2 for 1 Wednesday

So its official, this year I will be a cub leader. Meetings start in two weeks with the kids. I'm excited to be back in scouting.

Two week ago I attended a fundraiser for our local animal shelter. For a donation you could get a professional photo taken with your pet. Unfortunately they didn't have a great turn out but I got some great pictures of the dogs (and me).

Me and the dogs, Finnegan, Lady & Molly

 

Finnegan, mutt(germand shepherd and australian shepherd) 7 minus 2 months yrs old

 Lady, Standard Silver Poodle, 7 3/4 yrs old

Molly, Border Collie, 14 3/4 yrs old

Molly, Border Collie, 14 3/4 yrs old

With Hope They Waited

Over 3 years ago now, a man was killed in a fire just north of my home town. With him lived alot of dogs, most were the unwanted pets of others that he would take in and care for. When news of his death hit the animal welfare rescues and groups, many volunteers banded together to help the now orphaned dogs.

The author of this book, Marilyn Dickie, was one of the kind hearted people that adopted one of the many dogs we rescued. Upon hearing about the journey these dogs have gone through she took it upon herself to compile a memoir of the rescue of the dogs from Mile 26.

I am delighted to have had the opportunity to house many of the rescues at my kennel as they were being transported to shelters across Ontario. Marilyn asked a couple of us "angels" to write a little something about our part in the events that unfolded; so I am also happy that I will be forever published in my four pages in this book.

If anyone would like a copy you can email withhopetheywaited@hotmail.com with your name, address, and number of copies you would like. Books are 20.00 each plus shipping. Payments can be made by cheque or e-transfer -which can be arranged once contact has been made with the mentioned email. 100% of the profits are being donated back to non-profit animal rescues in Ontario.

(disclaimer updated aug 18 2013: books by email are 20.00, I had posted that they we're 15.00 as that is what is quoted on the last page of the book on how to order more copies; Marilyn asked me to change this post to the "correct" price. I appologize for any confusion as I was just taking the info that was printed in the book.)

Into thin air

So I was working away today, grooming my heart out. There's not much to concentrate on while grooming so my mind tends to wander while I'm going through my steps to beautify dogs. I had 2 or 3 great ideas for blog posts. Now that I'm at home; nothing.  I am going to have to start jotting down my ideas when I have them instead of filing them into my mental space to retrieve at a later time.

So in the mean time....

The turkeys turned 4 weeks old on wednesday. I had ordered 12, got 13; one died last friday so I'm back down to 12. They arent as ugly as they were, theyre starting to get their adult feathers and look less like naked chickens. This weekend I'm going to be brave and let them out of their pen while I clean their shed, its not terribly dirty yet but I want to get into the habbit of letting them outside while I clean the shed and I think them exploring their pen should be fine, they're big enough not to escape through any holes in the fence.

This weekend I get to work again...I need the money soo its not too bad. And i have no life, plus I'll have 7 dogs at my house so a couple hour break saturday morning will be nice. I'm also on stand by for our new student if she runs into any trouble she can call me and I'll go to her rescue. Shes also kind of being thrown under the bus this weekend too. As the manager is out of town for a fishing derby and the student who usually works weekends has her prom and is apparently not capable of working the day after prom, nor even coming in on Saturday at 1 to work for 4 hours. Whatever happened to going to work hung over or still drunk? Kids these days...I do have full confidence in our new hire, she just needs a little more practice time and her confidence will improve as time goes on too.

I am looking forward to the 24th. Sam, the manager and I are headed off on a mini work vacation/conference. We're headed to the big city of Guelph to visit the Royal Canin pet food plant. The trip is entirely paid by Royal Canin, meals, hotel, gas money, plus once all the business seminars are done we get to go on a wine tour for dinner. We're only gone for 3 days but who can say no to an all expence paid (plus our wages) oppotunity to get away. Then on the 29th I'm on the road again for my aunts 65th birthday party, then home on the 30th for my friends parents anniversary party, then Canada Day festivities on the July 1. And then 8 days of work and I'm off to my best friends wedding.

Busy busy. And I should be tidying the house(house proofing for 7 large dogs and 1 small dog), and getting myself organized. Hopefully I won't loose too many more ideas for interesting blog posts.

whistle while you work

I don't normally complain about my job, I love grooming and working with the dogs. I also love working at my new location at the pet store in town. I can't wait for renovations to start in the spring and by next fall I should have a newly renovated grooming area at the store.

Today I had the pleasure of grooming a flea invested cocker spaniel. The poor dog must have had fleas since the fall poor dog, I sent it home flea-less and with a 3 month treatment plan to hopefully rid the dog of the fleas. Just one of the perks of my jobs treating dogs with fleas and notifying owners of any other possible parasites or infections the dog(s) may have.

Last week an owner dropped off a poodle and told me there is no possible way to brush a "dog like that". I thought she was joking at first, but nope dead serious, so then after a 20 min lesson on how to properly brush a poodle. I groomed the dog, when owner picked up the dog she was over the moon happy that I didn't shave him short...yet that's exactly what I did. I used a 7 blade with isn't the shortest blade but blades shorter than that pets can get sunburnt or windburnt or get too cold, in short its not in the best interest of the pet to get anything shorter done, unless its severly matter -which is another matter unto itself.

On a happy grooming note: Today I groomed a "problem dog" she's a biter, a I'm going to eat your face if you touch my legs/feet dog. Today we made huge progress! I was able to use the clippers to shave her legs usually I have to scissor them and they look all choppy. And when I did her nails she didn't do the pull and tug with her leg, snip snip snip snip and nails were done. I did have her muzzled for the leg and feet work but her behavior had greatly improved since I started grooming her a couple years ago.

Last night I groomed my neighboors lab. Since starting grooming at the pet store I've only kept a a small, tiny number of dogs that I'll still groom at home. One is my neighboors dog, to me it makes no sense for them to drive all the way to town when I live next door, not to mention they have a lab, a good bath, nail trim, ear cleaning and a brush and done. Plus I get to spend some time with an incredibly handsome chocolate lab who may have just won the lab gene pool.

HUDSON

Fur Babies

This is Pickles, he's 3months old. I'm not a "cat" person, but I keep a cat to control the mouse population in my house. I hate setting and emptying mouse traps more that I hate cats. I did have a gorgeous long haired calico cat for the past 5 years but I think she got eaten by the cayotes this summer :( Hopefully as long as Pickles won't feel the urge to venture outside and meet the same fate. next Friday he goes for his second set of needles then its choppy choppy time when he's old enough. Pickles is Lady's new favorite toy, whereever Pickles goes Lady thinks she should go too, the table, the counter, the closets...

This is Lady. She's my silver Standard Poodle. I rescued her this time of the year about 5 years ago, she'll be 7 in January. She's a nut, mischievious, cute, cuddley, plauful, a brat and bossy. She's a clown and very smart, makes me laugh and you never know what she'll get into. Like she knows how to open most of the doors inside the house; if I have the bathroom door close she'll think I'm hiding something from her and go investigate herself often ending up locking herself in the bathroom :S Not that you can tell from this picture but poodles do have the best soulfull dogs eyes, big brown orbs of love staring back at you. I lucked out when I rescued her too, as a groomer poodles are canvass in our world ready to be turned into works of art. She's had so many hair styles, and dye jobs and expirements done to her, she's very patient whenever I groom her or try something new out on her. Once she's gone I'll seriously think about getting another standard poodle -I'm not a small dog person. (I even have a couple possible names picked out Mokey or Gobo -names from my favorite kids show the Fraggles!)

 

 

This handsome devil is the famous Finnegan. He just turned 6 earlier this month. I adopted him when I took my grooming course. He's been the best dog ever. He's part German Shepherd and part Australian Shepherd. I worked very hard with him to train him, he's a very good listener, two things that I'm incredibly proud of is that he will walk with me off leash in the heal command -I had always wanted a dog that did that and the second thing being he is an incredible Frisbee dog. Summer or Winter, rain or shine he loves his frisbee. He's also really well behaved around other dogs. Finnegan's biggest quirk (or maybe just a point to prove he really is my dog) is that he loves to watch tv, especially when there's other animals or dogs on tv, CSI and the telus commercials are his favorite shows (he even enjoys the cartoon animals on some shows).

 

 

Dogs really do enrich your lives. I can't ever imagine not owning a dog, and if I could afford it I would have a dog farm, maybe when I win my millions this friday on the Lotto Max draw. My next dog is Elvis, he's a boston or harlequin coloured(black and white) Great Dane, another breed I feel in love with. 

 



This is That

I love my new job! When you love your job it truly does affect how well you do your job and reduces the stress in your life. Granted I've only been there 2 days so far but so far so good.

This afternoon I logged into Facebook and one of the aquaintances I went to Chile with posted this photo and saying:

 

With all the drama I've been dealing with over the last couple of years I thought it was pretty fitting. In a round about way it also perhaps explains my recent (one of my 30th birthday to me from me presents) tattoo. My tattoo is a wolf howling at the moon, I got the wolf tattoo for a couple of reasons: 1) the wolf is a member of the canine family and I love dogs, they are an amazing creature 2) though wolves are pack animals they sometimes need to leave the pack and be that lone wolf and then find themselves a new pack where they are better needed and wanted. Here's a picture of my tattoo:

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Additions

On impulse I got a new kitten last night. :-/ My former cat hasn't been seen in over two weeks (I suspect she either got caught by the cayotes or has decided to call one of my neighboors barns her new home...but my gut tells me it was the cayotes)...she had been a good mouser and beautiful cat as far as cats go. I'm a dog person. The cat in my home is a working cat, they have the mouser position so I don't have to deal with traps or rodents! ew! They also get to kill any other basement critters like bugs and spiders and like I discovered yesterday living in the litter box, toads!! The dogs are not impressed with their new housemate...Lady wants to eat and play with the kitten, but she's a bit too rough at this point and I'm afraid kitty will scratch her eye or something..and Finnegan doesn't want to go anywhere near the kitty, walking around the perimeter of the room to get by it and onto the safety of my lap (and he's not exactly a lap sized dog). After some much discussed thinking and trying out names the new kitten's name is Pick Elle Star or Pickles. (My friend had her sister, which they named Luna).

I'll post pictures of all the furries that live with me sometime soon :)