Another fine day. Color is gorgeous around Michigamme and Ishpeming and just getting going here. We stopped in Humboldt at the BP to get Lonnie a cold drink and there was a loose dog, a flat coat retriever, who looked like a cross between our late Shanahan and his late cousin, Bogey. The BP people called the owner, Lon put a leash on the dog and we waited. Turns out her name is Loretta, she is indeed a flatcoat and 13 years old. The guy who owns her has six acres and sometimes she gets to chasing things or just decides to mosey down to the BP to panhandlge snacks. Happens so often they have his phone number on the wall by the cash register. He said the Loretta has Alzheimers, which I had never heard of in a dog, so checked it out when we got home and heres what I learned: This condition, once called the senile or old dog syndrome, is a newly recognized disease, somewhat similar to Alzheimer’s disease in people. In dogs with cognitive dysfunction syndrome, the brain undergoes a series of changes that result in a decline in the mental faculties associated with thinking, recognition, memory, and learned behavior. Fifty percent of dogs over age 10 will exhibit one or more symptoms of cognitive dysfunction syndrome. Cognitive dysfunction is a progressive disease with increasing signs of senile behavior. Disorientation is one of the principal symptoms of cognitive dysfunction syndrome. The dog appears lost in the house or yard, gets stuck in corners or under or behind furniture, has difficulty finding the door (stands at the hinge side or goes to the wrong door), doesn’t recognize familiar people, and fails to respond to verbal cues or his name. Hearing and vision loss must be ruled out. From the dogscue we went to Marquette to see B-I-L Mike Phillips and wife Claudia and their new golden retriever. Great signing with Dana Schulz and crew at Northbound. Bob Kalbfleisch came in to get books signed for my old coach Ed Jarvie and former Rudyard Bulldog teammate Dan Riordan. Don Mattson dropped in to show off his new pacemaker. And Jack Schneider came in to give me a report on his dad, Corky, a famous VCO in Iron Co. It was like Old Folks Home Day Dana pointed me at a bagful of books and we brought a bag of new far back to Alberta. I may be speaking at the Library in Lake Linden in October, details when and if they materialize. John Stevens, you book is autographed and waiting for you. Just call Dana. Hope to catch you next spring when we do a signing on HARDER GROUND. And Lonnie saw a peregrine falcon near the bookstore; ironically her sis Mary just saw one yesterday in the Portage-Kalamazoo area. Lonnie was blown away by the birds speed. And to top it all off, fan, and fly fisherman Leo Smith of Marquette brought me his version of the snowfly for my collection! Very cool.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 21:37:12 +0000
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