I am freaking out.

I've done what might be a questionable move and secretly adopted a cat, which will no doubt horrify my mother once she's found out (and she will find out; I plan on telling her in a day or so). Not only have I adopted a cat, I adopted a cat that has FIV, which is like HIV but for cats. Before you start having grotesque images of cats doing the dirty with each other and passing on this virus, it doesn't work like that (although it probably could); most cats are infected when they get into fights with another FIV positive cat and there is a deep bite wound or scratch involved.

Anyways, I'm not even freaking out about that. I saw Tybalt (or Tibbs for short) on Petfinder and was immediately drawn to his cute little face. I was even more smitten when I watched the videos of him posted and saw how he head-butted peoples hands for attention. The fact that he had a terminal illness was of some concern, but since I don't live with another cat (although my boyfriend has one, there's no chance of passing on the virus just from contact) my main concern was the possible vet bill accumulation. But because he had FIV, the shelter that had him has an adoption agreement that's more like a "permanent foster home" agreement: it means that technically, he is still the property of the shelter, if at any time I can't care for him he must go back there, but all vet checks will be covered by them if I can take them to their vets in Maple Ridge (and with the new Golden Ears Bridge, the drive is actually pretty quick). With that, Tybalt was now in my care.

I had designated one of my rooms for Tybalt before I brought him home. Since then, he has adjusted very well and very quickly, having no problems eating the food I brought him and using the new cat litter I bought (even though I personally don't like the smell :( I might change again once I'm done with this bag). He was very affectionate and didn't hesitate to headbutt my hands for attention.

Here's the freaking out part. I feel like a new mother who is not sure she can take her of her baby and fulfill all its needs...and it's seriously causing me a lot of stress! For one thing, because my first cat love was my boyfriend's cat (who I am officially "godmother" to...don't ask) I feel worried that I won't love my new cat as much. Also, he is quite vocal at times; I looked up a few things on the internet and it's most likely attributed to settling in to new surroundings, because he wasn't vocal at all at the shelter, but when he does meow it drives me crazy! It's not even insistent, constant meowing, but when he does make noise it can be kind of loud! And lastly, perhaps the thing I feel most guilty about, is that although I liked that he was very affectionate and enjoys pats, he enjoys them so much, I feel that he's a little needy. I'm sure, as an abandoned cat, he's starved for affection, which makes it all even more horrible, but I feel like there's only so many times I can scratch his ears at once!

I'm so afraid that I won't be able to handle it and I'll end up bringing him back to the shelter, which will be very upsetting for me and, even more so, Tibbs. I also worry about him when I'm not home; I work full time and also attend a night class twice a week. With him being a little needy, I wonder if I'm the right home for him?

Dear Cat Owners...

...please stop letting your cat outdoors to roam around, even if:

a) they have a habit of coming back after a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks

b) they were outdoor or feral cats before

c) you believe that it's natural for cats to run around outside, and keeping them inside only is

detrimental to their natural instinct.

At the shelter today, four people came in looking for their lost cats. One person even came in saying they had lost both their cats at once! All their stories were the same: "We usually let (insert pet name here) out and she/he comes back after a few hours, but it's been a few days and she/he hasn't come home yet." One girl said her Siamese cross usually goes out and comes back within THREE WEEKS (you aren't worried that you haven't seen your cat in almost a month??!!) but it's been longer than that and now she's looking for him; after we gave her the usual info on how to go about searching for her pet, she simply said, "Well, it's been gone for a while now...I'll probably just get another cat." WTF???!

Only one family today who lost their cat was lucky enough to be reunited with it; it had just come in a few days ago and was still on stray hold. So cat owners, if you don't want your pet to get catnapped, run over by a car, maimed by some wild animal, eaten by a coyote, or you don't want your cat to come home with some terminal disease such as Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (something that's similar to HIV, but for cats) because it got into a scrap with some feral cat then please...keep your cats indoors!

If you feel that you MUST let your cat outdoors for some fresh air, then at least get a leash and harness and supervise them!

Purrecious, a cat with FIV

(From Katies Place, http://petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid12950133)

Adventures in Dogwalking: Teeko and J.J.

I arrived at the shelter today with the hope of walking Frankie, that sweet Border Collie I had last week, but he was already on his walk with someone else. I heard Teeko (also a dog I walked last week) barking piteously in his kennel, and since he is housetrained I figured he needed to go...badly. So I took him out for his walk again.

This time, Teeko really warmed up to me. If you refer to my previous week's post, he was pretty aloof with me and didn't take any treats, but today was completely different! Maybe he didn't like the hard treats they had last week and that's why he didn't eat any, but I gave him some soft treats today and he gobbled them up! He was also pretty affectionate with me: I would offer my hand towards him slightly and he would nudge it with his nose, and after I gave him some pets his tail started wagging, which I took to be a good sign. I think he just needed to trust that I wasn't going to hurt him. He knows some commands, and with his new fondness for soft treats we practiced 'sit,' and 'down.' I tried to start teaching him to come when called, but since he doesn't know his name is "Teeko" (he was found a stray and the staff named him), he hasn't quite picked up on it yet.

Teeko is, sadly, fearful at times and I blame whoever his previous owners were for this. He doesn't do well with strangers, which was evident when we came across some men who were surveying the forest; he started barking and getting a little growly, but I shushed him and kept walking like normal. The next time we walked by he completely ignored them, so I guess it all comes down to who's holding the leash! Today he reacted a little aggresively to the other dogs around, except for sweet Frankie, who he seems to like but is not sure how to go about being friends. But when all things were quiet and we were in the pens, he just rolled over onto his back and let me rub his chest and tummy, and when I stopped he got up, looked at me, and did it all over again. :)

He also likes to pee mark his territory a lot, but he's not neutered yet so I guess it's inevitable.

The second dog I had out was a wheat colored Pittbull mix named J.J. Even though I am against the stigma and breed specific banning of Pittbulls, I have to admit that I am wary of them. J.J., however, was the sweetest Pittie I've ever met, which goes to show that it's not the breed, but the owners that are responsible for bad behavior. J.J. came in as a stray that showed signs of having recently given birth, but her litter was not with her when they found her. The coordinator noted that sometimes she gets anxious and looks to be searching for her babies, which is one of the saddest things I've heard of.

At first, she was really excited to be out of her kennel and was pulling on her leash and trying to jump up on me. After a few corrections, she walked perfectly by my side, except when there was another dog around that she wanted to meet or a bird that she wanted to chase...then she got a little tuggy with her leash. She was also a little uncertain of things sometimes (like the surveyors) and would stop in her tracks if there was something unfamiliar up ahead. I just kept walking, and she followed me without resistance, and that was the end of that.

J.J. also loved to fetch: seeing her run after the ball and trot back with it in her mouth was the cutest thing. She didn't have any problems giving the ball up to me, and after I threw it for her a few times she got tired and stopped mid-fetch. Her obedience was really good and she knew a lot of commands, but she did have a stubborn streak where once in a while, she would ignore what I said and just stand there, waiting for her treat. Well, I have a stubborn streak too, and when I say 'sit,' I expect a 'sit!' J.J was also really affectionate, and she liked having pets; after we played for a while, I sat down on a bench, and she actually crawled under my legs and sprawled out there on her belly, resting with me in the sunshine. Very sweet.

Adventures in Dogwalking: Teeko and Frankie

There are so many dogs at the Surrey SPCA right now, and usually not enough walkers. This morning, I had the pleasure of taking out two dogs for their walk.

The first dog I had was a little German Shepherd/Shar Pei mix named Teeko. He was really small for his breed background; his body came up just past the height of my knee. The coordinator informed me that he was a little fearful, and certain hand movements freaked him out. The poor guy was still a young pup at only a year old, so someone must've been very harsh when disciplining him. Walking with Teeko was pretty easy: he pulled a little at times, but walked right beside me at other times. He definitely took some time to warm up to me, but let me pet him, and when we were walking he would glance back at me and push his nose into my hand a give me a little lick. He didn't take any treats, though; not sure if he just didn't like them or he didn't trust me enough to take them from me yet.

I let him off leash in one of the pens, and he just meandered around, smelling things and marking his territory here and there. He showed some interest in one of the tug toys, even taking it into his mouth and playing with me for a second, but dropped it when one of the other dogs walked by. Teeko seemed to like other dogs; when Frankie (who I walked next) walked by they had a brief but positive meeting, and while Frankie continued walking Teeko got very excited and tried to follow him. When Frankie walked beyond the fence, Teeko started whining and tried to dig his way out. That's when I took him out again and he seemed happy just to be exploring everything around him.

I only had Teeko out for a short time, then the coordinator switched me over to Frankie, who is a nine year old Border Collie mix. As soon as she handed the leash to me, Frankie came right up and rested his head on my stomach, and looked up at me with his soft, brown eyes.

Yes, I melted.

And I continued to melt into a big, gooey puddle the longer I spent with Frankie: he was the sweetest, most adoring dog I've ever met! Even though he was an older dog, he still had a bit of energy in him to keep us walking around the trails more than once. He was very food motivated, and had good obedience (even though it took me some time to figure out which hand signal he knew for 'sit'), but the very best thing I loved about him was that he loved cuddles! I would lower my hand to my side and he would instantly nuzzle his head against it, and then press right up against me for more. He was a dog that knew what a hug meant, and when I hugged him he just burrowed himself into my arms. We took a little break at one point and just rested in the shade; after practicing some commands with Frankie I had him lay down and just petted him and gave him little massages. After a while, he rolled over onto his side and literally into my lap. With the breezy sunshine around us, it was very relaxing.

One possible downside to all this attention, as mentioned by the coordinator, is that Frankie might not do so well with other pets or children, because he definitely loves the attention and might not be so keen on sharing it with other people or animals. While we don't know 100% that's how he would react, all I can say is when he's with people he is very, very sweet and gentle.

Sidenote: with all the animals at the SPCA at the moment, there are sadly quite a few animals in their senior years. One such animal is such a lovable dog named Snoop, who is fifteen years old. Snoop was found a stray, but had proper ID that they were able to track down his owner. His owner, who said she had had Snoop since he was a puppy, said she was going to come pick him up, but she never did. When they called her again to follow up, they found that she had changed her number!! Wtf?

Look At My Puppy Face..

from http://petfinder.com/petnote/photoView.cgi?petid=14417514

Don't I look adorable?

Don't you want to cuddle with me and play with me? I'm only a puppy, so cuddling and playing is what I do best!

But...

"Abused and Broken"

No puppy should suffer at the hands of another like Baby Bella has.

Sadly, then hands that abused and broke this little body belong to a child, a child who focused anger and rage on an innocent soul.

Bella was rushed into the arms of Big Heart Rescue and underwent surgery yesterday for massive internal injuries. Her bladder was found to be protruding into her abdominal wall and she also has a broken pelvis.

Update: July 29th

Bella has now had her second set of x-rays and so far her bladder is holding in place which is a very positive sign. There is less blood in her urine and she is attempting to squat when she has to do her "business." Squatting is a challenge when you have a broken pelvis but this little warrior is proving to everyone that she has the will and determination to make it.

Further x-rays will be done on Monday to see how her damaged pelvis is doing and if the bladder is remaining attached. At this time Bella remains on crate rest for most of the day but does get some gentle play time with her big beautiful fur sister who is teaching her excellent social skills.

Additional updates to come as we progress, day by day. Please send your healing thoughts out to Baby Bella as she struggles to survive.

(from Big Heart Rescue, http://petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14417514).

Click on the link above to read the rest of Bella's story (don't worry, there's happier news there).

Adventures in Dogwalking: Extra Thunder Tidbits

Yes! They finally posted a photo of Thunder on the SPCA webpage: just look at his cute little face!

Apparently he's not a German Shepherd/Husky cross, he's a Border Collie/Husky mix; those two dog breeds on their own have enough energy to run a eight hour marathon! No wonder he's so wired up!

And lastly, as a testament to what happens when you don't train your pets or dedicate your time to them, Thunder's background info says: "Thunder comes from a home where he was allowed to run the show and do so on a grand scale in an orchard setting," hence all the nipping and the jumping up in your face.

Great job, previous owners.

*Update: Thunder was transferred to the Burnaby SPCA, where it looks like he has found a forever home.*

Adventures in Dogwalking: Thunder

Fresh from his appearance on Global Tv, Thunder was raring to go for his walk today. After surviving his many, many excitable episodes on Monday, I was determined to start teaching him to calm down and focus his energy on other activities.
As before, when the coordinator brought him out for me, he was already trying to jump up all over everyone. Immediately, we defended ourselves while repeating what is becoming a mantra when walking with Thunder: "Off!" "Noo!" "Oww!" My foundation for his "training" (I use this term loosely because, hell, let's face it I'm amateur at best) was to offset his sparky energy with my own calm energy, plus focus on obedience basics with clicker training (another way to focus his energy while teaching and tiring him out; remember, a tired dog is a happy dog!).
One of the SPCA officers gave me a little tip for dealing with Thunder: if he gets overly rambunctious, pull his leash up a little to get him to sit. Although I preferred not to use this method, especially as it seemed like Thunder already knew how to sit on his own, when he got into his little frenzies his attention was really hard to divert, so this method worked well to divert his energy in those situations. (Note: this is not yanking or jerking the leash up really hard, just gently pulling the leash straight up so the dog has to lower its rear to regain it's balance).
Early in our walk, Thunder started jumping on my for no reason again, but each time he started I would stop walking and push him down firmly while saying "No!" only once or twice, then put him into a 'sit.' After he sat there looking calmly at me, I would give him a gentle neck massage, or start walking again, hopefully to get him to associate being calm with being rewarded (or at the very least, being in a 'sit' with getting rewarded). I'm happy to say that it seemed to work, because for the next two hours his excitable episodes were more sporadic than Mondays' walk. That's not to say he didn't jump up on me still (including the time I was crouched down next to him while he was drinking from his water dish, and while I was conversing with another volunteer he took the opportunity to jump on my head), but the episodes seemed shorter and not as frequent as last time.
I was also very pleased when I took him into one of the pens to play: on Monday, I was concerned about him running in really fast circles around the perimeter of the pen. Today, he circled around two or three times, but after I enticed his attention with a frisbee, he calmed down so much! Of course, he didn't know how to fetch so he would just run after the frisbee, and when it stopped rolling, he lost interest, but once in a while he would just sit down and look at me as if saying, "What now?" He also wanted to meet all the dogs that passed by: no aggression, some fence running (boo), but at the very least he only wanted to play with everyone, and it showed most of the time in his body language. He was also very nice in meeting some of the dogs face to face, and there was a lot of nose licking that happened.
And finally, FINALLY, he started accepting treats! Treats are a major stepping stone to starting clicker training (although they aren't the only reward that will work, and really, they shouldn't be the only reward for clicker training to work). I brushed up on 'sit' with him, and started teaching him 'down.' When he lays down, he kind of curls himself into a little circle; need I tell you it was very cute? Plus he is very cuddly: a few times he would come over and nuzzle himself into my arms. But then he'd get all excited and happy and then try to jump all over me again.
My next goal for him is to try to teach him some games; all the more fun things to do to burn off some of that energy! And of course, keep trying to re-enforce the whole "jumping on people and nipping them is bad" thing!

Showcasing Ginger and Thunder from the Surrey SPCA

Watch this video: it's so cute! Thunder is the dog I walked on Monday, he's the one on the right with the SPCA officer. He's still super adorable but now you can see what I had to put up with!

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.globaltvbc.com%2Fvideo%2Findex.html%3FreleasePID%3DAnC3WB33OyCpZmR9u0bePPlUHIaqicr8&h=a1602d43c58704a16a49ba5d3230da4f

Dear Skye

Dear Skye,


You had only been at the shelter a few days and I hadn't gotten the chance to walk you yet. I remember seeing you lying in your kennel, a big black furry boy who looked up inquisitively at all the people walking by. Someone had left you all by yourself, tied to the shelter door in the darkness of the night; maybe it was your owner, who couldn't or wouldn't take care of you anymore; maybe it was someone who found you, and dropped you off where they thought it would be best for you.

This morning they found you, you had passed away during the night. Even though you weren't with us for very long, I am saddened that you had to die alone and abandoned in your kennel.

Rest in peace, dear Shepherd.

Adventures in Dogwalking: Myra and Thunder

Ahhh, I was so happy to finally have Myra to walk again! Of course, I had to make sure I was the first one to get there this morning which meant getting up extra early, but I love this dog so much, she's worth it!
As soon as she got the hint that she was going for a walk, Myra got really, really excited and started jumping around in her kennel. I put her in a 'sit' a few times, but she was so excited she just jumped right up afterwards. The coordinator and I finally managed to snap her leash on, and off we went. She seemed to have gained extra strength or something from the last time we walked, because I don't remember her pulling so hard before. But then again, the last time we walked together was when we were having our heatwave, and todays weather was very far from hot and sunny. I tried working with her heeling, but I don't think I really made that much progress...I would say she limited her strength at times while walking with me, but still pulled the leash tight.
I put her in one of the pens to play with her, and boy was she ever happy about that! As soon as I took her leash off, she zoomed around the pen happily, then picked up one of the big balls in her mouth and ran with it some more. I soon learned that she looooved playing fetch, although she needs some work with the 'bringing it back to me' part. Surprisingly, while we were in there, a little pit bull walked by and Myra reacted a little agressively towards her; with almost all the other dogs she's been pretty friendly, she can be pushy with some dogs but never any growling or barking. I think the other dog was also a young female similar in age, so maybe it's some sort of territory or position thing.
I worked on recall with her, which she responded to really well; soon I was able to call her back to me even with the distraction of other dogs around. Yes! We also worked on 'stay' and 'down,' although she always wants to get up to get her treat instead of laying down for it. We'll have to work on that some more.
Later, I took a new dog who had been an owner surrender: a BEE-U-TIFUL German Shepherd/Husky mix. He was sooooooo cute: he looked like a smaller, classic German Shepherd with his markings, except for the traditional curved Husky tail and a streak of pure white across the back of his neck. At first, he was a little shy, but then as all the smells and sounds decended upon him, he got really, really excited. As always, I wonder how people can just give up their dogs like that, but with Thunder, although he was super adorable, I kind of got an idea of why he was surrendered: his excitability was really out of control!
Of course, that's no excuse, but as we were walking I wanted to test his obedience so I asked him to 'sit.' He sat, then promptly when on to jump all over me! I literally had to fend him off because he was jumping up in front of me, jumping up beside me, jumping up behind me, and although I said "Off!" and "No!" sternly and loudly while trying to push him down, he didn't really get it until I was practically chanting it, while trying to ignore him with my body language. To add to the problem, he was very mouthy; obviously his owners before did not enforce this as a big no-no, and not only did he jump up and try to mouth me on my arms while I tried pushing him down, he would try to nip me on the back of my legs too. I know he was only trying to play with me because he would crouch down in the classic "play with me!" position before jumping all over me, but it was still not very pleasant.
To help him burn off some energy, I let him off leash in one of the pens. Once he was free, he started running around the pen at top speed, in gigantic circles. Maybe I'm overreacting a little, but it looked a little neurotic. Sometimes high energy dogs that don't get enough exercise and stimulation find other ways to vent their energy, and then they become fixated on that one thing and repeat it over and over again, kind of like a canine OCD. Well, Thunder kind of fit the bill as a high energy, understimulated dog, so I hope that's not the case. He did slow down to sniff out a few things that interested him though, but didn't know how to play fetch or anything (or maybe he just didn't want to).
We walked around a few more times, where Thunder's excitability would pop up at the most random times: when we were running together, he would keep looking back at me (good) but then would stop and jump all over me (bad). I would ask him to sit and he would comply (good) but when I reached down to pet him he'd get all excited and the frenzy would start again (bad). When I sat down on the bench to rest he'd come over and nuzzle his head into my lap (good) but then he'd jump up all over me again (very bad)!
When I left, I was literally covered in fur and mud from Thunder's frenzies. He is a nice dog, but very puppy-like, and just needs someone to show him the way to good manners!

Adventures in Dogwalking: Sampson

Yet another adorable German Shepherd to walk today! This dog's (re)name was Sampson; I say re-name because he was a human seizure. His owners apparently want him back really badly but the SPCA is holding on to him for now in "protective custody."

The first few minutes of our walk together was spent with an overly hyper Sampson: a big, furry, black and tan blur jumping all over the place, chewing at the leash and trying to play tug of war with it. After a few stern "No!"s and a period of time just standing there waiting for him to calm down, he finally did and off we went. He was a puller at first, no doubt because of all that energy he has in his breed, but after a few corrections he started walking with a slack leash. I found him to be a bit aloof initially; unlike some other dogs, he didn't really invite any affection his way. But towards the end of our time together, he warmed up a little, and I even got some tail wags after I gave him some hugs! Perhaps he just needs to trust you first. With the other dogs, he totally wanted to be friends with all of them; whenever he would meet another dog face to face, after some friendly introductory sniffing he would give them all a nice little lick on the nose and continue on his way. I think he's harbouring a crush on my favorite dog Myra: whenever they passed each other they would slow down and stare, not in an aggressive or defensive way, but in a way that said "Swooooon!" Probably the fact that Myra is in heat and Sampson is not neutered makes things extra, extra lusty for these two!

The only moment I had a teensy, tiny little problem with Sampson is when we were passing the livestock pens. The Surrey SPCA has a little barn area, and they sometimes have chickens, turkeys, pigs, llamas, horses, goats, etc., held there. Today there was an adorably cute little baby goat with a yellow tag on its head. It seemed very intersted in the dogs, and would stand at the edge of the fence just watching all of them walk by. While we were passing, Sampson got very excited, and literally dragged me to the fence, where the goat was still watching. They both started sniffing each other curiously, so I thought everything was all friendly...until Sampson opened his mouth and tried to chomp down on the little goat! Understandably, the goat freaked out and cried in his little baby bleat while running away from us as quick as he could, while I tried to pull back Sampson, a feat very tiring because he was using all his strength to get at the fence. I felt so bad for the little goat afterwards, I'm pretty sure it was just expressing a natural curiousity about Sampson, while Sampson obviously thought the goat would make a pretty good meal for him! Such things are the way of nature, I guess...but we're not out in the wild right now so that was a no-no for Sampson!

May Karma Bite These Mofos in the A**

Another sickening story of a poor animal that was needlessly hurt by stupid people who should really have their asses kicked. From the Dhana Metta Rescue Society webpage:

http://petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14292231

"This is Lego just 48 hrs after being left outside in a box. I put out a plea to ask the people who left Lego behind to contact us, as we needed more info to be able to help him. They responded. They had a party, got super wasted, one of the guys at the party thought it would be funny to smash Lego into a wall to see what would happen. He died. One of the girls at the party resuscitated him. And the very next day, dropped him off in a box. WTF???"

Click on the link to read Lego's story and to see the video of his condition after being abandoned; it's so terrible and sad but it's things like this that show people what some animals have suffered through.

http://dhanametta.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/lego/

Adventures in Dogwalking: Puppy Love

In case you're wondering, the dog wasn't called Puppy Love. As a stray dog, she didn't have a name yet, but she was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo adorable and sweet (all those extra 'o's are well warranted), and even though she wasn't a puppy anymore she was still very young and very excitable.

The first thing she did when I met her was lick my hand all over. It was instant love; consider her my new favorite dog at the SPCA! Since she was a stray, we were confined to the back pens again; I actually like being back there, as on the regular trail some of the dogs get really distracted with all the other dogs there, and it's difficult to divert their attention when that's the case. With Sweetie (again, not her name but making 'click click' noises with your tongue only gets their attention so many times, and after I started calling her Sweetie she responded more consistently) she was very food motivated, which is great because that meant she was all the more willing to learn! We worked on 'sit,' 'down,' and 'paw,' all of which she did very well. After I gave her the treats, she would nuzzle her entire muzzle into the palm of my hand and give me all these kisses. Then she'd roll over one her back and let me rub her chest and belly: it's the ultimate sign of submission. Yes!

In the pen next to us there was another walker who also had a German Shepherd dog out. Hers was obviously an adult, and male. When they first came out, my dog reacted a little bit fearfully and barked and growled at them. I pulled her away and walked her in a big circle around the pen, getting closer and closer to the pen. Eventually, she just sat down and looked at the other dog, whining once in a while but not barking or lunging. After she calmed down, we walked both dogs to the fence so they could meet and sniff each other and it appears they took an instant liking to each other! They kept licking each others' noses, and following each other up and down the fence, and when I led Sweetie away from the fence to the opposite side, the other dog whined and barked after us, and tried to paw the fence that was keeping them apart. It was so...CUTE!

After being out for a hour it was time for her to go back into her kennel. I actually think she was quite tuckered out by the end; whenever I would stop for even a second she would plop down on her bum and just sit there. She's not up for adoption yet, but when she is she'll probably be scooped up quickly...just look at her face! :)

Adventures in Dogwalking: Alladin and Nelly

This morning there were only two dogs to walk that were up for adoption: poor Lilo, who's now missing her friend Jenny, and a cute, fluffly English Sheepdog cross named Milo. When I arrived, both were already out on their walks, but that didn't mean I had to miss out on any dogwalking fun: there were at least eight strays out in the back that were waiting for their walk too.

Stray dogs are obviously dogs that were found wandering out in the streets somewhere; when they come into the SPCA they are assessed for temperment and "held" for about a week or so. If their assessment is positive i.e no people aggression, and they haven't been claimed after the week, they officially become the property of the SPCA and can be put up for adoption.

Since some of the strays were still being assessed, they weren't allowed to be walked outside with the other dogs; instead, we had to take them out to the individual fenced areas in the back.

The first dog I had out was a lovely German Shepherd/Husky mix. My two favorite dog breeds in one! When I had my time with her she didn't have a name yet, so I had to resort to getting her attention with various sounds and names (the staff later named her Nelly). At first she was really excitable; she kept lunging towards the next pen where another lovely looking dog was having her time out. Nelly's working dog genes meant that she was really strong, and I had enough of a challenge trying to control her! After I saw her nibbling at some grass I busted out the treats, which she took so gently from my hand. Then she calmed down a lot and followed me around the yard without any problems. With regards to the other dog, it turned out they only wanted to be friends, and after sniffing each others noses both tails were wagging and both of them wanted to keep each other in sight, until we walkers pulled them away to get some more exercise.

The next stray I walked was a tiny little Pomeranian cross who has since been named Alladin. Poor little guy, he was so scared! Apparently when they picked him up they had to use the catchpole on him because he was freaking out and thrashing all over the place. We got to walk on the regular trail, and he walked so well (sometimes almost too well, as he would stay very close to me and I'd be afraid of accidently trodding on him), except the strange thing was on the trail he didn't seem to know how to get over some of the fallen logs; I'd step over them like normal and when I looked back, there he was just standing there as if he wasn't sure what to do. Then he'd try to crawl under it, which was cute and sad all at the same time, like no one's ever taken him to any place with trees on the ground. I encouraged him to take an easy shortcut (which was leading him to higher ground and then going over the log) which worked well for him.

Whenever I would offer my hand to him to sniff, he would do so and give me a little lick afterwards. Sounds promising, but when I slowly and gently started to pet him, his ears would flatten and his tail would stop wagging. He didn't do anything else, but obviously the touch made him anxious and afraid...perhaps someone has hurt this little guy in the past. Towards the end of our time together when I'd give him some little pets his ears would twitch, but they would stay perked up a little more (one of the other volunteers asked if Alladin tried to bite me when I tried to pet him, which is what happened when they initially brought him in). He is a good dog, but very scared. Who can blame him?

My favorite kitty in the whole wide world:

Lately, she's gotten into the habit of nuzzling her face against my leg, and then rolling around on her back while grabbing my legs with her paws. Last night, she did the same thing while I was kneeling down next to her, and then she suddenly jumped up onto my knee and gave me a nice kiss on my nose.

Nothing beats loving from a cute, furry friend (even if they have fish treat breath). :)

I made the mistake of staying up all night long and watching "War of the Worlds," starring Tom Cruise; the movie was pretty interesting until the very end, which I thought ended really lamely with one of those 'quick fix' endings (you know, those endings that occur only because the movie has to end...now). After getting two hours of sleep, I rolled out of bed to resume my weekly dog-walking adventures.

The first dog I started out with was a cute-as-a-button white Maltese-Poodle mix (otherwise known as a Maltipoo). He was an owner surrender, and for whatever reason his former owners had decided to bestow the name Elrod on him. He seemed like a sweet dog, walked pretty nicely, got a little nervous when another dog was around, and rejected all the treats I tried giving him (I even went into the barn and came up with three other different types of treats, but all were rejected).

Then I traded dogs with another lady that was having trouble controlling the little Cairn Terrier she was walking. Her name was Charlotte, and for a little dog that barely came up to my knee, she was strong! She kept lunging everywhere, pulling her leash so hard that even I had a little trouble getting her to walk the opposite way I wanted to go: she was THAT strong.

The first thing I wanted to work on with her was her leash pulling; I actually managed some success in that area , once she figured out we weren't going anywhere if she kept pulling, her bursts of spritely energy only happened sporadically. She wasn't as picky as Elrod with her treats; at least she ate them, which makes it easier to train the dog behaviors you do want them to do.

Then I discovered for all her energy, Charlotte only wanted to play with the other dogs. As a firsthand eyewitness, it was very cute! There was a little Min Pin that came our way and, after giving each other a little sniff, Charlotte started bouncing up and down on her hind legs, her tail wagging so fast it was a little blur. The Min Pin reacted similarly, and when it continued on its walk Charlotte tried to chase after it, then started whining quietly when it was gone. Then whenever a dog came nearby, she would try to greet it in acceptable doggie fashion, and then would bow down towards it, her little bum in the air, waving her tail.

Unfortunately, with all the potential dog friends around, that meant her interest in listening to me became non-existent. As we exited one of the off-leash pens, there was a group of dogs gathered nearby with their walkers. Of course, Charlotte wanted to go off in that direction and play. I was more than happy to do so, but first I wanted her to work for it and go around the trail with me one more time. Well, that plainly was not in Charlotte's mind, and as I turned to lead her in the opposite direction, she firmly planted herself down in the middle of the path. When I say firmly, I mean so firmly it was like she was cemented to that spot: I couldn't budge her! Well, I didn't want her to think I would just do whatever she wanted, so since she didn't want to walk in my direction and I didn't want to walk in hers, we ended up standing in one spot for a good ten minutes. Every now and then Charlotte would whimper and walk a few steps towards me, but as soon as I tried to continue our walk...plop. She would cement herself to her spot again.

Eventually I had to give in and move her in the direction of the other dogs, because we became kind of a dangerous obstacle around for the other dog walkers, and it was the only direction she would go in (Charlotte 1, Me 0).

It was very heartwarming to see two dogs playing happily together, as it's usually the opposite reaction we see more often. When I left for the day, I saw Charlotte alone in her kennel, whimpering softly. I think it would be nice if she was adopted into a home with another canine friend for her.

Cat Tails

The shelter is flooded with cats at the moment, from teeny weeny little kittens to big, plump, senior cats. I often develop favorites during my shifts at the shelter, and when I come back for my next shift they are often not there anymore, either having been adopted or sent to foster care.

That's a good thing.

Unfortunately, there have been a few cats who have still been around for my past few shifts. Considering I only come in every two weeks, it means they've been at the shelter for at least a month or two, which is very stressful for the cat and very sad in general that they haven't found a home yet and are resigned to being in a cage for most of the day.

These are some of the cats:

Thunder:

This big boy has been there the longest, since the beginning of April. Poor guy. It's probably because he's not the kind of cat that will jump to the front of his cage, wanting attention and pets. He is a nice cat, but more on the independent side. He gets along well with other cats and likes to play with them, especially the kittens. He loves his Temptations treats and will follow a trail of them right back into his cage without a fuss.

Annabelle:

At a year and a half old, she's such a tiny girl but has already had a litter of kittens! They've all found homes and now she's waiting for her turn. She's very quiet and like Thunder, doesn't really seek out attention. But once you have her in your arms she's very affectionate, likes to be held and cuddled. Also has been there since April.

Whiskey:

This cat was an owner surrender. All owners have their own reasons for giving up their pets (especially with the economy as it is), but this one? "Didn't want anymore." Just like that! Why they didn't want this cat, I have no idea. She is very sweet but was very scared at first. Now she always sits at the door of her cage, waiting to be let out. Once we do, she's like the cat room ambassador; she lets everyone that comes in pet her, likes to lounge around on the top of the cat tree watching the world go by, and likes to play like a crazy kitten with a stuffed mouse once in a while.

I could go on and on about the cats that haven't found a home yet, but there are just too many.

Lastly, my favorite cat for this shift: Nala, a beautiful white Turkish Angora cat.

Such a sweetheart! She was very timid and didn't want to venture too far out of her box, but at the same time wanted to be petted so badly that she just rolled around on her back, rubbing her face against your hand and drooling a little while you stroked her soft fur. If only I could take her home...

At the very end of my day, a young fellow who came in with his girlfriend to look at kittens said to me, "Thank you for your time, and thank you for your help. And thank you for taking care of the animals."

Aww.

Adventures in Dogwalking: Cookie and Trooper

Now that my favorite dog Hendrix is gone from the Surrey location (he was transferred) I have no preference to which dog to walk as they are all new to me. This morning I scanned the kennels to see which dogs were available to walk and saw a handsome, yellow Lab Retriever named Trooper barking eagerly to go on his walk. When I said I would take him out, the coordinator said skeptically, "Are you sure? He's pretty big and strong...did you look at him?" As I am always super confident about my strength, I said I had and would give him a try.
Well, my confidence was quickly shattered about two seconds after I started walking him. Trooper was not only big and strong, he was REALLY, REALLY STRONG. Usually if the dogs pull on their leash at the beginning, I stop and stand there until they get the idea that we aren't going to move until they stop pulling. With Trooper, I didn't even get the chance to do that because I couldn't control him at all! He just kept pulling forward, and even as I tried to dig my heels into the ground and use my weight to counter him, he was strong enough to pull me forward, which meant I had to jog along or end up with my face in the dirt.
I managed to get a little control over Trooper as I utilized my arm muscles, and walked him over to a grassy part of the SPCA to try to get him to calm down. At this point, I would be proud to say I got him to walk about half a meter without pulling before he got bored and reverted back to his excitable behaviour. Then a few dogs walked by and he got all worked up and tried lunging towards them, so I quickly let him drag me onto the wooded trail to divert his attention.
On the trail, he became so excited by all the new things that his strength knew no boundaries. I couldn't even stop myself in one place to tie my shoe because I was afraid that he'd take off suddenly and I'd be pulled along for the ride, but on my face (it's happened to someone else there). Karen, the coordinator, was behind me on the trail, and she called out, "Are you ok?" I was getting very sweaty, my arm was tired, and it had only been fifteen minutes into our walk. "I think I need to change dogs!" was what I managed to gasp out as Trooper kept bounding all over the place.
We walked him over to one of the pens so we could safely trade dogs without any incidents taking place. The dog I ended up with was ten times tinier, a really cute Tzu Shih mix named Cookie. It's too bad the SPCA hasn't updated their page with either of these dogs' photos: they are so cute! Cookie has this little black and white fringe that covers her eyes a little, so when you look at her all you can see is her little pink tongue hanging out.
Needless to say, Cookie didn't give me any problems. She was as sweet as her name; when walking, if she found herself ahead of you she would stop and look back, waiting for me to catch up. It was so hot this morning, so I took her to shaded area and we sat together, me on a bench and her sprawled out on her belly. She was very nice and affectionate.
Since the heat was really coming down, we didn't have the dogs out too long; one of them, an overweight Pitt Bull, was having trouble breathing, and then vomited due to the heat. The hot weather even slowed Trooper down: I saw him plodding along with Karen later, still pulling, but to the point where it was still manageable.
P.S-Hendrix is still at the Langlely SPCA. Someone adopt him!!

In Memorium

This past weekend was not a happy one at the Surrey SPCA: three dogs were put down, three dogs that had been there a while, had not shown any aggression towards people, but unfortunately had not been guided positively with other dogs. They paid the price for their owners neglect and ignorance.

Mocha: she was a chocolate Chesapeake Bay cross who was surrendered by her previous owners because she attacked the other dog in their home. Everyone loved her; she was such an enthusiast of playing fetch and would often pick up a ball and walk around with it in her mouth. She was really smart and knew a lot of commands, and was just happy to be out of her kennel and around people. Sadly, the dog aggression she showed with her previous owner's dog reared it's ugly head again plus the frustration of being at the SPCA had her go after more than one dog; she attacked the dog she was rooming with (that was Viva the dog, who was quite shook up afterwards), and when a family came by with their two beagles and their children, wanting to adopt her, she attacked one of the Beagles and pinned it down. The SPCA felt that a dog that unpredictable couldn't be considered adoptable, and she went to sleep on Saturday.

Zenith: such a beautiful dog. He was a black lab with a glossy coat, and just getting into his adult years. He was found as a stray, and the SPCA's assessment concluded that he had not been socialized properly, and could be fearful and defensive if provoked. According to the people who had a chance to walk him, he was very well potty-trained, very playful, and loved getting affection; he was one of those dogs who liked to lean into you as you petted him.

Ashton: also a beautiful, black lab. Poor Ashton, he was also found as a stray and there was some evidence he had not been treated very nicely in his short life; he had some scars across his muzzle, possibly indicating that he might've been used as a guard dog who was often tied up. He was very sweet with people, but was extremely dog aggressive, the kind of aggression where the dog is going to attack if it gets the chance.

It seems Aston and Zenith had a particular hate for each other: dog walkers reported that whenever they passed each other they'd stare at each other really hard and start getting worked up. On Friday, whoever walked Zenith left him alone in one of the outside pens, accidently leaving the gate unlatched as well. Zenith managed to get out, and when he saw Ashton went right for him. They got into a major dog fight, to the point where they had mauled and torn each other to bits. The dog coordinator apparently tried to break it up, but got hurt as well. After that, they were both euthanized.

All of them never got a chance to experience a true loving home. RIP.

Dog Tidbits

I was finally able to get Hendrix to start learning the "down" command. YEEESSSSS!!! The past few times I tried with him, he would get out of his sit and try to hunt down the treat in my hand while standing up. This time, he lay down while trying to find the treat I had in my hand, which I let him have immediately. YESSS!

Bruno, a previous favorite dog of mine who was transferred to the Vancouver shelter in hopes that he would have a better chance of finding a home out of that location...is still there!!! He's been at the SPCA since March now, which is much too long for any dog, especially a dog like Bruno who especially hated being put back in his kennel. He's such a warm, loving dog, who used to press up to me for cuddles and also knew a lot of commands. Someone out there want to give him a home?

There's an adorable Pomeranian named Pepper at the Surrey SPCA who came in with only one testicle. How do you only get one? However he ended up that way, the one lone testicle has been neutered. Now he's testes free!

Adventures in Dogwalking: Sosa

I spent the last night in Bellingham to droff the bf off at the airport early this morning, so he could go to Vegas while I stayed home! This meant I arrived at the shelter a little later than usual for dogwalking, and that my favorite dog Hendrix was already on his walk.
The dog I took out was named Sosa; he's a biiiiiiiggg German Shepherd/Rottie mix of some sort. He has a cute face, where it always looks like he's smiling at you.



He definietly lived up to his size as he pulled a lot on his leash, and if there was something ahead that he wanted to get to, i.e food or a bird/bunny, he'd get these huge jolts of energy and lunge towards whatever got his attention. More than once he almost yanked me off my feet trying to get to someone who had bread treats, and in his eagerness to get to the wooded trail he pulled me so hard I slipped on some grass and fell into the mud.
Sosa seemed like a very nice dog; he responded well to food (of course) and was quite obedient when it came to doing things for them (sit, down). He waited to be released from the command before moving, and when it came to other dogs he didn't appeared not to be fazed by them: while in the pens another dog came up to the fence and they both had a sniff of each other, but the other dog growled and bared its teeth...Sosa merely looked politely puzzled.
I tried training him not to pull so hard on his leash, but I can safely say my attempts failed...miserably. The times when he'd pull, I would stop in my tracks, waiting for the leash to slacken a little so I could praise him at the right time and start walking again. It never happened. I would stop and become a tree, and Sosa would sniff around and look at the other dogs and try to lunge forward when he realized we weren't moving. When nothing happened, he would just sit down and wait, which is NOT what I wanted!
On the SPCA page, it says his owners gave him up because they didn't have enough space and fencing for him at their home. If that's the case, why would you adopt a dog that's a German Shepherd/Rottie mix then? Surely you can't expect a dog to be, at full grown size the size of a poodle? Another example of people who don't do their research before getting a pet!

May Cause Nausea

How?

Why?

Atrocious. Dispicable. Disgusting.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article6324489.ece

Adventures in Dogwalking: Hendrix

I love big, fuzzy dog breeds (no bully breeds for me!) and some smaller, fuzzy breeds as well, but I have a special soft spot for German Shepherds and Siberian Huskies. That's why when my favorite dog Viva (who I mistakenly referred to as Vivi in my last blog) was away at the vet for her spay appointment today, I chose to take Hendrix out for his walk.

At the beginning of our walk, he seemed very uneasy. He kept walking here and there, smelling things and then randomly pulling ahead with a burst of energy (he's an older dog, so he wasn't super powerful, but still a little strong). He also kept whining and barking, even though there was nothing ahead of us. After I corrected him a few times, he seemed to calm down, and walked a little better (even though he still needed reminding not to pull on his leash). After going around the trail a few times, I rewarded him with a treat and some cuddles, and he seemed to calm down even more.

That is, until the other dogs started being brought out. Then I realized that poor Hendrix was afraid of them.

Actually, it would seem like he became more shy and insecure around other dogs; when another one was nearby, he would start whining, which would escalate into barking and lunging, combined with whining. He would also try to hide behind me, which sounds kind of cute, but really, it's not good for the dogs' emotional and mental well being. I'm sure there's a little fear there, maybe something stemming from puppyhood (might've been very submissive, picked on a little by other dogs, etc).

Anyways, it was my goal to try to help him get used to other dogs as much as I could. Whenever another dog would pass by and he started getting antsy, I would stop and say "hush!" until he calmed down. As soon as he didn't show any signs of anxiousness/fear, I would immediately say "good dog!" and give him a quick hug. It kind of worked and kind of didn't...towards the end of our time together he could ignore certain dogs, but other dogs (mainly big, male dogs) still got him worked up.

I have to say, I fell in love with this dog. He's so smart and cuddly! He already knew sit, and (give your) paw. Once he associated an open hand with cuddles, he would duck under and lean against you. Whenever I left him alone in the pens while I went to get him some more water or treats, upon returning he was always waiting for me at the gate with his tail wagging, and wouldn't even try to get out (unlike some of the other dogs) when I opened the door to get in. He knows fetch, but when I throw the ball he sloooowly trots after it, picks it up, and drops it near you. I think he gets tired of it easily.

Of course, it's my hope that he gets adopted soon, as it's always sad when older dogs are at the shelter. Until then, I'm going to stick with him and try teaching him new things, because he is a smarty pants! He's got quite the nose (he was able to sniff out a treat buried in gravel in a pen when we were walking by on the outside) and I plan on letting him use it!

The Saddest Doggie Face I've Ever Seen

Luna the Samoyed. (http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=9627246)

From Petfinder:

At 11 years of age, Luna was abandoned by her family at a local shelter. She was a mess--filthy, with multiple infections, and not being treated for medical issues she has. We got Luna's infections cleared up and we started her on medication for epilepsy and for hypothyroidism. Luna is now stable on her medications and doing beautifully! She takes her pills very easily, eating them with her meals, without a fuss. The cost of her medications is about $40 a month.Luna has a wonderful, easy-going temperament. She loves people and is good with other dogs. She is ok with cats too and is good with kids. Luna rides well in the car, is house trained, and walks well on leash. She enjoys slow walks in the neighborhood and laying on or near your feet.

Aww.

Adventures in Dogwalking: Seko

My week got off to a great start; I overslept and rushed to get to work, arrived fifteen minutes late, only to realize that I had previously switched shifts with a coworker and wasn't even scheduled.

At least that meant I had the day off! Since I was now awake and ready to go at 8am, I decided to go for the Monday dogwalking session.

The first dog I walked was an adorable puppy named Seko. Yes, a puppy! He was only about four months old, and so cute. He had that kind of face that made me want to kiss his nose. Due to the fact that he was still a baby, he hadn't learned certain behaviors yet, which I took upon myself to try to start introducing him to. That meant every time he tried jumping up on me, he was met with a stern "Off!" Every time he was distracted by something, whether it was stopping to look at the grass, to roll around in the grass, to eat the grass, or to look at another dog, I would say "Let's go!" in my firm teacher voice and gently pull on the leash while walking forward so he would realize to follow me, and not let his attention get diverted by other things.

Of course, as with almost all the dogs at the SPCA, Seko had the issue of pulling on his leash when walking. Because he's still a baby, it seems like it's not a big deal now, but he will grow into a larger, stronger dog, and then it's a big problem to avoid being pulled off your feet. Therefore I wanted to try to squash that right out of him and teach him not to pull. I tried my two researched methods: the changing direction so he has to follow you and praise method, and the become a statue everytime he pulls until he comes back to you and praise method. The first method, even though he was forced to follow behind me when I changed direction, I have a feeling it didn't really click what the whole point was. The second method seemed to have a success rating of zero; when he pulled, I would stop and pretend to ignore him by looking up at the sky. When I still felt him pulling on the leash a minute later, I glanced at him and found him pretty much entertaining himself, alternating with trying to leap forward while still leashed and exploring all the plants around him. Since that also equals loss of control, I reverted back to going forward with him. I'll have to fine tune that somehow.

What I really enjoyed was our time in the pens together. I like trying to teach the dogs new commands; it's so much fun when you see them do it! Whether or not I actually taught them or they knew it before and just needed the right motivation is questionable, but I don't care. Seko seemed to kind of know the idea of 'sit,' after a few repetitions and rewarding with the revered squeaky hamburger toy he responded quicker to it. I worked on getting him to drop his toy into my hand on command; when I tried to take the toy from his mouth I kept saying "drop it," until he let go, and when he did I immediately gave him a cookie, acting like he just won the Nobel prize so he would associate the two things together positively. I found if I ran around the pen, he would get excited and happy and would run around with me. He took a break at one point and lay down, and when I started petting him he rolled over onto his back, which I took as sign of success in my activities with him!

After being out with Seko for about a hour and a half, I switched dogs as they were short walkers. I took out Nikki, the sweet Pomeranian cross from last week. She was still as well behaved as ever and even cuter since she went to the groomers. During our time in the pens together, I practiced some basic commands with her, which she knew right off the bat. I also started teaching her to jump over the hurdles they have there for agility exercises; I would run around and she would follow me, and after I jumped over one hurdle she would follow, her tiny legs flying over the wood. She still chose cuddles over treats, and every time I placed my hand near her head, she would nuzzle under it, just like a cat does!

When it came time for her to go back into her kennel, I took her in myself. There were quite a few kennels with large dogs already in them before hers, so I had to walk her past them. As soon as we started all the dogs started barking loudly and making a huge fuss. When I reached her kennel, I saw that she was rooming with an ANNOYING yappy small dog. He kept barking and growling at me in his high pitched voice, and I didn't want to go in there and deal with him so I had to go around to the back, let down the baricade so that he would be stuck on one side, and then I could go in and put Nikki back.

On the back side of the kennels, there's one side for the dogs that are currently not adoptable, as they are classified as "dangerous dogs." When I walked Niki back there, the commotion started again, this time with the other aggressive dogs barking and snarling. As I walked her down the walkway I could literally feel little Nikki's fear; she was terrified! Even though she didn't react in any way, I saw that her little body was shaking all over. I got the baricade down in her kennel with that other dog in it, and went back the way we came.

At first, she didn't want to go into the kennel, but when I went in first she followed me. Nikki was a good girl right up until I had to leave her; when I got ready to open the door I had her sit and stay, which she did without even hesitating. As soon as I closed the door, she started whimpering and trying to poke her nose through the wire, and trying to follow me as I walked away. It broke my heart to leave her in there; I actually burst into tears when I got in my car because I was so sad. Here is this adorable, small, well trained dog who loves to cuddle and be near you, but she's languishing away without a home, and since she's already close to being ten years old and most dogs live about thirteen to sixteen years, she'll probably be overlooked as too old. :(

By the way, that annoying yappy dog that was sharing her kennel had some aggression issues, in my opinion: after the baricade was down and I was spending some last minutes with Nikki, he kept barking from the other side and was actually banging on the baricade so hard it was shaking! He was a small, Maltese-Poodle mix that didn't even come up to my knee! This is what happens when you don't train your dog properly!

Re: Nikki

It turns out Nikki was surrendered because her owner was in the hospital with a really serious injury. At least she wasn't surrendered for some lame reason (like the owners didn't want her anymore).

Still, it's a sad ending for both owner and dog.

Adventures in Dogwalking: Nikki

The night before my weekly dogwalking gig, I check the SPCA website to give me an idea of what pooches are going to be there to walk the next day. I realized that my number one favorite, Bruno, was no longer listed at the Surrey location, nor did a search involving other locations turn up his profile. I hoped that meant he had finally found a deserving home.

Unfortunately, upon enquiry this morning, it only meant he had been transfered to the Vancouver location. I hope someone can give him a home there!

The dog I walked today was named Nikki. In contrast to the usual big dogs I walk, Nikki was a small little Pomeranian/Eskimo dog cross. Usually I find these kinds of dogs yappy and annoying, but Nikki completely won me over. She didn't bark even once during our walk, quickly learned that she was to walk behind me instead of in front of me, and for once I didn't have to deal with any challenges to or from other dogs. It was the easiest walk I've had in a long time.

Of course, one of the most rewarding things about dogwalking is playtime with the dogs! Nikki was no exception. I quickly found out she knew sit, off, how to come when called, and stay (it seems staying in one place until told to come is difficult for dogs to comprehend, but Nikki stayed still even as I walked alllllll the way to the other side of the pen. And when I finally called her to me, she eagerly jumped up and ran to me and rubbed up against my legs). Even better, instead of taking the treats I offered for her good behavior (call it bribery if you will, but most dogs need something to motivate them to follow you, and food is universally accepted) she always chose to snuggle against me for hugs as a reward. On the rare time she did take the treat, she just held it in her mouth for a while, and then dropped it on the ground and left it there. She knew what the word 'up' meant, and when I said it while tapping on one of the benches, she backed up, wiggled her bum and jumped up onto the bench, where we would sit together and she would press against me and I would pet her soft fur (she was like a big, fluffy pillow).

Our walk was cut short because she had to go to the groomers, but after finding out that she was an owner surrender, I ask myself, "Why?" Everyone has their reasons, but after all the other dogs that I've walked, Nikki seemed like a piece of cake to take care of.

Even so, with her sweet disposition and her cute little face, I'm sure she'll be adopted soon.

Dog Desires

Since I started volunteering at the SPCA and walking the dogs there, it's been no secret that I've been hankering for a dog of my own. Unfortunately, due to the pet aversion my landlords (a.k.a my parents) possess, it seems there will be no chance of me owning a pet until I actually move out.
Therefore, the solution seems to be: move out.
If only it were so simple.
After doing my research, the breed I've settled on owning is the fabulously cute, beautiful, and intelligent Siberian Husky. They are friendly, usually non-aggressive, and have I mentioned they are super adorable? Yes, I've read the information and they can be very stubborn to train and they are high energy, which means they need extra exercise to prevent them from becoming bored and destructive. I'm prepared for the challenges, and have immersed myself in dog literature (Hooray for the Dog Whisperer and the internet!) to broaden my knowledge of dog handling.
Unfortunately, I have an attraction to big dog breeds, and as I troll through Craigslist looking for a place to rent in my budget, 99% of the ads that are pet friendly are only friendly to small pets. Unless your idea of small is comparable to the size of lion, that means my dreams of having a husky or other mixed breed big dog are going to remain just that...dreams.
My other concern is that huskies require a yard for sure, as they can't be trusted off leash outside (unless they are very well trained to come back...but I'm not sure I could pull that off) and require a fenced yard where they can run around safely. They also have a predisposition to dig holes, which is simply a part of their natural instinct; it's just something they do. Even if a landlord was not opposed to big dogs, they might be against having their landscaped backyard full of holes in the span of a few weeks.
So, in conclusion, unless I can convince my parental units that I can completely take care of a dog (Bribery? Begging? Temper tantrums?) it appears the day that I have a dog to call my own will be a day very far in the future.