Responding to the Orlando Community Tragedy

Responding to the Orlando Community Tragedy

Responding to the Orlando Community Tragedy

Behavioral Health Resources To Foster Resilience

Resources for Survivors and Community Members

• Coping With Grief After Community Violence
• Tips for College Students: After a Disaster or Other Trauma
• Tips for College Students: After a Disaster or Other Trauma: R U A Survivor of a Disaster or Other Trauma?
• Tips for Talking With and Helping Children and Youth Cope After a Disaster or Traumatic Event: A Guide for Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers
• Tips for Survivors of a Disaster or Other Traumatic Event: Managing Stress

Resources for Responders and Behavioral Health Providers

• SAMHSA Behavioral Health Disaster Response Mobile App
• SAMHSA Disaster Kit
• Understanding Compassion Fatigue
• Preventing and Managing Stress
• Identifying Substance Misuse in the Responder Community
• Returning to Work
• Adjusting to Life at Home

Resources for Spanish-Speaking Populations:

• Consejos para el personal de respuesta a desastres: Regreso al trabajo
• Consejos para las familias del personal de respuesta a desastres que regresa a casa: Adaptación a la vida en el hogar
• Consejos para socorristas: Cómo entender la fatiga por compasión
• Consejos para socorristas: Cómo prevenir y manejar el estrés
• Consejos para socorristas: Cómo identificar el abuso de sustancias en la comunidad de socorristas
• Consejos para sobrevivientes de un desastre u otro evento traumático: Manejo del estrés
• Consejos para estudiantes universitarios: Después de un desastre u otro tipo de trauma
• Sugerencias para hablar con niños y jóvenes y ayudarlos a hacer frente después de un desástre o un evento traumático: una guía para padres, cuidadores y maestros

SAMHSAs Behavioral Health Treatment Locator

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Connect to Crisis Counseling via Phone or Text

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Twin sisters make it to the Miss Korea finals for the first time in contest history

Article: Twin sisters make it to Miss Korea finals... first time in contest history

Source: Yonhap News via Naver



1. [+109, -15] Theyre both pretty

2. [+83, -9] Despite being fraternal twins, theyre both pretty. Cant fool blood.

3. [+83, -12] All of the ajusshies in their thirties and forties are in here~~~ whoever at Naver implemented comment analytics should get an award ????????????? its hilarious looking at it

4. [+75, -12] Ajusshis hard at work in this article ??

5. [+53, -15] Their parents must be doubly proud~!!

6. [+16, -5] Ewww all the commenters are men in their thirties and forties in here

7. [+12, -5] I wonder what their parents look like for both fraternal twins to be this pretty

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Back to the now big brown boy!

Its been awhile since I posted and my recent ones may seem somewhat off topic. I considered not writing anything about our cat, Millie, on this blog but she was an important part of (Laurel and) Hardys life so I decided to include her. 
Today is the last day of March and we have snow on the ground again. Ive been feeling pretty cranky recently - its been a long winter and Ive been feeling kind of crummy due to an ongoing sinus infection since November. That means we havent been getting out as much as Id like and although Hardy and I are working on manners, basic obedience, public access skills and task training at home; I know that isnt the same as getting out and about. 
We made it to a CPE Agility trial the weekend of March 11th - 13th. Laurel had a chance to compete with the teeter and the weaves for the first time which was very exciting! Unfortunately, I developed an uncontrollable nose bleed that went until Monday afternoon. Monday morning we went to my doctor who sent us to an Urgent Care that sent us to an ER. The MD there tried cauterizing my nose but that didnt work so she packed it. By Thursday, I was sleeping about 23 hours a day and the ENT told me that it was due to the blood loss, would take about a month to recover from and that we wouldnt be able to work through the ongoing infection for another month because of the other issues with the nose bleed and packing.
Hardy had a good time at the trials - he is learning about wonderful, quiet, calm crate behavior even in the midst of over-the-top dogs. Brent took him for some long walks around Janet and Scotts beautiful property and he got to work with me in the training hall. He has learned the "What Else Can You Do?" game and has become very good at it. He was wowing people with all the different behaviors he can come up to throw at me when I ask him, "What else can you do?" Each behavior has to be a new one that he hasnt done before during the sequence. 
I had complained to my service dog trainer, Sue Alexander, because it seemed like Hardy might be "marking". When I described what he was doing - urinating occasionally inside the training hall but without any leg raising or other deliberate behavior, Sue said that didnt sound like marking and suggested that I take in a urine sample to check for a urinary tract infection. I made arrangements to do that on Saturday and to our surprise, Friday night Laurel was up from about 3:00 on doing multiple urinations outside. When we collected a sample from her to take with us, it was blood. We were stunned to find that both our Labs had urinary tract infections! Laurel obviously didnt feel well; Hardy didnt seem much affected! They each have a 20 day supply of Keflex! We asked our vet if it was okay to go to the C-WAGS trials at Medina Kennel Club the next day and he thought it would be fine.
I decided to try Hardy in the Zoom 1 class (which has no stationary exercises). We havent been working on rally much but Hardy can do all the exercises and I thought it would be a good place to see where he is right now. I was fully prepared to take out treats and use it as a run-thru. We went through many of the exercises Friday afternoon and he did very well (but of course, we were at Canine Affair - a place he knows and feels very comfortable at). 
Laurel and I had 4 classes before Hardys debut and I will admit to being quite frustrated because of some issues with the facility. Keeping in mind that Im the only person who competes using a power wheelchair (or any type of wheelchair, actually), the fact that the rings were very small and the mats rolled under my chair doesnt really affect anyone else too much. Laurel was obviously not herself (not sure whether it was the UTI or the rolling mats and other environmental issues) but she still tried her best for me and we Qd in 3 out of 4 tries (our NQ occurred when I got completely lost on course). Ill probably try competing there one more time when I know Laurel is feeling fine and see how she reacts - if she is still stressed, Ill skip those trials with her in the future.
Hardys class was the last one of the day so it had been a long time for him spent in the crate with some opportunities to come out and visit and work. At the beginning of the day, Hardy had alerted to muscle spasms in my legs and then about 40 minutes before our class, to spasms in my arm & hand (I mentioned it had been a long day, right?!). Hardy was sniffing and wandering around at the end of his leash some during our class but Im not sure whether that was because there were smells that he thought were too good to ignore or whether he was stressing some about the rolling mats too. Part way through, I couldnt open my left hand due to muscle spasms (that he had alerted to) which made handling the leash difficult. But he had moments that were really lovely and we did Q, a nice bonus. 
Im really hoping that the weather will break and that the MDs and I will figure out what is going on with the nose bleed/sinus infection issues so that Hardy and I can work more consistently away from the house! I can tell you though, that even with our setbacks; as Hardys 1st birthday approaches in April, he is a lovely, funny, enthusiastic young man who continues to show all sorts of promise to become my service dog (first as Laurels partner and then her successor) as well as my dog sport partner!

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Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

I have been so excited in preparing for Christmas! I love this time of year and it was my first year being able to decorate my own house. I of course started the Holiday Season by ordering all our favorite Christmas movies to add our collection. Kason and I had such a good time watching them together! Well probably more so me than him, but he survived! There is something about a good Christmas movie that just makes you feel so Christmasy and reminds you of being a kid again!
I loved the way our decorations turned out. I have been saving a lot of Christmas decorations throughout the year and I think my investment totally paid off! We had an exceptionally cute house and it hardly cost us anything because I have just been buying things here and there for the past 5 years. I am a weirdo, I know. Our tree however, was new! We did a lot of shopping to find the one we loved and I wasnt sure about this one at first, but it was SO BEAUTIFUL and SO PERFECT! I was worried our small little house would be overwhelmed with a big tree, but this one I think fit great and looked just how I wanted it too! We also were nervous because we were getting our new couch (seen below) which we LOVE and so we didnt want the tree to be in the way when they delivered it. It all worked out perfect though! I decorated everything myself and I loved it! It felt so amazing I just wanted to be home every day with the Christmas lights on! Kason is such a good sport. I stayed up until 5am the night we bought the tree and I had our whole entire house decked out by the time Kason woke up! I am not looking forward to our house being slightly boring again after we have to put it all away!
Kason did such a great job putting up our Christmas lights. It was so fun putting them up because we both knew exactly what kind we wanted to buy! We love the old fashioned light look and it reminds me of how my dad does them at home! Needless to say we had the cutest town home on the whole block! We are officially ready for Santa to come!

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How to Care for a Pug

Pugs have often been called the much in little, because of their loving and expressive nature. This breed falls within the toy dogs category because of their small physique. It has been noticed that pugs are vulnerable to many health problems, some of which are genetic in nature, and some occur because of their unique physical structure. Pugs, unlike other breeds of dogs, have a very flat snout, which makes it very difficult for them to breathe. They usually breathe from the mouth. The second complication is the lack of a protective skeletal brow ridge, which causes the skin to fall over its face and form creases. This causes the dogs eyes to be comparatively more vulnerable to infection and injury.

Caring for a Pug

Facial Wrinkles
The folds on a pugs face end up collecting a lot of muck. The reason being that teacup pugs spend a lot of time lolling around, with their faces on the carpet, in the garden, on the floor, and in their food bowls . The wrinkles trap grime, dirt and food particles, which tends to smell after some time. It would be ideal to clean the pugs facial wrinkles at least twice a week. However, this part of the skin is very sensitive and will require an immense amount of care while cleaning. You can clean the area using a cotton ball or a fluffy Q-tip. Do not use a hard bound Q-tip as this might injure the inner areas of the fold. You will need some warm water, a few drops of antiseptic or hydrogen peroxide diluted with it, and a paper napkin. Wet the Q-tip with warm water and then gently clean the inner folds. If you find the area wet or infected, you must use some more antiseptic and clean out the gunk. You will need to get your pet checked by a vet in case the infection shows no signs of relenting.

Eye Corners
You should be extremely careful while cleaning the corners of a pugs eyes. They have extra sensitive eyes, which need special attention. Wear a surgical glove and dip you little finger in warm water. Use you finger to gently slide the grime and mucus out of the corners of the eyes. If the grime has hardened up, wet it with some water and gently slide the muck out. You can use your fingers to clean the pugs facial folds above the eyes as well, or repeat the process using a cotton ball or Q-tip. It would be best to finish all of this in one sitting, every once or twice in a week.

Ear Cleaning
Clean the ears only when they are dirty and need cleaning, which would ideally be every once in a month. Pugs really have tiny ear openings, which is why all you need to do is to clean the area around the opening. If there is dirt inside the ear, take a soft Q-tip, wet it and gently slide the dirt out.

Nail Trimming
An older pug will make it very difficult for you to clip its nails, which is why it is better to try to keep plating with its feet, when its still a pup. Pug nails grow at a very fast pace and need trimming every month. If you cannot manage this task, you can take your pet to a dog salon. However, it is best if you clip the pets nails yourself, as the dog trusts you more than anyone else. All you need to do is, use one of those special dog nail clippers, and simply trim the excess nail growth which is curving out from the tip. Always clip the nails when your pug is in deep sleep, as it makes the task a lot easier. Its very important to keep the nails short for pugs especially, because they find it hard to walk with long nails, and these nails can end up causing severe injuries to the dog.

Teeth Cleansing
You will also need to brush your dogs teeth every week. Try getting the dog to like the taste of the toothpaste before you attempt to brush its teeth. When you do clean the teeth, carry out the task in quick successions, so that the pug doesnt chew on the brush or tries to break it.

In order to be able to carry out all these grooming tips, you must ideally start when the pug is still a puppy. It will get used to the process and will not mind the pampering sessions.

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