The Art of Alias

Four WEEKS? Really?

The list of things that I inadvertently neglect keeps getting longer.

I haven't yet had the money to get the dogs the shots they need for daycare and since we don't really have a routine settled yet, I'm hesitant to add a dimension (Lyla) that we aren't ready for.

I haven't heard anything back from my boss about "Tricked Out for the Holidays," where I suggested we offer after-hours kennel care for dogs that includes interactive training wherein they learn a trick. I'm bringing in two trainers who are willing to work for the hours to count towards their CPDT instead of money. I submitted questions and marketing suggestions to her a while ago and already mentioned that I did so, once. If she is going to do this, she has to start marketing it soon.

And with closing my storage unit and bringing selected crap into my room, not having the time to do a whole lot with all of it, and once more living out of boxes, I cannot keep my focus on other shit. I just move piles of crap from one place to another.

I hate being disorganized and squished. :o(

My boss is fine with me bringing Lyla to daycare and kenneling her in the room behind babygates to acclimate her to the other dogs.

I'M SO HAPPY!!

I just have to get the money together to get Bryndy's yearlies and they both need a bordatella shot, and then I'll be introducing my dogs to being with me ALL DAY EVERY DAY.

And when the other dogs go down for naps, I can let Bryndy and Lyla play in the room while I eat my lunch. DOUBLE TRIPLE YAY!!

Geez. I'm such a geek. ;o)

This video is one I took at work in my previous daycare job this last summer. I was experimenting with the video feature on my digital camera, and am just now playing around with it further. Such is my life.

I'll be using videos like these as educational tools in the future.

The Rottweiler is Dahlia (a sweetheart), the Malamute is Hunker, and the mixed breed is Charlie.

Enjoy!

Everything that is in my storage unit was given to me in one way or another, including the sectional couch. With the money I've spent on the storage unit this past year and a half, I have paid out what everything together is worth at least twice. It's a full garage space and there's not a whole lot of stuff in it - just big things like the couch. So I've decided to purge my unit and keep that $200 a month for other, more important things.

When the time comes, I'm sure I'll find an acceptable couch.

I'm bringing the big-screen tv into my room though. Just sayin'.

SUB-TITLE: PUPPYMILL AWARENESS DAY 2009

Here's a link to an article about this event from Lancaster Online, which was posted on Sunday, September 20, 2009:
http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/242437

WARNING! This post is photo heavy and filled with high-schoolish remarks and sexual innuendos made about the names of towns on the way to Intercourse, PA; the terminal canine cuteness of dogs of all ages and sizes; hot men, and leering photos and comments centered on their butts. Enter at your own risk!

( Road Trip to Intercourse!! )

"I tried one of the dogs' cookies last night because they smelled so good, but they were really bland. I was disappointed."

I'm kicking myself.
Usually, I put the dog food container on top of the refrigerator. Last night I forgot to do that and today it fell off the chair (more accurately, it fell off the stacked pile of clean clothes on top of the chair) and landed in the laundry basket (so if I was here when it fell I didn't hear it).
This afternoon I left Lyla out of her kennel (she's kenneled in the mornings until my lunch break) and when I came home from work and let her out of my room, she beelined for the bathroom toilet for a drink.
Thinking that was rather odd, I went to her water bowl and saw it was empty (I had filled it before I left). And then I spotted the food container in the laundry basket. Minus the lid.
She nosed the lid off and inhaled about 6 or 8 cups of food. :o(
Lyla is waddling noticeably when she walks.
She is not showing any discomfort (like retching) and when I took her outside her output was *ahem* abundant.
I have kenneled her because I don't want her running around. I don't want her to get bloat. If she gets bloat she could die, and it would cost me money I don't have to cure her.
Please vibe, pray, and/or send good thoughts for Lyla?
I'm such a neurotic control freak about what goes into their mouths that this has me really flipped inside out. I'm a mess. I just want my dog to be ok. :o(

I can't wait to get it over with.

Then, I am going over to my best friend's house for a birthday party for my Godson. I would've liked to have taken my dogs, but her oldest son is there with his puppy (you remember Ladybug - now called Lexi) and while Bryndy would be fine with Lexi, Lyla would not. It doesn't matter anyway because it rained all night and her yard is likely a soupy mess and I would end up with a brown dog and a browner dog anyway.

Tomorrow afternoon I am helping Jeanie with her talk on dog play (boy you can get lost on youtube for hours watching dogs play - especially when you are distracted by words in the side bar like "pit bull fosters playing" lol). I'm looking forward to it, although I have to create some things she wants to hand out and I don't know when I'll get to that before midnight...

I got an email from a woman I volunteer with who needs a trainer for her dog, so I may just have my first client. And a couple who brings their yellow lab to the daycare talked to me about training their dog as well - so that means I might have TWO clients. YAY! :o)

Cleaning/organizing to a Grease and Grease 2 marathon on Oxygen.

Wahoo. :o)

I finished with classes last Thursday night and I get my certificate from the school on September 22. I can't tell you how happy I am that I do not have to spend four hours in class twice a week and get four to five hours of sleep before having to get up to travel the hour to get to work in the dark of very early morning. Fourteen straight months of doing that has taken its toll.

Not that I would give back what I've gained. I will forever be thankful to my anonymous benefactor, who believed in my passion, dedication, and dreams enough to take on the role of fairy godparent and pay my way through a technical, philosophical, behavioral, and practical curriculum that taught me much. What I've gained in confidence and professionalism through all of this can't be denied either.

Your gift will be paid forward in a variety of ways, because everyone should feel as fortunate as I feel when it comes to realizing their dreams.

( Moving Forward )

Wow what a different environment.
I went from having 14 dogs in a group to having a total of 8.
And there were two of us!

A little boring, but I was ready for that. At least I had another human being to talk to. :o)

I'm going to talk to Jeanie about talking to my new boss about ways to train Lyla into daycare. The only initial problem is that she is loud - but she settles down. If I can kennel her in the room for a while she will acclimate faster and be able to go into the population. It isn't as though she wants to kill the other dogs. She just has NO idea how to appropriately greet them. And I don't have too many opportunities to train her on my own.

I'll wait for a few months and see what Jean and I can come up with to present to my boss.

But it's ideal right now because the groups are small...*sigh*

Can I get a WOOHOO! ?

Wish me luck! :o)

I went in to talk to my new boss on Thursday afternoon and once I got there and we started talking all the nervousness went away and was replaced with excitement!
She wants me to work with her on evaluations of new clients and she wants me to guide the rest of the staff in allowing the dogs a bit more freedom in their play.

She spoke to me like I was a qualified individual (which I am) and I can't tell you how awesome that is!

I spent about forty minutes after our talk wandering around the retail store and talking to the girl that was working there (I liked her she seemed very down to earth). California Naturals runs a program that allows employees to take home a bag of kibble and a case of canned food every month for free. Another company (forget who) does the same thing so I'll have to compare the labels, although everything she sells is all-natural and high-end.

Can I get a **SQUEE** for free premium dog food?! My girls are going to make out like bandits this Christmas what with the employee discount I'll be getting for all the other stuff! YAY!

Then, on top of all of this feel-good, I spoke to Jeanie (trainer) and she told me that she's doing a seminar on September 13th for a group called "La Petit Chien" at the facility where I'll be working and the topic is "Dog Play." I asked her if I could go to it and she turned around and said "Oh, God. Please, help me!" LOL So I am!

I opened a youtube account under her business name for her and I'm going to go through some youtube videos of dogs at play and write down observations and stuff. I'm going o concentrate on small dogs, obviously, and see what else she wants me to do for her.

I'm on my way! Yay!

:o)

I can't get you tube to embed. Here's a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vAqekT-GuA

Wow. This is a pretty long post and covers the new job, the end of school, freelance writing, another Rottweiler (they're fallin from the sky, I tell ya!), and me caving to advertising, among other stuff.

I've been getting back into LJ slowly. Some of you may have noticed I actually had time to comment on some of your LJs! I've missed you all so!

( Oh, My! )

The President of the organization called me this afternoon and begged me not to resign.
Two other board members also called me and asked me to reconsider.

I just can't do it. I can't work against the tide. It's too tiring.

And I have no room in my life for the excessive nastiness I've been enduring from one of these women in particular. There's really no need. I haven't gotten personal on her, but she is always personal with me. No thanks. Negative energy sucks me dry.

I still can't wait to see their faces when I point out the monumental blunder that is the cover of the newsletter. Heh.

I leave in about an hour.

The mole I've had on the back of my neck since I was a child is definitely bigger.

I guess I need to make an appointment and get it checked out. :o(

I'm frightened...

I'm glad I got the pictures of him, at least. Now he's taped to my desk shelf next to Dixie.

I gave two weeks notice at work today. She asked me to find out if I could stay through the end of the month. It might be okay if I promise the new job afternoon hours for that week.

But since I still have school, the schedule will be a killer. What do to? *sigh*

It almost feels like the universe is telling me I shouldn't even TAKE the job, but maybe I'm just seeing that because my fear WANTS me to turn the job down.

Yup. Definitely a mom-missing moment.

I took this little semi-feral kitty to the vet yesterday to be neutered. Unfortunately, the vet just called and told me he tested positive for FIV and had to be euthanized.

I can't tell you how much this sucks.

Goodbye Kohl. I'm sorry. I hope I made your short life a little better for you.

...as a doggie daycare supervisor and trainer, and I can work the training through Jeanie's training company if the owner of the daycare and she work out an agreement. I introduced them last month but they didn't get a chance to meet until the other night, and they haven't had a chance to really talk yet, but I feel positive about it and so does Jeanie.

A few months ago Jeanie told me I'd have to prove to her that I could grow her business before she'd be able to pay me reasonable money for training services while I study for my certifications, but that after I get certified she'd be happy to increase my earnings. So I got her into the non-profit, which she was only dealing with because she knew my position on the board would be an influence on them being a responsible rescue. Then I had the job interview about the daycare and training position and have hooked her up to another whole area of exposure. Plus, there's been the odd recommendation here and there.

So we were talking about Dixie the other night and we got into the rescue and she said she'd always had problems finding rescues that acted responsibly and that she believed in my ability to motivate and the level of my commitment, and then she said me she was impressed with my ability to help her grow her business. Which all made me feel really, really good, but isn't stopping the cold feet about doing the actual training classes. I am afraid to deal with people because my face is so expressive and I'm 40 years old and have no control over my expressions!!

I have to practice passivity more. I'm getting better, but I still think I reveal too much when an actual circumstance comes up.

The members of the board and I all apologized to one another. We are all under a lot of pressure and I think we just need to go get hammered together. They are letting me call the shots about Dixie, and that's what matters right now. We'll see what happens with the Open House and then I am taking a rescue vacation.

My brother had the house switched from Comcast to Verizon and they inadvertently disconnected my phone (which was a separate line) and now they have to come out and fix it tomorrow. It's been peaceful without the phone ringing. I haven't missed the cell phone although I WILL be getting a pre-paid for emergencies. I hate driving around without a cell. A large part of this county is semi-rural, dark, and creepy at night. And other parts are urban scary.

Here's Jeanie's web site:
http://www.canineliaisons.com/index.htm

I just spent the last month and a half conceiving of and writing the content of the newsletter, and now that everyone else is involved you're going to tell me I have no say in the layout and wanting one is akin to the micromanagement we endured from our last ED?

Really? You're comparing me to that woman?

Wow.

Remind me to give you all the finger when I hand in my resignation.