biscuit's space | The blog of photographer Katherine Carver

Oct 17

Finding the Right Veterinarian Match

Just as it is important to find the ‘right’ doctor for yourself, finding the ‘right’ veterinarian is also extremely important — especially since our furry family member(s) cannot talk to us. The relationship that one has with their veterinarian is no different from any other doctor-patient relationship.

Doug and I have been searching for the ‘right’ veterinarian for little Victory. Below are a list of questions we have found helpful in our quest to find the ‘right’ veterinarian match.

As a preliminary matter, I have found it helpful to interview possible veterinarians via phone first. The veterinarians that we believe are a good fit, we set up an appointment to meet this veterinarian in person; tour the building; meet the other staff members; and we will see how the veterinarian interacts with Victory as well.

I also believe it is important for the human(s) (client) to be up front and honest with the prospective veterinarian and express what he/she is looking for and expecting from this relationship.

Outlined below are some questions you might want to consider asking a prospective veterinarian.

Questions to ask your prospective veterinarian:

1. You can begin by asking people you trust who has similar values to you who he/she recommends as a vet. However, this can be tricky as each individual is different and each individual has different needs, expectations, values, etc. You can also ask veterinary specialists who they recommend based on your criteria to help you as a starting point when determining who will be the best veterinarian match since specialist often times work closely with referring primary veterinarians on cases.

2. Ask the veterinarian how long he/she has been practicing surgery.

3. Ask the veterinarian’s philosophy and approach in practicing veterinary medicine, i.e., does the veterinarian like to work together as partners with the human (client)? How does the veterinarian view his/her role?

4. Ask the veterinarian how he/she communicates with the human(s) (client), i.e., do you have direct access to the veterinarian’s e-mail address?; do you have access to the veterinarian directly via phone and/or e-mail after hours?; and how quickly are e-mails and telephone calls returned?

5. Ask how you will be able to get in touch with the veterinarian after hours and on the weekends to ensure continuity of care for your furry family member. This is vital information to obtain and understand so that you can appropriately get your questions and concerns answered in a timely manner.

6. Ask the veterinarian if she/he has office hours that will fit your schedule to ensure that you will be able to see him/her frequently for continuity of care.

7. Ask the veterinarian about his/her caseload. Is this an extremely busy veterinarian/practice? Is there enough time spent with you and your furry family member?

8. Ask the veterinarian whether emergencies cases that come in the office will impact your scheduled appointment, i.e., does the practice have adequate staff to address emergencies when they arise to ensure timely appointments?

9. Ask if the veterinarian is an owner of the practice. This will give you insight to whether the veterinarian has management responsibilities in addition to practicing veterinary medicine.

10. Ask how many other veterinarians are in the practice with a similar philosophy that you can see during those times that your regular veterinarian is not available.

11. Ask if each veterinarian has a particular specialty that culminates a “body” of knowledge within the practice in order for vets to confer with one another on cases.

12. Ask the veterinarian if he/she performs surgeries, and if so, what type of surgeries he/she performs; and what type of cases are referred to a specialist/surgeon. This varies from practice to practice, and it is a good idea to understand the surgeries and other specialized services (i.e., ultrasounds, x-rays, orthopedic procedures, etc.) that can and cannot be performed by the primary veterinarian, etc.

13. Ask if traveling board certified surgeons come and perform surgeries at the primary veterinarian’s office.

14. Ask the veterinarian what labs each veterinarian uses.

15. Ask the veterinarian what other types of services are provided by the veterinarian/practice, i.e., therapy rehabilitation, ultrasound, grooming, etc.

16. Ask the veterinarian for references of existing clients to obtain further information from another source about the veterinarian and practice.

17. Ask for a thorough tour of the office/facility in order to give you an idea of the facilities, i.e., if you would feel comfortable leaving your furry family member at this office/facility to receive veterinary care.

18. Ask to meet the staff members at the practice.

19. If it is important to you, ask the veterinarian whether he/she/practice provides pro bono services for shelters and animal rescue groups.

When you get home after meeting the prospective primary veterinarian ask yourself the following:

1. Ask yourself how you feel, i.e., what does your gut instincts think? Usually, your instincts are correct, so you should not ignore your instincts.

2. Did you feel like you can trust this veterinarian?

3. Do you feel like this veterinarian is through, smart, and competent?

4. Were you impressed with the care received by your furry family member?

5. Did your furry family member seem comfortable with the veterinarian?

6. Did you feel rushed?

7. Did you get all of your questions answered?

8. Did you feel comfortable?

9. Did the veterinarian seem flexible (conversely, did the veterinarian seem rigid) in his/her approach?

10. Did the veterinarian explain everything in easy to understand terms? Did the veterinarian discuss and talk through all of your treatment options?

11. Was the vet compassionate towards you and your furry family member?

12, Was your wait time acceptable?

13. Were the facilities new, clean, with up-to-date equipment?

14. Was the staff friendly and nice?

15. Speak to the other client references provided by the veterinarian to obtain another source(s) of information.

16. Check online reviews to see what others have to say about the veterinarian and practice to obtain a general impression of the practice.

17. Remember, if you do not feel that it is a good fit with a particular veterinarian, you can change at any time and have your furry family member’s records transferred.

I hope that you find some of these questions and considerations helpful concerning the veterinary care of your furry family member(s) — especially for those of you who have recently moved or are contemplating changing veterinarians.

Additionally, if you are looking for how to find and vet a veterinary surgeon, I wrote a previous blog post about vetting your veterinary surgeon here.

Oct 16

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Victory: Furever Home

Victory has made it to her furever home — our new home! Victory did really well in our long car ride back from Michigan to Maryland. She cuddled up with me and she also slept beside me as Doug drove us all the way back home! Victory is very sweet and gentle.

Victory has sniffed around the house, and has taken a look around. She still is a bit skittish and, depending upon where we are in the house, she likes to be either on the bed, sofa, or in her crate at this point. Victory used a crate at her foster home, where she found comfort in having a space of her own. (Doug and I hope that she outgrows her crate). We purchased a spacious crate that looks like a play pin of sorts (which is portable) upon the recommendation of the rescue and her foster mom. Victory seems to find refuge in her crate and she goes in and out of it as she sees fit. She has a bed and blankets in her crate along with some toys and blanket containing the smells of her foster home.

Victory has been on several walks in the new neighborhood and she has met some other furry friends. She does enjoy going for long walks/runs, and she will learn her way around the neighborhood in time.

Victory has made it clear that she likes to be in the bed with us when we sleep! It is ok with us as we purchased a new larger bed when we recently moved! Some people may think this is crazy, but we want her to feel comfortable and how could we say no to that darling face! Plus, Victory is a little ‘cuddle bug!’

Before we left Michigan, I took photos of Victory and her ‘Uncle Nick‘ (my parents’ dog) shown below! They seemed to get along quite well. However, we are certain that Nick is happy to have his Daddy all to himself! Also pictured below is Victory wearing her new pink fall fleece, a gift from her Grandpa and Grandma Carver! It fits her perfectly! We also purchased an engraved paw I.D. tag for little Victory that we added to her collar!

Doug and I will be patient and help build Victory’s confidence and we will also get into a routine. It took time for Victory adjust to her foster home, and it will take some time for her to adjust to her new home with us. We love having Victory as part of our little family and we look forward to many fun adventures with our little Victory!

Happy Wednesday!

Oct 15

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Mantra: Find A Way

I somewhat recently wrote a blog post about pursuing what you love, which included a link to Diana Nyad’s Ted Talk. I recently saw a video of Oprah interviewing Diana Nyad. During this interview, Diana Nyad shared how she got through her long marathon swim, her fifth attempt, and became the first person to swim across the Florida Straits from Cuba without a shark cage.

Nyad said her mantra through the swim was “find a way.” Referring to the journey, she said, “It doesn’t matter … what you come up against because none of it’s going to be pleasant. You’re hardly ever out there going, ‘Oh, my God, isn’t it a beautiful moon tonight?’ The crew is feeling that. But you’re kind of suffering through the whole thing. So my thought was, ‘everything you come up against say — and this is why people are relating to my story — all of us suffer heartache. All of us suffer difficulties in our lives. And if you say to yourself ‘find a way,’ you’ll make it through.”

I found this to be a simple, yet profound mantra and perspective. There are many things that we do not want to do; there are many things that we are afraid to begin; and there are many things that we put off for various reasons. I find Diana Nyad’s mantra, “find a way” very inspiring. This mantra will help you move through difficult times and attempt things that you might not otherwise pursue. So, I am adopting this mantra: find a way and make things happen.

Oct 14

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Our Beautiful Victory!

Recently Doug and I traveled eleven hours to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to meet, adopt, and rescue little Victory from the Michigan Sheltie Rescue, Inc.! Doug and I were both a little nervous to meet Victory. I think that we have been anticipating this moment for several weeks and hoped that she would like us as much as we anticipated meeting her and making her part of our little family. Victory was such a beauty when we first saw her in person.

Victory is absolutely beautiful — she is a strawberry blonde color sable sheltie! She looks very regal. Victory is very, very sweet and very well-behaved. On Victory’s first night with us, she jumped into the bed and slept with us! Victory’s foster mom, Karen, via the Michigan Sheltie Rescue, Inc., has done such a wonderful job with Victory since August after Victory was rescued from the horrible sheltie hording situation.

Victory is adjusting well. However, it will take some time to fully bond, as it took time for us to bond with our precious Biscuit after we rescued and brought him home. Victory is eating, drinking, and going potty. Victory loves peanut butter and cooked chicken breast! Each day, she gets a little more comfortable. We all will have another adjustment as she will learn our new home when we return to Maryland. We are confident that she will adjust and fully bond with us in good time.

Also, little Victory is very swift on her feet — this girl can really run! Doug and I will be taking many runs and walks with little Victory! She has a beautiful smile and we feel very grateful and blessed that Victory has entered our lives in Biscuit’s great honor. Within time, Victory will quickly learn that she is a little princess who will run our home! Please stay tuned for our wonderful adventures with little Victory!

Pictured below are photographs of Victory from this past weekend when we first met her. Victory is pictured next to her foster brothers, Wrigley and Brady, both collies.

Oct 11

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Five Years In

my dearest panda

happy five-year wedding anniversary! i can hardly believe five years have zoomed by so quickly! i also cannot believe how much has happened within the past five years and how much we have grown together since we married. you are my rock, confidant, and best friend. you have the steadfast patience of a saint, for which i am most grateful. simply stated, you are the best part of me and i feel incredibly lucky that you are my husband. i am happy that we got married on the eleventh, as the numbers are equal — 1:1, representing equals in a marriage.

not only is today our five-year wedding anniversary, but today is also very special as we travel today to meet and rescue Victory, the sheltie friend, our sweet dear Biscuit is sending to us — what a wonderful gift for us both. i look forward to welcoming Victory to our family in Biscuit’s great honor; enjoying our new home and making it our “home” together; and spending many more happy years together. most of all, i cannot imagine my life without you — you make everything better.

love always,

your cheetah

Oct 10

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Autumn: Favorite Time of the Year

Autumn is not only my favorite time of year, but autumn has a symbolic significance. This time of year signals the coming of the next phase. It is about restoring so we can prepare for what is to come.

This excerpt from Parker Palmer’s contemplative piece, Autumn as Metaphor, really resonated with me.

“Autumn is a season of great beauty but is also a season of decline: the days grow shorter, the light is suffused, and summer’s abundance decays toward winter’s death. Faced with this inevitable winter, what does nature do in autumn? She scatters the seeds that will bring new growth in the spring — and she scatters them with amazing abandon.

In my own experience of autumn, I am rarely aware that seeds are being planted. In the autumnal events of my own experience, I am easily fixated on surface experience, I am easily fixated on surface experiences–on the decline of meaning, the decay of relationships, the death of a vocation. And yet, if I look more deeply, I may see the myriad possibilities being planted to bear fruit in some season yet to come.”

Palmer goes on to describe challenging life situations that, at the time, seemed hopeless but actually provided the opening for new opportunities: “On the surface, it seemed that life was lessening, but silently and lavishly, the seeds of new life were always being sewn.”

The cycle of life provides for endless transformation.

Below are some reasons why autumn is my favorite time of year!

1. Changes in the Leaves: I love the color change in leaves — they are so beautiful. It is fun to go on a drive when the leaves are at their peak in color!

2. Cooler Temperatures: I love the cooler temperatures that enables me to wear warm sweaters; and I love sleeping with the windows slightly open to let in cool fresh air!

3. Pumpkin Patch: I love going to the pumpkin patch and picking out pumpkins to carve — well, Doug does all the carving and I “assist!” You can see an example of one of Doug’s pumpkin carving masterpieces shown below — a sheltie pumpkin! (Doug can also carve a panda pumpkin as well!)

4. Halloween: I love dog costumes — they are so much fun! Shown below, Biscuit tolerated us putting him in a panda costume during the two Halloweens that we had Biscuit with us.

5. Anniversary: We got married in the fall and we have fun celebrating our anniversary!

6. Chimney Smoke: For some odd reason, I like this smell!

7. Apple Cider: I love warm apple cider along with an old-fashioned donut from the orchard!

8. Thanksgiving: There is always something to be thankful for and it gives me a reason to make my sweet potato casserole!

9. Candles: I love burning autumn scented candles!

10. Walks Outside: I enjoy walking and I really like walking outside in the cooler temperatures while enjoying the fall foliage! We are looking forward to walking Victory all around our new neighborhood!

Happy Thursday!

Oct 9

Dogs are People, Too

A recent opinion piece in The New York Times offers support that dogs are people, too. Gregory Berns, a professor of neuroeconomics at Emory University, trained dogs (including his own) to stay still in an MRI machine without sedation, something that had never been done before. This allowed scientists to see, for the very first time, how individual dog brains function. What he found was enlightening:

The ability to experience positive emotions, like love and attachment, would mean that dogs have a level of sentience comparable to that of a human child. And this ability suggests a rethinking of how we treat dogs.

Dogs, and probably many other animals (especially our closest primate relatives), seem to have emotions just like us. And this means we must reconsider their treatment as property.

You can read the entire New York Times entire article here.

Doug and I never considered Biscuit our property; and we never liked being referred to as Biscuit’s “owner.” Biscuit was and will always be part of our family, similar to our soon to be furry family member, Victory. There is a wonderful and often indescribable connection on many levels between humans and animals. Dogs have immediate emotions, are brutally honest; fiercely loyal; very smart; and they do not judge. I believe this world would be a better place if humans had the same value system as dogs. I hope that this article raises awareness about this fascinating research that animals are people, too, and all animals deserve to be treated with respect and dignity similar to how dogs/animals treat their human counterparts.

Oct 8

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Interview with Sally Muir, Artist

Interview with Sally Muir, Artist

Recently, I had the great honor and privilege of interviewing Sally Muir, an artist residing in England. A selection of Sally Muir’s work is displayed below. Please visit Sally Muir’s website to view more of her wonderful work. Sally also does commissions upon request.

KATHERINE CARVER: What were your beginnings as an artist and when did you realize it would become your chosen form of expression?

SALLY MUIR: I have been working as a knitwear designer for many years, but have been working as a painter for about the last 10 years.

KATHERINE CARVER: Did you study art formally?

SALLY MUIR: Yes. I went to art school for six years in total at the Bath School of Art.

KATHERINE CARVER: How do you describe your style?

SALLY MUIR: I think that I try and keep it simple, the less is more approach is what I try and aim for – doing things succinctly.

KATHERINE CARVER: Can you describe the time when you first realized that creating art was absolutely something that you had to do?

SALLY MUIR: I think it was when I realized that I really wanted to go to art school, I went as a mature student, although I had been working as a designer I wanted to study Fine as well as Applied Art.

KATHERINE CARVER: What was the impetus that inspired you to begin painting dogs?

SALLY MUIR: At art school I painted my children over and over again, occasionally our dogs would appear in these paintings, and gradually the dogs took over. Then I began to paint and draw dogs more than people, although I do still paint people and landscapes as well, dogs have been dominating for the last few years.

KATHERINE CARVER: Where did you get the idea to begin your interesting project entitled, A Dog A Day?

SALLY MUIR: I wanted to do something with a framework and had the idea that A Dog A Day would be a way of making me get on with doing a variety of dogs and mediums, Facebook is a very simple and direct way of doing it.

KATHERINE CARVER: What has been the most rewarding aspect of your project, A Dog A Day?

SALLY MUIR: I love the comments that people send in and I find it very interesting which ones are more popular than others, some of the very, very simple drawings have been more popular than the more detailed ones. People are very generous and appreciative on Facebook – I think they may filter out the negative comments, as people are generally very enthusiastic. The other very rewarding thing is just how devoted people are to their dogs.

KATHERINE CARVER: How have your own dog(s) influenced your artwork?

SALLY MUIR: Very much — over the years I’ve had 5 dogs and they feature quite a lot, I’ve now got 2 Whippets who are beautiful sculptural dogs, and spend their whole lives posing however they lie, they always form lovely shapes. But I also love hairy dogs.

KATHERINE CARVER: Where do you show/exhibit your work?

SALLY MUIR: I show regularly in a gallery in Stockbridge in Hampshire called Dogs in Art, and I’ve just had a show in Anthropologie in the King’s Road in London which has been a great opportunity for me to get seen by lots of people. I also take part in group shows all around the place.

KATHERINE CARVER: What does “being creative” mean to you?

SALLY MUIR: Being creative means two completely different areas for me, either knitting or designing. My business partner Joanna Osborne and I write knitting books, Best in Show Knit Your Own Dog and Best in Show Knit Your Own Cat and our latest one Knit Your Own Zoo is just out, so we spend a lot of time creating the patterns for those as well as our own knitwear collection under the label Muir and Osborne. The rest of my time is spent on painting and drawing, trying out different ideas and materials. Pursuing different alleys, some of them leading somewhere, some of them blind.

KATHERINE CARVER: What is the most challenging aspect of being an artist?

SALLY MUIR: Trying to make a living out of it.

KATHERINE CARVER: What inspires you to keep going and what keeps you motivated?

SALLY MUIR: There are always new dogs to paint; and new people to paint.

KATHERINE CARVER: What is the most rewarding and satisfying part about being an artist and creating art?

SALLY MUIR: I do a lot of commissions and it’s a great feeling when you’ve done something you’re pleased with and the person who has commissioned it really loves it.

KATHERINE CARVER: What kind of patterns, rituals, and routines do you have while making your art?

SALLY MUIR: Radio 4 mainly, I don’t really have any other rituals.

KATHERINE CARVER: Looking back on your accomplishments, to date, what are you the most proud of?

SALLY MUIR: I think winning the Holburne Portrait Prize, I’ve never been so surprised in my life as when my name was read out, I’m one of those people who never win things, I’ve never won a raffle prize or anything before.

KATHERINE CARVER: What are you working on now?

SALLY MUIR: I’m still working on A Dog A Day and I have a lot of commissions which have come through that as well as Dogs in Art and Anthropologie.

KATHERINE CARVER: What artists inspire your work?

SALLY MUIR: I love Masaccio, Velasquez, Michael Andrews, William Nicholson, Joan Eardley, and I’ve just seen the Peter Doig exhibition in Edinburgh, which was brilliant.

KATHERINE CARVER: What piece(s) of artwork is your favorite?

SALLY MUIR: There is a painting in the National Portrait Gallery of Max Beerbohm by William Nicholson which I love, whenever I’m there I’m tempted to wrench it off the wall. It’s a brilliant example of less is more.

KATHERINE CARVER: What advice do you have for aspiring artists?

SALLY MUIR: I suppose just do what you’re most interested in.

KATHERINE CARVER: How can people view, commission, and purchase your art works?

SALLY MUIR: Through my website is easiest it’s www.sallymuir.co.uk or you can have a look at A Dog A Day on Facebook and if you’re interested in knitwear or knitted dogs/cats/zoo animals www.muirandosborne.co.uk.

All images are courtesy of Sally Muir.

You can read additional interviews here.

Oct 7

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Honoring Biscuit: A Very Special Family Member

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” ~Lao Tzu

Today Biscuit has been gone for three months. We miss Biscuit very much. Things just are not the same without him, and it feels like an eternity since we last saw him. Doug and I think about Biscuit each day, and we feel extremely fortunate and lucky that he was in our lives.

Biscuit is sending us Victory very shortly. We are excited to have a furry family member in our home. We know that Biscuit would want us to help give another sheltie friend a second chance, which is the vision of Bicuit’s Space. Victory is being rescued and adopted in Biscuit’s great honor. Biscuit opened our hearts and changed our lives forever. We are so very thankful for all the gifts our little Biscuit gave to us, which continues today. Biscuit forever lives in our hearts. Biscuit’s images will forever adorn our home alongside Vicotry’s images. We look forward to our many adventures with little Victory!

Pictured above — Biscuit (left) and Victory (right).

Oct 4

There are times to dream, and times to savor

Dreams are so important. Without them, life would be pretty boring and I believe that it is positive and healthy to have goals and strive to achieve them. In fact, I made a vision board of my dreams that I update regularly! However, sometimes, though, we get wrapped up into what is next that we miss out on the now, the present. Biscuit taught me this important lesson. Biscuit was always so acutely attuned to the present moment not worrying about the past or the future. In fact, Biscuit was so present that, without fail, he always knew what time dinner was supposed to be served — no matter where we were!

I am learning that it is ok to stay right where you are, savoring it. There are times to dream and times to savor. I am learning this really important piece — that sometimes we get caught up in creating new dreams for ourselves, or thinking that we should be dreaming, that we forget that it is perfectly ok to savor the ones that are currently living and breathing in our lives today without even the thought of the next dream, the next path. So simple, yet so true. I thought that I would pass this on because there is so much power in simply resting inside our lives and dreams as they are today — to really savor every second. There are times to dream, and times to savor.

Happy Friday!