Zoo!

I decided I kinda owe Cal a few fun days before I start working. Today we decided to head over the High Park and adventure to more areas then just the amazing leash free area. We saw a beautiful pond, a whole bunch of ducks, and couple swans. Soon I decided we'd make our way back over the the dog area and ran into the parks little mini zoo. The only sign I saw was "Open 7am till dusk" so I decided to head in with Callie.

We looked at some weird sheep, a couple antelope, buffalo, and some yaks. Callie was more then polite, just watching and wagging her tail. The animals couldn't have cared less. Even the yaks, who were smushed up against the fence in the shade, didn't mind when Cal got right up in their fur for a good sniff. Then we came to the Emu enclosure. The biggest bird she has ever really been close to is a goose so this was a little bit of a shock. The Emu wasn't all that thrilled either.

The emu was all:

*Note: This is a ostrige. I don't think I've ever taken a picture of a emu... It's close!

And Callie was all:

"I get to eat you, giant birdie?" 

Well, there was also a look of pure shock mixed in there somewhere, and possibly a tinge of terror when it came up to her with those beady eyes. Who could blame here, birds are obviously all the devils minions. 

We also saw some capybaras but they just kind of look like dogs so Cal really didn't see why I was so interested. They were jumping and playing in their waterhole, completely adorable. 

It was a good day, weird though. Not one child in that zoo asked or tried to pet Callie. You figure at a zoo there would be one animal loving child wanting to get her/his hands on some sort of fuzzy creature, but nope, not a one. 

Big Girl Job

Guess who is officially employed? That's right, this girl!

I'm now the official sales teams bitch for the next chunk of my life, yay!

The best part? Dog friendly workplace!!

I'm not sure about the rules and steps to get Callie into work with me each day, but I'm excited to check it out. I'm wondering if I'd be allowed a foster dog in there with me as well.

I guess the whole fostering thing is going to take a back seat till we're more aware of what my new schedule looks like. I hate taking foster breaks but what am I going to do? Oh! Maybe a kitty foster until I'm on my feet. That's a great idea!

I'll keep you posted!

Rain, Rain, Oh Thank God

The rain! It finally came. I remember just a couple months ago I was bitching and complaining about there being too much rain, and now here I am sitting on my balcony enjoying the storm. Tomorrow the bushes will stop having that wilty ``PLEASE GIVE ME WATER`` look and the grass will be greener. And Callie loves the smell of fresh green grass! You can`t really tell from the picture but she`s actually terrified on the balcony right now. There`s a little festival going on across the road and when then rains started people started yelling and kids started dancing around. All the noise has Cal in a bit of a tizzy but I say she needs to take a little break from TV time in the air conditioning. 

The heat! It's maddening!

Could someone explain what is wrong with people recently? My only explanation is the heat is making people get all mad and crazy. Whatever it is, I'm over it!

Take a couple days ago. Ryan and I took Cal for a little walk by the water. Being down by the water is nice. The breeze makes everything so much cooler then anywhere else. Since Cal tends to want a little exercise right in the middle of the day when the sun is at its hottest, the breeze can be a life saver. There's also a little splash pad a little ways down the street.We went for a little walk and hit up the splash pad and were on our way home when a woman comes walking up and says: "You know, it's just too hot out to be walking your POOR dog right now!" As I looked from my soaking wet dog to this busy body of a woman choosing the most polite way to tell her to screw off Ryan thankfully took the high road, told her Callie was fine, and we were on our way. It was hot, yes, but were casually walking on a shaded path, giant water bottle in hand, with a soaking wet, happy dog.

And then a day or so later Callie and I were walking behind a couple and their yellow lab. They were walking kind of slow, taking in the sights, so we were quickly right behind them waiting for a chance to pass by. Callie got a bit closer to smell the yellow lab, and the jingle of her collar made the man turn around in panic. He was suddenly jumping around, pretty much kicking Callie out of the way. The lab hadn't reacted in anyway and Callie isn't one of those in your face sort of dogs so I was a little confused. As we went to walk around Cal turned to look at the lab, who again to the best of my knowledge didn't seem to care less, when the man had the audacity to say "Keep your dog under control!" My dog? My sweet, terrified of pretty much everything, dog? I slowed, I couldn't have heard him right. "Excuse me?" I asked in shock. "My dog doesn't like other dogs and your dog just came right up to him!" he answered. I'm sorry, but isn't that what dogs do? They smell each other, and most the time they can read each other well enough to avoid a fight while walking down a busy street. I was annoyed and thought of all the wonderful things I could have said to this man, but chickened out and just said "Wow. Alright then" and hopped my tone was enough.

And finally yesterday we were walking up to a cross walk, just behind a mother with her young, maybe 5 year old son. As we got closer to the lights I could hear this man yelling and carrying on about the lights and how they wouldn't change. He had been waiting SOOO long, the damn city needs to stop wasting money and fix things that matter. Traffic was thick (another problem for the city apparently), so he couldn't just walk across, to be hit by a car and wait in emergency for hours while he lay there dying. Yet the damn light just wouldn't change. As we got to the light the little boy in front of me walked over and said "It's because you have to hit the button. like the sign says." and he hits the button. All of three seconds later the lights start changing. 

Moral of the story: children always know better and most importantly, mind your own business you know-it-all lady sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. Sorry, the heat's getting to me too.

Camping

So over this wilderness thing

Callie and I like to adventure in some of the large city parks. I love to give her a chance to get off leash, where she can run and smell and just pretend to be a wild dog for a couple hours. I always kind of believed in letting a dog be a dog. Letting them make their own decisions. Cal has her own mind and doesn't need me dictating her every move but alas, the city can be a dangerous place for a dog without rules. 

My parents own a chunk of land a couple hours north. We try to make it up once a year at least and it's just great. It's in the middle of freaking no where but has a house that runs on a generator so there's lights. No running water but my stepmom is a miracle worker so the outhouse smells fresh as a daisy. A ways down the path from the house is a little two room bunkie on the water. No electricity there, but it is the only reminder of human kind on the entire lake - we're the only ones with access to the lake unless you have a plane. What this all means is epic freedom for the four legged members of our group! 

The little fisherman! 

We went up a couple weeks ago and it was great. Our last weekend with Rocket and a much needed break from the city. We spent our days down by the lake getting some sun and drinking way too much. One of our friends is a avid fisherman type and managed to catch us a decent sized pickerel for dinner. 

The dogs were hilarious. Callie was overjoyed when she realized my dad just cut the grass and spent her time rolling in the clippings. Rocket, this being his first taste of real freedom, didn't leave my side for the first little while. He almost had a panic attack when Callie and I took a swim. Then I started catching him going off on little adventures with Callie. Neither would go very far, but Callie would lead him off a few minutes at a time. Callie, I learned, has amazing bathroom habits and the only place she's do her duty was in the tall grass far from the bunkie. Pretty much the best dog ever, don't be jealous, lol. I always sunscreen the little patch on a dogs snout just after their nose, ever since our first foster, Beans, got a sunburn there. I quickly realized I also needed to lather it on Rocket's belly, it being nearly hairless and exposed to the sun when he lays down. The bugs were also terrible which meant bug spray for everyone. Even so we all ended up with an obscene amount of bites and were itchy for days. 

Rocket soon discovered fishing. My dad bought a pontoon boat and we went for a few rides. The boys would fish as we went, occasionally have us stop in the "good spots" for some real fishing. The first fish Rocket saw was pretty much as big as he was. The thing could have swallowed his leg whole if it wanted. Yet the little guy was MESMERIZED by the damn thing! Soon he was running from fisherman to fisherman as they caught their fish. We'd let him get a little sniff in, but soon he was trying to lick them and of course that quickly graduated into "I must eat the slimy creature" which just wasn't going to work for me. Even with the loss of his sniffing the fish priveledges he kept a constant watch on the rods. Soon enough every part of fishing was interesting to him: the rods, the lures, the tackle box, sudden splashes in the water. 

My thirteen year old cousin came up for the weekend as well -brag time! He just graduated from grade 8 and got athlete of the year! - and he's always excited about my fosters. He has a little Jack Russell himself so Rocket was a cool experience for him. The three of us were sitting on the front on the pontoon boat as we puttered along and Rocket became a little too interested in the way the water splashed at the side of the boat. As I said the words "Hey Jake, doesn't it look like he's going to jump in?!" Rocket jumped in. Well, Rock hates the water so we think it was more he leaned a bit too far over the side and then face planted into the water, but either way he ended up in the middle of a lake. Our shocked screams sent the Ryan and one of the other guys jumping into the water after him. But don't you worry readers, it didn't phase the little guy at all! After a good shake he was right back to fisherdog duty. 

Camp in 2009, Cooper, Callie, & Skipper

By the second afternoon Callie was over the whole camping thing. Maybe she played a little too hard chasing sticks in the water and rolling in grass, but all she wanted to do is sleep. On the boat she demand shade. She liked to sit up on the back and watch the world go by, but once we shifted direction and the sun was hitting her she was unhappy. Hence the picture of her wearing a hat, covered by a towel. She laid like that for hours.

The second night we slept up at the house with my parents. It was nice to sleep on a mattress but Ryan and I managed to get the only bed without pillows and blankets, which was fine since the house was a million degrees. I fell asleep with Callie at my feet, Rocket snuggled into my side and Ry to my back. I woke up in approximately the same position. Little did I know that Rocket was a bit of a player. Apparently as soon as I fell asleep he got up and adventured to each room, having cuddle time with just about everyone, and then ran back to my room before I woke up. 

After a few more hours at the lake we all packed up and headed home. The dogs slept the entire ride home. Rocket discovered the spot on the floor behind the seat where he could curl up undisturbed by Callie's long limbs. After baths all around (the dog-friendly bug spray was oil based and STUNK) we went to bed. Cuddles the next morning until Rocket's new mom came and got him.