Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Dogs Greeting Their Soldier Dads Returning from War

If you are in the mood for some heartwarming videos, check these out!
might want to have some tissue handy...
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/40324

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

New Pet First Aid/CPR Venue

I am excited to have another venue for Pet First Aid/CPR training classes. Besides the classes I've been teaching at different locations around the area, I am now working with CPR Seattle, http://www.cprseattle.com/old/ on Stone Way in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle. The classes taught at CPR Seattle are based on the American Safety & Health Institute guidelines.
The classroom is wonderful and in a great location.

At this time we have monthly classes scheduled, Dec. 13 and Jan. 24. We expect to continue at least once per month.
The classes are listed on and registration is taken through the CPR Seattle website. Be sure to look at the website for class discount coupons.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

J Linn's Radio Interview

Listen to my radio interview from October of 2009. The Washington Talking Book and Braille Library has a radio station, the Evergreen Radio Reading Service. On that station there is a program called "The Talk Show" that is a call-in, interview show hosted by Darrell Thixton.

The services provided by the WTBBL and ERRS are invaluable to many people in our area. I was happy that they were interested in hearing about animal massage therapy and wanted to get the information out to their listeners.

Please enjoy the show....

http://www.wtbbl.org/audio/ts-091014.mp3

and please support this very important organization.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Miss Tully


Over the years I have met and gotten to know many dogs. Most of those have had very loving people caring for them, loving and protecting them. When I became an animal massage therapist I began connecting with the dogs and their people in a deeper way. When someone has a family member that they love very much, that they are responsible for, who may be experiencing discomfort or pain and I am asked to help alleviate that pain and discomfort, the emotional well-being is as important as the physical relief.

I have had the privilege of knowing many of these relationships. One of the longest has been with Tully and her Mom, Elizabeth. Tully had a tough start in life. Like many of the beloved dogs I work with, she was rescued from a bad situation and welcomed into a forever, secure, loving family. Elizabeth nurtured Tully through her numerous emotional scars. She allowed Tully to be Tully soon realizing that under the scared, nervous exterior there was a royal personality waiting to blossom.

Tully soon realized her potential as a Diva and became the one of a kind lady we loved. She made an impression on all who met her. Her life was blessed with many years of the kind of love and attention that an only child craves until her Mom brought home a little brother. By then Tully was older, a senior in every sense of the word, and Oliver was taught to respect that. It became a somewhat peaceful, utilitarian situation for Tully who allowed Oliver to be the boy that he needed to be as long as he didn't infringe on her all encompassing rights.

Unfortunately for all of us, we have lost Tully as she had to cross the Rainbow Bridge. She was a trooper, true to her royal nature, right up to the end of her beautiful life here with us. We love you Tully, we grieve with you Elizabeth and we will always hold a warm place in our hearts and a smile for sweet, spunky, Tully. She is sorely missed.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Using My Canine First Aid Training Saved a Trip to the ER

Last night around 10:30pm I was preparing to leave my boyfriend's house when he said Devi, my dog who had fallen asleep on the sofa, was "twitchy". He had sat down beside her to say goodnight and she seemed startled and wouldn't get close to him. This behavior is quite unlike my little kissy monster.

I assumed she was just groggy from having started antihistamine medication the night before which was prescribed by our Vet. She had been scratching her tummy, underarms and forelegs for a week pretty frequently, probably from seasonal allergies, and he felt we needed to stop it before she gave herself any more cuts and abrasions.

I carried her to the car, sat her on the seat and Joe reached in to say goodbye again as by this time we were both worried about her. Again she pulled away. She LOVES Joe so this just wasn't normal.

On the drive home I noticed she was a bit wobbly and didn't have any expression in her eyes the way she usually does, having the expressive little face that she has. Once I parked I reached over to her and she jumped, like she was startled again. I began having feelings of dread that she was about to have a seizure or something. I've been through that several times with other dogs and was trying not to panic.

I put her on leash, got her out of the car and she walked down the steps to the door. Also unlike her usual routine of checking the perimeter of the yard before coming to the door. Once inside she plopped on the floor. Sure I was going to have to take her to the emergency clinic, I grabbed the med's she was on and my keys, when finally my training kicked in. I realized I have tools to help me decide if she truly needed to go to emergency.

I checked her vital signs, pulse, breathing rate and capillary refill time in her gums. All were within normal limits. Her pupils looked fine also. Just that small amount, yet important information calmed me and allowed me to make the decision to not take her to the 24 hour Vet clinic.

I put her on the bed on her fluffy cover, curled up around her and continued to monitor her breathing while giving her Reiki until we both fell asleep. A few hours later she woke up, wanted to go outside and seemed much more alert and like herself.

This morning upon waking she was her usual happy, kissy, wiggly self. Although she tired easily and slept most of the day on and off. I discontinued the med's (the morning prior was the last she had any). I spoke with her Vet and he agreed that it was most likely that she couldn't handle the antihistamines and to discontinue them.

Tonight she was excited to go for a walk, wanted to play and plowed her way onto my lap out of jealousy of my computer.

It sounds like such a small thing that checking her vitals and finding them normal was all it took to keep me from panicking and possibly running up a big bill and stressing my little girl out much more than she deserved, but that is exactly what happened.

I am grateful to have the tools of pet 1st aid/CPR training and am excited to pass it on to others. I hope that I never have a more serious situation that I have to use it for, but it is possible and I know I will be prepared to do what I need to do to respond to an emergency.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

BUYER BEWARE

I want to share a lesson I recently learned in the hope that I can help prevent others from being taken advantage of and scammed.

We all have our weak moments, times we feel less than great about ourselves. I read a "blog" on the Seattle PI website that a local woman wrote regarding her weight loss program. I could certainly loose a few pounds and the program sounded harmless enough. She used the "new" wonder berry the acai berry. She saw information about it on Oprah. Well, there you go. How much more convincing does a person need? The blogger also recommended an herbal colon cleanse product as well that works in conjunction with the acai.

As it turned out both company's just happened to be running a free trial offer for "only" $5.95 shipping each. What a deal. What harm could there be other than wasting six bucks. I thought if nothing else, who couldn't use a colon cleanse now and then.

After entering all my shipping and credit card info. I simply waited with anticipation of how much better I would feel after getting a colon cleanse and possibly having more energy and clarity from the acai berry capsules.

First to show up was the colon cleanse. Awesome. I've done these before. No big deal, no extensive programs, just take the capsules as directed and have a gentle but thorough cleanse. I tossed the packaging, opened the bottle and popped out the 2 capsules I would take for the next 24 hours, 1 that night and the next in the morning.

By mid-day the next day I was cleansing alright. Not so gently though. I re-read the bottle to be sure I was following the directions and not taking too much. Diarrhea is no one's favorite situation. I expected a bit as I got going, so didn't worry about it. Not until 24 hours later when I was still having stomach cramps and irritable bowel. Obviously, I stopped taking the capsules. By the following day, (I apologize in advance for this) evidently my colon couldn't come up with anything but tissue as I was not passing anything but bloody flakes (really, I apologize).

Okay, those capsules went in the trash. So much for a free trial. $5.95 in the dump. But wait, the acai berry capsules arrived. They shouldn't be so harsh I thought, but just to be sure, I better read the literature. There were two sheets enclosed with the bottle. I read all the "amazing" details of what was possible with the product. Then I noticed the sentence, mid-paragraph, part way down the page that stated I would automatically be enrolled in the monthly program at just $65 mo. if I didn't cancel before the 15 day trial period was over.

There were two reasons for me to be uncomfortable at that point. One, I thought it was a 30 day trial since it was a 30 day supply in the bottle. Second, I hadn't seen any reference to an automatic enrollment on the website when I ordered the trial. So after I tried them for about a week and didn't notice any change in the way I felt I decided to cancel and send them back.

I contacted the company to be sure I had the proper address to return them to. Low and behold, it is a good thing I did as there was a RMA (return merchandise authorization) number required. That information was not stated anywhere in the literature that came with the product. I was told that without the number the delivery would not be accepted. Obviously if it was returned to me and I called them to find out why and had to ship them back, it would have been well past the 15 day trial. I smell a scam.

The true insult was when I received a second bottle of the colon cleanse capsules. I should have read the paperwork in the original shipment as it was the same 'offer' with the automatic sign up for the continuing program. My credit card was charged $88 for the first bottle (that I threw away) and the program was $88 plus $5.95 per month. $93.95 for a 30 day supply of herbal colon cleanse capsules!! I canceled the program and lost $88 and the original $5.95 shipping charge for each "free" trial.

BOTTOM LINE_____I will no longer order anything without thoroughly clarifying all details first. Be very careful friends. According to the customer service rep. I spoke to, I agreed to the program when I checked something on the order page on the original free trial order. They were two different companies, two different websites, but they both have the same M.O. and catches.

NO LONGER CAN WE TRUST UNTIL UNTRUSTWORTHY IS PROVEN. BE WARY OF ANY OFFER.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Devi Playing with her BFF Katie



I've posted this video for a few reasons, it's fun, Devi and Katie's friends might like to watch it and it's one great example of how a dog uses it's tail. Watch Devi's tail when she is on her back. She uses it to help keep her balanced and move while on her back. Check it out.

In the canine massage classes I teach I always talk about how important it is to not ignore the tail. It is an important part of a dog's anatomy (not to mention communication). But watching this video amazed even me. It was almost as though it was another limb...which...I guess it is.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Now on Facebook

I'm not a social networker. I'm not really even a business networker, but I kind of make myself. But, I'm not above trying to stay in the loop. One of the things I wanted to do with this blog was put some slide shows together of my canine clients, class snapshots, etc. I have not been able to figure it out and to add each one as a separate photo would take up a lot of space and make downloading go pretty slow I'm afraid.

So, I began looking a Facebook. I was sort of surprised when I found somewhere along the line I had already started an account. I believe that happened because SplashDog had started their page and they wanted input from each of us. I thought then that I would do something so I went ahead and started an account then let it sit and forgot about it.

The good news is that I now have an album started of some of my sweet, beautiful canine clients. Most of which were snapped with my phone at work. I will be adding more pictures to that album as well as start an album of pics from classes and hopefully get some video on there as well.

If you want to check it out go to http://www.facebook.com/jlinn.henline?ref=profile


Please let me know if you visit and like it. It will encourage me to continue this challenge. I do still find it pretty challenging to navigate to what I want and add what I want. Practice makes perfect, or in my case, capable. So maybe I'll see you as a friend there or see a comment about how great the dogs are...because they ALL are!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Classes That Help You Be a Better Pet Guardian

INTRODUCTION TO CANINE MASSAGE


How many times have you noticed your dog running or walking with an odd gait, getting up or lying down slowly or stiffly, not wanting to go up or down stairs? Are there times you have thought your dog may be in pain or sore from too much exertion or old age?

Wouldn't you like to be able to safely and effectively massage your dog? There are many good reasons to massage a dog, things we don't think about usually. If you have a dog that works hard, plays hard, is older, has a physical problem, has had surgery, they would benefit from massage.

Canine massage classes taught by J Linn Henline, a LMP (licensed massage Practitioner) and SAMP (small animal massage practitioner), teaches you how to help. Learn some of the techniques the professionals use to help your dog achieve their optimum health and well-being.

You bring your dog, a mat or blanket to sit on the floor. You receive lots of hands-on practice time and instruction and hand-outs to help you continue your practice at home.

$40 per person/dog



CANINE FIRST AID AND CPR CLASS

Informative and fun, these group classes teach important first response
techniques for common first aid situations as well as rescue breathing, CPR, disaster preparedness and pet first aid kit information.

A sample of first aid emergencies reviewed:
Choking, burns, poisoning, cuts, bone injuries, auto accident, and more

Taught by J Linn Henline, a Red Cross certified pet first aid/CPR teacher, these classes are hands on taught with pet manikins and each student receives a Red Cross first aid book and dvd to keep.

$50 per person (dogs do not attend this class)


Call 425-286-3513 or email jlinn@jlinn.net to register for an upcoming classes

Friday, May 29, 2009

Tip for Shorter Bath Time for Dogs with Heavy Undercoats




Brooklyn's Mom, Cate has found a way to cut Brooklyn's bath time in half and save water and shampoo. Brook has a very thick coat, with thick under coat. It used to take a long time to get the shampoo worked down to the skin and Brook was not a happy pup about that. I'm sure it wasn't a picnic for Cate either.
So Cate had this idea of trying to work the shampoo in before wetting her down. Since the undercoat repels water the shampoo got worked into the skin before the coat had a chance to fight off the water.
Cate says it is much more efficient this way, saving time, shampoo and pout time:-)
Have fun with it! Let me know if you have a time saving or helpful hint for your dog's health and happiness, oh, and yours too!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

They are not Children

I've heard people say it. I've read it, but the last time it was directed at me and it was my Achilles heal I guess. While in session with a physical therapist, chatting about my work, she blurted out that she has a dog, she loves her dog, but she would not spend "that kind" of money on him After all, he's not a child.

This statement brought up several uncomfortable issues for me. First being the feeling of a personal attack. I mean, she basically just invalidated my work, what I believe in. Second, why did she think it was appropriate to tell me that at all? I am her patient for crying out loud. We weren't on a personal level. Quite unprofessional. Third, what does that statement really mean?

"He is not a child". As in; a person between birth and full growth; a boy or girl: a son or daughter; a baby or infant? No. But in the sense that many people feel the emotional bond with their dog, the important relationship they have with their animal means the world to them.

Our 'pets' are dependent on us for nearly everything, food, water, shelter, companionship, the basics of life. Quality of life for them is where the biggest differences arise, between 'pet ownership' and our dog being an equal member of the family. Most people I know equate love with the emotional bond and level of closeness they feel with their animal. For instance, it is hard to believe that a person who leaves their dog outside, rain or shine, hot or cold has the same level of loving relationship with the person that sleeps with their dog.

My point is that we have 'adopted' this living, breathing being, brought it into our home and family. By doing so we have committed to caring for it. The level of care is open to interpretation, just as it would be for a human child, as long as the basics are met. But it was a decision we made and it was a life changing decision. Much more so for this animal than for us. They are our dependents, who rely on us and want nothing more than to please us and be with us. For many people that is the difference. Their dogs love them unconditionally. I can't say that for a biological child. So why is that not important enough to some people?

Many of my clients have children but they had their dog first. Others have children who have grown and moved on, living their own lives. And there are others who have no children. Many of these people, men and women, have confided in me that they love their dogs more than they can express. The dog is their 'child'. That does not mean they love their biological children less, but that these amazing animals bring a kind of love to their lives that no one else has.