Edna, there is an herbal product (Australian) called DGP (DogGonePain),which is excellent for increasing mobility and dealing with pain. I've used it for three older dogs. The dosage is one tablet for 30 pounds of weight. One Samoyed had spinal degeneration and could hardly walk in his old age. The DGP did wonders for him. It gave him several months of quality of life he would not have otherwise had. I also use Solaray Oil of Oregano for myself, and for the old dogs. It promotes tissue and bone regeneration and gives pain relief. As per the recommended procedure, I started the dog off on double dosage, two capsules per day (150mg.). After a week I decreased it to one capsule per day. Both of these herbals need to build up in the body before they can work. It takes about a week to see a significant improvement. My 100 pound red dog doesn't have any cartilage in his hips. He used to do a lot of shrieking and crying because of pain. He hasn't cried since I put him on this combo, more than a year now. The vet had him on Rimadyl, which did not solve the problem, although it seemed to cut his pain by about half. I do Internet searches whenever I want to buy DGP, looking for sales. I used to buy the Oil of Oregano from Lhasa Karnak (Berkeley herb shop with a Web site), but lately I've been able to purchase it from a local herb shop. On sale, the DGP runs about $20-22 for 60 tablets. Solaray has the best price for Oil of Oregano, and is a good brand. It runs between $9-10 for a jar of 60 capsules. Oil of Oregano cannot be used full strength, it must be cut 50/50 with olive oil because it is extremely strong. Solaray capsules are 50/50 Oil of (wild Mediterranean) Oregano and olive oil. Personally, I've been taking Oil of Oregano for about ten years. I used to be halfway crippled from a back injury, and had chronic pain. This herb dramatically improved my back problem to the point that I hardly ever have pain or dysfunction, and I am now leading an active lifestyle. Lorna

Prevent Your Dog from Getting Loose You can do a lot of things to drastically reduce the risk of your dog getting lost. Yes, the house could be robbed or on fire and a door left open, but thats not how the majority of dogs get lost. To prevent most losses and to get your dog back if one does happen, here are precautions that work: 1. Use a double barrier system at house and car doors and gates. This means to put the dog behind another barrier or on a leash before you open an exterior door. If you cant get kids to shut doors, put springs on the doors or other automatic closers so that it takes an adult to make the door stand open. Do the same with gates. Set up an extra door or gate for the dog to stay behind when someone opens the exterior door. Have two gates between your back yard and the outside world. 2. Monitor your gates in the yard so that someone doesnt accidentally let the dog out the back door into the yard when a gate is open. It helps greatly if you position the gate where you can see it from the door when letting the dog out. 3. Work with your dog on not dashing through open doors. Also work with a reputable trainer or class to teach your dog come when called, but do not rely on calling the dog back after a dash out the door! PREVENT the escape in the first place. Every time the dog gets out and has a good time running loose, the dog will want to do it that much more at the next chance. Do not punish a dog you recover who has gotten looseever! That will make the dog run from you in the future, and will not make it one bit less likely the dog will dash out the door next time. There is no effective punishment you can give to make the dog understand that dashing out doors is "wrong." You have to teach the dog a good "wait at doors" behavior instead. 4. Keep a collar and current identification tag on your dog. Collars can cause accidents, so find the safest one you can. When you first get a dog, immediately get a tag. Use a tag from a previous dog that has the correct contact information, have one made at the pet store, or buy a temporary type until your preferred tag can arrive. Escapes are extremely common with dogs in new homes, and tags get dogs back home faster than any other method. 5. Have your dog injected with a microchip, tattooed, or both. Keep a tag on the collar that calls attention to the microchip and/or tattoo so anyone finding the dog will know to have it checked. It also tells thieves that your dog can be positively identified. 6. Dont leave your dog outdoors in a fenced yard without you. Dont rely on an electronic confinement system to keep your dog safe. And dont leave a dog outside in a storm, around fireworks, when noisy construction work is happening nearby, or any other situation that could frighten the dog into bolting the yard. Most dogs can get out of any fence when sufficiently motivated. The safest course is never to leave the dog out there alone to discover that. 7. Spay/neuter your dog to remove hormonal reasons for roamingbefore roaming starts. Roaming is instinctive and is self-rewarding. Your best bet is never to let it start in the first place. 8. Keep your fence in good repair, and make sure it is tall enough for the dog before the dog ever even thinks to test it. Check for loose boards anywhere on the fence and for holes at the bottom, too. 9. Watch your dog carefully for signs of anxiety such as separation anxiety or noise fear. Dogs have clawed through doors and broken glass windows jumping out to flee homes because of these problems. 10. If you have a wonder-dog who can open doors and gates, stay one step ahead of this genius with more secure closures. Its amazing what some dogs can do. 11. Realize that a dog who gets loose will wander farther, will get bolder with various behaviors, and will never know how to be careful and stay safe. If your dog has been loose once, fix the situation so it wont happen again. That time may be the only warning youll get before something happens that means your dog is gone forever. I found that info on VIN and it's really quite good. Hope it helps. Glad you got your dog back each time. Good luck with training and puppy proofing!

Quiches, kugels, and couscous : my search for Jewish cooking in France-- Joan Nathan (Appropriate for both Paris and Rosh Hashanah, which starts tonight)

The Iliad - Homer (or another blind, Greek poet with the same name)