Boring Updates

Things have been non-eventful lately. Here's all that's happened the last couple weeks.

1. Majority of my free time has been spent with TheGuy. Not real exciting stuff. LP's Facebook status has changed to "in a relationship" but the man remains a mystery.

2. Heard the song "American Boy" by Estelle featuring Kanye on the radio last weekend and loved it ever since.

3. The latest on Curly Sue and Boris is that the whole "outing" of the affair turned out to be a cruel joke. Thus it continues. Or more like, never stopped.

4. I'm really paranoid TheGuy is going to find this blog. In reviewing the history on my computer, I discovered he clicked on a couple of my bookmarks. While I don't have this blog bookmarked, he could easily figure out which is mine if he spent enough time perusing my favorites. Now I must remove them.

5. My mom had a dream that she entered a room to find me crying hysterically. When she asked what was wrong, I said, "TheGuy proposed." Her response, "No wonder you're crying."

6. I'm enjoying being able to run outdoors again. I haven't done more than 6 miles yet, but I'm pleased for now. Thanks to the help of my trainer (TheGuy), I successfully barely bench and squat 55 pounds now! My balance still needs a lot of work though.

7. One of my high school friends recently got implants. I haven't seen her yet but my curiosity is at an all-time high. I will probably see her this weekend.

8. My dad went golfing over the weekend by himself and ended up joining a threesome, which included a guy who introduced himself as Bobby, as in, the guy I've been infatuated with since seventh grade. Also there? A guy I accidentally made out with once in college when his roommate insisted he walk me home one night. So I guess Bobby was playing with a brand new driver and when he went to tee off, he swung with so much force that the driver head flew off the end of the club. He was pissed, understandably so. And played like crap for the next few holes.

9. Jason texted again last weekend, wanting to know if I was out. I wasn't. It's been two months since I met the kid. One thing I neglected to blog about earlier is that I have slight reassurance in his physical appearance. In doing some super stalking on Facebook, I discovered he's friends with this girl that used to live in the unit next to me. We never really spoke much, but I saw her all the time and yet again, through Facebook and MySpace, I learned she met Bobby (yes, my Bobby) at WeFest one summer and became friends with him. Also, she's friends with this guy at the gym Deborah goes to and she attempted to set me up with him. Now there's a third connection. Anyway, this girl and her friends are really pretty so I can only assume he must be a decent looking guy. Who knows if I'll ever find out.

10. A few days ago, my brother's girlfriend told this story I can't get out of my head. One of her friends had plans to dogsit for a week. The first day she arrived at the home, their poodle was dead. She found the vet's phone number and the vet told her the dog hadn't been doing well lately so it wasn't a big shock, but told her she still needed to bring the dog into the clinic. Unfortunately for her, this was no toy poodle, the thing was heavy. She decided her best option was to put the poodle in a suitcase with wheels. She was in Chicago so she needed to take the train and in the process, she struggled with the suitcase on the stairway. A man nearby offered his assistance which she graciously accepted. While on the train, he asked, "So what do you have in that suitcase anyway?" She replied, "Computer equipment." At her stop, she filed out, suitcase in hand, only to be shoved aside as some guy from the train ran off with the dead poodle. Could you imagine the look on his face when he opened the suitcase?

11. I got a tattoo of a hickey on my neck.

12. I learned a new term for cellulite: hail damage. Funniest term since "muffin top."

Sad

In grief-stricken news, my family's fourteen-year-old golden retriever passed away. Having eaten very little in recent days, we knew the end was near. My mom let him out in the front yard Tuesday afternoon only to watch him collapse several times until she finally went out there to help him back inside where he fell once more in the laundry room and stayed as she cradled him in her arms until he died.

Devastating as it may be, it helps knowing it was his time to go. He lived a long, good life and we were fortunate to have him for as long as we did. For the most part, I've moved beyond the sadness and now it's just a matter of coming to terms with the fact he's gone. The next time I go home, he won't be there to greet me with a smile and wag of his tail. Say what you will about dogs not being human, but his compassion and devotion to his family would question the world's biggest skeptic.

For the Love of Dogs...

A guy friend of mine and his girlfriend, whom I've met a handful of times, got into such a heated argument early Saturday morning after leaving my place that she pulled over on the side of the highway. Of all things, they were arguing over who liked dogs more -- me or her! Can you believe it?!? How silly! It gets worse...

A cop arrived and my friend declared he was driving even though it had been his girlfriend. He was arrested when he blew a .10 on the spot and .08 at the station. Still unclear of his motivation for taking the blame, or whether his girl had been drinking, but as it stands, either noble or stupid on his part!

You know you really love someone when....you'd take a bullet for them, or get a DUI.

Adventures in Dog Sitting

Dog sitting was the easiest $150 I ever made!! Lola, the Husky and Jersey, the Australian Shepherd mix, were a delight. Between the two, you can't help but favor Lola. She followed me around the house, from room to room, and slept beside me in bed. Just a very gentle and sweet dog with the most piercing blue eyes. I've always said I want five dogs: two golden retrievers, two labs, and one husky.

There's really not much to tell -- the dogs were well-behaved and I survived the ghetto. It's pretty sad when you're 26 and still lie to your parents, but I told my mom the owner's house was in South Minneapolis, instead of North, because I just KNOW she would've packed her bags for the weekend. Cooped up in a house with her for the weekend, now that, I wouldn't have been able to handle!

Cesar's Way

I love Cesar Millan!!! He has his own show on the National Geographic channel, Dog Whisperer. It's like Nanny 911, only with dogs instead of children. Cesar possesses an incredible natural ability to control canines. His demeanor is ultimately what makes the dogs obey and behave.

He got his start by helping Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, who then referred their friends, mostly celebrities, to him. Cesar claims to "rehabilitate dogs" and "train people." Being the dorky dog lover I am, I picked up a copy of his book, Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everday Guide to Understanding & Correcting Common Dog Problems.

"America's pet dogs long to have what most dogs in the wild have naturally: the ability simply to be dogs, to live in a stable, balanced pack. American dogs struggle with an issue unknown to most of the world's dogs - the needs to "unlearn" their owners' lovingly motivated but ultimiately destructive efforts to transform them into four-legged people with fur."

Should be an interesting read!

First Dog Sitting Gig

So I believe I am scheduled to dog sit for two dogs, a Husky (Lola) and an Australian Shepherd mix (Jersey). It's just for a long weekend, Thursday-Sunday, but I have to say I am rather excited for it. A tad nervous too, since I have no experience with those two breeds, both very strong, powerful dogs, but I think it will be fun!!

Brody Gets Zapped

Yesterday he was in for a shock, literally. The system, PetSafe, uses the same concept as invisible fencing, and it's a third of the cost. It is a portable, wireless safe zone for dogs within 90 feet of the transmitter.

There are 5 levels of shock settings, 5 being the highest. My brother put the collar on his wrist and stepped over the boundary, first on level 2, then 3. He said there was a big leap between 2 and 3, but my parents wanted to make sure 3 was enough to teach Brody, so they tried it out.

The instant he crossed over, ears and tail down, he ran for dear life, making a beeline for the house, dragging my mom behind him on the other end of the leash. He knows the collar is responsbile so he now refuses to even step outside if it's around his neck.

Funny story about a family friend's dog. Their Golden Retriever/Husky mix, Maya, was introduced to invisible fencing recently. A neighbor was out walking their little Yorkie one day and Maya couldn't resist going up to say 'hello.' Maya got zapped and now every time she sees the Yorkie, she's terrified and runs and hides behind the house.

Max Update

Max seems to have made a recovery. Not only is he up and walking around, but he even ventured into the pond over the weekend! My mom continually adds more dog food and less human food to his meals every day. He still wakes up in the middle of the night panting and has a hoarse cough, but he has made definite progress. He has not made a full turn-around, and probably never will, but it is so good to see an improvement in his health.

"Children are for people who can't have dogs." -- Author Unknown

Somber news to report on my family's thirteen-year-old golden retriever, Max. His health seems to have taken a drastic turn for the worse. Monday afternoon he was with my parents at our cabin -- they went up for the day to meet with a couple builders since they are planning to tear down and re-build our cabin. While they were there, Max's back legs completely gave out, causing him to collapse.

Frail and unable to walk, they took him to a vet in Pequot Lakes. She thinks he has a large tumor in his stomach that ruptured and started bleeding so she gave him some herbal pills to stop the bleeding. Tuesday morning and afternoon, he couldn't walk. My parents placed him on a rug, both grabbing one end of it, to carry him from their bedroom to the living room to the front yard, etc. He started walking later on Tuesday and appeared to be doing better yesterday morning, but now he isn't doing as well as we hoped.

I haven't gone to see him yet, but my mom tells me he just looks sad and pathetic. For a dog, he has a tremendous variety of facial expressions, sadness is written all over his face. He's extremely slow to get up and move around. He refuses to eat his dog food which means my mom is busy cooking chicken, hamburger and casseroles for his meals. He appeared to be in good health and spirits up to this point so this comes as a shock. In fact, he'd just been to the vet for his heartworm check-up and we were told he was in good health for his age -- no idea how they missed that tumor. We thought we'd at least have one more summer with him at our cabin, but things aren't looking so optimistic anymore. My family puts the needs of that dog before ourselves so this is rather devastating, to say the least.

Smart Dog Retrieves Ball

From The Ellen DeGeneres Show:



Now that's a brilliant dog!!

Dogs. Just 'Cause.

Two very cute dogs.



(Max, Brody)

Stop Puppy Mills

In light of the recent puppy mill rescue (nice headline typo WCCO) in South Dakota, I am posting this link to Retrieve a Golden of Minnesota, RAGOM, where 90 golden retriever puppies and dogs were sent. Apparently, they are no longer accepting adoption applications for dogs due to an overwhelming response, but they are always accepting donations and they have other goldens in need of help, especially the seniors! Plus you can always check out the adorable puppy pictures. :)



Please do not ever purchase a dog from a pet store. Help stop puppy mills.

I'm Checking Out your Dog, Not you!

With the warmer weather approaching, I have been running near my apartment lately. I love the fact that many owners bring their dogs to the Stone Arch Bridge and walk them along the river. So many dogs, so little time! I am partial to big dogs, but any size dog I pass, I simply can't resist the urge to look. I often wonder if I look silly doing a double-take over a dog, especially if the owner is a male. I hope they don't think I'm checking them out, but I sometimes receive strange looks in return, which leads me to believe they think I am interested in them, not their pup.