#But there's vet shortages in a lot of places. And. I like. Taking care of animals.

[sangfielle]

If I do get pet care lead, I will have a little more power over whether or not I sell an animal to someone, but nobody knows what's fucking going on with that, still, and I don't even want that fucking position anymore, I want a better job. I'd really like to work in animal care in any other capacity.

[megamindsecretlair]

A New Assignment

Cross posted on @megamindssecretlair

Pairing: Bucky x Black!Fem!Reader

Warnings: There's cursing LOL

Summary: One-shot. SHIELD is trying to rebuild its numbers and its operations, without the pesky Hydra stuff. You are an agent with a troubled past who has been taking any and all assignment you can get your hands on. However, Handler has a different assignment in mind this time.

Word Count: 1,654k

A/N: I just finished watching the Spy x Family anime and I loved the idea of a handler, no name given. I love spy stuff in general and I just wanted to write the a** line. LOL. Enjoy. While likes are awesome, please consider reblogging and commenting to support writers!

You were tired. The extra assignments were kicking your butt and the agency-wide shortage wasn’t helping. On more than one occasion, you’ve told Handler that they could simply recruit more people. Shocker you know, but with so many things Handler had to take care of, it was possible that a simple solution could fall through the cracks.

She was not amused. She launched into her favorite speech about the vetting process and how there was a thin line between idiots and spies. Even their best technology didn’t catch Hydra agents under their noses. It wasn’t enough to pluck some pimply fresh face from college anymore. And on and on her complaints went.

Until then, you dragged your carcass across Shield HQ. The agents were…promising. And that was putting it politely. Recruitment was slow and the focus was on other agencies like Sword, though you weren’t sure what was going on there after the whole Hayward thing. 

The new HQ was a lot more discreet than the previous Triskelion. It still lacked any actual decorating. The walls and floors were bland, the fluorescent lights were as bad as ever, and they used the same landscape and ocean prints from before. For all intents and purposes, it was business as usual. 

You crossed the building and took the elevator to the eleventh floor. Analysts milled around passing folders and talking to each other over their cubbies. They gave you a wide berth and whispered behind their hands. You kept your head high and your shoulders squared back. You could not control rumors and they had nothing to do with you. You, Handler, and the brass at Shield knew what happened. That was all that mattered.

You made your way to the back of the open floor plan and knocked on the door. Handler called your name and you entered, closing the door behind you.

Despite the drabness of the offices outside, Handler’s office was more stylish. The carpet and walls were still a dull grayish blue, but the paintings she chose were thought provoking. In one, two forms were contorted so it wasn’t clear if they were embracing or fighting. It was dark at the bottom of the painting as if they were emerging from a pool of inky blackness.

Handler’s chairs were plush and it was like sinking into a cloud. The desk was large without being obnoxious and it held her two computer screens, folders, mail, and small knick knacks like mini snow globes from various countries and shot glasses lined a shelf behind her. Two large windows let in enough light that the overhead lights weren’t truly necessary. In one corner, there was a flat screen TV depicting the latest news story. 

Handler leaned back in her seat as she tore her amber eyes away from the computer screens. She narrowed her eyes at you, a frown spreading across her small face. It only made you smirk as you settled more into the chair.

“We have a long assignment for you,” she said. 

“What?��� 

“We appreciate your dedication to the short assignments and picking up the slack. As a reward, we’re placing you undercover at Bowers Innovation. There’s chatter that they’re working on a super soldier serum,” she said. She nodded towards a thick folder hanging off the edge of the desk.

You took it and skimmed through it. The folder held dossiers on the target, the lab, coworkers, etc. 

“We have other agents already in place to provide some cover.”

“Will people ever give up on super soldiers?” You asked, more to yourself. It seemed like even though aliens and gods visited Earth on a regular basis, people would never stop their endless hunt to be better and do better and live forever.

“As long as there are wars to win and soldiers to fight, people will never stop. We’re sending you in as a team. You’ll be partnered with another agent,” Handler said. 

“I work better alone, you know that. Why are you giving me this?” You asked. This was more suited to grunt work. You were not a babysitter. 

Handler lifted a perfectly arched eyebrow and pursed her lips. She blinked a few times and conveyed an entire conversation in that one look. 

You tilted your head and communicated right back. This was not the best use of your time or skills.

“You are uniquely qualified for this mission. Your exceptional ability to bullshit your way through anything is needed. You could sell ice to a penguin,” she said.

“Why, Handler. Flattery gets you nowhere,” you said, with a grin. 

Her jaw flexed but the blank expression she was known for remained in place. You didn’t really think you could get beneath her skin, but it was fun trying. 

“So, what, you want me to break into this lab, destroy the formula?” You asked.

“Emphasis on a long assignment. We need to know who hired him, where the serum is going, has it been tested, etc. It’s all in the folder.” Handler waved her hand as if she were bored with the whole conversation.

That made two of you. You didn’t like one thing about this assignment. Any attempt at contact would make you suspicious, whether your coworkers vouched for you or not. You were pretty good at bullshitting your way through things but with something like this serum, security was going to be tough. And what was your partner supposed to do?

“Fine. I’ll head to logistics to pick a partner,” you said.

“That’s already been arranged,” Handler said. If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear she smirked.

“What’s going on here? Who’s my partner?” 

Handler turned cat-like amber eyes towards you and said the last name you ever expected. “James Buchanan Barnes.”

Heat flashed over your skin. Anger boiled in your gut. “Are you kidding me? Bucky? He’s the opposite of low-key! I’m not doing it. Bucky is a pain in my natural Black-”

“Ass? You can be sometimes, but it’s part of your charm.” 

You whipped around in your seat and saw the devil himself standing in the doorway. How did he manage to open the door and drop in on the conversation without you noticing? 

You glared at him before looking at Handler. Her face hadn’t changed but you just knew that she was laughing her head off under that stoic exterior.

“Assign someone else,” you said.

Bucky shuffled in and closed the door behind him. He sat down and folded his hands in his lap. 

“Aw, but we got married. It’s a little late for cold feet,” he said. 

You kept your eyes trained on Handler while he kept his eyes focused on you. You schooled your features and dropped your tone. 

“Perhaps this assignment will work better with a more qualified agent. James’ face is too recognizable,” you said.

“That’s precisely why he’s qualified. Any person we’ve sent to get close to the scientist, Julius Fisher, was quickly shut down or the agents were found out. He’ll know that anyone would pay top dollar to replicate the super soldier serum. And if he’s not willing to sell, they’ll steal his research or kill him. He will definitely be suspicious of the two of you. But, he also won’t be able to resist a super soldier. He’ll come to you, trap or not.”

“He’ll know that James isn’t married. If he suddenly turns up married, that’s going to raise suspicions,” you said.

“Don’t you remember how small our wedding was? We invited our closest friends and the reception was lovely,” Bucky said.

“Lucky for you, due to the nature of James’ status, it would make sense to keep his personal life private. Including a wedding,” Handler said.

Son of a bitch. She was enjoying this. She already thought of every excuse you would come up with. 

Your chest felt too tight. You couldn’t breathe well enough to get a full breath. 

“Fine,” you said. There was no situation you could think of to get out of this. You could bullshit your way out of most things except where the Handler was involved. You simply had to make the most of the situation. Even if it had to do with Bucky.

Damn him. He smelled good. And he looked good. When he came in, he wore a t-shirt and jeans and his signature leather jacket. But he made that look like he stepped off of a runway. His hair was short and he already had stubble growing in. 

“Excellent. In your folder you’ll find all the details for your lovely, whirlwind romance and the details of your new apartment together,” Handler said.

You knew a dismissal when you heard one. You stood up and left the office, not bothering to address Bucky at all. Regardless, he caught up to you before you reached the opposite end of the office. He held the door as you left and kept time with you as you stalked down the hallway. 

“So when do you want to move in?” Bucky asked.

“Let’s get something straight. We’re only going to do the bare minimum when it comes to this. Outside the home, we’re the perfect couple. Inside of it, you stay in your room, I’ll stay in mine. We’ll stay out of each other’s way, got it?”

As you spoke, you didn’t realize you were poking him in the chest or advancing on him until he grabbed your outstretched hand and tugged you close. Your chest rubbed against his and the smell of him clouded your senses.

He looked down at you, making his eyes half closed. His long eyelashes nearly fanned his cheeks. He licked his lips slowly as he perused your face.

“Got it,” he whispered, with a smirk. 

“And no touching,” you said. You yanked your hand back and stalked off down the hallway, hating how he made you feel. You were so not okay with this.

Don't ya want more Bucky in your life? Great news! The Secret Bucky Files

[megamindslair]

A New Assignment

Moving my fics to @megamindsecretlair

Warnings: There's cursing. Bucky x Blackfem!reader.

Summary: One-shot. SHIELD is trying to rebuild its numbers and its operations, without the pesky Hydra stuff. You are an agent with a troubled past who has been taking any and all assignment you can get your hands on. However, Handler has a different assignment in mind this time.

Word Count: 1,654k

A/N: I just finished watching the Spy x Family anime and I loved the idea of a handler, no name given. I love spy stuff in general and I just wanted to write the a** line. LOL. Enjoy.

You were tired. The extra assignments were kicking your butt and the agency-wide shortage wasn’t helping. On more than one occasion, you’ve told Handler that they could simply recruit more people. Shocker you know, but with so many things Handler had to take care of, it was possible that a simple solution could fall through the cracks.

She was not amused. She launched into her favorite speech about the vetting process and how there was a thin line between idiots and spies. Even their best technology didn’t catch Hydra agents under their noses. It wasn’t enough to pluck some pimply fresh face from college anymore. And on and on her complaints went.

Until then, you dragged your carcass across Shield HQ. The agents were…promising. And that was putting it politely. Recruitment was slow and the focus was on other agencies like Sword, though you weren’t sure what was going on there after the whole Hayward thing. 

The new HQ was a lot more discreet than the previous Triskelion. It still lacked any actual decorating. The walls and floors were bland, the fluorescent lights were as bad as ever, and they used the same landscape and ocean prints from before. For all intents and purposes, it was business as usual. 

You crossed the building and took the elevator to the eleventh floor. Analysts milled around passing folders and talking to each other over their cubbies. They gave you a wide berth and whispered behind their hands. You kept your head high and your shoulders squared back. You could not control rumors and they had nothing to do with you. You, Handler, and the brass at Shield knew what happened. That was all that mattered.

You made your way to the back of the open floor plan and knocked on the door. Handler called your name and you entered, closing the door behind you.

Despite the drabness of the offices outside, Handler’s office was more stylish. The carpet and walls were still a dull grayish blue, but the paintings she chose were thought provoking. In one, two forms were contorted so it wasn’t clear if they were embracing or fighting. It was dark at the bottom of the painting as if they were emerging from a pool of inky blackness.

Handler’s chairs were plush and it was like sinking into a cloud. The desk was large without being obnoxious and it held her two computer screens, folders, mail, and small knick knacks like mini snow globes from various countries and shot glasses lined a shelf behind her. Two large windows let in enough light that the overhead lights weren’t truly necessary. In one corner, there was a flat screen TV depicting the latest news story. 

Handler leaned back in her seat as she tore her amber eyes away from the computer screens. She narrowed her eyes at you, a frown spreading across her small face. It only made you smirk as you settled more into the chair.

“We have a long assignment for you,” she said. 

“What?” 

“We appreciate your dedication to the short assignments and picking up the slack. As a reward, we’re placing you undercover at Bowers Innovation. There’s chatter that they’re working on a super soldier serum,” she said. She nodded towards a thick folder hanging off the edge of the desk.

You took it and skimmed through it. The folder held dossiers on the target, the lab, coworkers, etc. 

“We have other agents already in place to provide some cover.”

“Will people ever give up on super soldiers?” You asked, more to yourself. It seemed like even though aliens and gods visited Earth on a regular basis, people would never stop their endless hunt to be better and do better and live forever.

“As long as there are wars to win and soldiers to fight, people will never stop. We’re sending you in as a team. You’ll be partnered with another agent,” Handler said. 

“I work better alone, you know that. Why are you giving me this?” You asked. This was more suited to grunt work. You were not a babysitter. 

Handler lifted a perfectly arched eyebrow and pursed her lips. She blinked a few times and conveyed an entire conversation in that one look. 

You tilted your head and communicated right back. This was not the best use of your time or skills.

“You are uniquely qualified for this mission. Your exceptional ability to bullshit your way through anything is needed. You could sell ice to a penguin,” she said.

“Why, Handler. Flattery gets you nowhere,” you said, with a grin. 

Her jaw flexed but the blank expression she was known for remained in place. You didn’t really think you could get beneath her skin, but it was fun trying. 

“So, what, you want me to break into this lab, destroy the formula?” You asked.

“Emphasis on a long assignment. We need to know who hired him, where the serum is going, has it been tested, etc. It’s all in the folder.” Handler waved her hand as if she were bored with the whole conversation.

That made two of you. You didn’t like one thing about this assignment. Any attempt at contact would make you suspicious, whether your coworkers vouched for you or not. You were pretty good at bullshitting your way through things but with something like this serum, security was going to be tough. And what was your partner supposed to do?

“Fine. I’ll head to logistics to pick a partner,” you said.

“That’s already been arranged,” Handler said. If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear she smirked.

“What’s going on here? Who’s my partner?” 

Handler turned cat-like amber eyes towards you and said the last name you ever expected. “James Buchanan Barnes.”

Heat flashed over your skin. Anger boiled in your gut. “Are you kidding me? Bucky? He’s the opposite of low-key! I’m not doing it. Bucky is a pain in my natural Black-”

“Ass? You can be sometimes, but it’s part of your charm.” 

You whipped around in your seat and saw the devil himself standing in the doorway. How did he manage to open the door and drop in on the conversation without you noticing? 

You glared at him before looking at Handler. Her face hadn’t changed but you just knew that she was laughing her head off under that stoic exterior.

“Assign someone else,” you said.

Bucky shuffled in and closed the door behind him. He sat down and folded his hands in his lap. 

“Aw, but we got married. It’s a little late for cold feet,” he said. 

You kept your eyes trained on Handler while he kept his eyes focused on you. You schooled your features and dropped your tone. 

“Perhaps this assignment will work better with a more qualified agent. James’ face is too recognizable,” you said.

“That’s precisely why he’s qualified. Any person we’ve sent to get close to the scientist, Julius Fisher, was quickly shut down or the agents were found out. He’ll know that anyone would pay top dollar to replicate the super soldier serum. And if he’s not willing to sell, they’ll steal his research or kill him. He will definitely be suspicious of the two of you. But, he also won’t be able to resist a super soldier. He’ll come to you, trap or not.”

“He’ll know that James isn’t married. If he suddenly turns up married, that’s going to raise suspicions,” you said.

“Don’t you remember how small our wedding was? We invited our closest friends and the reception was lovely,” Bucky said.

“Lucky for you, due to the nature of James’ status, it would make sense to keep his personal life private. Including a wedding,” Handler said.

Son of a bitch. She was enjoying this. She already thought of every excuse you would come up with. 

Your chest felt too tight. You couldn’t breathe well enough to get a full breath. 

“Fine,” you said. There was no situation you could think of to get out of this. You could bullshit your way out of most things except where the Handler was involved. You simply had to make the most of the situation. Even if it had to do with Bucky.

Damn him. He smelled good. And he looked good. When he came in, he wore a t-shirt and jeans and his signature leather jacket. But he made that look like he stepped off of a runway. His hair was short and he already had stubble growing in. 

“Excellent. In your folder you’ll find all the details for your lovely, whirlwind romance and the details of your new apartment together,” Handler said.

You knew a dismissal when you heard one. You stood up and left the office, not bothering to address Bucky at all. Regardless, he caught up to you before you reached the opposite end of the office. He held the door as you left and kept time with you as you stalked down the hallway. 

“So when do you want to move in?” Bucky asked.

“Let’s get something straight. We’re only going to do the bare minimum when it comes to this. Outside the home, we’re the perfect couple. Inside of it, you stay in your room, I’ll stay in mine. We’ll stay out of each other’s way, got it?”

As you spoke, you didn’t realize you were poking him in the chest or advancing on him until he grabbed your outstretched hand and tugged you close. Your chest rubbed against his and the smell of him clouded your senses.

He looked down at you, making his eyes half closed. His long eyelashes nearly fanned his cheeks. He licked his lips slowly as he perused your face.

“Got it,” he whispered, with a smirk. 

“And no touching,” you said. You yanked your hand back and stalked off down the hallway, hating how he made you feel. You were so not okay with this.

[sorenskyhigh]

What Pet I Think They'd Have and Why: Karasuno Edition

Daichi Sawamura

Of course he'd have a police dog

He's a cop and if he'd have any pet he'd have a buddy to help him bust criminals and fight crime

But I don't think Daichi would have a "normal" dog breed like a German Shepherd, Malinois, or Akita

I feel like Daichi would have a Rottweiler not bc they are my favorite dog breed

But Rottweilers used to be very prevalent in many police forces around the world until German Shepard and Malinois became more common

Also Rottweilers gained a harsh reputation for being aggressive bc they were trained by drug lords and criminals and were used to in fighting

Rottweilers are very muscular, sturdy, and hard working dogs

If trained right and with proper love and care these dogs are GREAT and I mean GREAT companions

They are stubborn and can be territorial with strangers, but, they are very loving towards familiars and family

They are a kind of one or two people fits them kind of dog

They also need constant stimulus as they were breed to be very hardworking dogs

Rottweilers used to pull sleds full of butchered meat bc they were so strong and the original breed was much bigger than the one we know today

They also herded large livestock through the alps and Roman region and are known to be fearless

They are also one of the oldest dog breeds

These dogs became popular Police dogs during the World Wars

Bc they were being used so much their guardian qualities were more showcased so more and more people wanted one to help keep and eye on their children

Since they are herding dogs they are good around children and can keep them in a yard if they are taught the parameters

Rottweilers despite their size generally don't bark a lot either, they are very sneaky when approaching a possible threat and will ppun e from behind

This is why I think Daichi would have one to be by his side

I feel like Daichi would do a lot of research into a good companion and finding a good breeder to find one after deciding

He'd get one as a puppy and personally see to it's training, working with a pro the whole time

His dog would also be a great family protector when he's home with his spouse and possible children, if he ends up having any

Koushi Sugawara

I feel like Koushi would be that really awesome teacher that has a really sweet and sociable pet that he brings in for the kids a lot

I feel Koushi would want soemthing small and cute so a rabbit of some sort would suit him well

Rabbits can be very loving with a small family most of the time or sometimes only one person

Rabbits are prey animals so some breeds wouldn't do well in a loud room full of young children

So what specific rabbit breed would suit his job?

So I chose the Harlequin Rabbit for Koushi

Harlequin rabbits are very social and loving towards owners and strangers alike

They also are known to be very silly, playful and very intelligent

They come in two colour types: Japanese and Magpie

The picture above is an example of Japanese while a Magpie can be colored in just about any other colour other than black nd orange like lilac, white, chocolate, blue and/or black

I feel like this specific type of rabbit would suit him so well as it would be comfortable around all those kids

Be very social and would be less likely to nip them

And it would be energetic enough to keep up with the kids

Koushi wouldn't just want a pet for his classroom though, he'd want a cuddle buddy for at home

He'd want a companion to sit on his lap while he works on lessons

He'd also want a pet that wasn't too lazy as his life would be pretty busy

The only thing is is that rabbits are high maintenance and need very specific foods, medicines, and an experienced vet to care for them

But rabbits are cuddly little crackheads that Koushi would adore

Energetic enough to keep up with his life, but snuggly and home bodied enough to not exhaust him

Asahi Azumane

Asahi is a fashion designer and thus would spend a lot of time hunched over a sketch book making designs

In other words, he has a very home based and indoor job

So he'd need a pet that isn't energetic and obnoxious like a husky or chihuahua

So I chose the Havanese

Havanese is the national dog of Cuba

This dog may be small but they are incredibly sturdy

These dogs become attached quickly and are extremely loyal to said lone owner

Something else that is good for Asahi is these dogs do not do good alone and are willing to follow their owners to the ends of the Earth

They can be described as velcro dogs bc of how attach to the hip with their owners they are

These dogs can be lively and active but they don't need much exercise as they are smaller

Most of their daily exercise can be met in a house with some light play

Also, these dogs are extremely friendly towards strangers and can be described as good host dogs

Another plus for Asahi about this breed is they aren't particularly vocal, most are rather quiet and reserved almost

The last thing you'd want is for people to look down on you for letting your pet act spoiled by barking and nipping at people's ankles

They also love to perform for others

They like attention and are good in groups

Asahi would have to meet with a lot of new people like models and companies and whatnot so a social dog would be best

Asahi also would spend a lot of time in an office or at home and since these dogs don't need much exercise he would be able to have it sleep on his lap while he works without disturbance

I also feel like Asahi would become a bit of a hermit

Like he would contact people but he wouldn't leave his house unless he absolutely had to or wanted to (which isn't often)

Havanese are home-bodied dogs and love just chillin' out on a warm lap or on a couch cushion beside their owners

Yū Nishinoya

Now I DO NOT think Noya should have a pet until he decides to settle down somewhere

Travel can really exhaust a person so it would harm an animal tenfold

So, if you travel a lot DO NOT GET A PET IT WILL ONLY HARM THEM

But if Yū were to have a pet.............................

Noya would need a pet that can travel well, is small enough to not cost a lot, is very attached to their owners, and can eat just about anything

I thought briefly of other rodents since rodents are generally small and can eat just about any food

But raccoons, possums, and other larger rodents that are more common for pets would be too hard to get on planes and boats since you need certification to own them

Rats on the other hand don't need such certifications in most countries and fill all the other requirements

The rat he would have isn't a Dumbo rat like in the picture above, he'd have like a wild rat that he befriended and decided to take with him so it'd most like be brown

Noya would 100% fight anyone who says they hate rats

He hypes up his pet rat to no end

He calls Asahi whenever he can and tells him about all the cool stuff his rat does and sends pictures of his rat being held up to a gorgeous background of famous landmarks in other countries

Nlya always has his rat around the back of his neck and wears a hoodie, scarf, or something like that to hide him so he can join Noya in places that don't allow pets

I also chose a rat bc they are incredibly loyal and I feel like if Noya were to be really tired on a plane and pass out, he would need a pet that he wouldn't have to worry about running away

Of course he has trained his rat to do amazing tricks, you already know

Also, as I previously mentioned, rats can eat just about anything, so his constant travel wouldn't hurt his companion diet

Rats are also quiet generally and aren't overly energetic so he wouldn't have to be worried about being escorted out for having a rat under his scarf

Chikara Ennoshita

Shibas are very independent dog, let's just start with that bc Chikara would need a pet that doesn't need constant attention

With him being a personal trainer he needs a pet that can self entertain

Something else about Shibas is they can often housebreak themselves bc of how fussy and finicky they are

You can also find them cleaning themselves much like a cat

Chikara would be busy for a good bit of his time so he doesn't really have time to properly spend time to housebreak a pet

But Shibas were originally bred to hunt and flush out game like birds and rabbits and other such small animals

A fact about Shibas is they almost went extinct during WWII bc of food shortages a distemper

Distemper is a disease only animals can be affected by that attacks many different systems in their bodies

Also, Shibas are the number one most common companion dog in Japan

Something else about Shibas is that they are fairly healthy, some of the more major problems they have are glaucoma, cataracts, hip dysplasia, entropion, and luxating patella

A lot of eye conditions but are easily avoided if you bring them in for very periodic eye checks and hip examinations

So these are easy to avoid as long you keep an eye on them

Over all I think that if Chikara were to have a pet it would need to be fairly self-sufficient but also something could have a very chill and laid back relationship with

Something that doesn't need to be on his lap all the time but something he can love and nurture

Kiyoko Shimizu & Ryūnoske Tanaka

Now I know I know

Ryu would be a dog person

He'd want a big manly pet not a cat blah blah blah

Kiyoko would definitely be a cat person

She wouldn't want a purebred and would probably find a box of some kittens with Ryu on the side of the sidewalk

Now look me in the eye and lie to me by saying that Ryu would now start crying immediately upon seeing like four lonely little kittens in a box that need a home

Needless to say, they take them home and nurture them endlessly

But Tanaka would be the kind of guy that harness trains his cats so they can go out on walks

Kiyoko would research how to harness train them, what food would be the best, and anything else they need to take care of these four cats

Imagine seeing these two, a big muscular dude and this goddess walking four cats on harnesses down the street

I literally cannot stop thinking about Ryu and Kiyoko cuddling on the couch with all four adult and rather large cats draping themselves across the two of them

I feel like the reason Ryu would want them harness trained is bc he wouldn't be able to spend much time with them

His job as a personal trainer would keep him busy

So on his morning jogs to stay fit he'd want to take not only Kiyoko but the cats as well

I plan on making more parts to this, I hope you enjoy it 😉

@popcorntime-doodles @multifandombrainrot @kneecapstealingalien @akabxne @jiheonity @weareallhumans123 @smallmangi @canadian-crow @just-jellyfish @immiamarais @i-need-coffee-now-pls @foreveryoung050 @kuroos-world @luminasapphire @silverfire6 @shadowsbutdead @ghostexhibit @simpfornishinoya @goshikisimp @anothershadeofpink @mestayanon @japoga @all-around-fandoms31 @thatfunnysprout @myyeetfelloff @itsallgonnabokayihope @g00s3 @boreateo @mirrorballmyfave @backalley-astrologer @vaniatslover @lil-mellow-bunbun @strawberrymakki @theforbiddenrealm-blog @beelziee @mehreenlol

[earlysunsetsoverambrose]

Kodachrome (4/5)

Lester Sinclair x f!Reader 

Warning: Cursing

You crawled back up into the house from the trapdoor in the office. It was around two in the afternoon nearing the absolute hottest, most miserable time of the day. You made your way to the kitchen to get started on making some lemonade. You made sweet tea yesterday, so it could sit overnight. You figured the boys would enjoy a cool drink with all the heat. You got out the ingredients you bought on your last trip into town.

You juiced the lemons and dumped the sugar straight in and let it dissolve. After adding some water, you put it in the refrigerator to sit for a while so it would hopefully be cold by the time the boys came home. You tossed the peels in the overflowing trashcan only for them to roll right back onto the floor. You sighed, knowing you’d put off taking out the trash for too long now. You stuffed the peels back in and hoisted the bag out and tied it off, hauling it towards the cans out by the side of the house.

You lifted the lid of the trash can as you were about to toss the bag in without a second thought, but a movement from the corner of your eyes stopped you. You looked to your right to spot something scurrying into a beat-up cardboard box with what sounded like a sneeze. You stared at the box for another moment before it rustled again. You let out an involuntary shriek, dropping the lid and the garbage bag as you practically leapt up onto some old milk crates. Perhaps it was an overreaction, but you had no idea what was creeping around while you were minding your own business. You craned your neck to look in the box, but you couldn’t see anything. You let out a sigh as your heart rate slowed once more.

“What’re ya doin’ up on them crates for, Y/N? Is the floor lava or somethin’?” a familiar drawl called out to you, drawing closer. You looked up to see Lester happily making his way toward you with a goofy grin lighting up his face.

“No!” you said as you felt heat rising to your cheeks as you knew how childish you’d sound when you explained to him that you were startled by a small animal and sought the safety of the milk crates, “It so happens as soon as you were walking up I got jump-scared by something hiding in that box over there and I may have overreacted a tad.”

“Aw, that’s nothin’ to be ashamed of. Animals can be sneaky sons-a-bitches at the worst of times. I once near died choking on chili when a rat ran across my boot a few years back.” Lester said supportively.

“I appreciate your understanding. It’s probably nothing.” You said as you moved to step off of the creates.

“Was it this box, here?” Lester asked moving toward the cardboard box without a second thought.

“Yeah, but be careful, we don’t know what’s in there.” You said quickly, gesturing for him to leave it. Lester got on all fours in front of the box and tilted his head to peer inside, “Lester!”

“Well, what’ve we got here? What’re ya doin’ all by your lonesome?” Lester cooed as he haphazardly reached his arm into the box and pulled out a small baby opossum, “Looks like this little girl got left behind?”

“Oh my god, you just scooped it up, like it was nothing!” you said equal parts horrified and amazed.

“I seen plenty of these guys runnin’ around. Ya get used to ‘em eventually.” He said as he held a firm grip on the squirming opossum, so it didn’t scurry off.

“Shouldn’t you at least have gloves or something?” you asked.

“Probably, but this one ain’t gonna hurt me. Are ya?” Lester asked fondly as he addressed the baby in his hands, “You’re too little to hurt a fly, ain’t ya?”

“So, what do we do now? Do we let it go?” you asked, completely clueless on how to rescue a baby opossum.

“Ya kiddin’? We’re eatin’ good tonight! Ever had opossum stew?” Lester said, holding the baby out to you.

“Lester Sinclair, you take it back!” you chastised, with a horrified expression and a light swat to his arm.

“I’m only foolin’, I wouldn’t do that!” Lester said through a belly laugh, “’Sides, she’s too little for that anyway.”

“Then what are we actually going to do?” you asked

“Well, she’s too small to be on her own, but it don’t look like her mama’s anywhere to be found. And I don’t hear any other babies neither.” Lester said as he scanned the area and listened close for any sound, “If she’s here by herself, her mom’s not comin’ back for her.”

“That’s really sad.” You said sympathetically, suddenly feeling a deep emotional bond with the baby that just scared the daylights out of you, “What happens now?”

“I’ll drive her to the animal rescue in town, it’s ‘bout an hour out. If I leave now, I can make it ‘fore they close.” Lester said simply.

“Can I go with you?” You asked, surprising him with your request.

“Well, sure ya can. It’s kind of a long ride there and back, ya sure ya wanna go?” Lester asked.

“Yeah, I know I’m not really any help in this situation, but I want to see this through.” You said excitedly.

“Fine by me!” He said with his classic, toothy grin, “Wanna help me find a box to put her in, so we can head out?”

“Sure!” you answered. As the two of you turned to go into the house you asked, “How’d get to know so much about opossum rescue?”

“Ya wind up meeting a lotta animals that need help, doin’ what I do. Sometimes it’s a relief to find somethin’ that’s still kickin’.” Lester said, “I know it’s rotten bein’ left behind, all alone. Most of the ones I find don’t got no one to look after ‘em, so I try to do what I can.” You felt your heart twist at Lester’s words. He had such a lonely childhood; it was no wonder he felt so much empathy for creatures that just needed someone on their side.  

“You’d make a great vet.” You said

“Ya think?” Lester asked, flattered.

“I know.” You answered, “You’ve got a way with animals.”

The two of you went back into the house with the baby opossum still in Lester’s hold. Bo would kill you both if he ever found out you brought her into the house, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. You found an old shoebox and punched some holes in the top and grabbed some rubber bands from the office before meeting Lester in the kitchen. He was using his free hand to soak up a dishtowel to microwave to make a makeshift heating pad.

“I’ve got the box!” You said, placing it on the counter with the lid and rubber bands.

“Great! I’m almost done over here too.” Lester responded, setting the time of the microwave. “Hear that, won’t be long, now.” He said to the baby opossum, lightly scratching her head. It was ridiculously adorable how nurturing and careful Lester was being. The baby opossum was remarkably calm in his grasp, comfortable even. You picked up your camera from where you left it on the kitchen table and took a quick snapshot of the two of them, their attention trained on one another. Lester looked up at the sound of the click and perked up, “Nifty camera! Where’d ya get that?”

“It was just sitting in the warehouse. I’ve been taking pictures to pass the time, but also because I found an old photo album that was pretty much empty and I wanted to try and fill it.” You said as you placed your third picture in your back pocket.

“Well, I think that’s real nice of ya.” Lester said in awe of your new project. You knew you wouldn’t have to debate with Lester about the importance of photos, unlike his brothers. He was always very supportive and interested when it came to whatever it was you were doing. “I wish I had some pictures.”

“I bet.” You said as your smile faltered for a millisecond, remembering Lester wasn’t in any of the photos you found. You moved toward the microwave and put the now warm towel in a plastic bag and into one side of the shoe box. You put another towel over that and Lester placed the baby opossum in her temporary bed.

“I used to wish I had a picture or two of my parents after they died. Or at least one of me and my brothers to take with me to that other family. But I know my folks were busy, with Bo and Vinny and all.” Lester admitted with a small sigh. He tried to make light of the bleak memory, “I’m frankly surprised I recognized ‘em when they showed up lookin’ for me.”

“Well, I plan on taking a lot of photos. So many in fact, you’ll never forget anything ever again. You can keep the one I just took after it develops if you want.” You offered, hoping it gave him some form of optimism.

“I’d like that! Thanks, Y/N!” Lester said with a smile that lit up his warm, brown eyes. He secured the rubber bands on the shoebox, “Now, let’s get goin’! No time to waste!”

You both went out to Lester’s truck and took off down the road with the boxed baby opossum sitting between you. You were at the animal rescue center in no time. Passing the time with Lester was always so easy since talking to him was a breeze. There was no shortage of conversation topics with him. You even managed to take a few more pictures of each other along the way. On your way back towards Ambrose, you flipped through the pictures you and Lester had taken. You both looked so happy and carefree with the windows rolled down, the wind rustling your hair. You smiled to yourself, embracing the photos close to you. Lester was certainly right. There was no time to waste.

[himbowelsh]

So I’m making this anonymous only because I don’t want to feel I’m looking for too much attention, but my dog died today completely unexpectedly and I feel like shit 😰 could I pretty please request something with Easy and dogs. If this is not your forte I totally understand ☺️

Oh god, darling, I’m so sorry. Losing a pet is a pain unlike any other, almost like losing a part of yourself...  as much as you’re hurting right now, just remember your dog always knew they were loved, and loved you back just as much. You gave your pup a great life, and wherever they are now, they still love you.

If you’re looking for Easy and dogs, I have a few fics you might like:

baberoe has a dog incident

luztoye has another dog incident

bullmartin and yet another dog incident

winnix has a colorful dog incident (soulmate au!)

not a fic, but a very accurate edit of easy co as dogs

And here’s something soft and puppyish...  hopefully it makes you feel better!

Sometimes people seek out a new pet; sometimes, they have pet-parenthood thrust upon them.

In Joe Liebgott’s case, it happens literally. Someone leaves a wine box on the floor of his cab; he notices a few minutes after he drops the guy off, and he’s just doubling back to try and find him when the box starts squeaking.

Joe almost crashes the car.

As if turns out, the box’s precious cargo isn’t liquor, but...  puppies. An absurd amount of puppies. Mind you, Joe’s never owned a dog in his life, so more than two puppies seems like an absurd amount to him, and there’s gotta be, like...  six in here. Six squirming balls of fur, can’t be more than a few weeks old. Their eyes are hardly open yet. They’re climbing over each other to escape the box as soon as Joe opens it...  but everything they can’t say, the sharpie scribbled on the inside of the cardboard speaks for itself.

FREE PUPPIES, DO NOT RETURN

Which...  shit. Shit. Joe races through all the possibilities in his mind. The guy didn’t give his name, and paid in cash. He dropped him off at the airport. He could be damn anywhere right now!

And god help him if Joe has the first clue what to do with literal infant dogs.

Logic tells him, “go to the animal hospital now,” but he’s never been there in his life  ---  and aren’t those places overcrowded anyway? They’re in the middle of Santa Monica, there’ve got to be multiple animal shelters around, but god help him if he knows where any are...

Joe goes home. He panics, okay?

He has to sneak past the doorman, through the lobby, and into the elevator with a very conspicuous wine box that keeps making noises. The old lady from the fourth floor glares at him the whole ride up, and Joe can only nod his head at her while a tiny head pokes out a hole in the cardboard.

Web isn’t home, for once, because he has a lunch date with his editor; Joe almost wishes he was, because having someone else to bounce off of in this situation would be a great thing. Left to his own devices, however, he does the only thing he can think of; pulls the spare comforter out of the closet, lays it down in the empty bathtub, and dumps the pups in. After some consideration, he adds one of Web’s shark plushies, because the pups are tiny and probably missing their mother.

Their mother...  shit, they need their mom, don’t they? Pups that small can’t be without their mom, he knows he saw that on Animal Planet somewhere...

And, because Joe’s got the panic instincts of a twelve year old boy, he calls the one person who definitely knows what to do with a baby: his mom.

Mama Liebgott makes it to the apartment in twenty minutes. Ten minutes later, she’s setting up a heating pad in the puppies’ nest, while Joe scours the internet for how to care for newborn puppies. Mama calls in the troops  ---  Joe’s sisters are on their way. 

They send Joe out of the apartment with a list; when he comes back, his arms are weighed down with shopping bags, filled with formula, eyedroppers, puppy toys, and anything else little dogs could possibly need. Joe Liebgott is never one to half-ass shenanigans; he goes all-out.

Webster comes home to...  chaos.

Their bathroom has been turned into an improvised NICU, their apartment’s been sanitized and baby-proofed to high-hell, Joe’s mother and sisters are lounging around the living room with tiny bundles of something in their arms...

And in the middle of the chaos, Joe’s standing there, a blanket-wrapped bundle in his arms, bouncing it and cooing softly.

“Yeah, you’re a tough one, arencha, little buddy? Yeah...  I see it in ya. You’re a fighter. We’re gonna take good care of you, I promise...”

He has no clue what the hell is going on, but Webster melts. To the floor. Literally, his legs get a little weak.

“Uh  ---  Lieb? You wanna explain what on earth’s h---  is that a dog?”

Joe just grins. He’s never been an animal person in his life, but now he looks like he’s in heaven. “Dogs,” he declares. “We’ve got dogs, Web.”’

Webster has entered the Twilight Zone.

When they take them to the vet (Webster’s idea, because he actually has common sense), the puppies are given a clean bill of health, but as they’re definitely too young to be separated from their mother, there’s a laundry list of things that must be done to take care of them. The vet offers to take the puppies off their hands, and Webster has a brief moment of overwhelming relief, before Joe answers, “Thank you, but we got this.”

Webster drops his coffee all over the exam room floor. “We?” He demands, too shocked to form a cohesive sentence. “We?”

Joe’s eyes flash. “Fine, Web. You don’t gotta be involved, I’ll take care of ‘em myself. Found ‘em in my car, after all.”

“I live with you, asshole!”

And that’s how Webster and Liebgott become Dog Moms.

Of course Web’s going to help. He’s not a monster. He’s actually a pretty decent person, when push comes to shove...  and, once the Liebgott Crisis Team have all returned to their respective homes, he can’t bear to leave Joe to look after the babies by himself.

The worst part is, he’s not even a dog person. Suddenly, he and Joe are being kept up at all hours by a league of puppies. They’re so young that they can’t eat solid food yet, so it’s a round-the-clock task to keep them fed and looked after. 

Of course, Joe takes to the task like a diligent soldier, following every direction the vet gave them to a ‘t’. He takes a week off work, devoting himself 24/7 to the puppies’ care. It’s a lot on him. By the end of the fourth day, he’s been run ragged, dark shadows under his eyes and exhaustion knitting his brow. Web makes him some tea, settles him down on the couch, and massages his shoulders until Joe falls asleep. Then he takes on the task of feeding all six puppies by himself.

He gets peed on. Thrice.

It’s still worth it. After a few weeks, the puppies don’t need to be fed so frequently...  and they’re growing enough that there’s no more containing them in the bathtub. Joe and Web set up a puppy playpen that ends up taking up most of their living room, and set the kids loose. 

By now, the pups are old enough to wreak havoc, and starting to develop their own personalities. Shelley and Rocko have a talent for getting into everything, Byron is a biter, Goblin has no coordination and keeps tripping over his oversized feet, Fiona cries when either of them leave her alone, and Greg...  Greg is an escape artist. (Bonus points for guessing who named who. They got three pups each.)

Their house becomes a hub of curious friends and relatives. Tab and Shifty are over nearly every day to play with the pups; Joe’s youngest sister Amy keeps coming over too, and Tab won’t stop hitting on her; they wake up one morning to find Luz passed out in the Puppy Pit, tiny dogs clambering all over him, and no one knows how the hell he got in their house. Suddenly Joe and Web are the most popular guys in town.

It’s...  weird. Webster’s never been popular before. He’s not sure he likes it.

Weeks turn into months, and at some point, the pups are big enough to clamber around the apartment unaided. The vet estimates they’re twelve weeks old now, and keeping them inside is becoming a big challenge. Their building doesn’t allow dogs, for one, and they have to keep sneaking them past the concierge; potty training is becoming a living nightmare; and frankly, the dogs are getting too big to be cooped up inside all the time. Six newborn puppies is one thing, but six growing dogs...  different story.

They need to get rid of the dogs.

Thankfully, they’ve got no shortage of volunteers. Joe’s mom takes Goblin “for protection”, even if Goblin’s the clumsiest little monster that’s ever walked the face of the earth. Luz and Rocko have bonded, so he takes him home. Tab would probably adopt them all if he could, but since he can’t (Trigger is a handful already) Shifty lovingly takes on Shelley. oddly enough, Speirs has formed a special attachment to Fiona, cradling her like a baby and doting on her ever chance he gets, so he gets her. Rocko is a little evil, but he’s cute, and Nixon is a sucker for a cute face, so he gets the chaos demon.

That leaves them with Byron. Freaking Byron.

“Figures we’d get left with the one dog with the worst goddamn name  ---”

Joe has a soft spot for Byron. They both like to bite things, growl when they’re angry, and pass out in strange places, so it’s a great fit.

Letting a dog into their lives wasn’t something either of them planned on; but sometimes fate intervenes, and you never know when it will be for the better.

Cuddled up on the couch, with Joe dozing against his shoulder and Byron a heavy weight between them both, Web finds that he doesn’t regret a thing.

[wonderlustlucas]

soonie, doongie, dori, & john - lee minho

⇢ prompt “Why did you steal a fish? You don’t even take care of yourself let alone a fish.”—a prompt from @the-moon-dust-writings​ ⇢ pairing minho x female reader ⇢ word count 4.4k ⇢ genre fluff ⇢ warnings lots of cat interaction. if u don’t have a cat you may be confused. mega fluff. that’s it. ⇢ summary Sharing an apartment with Lee Minho has been an adventure since day one. Plus, you got a best friend and three fur children out of the deal. But when a heavy realization hits you the same morning Minho has an accident at the pet store, it seems as if it’s only a matter of time before John shoots Cupid’s arrow and paves the way for a happy ending.—friends to lovers!au ⇢ a/n bear with me on this one, it’s kind of slow in the beginning. this is the first i’ve written in ages. i feel like i’ve forgotten how to english. also i did as much research as i could find to try & figure out the genders of minnie’s cats hopefully theyre right jsfajkhkjf. also i watched a lot of vids of minho for this & it rlly made me realize how much i love him & how soft i am for him & it seems as if my bias list is unstable now

From her curled-up position in between your legs, Dori’s ears twitch up in attention at the sound of the front door swinging open and closed from across the apartment. She has grown a lot since Minho first brought her home, you notice when she finally lifts her tiny head to listen to the footsteps past your bedroom door, jade eyes blinking tiredly at you in post-nap dreariness. Excited, she pushes herself up to arch her back in a long stretch before she abandons the warmth of your bed to greet Minho. Pouting, you watch as Soonie ditches you as well, hopping off from his perch looking out the window to follow the younger kitten.

“Oh well,” you mutter to none other than Doongie who stays by your side, white mittened paws tucked snugly under her chest that rumbles with a purr when you reach over to scratch the soft fur behind her ear, “I still have you.” You can practically feel Minho’s jealousy radiating from behind the door when only two out of his three children go to see him— not that this is new.

It has been this way since you moved in together nearly two years ago. Due to increasing international interest for your university at the end of each year, not every incoming freshman was guaranteed a dorm room. It just so happened Minho and you were two unlucky victims of such a shortage. By chance, you had met at an open house only seven months prior and so, not even knowing whether he was frantically searching for an apartment like yourself, you reached out to him with an offer your parents helped scrap up.

Minho was uncertain at first. First, he was not prepared to start university living with a girl. It wasn’t that he did not like girls; he simply grew up expecting to meet his forever “bro” in his dorm room. In addition to this, he was an only child and imagined living with a female only child could end up causing him some great distress.

Secondly, while the pros outweighed the cons for the most part, he was more than disappointed that the apartment was in a more… domestic part of town. Yes, the rent was cheaper than the apartments closer to campus. Yes, he would be able to have a car now and yes, the apartment really was more than sustainable for two kids, but it was all these things and more because it was not an area where sleaze balls sunk their talons into desperate students looking for a place to live. And so, this basically meant that the two of you were close to the only students in the area.

And last but not least: there was only one bathroom. Enough said.

But what eventually won him over was the fact that the apartment was pet friendly, which meant he could bring Soonie and Doongie (and Dori, eventually) with him. It was for this reason he finally agreed to share the apartment with you before he lost the opportunity and you asked someone else.

It couldn’t be that bad, right? Afterall, you seemed nice enough at the open house and you did go out of your way to ask him in the first place to live with you. And he was right. In fact, it was not bad at all. You were more than nice, generally not concerned with specifics other than the agreement that Wednesday was grocery shopping day together, Friday was cleaning day, and that you washed your own dishes. Minho did not mind those three simple promises because he found getting to be your friend easy and your roommate his favorite part of his day.

What he did mind, however, was the fact that Doongie instantly took a liking to you. “This isn’t fair,” he complained only your third day together after searching for said feline and finding her cozied up with you on the sofa, “how can she betray me like this?”

His possessiveness humored you, to say the least. “What can I say? She just likes me better. You’ve bored her, Minnie.” He grimaced at the nickname and your bold statement. You were just bluffing—there’s no way Doongie would choose you over him after all these years, right?

Wrong. After freshman year flew by and the two of you agreed to stick together for a second year due to how dependent you had become on one another, he suddenly brought home Dori to ‘fill the void Doongie left in my heart,’ he exaggerated. “Wow, is Soonie not enough for you? You make him sound so unimportant. Maybe I’ll steal him too,” you had replied, grinning from your spot in bed when he narrowed his eyes at you.

“I thought you’d be mad I brought a kitten home,” Minho admitted from the doorway, ignoring what you said and holding said tabby against his chest with one arm. He’s so cute, you admired for hardly a second, reaching for your iced tea on your bed side table and shrugging to him, “You know I don’t care, you’re the one who pays the vet bills. Bring all the cats you want; the more, the merrier,” you said, taking a sip and blinking at him lethargically.

For a moment he was quiet, processing your words before, “If we get married it would be our vet bills.”

You nearly choked on a mouthful of tea. Married? You took a moment to collect yourself and your thoughts. “Minho, if your plan is to marry me, you’ve done a terrible job at getting that message across.”

“Damn, what can I do?” He asked, sulking.

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, grinning at him behind warm cheeks, “you can start by getting your ass over here so I can see this new kitty and discuss our wedding theme.”

And that’s just how things were; you, Minho, Soonie, Doongie, and Dori.

Or so you thought.

Past the hum of your ceiling fan and the purring coming from Doongie like an engine, for a minute or so you listen to Minho sing, “I want to see my little boy,” from Vine to presumably Soonie at least four times, followed by a loud thud, a high-pitched screech (not from a cat), a door slamming closed, and then the pipes moaning like a horror movie as the shower is turned on. Unfazed by the chain of events as this kind of chaos was something you have come to accept living with Minho, you shrug off all the noises you heard and opt instead to regretfully roll over until you meet the edge of the mattress.

Once you manage to tumble out of bed and stretch good enough to make your legs shake, Doongie lets out unamused meow now that her own personal space heater and pillow has moved.

It’s you. You’re the personal space heater pillow.

“Whaaaat,” you reply, grabbing a pair of cotton shorts from a drawer and glancing back at her. With ears drawn flat, Doongie follows your movements with a cold glare. “I’m sorry,” you coo, falling for her manipulation and bending back over the mattress to envelope her in a hug of sorts and cover her muzzle in kisses. When she starts struggling to get away from your grip, beginning to meow loudly and pushing your arm away with her paws, you pull away and scratch the base of her tail as she stands to stretch.

Shimmying the shorts up your legs with an unnecessary amount of effort exerted, you at last exit your room for the day, grabbing your phone from where it sat charging on the bed side table on the way. Padding barefoot down the brief hallway, you realize with a shiver when you reach the tiny dining room table how unreasonably freezing it is in the apartment. Minho must have not raised the thermostat this morning after lowering it to sleep.

Instead of fixing the problem, you reach for Minho’s orange university sweatshirt draped over one of the chairs and pull it over your head. At your feet, Doongie weaves between your legs, dragging the side of her face against your shins and she does not stop mewing until you bend down to gather her into your arms so that her front paws dangle over your shoulder. “So needy, you are,” you grumble, blowing her tail away when she threatens to swat your mouth and making way for the kitchen where coffee calls your name.

Minho must have made enough for the both of you as there is still another cup or two left in the pot, you realize with a smile, reaching up into the cabinet for a mug and pouring yourself a cup. Doongie leaps off your shoulder when you open the refrigerator for creamer, joining Soonie and Dori who sit poised like statues along the kitchen’s pony wall.

Stirring in cream and sugar, you wait until the color softens to a lighter shade of brown before unwrapping the flakey chocolate croissant Minho bought you yesterday and taking a seat at the table. Humming to yourself, you shift to cross your legs on the chair while taking slow sips of your coffee, heart beginning to thump faster in your chest.

And it’s not from the caffeine now making its way through your system.

This is too good. Life is too good, and you should not feel at such peace at twenty years old. You should not be having such a casual morning, drinking coffee Minho made for you, eating a croissant Minho bought you, wearing a sweatshirt Minho left hanging around, having a staring contest with the cats Minho brought into your life, listening to Minho sing in the shower one room over. Minho.

You slowly set your mug down with a newfound epiphany flashing like a billboard in your brain. Of course, you always knew Minho was the most special person in your life recently, your best friend really, and that you loved him. You probably would not have lived with him for this long if you didn’t. But since when were you in love with him?

You shake your head and take a hefty mouthful, hoping to wash away such troublesome thoughts. You’ll get over it. It’s just a crush. On the boy you live with. And spend all your time with.

“Oh boy, what are we gonna do now?” You ask the three felines who have abandoned studying you to stare down like hawks at the table, ears raised in curiosity. You follow their gaze, squinting in hope to better your vision when you see the fluttering tail of a fish as it swims within its tiny plastic cup. Blinking once, twice, and on the third you finally reach over and grab the container, bringing it closer to inspect and yep, that most certainly is a betta fish staring back at you.

Setting it atop the refrigerator where the cats can’t get to it, you stuff the rest of breakfast into your mouth and dump what’s left of your coffee into the sink before marching to the bathroom, swinging the door open without so much as a knock. He yelps from behind the shower curtain and you mentally thank God you did not barge in to find him butt naked in front of the mirror.

“Lee Minho, care to explain why there was a fish on the kitchen table?” You bark, crossing your arms and leaning against the sink for when he pops his head outside of the curtain.

“First of all, you could have knocked,” he starts, looking to the floor when you glare at him, “and I, um, I stole it.” You sigh in defeat, dragging your hands down your face when he disappears back into the shower. “Minho, why did you steal a fish? You don’t even take care of yourself let alone a fish.”

“That just isn’t true. I am fully capable of taking care of myself and my children. And I didn’t mean to steal it,” he retorts, turning off the water and you watch as he slips an arm out to slap around in search of his towel. “How the fuck do you accidentally steal something, Minho? And did you not think I would see it eventually?” You huff, exasperated.

“You see, I went to go pick up cat food and I dropped my phone where all the betta fish in cups are and when I went to pick it up the bag hit a cup and it fell and then the lid popped off and then there was water everywhere and the fish was just flopping around so I panicked and put it back in and then ran to get water from a fish tank and I thought I would get in trouble so I just ran out since no one saw me,” Minho rambles without taking a breather, whisking open the shower curtain and stepping out as he does so, towel snug around his waist and cheeks glowing pink from both embarrassment and the aftermath of a hot shower. You sigh for a third time, moving out of his way when he makes way for the cabinet and opting to sit on the toilet.

“Did you even get the cat food, then?”

“No, I just ran. With the fish.”

Pinching the bridge of your nose, you grumble, “You’re an idiot.”

“But I’m your idiot,” he grins, dragging a cotton round over his face with toner. You send him a warning glare. “Well,” you click your tongue, hypnotized as he combs out his hair and by how unfairly ethereal he looks post-shower, “we should probably go to a different pet store to get cat food. And we need to get a nice fish tank and food.”

He raises a brow, surprised with how nonchalant you are, and moves to stand in front of where you sit so he can tilt your face up with his index finger tucked under your chin. “Are you mad?” He asks.

It’s not fair, really, the way he asks such a question after making you feel so vulnerable under his touch and proximity, heart racing a mile a minute. Really, you should be mad. But when it comes to Minho, you cannot find it in yourself to be. This is just how things are with him.

“No, I’m not mad,” you smile reassuringly, leaning into his touch and you both seem to forget for a moment that you are nothing more than friends when his hand moves to cup your cheek, thumb ever so slightly brushing over your warm skin as he beams down at you, “just amazed as usual at how stupid you are.”

“Hey!” He steps back at this, running his fingers through his damp hair and shaking out the strands. “I’m not stupid.”

“Yeah, and Doongie likes you more than me.”

“It sucks we have a fish now. I was thinking about getting a guinea pig or something soon. Maybe even a rabbit,” you announce, leaning over with Minho to peer into the guinea pig enclosure. His giggle reverberates throughout the entire store and you cannot help but grin in return, even though he has scared all the little critters back into their huts. With nothing left to coo over, you grab his hand and tug him toward the fish care.

“Where are we going to keep… him? What’s his name? Do we even know if it’s a him?” Your question turns into three, stopping in an aisle full of different tanks and small décor pieces to go inside.

“I’m pretty sure it’s a dude. I think they only sell males in that section anyway. I’ll check if he has a dick when we get home though,” when you look over, he’s smirking as if he just said the funniest thing ever and you have to hold back your laughter. “Yeah, you do that, Minho. I’m sure you’ll be real successful.”

“We can probably just put him on the desk. I’ll move all my shit and he can just go next to my laptop,” he continues, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his chin on your shoulder as you look over the different tank options. It makes it hard to concentrate with him so close. “I mean— yeah. Yeah. That works,” you stutter, swallowing past the sudden lump in your throat and quickly scanning over the tanks one more time, “we should get this one. Is that okay?” You move closer to said tank, hoping he would let go when you reach out to grab the box but when he doesn’t, your heart seems to beat so erratically in your chest that you think it might fly out. Why, all of a sudden, are there butterflies—no, lions—in your chest when he is around you when there weren’t before? When did this happen?

“Minho. We can cuddle at home. I just want to get what we need and leave,” you whine, trying to pry his fingers apart from where they are linked above your hips, leaving your skin tingling even under his sweatshirt. He huffs, detaching himself from your frame. “Fine. But we’re gonna get home and you’re gonna say ‘Wait, we have to take care of the fish’ first and by the time we’re done, you’ll fall asleep before we even have a movie on,” Minho grumbles, taking the box you shove into his hands and trailing after you.

You gasp, pointing an accusing fake plant in his direction, “No, you fat head. You’re always the first to fall asleep. You just like to blame it on me.” He continues to grumble under his breath while you grab a bag of pebbles, fish food, and water conditioner, finally able to breathe now that he isn’t clinging to you.

“Come on, stinky. I don’t want you to start crying on me,” you grin, wishing you could hold his hand but alas, you did not think of grabbing a basket on your way in. His face brightens up with a smile anyway, and he follows you the rest of the way right at your side.

“So, you never gave him a name. What’s it gonna be?” You ask, nearly unhinging your jaw to take a bite of the Big Mac Minho begged you to order after making fun of you the whole ride home for never having one. You stopped at McDonald’s just to appease him. You look to the fish, surprised yourself over how pleasant his quiet presence is, especially with his emerald and sapphire scales that reflect and glow iridescent in the light.

“Mm,” he hums, chewing on his own hamburger and watching the fish in thought, “I think… I think John.”

You blink at him now, setting your food down. “John?”

“John.”

“Why… why John? Why not Nemo or something?” You ask, eyeing him curiously and gnawing on the straw to your soda.

“Dunno. He just looks like a John,” Minho explains, giggling cutely and looking back up to you with stars in his eyes. It feels like liquid adrenaline is being injected right into your bloodstream when you lock eyes, and looking into Minho’s cat-like eyes feels like looking into the sun for too long—it almost burns, instead, there is an entire zoo in your chest. But it feels good. You almost wish he did not stop giggling so you could giggle with him. Instead, you have found yourself lost in him, every ounce of breath stolen from your lungs.

“Are… are you going to actually take a sip of that?” He giggles again, glancing to the soda straw dug awkwardly into your bottom lip.

Your cheeks flush hot pink, stomach sinking heavily and you cannot find your voice. Clearing your throat, you look away as you begin to hyperventilate and stand up abruptly to grab John’s fish tank from the table and walk across the room toward the desk.

“___? You alright?” He asks, worry lacing his tone and you wince when you hear him push his chair in. “Y-Yeah. I’m fine,” you laugh breathlessly, placing John down and adjusting the tank so it sits catty-cornered next to Minho’s laptop.

“No, you’re not.” He is quick, you’ll give him that. In the blink of an eye he is at your side, grabbing you by the hips and spinning you to face him. Here we go again, you hiss at yourself to snap out of it, clenching your fists at your sides simply due to how overwhelmed you feel. How incapable you are to forget how you have been feeling and brush it under the rug.

“Why’d you get all googly eyes on me over there?” Minho questions, grinning like a madman when he brings his hands up to cup your face and squish your cheeks together. “And why are your cheeks all hot?” You gasp, defensive, and press your hands over his, “M’not.”

He drops his voice to a whisper, leaning in closer so his breath fans over your face, “Is that how I make you feel, ___?”

You blink at him, all the color draining from your face and you must look ridiculous right now, jutting your lips out in a pout as he continues pressing your cheeks together. And what can you say now that he has caught you? Lie? “No,” is all you quip, staring at him, practically begging for mercy. No more questions. Just a ‘goodnight’ and off to your room for the night.

“Hmm,” he hums, pondering for a moment, before grinning once more, “I have an idea.” Oh no, you do not like the sound of that. Minho? Having ideas? Bad. This thought progressively resonates louder in your mind the closer he gets, this is bad, this is bad, this is really bad. It just so happens that a whimper on behalf of your sanity escapes you the same moment his grip on your face eases and he moves his hands to rest below your ears, thumbs caressing your cheeks before his lips brush yours.

His lips are warm and taste… salty? The fries, you realize, before his tongue pressing to the seam of your lips obliterates every thought. The worries leading up to this moment evaporate like a summer shower on a hot car and, of course, you part your lips and grant him access. Drunk on endorphins, your brain seems to light itself on fire and warmth spreads throughout your entire body, your only desire to touch him, to stand up higher and to hold his cheek the way he holds yours.

His fingers run down your spine, pulling you closer until there is no space left between you and you can feel the beating of his heart against your chest. A kiss like this is a beginning, a promise of so much more. “___,” he whispers slowly when he pulls away, prolonging each letter as if to savor them. You smile, heart fluttering at his voice as you lean forward and bury your face into his chest, overwhelmed with relief and desire and worry and giddiness.

“___,” Minho repeats, running his hands up and down over your arms, calming you down before reaching your shoulders and pulling you back, “how did that make you feel?”

“You— what?” Is all you manage, searching his face for a trace of mirth, and yet you find none. In fact, he himself seems relieved, the corners of his mouth quirked up and his eyes bright and dark all at once like the midnight sky. He grins, laughing a little and stroking the baby hairs around your face with his finger. “I like when you wear my stuff,” he says, tugging at the collar of his sweatshirt you still wear.

“Um, I— thanks?” You laugh nervously, heartbeat beginning to skyrocket once more when he reaches for your arms and maneuvers them to hug around his waist. You hum, confused, but content nonetheless and link your hands together. He instantly presses closer, tipping your chin up, “I know you always say I flirt with everyone, but I don’t know how you haven’t realized by now I only want to flirt with you. It’s been you since Doongie chose you. I can’t even get you out of my head, imagine how hard it is living with you, not able to kiss you and do all the cute shit I know we would love.”

He what now? You blink up at him, more than bewildered, “Wait, are you trying t—”

“Yes,” he interjects, not even giving you a chance to finish, “whatever you’re thinking, yes. I’m confessing, or whatever. So let’s cut to the point. Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

Your brain stutters for a moment and every part of you goes on pause while your thoughts catch up. Girlfriend? Well, of fucking course you want to be his girlfriend, but how have you been misreading all of him for so long? “God, I’m an idiot, aren’t I?” You mutter instead, slapping the palm of your hand to your forehead and his giggles ring throughout the room.

“How many languages do I have to get through for that to translate into a ‘yes?’” Minho cackles, prying your hand away to return it around his waist. When you look up at him, you feel as if you may cry, so instead you opt to laugh with him in order to dodge the waterworks. “Yes, of course that means yes. It’s always been a yes, stupid.”

“Hey, you’re the stupid one. Seriously, have you seen us today? We’re so coupley already, literally nothing is changing,” Minho chuckles, walking you backward until you comfortably fall back on the sofa together, “except now,” he pauses, settling himself above you and bringing his face up to yours once more, “I can kiss you wheneeever I want.”

And he does just that; peppering your face, your lips and cheeks and nose with kisses until he has made you a giggling mess, writhing beneath him until he finally stops, sharing a mingled breath with you. “Is it too early to say the ‘L’ word?” Minho whispers, tracing your upper lip with his thumb. You smile, kissing the pad of his finger before, “No. I already know I love you, Minnie. I’m more than in love with you.”

His smile is one of happiness growing, much as a spring flower opens. “Heh. I like this. I love you too,” he answers, finally returning to kiss you in a way that is slow and soft and comforting in ways words cannot describe. And then he pulls back with a gasp.

“I forgot the cat food.”

[ohhgingersnaps]

Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19

Hi y’all! I’m seeing some posts floating around about hydroxychloroquine and I just want to present some data, because there is a bunch of misinformation out there and I think it’s good and important to be well-informed!

Obviously, part of the issue here is that COVID-19 is such a new disease and researchers just don’t have answers to a lot of questions. That’s how science works! Unfortunately, right now that means that we’re trying to make decisions while we’re also in the process of gathering data and figuring out how this disease works, so the recommendations keep shifting as new information comes in. Sawbones actually recently did this great episode on how to interpret a lot of the information/misinformation out there. They give a ton of useful info about what the different types of medical studies are (prospective vs. retrospective vs. case study), how to tell how reliable a journal article is, and so on. They also did a really great episode on hydroxychloroquine specifically (although that episode was aired in April, so we probably have newer information than what they discussed).

TL;DR There are a lot of articles out there (I’ve collected a bunch of them here). Almost all of the reliable ones I’ve found conclude that hydroxychloroquine isn’t effective in helping reduce COVID symptoms, but all of the data is still very preliminary due to the evolving nature of the situation.

Long post with a ton of references under the cut!!

A few important definitions and notes for looking at the following studies (info about the different types of studies pulled from here)...

A prospective study is the most reliable type, and it’s the type of study you probably think of when you think about a clinical trial. You take a sample population and assess their risk factors before they’re ill, and then you administer medicine/placebos, study, and collect information about the population as time progresses.

A retrospective study is based on data collected after the fact. This is still really useful, but it can sometimes become problematic if it depends on the memory of the people involved.

A case study is based on one specific person’s experience. It’s definitely better than a Twitter or Facebook post about someone’s personal experience with the virus because the story itself has been properly researched, analyzed, and vetted for inaccuracies, but one instance is never enough to provide solid data. [edit: solid enough data for policy-making, I mean.]

Things published on preprint servers (like MedRxiv) have not been peer-reviewed. This doesn’t mean that everything in those papers is a lie, but the test methods, gathered information, conclusions, and analysis of data haven’t been reviewed by other researchers to determine whether it makes sense, so always take papers published on these types of platforms with a grain of salt!

Some journals are more reliable than others, but it’s often hard to tell which ones are which if you’re not a researcher in the journal’s particular field. One useful metric is often impact factor (calculated based on how often the journal is cited vs how many articles are published), although sometimes that’s unreliable because the impact factor is usually also smaller for journals that deal with more specific fields of study. If the article itself is cited a lot, that’s also usually a good sign of reliability.

Here is just some of the Official Info (TM) I’ve been able to find...

FDA cautions against use... -- This is a press release from the FDA telling people not to use hydroxychloroquine for COVID treatments outside of a clinical trial, due to the potential for negative side effects. An FDA review of the potentially life-threatening side effects can be found here.

NIH halts clinical trials -- This isn’t an actual paper, it’s a press release, but it’s from the NIH website so I’m including it. They concluded mid-trial that hydroxychloroquine wasn’t a useful treatment and stopped the study Some more info on the study can be found on the page, although a detailed paper hasn’t been released.

The RECOVERY Initiative -- Similar to the NIH trials, these tests were stopped due to perceived lack of drug efficacy. Some additional info on the study is here. The study is associated with the University of Oxford, and their results for some other treatments are published in the New England Journal Of Medicine (NEJM) here.

And a few papers that found little to no impact on recovery...

Hydroxychloroquine with or without Azithromycin in Mild-to-Moderate Covid-19 -- The NEJM is considered highly reliable and is often cited as one of the most reliable medical journals, with an impact factor of 70.670. This is a randomized clinical trial with 667 patients. The study concludes that hydroxychloroquine does not make a significant difference in the status of patients 15 days after the drug is administered.

Hydroxychloroquine in Nonhospitalized Adults With Early COVID-19 -- I’d consider this journal reliable; its impact factor is 21.317, but it’s the most commonly cited journal in its subfield. This is a randomized double-blind trial on 491 patients with placebos. They found that there wasn’t a significant effect on non-hospitalized people with COVID symptoms and likely exposure. (Unfortunately only half had a positive test confirmation from a lab, due to the testing shortage in the US.)

Another randomized controlled study indicating no benefits in 293 non-hospitalized patients.

A paper in favor of its use...

Treatment with hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and combination in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 -- Not a doctor, so I’m not sure about the reliability of this journal. Like, it’s published by Elsevier, but its impact factor is 3.202, which feels really low to me, so...? I’m mostly including it because I want to be balanced, and this is the article I see quoted most often in support of this drug’s use. This actually does show some improvement in the death rates of patients treated after hospitalization, with a 13% (with) vs. 26.4% (without) death rate. This is a retrospective study on 2,541 patients, but a lot of their other conclusions also run contrary to established data (ex. they report Caucasian patients as having a higher death rate). This press release has a good summary of the info in the paper.

And an interesting bonus! (Incidentally, I think Sawbones also discusses this case in their misinformation episode.)

The infamous retracted article in the Lancet -- The Lancet is probably one of the most widely-regarded medical journals, and a similar article by many of the same authors was retracted from NEJM around the same time. This study used a massive database of information on patients (Surgisphere). Interestingly, this study actually showed a negative impact on survivability, but questions about the reliability of the data arose and as a result, the paper was retracted by a majority of the authors. I include this to show the efficacy of the scientific process. We’re human beings and so the process definitely isn’t objective or perfect (the article was published in the first place, after all) but ideally, we should be calling each other out for incorrect or faulty data.

So most scientists aren’t saying that we know this drug doesn’t work! But touting it as a cure, when most of the reliable data so far is either inconclusive or negative, is actually harmful, for three reasons.

Hydroxychloroquine can cause serious, long-lasting side effects, especially if you’re not careful. Misrepresenting it as a cure will lead some people to seek it out, even outside of the clinical trials in the hospital; at least one person has already died from doing this.

As Sydnee points out in the Sawbones episode, the drug itself is necessary for some people with ongoing medical conditions (lupus, arthritis, etc), and unnecessary shortages of the drug will negatively impact them.

People keep spinning this as some “secret cure” that doctors don’t want people to know about. This makes people more likely to indulge risky behavior or disregard professional medical advice, which actively puts themselves and others at risk. Honestly, this sort of mistrust of experts is part of why the US doesn’t have this situation as under control as other countries do.

I’m a scientist but I’m definitely not a medical expert, so if anyone has corrections or additions, please feel free to add them!

[puppyexpressions]

What to do if Your Dog Needs Vet Care During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Nothing about the world right now feels like business as usual, and unfortunately, this is true about accessing vet care for our dogs. This week my 3-year-old Newfoundland started acting strange, she was grumpy, and asked to go outside to go potty, again, and again. I knew immediately she had a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). In a panic, I called our local vet and was relieved that they were open and could get her in for an appointment the same day, but it was an appointment, unlike any vet appointment I’ve ever taken a dog to.

Is vet care an essential service?

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses not deemed “essential services” have temporarily closed. The American Veterinary Medical Association is actively working to  “urge lawmakers and state executives to protect and preserve public health and ensure that veterinary practices are clearly stated to be “essential businesses” and thereby allowed to continue to provide critical services in our communities.”

But not all vet clinics have been able to stay open. Veterinary specialist clinics and some general practice vets are closing or significantly reducing hours for the safety of staff and patients. Even if your dog doesn’t need immediate veterinary care it’s a good idea to follow your local vet clinics and emergency hospitals on social media. Many clinics are posting changes in hours as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve in your local area.

How to take your dog to the vet during COVID-19 shutdowns

COVID-19 has shifted what vet visits look like for staff, dog parents and most of all for dogs. Like many other guardians, I’ve worked hard to make going to the vet a fun experience for my dogs. We go for short visits to say “hi” to clinic staff, get weighed and eat treats and leave. I always opt my dogs out of “tech appointments” for vaccines where techs will take a dog quickly to the back and instead say we need to be seen in an exam room. We use high-value treats during visits and I work hard to make sure every time my dogs go to the vet, they get treats, toys, play games and have fun. COVID-19 is changing all that.

Dr. Kimberly Hammer  Medical Director of NorthStar VETS Emergency, Trauma and Specialty Center is encouraging dog owners to “call or check online to make sure they understand the protocol put in place by the hospital they are visiting.”

My vet clinic’s new policies (which mirrors protocols being used by clinics across the country) involves dogs being met at the curb or in a parking lot by a vet staff member gloved and masked who then will take the dog into the clinic. Guardians are expected to stay in their cars away from our dogs and await a phone call from the vet after the exam takes place. Guardians and the vet will discuss a treatment plan by phone and then your dog will be returned to you by the masked and gloved vet assistant.

These new COVID-19 practices are efficient, and the safest option for us as guardians as well as the vet staff, but they are stressful for dogs. These protocols are  like sending a sick toddler alone to meet with the pediatrician. Dr. Hammer advises guardians to “let us know if they think their pet may experience anxiety or fear. If we’ve seen the pet before, we can often prescribe something to help.” Beyond that guardians have to trust vet providers and hope for the best.

Vet clinics are facing shortages

Like human medical providers, vet clinics across the country are seeing the of shortages and concerns about shortages of medical equipment, according to Dr. Hammer. “We are finding that certain items such as masks, rubbing alcohol, surgical gowns are  becoming in short supply though we have not run out of anything yet.”

She assured dog guardians that vet clinics are conserving supplies as much as possible and reusing supplies when it is safe to do so.  These times call for very hard decisions to be made and some high levels of care that guardians may be used to being an option at vet clinics or emergency hospitals though may no longer be available “We donated our ventilator to the local children’s hospital to use” Dr. Hammer said.

Seek help

I’m not going to lie, watching a gloved technician lead my dog away in the clinic without me was hard, especially as my dog tried to get back into the car and back to me.  I was upset, not at the clinic staff or the vets, but frustrated that this was the safest option for me and the vet staff.

While we all hope our dogs won’t need unexpected vet care while the pandemic is happening if they do Dr. Hammer encourages guardians “Don’t hesitate to come in if you think you have an emergency.  We are here and want to help.Most of all, bear with us!  It’s all new to us too and all of us together are just trying to help care for your pet’s health while staying healthy ourselves during this crisis.”

As stressful as the COVID-19 outbreak is it’s important to remember all of the people on the front lines working hard, including vets, vet technicians, and vet clinic staff. Hopefully, our social distancing will pay off and we can return to life and normal less stressful vet visits soon.

[theveterinaryqueen-blog]

Should I become a Veterinary Technician

Many people ask me pretty regularly if I think they should go to tech school and become a veterinary technician. I actually love talking to people about it because I have seen all of the aspects of our job and I feel as if I have a good insight to the pros and cons. I typically start by telling them that if they have a real passion for caring for animals it is a step in the right direction but that veterinary medicine is not for everyone, even if you love animals. It is also important to consider that you can go on many different route in the tech world: general practice, mixed, small or large animal, Specialty, ER, and research are just a few of the more common options. I personally like fast paced, high energy, exciting things and have been through a lot of death in my personal life (which means I understand it in a different light than most people do) and am very comfortable around loss. Because of that, I really enjoy ER but more importantly, I am good at ER. I don't like the typical pace of GP (I really like not knowing what is about to get rushed back at any moment) so I chose a position that worked for my needs. I think I would like working with large animals too (I was raised on a farm where we typically vetted our own livestock for a marjory of their issues) but do not have much clinic experience so I am not sure how well the fit would be. Knowing what type of animals you are comfortable with is important too. If you were raised with exotics, you might make a great exotic tech. If you weren't, I would advise spending some time around people who do have them and figure out if you like those species. If you are very intelligent and retain information well, you may make an excellent internal medicine tech (I must add that I worship the knowledge and skill level of the internal medicine techs at my hospital! They are the best and brightest.). If you have a hard time accepting the circle of life and death takes a large toll on you, oncology and ER may not be the best place for you.

I always recommend job shadowing at MULTIPLE clinics and settings to make sure you are comfortable being around animals, sick, broken, and healthy, old and young, gentle, timid and aggressive. Loving animals and treating ill animals are very different.

There are different routes to getting to a tech/vet assistant role( in some places techs and vet assistants are the same apart from one is licensed/certified/registered and the other is not while other clinics will have vet assistants as truly assistants and they are at a lower skill level). You can go through an accredited 2 year program and then typically you will sit for the test or you can work your way up through the ranks. I think both can bring very valuable things to the table. I work very closely with another tech and one of us worked our way through the ranks while the other went straight into tech school and then straight into our hospital and we work really well together.

I know many certified/registered/licensed techs have a problem with techs who work their way through the ranks. I have personally been attacked many times by CVTs who, to my face, call me a lesser skilled person because they went to school and accumulated debt and I did not. To be very forward and honest, I do very poorly in class room settings. I always have. My agriculture classes were always my best grades and stuck with me because most of our classes were held in the barn or green house learning hands on. I do poorly when sitting down writing notes but when I get to actually do or see something happen in front of my eyes, i absorb all of the information. And i believe that is what makes me so good at my job. I didn't fry my poor brain making it do something that it doesn't like. I learned on the job and saw mistakes and good lessons that techs made and learned that way. No, I didn't have to pay for a tech program (I have taken many courses plus my hospital offers CE to all techs certified or not so I take many CEs and have certification in subjects that those techs who belittle me do not have) but I am just as qualified. So do not let your fear of school stop you. If you do elect to go my route, just understand that you will face many road blocks ( some legal issues, some will be issues with others in the field) and it will take a while to become skilled enough to work alone but it is totally worth it! If you want to go through a program, there are some awesome programs out there both on campus and online depending on your needs.

And one of the biggest things I tell people who are considering vet tech is that they must love what they do, not what they make. Technicians typically do not make much money and you have to be okay with that. Do not go into this profession thinking that techs must make a lot of money. In some places, techs are lucky to make a few dollars over minimum wage (warning: if you work your way up instead of sitting and passing your test, you will probably make much less than the certified techs around you even if you are more qualified. It's unfair but how the game is played). The pay will also depend on your specialty and location (often specialty techs make more than GP but that is hospital to hospital dependent). Some areas also will pay more or less depending on the income level of locals. It is important to realize that you will not be rolling in the dough simply from this job. But if you love what you do, it can be worth it. I LOVE my job and get paid poorly. It's a toss up and for me, the work that I get to do won.

I think teching is a great job. It is not for everyone but if you are up to the challenge, please come have fun with us! We are in a national tech shortage (ESPECIALLY in ER) and we need more techs. I did not post this to discourage anyone, just prep you for a busy, but amazing, career choice. And no, you don't have to want to be a vet to be a tech!

🐕🐴🐒🦒🐁🐊🐠💊💉

[justlovecambodia]

Surprise! We’re Going to Cambodia... This Sunday! Update on Missions and Re-homing Fur Family

Hello everyone. It’s been a while since we updated you all on our next steps. We’ve been praying and “hurry-up and waiting” as we’ve been listening and awaiting missions opportunities overseas.

While we were both on staff at Marathon Church, we met an incredible family, the Warren-Pages. We quickly connected with them, spent time with the family, and they have now become like family. The Warren-Pages have had their share of loss, including a special young member of the family, Maggie McLeod. In her memory, Wink McLeod, mother and now also deceased, wanted to do something in honor of her late daughter and created Maggie’s School in Turkana, Kenya. Currently, there are over 900 students at Maggie’s School, those of whom are all sponsored and given two meals a day, uniforms, and access to a safe education in a rural and commonly illiterate region.

According to the “About” page on Maggie’s School website, “There was also a water and food shortage in this region.  Bishop David began to pray for a school, a church, and a well for this people of Turkana. When Bishop David heard of Wink’s idea to build a school in Kenya in memory of her daughter, it was an answer to his prayer.”

A few years ago, while on outreach in Cambodia, God gave Zac a vision of a youth development center. This would be a place for uneducated children from rural locations to not only receive an education from Khmer and Western teachers, but to also learn the forever truth that Jesus wants to be their Lord and Savior. This vision was received and has been prayed for since, but we were unsure of when that would happen or if we would be a part of that. We have since trusted that God would bring that school to fruition someday even if it wasn’t us that saw the Promised Land.

A year or so ago, after one of our weekly dinners with the Warren-Page family, they discussed the potential of Maggie’s School expanding, them being unsure of where in the world this would be. Of course, Zac and I both were very excited and shared our vision for the youth development center in Cambodia. There was excitement and anticipation for what the future may hold and faith that if this was from God, we would trust Him to see it through.

Recently, Zac and I have been home, working here and there, visiting our families and friends who have become like family, and even speaking and sharing about our experiences in Northern Ireland, India, and Cambodia. We both feel that at this stage in our lives, we are called as a couple to the mission field. We have been talking with a YWAM base in the UK about potentially coming on as staff, still being in the process of all the formalities and VISA applications.

However, a few days ago, Kim Warren-Page approached us about going to Cambodia for a month or so to scout for potential provinces and land that could be used to build a new Maggie’s School. We were both thrilled at the opportunity! To that she said, as crazy of an idea that this is, could you leave Sunday?

It didn’t take long for us to feel that this could really be the beginning of something incredible, and the beginning of the fruition of the vision God gave Zac and for Maggie’s School expansion. For more information on Maggie’s School, visit https://www.maggiesschool.org/. 

So as of now, we leave to go to Cambodia this Sunday the 22nd! We are excited to be a part of the possible expansion of Maggie’s School and continue to pray that as we go in faith, God will show us step by step the path to making this happen in Cambodia. We will also be meeting up with Kim’s son, Payton Warren-Page in Phnom Penh. 

Before we leave, there are a few things to figure out. As you all know, we have two amazing dogs, Luna and Kola. We have had Kola for almost five years and Luna for three. They go everywhere with us, traveling on youth retreats, national mission trips and even some home-bound and assisted living visits. (They are both certified Emotional Support Animals). They are like our children and we have loved and cherish every moment spent with them. As our traveling schedule continues to become more sporadic, it’s difficult on both girls to adjust and move around, especially for Kola. Kola is a very special little lady. She is extremely loyal, obeying commands and always coming when we call her name. She loves all humans and cares deeply for the well-being of her master. However, Kola does not do well with other dogs. She is a bit quirky, having always been particular about other dogs, tending to be aggressive and showing her dominance every time. Sometimes, if a dog is very submissive, she has no problem being around them, only growling when the dogs sniffs a part of her she doesn’t want him/her to, or if she’s laying down and they’re in her space. Kola could be described as a grump, old woman with particular taste, but one who loves and remains loyal to any person she loves. Even though she doesn’t like other dogs, she has really leaned into Luna, enjoying being her sister. It did take some time to get the two acclimated, but for the most part, they really are sisters in every way.

All of this being said, we are looking for a forever home for our Kola Bear. As devastating as this is, we know that our life of moving around and traveling for extended periods on missions is not well fit for her personality. In recent weeks, she has been a bit off, almost depressed and unable to really adjust well to the changes like she used to. We have always been a social, traveling family, but as she gets older, it’s more confusing and causes her anxiety.

Kola is an amazing dog, when she is the only dog in the household, and not around young children. She needs someone who is looking for a life-time friend who will treat Kola as more of a human than a dog. Zac and I truly believe that she doesn’t think of herself as a dog but more of a queen and therefore has no time for lowly peasants (aka other pups). All jokes aside, she is a good girl. She is fixed and up-to-date on all heartworm and flea treatments. She would need her yearly vaccines in the coming months. If you feel that you have a home where Kola would be the only dog and where she is given full access to your heart and every room in your house, please call or message us. This is a difficult decision for us to make, but we feel it’s the right one for her well-being and happiness.

We are also looking for a forever home for a rescue kitty that we found around a year ago on the side of the road in Dacusville, South Carolina. We named her Daika, and took her in, thinking she would not make it through the night. We took her to the vet, had blood work done to make sure she was healthy, had her vaccinated, and let her become an indoor but mostly outdoor cat. Of course we fell in love with her and her spunky, intelligent self. When we left to go overseas, she stayed with one of our closest friends and all-around amazing foster mom and spoiler of Daika. She is great with other animals, loves being outside, litter-box trained, spayed, and up-to-date on all vaccinations. She’s really an amazing girl who needs someone to spoil and love her. If you’re interested in opening your home to Daika, she comes with cat towers, lots and lots of toys, food, treats, and a self-cleaning litter-box. She really is an amazing cat who loves to cuddle and play. She has been living mostly inside, only going outside to catch bugs and lizards to her foster mom’s dismay. Call or message us if you’re interested in opening your home and spoiling this special girl.

 We want to make sure that both girls will be cared for, loved on, and treated like family wherever they go. We would love to talk with you more about these girls if you’re interested and are willing to answer any questions. There is no adoption fee for either, but there is a certain kind of home that both need moving forward.

 Also, we are having a fundraiser this Saturday night, my birthday, to raise money for our missions in Cambodia, potentially the UK *still in process*, and beyond. If you want to come hear stories about our experiences or just looking to try some yummy local barbeque, we would love to see you there. Here is more information on the event, including the time and address for the location.

 There is also a Mosaic for Missions night coming up on May 3rd at 6:00 p.m. at Milestones. The $15 fee includes all of your mosaic materials. All proceeds from this event go towards missions. If you’re interested, here is more information below. 

Again, we are so thankful for all of you, your support, your encouragement, and prayers. We have really come home to open arms and couldn’t be more thankful for the support we’ve received from our families and our friends while being here. We are looking forward to this next step in Cambodia and hope that you all continue to keep up with us as we let God write this incredible story full of faith, trust, and reliance on Him. We are truly open and flexible to what God has for us as a couple in Cambodia and anywhere else he wants to send us. Thank you for being a part of this mission and supporting us so that we can go and tell all the world of the love and redemption of Jesus Christ. Until next time, #justlove.

[tak4hir0]

Want to succeed on social media in 2020? Then you need to know what trends will matter most this year. While the technology we have access to has never been greater, the competition has also never been higher Plus, there is no shortage of platforms where you could be investing your time. But in the end, it all comes back to your audience. Are you getting in front of them where they’re spending their time? Are you giving them what they want or need, at the right time? What matters to them? These are the questions we all need answers to – and these answers seemingly change every year. So I asked some really smart people for their thoughts on social media marketing in 2020. Here are 10 social media trends that will matter most to marketers, brands, and businesses in 2020, according to 34 experts. Want all the social media trends now? Download our ebook: The Biggest Social Media Trends of 2020, According to 34 Experts Trend #1: Connection + Community + ExperienceIn 2020, the big trend will actually be a return to the basics. Lisa Buyer, CEO, and Social PR Consultant, The Buyer Group, said that it is no longer enough to provide a service your customer needs. Self-serving social messages won’t cut it in 2020, either. “The new mindset is this: The relationship we build with our customers is more important than the products and services we sell them,” Buyer said. Part of the “back-to-basics” approach to social media means you should step back and think about two things, according to Michael Williams, Senior Social Media Manager, Jellyfish: Who is your audience?What are their interests and challenges?“When it comes to creating content, brands need to counteract the social media noise, think ‘less is more,’ and create messaging that actually resonates with their key audience(s),” Williams said. That all starts with the connection. “People are looking for connections on a personal level with businesses and brands that feel like part of their community,” said Mary Davies, President, Beanstalk Internet Marketing. “Businesses will need to put more effort than ever into being more of a helpful, understanding ‘friend’ in a community than simply a service/product provider.” Elena Salazar, Digital Marketing Manager, VMware, said smart brands should aim to make their social media social. It may seem obvious, but there are still a lot of brands that don’t respond to comments on their posts, she said. “It is important to listen to your audience and provide value to them as opposed to solely using your social media channels to promote your products/services,” Salazar said. “With more and more competition on social media, truly connecting with people will help humanize your brand and gain the trust of your audience (which will help your sales!).” Part of that means spending more time building engaging content and being more engaged, said Amanda Webb, Digital Marketing Strategy Specialist, Spiderworking. “This is one area where SMBs can still win,” according to Webb. “Social networks will also recognize engaging pages and give them a lift in reach. This engagement will help when you create ads, too.” Erin Jones, Founder, RepBright, expects to see an increase in the value of authentic engagement in 2020. After all, social media was never meant to be a platform for push marketing, and users have shown that they value engagement and interactions with brands. “People want to feel like they know who they’re spending money with, as a result, brands will need to step up and provide an environment for their customers to do so quickly and easily,” Jones said. “Making them feel like they’re part of a group that they want to be in will ensure brand loyalty and great social media engagement.” That means community will also be key. That’s why brands should create their own groups on Facebook (and specialized LinkedIn groups), rather than just having a company page to get likes or follows, said Krystian Szastok, SEM Consultant, KrystianSzastok.co.uk, tells. You have the power to build a strong community around your brand and create movements that have an impact beyond increasing sales, said Lenka Koppova, Freelance Social Media Strategist & Founder, Cambridge Social Media. “The reason why I call it community, is the ability of brands online not only to educate and entertain their audiences but also to engage and facilitate meaningful interactions among their followers, users, and fans,” Koppova said. Davies believes that, in 2020, we will see the group and like-minded community spaces dominating more and more, which means a much heavier workload for marketers and brands. “Groups and communities require a lot of time to manage, as they really are all about the personal communication, not just posting and waiting for the comments to roll in or paying for an ad and waiting for a click,” Davies said. “Leaning on influencers and experts will continue to be a major factor in social media, especially in these community-minded groups.” And don’t forget to focus on creating experience, said Brie Anderson, Program Director of Digital Marketing, WSU Tech. “Brands should focus on their groups, direct messages, and comments as the conversation is key to community and experience,” Anderson said. “Giveaways and automated shoutouts don’t cut it anymore, brands are going to have to have a vested interest in their customer base and engage with them online.” Companies that adhere to the principle of “people not just pixels” will reap rewards in 2020, said Mel Carson, Founder, CEO & Principal Strategist, Delightful Communications. Trend #2: Authentic InfluencersInfluencer marketing isn’t going anywhere; in fact, it’s maturing, said Erin Fredregill, Founder & CEO, Robe + Signet. “The key is in creating a crystal clear influencer strategy that thoughtfully integrates with your overall marketing strategy, establishing a thorough influencer vetting process and providing a brief that clearly outlines your brand’s goals and content guidelines while still allowing micro-influencers to direct the narrative in a way that feels authentic to their audience,” Fredregill said. Kendall Bird, Social Media Manager, DKY, believes influencers who are authentic will be more powerful than “power influencers” (e.g., Kim Kardashian), as these authentic influencers will share content they care about and actually use on a regular basis. “Social media users know what a forced relationship with a brand looks like, and they’re tired of seeing these interactions,” Bird said. “I encourage brands and companies to look for influencers who will authentically use their product or service and share it with their audiences.” For smaller organizations or those in the B2B industry that may be struggling to see how influencer marketing can be implemented to reach their goals, there are a few places to start, said Anastasia Warren, Senior Social Media Manager, KoMarketing Associates. “Look into industry event speakers or ambassadors to see who your target audience is paying attention to on social media and on the floor at industry events,” Warren said. “Additionally, look internally at how employees can step into thought leadership roles and become the voice of an organization through engagement and amplification of messaging.” In 2020, our concept of influencer tiers – major influencers with millions of followers all the way to micro-influencers in the 1,000s – will expand even further because it’s becoming easier for everyone to be an influencer, as Kevan Lee, VP of Marketing, Buffer, points out. He said businesses can take advantage of this by doubling down on employee advocacy (more on this in Trend #5) and user-generated content (see Trend #10). Trend #3: Diversify with TikTok, Reddit & MoreEmma Franks, Sr. Paid Social Account Manager, Hanapin Marketing, expects diversification to be a primary trend in social media, especially on the advertising side. Diversification is also beneficial for risk mitigation by reducing dependency on Facebook and/or LinkedIn. “Facebook is no longer the one-stop-shop it used to be. Younger demographics are favoring the sister platform of Instagram, as well as TikTok and Snapchat,” Franks said. “Every ‘early-mover’ advertiser who embraces smaller networks now (e.g., Twitter, Quora, Reddit, Snapchat) will enjoy an environment of relatively low cost due to lower levels of competition.” Speaking of TikTok – Brandon Doyle, CEO & Founder, Wallaroo Media, said getting onto that platform now is key. “Organic reach on TikTok is like nothing we’ve ever seen. It’s better than even the early days of Facebook,” Doyle said. “Create content that will resonate with your target audience, but be willing to test and iterate over time to see what works best. We’ve seen incredible results for our clients. The ad platform is early-stage but the ROI there is great, too.” Debbie Miller, President, Social Hospitality, expects more marketers to start exploring ways to take advantage of TikTok’s advertising platform to reach engaged Gen Z consumers. “It could also be worthwhile to locate the platform’s top users to endorse your brand if they’re a fit,” Miller said. “This younger demographic is highly engaged and trusting of the opinions of their peers.” Another platform companies need to put on the radar in 2020: Reddit, according to Brent Csutoras, Adviser, Search Engine Journal. Many companies have found marketing on Reddit difficult and intimidating. But consumers’ use of Reddit is growing rapidly and view brands on Reddit as more authoritative (likely due to the difficulty and commitment required to be successful on Reddit), he said. “It has never been a better time for brands to establish themselves on a platform that is largely responsible for creating much of the internet culture we have come to enjoy today,” Csutoras said. “With over 430 million monthly active users and about 32% of all Americans on Reddit each month, brands need to take a serious look at making Reddit a part of their 2020 plans.” Trend #4: Reimagine Social AnalyticsThe era of reporting on vanity metrics seems to be nearing its end, especially on Facebook-owned platforms. Anna Bredava, Marketing Manager, Awario, noted that this should make social analytics tools even more useful to marketers, as we analyze and report on our social media successes and failures. Sam Ruchlewicz, VP of Digital Strategy & Data Analytics, Warschawski, agreed. He said as the amount of money being spent on social media (ads, influencer programs, organic programs, etc.) increases, so will the scrutiny of those investments by both marketing leaders and the C-suite. “Smart marketers will continue investing in measurement and analytics programs that go beyond the standard vanity metrics and toward meaningful metrics that more accurately align with larger organizational/business goals,” Ruchlewicz said. “On the analytics side, it has never been more important for marketers to create their own source of truth and do their own math in terms of quantifying outcomes, especially when it comes to measuring incrementality. As machine learning continues to evolve, the brands with the best data will rise to the top – so make sure you have the infrastructure in place to do that.” So that leaves us with an important question to answer: how will analytics measure reach in a like-less world and correlate activities of potential customer to marketer objectives? “Deeper, inferential metrics will be needed to describe how social media influence consumer behavior and local commerce,” Pierre DeBois, Founder and CEO, Zimana Analytics. “Social media platforms must refresh their analytic dashboards to provide more transparency behind the measurements.” Trend #5: Use Employee Advocacy to Your AdvantageYour employees are more important to the success of your company than you think, said Ted Rubin, CMO, Photofy. “Brands that are winning this new journey are providing large quantities of fresh and relevant content for shoppers to use when they actually need it,” Rubin said. “Empower your employees and they will power your brand.” Employee generated content helps build brand trust and reinforce relationships, as Kendall Bird points out. “I encourage all companies to think about employee advocacy, even if it is starting on a smaller scale with employees sharing blog content to their social media networks,” she said. Trend #6: Get Creative: Stop Being Boring!Boring brands are everywhere, with their boring social media content. In B2B tech, for instance, Mel Carson is always looking for more creative ways to stand out in a sea of blah, blah, blah. For instance, showcasing what it all means with dynamic examples, which may be: Short (but effective) videos shot at events where tech partners talk about their solutions, how the idea came about, how it was built, etc.Short-form animated GIFs and videos that are designed to inspire the viewer, not just to understand, but to take action.Who wants to go to a brand page and just see a bunch of ‘buy my stuff!’ posts or boring posts that don’t apply to their life or solve their problems? Nobody, that’s who, said Chris Sciulli, Digital Marketing Lead, The International Society of Automation / Owner & Author, SmokehouseSEO.com. So, in 2020, start being interesting and stop using your social media as a place where you stand on a box and shout ads at people. “Nobody cares about your ads unless you have shown your worth by providing quality consumable content,” Sciulli said. “Nobody cares that you just got a new drinking fountain in the break room. Put yourself in the place of their visitors and think about what they would want to see and interact with.” Trend #7: Stories 2.0Smart brands/businesses would do well to ensure they have a solid Stories strategy for 2020 with daily images, micro-videos, and content that audiences value, said Mari Smith, Social Media Thought Leader & CEO, Mari Smith International, Inc. “Follow those accounts leading the way,” Smith said. “Get creative. Be sure to always tie to the bottom line and add your CTAs.” Sarah Clarke, Media Strategist & Founder, Dufferin Media, believes the consumption of ephemeral content (social media content that is only available for a limited amount of time and then disappears) will continue increasing in 2020. “Stories are a perfect way to get the attention, for a few valuable seconds, of an audience that loves authentic creative content,” Clarke said. “Stories are a great way to add a touch of humanity to your social media using emojis, videos, and stickers.” Smart brands and businesses will make this a greater focus in their 2020 marketing strategy if they want to have a higher level of success reaching their audiences, and increasing engagement, Clarke said. Trend #8: Use Social Media as a Discovery EngineAre you using social media to drive direct traffic and branded search? If not, you should be in 2020, said Mark Traphagen, VP of Content Strategy, Aimclear “Ahead-of-the-game brands will add paid and organic social posts using arresting creative, emblazoned with a brand name along with ‘money’ terms and phrases prominently displayed,” Traphagen said. “The objective is driving top-of-funnel seekers to brand-specific search – low cost on the social end; incredible potential value on the search traffic end.” But that’s just one way to use social media as a discovery engine. You can also use social media to point to private messaging and text message clubs to stay in touch, said Virginia Nussey, Director of Marketing, Mobile Monkey. She expects more brands to develop high-value, high-transparency, highly personalized VIP access programs. “Check out Gary Vaynerchuk for a first look at how this is working,” Nussey said. “He uses the opening of his YouTube videos to share an opt-in text message phone number. The text message club starts with an automated welcome message. After that, Vaynerchuk personally sends motivation and lifestyle messages to the community with a text message blast tool. The strategy is part automation, part personalization, and a 100% scalable brand connection.” Trend #9: YouTube & VideoVideo may not be a hot new trend, but it remains an important trend in social media. As Joe Youngblood, Founder, Winner Winner Chicken Dinner, put it: 2020 is the year that video content on social media is no longer a nice-to-have, but a must-have. “Data has suggested for some time that consumers who view online videos are more likely than their counterparts to make a purchase,” Youngblood said. “Consumers now appear to expect video content from a brand they are going to do business with. If you haven’t started experimenting with video, now is the time to get going or you’ll risk falling behind the competition.” Oh, and don’t forget: YouTube is a social media platform. And it’s bigger than Facebook. “In 2020, the biggest trend that smart brands and businesses should focus on for greater success is the emergence of YouTube as the leading social media platform,” said Greg Jarboe, President & Co-founder, SEO-PR. Why YouTube in 2020? In the full ebook (download to see it all), Jarboe lays out all the latest juicy data and stats, which include this important fact: YouTube is the #2 site on the web (behind only Google), while Facebook ranks fourth, according to Alexa. Trend #10: Leverage UGCThe content your audience creates is invaluable to your brand, according to Kristi Kellogg, CEO, and Founder, Dazzling Digital. “Your customers (and potential customers) find content posted by their peers far more influential, trustworthy, and compelling than the content a brand creates itself,” Kellogg said. She said every brand can take three steps in 2020 to get more user-generated content (UGC) and earn more social proof: Encourage your audience to tag your brand in social posts by always reposting and/or featuring that UGC.Comment and interact with your audience regularly.Run contests that drive UGC.Want More Social Media Trends & Insights for 2020?This only scratches the surface of what you’ll find in our new ebook, The Biggest Social Media Trends of 2020, According to 34 Experts. Ready for more? Click here to download The Biggest Social Media Trends of 2020, According to 34 Experts You’ll get more uncensored and unfiltered insights and tips straight from these marketing experts on how to succeed on social media in 2020: Brie E AndersonKendall BirdAnna BredavaLisa BuyerMel CarsonSarah ClarkeBrent CsutorasMary DaviesPierre DeBoisBrandon DoyleVictoria EdwardsEmma FranksErin FredregillGreg JarboeErin JonesKristi KelloggLenka KoppovaKevan LeeDebbie MillerVirginia NusseyTed RubinSam RuchlewiczElena SalazarMark SchaeferChris SciulliMari SmithAshley SeguraKrystian SzastokMark TraphagenAnastasia WarrenAmanda WebbMichael WilliamsJoe YoungbloodDennis Yu Past Editions of Social Media Trends: Image Credits Featured Image: Paulo Bobita

[qxbsamantha2-blog]

Kitties As Pets.

When you have a feline there is actually regularly the odds that they are going to having a go at some of you treasured home furniture or your rug. Make certain to put his food items and water bowl in this particular area and also his brood rack, http://bigaudiotrio.info but do not put them finalize with each other considering that cats are actually clean pets as well as don't like to consume where they most likely to the bathroom. When our pets carried them in, with any luck not every person is knowledgeable along with the truth that fleas can easily result in loads of problems around the property. These little bit of bloodsuckers are significant survivors and also could conceal just about everywhere: on our creatures' body system, on their favourite places, mattress, window curtains, flooring cracks, rugs - therefore actually JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE. Similar to all pet dogs, possible managers ought to really take the time to research study exactly what they are getting and also certainly not only off breeders, yet from proprietors at the same time in order to get an understanding of just what their exclusive pet dog will be like. In our testing as well as research, the Deebot N79 was the most probably to accomplish a cleansing pattern on its own without acquiring stuck and awaiting a human to save it. That is actually the best integral part from a robot vacuum cleaner's task, and also the N79 does it better in comparison to practically other design our experts've observed, also those that set you back hundreds much more. Can turn to a handheld vacuum cleaner: Many of the amount of time you'll be cleaning your floors, yet it comes in handy to have a two-in-one design in order that you may cleanse windowsills, racks, window curtains, ceilings, cushioning, and limited rooms around furniture as well as devices.

Appropriate health check ups along with the animal medical practitioner and also place oral problems before they get out of palm, Moreover, there are a lot of measures you'll have the ability to have as a family pet owner to support your kitty possess healthy pearly whites and gum tissues. I additionally pondered if that was since my future spouse will keep over, as well as my cat would stay on the mattress with me. She always kept performing it - not everyday, yet probably twice a presumed maybe a UTI or even dehydration (I observed she would not consume stagnant water) so I purchased her a fountain to always keep the water new. People at times believe troubled in a health care atmosphere as well as get abnormally hypertension analyses called" white colored coat hypertension" Visualize how pet dogs as well as kitties think concerning it. Veterinarian visits can be therefore nerve-racking for some animals that the American University of Vet Internal Medicine standards on pet and feline hypertension care that managing and also dimension gadgets for canines as well as cats must be actually taken into consideration when creating a hypertension prognosis. Carry out not nourish little one meals specifically lasting, considering that like various other individual foods items they are without taurine, an amino acid which pussy-cats should get from their meals: a shortage from taurine in a pussy-cat's diet regimen may induce severe soul and eye concerns. There isn't really an opportunity that while I remain in any sort of room from our home that a cat or a number of felines are actually not in the room with me. I get the privilege from observing their individualities as well as various other feline attributes throughout the time.

These gadgets equate into a large renovation in lifestyle for those that use them, through paving the way for budget friendly casing created coming from dirt, helpful energy-free lighting where there was actually earlier night, as well as simple access to well-maintained water A 14-year-old Indian founder also developed an ingenious way to swiftly clean clothing without electricity With each of these advancements comes a story from real creativity triumphing over necessity, leading to a simple, low-priced product that leaves behind an enduring effect on the lives from people which use all of them.

[newstfionline]

Britain braces for an exodus of E.U. doctors and nurses feeling hurt by Brexit

By William Booth and Karla Adam, Washington Post, March 4, 2018

BETTYHILL, Scotland--From his wind-scoured bungalow, Andreas Herfurt overlooks the village cemetery, an end place in his line of work. For almost 20 years, the German has served as the town doctor here in the woolly wilds on the north coast of Scotland.

“Those are not just my former patients,” Herfurt said of the graves surrounding the old church. “They are my neighbors and my friends. I have learned the hard way the whole truth about cradle-to-grave medical care.”

Herfurt is the National Health Service’s family physician for 850 souls in a 400-square-mile rural practice. This is a place where the cozy village pub--the Farr Bay Inn, known with a wink as the FBI--has a public room the size of a walk-in closet, the only restaurant option in winter is a fish-and-chips shop, and sheep outnumber humans by thousands to one.

Herfurt, 53, who never became a British citizen, says he has loved his life in the NHS, the United Kingdom’s much-admired, oft-derided, state-run universal health-care system. He has made decent money, by European standards. And he digs living in the middle of nowhere, with his Scottish wife and their big, slobbery dog.

“But I don’t know how much longer we will stay,” he said recently, taking a break at his clinic in nearby Armadale.

“In the simplest, most emotional terms, because I am human, I wonder: Am I wanted?” he said.

The German doctor is not alone in such feelings--which could spell disaster for the British health service.

Like Herfurt, many of his European colleagues in the NHS say they were stunned by Brexit, the vote by Britain in a June 2016 referendum to leave the European Union. The exit, which was not backed by most voters in Scotland or Northern Ireland, is scheduled for March 2019.

In a survey at the end of last year, the British Medical Association discovered that almost half of the European doctors working in Britain were considering leaving following the Brexit vote, and that nearly 1 in 5 were taking concrete steps--selling homes, looking for jobs.

If Brexit was driven by strong emotions, so is the reaction to it by some European doctors and nurses in the NHS.

In interviews with The Washington Post, several of those who are thinking about leaving didn’t point to overt acts of xenophobia. They acknowledged that nobody is kicking them out of the country.

But they are taking Brexit personally, expressing indignation at the prospect of having to be vetted in post-Brexit Britain. Many said they would refuse to stand in line for a work visa or submit to a criminal-background check--not after years of overseeing life-or-death decisions and emptying bedpans for British patients.

They noted that when they came to work here, they were Europeans coming to a member state of the European Union. They didn’t see themselves as “immigrants.” They were Europeans exercising their right to free movement in Europe. They were wooed by the NHS.

Many never sought British citizenship because they didn’t have to. They assumed they could spend their careers, perhaps their whole lives, here.

Daniela Schulze-Henning, 43, an NHS psychologist, recently put her house on the market and plans to move back to Germany with her husband, a general practitioner, or GP, and their two children.

“We’re not the only ones. We have GP friends going back,” she said. “It’s everywhere.”

She said that 70 percent of the people in her London suburb voted for Brexit, including a neighbor who had a big “LEAVE” poster displayed in her window.

“I hated that, coming home, seeing the ‘Leave’ sign,” she said.

If the European medical workers do exit in large numbers, they will be missed.

This month, Parliament published new statistics on NHS staff from overseas, revealing that in Britain, about 139,000--or 12.5 percent of NHS staff--are from Europe and elsewhere. Europeans dominate in the most skilled jobs. About 10 percent of doctors and 7 percent of nurses are European nationals.

The study did not publish figures for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland because of differences in reporting, but health experts say the numbers are similar to England’s.

Brexit was propelled by disparate goals: Voters wanted to slash immigration, not only from countries such as Bangladesh or Ukraine but from the E.U., as well. They were also promised a windfall in NHS funding after payments to the bloc ended--$500 million a week, the Leave campaigners vowed, a claim that was later debunked and disavowed.

The NHS faces crisis-level staff shortages and relies heavily on Europeans to do the jobs that British nationals either can’t or won’t do.

European doctors interviewed by The Post say their fealty to the United Kingdom swings with the headlines.

One day, they read that Prime Minister Theresa May has promised Britain will always welcome “the best and brightest” from the continent. The next day, they see hard-line Brexiteers in her cabinet insisting that annual net immigration must be slashed from current levels of hundreds of thousands of newcomers to a post-Brexit goal in the tens of thousands.

Many wonder how their children will fare. They are unsettled, too, by the tabloid rhetoric branding Brexit opponents “enemies of the people.”

As a boy growing up in Majorca, Spain, Carlos Hoyos remembers being fascinated by British inventors. England embraced openness, he believed. When he visited London as a teenager, something clicked: “I thought, ‘This is where I want to live.’”

It has now been 27 years since Hoyos moved to the U.K. He lives with his British wife and their two teenage daughters in Southampton, on England’s south coast, where he works for the NHS as a child and adolescent psychiatrist.

“It’s emotional that these people I have admired all this time actually don’t want me here,” Hoyos said. “It’s a sense of rejection.”

Harry Quilter-Pinner, a research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research in London, said, “The influx of workers from the E.U. are vital to keeping the show on the road.”

He added: “If the government said, ‘Okay, let’s train up new doctors,’ you wouldn’t get any payoff for 10 years. The only way to fill that gap is through immigration.”

The problem, said Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst for the King’s Fund, an independent health-care think tank, is “the worrying trends emerging that show these staff no longer want to work in the U.K.”

He pointed to sharp declines in the numbers of European nurses and midwives coming to Britain at a time when the country needs to hire tens of thousands of nurses.

Joan Pons Laplana, 42, is from Barcelona and works as an NHS nurse in Chesterfield. He has lived in Britain for 17 years and has three children, all born in England.

“Despite my family, despite paying taxes, despite working hundreds of hours of unpaid overtime, like everyone else in the NHS, I feel like I don’t count for anything, that I am invisible,” he said.

“There’s the younger generation, who have been here for less than five years. All of them are packing up. A lot of colleagues are going,” Laplana said. “There’s the second group, like me, it’s not that easy, because of my family, my kids, my career of nearly 20 years, my mortgage, my friends--where do I go? I don’t have anything in Spain. I have my mom and dad, but Spain is not my home.”

The NHS has buckled under the strain during the current flu season, with hospital corridors crowded with gurneys and 12-hour waits in emergency rooms. Heart and cancer surgeries have been postponed.

Herfurt has continued his usual house calls, his visits to elder-care residences. He said, “I am a dinosaur,” and added with a flash of frustration, “Good luck finding my replacement”--someone who will work long hours in a remote rural practice.

If he stays, it will be because of his patients.

For 19 years, he has spent his days here giving howling 6-week-old babies their first checkups; seeing snotty-nosed kids through childhood vaccines; helping mums with pregnancies--then shepherding the older folks through the middle and final years of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia to death.

“It has been a privilege to practice this kind of medicine,” Herfurt said.

Annie Hall, one of his patients, shook her head and said, “No, no, no!” when asked what she thought about Herfurt leaving.

“He can’t go,” she said. “He’s a local, almost.”

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Shipping Companies 43013 - DIY Transport

How Much Cash Can I Gain as a Single Person Cars And Truck Delivering Broker? If you want recognizing what an automobile transport broker does and also how much he/she makes as a bachelor entity, then this guide is simply for you. We will discuss an auto delivery broker's role and afterwards discuss the cash you can expect to make in this business. To ensure that being claimed, allow's get started: What Does a Broker Do? Prior to we dive deeper into the typical revenue of an automobile shipping broker, allow's talk about the obligations of a broker. Since without recognizing what you require to you, you can not discover if it's worth the money. So here are the fundamental responsibilities of an auto transportation broker: Getting Leads:  Shipping Companies 43013 The first as well as crucial part of a broker's responsibility is to get leads. He/she needs to locate individuals interested in shipping their cars. This can be very difficult if you are just beginning since where do you locate such individuals? There are several methods, however what the majority of the leading brokers do is create a site. They then start placing educational content on their internet site that aids attract possible purchasers to their internet site using internet search engine like Google. If a potential customer (lead) is securing free details from a broker's web site, they will clearly trust them sufficient to ship an auto with them. Converting Leads: This is where the broker is come close to by the possible consumers as well as starts arrangement. No person takes the initial price thrown at them for the actual vehicle transport quote. So individuals request a discount, and the broker does his best to promote them. He/she also answers their questions as well as enlightens them regarding the complete car shipping process until they are completely satisfied and make the reservation. Collaborating with Carriers: As soon as the order is booked, the broker deals with carriers located on send off centers like Central Dispatch, bargain rates with them as well as provide the details of the customer, including addresses of choice up/ drop off areas, cars and truck details as well as various other necessities. The carrier after that takes off to pick up the autos and deliver them to the clients' area. Customer Support: Throughout the cars and truck transportation procedure, the clients may have questions or certain information they intend to show the carrier. They talk with the broker regarding that and also he/she helps them out. Plus, if the auto obtains damaged, the broker aids them with the insurance policy claims too. There are a lot more things that a vehicle transport broker uses like a complimentary vehicle clean, cost-free automobile rental, ensured pickup days and so on. However, just big, well established brokers do that; as a bachelor, you don't have to worry about them now. So ... Just How Much Can I Make as a Bachelor Auto Delivering Broker? Now that you know how much job the broker puts into the procedure, you can anticipate him to charge anywhere 25-35% of the total tons taken care of by the service provider. Here, the 'load' suggests the overall variety of cars and trucks transferred by the carrier with your association. Some automobile transport brokers bill a relocating cost instead of commission, ranging from $100 to $500 depending on the transportation gas mileage, shipping area, and also additional shipping services that customers might require like expedited delivery or encased transportation. The GOOD NEWS is that since you will be a bachelor based car transport broker, you will certainly have extremely marginal costs, so your earnings will be higher.

Just How Supply and also Demand Impact the Rate of Delivering a Lorry? If you are asking yourself why the car delivery cost is not the exact same throughout the year, then the Legislation of Demand is the main perpetrator right here. It mentions that; whenever the demand for something increases and the supply lowers, the boost. Maintaining that in mind, we will certainly have a look at the disruptions that you can experience in the automobile transportation expenses and also the delivery process when this takes place. So let's start: Costs can Boost or Decrease: The initial thing that will certainly happen when the cars and truck transportation need increases is that the service providers' supply will shorten. This implies that due to the lack of service providers, the costs will rise. You might also have to pay a few hundred dollars a lot more if this happens. This does happen throughout the year, specifically when the weather condition is bad as numerous providers prevent hitting the roads during tornados, which can cause a lack of supply. Only very seasoned providers will be willing to push the pedal, which means they will certainly charge extra. Similarly, if the season is slow and the car transport companies do not obtain sufficient orders to fulfill their quarterly targets, they will decrease the prices to enhance the demand. This means you can in fact get a pretty good bargain. Deliveries Can be Slower: This is another problem that happens when there is a lack of supply. If the majority of the carriers are hectic finishing their orders, you can obtain embeded a company's backlog of orders. If this takes place when you need transport, you can kiss farewell to rapid distribution times. Once the service providers free up the existing orders, which can take a day or two, just after that they will reach your area to grab your auto and after that the transportation procedure will certainly begin. Nevertheless, when the season is slow-moving, much more car shipping service providers will be offered as well as you can expect your auto to be grabbed faster as well as provided means ahead of routine. You Might Not Discover a Great Business: Whenever people need to relocate an auto, they constantly go to the most effective as well as most specialist vehicle shipping business initially. So in case of absence of supply, the sector's large gamers will certainly be overbooked and oversold initially. This indicates if you actually have to deliver your cars and truck whatever, then either you will need to drive it by yourself. Or, you will have to pick not-so-popular auto shipping firms. If this happens, see to it to extensively vet the business before employing them. This consists of examining their BBB profile, their physical establishment, requesting for insurance plan and likewise their MC (motor carrier) number. If these things take a look at, just after that work with them. Bear In Mind Following Tips To Obtain the very best Out of Supply as well as Demand Result: - If you intend to avoid high demand periods, enormous distribution times and also high prices, do not deliver in winter seasons or summers. This is due to the fact that snowbirds migrate to warmer areas in winters months so they take their vehicles with them, which can create a shortage of service provider supply. - If you desire the most effective prices, as well as much faster delivery times, ship in the fall season as the automobile delivery sector is really slow currently, so you will obtain great deals. Final Words: Remember, whenever there is a rise sought after, the supply will fall short. And also if this takes place. You will need to adjust your spending plan to pay for the greater expense. This exactly how every sector works.

The Ins as well as Outs of Delivering a Car When it comes to getting an automobile transportation solution, there are a couple of points to recognize than just employing a specialist vehicle delivery company. You require to know the ins and also outs of the whole process to make sure that you don't get taken advantage of. We have actually prepared this guide with 5 things to keep in mind when launching the auto delivery procedure, as you can shield on your own as well as your car by following them. To ensure that being claimed, let's begin: Vet the Vehicle Shipping Company: Before you even get quotes from vehicle delivery business, the initial thing to do is make a checklist of the prospective vehicle delivery provider you are mosting likely to ask for quotes as well as veterinarian them. This will help you shortlist only the most professional and also trustworthy ones, which will make sure a much better offer as well as outstanding solution. When you have actually developed a checklist, browse the names of those firms on Google, one by one, and read the reviews on Their Google Business accounts, BBB accounts, and also BirdEye. Write the companies that have great reviews and afterwards ask for quotes. Ask For Discount rate: As soon as you have actually gotten the vehicle delivery quotes, ask the firms to offer you a discount rate. Numerous business have special price cuts like AAA participants, military personnel, elders, trainees, disabled persons, and more. See if you fit inside any of these classifications. Try to bargain the rate to fit your spending plan, however if you see the firm hesitates to go any type of even more, don't press because they might either release their earnings to give you a discount rate or cut corners in the service. When you have gotten an adequate quote for a company, you can proceed with them. Prepare The Auto: This is where you require to do a bit of legwork. Take your cars and truck to a technician as well as request a check-up for any kind of problems, loosened wires, loose components, or dripping liquids. Then take the car for a clean, which will certainly assist in auto assessment (a lot more on this later). Then get rid of anything valuable from the auto that can be detached like a spoiler, antennae, GPS, radio, etc. Place them inside the trunk and secure it. Next, disable the alarm system as it can go off throughout transportation and create the motorist to lose emphasis while driving. Lastly, just leave the quarter gas storage tank filled, which will be enough for the individual on the obtaining end to take the cars and truck to a gasoline station as well as have it filled. Minimizing the gas will certainly reduce the cars and truck's weight, which can conserve you some bucks on car shipping expense. Don't Put Over 100lb of Individual Products: When it concerns placing your personal things inside the car, do not discuss 100lbs since the vehicle or the products can obtain seized. Plus, do not put anything useful within due to the fact that the freight you put in the car will certainly not be protected under insurance protection. So if anything gets damaged, or lost, you will not get made up for it. Prepare Assessment Report: Finally, when the carrier shows up to pick up the automobile, evaluate it completely from inside out. You have currently cleaned the automobile at this point, so any kind of existing damages will show up to you. Write all problems in the inspection report and also have it authorized by the carrier. If the cars and truck obtains any extra damages after it is provided, you can make use of the examination record to submit insurance claim as well as make money.

Contact US :

DIY Transport

860 Boardman-Canfield Rd, Youngstown, OH 44512, United States

Call Us: +13302867686

Email: Sales@EasyAutoShip.net

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What to do if Your Dog Needs Vet Care During the Coronavirus Pandemic

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The post What to do if Your Dog Needs Vet Care During the Coronavirus Pandemic by Sassafras Lowrey appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Nothing about the world right now feels like business as usual, and unfortunately, this is true about accessing vet care for our dogs. This week my 3-year-old Newfoundland started acting strange, she was grumpy, and e asked to go outside to go potty, again, and again. I knew immediately she had a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). In a panic, I called our local vet and was relieved that they were open and could get her in for an appointment the same day, but it was an appointment, unlike any vet appointment I’ve ever taken a dog to.

Is vet care an essential service? 

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses not deemed “essential services” have temporarily closed. The American Veterinary Medical Association is actively working to  “urge lawmakers and state executives to protect and preserve public health and ensure that veterinary practices are clearly stated to be “essential businesses” and thereby allowed to continue to provide critical services in our communities.”

Related: These Vets Make House Calls

But not all vet clinics have been able to stay open. Veterinary specialist clinics and some general practice vets are closing or significantly reducing hours for the safety of staff and patients. Even if your dog doesn’t need immediate veterinary care it’s a good idea to follow your local vet clinics and emergency hospitals on social media. Many clinics are posting changes in hours as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve in your local area.

Photo: Getty Images

How to take your dog to the vet during COVID-19 shutdowns 

COVID-19 has shifted what vet visits look like for staff, dog parents and most of all for dogs. Like many other guardians, I’ve worked hard to make going to the vet a fun experience for my dogs. We go for short visits to say “hi” to clinic staff, get weighed and eat treats and leave. I always opt my dogs out of “tech appointments” for vaccines where techs will take a dog quickly to the back and instead say we need to be seen in an exam room. We use high-value treats during visits and I work hard to make sure every time my dogs go to the vet, they get treats, toys, play games and have fun. COVID-19 is changing all that.

Dr. Kimberly Hammer  Medical Director of NorthStar VETS Emergency, Trauma and Specialty Center is encouraging dog owners to “call or check online to make sure they understand the protocol put in place by the hospital they are visiting.”

My vet clinic’s new policies (which mirrors protocols being used by clinics across the country) involves dogs being met at the curb or in a parking lot by a vet staff member gloved and masked who then will take the dog into the clinic. Guardians are expected to stay in their cars away from our dogs and await a phone call from the vet after the exam takes place. Guardians and the vet will discuss a treatment plan by phone and then your dog will be returned to you by the masked and gloved vet assistant.

These new COVID-19 practices are efficient, and the safest option for us as guardians as well as the vet staff, but they are stressful for dogs. These protocols are  like sending a sick toddler alone to meet with the pediatrician. Dr. Hammer advises guardians to “let us know if they think their pet may experience anxiety or fear. If we’ve seen the pet before, we can often prescribe something to help.” Beyond that guardians have to trust vet providers and hope for the best.

Vet clinics are facing shortages 

Like human medical providers, vet clinics across the country are seeing the of shortages and concerns about shortages of medical equipment, according to Dr. Hammer. “We are finding that certain items such as masks, rubbing alcohol, surgical gowns are  becoming in short supply though we have not run out of anything yet.”

She assured dog guardians that vet clinics are conserving supplies as much as possible and reusing supplies when it is safe to do so.  These times call for very hard decisions to be made and some high levels of care that guardians may be used to being an option at vet clinics or emergency hospitals though may no longer be available “We donated our ventilator to the local children’s hospital to use” Dr. Hammer said.

Photography Wavetop | Getty Images

Seek help

I’m not going to lie, watching a gloved technician lead my dog away in the clinic without me was hard, especially as my dog tried to get back into the car and back to me.  I was upset, not at the clinic staff or the vets, but frustrated that this was the safest option for me and the vet staff.

While we all hope our dogs won’t need unexpected vet care while the pandemic is happening if they do Dr. Hammer encourages guardians “Don’t hesitate to come in if you think you have an emergency.  We are here and want to help.Most of all, bear with us!  It’s all new to us too and all of us together are just trying to help care for your pet’s health while staying healthy ourselves during this crisis.”

As stressful as the COVID-19 outbreak is it’s important to remember all of the people on the front lines working hard, including vets, vet technicians, and vet clinic staff. Hopefully, our social distancing will pay off and we can return to life and normal less stressful vet visits soon.

RedRover has created a COVID-19 resource list for pets owners who may need assistance or guidance during this crisis: https://redrover.org/news/coronavirus.

Top photograph: yacobchuk | Getty Images

Read Next: 5 Tips to Keep Your Dog From Distracting You When You’re Working From Home

  The post What to do if Your Dog Needs Vet Care During the Coronavirus Pandemic by Sassafras Lowrey appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Poop4U Blog via www.Poop4U.com Sassafras Lowrey, Khareem Sudlow