I had a schoodle for 13 years; her mother was a registeered schnauzer, and her papa was a registered poodle. She was the love of my life. I had no problems with her ears; I would take her to a groomer every couple months, so I suppose her ears were thoroughly cleaned each grooming session. My girlfriend is extremely allergic to dogs and cats (dander), but could hold my schnoodle on her lap with no reaction whatsoever. At age 10, my schnoodle did develop diabetes, so I had to give her an insulin shot each morning. No problem. I bought those fake chocolate wafers made for dogs, and she got a couple only following the insulin. I would get everthing ready, then get down to her level. I never had to look for her, as she would automatically walk over to me. As soon as the injection was finished, she was wound up like someone put a quarter in her, as if to say "I did my part, now hand over the treats". The only other "problem" she had was getting impacted anal glands every two or three months. After having the vet "express" the glands several times, we had minor surgery to remove the glands, so no more scooting or itching on "that end". Like other poodles, she tended to be a barker, but a barker with attitude. She was small, but barked like she was a giant breed watchog ! Smart? She "won" first place in her obedience class! I could go on & on, but what I'm basically trying to say is, get yourself a schnoodle -- they're intelligent, loving, playful members of the family, and will not affect anyone who has allergies to pet dander. ... View related article.
The web-site urbanlegends.com shows many, many stories of dogs becoming ill, but didn't officially state there was a recall. On snopes.com the official answer was "undetermined", which leads me to believe there are valid arguments against feeding this food to your fur-baby. I guess I would personally choose to throw it out rather than take a chance. ... View related article.
I took my mother on an Alaskan cruise, which featured two formal nights. The women wore everything from regular pantsuits to dresses to formals. I am more comfortable in jeans, but I did go out and buy a dress. It was a long dress (not a formal) with a matching jacket top, and I paid only $29 on sale at JC Penney !! I wore it to both formal nights and felt real classy. So go shopping for something inexpensive and enjoy your evenings. The men wore everything from a sweater, to a suitcoat/tie, to a formal tux. If you want to splurge for one dinner, the ships usually have tuxes available to rent, or just have your hubby wear a regular suit & tie. As for shore excursions, I booked several morning activities with local companies. Just make sure not to gamble on an afternoon excursion in case something happens and you can't make it back to the ship on time (they won't wait for you). I rode in a helicopter, went whale watching, photographed sea otters, and walked on a glacier. So much fun, and saved quite a bit of money. Do some on-line searching for all the info you can on your ports of call so you become familiar with what they have to offer. Explore all the options -- not just a taxi, but check into bus schedules, trolley tours, even the tourist information building where you get off the ship can offer safe options for transportation. ... View related article.
