A very traumatic day.

I love my puppy, Willamina. I love my other dog, Max, too. But he's always really been my husband's dog. Willie has been a mama's girl from the start. (could be the similarity in our hair).

Saturday, I had an experience I hope I never have to go through again. I had come home from a hair appointment and decided to take Max and Willie out for a walk. Everything went well - Willie did #1 & #2 (picking up puppy poop is my life - ain't it glamourous)! When we got back home, I noticed some vomit by the back door. It had obviously happened before our walk.

Next thing I know, Willie is trying to sit - but she's listing to one side...almost as if she were drunk. Then her eyes start to shut....almost as if she were drunk. She became very non-responsive and I became very scared. My husband had the car and was 25 minutes away on the other side of the city. I called him and told him to come home right away. Then I called my very good friend, Joe McParland because I started to panic and wanted to get her to the animal hospital. Joe came over immediately and when he came in the house, Willie jumped up and started barking at him and I thought, okay, maybe she isn't as bad as I thought. But about a minute or two later, she started listing to one side again. She wouldn't or couldn't open her mouth and she looked like she was going to pass out.

Anyway, my husband - the other Joe - got home in record time and we rushed to the animal hospital where a wonderful vet (who looks like a surfer) named Dr. Kaye took care of Willie. Blood tests, thorough examination. He said she probably ingested a pill of some kind or even a cigarette (apparently nicotine can have a very strong reaction in a little puppy). About two hours after the initial incident, Willie seemed to be coming out of it, so we took her home with some activated charcoal to shoot down her throat. The vet had given her gravol before we left to try to settle her stomach.

Today, Willie is back to her old self.

But I beg all of you - before you throw that cigarette butt, or roach, or pill or gum on the sidewalk/lawn/street, please think of the puppies whose owners take them for walks and what might happen if they ingest it. Please.

AT LEAST THEY GOT MY NAME RIGHT.....

I thought it was really cool to be asked to be in a BIZ X magazine article about people in their forties who have interesting jobs. I sent in the information they asked for and what was printed had some errors.

Of course I don't mind that they got my age wrong (they made me younger), however, some of the other mistakes should be clarified.

The article states my first job was at CHUM-FM in Toronto. My first job was in London. Actually, my first TWO jobs were in London. It was at one of those that I was the first female full-time dj they had ever hired. CHUM-FM was very progressive and had some wonderful women on the air way before I came along.

The article refers to my husband as "Big Joe" Deveau. When I sent in my rather humourous bio, I referred to my husband as - Big Joe Deveau (not his real name, but he loves being called that). I always include that disclaimer. I make a point of never saying his real name so as to help him avoid the embarrassment of being married to me.

What the article definitely got right is that I'm an animal lover. See picture at left. = )

In this day of the internet, it's no longer a case of - oh, only a few local people will see it. People from all over the world can go on line and read articles. I don't want my CHUMs in Toronto to think I've lost my mind.

Why didn't we get more than we asked for?

It took me this long to write this blog because I was on the floor all this time laughing at a city council which sounds like an insolent child. We should have gotten 35 million dollars in infrastructure funding from the province......but we only asked for 11 million dollars....how dare they not give us our fair share. The Tecumseh-envy that infiltrates Windsor City Council periodically really needs to end. On a per-capita basis, yes, Tecumseh's is bigger than yours - get over it.