lost

Archie has been with me for about four and a half years now, and in that time I've been very cautious with him. He is a strictly indoor cat, once or twice a year I will take him out on a leash. He loves hanging out in windows and looking out the door, but has never really pushed his luck in his escape attempts.

Yesterday was different. I was taking my garbage out and had both dogs on leashes. I didn't even see him get outside. I put Ace in a down-stay by the garbage cans and was clearing everything out, when he broke his stay and raced towards the apartment. The guys doing work on the apartment beside mine said he chased an orange and white cat up the stairs. I thought "That's weird, I've never seen a loose orange and white cat in this neighbourhood". I got my trash to the curb and went inside to feed the animals.

I poured the kibble into the dish...and Archie was nowhere to be seen. Uh oh. An orange and white cat that ran up the stairs? Uh oh.

So I go back outside and check the staircase - no cat. I check in the yard, my neighbours yard, and took a quick walk down the street, shaking the kibble dish as I went. No luck.

The humane society didn't open until 9:00, so I had half an hour before I could report him missing. I made up a poster with his picture and contact information, and would take short walks around the block, shaking his kibble dish.

By the time I got through to the humane society, I was distraught. I kept thinking that I had lost him forever - he would get hit by a car, get in a fight with another cat, or just get lost and not be able to find his way home.

The woman who answered the phone was very helpful. She took down a description of him, and my information. She explained the best way to make a LOST poster, and suggested I sprinkle some old litter in the yard and leave the door cracked open, so he could smell his way home. I was also provided with the number of the microchip company, so I could update Archie's information.

I immediately followed her instructions and propped the door open (dogs in their crates, so I didn't have other escapees). I called the microchip company to give my address and phone number, and they made a note on his file that he was missing. I went out side to sprinkle litter in the yard...and who do I see sitting at the side of the road?

Archie. My super intelligent cat was sitting on the road with his nose stuffed in my neighbours catnip plant. I walked over and picked him up - tragedy averted. He was out in the world for a total of an hour and a half.

I am so grateful to have my little kitten back, and truly appreciate the kindness of the people at the Guelph Humane Society and Microchip Solutions. And I will definitely be more careful closing my door from now on!

introducing piper!

Meet my new addition, Piper! She is a Red Merle Australian Shepherd, and my new (hopefully) sport dog. Bred by Wendy at No Rulz Aussies, she was born on June 20th, 2012, to parents Jynx and Riggs. Registered name is No Rulz Red Alert.

Piper side profile, looking up at a treat!

Piper was the first puppy born in a litter of eight, four males and four females. She is certainly full of beans, always running around with the zoomies! I brought home some little tennis balls for her, and she is already consistently retrieving them, which I'm so excited about!

Piper looking into the camera. Her eyes are changing from blue to hazel.

Her first night home, she slept a full 9 hours! Unfortunately it appears that was a fluke... it looks like we'll be getting up around 5am for the next few nights, until she has more bladder control. She eats good, poops good, and has only had a few accidents, which is to be expected from a nine week old puppy.

Napping on the floor! Her coat has a really striking pattern.

Further updates and pictures to come soon!

foster failure

Well, I must admit, Ollie is a foster failure. When most people say that, it means they just cannot give the dog up and decide to keep it. But that's not what I mean. I am sending Ollie on to another foster family - I cannot keep him until he is adopted. I have failed in providing even a temporary home for him. Despite how horrendous he behaved in the beginning, I am giving him up simply because life moves forward, and I need a break from him before the next chapter begins.

Ollie's behaviour has improved tremendously in the two and a half months he has been with me. He is now fairly comfortable with Archie, still occasionally chasing him but he calls off very easily. We have developed a routine (relying very heavily on games of fetch) and he has relaxed in his barking. Still annoying though, I must admit.

Ollie curled up in the blue armchair, watching me.

In truth, the only thing we have made no progress with are his reactions to other dogs when out for a walk. His barking fits are so focused and intense he scares me. Nothing I can do will break his focus. We spent several weeks working with other dogs on leash and he made quite a bit of progress, even being able to walk beside my friend's German Shepherd after only three sessions, however he begins all over with a new dog. So when we go for walks I take him to a nearby heritage cemetery, where we can do obedience drills and practice heeling without worrying about the dog that may be around the corner. It is a little odd, but that is the only place I am comfortable walking him.

Since I am heading out for vacation next week, the timing was right to give him back. I hope his next foster home is with someone more confident, who can help him overcome his issues with other dogs so he can find his forever home!

ollie the terrible

Well. It has been a turbulent three weeks, I must admit. Ollie the Australian Shepherd has been with me almost a month now. He is an interesting fellow. He's about 6 weeks older than Ace, but acts more like a 1 year old.

Ollie mouths, jumps on people, chases my cat and barks. He gets nervous and barks at people, gets excited and barks at dogs, gets anxious and barks at the people upstairs, and finally, gets playful and barks at Archie. Have I mentioned that I HATE BARKING???

But really, he is getting better. Just very slowly. I'm hoping I will start to actually enjoy having him here soon, but for right now, he's still a pain in the butt.

He's very driven, which I was expecting. But he reminds me of a little kid, the way he always has to win. He throws a bit of a tantrum if he doesn't win. His biggest problem is that he focuses on the wrong things, and I have a hard time getting him to focus back on me. But I think that is a bonding issue as well - he'll get better as he's with me longer, and likely have to start again with the next person.

I was in touch with the coordinator today, trying to get his status to move up. After almost a month, they still had not started looking for a home for him, or advertised him as up for adoption. Now I'm happy to have him here, but he is a very trying dog, and I would like to see him placed permanently earlier rather than later.

So his bio is written, and hopefully it goes up soon!

archie the cat

I've been told I don't talk about my cat often enough. Probably because although I love my cat, I'm not really a cat person. However when I had been out of my parent's house for about a year and a half, I just could not stand being without a pet. Longest year and a half of my life! I decided to volunteer at the local humane society, obviously that didn't last long. I was a horrible volunteer who adopted after a few months and stopped volunteering. Anyways, here is Archie's story.

Archie looking pretty for the camera

I adopted Archie 4 years ago from the Kitchener Humane Society. He was 4 1/2 at the time, and had been dropped off in an outdoor bin during the night. He was neutered, clean, and a little overweight; clearly a house cat! I've always wondered where he came from. My best guess is that he was probably owned by a little old lady who either passed away, or moved into a nursing home. If the family didn't want to keep him, they could have dropped him off at the shelter overnight to avoid paying the surrender fee.

I faced quite a bit of discrimination adopting Archie. Even though I was a volunteer, the first person I spoke to said they would not adopt him to me because I was a student and had never had a cat before. I continued to go back on different days, hoping to talk to someone else who would consider me. I eventually found someone who agreed, but required letters from my landlord, parents, and all my roommates to go meet him. I know other students who went in to look around and came out with a cat, so all this hoop-jumping pissed me off quite a bit. But I persevered, and ended up with a great cat!
 

Archie sleeping on an abandoned dog bed, beside some dog toys

I do admit, adopting Archibald was a big risk - many cats despise change and I have a very mobile lifestyle. However Archie has successfully moved with me nine times in those four years. He loves visiting with people, so going to my parent's house or the cottage for the weekend is an adventure to him! He is an indoor cat - with all the moving I do, I'm not comfortable letting him roam around outside.

And I admit, I am a control freak. I would worry about him the whole time he was outside.

He is a pretty funny fellow. Some days he follows me around and won't stay out of my lap. Other days I only see him at meal times (his favourite time of day). He is very skilled at breaking into food containers, breaking curtains, stealing food, terrorizing my fish, and getting into various other types of mischief.

Another admission: dog behaviour I understand, but Archie continues to boggle my mind, even after sharing my life with him for so long. Cats are crazy.

Archie snuggling on my lap

Sleeping in his hideous cat-house

I could never give him though, because although he's pretty wacky, he's my kitten. I love his little purr and dirty nose, and have learned to deal with his many misadventures. And honestly? My favourite time of day is right before bed, with Ace sprawled across my legs and Archie curled up on my chest. I love my beasties to death, and am so grateful for all the things they have done for me.
 
I know I would not be the same without Archie.  

imminent arrival

It appears my first ARPH rescue dog will arrive next Sunday! After years of thinking and months of planning, I have officially been approved as an ARPH foster family. Yay!

Ollie is my intended first foster dog, a young male with black tri colouring. Housebroken, crate-trained, good with kids and other dogs - he will likely only be with me for a few weeks, but I think he will make for a great first rescue foster!

As you may know I've pretty much been obsessed with Australian Shepherds for a few years now, and I'm hoping they will live up to my expectations :)

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!