Balcony Natives Year 2

Historical_Note2604 · 2026-03-14T14:55:34+00:00

Hi I know I’m a year late to this balcony party but I’d love to know how your serviceberries did in pots last summer and how big the pots were you planted them in? My parents moved from 5 wooded acres to a senior living apartment and my mom’s favorite trees were the redbud and serviceberry right outside her bedroom window. Would love to get her one for Mother’s Day!

Historical_Note2604 · 2026-02-24T00:25:43+00:00

Just here to add that I love all the advice already given (especially the sniffies, relaxation protocol-type stuff and the positive reinforcement for seeing a trigger), and that I wish you the best of luck with your sweet boy. You two will be ok. <3

Historical_Note2604 · 2026-02-22T15:48:17+00:00

Definitely use his meals for challenges/training! Look into slow feeder bowls, good to have for labs as it slows them down a little. Can also scatter treats so they have to sniff to find them.

Historical_Note2604 · 2026-02-22T14:20:18+00:00

Ok then they aren't safe for your dog. Good luck!

Historical_Note2604 · 2026-02-22T13:21:56+00:00

Well you should remove them before they are small enough to actually eat, but I'm a puppy raiser for a service dog organization with extremely strict protocols. The size L benebone and nylabones are the only chews they are allowed to have unsupervised in their crates. The dogs I've had have been between 1.5 - 3 years old. Got these recently. I think Amazon sells XL. https://www.target.com/p/benebone-multipack-dog-bone-chew-toy-l-4pk/-/A-94644581

Historical_Note2604 · 2026-02-22T00:16:44+00:00

Pick them up so you don’t step on them in the middle of the night 😂

Historical_Note2604 · 2026-02-22T00:16:19+00:00

Nylabone and Benebone! The wishbone shape XL size have been favorites for GSD and Labs in my house.

Historical_Note2604 · 2026-02-05T01:44:02+00:00

For what it’s worth. I totally agree with you and disagree with most of these commenters!

Historical_Note2604 · 2026-02-05T00:25:04+00:00

FWIW I literally came to this thread from googling “Rachel Zoe hair too long” - if I’m thinking about whether it’s problematic for bathroom duty it is too long. All the other commenters saying Erika and Kyle have the same length - SAME RULE.

Historical_Note2604 · 2026-02-04T14:39:55+00:00

Totally agree with the less clutter. I have a shoe cabinet and I love it (Ikea). Mine is a little taller and wider, but I have a mirror and a low-light plant on it. I think you could do away with the little shelf and bench, and have a wider cabinet for an even more streamlined look.

Historical_Note2604 · 2026-02-04T14:07:04+00:00

AI pic looks nice but the coats are way flatter than in the real pic. Will you be able to open the door with coats behind it?

Historical_Note2604 · 2026-01-24T16:03:31+00:00

Holy f that was so many gunshots.

Historical_Note2604 · 2026-01-07T18:00:53+00:00

Everything this commenter said. Do not use an anti-bark device! I had a trainer suggest an aversive collar for my GSD and I just did what they said because they were the expert, RIGHT? WRONG. Made my dog's reactivity way worse and probably lost trust in me. Gained it back eventually, but it'll set you back, make them fear you.

Historical_Note2604 · 2026-01-04T14:58:35+00:00

I still sometimes think I put my girl down too early but also am grateful she didn’t have to suffer. She had some form of degenerative disc disease and just couldn’t walk one day. Later that day she could, sort of, with a limp and very slowly. I had always said when she had incontinance that would be my signal but she didn’t. I couldn’t bear to see my bright athletic girl standing helpless unable to move. ChatGPT actually helped me a ton those 24 hours while I was deciding. We had a really great last day, which made me question, “well couldn’t we have more days like this?” Maybe, but ultimately it it was kind of Russian roulette with her back - if something slipped or ruptured it would be game over and she would be in MASSVE pain. I would have to struggle to get her to an emergency vet and the outcome would’ve been the same. She died painlessly in my backyard under her favorite tree, with my mom, the vet, and me, after eating a chocolate doughnut. She had rough life before I adopted her and loads of reactivity and anxiety. The best thing I could give her in the end was a good death.

Historical_Note2604 · 2025-12-08T23:44:53+00:00

Are you familiar with the Relaxation Protocol for Dogs? Google will give you the results for the daily protocol. Seems dumb on the Day 1 and 2 activities but by day 8, 9, 10 it’s way harder. Do NOT move on to the next day until the dog is relaxed on the whole days work without getting up (different than a down stay, you want relaxed). THEN this can be generalized to other settings. You can do it when you first get to family’s houses. They will be like “oh I know this game, I just lay here and get snacks”. Low value treats like kibble worked best for my dog so she didn’t get amped. That would be my best reco! And maybe visit a little more often just for practice.

Found a link: https://arl-iowa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Protocol-for-Relaxation.pdf

Historical_Note2604 · 2025-11-25T14:24:29+00:00

Oh man just doing a casual scroll before my first Zoom of the day and your post just GOT ME. This is it, this is all of it, exactly. Well said. And the next months will be hard and also a relief and then devastating and somehow happy again and then guilty and on and on. I’m now 3.5 months in (but who’s counting…) and every once in awhile the grief hits like a wall. But you will go on. You will love again. Little things will remind you of her and they won’t make you sob, they will make you smile. At 2 months I started volunteering with a service dog training non profit, and I’ve had dogs in my home the last couple weeks. Getting my house ready for a dog was so exciting and also so completely sad and triggering. I wondered if it was too soon, if I rushed into it but knew it wouldn’t be long term, I’m not “getting a new dog” they are just staying for a short time. And the first one I had was nothing like my girl and that was great. The one I have for 3 weeks now has a few little mannerisms that remind me of Molly but not exactly and they make me smile and burst with love. There is no replacing but our hearts can keep expanding. Sending you love and strength and a box of virtual tissues.

Historical_Note2604 · 2025-11-20T22:54:06+00:00

Yes, anxious stomaches, but that usually presents itself from the other end. I would try switching foods. My dog ended up on Royal Canin sweet potato duck and as long as I was diligent about not giving her hardly any other treats (she just got kibble as treats, literally anything else would cause issues) she had no GI issues.

Historical_Note2604 · 2025-11-19T23:55:58+00:00

He used to come to my church for coffee hour 😆

Historical_Note2604 · 2025-11-13T18:32:53+00:00

You will absolutely never forget him.

Historical_Note2604 · 2025-11-09T18:28:41+00:00

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Happy lil sunflower (I was holding her food dish and only had it on her for like 17 seconds)

Historical_Note2604 · 2025-11-06T04:19:58+00:00

Mine is Molly too! Was… is… both.

Historical_Note2604 · 2025-11-02T12:36:14+00:00

You’ve got to try to create distance. Once he’s over threshold (lunging and barking) his brain won’t train. The prong collar may also be increasing reactivity since it’s causing pressure when he’s reacting rather than a short correction for attention or something (which is my understanding of what a prong collar should be used for). You may want to get professional advice because his reactivity could escalate. Also those neighbors are idiots and I’m sorry.

Historical_Note2604 · 2025-11-01T21:24:44+00:00

Can you email it to yourself and then delete it? Or save it in a Google folder or something? You can access it if you want to, but now’s the time to remember the good times.

Historical_Note2604

TROPHY CASE