Poop Wars - the Illustrated Version

I have written so many times about crotchety neighbors yelling at me and other dog walkers about letting dogs go where they go outside.  My main argument was this.  If you do not want a dog using your tree PUT UP A SIGN! Then you can at least have something to back up your ranting!  With this thought in mind, I decided to take pictures of signs for dogs all over the neighborhood to prove that there are many varieties and people do tend to obey them.  They evoke a range of emotions.....  I hope you all find this entertaining.

I'm not a burglar!

A few weeks ago I was cat sitting for a long time client with a house alarm.  I went in that morning and it was super hot in the house, so I tried to open the back window.  Either I was too hot or it was too heavy, but I gave up and just closed it.  I did my rounds (meds, food, litter, love) and set the alarm and left.  This was about 8am.  My next two stops were on the street behind him.  I finished those up (both have alarms as well) and continued on with my day.

I received a phone call from the owner of the first house around 11am stating that the contractor next door told him that the alarm was gong off and the police came!  He asked if I could go back over and take a look to make sure the alarm was set properly and that the house was intact.  I headed straight there from the dog that I was with.  I went in, shut the alarm off, looked around for broken windows, etc. - and saw nothing out of the ordinary.  I called him to let him know and as I am on the phone with him, I hear a knock at the door. While on the phone with him, the police came back! They were in plain clothes and they flipped their badges at me.  They said, "You know the alarm was going off..."  I explained that I am the pet sitter, on the phone with the owner of the house if they wanted to talk to him (they didn't), and that everything was fine.  They took my ID to run it as proof that I was there and explained that they were in plain clothes in a pickup truck because they were actually trying to catch a real burglar in the neighborhood!  Awesome.  Because then I had to leave and NOT set the alarm due to all of the mishaps of the morning.

All in all - it was damn awkward and I felt like a criminal for doing my job.   The moral of the story is that I loathe alarm systems. They are a necessary evil, I get that - but I fear them for this very reason.

Dog Parks - Why Even Have Rules?

Let's discuss dog parks for a moment.  I have had the pleasure of taking care of one of my "old man dogs" for the past week and a half. I see him for breakfast and dinner and each time we visit the dog park because that's where he does his business.  He is a gentle soul - a 90 lb (give or take) lab/shepherd mix.  He excitedly enters the park, pees, and then makes his round to all of the human people to say hello.  He doesn't engage much with other dogs except for a few sniffs here and there.

During this particular stint with him, I will have walked him 23 times.  That means 23 times at the park. I have met great people, great dogs, and even made some business contacts.  I have however seen some things that are questionable.  Well, questionable is very vague.  I question the common sense of some people and THAT is questionable.  Every dog park has a set of rules.  These rules are posted outside of the park, completely visible to anyone that is entering.  They even used to have a sign with a picture of a dog with his back to you showing his giant hairy testicles to say "Dogs must be neutered to enter".  The rules at each dog park don't vary much - They are essentially just stating the obvious.  This is the actual list of rules from the park that I am speaking of:

PARK RULES

• All dog run users must observe city laws and ordinances, including:
  • Dogs must be licensed and vaccinated. 
  • Dog waste must be disposed of properly. 
  • Dogs outside of run must remain on leashes at all times. 
• The following dogs are NOT permitted in the dog run:
  • Puppies under 4 months and ANY dog not fully vaccinated as recommended by your veterinarian.
  • Un-neutered males and female dogs in heat. 
  • Sick dogs. 
• Children 10 and under are not permitted in Seger dog park. 
• Children 11-15 must be accompanied by an adult. 
• Leashes must be removed upon entering the dog run. 
• Collars must be worn in the dog run. 
• The following collars are not permitted in the dog run: 
  • Prong 
  • Choke
  • Heavy chain link
  • Spike collars 
• No toys allowed except for standard tennis balls.
• Smoking, food and alcohol are not permitted in the dog run.
• Pay Attention. 
• No biting, fighting or bullying allowed. 
• Dog owners are responsible for removing their dog immediately if your dog displays aggressive      behavior. 
• Repair any damage caused by your dog's digging. 
• Limit of three (3) dogs per owner. 

DOGS MUST BE SUPERVISED BY OWNERS AT ALL TIME

Dog owners / handlers must be inside the park and within view and voice control of their dogs at all times.

Be Advised: All persons using Dog Park  assume any and all risks associated with the use of the dog park.  

• No attendant is on duty.   Users of this facility do so entirely at their own risk.
  Report Unsafe Behavior!
  To report immediate danger, call 911.
  Any of the following information is helpful:
  1. Name / description of offending dog & owner / handler,
  2. Photo of offending dog and/or owner / handler. Use your cell phone to take the photo.

So far this week in the dog park I have personally seen :

*A baby strapped to the front of her mom 

*A 3 yr old girl

*2 little kids (around 5 yrs old)    that were running up to dogs and then running away yelling "I'm scared"

*A couple enjoying 2 sandwiches from Subway while sitting on a bench (annoyed at the dogs coming over to them)

* An very large unneutered pit mix (not aggressive at all, but you never know when they are intact)

It's really frustrating because you want to point out the obvious to these people, but that would only start a fight.  You want to tell them that the dogs coming in there are all dog friendly, but not necessarily kid friendly.  People avoid confrontation like the plague, but there are certain cases like these where dog owners have every right to approach a parent and say <" Get your kid outta here!!"   These pups run fast and play rough! They WILL knock you over if you aren't paying attention.  Dogs eat hoagies!  Dogs can be food aggressive!  Especially when there are 10 dogs to 1 potential hoagie!  I don't know if it's my general concern for human intelligence or my empathy for the dogs that are put in potential situations that would result in bites or euthanasia.  If you bring a kid to a dog park and a dog bites your kid, you could try to have said dog euthanized for aggression (even though your kid wasn't supposed to be there in the first place!)  This is especially scary for pet sitters like me because we don't know the dog as well as the owner.  Maybe they are good with kids, but only in certain situations.  I have walked out of this park in a huff and shaking my head in disbelief almost daily.  It is a wonderful place for dogs to run and socialize and play.  Please just follow the rules and let them!!  

Full Moon Antics

So 2 days ago there was a full moon.  Yesterday was sheer madness and that is now explained as I found out about this full moon (or Strawberry Moon this month)

My day started out like any other.  I left my house around 7:30 a.m. and started on my visits.  I had to go all the way to Broad and Pine and then make it back to 4th and Queen by 9:30  (after 6 visits in between).  I had time to stop for oatmeal at Whole Foods on the way back (yay!) and as I was walking while enjoying my oatmeal and berries, a bird shat on my head.  I was all the way at 10th and Bainbridge. Sigh... Luckily my oatmeal was unharmed, but I then had to go home first to wipe off the bird poo.  In turn, I ran late to my 9:30 dog.  Then I bought a lottery ticket because bird poop on your head is supposed to be good luck.  I lost.

For an entire hour, every man that I saw looked like the lovechild of Frank Zappa and Jesus.

Terry and I were stopped in the park by a woman and her chihuahua.  She apologized for being bitchy about 2 weeks back. Random!  There was an incident where WE were huffy, but it was not at her.  It was at the dog off leash behind her that was coming for the dogs that we were walking.  She thought it was directed at her and she yelled, "What the fuck?? I have MY dog under fucking control, you don't have to worry!"  Well, she did - and we weren't.  Finally the miscommunication was cleared up.... unexpectedly.  She said that she just broke up with her boyfriend the day before and was in a bad mood - she's not usually like that.

I got into an argument with a local business owner in Bella Vista who lets his dogs just run all down 8th st willy nilly.  We avoid him daily.  Yesterday we literally saw the dogs out and went around the corner the long way to the park and the dogs came right down the ally 5 minutes later!  Unattended!  So I hand Terry the dogs and go after the guy.  I found him on the next side street and said," Your dogs are on Catherine!"  His reply?  "Something spilled on my computer!!  Who are you?  I don;t know you!  I've been here 50 years!"   Finally I took this opportunity to try to talk some sense into him about leashing his dogs.  I get the whole defensive story. "My dogs are fine!  They never bit anyone! I've never had an issue!  I have a hold on them! I'm in control! "  Like trying to reason with a 5 year old boy, I tried to explain that I never accused his dogs of being mean.  I was trying to tell him that I  am concerned for HIS dogs because the dogs that WE walk can't always be trusted.  I don't want a dog that I have out to bite his dogs because they came running up off leash.  He just didn't get it.  He insisted it was just the spill and that he had control of his dogs.  Literally 10 minutes later I see the younger one running across the street chasing a bird.  A worker across the street yells over to him to get the dog - said she could get hit by a car.  He complies.  I ask him why he can say something and get a fair response, but when I say the same thing I'm a bitch?  His reply was, "Well, he cuts my hair."  I give up!

Free to pee with you and me!

Spring is here which means that dogs are happy and people are crazy.  It's as if over the winter people crawl into a little hole and they stop caring.  They don't care about the facade of their house or the environment or what others are doing around them.  They leave, they go to work, they come home and they do their best to avoid interaction.  The second that it gets nice outside they become fastidious creatures who suddenly give a damn.

Picture this.  I take care of 2 dogs at 1 house, 1 of whom is VERY old.  She has accidents in the house at times - but usually when I get there we make it outside with no problem.  They reside in a courtyard with a long outside corridor/hallway that leads to the gate to get to the street.  At the entrance of the gate, there is a mat on the ground on the sidewalk.

The moment that the gate was opened, the elderly dog immediately squatted on the mat and peed.  My first thought was "Wow!  She really had to go - glad that she held it until we got outside!"  Then her sister sniffed the area and peed right next to it (because that is what sisters do).  While dog 2 was in mid stream, a woman who lives in the courtyard comes walking up the street saying, "Well that's just great!  Right at the front where we walk in?  Really?  Come on!"  My immediate response is always, "They are DOGS!  We are on the street - they are gonna pee where they have to go.  Give them a break!"  The rest of the conversation went like this:

Her:  Why can't you just move them?  Why would you let them just go here?"

Me: I can't just move them!  She is 14 - she's going to go anywhere.  Plus it's an outdoor mat!! It's filthy from being outside!

Her:  Well, I also have a dog and I would move him.

Me: Has anyone ever tried to move YOU while you were in the middle of peeing?  I doubt you'd be ok with it.

Her:  Well I just think it's disgusting, right at the front door.  Next time you should move your dogs

Me:  Listen, these are not my dogs.  I'm doing the best that I can - thanks though!!!

Her:  You're an ass!!!

You may be asking yourself why I didn't just walk away.  Well the answer is this.  She just stood there at the gate adamantly, staring at me, waiting...  (I guess waiting for an apology?)   I had 2 dogs in my hand that move like molasses, especially the older one.  She is 98 in human years, she's not running anywhere anytime soon.  She was making such a fuss that the dogs were just staring at her confused!  She finally went in to her house. I was livid, the older dog had diarrhea (I blame that bitch), I'm scrambling to get them out of the street and clean up and all I want to do is call the owner and give her the heads up that I had a fight with her neighbor.  Luckily, she was VERY understanding and on my side.  

Here is my deal (and yes, my mother was right - I should have been a litigator)
*The dogs waited until they were OUTSIDE of the courtyard to eliminate
* The dogs went on the mat that was on the street (every dog in the neighborhood has peed on that mat)
* That filthy mat could be thrown away at any time - even by her if she thinks it's a pee magnet.  No one uses it to wipe their feet  - it serves no purpose.
* It's a sunny day, the pee was going to dry within 30 minutes tops
* If she had a dog, she should be sympathetic to other dogs  in her neighborhood and their walkers.  he should know that an elderly dog is going to just spontaneously go and that it is no ones fault.

Slander! Sort of....

I had a client for about a year (give or take) and I assumed that everything was great.  She never told me that she had any problems with me, I loved the dog, and our professional relationship was as it should be.  Then out of nowhere I stopped hearing from her.  I didn't think anything of it. People don't want to spend the money, their schedules change, they move... there could have been a million reasons.  Then I hear through the grapevine that she got another walker.  I was curious as to why, but never asked.  In a way, I didn't even want to know.  This walker lasted a bit, and she was replaced by another walker.  Then that walker dropped the owner as a client.  The owner then  got another walker who was actually a good friend of mine.  Then she dropped him and called me back to be her walker! This was about 2 years and 3-4 walkers later.  She left me a voicemail as if nothing ever happened!  I still didn't know why she stopped using me, but based off of that as well as what I have heard from the pet sitter community, I decided to keep my distance.

This past week I ran into her previous walker (2 walkers ago) who brought her up.  We had never met, but knew of each other.  She mentioned this client that we had in common and hesitantly said that there were some not nice things said about me.  Well then I had to know!  I had gone over everything in my head a million times!  Did I do something wrong?  Did I piss her off in some way?  Did she just not like me or my services? We never had a fight or confrontation, I just stopped hearing from her.  So the truth finally came out!  She told this next walker that she fired me because "the new person that I hired stole her diamond earrings." Um, WHAT????  First of all that is a blatant lie. No one that works for me would steal anything.  I trust them implicitly.  Secondly, no one has ever been alone in her house except for me.  Thirdly, if that actually happened, why would she say NOTHING?  And lastly, if she thought that was true, then why did she call me back 2 weeks ago to work for her again??   I have gotten jobs because the last dog walkers DID steal and the police officer that took the report referred me as a walker.

I let this sink in and I then sent a text to the next walker that she used to ask if this was what she told him.  He said that he didn't remember hearing anything about diamonds, but remembers her saying that I left dog poop all over her basement and wanted to send someone else besides me to fill in for a walk.  Let me just touch upon these two things.  First, if anything comes out of an animal and it is on the floor and I SEE it, I am cleaning it up.  If I don't go into that particular room and see it, how am I to know that it is there?  If something happens between the time that I leave and the time that the owner gets home - I cannot be held responsible.  The next major point is that I am one person running a busy business.  I cannot always be the one to do the walking and or feeding.  I will not send someone else to a house alone without giving the owner a heads up, especially for clients that were used to it just being me. My newer clients know that it could be me or 2 other people right off the bat.

This situation infuriates me because I was accused of things that I didn't do and I didn't even have a chance to defend myself!  She accused me of this to other people and never confronted me!  I know that I did nothing wrong, and I'm pretty sure that she knows it too since she keeps changing her story and going through dog walkers as often as she changes her socks.  I hold no grudges, I am just in shock.

A Sad Goodbye to an old cat friend

Last Saturday I had to say goodbye to an old man cat (19 years old to be exact) that was owned by a client turned friend.  He had been having issues with his mouth for quite some time, but in the past month it had gotten progressively worse.  He was hungry, and he would eat - but he had attacks after most meals where he would gag and struggle to swallow.  He would shake it off, calm down, and then go eat more.  It got to the point where he didn't eat for over 24 hours and his owner knew that was it.

We were in constant communication about this.  When is the right time?  How will she know?  Is he suffering?  It's tough to answer these questions, because you really just know when it's time.  They will tell you.  Last Saturday, he told her.  She asked me to come to the vet for moral support. I met her over there midday and he went very peacefully.  You could tell that he was ready and that he had enough.  He had 19 years of adventures and crazy times (more than my own cats!).

He was an indoor/outdoor cat in the city which meant that he mostly hung out in the backyard (and other backyards that were close by)  He chased birds, killed mice, snoozed in the sun (and sometimes rain), and came in for meals and love.  He was loud and grumpy, but so sweet!  He also gave me some heart palpitations  over the years.  One time I went in to feed him and could not find him anywhere in the house.  I searched everywhere and then thought to look out back.  I'm calling for him and he doesn't come running.  I see him sleeping on the roof of the shed (outhouse?) in the yard behind his.  I call him and get no response.  I clap my hands and start yelling his name.  Nothing.  I tried to climb on a chair to reach him to tap  him and he was Just out of reach. I then thought he was dead and began to freak out.  I was looking for anything around me to be helpful.  I started throwing small pebbles at him to see if he was in fact dead.  I hit him with 3 or 4 rocks and I saw him stretch, yawn, and proceed to come over the neighbors call and stand at his back door yelling for dinner.  (the little stinker)

R.I.P. Arlo, you will be missed

This was where he was outside when I couldn't reach him! Directly in the middle behind the giant tree.             

Glass is NOT a good snack

I went in for my normal afternoon dog visit to my favorite Great Danes and saw that they had torn the living room apart (no more than usual) Pillows and blankets were all over the floor amongst the toys and chew treats. I saw something shiny rolled in a blanket and fished it out.  It was a glass nightlight.

They were intentionally chewing on glass the little stinkers!  Now granted, they are 100+ lb dogs, and this teeny amount would probably pass, but it still made me nervous.  Just in case I called Mike to bring over some bread for them.  In case you were unaware, when a dog eats something sharp like this, feed them bread. It cushions it as it passes through.  He runs it over and I give them each a big piece because I wasn't sure who did the eating.  They were excited and took the bread, but didn't know what to do with it.  There were guilty faces and confused looks.  I had to break it up into pieces to get them to understand that it was food.  These two dogs!  They keep me on my toes!

Big BIG box

Sometimes while an owner is away - you get last minute, urgent requests.  Today I got a call from a client who is away for the week.  He told me that Fedex just sent him a message stating that they left a large box on his step.  He asked if I could run over and bring it inside.  This is no problem at all!  I bring packages in all the time and I wasn't far.   I arrived on his street to see this :

That's a huge box!  I get closer and see that Fedex screwed anyone getting in or out of the house

They left it there completely preventing the door from opening.  I had to maneuver it enough to open the screen door to open the main door and then slide it in because it was HEAVY (and about as tall as I am) 

Finally got it inside and had to lay it down in his living room while the cat gazed upon me with such confusion.

Expect the Unexpected

I started my day at the vet.  I have a cat who had a partial urinary blockage a week ago and I have been closely monitoring him since.  He was showing signs of pain again and after a few bouts of peeing on shirts in the past 24 hours, I thought it best to recheck him and make sure he didn't re-block.  This was in-between visits this morning.  I got him back home and headed right out again.

Fast forward to 4 dogs later.  I go into the house and see mail ripped up.  Not normal, but not unusual.  Then I see plastic chewed up and an unraveled roll of poop bags.  Ok.... then I see a VERY jittery and hyper dog.  Hmm.... then I walk into the kitchen and see MANY silver wrappers that are all torn up.  Damn!!  I quickly figure out that they are chocolate protein bars and call the owner.  No answer.  This dog is looking at me like he is going to jump out of his skin from sugar overload.  I call again, no answer.  I am then contemplating just taking him over to the vet to induce vomiting, but I hate doing that without the owners permission.  I search the bathrooms for hydrogen peroxide so that I can induce vomiting on their deck.  I don't see any!  The owner then calls me back, confirms that there were at least 5 protein bars in the box that he ate, and we agree that I will take him to the vet and she will meet me.

I clean everything up - throw a leash on him, and fly out the door with the box that the bars came in (the box was untouched, sneaky bastard) We get to the vet, we go in a room, and they look up the ingredients in these bars that could potentially be harmful.  I hate walking in there, but as a former employee they at least know that I wouldn't do it if it weren't emergent. All the while, he is giving me cute guilty looks

They take him back to give him apomorphine (a little pill that you put in the eye that dissolves and induces vomiting) and see what came up.  At that point I went to leave and the owner came in to talk to the doctor.  By the time I finished 2 dogs I received a text from her that he threw up all of the protein bars and they sent him home!  Hooray!  Crisis averted !  Always expect the unexpected in this line of work.

Long hours in deep freeze

I honestly think that I am losing my mind from lack of  "me" time.  On the verge of madness!  Lets start with the concept of waking up on a Saturday at 6am just like any other day and seeing that the temperature is 16 degrees and the wind chill is -2 degrees.  It is a SLIGHTLY slower day, but still super cold for trekking around. I took a last minute dog situation (they forgot to get a hold of me ahead of time, but they are good regular clients, so of course I said yes) which made for 3 morning dog walks in the cold cold cold city.  That is not to mention the 5 cat visits.  At the last cat which is only a block from my house, I could not get the bottom lock to work.  I stood outside gloveless for 15 minutes trying to get into this house and could NOT get the lock to turn.  I had to knock on the neighbors door who I knew had a set of keys and she got in with her set (Thank god! She is my hero of the day!)  I get in and there is poop all over the kitchen (which is no big deal to clean), they eat,  I got to the litter, I scoop,  and I smack my head on the pipe in the basement when I stood up from the litterbox.  At that very moment, I gave up.  I was seriously considering going on vacation next week.  I was planning on running away to Florida and not telling anyone.   I'm tired and cold and frustrated.  That being said, I must take control of this " business gone mad" and set up policies, take on another person for help, and enforce the word "No" when necessary.

If anyone needs me, I shall be icing my head.

Their dog was your dog???

What a random series of events this afternoon!  I went to get my nails done at a place closer to my house - very spur of the moment.  I had a rare hour to kill and had been trying to get my nails done since before Thanksgiving.  I walked into this strange place where I didn't know anyone, hoping that someone was free.  The nail technician and I got to talking about what I do and she starts telling me about her 2 dogs.  She has to Shiba Inus.  She then said that she used to have a golden retriever, but had to surrender him to the shelter when he was 7 months old because he was eating her house.  My ears perked up - this sounded WAY too familiar.  She told me when this happened, which shelter,  and more about the puppy. I immediately knew the truth - I have her old dog as a client! She couldn't believe it!  (Neither could I!)  What a small world, but so nice that she knows the dog is happy and in a wonderful home.  She and her children were devastated when they gave this dog up.  She showed me baby pictures of him and then I showed her adult pictures of him!

It is so great to see him as a puppy!  I have known him since he was about 8 months, but not a baby. What a cutie - I'd know that face anywhere!  

Seems that I was supposed to go there today and get my nails done to meet this woman!  The universe works in mysterious ways!

You Don't Pay - I Don't Hold Back

I was going to write this about a month ago, and I thought that I would give these people the benefit of the doubt for just a little while longer.  Well, that was incredibly stupid on my part because they didn't even deserve that.

About 2 months ago I received a call at 7 am from a number that I didn't recognize.  It was a woman telling me that she had an emergency situation and needed a cat sitter.  She was literally in a hospital bed in New Jersey awaiting a cardiac procedure and told the doctor that she couldn't have anything done until she knew that her cats were taken care of.  You could hear it in her voice - the weakness, the worry, the concern.  She told me that she had emailed me the night before (turns out she did at 11 pm and I was asleep).  She also told me that her husband had emailed me a few weeks prior to ask about my services. They had a horrible story - Their house in NJ was being repaired after major water damage and they were living temporarily in a highrise in Center City and living off insurance money from the house.  Then she ends up in the hospital with heart issues.  Of course I agreed to take care of the cats!  I am not a monster!

She informs me that no one has been there in nearly 3 days, so they must be starving.  We get there as soon as possible which was around 11 am.  They didn't have the key at the front desk so they had to call maintenance to let us in the apartment. The cats DESTROYED the place! There were broken dishes all over the floor that they flung out of the cabinet, no food or water, dirty litter, etc.  Mike looks all over for food and litter and doesn't see anything.  I call the owners cell phone - she doesn't answer.  I call the hospital that she gave me the number for, they give me a hard time because I don't know her last name.  All I had was a first name, a husbands name, a room number , and a reason for being there.  After they transferred me to 3 different people, they finally got me connected to her room.  She sounded distressed and put me on the phone with her husband who THEN tells me that there is no food or litter and we have to go buy some.  I ask specifically what kind of food and litter (I don't want to stress the cats out any further with new things in their world) and we go to Target to buy everything.  We then go BACK to the highrise, have maintenance let us in AGAIN and feed the starving kitties.  I told the owner that morning that we would go until we heard otherwise.

We return the next few days and still hear nothing from them as to when they are coming back.  The 3rd or 4th day we come in and the carpet has been freshly vacuumed and someone had fed the cats.  Was it them?  Housekeeping?  I had no idea - so I call and text to see if they are back.  I don't get a response, so we skip a day.  We come in the day after that and ask the front desk if they are back in the apartment.  They say yes, they saw them 2 days prior hanging out on the computer in the lobby!!  What??!!  They didn't leave a note or money, nothing.  Later that afternoon I received a text from the husband that says that they are back (2 days after the fact) and  he thanked me for everything. There was no question of what they owed me, payment, etc., So I sent one back stating that we bought food and litter (the receipt was on their fridge held up by my business magnet) and they owed us for 4 visits.  I got no reply for a week or so.  I sent an email with a balance. Another week goes by.  Then I finally get an email apologizing for the lack of contact, stating that they are having financial difficulties, etc.  I knew this and even said at the very least, I need to be reimbursed for the food and litter. He said that he would send that right away and get the rest to me as soon as possible.  So far I have not seen a dime OR heard from them. I don't ever expect to  which is why I can badmouth them in this blog without a hint of guilt.

Moral of the story is this.  Just communicate and be honest.  If they had told me that they couldn't pay - I probably still would have helped them out.  I may not have purchased such pricey food and litter....but I would have helped because their situation was dire.  The fact they just disappeared and didn't even offer to compensate me is beyond insulting.  This is my business and my livelihood.  This is not a hobby and I am not a teenager doing this for pocket money.  I have a house and a mortgage and responsibilities and that should be respected.  I never met these people and I don't even know what they look like.  I refuse to send them another email that simply states common sense and decency in society because I know that they won't respond OR feel any remorse.  The truth is that they were lucky to have hired me and not someone else who would have taken advantage of the situation.  I know in the end I got screwed, but at least I know that I was the one who did right by them.

From Puppy to Self Proclaimed Adult Dog

Approximately 4 months ago I received a call from a new client that was getting a new puppy.  I always love to watch my animal clients grow up and be a part of their "beginning."  There really is a true bond when that happens. So I go to meet this puppy and immediately fell in love.

 Leo grew up so fast!  He is a Wheaten/Collie Mix, so every week he would change colors and grow.  My first time staying with him overnight he was a teething maniac!  He would chew on EVERYTHING and pounce on me like a cat!

 The older he got, the more endearing he became.  His puppy personality was still there, but he was starting to think and make decisions and grow delicious chin whiskers!!  He was no longer in a crate, but gated off in the kitchen.  He was just getting taller and taller and I wondered why he stayed behind the gate so well.

  The last time I stayed
overnight with him (which was last week) he look it upon himself to declare adulthood and get out of the kitchen when I left. He jumped the gate (So I thought) and would greet me from the couch.  He would not stay put!  His owners have tried 2 more methods of gating (very creative)  He managed to escape both numerous times and I would swear that he grew wings and flew.  You cannot keep a determined dog contained :)
He has grown into an amazing dog who is funny, loves to hug, and has an ability to escape rooms like Houdini himself.  :)

 

Poop War #23

I write about poop a lot. I know I do, but it is a major part of my day and it also seems to cause the most stress.  I have touched upon the issues of the lack of trashcans, businesses having a trashcan and then trying to tell you what trash you are allowed to put in it, and the ever popular fight of "Walk your dog on the street and use the trees! NO! Don't let them go on the trees, go to a park!  No, get them out of the part, kids play here!"

Today was a whole different story!  Let's actually go back about 2 months to when I was walking a dog past the section 8 housing at around 9am.  There are large grassy patches there and this particular dog likes the grass.  From behind me I hear a lady yell, "I HOPE you ain't bringing your dog here to SHIT!"   My reply was honest.  I said, "Noooo.... not specifically, but if she does I'm picking it up."  We then got into a discussion about how people are assholes and don't pick up after dogs, etc.  I told her very clearly that I will absolutely pick up after any dog I walk 100% of the time so she didn't have to worry if she saw me.  That was good enough for her and we went our separate ways.  There was some other babbling about how these are peoples houses, kids play right here (they don't, I have been walking past that corner daily for the better part of a decade), just use the side grass, etc.

Today, I was walking a dog nearing the same corner when the dog went up to the tree (across the sidewalk from the house) and squatted to pee.  From behind me I hear a SHRILL voice screaming , "Don't you bring your fucking dog over here to shit!!!!"  I whipped me head around in disbelief and said, "Whoa!!  First of all, she didn't shit as you can see.  Secondly, if she DID shit, I would pick it up.  Lastly, this it NOT your property.  This is a tree on the sidewalk and it is city property!" She said, "Yeah, it's PHA (Philadelphia Housing Authority) property!!!! " I told her that we had had this conversation before and I told her that I pick up after my dogs,  She said no, that was with her neighbor.  She told me to walk my dogs around my house, stay off that street, go somewhere else.... Wouldn't let me get a word in, wouldn't calmly talk to me - just came out of her door and verbally attacked me.  I yelled back of course because that is just who I am, but I chose my words carefully.  I didn't call her a bitch (she called me one) and I didn't drop an F -bomb (she did) because I was trying to maintain some level of respect (as she was about 60 yrs old).  The worst I could come up with in the heat of the moment was "Bite Me!!" Which only caused the reply of, "Yeah, bite cha ass bitch!"

The issue is over for right now, but this whole ordeal leaves me questioning people in this city yet again.  First of all, I know a few people who live in the section 8 housing in that development.  The people I know are wonderful and have no problem with me.  It seems that every block has their crazy representative though.  Up the street there was someone that didn't want us to park in front of her house because we were white and "Black people need to park too!"  Section 8 is low cost housing.  They can live there with a huge amount of assistance.

Funding

How do we pay our bills?

The Philadelphia Housing Authority has a $371 million annual budget that comes from several sources. (Our fiscal year runs from April 1 through March 31.)

We receive most of our funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

A small part of our budget - $1.5 million in state and federal money - comes in the form of grants. These grants are used for programs such as the Summer Food program.

PHA received $126.9 million in stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve and expand affordable housing throughout the city.

We bill $24 million in rents to our residents.

This also means that the housing authority covers outside maintenance (they mow grass, plant trees and bushes, clean trash, etc)  The parking lots, sidewalks, and grassy areas are COVERED in trash and empty drug bags, but THAT's ok for the kids to play in??  I walk a dog that pees on a tree not even touching your property and you yell at me like I threw dog shit on your front step!?

Bottom line is once again, I am doing my job and abiding by the law.  I get dirty looks wherever I walk a dog, whether it is in a park or on the street.  Nothing is right, yet there are thousands of dogs in the city.  People need to get off their high horse trying to boss everyone around and just accept that this is how it is.  

                             Dogs have to go somewhere outside. Deal with it.

Morning strangeness.....

I have been doing overnights for 10 days thus far, and each day I am up between 6-7 am.  We go out for a walk, eat breakfast, and then I head home to shower and get my schedule together.  Yesterday my mornings took an odd turn.  I was walking home from my overnight around 7:30am and passed by an older man on one of the side streets.  He stopped and said, "Hey pussycat".  I stopped and smirked for a minute because my dad called me that when I was little.  He was amused that I stopped and reiterated, "You are.."  It went from amusing to creepy real fast. Maybe it was because the night before I watched a lifetime movie about online predators of young girls and it portrayed all older men to be scumbag pedofiles. I had flashbacks to the movie where they would bait these men with cops pretending to be 14 years old.  They would give them a hat, braid their hair and give them a backpack.  I happen to have been wearing a backpack...

Anyway, I went home, got myself together, then took the bus to Old City.  I was going to walk back and feed cats along the way.  I get from 3rd and Market to 2nd and Chestnut where an Indian mother stops me and asks me if I have a phone.  Her long winded story was that her son was across the street at the passport place and had a 9am appointment.  It was then 9:30 and the car was parked slightly far from the curb, but she didn't have the keys.  He had the keys.  And she thought the police were going to come and take the car.  She dictated (more or less) while I texted this guy in the passport office.  She went on and on about irresponsible kids, the car, etc.  I sent about 4 texts because she was frantic.  About an hour later he sent me one back to thank me for everything.

I kept heading south to cats, the bank, and then the next cat.  This is a house that is the last one down an alley.  I get to the door and there is a huge spider on the knob!  He won't move.  I was there for 15 minutes trying to get closer and he just kept going from the knob to the deadbolt and back.

I finally gave up and decided to go back later and as I walked out of the gate, I see a UPS truck turn down the next street.  The driver is a good friend of mine and I know that he deals with spiders at his house all the time!  I run over and ask him if he can move the spider so I could get into the house.  After laughing and mocking, he agrees.  We walk over, he pokes him, the thing jumps in his hand and he walks down the alley with it.  My hero!  And yes, I was mocked by a spider AND a human within an hour.

Oh, she bites :(

I had to do something this afternoon that I never had to do before.  I had to turn down a dog due to aggression.  The owner adopted this beautiful (60+ lb) Shepherd mix a month ago from the SPCA.  Since then, her new fur kid has been extremely protective of her and the apartment.  She did warn me about this ahead of time, so we decided to start the meet and greet outside and go for a walk.  She took treats, let me walk her, let me pet her, did her business, and seemed pretty relaxed.  We then went up to her apartment where she snapped at me once, and then again when I tried to touch her toy.  The second time was a bit worse.  I had to be honest and tell her that I was extremely apprehensive about walking the dog on my own, and of course she understood.  We discussed training, behavior issues, options, etc.  It's tough because I really like them, but can't put my limbs at risk.  The owner understands of course, but it is just a crappy situation for all parties to be in.  The dog has aggression issues, the owner can't have people in her apartment, and the potential walker is scared of the dog. I don't claim to be a behaviorist by any means, although I have learned some things along the way.  I hope that everything works out for the best....

Politics of Poop

I know that dog owners are all on same page about this.  The subject is poop.  I have literally discussed poop on a daily basis for probably the past 10 years.  It is a gross, but valid subject for dog owners as well as walkers.

Basically in the city you have a few options for dogs to do their business.  They can go on or around trees in the street, parks, dog parks, empty lots, or on the sidewalk.  Very few dogs will go on the sidewalk, so I usually leave that out.  If you take your dog to a regular park, you get dirty looks from those laying down in the grass.  You then avoid the people, and the kids, and pray that the dog goes in the designated spot away from people.  They then tell you that you should go to a dog park, but if you walk a dog aggressive dog that is impossible.  If you try to walk around the outskirts of a dog park, they don't want dogs there.  If you find some grassy area around new construction (not being used for anything), there are signs that it is "pet free." If you go by trees on the street, you get yelled at by the people who own the house behind the tree.  You can search for empty lots, but not only are they disappearing fast, they are full of garbage and broken glass.  Basically, our dogs are screwed because they aren't allowed anywhere!  Don't get me wrong, I do respect the flowers and signs asking you to keep your dogs out of private areas, but public parks?!  I consider them free game.

Let's say poop happens and you are carrying around a bag only to find that there are no trashcans.  You find one and there is a sign on it that says  "No dog waste".  You find another one and someone comes out of the store to tell you that you can't throw away dog poop in the trash!  They tell you to take it home.  I tell them that this isn't my dog, nor my home so I need a trash can.  I'm sorry, when did people get to dictate what trash goes in the trashcan??  This explains why people have stopped picking up after their dog OR they pick it up and then leave the bag of poop in the middle of the sidewalk.  Which is worse?  A poop covered city or smelly trash?

They don't make it easy, but we are figuring out ways to avoid the rules.  I feel bad sometimes, but I am in the business of making dogs happy.  They shall poop where they please and I shall pick it up.  :)

If you brought a golden retriever over to the middle east, the war would stop.

My title seems deceiving, however I have a point.  This is a bit after the fact, but I needed time to cool down a bit.  I was dog sitting in a highrise for a golden retriever for 8 days.  That consisted of 3-4 walks a day on top of sleeping there.  That means that I was on and off the elevator and in the lobby a minimum of 24 times (much too early to do the math).  Over the past year, there has been a huge influx of people from the Middle East that have moved into this building.  In their culture, dogs are not respected or treated as pets.  During those 24 times, I learned how much people from the middle east fear dogs.  Well, I use the word fear but it could also be loathe.  They are considered "unclean".  Here is an article discussing such disdain if you are interested in reading it:

By: Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl

Islamic discourses on the nature, and function of dogs are representative of a range of tensions regarding the roles of history, mythology, rationality, and modernity in Islam. In fact, the debates surrounding the avowed impurity of dogs, and the lawfulness of possessing or living with these animals were one of the main issues symbolizing the challenging dynamic between the revealed religious law, and the state of creation or nature. In addition, certain aspects of these debates pertained to the power dynamics of patriarchy, and more generally, the construction of social attitudes towards marginal elements in society.

In a fashion similar to European medieval folklore, black dogs, in particular, were viewed ominously in the Islamic tradition.[1] According to one tradition attributed to Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, black dogs are evil, or even devils, in animal form.[2] Although this report did reflect a part of pre-Islamic Arab mythology, it had a limited impact upon Islamic law. The vast majority of Muslim jurists considered this particular tradition to be falsely attributed to the Prophet, and therefore, apocryphal. Nevertheless, much of the Islamic discourse focused on a Prophetic report instructing that if a dog, regardless of the color, licks a container, the container must be washed seven times, with the sprinkling of dust[3] in one of the washings. Different versions of the same report specify that the container be washed once, three, or five times, or omit the reference to the sprinkling of dust. The essential point conveyed in these reports is that dogs are impure animals, or, at least, that their saliva is a contaminant that voids a Muslim’s ritual purity. Hostility to dogs, not just as a source of physical but moral impurity, are further expressed in Prophetic reports claiming that angels, as God’s agents of mercy and absolution, will not enter a home that has a dog,[4] or that the company of dogs voids a portion of a Muslim’s good deeds.[5] Cultural biases against dogs as a source of moral danger reach an extreme point in reports that claim that Prophet commanded Muslims not trade or deal in dogs,[6] and even to slaughter all dogs, except for those used in herding, farming, or hunting.[7]

These various anti-dogs reports expressed culturally engrained social anxieties about aspects of nature that were seen as threatening or unpredictable. In addition, discourses on dogs played a symbolic role in the attempts of pre-modern societies to explore the boundaries that differentiated human beings from animals. In that sense, the debates about dogs acted as a forum for negotiating not just the nature of dogs but also the nature of human beings. This is most apparent in traditions that create a symbolic nexus between marginalized elements in society, such as non-Muslims or women, and dogs. In some such traditions, it is claimed that the Prophet said that dogs, donkeys, women, and in some versions non-Muslims, if they pass in front of men in prayer, they will void or nullify that prayer.[8] Interestingly, early Muslim authorities, such as the Prophet’s wife Aisha, strongly protested this symbolic association between dogs and women because of its demeaning implications for women. As a result, most Muslim jurists ruled that this tradition is not authentic, and that the crossing of women in front of men does not negate their prayers.[9]

Despite the attribution to the Prophet of a large number of traditions hostile to dogs, for a variety of reasons, many pre-modern Muslim scholars challenged this orientation. The Qur’an, the divine book of Islam, does not condemn dogs as impure or evil. In addition, a large number of early reports, probably reflecting historical practice, contradicted the dog-hostile traditions. For instance, several reports indicated that the Prophet’s young cousins, and some of the companions owned puppies.[10] Other reports indicated that the Prophet prayed while a dog played in the vicinity.[11] In addition, there is considerable historical evidence that dogs roamed freely in Medina and even entered the Prophet’s mosque.[12] A particularly interesting tradition attributed to the Prophet asserted that a prostitute, and in some versions, a sinning man, secured their places in Heaven by saving the life of a dog dying of thirst in the desert.[13]

Most jurists rejected the traditions mandating the killing of dogs as fabrications because, they reasoned, such behavior would be wasteful of life. These jurists argued that there is a presumption prohibiting the destruction of nature, and mandating the honoring of all creation. Any part of creation or nature cannot be needlessly destroyed, and no life can be taken without compelling cause.[14] For the vast majority of jurists, since the consumption of dogs was strictly prohibited in Islam, there was no reason to slaughter dogs. Aside from the issue of killing dogs, Muslim jurists disagreed on the permissibility of owning dogs. A large number of jurists allowed the ownership of dogs for the purpose of serving human needs, such as herding, farming, hunting, or protection. They also prohibited the ownership of dogs for frivolous reasons, such as enjoying their appearance or out a desire to show off.[15] Some scholars rationalized this determination by arguing that dogs endanger the safety of neighbors and travelers.[16] For the majority of jurists, however, the pertinent issue was not whether it was lawful to own dogs, but the avowed impurity of dogs. The majority contended that the pivotal issue is whether the bodies and saliva of dogs are pure or not. If dogs are in fact impure then they cannot be owned unless there is a serious need for doing so.[17]

As to the issue of purity, the main point of contention was as to whether there is a rational basis for the command to wash a container if touched or licked by a dog.[18] The majority of jurists held that there is no rational basis for this command, and that dogs, like pigs, must be considered impure simply as a matter of deference to the religious text. A sizeable number of jurists, however, disagreed with this position. Jurists, particularly from the Maliki school of thought, argued that everything found in nature is presumed to be pure unless proven otherwise, either through experience or text.[19] Ruling that the traditions mentioned above are not of sufficient reliability or authenticity so as to overcome the presumption of purity, they argued that dogs are pure animals. Accordingly, they maintained that dogs do not void a Muslim’s prayer or ritual purity.[20] Other jurists argued that the command mandating that a vessel be washed a number of times was intended as a precautionary health measure. These jurists argued that the Prophet’s tradition on this issue was intended to apply only to dogs at risk of being infected by the rabies virus. Hence, if a dog is not a possible carrier of rabies, it is presumed to be pure.[21] A small number of jurists carried this logic further in arguing that rural dogs are pure, while urban dogs are impure because urban dogs often consume human garbage.[22] Another group of jurists argued that the purity of dogs turn on their domesticity—domestic dogs are considered pure because human beings feed and clean them, while dogs that live in the wild or on the streets of a city could be carriers of disease, and therefore, they are considered impure.[23] It is clear from the evolution of these discourses that as nature became more susceptible to rational understanding, complex and potentially dangerous creatures, such as dogs, became less threatening for Muslim jurists.

Aside from the legal discourses, dogs occupied an elusive position in Muslim culture. On the one hand, in Arabic literature dogs were often portrayed as a symbol of highly esteemed virtues such as self-sacrifice and loyalty. For example, Ibn Al-Marzuban wrote a fascinating treatise titled, The Book of the Superiority of Dogs Over Many of Those Who Wear Clothes, which contrasts the loyalty and faithfulness of dogs to the treachery and fickleness of human beings. Dogs were also widely used for protection, sheep herding, and hunting. On the other hand, dogs were often portrayed as an oppressive instrument in the hands of despotic and unjust rulers. Similar to the medieval European practice, in the pre-modern Middle East region, as an expression of contempt or deprecation, at times dogs were hung or buried with the corpses of dissidents or rebels.[24] Furthermore, in popular culture, unlike cats, dogs were considered filthy or impure animals that ought not share the living space of the pious or religiously observant. This cultural anti-dog prejudice survived into modern times, and as a result, the ownership of dogs continues to be socially frowned upon. In the contemporary Muslim world, dog ownership is common only among Bedouins, law enforcement, and the Westernized higher classes. As a matter of fact, it is rather striking that, to a very large extent, modern Muslims are unaware of the pre-modern juristic determinations that vindicated the purity of dogs. Nevertheless, this in itself is a measure of the ambiguous fortunes of the dynamics between Islamic law and nature in modernity. In the pre-modern age, Islamic law evolved in near proportion to the advances achieved in the human knowledge of nature. But as the institutions of Islamic law were deconstructed by European Colonialism, and with the rise of puritanical movements in contemporary Islam, Islamic jurisprudence has ceased to be a forum for creative thinking or dynamic interactions with the vastness of nature.


Even if you just skimmed it ,you get the picture.  Dogs are the enemy basically.  What baffles me is that these haters of dogs move into a dog friendly building and then either look at you with disgust in their face when you walk by with a dog or cower in fear OR slam themselves up against a wall when you get off the elevator and try to play a disappearing act.  It is not only stressful for me and the dog, but stressful for them!  I was refused entry on an elevator while standing with another lady and her dog by a man who just put his hands up and started yelling, "No! NO, no no no!" I had to deal with this on every walk and it got to a point where I snapped on 2 young guys at the front desk.  I can fully appreciate different cultures and what they accept as normal, but I say it once again.  YOU MOVED INTO A DOG FRIENDLY BUILDING! If you hate animals, then move into a building that doesn't allow animals!  I may not understand it, but I accept it.  The overly friendly golden retriever that I was taking care of did not understand it and seemed a bit put off.  The most heartwarming part of my stay was on the last day.  We were headed out for out afternoon walk when in the long hall we passed 2 girlfriends that obviously hadn't seen eachother in ages.  They ran to eachother and they were hugging and talking and just bound together in joyful embrace.  The dog literally stopped next to them and wouldn't move until they acknowledged him.  (awkward for me)  They were so happy they both hugged him and he just joined in with their rejoicing!  I got teary, I'm not gonna lie.  At that moment, I thought to myself, "This is the dog that people have feared for the past 8 days?  The dog that just wants to hug strangers who are so happy?"  It's a mad world...