Two of my canine walking mates are moving and I have to say I have been feeling down in the dumps, that they will no longer be a part of my weekly routine.  It amazes me how quickly I become attached to my four legged friends and how they weave themselves into the tapestry of my heart and life.  I haven’t lived with these two, I merely walk with them three times a week, that’s it.  It is not like there is anything special about the way I move one foot after another, I plod along like everyone else.  Maybe a little faster than some,  but I don’t have a super power that no one else possesses.  However, when I walk with my little friends I establish a rapport with them, I get to know what they find interesting, I can read their body language and our time together becomes sacred and significant to me.  Yup, even on those cold rainy walks, whether we are a duo or a trio, those thirty minutes are special!  Today, as I think about Spring and the concept that those two pooches will be in a new home, with a new dog walker, I wonder…will that person take the effort to cuddle with little Miss to gain her trust, she is complicated but so worth the time we spent sitting on the steps with her sleeping on my knees after a cold wintry walk.  Will Master P be able to pull the wool over the eyes of the new person and get his fix of Tim Horton’s wrappers and other opportunistic waste he discovers and surreptitiously nibbles away on?   As part of the human race, when your friend moves away you have the option to keep in touch via social media or ring them up on the phone. I feel it is a bit odd to ask their people if I can Facetime every once in awhile with their dogs to catch up.  Life is about change, change can be good, it can bring about new opportunities and growth!  I truly hope so for my two little friends!   I wish that whomever gets the pleasure of attaching the leash to their collar and taking them out for a stroll makes the time to get to know them and appreciate them, that it is not just a way to pay the bills.  And me, well, I will focus my energy on hoping the universe directs a new extraordinary friend along their path,  maybe that way, my heart won’t hurt so much.

“A Dog’s Purpose”

http://www.eonline.com/news/823764/a-dog-s-purpose-producer-pens-op-ed-about-film-s-controversy-love-of-animals-defines-my-existence

I don’t know about you, but when I saw the trailer for this movie I bawled!  Since then there has been a lot of controversy whether people should boycott the film due to animal cruelty issues of the dogs that were part of the production.  There is a video that has been circulating on the internet with a German Shepherd, footage that was taken by an individual on the set, it appears the animal in question, is being forced into a tank of rushing water and is very fearful.  It is hard with videos and the internet, to know what is real and hasn’t been spliced and diced to ‘make’ news.   Oddly, this morning I thought perhaps this was all a grand ploy by Donald Trumps people to distract the general public from real issues and his becoming President of the United States this week!   Perhaps if we are all focused on the issue of animal cruelty we might forget the other  goings on in the world that are also unsettling.  I have been doing some reading and poking around, trying to make an informed opinion on where I stand about this film and whether I would weigh in on the topic!  First off, I don’t think snubbing the film honours the animals that did appear in “A Dog’s Purpose”.  I was recently talking to a family member and when I discussed  the premise of the movie, how a dog’s soul travels from one body to another, teaching people life lessons.  The response I got was “Animals do not have a soul!”  Hmmmm….this is why I think people SHOULD go see the film, we humans do not have the market cornered on the spark that embodies meaning and purpose!  The concept of the soul in my thinking is that a body acquires life;  meaning sight and hearing, thought, intelligence and emotions, will and desire, personality and identity.  Every animal I have had the pleasure of knowing very much has it’s own distinct personality, character and significance on those around it,  I believe we are all here to teach one another, to effect and influence one another’s journey!  I have read that the footage of the German Shepherd was taken out of context and that bits and pieces of other footage was spliced together to make things look worse than it actually was.   I am not sure what the truth is, there will be an inquiry and hopefully all the animals that were part of the movie are in good stead and leading happy lives and were not negatively impacted by their participation.   I think any film using animals can be brought into question, horses, bears, dogs, cats, birds…they are not actors…we have to hope that their caregivers/handlers/trainers are advocating for them!  I know that at some point I will see this picture, as  I feel the message is one that is too special to miss out on!  We all have a purpose…personally I think those of our four legged friends whom we share our homes and lives with is a bond that should be honoured and celebrated!

My new little shadow!  He seems to be enjoying his stay and is always stretched out somewhere near by.  I was musing today that when he is out walking with his Mom, he always makes a beeline to my front door, he seems intrigued by  the idea of coming in for a visit!  He’s been bunking with us for four nights now and I noticed this morning, unlike that past three, when we were heading back to my house after our walk he didn’t bolt across our lawn wanting to go inside. I am wondering if he finds what is behind the big red door isn’t a mystery anymore, maybe I am boring and he has come to believe I am not as intriguing as he once perhaps thought I was! Have I used up my bag of tricks?   Today we went to visit the neighbour, I was reminded of the Sam I know and love, the one that just can’t wait to get inside and explore!  I was thinking of the expression “the grass is always greener on the other side of the street!”  I am pondering when he returns to his regular routine whether he will be excited again about coming for a visit or whether he will look for some greener grass?  Or maybe the way I should look at it is that we are just in the next phase of our relationship, the part where we are now comfortable with one another, no longer needing to impress!  Where we can just chill and relax and feel safe in one another’s company!  Whatever the case may be, it is lovely to have a snuggle buddy to watch a movie with or a quiet presence to laze beside my feet as I work away on the computer.  I appreciate the insights and inspiration my little friends share with me!

When your beau goes back to his family!  Yup, I love him, he’s not mine, his heart belongs to someone else, regardless of that fact,  I still love him!  This visit we spent two wonderful weeks together…   The men in my life, they know about him, there is nothing hush hush or clandestine about my feelings for him!  Yesterday, his people called to say they were about a half hour away and would be coming to collect him.  I hung up the phone and was puttering around making sure I had his bags packed and his effects organized so he was ready to return to his regular address.   I went into the bathroom to have a seat on the throne, normally when I do this, my love will sometimes wander by, he might even stop in and nuzzle me with his nose to say hello, but for the most part he respects my alone time!  As I sat there running over a mental list to make sure I had gotten everything I heard my friend running my way, I am not sure if he suddenly realized his bed was no longer under the front window, maybe he over heard my phone conversation, perhaps it was the absence of his dishes in the kitchen, I am not entirely sure…one minute he was at the door and the next he came rushing at me, I think, to convey me would miss me.  I was caught off balance, literally, as his head somehow managed to go in the leg of my undies that were around my knees,  90 pounds of Golden Retriever just about turfed me off the toilet.  He seemed as equally surprised as I was, for a brief second he was a bit panicked as he realized his head was caught in something?  I have never laughed so hard in all my life!  Despite the fact that my legs went up in the air,  I managed to stay seated somehow, and I also was able to get his head free from it’s encumbrance!   Today I am feeling a bit blue, missing my golden boy!!

My Mother used to have this saying “Never “assume” it makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and me”.   Essentially this was a usage of language to make me a better speller, and yet I still find it befitting in so many situations!  Last summer I was taking care of a 13 year old female dog, she was asleep on the end of my bed and when she awoke and moved, there was a spot of blood.  I began checking the dear girl over and thought maybe she had licked her paw raw…after a text to her person I realized that was not the case!  I was very surprised to find out that female dogs never stop going into heat, if kept in tact, that poor creature will bleed twice a year for life!   As a woman who is full on into the journey of menopause, I can appreciate the liberation of no longer menstruating!  I was feeling shocked and a little enraged at the idea that a female dog who is in her twilight years can still get pregnant if some randy pup happens upon her!  I think we all assume, old dogs at some point, no longer have the desire or ability to procreate!  Mother Nature decided not to put a shelf life on your pooches ability to replenish it’s species!   Another thing to note, if your female dog isn’t fixed she is put at risk for certain ailments like Pyometra (an infection in the uterus which is considered a serious and life threatening condition that must be treated quickly and aggressively.  It is a secondary infection that occurs as a result of hormonal changes in the female’s reproductive tract), Breast Cancer,  False Pregnancy and actual Pregnancy which for an older female can be life threatening.  Becoming a Mother is a very real possibility regardless of your lovely lady’s age and stage of life!  Spaying, and neutering our canine friends, regardless of their age is a very responsible route to take in their over all health and well being!!!

Holy Crap!!   I hate it when the snow melts and the back yard is like a mine field!  I used to whimp out when we lived in Thunder Bay and think it was too cold in the wintry months to go out and do recon (which might I say in that region of Ontario lasts from October to May some years) , so I would wait until the Spring, which was a very bad move!   It would take days and our largest garbage can to clean up the disaster.   I had a new resolve when we moved to Waterloo to be more diligent about keeping up with the crap in the back yard!   I thought I had been very conscientious about getting out there and making sure that things were taken care of, as I have had three large dogs living under my roof.  Sometimes the weather conspires against my good intentions.  We had a lot of heavy snowfall for the past four days followed by a recent onslaught of rain in the last twenty-four hours which has helped me to realize that I haven’t been as meticulous as I thought I had been?   I just spent a half hour stooping and scooping, as the rain revealed that the back yard isn’t a place I want the dogs cavorting with one another.  I swear to goodness , I am going to be running around the boys with a shovel or perhaps I will find one of those bags they strap onto the back of horses, to keep up with pooduction.  Anyway, there was a different reason why I began blogging about such a Shitty topic.  It is one thing to have to expend an effort to clean up after the boys, but I happened to notice that wherever the dogs had done their business, the back yard bunny, that lives under my porch would do it’s business beside or on top of the wet mushy piles that I had erroneously missed, so I had double duty!   What a bummer of a way to spend an afternoon….  tee hee!

Do you live with a soul that has control issues?  I think sometimes that I can be a bit blatant about wanting things in my household to go ‘my’ way, but in my defense, it is more so about where things are put away in my kitchen then wanting to be the boss.  My spouse might say differently, but I digress!  I think everyone under our roof would have to agree that the one who is in charge at our address is our cat Romeo!  His need to feel that he is the over-seer of our movements is down right overt!  I have been taking note of his behaviour as of late and find it somewhat amusing.  Romeo, is a Maine Coon, on the spectrum of felines, he is a good sized cat, in fact he weighs more than some of my canine clients!   I would put him at maybe 16 pounds, perhaps five of that is made up of fur, man he is fluffy!   Our dog, Lucas, is a Shepherd mix and weighs around 71 pounds, you would think the balance of power would be more in his favour due to his sheer size and gurth, and yet it is not.  That poor dog skulks around the house like a hen pecked husband, he will let Romeo push him out of the way at the water bowl, he allows him to block him from his food dish and it is usually me who has to get stern with the cat and tell him not to bully Lucas and let him have his dinner.  The coming and goings on the stairway is an even greater phenomena!   That cat of mine will stand on the landing midway between floors, or at the very top to the main level, or even more overtly, he will lay on a stair, knowing full and well that Lucas is terrified to walk past him.  His mere presence, will prevent Lucas from traversing from one floor to another, leaving him trapped.   This week we have Harley the Golden Retriever living with us, he is around 100 pounds…combined the two pooches would have no difficulty asserting dominance over our little kitty, and yet both dogs this morning were stuck on the lower landing as the cat stood at the top staring down at them with a look of disdain.   It was feeding time, and even with the smell of food, the poor boys stood frozen at the bottom of the steps staring up at Romeo wishing he would move.   I came up behind and took note of the scene, I made a comment to my gentlemen to follow me. Romeo, looked like Mufasa on Pride Rock (I swear that cat thinks he is a Lion and has no clue that his size does not match his attitude).  I acted as a human shield, so the dogs felt assured they had safe passage.  The cat begrudgingly moved out of the way,  Lucas and Harley avoided making eye contact with him, and whisked by.   The comical part is, Romeo never hisses, never is not one to use his claws (I am not sure he is aware he has them) and if he did by chance pretend to take a swipe at one of the dogs it is a lame attempt to seem imposing…his control is all in his eyes and his demeanor.  He is the epitomy of that song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers “I won’t back down.”  It never ceases to amaze me how proud Romeo is of himself when he keeps the dogs at bay, he will acquiesce when I  tell him not to be such a bully…he gets this look like “oh fine, I will let your chicken ass pooches come up the stairs….”   The other way he likes to assert he is “boss” is to situate himself on one of the dogs beds!  That cat could roost in any number of comfortable locations in this house, he can usually be found on the back of the couch (where he likes to over see the comings and going at the front door), the corner chair where his cat bed rests, his number of resting spots in the house is infinitesimal.  Yet he will purposefully lay on Harley or Lucas’ beds, resting right in the middle of it, looking like a Prince, while the dogs lay on the floor a few feet away.   They don’t try and assert that it is their spot or even suggest perhaps Romeo could share, nope, the message is loud and clear, Romeo is the one who calls the shots!   I am one of the cats minions as well, he has me very well trained to do his bidding, in fact all of us in the household stop what we are doing to feed him when he stands imposingly in the kitchen and stares at us until we stop what we are doing and get him a snack.  It is good that all of us understand the hierarchy, that we don’t question who is in charge, but I will say that it amuses me that the cat with the liver wrapped around his heart, who is sort of fragile, is the one who is in charge!  Perhaps he uses his frailty to his advantage?  I don’t really think that is though, he is a control freak!  Whenever I feel I am being a bit bossy, I remind myself that I don’t have “Catitude” like our Romeo!

I have been having one of those moments of self reproach, where I have been trying to decide if my reaction to a situation was warranted and appropriate.   There is a dog in my area that belongs to an older couple, an old Jack Russel that raises it’s hackles, bares it’s teeth and growls at other dogs when they pass by.  I have experienced a few run ins with this pooch while out walking my clients pets and thankfully I have managed to avert disaster.  One time the offending pooch came flying at one of my smaller, more timid clients, but thankfully her larger German Shepherd house mate stepped in between her and the oncoming attack and the dog turned tail and ran when Marcus let out a bark.  Then there was the day I was walking Mattie and I realized that the little terror was racing up at her from behind and I grabbed her and picked her up in the nick of time before a brawl ensued.  The third time I was heading towards the park and passed by the home of this couple when it jumped off the lap of the gentleman and came charging at  Lucas and Diesel, the man made no attempt to stop his pet.  The fiesty little thing came racing at the boys from behind, I could hear him growling and was trying to walk expeditiously, hoping that the owners would circumvent the little scoundrel…but no.  Thankfully the dog realized it was about to ‘bite’ off more than it could chew, and backed up slowly and returned home.  Which brings me to the most recent encounter.  My spouse and I were out walking with three of the dogs on a lovely wintry day, as we came down a path that leads towards home and went to turn left I heard the all too familiar sound of that angry little dog starting to bark.  I looked across the street and the elderly lady saw us and let go of the dogs leash?  First off, I was flummoxed by the fact that she didn’t give a thought to the concept that a car could have come round the corner and flattened her dog in an instance.  Second, the dog wasn’t making sounds that indicated it wanted to play and make friends, the dog wanted to kick some ass, it was a plain and simple message that was pretty clear to me.  The dog charged across the road, hair raised and it was at this moment I made a split decision, normally I practice avoidance, the path of least resistance.  The problem was, I  knew that one of the dogs I had with me was going to be a target as she is timid and doesn’t react well to such advances, which in turn would cause my dog to react poorly and then the third dog would join in.  I could see there was going to be a dog fight and frankly I wasn’t interested in having to take one of my charges for stitches!  In that moment I decided to turn around with the one dog I had that is a sturdy, muscular boy that truth be told is a lover, not a fighter, but I knew he could hold his own if required.  I decided we would meet the dog head on and stand our ground!  I was tired of this little neighbourhood bully.   The Jack Russel charged, teeth bared and growling, whilst my little bud stood there wondering what it’s deal was.  I was staring down the dog, eyes locked and in my sternest voice told it to back off.   My spouse kept walking to get the other two out of the fray.  It was then the lady across the street got  this worried look in her eyes and said “he won’t hurt anyone…”  I was at a loss for words, there was the empathetic part of me that felt like an ass for standing our ground and not backing away as per usual.  At the same time I was frustrated and angry and ready to give the woman a lecture on animal behaviour!  I wanted to say that it isn’t all right for you to allow your pooch to terrorize other people’s dogs!  It isn’t acceptable behaviour to let your animal’s  leash go and allow your pet to run across the road, because cars are bigger and your dog isn’t impervious, as nasty as your pooch is, I don’t want to see it become a pancake.  And lastly, she is dang lucky that I haven’t called the city and reported them, they seem to have a blatant disregard for proper decorum in the animal world.  When your dog is growling, showing it’s teeth and aggressing towards other dogs that is not okay!  I have found myself on a daily basis as I am out walking thinking about that afternoon and wondering if I behaved poorly.  Should I have done what I usually do, try and get the heck out of the way and hope that her dog backs down and goes home.  The message I was attempting to convey was that I had had enough, that I was no longer going to tolerate the bullying behaviour of her pet, if she wanted to let her senior dog come guns blazing at whom ever’s pooch happens by, that perhaps one day her dog will be woefully unprepared for the precipitated attack.  The message I was hoping she received was “smarten up”, and that I am sick and tired of worrying her dog is going to hurt one of my clients. Hopefully I handled the situation properly, time will tell.   I love all animals, and truth be told I worry about the well being of her dog, but I feel I have a greater purpose to take care of my pack.

When it’s cold outside might as well find a comfy place to snuggle into and stay  cozy!  As I look out the window there are snowflakes falling and the wind is gusting!  It is minus seventeen outside and not the worse weather to take a walk in.  Harley and Lucas got to go on the first walk, when I got back to the house from my second one, the boys were sound asleep, sharing the sofa!   Lazing on the couch when it is sub zero weather and the wind feels rather invasive with friends to chillax with on a wintry day, what a wonderful way to pass the time!  My furry trio hasn’t moved an inch in two hours, and show no signs of movement as long as this weather continues!   There is this saying “living a dog’s life, ” this expression was first recorded in a 16th-century manuscript and alludes to the miserable subservient existence of dogs during this era .  I think for the year 2017 this proverb needs to be revisited….these fur babies seem to have it pretty good, if you ask me, a dog’s life at our address looks pretty dang comfortable and inviting!

“Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we’ve no place to go
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…”

It is -9 today, and with the wind chill it is  -21!   I don’t let the blustery winds and snow prevent me from doing my duties!  I put on my thermal leggings, covered by a pair of wool running tights, a long sleeve shirt, a MEC polar tech hooded fleece, a cable knit sweater, my LOLE full length down coat, a toque, two pairs of mittens, an infinity scarf and my Bogs, I am ready to go!   I have three walks to do today, and as long as I am dressed warmly, I will be fine!   I go through a debate with myself every winter on whether or not I should put a jacket on my dog…he’s a dog, nature should equip him with a coat that will help him withstand the elements!   My rule of thumb today was, keep the walk under a half hour, try and pick a route where we are not in the open wind and if I notice him getting “frosty paw” ( a term I have come up with when there is not salt, but one of the boys is favouring  a foot and hopping about on three legs because it’s just too dang cold on their feet) we head home right away.   Our pets should get walked on these cold, wintry days, despite our reluctance to want to go outside and bare the elements!  Fifteen minutes will often suffice, it allows your pet to build up that winter coat they need for our Canadian below zero temps!  It also helps them release some energy from lazing about all day in the house and from packing on weight from lack of activity! Getting outside on these frosty days will help you and your pet build up stamina! And I do wholeheartedly believe it keeps us healthier!  As the boys and I walked through the quiet streets, encountering the occasional person clearing their driveway, I hummed Winter Wonderland, Frosty the Snowman, and other festive tunes and enjoyed the fact that I live in a place with four distinct seasons.  The weather outside isn’t frightful, if dressed right, ‘It’s delightful!’ so get outside and treat your pet to a wintry walk!