Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group OMG!!!!

Hi Mig...Canada sounds wonderful!! I don't know if I could handle the cold though....bbbrrrrr....I'm no snowbunny...I'm a waterbaby! Thank you so much for everything Mig...you're priceless!

I just want to let everyone know how much I appreciate everything! You are such a wonderful, caring, awesome bunch, I just can't thank you enough! I've though about yall throughout this ordeal and when I was up on the roof, I thought to myself...wow, if my friends could only see me now! And then it dawned on me that yall would be worried and that didn't set well with me but I want you to know that these posts are doing me a world of good, there is no way that I can or would talk about this situation with someone that's also in it...I can remember in '05 having all of these feelings and thoughts pent up inside of me and no way express them....I locked them up and threw away the key! So again...thank you all for being there once again in my time of need! In the words of Linc....YOU ROCK!!

Hi Sarah...Also in regards to the dogs, they are chosen for different jobs by using the results of a battery of tests...not every GSD will make a good search dog and the same goes when choosing a dog for narcotics detection, detonation device det., protection, companion dog, etc....we begin testing just weeks after birth, we test the dog's prey drive, herding instinct, temperment...etc. and we start developing the areas that we detect promise in and it's a continual training and reinforcement of training for life...also the dogs are recertified annually, that's a requirement to ensure that the dog is still on top of his/her game. One more thing that I want to share with you...when choosing a dog to utilise in search and rescue or search and recovery, it's not a matter of picking the dog that finds objects the fastest, you want to find the dog that doesn't give up when he doesn't find the decoy...I don't care if the dog ever finds the search object that I've hidden...I'm going to keep the dog that will search until the end of time for what I want him to find and then I'll take that dog and develop his/her talents and teach him/her how to follow my instructions/direction, that's equally important because you don't want a dog to contaminate a search grid.

Just a note....the floodwaters that inundated everything in the Gulf Coast in their path are saltwater...so everything they came in contact with is ruined, waterwell pumps, pool pumps, automobiles...etc. Saltwater is so corrosive it's just unreal! And due to the heat & humidity, everything is already covered in mold, I saw the same thing in '05 and unfortunately, a lot of insurance adjusters don't take this into consideration so the amount that they assess your damage for is rarely enough to cover the repairs.

Look at that, you learn something new everyday. I knew they did tests, but I guess I didn't realize how detailed they would be. But when I think about it...it only makes sense. You want the hardest working one for their specialty and just like us, not every dog will have the same specialty or desire.
Thanks for the info Michelle. it's really cool to learn stuff like that.

And yes, part of me would have loved to have seen you on your roof!

I know, I felt like Lucille Ball up there...I was half-way expecting Mike to say....Michelle, you've got some "splainin" to do! These weird little thoughts kept popping up in my head too...during the peak of the storm the house started moaning and you don't know that the storm is peaking, for all you know it's gonna get worse and worse until something gives, well at that moment I was wondering how did I get myself into this mess and when I was up on the roof, I was thinking, wow...I was high and dry just thirty minutes ago....who'd thought I'd end up on the roof! And when the sun came up, I saw that we weren't alone on the roof, a few critters had slithered up there with us but the weird thing was...they couldn't care less about you and they weren't no more a threat than the man on the moon...they were too worn out to care and maybe in a little shock too....wierd man....

Michelle,

I am astounded to read about what you've been through, what everyone affected by these disasters has been through. I'm sorry I didn't write before, but I have been thinking of you whenever I see the news. I have no adequate well-wishes for this level of disaster, but I do wish you and yours the very best in rebuilding after this. You are an inspiration - your, your family, and your dogs. I hope your flare is subsiding, too. Take care, and be well!!
~Molly B

Well to be honest with you Molly, this doesn't even compare with hurricane Katrina or Rita...I know that's hard to believe but it's true....they're letting people go in to survey the damage of their homes...nobody was allowed in some of the hardest hit neighborhoods in New Orleans and Waveland for months and for Rita, it was 31 days before anyone who had evacuated was allowed in and they had every entrance blocked off by the National Guard and they were showing weapons....they were serious about it! Thanks for thinking of us but don't feel bad about waiting to reply, it makes me feel good but that's not why I post hurricane info... I do so people can get an idea of what it's really like during and after a hurricane, I think that way, when sisater strikes around the globe, I'm so sad for the victims but after the shock wears off, I'm interested in learning the specifics and the mechanics of it. I think that I turn clinical about situations because that's just how my coping system works.

I'm sort of the same way about being interested in the mechanics and those sorts of details. I didn't think you were posting about it for sympathy or anything . Yeah, Katrina was something else. I have a friend who was a jazz trumpet player in NO when it hit - he got out beforehand, but he has a lot of friends who didn't. I heard about it secondhand.

~Molly

I am glad your family is OK Michelle. Your dogs sound fun. I have a friend who trains dogs for the blind. I keep thinking that I would like one of the rejects. Just wanted you to know that there are alot of people thinking of you, and wishing you well even if we don't post.