An older dog, particularly with health issues, is a special case. Frankly, when my last Guide Dog was dying, I didn't care where he went to the bathroom as long as he was comfortable. One of his last pleasures was laying down on the concrete back patio after it had been well warmed by the sun. In October (2004) his back legs were pretty much shot and we had one of our last truly warm days. I sat out on the porch with his head in my lap for hours, stroking his body, and letting him feel the sun. Several weeks later his balance was completely gone again and this time the vet recommended we put him down. Again, with his head in my lap, we said "Good-bye." Dogs are psychological and emotional beings and they do "feel" shame. Old dogs can learn new tricks, but learning new potty behaviors is the trickiest trick of all. It is difficult because where to go potty is something that is best learned as a pup or young dog. So, you can teach an older dog to do something new in terms of their work, play or service, but just as with humans, the potty thing is something the "pack" teaches at a very early age. It can throw dogs for a loop to try and reinforce a new behavior. ButÂif an old dog's health is reasonably good, and if an owner can work with the dog and wait out his bladder, then a well-affirmed production of output on the new surface will put even an old dog well on the way to a new potty behavior. I am very sorry to hear about what happened to your dog, Kelly, but it is still true that in most situations training a dog to go on a hard surface is best for the dog. Teaching an old dog what to do in unusual circumstances, for a short term situation, is a special case. Dogs, like people, have geriatric problems that go far beyond potty surfaces--dementia, depression, anxiety about being away from familiar surroundings, not to mention specific physiological conditions. The OP is the only one who can truly assess all the factors with his dogs in mind. My offering was simply to assert that dogs can and do differentiate surfaces with a high degree of sophistication and inteligence. Wellspring, whose current Guide Dog sometimes has her own ideas about where to goÂ

I am looking to replace my 18-year-old counter top, which we got for free: white tile. My husband is in the business, granite, Silestone, Corian,Zodiac, etc. etc. he gets at a great price. So, of course, I want wood. Not going to happen. Also, I know that wood would have to be babied and I know I'll get lazy, or out-of-my-mind busy with Christmas dinner and place something scorching hot down on the counter and that's the end of that. I know myself. The white tile has served me well, you can put anything on it and it's fine. You just have to keep on cleaning the grout - it was a lot of upkeep and I'm glad to be replacing it. However, I swore I would never get granite, because I tend to not like to do what everyone else is doing. Well, wood is out, (darn!). I have natural cherry cabinets, still gorgeous, not replacing them. I saw a display kitchen with natural cherry cabinets and colonial gold granite and fell in love. I love the natural movement of the stone, I love the sparkle embedded in the stone, I love the relatively low-maintenance of the stone, and I love that it's a natural material. Ask yourself: what am I like in the kitchen - will I be careful? Do I want to fuss with keeping something continually clean? (i.e. white tile with grout - yikes!) We all have to make compromises to accommodate our manners in the kitchen. You want to get something that you'll love for years to come. You certainly don't want to have to babysit your counter tops! Take your time - do your research, make a decision that's a balance between beauty and brains! Good luck! Enjoy the journey!

I know the quartz products are not recommended for outdoor applications. At first I thought it had to do with the resin, but I think it is the discoloring that is the problem. There is a stone/quartz yard near our house and they display their remnants outside for people to look at. I have noticed that the quartz products of color (something other than the whites and off-whites) definitely fade with the sunlight. That's not to say the whites are safe, only that they didn't draw my eye like the darker colors did. Of course, I went ahead and took a chance. We have a large skylight over our kitchen. It has a cover on it from about May to late September that cuts down 80% of the UV rays, but plenty of light comes through the rest of the year. We have Zodiaq quartz in Papyrus (an off-white putty) and I haven't noticed a problem in 10 months.

Steer clear of ColorQuartz. I bought five slabs of Akoya Pearl Quartz from International Granite and Marble (IGM). This quartz is made by ColorQuartz. Their sample was incredibly beautiful. It looked like real stone. It was to be delivered and installed while I was gone, therefore I asked IGM if I should come and approve the slabs before I left. They said no, because it was man-made, they would all look like the sample. They delivered and installed while I was gone. The material that was installed was of incredibly poor quality. It has little specks all over it. It looks like it is covered in freckles or made of tapioca. I called IGM and complained. They came to my home and looked at it and agreed with me. They said it would be up to ColorQuartz to refund my money or replace it. I called the local ColorQuartz rep. He said it was awful that the quartz looked so bad. He said he would do something that day or the next. He did not. I then called and complained to the ColorQuartz VP of Sales. He literally told me he didn't care. Repeatedly, he just said, "I don't care". I never heard of any sales person ever before say such a thing. IGM is no longer returning my calls, so I am not too pleased with them either. If they are a good company, they will drop ColorQuartz. I paid $6121.61 for those slabs. I am attaching photos. The one on the right is the actual, the one on the left is the sample.