We have a thief in our midst.
Things keep going missing.
It started a few weeks ago with my Furby. Mr. K was witness to that incident, but if he had not been, the only evidence we would have found would have been two batteries that had fallen out of the bottom. Apparently, Kira leapt on to the nearly chest high dresser and knocked my Furby, fondly named Fleur, on to the ground. Then, she made off with Fleur, Fleur has not been seen since.
The next item to go missing were my slippers.
I used to leave them in the bathroom when we went to bed because Otis is a fan of chewing on the soles. He's the strangest dog. He doesn't chew anything else up, but leave slippers out and he can't help himself. So, I left them where I thought was out of temptation range. It might have been out of his reach, but Kira stole first only one slipper that I found downstairs in our front room and then the next night, both slippers were not where I had left them. It took me a couple of days to find both slippers that time. As a blind person, I try to make a habit of putting things int the same place so that I know where they are. Otherwise, I would spend most of my time racing around looking for my stuff. I'm not always good at it so when the slippers started disappearing, I thought it was me just not paying attention.
So, I deliberately put my slippers behind the bathroom door, one on top of the other, and when I came out in the morning one was on the landing and the other had made it into the living room downstairs. That certainly wasn't me.
Kira's next victim was my overly stuffed snowman. That is the only Christmas decoration we have out so far and I had him sitting on the back of the toilet in the upstairs bathroom. He's this little snowman with a huge body, an itty-bitty head/arms/feet and he used to have a tag on him that said, "I'm dreaming of a wide Christmas." The tag had fallen victim to either Hermione or Otis last Christmas, or perhaps both Hermione and Otis.
The morning after I had put Mr. Snowman in the bathroom I came out of the bedroom and my bare foot-which was bare because my slippers were missing-struck something soft and squishy. I thought it was one of my slippers making a reappearance, but when I bent down I found Mr. Snowman. Mr. Snowman now resides on top of the cabinet in the bathroom...far out of Kira's reach.
The next night she opened the cupboard under the bathroom sink and stole a pair of fuzzy socks I put in there for easy access. I had started wearing those because the aforementioned slippers were missing. I found the socks in the office.
Once both slippers had been recovered I started wearing them again, however, Kira had other ideas. Her thieving ways were no longer to be done under cover of night and with no human witnesses.
Mr. K and I were sitting on the couch watching some TV. All animals were chilling with us, except for Miss Kitty who was racing around upstairs like a crazy person. She eventually cane thundering down into the living room and we thought she'd assume her favorite position-butt on Mr. K's lap, body stretched out up length of Mr. K's body, paws on his chest. Instead, she tried pulling my slipper off of my foot..
Right off of my foot! And, not once, but twice.
She attempted this move only days later when I was working on a paper. She knows what she wants and she goes for it. Gotta admire that, I guess.
However, the slippers, socks Fleur and Mr. Snowman were not the last things that she stole.
Another night while we sat downstairs, Kira was racing around upstairs again. It's what Tenie and Carmen and I used to call "dancing with herself" or if there were two kitties "Kitten Olympics." Suddenly our little thief appears carrying one of my little teddy bears in her mouth like a dog.
"Kira. What do you have?" I said to her and she replied with a meow/pur with the bear still in her mouth. She spent the rest of the night carrying that bear around, but we eventually recovered that stolen item.
The mystery of where Fleur was taken to still remains. We still haven't found her and I'm not sure we will. This place isn't very big, but Kira seems set on keeping Fleur all to herself. Admittedly, I was kind of impressed that she stole Fleur because the Furby probably weighs almost as much as Kira.
Mr. K and I are talking about putting the rest of the Christmas decorations up this weekend: I wonder what else will go missing.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Friday, November 28, 2014
Happy (belated) Thanksgiving
Mr. K and I have been married for just under 4.5 years and up until yesterday I've never spent Thanksgiving with his family. It's just never worked out. The first year we were together we lived in South Carolina and after that we were globe trotting. I have to say that it was nice to be near family and spend Thanksgiving with them.
Grandma K picked us up yesterday morning with one of our niece's in tow. With so many people being at Kim's sister's house, we thought that bringing four dogs wasn't a good idea and so left Nala and Roscoe at home. Before leaving I made sure they had relieved, had breakfast/water and were comfortable. I have to admit that I fretted about them from time to time while we were gone, but that is just the way I am.
As we completed our hour long drive, we realized that we had forgotten the bag of potatoes we were supposed to bring. Grandma K dropped us off and shot over to a nearby store to get some. You certainly can't have Thanksgiving dinner without potatoes. The turkey had already been cooking for a while by the time we arrived and was smelling delicious. Mr. K let Otis off leash as soon as we arrived, but I was worried about releasing Hermione. She can be a bit of a trouble maker-chewing on leather items like shoes or gloves-and I wasn't sure how she would do with the kids. She really hasn't had a lot of exposure to children and she's a bit particular. Mr. K said to let her off and we'd see how she did.
More people arrived and we dug into some crackers and cheese and I tried pickled baloniy for the first time. It was stinking tasty.
Hermione asked to be let out and she relieved outside. Once that happened I felt much more relaxed. Otis occupied himself following the kids around if they were in the house. I never worried about him though. He's such a happy go lucky little guy that I had no concerns.
The rest of the day passed by rather quickly. We ate delicious food and just generally chatted. Otis went for a walk with the kids to the neighbor's and although I was a bit worried that he might get away from them, everyone came back in one piece. Hermione spent much of her time lying by my feet or hovering very near to me. Towards the end of the evening she seemed to be getting a bit disgruntled and we had a small incident.
The kids had returned and were playing tag with Otis, and each other. They were running circles around the table where Mr. K and I were sitting. Hermione was hiding under the table wagging her tail, but staying out of the mix. The kids were quite noisy and thundering about. Actually, the game was adorable. One of the kids would tag Otis and then they would all run around. Whoever Otis touched next was It and the game would start all over again. Cubbies definitely thought he was one of the kids. Eventually, the game wound down a bit, but the kids were still thundering around. One of the neighbor kids crawled under the table to pet Hermione. By the time I figured out what was going on it was too late for me to say anything. Hermione growled at him, but he kept following her around under the table. She got backed against a chair and snapped at him.
Yikes.
Thankfully, she didn't catch him, but it's something we are going to have to be careful of. We are going there for Christmas and so I am going to have to be more aware of her. Since we will be staying over night, we will bring her crate and she will be able to go in there when she needs a break. We'll just have to tell the kids that when she's in her "bedroom" that she is not to be disturbed. I've never had to deal with dogs who aren't comfortable with kids before and so I probably didn't handle the situation from the beginning properly.
I can't say that I'm surprised. If any of our dogs were to snap at someone it would be her. She was incredibly over stimulated and had placed herself in a place where she thought she was safe. Not that I am justifying her snapping, but at least I know where it came from. If there hadn't been any stimuli and/or provocation I'd much more concerned. She had been fine all day if only one child went to pet her and no one was thundering around. In fact, later that evening, she was sitting on my lap and our niece petted her and Hermione was totally fine. Next time we're there, I'm going to have to use various opportunities as training opportunities and show her that kids are fun. Maybe I'll get our niece to walk Hermione like she walked Otis too.
Despite a few tense moments, everything went back to normal afterwards.
We finished the evening off with some pumpkin pie and Grandma K drove us home.
Nala and Roscoe were fine, if not totally beside themselves with joy when we got home. Mr. K and I watched TV for about an hour and then we all went to bed totally exhausted. In fact, Otis was so tired from his adventures that he was trying to decide if he was more hungry at breakfast time or more tired. Breakfast won, but he has been snoring ever since.
Grandma K picked us up yesterday morning with one of our niece's in tow. With so many people being at Kim's sister's house, we thought that bringing four dogs wasn't a good idea and so left Nala and Roscoe at home. Before leaving I made sure they had relieved, had breakfast/water and were comfortable. I have to admit that I fretted about them from time to time while we were gone, but that is just the way I am.
As we completed our hour long drive, we realized that we had forgotten the bag of potatoes we were supposed to bring. Grandma K dropped us off and shot over to a nearby store to get some. You certainly can't have Thanksgiving dinner without potatoes. The turkey had already been cooking for a while by the time we arrived and was smelling delicious. Mr. K let Otis off leash as soon as we arrived, but I was worried about releasing Hermione. She can be a bit of a trouble maker-chewing on leather items like shoes or gloves-and I wasn't sure how she would do with the kids. She really hasn't had a lot of exposure to children and she's a bit particular. Mr. K said to let her off and we'd see how she did.
More people arrived and we dug into some crackers and cheese and I tried pickled baloniy for the first time. It was stinking tasty.
Hermione asked to be let out and she relieved outside. Once that happened I felt much more relaxed. Otis occupied himself following the kids around if they were in the house. I never worried about him though. He's such a happy go lucky little guy that I had no concerns.
The rest of the day passed by rather quickly. We ate delicious food and just generally chatted. Otis went for a walk with the kids to the neighbor's and although I was a bit worried that he might get away from them, everyone came back in one piece. Hermione spent much of her time lying by my feet or hovering very near to me. Towards the end of the evening she seemed to be getting a bit disgruntled and we had a small incident.
The kids had returned and were playing tag with Otis, and each other. They were running circles around the table where Mr. K and I were sitting. Hermione was hiding under the table wagging her tail, but staying out of the mix. The kids were quite noisy and thundering about. Actually, the game was adorable. One of the kids would tag Otis and then they would all run around. Whoever Otis touched next was It and the game would start all over again. Cubbies definitely thought he was one of the kids. Eventually, the game wound down a bit, but the kids were still thundering around. One of the neighbor kids crawled under the table to pet Hermione. By the time I figured out what was going on it was too late for me to say anything. Hermione growled at him, but he kept following her around under the table. She got backed against a chair and snapped at him.
Yikes.
Thankfully, she didn't catch him, but it's something we are going to have to be careful of. We are going there for Christmas and so I am going to have to be more aware of her. Since we will be staying over night, we will bring her crate and she will be able to go in there when she needs a break. We'll just have to tell the kids that when she's in her "bedroom" that she is not to be disturbed. I've never had to deal with dogs who aren't comfortable with kids before and so I probably didn't handle the situation from the beginning properly.
I can't say that I'm surprised. If any of our dogs were to snap at someone it would be her. She was incredibly over stimulated and had placed herself in a place where she thought she was safe. Not that I am justifying her snapping, but at least I know where it came from. If there hadn't been any stimuli and/or provocation I'd much more concerned. She had been fine all day if only one child went to pet her and no one was thundering around. In fact, later that evening, she was sitting on my lap and our niece petted her and Hermione was totally fine. Next time we're there, I'm going to have to use various opportunities as training opportunities and show her that kids are fun. Maybe I'll get our niece to walk Hermione like she walked Otis too.
Despite a few tense moments, everything went back to normal afterwards.
We finished the evening off with some pumpkin pie and Grandma K drove us home.
Nala and Roscoe were fine, if not totally beside themselves with joy when we got home. Mr. K and I watched TV for about an hour and then we all went to bed totally exhausted. In fact, Otis was so tired from his adventures that he was trying to decide if he was more hungry at breakfast time or more tired. Breakfast won, but he has been snoring ever since.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
My Placement Interview and a Thank You
A week ago Nala and I went to an interview at an agency that could potentially become my field placement in January. I had initially been upset about the suggestion of interviewing there because I felt like the only reason it was being given to me was because it was a place that works with disabled people. But, I got over myself and decided that I needed interviewing practice anyway and that maybe it would be more than I thought. I'm glad I pulled my head out of my butt long enough to realize that this was a learning opportunity because it went well.
I took a door to door transport service because I didn't know how to get to the placement. I didn't want to spend time getting lost or being stressed out about being lost right before the interview. The service is a service that runs throughout the entire county and is designed for people with disabilities and seniors. When i had first booked my ride the time I had wanted wasn't available and I was concerned that I would arrive much too early. However, things worked out the way they are supposed to because the driver couldn't find my place for over 15 minutes. So, by the time he picked me up and drove me to the placement, I was early, but not overly so..
I probably don't have to tell you about how much of a super star Nala was because she's always amazing, but I'm going to anyway.
She took me right up tot he open bus door and found me a seat. She kept her nose to herself and rode nicely. We were the only ones riding, but the driver still commented on her calmness and professionalism. When we arrived the driver insisted on getting us to the door and although I conceded I asked him to walk behind us. I wanted Nala to do the work of finding the stairs and the door. I didn't want to refuse his offer of help completely because I was in a strange place and also because one day I may need his help, or someone else may, and he might not be as open to assisting someone if I were to tell him to go away.
Upon entering the building I was greeted by the receptionist, who I found out later is a volunteer. All of the receptionists are volunteers and work a four hour shift. He showed me to the waiting room and I had Nala follow him. She did try to get past him at one point because Nala must always be out front, but she fell back behind him when I told her to steady. She foundme a chair and we settled in to wait for my potential field supervisor. We didn't have long to wait.
We introduced ourselves when she arrived a few minutes later and moved off into a room that was off of the waiting room. She said it was the kitchen. We talked for probably two hours. Needless to say, the interview went well and she offered me the position even before I left. I took the position. That said, there were two turning points int hat interview that I think need to be noted..
The first was when I asked her about whether or not her organization had a program designed to help disabled people become physically active. She said no, but that if I wanted to I could put together a proposal and we could potentially run a pilot project to see how something would do in this area. That sold me.
The other point was when she asked me about my experience with Leader Dogs for the Blind prison puppy raising program. It was my opportunity to explain to someone how meeting the inside puppy raisers and being involved in a small way in that program is what finally gave me the push to become a social worker. I had always known "the system," whatever system it may be, was broken and that it needed to change. I knew I wanted to be a part of that change, but I didn't know how. But seeing what the guys were doing made me want to be a part of that. I'm not articulating it well now which I don't think I articulated it well in the interview either. It was such a powerful experience for me that it's hard to explain without sounding cliche or cheesy.
I just have this to say: if any of the guys still read this blog, or their family members, please know that you efforts have completely changed my life course. I am forever grateful that I was allowed to come in and meet all of you and I'm only sorry that I never got to tell you properly. The Leader Dogs puppy raising program has far reaching consequences...positive ones...and I'm hoping that when I graduate I'm able to be a part of the process that implements or at the very least keeps these types of programs going. Thanks guys. You have taught me a lot.
I took a door to door transport service because I didn't know how to get to the placement. I didn't want to spend time getting lost or being stressed out about being lost right before the interview. The service is a service that runs throughout the entire county and is designed for people with disabilities and seniors. When i had first booked my ride the time I had wanted wasn't available and I was concerned that I would arrive much too early. However, things worked out the way they are supposed to because the driver couldn't find my place for over 15 minutes. So, by the time he picked me up and drove me to the placement, I was early, but not overly so..
I probably don't have to tell you about how much of a super star Nala was because she's always amazing, but I'm going to anyway.
She took me right up tot he open bus door and found me a seat. She kept her nose to herself and rode nicely. We were the only ones riding, but the driver still commented on her calmness and professionalism. When we arrived the driver insisted on getting us to the door and although I conceded I asked him to walk behind us. I wanted Nala to do the work of finding the stairs and the door. I didn't want to refuse his offer of help completely because I was in a strange place and also because one day I may need his help, or someone else may, and he might not be as open to assisting someone if I were to tell him to go away.
Upon entering the building I was greeted by the receptionist, who I found out later is a volunteer. All of the receptionists are volunteers and work a four hour shift. He showed me to the waiting room and I had Nala follow him. She did try to get past him at one point because Nala must always be out front, but she fell back behind him when I told her to steady. She foundme a chair and we settled in to wait for my potential field supervisor. We didn't have long to wait.
We introduced ourselves when she arrived a few minutes later and moved off into a room that was off of the waiting room. She said it was the kitchen. We talked for probably two hours. Needless to say, the interview went well and she offered me the position even before I left. I took the position. That said, there were two turning points int hat interview that I think need to be noted..
The first was when I asked her about whether or not her organization had a program designed to help disabled people become physically active. She said no, but that if I wanted to I could put together a proposal and we could potentially run a pilot project to see how something would do in this area. That sold me.
The other point was when she asked me about my experience with Leader Dogs for the Blind prison puppy raising program. It was my opportunity to explain to someone how meeting the inside puppy raisers and being involved in a small way in that program is what finally gave me the push to become a social worker. I had always known "the system," whatever system it may be, was broken and that it needed to change. I knew I wanted to be a part of that change, but I didn't know how. But seeing what the guys were doing made me want to be a part of that. I'm not articulating it well now which I don't think I articulated it well in the interview either. It was such a powerful experience for me that it's hard to explain without sounding cliche or cheesy.
I just have this to say: if any of the guys still read this blog, or their family members, please know that you efforts have completely changed my life course. I am forever grateful that I was allowed to come in and meet all of you and I'm only sorry that I never got to tell you properly. The Leader Dogs puppy raising program has far reaching consequences...positive ones...and I'm hoping that when I graduate I'm able to be a part of the process that implements or at the very least keeps these types of programs going. Thanks guys. You have taught me a lot.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
(Sometimes) Ignorance is Bliss
I feel like I've written something like this before. Maybe I have or maybe I just thought I did, but either way it's obviously an important topic to me if I have actually written or have just dreamed about writing about wishing that sometimes I didn't know.
What is this little nugget of knowledge that is bothering me?
Dog nutrition.
This evening, as a break from writing one of my numerous papers, I decided to go on to Amazon and just browse the plethora of dog treats available for purchase. I used to do this from time to time, but I haven't done it in a while. So, off I went. I guess for me it's a way to window shop independently. If I take most people into pet shops with me they want to get in and out and they certainly don't want to go through the insane amounts of dog products available.
Who can blame them?
Think about just how much is piled on to one shelf in just the toy section or the treat section.
However, if I don't browse how do I find out what's out there?
Some things I learn about from friends or by reading doggie articles and sometimes someone will be brave enough to go into a pet store with me, but most often I figure things out by seeing them listed on a site like Amazon. If I think the title looks interesting then I go and look the product up on its company's site-reading the ingredients, of course.
Here's where the "ignorance is bliss" part comes in.
If you read the names of the products they sound great, right?
Words like "natural," "baked," "organic,"" "grain free," Etc make the majority of those treats sound fantastic. One treat in particular caught my attention because it claimed to be an ever lasting chew treat that was grain free. Since I thought it sounded good I took a closer look and immediately scratched it off my list. Right after the "ever lasting" part and the "minimal ingredients" part it said chicken "flavored."
Chicken = good
Chicken FLAVORED = not so good.
Have you ever seen those people snacks in stores that read "butter flavoring" only to find out that when you read the ingredients there isn't any butter in it at all? Same thing applies here.
Quite often if the label reads "flavored" anything, whether it's duck/salmon/chicken/bison/kangaroo, it means that that meat isn't actually in that treat. And if it is, it's way down on the ingredients list. Other yummy things like sodium (AKA salt) and stuff are used to make that tasty chicken flavor.
I was disappointed. A pack of two was only 3 bucks. If they had been truly ever lasting and contained good ingredients, like chicken as it pretended to have, that treat would have been great. If I hadn't taken it upon myself to know what I was putting into my dogs, so many types of treats would be available to us at an affordable price. However, dog nutrition, and nutrition in general, is an interest of mine and we all know what I do with things that are of interest to me...
research it to death.
All of the treats that I would have been comfortable with getting for my dogs were all over the $15 mark. Some were $12, but the packages were tiny. I checked on Bully sticks and was stunned that a pack of 6 was $28.
Really?
For cow penis?!
Come on!
So now what?
Well, I go back to making my own treats. I can buy a tray of chicken gizzards for about $3, dehydrate them and I have some happy pups. I'm still struggling with chews though. It was shocking to me that you can buy a bag of 50 to 60 rawhide chews for less than $10, but if you want one sterilized beef bone you're paying close to $5 for just one.
I guess part of it too is that these are treats. They don't always have to be healthy as the word "treat" would imply. And, not every treat I eat is healthy. In fact, that pizza I had for dinner was less healthy than the bison and chicken kibbles my crew gobbled down for their dinner. So, if I want to get them store bought treats, or chews, then I may have to settle for something that has ingredients that aren't quite satisfactory. Otherwise, Mr. K and I won't be eating because we won't have enough money to feed ourselves.
Gaining new information takes a lot of work, but undoing what you know is impossible.
What is this little nugget of knowledge that is bothering me?
Dog nutrition.
This evening, as a break from writing one of my numerous papers, I decided to go on to Amazon and just browse the plethora of dog treats available for purchase. I used to do this from time to time, but I haven't done it in a while. So, off I went. I guess for me it's a way to window shop independently. If I take most people into pet shops with me they want to get in and out and they certainly don't want to go through the insane amounts of dog products available.
Who can blame them?
Think about just how much is piled on to one shelf in just the toy section or the treat section.
However, if I don't browse how do I find out what's out there?
Some things I learn about from friends or by reading doggie articles and sometimes someone will be brave enough to go into a pet store with me, but most often I figure things out by seeing them listed on a site like Amazon. If I think the title looks interesting then I go and look the product up on its company's site-reading the ingredients, of course.
Here's where the "ignorance is bliss" part comes in.
If you read the names of the products they sound great, right?
Words like "natural," "baked," "organic,"" "grain free," Etc make the majority of those treats sound fantastic. One treat in particular caught my attention because it claimed to be an ever lasting chew treat that was grain free. Since I thought it sounded good I took a closer look and immediately scratched it off my list. Right after the "ever lasting" part and the "minimal ingredients" part it said chicken "flavored."
Chicken = good
Chicken FLAVORED = not so good.
Have you ever seen those people snacks in stores that read "butter flavoring" only to find out that when you read the ingredients there isn't any butter in it at all? Same thing applies here.
Quite often if the label reads "flavored" anything, whether it's duck/salmon/chicken/bison/kangaroo, it means that that meat isn't actually in that treat. And if it is, it's way down on the ingredients list. Other yummy things like sodium (AKA salt) and stuff are used to make that tasty chicken flavor.
I was disappointed. A pack of two was only 3 bucks. If they had been truly ever lasting and contained good ingredients, like chicken as it pretended to have, that treat would have been great. If I hadn't taken it upon myself to know what I was putting into my dogs, so many types of treats would be available to us at an affordable price. However, dog nutrition, and nutrition in general, is an interest of mine and we all know what I do with things that are of interest to me...
research it to death.
All of the treats that I would have been comfortable with getting for my dogs were all over the $15 mark. Some were $12, but the packages were tiny. I checked on Bully sticks and was stunned that a pack of 6 was $28.
Really?
For cow penis?!
Come on!
So now what?
Well, I go back to making my own treats. I can buy a tray of chicken gizzards for about $3, dehydrate them and I have some happy pups. I'm still struggling with chews though. It was shocking to me that you can buy a bag of 50 to 60 rawhide chews for less than $10, but if you want one sterilized beef bone you're paying close to $5 for just one.
I guess part of it too is that these are treats. They don't always have to be healthy as the word "treat" would imply. And, not every treat I eat is healthy. In fact, that pizza I had for dinner was less healthy than the bison and chicken kibbles my crew gobbled down for their dinner. So, if I want to get them store bought treats, or chews, then I may have to settle for something that has ingredients that aren't quite satisfactory. Otherwise, Mr. K and I won't be eating because we won't have enough money to feed ourselves.
Gaining new information takes a lot of work, but undoing what you know is impossible.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Kitty Training
Yep.
That's what I said.
KITTY TRAINING
It's more like "kitty re-direction," but that is training right?
So, why on Earth would we be training Kira?
Well, ever since Rufio crossed the rainbow bridge Kira has developed a little nasty habit. It's funny because we had adopted Kira because Rufio had been displaying similar behaviors and for the same reason. So, we got him a friend.
Kira has started clawing up the carpet in front of our bedroom door. Not only is that bad, but it's even worse because we're renting. She only does it at night when we go to bed. Actually, she does it at night even if I'm the only one who's gone to bed. Mr. K could be out in the office on is computer which is right across from our bedroom and she will start scratching. I thought it was strange because when we are awake during the day she doesn't need to be in the same room as you. In fact, she's often off doing her own thing, but as soon as that bedroom door closes she gets right upset.
Rufio had become destructive at night too. He chewed through headphone and computer cords and a few of my bras. He would claw at the bedroom door, but since there wasn't any carpet in our old place he couldn't claw any. When we brought Kira home, his destructive behavior stopped.
We've tried leaving the door ajar so that she can go in and out, but it's way too disruptive. If she would just come in and sleep it would be fine, but she doesn't. She gets in the window and plays with the blinds. She jumps on the bed and head butts you until you either pet her or let her under the covers. Once under the covers she lies down for a minute, but then is right back out. She circles your head purring and chirping happily away. She whacks you in the face with her tail and if she's particularly pleased with herself and you're ignoring her, she whacks you in the face with her paw. I usually sleep tucked in like a mummy so I've never experienced her biting me, but Mr. K sleeps with his hands out of the blankets. If he's asleep and not petting her she will chomp his hand. And, if it's not her waking you up, it's the dogs. With the door open they think they should get up at every little noise. If I go to bed early and Mr. K is still awake, then they're charging off to see what he's doing. So, our door ajar plan has been a bust.
In talking to my mom last night on the phone she asked me what we were going to do. I said I didn't know. Maybe put something over the spot? But what? It's in the doorway.
She's not a bad kitty. She just needs to be shown what is acceptable behavior. She doesn't scratch anything else she shouldn't. In fact, one of the reasons we decided to take her home from the humane society was because after she had greeted us she went directly to the scratching post in the kitty adoption room and started scratching. She seemed to know what it was for.
Since bringing her home she has three different pieces of scratching furniture. One is a regular scratching post that is just above the knee. The other is a tower that is taller than me and the third which was donated to her by her Grandma K is a little heart shaped perched with a scratcher. She loves it. She uses all of them...except when the bedroom door is closed and me an the dogs are locked away. I'm not even sure it's me she's mad about being unavailable to serve her royal kittiness. I think she's mad her BFF Otis is sleeping and ignoring her.
It was Mr. K who came up with the genius idea of how to stop her destroying the carpet. As soon as he said what he was thinking it was like,
"why didn't I think of that?"
I am so used to thinking in terms of re-directing unwanted dog behavior that it didn't even occur to me to do it with a cat.
The solution to our problem?
Mr. K brought the knee high scratching post upstairs and put it over the spot where she's been digging.
Genius don't you think?
He only put it there this morning so we'll see what happens tonight, but my thinking is that the spot is not only covered up but it is covered up with something she is allowed to take her frustrations out on. I think it will work.
Have a cat who is doing things he/she shouldn't be? Don't re-home him/her.
Call in the Kitty Whisperer Mr. K!
That's what I said.
KITTY TRAINING
It's more like "kitty re-direction," but that is training right?
So, why on Earth would we be training Kira?
Well, ever since Rufio crossed the rainbow bridge Kira has developed a little nasty habit. It's funny because we had adopted Kira because Rufio had been displaying similar behaviors and for the same reason. So, we got him a friend.
Kira has started clawing up the carpet in front of our bedroom door. Not only is that bad, but it's even worse because we're renting. She only does it at night when we go to bed. Actually, she does it at night even if I'm the only one who's gone to bed. Mr. K could be out in the office on is computer which is right across from our bedroom and she will start scratching. I thought it was strange because when we are awake during the day she doesn't need to be in the same room as you. In fact, she's often off doing her own thing, but as soon as that bedroom door closes she gets right upset.
Rufio had become destructive at night too. He chewed through headphone and computer cords and a few of my bras. He would claw at the bedroom door, but since there wasn't any carpet in our old place he couldn't claw any. When we brought Kira home, his destructive behavior stopped.
We've tried leaving the door ajar so that she can go in and out, but it's way too disruptive. If she would just come in and sleep it would be fine, but she doesn't. She gets in the window and plays with the blinds. She jumps on the bed and head butts you until you either pet her or let her under the covers. Once under the covers she lies down for a minute, but then is right back out. She circles your head purring and chirping happily away. She whacks you in the face with her tail and if she's particularly pleased with herself and you're ignoring her, she whacks you in the face with her paw. I usually sleep tucked in like a mummy so I've never experienced her biting me, but Mr. K sleeps with his hands out of the blankets. If he's asleep and not petting her she will chomp his hand. And, if it's not her waking you up, it's the dogs. With the door open they think they should get up at every little noise. If I go to bed early and Mr. K is still awake, then they're charging off to see what he's doing. So, our door ajar plan has been a bust.
In talking to my mom last night on the phone she asked me what we were going to do. I said I didn't know. Maybe put something over the spot? But what? It's in the doorway.
She's not a bad kitty. She just needs to be shown what is acceptable behavior. She doesn't scratch anything else she shouldn't. In fact, one of the reasons we decided to take her home from the humane society was because after she had greeted us she went directly to the scratching post in the kitty adoption room and started scratching. She seemed to know what it was for.
Since bringing her home she has three different pieces of scratching furniture. One is a regular scratching post that is just above the knee. The other is a tower that is taller than me and the third which was donated to her by her Grandma K is a little heart shaped perched with a scratcher. She loves it. She uses all of them...except when the bedroom door is closed and me an the dogs are locked away. I'm not even sure it's me she's mad about being unavailable to serve her royal kittiness. I think she's mad her BFF Otis is sleeping and ignoring her.
It was Mr. K who came up with the genius idea of how to stop her destroying the carpet. As soon as he said what he was thinking it was like,
"why didn't I think of that?"
I am so used to thinking in terms of re-directing unwanted dog behavior that it didn't even occur to me to do it with a cat.
The solution to our problem?
Mr. K brought the knee high scratching post upstairs and put it over the spot where she's been digging.
Genius don't you think?
He only put it there this morning so we'll see what happens tonight, but my thinking is that the spot is not only covered up but it is covered up with something she is allowed to take her frustrations out on. I think it will work.
Have a cat who is doing things he/she shouldn't be? Don't re-home him/her.
Call in the Kitty Whisperer Mr. K!
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Internship Interview
Starting in January all of the students enrolled in the full time MSW program that I am in are expected to start a practicum. The field practicum is designed to help you get real life experience and apply the theories and techniques you have been learning in the classroom setting. I think many master's programs do this. I know for sure that it is an integral part of MSW programs. So far I have been offered one interview with an agency, but the field team tries to get you two to three interviews. That way, you can decide where you'd like to do your placement.
My placement process has been a bit interesting. Admittedly, there were times when I was pretty angry and annoyed. It seemed as though some members of the field placement team were obsessed with the fact that I was blind and just couldn't get past it. I had discussion after discussion about how I wasn't required to disclose my disability and that if I did decide to do so it would be me who did it and only after an interview was set up. I'm still in discussions with faculty members to address this issue. But, at least I have an interview.
However, I was initially annoyed about that too.
When I saw the subject line announcing that I had an agency interested in interviewing me I was pretty excited, but when I clicked on the email and saw the title of the agency I got irritated. It was an agency focusing on disability.
Really?!
After all of our conversations they had picked an agency for me that dealt with disability? There are so many other places where disability isn't even a part of anything. I have this core belief that disability advocacy is most effective with full immersion into able-bodied organisations, communities Etc. And here I was having to interview at a placement whose primary focus was disability.
After simmering for a few minutes I googled the agency and started investigating their website. As I scrolled through page after page I began to calm down.
Sure they were a disability focused agency, but they focused on a wide range of disabilities, including physical and intellectual. I even saw a section where they talked about assisting war vets who had been disabled in combat. That part in particular started to make me look at this agency, and the opportunity, in a different way.
This was a learning experience. It's not where I have to stay for the rest of my career and maybe starting in an agency who is already disability aware will make this process easier for me. I don't always have to do things the hard way. Mr. K has been teaching me that. Besides, I may go to this interview this afternoon and they will decide they don't want me. Maybe I'll go and decide that I don't want them. The first step is to go to the interview with an open mind and decide from there.
I don't feel super nervous yet or anything. Me being the worrier that I am though had started concocting problems even before going out the front door. My potential field instructor had called yesterday afternoon and left me a message saying that the agency was a fragrance free environment. I'm used to that from being a massage therapist, but then I started making up the scenario that since the place was a fragrance free workplace then someone there had allergies. That lead to the thought that if they have allergies that they will be allergic to dogs and that either I won't be able to work there or that I'll have a battle on my hands. It's this type of catastrophizing that gets me into trouble.
I cannot possibly anticipate every little issue and I really need to stop. The dog might come up, she might not. And, if it does, then we'll have a discussion. I really don't need to be worrying about that when there are more important issues. Not to mention, if I'm always worrying about what might happen I'm not focusing on the present...the here and now and experiencing life right now.
So, I've made a conscious decision to go into this interview with an open mind, as I mentioned above, and to stop myself if I start having catastrophizing thoughts. It's a little early for new year's resolutions, but I think I have the beginning formulation of mine for 2015. :)
My placement process has been a bit interesting. Admittedly, there were times when I was pretty angry and annoyed. It seemed as though some members of the field placement team were obsessed with the fact that I was blind and just couldn't get past it. I had discussion after discussion about how I wasn't required to disclose my disability and that if I did decide to do so it would be me who did it and only after an interview was set up. I'm still in discussions with faculty members to address this issue. But, at least I have an interview.
However, I was initially annoyed about that too.
When I saw the subject line announcing that I had an agency interested in interviewing me I was pretty excited, but when I clicked on the email and saw the title of the agency I got irritated. It was an agency focusing on disability.
Really?!
After all of our conversations they had picked an agency for me that dealt with disability? There are so many other places where disability isn't even a part of anything. I have this core belief that disability advocacy is most effective with full immersion into able-bodied organisations, communities Etc. And here I was having to interview at a placement whose primary focus was disability.
After simmering for a few minutes I googled the agency and started investigating their website. As I scrolled through page after page I began to calm down.
Sure they were a disability focused agency, but they focused on a wide range of disabilities, including physical and intellectual. I even saw a section where they talked about assisting war vets who had been disabled in combat. That part in particular started to make me look at this agency, and the opportunity, in a different way.
This was a learning experience. It's not where I have to stay for the rest of my career and maybe starting in an agency who is already disability aware will make this process easier for me. I don't always have to do things the hard way. Mr. K has been teaching me that. Besides, I may go to this interview this afternoon and they will decide they don't want me. Maybe I'll go and decide that I don't want them. The first step is to go to the interview with an open mind and decide from there.
I don't feel super nervous yet or anything. Me being the worrier that I am though had started concocting problems even before going out the front door. My potential field instructor had called yesterday afternoon and left me a message saying that the agency was a fragrance free environment. I'm used to that from being a massage therapist, but then I started making up the scenario that since the place was a fragrance free workplace then someone there had allergies. That lead to the thought that if they have allergies that they will be allergic to dogs and that either I won't be able to work there or that I'll have a battle on my hands. It's this type of catastrophizing that gets me into trouble.
I cannot possibly anticipate every little issue and I really need to stop. The dog might come up, she might not. And, if it does, then we'll have a discussion. I really don't need to be worrying about that when there are more important issues. Not to mention, if I'm always worrying about what might happen I'm not focusing on the present...the here and now and experiencing life right now.
So, I've made a conscious decision to go into this interview with an open mind, as I mentioned above, and to stop myself if I start having catastrophizing thoughts. It's a little early for new year's resolutions, but I think I have the beginning formulation of mine for 2015. :)
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
The Things We Learn
As I wrote before, when I started this MSW program, I was convinced that I wanted to work directly with people. I wanted to be in direct contact with a particular population. But, as the last ten weeks have progressed new opportunities have started to present themselves. With new opportunities comes new learning experiences as well as new perspectives.
The MSW program was one that I chose because I have always wanted to be in a helping profession. After my under Grad I was a little burnt out on the whole thing and so tried something else, but life brought me back to social work and I really enjoy what I'm learning. The program is super intense and so I find myself getting stressed out and sometimes a little grumpy, but if I look at the whole picture I know I've made the right decision; at least in regards to the program itself.
As I've moved through the various classes and have contemplated my options for my placement that starts in January, I've learned some things about myself. They were things I knew before, but maybe didn't pay that close attention to. The most important thing I've realized is that I may be too empathetic to be someone who works directly with clients.
What does that mean?
It means that I feel too much. It means that I would probably burn out in the first year or what the profession calls Passion Fatigue. I might even burn out while I'm still in school. It's something Mr. K and I have been talking about. I thought I would be able to separate myself enough, but even when I think I am, I'm really not. Even working with our fake client-a paid actor we interact with once a week-I am so exhausted by the end of the session that I don't know what to do with myself; just mentally and emotionally drained. And, I'm not getting any better at being a good listener and not taking on his issues. I get excited when he's excited, I get worked up when he's angry, I feel sad for him when he's struggling. All of these things in and of themselves aren't bad, but the extent to which I feel them is not beneficial to me or the client. I feel too much.
My professor even pointed it out to me. In not so many words, but after thinking about his feedback I realized that maybe being in a counselling role is not where I should be.
So, what now?
Remember how I wrote about maybe having to switch my concentration for my placement anyway?
Well, I think even if I don't have to switch it for my placement, I'm going to switch it for mine and Mr. K's sanity.
I think I am better suited for program directing, community organizing, fundraising, policy making, advocating. I think, and I never thought I'd say this, but I think I would be more beneficial to my clients at a macro level.
That said, no matter what level I am at, I want to make sure that I stay connected to my clients. If I am directing a program or writing grants for an organization, I am going to make an effort to meet the people I am working for...and I don't mean my bosses. I mean the population that I am serving. I don't want to become one of those policy makers that we hear about and people complain about who makes decisions for people without knowing the people or what their needs are. I don't want to be that person who creates a policy that makes things worse for the people who need the help.
So, now that it's in writing I will be held accountable.
It's kind of surprising the things that you learn about yourself as long as you are open to the information coming your way. If you had asked me in September if I wanted to work in Macro social work I would have told you that that was the worst idea I had ever heard of and that I hated Macro social work. Now, however, I think it's a great idea and I'm actually excited about it. I just needed to be educated: about Macro social work and about myself.
The MSW program was one that I chose because I have always wanted to be in a helping profession. After my under Grad I was a little burnt out on the whole thing and so tried something else, but life brought me back to social work and I really enjoy what I'm learning. The program is super intense and so I find myself getting stressed out and sometimes a little grumpy, but if I look at the whole picture I know I've made the right decision; at least in regards to the program itself.
As I've moved through the various classes and have contemplated my options for my placement that starts in January, I've learned some things about myself. They were things I knew before, but maybe didn't pay that close attention to. The most important thing I've realized is that I may be too empathetic to be someone who works directly with clients.
What does that mean?
It means that I feel too much. It means that I would probably burn out in the first year or what the profession calls Passion Fatigue. I might even burn out while I'm still in school. It's something Mr. K and I have been talking about. I thought I would be able to separate myself enough, but even when I think I am, I'm really not. Even working with our fake client-a paid actor we interact with once a week-I am so exhausted by the end of the session that I don't know what to do with myself; just mentally and emotionally drained. And, I'm not getting any better at being a good listener and not taking on his issues. I get excited when he's excited, I get worked up when he's angry, I feel sad for him when he's struggling. All of these things in and of themselves aren't bad, but the extent to which I feel them is not beneficial to me or the client. I feel too much.
My professor even pointed it out to me. In not so many words, but after thinking about his feedback I realized that maybe being in a counselling role is not where I should be.
So, what now?
Remember how I wrote about maybe having to switch my concentration for my placement anyway?
Well, I think even if I don't have to switch it for my placement, I'm going to switch it for mine and Mr. K's sanity.
I think I am better suited for program directing, community organizing, fundraising, policy making, advocating. I think, and I never thought I'd say this, but I think I would be more beneficial to my clients at a macro level.
That said, no matter what level I am at, I want to make sure that I stay connected to my clients. If I am directing a program or writing grants for an organization, I am going to make an effort to meet the people I am working for...and I don't mean my bosses. I mean the population that I am serving. I don't want to become one of those policy makers that we hear about and people complain about who makes decisions for people without knowing the people or what their needs are. I don't want to be that person who creates a policy that makes things worse for the people who need the help.
So, now that it's in writing I will be held accountable.
It's kind of surprising the things that you learn about yourself as long as you are open to the information coming your way. If you had asked me in September if I wanted to work in Macro social work I would have told you that that was the worst idea I had ever heard of and that I hated Macro social work. Now, however, I think it's a great idea and I'm actually excited about it. I just needed to be educated: about Macro social work and about myself.
Sunday, November 02, 2014
Do "Blind Moments" Come in Threes?
Blind Moment of the week Number Two...
Yesterday morning I sent the dogs out the back door to have their first bathroom break of the day. Hermione, Nala and Roscoe came back quite quickly, but Otis was outside, barking his little head off. I lured him back inside-yes, I said "lured." Bribed would probably be the better word. I know, bad dog owner, but it was six in the morning and I really didn't want the neighbors to hate us. Bribing aside, when he was out barking, it sounded as though his voice was coming from farther back than usual.
I was a bit confused, but thought nothing of it. We have a six foot wooden fence surrounding our little backyard which made me believe there was no way anyone could escape. The landlord even said that her Britney never got out of that fence. So again, I thought everyone would be secured.
The morning progressed as normal: breakfast for me; coffee for me; school work for me...you get the point.
At about 9 AM I gathered the fuzzy troops and headed back downstairs for fuzzy breakfast. Everyone ate and I again sent them out to do their business. Otis was particularly excited to get outside, but I thought it was because he saw a squirrel up in the trees that was taunting him. While they were outside I unloaded the dish washer and started wiping the kitchen counters off, but as I started on the second counter something clicked in the back of my head.
I had never been able to unload the entire dish washer before without one of the dogs wanting in. The backyard is very small and they really don't like being out without me for very long. I had never managed to unload a dish washer and wipe down counters either. Slightly suspicious, I went to the back slider and called Nala.
Nothing.
I wasn't suspicious any longer.
If Nala was in that backyard she would have been right there.
No Nala and no scrambling paws in the dead leaves.
No dogs.
Trying not to panic, or at least trying not to sound like I was panicking, I called Nala a bit louder. Mr. K and I had interviewed a dog walker a few days before for times when we aren't able to walk the two little ones and I had given him my key. This meant that he also had my recall whistle. Upon this realization, the panic really started.
I called again, louder but still trying to sound happy and excited.
To my great relief I heard paws. Eight of them to be more accurate, but I needed sixteen paws.
Roscoe and Otis were the first to arrive. I was slightly surprised because it's usually the girls who come back the fastest.
Praise and scooting inside with a treat each followed.
I called Nala again and waited. It probably was only five seconds before I heard her thundering towards me, but it felt like an eternity. Little paws were there too. Another party, treats and inside. Hermione had been hot on Nala's heels. I'm assuming the two of them were off adventuring together. Wherever they all were, they must have been romping quite vigorously because all of them consumed their body weight in water.
To be honest, I felt more relief when Otis came back first. His recall is the least reliable without the whistle and he's the one people would steal. There is also a fairly steep incline down behind our place and I was worried he had tumbled down and wouldn't be able to climb back up, or worse, had been hurt.
So, how did they escape?
Turns out the back gate had blown open during the night. We had some wicked wind and I guess the gate couldn't withstand it. Unknowingly, I had whipped the back door open and sent my dogs out to pillage and plunder the forest behind our place.
Its it possible that Blind Moments come in threes?
Yesterday morning I sent the dogs out the back door to have their first bathroom break of the day. Hermione, Nala and Roscoe came back quite quickly, but Otis was outside, barking his little head off. I lured him back inside-yes, I said "lured." Bribed would probably be the better word. I know, bad dog owner, but it was six in the morning and I really didn't want the neighbors to hate us. Bribing aside, when he was out barking, it sounded as though his voice was coming from farther back than usual.
I was a bit confused, but thought nothing of it. We have a six foot wooden fence surrounding our little backyard which made me believe there was no way anyone could escape. The landlord even said that her Britney never got out of that fence. So again, I thought everyone would be secured.
The morning progressed as normal: breakfast for me; coffee for me; school work for me...you get the point.
At about 9 AM I gathered the fuzzy troops and headed back downstairs for fuzzy breakfast. Everyone ate and I again sent them out to do their business. Otis was particularly excited to get outside, but I thought it was because he saw a squirrel up in the trees that was taunting him. While they were outside I unloaded the dish washer and started wiping the kitchen counters off, but as I started on the second counter something clicked in the back of my head.
I had never been able to unload the entire dish washer before without one of the dogs wanting in. The backyard is very small and they really don't like being out without me for very long. I had never managed to unload a dish washer and wipe down counters either. Slightly suspicious, I went to the back slider and called Nala.
Nothing.
I wasn't suspicious any longer.
If Nala was in that backyard she would have been right there.
No Nala and no scrambling paws in the dead leaves.
No dogs.
Trying not to panic, or at least trying not to sound like I was panicking, I called Nala a bit louder. Mr. K and I had interviewed a dog walker a few days before for times when we aren't able to walk the two little ones and I had given him my key. This meant that he also had my recall whistle. Upon this realization, the panic really started.
I called again, louder but still trying to sound happy and excited.
To my great relief I heard paws. Eight of them to be more accurate, but I needed sixteen paws.
Roscoe and Otis were the first to arrive. I was slightly surprised because it's usually the girls who come back the fastest.
Praise and scooting inside with a treat each followed.
I called Nala again and waited. It probably was only five seconds before I heard her thundering towards me, but it felt like an eternity. Little paws were there too. Another party, treats and inside. Hermione had been hot on Nala's heels. I'm assuming the two of them were off adventuring together. Wherever they all were, they must have been romping quite vigorously because all of them consumed their body weight in water.
To be honest, I felt more relief when Otis came back first. His recall is the least reliable without the whistle and he's the one people would steal. There is also a fairly steep incline down behind our place and I was worried he had tumbled down and wouldn't be able to climb back up, or worse, had been hurt.
So, how did they escape?
Turns out the back gate had blown open during the night. We had some wicked wind and I guess the gate couldn't withstand it. Unknowingly, I had whipped the back door open and sent my dogs out to pillage and plunder the forest behind our place.
Its it possible that Blind Moments come in threes?
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