There is one thing that I have learned since moving to Scotland and that is: you can never count on the weather. If you leave your home and it's sunny, bring along an umbrella anyway, or if it's raining, you may want to wear layers so you can strip them off if it gets too warm. I've also learned that if you're going to let the weather dictate your life, you will never leave your house. So, yesterday morning when I took Hermione out for her first bathroom break and it was raining, I was fully prepared to have to get wet when walking her later in the morning. It was certainly a surprise when I left the flat a few hours later to feel the sun shining strongly. I had dressed for rain and immediately started peeling off those layers I mentioned because the sun was so warm.
The day before we had some crazy rain, mixed in with some hale and thunder and lightning and so Hermione had had a very short walk in the morning. It's one thing to brave a bit of rain, it's another to go prancing about in lightning and hale storms. Even if I had tried to go out for a walk, I think Hermione would have tried to drag me right back inside. Knowing that her walk had been cut short the day before and that I was heading out later on for a swim and she would have to go into her crate, I thought I'd make our walk a bit longer than usual.
We walked our usual path, meeting a few cyclists, runners and other walkers along the way. The paths are pretty quiet around 10 AM and so I was able to enjoy the sunshine and birds fairly undisturbed. Hermione pranced along beside me, trying to drop her nose to the ground a bit more frequently than normal. After it rains scents really come out for the dogs and she always is all nose the day after a good rain.
We meandered up to a local park and I stepped off the paved pathway to let Hermione frolic in the grass for a while. When she is on leash walking on the paths, she is expected to walk nicely, but at the park I let her have a bit more fun. She always makes me laugh because she springs after flying objects and when she comes to the end of her leash, she stands on her hind legs looking after her "prey;" be it a leaf, blade of grass or a bug. I've thought that I should invest in a flexy lead, only to be used in a field for play time so that she can have a bit more running freedom.
After our little romp in the park, I wasn't quite ready to go back and after a quick time check, we took a different branch of the path we've never walked down before. I've run down this particular path on occasion when out training, but running it with a sighted guide and navigating it with a white cane are two different things. This path has also just been paved and much easier to use a cane on than some of the older paths. The smooth surface lets the cane just glide over the top, whereas, the more broken, jagged paths catch the cane. These catches often result in shoulder jarring, elbow wrenching, gut stabbing or a combination of all three. This is why I prefer to use a guide dog.
We strolled along, the sun soaking into our skin and/or fur. It was so relaxing that I hardly noticed that we had been walking for almost an hour; and that's an hour one way. As we wandered under yet another under pass-there are a number of these crossing above these paths because the paths used to be the tram tracks-I figured I should check the time. I was supposed to meet a friend to swim at 11:30. Since we had left the flat around quarter to ten, I thought we had plenty of time, but when my phone screeched electronically at me that it was 10:43, my state of relax quickly vanished.
I could not believe that we had been just sauntering along for almost an hour and I hadn't even noticed. It was so enjoyable and peaceful walking with Hermione, with the sun shining and the quiet that only a heavily treed area can bring. Everyone we had met had been in great moods and I guess I had just gotten into a groove, or the zone as we athletes like to call it, and time had just got away from me. I think it's really important to have something that gives you that kind of release.
Prolonged stress can have so many adverse effects on your body that somewhere along the way, it's important to find an activity that just lets you breathe and forget what time it is. I think, humans on a whole and I'm not excluded from this, are really good at thinking ahead and being worried about what's happening next. As opposed to just being in the moment and really experiencing it. This theory could be applied to many aspects of life; just living in the moment and really experiencing it because at the end of the day, it's our experiences that we have left and we are the ones who shape them and take them for what they are. Yes, I was just walking my dog. Certainly it is not life altering, but that feeling of just living in the moment and experiencing it was so incredible and definitely not done on purpose. I'm surely not a great philosopher, nor have I been trained in some specialised field of psychology, but sometimes it's really refreshing to actually experience life instead of leaping ahead; especially when it just sneaks up on you.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
A Little Favor?
Hello to all of the dogs and cats out there who somehow manage to get their paws on their humans' plastic moneys.
I am here to ask you afavor...
I have been, and it's been for a while, thinking about opening an online store with all kinds of great things for you...the dogs and cats. There are a few human things too, but mostly for the important beings in the household. I have recently discovered a retailer that has some really cool stuff and was wondering if, you have some time, could you go internet browsing on the site and look at all of the fantastic things for sale?
Then, I would appreciate it if you could email me at:
glaciers DOT goodies AT gmail DOT com
and let me know what a few of your favourite things are. I.E., things that you would buy on a regular basis. And then, in a different list, the things that you absolutely love, but would buy as a very special treat to yourself. I also want to know about a few products that you would absolutely not buy and why.
Ssshhhhh...don't tell the humans. They may get protective of their plastic moneys.
Anyway, thanks in advanced for your help.
Happy browsing.
The shop can be found
here.
I am here to ask you afavor...
I have been, and it's been for a while, thinking about opening an online store with all kinds of great things for you...the dogs and cats. There are a few human things too, but mostly for the important beings in the household. I have recently discovered a retailer that has some really cool stuff and was wondering if, you have some time, could you go internet browsing on the site and look at all of the fantastic things for sale?
Then, I would appreciate it if you could email me at:
glaciers DOT goodies AT gmail DOT com
and let me know what a few of your favourite things are. I.E., things that you would buy on a regular basis. And then, in a different list, the things that you absolutely love, but would buy as a very special treat to yourself. I also want to know about a few products that you would absolutely not buy and why.
Ssshhhhh...don't tell the humans. They may get protective of their plastic moneys.
Anyway, thanks in advanced for your help.
Happy browsing.
The shop can be found
here.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
"A Bit Odd"
Today's post can be found on my other blog that is dedicated to my triathlon/marathon training. The post can be found
here.
It is just a small blurb about the Paralympic Games opening ceremonies tonight and how it's "a bit odd" not being there. If you can, make sure you tune in to watch the second largest sporting event in the world.
Happy reading and watching! :)
PS: We were approved to foster and now we are waiting for our first Greyhound. :D
here.
It is just a small blurb about the Paralympic Games opening ceremonies tonight and how it's "a bit odd" not being there. If you can, make sure you tune in to watch the second largest sporting event in the world.
Happy reading and watching! :)
PS: We were approved to foster and now we are waiting for our first Greyhound. :D
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Can't Contain Myself
Two posts in one day! Should you be so lucky?
Because I know you are all sitting at home waiting in eager anticipation for the next literary masterpiece that I shall bestow upon ye.
Okay, anyway...enough of my smart a**ness.
I wasn't going to write about this until tomorrow because it's not happening until later today. Also because then I'd have more details for you, but I am so excited that I can hardly contain myself.
Later this afternoon, Mr. K and I are getting a home visit from the Greyhound rescue we've been in contact with. They are coming in to get to know us and to see if we'd be an appropriate foster home. Other than that, I have no other details. Do you see why I should have waited? There's not much to tell you. Although the person checking on us did say,
"I'm not coming over to see if you dust or Hoover. I'm just coming to get to know you.
*Vocabulary Note: for North Americans, "hoovering" refers to "vaccumming" here*."
At least the woman has a sense of humour. Actually, everyone I've been in contact with have ben super friendly and quite funny. I really hope we get approved because I think this rescue would be a good fit for us and vise versa.
I have had a few people give me some logical and sound advice on perhaps holding off on the fostering, such as, getting Hermione into a reliable state before my new working dog comes home and that I am starting university in the fall, but Mr. K and I talked about it and think now is a good time.
Well, maybe we've convinced ourselves it's a good time. Or more accurately, I've convinced myself it's a good time. We're both incredibly excited-if you can't tell-and I think this will be a great experience for us.
Now, all we have to do is wait for our home visit and hope that we are what good fosterers are made out of.
Because I know you are all sitting at home waiting in eager anticipation for the next literary masterpiece that I shall bestow upon ye.
Okay, anyway...enough of my smart a**ness.
I wasn't going to write about this until tomorrow because it's not happening until later today. Also because then I'd have more details for you, but I am so excited that I can hardly contain myself.
Later this afternoon, Mr. K and I are getting a home visit from the Greyhound rescue we've been in contact with. They are coming in to get to know us and to see if we'd be an appropriate foster home. Other than that, I have no other details. Do you see why I should have waited? There's not much to tell you. Although the person checking on us did say,
"I'm not coming over to see if you dust or Hoover. I'm just coming to get to know you.
*Vocabulary Note: for North Americans, "hoovering" refers to "vaccumming" here*."
At least the woman has a sense of humour. Actually, everyone I've been in contact with have ben super friendly and quite funny. I really hope we get approved because I think this rescue would be a good fit for us and vise versa.
I have had a few people give me some logical and sound advice on perhaps holding off on the fostering, such as, getting Hermione into a reliable state before my new working dog comes home and that I am starting university in the fall, but Mr. K and I talked about it and think now is a good time.
Well, maybe we've convinced ourselves it's a good time. Or more accurately, I've convinced myself it's a good time. We're both incredibly excited-if you can't tell-and I think this will be a great experience for us.
Now, all we have to do is wait for our home visit and hope that we are what good fosterers are made out of.
Our Little Jumping Bean
Hermione has always been a happy, bouncy girl. She loves to hop about, especially when she is hunting bugs. So, she's been appropriately nicknamed, "Jumping bean," or "Bean" for short. Despite her breed's supposed couch potato status, Hermione has quite a bit of energy. However, a few training sessions,a good walk or a game of fetch in the flat and she usually has a good nap. Of course, she's still a puppy and gets into things she shouldn't, but the last couple of days I've seen a real improvement in her behavior.
*Knocks on wood*.
To be honest, she's a fairly easy puppy to deal with. The move from our old flat into this one put her a bit off balance though and it's taken her a while to settle in here. In that period of time, she's been much more excitable than normal, refusing to settle down when people come over to visit or just attempting to destroy things. It was a bit of a trial, but with some routine, training and those walks, she seems to be coming around. Yesterday we had two different groups of people over and she settled on the couch for most of the visits and relaxed. Sure, she had her little, "yay you're here!" hopping around, but she was more satisfied to sit on the couch and chew on a nylabone instead of running around and getting into everything. We've started a few new things in our training regiment and I think they've helped.
First of all, I've been asking her to "wait" at the tops of stairs and doorways and then giving her a "forward" when she is allowed to go through. It's an exercise in self control and she's caught on really quickly; no treats needed. She's happy to perform these tasks for praise and also for the reward of getting to go where we are headed to.
Yesterday we also started "off" and "on." I have done some basic "off" with her before if she puts her paws up on me when I'm eating or if she decides that climbing on to the kitchen table from the couch is a good idea. She's responded really well to it in an informal setting, so I thought that it was time to introduce it to formal training.
We walked over to a park close to our flat and we began to practice "off" and "on," using a park bench. There weren't a whole lot of people around as it was a rainy Monday morning and she did really well. I was impressed that she was even willing to perform the cues even though the bench was wet. She seemed to take a liking to "on," but I think it's because it put her up closer to me and the kibbles I was using as rewards. We practised the cues for less than ten minutes and then headed home. The rain had started to really come down and you get better results when training in shorter sessions anyway.
I've also been working with her in public spaces. She usually gets so excited it's hard to refocus her and she tries to do her crazy, "there's a spring in my butt" jump. There is a cafe just down the street that we love and they allow dogs. So, it has become our training grounds. I was really impressed with Hermione the other morning when a person sat down beside us and even though she went to hop over to him, a quick, firm "no" from me brought her back. I asked her to "sit" and her bum instantly went down; a very big change. Usually she needs food rewards to perform "sit" or "down," but it seems that "sit" has gone beyond that now. I was even more impressed when she sat quietly, just looking out the window (AKA puppy TV) while I ate breakfast. She didn't even try to go back over to the man, just feet from her.
It would appear that our little Jumping Bean is starting to grow up a bit. I don't ever want her enthusiasm for life to dissipate, but there is a time and a place for that and being able to get herself back under control when it is time to chill out is great. It's definitely a work in progress, but all training is. Learning should never stop whether you are human or a dog.
*Knocks on wood*.
To be honest, she's a fairly easy puppy to deal with. The move from our old flat into this one put her a bit off balance though and it's taken her a while to settle in here. In that period of time, she's been much more excitable than normal, refusing to settle down when people come over to visit or just attempting to destroy things. It was a bit of a trial, but with some routine, training and those walks, she seems to be coming around. Yesterday we had two different groups of people over and she settled on the couch for most of the visits and relaxed. Sure, she had her little, "yay you're here!" hopping around, but she was more satisfied to sit on the couch and chew on a nylabone instead of running around and getting into everything. We've started a few new things in our training regiment and I think they've helped.
First of all, I've been asking her to "wait" at the tops of stairs and doorways and then giving her a "forward" when she is allowed to go through. It's an exercise in self control and she's caught on really quickly; no treats needed. She's happy to perform these tasks for praise and also for the reward of getting to go where we are headed to.
Yesterday we also started "off" and "on." I have done some basic "off" with her before if she puts her paws up on me when I'm eating or if she decides that climbing on to the kitchen table from the couch is a good idea. She's responded really well to it in an informal setting, so I thought that it was time to introduce it to formal training.
We walked over to a park close to our flat and we began to practice "off" and "on," using a park bench. There weren't a whole lot of people around as it was a rainy Monday morning and she did really well. I was impressed that she was even willing to perform the cues even though the bench was wet. She seemed to take a liking to "on," but I think it's because it put her up closer to me and the kibbles I was using as rewards. We practised the cues for less than ten minutes and then headed home. The rain had started to really come down and you get better results when training in shorter sessions anyway.
I've also been working with her in public spaces. She usually gets so excited it's hard to refocus her and she tries to do her crazy, "there's a spring in my butt" jump. There is a cafe just down the street that we love and they allow dogs. So, it has become our training grounds. I was really impressed with Hermione the other morning when a person sat down beside us and even though she went to hop over to him, a quick, firm "no" from me brought her back. I asked her to "sit" and her bum instantly went down; a very big change. Usually she needs food rewards to perform "sit" or "down," but it seems that "sit" has gone beyond that now. I was even more impressed when she sat quietly, just looking out the window (AKA puppy TV) while I ate breakfast. She didn't even try to go back over to the man, just feet from her.
It would appear that our little Jumping Bean is starting to grow up a bit. I don't ever want her enthusiasm for life to dissipate, but there is a time and a place for that and being able to get herself back under control when it is time to chill out is great. It's definitely a work in progress, but all training is. Learning should never stop whether you are human or a dog.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Going grey
No, not me. Just because my 29th birthday was a few weeks ago does not mean that I'm the one "going grey." Nor is Mr. K, or at least, I don't think he is. I am blind after all. He could have a full head of grey hair by now and I would never know. I wouldn't be surprised if he did, having to put up with me and my constantly buzzing about like a busy bumble bee.
Roscoe has a few grey furs, but who wouldn't living with us, and Hermione is way too young to be "going grey." So what in the world am I talking about?
Can you guess?
I'll give you a minute...
Do you know?
Well, I'll tell you:
Mr. K and I have decided to open our home to X-racing Greyhounds. We are going to become foster parents. Well, as long as we pass the home check and all the jazz, we'll become foster parents.
I'm so excited.
I'm not entirely sure how all of this happened. It was all sort of quite quickly. I had contacted a Greyhound rescue based in Scotland a while back to ask if they needed volunteers; it was about the same time I had gone out to visit that Greyhound rescue. The one that had left a lot to be desired. Anyway, I hadn't heard anything and then just a few days ago I received a call asking me if we'd be interested in fostering. I guess they really need foster homes and I told Mr. K that the volunteering they really needed was foster parents. I figured he'd be opposed. He really does humour me with all of my crazy dog stuff and with Glacier having just left, I thought he was good with just Roscoe and Hermione. He surprised me when he said he'd be okay with fostering. We had a short chat about how it was a good time since I don't have a guide dog and who knows when I'll actually get one. Fostering has always ben something I've wanted to do, but haven't because I was worried it would negatively impact my working relationship with my current guide dog. Without that relationship to worry about, I can be free to foster.
Another perk to fostering is that we can see how Hermione does with new dogs in her home. Eventually, I will get a working dog and it may be good for her to have other doggie companions between now and then. She'll have to share me with a guide dog, and although she did that with Glacier, since he's been gone, she's been the object of my attention even more. It may be shocking for her in six months to suddenly not have me all to herself any longer.
So, if all goes well, we shall have "the world's fastest couch potato" moving in at some point. I am really looking forward to being able to give my time and effort to a cause that I feel strongly about: re-homing dogs...especially X-racers. I won't go into all of the politics of racing and the treatment of some dogs and all of the unhappy stuff about racing because, really, the important part is that if we are able to foster we are improving the lives of these great creatures one dog at a time. And that, is amazing. Just think, by opening your home to a rescue dog you can make a difference.
I've always felt like I've had to sit on the sidelines with regards to rescue. I've tried countless times to volunteer with organisations and for one reason or another, it's never worked out. Providing safety for dogs is something I get all fired up about and until now, I haven't really been able to get involved. I thought in order to actually rescue dogs, I'd have to open my own rescue organisation and that seemed like a far fetched idea. However, that is no longer the case and I am so excited about finally giving a dog a second chance. I won't go so far as to say that I'm rescuing them from horrible life or death situations, but it's a second chance in that they will be better prepared for home life with a family and thus more adoptable. Again, to me, that is just so incredible. I am also very excited to work with this particular rescue as they seem very open, considerate and definitely have the dogs' best interest at heart.
So, fingers crossed that we "go grey" sooner rather than later.
Roscoe has a few grey furs, but who wouldn't living with us, and Hermione is way too young to be "going grey." So what in the world am I talking about?
Can you guess?
I'll give you a minute...
Do you know?
Well, I'll tell you:
Mr. K and I have decided to open our home to X-racing Greyhounds. We are going to become foster parents. Well, as long as we pass the home check and all the jazz, we'll become foster parents.
I'm so excited.
I'm not entirely sure how all of this happened. It was all sort of quite quickly. I had contacted a Greyhound rescue based in Scotland a while back to ask if they needed volunteers; it was about the same time I had gone out to visit that Greyhound rescue. The one that had left a lot to be desired. Anyway, I hadn't heard anything and then just a few days ago I received a call asking me if we'd be interested in fostering. I guess they really need foster homes and I told Mr. K that the volunteering they really needed was foster parents. I figured he'd be opposed. He really does humour me with all of my crazy dog stuff and with Glacier having just left, I thought he was good with just Roscoe and Hermione. He surprised me when he said he'd be okay with fostering. We had a short chat about how it was a good time since I don't have a guide dog and who knows when I'll actually get one. Fostering has always ben something I've wanted to do, but haven't because I was worried it would negatively impact my working relationship with my current guide dog. Without that relationship to worry about, I can be free to foster.
Another perk to fostering is that we can see how Hermione does with new dogs in her home. Eventually, I will get a working dog and it may be good for her to have other doggie companions between now and then. She'll have to share me with a guide dog, and although she did that with Glacier, since he's been gone, she's been the object of my attention even more. It may be shocking for her in six months to suddenly not have me all to herself any longer.
So, if all goes well, we shall have "the world's fastest couch potato" moving in at some point. I am really looking forward to being able to give my time and effort to a cause that I feel strongly about: re-homing dogs...especially X-racers. I won't go into all of the politics of racing and the treatment of some dogs and all of the unhappy stuff about racing because, really, the important part is that if we are able to foster we are improving the lives of these great creatures one dog at a time. And that, is amazing. Just think, by opening your home to a rescue dog you can make a difference.
I've always felt like I've had to sit on the sidelines with regards to rescue. I've tried countless times to volunteer with organisations and for one reason or another, it's never worked out. Providing safety for dogs is something I get all fired up about and until now, I haven't really been able to get involved. I thought in order to actually rescue dogs, I'd have to open my own rescue organisation and that seemed like a far fetched idea. However, that is no longer the case and I am so excited about finally giving a dog a second chance. I won't go so far as to say that I'm rescuing them from horrible life or death situations, but it's a second chance in that they will be better prepared for home life with a family and thus more adoptable. Again, to me, that is just so incredible. I am also very excited to work with this particular rescue as they seem very open, considerate and definitely have the dogs' best interest at heart.
So, fingers crossed that we "go grey" sooner rather than later.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Health Checks
Yesterday was Roscoe's six month check-up. When we signed on with the Guide Dog Organisation, one of the requirements was that all of the working dogs were examined by a vet every six months. Since the organisation is fronting the bill, I don't really mind. Plus, I actually think it's a good preventative measure; a way to catch a problem before it gets out of control.
We have just switched vets since our move and yesterday was our first exposure to the new practice. Mr. K and I were both impressed by the vet's personal skills and his "bed side" manner. Since moving to the UK we have both found that most of the vets we have been in contact with have sort of had a "car salesman" kind of feel to them. The last vet we were with always wanted to give Hermione vaccines and procedures that we deemed unnecessary. For example, they wanted to give Hermione the Kennel Cough vaccination when there is a very low chance of her contracting Kennel Cough. Not to mention, based on her reaction to vaccines, I want to avoid putting foreign things into her little system as much as possible. She was also only twelve weeks at the time and had just had her last set of vaccinations. Adding another foreign body that she would have to fight off seemed a bit much. Despite my protests, they kept trying to force me into booking an appointment for the vaccine. As I would try to leave, various members of the staff would ask me when I was coming back in for Kennel Cough. They also attempted to convince me to have it done right then. They even phoned to ask when we were coming in for Kennel Cough. I felt cornered and it really put a sour taste in my mouth with regards to that particular vet practice.
They were also very pushy about microchipping her. I think microchips are a great idea, and we plan on getting her one, but it is my personal belief, from research I have done and understanding puppy growth, that it is better to wait until the puppy stops growing before inserting the microchip. I just feel more comfortable inserting something into her muscles once they have stopped developing. Again, just my personal feelings.
They also were very pushy about us bringing her in for her six month check-up and a whole bunch of other appointments that they tried to convince us she needed. I think perhaps it was their approach more than anything. Other vets we contacted when we were planning on moving, gave the same impression of trying to sell us something. So, it was a relief when we found this new practice.
We made it to our appointment on time and did not have to wait to be seen. The vet checked Roscoe over; ears, eyes, teeth, heart Etc. He told us that he was very impressed with Roscoe's condition and was surprised to find that Roscoe was five and a half. He basically told us that Roscoe is perfect and he said with regards to diet, "don't stop what you're doing." It's always nice to get that kind of confirmation when you work so hard to ensure your dog is getting what he needs to be healthy.
I guess my once a week grooming schedule, purchasing of quality food and making home made treats (and monitoring treat intake of course), has really paid off. Both the vet and vet nurse thought Roscoe was a very handsome boy, which as Mr. K pointed out, we had nothing to do with, but that is still nice to hear.
As for Her Royal Highness, Princess Hermione Sophia: he took some time to look in her mouth even though the appointment wasn't for her. Mr. K and I had become concerned that her puppy canine teeth had not fallen out when her adult ones came in and the vet confirmed that that was certainly the case. He said it's not worth knocking her out just to remove the teeth, but when she is spayed, they will take the puppy teeth out then. We had a frank conversation about spaying Hermione and he said that it was their practice to usually spay the females after they had had one season, but that if it was going to be an annoyance for us that he would do it whenever we wanted. Again, I liked that he presented the facts and let us decide. Whereas, our previous vet told us that things had to be done a certain way even if we knew differently.
The vet explained that there is some anecdotal "proof" that spaying a a female dog after her first season cuts down on the possibility of her becoming incontinent. He emphasized "anecdotal" and did not try to push us either way.
I think we will try to have her spayed before then because it will be extremely inconvenient for us to have a dog in heat.
As for when we have the surgery done: we walk her down to the vet's office close to us, the vet drives her to their downtown location and then returns her at the end of the day, whereupon, we pick her up. No fussing with the bus system, no trying to get her to her appointment many miles away. Our previous vet had a downtown location as well where Hermione had to go for her little emergency, but we had to figure out how to get her there and how to retrieve her in the morning. With this vet practice, all of that stress-and it is quite stressful when you can't see-is eliminated. He also said to bring Hamish along on that day and he will go in for neutering at the same time. Again, very convenient for everyone involved.
Our new vet seems to be just what we're looking for: the perfect fit. And, in the grand scheme of things, isn't that the important thing? Perhaps the "car salesman" feel of the other places was all perception, but at the end of the day, I am the paying customer and I want to feel comfortable with the service I am receiving. I don't want to feel like someone is trying to sell me unwanted or unnecessary products and it is important that I feel that my animal's best interest is what is actually their primary concern.
We have just switched vets since our move and yesterday was our first exposure to the new practice. Mr. K and I were both impressed by the vet's personal skills and his "bed side" manner. Since moving to the UK we have both found that most of the vets we have been in contact with have sort of had a "car salesman" kind of feel to them. The last vet we were with always wanted to give Hermione vaccines and procedures that we deemed unnecessary. For example, they wanted to give Hermione the Kennel Cough vaccination when there is a very low chance of her contracting Kennel Cough. Not to mention, based on her reaction to vaccines, I want to avoid putting foreign things into her little system as much as possible. She was also only twelve weeks at the time and had just had her last set of vaccinations. Adding another foreign body that she would have to fight off seemed a bit much. Despite my protests, they kept trying to force me into booking an appointment for the vaccine. As I would try to leave, various members of the staff would ask me when I was coming back in for Kennel Cough. They also attempted to convince me to have it done right then. They even phoned to ask when we were coming in for Kennel Cough. I felt cornered and it really put a sour taste in my mouth with regards to that particular vet practice.
They were also very pushy about microchipping her. I think microchips are a great idea, and we plan on getting her one, but it is my personal belief, from research I have done and understanding puppy growth, that it is better to wait until the puppy stops growing before inserting the microchip. I just feel more comfortable inserting something into her muscles once they have stopped developing. Again, just my personal feelings.
They also were very pushy about us bringing her in for her six month check-up and a whole bunch of other appointments that they tried to convince us she needed. I think perhaps it was their approach more than anything. Other vets we contacted when we were planning on moving, gave the same impression of trying to sell us something. So, it was a relief when we found this new practice.
We made it to our appointment on time and did not have to wait to be seen. The vet checked Roscoe over; ears, eyes, teeth, heart Etc. He told us that he was very impressed with Roscoe's condition and was surprised to find that Roscoe was five and a half. He basically told us that Roscoe is perfect and he said with regards to diet, "don't stop what you're doing." It's always nice to get that kind of confirmation when you work so hard to ensure your dog is getting what he needs to be healthy.
I guess my once a week grooming schedule, purchasing of quality food and making home made treats (and monitoring treat intake of course), has really paid off. Both the vet and vet nurse thought Roscoe was a very handsome boy, which as Mr. K pointed out, we had nothing to do with, but that is still nice to hear.
As for Her Royal Highness, Princess Hermione Sophia: he took some time to look in her mouth even though the appointment wasn't for her. Mr. K and I had become concerned that her puppy canine teeth had not fallen out when her adult ones came in and the vet confirmed that that was certainly the case. He said it's not worth knocking her out just to remove the teeth, but when she is spayed, they will take the puppy teeth out then. We had a frank conversation about spaying Hermione and he said that it was their practice to usually spay the females after they had had one season, but that if it was going to be an annoyance for us that he would do it whenever we wanted. Again, I liked that he presented the facts and let us decide. Whereas, our previous vet told us that things had to be done a certain way even if we knew differently.
The vet explained that there is some anecdotal "proof" that spaying a a female dog after her first season cuts down on the possibility of her becoming incontinent. He emphasized "anecdotal" and did not try to push us either way.
I think we will try to have her spayed before then because it will be extremely inconvenient for us to have a dog in heat.
As for when we have the surgery done: we walk her down to the vet's office close to us, the vet drives her to their downtown location and then returns her at the end of the day, whereupon, we pick her up. No fussing with the bus system, no trying to get her to her appointment many miles away. Our previous vet had a downtown location as well where Hermione had to go for her little emergency, but we had to figure out how to get her there and how to retrieve her in the morning. With this vet practice, all of that stress-and it is quite stressful when you can't see-is eliminated. He also said to bring Hamish along on that day and he will go in for neutering at the same time. Again, very convenient for everyone involved.
Our new vet seems to be just what we're looking for: the perfect fit. And, in the grand scheme of things, isn't that the important thing? Perhaps the "car salesman" feel of the other places was all perception, but at the end of the day, I am the paying customer and I want to feel comfortable with the service I am receiving. I don't want to feel like someone is trying to sell me unwanted or unnecessary products and it is important that I feel that my animal's best interest is what is actually their primary concern.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Up, Up, UP!
Yesterday afternoon Tenie, Carmen, Roscoe and I climbed Arthur's Seat. Hermione was not invited as there is no way her little puppy legs would have gotten her to our destination. Arthur's Seat is a gigantic dormant volcano that can be seen for miles around Edinburgh. We can actually see it from my flat window, despite us being kilometres away. Since arriving in Edinburgh, I have wanted to climb the summit, but we've just never had the chance yet. So, when Tenie said it was on her bucket list of things to do before leaving Edinburgh, I was very excited.
We had a tasty lunch at The Haven, a little cafe that has the most amazing food, and then hopped a bus downtown. Roscoe came along as a non-working dog and I think he thoroughly enjoyed his time. The only unpleasant part of the whole excursion was this crazy, little yappy dog on the bus to Arthur's Seat who was snarling and snapping at people, babies and Roscoe. Of course the owner wasn't interested in doing anything about it and just kept saying, "oh, he's harmless. He's just a puppy. He's just noisy."
That dog was not a puppy and there is a difference between being noisy and lunging for babies' faces. I'm surprised the bus driver didn't ask the woman to get off the bus. I would have been mortified if any of my dogs behaved in that manner.
Tenie took Roscoe and walked him so that Carmen could guide me. The 255 metre above sea level climb took us just under an hour and it was quite enjoyable. The sun was out for the most part, which is a rarity in Scotland, and there was a light breeze. There were a lot of other people climbing the peak, including a tour group from Italy who cheered when each of their members reached the top.
The climb itself had various parts that proved challenging in their own right. The first part wasn't bad, just a gentle slope with stairs cut into the side. We then walked along a road that gradually climbed upwards. It was after this road that the part that demanded a bit of fitness came along. It was a fairly steep incline up a grass covered hill. It was here that Tenie unleashed Roscoe and he took off like a shot, running as fast and as hard as he could. He charged right over to some Australian tourists and introduced himself enthusiastically. They loved him and rough housed with him a bit. He then found his next victims; some people having a picnic. He tried to take a sandwich and so he went back on leash for the rest of the climb up, which was fine because after the grassy slope, the terrain turned quite rocky and we didn't want him to injure himself running about like a maniac.
We picked our way over rocks and used man made foot holes to propel ourselves up. In places the rock was quite smooth and finding the correct place for a foot became tricky. We just went slowly and I felt with each foot before planting it. Tenie and carmen were also good at watching where my feet were going and would often help by saying, "move left" or "right and up a bit."
As we got closer to the top, the rocks became even smoother and I found myself doubled over feeling with my hands before stepping forward. There were sheer drop offs on one side and so I thought this style of climbing was safer.
Once at the top, we stopped for more photos and then found some weather smoothed stones to sit on and have the oatmeal cookies Tenie had brought along from The Haven. It was amazing being up so high. Of course I didn't get the benefit of the view, but you could hear noises from down below that you otherwise wouldn't have heard due to noise pollution. For instance, there was a marching band playing lively tunes that kept floating up to us. At one point, it began to sprinkle, but the sun was still out and going down would have taken another hour, so we weren't in a hurry to go anywhere.
After hanging out at the top for a while, we slowly made our way back down, carefully picking our path. The climb down included a lot of me squatting and sliding from one rocky out cropping to another, but once we made it back to the grassy slope, it was smooth sailing. We let Roscoe run again and he bolted straight for another tourist, but thankfully she was excited to see him. She took a lot of action shots of him bounding through the tall grass and running on the straight stretches. We were all very impressed by his athleticism. He definitely had to be brushed free of the grass seeds that attached themselves to him during his mad galloping.
The bus ride home was not nearly as eventful as the one to Arthur's Seat and when we got home, we all pretty much flopped on to the couch and didn't move. Roscoe was still tired today, sleeping in late and napping for most of the day. If only Hermione could have come and been that sleepy.
We had a tasty lunch at The Haven, a little cafe that has the most amazing food, and then hopped a bus downtown. Roscoe came along as a non-working dog and I think he thoroughly enjoyed his time. The only unpleasant part of the whole excursion was this crazy, little yappy dog on the bus to Arthur's Seat who was snarling and snapping at people, babies and Roscoe. Of course the owner wasn't interested in doing anything about it and just kept saying, "oh, he's harmless. He's just a puppy. He's just noisy."
That dog was not a puppy and there is a difference between being noisy and lunging for babies' faces. I'm surprised the bus driver didn't ask the woman to get off the bus. I would have been mortified if any of my dogs behaved in that manner.
Tenie took Roscoe and walked him so that Carmen could guide me. The 255 metre above sea level climb took us just under an hour and it was quite enjoyable. The sun was out for the most part, which is a rarity in Scotland, and there was a light breeze. There were a lot of other people climbing the peak, including a tour group from Italy who cheered when each of their members reached the top.
The climb itself had various parts that proved challenging in their own right. The first part wasn't bad, just a gentle slope with stairs cut into the side. We then walked along a road that gradually climbed upwards. It was after this road that the part that demanded a bit of fitness came along. It was a fairly steep incline up a grass covered hill. It was here that Tenie unleashed Roscoe and he took off like a shot, running as fast and as hard as he could. He charged right over to some Australian tourists and introduced himself enthusiastically. They loved him and rough housed with him a bit. He then found his next victims; some people having a picnic. He tried to take a sandwich and so he went back on leash for the rest of the climb up, which was fine because after the grassy slope, the terrain turned quite rocky and we didn't want him to injure himself running about like a maniac.
We picked our way over rocks and used man made foot holes to propel ourselves up. In places the rock was quite smooth and finding the correct place for a foot became tricky. We just went slowly and I felt with each foot before planting it. Tenie and carmen were also good at watching where my feet were going and would often help by saying, "move left" or "right and up a bit."
As we got closer to the top, the rocks became even smoother and I found myself doubled over feeling with my hands before stepping forward. There were sheer drop offs on one side and so I thought this style of climbing was safer.
Once at the top, we stopped for more photos and then found some weather smoothed stones to sit on and have the oatmeal cookies Tenie had brought along from The Haven. It was amazing being up so high. Of course I didn't get the benefit of the view, but you could hear noises from down below that you otherwise wouldn't have heard due to noise pollution. For instance, there was a marching band playing lively tunes that kept floating up to us. At one point, it began to sprinkle, but the sun was still out and going down would have taken another hour, so we weren't in a hurry to go anywhere.
After hanging out at the top for a while, we slowly made our way back down, carefully picking our path. The climb down included a lot of me squatting and sliding from one rocky out cropping to another, but once we made it back to the grassy slope, it was smooth sailing. We let Roscoe run again and he bolted straight for another tourist, but thankfully she was excited to see him. She took a lot of action shots of him bounding through the tall grass and running on the straight stretches. We were all very impressed by his athleticism. He definitely had to be brushed free of the grass seeds that attached themselves to him during his mad galloping.
The bus ride home was not nearly as eventful as the one to Arthur's Seat and when we got home, we all pretty much flopped on to the couch and didn't move. Roscoe was still tired today, sleeping in late and napping for most of the day. If only Hermione could have come and been that sleepy.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Hermione: the Great Fluffy Hunter!
As most of you know, nearly from the first days Hermione was allowed outside to start learning how to potty like a big girl, she has been delivering me very strange and sometimes scary as Hell gifts. There have been so many incidents of her carrying in rocks, sticks, branches and chunks of concrete that I have lost count of how many times I've had to stop her at the front door, check her mouth and say,
"Hermione, drop it."
She just can't help herself. If it blows in the wind or sticks up out of the ground, you can pretty much guarantee she is going to try to carry it away and attempt to sneak it in the flat. There have been a few times where I've been half asleep or pre-occupied and she's managed to get an item or two past me: like the fully intact banana she brought up for breakfast one morning, or the disgusting tampon she smuggled into my bed. She's brought home a vine from grapes, completely stripped of fruit; a hunk of soggy bread; leaves; flowers; feathers...the list could go on and on. So, it's no surprise that last night she added one of the oddest things to her ever growing treasure list.
Before purchasing Hermione, I did hours and hours of research on small breed dogs, trying to determine what breed would suit Mr. K and I the best. When I read up on the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel I thought the breed sounded exactly what we were looking for. All of the websites agreed that the Cavalier is the ultimate lap dog and fantastic companion. We were sold. The problem is, none of the websites warned us that these little toy dogs still maintained some very strong hunting/seeking instincts. In the last month, Hermione's performed and held two perfect points without any training. Sure one of those points was at a bug-the other was at a bird-but the form was perfect regardless. She seeks and destroys bugs with a relentless ferocity and she most certainly is going to murder her favourite stuffed bear with her vicious death shake.
Lap dog, my butt!
Last night, Hermione demonstrated her honed hunting skills yet again, delivering one of the most strangest prizes.
When returning from the last potty trip of the night, I noticed that Hermione was just a bit too eager to get back to the flat. This is a sure sign that she has something she shouldn't. Upon inspection, it was confirmed that she had something clenched in her little chompers, but I couldn't figure out what it was.
"Hermione, drop it." I intoned and she spit her coveted prize on to the hard wood floor. It hit with a strange thunk; a sound not resembling a stone, chunk of concrete or a stick. I had her sit and began searching the floor in the vicinity of where I had heard the foreign object fall and was completely appalled wen my fingers struck something soft and slimy.
"Oh! Babe!" I shrieked from the hall.
"Hermione...!" I spluttered.
"She...erm, I think she got a snail!"
At least, I hoped she had got a snail. I didn't want to run down he list of my other options of creatures that were slimy and squishy. Mr. K said that he wanted to see this strange slimy critter, so with Hermione's collar in one hand and a clean poop bag in another, I scooped Mr. Slime up and brought him into Mr. K's office, where I promptly turned our visiter out on to his desk top.
Mr. K, not having much more vision than me-which is nothing-gently, and bravely might I add, poked and prodded the little guy. After his thorough inspection, he confirmed that Hermione had indeed carried in a snail and miraculously had not injured him. As we sat and discussed the oddity of a puppy carrying home a snail, Mr. Slime started poking his head out of his shell in order to explore the foreign world he had just been so rudely plunked into.
Not knowing anything at all about snails, but knowing that he was uninjured, Mr. K and I decided that Mr. Slime should be returned to his natural habitat. I had a vague idea of where Hermione had probably snatched him from and so back outside I went, proud puppy bouncing along in one hand and slimy snail clutched safely inside a poop bag in the other.
Mr. Slime must have decided that the bag was safe because by the time I got him back to approximately where he had come from, he had attached himself rather firmly to the inside of the bag. I think me shaking him out was more violent than his trip in Hermione's mouth. He plopped out on to the dirt with a "thunk" and after making sure he was upright, Hermione and I headed back home; to bed where we were supposed to be going in the first place.
When I relayed our adventure to the owner of the little cafe down the road-where we go pretty much every day-she told me that after it rains here, all of the snails come out. It all made sense, but I hadn't even thought about snails just hanging out where Hermione could make them her midnight snack. Either way, "all's well that ends well" and I think this slimy situation ended well, with the snail back outside and Hermione and I snug in our own beds...snailless.
"Hermione, drop it."
She just can't help herself. If it blows in the wind or sticks up out of the ground, you can pretty much guarantee she is going to try to carry it away and attempt to sneak it in the flat. There have been a few times where I've been half asleep or pre-occupied and she's managed to get an item or two past me: like the fully intact banana she brought up for breakfast one morning, or the disgusting tampon she smuggled into my bed. She's brought home a vine from grapes, completely stripped of fruit; a hunk of soggy bread; leaves; flowers; feathers...the list could go on and on. So, it's no surprise that last night she added one of the oddest things to her ever growing treasure list.
Before purchasing Hermione, I did hours and hours of research on small breed dogs, trying to determine what breed would suit Mr. K and I the best. When I read up on the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel I thought the breed sounded exactly what we were looking for. All of the websites agreed that the Cavalier is the ultimate lap dog and fantastic companion. We were sold. The problem is, none of the websites warned us that these little toy dogs still maintained some very strong hunting/seeking instincts. In the last month, Hermione's performed and held two perfect points without any training. Sure one of those points was at a bug-the other was at a bird-but the form was perfect regardless. She seeks and destroys bugs with a relentless ferocity and she most certainly is going to murder her favourite stuffed bear with her vicious death shake.
Lap dog, my butt!
Last night, Hermione demonstrated her honed hunting skills yet again, delivering one of the most strangest prizes.
When returning from the last potty trip of the night, I noticed that Hermione was just a bit too eager to get back to the flat. This is a sure sign that she has something she shouldn't. Upon inspection, it was confirmed that she had something clenched in her little chompers, but I couldn't figure out what it was.
"Hermione, drop it." I intoned and she spit her coveted prize on to the hard wood floor. It hit with a strange thunk; a sound not resembling a stone, chunk of concrete or a stick. I had her sit and began searching the floor in the vicinity of where I had heard the foreign object fall and was completely appalled wen my fingers struck something soft and slimy.
"Oh! Babe!" I shrieked from the hall.
"Hermione...!" I spluttered.
"She...erm, I think she got a snail!"
At least, I hoped she had got a snail. I didn't want to run down he list of my other options of creatures that were slimy and squishy. Mr. K said that he wanted to see this strange slimy critter, so with Hermione's collar in one hand and a clean poop bag in another, I scooped Mr. Slime up and brought him into Mr. K's office, where I promptly turned our visiter out on to his desk top.
Mr. K, not having much more vision than me-which is nothing-gently, and bravely might I add, poked and prodded the little guy. After his thorough inspection, he confirmed that Hermione had indeed carried in a snail and miraculously had not injured him. As we sat and discussed the oddity of a puppy carrying home a snail, Mr. Slime started poking his head out of his shell in order to explore the foreign world he had just been so rudely plunked into.
Not knowing anything at all about snails, but knowing that he was uninjured, Mr. K and I decided that Mr. Slime should be returned to his natural habitat. I had a vague idea of where Hermione had probably snatched him from and so back outside I went, proud puppy bouncing along in one hand and slimy snail clutched safely inside a poop bag in the other.
Mr. Slime must have decided that the bag was safe because by the time I got him back to approximately where he had come from, he had attached himself rather firmly to the inside of the bag. I think me shaking him out was more violent than his trip in Hermione's mouth. He plopped out on to the dirt with a "thunk" and after making sure he was upright, Hermione and I headed back home; to bed where we were supposed to be going in the first place.
When I relayed our adventure to the owner of the little cafe down the road-where we go pretty much every day-she told me that after it rains here, all of the snails come out. It all made sense, but I hadn't even thought about snails just hanging out where Hermione could make them her midnight snack. Either way, "all's well that ends well" and I think this slimy situation ended well, with the snail back outside and Hermione and I snug in our own beds...snailless.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
My Good Deed of the Day Gone Stinky
This morning I woke up much earlier than the rest of the people in my flat. I say "people" because Tenie had come over for dinner last night and some massage therapy and didn't feel like walking home. So, she stayed the night. Hermione seemed anxious to be up this morning, so I got up fed her and Roscoe and decided to take them for a walk along the cycling path. I took Mr. K's cane since mine still has not arrived, and headed out with the thought that I'd let Roscoe run leash free. That way, I could use the cane, keep Hermione under control and Roscoe could still come along; tiring him out for Mr. K.
It wasn't particularly early-around 10-but I figured the paths would be empty since most people would be at work during this time and the kids are going back to school tomorrow. I've walked this path probably close to a hundred times now and it's not all that busy during the mid morning. I don't worry about Roscoe off leash as he's quite friendly, well socialised and knows to stay out of the path of cyclists, but his over enthusiastic greetings seem to be a bit much for the majority of the UK population. It's something that I've noticed before and still can't figure out: dogs here-and I am generalising-are not expected to greet people while they walk by or to play with other off leash dogs.
Personally, I think it's impressive that people can walk down a path and their dog, for the most part, ignore the other dogs on the path. The trend in North America seems to be that dogs meet and greet others around them and then carry on their merry way. Not so much here.
The first part of our walk went pretty well. Roscoe greeted a few other dogs, but usually stuck near me. I think he felt responsible for me even though he wasn't working. He's not my guide dog, but he takes himself very seriously and he shows signs of concern for my safety as well as Mr. K's. There would be times when Glacier and I would fall behind, or get cut off from Mr. K and Roscoe due to crowds, and Roscoe always stopped and waited for us without Mr. K even needing to say anything. So, I think this sense of responsibility may have been at play during our walk this morning.
He found a few dogs to say hello to whose owners didn't seem to mind and he stopped to greet a family with a small child. He is a larger Labrador, but incredibly gentle and the parents took the time to help the child pet Roscoe in order to demonstrate that big dogs are ice.
As we carried on, I was beginning to become concerned at the amount of people on the path. I thought about leashing him, but we were at least a half an hour's walk from the flat and fighting with cane, Hermione and Roscoe just wasn't something I was excited about. We continued on a bit further, Roscoe running ahead and always returning to see where I was; Hermione hopping along on her leash. We came across a man with another Black Lab who seemed a bit put off that Roscoe wanted to play with his dog. He explained that his dog had been attacked on the weekend by a Pitbull and that his ear was very injured. I called Roscoe back to me and had him sit, waiting for the man and his injured but leash free dog to get past us.
I think when out using public spaces such as those, people have a mutual responsibility to be respectful of the other people and/or animals. I didn't mind having Roscoe sit and wait until they had passed, but I think it was the man's attitude that sort of irked me. He acted as though that because his dog was injured, all other dogs should leave him alone despite him running free and engaging the other dogs in play. If Roscoe had some sort of injury I was concerned about, or Hermione for that matter, they would stay on leash to minimize any damage and accidents that could occur. It's not someone else's fault if my dog is injured and I let him/her run free and their dog wants to play with him/her.
Anyway, maybe he felt badly about being sharp because he told me to make sure I stayed on the pavement when walking because there were lamp poles in the grass that he didn't want me to walk in to.
After our little encounter with Mr. Grumpy/Helpful, I started to rethink my overly ambitious good deed of the day. As we moved away, I released Roscoe and he took off like a shot in the direction I was walking. He had been panting pretty hard and I guess I shouldn't have been shocked when I heard a gigantic sploosh from the other side of the path. All I could do was laugh. Here I was, trying to do a nice thing for Mr. K and the one thing he hates the most happens; smelly, wet dog.
I called Roscoe back, but by that point there was nothing I could do. He was soaked from the top of his head right down to his tail. I don't know if he fell in or dove in, but he was dripping wet and so stinky.
Between my walks with Hermione and some of my runs, I have been down that branch of the path numerous times, but I was completely unaware that there was water down there. The worst part wasn't that he went swimming, or wading or whatever he did, the worst part was the smell. The water must be stagnant and so the stench coming off of Roscoe is something else.
After his little dip, I put his leash on and just dealt with the difficulty of using a cane and walking two dogs at once. I put Roscoe's leash around my waist and that seemed to make the whole thing a bit easier. Considering how badly he smelled and how wet he was, I wasn't about to let him go running down the path to greet people and get them soaking wet and stinky. Goes back to that mutual respect thing.
Luckily, Roscoe dries quite quickly and he was practically dry by the time I got home. I toweled him off and laid a towel out for him to lie on. He still stinks something fierce and I haven't quite decided what to do about that. I could either give him a bath, which I really don't want to do. He sheds so much and bathing him in our bath tub would be one giant pain. I've also thought about running over to the Azda nearby and picking up some dog specific anti-bacterial wipes and dry shampoo in the hopes of getting the stink off of his fur; and whatever is causing the smell.
Whatever I decide to do, something needs to happen because my good deed of the day has gone very stinky.
It wasn't particularly early-around 10-but I figured the paths would be empty since most people would be at work during this time and the kids are going back to school tomorrow. I've walked this path probably close to a hundred times now and it's not all that busy during the mid morning. I don't worry about Roscoe off leash as he's quite friendly, well socialised and knows to stay out of the path of cyclists, but his over enthusiastic greetings seem to be a bit much for the majority of the UK population. It's something that I've noticed before and still can't figure out: dogs here-and I am generalising-are not expected to greet people while they walk by or to play with other off leash dogs.
Personally, I think it's impressive that people can walk down a path and their dog, for the most part, ignore the other dogs on the path. The trend in North America seems to be that dogs meet and greet others around them and then carry on their merry way. Not so much here.
The first part of our walk went pretty well. Roscoe greeted a few other dogs, but usually stuck near me. I think he felt responsible for me even though he wasn't working. He's not my guide dog, but he takes himself very seriously and he shows signs of concern for my safety as well as Mr. K's. There would be times when Glacier and I would fall behind, or get cut off from Mr. K and Roscoe due to crowds, and Roscoe always stopped and waited for us without Mr. K even needing to say anything. So, I think this sense of responsibility may have been at play during our walk this morning.
He found a few dogs to say hello to whose owners didn't seem to mind and he stopped to greet a family with a small child. He is a larger Labrador, but incredibly gentle and the parents took the time to help the child pet Roscoe in order to demonstrate that big dogs are ice.
As we carried on, I was beginning to become concerned at the amount of people on the path. I thought about leashing him, but we were at least a half an hour's walk from the flat and fighting with cane, Hermione and Roscoe just wasn't something I was excited about. We continued on a bit further, Roscoe running ahead and always returning to see where I was; Hermione hopping along on her leash. We came across a man with another Black Lab who seemed a bit put off that Roscoe wanted to play with his dog. He explained that his dog had been attacked on the weekend by a Pitbull and that his ear was very injured. I called Roscoe back to me and had him sit, waiting for the man and his injured but leash free dog to get past us.
I think when out using public spaces such as those, people have a mutual responsibility to be respectful of the other people and/or animals. I didn't mind having Roscoe sit and wait until they had passed, but I think it was the man's attitude that sort of irked me. He acted as though that because his dog was injured, all other dogs should leave him alone despite him running free and engaging the other dogs in play. If Roscoe had some sort of injury I was concerned about, or Hermione for that matter, they would stay on leash to minimize any damage and accidents that could occur. It's not someone else's fault if my dog is injured and I let him/her run free and their dog wants to play with him/her.
Anyway, maybe he felt badly about being sharp because he told me to make sure I stayed on the pavement when walking because there were lamp poles in the grass that he didn't want me to walk in to.
After our little encounter with Mr. Grumpy/Helpful, I started to rethink my overly ambitious good deed of the day. As we moved away, I released Roscoe and he took off like a shot in the direction I was walking. He had been panting pretty hard and I guess I shouldn't have been shocked when I heard a gigantic sploosh from the other side of the path. All I could do was laugh. Here I was, trying to do a nice thing for Mr. K and the one thing he hates the most happens; smelly, wet dog.
I called Roscoe back, but by that point there was nothing I could do. He was soaked from the top of his head right down to his tail. I don't know if he fell in or dove in, but he was dripping wet and so stinky.
Between my walks with Hermione and some of my runs, I have been down that branch of the path numerous times, but I was completely unaware that there was water down there. The worst part wasn't that he went swimming, or wading or whatever he did, the worst part was the smell. The water must be stagnant and so the stench coming off of Roscoe is something else.
After his little dip, I put his leash on and just dealt with the difficulty of using a cane and walking two dogs at once. I put Roscoe's leash around my waist and that seemed to make the whole thing a bit easier. Considering how badly he smelled and how wet he was, I wasn't about to let him go running down the path to greet people and get them soaking wet and stinky. Goes back to that mutual respect thing.
Luckily, Roscoe dries quite quickly and he was practically dry by the time I got home. I toweled him off and laid a towel out for him to lie on. He still stinks something fierce and I haven't quite decided what to do about that. I could either give him a bath, which I really don't want to do. He sheds so much and bathing him in our bath tub would be one giant pain. I've also thought about running over to the Azda nearby and picking up some dog specific anti-bacterial wipes and dry shampoo in the hopes of getting the stink off of his fur; and whatever is causing the smell.
Whatever I decide to do, something needs to happen because my good deed of the day has gone very stinky.
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