Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Girls Road Trip!

Wendy and I went to Waterton for a hike today. I have to admit, when she first asked I wasn't sure I wanted to exert that much energy on my day off, but she said I could sleep in until 10 so I was game. I even woke up early this morning and was ready by 9am! I'm so glad I got my lazy ass out of bed. I think we had a great hike!



The girls both loved the snow, Wendy said she wanted to rub her face in it too.
I think Mira is scarier then the wildlife.



Everyone who passed us kept cooing over Lacey and her little backpack. I lost count how many times Wendy itemized what she was carrying.
I couldn't believe the amount of snow at the top of our hike.


We had a little snack at the top
Beautiful Waterton

Monday, May 17, 2010

New Foster Dog

Anyone want the Devil Spawn Pug?............ok, I kid, I kid......... kind of.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Snuggle





Sometimes it's tiring having a dog on top of you every time you sit down, but after talking to a friend last night who's dogs aren't extremely snugly I decided that I wouldn't trade what I have for much.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Any Takers!



Seriously how cute is she? Lola needs a home, anyone?

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Survival of the Fittest


When we first moved to our house there was an open field out back. We frequently fell asleep to coyotes howling. Recently they have begun to develop the area back there. This evening we went out to the new school and ran the dogs. As is with most city expansion we have obviously disrupted the natural habitat.
This was in the school field. It was about the size of my lab. Maybe a coyote, maybe a deer, either way very disgusting and Mira tried to gnaw at it.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Annoyed


















After much debate I decided to make a complaint to the animal shelter about the cats that attacked Sadie and myself. It wasn't really for me, but more for preventation. What if it had been a small child? The owner admitted his cats were mean, and continues to leave them out at large. My breaking point came when I asked the owners to give me proof of vacination and 6 days later, no paperwork.

I have frustrations with our shelter, but nothing compared to their lack of compassion or uselessness after speaking with them today. Lethbridge has no cat bylaws, so these cats are free to roam the streets and attack the public. I encourage all of you to write to our city council. I was directed to make it attetion the mayor and council. I will be writing my own letter, if you wish to have your name added please let me know.
You can contact via email


or snail mail

2nd floor City Hall
910-4th Ave South
Leth, Ab
T1J0P6

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Attacked!

Sadie and I were attacked today. Not by a dog, or even a human, but by two savage cats. These were not your run of the mill house cats. These were demons from hell. They stalked, circled and plotted against us. At one point the one cat ran up my leg for my face. We retreated bloodied and defeated. I wish I had Duke with me, little bastards.






Wednesday, April 21, 2010

OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Duke

I'm not a doctor, or a vet, but I do see enough mental disabilities in my occupation to wager a decent hypothesis of the mental heath status of my lab. The verdict? I believe he has a touch of Obsessive Compulsiveness, or what we would call Obsessive Compulsive Tendencies in human psychology. Patients with OCD have rituals and routines, or compulsions that they feel they must do or their anxiety climbs, which is only relieved by performing said compulsion or intensive therapy and usually an extensive medication regime.

Duke, like his human equivalencies, has certain routines and objects of obsession. As I lay snuggled next to him this morning I realized that he only does this with me in the morning, and only after he has eaten breakfast. Furthermore he will only jump on the bed if I pull back the comforter, and at no point does it touch him. This got me thinking about his other compulsions . He must lay by the bathtub, but only if someone is either bathing or showering. He has an oral obsession, he must have something in his mouth when people come to the door. By default this was usually a shoe, but after several late mornings searching for a matching set I make it a point to clear the doorway. If there is nothing present he will grab an arm, leg, or other accessible body part, which obviously doesn't feel good and has led me to create a "go get a toy" command. Now he frantically surveys the house for something to grab, which has known to be a pot or dinner plate from the mornings naughtiness.

In addition to the routines, Duke has obsessions. Light reflections come to mind, but at a more intense obsession is water. He actually does what I've come to discover via google as "water freaking"

A common problem is "water-freaking," that is, once some find they can swim, they will get in any water they can find and swim around and around, often splashing, snapping at the splash, and yipping with excitement. Until they have a strong training foundation, they will not leave the water merely because you call them. If you have a water-freak, avoid water until obedience is well-established, and preferably force-breaking, too. The idea is to avoid reinforcing their enjoyment of playing in the water (so they don't develop a lifelong preference for water-freaking over retrieving).

I guess I have to be thankful that Duke is OCD and not ADHD which seems to be a common disability of labrador retrievers in this area. Duke is actually the easiest dog I have to train formal obedience. Which isn't actually an amazing feat, considering the level of obedience my other two have. And it's probably due, in part, to his OCD, but if I have to deal with it's negative aspects, I'm going to use its positive ones. I was once told by a respected psychologist friend of mine that most successful people have Obsessive Compulsive Tendencies and it's how you use them that equates failure versus success. Too bad Duke couldn't have sessions on the couch.

As a side note, as I sit on at the island in my kitchen typing this, the is sun shining through the window I can see little foot prints on the ceramic stovetop. But the terrier's diagnosis is another post entirely.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Happy Birthday Sadie!




Sadie turned 5 on February 3rd. Her Dad made her breakfast. Happy Birthday you crazy lady!



Windows® phone-your Windows stuff, on the go. See more.

Monday, January 25, 2010

What's the Animal in You?

This is a fun test at www.animalinyou.com - Those of you that know me can judge how true it is =)

Shrew

Genus and species:
Sorex araneu
Collective Term:
A lament of shrew
Careers and Hobbies
Journalist
Paramedic
Librarian
Salesperson
Actor
Traveling
Computing
Thrift store shopping

Sharing does not come naturally to shrews, and they are typically the last to pay their portion at a group dinner. It's not that shrews are greedy, rather they're responding to a compulsive need to save for the future. In this respect they are much like their cousin the mouse, who takes planning for the future to extremes.

With the conviction that it knows what's best for everyone, shrews are always ready with free advice. They seem to delight in butting into other people's private affairs. Sometimes the shrew turns this hobby into a career as a gossip columnist, movie critic, or TV evangelist. But more often than not, it retains its amateur status and practices on its long-suffering friends.

Because shrews are constantly on the move, careers that require concentration and sober thinking are unsuitable. They perform best in chaotic jobs and thrive on the unpredictability of disorder, making them natural production assistants, circus performers, wedding organizers or emergency room technicians.

Their predilection for collecting and organizing things would also make them good librarians or or bookkeepers, while the desire to keep moving makes them suitable for any job requiring travel and creativity.


Shrews' sharp eyes have a knack for spotting the hole in the fence, and with their ability to make instant decisions they impetuously seize the moment and scuttle on through. Their smart mouths and high energy are put good use in the workplace, and they excel as salespeople and journalists. But sometimes their reputation precedes them and they encounter built-in resistance to their pitch even before they've opened their mouths.
















Friday, January 1, 2010

Quotes

As Amanda always says - I freakin' love this dog!

Naughty List

Sadie made the naughty list this year, but that didn't stop her grama from buying her the biggest and heaviest present under the tree. Too bad it wasn't a fun present for her. At least it came in handy after the honey incident!

I think she's a little embarrassed about her potty issues.