So you pulled the race card!

Some days it seems as though I walk around the city and angry people just take their inner crap out on me.  I don't walk down the street looking for fights or conflict.  I don't yell at strangers.  Well, that's not true.  I actually tend to yell at strangers daily, but it 98% of the time it is because they almost hit me with their car (STOP signs are not just a suggestion).

Lately I have had women pulling out the race card on me, for literally no reason.  I don't know if it is the political climate or how they feel about themselves and their life, or if they are used to being profiled....whatever the reason behind it, my advice is this:  If you want to pull the race card, someone better be saying or doing something that directly correlates to your race in a negative way.  I will not be that person doing such things.

Years ago I was bartending on South St. in a small bar and restrooms were for customers only.  These 2 underage girls walked in the front door, came up to the bar on a busy Saturday, and asked if we had a bathroom.  I said yes, but the bathrooms are for customers only.  I asked them if they wanted to buy a soda or fries or something. They said, "No! We just want to use the bathroom!"  I again repeated that they were for customers only.  They then got mad and yelled, "You just won't let us use the bathroom because we're black!!"  Totally caught me off guard!  I said, "Nooo..... I won't let you because you're not a customer, it has nothing to do with your race."  They caused a scene and we had to then kick them out.  This was about 10 years ago.

A few months ago I was walking 2 dogs past a bunch of houses on 5th st.  A few of those houses are Section 8 and the people who live there always sit in the car out in front of their house and talk on the phone.  I walk by this woman who I see all the time and she is in her car.... on the phone.... having a very loud conversation.  The one dog peed on the sidewalk next to a tree about 100+ feet from her house.  She LOSES IT on me.  Screaming at me FROM HER CAR (I assume because I was walking 2 big dogs)
"Well that's just great!!  What the fuck? Your dog just peed in front of my house!!  Why don't you let that dog pee at your own house??"
 I examined where we were and screamed back, " We are nowhere NEAR your house! The dog is peeing on a public sidewalk owned by the city! Relax, we are not near your house!"
She kept on yelling and it was just so ridiculous and I was tired and hungry, I just kept yelling back! I probably shouldn't have engaged, but if you're screaming at me, I have a really hard time just putting my head down and walking away.  At least at first.  So she kept on as we were continuing on our walk and the last thing she screamed was, "Walk your fucking dogs on another goddamn street you fucking CRACKER!"  Um.... yeah.  This is basically my neighbor.
Another male neighbor comes out of his door and is looking at me saying, "What's all the screaming? "  I told him that I am apparently a cracker because this woman didn't like that the dog peed on the sidewalk down the street from her house"  He told me he'd go talk to her and calm her down.  Made it about race and tried to offend me - all because a dog peed on the street.

More recently I had an incident happen before 8am!  I was walking a dog in South Philly where there are no trashcans.  I had a bag of poop in my hand and I was coming upon someones trash bag on the curb that was half open and had other poop and trash in it.  I walked over to it and put the bag of dog poop in that big trash bag.  The owner of the trash bag was apparently in her car that was parked right there and started screaming at me!  "Don't you throw that bag of poop in my trash!!! You take that home!  Throw it in your own trash!  Take it out!!"  This was 7:52 a.m.  So I said, "No, this is trash and I am putting it in the trash.  They are coming to pick up the trash the next day!  It's ok"  And there was another guy walking his dog that happened to come upon us.  He heard what was going on and had this fight himself so he stepped in and just told her to leave it alone and have a nice day.  She just would not shut up!!  I was not taking trash out of the trash bag to go find another trash bag - this bag was already out on the street and I was not the first OR the last to use it.  She started following me down the street in her car screaming at me for saying that I wouldn't take my poop bag and the guy was trying to just get her to go.  I realized that I should not engage with the crazy and just kept walking the dog - and she drove up directly next to me and yelled, "YOU RACIST BITCH!"  I looked straight at her and said, "I assure you that this has nothing to do race, I was throwing trash in a trash bag.  Have a nice day."  I then was shaking for stifiling my screaming and had to sit at my clients house and calm down.

Here is the thing - you can get mad at me for stupid things like dogs peeing and using your precious trash bag, but why bring race into it when this all really pertains to a dog?  I am not shouting racial slurs or tagging our property saying racially offensive things.  I AM WALKING A DOG!  It is my job!!! I have been yelled at for years by all races for the dogs peeing "near" someones house and only recently has it come to this.  Is it Trump related?  Just because I am white you think I must have voted for him and feel the same way?  Is it just lashing out because you had a crappy day and that is your go to insult?  I really don't get it - and it's sad.  I mean really sad.  It is also a shame that someone can get that angry before 8am.  I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but I sincerely hope that these unprovoked accusations stop.  I don't like being called racist for throwing away a bag of poop.

So you want to help me out?

Recently I have been getting alot of offers from people to help me out with work.  These are actually people that I know and that I do trust and I DO take this into consideration, however I always come to the same conclusion.  There is no way that just "helping out" is possible.  Maybe it's because I am a control freak.  Maybe it's because I am a good business owner.  Maybe it is because I know how people are.  Could be all of the above.....

If someone wants to help me out, it is really committing to working for me.  Here is the scenario.  I have regular dogs that are walked daily, weekly, etc.  I have relationships with these dogs and their owners.  I know their habits, I know their schedule, I know their personalities, and they trust me.  So do their parents.  When you throw a random new person in to walk a dog it throws the whole balance off.  Strangers are coming in to the house, and it can be daunting for the owner as well as the animal.

The cats that I watch are the same way.  Aside from the medical visits, the instructions are so specific in most places that it would take me longer to write it out for someone than it would be to just do it myself.  The cats get used to a certain person as well, we become like a second family member.

If I had said yes to the people willing to help in the past week, that would mean that I could possibly take on 5-10+ extra dogs per day.  Then what happens when these people help for a few weeks and decide that their lives or other jobs get in the way of helping? Then I am stuck with a schedule that I can't handle and will have to let clients go.  It's a double edged sword really.  The work is out there if the commitment level is high.  This is not for everyone though.  We are like mailmen - out in all weather all day long.  We work holidays, weekends, mornings, evenings... it's tough to juggle.  So while I could use a break and would welcome the help, I know my clients would not want someone new in their house and I fear the temporary enthusiasm :)
If I needed coverage or backup (If I ever take a vacation) that would be another story, but I have had some clients for 15 years! They are used to me and my neurotic ways.

So apologies to all those people that have offered....I am simply not ready to try to figure this out yet, but it will always be in the back of my mind.

Maggot Monday! (Warning, it's a bit gross)

One of the worst Mondays ever. Seriously. And I have had a lot of crappy Mondays.  My day started off just fine, I even had one less morning dog to walk!  I fed a neighbor cat and then headed to my first dog over on 11th st.  I had seen him the night before.  He is an older dog with some hind end mobility issues, but he is just the sweetest boy! Loose poo has been his ailment this week so I knew to be prepared for a good bum cleaning (It's all part of the job)

He was sound asleep when I arrived so I prepared his pill and his food and his butt wipes before waking him up.  I go over to him and lift his tail and I see a maggot. (Ugh!!)  I start wiping and I see more.  And more. And more.....This was not an isolated maggot.  They were big too! About 1/2 inch long.  I started freaking out because maggots are really the ONE THING that I cannot deal with.  I start to see them drop off the dog and wriggle on the floor towards me. NOOOOOO  I was armed with paper towels and lysol, but honestly nothing kills them except squishing them.

Let me take a moment to preface this by saying that I had a traumatic experience with maggots when I was 16.  I was working in a pet store, my first job, and they told me to clean out the hermit crab tank.  I picked up the 10 gallon tank full of hermit crabs (dead and alive) and took it to the big back sink. I started by putting the live ones in another container and soon realized that the dead ones (and the water surrounding them) were filled with tiny maggots!  I lost my shit, threw everything in the sink and ran to the bathroom to wash my arms and hands!  My boss saw how freaked out I was and told someone else to finish.  I finally regained my composure and went back on the floor to help customers.  Someone came up asking for a dozen crickets. I grabbed a bag and on my finger was one tiny crawling maggot.  Again, freaked out!!! To this day they are the one thing that I cannot deal with.  Give me puddles of blood, protruding bones and organs, abscess, anything!  Not maggots!

So here we are, over 16 years later and I am in a house by myself with a dog that is covered in maggots that are mobile.  I'll admit, I cried a little and got a bit lightheaded.  This was at 8am. I had to get a level head and figure out the most logical thing to do.  If I were still working in a vets office, what would we do?  (well, the first thing I would do is pass it off to someone else and buy them lunch) I knew that I had to shave him down to see what I was working with because there had to be a wound under all that hair that was attracting the maggots.  I called my husband in a panic to see if he could drop off my clippers and rubber gloves before he went to work.  He agreed and was there in about 10 minutes, I was on the verge of breakdown.  He told me to put on my clinical face and do what I had to do.  I agreed, walked back into the house and cried for a couple minutes, and gathered my strength. I couldn't walk him through the house or put him in a car or take him to a vet until these little fuckers were all gone!!

I got down on the floor armed with rubber gloves, electric clippers, Lysol, and paper towels.  I started shaving, uncovering more and more creepy little maggots.  They just decided to jump ship at the same time! I kept shaving, they kept appearing.  They were falling to the ground and I was killing them one by one.  Stepping on them, squishing them with my paper towel.... and it got to a point where the fear just left and I was on a mission!!  Bug! Squish!  Bug Squish!  It really is true what they say about immersion therapy!  It was gross, but I stopped shaking and just did it.  It took about 30 min to clean up and do a butt shave on this large dog and he was a trooper!  I then saw that there was a large hot spot and a bed sore type hole near his anus.  Sigh...

Long story short, I took him to the emergency vet just before 11 am so that they could fix him up and get him antibiotics. It was super busy and I sat there forever because his case was not critical (totally understandable).  I removed all maggots before he got to the vet (they were appreciative) and we all came up with a plan. They are keeping him overnight to monitor him and keep him happy and clean. Poor buddy - this was about 3 hours out of my day.  I faced my fear for a dog that I love.  I wish that I never have to encounter maggots like that ever again... but in my field I know that I probably will.  If you could all jut say a little prayer though... just in case.

Sweet But Broken Cat - The Dramatic Saga

This summer has been incredibly busy, and hot!!  I took on a new client from a vet friend referral that needed subcutaneous fluids everyday.  Unfortunately it was semi short notice and my schedule was so full that I did not get to do a formal meet and greet.  The client was nice enough to leave me a very detailed note and drop the keys at my house.  She was watching the neighbors cat before she went away and was going to check in when she returned in a few days per THAT owners request. They were out of the country. (Personally, I am not a fan of the every 3 day visit because emergencies happen)

MY client asked me if I would mind checking in on her neighbors cat while they were away because she noticed that the cat was limping.  Of course I obliged, but in my head I am thinking, "How am I supposed to find this cat in  the basement and figure out what is wrong?" I am always willing to look and help, I was just hoping that there was something that I could do.

I found the keys and walked down the street to the other house and then down to the basement to find the cat and I was so pleasantly surprised.  There was this very petite, gray tabby, lady cat who was just as sweet as can be.  I started to pet her and she looked up at me with her sweet eyes and told me that something was wrong.  I picked her up and noticed that her right leg was dangling and her right hip was not able to let the leg fully extend. Ugh.  I palpated the leg/hip/foot and she didn't seem to be overly painful (or she was being extremely stoic).  She seemed to have a little bit of feeling in the foot/leg, but it was indeed dangling and obviously broken.  I put her down on the floor to watch her walk and she would not bear any weight on that side at all.  She also wasn't eating, drinking, or eliminating.  Poor kiddo!! Still a sweetie pie throughout letting a stranger feel around her broken parts.

I called MY client to tell her that I thought the leg was broken, but most definitely needed an x-ray to be sure of what was going on. She then had to contact her neighbor to explain the situation and then give her my information.  This was my predicament.  I was watching a cat that WAS a client, and then saw this broken cat down the street who's owners were out of the country who I had never even met.  I needed to take this cat in to the vet and I needed their permission.  There was a TON of texting back and forth between the 3 of us for the next 12 hours because I didn't even know what vet this cat went to!  We finally got everything squared away and I got the answers and permission that I needed to take this poor kitty in to be seen.  She was a trooper!

We went to the vet, I explained the whole complicated story, and they of course did an xray immediately.  This is what was found.

Ouch!  Quite broken!  Here is the new predicament.
16 yr old cat
Grade IV/V heart murmur
Severely Broken Leg
Dehydrated
Owner out of the country

Sadly, the only real option with her age and health and the severity of the break was to amputate the leg.  It is really tough to splint cats and orthopedic surgery would cost a fortune.  Her heart was also a concern because she might not have even been able to make it through anesthesia. Again, UGH!  More texting with the owner and my client, all day long.  The owner opted for euthanasia due to all these factors (cost, age, health, etc)  Luckily the staff fell in LOVE with the cat (how could they not??) and they took over ownership and responsibility for her (with the owners approval).  YAY! This sweet kiddo got a second chance!

I spoke to the vet at length and she was determined to do the surgery to give her a chance at life.  This was a week ago, and I called yesterday (fingers crossed) to check in and see what her status was.  I didn't want to bug them, but I had to know!

She made it through the surgery!!! She is currently getting tons of love from the staff at the vet while she recovers!!!  Happy Ending indeed!  Major thanks to my client who noticed the limp and to the vet who cared enough to see what an amazing cat this is.  This cat was not ready to go just yet and now she will have one less leg, but a great life of love.

Off Leash and Aggressive

St. Peters Church.  Society Hill.  They welcome fussy babies. They welcome the LGBTQ community.  They have a lovely staff and lovely grounds that they open to the public.  They also have rules that no one follows, particularly the one that states that dogs must be on leash when on their grounds.

Maybe it's me.  Maybe I have become the definition of insanity.  I keep going back to this churchyard and ancient cemetery thinking that people are good and have common sense and actually abide by the rules.  They don't. I keep trying, but they keep treating it as a dog park. Are they to blame for breaking the law and the church rules?  Am I to blame for repeating a behavior and expecting a different outcome?

Two weeks ago I was walking my weekend dog through the cemetery who does not react well to certain dogs, but especially dogs off leash while she is leashed.  We walked halfway though and notice that there is a black dog off leash.  We stopped to regroup, the owner is calling to her dog to come, the dog is not listening.  My husband called over to the owner and yelled, "She's not good with other dogs!"  She called her dog again, but dog was fixated on the dog that we had and charged toward us.  The dog that we had on leash was visibly startled, barking, growling and this dog just kept on coming.  The owner kept calling to her dog over and over but her dog (that was good enough to be off leash) was not paying a bit of attention to her.  She is also not running over nearly fast enough to grab her dog that was then snapping at the dog that I had.  It was a chaotic mess and i was just trying to lift our dog in the air to buy time.  In the midst of trying to protect my client dog, the other dog bites my hand.  No skin was broken, no bleeding occurred, but at that point the owner of the other dog finally made it over to us and just kept saying, " I'm sorry."  The sad thing is that this entire situation could have been avoided if her dog was ON A LEASH!!!

Today I was walking through the same cemetery and there were 2 large dogs running around off leash while church services were in progress.  Then a 3rd big dog came up on leash and those owners decided to let THEIR dog off leash too!  I yelled over to them that their dogs needed to be on leash, it was the rule.  The man looked at me and waived the leash at me and looked away.  They kept going about their business.  The dog that was with me was agitated and then I had to drag her away from this situation  that shouldn't be happening in the first place. This is not a dog park and people continually treat it as such.  Who's responsibility is it to enforce the rules? The church? The police? The community?  I left a message for the church to explain the situation and I am hoping that they will do more to enforce that dogs remain on leash (given that it is a city ordinance).

I must sound like a broken record, but if no one says anything then nothing will change.  If I just turn around and walk way, the entitled people will still act like they can do whatever they want.  Is that ok?  What would you do? My first priority is the safety of my animal clients. If I have to keep them safe by getting a bite, then so be it. I also should not have to avoid certain areas because of irresponsible rule breakers.

Lifestyles of the Rude and Entitled

I was working in a fancy highrise one morning and I was riding the elevator down to to lobby.  The elevator stopped after a few floors and a woman and the cutest little dog walked in.  The dog came right up to me and she told me that that dog doesn't like many people.  As more people got on the elevator, the dog his behind me for safety.  The owner and I got to talking and she asked for my card.  Excellent.  

About a month or so later, I receive a call from this woman asking me about dog sitting.  When she called, I was already out working so I asked her to please email me all of the information (the dates, what times she needs visits, etc) and that I would get back to her later when I got home.  This was about 8:30/9 am when she called.  I skimmed the email a bit later and realized that I had some questions for her, but didn't want to call until I was home and didn't have a dog in my hand. 

This was the email:

Good morning Debbie,

We will be away for an overnight next weekend and would like you to check on Esther while we are away.

I shall feed her and walk her the morning of the 10^th, so if you could:

Walk her around 2-3:00 and feed her on the 10th

Walk her around 9-10 at night on the 10^th

Walk and feed her 7-30-8:00 on the 11^th.

We should be back for her afternoon walk.

Please let me know if this works for you. Then we can discuss details.

Thank you,

 I got home at my usual time, about 3 pm and I had just enough time to eat something, sit down, and take a deep breath.  Then my phone rings and it's her. Perfect timing!  I say, "Hello!  How are you?"  Her reply was, "This is (insert her name here)."  And I say, "Yes, I know. I have it saved in my phone, how are you?"  She replies in the coldest, most annoyed, snarky tone I have ever heard, "Were you going to respond to me?"  

I was taken aback!  I told her that I had just gotten home not too long ago and I was planning on calling her in a little bit.  She said, "Well, I called you early this morning."  And I said, "Yes, and I told you that I was out working and that I would call you when I got home.  I just got home."  She replied by saying how she didn't expect me to be out so long!!  (Um... I WAS WORKING ALL DAY !)  I I told her that there were potentially a few problems with her request.  One was that I had already sent out an email that I was taking off from the 7th to the 10th and she wouldn't have known that because she is not on my email list.  She immediately dismissed me.  Then I said, for the future, the other was that I do not do visits past 7pm because I allot myself 12 hour days.   I was trying to ask if we could switch the time around and she gets literally angry and haughtily says, "Well no!  She NEEDS to go out late at night so I guess that's it isn't it?!"  Again, taken aback.  I don't even know this woman and she is already angry at me for not being able to accommodate her every need.  I was about to offer her a referral for someone that I know that does do late night walks, but she essentially hung up on me.  I was angry, but I let it go for the night.

The next day I rethought it and realized that it was completely uncalled for and I didn't even get to finish my sentence!  So I sent her an email that said this:

Hello there. I'm sorry to disappoint you with my lack of availability for this particular trip, but you hung up before I could get a few things out.  

#1  It is tough to find a dog walker to come for walks after 8 pm, but I could put the word out to try to help you find one. We all normally work 12 hour days as it is and there has to be a cut off somewhere.  I personally am in bed by 10 as I am up at 6 everyday.

#2 You must allow at least 24 hours for someone to get back to you regarding pet sitting/dog walking.  Things come up that are unexpected and days are long.  I was not ignoring you, I literally did not have the time to sit down and reply to an email until 6pm last night.

#3 I have a lot of family from ******** with the last name *******, might we be related?

She replied almost right away to this (which I was not expecting) and it was pretty bad!

Got someone to sit. She called

Me back in 2 hours and she is available for the times I needed.  No issues. 

I don't have time to listen to excuses. I need a service, you can't provide it so I was done. I need to work with Serious business people no matter what their product or service. I have been around a little

Longer than you and have a decent understanding of dependability and availability. It is time for me to move on. 

Btw you wrote this email in a much more timely manner than you returned my call. 

Let's just move on. 

Sigh.....  I replied and just told her that I was trying to keep it cordial since I do business in her building and we would inevitably run into eachother again on the elevator. Told her to have a great weekend and called it a day.  I later found out that she is just as awful to her other neighbors in the building as well as the staff.  Do I feel a bit better about that?  Not really....  

If I can't accommodate someone, I will always try to give them another option.  When they insult me and my business because I didn't have time to get back to her until after my workday, well, that's just below the belt.  I am one person.  I do not have a secretary to schedule my life.  I know I lucked out by not having her as a client (Thank you universe), but  I hate to know that there is someone like this treating people terribly for no reason.  Literally, no reason.  

Charlie Waffles: Squirrel Extraordinaire

I haven't had time to write as much, but I wanted to write about Charlie Waffles a few months ago.  I figured that it would be an uplifting change from the "man hits dog" post.  There must always be a balance.  Here is the story of Charlie Waffles:

I was in the car with Terry headed down 3rd st to walk a dog.  I got out of the car, crossed the street, and when I hit the sidewalk in front of the dogs house, I saw a small furry gray ball by a car wheel.  I bent down and picked up a small cold and stunned little 7 week old squirrel.  The nextdoor neighbor was outside and kindly offered me a small towel to wrap him in and a piece of her Eggo waffle which he readily ate.  Now I had a squirrel and had still had to walk the dog.  The first rule of baby squirrels is "keep them warm and hydrated."  Luckily Terry squirrel sat in the car and my client had some pedialyte that I could use to hydrate the little guy.  After the dog went back home, we took the squirrel back to my house to give him a hot water bottle and some fleece to cuddle in while I finished my day.

I was hoping that he was just stunned and needed a little warmth and food and that when I returned home he would be raring to go out be a squirrel.  When I first checked on him in the house she was going NUTS in the carrier that I had him in.  He was biting at the door (and my finger) trying to get out.  My immediate thought was, "YAY!  He was just stunned and now he can run and go be free!!"  I optimistically took him out on my 2nd floor deck and opened the carrier door.  I expected him to bolt and climb down the side of my house.  Instead, he timidly walked out and jumped in my lap and them climbed on my shoulder.  (Damn!) From then on, he was my little buddy and I had to deal with the fact that I could only keep him for so long.  He stayed with us for a week and after taking him out on the deck every day, he was getting more and more bold.  He wasn't the best eater, so every morning he got a piece of waffle with peanut butter and jelly (hey, it WAS a nut) and he would eat baby food.  He enjoyed his carbs, but I knew that he needed to be a real squirrel with squirrel friends.

There was no reason for him to stay (no major injury, nothing to stop him from fulfilling his squirrely duties).  He was very attached to me and I was attached to him.  He didn't care for any other human really, he was my guy.  That just made it even more difficult to take him to the wildlife rehab and hand him over to strangers.  Instead of being Charlie Waffles, he became Gray Squirrel 3599.  I did call and check up on him a few times and he was acclimating quite well.  I secretly hope that he will find me one day in the world and jump on my shoulder so that I know it's him.  I know that I did what was best for him, but it was still tough! I'm happy that I got to play "mom" for a week to him and have a sweet bond.

Do NOT Hit Your Dog In Front Me - Trust Me

After 2 full days of pouring rain, I was so happy to walk dogs on a dry and brisk morning.  I had 2 dogs with me in the neighborhood and we were crossing the street.  I saw a man walking a large pitbull towards us who saw us and smiled and seemed excited.  Given that I had an older pit and a puppy in my hands, I just let them cross the street and we backed up.  It seemed that the owner was not happy with the dog being happy ( I can only assume) and as soon as he passed us he flattened the dog to the ground and raised his hand and hit her hard in the head. She did NOTHING wrong.  Even if the dog did do something wrong, there is no excuse for hitting.  But this was pure abuse just for the sake of control.

My immediate reaction was to say, "Hey!! There is NO need to hit your dog!"  That was met with (kids cover your ears) "Mind your own fucking business! I'll do what the fuck I want! Mind your fucking business. I'll get my brother to come and get you! Don't fucking follow me!."  He had some more things to say, I was struggling for my phone, he was daring me to call the police, etc.  I followed at a distance to his destination and I called 911.  I gave a description of the man, the dog, and an address.  (Mind you I still had 2 dogs with me) I then got cut off from 911 - it just hung up.

I walked the dogs home, got them settled, and then headed to my next dog. While walking, I called the 3rd District to see if they were indeed sending someone out, considering we got disconnected.  They told me that they don't dispatch from there and that I have to call 911 again to check.  Sigh.  So I called - no answer.  I called again, it disconnected me with no answer.  I called AGAIN and after 10 rings a 911 operator picked up (Appalling!!!). I explained the situation and she asked if I was at the location that I called about.  I told her no.  She said that the police needed to speak with me in person before they go find him!!  I told her that no one told me to do this and her reply was, "Well that's unfortunate."  I told her where I was and she said that she would send a car out to me and that I should wait for them.  I waited 45 minutes.  No one showed up.  I had to get to the next dog, so I left and just looked for an officer on the way. I didn't find one until 17th and Pine.  He told me that I needed to file a report in person and call the SPCA.  The SPCA needs an address of the dog, I don't have that. I had what I thought was an address, but it seems that he was just "doing some business behind a gate"

So, people of Queen Village. Keep an eye out for him.  I saw him at 6th and Carpenter headed to 5th.  Tall white male, thin. Approx 65 yrs old. Longish gray/blondish hair.  Female pitbull, long torso, light brindle, large nipples as if she had a litter not long ago.  Please keep an eye out for him and and see if the dog is ok.  She does not deserve to live like this.

Yes,I know what everyone is going to say:
Be Safe
Be Careful
You don't know what he will do
Don't Engage

I get it, I am aware. But I cannot watch a dog get abused in front of me and just walk away.  I can't.  Hopefully someone knows him and can get the dog into a safer place.  I have to do whatever is in my power for the safety of the dog.

Update 12/4/16

Got an address with help of neighbors/clients/friends (GO TEAM DOG SAFETY!)
Filed a report with the police and the SPCA animal cruelty. Spoke to the officer and he will be having a chat with the owner (who btw has 3 dogs) on disciplining dogs by way of hitting.

Rest In Peace Sweet Bugsy

It's never easy when an animal client dies, but it always affects me a little differently. Some have passed in front of me on an emergency basis.  Some have passed and I found out months later. Some I have played "hospice nurse" to and knew that it was their time.  Each of them have had a place in my heart, whether I knew them for months or years, but the cat that passed today held a very special place in my heart.

Twelve years ago a good friend and co-worker of mine at another animal hospital took his own life.  To this day I have not gotten over it, nor will I ever.  For those of you who believe in the afterlife, he has come to visit me quite a few times over the years.  He has also visited our other co workers (they can attest to it).  After he passed, everything was a whirlwind of sadness and organization.  He was also a pet sitter and we had to take over his clients.  Twelve years ago I started pet sitting for Bugsy who he had already been watching for a few years.  Today Bugsy lost his battle with cancer.  My old co-corker and I were the only 2 people to ever pet sit for Bugsy and I always held that close.  It was my last real connection to him.  His owner and I became like family and he was such a special cat to me for all of these reasons.

He was always a "hefty cat" topping off at about 26 lbs.  It was tough to lift him, but he would always sit on the couch with me and watch TV.  He loved food, yelling at the closet, drinking out of everything except for his water bowl, and playing hide and seek behind the coffee table.  He was the apple of his moms eye - very bonded and very close. She hated to leave him alone in the house but felt better knowing that I was taking care of him.  He lived a long and mostly healthy life until his 15th year when he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and then cancer.  He was being treated with chemo and steroids but he wasn't responding.  I spent the last few weeks shoving pills in his mouth and then force feeding him twice a day because he wouldn't eat on his own.  I kept hoping that it would just be temporary and it would give him the boost that he needed to respond to the medication.  Unfortunately it only prolonged his life so that he could spend a little more time with us.  He was visibly declining yesterday and would barely take the food I was giving him.  I knew then that he had given up and his mom agreed.  In the past 24 hours his back legs were giving out on him, he was becoming uncomfortable, and he just wanted to sleep.  It was time and we all dreaded this day.  I said my goodbyes last night because I just knew that today was the day.  I intermittently cried all day, as did his mom.  We both did everything in our power to keep him with us and comfortable.

After 12 years with a cat that was not my own, he really felt like part of my cat family.  I have cried for other clients passing, but this felt like I had lost one of my own.  My own emotions surprised me and I have been in mourning all day. He will be greatly missed, but I know that he is no longer in pain and in cat heaven looking down on us.  Here are some pictures from throughout the years.....

I love you Bugsy. !2 years was not enough for me.  I will miss you.

No, my dog is NOT trying to eat your daughter!

Just another lovely afternoon in Washington Square Park. I am walking my buddy Finn (pictured here)

And we are trying to do our "frolic through the park while doing our bathroom business" ritual.  We got halfway around the park and he decided that he wanted to switch directions. We turn around and I see a young father jogging the path of the park with his 3 daughters (I am assuming) . Their ages I guess ranged from 6-10 yrs old (again, I am assuming)  The first 2 youngest were right by his side but the last girl was lagging behind a bit.  Just as she decided to pick up the pace was right when she was passing me and Finn. He got SO excited when she ran by that he put on a huge smile and started jumping, trying to join her!  (He LOVES to run)  She looks to her left and immediately starts screaming bloody murder for literally about 20 seconds. Screaming at the top of her lungs repeatedly for 20 seconds! (really count to 20 to see how long that is) Meanwhile the whole park turns around to look at us!  It appeared as though the dog attacked her or I tried to kidnap her.  It was a "stranger danger" type of scream. Her dad was a good 200 feet away and I'm just standing here yelling, "He just got excited and wanted to run with you! He wasn't doing anything!!"  Far be it from the dad to run back over and see why the girl was screaming incessantly or talk to me. This dog wouldn't hurt a fly, he loves love and people. At that point Finn was so confused at what just happened that I decided to walk the opposite direction from the runners.  

We took the grass past a few benches and passed a group of about 8 Middle Eastern women and a baby that seemed to be feeding the squirrels and birds while they chatted.  We walked behind them just trying to get through the park when I felt something peg me in the head. I was hit in the back of the head with a cracker!  I rubbed my head and turned around and one horrified woman was looking at me and in a thick accent says, "Ooh, sorry!"  I asked, "Did you just throw a cracker at my head?" She looked uncomfortable and didn't answer, I doubt she understood a word I said. At that point, it was just safer for us to go back inside. Sometimes the park is just too much to deal with. It is a sad statement to make, but it is so very true.

Fired Before Hired and Bashed to My Husband

Oh boy, are you people in for a crazy story!  A few weeks ago I was walking a dog in in neighborhood and Terry came to pick me up. There are assigned parking spots and she was in someones spot, so she moved. The woman was apparently very chatty.  I walk by and get bombarded by this same woman because she wanted to pet the dog that I was walking. (Of course she did, he's adorable)  She starts chatting with me and it ends up being a 45 minute discussion where she told me her current medical status, her trials and tribulations with training her own dog, her daughters history, her recent relationship history... you get the idea.  Mind you, Terry is waiting in the car and the poor dog that I have is so hot!  The reason that I couldn't cut her off is because she informed me of a serious diagnosis and seemed scared.  I wanted to be an ear, because that's just what I do.  She then told me how she was looking for a personal trainer.  I recommended my husband, she seemed thrilled and called me an angel.  I thought she was a little nutty, but seemed sweet enough....

In the next few weeks she and my husband were in contact about training and spoke AT LENGTH about the best course of action for her.  There were many texts, phone calls, emails, etc. She told him that she wanted my contact info so that I could help her walk the dog post-op.  I was willing if I could fit it in my schedule.  Within the month, she never told me what she needed, she postponed her surgery, and I kept running into her when I would walk this other dog that lived across the street.  She would call me over and interrupt the walk and tell me about her broken car, her broken phone, etc.  She would call me and talk about everything except how many walks she needed from me when she was home from the hospital.  I learned of her broken couch, how her day went, her ex and his behavior, the dog and his pulling, but never what she needed.

This past week she was supposed to have an assessment with my husband in person for personal training. She was trying to get me to come that morning to learn how to walk the dog.  I kept telling her that I have walked every type of dog (people aggressive, dog aggressive, pullers, large dogs, etc)  She insisted hers was different and I had to watch how her daughter walked him. I told her that I wasn't going to have time that week, but she seemed like she ignored that statement.  A few days before her training assessment, she sent me a text that said, "My phone is up Debbie!"
Then the conversation went like this:

Me: "Ooh! Hooray! I still don't really have time to be able to come over this week.  If I can find a pocket I will definitely let you know, but my schedule is just super crazy.  As far as post surgery are you thinking you would need me once a day or more than that? Just not sure exactly what the expectations were and if I should potentially refer you to someone else that might have a little more time in their schedule."

Her:  "2x a day if not 3 depending on my daughter (and some personal info about her schedule that  I will keep private)   Ugh...   I saw nugget tonight with his owner. He is so darn adorable.

Me:  "I don't think there's any way that I would be able to do that, I have to be honest.  I would love to be able to, but I am already going to have 25-30 visits a day and there is no way that I can add 2-3 more dog walks onto that"

Her: "Xmas present for (daughter). For Sure"

Me: "Yes, he is the cutest (dog breed) ever :)"

Her: "I agree.  So sad. Ok.  Need to regroup. May not include your husband. Let him know. Nite guys."

Me: "Ok, I"m sorry."

Her: "Ok. So many resources in the city"

Me: "I can refer you to some other walkers if you want.  I was jut under the impression that you were going to need me maybe once a day to really get him out and other than that he can just go in out back."

Her:  "Tell (husband) Thurs may not happen.  I have calls tomorrow.  Good luck guys. No Thx you. "

Me: "Thank you, you too

Her: "Let (husband) know Thurs a NO go."

Me: "I will"

Her: "Thx again"

So I was a bit put off. She is not using him as a personal trainer because I can't walk her dog 3x a day? Ok... I now realize the crazy has appeared. We are 2 separate people with 2 separate businesses.  I called him to tell him and he was not surprised. To tell you the truth, we were both a bit relieved. My issue was that she would see me almost daily for a week and she never told me what she needed from me. But she had no problem telling me about her broken couch.   I chalked it all up to something that never should have happened in the first place and THEN she started texting my husband!
 This was how she started it:

Her: "(Husband), I cannot work with you. Your wife is non-flex. We need different scenarios. Best."

Him: "Hi (potential client name). I'm sorry to hear that.  Deb's schedule is very full and sometimes she can't fit in as many new requests as she'd like. If I may ask, why does this mean we can't train together? Our businesses are completely separate."

Her: "Frankly your wife acts like she can't be bothered. No thank you!!!!  Was going to add my daughter."

Him: She is the most accommodating person I've ever known.  Just because she can't fit your schedule doesn't mean she is blowing you off.  She always offers referrals if she can't do it."

Her: "I cannot have a serious trainer for either of us.  Her response, terrible. My phone off."

Him: "I'm just wondering why Deb's unavailability has turned this into you and I not being able to train?"

No response

Him again: "Well, from your response, I'd say we wouldn't work out anyway.  Deb is in high demand for a reason. Just because she's booked, there's no need for tantrums. Good luck."

After I read this, we both immediately blocked her from our phones. Seems our empathy got the best of us, but somehow the universe made it all work out for the best.  I don't wish her harm and I hope that her health improves, but I also hope that I never have to speak to her again. This was a huge waste of time for both me and my husband and next time I will make it a point to confirm needs off the bat.  For all I know she could have had a pretend conversation with me where she already told me and that's why she got upset when I said know.  Oddly enough, when I met her she had a friend of mine booked to walk her dog and just blew her off for 3 weeks.

Since this turn of events I have learned a few things about her from neighbors and I consider us extremely lucky to have narrowly avoided working for her.  It's a new one, double firing before we were actually hired.  I still shake my head in disbelief.

A Church Cemetery and a Flutist

Last week I was walking my normal dog through the normal old cemetery at St. Peters and I saw a man playing the flute on one of the benches.I thought to myself, "This is nice, I never get dog walking background music."  Then we passed by him and he changed the song for my dog that I had. She immediately was smiling and entranced.  He was a nice man, told me how he lived in NY and was a professional musician.  Then another dog came up to us who was barking incessantly.  The lovely flutist starting playing a song to calm that dog down and it worked! We all stood around, he took a few requests.... it was delightful.  Could have stayed there all afternoon.

Rules?? There are no rules for tough guy construction workers!

I am pet sitting for 2 different clients who are neighbors in a new development.  Half of the development is still under construction which not only makes things incredibly difficult for the people already living there, but for me as well.

There was a major leak from a pipe in the basement of one of the houses.  They were repairing it for days (days).  I was told that there was a clog in the big pipe underground next to her house and they were having trouble unclogging it.  I was there 4x/day for almost a week and kept an eye on the progress.  The dog that I walk over there has a spinal deformity so I am extremely protective of him with bigger dogs, big steps, etc.

One afternoon  I saw that one of the construction workers had his dog with him (A wheaten terrier), no leash.  The dog was by his side and not moving so I left it alone.  The next day I was there to walk the dog around 7:30 a.m. and he was there again.  I didn't know the dog was with him until he came bounding up to us in the parking lot (off leash) and startled the hell out of my clients dog.  I picked my dog up and started yelling, "Who's dog is this??!!"  The one guy starts calling for the dog to come back to him, but the dog is not listening.  He is running all over the development at top speed, peeing on peoples houses, etc.  I brought my dog inside, came back out and told him that this was an accident waiting to happen.  As I was talking to him, he started to ignore me and stare at the work he was doing in the big hole that he dug.  I finally got his attention and said that he can't have his dog running loose around there. There are tons of dogs in that development and it's not safe, plus Delaware Ave is about 100 ft away! His reply, "Oh, he's pretty good. He always comes to work with me."

I Shook my head and went to take care of the cat. Twenty minutes later I headed out to the next dog and at the end of the development I see a woman frantic on the phone.  She had his dog closed in the small dog park area that is for the development.  I heard her calling animal control and his cell. I went up to her, interrupted her call and told her that it was the dog of the stupid construction worker. She was livid! She had been chasing the dog down to save him and was late for work because of his irresponsibility. She called him on his cell again (which was on the collar) and said that she had his dog in the park area. She told him how she was scared that the dog was going to run into the street and get hit by a car.  He sauntered on down and saw us and rolled his eyes, just telling us that his dog is fine.  Obviously he had no idea where the poor dog even was, how could he be fine. How could he focus on a giant hole in the ground AND his dog running free next to a highway?  I told her to call the HOA people for the development.

 I started walking to my next job and couldn't get this out of my head, so I texted both of my clients that lived there and got the # for their property manager. It was only 8:15 a.m. and the office didn't open until 9.   I had no choice so I called the police first and tried to get this dog out of harms way. This is endangerment of the life of an animal and a bit of neglect.  Not only is there a leash law, but I highly doubt that it is legal to bring a dog to a job site like this.  Then I waited until 9 and called the property manager to try to get them to put a stop to this. THEY hired the guy, I'm sure they did not want the liability of having a strange dog running around their property that is under construction.  Then my client called the property manager after I did.

I don't know what the outcome was, but I did not see the dog after that.  I hope he was home and safe and not meandering around the city by himself.  It is frightening how irresponsible people can be with their dogs!   It also amazes me that the 10 other workers with him had NOTHING to say to him regarding this.  Just kept their mouths shut and looked down.  When you keep your mouth shut and stare at the ground, nothing will ever change.

YELP Wars - Kindness Wars - Humanity Questioned

I had a pretty bad experience at the front desk of a particular building for the past 3 days.  I wanted to mention it to the management office of that building, but I wanted to call them directly (not go through the front desk)  I tried to google their phone number, but I could not find it.  What I DID find was a leasing company that works with that building.  They are called TCS Management.  In fact, they were the first to pop up on my Google search when I googled the apartment building.  Common sense says that since they work with that building and leasing, they would have the number to the management office.  I called them.  I was treated like crap.  I wrote a yelp review. The owner sent me a message, again, treating me like crap.  Here is the sequence of events should you be interested.

TCS Management

7 reviews

 Details, Opens a popupRating details

Real Estate Services, Property Management, Real Estate Law

 Edit, Opens a popupEdit categories

7/7/2016

I called this morning to ask if the had a phone number for the management office of apartment building where I do some work.  They rent out properties in that building, so I assumed that they would have the phone number to the management office. (I couldn't find it online and did not want to speak to the front desk)  The first guy that I spoke with told me that he didn't know the number, that they don't work with that building, put me on hold, and then came back to keep repeating that they deal with renting properties and cannot help me.  When I responded, he hung up on me.  Then I called right back to say, "Hey, maybe you shouldn't hang up on people that are just trying to get a phone number of a property that you work with."  The other guy that answered the phone called me "Buddy"   (I am a 35 yr old woman) and basically hung up on me again.  I own my own business and when someone calls me to ask a question, I am completely respectful to them, even if I cannot help them.  These people are awful and rude for no reason.

I get a response from the OWNER almost immediately. This is his reply :

Debbie, I appreciate your quest.  However, we are real estate agency  and brokers. Unfortunately we are not Google.
Your rant is sheepish, you are complaining that you want our staff to work for you to get a phone number for another business and give you a specific individuals number in a company we have no relationship with. Furthermore, when we googled a number for you, you refused to go through that firms switch board or and I quote their  front desk. 
Welcome to Earth.

*****************************************************************************************************************

Wow! This was from the OWNER OF THE BUSINESS!   His one employee hung up on me for asking for a phone number that I assumed they had.  Then when I called back to say, "Hey, I just called to ask you some help.  There is no need to hang up on me when I am just asking if you have a phone number." , his other employee says, "Yeah, we're a leasing office.  Good luck with that Buddy!"   Treated me like I was a lunatic calling to ask them why the sky was blue!  No apology, nothing.  Owner of the business ALSO treated me like shit for asking if they had a phone number to a building that they work with.  

*****************************************************************************************************************

My final reply was this:

Once again,  your professionalism is just outstanding.  I wasn't asking you to be Google, I was asking you for a phone number of a building that you do business with.  If you can't help me,  you say, "I'm sorry, we cannot help you. " As a professional business, you do not hang up on a person who is not being rude and you do not call them "buddy". Way to go,  you are even more awful than I originally thought.

*****************************************************************************************************************

Here is my point.  If someone that worked for me treated someone like that, I would apologize profusely! Publicly! What has become of people that they can't just treat other humans with respect?  This is a disgrace and I can only say that if you are thinking about using these people, think again. They don't deserve the business if the owner himself cannot treat a person with the same respect and dignity that he would expect. 

Update***  Later in the evening he went on my business page and gave me a 1 star review (although he has never done business with me, or even had a conversation with me about my business)  I reported him and blocked him.  THEN he goes BACK on Yelp and under my review writes "Likewise". An hour later he erases that and writes, "Just remove your post and I will follow suit. If you do not, I will act accordingly..."  Then a short while after that he erases it.  Can we say toddler tantrum??  Honestly, all he had to respond with either privately or publicly was, "I'm sorry that my employee hung up on you and treated you like that for asking a question. That is unacceptable."  Instead he tells me that they are not google and "welcome to earth."  He will not win with the threats, toddlers cannot always have their way.