IT ALL BEGAN WITH SNOWBALL

POST # 356

IN THE YUKON WITH MY BUDDY, SNOWBALL

"They're looking for a new animal control officer, you'd be really good at it, so you need to talk to Tammy over at Maximilian's bookstore to get an interview for the job."  This comment came from a woman who was purchasing groceries at the Dawson City General Store, where I had recently started work as a cashier, back in September, 2000.

I had only been in Dawson for a week or so.  The questions going through my head at that moment were, "who are you," "what is an animal control officer," and, "who is Tammy?"  Fast forward a couple of days, and I had all the questions answered, and was hired right then and there.  Great. Now what?

Well, "now what" turned into a 35 hour per week job as the Dawson city dog catcher.  In addition to my almost 40 hour per week position as a cashier at the General Store, I was a busy guy.  I've never worked as hard before or since then.

Head office for the new job was at the local humane society animal shelter.  When I started the job, there were only three dogs impounded at the time. One of them was Snowball.  He had been at the shelter the longest of the three, for about 9 months.  One day, shortly after beginning my job, Joanne, the shelter co-ordinator, (and the same woman who had approached me weeks earlier at the General Store) said, "Hey Paul, why don't you take Snowball with you in the truck, while you do your dog catching rounds?"  Because I was the new guy on the block, I didn't want to make any waves, so I agreed to Joanne's suggestion, even though in my mind I'm thinking, "why would I want a stinky old dog in the cab with me?"  I had signed on to be the dog catcher, not the dog sitter.  Unbeknownst to me at the time, was the fact that Snowball was next on the list to be put down, probably within a  week.  Joanne was aware of this, and that was her motivation to convince me to take Snowball along as assistant dog catcher.

Well, as the old saying goes, the rest is history.  I fell in love with Snowball, and it's because of him that I fell in love with dogs.  We became a team, so not only did this "stinky old dog" ride around in the truck with me each day, he moved in to Snug as well.  One day, some months later as I was grabbing my morning coffee at the local coffee shop, while Snowball waited patiently in the truck, a friend, Wayne said to me, "Paul, you saved Snowball's life."  Up to that point, I hadn't given it any thought, but Wayne was correct.  

The following year, 2001, I was toying with the idea of moving back to Australia, so I began to look into what would be involved in taking Snowball with me.  The hurdles seemed to be too high, including a 6 month quarantine period.  I couldn't imagine putting old Snowball through such a process, and so, what to do?  It was my day off at the animal shelter, but I happened to be in there using the computer, and some people knocked on the door, came in and asked if they could have a look around the yard, to see if there might be a dog that they would like to adopt, as their dog had recently died. After returning from the yard, they told me that there wasn't any one of the dogs there that had grabbed their interest.  On the wall in the office was a collection of photos of dogs  up for adoption, and Snowball's mug shot was still on the wall.  Technically, I was just fostering him all of this time, which by now was the better part of a year.  But who was kidding who?  We were now joined at the hip, or more accurately, at the heart.  Anyhow, I also had this dilemma going on in my brain with regards to Australia, and what to do about Snowball, so I pointed to his photo on the wall, and said to the couple, "well, there's this dog which I am caring for at the moment.  Would you like to meet him?"    What was I doing?  Selling out my best buddy?  The real question was, what was going to be the best outcome for Snowball?   He was back at Snug at the time, so he didn't have the opportunity to meet these folks.   Anyhow, we set up a meet and greet at their place which was out in the bush,  way up Bonanza Creek road.   As soon as we walked in, Bernard offered Snowball some smoked salmon.  That was a good start. By the time we were ready to leave Bernard and Janet's place, Snowball was sound asleep on their living room floor.  He looked totally at home.  I made the suggestion prior to saying goodnight, that it might be a good idea to let them have Snowball for a week, to see how things would go, and they agreed.  After that week, Snowball was their dog.  He had found a home, that he could live out his remaining years.  As I sat in their kitchen that night, Snowball put one paw up on my left leg, and looked into my eyes.  Was this him saying goodbye, or was he telling me that everything was going to be all right?   He ended up living for 17 years, not bad for a dog that contracted Parvovirus just after he was born.  According to the local vet who saw him at that time, when he was only days old, her opinion was that he wouldn't last through the night.  He did, only to be returned to his owners who mistreated him.   Snowball ended up  fending for himself as he roamed the streets of Dawson, which is why he ended up at the shelter in the first place.  He received a stay of execution, because of his stint as the dogcatcher's assistant, and finally was connected with some loving owners who helped to give him a long, and happy life. 

I had the pleasure of seeing Snowball, the year before he died, when I had returned to Dawson for a visit.  By that point, he was as deaf as a post, but it didn't matter.  We had a wonderful day together, which included visiting Joanne, the woman who had come into the General Store back in 2000, and we even got to visit Harmonica George, who had been the owner of Porkchop, Snowball's father.  All in all, it was a wonderful day, and prior to heading back up Bonanza Creek road, to take Snowball home, I had considered a trip down the highway to visit Snug, in order to let Snowball have one last look/sniff around.  But he was sleeping soundly in the truck, and I think he had had enough excitement for the day, so we returned to his home, and I said goodbye to him for the very last time.

If it wasn't for Snowball, I am very sure that I wouldn't be doing what I do these days.  Because of Snowball, I changed from a human that had zero interest in spending any time at all with dogs, to a human that can't imagine my life without them.  It's been a wonderfully rewarding journey.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

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And the journey will continue for a little longer at my current location, but by the time my next blog post is due on May 7th, I will have moved on, and Devo, Brownie, and Lilou will have to cope with their owner once again. I'm quite sure that they will be in good hands.

maximizing my moments,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

MY DAILY WALK

POST # 355***

It has now been just over seven years since I broke my leg in five places,  and I will be forever grateful for the fact that I still have the capacity to walk anywhere.

This ability to get from one place to the next on foot, is most likely something that is taken for granted by the vast majority of the population.  I'm not on that list.

So I have been taking advantage of this mobility, during my house sit here in Pleasantville, New York.  Each and every day, rain or shine, I strap on my thrift store purchased hiking boots, have a  look at google maps to plan my route, and with a quick good-bye to the "Yorkies of New York", I head out the front door to begin my journey.  

With four compass points to chose from, there are plenty of interesting places to travel to, and I have made a practice of choosing a number of different locations to walk, in and around the village.  And Pleasantville really does have a village feel to it, which I appreciate.  

Having been at this location now, for just over three weeks,  I have had ample time to check out the various compass points, but there are a few walks that have become my favourites, and have warranted return journeys.  Each walk is about 5 kms long, which is a decent distance to strive for.  The other day I ventured onto a new route, and during that walk, I came across the plaque featured at the top of this blog post.  It was a fluke that I even saw it, because it was low to the ground and probably only about eighteen inches square.  I was on the other side of the road at the time, and my curiosity got the better of me.  I just had to take a look, and I'm glad that I made the effort.  It's been there since 1865, which is old by human standards, but not very long, when one considers that the earth has been around for about forty-five million centuries.  That puts things in perspective, at least for me.  

In addition to the interesting sights and sounds that I get to experience along my journey, I try to focus on breathing deeply, and walking properly.  Walking properly for me entails concentrating on each step with the goal of achieving a complete range of motion at the ankle joints, especially the right one, which is my metal-enhanced ankle, containing two plates and twenty screws.  It's come a long way since 2012.

This morning is racing by, and it looks like it's going to be another lovely spring day out there, so it's time to strap on those walking boots, and head out once again for my daily walk.  Perhaps, I'll pass by one of the many graveyards dotted around the area.

There's nothing like a stroll through a graveyard, to help you appreciate your limited time on this planet.

maximizing my moments,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

*** 355-One of my favourite number sequences, the month and year of my birth.

THE YORKIES OF NEW YORK

POST # 354

L-R LILOU, BROWNIE, AND DEVO

Check out this pack of mongrels.  Actually they aren't mongrels at all.  These baby boneheads are 100% Yorkshire Terriers, or Yorkies for short.  And speaking of short, they certainly are.  What a change from big old Doug, the chocolate lab from earlier this year.  I need to always be watching underfoot, as I would hate to step on any of them.   If that happened, I'm sure they would let me know about it.

I've been here for just over two weeks now.  Here, is at my friend's place in Pleasantville, New York, which is located about and hour and a half north of New York city.  My friends, Guy and Pauline are on a speaking tour way over on the other side of the continent.  They'll be visiting, Alaska, California, and finally Oregon, prior to returning here to Yorkie central.

Speaking of Pleasantville, it certainly earns its name as far as I am concerned.  I have been making a point to go on a daily walk around the neighbourhood, and I always see something pleasant.  It feels more like a little village, and it's hard to believe that I'm so close to "The Big Apple."

Back to the Yorkies.  We've now settled into a very comfortable routine, and I am happy and content at this location.  The Yorkies of New York appear to be happy as well, and as each day passes, I get to know their behaviour better.  Lilou always wants to be the centre of attention, Devo likes to chase a ball which is almost as big as he is, out on the deck, and Brownie just sits around most of the time.

I'll be here for a while, and I'll get to know the antics of each of  The Yorkies of New York even better as the days go by.  No doubt, they still have many things to teach me, and I'm looking forward to being their student.

maximizing my moments,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

DORA-DOG PUTS IN HER TWO BARKS WORTH

POST #353

He's gone once again, but thankfully he didn't leave me with this stupid thing on my head.  It detracts from my cuteness.  And I do know that I'm cute (whatever that means), because it's the first sound that comes out of any human's mouth upon first meeting me. "She's so cute." And then I bark at them.

Like I just said, he's gone again, but at least she is still here, (she, being the other human that I spend most of my time with).   She has been with me now for quite a while, and I really don't know what I would do without her?  My past life, is beginning to fade away, and I can't say that I am sorry about that.  There are still certain sounds that upset me, but things are much, much better than before.  I have a vague recollection of being in a place with others like me, and that wasn't much fun.  Day after day, I was stuck in a cage with a concrete floor, with the constant noise of the other dogs that surrounded me.  We all had different stories, and each day we would bark our stories back and forth to one another.  It became a competition of sorts, with each of us trying to out do the other in communicating just how bad our life had been. 

Then one day, she showed up with another human, and it was the other human who saw me first.  The other human said to my human, "I've found your dog."  I'm not sure what that sound meant, but soon after, I was relocated to another place, with this human.  I was fearful at first, but it certainly was a big improvement from where I had just come from.  This new human gives me food twice a day, and spends most of her time with me.  At first,  I was somewhat skeptical about this new arrangement, and I entertained thoughts of running away, if the opportunity ever arose.  That would have been the biggest mistake of my life.  My brain isn't very big, but I have enough intelligence to know when I've got it good.  And believe me, where I now live, I've got it REAL good, so any thoughts of escaping are now just a distant memory.  I'm sticking with this human for as long as I possibly can.

OK, getting back to the guy I was talking about at the beginning, here's what I can work out so far.  Every once in a while he shows up, and I always know when this is going to happen, because she puts me in her car, and we drive to a special place, and then, there he is.  This special place has changed over time, and the new location is where those long things that make that scary noise, arrive.  Thankfully the noise doesn't last too long, and once it is quiet again, then poof, he shows up.  I like that part, and it's worth putting up with the noise, knowing that he will be arriving soon afterwards.

This male human who appears out of nowhere from time to time,  seems to be more dog-like than the average human I have come across on my journey through life.  Most humans spend a large portion of their day, balancing on their two hind legs.  It's actually quite impressive, even though I don't understand the point of it all.  But this guy likes to get on all fours (in my view, normal behaviour).  I've never seen anything quite like it, but I sure am happy when I see him in this position.  Because, moments after he drops to the ground, it's play time.

I've yet to discover any other human that likes to play this way, and so I take advantage of him when he is around.  Mind you, by the looks on his face, and from the sounds coming out of his mouth, he seems to enjoy this activity as much as I do.  There isn't a day that goes by when he's here, that we don't have at least one play session, but it usually happens multiple times a day.  So when he finally does leave, I know that the fun is over with for a while.  It takes time for me to get over his departure, but my owner treats me with such love and affection, that before long, I'm back to enjoying my time.  She really is special, and I can't believe how good life is now, compared to before.

Another thing that now takes place in this new life of mine, is when this guy is here, but he's different.  Let me explain.  I can just be laying around, minding my own business, or snoozing and dreaming of squirrels, or Simon the cat, and then I hear this funny noise.  It's always the same noise, and it's always in the vicinity of my female human.  I don't know what causes it, but I do know that it's a sound that brings him back into the room.  Well, not really in the room, but I can hear him, and I can even see him, but he looks different.  His face is on a small square object that she holds in her hands.  I look right at him, expecting him to come right through the square object, and into the room, so that we can start playing.  But he doesn't.  I haven't yet worked out what's going on, but each time this happens, it makes me happy.

So like I stated at the beginning, he's gone at the moment, but I have a feeling that he will be back at some point.  When he was last here, I heard him make a noise that sounded like this: NEW YORK. I have heard something similar before but not exactly the same. That other sound was: YORKIES.

I'm not sure if there is a connection, but I suspect that there is.

Anyhow, while he is away, I will continue to enjoy this wonderful new life that I now have thanks to my female human friend.  And during the times that I am asleep, I'll try and imagine that he will be  back again soon, so that we can enjoy our wrestling matches together.  Until then, I have plenty of activities to keep me busy, and I am grateful for that.  Now, it must be time for a nap.

maximizing MY moments,

Dora-dog

reporting today for,

The Thoughtful Wanderer