Where's Daddy?!?!

So, Maxx and I were taking the dogs out yesterday and decided we'd go to the off-leash dog park, after dropping a friend off at the mall as she needed to swap out some photos she had up at the gallery.

Turned out, she wanted Maxx do drive her around doing errands, not simply drop her off so he and I could get on with our day, so Maxx asked if I wanted to come with them and walk the dogs later.  Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to indicate that if the dogs and I did not get dropped off first, then it would be too dark when they were done and Angel and Hobgoblin would miss out on their outing.

So, Maxx dropped us off at the dog park (you're allowed to be one person to two dogs, but no more), and I got them in and took off their leashes.  At the time we showed up there were just two other little dogs, one named Raisin (I forget what breed she is, but we've met her before), and a little tan puggle named Lucy.  Hobs of course likes meeting the other dogs and after his initial sniffing and peeing at the gate and a first poop, he's off to play and run around.  Angel actually preceded me into the off-leash area, and did hesitantly go forward to sniff noses, but she spent most of her time walking around and around the track with me, although this time quite often out in front.  She seemed more confident.

The two who were there when we arrived did leave, and a dog or two showed up and left (there were quite a few big dogs in the other side), but we ended up being left on our own.  At one point, Hobs was over near the gate area and a man was walking past that end of the small-dog only part of the park ... and I think Hobs at first thought it was Daddy, for some reason on the outside of the park.  But when the man spoke to him he realized it was NOT his Dad, and started barking and growling a little, then he wouldn't leave the gate while Angel and I did another 5-10 circuits of the track.  I think he had only just realized that his Dad wasn't there, and was waiting for him.

Silly fella ... you'd think he would have realized from the get-go that Daddy hadn't come into the park with us but had driven away in the car!

Coon Hound Rescue Calendar 2012

We opened our Black and Tan Coon Hound Rescue calendar for 2012 from John and Steve today ... and for the life of me I can't pick out Bruce, even though I know he's one of the smaller pictures this year. When I talk to them next I'll have to ask which month he's on.

I feel like such a horrible auntie!

New Dog?

So, Maxx and I were talking the other day and he mentioned he'd been thinking about the Chihuahuas I'd mentioned seeing on the Victoria SPCA website for adoption (as there were so many of them, I'd been wondering if there had recently been a large seizure), and that he was seriously considering checking them out ... he's wanted for a long time to adopt a Chihuahua, but a very special one.

He wants what he calls a "pure blood Asthma Hound Chihuahua", so he can name him Ren.

Silly man!

If there's anyone in the Victoria area who reads this blog, there are quite a few dogs waiting for homes right now, and if you are specifically looking for a smaller sized dog, there's lots of Chihuahua mixes and also lots of Terrier mixes right now ... I don't know if the "Home for the Holidays" campaign is still officially on, but could you open your home and your heart to one of these wee darlings?

Merry-sick

I guess I suddenly got Merry-sick last night.  I crawled into bed (cold and shivering) and was lying there trying to warm up and get to sleep, then all of a sudden I got a vivid picture of poor Merry's face, and just started weeping.

I miss my little Muffin Man.  I hope he knows that one day I will catch up with him, and Shep, and PV, and other pets who have passed on.

Santa Photos

Remembered yesterday that I hadn't been by Buckerfields to pick up the photo of Angel and Hobgoblin with Santa, so stopped by today after work to pick it up.  They look good, and the photographer managed to snap it when Hobs wasn't staring wildly in fright (he's not good with Santa, he's nervous around strange men).  Angel of course is just lounging comfortably on Santa's knee and looking at me like "What?"

Dropped it getting back into the car, as it slipped out of the photo frame, and it slipped under the car in the wet ... but luckily I was able to reach it and quickly wipe it off with a tissue, and it looks fine.

Happy Holidays

Hope everyone is having a happy and safe holiday season, whatever holiday you celebrate.

Remember to keep the pets safe from ornaments and holiday treats, be careful with antifreeze and salt for the sidewalks ... and if you adopted a pet as part of the SPCA's "Home for the Holidays" campaign ... thank you for opening your hearts and your homes to an animal who needs you.

Bright Yule!

Christmas Miracle Doggy

Read a story in our local paper the other day, which was a follow-up to a story from November.

On Remembrance Day, a lady was walking her wee dog, (which she adopted two years ago from the local SPCA, and had been rescued from a puppy mill) on leash in Bowen Park, when four other small dogs attacked Maggie, who then slipped her leash and collar and disappeared into the park.

The lady reported her lost dog to animal services and the SPCA, put up missing dog posters, and even went for walks in the park after dark with a flashlight, hoping that Maggie might come out at night to be found ... but she was never seen again.

The lady had given up hope of seeing Maggie, and adopted another dog from the SPCA, who became sick and had to be put down on Monday, which was just another blow before the holiday season.  But, when she got home, the phone was ringing, to tell her that Maggie had been found.

 A man and his daughter were in the park and spotted what they thought was a dog or a cat on a ledge, made there way over, covered it with a blanket and contacted authorities.  When the lady got the call and got out there, she knew it was Maggie as soon as she saw her, and rushed her to the vet.  They think she fell down the hillside, was injured (she's lost an eye), and was stuck ... covered in feces and not strong enough to lift her head.

It's a miracle that she survived as long as she did ... and I'm so happy that the folks in the park noticed her, so that she could rejoin her human parent for the holidays.  Actually, when I read the story I just started bawling and rushed to show it to Maxx, and could just gulp out "they found that little dog that got attacked early last month" and thrust the paper at him, so he could read the story for himself.

Just a wee little miracle, in time for the holidays ... and while I'm sorry for the little dog that got sick and had to be put to sleep, I am so glad that Maggie got to come home.

Sneaky Sneaky

So, Maxx drove me to work today, so he had to come back and pick me up at 2pm.  When he left the house, both of his slippers were where they are supposed to be ... in the bedroom.

We arrived home to find that Hobgoblin (we are making an assumption, but he's been caught with the slipper so many times now that we feel justified) had gotten the slipper and left it in the hallway near the door to the spare room.  I mentioned it to Maxx, who grumbled about his dog and snatched the slipper up to toss it on the bed.  Just after he did so, I glanced down at the floor and what should I see but dog poop!

Now, both the dogs do know they aren't supposed to go potty in the house.  I couldn't tell who was the culprit of the potty accident, but we could tell that Hobs had tried to cover up the evidence ... sneaky sneaky!

Sweet Doggies

Angel and Hobgoblin are both curled up on the bed right now, with Hobgoblin's head pressed to Angel's bum.

They're so cute!

Once I upgrade to Lion OS, I'll be able to synch my phone with my computer again, and be able to take photos to post.  Need to back up my files first, as I'm scared that I'll be the one person who has issues with the upgrade and lose not just all the pictures I have on the computer (particularly pet photos of pets who have passed on), but also the novel.

Animals and Nicknames

If you've ever had a pet, you've likely named the pet and it's then ended up with one or more nick-names.

Our first pet as kids, a teddy bear hamster we received for Christmas and promptly christened Nikki, never actually received a nick-name, but all the other pets I've had since then have received at least one.

Buddy, who we got the Christmas after Nikki died, had several: Budweiser, Budster, Bud.

PV, the lovely Norweigian Forest cat I got as an adult, as "my" first pet: her name actually came from a term from Amway (which Maxx and I were involved with at the time), product volume; however, she became known as Princess Vicious, and Princess.

Shep, our wonderful black lab/border collie/husky mixed breed, who was picked out from an animal shelter for me by Maxx and his mother: he was very shy at first as he'd been beaten and abused, so he quickly got nick named Boo, then we added BooBoo, Shep-a-roo, Sheppy or Sheppy-Shep-Shep (mostly me, not Maxx, for the latter names).

Merry and Pippin, our pair of black and white cats, likely Maine Coone or a cross: they received nick names right at first, as they were actually named after Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took from the Lord of the Rings (and yes, this was long before the movie came out, back in 1997, as we are both Tolkien fans).  Merry then had Mer-Mer, Muffin, Muffin Man added, and Pippin gets called Pippy-Lip, Pip-Pip.  Together, we called them "The Meepers".

Jinx, who adopted us after being tossed out a window, another black and white cat who looks as though he could be Merry and Pippin's love child if same-sex couples could reproduce: I originally wanted to name him Motorboat but got vetoed.  Jinx gets called Jinky, Jinky Wink, Winky, Winkers, and Jinxie.

Trouble, our black cat who was left in our car by her dying feral mother cat when she was just a week kitten: full name is actually Car Trouble; she gets called Trub, Trub-Trub, and Troublesome.

DJ, our little silver tabby, who was a member of a litter left locked in a shed in a cardboard box at three weeks of age -- without their mother -- left to die as the family which owned the mother cat went on vacation.  All were rescued, and DJ adopted Maxx when he was over at the home of the friend who rescued the family of kittens.  DJ actually stands for her full name, Duchess Justine; we often call her Deej, Baby Girl, Tiny, and Squeeks (she has a tiny wee cry).

Angel, my lovely little maltese-poodle mix (so named because she was born on the day Shep passed on, and when I first met her was coloured just the same except for the tip of her tail, which was white): she gets called Angelkin, Kinny-Kin, Kinny, Kin-Kin, and Angelicious.

Hobgoblin, who we rescued from the SPCA down in Victoria: when we originally picked him up, he was named BeeBee at the time, which got changed to Hobgoblin almost immediately (partly because Maxx calls Angel our "Nose Goblin" since she loves kissing inside noses): he gets called Hobs, usually, or Hob-a-loo, Hobson, or Hobby.

When I had my little Lady Gouldian Finch, his full name was Rainbow, but I called him Beau.  My two remaining parakeets are named Buttercup (yellow one), and Summer (white with bits of blue and yellow), but they actually don't have nick-names ... at least not yet!

You Need a Vacation!

If there's anyone out there looking for a vacation, check out www..onlinevpm.com .... our vacation property is actually up for rent at this time, ad # 20898.

We just never seem to get enough time off or money ... or both together ... to be able to do a vacation.  Plus, if we were to use our time at our local resort, we can't bring the critters, so we'd be back and forth each day from there to home to check on the babies and get the wee dogs out for walks.

Really looking forward to the day when we can actually make use of some of our yearly points, though, and take a real vacation.  Waiting for the new catalogue to come to us in the mail so we can go through it.  We get access to resorts around the world on our points, just have to be able to book well in advance.  How does an all-inclusive in Mexico sound?  Or an Alaskan cruise?  How about a trip to the Mediterranean?  I'd like to go to England and Scotland ... all the choices, once we finally get the opportunity to start vacationing!

Snuggled

I certainly do get snuggled in bed at night.  Angel is always there with me, and will ask several times during the night to go under the covers by coming to my face and gently scratching at the edge of the comforter, so I'll let her under and she'll curl up at my feet and lick my toes for a while.  She only comes out again when she gets too hot.  Often I do have Hobgoblin with me, too, and he's taken to asking to follow Angel under the covers, but he curls up against my stomach or my back and nods off to sleep.  Trouble almost always sleeps on the pillow beside me, and often I have Pippin on the bed as well, lately.  He curls up on the side nearest the window, and will move back and forth between the bed and the window sill during the night.  Rarely, I may have DJ up on the bed, but she's mostly there for a visit, and Jinx likes the bed without humans in it, so he may relax on the bed during the day, but as soon as I got to climb in he leaves.

Sometimes, I even have Maxx in bed with me!

Quizzical

So, when I ask Angel to sit down, and then ask her if she's hungry, she tilts her head to the side as though she's quizzical, asking me if I really really mean it.  If I ask her if she wants food, she gets excited.

Funny how she reacts differently depending on how I phrase the question!

White Stuff?

Well, last week the weather channel was forecasting quite a bit of snow for this week ... but they've changed their tune.  Then, they were forecasting quite a bit of snow for next Monday, but they've changed the forecast AGAIN!

Now, I do like snow.  I'm just wishing we could have copious amounts of it fall on yards and gardens, and leave the roads, driveways, sidewalks, and parking lots alone.

... I don't want much, do I? ...

Anyhoo, if we do happen to get enough of the white stuff, hopefully Maxx and I will be able to get the wee doggies out on a walk while it's deep, and I'll do my best to get pictures or even video.

Shep used to love the snow.  He would root in it with his nose and toss snowballs for himself, and he would always make himself a "wallow", too, which would end up getting very compacted and icy and would be the last patch of snow to melt out in the yard.

Physio

Had a really quick physio appointment today after work ... measured how far I can bend backwards and forwards.  Backwards I'm up to 42 degrees, forwards we didn't measure when it starts to hurt today but how far forward I can go period, which was 116 degrees, which is close to average (average is 120 degrees).  While I'm not sure how many degrees I was able to bend forward without pain, at least when it started to hurt, it didn't hurt any worse the further forward I bent!

Now, I have three arm exercises and two leg exercises to add to my stretches, to start building upper and lower body strength.  Good thing I already have the five pound weights at home.  Doing bicep curls, lat press (or lift, I guess), and military press for the arms with the five pound weights, then for the legs doing a "potty squat" which isn't a full regular squat, and doing a dead lift (no weight, though).  For the leg exercises, I'm supposed to hold something straight behind my back to keep an eye on whether I'm managing to keep my spine in neutral position.  Wonder if we have a mop or broom with a handle which detaches .... did my first set at home today without the handle but did pay close attention to the alignment of my spine.

Angel seems to have calmed down with the other stretches I do.  While she does do some frantic face licking, she seems more content to either sit on my gazing down lovingly, or lying beside me waiting for me to finish so she can have some attention.

Dog Park

We had Angel and Hobgoblin out at one of the local off-leash dog parks the other day.  They have two sections, one of which is specifically for small dogs ... and at the height of the time we were there, there were about 15 or so little dogs racing around playing.  Most of the dogs were having a ball chasing each other around and just being exuberant, but there were a couple (Angel included) who weren't all that interested in playing.  Angel just stays at my heels, and if I or Maxx sit on one of the benches she just pops up and asks to come up on our laps.  So, I walk around and around the park, with Angel usually behind me at my heels, but sometimes she ventures out in front of me.  She was actually more open to meeting dogs this time, as she actually approached a couple very cautiously and sniffed noses.

I'm wondering about getting a little fake leash to attach to her harness, to see if she thinks there's a leash attached she'll have more confidence, as she's fine meeting dogs when on leash on her walks.

We'll have to see if I can find something like that when we have some spare money.

Jinx Seems to Understand

Jinx has been so very good about not being allowed outside since he tested positive for FIV.  I know it's only been a couple of days, but while he has asked to go out, he hasn't carried on and on and on like he usually does until he's let out.  He seems content to go and use the litter box and then wander back to the bedroom and curl up on the bed.

It's almost like he understands that since he's FIV+, he needs to stay in not just for his own health and safety, but for that of the neighborhood cats with which he might fight.

What a good little (20 lb) kitty!

Great Vet News

We had Pippin, Trouble, and DJ all into the vet today for blood tests to see if they are positive for FeLV (found out it's not FVLV, it just sounded like it at first!) and for FIV.

The great news is that all three tested negative, so now we just need to get them the shots to see if we can prevent them catching it ... and see about convincing Jinx (and hopefully the other three) to stay inside from now on.

Yay!

Bad Vet News

So, we had Pippin, Jinx, Trouble, and DJ all in for their annual shots the other day, and we found out that they'd never been receiving the extra vaccine for FIV and FVLV (feline aids and feline leukemia).

Since Jinx is the one who's always fighting the neighborhood cats, we decided to have him tested, and decide what to do depending on his results.

So, we found out today that while Jinx is negative for FVLV, he is positive for FIV, and there's nothing we can do about that .... other than he now has to be an inside cat if at all possible, to stop him from spreading it around to the local pet cats or to feral cats.

Now, we have to take Pippin, Trouble, and DJ in tomorrow afternoon to get them all tested to see where they stand.  If they are positive, we have to try to keep everyone in.  If some or all of them are negative, they'll need to get started on the vaccine (which is a series of 3 vaccines, I understand).

Poor Jinx, he's going to hate having to stay inside.  I think I may have to go out to PetSmart and get him an indoor cat patch with grass or something.

Bad timing, too, what with the commissions snafu on Maxx's paycheque meaning he doesn't have any more money coming in until mid-January, likely.  I guess I'll be trying to cash out my stock options as well as cashing out my existing stocks, to make sure all the bills and these unexpected vet bills get paid.

Wish us luck!

Work Worries

Well, I will be changing to working 6 hour shifts in the week of December 16th, so I will have to re-schedule my physio appointments for that week to be later in the day ... hopefully they will be able to accommodate, as I'll be working from 8am-2pm instead of to 1pm.

Yesterday was busy-ish on our chat service, so instead of working on email I was doing chats, and I got stuck on a really long one, so missed out on one of my micro-breaks to get up and stretch my back ... and boy could I feel the difference yesterday, and even today, with missing those breaks!

I have one exercise I can do at work, the others I have to do at home (I would have to be wearing pants to do the standing versions of these various exercises at work, and I certainly don't have any work-friendly pants which fit and would allow for the necessary range of movement).

Angel just LOVES me doing these stretches at home on the bed, though.  When I do my sloppy push ups she's under me trying to kiss my face, and those stretches done with my lying on my back, she ends up planting herself on my chest or even on my face to sloppy kiss all over me .... it's a good thing she's just a wee dog!

Thumb Twiddling

Seems like I'm at a loss for things to do recently.  Working half-days at work due to a back strain and possible disk displacement, going to physio twice a week (which is making a difference and I'm hoping I'll be back to 'better than new' sooner rather than later), and not spending much time sitting in front of the computer as I'm not supposed to sit too long at a time.

I have some exercises or stretches that I do ... one is called a "sloppy push up" which is essentially lying face-down, putting your hands beside your shoulders as though you were going to do a regular push up, then pushing up but leaving your torso as relaxed as possible, to stretch your back (think the cobra asana from yoga).

Angel thinks the sloppy push ups are just the best.  As I push up, she rushes over and stands on her hind feet to kiss my face, and as I come back down she frantically tries to stay directly in front of my face between me and the bed.  When I'm down she clambers over my back and sometimes as I start to push up she wriggles under my arm from behind to get in at my face.

As I said to the physio yesterday, while working to stretch out and get looser, I certainly am not lacking in endorphins from laughing at my Angel!