Prepper Ponderings

More Jerry Ahern

I thought I'd pass on some links to other tributes or past interviews with Jerry.

Modern Survival Online Interview

Brian Drake Interview

Survival Weekly Tribute


K9 First Aid

Two weeks ago, our dog, Louis, was in the back yard with me when I noticed he was carrying is left rear leg up and "tri-podding."  He's limped in the past, so we didn't think too much of it, and gave him a baby aspirin for a couple of days.  When it didn't get any better I took him to the vet where he was diagnosed with a torn ACL.  We had a choice of keeping him crated and off of it for months, and probable healing after 6 - 8 months, or going in for surgery with a healing time of 2 - 3 months and much less confinement.

This past Tuesday, he went in for the surgery and about $1,000 later, is pretty pitiful right now.  It got me to thinking, what would we have done if we were in the middle of a long term SHTF situation?  If it was a more personal one, and we couldn't afford it or if it was a widespread one and there just wasn't major medical treatment available?  Louis is not only a beloved family pet, but he is also a part of our home's defense, serving as an alarm for people coming on the property.

Merck has two free on-line manuals.  One for pet owners and one for veterinarians.  Might be a good idea to download or print out some of the pertinent sections.  Does anyone have any other free or low-cost resources?


A Classic Title Returns

So I'm pushing my cart (the small cart without a baby seat - but that's another story) through the Food Lion and as I passed the magazine rack, I had to do a double take.  There it was, a blast from the past, American Survival Guide.  ASG was a staple of my youth, from the early 80's up through Y2K before the magazine went out of business.  I was even a photographer and uncredited co-writer for an article in the mid 90s.

The new ASG is put out by Gun World magazine, and other than the title seems to have no relation to the original.  It looks like it is starting off as a quarterly, and the cover price is $8.99.  It's very glossy and many of the articles and features are set up with lots of graphics, bullet points, and smaller sub-articles... very much like a Men's Health or similar magazine.  Sections include Urban, Wilderness and General Preparedness, along with a number of Buyer's Guides and some columns.  The only name I recognize among the editorial staff and contributors is Cody Lundin.  I have an original ASG with an article about Cody and his aboriginal survival school in Arizona.

I haven't done more than skim the magazine yet, but will give it a thorough reading this week.  I really hope it lives up the name, American Survival Guide, and that it becomes a regular, monthly magazine.  If it is well done, there will be a market for it.