Friendship

One of Bryan's Nashville buddies, Chris McHugh, recently married during a scenic park ceremony. This fellow trotted by with his dog sitting 'shotgun'. We are uncertain what, if any, role the trio played in the wedding ceremony but it was a sight that caught my attention.

This is an unlikely pairing as Australian Cattle Dogs are a herding breed which are notorious for 'herding' any species that will comply. Horses, being the prey and a pure flight species, are justifiably cautious of dogs that herd them. To see these two living in harmony is a testament to how the bond of friendship can break through 'natural' walls.

I have friendships that the world may view as odd or unlikely. I am a practicing Christian, yet one of my very closest of friends is an atheist. I love her to pieces and cannot imagine my life without her. I am a staunch non-smoker, yet two of my closest friends are heavy smokers. Again, I could not imagine my life without their companionship.

It was once suggested that I can maintain these friendships because I can forgive these people. I was absolutely horrified and those of you who truly know me will have no difficulty imagining what came next! Thaaaaaat's right! I let them have it with both barrels. Forgiveness? How condescending! I know why I can enjoy these precious friendships. Because true respect and love for the individual transcends the greatest of differences.

Do you have a friendship that would be perceived as odd or unlikely?

Pups In A Bag

Pups In A Bag

Molly and Pixie

(6 mos/7mos)

"This bag is my favorite hidey-hole."

"But there's room for one more!"

"Big sis, Pixie, joins me for some fun..."

and a kiss from her baby sister."

"Quiet Solitude."

*photography by Sharayah

Me 'n George

This is George, a 3.5 month old female boxer. Isn't she adorable? Her owners contacted me because they really wanted to start their pup off on the right paw. I looked forward to each session with an anticipation of a young kid waiting for a birthday! She was a joy to work with and her people were a breath of fresh air; wanting to know everything they could about dog psychology and worked diligently to implement the practices I taught them.

George is nearly a year old now and has already been to several spots deep within the rockies with her avid out-doorsey people. She carries much of her own camping equipment as they hike from camp sight to camp sight. She listens to her pack leaders which keeps her safe and sound.
On last report, earlier this week, George was enjoying romping in the snow and energetic games of fetch with her favorite wubba (a cloth wrapped kong with 'tails'), a big favorite among dogs of all sizes. George stole my heart during our first session and secured a very special place in my Pack Rules experience.

Find Another Dream

I was talking to a friend from Manitoba today. We haven't talked in such a long time. We worked at the same day care facility when we were 19 yrs old. Anyway, she mentioned her son was playing junior legue hockey but that this would be his last year as he was getting too old. She went on to say how sad she was for him as it was his dream to make it to the majors.

This put me thinking on a familiar topic. I have always considered myself to be quiet fortunate that, although many dreams have been crushed throughout the years, I have always been able to find a NEW DREAM. Perhaps I am resourceful, versatile or just desperate to find a purpose in life. Regardless of the reason, I could not imagine surviving life if we were only allowed a single dream. Furthermore, I do not know how a person can live, day in and day out, nursing a single dream. To me, that is paramount to 'putting all your eggs in one basket'.

Although I have managed to find these new dreams and am living happily, sometimes wondering which new dream will find me next, I thought it would be interesting to revisit the ones that got away.

Here are a few of my dreams that either never came to fruition or were dashed mid-stream:

1) Never had a dog as a kid (We all know how that one finally turned out but I really could have used a doggy friend when I was young).

2) Never had a sister (I now have freinds that are close enough to be one).

3) Finally realized my dream of owning my own horse and learning to ride but a wicked car accident buried those aspirations. (It remains to be seen what, if anything, lays ahead for me in the equine world. I'm ok with attending shows and watching movies for now. I can always appreciate their beauty.)

4) Aspirations of starting up a kennel just came waaaaaay too late in the game. (I still have "Pack Rules Inc.")

5) Visit Scotland - Hey, it could still happen.

There are others, too personal to blog about or too painful to recall, but there is always hope and I'm struck by the thoughts of all the great dreams that have come through for me. I feel fortunate for those but that's a list for another day.

Would you like to share a short list of some dreams that passed you by or are yet to be realized?

William Goes To The Vet

Will has been acting increasingly 'odd' for the past couple of weeks. I called the vet today and got him in to see Dr. Hannan (he's an excellent vet!). To make a long story short, he has infection in both ears, worse in the right. This explains part of the face rubbing on his right side. He also has a chipped tooth on his lower right side. It has been chipped for over two years but has never bothered him in the past. I knew it was likely taking a turn for the worse. He also had impacted anal glands (yummmmmmy!).

I wrote in my journal before I left the house: "I predict that Will has an abscessed tooth, the one that is chipped and something is up with his anal glands. Possibly some intestinal upset."

I was shocked that he had the ear infections. Did not occur to me. Course...I don't have one of those fancy 'look-see' thingies the Doc uses to peer all the way down the dog's ear canal. lol

$89 later, Will has empty anal sacs (which we hope rectifies the discomfort he was showing around his back end), anti-inflammatory/antibiotic drops for his ears which have to go in each ear, twice daily for the next week. Then we will check to make sure he is all clear. If so, he is scheduled for surgery to extract that tooth - ASAP!

I felt bad for him so I took him to the pet store (I was running low on kibble) and bought him a peanut butter cookie with yogurt icing. Now THAT really is 'yummy'.

A Question of Ethics

Wow! What a topic, no? I was recently discussing a dilemma that involved the issue of ethics with a friend. I have given great thought to the topic and this is what I shared with her.

1) I define ethics as the process of choosing the lesser evil. Consider this scenario. I believe that abortion is always, without exception, wrong and is to be classified as murder. However...I do believe that there are events that can occur whereby it can be the lesser of evils. For instance, if I were pregnant and the Dr told me that I would surely die if I carried the child, I would be standing at a horrible crossroad. My decision would be based on the fact of whether or not there would be children for whom I was already responsible. If I had no other children, I do not know that I would be able to kill my unborn child just to save myself. But if I already had children, I would definitely kill my unborn child because I cannot reconcile myself to an act that would leave orphans in the world. I believe that my first obligation would be to living children for whom I am responsible. There are a few other scenarios in which I believe I would kill my unborn child but I will save those for another time.

2) If I find myself standing at the crossroads of an ethical decision, I will consider who stands to benefit from my choice. If I am the only one to benefit, I am far less likely to proceed and will count my losses and get on with life. But if there are many who will benefit, I am far more likely to make that choice. For instance: I am currently dealing with a situation whereby I am owed several hundred dollars by an individual with whom I was doing business. It is within my rights to begin small claims litigation which I am extremely confidant I would win. However, and here is the quandary, this person is currently fighting for her life. She has cancer.

I am completely willing to walk away from the entire situation and consider it a lesson hard-learned. BUT...I am not the only one who has fallen victim to her. She has absconded with many client's funds. Therefore, I feel socially obligated to proceed with legal action and provide pertinent information to these individuals so they, too, can take legal action regardless of her medical issues. Adding insult to injury, I found out she is still doing business: taking on new unsuspecting clients while professing she is physically incapacitated to those who are seeking refunds from her. This is unacceptable. As I see it, letting go of this issue because she is very ill is outweighed by her lengthy list of victims and the fact that she is still preying upon innocent individuals.

How do you define ethics? Do you have a story to share depicting an ethical decision you have been faced with our have considered greatly, should you ever be faced with it? I am interested to hear your opinions.

NOTE: While I am steadfast in my beliefs regarding abortion, I respect that each individual must find peace with the issue on their own terms and do not believe it is my place to judge anyone making a choice no one should ever have to face.

Springer's New Back Pack

Wednesday: January 6, 2010

Springer's girls went out to purchase a backpack for his Wed session. It is quite flashy, sporting colors of bright blue with pink, yellow and white stripes. It is also very serviceable as it has zippered pouches where he can carry house keys and potty bags. It is much too cold to walk outside, so a 15 minute trek on the treadmill twice daily is in order. Isn't he handsome?

On a technical note: wearing a backpack during outdoor migratory walks and treadmill time places the dog's mind into a working mode. This intensifies the mental effort of the exercise, thereby providing the much needed 'job' every dog longs for. If you have a larger dog (Springer, a Havanese, is only 7 lbs), you can gradually increase the weight carried in the backpack. Outward hound makes a 'hiking' version of the backpack with expandable pouches.

One of my clients is an avid outdoors-man and hikes for days up in the mountains. Just like a true outdoors-y type, his dog carries everything she needs for those 2-3 days: high energy food, collapsable water bowl, mini telescopic shovel (used to dig holes to bury feces), NASA thermal blanket and the like. She is a Boxer, well past the growing stage* and absolutely loves going with her people on these excursions.

A Westie standing 10-11"at the shoulder and weighing 15-22lbs can carry more than a poodle of the same height as the Westie has a shorter spine and more muscle mass.

I recommend consulting your vet to see what weight is appropriate for your dog as it will greatly depend on the size - weight - muscle mass - spine length of his breed/body type. A Greyhound is a large dog but has a slighter weight with a long spine so should not carry as much as a Rottweiler who can be every bit as large but has a far greater muscle mass that can support the spine while carrying heavier items.

Mini breeds and puppies can get in on the action, too!

So stylin'!

Remember, just as we humans can become listless and depressed when living with no express purpose, so can our canine companions suffer. They are eager to find purpose in their daily lives and carrying a backpack during walks (outdoors or on the treadmill) goes a very long way in meeting that instinctual need.

*Stick to very light and few items while your dog is growing! Every breed reaches maximum skeletal and muscle maturity at differing ages. Consult your vet or knowledgeable breeder to determine when this maturity is likely to occur. I prefer to keep the backpack empty for small breeds until they are fully grown.