Gwendolyn

As someone who adopted a fear based reactive dog, who does not like strangers at all, after Tia said her bloodhound didn't like people and then to see the trainers get down and put their faces in the dog's face I'm like "noooo!" So when the dog snapped, I side eyed everyone's training qualifications. DO NOT PUT YOUR FACE IN ANY STRANGE TO YOU DOG'S FACE! It's not about you, it's about the dog. A) you're stressing them out and B) they're the ones who will pay for your mistake. Lambchop broke my heart. I know there are so many cruel or thoughtless people in this world. As Tia said at least Lambchop isn't suffering, didn't die alone, and someone remembers them. And yay for Stamps finding a loving home!

So the dog was not vaccinated? I know Dr. Hodges asked, but I missed the owner's answer. Vaccination is way, way cheaper than the treatment for parvo. One thing to be careful depending on your state, is what your rescue may be vaccinated against. All rescues vaccinate against rabies, but due to cost they may not do the full load, on an older dog. Found that out from our vet, so we started fresh with our rescue dog, I mean if his previous owners didn't neuter, I didn't trust them to have vaccinated him against parvo, distemper and leptospirosis. I had the same thought. Also, they're lucky they caught it when they did. If cost was again the reason they hadn't got around to spaying, paying for an emergency spay and treatment for pyometra would cost more. Ditto on being amused by Snoop Piggy Pig's name! And I agree if the producers last week chose not to show a conversation about spaying that makes them look poor, but then again I come from the land of Dr. Jeff where spay/neuter is a must.

I'm going miss Janusz and his bubbly personality. But I think the over baked nature of his biscuit doomed him. Sandro won strictly on the flavor of his biscuit and it not being over baked (apparently they didn't taste the burnt caramel, holding it all together). Only Syabira's looked super good, but they pointed out for the structure to work she had to overbake her biscuits (anyone else love Abdul geeking about about the science of it all?) Also I think of Janusz had realized, like Syabira, what the rice was for on the technical and put the parchment paper in, so the rice didn't bake into the biscuit he could've done much better in the technical as he's the only one that made a mousse and not a ganache. Didn't the show used to show us more about the bakers at home throughout the season? not a quick dump in the first ep and then never again? But something needs to change. I don't blame the bakers, they're still super supportive (eg: rushing to help Kevin when his custard cake was collapsing or Janusz helping Syabira with move her double helix) and try so hard (or in Sandro's case too hard), but as the Guardian pointed out there's a meaness in the critiques and the fact that bakers just aren't being given the time to make a quality product. When Paul and Prue are sitting there discussing the technical you know they didn't make the version they're discussing under pressure, if it at all, some production flunky probably makes the perfect ones they eat. Mary Berry was better at complimenting Paul's style, she had a warmth he lacks, Prue is less warm, though I think she's improved this season. And Noel and Matt are more annoying the bakers vs Sue and Mel (who we now know conspired against the producers and would cuss so the bakers melting down/crying wouldn't air). The show doesn't have to go back to the BBC days, but they need to have a rethink and for the love of God no more cooking, this is the bake off.

Thank you for clarifying, it's been a while since I watched the first season finale. So basically Tariq moved on, while Janine did not. Still the fact he has a gf and was going to go out with Janine is sending her mixed signals.

Depending on the age of your tv, there might be a way to use it to watch a YouTube channel. I know my tv offers YouTube as an option, but my brother when traveling with his kids has some way of putting stuff from his phone like Netflix and YouTube on the tv screen in the hotel room. I have no idea how this works, but I figure that's what Google exists for. I love that Kim is able to adopt senior dogs. Our last rescues were seniors as giant breeds, even our vet was like why are you adopting dogs who you'll have 2 yrs at most, well we had them one month shy of 6 yrs, but it's expensive. Not as expensive as a special needs cat, but the 3 combined are the reason I need 2 jobs, and why my current rescue was only 3 when we adopted him and my next cat will be from a shelter who I know will be honest about health issues before I leave and have 48 hrs to fall madly in love. Even with pet insurance a rescue is a gamble. Our current rescue had dirty ears per the vet intake form, so ANYTHING to do with his ears is pre-existing and not covered. Guess who's only had allergy related ear infections? So I never judge someone who wants a younger dog. Especially right now with inflation. But it's great that Kim is using his resources to adopt the less adoptable dogs. And was it this ep or last week's where Tony was taking on hospice dogs? So very sweet and so very hard. Having lost 3 pets in the space of one year, I don't know if I could do it over and over.

I have no qualms with the bakers, there is clearly some editing/judging hijinks going on. I'm hoping the Guardian article is a call to rethink next season. Though for a few years now people have been complaining the bakers are being set up to fail with challenges were the time they're given is like 5 or 10 minutes shy of what they actually need to do to the bake. Even Paul and Prue couldn't do it in the time the bakers are being given. Then they're doing things like pizza, tacos, s'mores, ice cream cones, and now spring rolls that have baked elements (or something involving a dough), but are not bakes, they're cooking. It's not the same thing. I would've been fine with Sandro, going. He gets on my last nerve, he's obsessed with getting a Hollywood handshake (why?) and he's too try hard. Dial it back dude. But for poor Maxy's mental health I think it was a blessed relief for her to be going home. as for Janusz and the missing spring roll, I think the time crunch he just miscounted. It wasn't malicious, but you know how you do something and your brain fills in the blanks, so you don't realize something's missing until it's too late? like that. Though I think if he gets sent home, he'll be like, cool, whatever, I was on bake off. He doesn't panic, like some of the other bakers. Even with his over-reliance on a drip frosting, I like how supportive he is of everyone in the tent and that he doesn't let Paul get to him. Others ignore Paul at their peril, Janusz is like, you're the judge of a baking show, beyond that I don't need your approval for validation (unlike, say Sandro). I miss Kevin because he had a similar attitude.

I love how you can watch the show out of order, but it still has these little call backs. I love that the garden is still there and Gregory is still secretly keeping it thriving. And of course Tariq would pick the flowers. I don't think Tariq is evil, and just thoughtless. He cares about Janine, but he takes her for granted and uses her. Also note Janine said he's the only person she's been with, ever, and they got together in the 8th grade, but Tariq says he's been with 3 women, so he definitely cheated on Janine. She's like his backup gf. At least Janine's got friends that got her back. Erica would totally have pulled her back if she'd known about the dinner. Yes, Gregory shouldn't be giving Janine relationship advice if he's dating someone else, but in his defense he doesn't know Janine likes him in that way (and if he did he might make a move,) but he thinks he's in the friend zone, hence dating the student's mom, so he was trying to be a friend and give her a heads up. Finally, it'll be interesting to see if the charter school thing is a year long subplot. Charter schools weren't a thing when I was in school, so am I wrong in thinking like private schools, they can look like they're succeeding by not accepting or kicking to the curb kids who are underperforming, therefore skewing the data? Like if they had to take everyone like a public school would they have the same test results?

THIS!!! This poor mama dog should not have to go through this. She's got a litter of 3 pups, I wanted to see Dr. Hodges suggest to the owner they spay due to the quality of the uterus and one deformed pup. Let mama dog enjoy her three pups (sometimes after a lost litter, having a live one or something to care for, does improve their mental health, but that's no reason to keep breeding her) and then just let her be a dog and stop bringing more puppies into the world. If there was ever a dog that should not be forced to breed, its this girl right there. The only time I've seen them spay though is the the chihuahua with the ancient owner who was shocked her un-neutered male daschunds had got it on with the chihuahua. And a lab mix with pyometra. I know spaying/neutering is not big in the south, and since Dr. Hodges was having his own dog neutered I'm hoping they're having talks with these owners off screen. 'You love your dog, want to extend their life by preventing pyometra, mammary tumors and testicular cancer?' Not to mention you don't have to deal with your male dog running in front of cars trying to get a female dog. One thing the Price is Right really has right is ending each ep with a plea to spay and neuter your pets. As for the rest of the cases, I really hope they're seeing results with the cancer vaccines. I've lost 4 dogs to cancer and it's a horrible disease process. Anything that improves their chances is always welcome. And finally those poor iguanas. How could anyone be that cruel? What was the point? Does GA have good animal cruelty laws and do they prosecute?

My biggest issue with the pregnant pittie, was after watching Pitbulls and Parolees, there are so many pitties in shelters/rescues, I'm worried those puppies will add to the problem. Found the surgery on the owl interesting, and glad they found an education program that could take him. Those bladder stones were insane. That poor dog. Glad they were finally able to treat them, hopefully a diet change will help prevent them coming back.

Loved the episode. Baby Mr Johnson, even doing the gravely voice, was perfection. The only good thing about Ashley was how she inched of screen when she realized she was in trouble. Also, I like that Janine is out there making her own friends. She looked great as Marilyn.

Outside of Dr. Jeff, most vets try not to be judgemental about breeders because they'd rather see the dogs and make sure they're cared for, than not at all. Though it was Chugee's third litter and my mother and I were like, that's enough. Alas, the breeder will try and get another litter or two out of her. Personally I prefer Dr. Jeff's policy and it's clear when you enter his clinic (on the door) and discussed when you make the appointment for anything that your pet will be spayed/neutered. Though the giant breed rescue we've gotten our dogs through based on new studies, now notes if you adopt a puppy from them, you can't spay/neuter until the growth plates close (fortunately our most recent rescue was 3, so he'd had the snip snip before we got him). I get more upset with the folks that are shocked when their unspayed dog got pregnant (thinking of the ancient lady with the chihuahua, that Dr. Ferguson was like, how about we spay her while doing the c-section before your un-neutered dachsunds make more puppies). Charlotte just broke my heart. When the blanket came off and you saw how much damage was done, my blood boiled that someone could do that to any animal. I have a dog who was shot, but I get that the farmer had to protect his sheep and my fur-baby is so lucky he didn't lose his right eye, but I want to wring his previous owner's necks for not feeding him, fencing him in or neutering him, so of course he got out and got into mischief. He's so sweet and loving, but getting used to life in the big city is tough and he's a naturally wary guarding breed, so he's all 'stranger danger'. I had to give him a big ol' hug after seeing Charlotte and told him he's lucky he kept his eye. I got a kick out of them at the auction, when we have our annual stock show in January they televise the final auction (that raises money for college) and the cows are now well into 6 figures. But those are the fancy pampered cows. I did like Dr. Ferguson taking the number away from Dr. Hodges since he was having too much fun bidding, though it looks like they got some nice cows.

Was there anyone who watched the Hooligan episode that wasn't willing Saskia to leave him? When they had the conversation about him buying season tickets, even though he's banned from attending games for years, because he wanted to make sure he was with his friends when he could go again, you knew he was always going to choose the game/mates over her. I think losing out on the detective job might be a wake up call. It appears her friends are walking the fine line of 'he's no good for you, but we're not going to say it, so we can keep the lines open for when you're ready to leave'. With the recent tanking of the pound, Rob & Ryan should save a little money on their investment, but I think with all new purchases it might be a case of you have spend more up front to see pay off in the long run. Like sure it might have been nice if they hadn't had to replace the pitch, but that's a safety issue. They've hired people that know more than they do. I think it's interesting they pepper the story of how they team is doing with deeper dives like Hooligan. It's a much stronger series because of that, than what I expected as viewer.

Sometimes the service is to growl. When my mother was the office manager for a doctor, one pediatric patient did have a service dog trained to growl. This patient had been the victim of sex abuse and the dog was trained to protect the patient and make people respect their space and bring down their stress levels. Their parent came with and gave the dog the signal for friend, so the doctor could approach. Otherwise the dog's job was to make sure the patient's boundaries were maintained. But that's a rare one off. Also when watching these shows do you ever want to shake some of the owners. I realize cost and not wanting the vet to think you're crazy will have you holding off. But the rerun where they did the emergency c-section on the American bull dog that had been labor for 3 hrs with the puppy stuck in the birth canal....why did the owner not come in sooner? If you're going to breed, discuss with your vet the signals for distress!

I think the timing is based on breed. Tiny dogs like Chihuahuas and Yorkies 6 to 8 months, for larger breed dogs it's 18 months to 2 years. I know the giant breed rescue we use, now has a proviso that puppies aren't fixed until they're 2 years or an x-ray shows their growth plates are fully matured. Studies show it helps prevent orthopedic issues and some cancers (per the akc's website). At the same time you have to balance that statistical probability against the owner's willingness to come back for a spay/neuter later on. And the benefits of spay/neuter (fewer unwanted pets and fewer behavior issues tied to hormones, which lead to an animal being dumped). Because we adopt giant breed dogs, I'm always like you're the right size to be blood donors, alas my current dog while the right age and weight and super healthy, is terrified of the vet (and we can't take him to PPI because they just don't have the time or space to deal with him. The minute he sees a scale he's like, nope, I'm out) and now he's on anti-anxiety meds. So no blood donation, but I know of at least 2 vets that will offer discounted care if you allow your dog to donate blood. And one used to keep cats for blood donation and then rehome them after a year. So glad they were able to get blood for Ludo.

So my only issue, is the show makes it look like you can just walk in and get your pet treated (okay, yes, back in the day, that did happen for my cat, but you walk into any vet and say 'blocked tom' and it works like chest pains in an ER). You can't really call and get an appointment, you have to go there in person and wait in line to get an appointment. Sometimes you can get same day, but they're often beyond swamped. I will say this though, if you have to make the difficult decision to say good-bye to your pet, Dr. Baier is the kindest and makes the process as gentle as it can be. Both of our senior dogs passed during the pandemic and he and the whole staff at PPI were kindness personified. Be interesting to see what the new clinic in Leadville looks like. And I really want to know what vet clinic was pushing to amputate a not very complex ankle injury, so I can avoid them.