On A Lighter Note! Sheepadoodle!

Ok guys, I know I've been a bit dreary and deep the last few days so here is something on Sheepadoodles that I promised. First of all who just ran to google to get a jump start or sheepadoodles? Ya, when I first heard the word I did too. Well as you found out then, the sheepadoodle is a fairly recent breed that is the cross between an Old English Sheepdog and a Standard (or mini) Poodle. It's part of the attempt to create a truly hypo allergenic dog, that and have you seen one? They are the most adorable thing, you can't help but want to hug it.

Picture is courtesy of Sheepadoodle.com

I fell in love with the dogs. However as many people are aware getting a dog isn't as easy as going to the pet store. This was a hard reality for me when I first moved out of my parents home and found out my apartment wouldn't let me take my miniature dachshund with me. I didn't understand the problem. He was small, house broken, quiet, loved to chew but not on anything that the apartment owners should care about. Why couldn't I keep him with me? Well the answer to that was simple. If I wanted to take him I had to add $100 to my rent every month and when I moved out I might as well forfeight my deposit because of all the extra cleaning involved when someone brings a pet into the facility. So being the young woman that I was, I moped but I left him at home with my mother and his mini schnauzer friend where I knew he would get the love he deserved. It was here that the distinction between a hypoallergenic dog and everyone elses dog first came into play for me.

It was also about this time that I had begun dating my Significant other and he had a severe allergy to dogs. It was from him that I heard the term because his parents had adopted a dog from the pound that was theoretcially hypo allergenic. Now if you have even a smidge of medical training BS bells are ringing. People are typically allergic to the dogs dander. Any dog with skin will have dander. Where does the hypo come in?

Hypoallergenic dogs do not mean without dander, they simply mean less of it and controled. Hypoallergenic dogs typically mean they have hair, not fur so they do not shed and spread less of it around at the cost of monthly grooming. Certain breeds of dogs are also proven to have less dander than others so weekly bathing could eleminate the excess problem almost completely.

You can imagine how being a dog lover this concept began to greatly appeal to me, especially after I found myself to be in love with a man who couldn't own a dog for health concerns. It was a tough conversation to start but we did eventually begin to discuss options about owning a dog once we owned a house and I did some research to see what my hypoallergenic options were. The list was alphabetical and I was having some trouble finding out that just called out to me until I found the sheepadoodle. It was the most darling thing I'd ever seen and I knew that if I had to pick a hypodog I wanted it to be that one. At this point my mini dachshund has also been living with my mother for three years and it seemed cruel to take him away from her and his mini schnauzer buddy as he had really become her dog and he was highly allergenic.

As far as I can tell there are two main breeders in the USA. One being Sheepadoodle.com based of California and the other being Sheepadoodle.net based out of Washington state. Both want north of $1000 per puppy and as far as I am concerned it's money well spent. To get a sheepadoodle for hypoallergenic reasons means you need to know where the puppy came from and know for certain what is in it's back ground. If you don't you could end up in a situation where you have a dog that makes you sick and you can't give it the love it deserves.

So I don't know about you but corset is hoping that one day she will find a puppy with a bow on its butt for Christmas once we get settled in our house. ;) Between hypo allergenic puppies and the amazing leaps immunotherapy has made, I have hope.

Having a soft spot for puppies,
Corset is signing off.

Welcome to the Basement

Welcome to the basement, this is where I like to write. Its not dark, nor dank, there are no people hiding in the shadows fearing the light as they roll the dice. There is no mass of pizza boxes and assorted junk food wrappers littering the floors. The place is actually fairly well lit, with windows open most of the day, art fills our walls from black and white landscapes to artistic nudes, we have no shame in it. You are right about on thing though. There are not many lamps or alternative light sources in this space. Of course we really don’t need it as long as we open the balcony blinds during the summer. This is starting to sound less and less like a basement isn’t it? Have you figured out where we are yet?


There are hundreds if not thousands of negative stereotypes associated with being a gamer the most common ones portrayed being pale shriveled people within a hidden place. Another is that they are all sex starved men that would faint at the sight of a woman and still live at home. I am neither. With that thought everyone I know that I game with is employed, or in college. Many of them are in healthy relationships. So What I want to know is where did this idea come from? The release of the original D&D was before my time by many years but I can't believe that a sub culture this large came from a group of individuals portrayed as they are in movies and this is really starting to bother me.


Even the lack of solid information on the statistics of gamers is infuriating at times as I try and trace back the social roots of this. It has in fact gotten to the point where I am going to attempt a long term study in my community to find out more about gamers and why the lack of females within it. In a breakdown:

1. What: I am attempting to study the appearance of higher male to female ratio in the table top gaming community. In this study I am also attempting to centralize whether there is a true higher ratio, or if the females have simply been discouraged from the main stream by the stereotypes and social risk/stigma associated with being a table top gamer.
2. Why: Being a female who enjoys gaming, I am curious as to why it appears that more men may by participating in the activity but during events such as cons, there are a more equal appearing number of men versus women. To me this suggest that women stay out of the mainstream gaming because it is a risk. However at cons where everyone there is a 'geek' or a gamer that is safe so they feel as if they can participate. I would like to conduct a study to find out how much of this is speculation and how much of this is true.
   
   
   However do NOT expect this to by my only subject within this blog. I will keep everyone updated assuming that there is an everyone but right now I have homework to do and art to scan while I cross my fingers for a tablet for Christmas.
   
   
   
   
   Have a good one.
   Don't do anything I wouldn't do.
   -Girl In a Corset