Tag Archives: attitude

Letter to Santa (from two adopted shelter dogs)

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Merry Christmas everyone! Geordie and Brady Davis here and we are so excited mom is letting us post our letter to Santa as guest bloggers on her site. We pointed out to mom she had been a little negligent of her blog recently and the cuteness of us is just what she needs to get it back on track. We’ve been trying every morning to type our letter to Santa while mom’s checking her email and Facebook, but not having thumbs makes it really hard. So, mom agreed to type our letter to Santa and in exchange, we agreed to let her post it here.

Dear Santa,

Geordie and Brady Davis here. Since a lot has changed for us in the last year or so, we’re thinking we may need to remind you who we are. 

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I’m Geordie (the smart one). You came to see me last year which was my first year with mom and dad. I still didn’t know them really well, but I knew choosing them to be my new parents would be a good idea. When I first found myself all alone in Gallatin, Tennessee, being a smart dog, I figured if I went to one of the local schools there would be lots of good people there, maybe even someone who would want to take me home. Well, instead I found myself in the Nashville Metro pound. I was literally on death row, scheduled to be executed the next day for a crime I didn’t commit. Oh wait, I guess the crime was not having a family, maybe I was guilty. On the day before my planned execution, EmmyLou Harris’ wonderful organization, Bonaparte’s Retreat http://www.bonapartesretreat.org/#!/Home came and rescued me. They only rescue dogs like me, who are on death row. They placed me in a temporary foster home with a wonderful woman named Kate. Another great organization, Mars Petcare sponsored an annual adoption day and that’s when I first met mom and dad.

Out of all the dogs there, they chose me! There were a couple of other people who filled out an adoption application, but mom called every day until Kate came to see them. She brought me with her and I got to stay! Those first three months were so great-I was the only dog, the top dog, they took me everywhere-to the toy store, to the park and even just riding around so I could bark at motorcycles.

Then, it happened. I saw mom on the computer and she was gushing over another dog. His name was Dillard and he was on the Tennessee Death Row Dogs site. He was at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Animal Shelter. He was sooooooo furry you couldn’t even tell from the picture what kind of dog he was. So off we went, me and mom in the car driving to Clarksville to see another dog. “Dillard” had just been picked up by a rescue and was at the beauty shop so we had to go there to check him out. Come to find out, there was a dog under all that fur, a Cocker Spaniel. I stayed in the car while mom met him, she liked him a lot so I got to go in and meet him. Well, I decided to let him know right away who’s boss so I peed all down mom’s leg-she’s mine! That didn’t stop him, he just sat there in her lap like he thought he belonged there or something! Next thing I know, Dad is there too and well, long story short, I got a new “little” (although he’s older, he’s still little) brother. We all decided Dillard was a totally dorky name so after much thought we decided to go with Brady (mom won’t let me say words like what I wanted to name him) after Tom Brady. I don’t know how Brady came to be at the shelter the day after Christmas, he won’t talk about it. Either it’s too depressing or too awful to share. I know how he feels. Life on the streets is bad enough, but being dumped by your family at four years old, that sucks too. Here’s Brady’s picture, he kind of blends in with the furniture.

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So now that you remember who we are, we just wanted to let you know that this year for Christmas, we don’t need a thing. We have a mom and dad who love us, who spoil us rotten (mom’s phrase) and give us lots and lots of love. We have two brothers who aren’t as furry as we are and they walk on their hind legs all the time, but they’re pretty cool too. Every day we have full bellies, warm beds, toys and a big yard to run in. Every day we get hugged and kissed and reminded that we are the best dogs in the whole world.

“So this year Santa, we were wondering, could you make sure every shelter dog gets a home like ours?”

With Much Love and Much Gratitude,

Geordie and Brady Davis

P.S. IF you have some extra tennis balls rolling around the sleigh, I could perhaps take those off your hands-you know just to make sure they don’t cause a sleigh wreck or anything.

Response to ’20/20 Episode on 5/11: Losing It, The Big Fat Trap’

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The build up to this episode was strong. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery sent an email to their membership and posted it on their website. The Obesity Action Coalition posted it on their social media outlets. I posted the reminder on our social media sites.

Dr. Robin Blackstone as President of the ASMBS gives multiple interviews. She is, after all, an expert in the field of metabolic and bariatric surgery. She represents an organization of thousands of surgeons, nurses, dietitians, exercise physiologists, physical therapists and psychologists dedicated to the care and treatment of those with obesity and severe obesity.

When I first heard they were pulling the segment with Dr. Robin Blackstone and Melting Mama, I thought it was so they could dedicate an entire episode to bariatric and metabolic surgery and how it is a life saving treatment for so many. Instead we got a 60 minute long sensationalistic expose on practices those of us who are healthcare professionals working diligently to help those with obesity and severe obesity would never support!

Lose 90 pounds in 90 days!
NOT!

Allow me to illustrate and elaborate on a few points your so called “reporting” missed.

1. There is no magic bullet, miracle discovery or new breakthrough cure for obesity.

2. Obesity is a life-long, multi-factorial, complex, chronic disease process that requires life-long, multi-factorial treatment by dedicated and experienced healthcare professionals.

3. Dobb-hoff tubes and tube feedings are for individuals who are either too sick or too malnourished to sustain their nutrient intake, it is not for weight loss.

4. Celebrities who represent various commercial weight loss programs have access to personal trainers, chefs, therapists and countless others in addition to the pre-packaged food provided while “on the program.”

5. Bariatric (weight loss) surgery is not only safe, it is life-saving when performed by experienced and skilled bariatric surgeons.

  • There are criteria that must be met to have bariatric surgery.
  • The criteria were established by the National Institute of Health in 1991.
  • Comprehensive Center of Excellence programs include access to Certified Bariatric Nurses, Registered Dietitians, Exercise Physiologists and Psychologists or other Behavioral Health Experts.
  • Laparoscopic bariatric surgery has been performed safely and effectively for over a decade.
  • Hundreds of thousands of successful bariatric surgery patients are not only surviving, they are thriving. I am one of them.
  • You interviewed one of them, Beth (AKA Melting Mama).

6. Instead of taking the opportunity to provide factual information from an expert on the most effective treatment we have at present for severe obesity and highlight the recent studies in the New England Journal of Medicine regarding how effectively bariatric surgery treats type 2 diabetes, you chose to “reveal” an expose on two surgeons. This story has been in the news for nearly a year. 

 


I am completely disappointed, irritated and flat out disgusted at the so called “journalism” that went into this ABC 20/20 episode. They completely and totally missed the opportunity to focus on legitimate, successful medically [and surgically] appropriate treatment for obesity and severe obesity. Instead I felt like I was watching a rogue episode of Entertainment Tonight.

Not good ABC, not good-shame on you.  ’20/20: Losing It: The Big Fat Trap’

BariBelle

I thought I was done with cliques in high school.

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I know you know life in high school is seldom fun for everyone. In fact, unless you’re in one of the cool cliques or you’re so self confident you don’t care, it may not be much fun at all. I attended Caverna high school in rural Horse Cave, KY. in the early 80s. There were 63 people in my graduating class.

Our standard cliques at the time:

  • The jocks (same group since 5th grade and usually the same for all sports)
  • The cheerleaders (same group since 5th grade)
  • The smarties (today’s nerds)
  • The party crowd (today’s stoners)
  • The good ol’ boys (it is the south after all)
  • Then you had the rest of us. Not part of an official clique, we were friendly, smart, fun and more than willing to hang out with anyone in any of the “official cliques”

I survived high school never being an official member of any of these cliques. I played on the tennis team, but by no means would I ever be considered a jock; was always too fat to even think about being a cheerleader; I made pretty much all As and Bs but definitely was not in with the smarties; partied some in high school (what else do you do in small town, USA?) but definitely wasn’t part of that crowd either. Oh, I had friends. Several, we were part of the unofficial “chubsters” clique. 

Fast-forward nearly 30 years to present day and I find there are still cliques everywhere. Even at the dog park! Maybe it’s just Franklin, but somehow I doubt it. I’m sure by now you know we’ve adopted two shelter dogs. Sweet, cute, lovable fur balls, Geordie who is a one year old Scottie mix who loves to chase tennis balls and Brady who is a four year old Cocker Spaniel who is adorable but still seems a little lost as to why his original family gave him up (who knows?) Now that we have two sweet, young, active boys who need frequent exercise, the dog park has become a very regular hangout for us. Just like taking your kids to the playground and meeting other parents, the same thing happens at the dog park. You tend to see the same people with the same fur babies and you can’t help but strike up conversations. We’ve been going to the same dog park multiple times every week since October and let me tell you cliques are alive and well at the dog park!

First, let me be clear, I love [nearly] all dogs, their owners, well, maybe not always so much. The groups I have observed are very near to the cliques in high school:

  • The jocks (these tend to be the single guys who bring Boxers, Rottweilers, Great Pyrenees, German Shepherds, Pit Bulls and other big dogs) The dogs tend to be focused on running, running and a little more running. The owners tend to drink red bull or other energy drinks, have a permanent five o’clock shadow and pay little attention to what their dog is doing.
  • The cheerleaders (these tend to be young ladies who are dressed and made up as if they were going out on date night who bring the mini dogs such as Chihuahuas, Yorkies, Mini Poodles, etc.) The dogs nearly always have matching collars, leashes, sweaters and bags. Many of them act like they’ve never been on grass before and have no idea how to react when another dog barks at them or tries to play. The owners tend to drink Starbucks, carry designer bags and stand in one corner of the park with the other cheerleaders holding their dogs and speaking to them and the other dogs in some sort of strange baby language.
  • The smarties (this is a wide variety of breeds) Both the dogs and owners are pretty quiet, they stay to themselves and are heavily concentrated on mastering the jumps, ramps and tricks at the park.
  • The party crowd (adolescent and young 20 somethings who tend to come in packs, like this is a group date.) They come with dogs of all shapes and sizes, usually 4-6 people with 2-3 dogs. They hang out in a corner of the park while the dogs run completely crazy.
  • The good ol’ boys (we are still in the south afterall; these tend to be the single dog moms or dads with big fun dogs like Goldens, Labs, standard size Poodles and Schnauzers.) This is the group Reo and I and our dogs best identify with – they usually have a coffee mug in hand and dog treats in their pocket. The dogs love to run, play, bark, chase balls and sometimes wrestle. The parents like to talk sports, weather, and watch their dogs run, play, bark, chase balls and sometimes wrestle.

I love to people watch and frequently when I have a break from throwing the tennis ball non-stop for Geordie, I’ll stand back and watch the cliques and how they work.

While writing this, I can’t help but think that over the years, I’ve now become a part of another clique, one I’m really proud of – the bariatric or WLS clique. Now before anyone feels the need to draw the parallel, trust me, yes, I am fully aware that among WLS patients all the cliques listed above, the jocks, the cheerleaders, the smarties, the party crowd and the good ol’ boys are alive and well; however, I would argue these are more sub-cliques of the greatest clique of all – the one where we’ve taken responsibility for our lives, we’ve made profound decisions to affect our health and as we joined the WLS clique, that provided a conduit for us to also join one of the sub-cliques we always wanted to be a part of in high school. 

Pretty profound for only one cup of coffee and 6 AM in the morning, right? Off to work where those same cliques can be found!

BariBelle