Found Pet - Thankfully!

Twice this week, I've almost had to make "LOST PET" signs.

First, I must have snapped the leash on the tag ring instead of the collar, because the second Hazel and I stepped outside, the ring broke and she zipped off after a rabbit. "ffuuu...." was my first thought. I ran around the block and neighborhood, calling her name, and asking random people walking by if they'd seen a dog. Considering it was 10pm on a weekday, there were only two or three people, and no one had seen her. Resigning myself to calling animal control, I trudged back home. As I turned the corner, who was sitting on the front porch but Hazel! I was so happy, I just gave her a hug and a "good dog" for coming home, and put the leash back on. We found the tags laying in the yard the next morning.

So relieved.

Today, I got up at 6 to feed the cat, and take the dog for a walk. I had a headache (not from a hangover, though! I went to bed at 10 because I was so tired!), so I went back to sleep for a couple hours. "Odd that the cat didn't come when I poured her food out. She must be hungry by now," I thought as sleep took me again. When I got up at 8, she still hadn't eaten her food. So I went searching in all her favorite spots. Not on the cabinets, nor under my bed, not in the shower, or in the closet. I had left the window in the living room open last night, so maybe she was still hunkered down there, even though the dog was in there. I pushed back the curtain only to find a big gaping corner of the screen pushed out. "Fuuuuuu.... How long has she been gone? She could be anywhere!" The last time I saw her was 10pm when she jumped off my bed after cuddling before I fell asleep.

So, I run outside, looking up trees and under neighbors porches. Around and around theg neighborhood I go. "Momo wouldn't go very far. When she gets scared, she hides under stuff or jumps up." A lightbulb when off after twenty minutes. "Is it possible she wiggled through the trellis skirt on my porch?" I went to look. Sure enough, there are definite signs of digging underneath the porch skirt. I go inside to grab a flashlight. I don't see her right away, but I go around the corner, and look again. Lo and behold, what is looking back at me but those two adorable green eyes? She let out the most piteous "mew." I pull the skirt back enough for her to wiggle back through, and she jumps into my arms, covered in dirt and spider webs.

Thank goodness my pets know where they live!

Hazel

Saturday, Mommy helped me pick up my first doggy, sort of. She's a rescue dog that I'm fostering. She's really cute and friendly, and calm for a dog, but hyper and needy compared to the cat. Haha.

She is very clingy, in a good way. She is the type of dog who leans on your legs when you pet her, and gets a little anxious when you stop petting her.

But once she realizes you're not going to pet her in the next minute, she just lays down and chills out.

She also doesn't shed much. Lucky me!

There are some issues, though. I live in a predominantly Somali neighborhood, and we have yet to pass one Somali neighbor who isn't terrified of her. She looks like a shepherd or a rottie (and probably is a mix of both, with some other stuff in there), but she is a calm, happy and friendly dog.

She also doesn't recognize her name. Not sure if she was renamed, or if her original owners just didn't ever use it, but it's very hard to get her attention when she sees a squirrel or cat running away from her.

And good lord, can this dog poop! I forgot how much dogs poop! I only get one free bag a day, but use at least 3 or 4. I'm going to run out of bags! I'll have to buy more vegetables or something, just for the bags, because this is ridiculous. She pooped 6 times in her first 24 hours here.

My main worry, though? Momo. She doesn't like Hazel. She is curious, and will come and sniff around or creep over the wall or from behind the couch, but the second Hazel sees or smells her nearby, Hazel just wants to meet her! She is so excited to meet Momo! But Momo is terrified, and hisses and growls and is frozen solid. I have to carry her out of the room, and she goes and lies on my bed or in the kitchen for twenty minutes before she's calm enough to walk around normally. So, Hazel is confined to the living room while I'm home, and is crated during the day while I'm at work and at night. I'd love to leave her out at night, or during the day, but I can't trust her with Momo yet. I don't want to wake up to a beat up cat because I wasn't supervising closely enough. What I see as excited and happy to meet Momo may actually be a prey drive that I am preventing from manifesting.

We'll just have to wait a few more days to see if there is any improvement. So far, it's been mostly stressful between the two, which is too bad because they are both really friendly and sweet. Just not to each other, yet.

If you're interested in adopting Hazel, please let me know! You can also go to homewardboundk9rescue.com.

My Day: Part I: Transportation

Today, I headed up to Roseville to attend our annual family canoe trip (more on that in My Day: Part II). It wasn't particularly eventful getting there or back, but it took FOREVER so I had a lot of time to think.

I left my apartment this morning at 5:15am to be there in plenty of time for the 5:45 bus from St. Olaf to Minneapolis. I remembered everything but a towel this morning, but it turned out I didn't really need it, so it didn't matter as much. Impressive for waking up at 4am after getting less than 3 hours of sleep.

Anyway, as the bus left Olaf in the dark of the morning, with traces of light beginning to highlight the clouds, I noticed how annoyingly bright the St. Olaf streetlights are. They also contribute greatly to light pollution. I actually closed my eyes because they were so bright. This, of course, would normally make me fall asleep like nothing else. However, I had had some coffee, so I just stared out the window and watched the day wake up.

Then I took a few Metro Transit buses to get to my aunt's house. On purpose, I got off the bus right next to another aunts house who lives about half a mile away. I got me some golden retriever loving on my way there. However, one of her two goldens scratched my arm a bit, getting what I hope was mud on it. Ah well, they're darling.

Anyway, my mom and one of my cousins met me halfway down my aunt's road. It was nice to see them coming toward me. At my aunt's house, more dogs! Her husband's two beagles, and her giant Great Dane/Black Lab mix (appropriately named Moose) sniffed me up and down until I went to the bathroom to wash off the dog spit and mud from my other aunt's house. Gosh, I love dogs. Must love dogs: one of my requirements in a partner.

Anyway, I'll go on about the canoe trip in the next post. I'm just getting all the transportation themed news events together in one post.

So, on the way home, I caught the Northfield bus from St. Kates. I am not particularly fond of Northfield Metro Express buses, and waiting to be picked up from St. Kates is one of the reasons: Every driver stops at a different corner. I never know where the bus will park, or what direction it will be coming from. Super annoying. Luckily, I didn't have one of the douche-y drivers who barely stop when there's no expected pickup. He actually parked where he's supposed to, and pulled up to me when I saw I had a boarding pass in my hand and was headed to him. Thanks, Cheech.

Anyway, the bus ride home was also uneventful. The sun set as we left downtown Minneapolis. Then something weird happened. I was listening to a song, and suddenly I started crying. I guess this is a song that has always gotten to me, and I must have been so tired and sore and sunburned that the emotions welled up more easily. The song is Cancer by My Chemical Romance. It's a short song, but one that is emotionally poignant to most people, I think. I've put a link to the lyrics at the end of the post.

Anyway, I got home safely after a long, awesome day.

Cancer - My Chemical Romance

Turn away,
If you could get me a drink
Of water 'cause my lips are chapped and faded
Call my aunt Marie
Help her gather all my things
And bury me in all my favorite colors,
My sisters and my brothers, still,
I will not kiss you,
'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you.

Now turn away,
'Cause I'm awful just to see
'Cause all my hairs abandoned all my body,
Oh, my agony,
Know that I will never marry,
And baby, I'm just soggy from the chemo,
We're counting down the days to go
It just ain't living
And I just hope you know

That if you say (if you say)
Goodbye tonight (goodbye tonight)
I'll ask you to be true (cause I'll ask you to be true)

'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you
'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you

DOGS!

I love dogs!

This Saturday, I got to spend time with 4 Golden Retrievers. I love dogs! They're so amazing and cute and endearing. Maybe because I had one as a child, but goldens are especially awesome. They're very assertive in their need for attention, but their eyes and the quality of their fur make it almost impossible to resist petting them.

I am not a big fan of Labrador Retrievers for that reason. I know they're really nice, easily trainable, family-friendly dogs, but their fur makes me want to take a shower. It's so oily and coarse compared to a golden. Even the short and curly haired goldens (like my old dog was) have nicer, softer, less oily fur than a lab.

I love all dogs, but labs and Boston Terriers are less "awwww!"-inducing than all other dogs. I'll still pet them and love them and give them attention, but meh. Also, really high energy, nervous dogs, no matter the breed, are off-putting. My dad's German Shorthair Pointer is a really beautiful (and chubby) dog, but she doesn't interact with people the way most dogs do. She wanders back and forth until someone lets her outside, or inside, or feeds her. She doesn't enjoy being petted or played with, and barely gives people attention.

Dogs are amazing because they are one of the only species who are capable of empathy with humans. Cats, as awesome as they are, will not worry if you are sad. If they lick away your tears, it's because they want to lick your tears, not because they think it will make you feel better. Although I did have a cat who seemed to be able to empathize, but maybe he was always just clingy and I didn't appreciate it as much as when I was sad.

Anyway, in conclusion, go adopt, foster, sponsor or even just play with the dogs at your local animal shelter. They're awesome and deserve to be happy and safe. So do cats. Remember to spay and neuter your pets so they don't make unhappy, unsafe and unwanted potential pets roaming around. You don't need to breed it. Go adopt a perfectly perfect animal from the shelter instead!