The Final Dlog - Furbabies

Furbabies! Some people treat them like real children and claim the challenges of raising and looking after them are the same. Probably a little exaggerated but in my journey as a guardian of two giant furbabies I have found some funny similarities - here are my top 5:

1.  You don't get to sleep in anymore - Chloe took it upon herself to become our alarm clock without being asked! She uses the sun to decide when it is wake up time which isn't so bad in winter but in summer can be as early as 4.30.  I'm considering installing blackout curtains or blindfolding her in summer so she doesn't know when the sun is up!
2. You have to get up in the night to deal with accidents - Yes, on many occasions I have been woken by a wet nose telling me that one of them has been sick/wet the bed.  I'm not sure why it can't wait until morning but Gemma feels the need to wake me up to deal with the mess so we can all go back to sleep - and sometimes it is several times in one night
3. You don't get any alone time - I call Gemma my shadow, I can't go anywhere without being followed - including the bathroom (where she gets the door shut firmly in her face!)
4. You don't get any peace to work/study from home - If I am at home then obviously I am there to tend to their every need.  If I try to sit at the desk to work or study I'm treated to very loud whining from the other room demanding I come back because apparently we should all be in the same place all day or they join my in the study trying to find various ways to fit under or onto the desk in order to 'help' me concentrate
5. They will bleed your money dry - From the indestructible dog toys that cost a fortune and are destroyed in minutes to the endless vet trips for ear infections, eye problems, skin cancers, mammary cancer, back problems, skin problems and diets (and that is just one dog!)

 I'm sure once we embark on the journey of having real children I will laugh at myself for thinking that I was getting good practice in with the dogs but for now I find my life suitably disrupted by the above and endless more challenges of owning furbabies.

Give Happy, Live Happy

This week is national volunteer week - congratulations to all the volunteers out there :-)

To celebrate national volunteer week I thought I'd share my experience as a volunteer and give you a few fun facts on the benefits of volunteering which you may not be aware of.

I've been a volunteer for about 3.5 years now and have never looked back.  What I love about volunteering is it allows you to contribute to a worthwhile cause and make a difference to something that matters to you.  Through volunteering I can pursue my passion and I'm so happy that I have the opportunity to do so.  People often comment to me "You're so good giving up that time every week" but really I don't believe I am giving anything up at all.

So what do I do every week?  If you've read my previous blogs you probably are forming the opinion that I am a crazy dog lady - so where else should a crazy dog lady spend her time than with a bunch of crazy dogs! I'm a shelter assistant for the RSPCA and spend my Saturday afternoons cleaning, exercising, feeding and offering enrichment to the dogs staying with the RSPCA.  I work in the Incoming section which is where the dogs are held when they first arrive whilst they undergo medical checks and behaviour assessments before moving on to be adopted.  There can be up to 40 dogs in my section and anywhere between 1 and 5 volunteers so some weeks are very very busy and some weeks are much more relaxed.  It can be really hard work at times, not all the dogs have been trained properly and can have behavioural problems so some weeks I come home covered in scratches, bruises, pee and poo and feeling like I've been beaten up but it's 100% worth it - it's my favourite part of the weekend. 

The difference I make by showing up every week is that if I am there those dogs will get to leave their pens and exercise outside that day, they will have prolonged human contact be it pats and cuddles or chasing a ball.  This contact makes a huge difference to how the dog copes with being in a shelter which impacts on how quickly they will get adopted and find their 'furever home'.  If the volunteers aren't there then unfortunately the dogs may not get out that day. Dogs without stimulation and interaction get bored very quickly and will develop bad behaviours. 

I met both my girls at the RSPCA - unfortunately a drawback to working there - eventually 1 (or 2) will steal your heart and come home with you.  I've been very firmly told there is no room for any more!

So dogs are my passion, but what is your passion?  Where could you make a difference?  There are so many volunteering opportunities out there the possibilities are endless. 

It could lead to your dream job! LinkedIn has found that hiring managers are looking at volunteer experience as real work experience*.  Volunteering in the industry or area you would like to work in will help you build up a network of connections and build the required skills - putting you ahead of other candidates*

Finally, here are some benefits to volunteering you may not be aware of (sourced from volunteering Australia**):

• Volunteers are happier, healthier and sleep better than those who don't volunteer
• Sustained volunteering is associated with better mental health
• Just a few hours of volunteer work makes a difference in happiness and mood

So what are you waiting for - give happy live happy :-)

Volunteering Links:

*http://www.fastcompany.com/1778415/volunteering-will-save-your-career-or-put-you-new-one

**http://www.volunteeringaustralia.org/fun-facts/

The Devildog

My previous blog was about my beautiful laid back Chloe, unfortunately things have not been so easy with our second dog, Gemma aka The Devildog!

Before I start, I have to say that we are now in a good place with Gemma and she is a very much loved part of our family - but - it took a long time to get there and for the first 6-9 months of having her she was referred to as The Devildog and certainly lived up to her name!

I've lost count of the number of beds and leads we have gone through as she has chewed and ripped them all up.

Gemma is 2 year old Great Dane x Labrador (again this is our best guess, she is another rescue dog). We adopted her when she was 9 months old, we thought Chloe would like a companion and with Chloe being such a low maintenance how hard could 2 dogs be!

I was very wrong...Gemma was a nightmare! She had so much energy and we had so much to teach her as her early training obviously had a few gaps.

First lesson - dogs are not allowed on the sofa - that was an ongoing battle that we only won through arming ourselves with a small water pistol and she got a small squirt on the nose every time she tried to climb on the sofa - it worked like magic!

I took her to a training class every week and she quickly rose through the ranks proving she is smart and eager to learn and behave for treat rewards. But I became frustrated because she was perfect (most times) at training but out and about on her walks all her good behaviour was forgotten and I was one of those people struggling to control a big black dog that people would avoid as we walked down the street :-(

Through time and understanding we are making progress and our walks are much more peaceful now, I'm beginning to learn that although she acts all big and mean jumping around and barking it is actually a result of her being scared or uncertain and not knowing what to do so she reverts to her defensive instincts. That realisation has really helped me to deal with her behaviour as I now reassure her when I see her behaviour start to change instead of shouting and getting angry at her which just made her worse.

The problem is she doesn't realise that she is a big black dog and most other dogs and people are scared of her without her doing anything so her big bravado act is not needed.

Thankfully she has also stopped destroying her beds and is now just sleeping on them :-)
We'll get there with time and patience and more socialisation for her.  I would definitely think twice about getting a young dog again - older dogs are so much more settled and comfortable with the world.

A blog about a dog

I'd like to introduce you to my dog Chloe.  Chloe is a rescue dog so her background is a mystery to us and we can only wonder how she developed her strange habits.  We think she is a Great Dane x Mastiff x Ridgeback and think she is somewhere between 6-10 years old but don't really know for sure which adds to part of the fun of owning her.

In many ways she is the perfect dog.  She doesn't bark (ever), she sleeps all day, she doesn't need much exercise and she never chews anything.  However she is very stubborn - she knows exactly what she wants and how to get it.

For example she is very particular about her beds and where they are positioned.  If she isn't happy with the current location of her bed she will stand in the spot where she wants it and whine until we move it. Or if our other dog, Gemma, happens to be on the bed that Chloe wants, Chloe will run outside as if something exciting is happening causing Gemma to follow her and Chloe will then come back in and take the bed she wants!

We've had a lot of rain in Brisbane over the past couple of days and that has made life difficult for Chloe.  She doesn't like to walk in the rain - I can't blame her neither do I - but she needs to go for a walk because otherwise she won't go to the toilet.  She has access to our yard all day but for some unknown reason will not make use of it so she needs to go for walks.   So I took her for her mandatory walk the other evening in the rain, with Gemma - walking two 45kg dogs in the rain trying to have enough hands for them and an umbrella is always fun.

We went for a short walk around the block and Chloe decided when she has done her 'business' that it is time to go home, which I agreed with.  However we disagreed over the quickest way home.  Chloe wanted to turn back the way we came, whereas I knew that to keep going would get us home faster as we had walked most of the loop around the block.  So here I am in the rain at the side of a busy road trying to drag a huge dog who is not budging and none of us are getting any drier.  I won in the end after a bit of foot stamping

Sometimes I wish they could really understand us and learn when we are trying to do what's best for them - it can be so frustrating trying to argue with a dog!  But it's hard to stay mad at this face and most of the time she wins :-)

The art of procrastination

The more assignments I do, the better I seem to get at not doing them!  I have cleared 3 days this weekend in order to complete my assignment in a non stressful and panicy way but still I take a leisurely approach to finalising my assignment!  I don't procrastinate in the sense that I do everything else but my assignment and leave it until the last minute, but I do work in waves so will spend a couple of hours pulling a section together and then give myself a long break instead of powering through.

When I am working on an assignment, suddenly all the housework, gardening and chores that have little importance the rest of the time become a top priority for me and must be completed in conjunction with my assignment.  I've run out of laundry and nearly pruned my rosemary into oblivion!

I think my dogs are the greatest winners during assignment times as they get to go on very long walks as exercise is very important to keep the blood flowing thus feeding my creativity!

Working this way is frustrating in the sense that I could have powered through my assignment Friday and Saturday and spent today (Sunday) at the beach but I seem to want to take the leisurely approach and devote all of my spare time to thinking about and pulling it together.

I'm even using this blog as a form of procrastination, so I better draw it to a close and finally finish my assignment.