SANDY & ME

You may be familiar with the book, Marley & Me about a lovable yet out-of-control lab and the family that adopted him. Their story spanned years. My story takes place in two weeks because frankly, it's all I can take.


Meet Sandy, a lovable yet completely out-of-control lab mutt. Our family is fostering her through the Cleveland Animal Protective League where we are weekly volunteers. Sandy has mange (skin disease) and is staying with us temporarily until she heals. Our daughter, like most kids, was convinced she wanted a dog. This experience has taught her that what she really wanted was a trained dog, and preferably one that does need to go out at 6:00 a.m.

Sandy has an affinity for chasing birds, frogs, rabbits, deer, dogs, people and cars. She chewed through her harness, urinated on my carpet, put a 6-inch tear in the kitchen linoleum and taught us a lot about dealing with difficult behaviors.

Just like a lot of difficult people, Sandy appeared well-behaved at first. Then slowly, her true personality appeared. She bit me several times. I'm sure she'd justify it as "just playing" but the scars and bruises on my forearms tell a different story. (If she was a difficult person, she might accuse me of being too sensitive.)

Sandy on a rabbit hunt

For all her challenging qualities, Sandy has a lot of redeeming ones too. Besides being cute, she made my daughter realize she didn't want to be a dog owner after all. And, after walking Sandy three times a day, I'm sporting some pretty impressive biceps!

My daughter learning the realities of owning a dog!

COLLEGE GRADUATION RATES EARNS "F"

They may be called Four-Year Universities, but the reality is we should call them Six Years or Longer. A new study conducted by The American Enterprise Institute compared federally reported graduation rates at 1,385 schools. They found that only 53.7 percent of first-time, full-time students enrolled in the fall of 2001 graduated from the same institution in 2007.
The study does not account for students who transfer, nor does it suggest why students drop out or offer solutions.

Having worked in a college setting for two years, I can tell you that one reason students drop out or transfer is because of social difficulties. So much emphasis is placed on getting academically prepared, and that's definitely important. But, many students sink or swim based on making friends and getting along with roommates. Transferring schools is costly, both financially and in terms of lost time.

If you're the parent or grandparent of a soon-to-be college freshman, please encourage him or her to think about how conflicts with roommates will be solved. Most say they'll "deal with it if it happens." They have no plan and no conflict resolution skills. If that's the case, clean out your basement. Your kid may be coming home!

I just updated my survival guide for managing such situations called My Roommate Is Driving Me Crazy! It offers over 250 conversation starters and solutions for solving roommate difficulties. These are skills everyone needs, no matter how long it takes to graduate! You can purchase it by clicking on the link above. It comes in two versions, hard copy or e-book. Include a copy as a gift when you're packing sheets and toilet paper - it'll come in just as handy!