academics, puppy visits, vet visits, and agility class!

Wednesday was a great day for me, I was able to present my research at the Campbell Centre for Studies in Animal Welfare annual Symposium and Research Day. There were about 100 people in the audience (scary!!!), including a number of professors, students, and public interested in animal welfare. I think I did pretty well, although I did loose my place a few times. It was nice to be one of only two social science majors, out of 22 presenters.

On Thursday I had lunch with a good friend from Guelph, and visited Wendy (Piper's breeder). Piper and I got to meet another of Piper's littermates, Ryder (who she adored).

All four of my animals also had vet appointments in the afternoon, so we spent about two hours with Dr. Paula. Piper and Percy were both in perfect health, which was good news (although I was expecting it). The vet heard a grade one heart murmur in Archie, although it went away as he relaxed. Something to watch, however it seemed to only be an issue when he was stressed, and he's generally a pretty laid back cat. Ace is my poor, unhealthy soul, unfortunately. The vet now suspects his elbow dysplasia is causing him chronic pain, so she prescribed some painkillers. It breaks my heart, since he's only five years old, but she said he has almost no muscle around his elbows, and quite severe arthritis in his joints. He is to receive minimal exercise, except as much swimming as we can handle! She told me its ok to not exercise him every day, and I was correct to also cut back his food (which I had already done - my 74 lb dog now eats the same amount as my 42 lb dog). We are going to start a painkiller trial next week, he is to be medicated for a solid week, to see if I notice any differences. It's the easiest way to find out if he really is in chronic pain. I had suspected something along those lines, so I was not surprised by her evaluation.

We had a good time visiting my friend Karen, and her super-adorable Turveurn puppy Spark. Spark and Piper are like two peas in a pod, they got along fantastically :) We spent several nights watching agility videos.

Tonight was my last agility class with Piper for a while. We had a pretty good class, only screwing up a couple time in a course that was masters level (and harder than anything that would be seen at a regional level event). I was pretty happy with that! What I was not happy with was that Piper BARKED the entire time she was not working. My instructor told me to step on the leash and ignore her, quietly rewarding anytime she was quiet. The result was an hour and a half of barking. It was brutal. Definitely something we are going to have to work on.

spring

Update: still living with my parents, still working for minimum wage. Sigh. But better job prospects on the horizon!

Next week I am presenting my research at the CCSAW Symposium, which is super exciting. As my research was pretty much the definition of inter-disciplinary, this is a rare opportunity for me to present to a group of scientists. I'm quite nervous about it, actually.

Last weekend I volunteers at the Peterborough Obedience Club CKC trial. I was a ring steward for nearly 7 hours, it was a long day! However I also learned huge amounts, which was great. I've only ever seen bits and pieces of Open and Utility levels before. Still not sure I want to compete at those levels, but I at least know what I need to do to be able to. If that makes any sense.

Ace, Piper and I have been out enjoying spring, and of course getting muddy. I've been a little photo-happy, as you can see. Piper and I have been working on a number of tricks, such as back-up, handstand, beg. Trying to wean her off the treats with the back-up and beg... but I'm really bad at that haha. The handstand is going to take a bit of work I think. Will be awesome when she can do it though! We have a few classes of freestyle coming up with Dante Camacho, so I am looking forward to that.

Blaster, Tucker, Zanna, Ace, Cody, and Piper... it was spring, I swear! This photo was taken in April.

Piper being her usual gorgeous self. I am so lucky to have her.

Ace and Piper enjoying a good game of fetch in the super-muddy park. I love how much they love fetch :)

post-move in update

Well, I have been neglectful. Two months since I have posted anything! Here is an update:

The move went well, and we have all settled into my parent's house better than expected. The cats pretty much get free run, and except for a bit of bagel-snatching (Percy), and railing-scratching (also Percy), they have been great. My dad even plays with Percy once in a while. Archie tries hard to stay out the way, and spend most of his time sleeping at the top of the stairs or on my sister's empty bed.

The dogs stay downstairs quite a bit, either with me in my bedroom, or hanging out at the bottom of the basement stairs. The first week after I moved in, I went out and bought mats for my bedroom floors and for the bottom of the stairs for the dogs to sleep on. I would have liked to cover all the floors, but just couldn't afford it. Every evening (and days my dad goes to work) Ace and Piper don their indoor boots and take over the available couches and laps. My mom is quite smitten with Piper, who loves to cuddle and lick her face.

I have been working part-time in a Paulmac's Pet Food store, which is ok. I work by myself quite a bit, or with the grouchy owner. I definitely miss my friends at Rens.

My thesis was defended on December 17, and accepted by the University of Guelph on January 6. Yay me! I have been diligently applying for jobs, but no interviews yet. My fingers are crossed every day, hoping that I will hear from a prospective employer.

Piper and I made some new friends shortly after our arrival in Ennismore, we met a woman and her two Aussies on a trail, and became fast friends. We hike with Tucker and Blaster (who is actually Piper's great-uncle) nearly every week. Through our new friend, we have also joined the Peterborough and District Obedience Club (PADOC), which is fantastic because now we get free obedience classes! We are also signed up to take a class with agility instructor Dante Camacho, recommended to us by Chad, our Guelph instructor.

Piper and Ace hanging out on the couch.

That's all for now! Piper and I are heading to Hamilton in a few weeks for our first CKC trial, so expect another post shortly :)

busy november

Big things happening. As I am approaching the end of my masters degree, it appears I will be jobless for (hopefully) a short period of time. So, I am leaving my amazing apartment which I love, to move into my parent's basement. Temporarily. I hope.

They are less than thrilled with the two cats and two dogs moving with me, but I'm sure we will all manage just fine. Temporarily.

So it is a busy time of year:
- finishing up my thesis (I think I am almost finished writing)
- packing (I move in 3 weeks)
- visiting all my friends before I move, since I don't know when I will be back to this area
- and training my dogs!

Piper and Ace are registered for their Canine Good Neighbour (CGN) tests on November 16th. We have been practicing, and chatting with a few friends who's dogs have passed, and I think we are ready. As long as they each have 10 minutes or so to settle before we go in, I don't expect any problems. I think this test will be great when I (hopefully soon) am looking for another apartment.

Since there are also CKC Rally and Obedience trials occurring at the same time, I am hoping there will be space to enter Piper in one run of Pre-Novice Obedience, and one run of Rally Novice. It looks like there will be space in Rally, but I'm not sure about Obedience.

I also have to purchase a membership with the CKC, which I'm not super thrilled about, as I strongly disagree with the breed standards imposed on many extremely unhealthy breeds, such as pugs. However if I want to trial in Obedience, CKC is the only venue I am aware of.

Have I mentioned moving in my my parents is temporary?
Wish us luck!

thesis

According to my program timeline, all student research and write an original thesis from September to April in the third and final year of the program. For as long as I've been a student at Guelph, my plan has been to write about some aspect of ecological restoration. It's a topic I am interested in, and something with employment potential. However, recently that has changed.

Before Christmas I had a meeting with my professor Nate, and his wife Tina. While Nate is a prof in Landscape Architecture, Tina is a prof in the Animal Science department and specializes in animal behavior and welfare. They are looking to have research done to look at the need for and design of outdoor components of humane societies.

Starting now (so I can hopefully meet some of the deadlines to get research grants), I will be researching the design of dog parks, training areas and walking areas for dogs at humane societies. Part of this will look at the need or use of such areas by the dogs, and another aspect will be their use by humane society employees and volunteers.

It is an interesting research project, but never something I had ever considered doing before! This will be the first time I have combined my love of dogs with academics. Hopefully I'll be posting a bit more about the project as it progresses.

home for christmas

This year I made the 3 hour trek to my parents house for Christmas. Ace, Piper, Archie, and I spent 3 very interesting days there. Overall, I think it was a success!

Archie sitting on the tile at the front door.

Piper survived her boots, and was not even fighting them by the end of the trip. They are a little big for her, so they would fall off once in a while, but overall the boots were a success.

Ace was his normal, lazy bones self. Cuddling with anyone who would give him space on the couch. He is always a hit with my parents.

Archie was also good, with one exception. The first morning there he pooped and peed under my dad's work bench. My dad doesn't like cats to begin with so this was not a good thing to happen. I moved his litter box to a more open spot and Archie decided that now the box was where he wanted it to be, he would use it. He also had a good cuddle with my 86 year old Grandma, which gave him lots of points.

My Aunt and her partner also brought over their 7 month old Australian Labradoodle (aka lab x poodle x cocker spaniel x irish waterdog x something else I can't remember) on Christmas day. He was very cute, and played well with Piper when they were running around in the basement, but when they were around all the people he was getting pretty snappy with her. He seemed to be possessive over toys (which were actually Piper's) and also his space overall. It was kind of odd, considering how well they played together in the basement. Hopefully my Aunt will work on whatever issues he may have so they do better next Christmas.

Ace being forced to dance with my sister. He's clearly thrilled.

I have the whole next week off, so I'm looking forward to doing lots of hikes and training with the dogs! Oh yeah, and schoolwork. Blah.

end of year one

Well it's official, I'm finished the first year of the Masters of Landscape Architecture program! Yay!

So, now what?

Well, since I have two more years to go in the program, there's no point in getting too excited yet. Two more years of homework and loans. Yippee.

But for now...work! Which is ok. I'm still part-time at the pet store, which works out well. I'm also driving out to Oakville to do a garden maintenance job two or three days a week, so hopefully I will make enough money to survive. Likely won't get any vacation though, which is unfortunate.

Also not helping my poverty, Ace and Archie had they're annual check up/vaccines/titers today. $500 for two animals, and neither was even sick! Out of this world.

On the plus side, I am eagerly awaiting my first rescue Aussie. I'm not really sure of the status of my application, but I'm hoping to get a foster in the next few weeks.

Hopefully I will have some better news to report in my next post!

foster application submitted!

Well, it's official. I sent in my application to foster for Aussie Rescue last Thursday.

It's been about two years in the works, and I can't wait to hear back! My apartment has been so quiet since Willow left, I need more doggie challenges! I've been in touch with the coordinator several times in the past week doing reference checks for adoptive homes, and she mentioned that my references are really good, so I'm hoping they'll do a home visit in the next few weeks, and that I might get a foster dog by the end of April :)

I do have one concern with the process though. As far as I know I will be expected to pay the dog's vet bills and be reimbursed at a later date. I can afford basic exams, but I do not have enough spare money to spend on a spay/neuter... I hope they will be flexible is this. Maybe they have an ARPH credit card, or another family will pay the cost and submit the claim. We will see. It's possible that even if I am approved, I won't actually be able to foster until the fall, when my OSAP comes in and I have a little extra money in the bank.

But... I'm hopeful it all works out! I've essentially been obsessed with Aussies for years now, I can't wait to learn more about them.

are rescues too tough on potential adopters?

Here's a link to a great post by Retrieverman:
http://retrieverman.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/some-dog-rescue-organizations-have-too-many-quibbling-requirements-for-their-adopters/

I think it can go both ways... rescues can be very tough on potential adopters, and needlessly exclude many great families. In fact I was turned down twice by my local humane society before I finally was able to adopt Archie. There was a huge process of getting my landlords permission, having all my roommates meet him, and getting a letter from my parents (even though I was 19), all because I was a student. However a friend of mine (also a student, living in a rental with roommates) went to the same institution, picked out and adopted a cat in one day. It all depends on who you talk to, I suppose.

However, I do agree with the pet always going back to the rescue, if it doesn't work out with the original adoptive family. Although you may be able to find another home for your pet, who is to say they will not turn around and give the pet to someone else? And then that person does the same thing? An animal could easily end up in a bad situation... rescuers love their fosters and just want to ensure they are well taken care of.

Thoughts?

it's that time of year again...

Time to search for a summer job! Now, last summer this was a bit of a bust, I ended up working two part-time retail jobs. Not this summer! I'm going to beef up my resume, and apply apply apply to jobs in both ecology and landscape architecture fields. I feel qualified to do nothing (except maybe work in a pet store!) but my resume reads like I might actually be a good person to hire.

My ideal summer job will:

• Have both indoor and outdoor components
• Improve my skills in either ecology or landscape architecture (or maybe both!)
• Be located within an hour radius of Guelph
• Pay at least $15/hour (preferably closer to $20/hour)

And finally, there will be potential for me to return next summer. This would negate the need to go through this horrible application process that I will be forced to endure over the next few months!

So, if you know anyone hiring, let me know!

December Update

 To the People Who Read My Blog:

I apologize for not writing in so long. Computer troubles, combined with end-of-term madness helped the month of November to fly by without any blogging. I have no excuse for December though, I've just been lazy!

Here is my news for the month December:

1) I officially finished term one of my masters! Only two and a half years left. Sigh. Why did I choose this route again?

2) Willow was recalled on December 2nd, a very sad day for both of us.

3) Last week I visited my parents in the country, and realized that it is actually way less safe than the city! Everywhere I walked Ace, he was at risk of getting shot by stupid hunters or grouchy landowners. Let me tell you, he was all decked out in red ribbon in order to be an obvious pet!

4) My poor little Willow was disqualified from ADS due to her allergies. Although I wish they would have been willing to try her on a better food, I understand that they don't want to place an unhealthy dog with a child who has a disability. My mission over the next few weeks is to find the BEST possible family to adopt her.

Life goes on, as it always does. I am continuing to work at the pet store, which is madness this time of year. I never realized so many people buy their pets Christmas presents.

More posts coming soon!

sweetness

After a several month long baking hiatus, I am back in the kitchen! It is longer too hot (my excuse over the summer), nor am I too busy (my excuse for September and October). How long will my free time last? Likely only until tomorrow.

Earlier in the week I made my Grandma's chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and yesterday I made pumpkin cookies made from a real pumpkin I had cooked last weekend. Currently in the over: Julie's brownies. I've had this recipe for a few years, but had never tried it. Hopefully it turns out, even though I had to make substitutions!

only sorta broke

Whew, my OSAP money came through today! I am not a fan of living paycheck to paycheck, and having to rely on money from my parents. I managed to get through my undergraduate degree with very little debt, but that is just not happening in my graduate studies.

Some people use this money to take trips or make other big purchases (like cars or horses). My plans? Pay off my computer, put some away for next term's tuition, and use the rest for rent.

Big spender, eh?

Well, ask me next year what I spend my money on... there's a possibility it might be a little more frivolous...

apartment :)

Well it is official. I have finally moved into my fantastically beautiful Guelph apartment. It is a large one bedroom on Paisley St, on the first floor of an old house. Expensive? Yes, but I have nice big windows, brand new appliances, and old-school hardwood floors... all only a 10 minute walk from downtown!

Still on my to-do list:
          Finish unpacking
          Hang curtains
          Hang pictures and posters

Oh yeah, and sort out my school stuff - scholarships, books, and figuring out how to get to campus from my apartment!

The dogs seem to like it so far, and Ace is now allowed up on both couches. Archie has escaped out the back door a few times, so I will have to make sure I close it tight behind me. Good thing he has a new ID tag with my phone number! I am technically only allowed one dog and one cat, but the landlord says she doesn't mind if Willow stays for an extra few weeks.

I have not met any neighbours yet, but am looking forward to it!
Give me another 2 weeks, and I will be available for entertaining :)

apartment hunting

This week, my mom came to visit for a few days, and to help me look for an apartment for next year. I decided a long time ago that I wanted to live by myself - I like having a roommate but feel that life is generally easier without one. This means finding a bachelor or one bedroom apartment, guaranteed to be more expensive than my current rent.

My apartment wishlist includes the following:
- pet friendly (obviously)
- outdoor space, either a balcony or accessible yard
- full kitchen
- parking
- half hour (walk or bus) to campus

Yes, I know I am picky. And I cannot really afford to pay anything more than $800 per month, including utilities. But I feel like I've lived in enough dives, and had enough crappy roommate, that I am justified in my search for the perfect apartment. This place will be my home for the next three years, and I want to be happy there.

So far there are two front runners. One is a condo, which my parents would have to buy. It's a half hour walk to school, backs onto hiking trails, and has a huge balcony. Small kitchen but the perfect amount of living space. Between all the fees and utilities etc, my mom and I figured it would cost me about $870 per month to live there. Unfortunately over my budget. And my dad is not on board with purchasing a property.

The other front runner is an apartment on the main floor of a house. It is a beautiful old house, currently being refinished (new appliances, floors, paint, etc). There is a front porch, backyard, and to be honest there is more indoor space than I would need. The landlord was super nice, he said they do not normally allow pets but was fairly agreeable to mine. He could not remember what the rent was, but said it would be between $800 and $825 per month, including all utilities. Plus my internet would be about $860. Over my budget again.

My predicament:
Is it possible to find a nice place to live, with everything on my wish list, for $800 or less per month?
Is it worth it to accrue more debt to live in a place I love?

I will continue to look for apartments, but feel like an opportunity like this will be hard to match.