I went to the park...

I had an interview in Parramatta today. We arrived early, so Mum, Frankie and I went to the street Omi and Opi lived in when I was a kid, and visited the park we spent so much of our childhood in. It hasn't changed much, it's still beautiful. I sat on the swings with Frankie while Mum walked up and down the street. Later we went to Parramatta Park Cafe (since it's dog friendly!) and Parramatta River. See above pic. :)

Day 5 of Cert IV Work Experience...

A really huge Weimeraner cross I had to practically sit on so we could take blood from him. He needed a lot of X Rays. I watched some consults. Had the first 2 assignments I finished signed off. (3 and a bit to go!!) The Vet went on a house call to delivery baby lambs. No surgery today. We had a baby possum there but he died :( Starting at a new clinic for more work experience next week.

This = Love.

When life is a "to do list"- I love these simple moments. The occasions when they are finally sleepy!

Day 4 of Cert IV Work Experience.

Another knee surgery. Dentals. X Rays. A dog with GDV needing emergency surgery- had spleen removed. God, was it huge and purple and bloody. And heavy! A beagle puppy that ate a poisonous seed, and was cute but screamed all day, like beagles do. A bulldog that pooed in the cage, I cleaned it, he pooed again, I cleaned it again, he pooed again....yeah. Ew. Plenty of poo and vomit. But I got a bunch of info to start assignments which is good, I feel slightly productive. Gave another injection, it's more normal now, not so scary. Getting a bit more familiar with names of bones too.
Came home too tired to cook, ordered food in, but then proceeded to cook for the dog anyway. :P

Google it. Always Google it.

That's my answer to anything someone asks me that I don't know the answer to.
Too bad I didn't take my own advice!! Our class timetable for today said "cadavers." I had no idea what that meant, but in amongst my frustrated attempts to understand the skeletal system, I didn't bother to look it up. Neither did half the class. Well. Apparently it means dead stuff.
I hate dissection. I can tolerate theory classes, I can tolerate videos, I can even assist surgery and watch necessary procedures be performed on humans and animals. But cutting up and playing with a dead body? No. Just no. The sight, the smell, the concept of these animals that were euthanized because they had no home and then sent to our classroom to be subjected to that? No. I spent most the class in the hallway trying not to be sick. Half the class left, and at one point the teacher was even almost sick. Not a good day.
Although I did get to see a very cute (alive) lamb. A staff member came around to all the classrooms to ask if anyone left a lamb in their car. Seriously. Only at our campus would that happen. They couldn't find the owner so they had to break into the car to get the lamb out. Poor sweet thing.

Life with a dog...

I filed the last of Frankie's adoption and registration papers today! He's officially a family member!!! :) I think he already was though, after being with us for 2 weeks. I just finished compiling a list of everything he can and can't eat to stick on the refrigerator. In the process, I found this e-mail forward which I also posted. It's so true, it's just funny. :)


House Rules For Dogs..

Dear Dogs and Cats:

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn’t help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years — canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat’s butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:

1. They live here. You don’t.
2. If you don’t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That’s why they call it “fur”niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it’s an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn’t speak clearly.

Days 2 and 3 of Cert IV Work Experience.

Last week- dog fight wounds. Lots of cleaning.
Today- cat spay, cat abscess draining, cat catheter removal, dog kneecap surgery, dog dental, rabbit dental.
I've had a chance to do a few more injections, assist with surgery prep etc.
That's about all I'll post on here.

Love...

It's amazing how much can change in just a few weeks. The emptiness we all feel with Opi being gone, and the joy we feel from welcoming Frankie.. two such different emotions.
It got me thinking about last year. Before everything changed. Before we moved, before I went back to studying. Before I decided to just try to let go and trust that God would make everything ok. I felt like I was out of options then. But now, these days I don't even have much time to think! For a second today, I did. And it made me realise how many things we don't notice or realise when we get caught up in our fears and anger about the way things are. And the people we could've been there for a little more if we weren't so focused in our own bubbles. I don't want to go back to that, to missing out on stuff.
The morning of the day we found the stray dog, I had prayed that God would make it possible for me to rescue an animal. Something I had always wanted to do, something I felt had so much meaning, but was not possible for me. A few hours later, that dog was the first step towards the decision to adopt, despite our circumstances. He wasn't the right one for us, but Frankie is. The fact that we have him is proof that sometimes God answers. Maybe it's not always the answer we think it will be, or in the timing we have in mind. I still have questions about my faith, but I'm leaving them unanswered. I just want to love what I have right now.
Frankie is settling in well. He's already got a whole bunch of outfits, and made sad eyes at me tonight until I relented and cooked him some human food for dinner. He seems to like Ruby and Peter, and they're adjusting to him. Missy doesn't like him yet, but hopefully in time! The other 4 seem a little more indifferent.
Yesterday was Crystal and Jerry's engagement party. They're such a sweet couple. Last night I watched Valentine's Day with Mama. I have a huge pile of stuff to do on my desk, a ton of homework I don't understand, and I'm really tired and full of chaos, but I know I have all I need. :)

Introducing Frankie..

This is Frankie. My first dog!!! Since I was about 3 years old, I dreamed of having a little white fluffy puppy. As a teenager, I wanted a Chihuahua. Then I started wanting a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. So that's the kind of thing we were looking for last Friday when we (Mum, Dad and I) visited the RSPCA's Yagoona shelter. They didn't have what we originally wanted, but we decided to go ahead and look around anyway. There's something so disturbing about that place. The staff and volunteers do a wonderful and very difficult job- but the reality of the situation for these dogs (and cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs) is harsh. The worst thing is not the smell, or even seeing the concrete runs they're locked in- it's the way they run up to the gate when anyone walks past, the desperate barking of these poor creatures that have nothing and nobody. At that point we knew we weren't going home alone.
Dad actually chose Frankie. When we decided to get a dog, he was the least enthusiastic about the idea! We'd agreed by then to make our decision based on the dog's personality, behavioral assessment, and how we felt it would fit in to our family (with the other 7 pets!) rather than the breed or gender. Frankie, nicknamed Sneeky by the staff there (for reasons unknown to me) is a 3 year old Maltese Mix. He'd been homeless since March. As soon as I started patting him, he sat on my lap and started licking me. It was obvious he'd had no affection for so long. It seems no Vet treatment either- he had to have a few teeth removed, a microchip implanted and had to be desexed.
Note that all these costs were included in the adoption fee of $300- making him far more economical than a pet store dog to start with!! The adoption process itself was quite simple. And he's actually a very obedient dog. Usually quiet, too. His only issue so far has been a little separation anxiety, barking the first few nights- not surprising, given what he's been through. What I'm saying is, don't assume that by adopting you're simply "getting someone else's problem." A lot of these animals are homeless through no fault of their own. A week on, I can't imagine why I ever dreamed of any other kind of dog. Like they say on Dog Whisperer; "you don't get the dog you want, you get the dog you need!"
I love my Frankie (named after St. Francis, patron saint of animals.) His middle name is Gus, after Opi. We as a family hope everyone knows that no animal could ever replace Opi in our lives. We miss him everyday. It was just time for us to get a dog, and the timing had more to do with my Vet Nursing studies than anything else. Frankie was a gift from Opi- he arranged for it to be financially possible for me to do this, and we had discussed it before he passed away. A wonderful gift.
Tonight I'm thinking about the 70+ animals still in that shelter, plus the countless others in rescues and pounds. I'm at my limit of pets- the inn really is full! But if anyone out there is thinking of getting a new pet- please consider adopting!!! I'm not saying going to a reputable breeder is wrong, if that's what you really want to do- but be aware of what puppy mills are, and keep in mind the overpopulation that exists. These "broken" dogs have just as much love, if not more, to give.

Love from Jacqui, Valentine, Missy, Belle, Percy, Henrietta, Ruby, Peter, and of course Frankie!!!!