Keeping my Good Dog Good

Man, I'm bad at blogging regularly. I've done so much in the past year it's hard to even know where to start. I went to New York! I was in a play! I'm in another play! I taught full time! There is no way I could write about all these things in one post so I'm not even going to try. That being said, I do want to talk about something that has been on my mind lately.

My dog, Chewie, as many of you know who are reading this, is my best friend. He is a big furry ball of amazing and I wouldn't trade him for the world. That being said, I never thought I would get a big dog. I always pictured myself having an animal more in kinship with my own personality, little and lazy. Chewie is big, and not lazy and I've learned a lot having him for the past almost 3 years.

One thing about having a big dog is that you just can't ignore some of the behaviours little dogs have. If your dog is little, and they are growling, people aren't usually scared. If Chewie growls at them, people can be terrified. I can't pick Chewie up and remove him from the situation that is making him growl. So, when he started showing some signs of being nervous, and had a few small to medium incidents with humans and other dogs, I decided to consult a trainer from Cowichan Canine.

Now, Chewie graduated from the Foundation Program at Cowichan Canine with distinction. He is one smart puppy. But his anxiety has gotten to the point now where he doesn't always listen to me, and sometimes he is so fearful it overrides his better nature. He has never drawn blood or hurt another human. He has never bitten another dog, though he has gotten into altercations (barking, snapping, growling etc).

Bottom line here, I want to keep it so he doesn't EVER bite any person, or any dog.

So, when the trainer came on Tuesday I was really nervous. So nervous that Chewie picked up on my anxiety and really didn't like the trainer. He reacted pretty much as badly as he has ever reacted to a person, with his teeth bared, his hackles raised and vocalized his discomfort. He is always nervous of people coming to the front door, but this was extreme.

My heart dropped.

I then spent 2 hours in my living room, without Chewie, talking to the trainer about his history, what the problems were and how we move forward. My heart dropped a second time when she said that maybe this was genetic, and no matter what we did he may always be a nervous or reactive dog.

So, I've spent the last 2 days thinking to myself, where do I go from here? I know Chewie may never be "cured". He may always be nervous of people, and other dogs. Just because he wasn't that way for the first 2 years of his life, doesn't mean he won't be for the rest of it. How do I manage a 100 pound scaredy dog? Do I constantly isolate him from people, and only walk him in the dark or out in the boonies? Do I put him in his pen when someone visits, and do I never introduce him to new people or things? This is a dog I used to take camping and with me pretty much everywhere.

With the help of the trainer, and one or two sleepless nights, this is the plan:

Step One: I'm muzzle training him. After speaking with my friend who had a people aggressive dog for 8 years, this is something I've come to terms with. If I can get it to the point where Chewie sees wearing the muzzle as a good thing, what's the harm in him wearing it?
I'm muzzle training my dog for the following reasons:
1) To keep him safe as much as the people and other dogs around him safe
2) To be able to take him places and to be able to relax while doing it
3) So I can bring people up to my front door and have them not worry about Chewie scaring them
4) To control that initial greet so that after he becomes comfortable with people/dogs, we can take it off

What I'm worried about: people will be more scared of him and then he will feed off that fear. People will think he is a biter, or a killer, or aggressive. He is not a mean dog, just anxious. How can I communicate that when we are out? Maybe I'll wear a sign around my neck or something.

MY DOG IS WEARING A MUZZLE FOR PREVENTATIVE MEASURES! Please be calm.

Maybe that's a lot to have on a neck sign.

Step Two: Counter Conditioning. We are currently working on counter conditioning him to be fine with people walking in front of our house. This involves many treats and seems to calm him down. If you want to watch a video on what this looks like, click here and see. I'm hoping this helps with managing people being in our yard, coming up to the front door, etc.

Step Three: Manage his fears, and manage my own. I know Chewie feeds off my energy, and I know that I have to work on my anxiety so that we can work on his. And I am. I truly think the muzzle will help. Writing this blog post is a substep within this step. Being vocal, being honest about what I'm going through helps me process and helps me to realize that what Chewie and I are experiencing is normal. I think I'll have to talk to my neighbours, too. Maybe I'll post a letter up near the mail boxes.

Step Four: Continue the training and try to follow the trainers instructions as best as possible. I want to be proactive instead of reactive. The best thing for Chewie is the best thing for me, and visa versa.

Step Five: Still do stuff he thinks is fun! This is again, where I'm hoping the muzzle will help. He does love people, and dogs, once he knows that everything is safe. I'm hoping maybe he can meet some new dog friends and be social. He loves going for hikes, and it's my own fear that is stopping us.

So I guess that's it for now. I would do anything for Chewie, so I hope that we can move forward positively and proactively, and educate along the way!

The Magic of Disney and Friendship

Disneyland is one of my favourite places in the world. It is so magical to me that I can still have one of the best vacations ever, even after the dirty underwear debacle. 

Sami and I--who happens to be my brothers girlfriend for those who don't know--have made good traveling partners, as it turns out. We were able to leave the Days Inn behind us (until Friday morning when we call them before the airport) and make sure we both had the best time ever.

She has also been getting along swimmingly with the others. With a large group of fifteen, twelve of whom she did not know, I was worried. But sometimes she chooses to ride rides with them, and not me! I'm not bothered though, I like to share my Disney joy. 

I've fallen very behind in my blog writing, and my journalling. Usually on a trip I am very diligent about writing every night in my journal. I think it probably has something to do with the fact that we have been staying in the park until almost closing every night. By the time we get home we essentially fall into an immediate coma for five hours and then wake up early to do it all again the next day.

However, tonight we are home early because we spent the day in Universal Studios. I also love Universal, but not as much as Disney. It just doesn't have as much to offer. I enjoy the Studio Tour, the Waterworld show, and some of the rides, but it just isn't as magical. That being said though, next year they are opening a Harry Potter section to the park. Nothing says added magic like wizards. We could see Hogsmeade being built today. I didn't think I would be sad that it wasn't ready, but seeing the tower of Hogwarts with scaffolding had a somewhat adverse effect on me. I just wanted to explore! I think I may have to go to Florida.

My favourite rides in Disneyland are Peter Pan's Flight and Star Tours. I rode Peter Pan's Flight our second day, and it was amazing. They've refurbished it and it's brighter and better. They added things, but nothing new looks out of place. Star Tours has been a hilarious experience, as it seems every time I ride it we end up going to Hoth (the ice planet). I long to see some Ewoks, I won't lie. I hear rumour that there is a tour that goes there, but I never get to go on it. We actually went on Star Tours with the full group of fifteen, and I asked every robot to please not send us to Hoth. To the amusement of everyone, my friend Cody ended up being the Rebel spy, and it was Hoth again.

It's been a really amazing celebration for my friends Cody and Carrera. Tip: if anyone wants to get married and go on their honeymoon to Disney, make sure you get a pin that says Happily Ever After or Just Married, because you get some really amazing attention from cast members. It makes me want to take my honeymoon in Disney! I briefly considered getting the pin and wearing it with one of my friends, but that would be a lie. And lying in Disneyland is a sin, just like line cutting and running into people with your stroller.

It must be really special for them to have so many friends that want to celebrate their love with them in the Happiest Place on earth. Sometimes all the love and all the magic gets overwhelming and then you get Disney dust in your eyes and they water. It isn't crying though, definitely not crying.

Tomorrow is Sami and my last day in the parks. I will try to write a blog post on Friday in the airport or something, just so that there isn't only 3 writeups about Disneyland and one of them is primarily about stolen underwear. I think I need to write an entire blogpost about my encounter with the loves of my life, Peter Pan and Captain Hook.

Unfortunate Adult Experiences

Sami and I have decided to look at our time at the Days Inn Anaheim as "Unfortunate Adult Experiences". You know the ones, where you are thrown into a situation that is so far out of your wheel house that you don't really know what to do, but at the same time you have to figure it out because you are an adult. Adults can't always call their parents to come bail them out... Well in my case I can, but that is besides the point.

This blog post could be called a few other things. A possible title could be "The Panty Pirate", or "The Invisible Underwear", or even "I Hope No One Sold Them Online". Those would all be appropriate. 

We arrived at the Days Inn on Friday. After exploring Downtown Disney for a while, we were given room 222. I was impressed by the (deceiving) cleanliness of the place, and was blinded by the free wifi and shuttle to the park. We were lulled into a false sense of security. What we should have looked at was the dated decor, the lacklustre staff and the fact that the seatbelts did not work in the van that drove us to the park. But how were we to know what was on our horizon? No one could anticipate the turn of events. 

On Saturday we spent a full day in Disneyland. It was magical. I will write an entire blog post about the magic later. That is not what this particular blogpost is about, however. This blog post is about the horror, and I'm not talking about the Haunted Mansion.

We arrived home around 12am. I began writing in my journal (still haven't finished that entry) and Sami got ready for a shower. She started rummaging around the room. I looked up from the brilliant prose I was writing to insightfully ask "What's up?" 

She says "I can't find my underwear I wore last night." We proceeded to scour the room for the green chevron undergartments. They are nowhere to be found.

I laughed, because I thought that Sam somehow misplaced her panties. Silly Sami, said I. But then I thought, wouldn't it be weird if mine was missing too? So I looked in my luggage and (you can probably guess) my two pairs of dirty underwear were no where to be found.

At this point, because we are both now missing our britches, I begin to panic. What the hell happened to them? Where could they have possibly gone? I went through every pair of clean underwear I had packed, we checked in every nook and every cranny that that room had. The underwear was gone. 3 pairs, stolen.

Sam called the front desk and asked if it was possible that the cleaning staff had put them in the laundry. They said we had to wait until tomorrow to ask. Sami was embarrassed talking to a stranger about the Case of the Missing Panties, but handled it like a champ.

I continued to search the room. And freak out.

Needless to say we didn't get much sleep that night. I made the mistake at taking a closer look at my bedding, and when I brushed my teeth I ran my toothbrush under the hottest of water. Nothing felt clean.

We went to the front desk the next morning to encounter the most useless concierge in all the land. We never saw his computer screen but were fairly certain that he was playing some form of Candy Crush Saga as he was dealing with us. He kept repeating "I understand" but I really don't think he did understand. Sami handled it calmer than I did, I kept repeating "violated" and "disgusting" and I even threw in "call the authorities" for good measure. Paul (we asked for his name, he wasn't pleased to give it) remained stone faced. He was very unhelpful, but did tell us to come back later after he checked with housekeeping. We asked for a manager, but were told it wouldn't be until the next morning that he would be available.

At this point we went back to the park. Nothing solves utter disgust and terror like a little Disney magic. We stayed until about 3:30 and then headed back to the Days Inn for more "fun".

This was when we encountered a slightly less useless concierge. I didn't ask for his name, but he informed us that the cleaning staff had not cleaned our underwear by accident (which we had already figured on our own) and that again, the manager would be in tomorrow. He got us to write a statement, and offered to refund us our money for the 5 remaining nights. This meant two things, we could leave, but we were also essentially receiving zero compensation. We took it, because we were uncomfortable and unhappy. Our plan is to call and actually speak to the manager in the near future, though I think Sami and I are hesitant to continue dealing with the debacle that is the "Great Panty Crisis of 2015".  

We've found refuge in the Travelodge. It is farther away from the park, but that is the price one pays for peace of mind. It was quite difficult finding a new hotel, because it was so last minute making everything either unavailable or very pricey. We are happy with our new home, and I plan on getting a very good sleep, free of fear that my underwear will be stolen and sold to someone on the internet.

Sami and I have got a great story to tell out of the situation, and the reality is that we are still in Disneyland. We are safe, we are positive, we are surrounded by amazing friends, and we are determined to continue enjoying the magic. All future hotel stays will be graded on a scale from 1-10, 1 being underwear security issues, 10 being full panty safety. 

All who read my blog, heed this warning though, if you stay at the Days Inn Anaheim, lock your underpants in your safe along with your passport.

A Year Has Passed and Much has Changed

This blog has been neglected for a long time, almost a year in fact. I went to New York in that time, and also Cabo, Edmonton and Whistler. I became a full time teacher. I became single again. I moved back to my Dad's house with my sweet (badly behaved) dog in tow. I took a summer course through Queens University. I saw two beautiful weddings. Now, I'm going to Disneyland.

New York was amazing. I saw many things, and was totally overstimulated by it all. I loved Broadway (surprising, right?) and the Met, and Yankee Stadium and Central Park and the Chrysler Building and even kind of the subway because it was a new experience. If anyone watches The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmitt on Netflix, that was basically me but more tired, because walking around NYC is pretty exhausting.

Cabo San Lucas was also pretty swell. I saw one of my very best friends get hitched in a gorgeous beach ceremony where she looked content and in love. I'm so friggen happy for her. Also she bought a puppy, but that is another story that does not involve Mexico, but puppies are worth mentioning. I also went snorkelling, and did some bartering to buy some Mexican booty. It was beautiful there, and really cool to see the world famous Cabo arch. 

If anyone wants to read further about these adventures, you can go to the http://hotdogtravelblog.blogspot.ca/ to check it out. I will say that that I will be writing on this blog, and not The Hot Dog Blog (even though the name is incredibly clever) due to my new romantic independence. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be available for perusal though. 

So, onward and upward! New adventures. DISNEYLAND.

My friends Carrera and Cody got married, and are currently on their honeymoon in Disneyland. They wanted a few days on their own, but after that they felt that sharing their love (of Disney, and each other) with their friends was the best way to commemorate their vows. I thought this was a peachy idea, and my friend Sami decided to join me! We are most excited. Currently it probably doesn't look like it in person, because it is 5:20am and we are running off of roughly two hours of sleep. But the excitement is there, disguised by the bags under our eyes.

As is my tradition, I will be blogging about my California experience. Stay tuned. I believe tonight we are going on a city tour! LA, baby. 

New York, New York

James and I have created our itinerary for New York. It's funny, because I feel like like calling it "busy"  just doesn't give it any justice. I need a thesaurus for a better word.

I don't have anything good to wear. I really don't. I'm not just saying that. I think about going to Hedwig and the Angry Inch in any of my current outfits, and I grimace. That is what happens when you only buy clothes you can wear teaching. #teacherproblems

I wrote two blog posts on The Hot Dog Blog . They are pretty short, which I think is due to overstimulation. I'm too excited. There are too many things to think about. I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR. We are leaving in two weeks. I'm torn between buying a new outfit, and saving all the money for the trip.

James is going to write a daily update on the different activities we are going to be participating in. To my millions and trillions of readers, make sure you stay tuned for that. 

Under the Pear Tree

I have not been blogging very often.

I have, however, been busy doing other things. For one, I'm almost done the book I've been writing. This is very exciting and more than a little terrifying. What do I do with a completed manuscript? My writers group insists I send it away, and I mostly agree with them.

I've looked at agents. I found one in Canada that I think I'll send it to. She seems like a kindred spirit and someone who may be interested in my book. But should I send it to more? My friend Carol Anne Shaw is very wise in these types of matters. She told me if I fancy this one agent, I should try her first but put "Exclusive Submission" somewhere in the pitch.

Someone asked me if I will use a pseudonym, a question to which I did not have an answer. I changed my Facebook name when I became a teacher and I am particularly fond of my alias (which by the way does not keep students from finding and "friending" me) and have considered using that as my writers name.

I guess I should finish the book before I start making these kinds of decisions.

One day I will write a blog post about what my book is actually about. Probably after I write a synopsis.

My current favourite spot to write is in my orchard in front of my house. It isn't a large orchard, but has a few trees for me to sit under. I bring my dog, who happily munches away on deer poop. I type furiously (or not so furiously, dependent on the day) on my laptop. Sometimes Chewie (the dog) escapes into the neighbours yard and I have to run after him. But other than that there are few interruptions. He is currently digging a hole. I hope he finds treasure.

Summer has also been a time for visits. I've had lots of them already. This afternoon I pick up my good friend and she will stay for two weeks before heading off on an adventure to China, where she is teaching for a year.

Carol Anne Shaw--the wise author woman I mentioned earlier--has hired me to write a Teachers Guide for each of her novels "Hannah and the Spindle Whorl" and "Hannah and the Salish Sea". This is very exciting for me, as I love her books and revel in the task of helping a friend using my teacher skills.

James and I leave for New York, New York in approximately one month. We have started a blog, which I may or may not have already mentioned. It is called "The Hot Dog Blog", it only has two entries at this moment, but considering our trip is fast approaching, it will indeed have more soon.

That is all for now, I have work to do, you know.

Update

The end of the school year has two very distinct feelings attached to it. One is panic. If you are in Grade 11 or 12, teach Grade 11 or 12 or know someone who is in Grade 11 or 12, chances are you are feeling the side effects of panic. Take a deep breath. This too, shall pass.
The other feeling is one of distraction. The side effects of distraction are procrastination, day dreaming and talking with ones friends when one should be doing other things.
I blame the sun. I don't think classrooms should have windows. The pull of the outside world is too strong. It is May, but in everyone's heads and hearts it is already June.

I looked at my last blog post, which I wrote before spring break. In some ways, spring break was a long time ago--in others it was just yesterday. I had a very productive time, I painted walls, slept a lot and starting Foundation Class with my puppy.

Easter weekend was pretty fabulous, also. I went to Disneyland with some of the boarding girls. I frolicked down Main Street. I hugged Goofy, and Minnie (Mickey was somewhat illusive) and I rode essentially all the rides. I finally experienced Space Mountain. The first time I went, it was closed. The second time, I left it until the last possible minute and it broke down when I was on it. Having rode it now, I don't really know how to describe it. It was kind of all a blur--not just in my memory but an actual blur. The ride was really fast.
The girls were all very well behaved. They were so busy doing what they were supposed to do to have any energy left to misbehave. They also rode all the rides. And acted like kids, which is awesome because now-a-days high school girls seem to think they need to dress and behave like adults.
I spend all my time acting like a kid, not just in Disneyland.

School is insanely busy at the moment. Outdoor Education week is coming up, where I get to go camping with a bunch of 13 year old girls for 4 nights. This may seem like torture to some, but I am excited about it. After Disneyland, I realized how vital it is to get out of the classroom and spend time with my students.

Enough bloggin' for now.