Being Responsible for Your Pet

When we moved to a small town, we immediately built a fence around the house so our dogs had a place to run without disturbing others and without worrying about other dogs and assorted critters getting into the yard. To me, it was just what a responsible pet owner does - you keep your pet in your yard.

In this town, however, I didn't realize that dogs were such a huge issue. It seemed that many people had dogs, however, they were allowed to roam all over town and do whatever they wanted. Many people were fed up with this, particularly with some of the large dogs who would not be described as friendly. One older lady was going for a walk and was cornered by one loose dog. She was rescued by a local storeowner who chased the dog away. There was another dog - a big german shepherd - who was not friendly, chased cars and people, and lives right next to the school. They found evidence of her wandering on the school grounds and chasing little kids. The real fear came when she had pups and became even more aggressive...right next to the school.

Many town people were complaining. There was a bylaw about the dogs but no one seemed to be doing anything to enforce it...we couldn't get past the town secretary who kept telling us it was our responsibility to contact the dog owner and deal with it (even though the bylaw said different). In the end, a group of us got together and went to the next Town Council meeting to demand that something be done. And it was...we not only got the Council to begin enforcing the bylaw, but we got them to amend it to say we could use a picture as evidence of a dog on the loose in town and we got them to up the fine from $15 to $500.

Amazing how fast money talks. Overnight, all the lax pet owners immediately found ways to keep their dogs in their yards.

You know, the sad part of all this was that people were shooing the dogs and aiming their cars at the ones on the road, but it was never the fault of the animal. It was the fault of the owners. One in particular had a beautiful, well tempered little cross breed who was always allowed to run free and usually hung out on the road. I don't know how many times she was almost hit by car. She was always left outside. No one ever paid any attention to her. And all this little pooch wanted was some love. She would pee whenever she saw me because she was so excited and knew that she would get a nice belly rub and lots of affection. One of the councillors and I used to plot how we could find her a good home, kidnap her from the road and take her to a loving place. We even went so far as to discreetly speak to people from nearby towns to see if they wanted this sweet little dog.

In the end we do not have a problem with dogs. There is a lot of bitching and grumping about the new bylaw, but the bottom line is if you have a pet you need to take responsibility for it. That means caring for it, giving it affection, taking it to the vet and ensuring that your pet stays on your property for the safety of others and the dog's own safety.

What a lonely boy!

When my husband and I first started our restaurant we thought we had plenty of time to zip back home and be with the boys.

Oh how wrong we were!

Unfortunately (or fortunately) our restaurant took off and we were deluged with people. Our private time was extinguished and time alone with our boys became a thing of the past.

We do try and make it home a couple of times a day to let them out and be with them but it's been a really hard call - make money while we can to have a better life, or hold off a bit and spend time with the boys.

I've actually elected to spend more money on staff so I can come home and be with the little guys but balancing time and budget becomes more difficult as the days go on. Did we make the right move? I'm not sure yet, but I doubt the boys think we did.

Is it good to be successful?? Yes, we are taught it is. But we looking back I wish at times we had  elected to make less and live more. It's tough call for anyone in business for themselves.

Lazy Days of Autumn

As the cold weather approaches, the boys take every opportunity to enjoy the last rays of sunshine on the deck. Even though the leaves are falling from the trees and the deck furniture is being put away, my little sunbathers still find a warm place to relax.

Inside Outside

When we lived in the city, I couldn't get the little guys to go outside. Even in the summer, they would sit inside the house at the edge of the patio door and look outside, but rarely venture out. Some days I had to physically put them outside to do their business.

We lived on the outskirts of the city in a very quiet are, but I suppose they still heard the noise of traffic and people and sirens. They went outside grudgingly to do their business and would hurry back in.

Now that they're in the country, I can't keep them inside.

They sit at the door constantly waiting for someone to open it. When they are outside they run everywhere. They run around the yard and we take them to neighboring fields. Sometimes we take them down the hiking trail where they scamper happily through the fallen leaves.

And just when we think we've run them out, they come into the house and chase each other around at full speed. Where they are getting this boundless energy I'll never know, but if I could bottle it I'd make a fortune!

The boys love their jazz...

Crazy as it sounds, if I want the boys to relax and have a nap, I find smooth jazz. I've tried other things - spa music, nature sounds, soft rock, ballads, classical - and nothing. The minute I put on some jazz, they are gone.

When we moved to the country, I had a two and a half hour drive to get to the house with two rambuncious boys in the SUV jumping from front to back to boxes and everywhere else. I tried everything to get them to sit still and had to stop twice on the side of the road to get them settled again. I finally put some jazz on and that was it - they laid down and had a nap.

So, my not-so-scientific experiment had resulted in keeping jazz on hand in the house and the vehicle. It keeps them calm and me sane - an all around winner!

Ear Infection Update

Bruiser was getting ear infections on a regular basis. One thing the vet did mention as a possible cause was allergies. Of course, without going through the gamut of testing, we were going to be challenged to find out what he was actually allergic to.

The one thing that sat at the top of my list of potential causes of Bruiser's allergies in the other house was the carpeted areas. When we were renovating and I lifted the carpet in the family room, the dust that came flying out was unbelievable. And this was a carpet I vacuumed at least twice a week.

When we began building our new house, my husband said I could do whatever I wanted since it was his idea to move to the country. As I was working with the builder and designing the home, I told my husband I was not having any carpet. He was a bit shocked at first...not even in the bedroom? he asked. I said no...none. He said he didn't like waking up in the morning and have his feet hitting the cold floor. I said I'd buy him a mat or a small area rug for the floor on his side of the bed that I could take outside and beat the dust out of or toss if it got too dusty. In the end, he reluctantly agreed to my plan and I put laminate and tile throughout the house, even in the bedrooms. The only rugs I have are one area rug in the living room and one mat at the front door. That's it.

And guess what happened? The dogs (and humans!) are not sneezing anymore. And Bruiser has not had another ear infection. The last time I saw him scratching at his ear was because he had a couple of mosquito bites. When the floor gets dusty, I see the dust right away, grab my trusty Swiffer mop and the dust is gone. Problem solved.

In this photo, the boys are spending time in one of their favorite places - the sunny deck.

Where have we been?

It's been awhile since the last post, and that's because we decided to move...to the country!

Yes, we sold our home in the city as well as all the furniture, packed up the boys and our belongings and moved to a quieter, cleaner place. So now, as we move in and start making the place our own the boys are adjusting quite easily to a simpler way of living.

This is the chunk of land we bought. Pics of the boys on their new deck coming soon.