Erbsville

My favourite place to hike is a forest in the community of Erbsville, just west of Waterloo. I generally take Ace and Willow for a hike once or twice a week, depending on my schedule. Although they're expanding the subdivision beside the forest, there are still lots of trails left.

I love walking around with the dogs, watching them enjoying themselves. They run back and forth, nose to the ground and tail in the air. It's relaxing for me as well, I get to climb some hills and listen to just the sound of the trees rustling in the wind. I generally go on weekdays, so I have lots of privacy.

We rarely even run into wild animals, however in the past we've seen groundhogs, deer, and a variety of birds. A few months ago Willow almost caught a wild turkey, to my surprise. All of a sudden she shot off the trail and was almost on top on the bird before it flew away. Ace never even saw it. This morning I almost stepped on a little garter snake on the path, I felt the poor thing wiggle under my foot and managed to not squish him. So I was prepared when I saw a second one just a few feet down the trail. My clever dogs jumped right over the snakes, without batting an eye. What was more surprising (to me) is that the snake never moved when the dogs ran past it. I suppose they get lethargic in the sun? I'll have to look it up I suppose.

Good-bye Basil

Basil the bunny was purchased from a pet store in Newmarket when he was three months old, in 2001. He lived with my family for many years, and was the responsibility of myself, and when I left for school, my sister. He was a good bunny, always very affectionate and curious in his surroundings. He ruled the animal kingdom in the house, Toby the dog would move to the side to allow Basil to pass him in the hallway.

When my sister left for school, my Mom looked after Basil for a little while, however she did not really want to. We started looking around to see if we could find him another place to live. Basil was given to my friend Laura, who was looking for a low maintenance pet. With Laura and her roommates, Basil really shone. He hopped around their apartment, keeping them company on late nights and stressful days. They gave him the attention he had been lacking over the last several years.

On June 23rd, Basil died peacefully in Laura's arms. He was 10 years old.  I am so glad that she gave him the love he deserved, and that she was there with him at the end.

Rest in peace Basil, you will be missed.  

new collars

A few weeks ago I bought a new collar for Ace. I like his martingale, and he behaves better with it on, however he hates it when I pull it over his head to take it off. I very much dislike making Ace do things he doesn't want to do, so I began looking for an alternative. I decided to forgoe the cute, patterned collars in favour of a more mature option. I bought him a black rolled leather collar, as pictured below.

This collar is great because it doesn't leave a ring around his neck, where his fur normally rubs on the collar. What does this mean? I have a nice, sleek looking dog all the time! When I find/buy a camera, I will post pictures.

Willow also has a new collar, more out of necessity than choice though. Willow and her brother Wizard have very narrow heads, which means they can easily back out of regular flat collars. Willow is also very sensitive to corrections, which could cause problems when she is recalled. I was worried a chain martingale would upset her, so set out to find a soft martingale. Let me tell you, it's no easy feat. After searching a few stores and websites, I finally found a simple red one that ADS was willing to purchase for her.

Appropriate collars are important when training a dog - the wrong collar can invite disaster! Flat collars are preferable, however often dogs will require a collar with more correction, such as soft martingales, chain martingales, chokers, and even prong collars. Personally, I dislike using any collar harsher than a chain martingale (Ace's old collar), however depending on the circumstances more severe collars may be required.

mirror image

                                              Willow and Archie hanging out in my bedroom.

the best and worst of dog owners

Working in a pet store, I see dog breeds of all shapes and sizes. The same applies to owners. There are those who just purchase their food and refuse assistance of any kind, and those who want to spend half an hour talking about their pet and which toy or treat is going to be the best one.

Many people come to the store to purchase training devices such as haltis, martingales and harnesses. Often they are looking for a quick fix for a dog that pulls. They would rather purchase a $25 halti than spend the time teaching their dog to heel properly. I really hate fitting haltis or no-pull harnesses on puppies that are 14 weeks old... I often wonder how committed the owner is if they feel they cannot deal with regular puppy behaviour.

Once I sold a no-pull harness to a family with a lab/husky cross and showed them how to use it properly (how to give the correction so it was effective). The next time they came into the store, the dog was wearing the no-pull harness - and on a flexi-lead. Clearly not teaching the dog anything.

The worst equipment contradiction I've seen was a lab wearing a prong collar and a flexi-lead. To me, that is cruel. The strange thing is that the owners were very nice. They just clearly did not understand how to use a prong collar properly, and were not educated on how a flexi-lead actually works.

Don't get me wrong, there are some wonderful people who bring their dogs in. One of my favourites brings her golden retriever in every week, we chat about training methods and dogs with disabilities (one of her dogs is going blind, the other only has three legs). There are others as well who are looking to make good decisions for their dogs, and I am more than happy to help them.

I really strive to help people become more educated about their pets, and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to make a difference in a pet's life, however small.

beautiful joe

Today I pulled a book off my shelf called Beautiful Joe. This book was first recommended to me by a friend in elementary school; it was inspired by Anna Sewell's Black Beauty. Written by Margaret Marshall Saunders, Beautiful Joe follows a mixed-breed dog from his beginnings with an abusive owner to his exploits with the family who rescued him.

In the beginning of the novel, Joe describes some of the heinous crimes committed against animals; "He began to swear because we were so ugly, and said that if we had been good-looking, he might have sold some of us... He took one pup and then another, and right there, before his children and my poor distracted mother, put an end to their lives" (p9).

At a year old, Joe's abusive owner cut off his ears and tail with an axe - Joe's yelps were heard from the road and a young man came and took him away.

Joe then begins his life with the Morris family, and quickly learns to love them. This is a story to encourage humane education; through Joe's own experiences and his conversations with other animals the reader is exposed to many different types of cruelty and the overcoming of it.

Another example of cruelty occurred with one of the Morris' other dogs. Jim had been a hunting dog, and was loaned out to a group of young men. These men tied Jim to a tree and "He fired close to me a number of times - over my head and under my body. The earth was cut up all around me. I was terribly frightened, and howled and begged to be free" (p46).

I love this book, the story is told is a very direct way and gives a good description of how animals were treated circa 1893. It is a children's novel, therefore a very easy read. Although many parts are sad, most events told in the book have happy endings. Highly recommended to anyone who loves animals.

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.