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Saturday, October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween!



We are so excited to see the kids dress up this year! Hopefully there are not too many masks--that scares Abbey! We love seeing all the kids smile and have fun, while pretending to be something else. Halloween is truly a day of play!!

Don't forget to stay safe! Here are some tips (From the ASPCA) for our fellow four-legged friends on Halloween:

1. No tricks, no treats: That bowlful of candy is for trick-or-treaters, not for Scruffy and Fluffy.
*Chocolate in all forms—especially dark or baking chocolate—can be very dangerous for dogs and cats. Symptoms of significant chocolate ingestion may include vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, increased thirst, urination and heart rate—and even seizures.
*Candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can be poisonous to dogs. Even small amounts of xylitol sweetener can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, which leads to depression, lack of coordination and seizures. In cases of significantly low blood sugar, liver failure has been known to occur.
*Ingesting tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can pose a choking hazard or cause intestinal blockage.

2. Popular Halloween plants such as pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be relatively nontoxic, yet they can produce gastrointestinal upset should pets ingest them. Intestinal blockage could even occur if large pieces are swallowed.

3. Keep wires and cords from electric lights and other decorations out of reach of your pets. If chewed, your pet could experience damage to his mouth from shards of glass or plastic, or receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock.

4. A carved pumpkin certainly is festive, but do exercise extreme caution if you choose to add a candle. Pets can easily knock a lit pumpkin over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned or singed by candle flames.

5. Dress-up can be a big mess-up for some pets. Please don't put your dog or cat in a costume UNLESS you know he or she loves it (yup, a few pets are real hams!). For pets who prefer their “birthday suits,” however, wearing a costume can cause undue stress.

6. If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume isn't annoying or unsafe. It should not constrict the animal's movement or hearing, or impede his ability to breathe, bark or meow. Also try on costumes before the big night. If your pet seems distressed, allergic or shows abnormal behavior, consider letting him go au naturale or donning a festive bandana.

7. Take a closer look at your pet’s costume and make sure it does not have small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that he could choke on. Also, ill-fitting outfits can get twisted on external objects or your pet, leading to injury.

8. All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room away from the front door during peak trick-or-treat visiting hours. Too many strangers can be scary and stressful for pets.

9. When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, take care that your cat or dog doesn't dart outside.

10. IDs, please! Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and becomes lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip can increase the chances that he or she will be returned to you!

Enjoy the festivities! Abbey and Bode

Saturday, October 24, 2009

The end of the work week...

Do you love the end of the work week? We do! We love our work with the kids, but know that the weekends are important to our mental health! Tara took this picture Friday when one of our clients didn't show up. I grabbed my friend, Pooh Bear, and we drifted off to dream land together. Usually I have my bunny with me, but Pooh and I dreamed together.

Hopefully all of you enjoy your jobs as much as Abbey, Tara, and I do! If you don't, please reconsider what you do and find something that you value! Every job, no matter how big or small, can impact someone and you can provide that smile that someone has been looking for!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Bode

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Sad News...

I know we just blogged, but I feel like I need to share some things that are weighing on me. Do you ever feel like hiding in your bed (like I was above) and hiding from the news and the bad things that happen in our world? It seems like the news is so sad right now with all the trauma happening to so many.

We receive a lot of referrals for SW FL kids that are victims or witnesses to crimes and the numbers seem to be growing. We love working with these children and helping them play through the trauma they experienced to grow and be healthy adults. Trauma can be tough for everyone.

The latest news of the little girl from Orange Park, FL being found murdered is disturbing. Why would someone pick on an innocent child? What about the guy in Charlotte county accused of sexual abuse to an 18 month old?

What do you do to help children? Hiding in our beds doesn't help, but it does help to regroup and think! We are going to continue to advocate and bring awareness to protecting children!

*Abbey

Help is out there!

No matter what is going on in your life, there is help! Finding the right therapist is important and needs to match your needs. We love to be sure we match with our clients, however there are times that Abbey is better for one client and times where Bode is better.

Finding your need and meeting it is critical in self care! You only go to a doctor that you feel comfortable with, so why go to a therapist you don't?

We just recently learned how to help people find the right counselor! Do you know what to look for? First is get some word-of-mouth recommendations. Next find out if that counselor is a generalist or do they specialize in what you need. For example, we specialize in play therapy and pet-assisted therapy with children. Tara only takes continuing education for her work with kids!!

Next, interview them! At Delta Family Counseling, we call the interview an intake. This is where one of the therapists meets with you to be sure it is a good fit for both parties and the goals of counseling can be met.

There are many levels of therapists with very different backgrounds! Find out more about if a social worker, marriage and family therapist, mental health counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist is best for you! Let us know if you need any help!

Abbey and Bode

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Mmmmmm....chocolate!

I have a confession to make...today I stole a chocolate, chocolate chip muffin from Tara's bag. I have never stolen anything and never had chocolate before. I know why everyone loves it so much! It was delicious, but not worth the trouble I got in!

Did you know dogs shouldn't eat chocolate? Tara called the vet, but because I am so big, they just laughed and said they hoped I enjoyed it! Apparently at my size it takes one pound of chocolate to cause problems...although I doubt I will ever get any more!!

Chocolate is my new favorite food, what is yours?

Going to run around the yard and then off to bed!

Bode

Very inspiring!

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

Rescue dogs rock!

Hi Everyone,

Check out this article that our friend, Theresa, with NASW shared: http://twi.cc/vxSq

We are both rescued from shelters and think that shelter dogs have a lot to offer! What do you think?

Off to work with lots of kids at Delta Family Counseling today!

Abbey and Bode

Sunday, October 18, 2009

New friends...

Check out the website of our new friends, PAWS for Love, in Collier County. We hope to have one of their service puppies do a guest blog soon! Here is their website:

Friday, October 16, 2009

Vacation

(Maggie Valley, North Carolina)
We returned from a quick road trip this week. What a great vacation get away! Abbey wasn't so sure about the long car ride but Bode loved the extra sleep! The mountains were beautiful and we go to go on lots of hikes and smell all sorts of things we have never smelled before!


Do you like to go on vacation? Where is your favorite spot?


Have a great weekend!


Abbey and Bode

Article shared with us...

http://www.sunonline.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=U0NDLzIwMDkvMTAvMTYjQXIwMTMwMg==&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Isn't this great?

Wouldn't it be great if it was this easy to get someone to talk about depression? We would love to read your thoughts on this picture that was found by our friend Virginia Cervasio with CARES Suicide Prevention:

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

I'm not listening to you....

Today a client made me MAD!! This is what I do when I pout...I suck on my bunny and want to be left alone!! We were playing nicely and she kept taking my bunny. She said everyone takes her stuff so she could take mine. I kept taking it back, but she didn't like it. She started to talk about her life of people breaking promises and keeping things that belonged to her. Even though I was mad, I think I helped her by showing it is ok to turn away from a bad situation.

I sat on this couch for much of the session because I just wanted my bunny to myself! Do you have times where you know something is yours and you need to keep it in reach? Why am I so attached to my bunny? It is a work bunny but I did not want to work anymore when she kept taking it from me. Tara said the bunny is my security blanket...what does that mean? Do you have one?

I need a nap.....

Bode

Dogs can help...

This article was shared with us and we thought we would share it with everyone else! Enjoy!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/health/06pets.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=exploriing%20health%20benefits%20of%20pets&st=cse