I'm on Pinterest too!

Find some more info at Pinterest. I'm adding images as quickly as I can. Sometimes it's really hard to sneak onto the laptop. With a little luck... Maybe I can get Adele or Markus to take a picture of my disaster prep supplies. You know it'll be at Pinterest if they do.

Great "Go Bag" graphic

Here's a great graphic for showing what belongs in a "Go Bag" from aac-rerc.psu.edu. It really caught my eye when I saw it. Markus is coming back, he really doesn't like me using his laptop...DZ

A new item in the bag!

Later that day after my away from home seizure, we talked about what would happen if we were walking and not near the car. Even with the walk bag and a quick recovery, I might not be able to travel very well on my own after a seizure. They came up with a simple sling that Markus would wear like a sash diagonally with me tucked inside it. Adele set about and had a nice one put together in no time. It was cotton with a nice flannel sheet lining. I have to admit I was skeptical of the plan at first. Then Markus gave me a ride in the sling and it wasn't half bad. I could see what was going on around me and he was able to see me if I had a problem. Adele didn't like the feel of the sling. It was a little uncomfortable for her so she put together a different one that wrapped crisscross on her chest and I got to ride looking up at her. It was very reassuring to me. So the rescue sling was permanently added to my walk bag, and it's been put to use more than once too. I like knowing that no matter where we go, we can keep moving even when I'm not well or too exhausted to continue.

Practice pays off!

So we had been practicing what to do when I had a seizure. The drill was pretty straight forward and not unpleasant to practice. I do like to get snuggled. Soon after we were visiting friends with a very stimulating home and I was overcome. It's hard to put it altogether. Before I lost consciousness Markus scooped me up and held me firmly. They figured out this makes the seizure a little less tiring for me and reassures me. I remember him rushing me to the car and sitting on the front seat when I lost it. A short time later I came around with Adele lightly covering my eyes and reassuring me. She must have gotten the meds into my mouth because I had that nasty aftertaste as I calmed down. The world slowly came into focus and I licked Markus' face to say I was alright. Adele set out some water and I washed away the cotton and medicine aftertaste. We all sat quietly and I enjoyed a power snack for a moment. Whew, I thought, it's good to know those drills helped and I feel better knowing they're ready. After that I was good to go the rest of the day. Markus doted on me a bit - he gets a little overprotective sometimes...

Why does my Walk Bag have that in it?

Someone was wondering why my Walk Bag has some of those things - being that I'm a dog and it's my bag. Things like the candy snacks, gum, bandaids, Tums, and Chapstick. Well I do actually use the Tums and Chapstick. Sometimes my stomach gets really upset and the Tums help. They're yummy too! The candy and gum are for my Adele and Markus. Sometimes my seizures can be tiring to them the bag is big enough to hold them. Oh and the 'water pouch' is one of the those survival water things. There's always just the right amount of water available for me. Whoever designed those pouches knew exactly how much I like to have at once. I don't want to forget the treats either. Because seizures are tiring I get special treats for energy and this nice person put together some great information on them.  My walk bag has changed slowly over time as things are added and eliminated - lessons learned. I'll talk about my new bag later on. First I have to tell you a story of one episode...

Maybe it didn't just start

If the truth be told, I had a small seizure once when we visited friends. My companions, Markus and Adele, sprang into action comforting me. The next day I had a "walk bag" with some essentials. Here's the what it had in the beginning.  My companions, were insistent that I inspect each item before it went into the bag. I sniffed and licked everything. There could be no question it was mine! Now my Walk Bag goes everywhere I go, and I insist on it.

The effort started!

Suddenly my companions were building disaster kits for each of their cars and the house. They even talked about what I would need! I sat with them and barked encouragement when they were on the right path. Web searches followed and valuable checklists began to appear. They had Red Cross information like this one and this one, and this one and another from Ready.gov. This was good stuff. They paid attention to my excitement. It's a good think the internet has pictures. Not to mention voice to text software that translates my barking too!

Were they listening?

At first I barked and ran in circles whenever a Ready.gov or American Red Cross commercial came on the television. I was cute, naturally, but not getting my message across. I even tried to type on a laptop left on the coffee table. It wasn't working... Then one day it just seemed to happen!