From A Wonderful Friend...

My first Christmas Gift of 2009. I couldn't wait! Beautifully wrapped, as usual.

A package of calming Green Tea and a gorgeous Harmony bracelet. A 'dog' pen with a nifty 2010 pull-out calendar (so cool!) and puppy stationery block.

The red star ornament found its rightful place at the top of our new Christmas tree.

Thank you, Linda. You know me all too well. Hugs!

Christmas Shopping...

has been a relaxing event this year. We finally talked Bryan into drawing names for 'secret santa' Christmas. He was always reluctant because he loves to see the tree with all the presents and the looks on people's faces when they get that truly 'awesome' gift.

Thankfully, that is all behind us now. I sound like such a scrooge. But with everyone grown up with bills of their own and the economy like it is...it just makes good sense. Personally, I wish we had always done the 'draw-names Christmas'. I think we could have saved some ill-spent dollars and perhaps drawn upon other aspects of the season to make it special. Oh, well. Perhaps that is a lesson for the next generation to pass on to the grandkids.

Anyway, shopping took me all of 3 hrs to complete and it was virtually hassle free. Surprisingly, when faced with a daunting line-up at one shop, I did not find myself instantly annoyed and fidgety. That is my usual reaction to line-ups but I contend the reaction is due to always being subject to a tight schedule. Not so this Saturday.

Today, I filled the stockings with a variety of goodies and put the gifts under the tree. I'm looking forward to a relaxing holiday. Sharayah and Theo have offered to cook dinner (they've already done all the grocery shopping) so that is an extra nice treat. I'm so looking forward to the day I don't think I've been this excited for Christmas in a very long time.

My Doggie Clients

Here are a few of my Pack Rules clients with a brief description of their 'issue(s)'. Now you know what I do when I'm not blogging, lol.

Alexie is just over a year old. She's dominant/anxious but making gigantic progress! Due to her owner's diligence in abiding the behavior modification program, Alexie has not bitten her owner since they began the program. Once they complete the program, I will be recommending 'sniffer school' for Alexie. She is from working stock and needs a serious job! She is a beautiful Shepherd.

Sasha is a barely one year old Sheltie and Alexie's 'sister'. She is a bit more submissive than she needs to be but overall, a very balanced dog that has benefited from participation in the program. We will be working to increase her food drive.

Springer is a 4yr old Havanese and his mommy is creating my website! He suffers from front door excitement (barking/jumping up/submissive peeing) and severe separation anxiety. I will be seeing him tomorrow to teach him how to exercise on his mommy's treadmill. This will help tremendously with the anxiety. He made huge progress during his first session... enough to leave his human pack members speechless. He is super eager to please and very 'soft' in training. He reminds me a lot of Tucker.

This is George and she is only three months old in this picture, although she is getting close to 9 mos now and you should see the size of her. This picture was taken the day I met her. Her parents called me to help with overall puppy excitement, submissive peeing and toileting issues. We also worked on beginner recall. She is doing well and has the perfect parents for her as they take her camping and hiking in BC during vacation and she gets daily runs with her short-marathon mom. They did well in choosing George's breed (boxer) as well as her temperament. It is one of those rare - matches made in heaven. She's completed the program and I will be seeing her when her parents get their treadmill.

*NOTE: Please do not attempt to put your dog on a treadmill without consulting a professional. If done incorrectly, the dog can suffer injury or develop fear of the unit.

Little Girls At Play

Who says Chihuahuas aren't real dogs. Here, Molly and her half sister, Pixie, show how a rough and tumble wrestling match should be done.

You want a piece of me?! Bring it on!

Pixie gets things started with a throat nip on Molly but Molly retaliates with a foot punch to Pixie's face. Poof!

Sticking to her neck nipping strategy, Pixie leaves herself wide open for a full body pounce from Molly.

What? We were just playing, Mom. (Molly on left - weighing in at 1.8lbs. Pixie on right - weighing in at 3.1 lbs.) Both live to wrestle another day.

Meanwhile..... Graci serves as passive spectator and...

...Joey nibbles diligently on a braided chew...kanga style.

My Mr. Fix It

Bryan took time out of his very hectic 'renovate the stupid basement' schedule to hang the drapes and light fixture in my library. "Thanks Honey, You Da Best Ever!" Looks awesome!

Brutal Climate

On Sunday, Dec 13, the power went out in my son's apartment. He txt me the news and I suggested he break out the candles and enjoy a nice cuddle with his new wife, Sarah. A few minutes later, Bryan informed me that the power had been out for some time and it wasn't just Logan and Sarah's apt. A large portion of Sherwood Park was in darkness. Apparently, a power pole had ceased to remain vertical. Then, Mandy informed me that after a Christmas shopping spree with her children, it had been decided that she and her son would return home while her daughter and friend remained at the mall to finish up. Mandy had scarcely finished a cup of tea when she received a startling call from her daughter, "Mom, can you come get us? The mall is in darkness and people are stealing from the shops and running around like crazy." Mandy reported less than desirable behavior from the motorists when encountering the stalled traffic lights on her way to get the girls. Thankfully, they all returned home safely. What a day in our little hamlet!

This brutal cold snap reminds me of when we moved to our acreage 4 yrs ago. The boiler blew during sub zero temperatures. Our employees could not withstand the frosty basement office so were not asked to come to work. We shut everything down. It would be two weeks before we could get the new unit it. The old one had given up the ghost, so to speak.

I recall climbing into bed with my husband and the piles of covers taking forever to offer any warmth. We had to bring all the dogs into bed with us as they were whimpering in protest to the cold. They offered additional heat and were happy to lay against us in mutual desperation. We would eventually fall asleep but it was restless and the space heaters threw our heating bill through the roof! Our bill was in excess of $1,000.00. Our oldest son stayed at his girlfriend's house in their spare room. Logan and Sharayah were piled high in their respective beds with layer upon layer of blankets. Sharayah wore her winter coat and two pair of sweat pants with her father's sweat pants on top of those! Three pair of socks for everyone.

As I lay shivering under those covers, waiting for collective human/canine body heat to build, I thought of the pioneers. No heat other than that offered by a constantly tended fireplace and perhaps a bed warmer if they were lucky. They used to warm stones on the hearth and then put them in the bed. I hear fire was a constant threat.

In short, I'm glad everyone got their power on before too long. I can't help thinking of many homeless people out in the cold during this weather. My thoughts and prayers are with them. Tuck your family in and stay safe and sound. Perhaps we all could check our local city regarding donations of gently used winter coats for those in need.

Better Late Than Never...

I cannot believe how long it takes to finish a basement! Honesty! Of course, it's going to take longer when you do all the work yourself (ie-Bryan) with absolutely no help and...you still have to work your regular job to pay the bills. Amazing any progress is made at all. We are getting closer, though. Lately, Bryan has completed the finish coat on absolutely all the walls and trim. A very big job. He had to give another coat of the 'old violin' ( a drk brwn) on the 2 feature walls due to a shedding roller leaving lint in the paint. Urgh! Tomorrow is painting the storage room floor. I know,...I know. Does that really need to be done? Answer: "yes" Especially when the only person willing to do the work is a perfectionist. Gotta love him. This next week will be about seating the new toilet and vanity. He's also going to install all the light fixtures. Carpet will be ordered as well as cupboards. These last two items won't arrive until after Christmas, but that's ok. I think Bryan could do with a bit of a break.

Bryan is taking time to have a bit of fun, I'm happy to report. He's contacted Blake and they got together to jam this past Friday afternoon. He was so happy when he came home. I am thrilled he's found an outlet for his musical creativity. They are going to put something together and start doing some gigs. It will be very good for him.

Sadly, I did not finish my novel during the NaNoWriMo. I got to a little over 15,000 words. That's not even half way! Oh, well... it is far more than I had a month ago. Why didn't I finish? I was on such a roll, after all. Elsie found herself facing amputation of her leg due to gangrene and needed rides to dr's, etc. She's had the surgery, thankfully. Everything went well and they are now looking to send her to a rehab facility until she learns to get along without her limb. She's doing very well, though. She hops farther and farther every day, she can no sleep without constant pain/spasms waking her and without the pain, she is a different person. There were many other real-life interruptions along the way that can duly serve as legitimate excuses but the bottom line is, I became overwhelmed by everything piling up and allowed myself to be distracted. I am making progress is getting things sorted out and back on track.

Pack Rules Inc. has seen some progress as well (one of the real-life distractions from my novel). The ad came out in the Sherwood Park yellow pages and I was very happy with it. I got in touch with Lynn (the website lady who owns "On Course Solutions") as Linda informed me that she was getting ever more frustrated with her little dog, Springer and suggested we may be able to work a contra deal. We did and Springer is already a very different dog and we've only completed the assessment and session 1. The solution to his barking at the door was the quickest yet and I am actually very fond of Springer. I am looking forward to Lynn accepting my offer to take him home with me to board him when she takes her girls for holiday.

Yesterday was my meeting with Lynn to move forward on the development of my website. WOW! There is sooooooo much to do! EEEEKKK! It will be all I can do to get all the articles and forms written for it. And I don't want it to go on for ages, just sitting because I can't find time to write my articles. Oh, well....ever onward.

I completed the boxer puppy, George and am working with Phil and Katie (old Packleader clients that got ripped off by Jody). Their shepherd, Alexie, is extremely anxious but making phenomenal progress. Katie and Phil are completely devoted to her rehabilitation. Their little sheltie, Sasha, is picking things up very quickly and having her behavior tweaked along the way, successfully.

Sharayah went for her allergy tests which, at the very least, got us the answers to what she is actually allergic to. No more guessing. Pollen - big time. Soy, house dust, cats, dogs, and a few others that I can't remember off hand. Now she knows what her options are for treatment, she can feel like she's got a handle on the situation. "No more lying in the grass" as she put it.

All in all....a good month, productive...even though not in all the areas I would have chosen. Tomorrow is another day with so much potential for progress. I am ever thankful for today. Each is a precious gift of time and I plan to respect that gift more than I have lately.