Pack update 8/15/2013

Yello, pack pals, I don't have long as bed is calling.  It has been a fun week with the pack lying in the sun, hanging out with my sis Candy and enjoying a movie in the park.  OK, Matthew and Sarah watched a movie and I checked out everyone that walked by - Woof.

Finally got the laptop

Sorry pack pals, Matthew has been too busy to help Daisy and I with our posts.  Really humans should just slow down sometimes and enjoy life and live in the moment.  You don't see us K9's rushing around all the time, well ok some do admittedly, but not us sensible ones, unless there is a ball involved or open space then rushing around is just fine.  We know what life is all about.  Walks, Sleep and Treats, ah Treats, I'm going to say that again because just the word taste's good - TREAT'S.  Anyway, he has been out everyday this week and tonight we jumped on him and grabbed the laptop.  We are sitting outside on the deck as a pack listening to the rain on the roof on a warm summers evening and watching a thunder storm light up the night, no thunder at the moment which is a good thing, I'm ok of course but daisy is a bit of a cat about it (shhh don' tell her I said that, or she will get all upset).  As one pack to another we hope you had a good week.

Yoga Ball

Yello, s'me Daisy, what's with this whole "yoga" ball thing? honestly they call it a yoga ball and it looks like a plain old tennis ball to me, and I want at it.  Their pack mates is the problem, I can't have it.   No, No, No, No is all I get when I show honest to goodness interest in it.  Do they not realize what a waste of a decent ball the whole "Yoga" ball thing is.  Take tonight, he comes home from a ride, smelling good enough to lick I might add and gets out the "Yoga" ball.  Humph just saying "Not Impressed".

I let them know I was not impressed with the whole ball deprivation and No, No, No thing by staking my claim on the sofa - Oh Yeah.

Candy Autobiography (Chapter 2)

When I woke up, I felt so much better and everything around me was strange but in a good way, I got up  stretched and had a look around the room.  It was much, much bigger than the cages I had been in for so long.  I went through an opening into a narrow space and then I saw it, it was so scary, it went down forever and ever.  I flattened myself to the floor and looked over the edge, it was so strange.  Then Matthew came out and just walk right into the space like it was the most normal thing to do in the world.  He called to me and I thought "Really, you have got to be kidding", I then thought "I can do this" but I could not move, I was so scared.  Matthew came back and after a long time I was encouraged, one paw at a time into the space he called "stairs" and after what felt like forever we reached the bottom "Phew", then "can you believe it" he turned right around and went back up.  It still gives me shivers today, it was like, like looking up at a monster, I could feel all the air press down on me and I thought "I can't do this".  To this day I don't know what must have happened to me to create the unreasoning fear I had back then but my new pack took time with me to show me that my fears were all in my mind and slowly one paw at a time, and one day after another, helped me conquer the "Stairs".  Now of course I don't walk up and down, I CHARGE up and down and the demons of my puppyhood have long been banished.  Thanks Dad!

 

 

Overcoming fears and sickness was a large part of coming home in the early days.  Whatever the people in the bright room did to me, I was sick for a long time.  We visited another white coat person and I learnt that white coat people were not all bad although I still don't like having my temperature taken, the indignity of it "Humph".   It took time but everything cleared up and I am now a healthy happy hound and if I say so myself the unofficial leader of the pack, Matthew think's he is and, OK I let him think it, but from time to time I have to remind him.

Cat Pack Mates

It was not long after getting home that the whole cat experience made sense.  I walked into a room and came face to face with not one but two "Cats".  Now I remembered the that these cats where not friendly and here there was two of them with "no cage".  What was I to do,  if I say so myself I have always been a reasonable dog and prepared to let bygones be bygones so I walked over and did what any reasonable K9 would do and said "Hi".  Well I have to say the response was not what I expected.  The white one, oh, I didn't mention that one was White and the other Ginger or Orange depending upon your country of origin.  Look at me getting all cultural.  Anyway back to the story.  I expected a "Hi" or "Hello" hell I would have settled for a "Hey" but "Oh No" not from cats all I got was "Hiss, Hiss, Hiss" and lots of bad attitude like I was some kind of enemy No 1 to cats, go figure.  OK now I know that they might have had good reason to treat me that way, as boy do I like to chase cats, it's just wired into me, but back then I didn’t know that and all I saw was unreasonably bad behavior.   

So I did the next thing any self-respecting and reasonable pooch does in a situation when faced with unreasonable cats, I  ignored them and went about my own business.  This seemed to be an amicable arrangement between us all and overtime we all slowly became friends and I came to think of them as my pack mates kind of "Cat Pack Mates" and we became as close as family can become.

I even learnt that they had put effort into understanding dog before I joined the pack, it's kinda funny to thinking of them getting all dog knowledgeable.   They have both passed to the dream space now and don't spend all their time with us anymore but it nice to see them when they stop by to check in on the pack, funny that Matthew and Sarah can't see them as they are always right under there feet, just like cats.

 

 

Candy Autobiography (Chapter 1)

I am the sensible and reserved one in the family and far less needy than Daisy.  That is unless there is a cat or oh oh a chipmonk then I find it hard to control myself, but I digress, oh that’s a big word I asked Matthew to teach me my letters so I could tell you my story.

 

 

 

I don't remember much about my first 6 months of life as they are now a dark and thankfully distant memory but I do remember the first time I saw my pack.  I was on death row, the stupid humans think we don’t know but we do, we know when no one wants us, when it is close to that time when a dog leaves the cage and never comes back.  I was scared sharing a cage and waiting and hoping that someone would come.  Looking back things were not good for me, I was scared and hated having that rope thing put around my neck when people came to see me.  I would lie down and they would push or drag me.

Things were different that day though, it was late in the afternoon or so we guessed as most of the lookers as we called them were leaving, when out of know where these two humans show up and look at me.   They put that rope around my neck and I hit the deck, I was so scared especially when the keeper started to pull me.  Don't get me wrong the keepers are ok but you see so many of them and you know they are not pack.  But that time Matthew stopped the keeper, took the rope and carried me to the other room.  He put me down and let me calm down a little, boy was my heart pounding, I can still feel the beating today.  After a minute he called me over and it was such a good feeling that I went straight to him, he made such as fuss of me then she called me and fussed me and everything seemed  right, I even wagged my tail some.

Then after some time and some talking noises, they asked the keeper if I was ok with cats.  What's a cat I thought and the keeper said she did not know.  She said she could take us to some cats and find out.  That sounded a bit funny to me but I was the happiest I had been in a long time so these cats could not be all bad.

We left the room and went into another room with lots and lots of smaller cages with animals in them, these must be cats I thought as I stared wide eyed around me.  Funny looking things I thought and then without thinking I thought I wonder if they like to be chased, it just came in all by itself.  I was on my rope but they took me close to a cage so I decided to check it  out, I went right up to the cage and stuck my nose in to say hi, bugger me if the next thing I know is I have claws sticking in my noise, I can tell you it was a surprise that smarted.  I quickly backed up and decided these cats where not too friendly and I wanted nothing to do with them.   Not sure why but everyone seem very impressed with my behavior and we all left.  I can tell you I was happy to be away from the cats.

I was taken back to my cage and everyone left me.  I was about half an hour when they came back again and said those wonderfully magic words, "you are coming home with us" and I thought, I've got a pack, oh I really have a pack.  Then they all left.  They did not come back the next morning and I started to fear the worse, then they came for me and took me to the room with bright lights and very white people, I thought this is it, it was a trick I leaving for the great pack in the sky.  They held me down and everything went dark.

I woke up in a strange cage, in pain feeling so, so sick.  I could not help myself and was sick right next to where I lay, I felt so bad I could not even move.  Then I heard a familiar voice's, it was them, was it, could it be, yes it was, I was sure it was, it was them, they had come back.  Soon I saw their faces and they seemed concerned, they said something and the white lady from the room with the bright lights came over to them as told them that it could be a complication from surgery and that they could leave me if they wanted.  I wanted to scream NOOO but I could not move, I felt so bad.  I then heard Matthew say "no" they would take me and take me to a vet if needed.  Well it then happened really fast, strong hands lifted me up and after what seemed ages we were in what I now know of as my house, there were strange smells but it all felt very comforting.  I was laid down on a oh so soft bed and I fell asleep and forgot about the pain - I was home, I had a pack, I was ALIVE.

 

 

Fun at Greenlake

Yello, this is me with my cool doggle shades on Saturday heading to Greenlake to watch some humans float around on boards on the lake.  I have to be honest that I am not in love with the doggle's and I found lots opportunities to knock them off which for some reason seem to stress my humans - go figure.  That aside the wind in my fur was fun.  Candy doesn't like messing up her fur do when we go open top so here she is hanging out up front.

We had a walk but then had to hang around for what seemed like ages as Matthew pointed a black thing at lots of strange people on floating boards.  They made lots of noise and Candy and I decided to make lots of noise too.  Our barking seemed to agitate Sarah (we learnt a new word "agitate" woot) but we wanted to get in on the fun and could not - bummer.  Then Matthew came over and sat me next to some of those floaty things and pointed his black thing at me.  I think he calls it a camera.

At last we went for another walk with the pack altogether again.  There were so many new smells, it was great.  We then went out on a big floating thing to watch some more people floating on boards and then I saw them, DUCKS, man I love ducks.  I watched them carefully and knew I had them but forgot I was on a lead.  I jumped and the next thing I know is that I am an upside down diver dog.  BTW dogs are not meant to dive, but I got my lead all caught up thankfully it only lasted a moment before I was rescued.  We then sat in the sun as I tell you I was cold.  Well it was an adventure for sure, I was beat when we got home.

Project Excitement

Wow it has been an exciting week for the pack, setting up a blog and sharing our stories.  We got so excited about our new blog name that we asked Matthew to buy us the domain.  We don't yet know what to do but whatever we do we want to our friends to be part of "Paws and Places" and we want to help our rescue pack members.

First step is to have Matthew work on a Logo that we think is Paws down the best for our new project.