Mia

I'm thinking of adding a golden retriever to our household in a year or two, and I just thought I'd get some thoughts from current owners. I have a small dog now (about 20 lbs), and he seems to get along pretty well with big dogs. I'm planning to look for a puppy. No need to warn me about byb/puppy mills, though-- I'm familiar with that info and will either look for a shelter/rescue puppy or a responsible breeder. I have rescued older dogs in the past, but that's not what I'm looking to do this time around.

If you have a golden:

Did their color change a lot from when they were a puppy (darker or lighter)? I am hoping for a cream female. When it comes down to it, of course, I'm more concerned that the puppy I get is right for me than worrying about the color, but just wondering.

Do goldens tend to be pretty hyper as puppies? Big chewers, in general? I can handle it, just want to have an idea what to expect.

I've heard they're quick learners and pretty fast to housetrain. And friendly with pretty much everyone. True?

And finally, do you have a big fenced yard, and if not, has it worked out? I don't have a great yard, but I do have a park pretty close where I walk our current dog. Are decent walks and some playtime enough as far as exercise goes?

And please feel free to share any other things you want to say about your dog. Thanks. :)

I'm trying to figure out what version of Cinderella I watched when I was younger. It would have been made in the 90s or earlier and was animated. Cinderella got her dress and shoes from a magical tree, and she also talked to pigeons. Later in the film, she is accused of being a witch and enchanting the prince. She is locked in her room by her stepmother, but manages to escape through the window, and a flock of pigeons carry her to safety in some kind of net, taking her to the prince.

I also remember them talking very quickly, as though it were dubbed and they were trying to fit in the lines, so it may be originally from another country.

Does anyone else remember this? I'm trying to find it again, or at least info on it.

I mainly use my mp3 player for audiobooks rather than music, and my current one (an old 30gb Zune) is fine for music and video, but awful for audiobooks. It will save my place if I pause before turning it off, but that means I can't listen to something else before going back to the audiobook. And now that several of my audiobooks are in 6-hour chunks, losing my place will be pretty annoying.

It's also a bit bulky/heavy so what I'm hoping is that someone can recommend a good, cheap mp3 player that has bookmarking and is good for audiobooks. I'm looking to spend around $50-60 and would like least 4GB of space.

I'm considering the Sansa Clip+, which I can get for $45--any comments from someone who has one, or other suggestions?

Okay, first of all, I am discussing my options with the vet, but I'm waiting for them to look into some tests, so I thought I'd ask about other people's experiences.

My dog is a larger breed, and she is going on 9 years old. The only thing that gets her moving is her daily (slow) walk and her treats. For her treats, she will still prance and leap into the air, though since she almost fell down the stairs twice recently, I haven't been letting her do that as much. She only eats her kibble if we put canned food in it. The current kibble is the only kind we've found that agrees with her stomach.

Last year, she was having incontinence issues, so we took her in and thought it might be a UTI. Well, her incontinence cleared up, but the vet wanted to run some more tests on her kidney function. The results were inconclusive. We tried medication. No effect. The vet pushed for a prescription kidney diet, and said that was about the only option left, but no other snacks or treats. I brought up her food issues, and I was brushed aside. She'll eat it, they said, most dogs like it fine.

Most dogs are not my picky old lady. Her main joy in life is her food, and I don't want to take that away from her. I've also done some research on my own and am not convinced these kidney diets really help. We switched vets, and we're back where we started.

Bascially: She's getting old, sweet but not very active, and has lost a lot of weight in the past month. She has started drinking tons of water. She's not much of a fighter, so I just don't feel right putting her through tough treatments, but at the same time, I am afraid of not doing what's best for her.

Has your dog gone through this? If this is kidney failure, how much longer does she have? Will things get really bad? What treatment did you do, and were you happy with the results?

I am running out of good young adult science fiction/fantasy to read, and I am hoping to get some suggestions. I am not really intersted in books based on European history or legend unless they are very unique.

I'm primarily interested in multicultural works-- in general, non-white main characters, settings other than quasi-medieval Europe. Think of Nancy Farmer's books, one set in futuristic Zimbabwe, another set in a futuristic country between the US and Mexico.

Mostly looking for science fiction and fantasy suggestions, though I like some historicals, too. Thanks for any help!

Yesterday I took the car out, went into the store, came out and the car wouldn't start. (No, no lights were left on, I checked.) Nothing happened at all, some lights came on inside and then dimmed right away. I tried to get a jump and couldn't, and it seemed to be because of the corrosion on the battery. I got some help cleaning it off and connected the battery again. This time it took the jump and I was able to drive it home, letting it run for a bit before shutting it off. This morning I go out to start it up, same thing happens-- dashboard lights light up, starter clicks a bit, but nothing else happens.

Is this just a dead battery (I think it is about 5 years old and was pretty corroded before it got cleaned off), or could it be a problem with the alternator, and how can I tell? I'll be taking it somewhere to have it looked at eventually, but since I'll need a jump start to get it there, I can't really go anywhere yet so I'm trying to get an idea of what I should expect.