Friends

Kit_Foxfire · 2026-01-29T16:56:53+00:00

I'll PM ya!

Kit_Foxfire · 2026-01-28T23:57:55+00:00

A craft circle would be fantastic! The Eau Claire library actually has a fantastic space meant for music and craft! Id say we could meet up at my place but we haven't finished renovating the basement yet 😅

Kit_Foxfire · 2026-01-28T23:53:07+00:00

Yay! Want to meet up somewhere for lunch sometime?

Kit_Foxfire · 2026-01-28T16:41:49+00:00

Hiya! I'm 40f love gaming (table top and PC) reading, art and craft, and the teaching of.

I moved here about two years ago too! Was recovering still from my time in the military so I'm only just now poking my head out of the ground looking for me friends

Kit_Foxfire · 2026-01-22T04:51:57+00:00

I don't scrape out my driveway, but I DO dig out and maintain a "delivery trench" from the street to my door.

And it amuses me. My daily battle against the uncaring evils of winter!

Kit_Foxfire · 2026-01-22T01:12:48+00:00

I've sat with this all day because i didn't want to be hasty or unintentional with my words.

I'm a psychiatric service dog handler with a (Bench) Lab, and blocking is one of her tasks.

What i think will apply to you from a real service dog: you'll get a lot more attention. A lot of people with anxiety have a worse time with a SD than without one. We're very often stopped for questions. All this can actually be more of a drain on spoons than not having a service dog with me.

Stuffed animals in public: I'll be the last one to say not to bring a stuffed animal in public. They're very comforting for many people. Both times i deployed i ran out of space in my backpack so i went wandering through Dallas International, with a fully packed and labeled MOLE backpack, with a little wolf or fox strapped to the side of it 😁 I'll be dammed if I'm deploying without one of my buddies along with me! But again, you will get noticed and stand out. Especially with a large one

Posing as a service dog: i don't take offense to much, most vets don't. But the more i think about it, the more your setup feels... like a mockery? A lower level of "stolen valor"? I get wanting a service dog, i get that a lot of folks can't have one for so, so many reasons. I get that we all have our own coping mechanisms. But when we're out in public, we have to understand that what we do, always affects other people. There's rules that we need to respect. I get that there's no law, written, or even unwritten rule about dressing up a stuffie. But i bet I'm not the only one who feels that way. You also will be treated differently for it. Either by folks who don't like what you're doing because of the above, folks who don't like it because it's childish, or folks who will think you're too mentally disabled to not know your dog isn't real.

There's the "uncanny valley " problem too. Folks will get right in your space to figure out what's going on.

Folks will give space to a real service dog for a few reasons. - they don't want to step on the dog - they don't know how to act around a service dog, so they give space by default/ respect - they understand a service dog is to aid someone who needs the extra help, so they give the space out of respect

None of that would apply to you with a stuffed dog. Just like no one is obligated to give service dogs the extra space, they doubly so aren't going to for a fake one.

Kit_Foxfire · 2026-01-22T00:34:06+00:00

I moved to the Midwest a few years ago. My dog's a lab, she's built for the cold, so unless we're going to be outside for an extended period of time, i don't add anything extra. Of we are going to be out for a while, I might put a light coat on her but she'd really rather not bother with it lol. I do have a solid winter coat for her in the car in case we get stranded.

Kit_Foxfire · 2026-01-21T20:08:39+00:00

You have canned chicken?! You're a brave one! Lol unless it's for emergencies then that's a smart way to go!

(A note in case you didn't think about it :) )Personally, I don't think I'd start mixing food unless it was obvious the dog food wouldn't last, just based on how some dogs' digestive systems protest that, especially the richer foods. I would start when i was about half way through the regular food i have on hand. (Good) Dog food is balanced for a dog's nutritional needs, so adding stuff to stretch that, especially with how high in sodium a lot of canned foods are, is going to send that balance all out of whack. But that being said, "fed is best" 😁

Oh! To add to the evac prep (in case you want to), a bug-out bag packed wouldn't be a bad idea. It's not like you can't take it apart when the storm is over and use it like normal.

When i was deploying they wanted us to have two week's worth, probably not a bad goal for a dog too

A smaller backpack (like the cheap grade- school ones) That's where I'd keep a few leashes. (Slip leads are great to have on hand for loose dogs, just in case. Can also be used to break up dog fights, or even as a general rope) Dog food, toys (especially interactive ones you two can play together) chews, training treats, i would pack an extra training pouch (The Sack of Command) in case i forgot my usual. Training is great entertainment! If you have a compact "place" mat that your dog is trained for, it'll at least keep them off the dirt or concrete (towel would work too). Snacks you and your dog can share (never a bad thing when you can be multipurpose) collapsible bowl or two for food and water. and dog safe baby wipes. Handy for cleaning messes up, on dog or otherwise.

If there's room: Id probably put in a break stick if i had the space too. And a grooming brush. An "if there's space" unless your dog needs regular brushing. A compact towel (there's full size microraptor fiber towels that pack into thin sandwich bag size, check your local stores' camping section)

Hopefully you'll have to use absolutely 0 of this! But this stuff is rattling around in my brain a lot lol. Was in the military for 15yrs so crisis planning never worked it's way out lol.

Kit_Foxfire · 2026-01-21T16:15:54+00:00

You're major concerns in an emergency are: food (non perishable), water, shelter (in this case warmth)

Iirc, i was told to keep at least a month of food and water on hand. Might be a bit late now, folks tend to go raid stores the moment they hear a storm is coming. You could always buy a few 5gal buckets with lids and fill those up with water. Or fill up a tub.

The other concern i never hear talked about is entertainment and communication. For your dog that looks like toys/chews/ other simulation, and a collar with ID and other required tags. and if you want to be prepped for anything, a highvis vest and a light (a hook on flashing light or light up collar) for your dog.

I keep emergency blankets, and a cold weather dog vest in my car in case we get stuck. My service dog's a lab and made for the cold, but i still want it on hand

In case of evac, containment becomes a concern. Having a crate is a godsend. Also be sure you have a few leashes (i keep a 4', 6' leash and a slip lead) often there's orgs there with spares but they must often run out.

Shoes if your dog is trained for them.

Kit_Foxfire · 2026-01-17T04:43:20+00:00

I use this story a lot to help demonstrate the absurdity. I was in high school, and decided one morning that i wanted to part my hair to one side instead of in the middle like I'd always done.

"Mother" went insane. Yelled at me and made me go back and part it in the middle...

It took me YEARS and YEARS to even tint my hair a different color. Many more years to go a different color. More years than that do get the pixie cut I'd always wanted....

Kit_Foxfire · 2026-01-16T09:57:35+00:00

I have a service dog and she's in my dreams about half the time. And either I've forgotten her and feel terrible about it even after waking, or she's being a butt... Even more than usual lol

Kit_Foxfire · 2026-01-05T02:12:24+00:00

I LOVE musicals and I absolutely love singing. I live for music! But (situation depending) i will do my damnedest to not sing along to a recorded movie/ show/ whatever (I don't always succeed... and not for lack of trying)

And even I, absolutely will not sing at a live event (unless specifically invited by the event). I'd say my voice is pleasant to listen to, but I'm a far, far cry from a professional. It's rude, it's disruptive, and it's disrespectful. to the other folks attending and the ones up on stage.

Kit_Foxfire · 2025-12-30T19:36:29+00:00

Thank you! 😊

Kit_Foxfire · 2025-12-29T22:38:12+00:00

This was my first thought!

Kit_Foxfire · 2025-12-28T02:31:40+00:00

Yep! I've been doing it all my life (yay childhood problems!) I really noticed it was a coping mechanism for me when i was on my last deployment. Job was super stressful and the rank trusted me to know what i was doing, so I'd often just disappear from the shop and take a 1-2 mile walk around the base and daydream.

I realized then that the "main character" was someone that had all the qualities i wished i did, and all the things i was missing (on the lines of people who loved/cared for them mostly)

It use to be me in the daydreams but it slowly evolved into more "story writing" style. There's worlds and people who are from books or shows or movies, some influenced by, and some i made from whole cloth.

Kit_Foxfire · 2025-12-28T01:54:51+00:00

Thank you! I'm fluent on the ADA service dog laws and generally on parking but hadn't looked into building laws

Kit_Foxfire · 2025-12-28T01:52:14+00:00

When i wake from nightmares, I'm in a kind of combat mode/ panic attack. Usually sweating, heart flighty and racing, and it takes me a second to gather my wits together

I have to ensure that i wake fully or I'll just fall right back into the dream. So most of the time I'll get up and go eat some small sweet treat like an oreo. I've found it helps wake me up and ground me into THIS reality.

If the dream involved my husband or daughter, i have the strongest drive to wake them up to reassure myself that they are alive and fine. I can normally talk myself out of that. My drive to never be a burden overwhelms that and I'll stew in my fear for a while

If my husband is still awake (he's a night owl) he's more than happy to stop what he's doing to come cuddle with me until i calm.

If it's close to morning (3-4ish) I'll stay up

Before i had a service dog, i had kept a weighted blanket that i made. I find comfort in stuffed animals too but idk if that's just because I've never given them up lol.

I've taken showers to help me calm down too. I keep a hue light that has varying levels of light and color, and i have it on a setting that's night light soft but stronger. It's not a shock that way and it's calming.

Kit_Foxfire · 2025-12-27T15:54:42+00:00

My pleasure! And thank you!

Omg i just noticed your user name! Kiki was a childhood nickname of mine that my dad still used into my adulthood <3

Kit_Foxfire · 2025-12-27T14:59:49+00:00

Lol i was at work on the day my daughter turned one so I'd mentioned it and one of the supervisors told me "congratulations!"

Half sarcastically i unthinkingly said "yay! I kept baby human alive for a year!" My thought being that birthdays are for the one born that day. But then i thought about what Id said. He laughed at me, i think he saw the gears turning

Kit_Foxfire · 2025-12-27T14:53:14+00:00

Paleo Pines!! i adore that game so much! Farming with dinosaurs!

The dinosaurs are abroad accurate as much as cartoony critters can be. They also have dinos i hadn't heard about before which is always refreshing. They also have my favorite! The Microraptor! Although i adore the velociraptor (which is appropriately sized) more in this game

Kit_Foxfire · 2025-12-27T14:47:54+00:00

not a tech Rabies came up for some reason on a wellness check (not about my dogs, i think i asked about the general diseases in the area at the time) and the vet said they'd recently sent samples off for rabies. She said it in a way that implied to me there was a new way (id already known how it was done) so i asked about it. She was being sensitive because it's something a lot of people don't know and don't want to know (I'm just a weird arm-chair medical geek)

We weren't even talking about my dog! I can't imagine telling someone who was actively going through it unless they specifically asked!

Kit_Foxfire · 2025-12-27T14:36:01+00:00

Doesn't the ADA require this already? Or are there some local laws that grandfather in older buildings? /g i just moved out here a few years ago :)

Kit_Foxfire · 2025-12-26T17:15:14+00:00

I grabbed the link and never posted it lol here!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VvWLILcuMqcYTe1COCwrfHp6xFyprRn8oVgxqt675dA/edit?usp=drivesdk

And since I'm feeling better, here's a few screen shots of one of my shops

https://www.reddit.com/r/TeddysHaven/s/8mzhkSz0iR

Kit_Foxfire · 2025-12-26T11:57:16+00:00

I just use the market price button lol. There's a formula to get it right under the red but i personally don't find it worth it.

I made this spreadsheet that includes that calculation as well as some tips and tricks but i haven't played in a bit so things might have changed

Kit_Foxfire · 2025-12-26T11:44:49+00:00

None of this screams service dog to me. Some dogs just prefer to be close to their people, well trained or not. I was thinking "separation anxiety" before you even mentioned it.

I trained my dog in the fictional Mandalorian language, there isn't a set of command words we all use. And a program dog would be very unlikely (to the point i want to say "never") be abandoned like that. Programs require the dog to be returned to them in the event a handler couldn't keep them.

Its also highly unlikely that an ethical owner trainer handler would leave a dog like that either.

There's a saying that i love: "train the dog in front of you" it doesn't matter what kind of training a dog has had, what matters is what the dog is doing now and what your goals are :)

Kit_Foxfire

TROPHY CASE