses :D

I added some more pics of Yunah and her glasses, so funny :p

All my best to you and yours,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[littleone1]

Hi Saskia,

Yunah looks so adorable in her glasses. She looks like a movie star.:)

I'm glad that her eyes are getting better. I hope that both of you continue to do well.

[SasAndYunah]

Ans yet another month has passed....time really flies :D Yunah is doing great, her eyes are doing very well too :) Yunah has been busy accompanying me to many and various hospital visits, from x-rays, to ultrasounds, the neurologist, urologist and internal specialist, to name a few :eek: And she is being perfect every time, no matter how long she has to lay down and wait, no matter how often she has to undress me or how often she has to hand my papers to someone...she is such a blessing! :) And because she had been, and will be in the weeks to come, so busy (my disease is in a rather progressive stage at this moment) I wanted to do something nice for her. So, I bought her a Nina Ottoson (http://www.nina-ottosson.com/PRODUCTS.htm) puzzle :eek: She's a Swedish lady develloping "intelligent" dog toys/puzzles and I adore them...and so does Yunah :D I bought her one that falls in the "most difficult" category since she already had 1 puzzles from the "easy" and 1 from the "moderate" category...and those were no challenge for her ;) I made a video of Yunah trying to figure out the "Dog Turbo". First I sat with her and showed her how it worked, then I let her try it once and the video is her 2nd attempt. We started at the easiest way to solve the puzzle but you can gradually increase the difficulty level which is nice :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPbxfHvxsvo&feature=player_embedded

These puzzles are a great way to give dogs some mental stimulation and tire them if needed. But also they are a great way to bond with your dog...I just love them :)

Our best to all,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[frijole]

Saskia, you cease to amaze me! I didn't know these things existed. How wonderful. Thanks for sharing. Glad you are doing well also! Best, Kim

[BestBuddy]

Hi Saskia,

Yunah certainly is one smart dog. I'll bet she has it mastered real quick. I love that the toys are training tools but I suspect Luke would tip it up and try to break in to get the treat.

Jenny

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Saskia,

I am so sorry you are having issues right now with your disease and I am glad Yunah is there to help.

She is so smart, and that puzzle is so cool. My boy Harley, tho, he would just stand there and bark at me...like saying, "mom, get them treats out of there for me, cause I'm not gonna do it!" :eek:

Love and hugs,
Lori

[AlisonandMia]

I love that puzzle - didn't know such things were available for dogs. You can get similar sorts of things for parrots.

Zac would love that (he's actually quite smart although he has none of Yunah's good sense!) - can you put little bits of cheese in it?:D:D

Did anyone see the videos of the terrier (Simon) with the balloons? Those balloons seemed to be very good "rat substitutes" for the little guy.:D (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoiFGva_JoY&feature=related)

I'd love to have a terrier in my life again! <sigh>

Alison

[maggiebeagle]

We always fed Maggie with a treat ball, she needed the excercise. It was funny watching how seriously she would work to get her food. I wish we had taped her doing it.

[mytil]

What a great idea Saskia - I never have heard of these puzzles. I have tried the balls too, but not the puzzles.

I think they have to make a super-turbo-most advanced puzzle series for Yunah - she is so smart and adaptable.

I am thinking of you Saskia and sending tons of positive thoughts to you too.

Terry

[SasAndYunah]

About the puzzles...you have to teach your dog how it is done :) It is not a matter of just putting down the puzzle and they will start to solve it ;) Once they know the concept of puzzles, it's different but for a first time introducing a puzzle, you have to actually teach them. They are also used for pigs, pony's, cats, etc...they are truly great :D And they are sold in the USA/Canada, I looked for them specifically :)

About me, well (I actually had to grin) I was diagnosed with DI :eek: Diabetes Insipidus can you believe it :confused: Had the deprivation test and all, hahaha....I felt like some of the doggies on this board ;) But the testing is still ongoing. They also found a thickened bladder wall, urinary retention of 180 ml residual urine (in adults above 60 years of age, 50 - 100 ml is acceptable...and I am not anywhere near being 60 anytime soon :D) In the next weeks there are 3 more days of testing scheduled for x-rays, ultrasound, mri and all sorts of bladder function tests. So I won't have any definate answers soon, will have to wait if there's still something that can be done or if I may need an urostoma. Yunah was exemplary, as always and it's such a wonderful thing to have her by my side during all these tests :) Will post a few pics of her in the hospital today :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[forscooter]

Saskia,

I am so sorry you are going through all of these tests! Doesn't sound like lots of fun! :( I do hope they can find something very easy to fix if there is something that needs fixing. And I am so glad Yunah behaved so well....but it seems she always does!:) What a sweet precious girl she is!!!

Will be waiting with you for some hopefully good, or not so bad, news!

I can't even begin to fathom the puzzle thing...still trying to teach Cayden that his boy parts were cut off and he really should not be running through the house!!!! Or that I am his jump toy! Or that Baby Pallie is not allowed under my covers when she is soaking wet! Can I come stay with you for about 6 months???:cool:

I can take you to your tests and Yunah can conduct good dog classes!

Love and hugs!
Beth

[littleone1]

Hi Saskia,

I'm so sorry that you are having medical issues. I hope that all goes well for you.

You and Yunah are both so very special. You were meant to be with each other. She is just so precious, and so very smart.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

[labblab]

Oh Saskia, I hate it that you are experiencing these additional problems. But I've just viewed your photos of sweet Yunah right by your side at the hospital. If ever there was an angel dressed in a dog-suit, it is your Yunah :o. "Good Dog" does not even BEGIN to describe her. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that the testing will determine the least invasive manner in which to treat your condition.

And the dog puzzles! :) Thanks so much for introducing them to us. I'll bet that my Peg, especially, would love one. She is very quick and clever at learning how to manipulate objects, so I think she'd go right to work. Luna is still at that exuberant puppy stage when you just toss and pounce and run. But it would be interesting to see -- a puzzle just might be a good focusing tool for her...

Please keep us updated as your testing proceeds. And definitely give our angel dog some big pats, OK?

Marianne

[SasAndYunah]

Hi all,

It's a beautiful Sunday morning in The Netherlands and I thought I would update :)

As far as my tests go, I had the x-rays, sonogram and MRI. In 11 days I will have the final exam, an uro-dynamic test <ugh!> and right after that test I will meet the urologist to discuss all the testresults and findings and hear if and what the solution will be :)

Furthermore, I am extremely happy since I was approved for getting a new wheelchair :D The one I currently have, is in the high range already as far as shock absorption goes...but still, with my specific condition, it's not good enough. I can't go for longer walks anymore, it hurts too much and too many joints become dislocated, due to all the shocks while driving. So I applied for a new one. After being seen by all kinds of people and docters, the conclusion is that indeed, I need an extremely well shock absorbing wheelchair, jippie! Now I will go through the process of testing and trying wheelchairs and find out wich one is the best shock absorbing... :D It will be difficult since these chairs are very very rare to find here and I assume they will need to find a wheelchair that is produced elsewhere. But I don't care, I just want to go for longer walks ;)

And then there's Yunah :) My beautiful Yunah... A few weeks ago I saw a slight change in her behaviour, she seemed to be a bit....nervous. At first I couldn't figure out what was wrong with her but after talking to the headtrainer of the Service Dogs, we solved the puzzle pretty quickly :) My poor little girl was suffering from a "burn out"...so to speak. I cannot begin to tell you how guilty I felt. But you have to know that Yunah never sleeps, unless I sleep. Every moment I am awake, she is awake and alert. She responds to every little movement I make, every sound coming from me...Yunah's there to see what's going on and if she needs to help. Apart from her being so extremely alert, she works alot! and I mean a lot. And beside her work, there are 4 walks each day, there's play and puzzles and toys and fun...visits to hospitals, farmacies, stores, etc. All that combined made that she was a bit overloaded with stimuli and activities. Her character, always ready to do something with/for me, and mine, always wanting to do something with her, has caused that I kind of lost balance in Yunah's activity/rest schedule :)

So I made some drastic changes... 45 minutes of mandatory rest after each walk, no more toys and puzzles in between work, walks and play, no more going to the doggy playground when other dogs are there (adds to her stress instead of being relaxing, at this time) and lo and behold, 2 days after I made these changes, I had my old Yunah back :) No longer acting nervous, much more relaxed and resting more :) I will follow these new rules for some time to come (if not forever) since a "burn out" doesn't built up in 1 day. So it also needs longer then a few weeks to heal again :) In hindsight, I think the burn out was there already for a longer time and that her stress hormones were chronically elevated due to it. The restlessness, agitation, etc....all stress hormone related behaviour. Any way, we're on the right track back now and Yunah is thriving :) Oh yes, another huge change I made is stopping Yunah to help others. If someone drops something for example, Yunah will automatically pick it up for that person. Don't have to say a thing, she just does it. And I realized, that however cute that may be, that in Yunah's mind, all the work is hers. Not just the work for me but for everyone. Something drops....she feels its her job to pick it up. Someone is wearing gloves or shoes or a coat? Yunah feels its her job to take them off :) So, now its my job to teach her that it isn't her job...she's not there to help everyone :)

It's so easy to fall into that trap if you have a dog like Yunah, soooo willing to please, so eager to work...and it slowly happens. I will post a few pics and wish all of you a wonderful Sunday!

Saskia and Yunah :)

Yunah picking up my meds at the pharmacy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07jNjvwC3Lw

Yunah eating a carrot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgP4Fi2HPSo

Yunah having fun digging:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk7GTl3B1bI

At the supermarker:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzVlRtT2PxE

[zoesmom]

Sas -

I never tire of watching your videos of Yunah - at work, at play, at everything. She is such a marvel and a gift. I had to backtrack a month or so, 'cause I apparently missed some of your earlier posts for 2010 - what with getting ready to move and Zoe's troubles. Loved the puzzles and I have no doubt there will have to be newer, more difficult ones created for somebody like Yunah!!!!

I am also so sorry you are having to go thru your latest health issues. Here's hoping for a good resolution to them, very soon!!!
Glad you were able to figure out what was going on with Yunah's nervousness. She IS such a hard-working girl and that little bit of extra down-time sounds like just what she needed.

Sas and Yunah - you two never cease to AMAZE me!!!!! Sue

[BestBuddy]

Hi Saskia,

I really hadn't thought about it before but service dogs are on call 24/7 and those especially good ones like Yunah are happy to work continuously until they no longer can. I am glad you discovered this before she made herself really ill. With active dogs we don't have to make time for play but rest instead.

Jenny

[SasAndYunah]

So, I finally have the results of the urologist :) And the conclusion is that my bladder (almost) stopped functioning due to my Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. A connective tisue disease that now has affected my bladder as well. The only solution is to start catheterising. If that will cause to many problems (because all my tissues are "weak" and extremely fragile and for example could tear due to the catheterization) I will get an urostoma. But we will try the catheterization first. Hopefully it will go well :)

And today I learned that I will get a very, very "posh" wheelchair :D It's a Swedish wheelchair and they are about the only ones that make this excellent shock-absorbing wheelchair. There are only 3 of them in The Netherlands. They are extremely expensive and you will only receive one when there is absolutely no other option left. And yippieeeeeeeeeee...there was no other option left for me so I will be one of the very very lucky ones to be getting this wheelchair :D It's an "off-the-road" wheelchair...soooooo cool! :p And it can drive a whole lot faster then the average wheelchair ;) I am so happy, I almost explode :D And this will be so much fun for Yunah as well...she can galop next to this new wheelchair...and I can access terrain that was impossible to access with a normal wheelchair....so lots of walks in the woods for her ;) You can see the chair here http://www.permobil.com/USA/Products/Rehab/X850-Corpus/ It's the X850 Corpus.

I will first get it for a week to try out and to determine what extra adaptions are needed for me. Then it will be waiting till it will be ready. So I hope to have my new chair within a month or 2, adapted and ready to go :)

And Yunah....Yunah is still the most wonderful, amazing and loving dog I coud have ever wished for and doing great :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[labblab]

Oh Saskia, you and Yunah are both bright beacons for me! Such a pair of special "girls!" :) :)

I will most certainly keep my fingers crossed that the catheterization will go well for you. And although I am sorry that you are now having the need for a more advanced wheelchair, it sounds as if your new "chariot" will be a beauty. Such a wonderful improvement for both you and Yunah -- I can hardly wait for photos. :D :D

Please tell our girl that her Auntie Marianne is sending her kisses.
And all good luck to you, Saskia, both with the catheterization and with settling into your super new wheelchair...

Marianne

[littleone1]

Hi Saskia,

I'm sorry to hear that you are having more issues. Sending positive thoughts and prayers that everything will go well. You are a very special lady, and I admire you very much.

I'm glad you'll be getting your new wheelchair. It sounds like it will really be good for you.

Give Yunah a big hug from me. Tell her she is also very special.

[mytil]

Oh Saskia,

I am so very sorry to hear about these results. I have been thinking about you a lot. I am sending positive thoughts. We have to catch up on Skype again. :) Cannot wait to see your new wheels.

Big smoochies to sweetie pie Yunah.

Terry

[zoesmom]

Oh, Sas - so sorry to hear about your latest diagnostic results. :(:( But the new wheeelchair sounds fantastico!!!!!!! Hope it works out well for you (and that Yunah will enjoy the speeeeeeeeed!)

Somehow, you always manage to find the positives in life. We could all take a lesson or two from you. (And many a doggy could probably use one from your Yunah !) You are truly amazing and of course, it goes without saying . . . so is your Yunah. (((Hugs))) Sue

[SasAndYunah]

Have I ever told you how much I appreciate and love you all...? Well, I do :D

The catheterisation is going wonderful so far. My daily life has improved a lot by it and I am very grateful for it :) Coming Thursday, I will get the off the road chair on trial for a week, can't wait :D Of course, after that week, I will have to wait for them to order my very own specimen and adapt it to my needs...but it will come! I can't be sad about all those things because they all improve my quality of life soooo much, that instead of being sad over the fact I am getting worse, I sing out of joy for all the good things happening to me ;)

But the best thing that has ever happened to me, of course, is Yunah :D Here's a video of Yunah opening the door to my "supply closet", getting me the cookies first, the coffeepads next and closing the door again :D Gotta love that girl! :D She is especially amazing in the fact that she knows so many words. She knows what to get when I say "cookies", she knows what to get when I say "coffee"... I once tried counting all the individual words she knows...I gave up after 135 :eek:

Yunah getting me the cookies and the coffeepads:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCCcsdSaI9w

Yunah helping me with the laundry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45To4YtxwM8

Yunah helping me when I have to put away the folded laundry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhPI88xwbUw

She is what puts a smile on my face every day again :) I hope she puts a smile on your faces as well...

Big hugs,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[zoesmom]

\ She knows what to get when I say "cookies", she knows what to get when I say "coffee"... I once tried counting all the individual words she knows...I gave up after 135 :eek:

Oh Sas. I had to laugh when I read the above. Our doggy, before Zoe, was a smarty named KC (I wrote about her on the old board, but that thread got lost of course, but there are some pictures of her in my album here.) KC was black and white and clearly had some sort of herding dog in her (and they are always smart) but she was much stockier, like some labs are. Vet thought maybe she had some chesapeake bay retreiver in her. Who knows.

Anyway, I figured that I was the only person in the world who counted their dog's vocabulary. But apparently not! :D:p:p:p:D In counting the words that KC understood, I quit when I got to 100 - clearly, I'm less patient than you are because I know there were more !:rolleyes::rolleyes: But isn't it just amazing how some dogs can understand so many words. Zoe had a MUCH more limited vocabulary than KC:o:p:o, ppoor baby . . . . but in her defense, she did have a much better temperament.

I would daresay that your Yunah has the same smarts as my KC along with the sweet personality of my Zoe. Of course, I loved both my girls beyond all reason but YOUR YUNAH HAS IT ALL - in one package!!!! I would give anything to meet her in person. Must go watch your videos now. They are always so much fun to watch. Love them!!!!!!!! Sue

[littleone1]

Hi Saskia,

I'm glad to hear that everything is going well for you. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers that everything will continue to go well.

You have a very precious little girl helping you. She is so intelligent and so very helpful. I loved the videos on Yunah.

I also count the words that Corky understands when I can't sleep. It's amazing what our furabies understand.

Take care. I'll be waiting for an udate on your new wheelchair.

[acushdogsmom]

Love those videos, Saskia! :D And I can hardly wait to hear more about your new chair! :)

[mytil]

Oh Saskia,

I am very happy to see things are working out better for you; and there are now health issues with Yunah. And you get new "wheels" to boot. :D

I love those videos - I never tire looking at them.

(((hugs))) to you and smoochies to Yunah,

Terry

[Harley PoMMom]

Have I ever told you how much I appreciate and love you all...? Well, I do :D

Saskia and Yunah :)

Saskia, I truly hope that you know we feel the exact same way about you.

I just love watching the videos about Yunah, she is just so smart but then she has a wonderful and loving teacher/mom. ;):D

Love and hugs,
Lori

[Bichonluver3]

Hi to both of you!
I am new to this site so never met you on your previous visits. Yunah is amazing but, you have to agree, the best "service" she gives is those doggy kisses!
Carrol

[SasAndYunah]

Just had to share that I bought Yunah the most adorable...PINK harness :D I'll post a picture of her wearing pink ;) I had to do something to make myself smile after the horrible and shamefull result of our national election yesterday... At least, in my eyes it is horrible and shamefull :( Okay, enough, this is not a political forum...

Thankfully, I had Yunah, looking pretty in pink, to make me smile :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

This morning, we spent a lovely morning at the lake :) Since the weather has been cold lately, not much chanche to find too many people there sunbathing and recreating ;) But for Yunah, the temperature is perfect to go for a long walk...and so we did.

If you walk all around the lake, it's a 4 kilometer walk...

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1730

Yunah having fun :)

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1731


Taking a break...

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1729


And going for a second walk around the lake...and a swim in between ;)

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1733

After 8 kilometers around the lake, we took a taxi home...Yunah was exhausted ;)

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1732

Of course we also have our daily "playing with the ball" sessions :D

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1728


And Yunah had her 2 Frisian Stabij girlfriends over for a visit ;) Yunah has one quarter of this breed in her...

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1727


So, all and all, we had a fun and wonderful weekend :) Well spent!

Saskia and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

This past weekend was an incredably fun one :) There was the annual Farm and Country Fair and the Service Dogs pr team was there as well, the entire 3 days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).

The fun began on Friday, when a friend of mine came to visit, with her Service Dog Diesel
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1764

Yunah and Diesel, best friends :D
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1765

Then Saturday, Yunah and I went to the Fair to help the pr team...
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1767

A member of the pr team, had brought Bear, a 12 week old Lab puppy. And when Yunah and I went home, around 4 in the afternoon, we took Bear with us since it had been a long enough day for him :) Here's Bear on my lap, as we are heading towards the wheelchair taxi to bring us home...
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1768

Home, both Yunah and Bear, exhausted on my bed ;)
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1769

How cute can a sleeping 12 week old pup be....? :D
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1770

Later that evening, I took Bear for his very first walk beside a wheelchair ;)
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1771

The member of the pr team, that had brought Bear with her, stayed the night at my house, and so did Bear :D The next morning, he and Yunah played in my backyard ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8wqg1Fzu7Y

Bear will one day, make a great Service Dog for one lucky owner ;)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[mytil]

I love all these photos from the Fair, and the beach.

Yunah sounds so much like my Myclan when playing. Sometimes, Myclan sounds like she is this huge dog when she and Cailey play. Cailey will run like crazy and then throw herself on the ground for Myclan to jump on her - then they both get up and do it all over again.

What a cutie pie Bear is. Will you be having a hand in training him?

Terry

[SasAndYunah]

Terry,

no :) Bear is living with a fosterfamily, responsable for his training, he was just here for the weekend of the Fair ;)

Yes, Yunah is very vocal when she plays...it scares some people, thinking she is viscious :eek: But not all growling is a warning signal...it can be out of excitement for example. Same as the hairs standing up...totally depends on the situation what it means.

Yunah has some other vocal qualities...hahahaha. Every first Monday of the month, the alarm sirenes will go off to test them. So even if I grow deaf...I still will know when the alarm will go off :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcCO_OXh2Js

And that is also why I can take her everywhere, without a problem....except the dentist :p

Hugs,

Sas and Yunah :)

[zoesmom]

Yunah, sweetie......not only are you beautiful and smart and exceptional.......you are FUNNY, too!!! Sue

[SasAndYunah]

Sue, you can add something else to that list :D Yunah's smart, beautiful, exceptional, funny and....BRUTAL :D She broke 2 metatarsal bones in my right foot :eek: Of course it was an accident, poor thing...my screaming and cursing out of pain (not directed at her of course)had her all upset.

Can you imagine, in the hospital this morning, when they took the x-rays and asked me how it happened...I had to tell them that Yunah was too fast putting down the footrest and she smacked it with her frontpaws on top of my foot (and with this heat, I wasn't wearing socks or shoes) :D They all had to laugh pretty badly ;) "My service dog broke my foot"... You have to admit, sounds pretty stupid, hahahaha...:p

Sas and Yunah :)

[Harley PoMMom]

Oh Sas,

That sounds so painful!!! :eek::eek::eek: OMGosh, so sorry to hear this. :( Big hugs to both of you...tons of healing thoughts being sent your way too.

Love and hugs,
Lori

[labblab]

OH NO!!!!!!!!! Poor you, Sas -- and poor Yunah! :( :( She must have felt so badly knowing that something had gone so wrong...:eek:

Like Lori says, healing hugs being sent to you both! :o :o
Marianne

[SasAndYunah]

The hugs are very welcome , thanks :D It is indeed pretty painful and due to my EDS, my foot was not put in a cast. That would destroy any musclemass I have left. But since I use a wheelchair anyway, I don't have to use my foot so we decided to let it heal "au naturel" ;) The most painful part is the periostitis due to the impact and damage...auch! :p But with lots and lots of ice it's manageable :)

Poor Yunah was very, very shaken up by the whole incident. Of course I wasn't yelling at her but she didn't know that :( But I just had to yell and scream when it happened. Fortunately she has recovered nicely and is very affectionate and being "nurse" Yunah :D When the footrest fell on top of my foot, it didn't just break 2 bones in my foot, it also left a cut in my foot and Yunah is licking and licking it :p

Well, if one of us has to have an injured "paw", I rather it be me. I can do without one of my "paws", but Yunah needs hers to take care of me ;)

Goodnight for now,

Sas and Yunah :)

[frijole]

Wow. What a story. I feel so badly for both of you but am glad you are on the mend. I am sorry I somehow missed your earlier post. Big hugs to you both. K and A

[littleone1]

Hi Saskia,

I'm so sorry to hear about your foot. I know it has to be very painful.
I'm sure Yunah felt very badly.

Sending healing thoughts and prayers that it gets better very soon.

[SasAndYunah]

All healing thoughts, well wishes, hugs and prayers have worked their magic...my foot is healing well :D The exhausting heat has subsided finally and we're back to our normal routine :)

Yunah doing her chores...like helping me in a "do it yourself" store:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLioRLKHrlU

And helping me at the supermarket:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uveHF9x179Q

Or helping me at the pharmacy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u3G2esWIv8

And here helping me in the petstore ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x9YGUeGKCU

Of course we also have lots of fun time together although Yunah considers her "work" fun time as well :D She's with me for 3 years now and our bond, our love and mutual understanding is still growing :) She's becoming more balanced even, if that is at all possible. She is the most stable dog one can imagine. Nothing gets to her. She ignores all barking and snapping dogs when we're on our walks, she just looks at me with a look that's saying..."Silly dogs, heh?" :) I adore her...

Will add some pictures to her album as well :)

Hugs to all,

Sas and Yunah :)

[frijole]

This is terrific news! Glad you are on the mend and that Yunah is keeping busy. Love the updates. Kim

[lulusmom]

I loved the videos and I am sure that the cashiers and other help at the stores are always amazed by your little helper. Way to go Yunah!!!

[SasAndYunah]

Just had to add this video as well, Yunah being "domestic" and cleaning up after me :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy0BB6-Ua_Q

She's such a "little mouse" as I affectionately call her...and many drawers and shelfs are almost too high for her to reach, but she is persistent and manages everytime :)

Sas and Yunah :)

[littleone1]

Hi Saskia,

Yunah is just so precious and adorable. She is such an intelligent girl.
I love watching the videos.

Give her hugs and belly rubs from me.

[Roxee's Dad]

Hi Saskia,

Found an interesting article posted in FB by Steph (CorgiPallie) just wondering what your thought's were on this. Some of the comments did make me laugh. Especially potty training. After your comments on Cookie, and now this article, it makes me think of training in a different logical way.


"Dogs automatically imitate people. Some dogs may look like their owners, but all dogs imitate their human companions"


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38446579/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Always look forward to your insight on these kind of things. :)

[SasAndYunah]

Hi John,

always am happy discussing these kinds of things :) That our bodylanguage is of great importance to how dogs perceive us, interprete our actions and that it is highly usefull in training, is a well known fact :) I usually try to explain it as follows: Dogs are highly tuned in on bodylanguage since that is how they communicate amongst themselves, so logically they will try and get clues from our bodylanguage as well. It's kind of comunicating with your dog in his/her native language :) So I personally am a huge fan of bodylanguage for all kinds of purposes, for training, for reassuring, etc. Like for example, if a dog is insecure about a situation, just start yawning, that's what dogs use to calm themselves or to let other dogs know they mean no harm. In my opinion that's a lot better and healthier for a dog then an owner that would pick up that dog and "console" it. The consoling, in a dogs mind, is just a confirmation that his/her reaction is a good one, a positive thing. Where the dog would be more helped if he is "told" in his own language that it is okay and there is nothing to worry about or to be insecure about. This also helps the dog to become more selfassured, it learns how to deal with things instead of being confirmed in the shivering, insecure reaction. And eventhough we all know it (I think we do, anyway) the biggest mistake is to interprete our dogs behaviour in human terms. This doens't mean that dogs don't show or have emotions, they do, absolutely they do. But how they experience those emotions, should not be related to how humans would experience those same emotions. People saying" my dog hates the neighbour"... (for example) are very wrong, dogs don't hate. But the opposite is true as well. "My dog just loves me so much, he protects me against other people", is not true either :) Dogs don't "love" the way we humans interprete that word. That dog probably thinks he's the leader of the pack and let's others know that the person is his :) And also, if you loved a person and that person wouldn't allow anyone near you in the name of love, wouldn't you think that that person was just possesive instead of loving you? :) So why people tolerate this behaviour from their dogs, is a riddle to me...:D Oh well, this is another subject all together.

But communicating with dogs, in their language, is a wonderful thing and makes for a much better bond and understanding between dog and owner.

I just started reading a book, called "Emotions in canines". It's a book about canine emotions and the difference in their emotions and ours, based on scientific research for example by meassuring their endorfine levels. Just as they do in humans. Hormones steer how we feel...by releasing certain hormones in certain situations. (we may not like to think about it in this matter, but everything is a "chemical" reaction, nothing is spontaneous or coming "from the heart" :) ) Even when we decide we want to have some coffee...our brains have already sent out chemicals to make us think that we want coffee. It's not "our" decission, it was already decided before the thought even entered our mind Weird, heh? But ohhhhh so interesting :) Well, based on this type of research they now have done the same kind of research with dogs... I just finished the first chapter so can't say a lot yet. But you gotta love the brain, both human and canine :p

Sas and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Just had to share something funny :D A while ago, I gave one of Yunah's strechers to a girlfrend of mine since her dog is suffering from arthritis. And stretchers make good beds for arthitic dogs. Anyway, she gave me a reed doggy couch, either for Yunah or to give it to a shelter or something. It's a rather large dogcouch so at first I was planning to give it away but no shelter or rescue wanted it since the dogs would destroy the reed. So, I decided to try and see if Yunah would like to have her own couch ;) She did! :D
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1864

But I, being the human that I am, didn't like the idea of Yunah laying on the wooden plank with only a dogblanket to cover the wooden bottom of the couch :p So I ordered a pillow to go on the couch. Of course I had looked for the right size, length and width... But I hadn't really noticed or paid attention to how thick the pillow was, hehehe... So when the pillow arrived, I was shocked!!! Hahahaha....it's hilarious but Yunah doesn't care at all that it is hilarious, she just loves her new pillow...and who could blame her ;)
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=1865

So now I had this huge, empty cardboardbox in my livingroom (the one the pillow had arrived in) and of course I had to do something with it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPI4lXPMTks

Yunah is just one incredable dog. She just jumped into the box, went down and I could just close the box without her making a sound or trying to get out of the box, she just waited for me to tell her to come out :D Gosh, I just love her heaps ;)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[littleone1]

This is so cute. Bless her heart. She is so very precious.

[frijole]

Those photos have me in stitches. Thanks. One lucky dog.

[SasAndYunah]

Kim, I still have been laughing so badly, all day long :D It's just too hilarious to see her lying there on top of that very, very, very fluffy pillow :p So fun ;)

Sas and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Well, after a very very hot summer, we now are dealing with extreme rain. On August 26 we had 2 months worth of rain faling on that one day :eek: August 27 it was still pouring... Today we had a bit of a break..it only rained a couple of hours :D But rain or no rain, some things have to continue :p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV9ijQUyrb0

When we're not outside in the rain playing with the ball, there's still plenty to do ;) For example getting me my socks. And once Yunah has gotten me my socks, she needs to grab the elastic stockings as well, before closing the door ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OZ5mvLqU5M

And when the weather is more pleasant, Yunah likes to take Mr. Rat, her pluche toy, for a walk :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFNGx0sLnE0

And if we have nothing else to do, I teach her new words in all kinds of categories, usefull and useless :D Like here I am teaching her all kinds of different tools, hammer, brush and screwdriver...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufP6vQDnjIs


So we are keeping busy and are having lots of fun ;) All our best to all of you,

Hugs,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Roxee's Dad]

Nice video's Saskia, :D

I think Yunah is smarter than some people I know. :o:)

[SasAndYunah]

Hahahaha John, I think I agree with you ;)

Despite of Yunah wearing glasses and her artificial tears, she still got an infected eye....again. The vet now wants her to go see an eye specialist. So september 17th, we have an appointment with her. Hopefully it won't be anything serious but something minor like perhaps a teeny tiny eyelash/hair poking in her eye :) The vet looks everytime but can't see anything at all but an eye specialist has, of course, better and more accurate equipment to look thouroughly. We'll see...

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Dollydog]

Have just finished watching the videos....what an awesome dog Yunah is!! She IS smarter than some people I know. And she's having such a good time! The pillow is beautiful and makes her look more gorgeous!
I hope it's something simple with her eye....
Jo-Ann :)

[Franklin'sMum]

Hi Saskia,

Amazing how pups can make almost anything look comfortable! :D Keeping my fingers crossed about Yunah's eye.
Jane, Franklin and Bailey xxx

[SasAndYunah]

High time for an update :)

Yesterday I had an appointment for Yunah with an eye specialist. We already knew that she was not producing enough tears but the artificial tears she was prescribed weren't doing a great job. They brought some relief but not enough and so our regular vet wanted us to go see an eye specialist.

It was an amazing visit and we learned a lot from this wonderful, kind and gentle woman :) As it turns out, the tearproduction isn't the only problem with Yunah's tears. Tears consist of (in simple terms) 3 ingredients. A fatty substance, a watery substance and a slimey substance. With a specific test (The Bengal rose colouring test) it was discovered that Yunah's tears don't contain the "slimey" part that is needed to keep the watery part "stick" to the eyeball. So you can add all the artificial tears you want, the simply just run strainght down the eyeball and therefore have no effect at all cleaning and protecting the eyeball from little pieces of dust and sand, etc. So that explained why the artificial tears didn't help :) Upon further examination, it was also discovered that Yunah's third eyelids were covered with blisters on the inside :eek: This is a condition caused by her immunesystem that is responding too exagerated, not very common. It can be seen in young dogs whose immunesystem isn't yet quite developped and it's very rarely seen in adult dogs. And when it is seen, it's usually in Labradors... My Yunah, she's such a Labrador :D ;)

The good news is, it can all be treated, not cured so she will need life long treatment to suppress the symptoms. She will get a special ointment to use in her eyes that will increase the tearproduction and that will add that "slimey" layer to her eyeball. On top of that she is put on Cyclosporine to suppress her immunesystem so it won't form those nasty blisters on her third eyelids. We will have to return in three months to see if this new treatment is succesfull. And as the eyespecialist told me, it is successfull in 80 till 90% of the cases. In those cases it isn't successfull, they can remove the blisters from her third eyelids with surgery.

Throughout the entire hour she was examined, Yunah behaved exemplary! :D She had 9 different things done to each eye, blue drops, green drops, pink drops, clear drops, tweezers, sticks...and she sat there calmly and let the specialist do her thing :) Such a brave little girl she is ;) She never once tried to pull her head away and that after an hour of poking and probing her eyes :eek: I don't even think I could have done what she did ;)

And now, with these new diagnoses and new treatments, I sincerely hope that Yunah can go through life with much more comfortable eyes :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Dollydog]

This is great news Saskia....I'm glad to know that the solution is so simple and that Yunah will have "comfortable" eyes now!!
(((HUGS)))
Jo-Ann :)

[BestBuddy]

Hi Saskia,

I had no idea that tears were so complicated.
I am glad you have an answer for Yunah and hope it keeps her eyes moist.

Jenny

[frijole]

Sas, Incredible! I cannot imagine Annie sitting past the first color of eye drops let alone all of that! Good dog Yunah! Glad they figured it out. Thanks for the update. Kim

[littleone1]

Hi Saskia,

I'm glad you were able to find out what was going on with Yunah's eyes and that it can be treated. She is so special.

Take care my friend, and give Yunah a big hug from me.

[SasAndYunah]

Thanks all :)

Yes, isn't it amazing how "complicated" simple things like teardrops can be? :D But I am very glad to report that Yunah seems to be doing a lot better hardly a week after starting her new treatment, she's not rubbing or squinting her eyes as much as she used to and they are not as red and watery as they were..:)

With winter approaching, I have bought myself a ....ehm.... "legbag". It's sort of a sleeping bag you use to sit in when you're in your wheelchair, to keep you warm while it's cold outside :) It has, just like a sleeping bag, a zipper that goes from the bottom (feet) to the top (waist). And of course, who better than Yunah to zip me up and unzip me again :p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCJ3bK6D9Xw

She's pretty enthousiastic and keeps zipping me up :D Gotta love that girl ;)

Sas and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

A month has passed since my last update... Time for a new one. Yunah and myself are doing very well. Yunah's eyes are doing even extremely well and that ointment is certainly doing the trick :)

Right now we have a 15 :eek: year old Beagle staying the weekend. Awwwww, he is such an adorable but old man :) But reasonably healthy for his age. He has deformed frontpaws (he was a lab dog) and that makes walking somewhat difficult for him and his hindlegs are a bit weak so he stumbles from time to time but he goes on 3 walks a day still. Very very slowly, taking his time, being a true Beagle, sniffing, sniffing and sniffing... :D Yunah and myself had to get used to it since we are used to do everything quickly :p But he is melting my heart with his "old man's ways" :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Saskia,

Always enjoy reading your updates! Glad to hear the drops are helping Yunah's eyes and she is looking/feeling better. She is such an amazing girl!

How awful that your guest had endure torture in a lab! :(:mad::mad::( That is one of many practices I wish would die a horrible death! I have a whole list of humans that DESERVE that sort of treatment! not an innocent among them...

I'm glad you and Yunah are enjoying him and that he is in a loving home now. Little old men pups are so cute! I can just see him checking out all the neat new smells on your walks. :)

Hugs,
Leslie

[SasAndYunah]

I have uploaded some pictures of the old man :)

http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=258

Luckily, at least we have no more dogs, cats and rabbits in labs...but unfortunately still mice, rats and primates :( It's an awful practice, I agree Leslie. This Beagle guy was lucky and was adopted by a sweet German lady 10 years ago. And now we have the pleasure of having him for the weekend :) He's completely deaf, almost completely blind but still smells everything ;) Another thing I had to get used to, with Yunah I can leave no matter what food out and she won't touch it but this guy...:eek: Beagles!!! :p :D

Sas and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

I have no idea what happened to his paws but they do look indeed horrible. Yet, he still walks 3 times 45 minutes a day :) But the time doesn't say anything about the distance...with just Yunah it would take 5 till 10 minutes to cover the same distance ;) But he enjoys his outside time, the smells and the wind, seeing other dogs, saying hello to them...it's keeping him fit and healthy and in good doggy spirits :D In my opinion, nothing is more beneficial to a dogs health (both mental and physical) then going for walks, well except maybe for having a task to do :)

And then, after his walks, he falls sound asleep...and snores :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIFCXSPM8YA

He'll be 16 in December and it's just great to see he is in such good spirits, even with all his "old age" problems :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[addy]

Hi Sas,

Well Mr. Beagle sure looks comfortable, he might be one of those guests that never want to leave:;)

I sure like watching the video of Yunah zipping up your leg bag. :D
What an amazing pup!!!

Glad the eye problem is better, too.

Hugs,
Addy

[SasAndYunah]

A lot has happend in the recent weeks. I had to spent a lot of time in bed, flat on my back, since I had 2 dislocated vertebraes and a dislocated rib. And all that because I sneezed :eeks: My (soon to come) new wheelchair was here for a few hours to have a "fitting" so they could see if some things needed adjusted, changed, etc. I am really anxiously awaiting this new chair (an all-terrain wheelchair) since we already had a lot of snow and ice and my body is getting weaker and weaker and therefore dislocations happen so much more often. And this new wheelchar is supposed to prevent some of the dislocations :D

Yunah had some sort of stomachflu and was quite sick for several days. Luckily no dhiarrea but constant vomitting and stomachpain, she didn't want to eat or drink at all, poor thing. But with the help of the vet and several meds, she recovered nicely and is doing very well again :D

Also, in the meantime, both of us had our birthdays. I turned 49 and Yunah turned 5 today :D

She still helps me so much, for example with unpacking the larger box that contains smaller boxes with catheters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8SdbtuAWd8

Or when I stupidly drop a box and the catheters are scattered all over the floor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7A1_03vSfI

Or here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7HkQ2RvWfA

Or putting away the plug of my wheelchair's batteries:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VQz27XCmcs

Or playing in the snow, trying to catch mice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKr79Yy7sr4

And of course, Yunah enjoying getting birthday gifts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9IHmnC1sXE

She and I, I believe we are the happiest "couple" on earth :)


Sas and Yunah :)

[zoesmom]

Sas and Yunah -

Happy happy belated birthdays to you both. I am so sorry to read that you've both been under the weather. Glad you are both doing better. When do you get that great new wheelchair for good???

Luv seeing the videos, as usual! Thanks for sharing. Sue

[mytil]

Oh a very big Happy Birthday to you both!!!!!!

I am so very sorry you have had some troubles - good grief :(

Am thinking of you!!!!
T.

PS I love those videos - she is the most amazing little girl.....when she opened her present and the toy squeaked, Cyda came running and inspected the computer screen. Cyda loves squeakies...she looked all in back of the computer for it and under the table. :)

[Harley PoMMom]

Sas and Yunah,

I want to wish you both a Happy Birthday too!!! Oh my, Sas, I do hope you are feeling better.

Awww, sweet Yunah, I am happy she is feeling better and I just love the videos! :D

Love and hugs,
Lori

[littleone1]

Hi Sas and Yunah,

I'm so sorry that both of you were not feeling well. I hope all is well with both of you now.

I hope you both have /had a very happy birthday.

I always enjoy watching your videos. Yunah is very special, and so are you.

Take care. I hope everything goes well with your new wheel chair.

[bernie47]

What a beautiful dog ..angel with paws ...;)

hope you feel better soon ... Catherine & Natcho ..

[SasAndYunah]

Thanks all for the well- and the birthday wishes ;) I didn't want to withhold this "hommage" to Yunah that I msde. That's what happens when you have to spent a lot of time in bed, you get all sorts of ideas :D And one of them was to try and make movies, other then the standard ones :) Here's my second movie...a tribute to Yunah :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPwbvymqC0M

The final shot says "I need you..." (ik heb je nodig)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Squirt's Mom]

Happy, happy Birthday to ya'll from us, too! It always brings a smile to my face to see Yunah doing what she loves...not to mention the love in her eyes for you, Sas. ;)

Please take care of yourself! No more sneezing, ok?!

Hugs,
Leslie

[SasAndYunah]

It's white in The Netherlands...snowwhite :D A lot of nuissance to many people but Yunah and myself adore being out in the snow ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVgtgpjzbeE

I adore how she constantly keeps an eye on me...am I still there, am I keeping up and the moment I stop the wheelchair, Yunah comes running like the wind, gosh how I love that girl :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[lulusmom]

All I have to say is BEAUTIFUL!

[Squirt's Mom]

Awww, Saskia! How beautiful indeed! The scenery, of course, but what is truly beautiful is the connection between the two of you. You can see in Yunah's face when your chair would stop that her only thought was that you may need her. When she came right up to the camera, her face said, "I am here, Mama, I am right here. Never worry, I am here." That is beautiful beyond words.

Thank you so much for sharing! I needed that this morning!

Hugs,
Leslie

[labblab]

Oh Sas, I am just getting caught up on your videos ~ they are wonderful!!! I never cease to be stunned and so touched by your beautiful Yunah. As Catherine said, she is truly an angel dog.

I am sorry I am late with my birthday wishes, but here they, regardless. :p:p:p Happy, Happy birthday to you and Yunah. You are both remarkable women, and we are so lucky to have you in our family. ;) :o :)

My best wishes always,
Marianne

[mypuppy]

Hi Saskia,
I dont believe I have ever posted on your thread but I have read up a bit on your precious Yunah and have also watched your videos. The videos of Yunah just warm my heart. She is remarkable and it's no wonder you love that sweet girl so very much, as we all do our babies. She is precious and you both certainly deserve each other. BTW, Happy belated birthday to both of you. Tight hugs, warm regards, happy holidays and much love to both of you. Xo Jeanette and Princess

[mytil]

I love the snow puppy video too. What is it about snow and doggies? Mine love it. She is certainly keeping an eye on you. Hope you are feeling better!

[Roxee's Dad]

Always love your video's Sas :D and the beautiful winter wonderland wouldn't be complete without our favorite companion frolicking in the snow :D

[SasAndYunah]

A new year, new adventures. On December 28th, my long expected new wheelchair was delivered. It has taken a whole year (minus 1 week) from the day I applied for the new wheelchair till it was delivered. So it was a long wait but well worth it. It’s a dream come true :D I can finally drive my wheelchair without having too much pain, without becoming too exhausted and without my joints (dis)locating all the time, yippie! It’s huge, soft and fluffy, hahahaha…I could not be happier ;) Here’s a link to a video that shows some of the features of my new chair. In the first clip you see how the front wheels extend to elongate the chair and therefore create more leg space. In the second clip you see how the entire chair (seat and backrest) tilt backwards. In the third clip you can see the amazing invention they made especially for me..it was not invented yet, had to be especially invented for me. This time only the backrest goes backwards. But normally, you would have a problem with the armrests. If you attach the armrests to the seat and you let the backrest go down, the armrests will stay where they are. Meaning, once in that position, you can no longer reach the buttons to control the functions. If however, you attach the armrests to the backrest, the armrests will end up in a vertical position when you lower the backrest…making it impossible to rest your arms. So, what to do? Well, they solved it in a spectacular manner. In the forth clip you can see how the chair can rise. In the fifth clip you can see the calf rests that were built on the chair especially for me. Those are the major things…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXlBMFPhL_c

I kind of look like a ghost :eek: I had the flu and ran into some lung problems because of it and in the past 2 weeks I lost 15.5 lbs because I was very ill. So ill even that Yunah couldn’t stay with me anymore and she went to stay with her foster family for a week. A well deserved Christmas vacation for my little girl but boy am I glad we are reunited again..and so is Yunah :D So now it’s wait for the snow to disappear, to gain several lbs again and get my strength back. By the time spring will be here, I will have my weight and strength back and Yunah and I can go for long, comfortable walks/rides and soak up the sun and warmth :p

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Roxee's Dad]

What a wonder feat of engineering in such a small package :) Being originally schooled in Electro Mechanical engineering, I can truly appreciate the work and effort that went into your new wheels. :)

and I know you and Yunah are very happy to be back together...I can't imagine being parted from mine for a week.

Happy New Year to you and Yunah and keep the video's rolling :)

[SasAndYunah]

Thanks John..it is a small masterpiece, and the only one in its kind :D I am incredably proud to be the owner of that one of a kind chair ;) It took a while, stuff had to be invented as we went, even the filling of the pillows was a task in itself :D All the materials they usually work with, were too "hard" for me but they didn't have anything softer. So I decided to call a matrass factory and ask if they had softer material and they had. So, I am now sitting in a "matrass"...of the softest kind :p If you look at the original chair...it doesn't even resemble the one I ended up with anymore, hahaha it's changed from front till end, all hand made adaptions. If you take the "standard" wheelchair including the chair that comes with it, it's about 25 thousand euro. But since they didn't use the standard chair for me and they had to handmake an entirely new chair with all the functions it has...the total comes at almost 50 thousand euro :eek: ! One could buy a Mercedes for that kind of money...and have heating and a roof over their head as well for that amount of money. I think it's the most expensive wheelchair in the entire country... But since 3 independant insurance doctors said that this was what I needed, I got it :)

And being seperated from Yunah...? I always thought I would rather die. But the fact was, I was so terribly ill, that I hardly noticed she was gone. Once I was recovering a little, I missed her like crazy and thankfully they brought her back right away :D It was for the first time in 3.5 years that we were seperated but it was for the best, for the both of us. When I first got sick, Yunah didn't even want to go for a walk with someone else, she refused to leave my side. And since I soon realised it was serious and not an ilness that would last just 2 or 3 days, I couldn't leave her here. She had to feel "free" to go out and walk and play...could hardly let her lay with me in bed for 2 weeks :) But Yunah, bless her heart, needs to be "dismissed" of her duties. As long as I am around, she will not leave my side so the only option was to let her go and stay with her fosterfamily. When she arrived there, she was initially a bit wary...not knowing right away where she was? But once she recognised her fosterfamily, she was happy and could "let go" :) And that first evening, Yunah was doing a typical Yunah thing, hahahaha. While everyone was having dinner (and this was 2 days before Christmas) Yunah unwrapped all the presents that were laying under the Christmastree :D :D :D They all had to laugh so badly and Yunah had done it real quietly because no one had noticed anything. So, now everyone knew what they were getting for Christmas and they had to wrap the gifts all over again :p

Sas and Yunah :)

[BestBuddy]

Saskia,

So glad your new chair is finally here. It looks wonderful but how long did it take you to learn how to use it? So many positions.

Jenny

[littleone1]

Hi Saskia and Yunah,

I'm so glad that you finally got your new chair. What a wonderful chair you got. I'm glad that it is easier for you to do things since you got it.

I'm sorry that you were so sick. I'm glad you are feeling better now. That had to be hard on both you and Yunah when you were separated for awhile.

I'm hoping that the new year brings you much happiness and no more illnesses.

Take care my friend.

[SasAndYunah]

Thanks all :)

Now that the actual influenze virus has gone, the battle ahead of me is to gain those 15 something lbs back :D So, today I decided to make sauerkraut with dices of bacon mixed in :p And who is there to help me...? Right, Yunah :D

First she gets me the mashed potatoes (in a package) from the storage closet... Next we move to the fridge where she gets me the sauerkraut, the dices of bacon and the butter :D Then it's on the drawer, open it for me so I can get a pan and then she closes the drawer again....;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yobgxrfwCBE

By next week, I swear, she actually knows how to cook sauerkraut for me, hehehehe :D

Sas and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

I just wanted you all to see something "soooo typical Yunah" :D I bought her a new puzzle, the Brain Train Cube, and this was the first time she tried it. To "solve" the puzzle, or in doggy words, to get to the treats, she needs to lift the green "buttons" from the bottomplate and only then she can open the "drawers" to get to her treat. (the buttons block the drawers so they have to be removed first)

To not make it too complicated, I started with 2 buttons and 2 drawers... And Yunah, she lifts the buttons with her mouth and this is where her personality really shows, she hands me the buttons before moving on to the drawers :eek: Can't have stuff laying around on the floor :D She's just soooo dutifull... We're playing a game, no work involved, yet she fulfills her working duties because that's the kind of dog she is :) And that's why I have to "protect" her from her self sometimes, from her incredable sense of duty... My sweet little Yunah :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8mj603e6kI


Here she's doing the Dog Turbo. She has to slide the blocks in the right direction to get the treats out. Watch carefully when she goes for the third treat... She has to move that block from one "ile" to another to get the treat out...and she does it so fast, you can barely see it :D And when she has all three treats, she moves all the blocks in the same ile...just because...no reason but I think she just likes that ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km-k5qVY1X4

Saskia and Yunah :)

[littleone1]

Hi Saskia and Yunah,

I missed your post earlier. Yunah is so very special. Bless her heart. I always enjoy watching her videos. She is so intelligent. I'm so glad she is with you Saskia.

I hope you are both doing well. Take care.

[AlisonandMia]

And when she has all three treats, she moves all the blocks in the same ile...just because...no reason but I think she just likes that ;)

Saskia and Yunah :)

That would be the Border Collie rounding up the sheep and putting them in the pen together!

Alison

[SasAndYunah]

Terri, thanks, I am so glad she is with me, too :D We're doing very well thanks, finally gaining some weigth back ;)

Alison, yeah, either she's a heck of a Border Collie, herding the blocks all in the same ile...or she is a neat freak, like me :D :D :D But Border Collie's and neat freaks do go well together :p

Hugs,

Sas and Yunah :)

[Squirt's Mom]

Saskia, you and your Yunah never fail to put a smile on my face! You are both simply amazing!

Hugs,
Leslie and the girls - always

[mytil]

She always has so much fun doing these games. I keep saying I am going to make some wood games for my girls and see how they do. I know for sure Cyda will work until she gets it - I am wondering if she has border collie in her somewhere - she will not leave something alone until she either finds it or figures it out - very obsessive :D

I surely am glad you are doing better Saskia!!!!!!

sorry I had to cut our conversation short yesterday - I will be checking Skype this week while I am at the shop - we can continue our talk.....BTW isn't it someone's bday this month? :)

[Franklin'sMum]

I always love watching your videos, Saskia, you two are amazing together! I'm also glad to hear you're feeling better :)

Jane, Franklin and Angel Bailey xxx

[SasAndYunah]

Terry,

ehmmmmmmmm, someone's birthday? :confused: Not mine or Yunah's... :D Sogno's birthday was february 14th, he was born on Valentines day :) My brother had his birthday a few days ago on the 6th and my sister will have hers on feb the 11th :) Mine is in October and Yunah's in December...so not for a while ;)

Sas and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Jane,

thank you :) Always so nice to hear from you... Give Franklin a nice "happy birthday hug" from us here :)

Sas and Yunah :)

[mytil]

I thought your bday was in Feb. :o Well, now it is official, I have created a "happy day" in Feb to go along with your happy birthday in Oct :D I think I was thinking about the show I was going to come over and see you and it made me think of a celebration.

(so happy day in Feb to you!) :D

T.

[SasAndYunah]

Hehehehe...thanks for the "happy day in Feb" wishes :D :D :D It's nice to have a happy day in Feb :p

Sas and Yunah ;)

[SasAndYunah]

We had such a fun weekend and ended up with such lovely pictures, I just had to share them :D

We went to see Lex, a service dog in training who will be 1 in 2 weeks, so still a pup. He's a Welsh Springer Spaniel and what a handsome boy he is ;) He and Yunah hit it off really well and played and played...so much fun :D And so much dirt :eek:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbeA8R7lIy8

Of course, work continues as always ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei9gPJAz_kM

And of course our daily walks. This one ended with a shower and a wonderful nap afterwards :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZRvisz-vQs

Saskia and Yunah :)

[zoesmom]

Awwww, Yunah - I never tire of watching you at work and at play. Even in the still shots, you can feel her 'joie de vivre.' Loved the pics with the springer spaniel. They were having so much FUN together. And my favorite was the 'nighty-night' shot of Yunah at the very end, tucked under her blankie!:):):) Sue

[SasAndYunah]

Yes Sue, isn't that cute or what...? :p After her shower, tucked under her blanket, ahhhhh :) It gives me such joy, every day again, to watch her have fun, work, play and run as fast as she can...she does enjoy life indeed. At 5 years of age, she's still a "youngster" with never ending energy and willingness to play, work, walk, etc. We walk 20 - 30 km daily, every day, rain or shine. Unless it's too hot in the summer of course. Even on my worst days, I still smile and that's all because of her, my Yunah :)

Sas and Yunah :)

[addy]

Hi Sas,

I went to watch the video of Maddock posted on Susan's thread and proceeded to spend the rest of my lunch time watching Yunah's videos.

I could not get enough!!!! Yunah does each job with such joy:D

I could watch the videos all day long.

Love,
Addy

[SasAndYunah]

Thanks Addy :)

Imagine how lucky I am, having Yunah around me all day, every day ;) Living our lives together, with Yunah constantly there helping me, and me enjoying her company, pressence and help. Our walks, our naps, our playtime, our social life...there's no part of my life where Yunah is not pressent and at my side :) We are scaringly simular...in everything we do :) And with just a look, we know exactly what the other needs or wants, creepy if you think about it ;) We are like an old (happily) married couple :D

Sas and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Today I had a very funny day. The occasion wasn't so funny because I was sent to the Centre for Dentistry for Special Cases due to all sorts of complications I recently developped with my teeth/jaws/gums/joints. So my dentist decided he was no longer the appointed person to treat me and so he sent me to this specilistic clinic. I had never ever heard of such a centre but here I was...at the clinic for special cases :D After the initial intake conversationand all that, he wanted to scan the entire lower half of my head 360 degrees. For that purpose they have a "machine" in which you can sit (I could stay seated in my wheelchair) and they kind of lower the machine over your head. Once correctly positioned they start the scan procedure and some sort of vertical arm cirkels around your head, 360 degrees. Yunah was laying 3 meters away from me on her rug :) The scanning started, the machine started turning slowly with a soft zoommmmm like sound. All of a sudden, the machine started making a horrible noise, trembled and rattled like crazy and all kinds of people came running to the machine :eek: Someone pushed some sort of emergency button to make the machine stop and it did stop indeed. Apparently the machine had touched the backrest of my wheelchair and it sort of crashed :D So, now they wanted to restart the machine again to "free" me, hehehehe...but no matter what they tried, they couldn't make the machine lift some, so that I could drive from underneath it with my wheelchair ;) There I was, stuck in that machine, not able to move my wheelchair at all and half a dozen of people running around like crazy trying to get that machine to lift :D It started with 5 persons in the room, then 7, 8 and still no movement at all. The maintenance people were called and asked to hurry because " a woman in a wheelchair was trappped" :D The maintenance guys had no idea how to fix it and they called the comany that had delivered the machine to the clinic. They were baffled as well and never before one of their machines got stuck on the backrest of a wheelchair :p But they would sent their technical persons asap. Then, the wheelchair company was called to come over and if neccesary, take my wheelchait apart to free me from that machine :D It was hilarious, eventhough I could hardly move with my head stuck in that "thing", hehehehe... When the commotion first started, Yunah was about to get up to see what was going on, why all those people were gathering around me and why I wasn't coming towards her...so I told her everything was okay and to "stay and wait". She laid down on her rug again and stayed there the entire time. There were many, many people coming and going, all kinds of noises, phones ringing, more people but she stayed where she was :eek: I was so very impressed! She was calm and remained calm the entire time. And it took them almost an hour and half to free me...but she never moved and remained calm :) My hero dog! The entire staff was amazed at how wonderfully composed she was, a living add for an extra ordinary well-balanced dog , all trust and not a single doubt in me :) Gosh, how I love her :D They were also very grateful that I too was calm and actually saw the funny side of it ;)

That was today's adventure ;)

Another "adventure" that will take a bit more then just one day, is Maddock. He's a 7 week old Welsh Springer Spaniel pup, belonging to a girlfriend of mine. She wants to raise him to become her service dog. And eventhough I "warned" her that it's not an easy breed, and not very suitable to become a service dog, she loves the breed and wanted a WSS and nothing else :D But she only dared to take on the challenge if I would help her, if I would help to raise and train him. And so, for the next year, he will regularly spent a few days with me and Yunah so we can train him ;) We met him for the first time a few days ago and he is adorable...but I can tell already that he will be a handfull :D But it will be so much fun :)

Here's a video of him in my backyard playing with Yunah's toy frog:
http://youtu.be/RQkGAl9su48

And my Yunah will be a great help. She's at a point in her life where she is in full bloom. With the years that have passed she has become more and more steady and balanced. Nothing disturbs her anymore, nothing can rock her world, nothing gets to her, she has seen it all, she knows it all and her faith in me is complete and absolute. I never doubt her, she never doubts me. I know her and she knows me. I understand her and she understands me and we can count on each other 24/7 no matter what, it's almost surreal :)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[BestBuddy]

Sas,

Not only do you have a well balanced dog you are also a very well balanced human.:D

I may have thought being stuck in the machine funny for a few minutes and then I would have started to panic.

Yunah must have been amazing to stay calm amidst all that panic and you definitely should be proud of her, you should also puff out your chest because you are the reason she is that way.;)

Jenny

[addy]

I second that and you also are a terrific gardener. I watched the video and enjoyed the antics of Maddock and the squeaky frog and I also enjoyed seeing your garden;)

You are blessed to have Yunah and she is blessed to have you.

I think you are both pretty special:)

Love,
Addy

[SasAndYunah]

Jenny, thanks :) Yes indeed, it's the interaction between us that brought us where we are...a prime example of how my behaviour reflects on her behaviour but also vice versa. Because I know I can trust her to stay calm, I can stay calm as well :) It's a joy to think back on the past years and see how she has developed, how we have developed...and to me that are the miracles of life :)

It has to be mutual...it has to come from both sides. That's why I always am such a strong advocate that people go and find the dog that "fits" them instead of getting a dog they like :) The better the fit, the better the chance for a good relationship...

How's Luke doing? Is his paw/dew claw healing still nicely? :)

Addy, thank you :) His antics with squeeky toys have come to an end :D The moment I saw him with that frog (fiercely shaking and killing it) that was the last time he was allowed to play with them :eek: It just encourages him too much to use his huntinginstincts and for a service dog that's not a desired behaviour. He can have all the toys he wants, just not ones that make a sound...since the sound tells him his prey isn't dead yet...and so he starts again and again in an effort to kill the frog :D It will be a challenge to "bend" his huntinginstincts into "working" as a service dog. He will have to find satisfaction in his work :) We'll see how it goes ;)

And the garden, that's thanks to a kind neigbour...he gets the credits for keeping my garden in order :)

Sas and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Being Yunah...must be one of the best things in life :D I never tire of watching her "joie de vivre", she's just so happy with everything she does :) She'll be turning 6 later this year, in her prime and enjoying every minute of her life ;)

Wether it is "working", like for example picking up her anti flea treatment at the vetclinic: http://youtu.be/9KpSKoHfM4o

Or wether it's being social and playing around with another dog: http://youtu.be/tUuB95zthBI

Or wether it's during our daily walks, enjoying jumping through the grass: http://youtu.be/j_LfBsh7pZk

No matter what we do, what she does, she does it with such joy and such passion. And even when she can't help or when there's nothing to do for her, she still manages to make it quility time ;)
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=2674

Yes, being Yunah is the best thing that can happen :p

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Squirt's Mom]

Oh, she is a happy girl! I loved watching her playing tug-o-war with her Rottie friend! She looked so cute sitting by that statue, too! And she FLIES over that grass with such obvious abandon and joy. :)

[addy]

I'm thinking part of Yunah's "joie de vivre" has to do with you :D:D:D

I just love watching her and the picture of you both watering the garden is the best!!!

Love,
Addy

[SasAndYunah]

The past couple of weeks I have been busy, joining all of you who have puppies to raise :D Maddock (http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=2790), my friends Welsh Springer pup, was growing out of control more and more, and so my friend decided he had to go to "puppy bootcamp", aka staying with Sas for a few weeks :p And so Yunah and I had to deal with a 10 week old puppy, joining our daily lives ;) Ohhhhhhhh what fun! Poor Maddock was suddenly faced with rules, rhythm and consistency, hahahaha.... He was allowed to play/be up for about 45 minutes and then he had to rest :eek: He was no longer allowed to chase through doorways first, to mess up the garden, to start his dinner without sitting first, etc...

But within 2 days he was used to it all and liking it :) And he was much more calm, much more in control of his own behaviour and his mind was more open to learning stuff :)

Ten week old Maddock learns to sit (assis) and wait (attend) and to lay down (down) and wait (attend)...especially the attend (wait) was important to teach him ;)
http://youtu.be/rT7YoO9EpjQ

And here I am teaching him to come, sit and wait before he can come indoors, to enter only when invited, to sit again and wait while I take of his harness, staying seated during that entire time and then he gets his reward :p
http://youtu.be/xbDNiJPBFOY

And here I am teaching him "Up"...meaning he has to step onto the footrest with his frontpaws.
http://youtu.be/yfJj7qUmOXM

The little guy has learned so much during his 2 week stay here...oh dear, what fun I had training a pup all over again from zero :D

After those 2 weeks, my friend and her 2 other adult dogs came to stay for several days so I could teach her how to deal with Maddock and how to handle situations that can and will occur when you are dealing with 3 dogs :)

My number one rule is that they have to be calm (http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/album.php?albumid=61&pictureid=2789)...at all times, one can have four dogs (Yunah included) but they still have to be calm ;)

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, it was truly a busy time for me but I sooooo enjoyed it,

Saskia and Yunah :)

[addy]

Wow, ten weeks? Can I send my dogs to you? :D:D:D You are amazing!!!!!!!:D

Maddock, what a good boy!!!!!! I really loved Maddock pulling the basket, that was precious.

Sas, you should do training videos.

Love,
Addy

[SasAndYunah]

Addy, that was hilarious indeed, he was imitating what he had Yunah seen doing earlier:D Too funny ;)

Addy, if you lived closer...or I... I would have loved having your pups ;) Anyone can bring me their dog for a week or 2... :D

Sas and Yunah :)

[Squirt's Mom]

I just love watching your videos! Yunah is so amazing as are you. I loved watching ya'll play fetch with the tennis ball. I would tell Squirt "watch" when we played and she would come to attention all over! :D Crys learned the same signals but really had a hard time with the "drop" part. It was hers and you could fight her for it....in fact, she preferred it that way! :p Ignoring her until she dropped it was so hard 'cause she was so comical. ;)

Maddox is learning quite well and really does seem to enjoy his lessons. The basket was funny! I hope he continues once he is back home.

Hugs,
Leslie

[SasAndYunah]

Ahhhh Leslie, that was when my wheelchair had a flat tire last week and I couldn't take Yunah for a walk that day. So I resorted to playing fetch in front of my house :)

You should see her play fetch wen we're really out on our walks :D
http://youtu.be/d0qAnXz3mSk

Or how we play ball indoors ;)
http://youtu.be/Fw5BEVWrLw4

Yunah simply is a joy, anytime, anywhere, doing no matter what :D

Sas and Yunah :)

[SasAndYunah]

Recently I had quite a few people staying the night, for several reasons, none of those reasons involving my health though, thankfully :) But with changing the bed time after time, it became tiring and I decided to let Yunah help me :D

Here she is, my little chaimbermaid :p

http://youtu.be/T-gsChEiqYA

Awwwwwww, isn't that sweet? After 4 years of being with her, it still amazes me that I can find new things for her to do ;)

Sas and Yunah :-)

[addy]

She sure is sweet and a great helper, so happy to please.:)

I love watching your videos. Yunah is so filled with joy when she does her "jobs".

Hugs,
Addy

[apollo6]

loved it. Now if I could get Apollo to help instead of wanting to sleep in the sheets.
Hugs Sonja and Apollo

[lulusmom]

Do you know what my favorite part of that video is? The part where you smile at Yunah. The smile on your face and the love in your eyes says it all. You two are the perfect couple.

Speaking of service dogs, there is a blind female attorney on my train every morning with her yellow lab service dog. When I am running late, I try to stay close to her because that dog can part the red sea. We walk down this really long ramp like a cattle call and this yello lab is priceless. He is on a mission and always in a hurry to get his human to where she needs to be. He comes up behind people, sticks head between two sets of legs, the people turn around like they are going to punch the crap out of somebody for being pushy, they look down, see him and his blind ward and they can't get out of the way fast enough. I laugh my butt off every day walking behind these two and I alway get to the subway way before most people. :D I ain't no dummy for following a smart dog.

[Squirt's Mom]

Like Glynda, I love to see the connection between you and Yunah. The smiles, the shining eyes, the love that visibly flows between you two is awesome.

[littleone1]

I also love watching your videos. You are both so very special. There is definitely unconditional love that is shared between the two of you.

[SasAndYunah]

Thanks all :) I am happy that it shows how I feel and how Yunah feels...cause words are often so inadequate. I am one of the most fortunate people in the world...at least that is how I feel. I have had incredable bonds with all my animals throughout my life, I have worked in incredable places, my parents, both 81 and both still in good health wil be celebrating their 55th marriage anniversary this coming weekend, a newspaper called today and asked for an interview with me (incl pictures) about Yunah, I have met the most amazing people throughout my life, every morning I wake up smiling, I sing the best part of the day, Yunah learned today how to take the sheet of off the bed (pretty darn difficult since she has to pull and lift the sheet at the same time in order to pull the corner of the sheet over the corner of the matress)
http://youtu.be/Xk0zFIj_vUA
and then I come here and read all those comments, life doesn't get any better then this :) All the grief, pain, hurt, sadness, desperation I have experienced in my life, wether it was about people I love(d), my animals, myself, were all worth it. It has made me who I am and brought me where I am, it has brought me here as well...and I don't think I say it too often (I'm not the "lovey-dovey, doodoo daa daa babytalk kinda person) but I love you all and thank you all for all these years, and for the more recent members all these months, of being here for me and for everyone who needs it for whatever reason :)

Saskia, Cukie, Sogno and Yunah :)

[addy]

If the next video shows Yunah vacuuming the house, I am sending my two to you for training!!!!!:D:D:D:D:D

I wish I could send them to you for training regardless;););)

Have the most wonderful of days with your Yunah.

Hugs,
Addy