Tucker

Happy Birthday to Tucker, Darla, Gibbs and Jez!

We love those Rumraisins...

Happy Birthday to the Super Sleuths Rumraisin Babies!

Thank you Dulcinea for always providing the best photos for your Rumraisin Family!

Congratulations for obtaining your ROM. Your kids did you proud!

Enjoy your day...

Sister Nellie

Cassie

"Cassie" He reminds me of Tom & Henry

Happy New Year from Dulcinea

Thank you Sally-co owner of Dulci.

 

The picture says it all. My beautiful Dulci having fun in the snow on New Year's Eve.  My Rumraisin's know how to have fun!!! Happy New Year to All!

 

 

-Debra VeyVoda-Hamilton | www.hamiltonlawandmediation.com

 

 

Winter Storm – Nor’easter ATHENA

As I woke up this morning, to 12 inches of snow on my deck, I was not at all surprised!  The first named Winter Storm – Nor’easter ATHENA, dumped a huge white blanket on the house after Superstorm Sandy cut our power for a week.  What’s next?  Like Gov. Christy asked, “Pestilence?”

I, however, knew the storm would come my way and dump all this snow, even though the weather people had forecasted it would go further north.  I own an ATHENA.  I know she has a mind of her own and will do what she wants!!  My ATHENA- Ch. Rumraisin Smoke on the Water is a quiet hellion.  Athena rules my home like her Aunt Kay did, with quiet authority.  You don’t even know you are being controlled until you have done what she wants and look back on how she got you there!!

When I heard the first ever named winter storm would be called Athena I knew all bets were off.  The storm’s namesake is unpredictable, funny, willful and lovingly dominant.  If the storm was to live up to its name we were in for, and ended up with, a doozie.  As I sat in my office yesterday, losing power for about 3 hours, I was the only one of my colleagues in the area not surprised by the weathermen’s tremendous mis-forecast.   The minute I heard they had decided to name the first winter storm ATHENA, I just sat back, smiled and braced myself.

ATHENA is unique in that she is owned by, truth be told-she owns-, two people.  She is my dog and rules the house.  My husband loves her, as she seamlessly took her Aunt Kay’s place in his heart as she travels upstairs with him each night as he removes the workday suit and gets into the evening comfy clothes.  She picked up that process, which none of my other dogs do, without a hitch and he appreciates that he did not go long without his former end of day buddy.  We lost Kay Scarpetta, the first of his buddies, a year ago November 6^th.  She was a presence in our home in a way no other dog has been since Raisin, the first of my Rumraisins.  Now ATHENA has stepped her paw into this position and done it with aplomb.

Alisa & Wilma - dear friends for 14 years, owners of Daisey and Diedre siblings Mackie and Redding, also own ATHENA.  They wanted a puppy and I was working so I ‘lent’ them ATHENA as a baby.  She stayed only a couple of months and then came back.  Then she went back to them for a couple of months and came back, and so on for the last 3 years.  She doesn’t miss a beat when she moves house to house.  It is normal for her.  She comes to expect a scenery change every few months.

At my house she takes care of my husband Jim, in Alisa & Wilma’s home she is Wilma’s constant companion.  Wilma is suffering from early onset dementia and it seems Athena knows this and keeps Wilma close and alert all day while she is in the Fearon/Hill household.  She is that little spark of life Wilma remembers flawlessly.  She has not forgotten the red dogs she has had in her life.  Wilma may think Athena is Redding, who passed several years ago at age 13, but no mind or matter.  It is her red dog and for them she gets up, engages and cares for their needs in a way she wouldn’t without their constant companionship and nudging.

As I sit here writing this blog about Winter Storm ATHENA, the Inaugural Winter Storm Name, I recognize of course…. no other name would have captured the spirit and independent life a nor’easter can have, nor would any other name have captured the life and love we so gratefully experience each and every day being owned by an Irish setter hellion named ATHENA!

Hugs my special baby girl.  See you soon! 

—Debra Vey Voda-Hamilton

HLM-Nipped In The Bud Not In The Butt Series 1 #4

Resolving Conflicts Involving Animals & People-Video #4
 "Dog Park Manners"

HLM-Nipped In The Bud Not In The Butt Series 1 #3

Resolving Conflicts Involving Animals & People-Video #3 
"Animal Custody In Divorce"

What is Pet Fostering?

Pet fostering provides temporary care to shelter animals who, for a variety of reasons, need to live in a home environment prior to adoption. While pet fostering is ideal for some people, it's not for everyone.

Why foster homes are needed?

Animal welfare organizations work to place lost, abandoned, abused and relinquished animals in forever homes, which helps relieve overcrowding


and reduces an animal’s stress by providing a temporary and supportive sanctuary while it awaits permanent adoption. People who need care for their pets due to emergency or disaster rely on pet fosters while they re-establish their lives.  And deploying military personnel may need temporary yet long-term pet care if they don’t have friends or family members who are able to make a commitment for the duration of their deployments. Read and view entire post:

Rumraisin Irish Setters walk in the Mt Kisco ST. Patrick's Day Parade

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Rumraisins Mac and Jez walk proudly!

Mt. Kisco St Patrick's Day parade

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Phoenix

Phoenix ready for St. Patrick's Day!

Saint Patrick’s Day thoughts

At the age of 16 a British Patrick was captured by Irish raiders and kept as a slave for many years. After escaping and entering the church he returned to Ireland to Christianise the Irish. It must have taken great inner strength to return to the land of his enslavement. Today, the 17^th of March is a celebration of the Saint, Christianity and of Ireland.  For those of us who love the Irish setters originally bred on the green isle let us celebrate this day with good thoughts and memories of the Irish, our Irish canine friends and the love the saint had for all things Irish.

He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."

Hamilton Law and Mediation, PLLC: Polar Bear: I come in Peace...Unbelievable

Hamilton Law and Mediation, PLLC: Polar Bear: I come in Peace...Unbelievable: Polar Bear: I come in Peace Norbert Rosing's striking images of a wild polar bear coming upon tethered sled dogs in the wilds of Canada...

HLM Nipped In The Bud/Not In the Butt Series1 #2

At Hamilton Law and Meditation we " Help People Resolve Conflicts Involving Animals". Hamilton Law and Mediation focuses on our clients needs before litigation. We provide our clients with information on all the resolution processes available to them on their journey toward solving their animal conflict.

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ylSaxQap8rQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

How To Stop a Barking Dog

The Pet Dispute Mediator
Or how an attorney found a great new career as an animal conflicts mediator, solving problems involving barking dogs, unruly horses and pesky cats.

HLM: Series 1 "Nipped In The Butt"

Hamilton Law and Mediation: "Helping People Resolve Conflicts Involving Animals"

Angel On A Leash Contest

For a $ 50 donation to Angel On A Leash, enter for a chance to have your dog featured in a
Michael Scott portrait. ENTER CONTEST HERE

The Moments of Tragedy

I received several emails from colleagues, who know what I do, asking me to comment on what may have been done to avoid the tragedy of Rocco and Nick


If you have not read the story of Nick & Rocco, I attached the link below. Here is a short synopsis


A gentleman, Nick, living in an upper west side condo adopted a dog, Rocco, a mix breed, pit bull like dog. The building in which Nick lived went ‘pit-bull’ free in 2010 and although his dog was grandfathered in, Nick’s neighbors were not keen on the idea of Rocco having the right to stick around. This is how the story was written by the reported.


According to the reporter, the harassment of Nick about Rocco continued and no venue was found or created for the much-needed discussion between dog owners, tenants and condo administration. It may have been avoided since, as humans, we steer clear of confrontational discussions. We know we should have them, we just prefer to be ‘ostrich-like’ and avoid them. Maybe they will go away. In the end this one did in a way, anyone involved in the situation, may not have considered.

No one was given the opportunity to speak about the situation they found themselves in, not the neighbors in fear of speaking to their dilemma, not Nick who was on the horns of a huge dilemma of his own.

In the end, Nick put his dog to sleep. A young and healthy companion whom he felt he could no longer keep or protect. Two days later, after distributing all of his ‘dog items’ Nick was found dead in his apartment, from an overdose of pills and a broken heart for letting his dog down.

In this life, people do and say things for oh so many reasonmantle interpretations of which varies based on the kind of day you are having and the mood you are in. In this instance, neither side of this debate was given the opportunity to effectively speak to each other. It created an atmosphere of intolerance and intolerability.

In my world of animal conflict resolution, the ability for tenants to have a valuable conversation, with all the warts and pimples, about a problem gives rise to a sense of understanding and respect. One would never believe, when the discussion first began, that any resolution could happen among these people. The creation of the venue is key. The fact that all parties are together, asked to listen to themselves and to others, gives rise to a moment of clarity lost in the ‘he said she said’ world of rumor, gossip and innuendo.

Had this condo known about mediation and how it can effectively offer a discussion group, overseen by a neutral mediator trained to help people in conflicts about animals, it may have given rise to a more accurate understanding of where these tenants were in this conflict and quite possibly could have avoided this tragic result

The tenants of this building will feel a level of remorse about this outcome. Someone lost his life over the loss of an animal. They will think about it at odd times and wonder what if…..

The tenants who spoke of the value Rocco had to Nick, specifically the beautiful temperament of the dog, may think, 'if I’d done more with my fellow tenants, Nick or Rocco'.

In the end it should be seen as a learning experience. Dogs are parts of the fabric of people’s lives, especially dogs in big cities. They offen times are the only one who accepts you unconditionally.

Dogs are worrisome to people who do not own dogs or have an organic fear of dogs. This fear is real and they feel resentful when it is not respected.

In this case, we will never know if a mediated discussion would have made a difference. In my experience, how one party feels is usually news to the other party. In fact, if they are made aware of how they make another feel they feel uncomfortable. No one wants to be seen as ‘outside the norm’, the bad guy.

It is the root of all-evil that need for a difficult conversation.

No one wants to be the first one to open Pandora’s box. Especially in an animal conflict, where emotions run high and very little temperate zone exists between the ‘have’s’ and ‘have-nots’.


This tragedy brings into clear relief the moment in time we wish we could get back. The moment when Nick got Rosco, when the rule went into effect, when the harassment occurred, when Nick could no longer handle the strife, when all things were over for Nick because of his decision for Rocco.


These moments are quick and life altering. Had Nick picked a smaller dog, had the building not instituted a breed specific band, had whatever level of harassment been nipped in the bud, had Nick ignored the harassment, had the tenants realized the turmoil they were creating by their harassment, had Nick reached out for help before putting Rocco down, had Nick reached out for help after putting Rocco down?


So many forks in the road any one of which had someone taken it may have resulted a very different set of circumstance and realities.

In these types of living situations the need for a discussion of the conflict, frankly and safely, is imperative. Mediation creates this type of venue. Mediation brings clarity to the listener and the speaker on what the other wants and what they themselves want.

-Debra Hamilton

HAMILTON LAW AND MEDITATION

Helping People Resolve Conflict Involving Animals without Litigation

www.hamiltonlawandmediation.com

To Read the article in its entirety: http://www.eonline.com/news/soap_actor_commits_suicide_after/289985

Happy New Year! 2012

Mackie Fearon, aka Rumraisin Irish Mist/Summer litter "97

http://paperless.ly/s3n2zp

Celebrity Tug of War in Pet Conflicts

It is without doubt; the best and worst of a person is brought out when an animal is involved in their conflict.  The worst of these dichotomies happens when such a conflict is played out in the media.  Who knows why the media is brought into the discussion.  When it is, in the age of Internet, the conflict goes viral.

Take the Playboy pooch, Charlie. 

Hugh Hefner and Crissy Harris’s new media blitz over their possession of Charlie has gone viral.  These two people know the true reason for the conflict.  Going to court will sensationalize the conflict, another Leona Helmsly-like dog story.  Charlie is famous.  The media is eating it up.  Yet this may be a golden opportunity in which to apply mediation to an animal conflict.

The discussion surrounding the custody of a dog is, in some instances, as emotional as that surrounding the custody of a child.  It may seem like an incredible joke to the media, however to the people involved, I assure you, it is not.

These pet owners are like so many other pet owners going through separation or divorce.  They don’t know what to do in the moment and regret decisions made after the initial breakup.  Charlie has no idea what is going on.  He only knows his owners are tense and stressed. 

Mediation of animal conflicts of this kind, often leads to a resolution not available in court.  The reason for a party’s need to revisit the custody arrangement can be discussed confidentiality with the other party, their attorneys and a neutral mediator present.  The mediator is trained in helping parties discuss their needs and interests. 

In mediation the individual needs and interests of all the parties in conflict are addressed.  Each party is understood and feels heard. Understanding does not mean agreeing, yet it goes a long way toward helping people hear another position.  This is something mediation does which no other venues is set up to effectively support. 

In a mediation setting, with their attorneys present, clients often are able to speak freely in the confidential setting about their wants and desires, interest and needs.  It is sometimes the only time the two parties have spoken to each other on the subject.

In an attorney’s office, the client’s needs and interests are put forward and explored without the benefit of exploring their adversary’s needs and interests.  In court the law is applied to legal arguments and facts, amenable to review in court, are considered. 

Emotions may run high, and that’s ok.  It is through emotion that a parties needs are spoken, heard, reflected and understood.  There is a stark difference between understanding and agreeing.

Once understanding has dawned, respect of position is felt and a new dichotomy emerges.  This allows the parties to discuss their future with a full understanding of what it is they want and how it is they can achieve it.

Rational thinking prevails because the need for irrationality disappears.  The parties feel respected and understood and so can respect and understand the opposing party.

As in all things, all parties are not open to these confidential conversations.  Mediation will not be for them.  If you are willing to sit down and hear out the party you are in conflict with, try mediation first.  The neutral should be there to help you have the discussion that moves you toward your own resolution, not find the resolution for you.  It is more meaningful, and long lasting if you and the other party find the path to resolution for yourselves.

This method of animal conflict resolution is not only used in relationship separation.  It helps parties in conflict over animals in coop/condo/landlord tenant/ neighbor disagreements, as well as groomer, trainer, owner, breeder handler and veterinarian conflict that arise.

Think about working with a neutral in mediation first.  If Hugh and Crissy try mediation they may find it provides them with a more meaningful resolution, after they understand the underpinnings of the others position, suiting both their needs.

Six things to consider when your pet is diagnosed with cancer

When you are first told your beloved pet has cancer, it is devestating. 

Having owned dogs for over 48 years, I unfortunately have gone through this exercise 3 times in my lifetime.

Here are the six things to consider once your pet is diagnosed with cancer.

1.)  Discuss with your vet the comfort or discomfort of your dog.  If you decide to do nothing or if you take the chemotherapy route, it is important to stay focused on how the patient will feel, even though the thought of letting them go is terrifying.  Euthanasia is not really seen as an option at the initial diagnosis of cancer.

2.)  Discuss the cost of the treatment.  Chemotherapy is expensive.  In pet chemotherapy, the protocol is palliative, not curative in most instances.  As callous as this may sound, you have to decide if you can really afford to do "anything it will take" to help Fluffy.  It may be unrealistic given house, family and educational expenses, to spend thousands of dollars on your pet.  It sounds crass to think about dollars and cents at a time like this.  However in these economic times, spending your life’s savings or putting yourself in credit card debt to gain a few months or years with your pet is a discussion you need to honestly have with yourself, your vet and your family.

3.) Ask about the time commitment of the process.  Will you be able to make all the necessary appointments and keep your job?  Will the chemotherapy last longer then the dog’s current life expectancy?

4.) Ask what side effects can be expected from the treatments.  Whether it is radiation, surgery or chemotherapy.  Most companion animal chemotherapies are not as radical as human treatments, so it doesn't make them sick or lose their hair.  My experience with my dog’s chemotherapy was that the side effects were minimal.  Except for being tired, which may simply be a result of the process and not the chemotherapy, I noticed no difference.  Daisey was a different story.  If I decided to go for the cure, which was uncertain, it meant the surgical removal of her right rear leg.  It also involved recovery from the surgical procedure, risk of infection and recuperation therapy to learn to walk on three legs.  This is an important consideration and questions to ask before you act.

5.) Time involved in recuperation.  Whether it is chemotherapy, radiation or surgery, ask how long the recuperation period will be.  Some treatments are less involved initially, but are more involved post treatment.  That would be the case in all surgeries and some radiation therapies.  The animals cannot be told what has happened to them and that it is for their own good; to make them feel better and to live longer.  They just know they hurt or feel awful.  You as the owner and caregiver have to block out time to be just that; a responsible caregiver or arrange for someone to do it in your place.  It is my experience that the animal recovers more quickly when cared for by the one he/she loves.

6.) The last question, and often the most difficult is to ask is what is the life expectancy.  I remember asking this question about my dogs, Raisin and Merlin.  Their expectancy was far shorter than what they actually survived as a result of what the chemotherapy treatment had bought them.  In Daisey's case, the reality was no one knew.  Bone cancer, as a practical matter has a very short cycle and recurrence is expected. It is just a matter of when.  For me the risk/reward for Daisey, her piece of mind and comfort, did not weigh in favor of surgery. 

As you walk this road, contemplating which choice will be the right one for you, try and remember the pet in question in your deliberations.  Don't only consider what is right for you and your needs.  Remember this is a living-breathing companion whose comfort and quality of life needs to be considered. 

I encourage you to listen to your "own" heart and mind.  They will lead you to the right decision for yourself and your pet.  Reach out to the grief counselors that are available at most veterinary care facilities now.  Even if the dog survives and recovers, the trauma you go thru needs to be respected and comforted.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

You can find my contact information by googling Hamilton Law and Mediation

or at www.hamiltonlawandmediation.com

Rock Star Rumraisins 2nd Birthday Party

Happy Birthday Rock Star Rumraisins!  All of the Little Angels were there except Writer who lives in Sunny Cali.  We wish all of the Kids a very healthy and happy year! Princess Athena, Calypso, Mary, Phoenix, Little Mac, Dylan and Leon.

Here are a few photos to remember the day.  We love you  "Rock Star Kids"!


To view more photos of these adorable kids go to: http://rumraisinirishsetters.blogspot.com/p/rumraisins.html