no but I always dream about a snake biting

no but I always dream about a snake biting [2008-05-08]
different situations but the snake ALWAYS at least breaks the skin, no matter how much I try to protect him. :(

I once had a dream that my dog got killed - sm [2008-05-08]
and a week later to the day, she did. And it happened exactly like in my dream.

Grilled - I Dream of Jeanie or Bewitched. nm [2008-04-13]
Hi!

a girl can dream.. ;) [2008-02-19]
xx

LOL - I used to dream of Kramer when I was pregnant LOL (nm) [2008-01-02]
x

I dream he and George are chasing me. Being them, [2008-01-02]
x

Or a black snake. [2007-12-30]
x

Ha! I got to see a green snake [2007-12-29]
in my yard once. It was the kind that climbs, and was in an azalea bush. I had no idea we had green snakes here in NC until I saw that one.

mine brought me a very alive green garden snake [2007-12-28]
and deposited it at my feet in the kitchen once.

I have had the same dream [2007-11-06]
about teeth falling out. It is said that underlyling stress/anxiety can cause this, and also fears about personal appearance (think I remember something about money too). It's interesting to read about possible meanings of dreams. Of course, they say too that sometimes it just means it

Recurring bathroom dream & ex dream [2007-11-06]
I have a recurring dream about having to go in a public bathroom and not only can everybody see me, but I am barefoot, wearing bell-bottoms and the floor is always wet. Yuck! I also have recurring dreams about being back with my abusive ex and trying to get me and the kids away from him. We have been divorced 22 years, but I have these dreams frequently!

Has anyone every been awakened suddenly after biting your tongue in your sleep? SM [2007-10-22]
OMG. Does this hurt. I bit the very tip of my tongue really hard last night when I was asleep and now can hardly eat, drink, etc. Just curious if this has happened to anyone else. Wonder if one of those mouth guards would help. I was told I have TMJ and grind my teeth. Maybe that This is the second time it has happened! Many months in between. . .

Never dream of being w/o the kids just - sm [2007-10-17]
the DH.......he is out of town this week, very nice and quiet here, no drama with the kids at night (usually there is something a few times a week, or him picking a fight with me). Though I would not say no to an evening or weekend all by myself, I probably would not know what to do (unless I had work, which I usually do). As for being bored and lonely, no I doubt it. I lived by myself for about 6 months while I was at school, loved every minute of it. I have plenty of interests so I'd find lots to do!

dream trip [2007-10-08]
Been trying to get my mom to go with me to Ireland....she lost her DH last year....I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQDPenBUC68

It was a dream/fantasy. sm [2007-10-05]
I was a little confused myself, but at the end of the episode Betty walked in and Hildy was crying in her bed. I guess it was her way of getting some closure. I hope that clears it up for you.

Dream Home [2007-08-23]
We just recently built a new home, not total custom build but we got to choose from about 15 different designs, and we chose the flooring, paint colors, fixtures (standard or upgrade), exterior color, brick, etc. The only thing I would change is the two smaller bedrooms (besides the master) could be a little bit larger. BUT...the landscaping would be what made my dream home complete. I would love to have a nice-sized deck with one of those retractable awnings, with a nice big grill and comfortable seating. I would alsolove to have about an acre of land with some fairly mature trees where I could design wandering paths that would be highlighted by flowering shrubs, fountains, birdhouses, statues....

Dream Home Ideas.... [2007-08-22]
Think of your dream home, and tell me something about it. Something that makes it different or special. Like how one room is made entirely out of fish tanks, or the whole 5th floor is a skating rink. Things like that.. be creative!

Dream Home Ideas [2007-08-22]
An indoor basketball court!! We have the room to create one on the outside because we have three acres (perhaps next spring), but indoors would take care of being able to do this year-round. We live in the country with a good-sized home, but double his and hers vanity sinks, instead of one, would also be nice.

My dream house .... [2007-08-22]
would have more than 1 bathroom and more than 2 closets. We live in the old farmhouse my DH grew up in. It has 4 bedrooms, which is great, but only 2 closets and 1 bathroom for5 people. So my dream house would have at least 2 bathrooms and I would love a huge walk-in closet like I had when I was a kid. It would also have a library with lots of shelves for my books and a big stone fireplace with great furniture to curl up in and read. And if this wonderful house could be situated by the beach, I would be in heaven.

My dream would be a weekend of him helping (sm) [2007-08-01]
When he and I and the kids all work on getting everything back in order. But he would be angry the whole time, as if he shouldn't have to be doing it. I may end up hiring someone. I have thought about it all day. It would be worth it!

Mazel tov! Hoping it really is a dream come true for you! :) [2007-07-13]
s

We're also going to see Dream Girls...sm [2007-05-24]
I got the Publix 1/2 off deal for the Wednesday night show so we could afford the orchestra level seats. We go to local playhouses, i.e. Theatre on the Square in Marietta, Kudzu Theatre (Roswell) Alliance Theatre, Theatre on Main (Acworth) and used to like Big Top Theatre but they've just shut down and the head guy moved to Florida after the events that shut down the new Cobb Performing Arts Center in Kennesaw. I still can't believe that happened after they spent $35 million to build it and it was only open a few months but that zoning stuff got them into trouble. Anyway, we watch for shows and get tickets for the ones we know we'll enjoy. Our teenager babysits the youngest child for the shows that aren't acceptable for a 7-year-old to see.

I'm from the good ole' south. Would never dream of doing that! sm [2007-04-26]
But, on the other hand, I'm not against a woman's choice to do so either..Although my in-laws would definitely have a tad bit to say bout that one!

Your living your dream like never before? [2007-01-25]
?? That doesn't make sense.

Amen! I was biting my tongue not to respond, [2006-12-28]
as it probably would have been in anger. And to have such a hostile spirit and then go quoting scripture. Whew. Does not give a good testimony, but you sure did. Thanks for saying it so eloquently and lovingly. The sinner in me also can't help but mention that the devil could quote scripture just as well as Christ. He was -- well versed --

I'm sorry you lost a friend sm [2008-07-02]
Maybe in the midst of my anger, I I'm really sorry you went through what you went through. My whole point is not about money, even though it may seem that way. I think there should be some sort of penalty when a dog bites someone, especially an 8-year-old child. In our case, there has been absolutely no penalty, and the dog has been out without a leash since the attack. The owners even tried to blame our daughter for the bite. They said the dog thought she had some food in her hand or that she was standing next to the dog She was standing in front of their house. The dog tried biting my daughter They I will advise our attorney that we will be willing to settle with them because we don I have never sued anyone and never expected I would ever sue anyone. While I have sympathy in your case, I don If we did nothing, this could happen again to someone else

The dog was nipping at her ankles and you call [2008-07-02]
If the owner was nearby, a leash would not have prevented this. This is normal dog behavior. When I first read your post about the dog attacking your daughter and her running off with blood dripping, I envisioned a large dog jumping on your daughter and biting her face or some other area. You I

Well, now it's my turn to tell my story...(Beware..this is long) [2008-06-29]
Well, I just don I was 26 years old when I met and married my husband. It will be14 years ago this August. I was a platinum blond, Swedish, 26-year-old, voluptuous virgin waiting for my prince to come. I had never dated because I was too fearful and shy. My mother always told me that my prince was coming. She just didnthe prince of darkness. It has been a nightmare, although he says it has been great with only a few bumps along the way. He is abusive in every way including verbally, mentally, emotionally, some physical although very little (not an excuse, just telling it the way it is), what I feel is sexual abuse with me but not the children,but the worst by far is his financial abuse. He has told me many, many times, Who do you think YOU are? What do you think...that you I can find a dozen more women like you. I have three children, now ages 14, 13, and 11. 14-year-old has ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder. My husbandis just like this although he has never been diagnosed and never would be because in his own words, I am perfect just like God made me. There is nothing wrong with me. The problem here is you. My credit is down the toilet. Credit score is about 500. His is 800. Through the years, when the children were babies I had to feed them dry cereal with a cup of water because he wouldn One very hot night in the summer, I had to feed them generic hot dogs and pink beans, which were some kind of bean that slithered out of the can in a gelatinous material. The kids werewere dry heaving at the table. One day when I was about 8 months pregnant with my last child, he came up to me and said, Well, I I said what He said (very matter of fact), I I won If you want something, get off your f______fat a__ and get a job. I had a 6-month-old and a 1 1/2-year-old and 8 months pregnant with the third one. What!! Get a job!! Are you crazy?? He said, Oh well. Famous last words. That is all I ever hear. He has ripped out phone lines, denied us food and clothing. We have two cars. He used to hide the car I would drive around the neighborhood so I couldn He would even take the carseats. One time when I was pregnant, I had no money so my girlfriend needed a babysitter a few hours a week. She lives in Connecticut, which is about 45 minutes from my home. She could only pay $45 a week but I would drive up there four days a week to watch those kids just to get that measly $45. One day when I was leaving to go, I wanted $2 for an ice cream cone (I was pregnant at the time and that was my thing during that pregnancy). I asked him for $2 and he said no. I reached into his wallet and took $2 anyway. So he came after me. I took out the butcher knife but he ran outside to get to the car first so I couldn I put away the knife and ran out the back door to try to get to the car first but he got there before me. I reached in to try to grab the car keys out of the ignition when he rolled the window up as hard as he could. I was screaming at the top of my lungs. I thought he was going to break my arm. I was able to backhand him and he unrolled the window. A little while later I ran to the neighbors to call the police because he ripped the phone lines out. I was there for about 15-20 minutes calling the police, family, and my friends to come and help. When I got back to the house, he had taken both cars (hid one in the neighborhood) and went to work. He left my 9-month-old and 1 1/2-year-old children all by themselves (and at the time I lived on a very busy street where cars would drive by at 50 mph). When I walked in, they were sitting on the living room floor screaming at the top of their lungs. The next morning I was in the shower and I lifted up my arms to wash my hair when out of the corner of my eye I saw something on the underside of my arm. It was a jet black bruise about four to five inches long by about two inches wide. It was literally jet black. I was stunned. When I called the police, I told them what was going on with his abuse. I told them I was pregnant with two little ones at home. I told them I had no food. I told them and showed them the bruise and I told them I wanted to press assault charges. They said, He did that to you? I said yes. I said, I want him arrested for assault. I told them where he worked. They turned around and told me that because the incident happened the day before that there was nothing they would do and that they weren They told me to just let him lie low for a while. This happened in 1996. We are not talking the 50s here. This was just before they handed me a pamphlet on battered women and battered women The pamphlet said there does not have to be any sign of physical abuse. If you are in a situation where you simply fear for your safety, the person can be arrested. And I am sitting there pregnant with ahuge, jet black bruise underneath my arm from where he rolled my arm up in the window. This is just a few tidbits of the life I have had with him. There have been some good times and good vacations but mostly bad. We have fought so bad for years and years that I know the toll it has taken on the kids. The guilt I have is insurmountable. If he buys groceries, I have to pay him back. If he pays the phone bill, I have to pay him back. If he buys me anything or gives me a $10 or $20 bill, I have to pay him back. Most of the time, I am not allowed to go into a store with him. I went with him once to Wal-Mart and I put a $2 box of sweetener into the carriage. That was it. I am now not allowed to go into a store with him. He screams at us that he pays the rent, therefore, it is his house and we have to learn to live the way he wants us to and we should be catering to him. If we don He has told me for years that he is a king and that the house is his castle and that he has allowed us to live with him because he is kind, loving, and gracious. He will only buy oneChristmas gift for his kids and no stocking stuffers or tape or wrapping paper or anything like that.I have to do that with what I get paid to do MT work. He doesn When they were little, I would tell him that the children needed some cool clothes for summer. He would take their little pants and cut them off and then take their turtleneck shirts and cut off the turtle neck and cut off the sleeves and say, There you go. There Or he would just tell me, Go ask your sister to buy them some clothes. He has threatened to kill me and the children if I leave. He has told me that he would kill me and the children before I would ever see child support. He has a sex fettish where he wants it all the time, every day multiple times in a day if he could get it (not that he does, mind you. I stopped that crazy crap a long time ago), and I am just supposed to stop all that I am doing and fulfill his needs (even though sex for me offers virtually nothing other than soreness,swelling, and boredom and has always been like this). If I don I am very overweight, I smoke like a chimney, my credit is destroyed, I don I have less now 14 years later than I did before I married him. At least before I married him I had my own very nice car and some clothes. I don My clothes are tattered, stained, and worn. And...I had dreams of what my life was going to be like when I got married. But it certainly was not a life like this. My kids are older now and they are seeing their father for who he is. He blames me and tells me it is all the bad stuff I am telling the children. I keep telling him it is what they have seen for 14 years. They beg me to divorce him. My youngest, who is 11, was diagnosed last year with severe ulcerative colitis. He has had a flare now for the past six weeks with at least ten bouts of diarrhea with blood every day. He talks about depression a lot and always asking me what it is. When I got the call last year from his pediatrician telling me to take him to the hospital for a possible blood transfusion (this was when we got his diagnosis), Ialmost fell on the floor from fear. I called my husband at work to tell him he needed to come home. He said, I can I have to work. He said, Don His red blood cell count had dropped to 7.2 froma normal of 12 because of his bleeding. He came to the hospital when he got out of work. He showed up at 6:00 p.m. We went outside and talked for a bit and then about 20 minutes after he showed up, he said, Well, I have to go home to eat and shower. I When I got angry, he said Hey, I I need to rest. Besides, there We still didn I didn I was scared to death. But he had to go home to eat and shower and rest!!!! I think that was the beginning of the end for me. I once read something on these boards that someone posted saying Marriage is not supposed to be a good deal for one and misery for the other. That is what my life has been. My marriage was a great deal for him...kids that he never has to pay for (I mean nothing...not school projects and believe me there are a ton of them, not clothes, not shoes, notebooks, backpacks, nothing), free sex, and a wife that he doesn I believe in my soul that my marriage was a good business deal for him. If you knew my husband, you would laugh at that statement because he is extremely uneducated and talks like a mentally retarded person. People in the past have actually asked me if he was mentally retarded. He thinks that if my son would drink lots and lots of water, that that will cure his ulcerative colitis and makes fun of me and insults me and everyone else. Itell him he is a moron and he doesn His abusive mother made them drink nothing but water. She would not buy them anything or strive for a better life. They lived in a nightmare life. So now he gets very angry when we woncure everything. He tells us that he is trying to show us how to live right but we just won He tells this to other people too including our landlord. He has the most disgusting habits. He picks scabs and eats them, he has eczema and psoriasis so he is one huge flake, which he enjoys picking off chunks and dropping them in a pile on the floor, he passes unbearable gas (like every two or three minutes that has such a horrid stench it makes all of us nauseous) and then flips out if we spray a room spray. He will actually grab the can and scream that this is his house and we are all just disgusting to live with and just impossible to live with. He just had a fight with my 12-year-old daughter tonight because he was passing tons and tons of gas and she sprayed a room spray. He got up in her face screaming at the top of his lungs at 11:00 at night that this is his house. He will pass gas all he wants and that he won She was crying and begging me to divorce him. She kept saying, You said it would be better for the family if you stayed married to him but it It won Well, I could go on and on. It has been 14 years of this but I think you get the picture. I have no money. I don I have a son who is going to need ongoing frequent medical care and I am afraid he will cancel the insurance if I do anything to get rid of him. I have a great fear for our safety. He has major problems with having to give up his money so to haveto pay child support will send him over the edge. He is a pathological liar so you can He told me, I would never allow anyone to judge me like that. You can tell the judge to kiss my balls. He seems to expect the absolute highest standards from the children and I but he doesn Never has and never will but will shove it down my throat when he doesn Well, any advice. I really am looking for legal advice for anyone else who has been through this. I know I need to get rid of him...for the kids sake. They need to see that life is not like this and not all men do this and that you don My daughter, who just turned 13, says to me she hates men with a passion. I told my niece that I felt like I was dying. I never, never, never, never leave my house except to go to Dunkin Donuts up the street to get a coffee. I haven And that is three hours probably once every two months. I am lonely, isolated, and ragingly angry. I want to go back to school but when I talk about that, he poo poos it saying I should go back in five or ten years or 15 years when my bills are paid and I can afford it. HELLO????? I am going to be 43 in October. Maybe I should just wait to go back to school until I Well you get the picture. If you By the way, when I bring up any of his abuse to him, he tells me I don Funny, he always remembers every time I swear at him though. Has never forgotten a single time.

I was only about 12 when I was bitten, [2008-06-23]
and I'm still not afraid of snakes. In my new job we actually come across them now and then. We girls gather around and analyze whether we think it's poisonous. If we decide it's not, then I'll be the one to carry it down by the pond ... except the only one we've needed to move so far was bright copper in color, and I never picked up a copperhead-colored snake before, so we called the boss. He carried it without incident.

How do you get snakes out of your house [2008-06-22]
Now that the summer is here our kitty is such a wonderful gift giver. We have these little garden snakes and twice she has brought one inside for us. (The second one we didn Anyway...just little garden snakes (nothing like a boa) :-), but we had a hard time getting it out as it was quick moving and we didn So....anyone have any suggesting for an easy way to catch a snake to let him back outside (of course once we have put kitty in the back room so she doesnhelp us) :-)

You could try a broom I guess, but [2008-06-22]
I've been bitten by a garter snake before and it was no big deal. They just have short teeth so they won't get fangs caught in you or anything. Or you could try lifting him with tongs and putting him into a pillowcase. He would slow down if your house was cold. That's all I can think of. I got to watch a cat playing with a lizard last week. I felt bad for the lizard, but the cat sure was cute playing with it.

he may find his own way out, but [2008-06-22]
just in case you ever run across a poisonous snake and manage to cut his head off, do not reach toward it. There is a heat sink reflex and the darn thing can still bite you.

snakes in the house [2008-06-22]
I will tell you how its done, but you should be very very careful doing this because just when you think its a tiny harmless garden snake you could be very wrong! I don't know exactly how long you are talking about, but you need to find some sort of stick, maybe handle of a duster or something of that sort. It should be the appropriate length so that if you were to grab the snake by the tip of its tail with one hand (non-dominant) you could support the snake (again depending on the length, you dont want it right behind its head but a little farther down the back)as far away from your body as possible while you carry it out. If the snake ever wiggles off of the end of the stick thats okay, just dont drop its tail because you will have to go through catching it again. Hope that helps! Just think Steve Erwin while your doing it!

no big deal! [2008-06-22]
I think I would probably have a heart attack if I were ever bitten by a snake.. My dentist bought an old house that was inhabited by snakes. . he shot some, carried some out using sticks, played loud music and finally, after a couple of years, has managed to take over the house. . he has way more patience and courage than I would have.

yep for up to an hour they can still bite you- sm [2008-06-22]
there was a story on TV a few months back about some guy in the middle of no where, staying at a remote cabin for a week (was getting picked up at pre-arranged date a week after his drop off there), on day 3 or 4 killed a snake by the house by cutting off its head, and then for some foolish reason decided to pick up the head which is when he got bit. By some miracle he did not die, came darn close though, if his ride hadn't come he would have died though.

If you would like to further educate yourself on this issue [2008-06-12]
INTERESTING ARTICLE I realize this is very long, but as an expert in this field, I want to re-post information I sent, in September, to another blogger concerned about the Best Friends summit. I want to emphasize that the following information is based on years of dedicated research, and decades of dog training experience. I do not simply pass along information I've heard or read somewhere...which is sadly what most people, on all sides of dog-related issues, do. I recognize that some of your readers may find parts of it quite controversial. That's okay. Facts are facts, even if they conflict with some other [expert's] unresearched opinions. As such, I've opted to leave those sections in, because they're vital in refuting unfounded notions about dogs, canine genetics, and dog behaviour, which lead to myths about canine aggression. Any individual point of controversy should not take away from the overall message of fact and reason that does not support the view that any entire dog breed could be considered dangerous. Only once people stop repeating inaccurate information (no matter how good it may sound), will we ever hope to get to the heart of this issue, and start reducing the number of unprovoked dog bites. The following was written off the top of my head, in response to concerns about the Best Friends' agenda. It is not a composed article meant for publication. Please also keep in mind, it has a decidedly Canadian perspective, although there is ample U.S. data referenced. This is what I wrote (with a few minor clarifications): Dear (blogger), As you know, I am an expert in Canadian dog bite statistics. After years of research, there are a number of interesting facts I right here, in one place. The situation with unprovoked dog bites is not what nearly everyone believes it to be. If I had one pet peeve, it is that most people merely repeat things they�ve heard or read. They don�t really know if what they�re saying is true or not. They merely �believe� those things to be true, and that�s enough for them, I guess. You know what I say, �No matter how often or loudly a myth is repeated, it is still just a myth.� Some people simply like agreeing with others. Some like to pretend they�re especially knowledgeable or have unique insight. Whatever the source for so many of these myths, years of research has proven the majority of beliefs I encounter about dogs are simply untrue. Whenever discussing the issue of dangerous dogs, it's always important to remember a few key points about the dog bite statistics (especially as they pertain to Canada): 1. The most dangerous breeds in Canada are, in order: German Shepherd, Cocker Spaniel, Rottweiler, and Golden Retriever. Why do I say this? Well, this is not dog bite data, but rather dog attack data based on the reporting information from the Canadian Hospital Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP). The CHIRPP members (hospitals, and reporting physicians and nurses) have no reason to lie about the information they receive, surrounding the breed of dog that has attacked. Why do I say the most dangerous? Well, because the CHIRPP data only applies to the most severe dog attacks (i.e. those injuries serious enough to require treatment in hospital). These are not little nips that can be treated with ice or even a band aid. These are severe dog bite injuries that need to be treated in hospital. The dogs that cause the most serious injuries in Canada belong to the above-mentioned breeds, more than any others. Unlike municipal dog bite data (where any bite, no matter how inconsequential, or even against other animals, is counted), the CHIRPP data only relates to the most serious dog attacks against human victims. 2. 'Pit bulls' are rarely in the #1 spot in dog bite statistics. Any measures to restrict or ban the #2, #5, or #37 'breed' of dog in the dog bite statistics, but not #1, is pure hypocrisy. As faulty as the logic may be, if you're going to ban or restrict a type of dog in an attempt to reduce the number of dog bites, then it must be the ones who bite the most and/or cause the most serious injuries. Either way, that 'breed' is not 'pit bulls'. 3. There hasn't been one confirmed death of a child attributed to an unprovoked attack by a 'pit bull' in Canadian history. (There has been one unconfirmed death.) 4. The very first human fatality attributed to an unprovoked attack by a 'pit bull' in Canadian history occurred in May of 2006. Until then, every insinuation or claim about Canadians being in danger of being killed in unprovoked attacks by 'pit bulls' was totally unfounded. (In the Ontario case in May, the dog was actually only part 'pit bull'. It was a Labrador Retriever/'pit bull' cross, and the dog's owner was the victim.) (It should be noted that there have been at least two human fatalities in Canada attributed to unprovoked attacks by Labrador Retriever crosses, yet this was the first for a 'pit bull' cross.) 5. Municipal dog bite statistics often combine reported dog bite data against both humans and other animals. While I don�t have any problems with doing so, those citing combined statistics must be aware that the majority of the dog bite reports aren�t against people. To imply otherwise is, at best, misleading and, at worst, dishonest. For example: Toronto has arguably the largest municipal �pit bull� population in Canada. In 2004, 12 of the city�s estimated 30,000+ �pit bulls� had been reported for biting. (That�s about 0.04% of the population, by the way; leaving 99.96% of Toronto�s �pit bulls� completely innocent of such allegations.) However, the majority of those reported bites were against other animals. Only 2 of the 12 could even begin to be called �attacks� against humans. So, when 2 out of at least 30,000 dogs of a loosely-defined type are involved in attacks in an entire year, is that really justification for not just trying to ban or restrict them, but for making sweeping generalizations about all the rest? 6. No matter what dog �breed� tops the dog bite statistics, the vast majority of bites are still attributed to other breeds. To better help people understand the absurdity of a breed-based approach to dog bite prevention, let�s imagine that �pit bulls� are responsible for a virtually unheard of 10% of bites in some Canadian city. That still leaves 90% of biting dogs unaffected by any breed-based approach. This is the primary reason why breed bans have been such a colossal failure wherever they�ve been tried. The majority of biting and attacking dogs are not affected, so their owners are free to continue to behave negligently. 7. All dogs can bite. There is no such thing as a breed of dog that has never bitten, never attacked, never maimed, or never killed (a person or other animal). 8. It is the size of the victim, not the dog, which best predicts severity of injury in an attack. While even the very smallest dog breeds have killed humans, the very largest dog breeds are rarely involved in attacks. 9. Adults are rarely seriously injured by dogs of any size, while children are the most common dog bite victims. Their attackers range from the very smallest to the very largest dog breeds. 10. The dogs actually involved in attacks are not genetically related in any meaningful way. This goes right to the heart of common, yet completely unscientific, baseless claims about allegedly inheriting aggressive behaivours or being bred for aggression. In short, the dogs involved in attacks are not closely genetically related to one another. This tends to refute the idea that the attack was due to some aberrant inherited gene. Think about it. What could the Dalmatian that bit off a boy�s nose 10 years ago and the Golden Retriever that left 76 stitches in a girl�s face, just a few years ago, possibly have in common, from a genetic standpoint? Is anyone really trying to suggest they�re genetically related, and both inherited some sort of as-yet-undiscovered �attack gene�? Even the Rottweiler that killed a child in New Brunswick and the Rottweiler that killed a child in Ontario don�t share any common ancestors in their pedigrees; making the whole notion of a shared genetic cause for attacks completely ludicrous. Put simply, the individual dogs involved in unique attack incidents are not genetically related in any way other than that which makes them dogs. 11. Psychology defines aggression as learned behaviour. I�ve been researching dog biting incidents since 1999. I have yet to find a dog involved in an attack that didn�t have a known history of aggressive behaviour. Aggression has to be learned and practiced before it is perfected. I have yet to come across a case of a dog that attacked unprovoked, without ever having barked menacingly, growled, lunged, snapped, or what have you. This completely refutes the (quite silly) urban myth that �some dogs just turn�, or that dogs can be THIS unpredictable. (i.e. friendly family pet with no history of ever having behaved aggressively one minute; then savage, unprovoked attacker the next) As an experienced dog trainer (one who has spent many of those years SUCCESSFULLY re-training aggressive dogs), I can attest that dogs are not all that unpredictable. Sure, they might do something out of the ordinary, every now and then. However, for a dog to suddenly behave aggressively in a way that is truly threatening or injurious, it must have practiced those behaviours in the past. This is the nature of all learned behaviours. Only practice makes perfect. (I can elaborate more on that, if you wish.) It�s as though people can�t imagine any other form of aggressive behaviour, other than biting. To help them along, I must point out that aggressive behaviours follow a fairly predictable scale of escalation. It may begin with staring or raised hackles (all merely indicating discomfort with a situation). That can lead to raised lips, growling, stiffened body posture, menacing barking, lunging, and attempted bites. Long before an unwarranted bite ever occurs, there are a litany of warning signs that the dog will eventually bite. Even the most die-hard dog fighting breeders admit they have to start their puppies very young (often at six weeks), to turn them into superior fighters. When asked why they have to spend so much effort training their (allegedly bred-to-fight) dogs, none can provide a scientifically or practically sensible response. Most use made-up terminologies to emphasize what they believe are inherited traits, while playing down the daily training they force on the dogs. Yet it is clear that, without this ongoing encouragement, the dogs don�t become proficient fighters. I�ve researched so many cases where the owner has allegedly claimed the attack was the first time the dog behaved aggressively, I now pay little heed to such statements. The neighbours almost always tell a very different story. To use a more famous case as an example, little Courtney Trempe was killed by a dog the owner claimed had never behaved aggressively before. The owner went on to say he �couldn�t have known� the dog would attack, because it had never tried to bite a person. Well, it turns out the dog had not just attacked previously, but had actually killed two neighbourhood dogs in the past. That is an aggressive dog, by anyone�s standards. But it does bring me to my next point� 12. Aggression is aggression is aggression. The idea that aggression can be species-specific is not based in any kind of scientific, statistical, or practical data. It seems to be little more than wishful thinking. Those perpetuating this notion tend not to have even attempted to validate this theory in any way. There is a very disturbing myth being promulgated by a number of groups that should know better than to perpetuate unfounded myths. The idea that aggression towards other dogs is markedly different than aggression towards humans is scientifically and statistically baseless. (But I realize a lot of people learned this myth, and repeat it as though it is true.) I have to point out that the real-world data, in no uncertain terms, clearly refutes such theories. Of the dogs involved in their first aggression incident towards a human, the vast majority had behaved aggressively towards other animals (usually other dogs) in the past. Of the dogs involved in their first bites against humans, where the dog had no history of aggression towards humans, the majority had behaved aggressively towards other animals (usually other dogs) in the past. Of the dogs whose first bite against a person resulted in that individual�s death, and where the dog had no history of aggressive behaviour towards humans, every one of the cases I�ve investigated involved dogs that had behaved aggressively towards other dogs in the past. (see the Trempe case example, above) So, while some aggressive dogs may, for now, limit their aggressive behaviour to other animals, it in no way guarantees it will remain that way forever. Most, if not all, the first-time human biters had only behaved aggressively towards other animals, in the past. Their owners, having believed the myth that aggression is species-specific in dogs, are always surprised when their dog-aggressive dogs bite someone. Again, dog-aggression could remain contained, for a number of social and environmental reasons. Statistically, these dogs are equally as likely to bite a human, one day. Dogs with histories of aggressive behaviour (towards either humans or other animals) are almost exclusively involved in unprovoked biting incidents. 13. Nearly all unprovoked dog bites would not be prevented by dog control laws. Since dog control laws typically only apply to the conduct of owners (and their dogs) when they�re on public property, it completely negates their ability to affect the circumstances that lead to the vast majority of unprovoked dog bites. When it comes to total dog bite numbers, almost all take place on the owner�s property. When it comes to reported dog bite numbers, the overwhelming majority take place on, or directly adjacent to, the owner�s property. Supervised dogs in a public place account for less than 1% of all bites. This makes public restraint laws especially ineptly-aimed and ineffective in reducing dog bites. Most unprovoked biting incidents involve (typically an unsupervised) dog known to the victim. Whether or not the victim knows the dog, the bite usually takes place on the owner�s property (where the dog is either loose or tethered), or directly adjacent to the owner�s property (where the dog was either allowed to venture off the owner�s property, or �escaped�). Very few unprovoked biting incidents involve a supervised dog. Simple supervision appears to be very effective in preventing dog bites. When bites take place far from the owner�s property, the dogs involved were most likely loose, roaming, unsupervised dogs. Simply put, public restraint laws don�t target the situations that actually lead to unprovoked dog bites. 14. Cities that address the real causes of unprovoked dog bites (i.e. lack of supervision & lack of socialization and training) are hugely successful in reducing the number of dog bites. Calgary is the best example we have in Canada. They reduced dog bites by 70%, even during a period where the population doubled. Calgary�s approach was to first enforce existing laws. They strictly enforce licensing, and boast a licensing rate of 90% (compared to most cites� 10-20%). In this way, they have a better handle on the dog population in their community, which helps in making decisions and drawing conclusions. They also have a zero tolerance policy for acts of aggression. (Something I�m personally totally in favour of. Dogs are not weapons, and anyone who unethically uses a dog for that purpose shouldn�t be allowed to own one.) Any report of aggressive behaviour of any kind results in a visit from animal control and a warning. City officials are clear, in that they agree one of the biggest aspects of their success was the creation of ample off-leash areas for dogs to be exercised, socialized, and trained off-leash. With reportedly the largest number of off-leash parks in Canada, it�s no coincidence that Calgary also has the lowest dog bite rate of any major city in Canada. Several years ago, I made this prediction, �When the studies are done, we�ll find the cities with the best access to off-leash parks are also the cities with the lowest percentage of dog bites.� Calgary certainly suggests my prediction was correct. Finally, Calgary increased the penalties for some transgressions. Combined with increased enforcement, the large percentage of licensed dogs, along with the higher fines, has led to Calgary�s animal control department becoming financially self-sufficient. It�s win, win, win, in Calgary, all because they addressed the real causes for unwarranted aggression in dogs. 15. Breed-specific approaches to dog bite prevention have failed. There isn�t one region that can claim a reduction in the number, or severity, of dog bites as a direct result of banning a breed of dog. In Winnipeg, officials promoting the city�s long-time ban on �pit bulls� often misleads the public by stating ��pit bull� attacks� have been eliminated. Well of course they�ve been eliminated. �Pit bulls� are banned in Winnipeg. You don�t have to be rocket scientist to figure that out. There are also no wooly mammoth attacks or saber toothed tiger attacks, either. When Winnipeg banned �pit bulls�, German Shepherds, and their crosses, were far and away the most common biters in that city. After �pit bulls� were banned, there was an average of close to 50 more bites per year, for the following decade. In addition to the rise in overall dog bites, the number of bites by German Shepherds and crosses, Labrador Retrievers and crosses, Terriers crosses, and Rottweilers and crosses, skyrocketed. Kitchener is another example. The city of Kitchener banned �pit bulls� in 1997, without ever having done an analysis on the city�s dog bite data. Only after �pit bulls� were banned was it discovered they were #8 in the 1996 dog bite statistics, �right behind #7 Poodles,� as it is commonly said. In what could only be a deliberate attempt to mislead the public, officials immediately halted the collection of dog bite data by breed. Even so, while we don�t know which breeds have been doing the biting, we can still determine if the �pit bull� ban has been effective in reducing dog bites in Kitchener. Every animal bite is required, by law, to be reported to the Medical Officer of Health. With a sleuthing, it was discovered that dog bites haven�t been reduced at all, since �pit bulls� were banned in 1997. They�ve remained pretty constant. According to a BBC report, hospitalizations due to dog bites rose 25% after �pit bulls� were banned in England. Officials from most of the cities that have repealed breed-specific laws have used terms like �ineffective� and �unenforceable�. 16. All dog breeds are genetically identical. Even DNA can�t distinguish between a Chihuahua, a �pit bull�, a Great Dane, and a wolf. (Yes, while there are occasional claims of in-roads, in this area, using markers, all dogs are still considered genetically identical.) Those rare individuals with the personal expertise necessary to accurately attempt to determine a dog�s breed based on appearance alone typically are not employed in the various occupations charged with enforcing most breed-specific legislation. This leaves the subjective determination of a dog�s breed to the very inexpert animal control and shelter workers. In some cases, police officers must decide the dog�s breed, yet not one police officer is trained to (accurately) differentiate between dog breeds. The same can be said of veterinarians. A veterinary license infers expertise in diagnosing and treating illness, for the most part. Neither practicing veterinarians nor veterinary students are required to prove any expertise in breed identification in order to obtain a license. Any expertise an individual veterinarian may possess, in terms of breed identification, or even dog training and behaviour, was most likely acquired outside the requirements of licensing. Because the people enforcing breed-specific laws are not dog breed identification experts, the likelihood of misidentification is unconscionably great. (In Ontario, several dogs have already been misidentified, under breed-specific ordinances.) 17. The public is not in danger of unprovoked dog bites. For instance, every recent dog-related fatality in Canada has involved dogs and victims residing within the same home. The same could be said for the majority of bites and attacks, as well. This is very important information, in terms of quelling the public�s hysteria. �The public� is rarely involved in unprovoked biting incidents. Most bite victims knew the dog and were voluntarily interacting with it at the time of the bite. Most bite victims are bitten by their own dogs. If you don�t own a dog, your risk of being bitten is very low. If you also don�t interact with dogs, or live next door to a dog that is routinely left unsupervised, or one that is known to behave aggressively, then your risk of being bitten is virtually nil. Even when we don�t account for contributing factors (such as proximity) you are still more than 100 times more likely to be hit by lightning than killed by a dog. (In Canada, the likelihood of being killed by a dog you don�t know or live with is virtually zero.) 18. �Pit bulls� are, if anything, less likely to bite. In the U.S., �pit bulls� are estimated to make up 9% of the dog population, yet they typically only make up 2-4% of dog bites, nationwide. In case your readers don�t understand what that means, it would be expected, purely on population alone, that 9% of dog bites would be attributed to �pit bulls�. Since less than half (even a third) of bites are reportedly caused by �pit bulls�, this suggests they�re much less likely to bite than should be expected. 19. �Pit bulls� are less likely to kill than people. In the U.S., even extremely conservative estimates suggest that only 0.00002% of the �pit bull� population has killed. This is much lower than the human population (men, in particular). Whatever someone�s views about �pit bulls� might be, it can�t change the fact that at least 99.99998% have never, and will never, kill anyone. 20. 99.9% of all dogs, from all breeds, will never be involved in an attack. Huge generalizations about dog breeds is not only unscientific, it�s not even practically accurate. I like to put it this way, �If any �breed� were genetically programmed to attack, certainly more than 0.1% of them would.� 21. The media. While I don�t want to get into a protracted discussion about the lack of honesty in media reports of dog bites, I will summarize by saying that reviewing media reports of dog biting incidents is not �research� because the media is extremely biased in regards to which stories it chooses to cover. The media reports dog biting incidents involving �pit bulls� to the near-exclusion of all others. In addition, they use other tactics to exaggerate the details, such as salacious language, or references to other dog biting incidents involving �pit bulls�. There are countless incidents of media bias. In Ontario, a �pit bull� killed another dog, and it was front-page news, that reappeared in the media for weeks. The owner was swiftly taken to jail. Around the same time, two Labs killed another dog, and attacked a �pit bull� without any real media interest. The owner of the Labs was not charged with any serious offence. There are other blatant incidents, as well. One weekend, two off-leash dogs (one of them being a �pit bull�) got into a squabble, and every major media agency reported the incident. That same weekend, a child was mauled by the family�s Golden Retriever, and not one media outlet covered the story. A child was mauled so savagely by his grandfather�s Labrador Retriever, he required treatment at two Ontario hospitals. Only one media outlet covered this story in just one broadcast. Again, relying on the media for the facts of dog biting cases is not advised. Naturally, I could go on. But there you have a pretty good primer (off the top of my head), regarding the facts about the who, what, where, when, how, and why dogs bite unprovoked. Because I kept encountering the same story, over and over and over again, in my research of dog biting incidents, I was led to create a dog bite prevention strategy that deals with the factors common to nearly all the cases I�d investigated. I made it simple, and easy to remember. And I made sure not to include anything that would require an individual to develop some kind of expertise. People who don�t own dogs or aren�t experienced dog trainers still have a right to protect themselves from unprovoked dog bites. The following is what I call, the �3 Simple Steps to Dog Bite Prevention�: 1. Avoid unsupervised dogs. 2. Never leave children unsupervised with dogs. 3. Ensure our own dogs are properly trained and adequately supervised at all times. By following these �3 Simple Steps�, we could virtually eliminate unprovoked dog bites in Canada. It is not just important, but vital, to know what ACTUALLY causes dogs to bite unprovoked, if we ever hope to reduce those numbers. Obtusely theorizing about possible causes or solutions is not helpful and, as in the case of breed-specific legislation, is often harmful to both humans and dogs. If you would like more information, please don�t hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Marjorie Darby Founder,

Is my anger justified? Opinions welcomed [2008-06-04]
Here My ex-sorta-sister-in-law shares a child with my brother. They both have DUIs and neither one of them can drive. They only call me when they need help getting their child (who is the same age as mine and attends the same school) picked up after school and delivered to either one of them. I own a home in the city, a pretty bad neighborhood, and I happened upon this magnificent house very near her house, in the correct school district. This house is on a dead-end dirt road surrounded only by trees and nature. Truly the perfect house for me. So, here She needed me to pick her up and then go pick up her child after school. On the way of returning them home, I said to her, Oh, Sue, let me show you my dream home.I drive her past it, saying how I so want this house and I She says, Wow, that would be perfect for me and my family (she has three other kids, having had this child with my brother while having an affair outside her marriage). Well, sure enough, at the open house on Sunday, there she was with her four kids and her her toothless husband -- making plans for who gets which room.I told herI was less than pleased that she was trying to snatch my dream,when her husband stated, Whoever gets to the bank first gets it. My feeling is that she was outof line. There are thousands of houses for sale in this town and I had displayed extreme interest in this one. Sure, itone Now, when she calls me tonightasking to deliver her child again, I really feel like I She obviously has noregardfor me. Am I right to be so miffed?

Probably should not waste your time being angry or [2008-06-04]
hurt - she sounds like a loser - and better to just use this as a lesson learned and not share anything with her in the future. Be the bigger person if you can and put behind you - but take a lesson from it - she is not your friend. Praying that you get your dream home! Hugs!!

Your anger is definitely justified. [2008-06-04]
I would also be hurt that someone you do so much for would treat you like that. Unfortunately, the other posters are right: No point in being angry because she obviously wouldn I know that I would pursue the dream house. I doubt they could get it anyway; they sound like losers. If they can't drive to pick up their kids, how do they get to work? As for helping out with their kids, I If they can If they can afford it, put it in your new house fund, whether it be this dream house or another one! Keep us posted -- would love to know if you get the house, and if not, let us know if she doesn Cuz the only thing that would makeme feel better about not getting it, would be that she didn't get it either!!

ANGER [2008-06-04]
Do everything you can to achieve YOUR dream and do not enable this deadbeat any more by helping her --- she has already shown that she will back stab you any chance she gets!!!

My husband... [2008-05-09]
He was driving truck when this happened and had only been home in the morning. Midday he took a nap and dreamed his wife died. He said that day was the weirdest day. He can still tell me what the weather was like, what the air smelled like, what he ate, and particularly the dream. This was all back in 1994. She did die that evening, completely unexpectedly. She was only in her early 40s. Their son found her. Freaky stuff.

I believe that dreams have meaning... [2008-05-09]
I have had several dreams like that..I had a dream my best friend was pregnant again before she found out she was, and I had a dream later in the pregnancy that it was a boy and it was...always have strange dreams like that...I don't dream like this every night though...

I don't know [2008-05-09]
if there is any truth to it, but I was always told if you dream about snakes it has a sex connotation!

Yes, I believe dreams have some type of meaning sm [2008-05-09]
especially when you remember them. You know the snake is a sign of the evil one! Is there someone in your life who is acting evil? That one would scare me and I would probably pray a lot more, even though I am not the religious type.

Anyone believe dreams have meaning? [2008-05-08]
I normally brush off bad dreams but this one was strange. My 8 year old daughter dreamed that I had a big snake behind me, she told me to run but I didn The snake came up and started choking me and as I was choking I told her that I could taste apple. Have you ever thought that your child had a dream with a message for you? I have an idea of what it might be about but I am wondering if I am making too much of it.

no but I always dream about a snake biting [2008-05-08]
different situations but the snake ALWAYS at least breaks the skin, no matter how much I try to protect him. :(

when I was young [2008-05-08]
I had a dream 3 times of my father dying in a burning car crash - one time I was with him.in the dream . . I never told him or anyone.. but I did worry somewhat about it. . My dad died a few years ago in his 70s of lung cancer. . I wouldn't make too much of the dream. . .

I once had a dream that my dog got killed - sm [2008-05-08]
and a week later to the day, she did. And it happened exactly like in my dream.

yes, i think some can be taken literal [2008-05-08]
and some symbolic, ie, do snakes maybe represent danger to your daughter? Of course most my dreams have no apparent meaning. but i have had a few that were helpful. once my horse had gotten loose and we couldn then i remembered what i was dreaming when my dad had woke me up -- and i told him the precise place to go, and sure enough, there was my horse. Another, after a person very close to me died, was one that gave me reasons to 'hang on' and live my life out, helping me significantly. I do think it would be more difficult to tell the significance of your child's dream vs your own.

Interesting... [2008-05-05]
I would like to know more about your gift. When did you discover you had this gift. How does it manifest itself exactly? Do you have dreams foreseeing future things. I have a friend who has episodes far and between. And she has dreamed different friends of hers were pregnant and she would find out later that they were and she has had other dreams more real dreams of things that made no sense but then later something would happen that was from the dream. Very weird. She was totally freaked out. It happened a lot while she was pregnant. But then after she had her baby it hasn't happened anymore.