The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

We live in a cul-de-sac, and when we moved here it was a busy day if more than three cars went up and down the “main” road.  Time passed, new subdivisions appeared  around us, and the road is much busier.

Sandy always has to WAIT before we cross the street, whether there is traffic or not.  But these days she sometimes has to WAIT while two or three cars perform a Canadian interpretation of a Rolling St. Louis Stop.

Just lately, if we WAIT for more than a minute, Sandy will WAIT without complaining, but when I say, “Let’s go!” she’ll decide it’s time to sniff the ground, or pee on a carefully selected patch of grass, or venture backwards or sideways into a flowerbed.  Anything but cross the street.

It reminds me of a batter asking for time out because the pitcher took a long time to get ready.

I’m pretty sure we’re going back to SIT instead of WAIT for awhile.

Spring

The theme of today’s walk at the Capital News Centre is: Salad Bar.

Capital News Centre walk

I hope Spring has sprung.

Hair & Nails

It’s Sandy’s world, and we just happen to be passing through it.  She has her special friends, but if you’re not one of them, she doesn’t much care what you think.  This is especially true if you’re the one doing the grooming.
She loves it when I use the Furminator, but when Sandy sees me with dog shampoo and cotton balls, she heads for her crate and tries to look really clean.  She will not get in the bathtub.  She has no objection to a bath outside.  She’ll let me wash her with a bucket and a hose.  But in the bathtub? No way.

And we're just getting started

One of Sandy’s special friends used to own a grooming shop.  When I took Sandy in there, it was always all about Sandy.  I’d come back to pick her up, and Debbie would say, “Sandy was so good.  She went right up the ramp into the tub!” or, “Sandy really loves the dryer.”  I would say, “Is there some OTHER dog named Sandy here?”  Debbie would use a Dremel on Sandy’s nails, apparently without incident.
She sold the shop, and was working out of another dog place.  I took Sandy there.

After a bath

Sandy didn’t like it as much, but she still loved Debbie, so she put up with the other dogs and people in the place.  But eventually Debbie moved on from there, and vanished.
It’s been a long winter, and now the weather is getting warmer and the ground is going to be getting muddier.  It’s time for hair & nails.  Sandy doesn’t need clipping or anything fancy.  Just a bath and some work on her nails.  But she needs a special person.  The search is on.

Dogs and QR Codes

So far this winter seems colder and snowier than most here in Kelowna.  This morning is the first time in a couple of weeks that Sandy and I have been able to go for a long morning walk together.  The weather cooperated.  The temperature hovered around freezing, and it was not snowing or raining when we left the house.

Sandy loves the snow.  Even in her twelfth year, she wants to roll in snow, dive headfirst into snow, run through snow, and most of all track things through the snow.  In fact, she likes to track things on our walks in any kind of weather any time of the year.

Just about the only thing I like about snow is taking Sandy for walks.  I like being able to see what she smells. There were many tracks today, and I’m sure they tell a story.  Sandy seemed to think so.  We walked a long way,and her nose was to the ground most of the time.

I saw tracks that might be a deer, and was reminded of my friend Frithjof, who just started using QR codes. A QR code is like a barcode, and can be read by smart phones with reader software installed.  It can contain a link to a website, text, phone numbers, contact information, and who knows what all else.

Might be a deer

Sandy's built in scanner read those tracks and got a lot more information than I ever would.  But without the snow, I never would have known about the deer at all.  Maybe snow isn't so bad.

Dogs in City Park, Pride, and the Mayor of Kelowna

In 1997, Walter Gray, then the Mayor of Kelowna, altered a proclamation to remove the word “Pride” when proclaiming “Gay and Lesbian Week.”  His contention was that being gay was nothing to be proud of.

In 2000, a BC Human Rights Tribunal found him guilty of discrimination because everybody else could have proclamations issued.

Immediately, Gray announced that he would simply stop issuing proclamations.

In 2000, when My Dog Sandy came to us, the Okanagan Dog Owners Association was fighting the City for off-leash parks.  There were none.  Later, OK Dog fought the City for the right to walk dogs on-leash along the waterfront from City Park to Tugboat Beach.

We have a new Mayor now.

Today I attended the Okanagan Pride festival.  It was held in City Park.  Mayor Sharon Shepherd read the proclamation to those in attendance.  And then, the “Best Dog” contest began.

Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd & Okanagan Pride Chair Dustyn Baulkham

What could be better than this?  There’s a new park on the waterfront, right across from City Hall.  There’s a dog water fountain in the park.

Out of the kennels and into the streets!

Today in Kelowna, 116 dogs and 200 people walked from Strathcona Park to Kinsman Park.  There were no snarling balls of fury.  There were no “incidents”.  Just a peaceful gathering of families, including dogs, who walked for 20 minutes.

The point?  Dogs should be welcomed in every park in Kelowna.

Sandy did not attend --- this would have been far too much excitement for her.  But It would be excellent if we could walk together in Kelowna parks.

Skinneeez Squirrel and the Power of Social Media

Sandy spends part of every day looking out the back door waiting for a chance to bark at a squirrel.

Someone on Twitter posted a link to this:

               

And when I tweeted asking if anyone knew where I could get this toy in Kelowna, I got a message right back.

An hour later:

 

Happy Dog!

Weave!

In all kinds of weather, I often take Sandy to the trails behind the Capital News Centre.  On one side of the road is a path that parallels the creek.  On the other side of the road are the sports fields, and paths that take you past ball diamonds, football fields, and soccer pitches.

For a way to keep warm --- warmER, really --- during the winter, I’ve been showing Sandy how to weave between the concrete polls on the sports field side of the road.  It’s fun because she has to stay on leash there, and the polls are far enough apart that we both get to weave.

She’s always been willing to do it, but she’s always been clear that she just didn’t see the point of the whole thing.  “THAT’s three minutes of my life I’ll never get back.”

A good place to weave. 

But the other day we were walking on the path, she looked up at me, and without any prompting at all started to weave.  The only problem was she decided to weave between the polls that have the chains on.

A bad place to weave. 

It turns out it’s possible for a dog on leash to do that, but it is not possible to do that without getting really tangled up.

What could possibly be going through her mind?

Sandy and I were playing stick in the front yard this afternoon, when suddenly she just stopped, and looked like this:

She stood there for over a minute, tail relaxed, ears not twitching, checking out something to which I was completely oblivious.

Then, she just got on with her life.  She picked up the stick, trotted over to another section of the yard, lay down and continued with the important task of peeling all the bark off the stick.

I wonder if Sandy is just as confused by strange things I do, making a double espresso in the morning, or standing over the table and adding things to the grocery list.

Brusha, Brusha, Brusha

If Sandy ever had her teeth cleaned before today, it would have been last time she was anesthetized, in 2004.

Last year about this time, the vet said Sandy needed a cleaning.  For what seemed like a lot of money, he would put Sandy under and do the teeth.

I looked for alternatives that (a) didn’t cost as much and (b) would get the job done right, with a minimum of trauma to Sandy.  A friend recommended a local dental assistant who is also a certified canine oral hygiene specialist.

It was a very good experience.  Sandy started off pretty nervous about being in a new place with a different floor and with a new person.  By the time I got back an hour later, she and Cindy were best friends. Sandy’s teeth look great.  And we’ve got some dog toothpaste!

Bucky Beaver

I think the whole thing was less stressful for Sandy that it is for me when I have my teeth cleaned.  Maybe I should take some Rescue Remedy before my next cleaning.

Merry Christmas from Sandy Dog

No snow right now, so this older photo will have to do.

Merry Christmas and best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2010 from Sandy Dog and me!

Best toy ever

I was in Petsmart the other day to collect Sandy after her Hair & Nails appointment, and once again realized that there were hundreds of dog toys in that store.

Sandy has toys.  Her best inside toy is a rope.  I think I paid maybe $3.00 for the rope, which seemed extravagant.  The phrase "money for old rope" came to mind.  But, you can spend a lot more than that if you want to.

I've come to the conclusion that you can spend any amount of money on dog toys and the dogs will mostly want to play with the bag the toys came in.  At least my dog.

Here's Sandy with her best toy ever.

It was free.

Be vewwy, vewwy qwiet...

Cherries are just about ready for harvest. Between the fireworks for Canada Day and the propane cannons to keep the birds from the cherries, Sandy has been spending a fair amount of time in her crate. Or under the dining room table.

This year has actually been better than past years. I've been giving Sandy some Rescue Remedy two or three times a day on noisy days, and we've been playing games during the fireworks. She's been lots calmer.

When the dog bites...when the bee stings...

Sandy and I are outside enjoying the summer weather. Finally, it's summer. I'm on the deck, working my way through my RSS feeds on the laptop, and Sandy is wandering around the yard.

Suddenly, a yelp and a jump...back. Sandy stepped on a bee!

She limped up the stairs and presented me with her left front paw. She whined a little. She let me put some ice on it for all of twelve seconds, then turned around, limped down the stairs...and ate the bee.

Spring

The weather has been cold.  There was snow well into April.  But Sandy and I were at the trails behind the Capital News Centre yesterday, and the blackbirds are back.

 

I hope that means Summer is on the way.

Homecoming

Eric and I went to Vancouver last month for ten days.  It was good to be in a real city again, and there was lots to do.  But Sandy stayed behind in a kennel.

When I dropped her off, she didn't look happy, but she didn't protest.  When the owner came to escort Sandy to her quarters, Sandy wagged her tail and went along willingly.

When I picked her up, Sandy was so glad to see me she gave me the Wheten Greetin', which she learned years ago from her friend, a Wheten Terrier.  It's kind of cute in a Wheten, but a little scary to see a 62 lb shepherd jumping as high as your head.

A week later, Sandy is still pretty subdued, and every time we leave the house she looks at us as if it could be the last time she'll ever see us.  The hardest part is that we'll be away again for another ten days, and Sandy will be staying at the same kennel.  I hope she'll be as happy to see me when I come to pick her up next time.

Dog Haiku

Haiku - A Japanese lyric verse form having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables, traditionally invoking an aspect of nature or the seasons; a poem written in this style.

~~~~

I wait on the floor
In case some food might fall here.
I am ready now.

~~~~

I sound the alarm!
Paperboy come to kill us!
Look! Look! Look! Look! Look!

~~~~

I must go out now!
There are crows to be chased.
I will keep us safe.

~~~~

I sound the alarm!
Mailman Fiend come to kill us!
Look! Look! Look! Look! Look!

~~~~

When will you get up?
It is almost six o'clock!
The sun will rise soon.

~~~~

I sound the alarm!
Meter man come to kill us!
Look! Look! Look! Look! Look!

~~~~

I am your best friend,
Now, always. Especially,
When you are eating.

~~~~

I sound the alarm!
Garbage man come to kill us!
Look! Look! Look! Look! Look!

~~~~

Where are you going?
I think you go to the park,
And leave me behind.

~~~~

I sound the alarm!
Cat next door come to kill us!
Look! Look! Look! Look! Look!

~~~~

I ride in the car.
I will bark at other dogs.
They must know I rule.

~~~~

I run to the lake.
The water is icy cold.
I meant to do that.

~~~~

Put down that sausage.
Let it fall onto the floor.
I will see to it.

~~~~

More Trials

Long story short, the Parks department here in Kelowna has spent years making sure that dogs and their people never have adequate off-leash facilities. And until 2006, City Council let them get away with it.  In 2006, City Council finally allowed dogs ON-leash to walk along the waterfront, but only after a trial period.

So this week, City Council will receive a report from the Parks people recommending that site under study for over two years should not be made available to dogs, and that three more off-leash areas be made available, but only on a trial basis.  The site which won't be recommended would have been just the second off-leash area in Kelowna to provide dogs and their people access to Okanagan Lake.  All this despite the fact that their own surveys indicate that most people who responded want dogs to have access to the lake somewhere, even the 50% who don't own dogs.

We have some new people on City Council, and a Mayor who has been a good friend to dog owners.  There's an email campaign underway. We'll see if Council will assert themselves and direct City staff to do the right thing.

Merry Christmas Sandy

For Christmas this year, Sandy got over a foot of snow, and it's still snowing. It's also been minus-a-lot outside, so there haven't been nearly as many walks in the snow as she would like.

But today I didn't have any work to do, so we took a long walk in the snow, and when we came back, Sandy got her other present: a huge beef shank stuffed with peanut butter and coated with beef something or other. Made in the USA.



She really went at it for an hour. Now she's blissed out on the living room floor.

More snow in the forecast. Great news for dogs!

Happy Birthday Sandy

Sandy is 9 today.

She's the very best dog that ever there was (although maybe not always the best behaved) and I love her very much.

We went for a long walk today, and she got a cheeseburger (hold the onion, pickle, ketchup, mustard and bun) for lunch.