Yesterday I was walking a dog through the park/playground around 11am.  I keep forgetting that schools have started back up.  I am used to the line of kids walking hand-in-hand or attached to a long rope so as not to lose each other.  What I wasn't prepared for was the interaction.  The dog had decided to take a rest and lay by a tree.  The tree just happened to be next to the exit and fence.  I had an entire preschool class, probably 15-20 kids, waiving and yelling, "Bye doggie!!!!"  It was cute for the first 30 seconds.  Then they all started barking.  So here I am with a dog that doesn't want to walk, being barked at by 20 little kids as they slowly walk by with their little legs.  Nothing I can really do but wait.... and hope that no one sees this.

I then head over to South St, pondering the question of going to the right to get tokens, or to the left and head towards cats.  I go one way, then turn around into this girl (in her 20's I guess?) who asks me where she can go for breakfast.  I ask her what kind of breakfast she wants, thinking of all the great places I can let her in on.  She replies, "A hangover breakfast." So I ask if she wants to stay on South St, she says yes, and I started telling her that South St. Diner was really the only place during the week on the street.  I start pointing to 2nd st and telling her where it was, and she angrily cuts me off and goes, "Yeah, ok thanks!" and walks away!!  I know you are hung over on a Monday, but you asked MY advice.  Ugh! These people.

This day started out perfectly fine!  Beautiful weather, feeling good from dance last night.... I was walking with my head held high.  I turned the corner of my street and came upon a black cat walking across the street to one of my clients houses.  I think to myself, "well that's cute!  He is visiting." Then he walks inside! I get over there and see that the door is wide open, seems that there is work being done in the house.  I step in, look at the cat, and say, "What are you doing?" He turns around and leaves.  The odd thing is that I don't see the 2 dogs that live there.  I yell hello, but there is no answer.  I shut the door and call the owner to let him know what just happened, and that is the door is open again, he may come home to a black cat in his house.

The rest of the day is going smoothly, and then... THEN I go get one of my favorite dogs to walk.  We go on out normal route down Kimball.  He likes to visit the cats that live by the garden.  He stops almost at the end of the street and poops.  As I am reaching for a poop bag, this woman comes out of her house, hands up in the air, loudly sighing, and saying, "Oh come on!!!"  And I look over and say, "What?"  She says, "What do you think??!!" And I said, "Oh, that he pooped?  Don't worry, I'm picking it up." She said, "I know.  I've seen you before.  I have you on camera picking up the poop."  Um, whaa???  So then she goes into a rant of where I should walk him, and why don't I walk him behind CVS, and "don't make it a habit of walking him down here!"

  I'm proud of myself for remaining completely calm to her condescending tone, but I told her that I am a dog walker, and I pick up after my dogs which is more than most owners do around here.  And that this is a sweet older dog who pooped on city property.  I pick up and throw it away, there is no need to get mad.  Then she gets all snarky and tells me that that particular part of the pavement the poop was on was private property owned by that particular business.  There was a truck and an open garage door, so I said, "Oh!  Well, I can go in there and ask them if they mind me walking the dog on their property if I pick up after him."  She quickly said, "No don't, they won't mind.  I just want you to know it's private property."  So I ended by telling her that we live in a city full of dogs, they are doing no harm, and to have a nice day.  I did however walk away fuming and now feel compelled to walk him there EVERY SINGLE DAY just to piss her off for being such a bitch to me!  Why do people do this? How do they have so much time on their hands that they feel the need to hover at the door to scoff at passers by.  And how was my walking a dog down her street more annoying than the 2 pomeranians who bark incessantly out the window 2 doors down and the young guy drinking a 40 on his skateboard at noon?  But the quiet girl with the golden retriever gets a comment.  Ugh!!! 

Jasper.... oh Jasper....

Too cute for your own good!  And too sneaky!!!  This is a young cat who loves love, but even moreso, loves to run out the door and scare the hell out of me.  Thank god these people live in an apartment building and he just has the hallway, but the little bugger can fly out that front door without me knowing!  Then he takes off down the hall, I chase after him, he rolls on his back, I get to him, and then he takes off the other way.  It's like a ritual.  He tries to get on his dads chair lift and take a ride, he rolls on feet, and is just the sweetest thing ever.  He is lucky he is so cute.  Makes it much easier to tolerate his antics.

Just finished 2 of my "round 2" cats of the day.  By the time I got to Broad and Pine, I was sweaty and exhausted!  Back to the cat who I love and the mother who I love more.  Seeing them twice a day is a pleasure.  The cat has gotten MUCH better at taking her pills and now eats her liquid medication in a ball of food.  I draw up the medicine in a syringe while the cats grandmother makes a little "bowl of wet food" in her hand.  I squirt the medicine in, and then she folds the sides to make a meatball.  It's a team effort. :)

I caught a cab coming back home because I just couldn't bear to walk it again, and my cab driver was awesome!  Well, very nice and liked to talk.  He was Islamic and liked cats, but not dogs.  He told me a story of a time where he had a passenger in the cab, and they were stopped at a corner.  There was a woman standing there with a huge dog "like donkey" who proceeded to lean his head over through the drivers window and lick his face.  The driver freaks out, telling her to get the dog away because it is going to eat his face.  She tried to tell him the dog is friendly, he doesn't buy it.  No prior trauma, just doesn't like dogs.  But cat's are ok... because the prophets liked cats and let them sleep in their clothes.  Oh, and men need women.  And women need men to be queen.  It was an interesting ride....

There are houses that I feel completely comfortable in, however there is a piece of art or stuffed animal that just creeps me out.  I have not taken pictures over the years (I wish I had), and believe me, I am not out to offend anyone.  People are entitled to their own taste in household items.  They should know that I am easily creeped, especially by clowns. 

WORST MORNING EVER!!!!!

Let me start by saying that I have been doing an overnight job since Wednesday.  My little buddy and I have played and snuggled all night without any problems for almost 5 days. We weathered a bad thunderstorm, we watched TV, we read magazines, we filled a kong with peanut butter, it was a good time.  Last night was my last night sleeping there.  I was exhausted and hoped for a good night of sleep.  I did not get that.

I will preface this by saying that I sleep on the couch.  I am one of those people that needs to sleep with the TV on (I know I shouldn't), but especially in a strange house.  Most people's guest bedrooms do not have a TV, so I usually end up on a couch, which is fine with me.  So anyway, at about 2:30 a.m. I am awoken by loud quick knocking at the front door. I thought I was imagining it, but I looked at the dog who woke up as well. He proceeded to bark, and in my haze I see someone at the front door! I couldn't make out much, except for a red shirt, big hair, and 2 hands cupped. They have a leaded glass front door, but if you look close enough you can see right in.  That is what this person was doing!  I picked my head up, laid back down and tried not to move.  I must have fallen asleep again for a few minutes because I woke up to the same thing soon after! I am then saying to myself, "If they stay at this door I'm calling the cops." At this point I am just awake and peripherally watching the door and the front window for the next 2 hours.  I kept seeing people walk by, but no more knocking. Finally, both the dog and I fell back asleep and we woke up at 6:30 am.  Not much sleep.  I'm groggy and laying around until about 7 at which point I need the bathroom.  I figure my little man does too, so I ask if he wants to go out back and he runs to the door.  I walk out back with him and shut the door behind me so that the flies don't come in.  He does his business, I pick it up, I go to open the door and it's locked. Fuuuuucccckkkk!!!

So let me paint you a picture.  I am stuck with a dog at 7am in a back patio area with NOTHING on me.  No phone, no keys, no ideas.  So I try to push the door open, no luck.  There are fly bags held up by wire hangers, so I grab a hanger and see if I can pick the lock.  Again, no luck.  I stand on a chair to check other yards and there is NO ONE.  There is a back door that leads to an ally and then to the street.  I leave the dog in the yard, pull open the "door" to the street which was nailed shut, and hurry home.  There is no one around at all, and my worst case scenario is waiting outside my house until Mike goes to work.  Luckily I run into my neighbor/client right away and she lends me her phone.  I get Mike to open the door for me so that we can brainstorm and I can check to see if I have any phone numbers available of people who may have a spare key.  Nope! Everything is on my phone.  We got a ride back over to the clients house by my neighbors husband thinking we are either calling a locksmith or breaking the door.  The best I could do was e-mail the owners sister and ask her to call Mike's cell if she had a key.  She called, but had no key. I was about to have Mike break the back door and just pay for repairs.  There is no locksmith that will come before 8am!

Now we are back in the patio area.  I learned an important lesson.  When you have a fly trap bag, you do not set it down on a table.  They can get out that way, and fly goo comes out.  Then it smells like rotting death and there are black flies EVERYWHERE.  The dog is barking, I'm swatting flies and trying to get the bag hung back up so that they can go back in and Mike is trying to figure out a way into the house.  Standing there with the flies and the smell and the barking dog before 8am was awful, and he said he felt like he was in a level of hell.  Agreed! But we needed to get in.  There were 2 windows in the back off the 2nd floor landing.  One big and one tiny.  Mike climbs up onto the wall, then the landing/roof to see if either of the windows are open.  Of course the big one won't open, but the tiny one will.  Having quite a broad upper body, there was no way that he was fitting though.   So it was my turn to climb into the wall, then the landing.  I have no upper body strength (plus I was in shorts and flip flops), so Mike had to pull me up and drag me by my arms onto the landing. 

If you can't picture this, I have a 90's reference for you.  Remember the 90210 episode where Brandon and Dylan were hiking and one of them slips and almost drops off the mountain?  And whichever one is not falling pulls the other one up by the arms?  It was like that.  Then I had to squeeze myself through the window, diagonally.  I had to get my front half in, and Mike had to grab my legs while lifting my bottom half sideways  so that I could get through this narrow opening.  It worked! I ran downstairs to unlock the door while he climbed down.  Crisis averted...sort of.  I was mentally shaken and physically bruised and scratched.  He made it to work on time and I had to start my day.  I called the owner to explain what had happened and come to find out there is a spare key hidden out back!!  Figures.  Moral of the story is even when you are exhausted and lacking sleep, always make sure the door is unlocked when you go out back.  On a side note, Mike is my hero.

During the storm

kisses

 

anticipating kisses

Snuggles

Photo shoot a couple of weeks ago with 2 of my favorite fuzzballs who have moved.  I needed final hugs and pics!

Stanley has been another dog that has been resisting heat.  I don't blame him one bit!  We have been having some behavioral problems with him not walking in general.  After training sessions, great ideas (and great food bribes), we are seeing improvement!   What I have learned with him is that he gets anxious when his mind is not focused on something.  His brain needs to be challenged.  When he gets his leash on, he gets a treat.  We go outside and he puts the breaks on.  I get him to focus on a small treat.  I then throw it as far as I can and make it a game of "let's find it!".  he seems to respond to that! If I find it first I pick it back up.  If he finds it first he eats it. We do this maybe 2-3 times until he is walking well.  Then in between I have him sit and high five/give me paw every half block or so.  He gets a treat then too.  He seems to enjoy having a task and has been much better outside.  No barking.  No laying down.  I'm the treat gal! :)
I love my big Stan!

For the first few days it's a bit nicer out.  Still many visits, but not sweating AS much as I have been.  Yay! I can't wait for fall. I have been having trouble getting many of the bigger dogs out in the heat.  Shane is one is them.  He prefers to lay on the cold tile in the bathroom instead of going out for a walk.  There have been a few things that got him to get up and come downstairs:
#1 - The sound of me opening and eating a sandwich in the kitchen
#2 - A  REALLY good belly rub
#3 - Dancing!

I found out today that if I have my ipod on and I dance in front of him (with feeling), he gets right up and wants to join me!  He is my sweetest bear of a dog!

Shane down

Shane up

 

 

 

 

 

2 showers before noon :(   It is so muggy out!! 

This has been a tough week.  I am losing 2 great clients.  They are leaving the city and while I can't expect people to stay forever, I expect people to stay forever!!   My feeling is that my business is going to go through some changes in the near future.  Every time someone leaves the city, I panic and try to replace them with another client.

 I also had to tell a client yesterday that  I can no longer walk her dog due to the location of her new apartment.  I hated to do it, but when I have to cross Delaware Ave on foot (a death-defying act), it's time for them to find someone else.  It's like a break -up.  I love the dog and the client, I just have to create my boundaries and stick to them.  An hour ordeal is not worth the $15 that I would be making.  Sigh...

Here are the kids that I had to say goodbye to this week. 

They will all have new lives outside of the city.  I will miss them so much!!

So the reasons for my lack of writing include:
General busy-ness
Heat knocking me out and forcing me to nap
Trying to get life stuff done while getting work stuff done
Heat causing lazy afternoons

I am trying to get back into this as I have alot to say, I just don't always have the time to say it. 
A few weeks ago I could be considered the subcutaneous fluid queen!  There were 2 separate instances where I was needed for renal cats.  One was a family who was going on vacation.  They have an elderly cat who needs fluids every other day and their original sitter was not returning their calls.  I got a frantic call from someone stating that they only needed someone to give fluids.  The feeding/litter/cleaning was taken care of.  I felt so horrible that I agreed.  Turned out to be the sweetest old lady cat who was squirmy, but overall very good!!

Another client called me frantic because her cat was just diagnosed with renal failure (plus a host of other problems) and she had to give fluids at home.  She nearly passed out, was having panic attacks, and couldn't handle sticking the needle in.  After the first fluid visit, I went to teach her how to do it and hope that she stayed conscious.  She got a little woozy the first time watching me, but she is getting the hang of it now! Yay!

About a week later I had to watch her cats.  The sick one is on a special food, while the other cat is on her regular food.  They must be fed in separate rooms and kept away from eachother during meal times.  She had been leaving the special food out all day in efforts to get the sickie kid to eat more.  When I got there, the food was on the window sill in the bedroom and I saw something moving.  The cat jumped up and I said, "Aw, is there a little buggie in your food?" Turned out it was a swarm of ants that came in through the air conditioner unit and they were having a smorgasbord!  I hate swarms of insects, so I grabbed the bowl and ran to the bathroom, turned on the water, and tried to drown them all.  In the midst of this the cat is following me as if to say, "Hey! Where are you taking my food??"  We found a safe, bug-free spot to put the bowl and all was well.  The ants in this city are so demanding!!

Ants, bowl, whiskers

Ants: post food removal

Saturday was an interesting day in that it was kind of nice out, but all the crazies were out!  I bought a transpass this week for my many bus needs in this heat.  I would take the bus 3 blocks if it was coming, just because I could.  I was at 9th and Christian and saw the bus coming so I decided to take it to south.  While waiting, this guy who literally looks like a leprechaun asks if you were allowed to eat on the bus.  As I am answering him, I am staring at thick, curly, bush of hair coming out of each ear and can't help but wonder what his deal is.  He is maybe 5ft tall, small build, reddish curly hair, in his 50's, highish voice, and walked like Igor.  I told him that technically you are not supposed to eat on the bus, but that they really don't care.   He gets all excited and says, "You think I can get a lemonade??!!" I told him, "Sure."  He comes out of the corner store with a water ice.  He throws the spoon on a table as the bus approaches and tells me he is going to hide it! I told him he didn't need to, but he shoved the water ice in his grocery bag.  I see him on the bus sneaking licks all hunched over, not facing the driver.  Sigh...

One this particular bus are 2 VERY large black women from out of town completely done up and ready to go out.  They seem to be in their 30's with tons of makeup and jewelry.  They have skintight outfits on, no bra, mini skirt, and they are taking pictures of themselves and eachother while on the bus.  The driver is giving them a guided tour of 9th st.  Then one of them goes, "So what exactly IS a hoagie?" Sigh again.... we just passed Sarcones.  This trip is taking so much longer because the driver has to explain the origin of a hoagie, a cheesesteak, and every restaurant.  Now granted, they seemed like really fun ladies, but I had a date to pill a cat and was kind of in a rush.  Septa is always an adventure.

I made a trash mistake yesterday.  While doing an evening visit with a sick cat (diabetes, hyperthyroid, constipation, fluid buildup in the chest), I was to take the trash out.  The problem was that I wasn't told exactly where the trash went.  There are 2 different entrances to this house, so I picked the front entrance.  I was wrong.  I received a call from the owner today informing me of this and asking me when my trash day was.  I told her it was tonight, and she offered to drive me home if I would take the "bag of shit" and put it out in front of my house.  I had to medicate a cat a block away, how could I refuse? 

I get to her place, let myself in and I actually get to say, "I am here for the bag of shit." We laugh, we put it in her trunk, and she takes me home.  I am lucky enough to have my own cats shit in front of my house as well as 2 other cats that do not live with me.  Score! :)

I am trying to catch up, but I believe it was a week ago or so with that really odd storm that passed very quickly and was designated under this ONE big cloud.  I was walking a dog at the time. It was raining to my left, but not my right....  These are 3 pics that I look standing in one spot.  One pic towards the north, then east, then south.  It was mind boggling.

North

East

south

July has proven to be the hottest month yet that I have had to be outside working.  It really tests your stability, both mentally and physically.  At least I can take drink breaks and sit in the air.  These poor mailmen, trashmen, & construction workers are stuck outside!  I truly feel for them.

Most dogs didn't want anything to do with the outside today.  I don't blame them.  I had to basically bribe and drag Stanley out of the house this afternoon.  We peed and went right back

This weekend I am overnighting with Rufus again.  The last time was the weekend of July 4th.  It was so hot that I had the air on full blast while sleeping.  Poor kid must have been cold because he was being such a cuddlebug.

It's been too hot to write :(  Can't breathe out there!  I can't wait for fall, I can bet the dogs feel the same way.  Every time I come in to walk Shane, I find him hot and sprawled out on the cool tile.  Takes a bit to coerce him to go for a walk...

A funny thing though... While at a certain high rise building a week ago, I heard the phone ringing in the elevator.  I thought it was just the front desk guys screwing with me, but when I asked about it they said they have been having phone issues.  I assume it was happening alot, and given the amount of elderly people in that building, this is now posted in the elevator:

I can't even go into the ridiculousness that was this past holiday week.  Not only was it sweltering outside, but i was swamped EVERY DAY!  There were 4 days of overnights along with 20+ visits a day.  I am so wiped out I can barely function.  I need a vacation after everyone else took their vacations. Luckily I had the help of Terry, Mike, and my dad to get me through these visits. 

Where to begin... let's start with July 4th.  The day of fireworks, both amateur and professional.  For some dogs, this day is their worst nightmare.  Molly is one of these dogs.  This poor girl refused to go outside and was panting with her tail between her legs looking panicked.  I called her mom to try to find her sedatives.  What sucks is that they take a while to kick in, so she was in a variety of positions trying to calm herself down.  Nothing I did worked.  No petting, hugging, or talking, so I put on Beauty and the Beast on Netflix hoping that Walt Disney could soothe the savage beast. 

Panting in the kitchen post pill

Still panting....

Finding a hiding spot

REALLY hiding

Squishing into a ball

Attempting comfort

 

 

 

I hated leaving her like that!! Broke my heart, there was no consoling her though.  The next day she was completely back to normal.

Hot hot hot

Not enough hours in the day. Spending the night with my buddy Bella. Over 20 visits in this heat today, I nearly most my mind. Best thing I can do is find people watering plants with a hose and get them to spritz my legs.

It was too hot to watch fireworks outside last night - slept on a couch with a dog.  I woke up at 6:30, took this dog out, went to 2 cat houses and then headed home.  Sweating profusely already and it is only 8:20am.  Oh! and it's also going to get worse in the next 2 days.  Awesome!!

Here is my dilemma.  I am wearing the loosest outfit I can think of.  I do not want to take a bag, however I have 5 lbs of keys to take with me.  So I have to take a bag.  I need frozen water, non-frozen water, wallet, poop bags, sunblock, food... need a backpack and no bag! This is seriously the conversation that I have in my head in the mornings.  The answer is always the same.

Ugh, 97 degrees and over 20 visits today.  Can I hire myself a personal driver?

I love the quirky pets who have strange habits.  I spent the night with Bella, who is a pleasure, but very OCD.  She loves shoes!  I share in her love, however she loves to find them, make a pile, and then guard them.  She sleeps with them, she rests with them, she takes them to her bed.

 The first time I ever sat for her, she got through the gate to the second floor and took all of the shoes (from 3 people) downstairs and put them in a pile.  This is why she cannot be upstairs unattended.  Also, later in the day she locked herself in the bedroom and I had to get help un-doing the door to get her out.  She is such a love though, nudges with her nose me when she needs something