Our Itty Bitty House Guest

One of the other foster families in our group, All Dog Rescue, needed someone to watch their foster dog this week as they had a trip planned.  Having recently dealt with not having anyone available to take Mia when we had to go out of town, we felt sympathetic and figured we had some time to lend a hand.  So on Saturday, Amanda and Ted dropped off Lemon, a 5 pound miniature pinscher with a story that'll break your heart.

(Seriously, go get a tissue.  I'll wait.)

Ready?

Meet Lemon.

Cute, right?  The left ear stays at a right angle, the right one goes up and down.  Lemon is quite literally a rescued dog.  A little over a month ago, she was rescued from an animal hoarding situation .  She and 39 other pure bred miniature pinschers were taken from a home were they were sequestered in a basement strewn with wooden crates and covered in waste.  Not cool.  The dogs were taken to Animal Control and several organization stepped in to find them a better place to be.  One of the shelters our group works with took many of the dogs and selected a few of them specifically for our group because they knew we could rehab them into becoming loving, adoptable dogs.

After getting medical care (check up, shots, etc.), Lemon went home with Amanda and Ted to learn how to live in a loving home. She bonded with them, played with their dog and tolerated their cat.  She started to learn house training and took to a crate, albeit a cat carrier.  She was making progress.

Unfortunately, I think the transition of being with us has set her back a few paces.  She's slow to warm up to people and although she likes food, her fear and timid nature overpowered her food motivation.  For two days, Lemon wanted nothing to do with us and would let us touch her.  Poor girl was still wearing her leash because she wouldn't let us near to take it off.  (Which ended up being a good thing because we could grab the end of the leash and usher her into whatever room we wanted her to be in, or outside to go to the bathroom. 

She spent all day Sunday perched on the hearth, making sure to watch us so we didn't do anything scary.  Since we couldn't touch her to crate her, she spent the night in the half-bath with lots of blankets. In return, she left us presents and barked from 3 am to 5 am.

We called reinforcements from our group and learned a little bit more about feral dogs (as Lemon and most of her friends were).  We did learn that we didn't do anything to piss her off (yet) and that in time, with continued temptation of tasty food, she would make progress (we had been able to feed her, but she was taking the food and running away from us.  While we sat on the couch, watching Lemon watch us from her perch, Dave and I considered what she reminded us of.

Me: She should be a Muppet.  Doesn't she look like a Muppet?

Dave: She looks like Rizzo.

Me: Yes!  I knew she looked like a Muppet.  She's definitely Rizzo.

Dave: Cause Rizzo's all twitchy and shakey n'at too.  Except he's a rat and she's a dog.  (Dave totally said n'at.  Totally.)

I also think she looks like a tiny deer prancing around our living room.  She's got bitty legs and walks so delicately, like Bambi just learning to walk on the iced over pond.

Monday morning, I decided to do some touch training with her breakfast.  If she wanted to eat, she had to touch my hand.  This worked really well.  I didn't push it and try to touch her back, but I was pleased with the progress and liked seeing that she was capable of training and learning.  When we left for work, we decided to put Lemon in a proper dog crate, despite the fact that it was designed for the last dog who used it, 45 pound Mia, not the 5 pound pup in our presence.  She went in without problem and we left her with blankets, toys, and a peanut butter filled kong.  When we came home, she was timid but happy to see us.  Slowly she came out of the crate and we did some more touch training.  I took her outside and for the first time she actually when to the bathroom there, instead of in the house.  Much praising ensued.  We tethered two leashed together and let her roam around whatever room we were in.

Dave and I had chicken for dinner and I set aside a forkful of shredded chicken for some training later that evening.  While I was sitting on the couch wrapping a birthday gift, Lemon invited herself onto the couch and sniffed around.  Not wanted to scare her, I let her go, happy that she was getting comfortable, and confident, to come so close.  When Dave saw it, he grabbed the leftover chicken, perched himself on the couch and started doing more touch training.  Eventually she let him pet on her.  Carefully I reached over and gently petted her.  We were shocked.  Dave was able to finally take her leash off and she slowly worked her way over to me and sat on my lap!  We decided it was the perfect opportunity to see if we could get a coat on her and take her outside since it was cold and she needed to go out.  Success!

She even came to be and "asked" for her coat to come off afterward (I had knelt down and she cam over and put her front paws on my leg, and leaned back so I could get at the closure).  While I was working at the computer, she tried, unsuccessfully to jump into my lap and let me pick her up to put her there.  Later, while I was on the couch, she climbed into my lap, curled up and took a nap.  Huge progress.

This morning wasn't quite as smooth and she's not quite as willing to let Dave handle her.  She's not mean or nipping, but she does run away.  Hopefully we'll make more progress tonight as well help build her confidence and get her ready to be a wonderful adopted pet.

Open Letter to the Drivers of Boston & Cambridge

Dear "Drivers,"

Boston likes to say it's a walking-friendly city, and since the city is only 2 square miles, it sort of is.  I mean, you can walk anywhere.  But you shouldn't.  And you drivers are the reason why.  Because you fail to acknowledge anyone that isn't in a car.  Hell, you barely acknowledge that there are other drivers on the road. 

Unless you decide to pull my favorite trick: the non-moving violation.

Or as I like to put it, stopping in the middle of the damn road to let someone else make an illegal move.  Like, I don't know, pulling out into a crosswalk WHILE SOMEONE IS IN IT.

Maybe it's guilt from being stupid, rude and generally douchy, but at random moments a driver will decide to be "nice" and let another drive turn/pull out in front of them.  On a busy street.  During rush hour. Resulting in traffic backed up in the even busier intersection behind them.

This morning I was walking along the sidewalk, approaching a driveway to the delivery entrance of a college dining hall.  I walk this path every day and often see delivery trucks backing in and pulling out and appreciate the patience these drivers must have to wait for traffic in order to pull back out onto the busy street.  But that driveway, which actually has a crosswalk, is midway between two traffic signals, so it's never too long before the driver can get where he wants to go.

I was approaching from the right.  The delivery driver wanted to make a right hand turn. Clearly, this meant he didn't need to look to his right, only his left, to gauge his ability to pull out into traffic.  As I approached the driveway and stepped from the sidewalk to the "street," I was shocked and amazed to see a cab driver (of ALL people) stop and wave the delivery driver on. 

Let me reiterate: the cab driver, who had the right of way, a green light ahead and about a half dozen cars behind him, stopped in the middle of the road for no reason other than to let this driver out of the driveway.

WHILE I WAS IN THE CROSSWALK.

The delivery driver, excited and happy at the kindness of this stranger, started to pull out into the road.  Until I smack my hand on his hood and started yelling at him to remember to look both ways before he pulled out.  (Actually, no, I didn't curse.  Yes, I kind of regret it now.)

The good news is that this was a delivery van and not an 18 wheeler that often delivers to this location. The better news is that I think the driver was more scared than I was. (Serves him right.  Seriously, looking both ways is something you learn in kindergarten only to be reiterated in Driver's Ed 101.)

Morals of the story: Look both ways before pulling out into traffic.  Don't stop in the middle of the road to be "nice." (It's illegal; seriously, non-moving violation--look it up.) And for goodness sake don't get your panties in a bunch because a pedestrian is following their right of way in what is proudly boasted as a "walking" city. 

So, Drivers, be warned.  I will take my right of way and I will yell at you if you violate my right.  If you really piss me off, I might hit your car.  And if you keep it up, one of these days I swear I might need to rip you out of your car, GTA-style.  And if you can't see why I'm right, then you seriously need to go back to Driver's Ed.

XOXO,
Colleen

Demolition Day

So when Dave and I moved into his parents house, one of the things I was excited about was the laundry on the main living level rather than the basement.  No more forgetting about the laundry--I'd actually be able to hear the buzzer go off!  The laundry is in the family room and is separated by an accordion door. 

I hate that door.

The door was fitted to the room before the current carpet was installed and unfortunately the carpet is either too tall or the door too long.  After over 20 years of dragging across the carpet, it basically decided it didn't want to work properly anymore and started breaking at the top, causing panels to drop down and meet the floor, making it impossible to open the door without lifting the whole thing up while trying to push it across the opening.  Since my in-laws were already away when we moved in, Madaline actually left a post-it on the door with instructions on how to open it. 

Sometimes that worked. 

Often it didn't.

Yup it's crooked.

And then the doorknob started to come off randomly.

Needless to say it was not a good scene.

Just a small section of panels no longer attached to the track and dragging along the carpet.

So Dave and I decided we'd help them out (and save my sanity) by replacing the door.  A few weeks ago we took a trip to Lowe's, ordered a custom-fit door with the proper length, and waited.  Luckily Dave got a call last week that the door was in and since he had a few days of, he picked it up and we planned to install it this weekend.  I made him promise to let me help take out the old door.  He promised, but on the condition that I help him put up the new door.

He sure knows how to suck the fun out of stuff, huh?

But he made it up to me.  He let me use the Sawzall.  You know what that does?  It saws ALL.  Submitted for your amusement:

The finished product:

Dave then had the fun part of cutting the pieces up even more so that we can recycle them.  Luckily, he was able to make them all fit into one recycle bin.

After that, we did put up the new door, which pretty much consisted of me opening all the little packs of hardware and handing things to Dave like a operating room technician to a surgeon, on far less intense and much more pouting on my part.

But in the end we now have a beautiful, working, non-dragging on the carpet door that opens and closes at my whim.

It really is the simple things in life.

Mia Adopted!

Despite the fact that it's a little quiet in the house and there's no wiggly butt waiting for us excitedly when we come home, Dave and I are thrilled that we helped Mia find her forever home.  And it couldn't be a more perfect home for her.

Quinn and Carey have a wonderful home with a big fenced in yard and two wonderful daughters, Natalie who is 10 and Melanie who is 7.  The girls are very mature and the family is very dog savvy. They've had 2 other dogs in the past and have lots of experience with training and positive reinforcement techniques.  Carey is a runner and wants to run with Mia (who will LOVE that) and Quinn mostly works from home, so she'll always have someone for belly rubs.  Natalie and Melanie are just the perfect girls to have lots of fun with Mia and give her the play time she needs.

When we arrived, we quickly went to the backyard where Mia had her choice of about 4 or 5 tennis balls to play with and much chasing ensued.  Mia loves her tennis balls and will usually try to bring one into the house.  Which of course she did this time.  She really didn't want to let go of that ball.  She was clearly thirsty and on several occasions went to her water bowl to take a drink, but didn't want to let go of the ball, so she skipped the refreshments.  Finally she just gave up and dropped the ball into the water bowl, took a drink, then pick the ball back up and went on her merry way.  She has a curious little mind.

Dave and I have been lucky to adopt to warm and hospitable people, but this is the first time we were invited to stay for lunch!  It was so sweet.  Quinn grilled us up some fantastic burgers and we enjoyed talking with the family, about their past dogs, what to expect with Mia and what their plans would be. 

When we went to leave, Mia thought she was coming with us (she always did!) but the girls distracted her with toys and peanut butter and we were able to sneak away after a few good bye pets.  It's always bittersweet to see our pups go to another family, especially the sweet ones like Mia who we do develop a special bond with, but we couldn't have asked for a better family and home.  And the next night I got two emails from Natalie.  First she included this picture, which she just titled "Mia chilling"

(Why yes, we think she's on the couch in that picture too!  But really, how do you say no?  Look at that face!)  Then Natalie sent this video (please excuse the sideways nature--she's only 10!)

We love getting updates from families and I hope we get to see more of Mia's happy home.

Lessons from Girls Scouts

It's that time of year again when Girl Scouts hang out in all the popular places--grocery stores, hair salons, subway stations--set up with tables piled high with boxes of cookies.  Delicious cookies that only come once a year that I would buy many more of, if only for one thing: if the Girl Scouts asked me more often.  I insist on walking past the tables and the boxes of Thin Mints and Do Si Dos unless a fine young lady asks me, "Would you like to buy a box of Girl Scout cookies?" Because, duh!! Of course I want to.  But in the spirit of the Girl Scout mission to develop young women in to leaders, I insist they ask me.  Which makes the following conversation with Dave on the way to the subway station that much more funny.

Me: Damn.  I was going to say I really hope a Girl Scout asks me to buy cookies today because I really want some Samoas, but I think I only have $2.00 in my wallet.

Dave: So why shouldn't they ask you?

Me: Because I only have $2.00 so I'll have to say no.

Dave: And that doesn't teach them a lesson?

Me: No, that's not the lesson I want to teach them.  I don't want them to think I just don't want them or that I'm poor.  Thinking I'm too poor to buy Girl Scout cookies is a terrible lesson.

Dave: How so? It tells them about their market and that they're priced too high.

Me: No, that's not the lesson.  The lesson I want to teach them is if they asked me to buy cookies, I will; but if they don't ask me I won't just offer them money for cookies.  I don't want to teach them that if they ask me and I say no that I'm poor.  That's a terrible lesson.

Dave: But it's a lesson in the market which is also valuable.  They shouldn't charge so much.

Me: No, no, that's not the point.  The point is that if they don't ask me, I won't buy, so they won't get what they want.

Dave: That's just silly.  You should teach them as many lessons as possible.

Me: Well, you should be giving me $2.00 so I can say yes when they ask me!

Dave: I'd give you $2.00 if you asked!  You didn't ask, so I'm not going to just give you money.  You have to ask for what you want!

Touche, husband, touche. 

But regardless, it didn't really matter because I actually did have money in my wallet to buy Girl Scout cookies.  Unfortunately when we go to the subway station there were no Girl Scouts hawking their wares that I could teach a lesson to.

Damn.  And I still want a box of Samoas.