If your dog is in pain it may struggle or bite while you try to treat its wound. If possible, have another family member or friend restrain your dog while you examine its injury. Be sure to handle your dog firmly but gently to avoid causing it extra pain. To restrain your dog, kneel down by your dog's side so you're facing its head. Then, take your arm that's furthest from your dog and hook it under your dog's chin. Take your other arm and wrap it around your dog's chest, behind its front legs. Finally, pull your dog close to your body and hold it there. Restraining your dog may help to calm it down if it feels panicked by its injury. Even the most docile dog may bite its owner after suffering a disorienting injury. Before treating your dog's wound, muzzle it gently to prevent biting. Be sure that the muzzle does not touch the wound. If your dog's wound is located too close to its mouth to muzzle it, proceed with caution. If you do not have a muzzle, you can wrap gauze around your dog's mouth temporarily to keep it from biting you. If your dog has a small wound, cover it with a clean piece of medical gauze. Apply constant pressure to the wound for up to 20 minutes to slow or stop the bleeding. If your dog has a large laceration, place a clean towel over the wound. If the bleeding continues after 20 minutes, bring your dog to a vet right away. Gently wrap a sports bandage or a long strand of soft material around your dog's head, limb, or torso to keep the gauze over the wound. Avoid wrapping it too tight, which may restrict your dog's breathing or circulation. Tie the bandage or material firmly with a knot. Avoid using tape to keep the bandage in place as it will adhere to your dog's fur and cause irritation and hair loss. If one of your dog's front or back paws is injured, you can slow down the bleeding by raising it above heart level. This will be the easiest to do if your dog is lying on its side, with the injured limb facing upwards. Keep gentle pressure on the wound. Similarly, if your dog has an ear injury and long ears, gently pull the ear up above its head to help stop the bleeding. Your dog may get an infection if its wound is left untreated for more than a day or two. Bring your dog to a veterinarian as soon as you can to evaluate and treat the injury. Your vet can also provide advice for how to care for the wound while it heals. Your vet may also have to check for internal bleeding, depending on the injury your dog suffered.
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One-sentence summary -- Restrain your dog if possible. Muzzle your dog to avoid being bitten. Apply gauze to the bleeding area and put pressure on it for 20 minutes. Wrap a sports bandage around your dog to hold the bandage in place. Raise your dog's limb above heart-level if it is bleeding. Bring your dog to a vet as soon as possible after bandaging its wound.

You have many options, and the type of child you want will drive who you work with during the adoption process. Spend some time considering the following: Do you want to adopt a child in the U.S.? This is called a domestic adoption. However, you might have to wait a long time for a child to become available. Do you want to adopt a child internationally? You might have a better chance at finding a child, but international adoptions can be complicated and more expensive. Do you want a baby, or are you open to adopting an older child? Would you like the child to be the same race, ethnicity, or religion as you? You might need to wait longer, depending on your preferences. Check your phone book or perform an Internet search to find private agencies. Generally, private agencies provide full service, including adoption education, counseling, home studies, and post-adoption services. Adopting a child will cost you around $4,000-30,000. Make sure the agency is properly licensed. Call the Department of Social Services (DSS), Children's Division, at 573-751-4954. Also check with the Missouri State's Attorney General's Office to see if the agency has been sued. Instead of working with an agency, you can hire a lawyer. They can search for a child to adopt by contacting doctors, advertising in the newspaper, or helping you create a website. Make sure the lawyer specializes in adoption and not in another field. Obtain a referral from the Missouri bar association by calling 573-636-3635 or visiting www.mobar.org. Discuss fees ahead of time. Lawyers charge different amounts depending on their experience and the complexity of the adoption. Generally, they charge $5,000-40,000. Missouri's Department of Social Services handles the adoption process. There are about 2,000 foster children in Missouri awaiting adoption. You can either become a foster parent first or adopt the child directly. Some foster children are special needs, but don't let that deter you from considering them. You can get money from the state, around $200-300 a month. Many people adopt from China, Eastern Europe, or Latin America. You should find an agency approved for Hague intercountry adoptions. International adoptions are complicated, so thoroughly research the adoption agency. International adoptions can cost up to $35,000. Ask for three or more referrals from people who have adopted through the agency and be sure to call them. Ask the referrals how complicated the process was. Did the parents feel like they had sufficient support? Did someone from the agency travel with them to the foreign country? Find out if there were hidden expenses or whether everything cost about what they expected.
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One-sentence summary -- Assess your situation and preferences. Work with a private agency for a domestic adoption. Hire an adoption lawyer for a private placement. Work with the state to adopt a foster child. Find an agency that specializes in international adoptions.

Place the sand dollars in a container filled with fresh water. As the sand dollar sits, the water should start to get brown. When the water gets to be a murky brown, replace it with fresh water and submerge the sand dollars again. Keep swapping out the water and submerging the dollars in fresh water until it stops turning brown. Fully cleaning the sand dollars could take anywhere from 1-3 hours. Sand dollars can be found in shallow water, in the sand on a beach, or under seaweed. Pour 1 part bleach and 3 parts cold water into a bucket or container to create your solution. This process will whiten off-white or brownish sand dollars. Wear a pair of rubber gloves and carefully place the sand dollars into the solution to bleach them. Do not soak the sand dollars in the bleach solution for too long or they can crumble. Run the sand dollars under cold water from your faucet to remove the bleach and water solution. Leave the sand dollars in a sunny place for 1-2 hours to dry them. Let the sand dollars completely dry before moving onto the next step. Pour the PVA, or white glue, into a container and add an equal amount of water. Mix the solution together with a wooden stick or a brush until the glue and water are mixed thoroughly. Applying this solution will harden the sand dollar and make it easier to paint on. Elmer's Glue-All is a popular type of PVA glue. Dip a paintbrush into the glue and water solution. Apply the solution liberally over the top surface and underside of the sand dollars with large, broad strokes. Lay 2 chopsticks or toothpicks on a table so that they are parallel to each other. Then, lay the sand dollar over the sticks so that the chopsticks or toothpicks prop the sand dollar off the surface of the table. This will serve as a makeshift stand and will prevent the solution from coming off the bottom of the sand dollar.
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One-sentence summary --
Submerge the sand dollars in fresh water to clean them. Soak the sand dollars in a bleach and water solution for 5-10 minutes. Rinse off the sand dollars and let them dry. Create a 1:1 mixture of water and PVA glue. Coat the sand dollars with the glue and water solution. Lay the sand dollars on 2 chopsticks and let them dry.