spoonie blog

he/they | disabled

[pinkmanthedog]

I don’t know what’s in the air but I have had a lot of people express to me recently that they are interested in getting a dog breed that -in my opinion- isn’t an appropriate choice for them. I came up with a metaphor to explain dog breeds to people and thought I would share it here too. 

Like most people I know, I have a car. I like my car. I use it to get from point A to point B and it works perfectly for me. I very much appreciate the role that my car plays in my day to day life. However, I am not the kind of person that wants to spend hours in my garage working on a car. I can change my oil and fill up my tire when it is low on air but I have no interest in tinkering with the engine or rebuilding parts of it. That’s not a reflection on me or on people who do enjoy fixing up and restoring their cars, it’s just not how I choose to spend my time. What it does mean though is that when I went to buy a car I didn’t buy a ‘69 Mustang even though I love how they look. I bought a car that would be lower maintenance and would fit in with my lifestyle better than a vintage muscle car. I love riding in my friends’ beautiful vintage cars but I also recognize the work they have to put into their cars to keep them that way is not something I am passionate about and would be impractical and difficult for me to maintain longterm.  It would be ridiculous for me to buy a ‘69 Mustang and treat it like a new Subaru. The car would break down and I would be frustrated and I would end up investing a lot of time and money into fixing it when I could have been going fun places and doing other things I enjoy more if I had just gotten the Subaru. It would also be silly of me to just get the Mustang anyways and just hope that I happened to get one that wouldn’t need a high level or maintenance and upkeep. A high drive, high intensity breed or a working line dog is a vintage muscle car. It would be ridiculous for me to buy a working line border collie and expect it to act like a pet line labrador. I could get a border collie anyways and hope I end up with the outlier, but just like it would be irresponsible for me to buy a vintage car and just hope that it never needed tinkering it would be silly for me to get a breed of dog that is very predictably not going to be suitable for my needs. For me personally, dogs are not only pets - they are my hobby. So like it makes sense for a car hobbyist to get that Mustang it made sense for me to get a dog that would likely be high energy and work-intensive. For me, spending a few hours a day working with my dogs doesn’t feel like a chore, but not everybody feels this way! Admitting that you need or want a dog with less intensive needs doesn’t mean you’re a bad dog owner or that you couldn’t handle a high energy breed if you really had to - it’s just like me picking a more practical car over something flashier. I’m sure I could figure out how to rebuild an engine on YouTube and car forums, but I realistically there are things I would rather be doing with my time so I factored that into my decision when I bought my car.  There’s no shame in picking a dog that works for you, and there’s no shame in being honest about what you need and want in a dog! There’s a buddy out there for everyone that needs you exactly as you are. :) 

[rosslynpaladin]

this is good.

I wanted a Malamute. I have experience of arctic breeds and I love them. BUT I just wasn’t up to the sporty life most of them require, even though I thought I was going to be getting more and more active in lifestyle. I was looking at elderly dogs, but even that wasn’t working out.

 I ended up with a TINY 10 lb Min Pin/Dachsie mix. Because she was what I needed and what fits my life right now. Good thing too, because a year after I got her I have become severely, chronically ill and any other dog would be having problems and going stircrazy, but all she wants is to tend me with snuggles. And chase quail in our big backyard, and go to daycare to run around like a mad thing with her bestie. Don’t worry, I make sure she stays exercised, but I couldn’t be jogging with a Malamute is my point. Find the dog that’s RIGHT for you.

[theexoticvet-deactivated2022070]

Great visual guide to just how many calories are in those extra treats you give your pets.

[youngchronicpain]

waking up: ugh, my body hurts

doing things: my Body HURTS

pushing myself too far: My BODY H U R T S !!!!

trying to coax myself to sleep at night: my body it…it hurtsssasdfkjskjfe…

[marauders4evr]

The thing that abled people who advocate for the disabled community don’t get is that there are times when disabilities/accommodations clash. Horribly.

Like I spent years having to come up with a solution to get therapy dogs into a series of residence halls. Why years? Because we had to decide who got to stay and who got to leave: the people who needed therapy dogs or the people with severe allergies to animals. Who got the alternative housing? 

Things like fidget toys might seem great for some disabled people but having them in the room could be distracting/overstimulating for others. The same goes with stimming. It can’t be helped but neither can the anxiety that another person in the room feels as they watch/hear it. Additionally, something like a weighted blanket might immediately calm one kid down and send the other one into a panic attack due to the claustrophobia it causes. (*Points to myself*)

Every Metro bus in New York City has a series of seats at the front that can be lifted up to accommodate people in wheelchairs but if I’m in one of those spots then someone with a cane/walker has to journey even further to sit down.

The flashing lights of a fire alarm are there to help deaf/hearing impaired but if they’re not properly timed, they can also cause a person to have a seizure.

The worst part about all of these is that there is rarely a concrete solution that makes everyone happy/safe. And I’m not here to offer any because I don’t know them. I’m just here to remind you all that as you’re taking your education/health classes, as you’re reading your textbooks, as you’re preparing to go be an advocate, just remember that there is rarely ever such a thing as a one-size-fits-all solution to advocacy and that something you do that can help one disabled person might actually hinder another.

Food for thought.

[pokemonprofessor]

PLEASE HELP!!!

Forever Dream Senior Dog Sanctuary, located in Tryon, NC, is at risk.

Last week a trusted volunteer, and close friend of the sanctuary owner for 30 years, shocked our entire community by stealing all of the sanctuary’s funds and disappearing.

Police reports have been filed, investigations are underway, but while all of that is going on, the sanctuary still has no funds. The local community is already helping out by donating what food and supplies they can, but tens of thousands of dollars worth of donations were stolen. That money goes towards keeping the sanctuary running.

Please, please help. Verna Wilkins, the sanctuary owner, is my friend, and I have had the privilege of working up close with the seniors and the sanctuary, and seeing the amazing work she does. The sanctuary is such a wonderful place. It not only provides forever homes and medical care to undesirable senior dogs, but Verna also rehabilitates feral seniors that were abandoned - something that happens all too often in this area.

Here is the link to the youcaring fundraiser.

Or, if you want, you can donate directly on the website here.

The sanctuary is a 501©(3), IRS recognized, non-profit organization, so all of your donations are tax deductible!

Please, even one dollar helps. And if you can’t donate, getting this spread as far and wide as possible helps tremendously. Help save these dogs from having to be put down, or live their lives out in shelters without proper medical care or love.

[doggo-bloggo]

Hello friends. If you love the work that Senior Dog Sanctuaries do, please consider donating. Think of Captain Ron. Think of all the old doggos who need help.

I will be donating as well if that means anything. I don’t make a lot, but I care. Even a little bit helps.

[acquaintedwithrask]

what the FUCK!

[petcareawareness]

Why Not Cesar’s Way? 

BEYOND CESAR MILLAN

Cesar Millan, Dominance Theory and Modern Dog Training

THE DOG WHISPERER CONTROVERSY

The Dog Whisperer: Frequently Asked Questions

Modern Dog Training vs. Cesar Millan

The Dominance Controversy and Cesar Millan

From Andrew Luescher, DVM, Veterinary Behaviorist

Veterinary Behaviorists Take a Stand Against Cesar Millan

dog training gone bad - Debra F. Horwitz, DVM, DACVB

Reputable Behaviorists and Dog Trainers Speak Out, “Cesar Millan’s philosophy is not ours.”

Behind the Behavior - AVMA Conference: The Controversy

‘Dog Whisperer’ Training Approach More Harmful Than Helpful

Critics Challenge ‘Dog Whisperer’ Methods

Quotes From Experts

New Study Finds Popular “Alpha Dog” Training Techniques Can Cause More Harm Than Good

[eeveesevolution]

I love having all this information in one place. Now I can easily pull some sources when I’m trying to talk to people about this kind of thing. Also, this post deserves way more notes.

[dogslover300-deactivated2018042]

Things to know before April comes

#1: Autism is not a dangerous disease that needs to be cured!

#2: Autism speaks is a bad organisation that doesn’t listen to autistic people and portrays autism as a horrible disease.

#3: Most autistic people don’t want a cure.

#4: Vaccines don’t cause autism!

[hereticalseraph]

#5 Based on how autism works, ‘curing’ it in a live person is virtually impossible

#6 most “cures” for autism revolve around eugenics, i.e. Making sure we’re never born in the first place

#7 avoid using “functioning labels.” High-functioning is used to deny us support, low-functioning is used to deny us agency. This also goes for “mild” and “severe” autism.

#8 Forcing autistic people to behave in a way acceptable to neurotypicals that’s unnatural and often painful for us and punishing us when we don’t (often physically) is abusive. Let us be autistic in peace.

#9 if you’re looking for a good Autism-based organization to support, try Autistic Self Advocacy Network instead!

[dogslover300-deactivated2018042]

Things to know before April comes

#1: Autism is not a dangerous disease that needs to be cured!

#2: Autism speaks is a bad organisation that doesn’t listen to autistic people and portrays autism as a horrible disease.

#3: Most autistic people don’t want a cure.

#4: Vaccines don’t cause autism!

[faninacan]

Net Neutrality is Dead and You Can Expect Your Internet to Change on April 23rd

Yeah, no, I’m cross-tagging because the lack of attention this is getting overall is pissing me off.

Ajit Pai killed Net Neutrality. You’ll start seeing the effects you were warned about on April 23rd. Oh, and he apparently got an award for Courage from the NRA gun nuts, too.

You can still help by calling your senators and representatives. We just need ONE MORE PERSON on our side to get the senate portion of Congress to overrule the FCC’s decision to kill net neutrality. The battle for the net won’t end there, but it’s a start. Go to battleforthenet to find out who your reps are and where they stand, and CONTACT THEM.

Twenty-three states are also suing the FCC for this. I haven’t looked into it yet, but I assume big businesses like Google and Amazon are as well. Nevertheless, we can’t rely on lengthy lawsuits alone. The changes to your internet start in less than two months. We don’t have a whole lot of time.

Blow this up. Contact your reps. Please, do something! We HAVE to get the decision overruled!

[the-bark-side]

went ahead and bought myself a cane today! I'm kinda nervous about using it in public and at school though and I had hard time working up the nerve to buy it because of self-doubt but

I'm excited, maybe I'll get some ability to enjoy walking around more

edit: also I haven't told my parents and I'm nervous to say anything, the only person who knows is my partner who was there with me

[disabilityuserboxes]

[accessible-userboxes]

[ID: a grey and brown userbox that says “this user has chronic knee pain.” The icon is a cartoon person slightly crouched over with their hands on one of their knees, which is emitting lightning bolts of pain.]

[nymtendo]

Disabled is not a dirty word

Stop referring to me as “differently abled” or “person with a disability” or, God forbid, “handicapable”.

I am disabled. Full stop.

Disabled is not a dirty or derogatory term, it’s what I am.

[sunflower-cane]

Very specific spoonie thing

Wanting food but not having energy to make food but not wanting to ask someone else cause theyll make it wrong and you wont be able to eat it

[thatspookyspoonie]

I hope every single disabled and chronically ill person who reads this has a wonderful day!

[the-bark-side]

I'm gonna make this blog more of a general chronic illness/spoonie blog btw

[soulpups]

It’s always weird to me how people like to anthropomorphize dogs even when provided scientific evidence as to why that one dog isn’t trying to save the fish, but rather burying it so the dog can consume it later. Or how the dog isn’t crying, but has an eye infection. Or how the dog isn’t feeling guilty, it’s reacting to their owners anger. Etc etc.

… but yet, the same people have very strong feelings about me putting shoes and sweaters on my arthritic dog that gets cold a lot. Because you know, dogs apparently don’t need clothing - they’re dogs. Even if they get cold.

What a fascinating phenomenon

[the-bark-side]

help/advice please???

can forearm crutches be used to take weight off of easily tired and sore/painful joints (my knees and sometimes my hips) to reduce pain or mitigate it??? like is that something they can be used for???

i don’t know why (yet) my knees become so painful and so quickly which is another story about even trying to get it diagnosed but would it be worth it to get some cheap crutches just to see if it helps???