Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from us to you..

November..

Happy November!! Halloween and Thanksgiving have come and gone, today is Missy's 5th Birthday, and now we're counting down to Christmas!! We have lights on the house for the first time this year, 780 of them and we're planning to get more. :) Other than that, I've finished another year of studies, with only 6 months to go until I graduate, and work is the same.

Camp K9..

Blog entry I wrote a few days ago..

Hello from Barrington Tops!! I’m here with Mum and Frankie the dog, and Camp K9 has just ended. What a weekend!! We arrived on Thursday, stopping in Wyong on the way. All up the trip from Sydney took about 4 hours, and it was a fairly easy drive. It started raining shortly after we checked into our cabin but we were lucky, that night was the only rain we had all weekend! It was pouring during the introduction dinner and speeches, Frankie was totally freaking out at the noise of the rain on the tin roof of the hall, plus all the commotion of people, dogs, and the sounds of the microphone. At one point he was shaking so much one of the dog trainers suggested I should take him back to the cabin, so I did. Tip- if you ever come here, bring a torch, and a lot of warm clothing. It’s very cold and dark in the mountains at night!!! (Worse when you’re carrying a shaking dog through the rain with no umbrella and it’s pitch black!) Friday morning we woke up and Frankie was in his happy pants mood, thank God! All of the 40 dogs and 70 people we met were lovely, and he was soon walking around with a wagging tail and smiley face. We attended seminars on Animal Photography, Dog Body Language, and Canine First Aid and Acupuncture. All very informative. By the way, the whole resort is 100% dog friendly- right down to the café, the shop, the bar and the candlelit dinners in the evening. We also did agility- Frankie loved it! He was a little bit concerned by the tunnel but eventually went through, though stopping to lick the floor of the tunnel on the way! He jumped over hurdles but would not jump through hoops (yet!) Saturday morning we went horse riding and left Frankie in the office with the very helpful and lovely staff of Riverwood Downs Mountain Valley Resort. They tell me he actually behaved very well!! My horse’s name was Dorothy and she was lovely too, though my knees and butt have never known such pain as they did after 90 minutes of trail riding up and down hills and across rivers. It was a beautiful experience though. We attended a seminar on multi-dog households (yeah, I’m still thinking about that..) and Frankie did Rally O, which is basically a cross between obedience and agility. He actually did quite well at this, except that I’ve always had him walk on my right and when I needed him to be on my left he kept going behind me! The more popular alternative to this was Treibball, but I picked Rally O for Frankie since he personally has never had any interest in balls! Sunday morning we had a group photo, final words, and another run through of either agility or Rally O. There was a session on tricks, the dogs were given gift bags and certificates when we finished, and then most people packed up and headed home. We decided to stay another night and head back on Monday morning since neither of us have to work Monday and the whole weekend has been so busy, we wouldn’t have even had time to pack the car! We went canoeing this afternoon, which was ridiculous since neither Mum nor I can row to save ourselves. We took Frankie with us and he just layed down on the middle seat, totally unphased by the whole boat thing. Towards the end he decided he wanted to sit in my lap which made it impossible to row, but we were back near the river bank by then anyway. That’s about it.. tonight we pack up and have a dog friendly dinner in the restaurant before we head home in the morning!

When your Animal is not a Party Animal..

“All our dogs are running around. And yours is hiding behind your leg.” Thankyou, lady at the dog park. I had noticed that. And no, I don’t know why. Frankie is a good dog. He’s never aggressive. He’s just shy. He likes to walk around with other dogs. Our trips to the dog park have given him more confidence around humans, seeing how other dogs interact with strangers. But he won’t play. He’s fascinated by trees, fence posts, long blades of grass, and the contents of my bag, but has no interest at all in the Labradors bouncing across the field, or the Foxy chasing his ball. Should that bother me?? It does a little bit, only because I don’t want him to miss out. I have two rabbits, two birds, and two fish. They have each other to experience life with their own species, and for company when I’m not around. I feel bad that Frankie doesn’t, and I’m not in a position to get another dog right now. Not that I think he’d even want it. So should I just give up? My Mum thinks it’s perfect karma- he’s exactly like me. When I was a five year old human, I refused to get involved in any of the extra curricular activities she wanted me to do. I hid behind her leg during play dates. I quit dancing half way through my first lesson- just decided I did not want to do this, let’s go home. Much like Frankie heading for the gate to the carpark. I get it- he is who he is, and he’s probably never going to be a social butterfly pooch. I think that’s ok, as long as he’s kind to everybody. :)

Bunnies in the Backyard.. Ruby and Peter.

Further Thoughts on Felines..

A couple of weeks ago, my boss said one of those things that, as a Vet Nurse, you never really want to hear: “We’re going to be working with more feral cats soon.” A lot of the work we do at this clinic involves desexing, vaccinations and microchipping for rescue organisations to prepare their animals for rehoming, and as it turns out, another organisation wants us to work with their cats. Of course this is a good thing- the slight downside is that in my experience, only about 50% of cats like humans- and that’s among cats who are tame and live in houses with people. I’m sure they love their owners, but Veterinary staff during a procedure, not so much. Compare this to 90% of dogs, who will happily wag their tails when you approach, even if they’ve never met you before in their lives. It’s not that I don’t like cats- I do like them. They’re pretty great versions of what they are; I love to watch them experience the world by batting things with their paws, it’s quite amusing to watch them stalk around as if they think they are a tiger, and it’s very sweet when they come over and cuddle up to you. But I like them the same way I like giraffes- that is, I have never really wanted to live with one in my home. Maybe it’s just that I can’t picture a scratching post in the living room, the way I could always picture a leash in my house, even before I adopted Frankie. Maybe I’m just not a “cat person” and therefore I don’t “get it”, but I am an ‘animal lover’ and extremely frustrated with the recent influx of cats wandering my neighbourhood. I’ve ready studies over the years stating the lifespan of an outdoor cat is on average less than 5 years, while an indoor cat can live anywhere from 12-20 years. I’ve seen the diseases, fight wounds and cat bite abscesses outdoor cats gets. I’ve seen cats that have been hit by cars, and the ones roaming my street have almost been hit by me in my car far too many times. I’ve also seen animals poisoned by angry neighbours because their owners make no effort to keep them quiet at night, and while I would never do a terrible thing like that, I am pretty pissed off when I hear “MRRRROWWWWW!!” at 2am. But what I mostly don’t understand is how people can just let their pets wander out the door, counting on the hope that they’ll be fine and come home safely. I would never put any one of my fur babies in danger like that. I won’t even let Frankie off leash in the front yard because I KNOW he has no road sense. It’s just irresponsible pet ownership, not to mention against the law and inconsiderate. I hear people say “Ohh but they WANT to go outside, they meow all the time..” Yes, well, your 5-year-old child probably WANTS lollies for breakfast, but come on, you know better, don't you?

Winter in Sydney..

Once again, Winter is here. Hard to believe half the year is almost over! In a few weeks another semester of classes starts, only a year to go until I graduate. It may not snow in the suburbs of Sydney, but it has certainly been cold enough in the mornings and at night! Frankie is extra snuggly and spending more time in his (seven) beds, and taking full advantage of his cute face's ability to make me carry him up the stairs! We've had a lot of phone calls at the Vet clinics from owners with dogs suffering from arthritis, which I've had to answer with my left hand because a Fox Terrier bit my right thumb. I guess It had to happen eventually, and it did last Tuesday. It seemed like no big deal until I woke up on Wednesday morning and it had swollen to twice its normal size. After a week of antibiotics and a pretty big bandage, it's much better but may still have some nerve damage. Time will tell. Last Thursday, Frankie did a photoshoot with a dog photographer. The guy was a little, uh, different.. he commented that Frankie is an "old soul", an observer, very serious.. which he is- but then he started talking about how 'unclear it is' what he 'may have been in a past life'.. and that was the end of that conversation for me lol.

Changes...

Oh blogging website, why have you changed your layout? It's irritating enough when Facebook and Twitter do this, now you too?? Some may say I am resistant to change, but I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Who has time for that anyway? Since my last entry, time has been filled with work, study, Mothers Day, Frankie's Birthday, people I know have had babies, and Matt went to Europe for a month and is back already. Tomorrow is the RSPCA Million Paws Walk and once again, I'm taking Frankie, Moscow and Mikesha. Which means right now, I should sleep, and pray for no rain!!

April..

It's Autumn, daylight savings has ended, it's Palm Sunday and April Fool's Day. We've finally had some good weather in Sydney, sunny days that aren't too hot and are just perfect for dog walking. I walked Frankie, Moscow and Mikesha this morning with another one of my neighbours and her two dogs. We had a cake for Ruby's Birthday yesterday, (even though it's not until Wednesday) because her birthday is so close to Easter. We have plans with both sides of the family this year, and I'm working extra shifts throughout the Easter break from classes, so it's not going to be much of a break, but that's ok. The fur kids are mostly good- Frankie got a giant lump after his annual vaccination but is doing better. I have finally started my assignments but I'm still finding Clinical Pathology frustrating. There's so much to read and it makes my head spin. That's what I'm meant to be doing now but the internet has been down so I've got a few things to catch up on first and it is Sunday, after all.. :)

Animals everywhere..

So my news is that a couple of weeks ago I quit my customer service/ food making job and I'm now working as a Vet Nurse in 2 clinics. That plus studying makes life pretty busy and it's all animals, all the time!!! Valentine's been sick, to add to stressful matters but is once again recovering. Last week we did at least 20 surgeries at work, and I haven't had any days off for over a week so my homework is becoming a big pile of things not done, but it's all good! We did blood smears and microscope work in class on Monday, and I had Frankie with me- he was probably more of a hinderance than help, but I managed to successfully identify white blood cells under the microscope, which, if you were in my year 10 science class, you will know is a small miracle! Well, I must go- cages to clean before it's back to work again!!

Hearts, hugs and kisses..

These are the cakes I made for Peter's 4th Birthday (yesterday) and Valentine's 7th Birthday (today.) Happy Valentine's Day to the rest of you!! Classes are back and I'm doing Pathology and Monitor and Maintain Health this term, which so far has caused a pile up of papers on my desk, hurt my brain, and forced me to take a pee sample from Frankie for class. I've been working a lot of shifts (more on that later) and had no time for errands or blogs so that's all for now :)

The Joy and Pain of Dog Psychology..

Over the past few years, as I’ve studied Vet Nursing and become a “Mama” to a dog for the first time, I’ve developed an interest in dog psychology. I think when you love and cherish someone, you want to understand them, and the majority of pet owners today consider their animals to be family members. So, like many others, I’ve read the books, watched the TV shows, and even attended the seminars.

If I thought I had the patience, I might go into dog behaviour and training rather than nursing, but there’s that little (ok, big) part of me that doesn’t want to be charged by angry Rottweilers daily!

To get back to the point, dogs can be baffling. I have no idea why Frankie seems to think it’s so important to roll on his back in the middle of the hallway every morning, while batting at his facial hair with his front paws. I have no idea whether he licks my legs incessantly out of love, or whether he’s thinking “this moisturiser cream sure is tasty!” I don’t know why he insists on putting every darn thing in his mouth, driving me crazy with worry about intestinal blockages and toxicity. Maybe that’s just because he’s a dog.

I understand that dogs don’t think the way we do, and I find a lot of the techniques that involve communicating with your dog the way another dog would (i.e. using body language, energy etc.) really work. As most people who know us are aware, Frankie was adopted from the RSPCA and came with a few issues. He has been quite afraid of men, and really does not like trucks, though he has improved since we started a Classical Counter Conditioning program with him.

Yet he has a new issue- over the past few weeks he has developed a habit where he’s lying on his side on the bathroom floor, and as he starts to get sleepy his legs shake and tremble.

Being a Vet Nursing student, I have that problem that I hear so many medical students also have, of thinking I recognise every symptom I learn about- in this case, in my own dog. I’m driving myself, the dog, and probably my boss, crazy. My first thought was “Oh God, he’s shaking, I hope it’s not neurological.” I don’t think it is- he stops shaking when I call his name, so it doesn’t seem to be a physically uncontrollable thing. He’s always had the tendency to shake on occasion, when he’s cold or scared, but the bathroom hasn’t been cold and I don’t think he’s consciously afraid of anything in the room.

So why is it that in recent weeks, 90% of the times that he falls asleep in the bathroom, this happens- yet it rarely happens if he’s sleeping on the couch, the bed, or even on the carpet in another room?

The only thing I can think of is that when he had an injured foot a few weeks ago, I disinfected the wound and applied a spray bandage twice a day- in the bathroom. He didn’t like that because it hurt. (I had no idea how much until I put the spray bandage on myself- holy crap that stings!!) I know he’s a very sensitive dog, but it seems like a bit of an overreaction if that’s the reason? I haven’t put the spray bandage on him in at least two weeks, so why would he start this now? The only other theory I have is that he could be picking up on my anxiety- I’ve been more stressed and worried than usual since Belle died, and I’m not sure how aware he is (or isn’t) of that.

The plan is to keep liver treats in the bathroom to see if I can create positive associations for him with being in that room, and hopefully in time things will get better.

Anyone have other any ideas or experiences to share?

H is for..

H is for "Happy Birthday Henry!", my goldfish.
H is for House- yesterday was 2 years since we moved, and therefore adopted him.
H is for Home- Mum and Dad got back from 2 weeks camping on Saturday.

It's been a stressful few weeks. I don't like being home alone at night- it kind of makes me nervous, though I don't mind the peace, quiet, and freedom from other people's mess during the day! I don't do well with the lack of sleep so I've been a little extra cranky.
As life would have it, during this time I was dealing with the fact that Missy, my cockatiel, was diagnosed with cystic ovaries and she may also have a liver problem. So far we're handling it non surgically and she seems to be happy and improving. Valentine, my budgie had to have a course of antibiotics, and we thought Peter the rabbit was having problems with his teeth again but he seems to be doing ok for now.
The downside of my having this many fur-kids within a couple of years of each other is that they all hit middle age around the same time, and are starting to have these issues. I had to have known that, but it doesn't cross your mind when they're all cute and baby.
I had my Mum's cousin's rabbit stay with me while their family went away too, and he is just the sweetest creature. His name is Wombat, and though he stunk my house out with his pee smell, I can forgive him because he did not bite me, unlike Peter.
So I've been taking care of him, my 7 pets, my 22 year old brother who didn't even know Demazin was sold from a chemist, and the new lawn.
Ok I don't do flora. I'm 100% fauna here, you give fauna a dish and they know how much to drink. I can't ask the grass if it's thirsty, and I have a seriously brown thumb. I've owned 4 plants in my whole life, one died, and the other 3 aren't looking good! So it's a miracle the lawn survived. But we're all ok. A little tired and longing for the beach, but that's all.
I booked a dog friendly holiday today. It's not until September which makes me worry because it leaves a lot of time for anything and everything to go wrong, but hopefully all will be well and it'll be nice to get away for the first time in 5 years! I won't be taking the rabbits or birds with me as the trip would probably just stress them, and they couldn't participate in the activities Frankie will be able to anyway.
Only 2 weeks until classes start again. I have a pile of 5 books and 3 magazines, all about dogs and Vet Nursing that I was hoping to have read before I'm loaded with assignments again but that doesn't seem feasible right now. I'll just have to do my best!
Hope everyone is well and happy oxox

Happy New Year!

So, it's January. The month that deludes us into thinking we will suddenly be capable of doing the things we failed to do a hundred times before, and causing us to be disappointed in ourselves when we realise we are still screwups. Yeah, not a fan. :)
I don't believe in making New Years Resolutions for this reason, but I do believe in having goals. Some of mine at the moment are;
To spend more time one on one with Missy and Valentine (the birds.) I obviously love them, but it is harder to give them as much attention as they deserve since we got the dog.
To be more consistent with Frankie and his training- this is my biggest downfall. He gets away with doing things he's not allowed to do, because he does them when I'm already doing 30 things at once, holding 25 objects and running 15 minutes late for work. So I don't bother to follow through correcting him.
To become a better driver (yeah, wish me luck with that!)
To cook more. I mean meals, not the cakes I make a few times a year.
All of these things involve time I do not have, so we shall see how that goes!
We spent New Years Eve at home with some family friends and I somehow fell asleep at 10.30, before waking up at 11.57pm, just in time to watch the Sydney fireworks on TV. We were talking about how we should really make the effort to go in to the city and see it live one year. People travel from interstate and other countries to see it, so we don't take advantage of living here! Frankie freaked out every time he heard fireworks so we didn't get much sleep after that. His resolution (well, mine for him) is to stay out of the kitchen when people are cooking, and have his teeth brushed every single day! I love my doggy.
I asked my family what their New Years Resolutions are. Mum said hers is to "give money to buskers because I'd be really embarrased if I had to sing in public." (What??? Lol.) Dad's is "to survive." That's a good one.