Even MORE Unexpected Surprises

Finally a cool and breezy morning!  It was GLORIOUS to walk around to my morning visits.  Since it was a pretty light day, I got to spend some extra time at each house and meander around the streets taking in the fall like Sunday.  Then around 10 am I arrived at a cat visit in a high rise.  I had planned on killing some time there until my next dog at 11.  I walked in the door and was greeted by both cats, starving as usual.  I said my hellos, grabbed their canned food and headed to their bowls.  I emptied the first can into the first bowl and munching ensued. Then I went to grab the other can and noticed the other cat on the floor on his side stretching.  I immediately hit the floor with him saying his name and he was not responding.  His eyes were fixed and he stretched his legs out, made an odd facial expression, and then just relaxed.  He was having a heart attack right there in my lap and there was nothing that could be done.  Although it probably lasted about 10 seconds, it felt like 10 minutes.  I called the owner, no answer.  I called my husband to come and get me so that we could run him to the vet just to make sure, but I knew there was nothing I could do.  There was no carrier visible so I wrapped him in a towel and we took him to the vet that confirmed he had indeed passed.  I left 3 messages for the owner because I didn't know what she wanted to do, all the while trying to hold back tears.  I loved this cat - he was one of my favorites.  He did have cardiac issues and had been on heart medication for years. This cat was like a dog.  He was big and gray, with huge paws.  He learned tricks on command, he took his pills in peanut butter (forcefully), and he had a voracious appetite at all times.  He was a handsome devil and I will miss him terribly.  It's funny about animals dying from a heart attack.  It is so sudden and unexpected, but it is also so quick.  There is virtually no suffering, which is the only comforting factor. I'm glad that I was there so that he was not alone, but I hate that I was there because I had to watch a cat friend leave this earth before his time.  He should have lived to be 20 to become a cranky old man cat that walked with a limp and demanded his peanut butter by shaking his cat walker at me.  I am devastated, as is the owner.  There are no words to truly describe what I felt today. He will be missed and my heart goes out to his human mom and cat brother.

                                                R.I.P. Patrick - you were one amazing cat

After we left the vet, I wanted to cancel all my other visits and hide.  Since that was impossible, I had to head to the next dog walk and luckily Mike was willing to help me out with his car.  I took the dog out, we went for a nice walk in the cemetery (I guess that was appropriate), I get back to his car and the battery is dead.  Fucking great!  He called AAA and there was a "higher than normal wait time."  While he was waiting on hold, I got on facebook to ask if anyone was nearby that could give us a jump.  Thank God for social media - an old friend who I haven't seen ages was nearby and said he would jump us.  Perfect!  While we were waiting, 3 different people stopped to ask if we needed a jump.  We said thank you, but someone is on the way.  He pulls up and the jumper cables that were usually in his car were not there, so he went to go home to find them.  Two minutes later a guy pulls up with an SUV full of kids and asks if we need a jump.  We told him yes.  He said, "I have cables, but I don't have the time."  He lived down the street so he lent us the cables and said to just leave them in his driveway when we were done. (How about that??)  So we called my friend back to flip around and we got the car going.  Phew!

We got home, emotionally drained, and we rested for a little bit until I had to go back out for a few more visits.  Mike said that he would drive me.  I got back into the car and notice that he his holding a broken mirror. (Seriously??!!!) Apparently while I was walking the first dog, a truck drove by him and hit his sideview mirror. It shattered and flew down the street. The guy DID stop and apologize and gave him money to replace it.  Could the day get any worse?

We then headed to another high rise for a cat visit and the front desk couldn't find the key to the apartment.  It SHOULD have been there, I returned it last night. So then I had to go upstairs and wait for maintenance
 to let me in.  He found me sitting on the floor by her door with my knees under my chin.

So there you go, death does come in 3's.  The cat, the battery, the mirror.  I am drained physically.  I am drained emotionally.  All I want to do is watch Netflix in the dark and sleep.  Today was literally "One of those days"

Expect the Unexpected

I had the same dogs for a lunch and dinner visit today.  I went there at 1 pm and all was normal.  I went back at 5 and saw that the one dog came out of the crate with her fur all wet on her torso.  Upon closer inspection, I saw that she had chewed a chunk of fur off and had been chewing her itchy skin for the past 4 hours.  Sigh....

I called the owner to see if she had any topical ointment or an e-collar.  She did not, so I ran her over to the vet (1 block away) to get an e-collar and attempt to get some ointment.  If she chewed on herself for the rest of the night,  she would probably end up  needing oral antibiotics.  Even though I was the annoying client that I always complained about just walking in and asking for meds, she got what she needed and will  hopefully have a more comfortable evening.  Much thanks to QVAH for helping me out yet again!

Loss of a Client

A little over 2 weeks ago I lost one of my favorite human clients to cancer.  Her name was Vera and she was an incredible woman. She wasn't technically my client, but more like a grandmother figure/friend (She was in her early 80's) Picture Magda from Sex and the City - that is the best way to describe her. She was the mother of my actual client who would stay at the apartment with their cat when they went on trips.  The cat had a rough go of it and I was originally hired to medicate the cat while they were away.  This poor cat had 2 blood transfusions (among other things ) and needed a lot of medication in the beginning.  I would give the cat her meds and stay to chat with her afterwards.  After a while the cat was off meds and I would just go to check in and clean the litterbox when the owners were on vacation.  Her daughter made sure that I didn't let her touch the litter since she was getting treated for cancer and her immune system was weaker.  It became a check on the cat and my mother situation (although it was never really said) .

I loved spending time there and chatting with her.  She would tell me stories about growing up in Serbia.  She loved cats and on occasion would sneak kittens home in her coat,.  One time she took one from someones window - he mother made her return it.  We would talk about traveling, how it was stupid that the Dorchester didn't allow cats but people still snuck them in there, food (she loved Chinese food and really good bread).  She would always pay close attention to what I was saying and refer back the next time that I saw her, even if it was 3 months later. She always asked about Mike and my parents even though she never met them. I showed her pictures of my cats and kittens that I would foster and she would ooh and ahh over them.  Last Christmas I found a candle that smelled like fresh bread and dropped it off to her in her building!

Her daughter and son in law live in a beautiful apartment but the electronics are very high tech.  Almost every time they went away she got the TV to turn on and she would watch her tennis, but then the TV wouldn't shut off.  Or the picture shut off and not the sound.  And the volume got stuck so she would try to sleep with the TV blaring sports in the next room.  This kept happening and she never learned how to use it properly.  I tried to figure it out and I may as well have been on a spaceship. That TV system drove her nuts!  And there are also a ton of beautiful orchids in the apartment that she would have to care for and water.  She loved the orchids, but watering them took the whole day for her and was so tedious.  She always made a face, but did it anyway for her daughter.

As she got weaker, she still refused to ask for help.  She was so strong and so proud and would only ask me to get things that were too high up on the shelf. She was independent and stubborn - always saying "I don't know why you have to be here, I tell her I can do myself. I do like to see you dear Debbie, but I can do." She knew that her daughter needed her and she said that she has to be strong for her.  She endured so many transfusions and cancer treatments and this last one made her feel awful.  She lost her appetite along with her hair and her pink cheeks.  I brought her a loaf from Sarcones to try to get her to eat and she tried to make me promise that her daughter would reimburse me for it!  I said, "No way!"  She said, "Debbie, be good girl, let her give you  money."  I told her that if I want to spend $2.50 on a loaf of bread for her, I have the right to do that.  Boy did she fight me on that!  (literally, for about 30 minutes)

The last time I saw her she was telling me about people that she was meeting at Fox Chase Cancer Center.  She said she met a woman with a very sweet husband and the woman said to her, "My husband is wonderful. He is so nice and so sweet and I am a bitch!" Vera was taken aback and told her, "No... no, you're not a bitch."  And the woman said, "No, I really am, and he is so nice."  She told me this story and couldn't believe that the woman saw herself like that.  So Vera's last words to me as I was leaving the apartment were this, "Oh my Dear Debbie.  You be good girl.  Don't be a bitch!"  I kind of love that those were her last words to me.

A few weeks later I went over there for a nail trim and no one mentioned her.  A month later I went for another nail trim and her daughter told me that she was there in the apartment for about 6 weeks.  They had stopped treatment.  She was there for the previous nail trim, but didn't want me to know because she didn't want to get into goodbyes.  Then that day it was too late.She couldn't really see or hear and was just in bed.  I know her and I know that she wouldn't have wanted me to see her like that, but it was tough being that and not even being able to say goodbye or hug her.  About 2 weeks later she passed away.  I'm beyond grateful that I got to know her as well as I did.  Not only did I learn a lot about her and her family history, but I learned alot about the love a mother has for her daughter. I miss her and going to that apartment will never be the same for me ever again.  I'm sure there will be tears, but I know that she will be there with me saying, "Mish Mish, Debbie will kiss you now."  R.I.P. Vera, you were an incredible woman.  You will be missed by many and I hope to one day hug you again.

Retract This Contraption!

I came across this picture yesterday and it was so ironic because I was going to do a blog post on this very subject!

I loathe retractable leashes.  Here's why:
*They always stick when you are trying to pull the dog back
*You cannot grip them the way you would need to if something emergent happened (dog attack, hit by car, crazy child running towards dog)  You need a leash to be able to wrap around your wrist so that dog cannot go anywhere
*If your hands sweat, gripping plastic doesn't work.  You WILL drop the holder and the dog COULD run
*The dog can grab the plastic handle out of your hand with it's teeth and take off (happened to me)  This could not happen with a leash
*They can figure out if they run fast enough and the lead isn't in a locked position, it will get to the end and snap - there goes your dog
*If the lock doesn't work properly on it (and it never does) and you need to pull them back quicker by pulling the rope, you will get rope  burn and it will slice up your hands (again, happened to me)

They may be great in a field, but not on city streets - trust me.  I always hope for another option and cringe when all I see is the retractable.

These should be banned, but since they are not - make good choices!!  :)

Sometimes I Really Hate People #1

Tonight is trash night.  I was leaving a cat job today with a full bag of dirty litter, and that was it for trash.  Sometimes on a bog street the trash folks "overlook" 1 small bag of trash so I usually put it with someone else's. Their next door neighbor (older guy, late 60's/early 70's) had HIS trash out at the time so I said, "Do you mind if I put this bag with your trash?  I don't want the trash guys to miss it because it's small."  He looks at it and me and goes, "What is it?"  and I said, "Their trash (pointing to the house next door)." He says, "Is that cat litter?" I told him it was, and his response? "Well you can't put it in the recycling bucket."  And I said, "I know, I just wanted to place it next to your trash bag so that they will take it." He then says, "Oh, I don't go for that."  I looked at him puzzled.  Could he really be telling me NOT to put my small bag of trash next to his?  He says, "Well what happens if someone rips it open?"  At that point I just said, "You know what?! I'll just take it with me!" and walked off in a huff.  Seriously??  What if HIS trash bag is ripped open? Perhaps by me.....

Yesterday I walked to a trashcan in a small parking lot next to a building that I pass by every day.  I had 2 poop bags with me and a ride that came to pick me up right then.  I am walking towards the trashcan and a woman waiting at the door says, "Do you mind if i ask you what you are doing?"   I replied, " I'm going to the trashcan to throw this away."  She then proceeds to tell me that she'd rather I not throw away my trash in their trashcan.  That it is a "private" trashcan and the city doesn't deal with it.  They have to empty it.  She was being calm and asking nicely, so I said, "Ok, I understand that, but I have a ride waiting for me right over there and I am right here (holding poop) - can I just throw this away right now?"  She says, "I'd really rather you not..."  Again, my reply was to walk away in a huff and take 2 poop bags with me in the car.  

I later find out that this private trash can is for the Women of Hope building.  Um.... you are helping women all over the city but I can't use your trashcan in your parking lot? ?  

I am a woman, and I HOPE this doesn't happen again.  I hope to throw away my TRASH in their TRASHCAN. 

This rant is brought to you by 2 revelations.  People without animals are awful to people with animals and this city needs more trashcans!!

A Crazy Man, His Crazy Wife, A Few Neighbors, and the Police

I have to take a deep breath before writing this.  I toyed with not blogging about this particular situation because I not only does it bring up anxiety in me, but some of you may not look at me in such a favorable light after reading it.  I will preface this story by stating that I am a human with an anxiety disorder.  I am prone to panic attacks (always have been) and a lot of my anxiety stems from being stifled and holding things in.  The other part is just chemical.  It comes on with no warning and I just have to deal with it.  This is a big reason for this blog.  I have things in me that I can get out on paper (figuratively) and them it's not so much "in me", but "out there."  So here we go.

I have been walking a particular dog down a particular street roughly three times a week for about 6 months. I'll give you a mental picture.  There is a line of newly constructed townhouses. Then behind those there is a common driveway and another line of newly constructed townhouses.  They were all built right around the same time (same developer, same design, etc) , so I had always assumed that they were affiliated.  The dog lives in one of the houses on the one and he likes to walk around the corner where it's quiet and do his business.  He always pees at the very front of the common driveway and poops at the end.  I pick it up and we are on our way.  We have been doing this for 6 months, and on Friday some lunatic man comes charging out of his house screaming at me.  Literally screaming at the top of his lungs "This is private property!!! You need to leave!  Don't walk your fucking dog here! "  Then his lunatic wife comes out right behind him and joins in the screaming.  "It's fucking private property! You can't be here!" They are yelling so loud and won't let me get a word in.  So there I was , standing in a common driveway about 10 feet from his front door with a dog getting yelled at.  Of course my first reaction is to yell back , and it went something like, "Whoa!!!  There is NO sign that says this is private property.  The dog lives right here (and I point)"  They respond even louder "This is fucking private property!!  There doesn't need to be a sign, I'm telling you to fucking leave!"

I will segue into this statement.  If I had a nickel for every time someone in South Philly tried to tell me that something was private property when it wasn't, I'd be rich.  For example, the bitch on Kimball who said that the street and sidewalk behind the business across the street from her house was private and a dog couldn't walk there, the bitch on Christian in the section 8 housing that said the tree across the street from her house was private and to "walk my fucking dog somewhere else", the bitch on Carpenter who said the tree and the sidewalk were private and kids play there so I can't walk a dog past (just to name a few)  So when someone just starts yelling at me using the phrase "Private Property" and there is no indication that is IS private, I stand my ground.  There was no sign, no gate, no rope....nothing.

Anyway, he continues to throw a tantrum that I am standing there and after telling me that I'm lucky I'm not a guy because he would have punched me by now - he says he is going to call the cops.  I told him to go ahead and he said, "Oh! She thinks I"m bluffing!  Ok, fine!!"
So he calls the cops (again, I am standing still in a common driveway with a dog not bothering anything) and this is what he says when they pick up:    "Yeah, I'm calling because there is a girl who CLAIMS she is a dog walker and she is on my property and refuses to leave. She is trespassing on my property!"
 I hear this and yell "I'm in the driveway!!!!!"    So I decided to call as well because this crazy man ran who I have never seen before ran out of his house and verbally attacked and threatened me.  We are both waiting for police, then EVERY ONE OF HIS NEIGHBORS COMES OUT.  They all gang up on me like I'm the high school geek that showed up to a popular party.  Snotty remarks "Why don't you just leave?" "Why don't you just go? He told you it was private property! Just leave!!"  

I'm trying to explain to these people that there is NO sign anywhere stating that this is private, so how am I supposed to know?  They all say that there doesn't need to be one - and the one lady who HAD a dog (that she let come out off leash) gets all heated with me and says "Well I guess I should just go inside and make a sign that says private property then!  I guess I should go get some crayons and just make a sign! (throwing her hands up in the air) "  And I said, "Yeah, maybe you should!  How is anyone supposed to know??  "

Then a female cop comes over, hearing the commotion and tries to help.  Lunatic man immediately starts running his mouth and pointing his finger "This is private property and she won't leave!!!"  And the officer said, "Whoa! Sir, calm down!  Did you call the police then?" And he said yes, we were waiting for them to come.  She said that she was just coming from court and she was off duty, she just came over because she saw this guy going crazy and ganging up on me.  HE acted like a maniac in front of the cop (which was what I was hoping) and I was just calm trying to explain that this dog is skiddish with loud noises and construction and there are no signs stating that this was private property, plus the dog lives 2 feet away.  But that there was no need to attack me for walking down a common driveway that is fully open to a main street.  She listened to them all bitch like children and then walked me out of there.  First thing out of her mouth was , "It was 6 against 1 over there, you know YOU can call the cops too!"  I told her that I did, we were just waiting.  And since she had a brain we talked for about 10 minutes.  I explained the situation and asked the real question.  How is someone to know where to go and what is private if there are no signs telling you anything?  She said she understood and it's tricky and that people are SO territorial in South Philly that you never REALLY know without a sign. I told her that no matter where I go, all day long I get yelled at for walking a dog near something, so this is nothing new - but people have never treated me this badly.  She said she understood and that guy was insane and to just not go back because she doesn't know what he is capable of.  Of course I agree and it sucks that this dogs safe pee spot is taken away - but I had to get to the bottom of all of this.

I immediately went home and researched the property.  It turns out that the 2 sets of new construction are not related at all, other than having the same developer.  The houses in question have an HOA and that common driveway is maintained by the HOA.  So here you go.  You have a common driveway with a line of houses, each with their own carport. It is open to a main numbered with no gate or fence.  There are no signs that say NO TRESPASSING or PRIVATE PROPERTY,  but the residents come out like they are persecuting you for witchery in 1692 just for walking with a dog down there!  PUT UP A SIGN!!!!  If I saw a sign, I would have never set foot on their blacktop.    They have a youtube channel for their security camera and there is 1 video posted from January 2015 of 2 trashy women (1 eating takeout as she is walking down the driveway) and they tried to break in to a few of those houses.  Um.... 2 women try to break in to your houses in January and no one is there causing a ruckus yelling but I walk a dog by your house and I get treated like a criminal??!!  And why is it that there were attempted robberies in January, but in July there is still no sign saying no trespassing???  Or a gate put up??  What are HOA fees for??  

To summarize this tale, I will give you this.
Dog walked in same route for 6+ months
Out of nowhere, it is suddenly a crime and I am yelled at by someone I have never even seen before
Cops called - broken up because man is  a lunatic but the cop couldn't even agree that is was private because THERE WAS NO SIGN
Dog walker angry and shit outta luck with this dog finding another quiet pee spot


My main gripe is that if you don't want someone on your property, proper signage is KEY.  Then if someone is there, you just point to it and call the police because you do have a leg to stand on.  I wasn't trying to cause I riot, I wasn't going to have a fist fight, I wasn't refusing to leave like a sit in - I was just simply standing up for myself.  I am a tough bitch and if some crazy man and his wife come out of a house and just yell at me to leave when I am not causing a bit of trouble , I am NOT the type of person to run away or just hang my head down low and say "Ooookkkk" and saunter off.  That is not me.  If you can't be civilized with me and ask me nicely, then I am sticking around to try to explain my side. If you don't want to hear it and you won't calm down, cops are being called and THEY will listen to my side.  It's a matter of human decency.  You can't just treat a complete stranger like that with no backlash.  The whole thing is recorded and I would LOVE to see it.  That guy should have been cited for harassment and threatening a female that was simply trying to do her job, but he wasn't.  Karma will get him, and if he can get worked up like that over dog 10 feet from his house, I imagine a real fight is likely in the near future with some guy who WILL punch him.  And I hope he punches him hard enough to knock some sense into his brain, because no one should have to live with that much anger inside.

PS)  They put a sign up on the back fence 2 days later.  Ironic thing is, you can't see it from the street and you HAVE to walk all the way down the driveway to read it.  Looks like someone else is getting yelled at in the near future.  But honestly, I'm satisfied.  All I wanted was a sign.

Bicycle Troll

Terry and I were walking down 7th st with a Pitbull and a Shepherd when we see a guy on a bike crash into a parked car.  I heard a crash, a thud, and them him screaming at the top of his lungs, "Fuuuuuuccckkk!!!!!!!"  I immediately think that he is broken somewhere with the blood curdling scream.   So we stop and I see him get up. The conversation went like this:
 Me: "Hey, are you ok??"
 Him: "Fuuccckkk!!! That was a $700 bike!  I don't have the money to fucking fix that!!!"
Me: "Yeah, but are YOU Ok?"
Him: (random screams and cursing and throwing the bike around. full blown adult tantrum)
Me: "Do you need me to call someone? Do you need an ambulance? "  (the shepherd is growling at him at this point)
Him : (more yelling and getting back on the sidewalk towards me AND the growling dog)

At this point we walk away.  I guess he is made of rubber and more concerned with the bike.  So we turn the corner and he comes up behind us about 5 minutes later and yells , "YO! You got a screwdriver??"  I of course don't bring my tool set on dog walks, so my answer was no.  He then turns toward the parking lot and yells at a man IN a car "Yo buddy! You got a screwdriver??"  The guy drives away and he just yells, DICK!!!!"

I look at him and say "There are 3 different business right here, I'm sure someone has .." and before I could finish my sentence another neighborhood guy walks out of the restaurant and he asked him for a screwdriver.  I believe that guy helped him because we saw this bike guy riding around the neighborhood for the rest of the day.  I don't know if he was drunk, or high, or jut stupid and mean, but I would rather not see his screwed up face on a daily basis. Dude is a loose cannon ready to pop.

KITTENS!

I have a litter of 5 kittens that I am fostering.  They all need homes.  They were born in a backyard in South Philly and the owners of the house were supposed to foster them but backed out at the last minute because they never owned an animal.  My client went to go help trap them and she ended up with them because these people just turned their backs.  She is going away tomorrow and had nowhere for them to go(plus her house a construction zone from water damage)  So I took them.  They have fleas.  They have giardia (and I assume other parasites). And they have ringworm.  They smell, the are little poop machines, and they eat everything I put in their faces.  They are also ADORABLE!  They are super sweet, super playful, and they are troopers for all of their treatments and medications.   They would be a wonderful friend to a person or current animal - please adopt them!  They are about 7 weeks right now - won't be ready for a few weeks as the ringworm has to clear up.  3 boys and 2 girls.  Share with friends and pet owners!

Nasty Neighbors Are A Nuisance To Normals

There is a local website that is set up by neighborhood to give people links to local events, neighborhood news, referrals for local businesses, etc.  I have been on this site for over a year.  I posted my business on there about a year ago and decided to do it again in the beginning of June.  Since many of my clients are on this site as well, they commented under my posting to sing my praises!  How wonderful!

However in every group, there is a bad apple. This particular bad apple will remain nameless right now.  Actually no, lets call him FF (Stands for Fuck Face)  So, FF gets on to my posting and begins to shame people for referring me.  He first states that I am in the wrong section.  He then says that I should contact the site to be commercial.  He THEN tells people to stop publicly referring me, that they can do so in private messaging.  He told me that I had enough praise and that I should just take the posting down.  This went on for DAYS.  My clients (and even people that I didn't know) immediately came to my defense!  They stated that that was what this site was for! (True)  And that they had every right to tell people how happy they are with my services. (Also true)  We went back and forth. I tried to stay out of it, but I finally had to speak up.  I sent FF a private message asking him to stop harassing me and my clients. I asked him why he cared in the first place.  I asked, "What's it to you if I post on here?  Why do you care how people respond when it is all positive?"  I asked him to refrain from any more comments and to just ignore me.  Well, he didn't.  Things escalated and he started an argument with another neighbor on there under my business posting!  How inappropriate!  Then FF had MY postings flagged!  I was receiving emails from complete strangers telling me what an ass FF was and to just ignore him.  They said that he is a hated man who thinks he knows it all.  That he has way too much time on his hands and wants to control everything.

Given all of this information, I could not be stifled any longer.  I decided to tell FF off under my posting just long enough for him to see it and then close the entire thread.  I don't remember exactly what I said word for word, but it was something along the lines of "This is bordering on harassment.  You are not my boss or my father or the moderator or this site so you have NO right to tell me what I can and cannot post."  There may have been a few more expletives in there .... it was warranted, believe me.

A few weeks went by (this was around the first week in June).  My schedule was busy, I wasn't checking emails that were not work related , and then yesterday I received a letter in the mail from L&I  (License & Inspection for those of you not in Philly)  It stated that They came to my home to do a property investigation and that I was being cited a property violation because I was operating a business without a Commercial Activity License.  I read this letter about 6 times to make sure that I understood.  They stated that I could appeal, but I would have to print out an appeal form and hand deliver it to Broad and JFK within 30 days. I immediately called, but the office was closed.  I emailed the investigator and explained the situation.  The more I thought about it, the more this seemed to be the work of FF.  Why would the city come after me out of nowhere? Especially since I have been a registered business since 2010?

I emailed my contact who knows FF (and his partner) and asked if he thought that FF would do something like this.  His reply was "Absolutely. I put nothing past him."  Sigh....  I then saw that he had me kicked off of the neighborhood website.

So this morning I called L&I to inquire about this letter.  I was informed that someone made a complaint that I was operating a business out of my home without a license and that is why they investigated.  I asked if they could tell me who made the complaint.  Her reply was, "I don't know who it was.  YOU would have a better idea than I would of who would do this."  The ONLY person that I could think of was FF.  The timing of the complaint coincides with our spat on the stupid website about my offering pet sitting services. So I asked her why I was in violation.  She said, "Because you don't have a business privilege license."  And I said, "But I DO have a business privilege license!" And she seemed surprised and said, "Well fax me your license number and this all goes away."  So I did.  And it did.  The one thing that did not go away is FF.  I have no beef with anyone else.  No one else would do this to me.  Not my neighbors, not my clients, no one except for this South Philly psycho with too much time on his hands.  This man literally tried to disrupt my life and business because he didn't like my business posting on a neighborhood website and I wouldn't let him have control of the situation.  Karma is a bitch and FF will get his - that I am sure of.  From what I hear he has a line of enemies just waiting to pounce.   I am in the back of that line just waiting to see what happens next.

This is how I envision FF in my mind (even though I know his name and his face)

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.