Not quite ready

So I decided to see if Lacey could handle a night out of her crate last night... It did not go according to plan. She didn't destroy anything but she had an awful lot of bowel movements in a 8 hour time span!

Walk, walks and more walks

What a beautiful weekend! I am definitely read for Spring. Me and the girls had a great weekend going for walks. We went on three seperate walks, with three seperate friends. Saturday afternoon we met Marja and Tundra (Coulee's best friend) for a walk in Peenaquim. I didn't take my camera so there is no pictures but suffice it to say they had lots of fun racing around and eating goose poop. Sunday morning we met Deirdre, Cricket and Jetta, again at Peenaquim.
We were out for almost 2 hours and the girls had a blast racing around and meeting lots of new dogs. Then Sunday afternoon, I took Perkins (who was visiting for the day) out to Park Lake with Jolene and Tate. I figured the girls had had enough exercise and I didn't want to hold more than 1 leash with the camera.Turns out I didn't take many pictures so I could have handled another dog but oh well. Next time.

This whole time poor Sam (Amanda's dog) was stuck at home. He can't run around too much but he did manage to have some fun in the backyard.

Final Letter

They may as well have said "We don't care and we never even bothered to read your letter."

Dear Wendy Devent,

Thank you for contacting Chapters Indigo Online.

Please accept this e-mail as confirmation that your comments have been received. We appreciate hearing from our customers and value the information and feedback that we receive.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced. If you require any additional assistance, please feel free to contact us.

Thank you for choosing Chapters Indigo Online. Books, Music, Movies and More.

Sincerely,
Darryl 25203

Easily Riled

I sent my thoughts to Chapters and Amazon this morning. I got an immeditate response from Amazon that makes me believe they didn't even read the message, they just have a computer search through e-mails and respond accordingly with a form letter. I guess I expected more.

The response I got from Chapters seemed a little bit more sincere, although I'm sure another form letter. Here is what Chapters had to say.

Dear Wendy Devent,

Thank you for your recent email. Please be assured that we have thoroughly considered your position on this matter. As a major bookseller in this country we recognize that we are seen and appreciated as a place which supports the free flow of ideas, information and writing. Mindful of this, we have always looked to carry the broadest possible selection of titles in our stores, and to make available at chapters.indigo.ca almost every title available in print. We make exceptions only under the following conditions which we have always been clear about:

1. We will not, to the best of our knowledge, sell child pornography.

2. We will not, to the best of our knowledge, sell material which provides detailed information on how to create weapons of mass destruction.

3. We will not, to the best of our knowledge, sell books which have as their sole intent the incitement toward the annihilation of whole groups within society.

We want to confirm that we do not endorse the book, carry it in our retail stores nor promote it or other books of its nature actively.

We appreciate your feedback and hope we are able to serve you in the future.

Sincerely,
Jennifer 7453

This was my response back

I appreciate your comments about censorship and free speech. I truly do. But this book is not just about an illegial activity, it is a book explaining how to carry one out. I am sure you have books that discuss issues such as drug use, historic robberies and how to cope with child abuse but I doubt you carry books that explain how to shoot up drugs, or how to rob a bank, or how to abuse someone. As a business owner myself, I am very concious of issues that are my personal beliefs and I make a point of not pushing those beliefs on my clients or demanding that my clients share them. But at the same time, as a business owner, I have the right to refuse selling something because I don't agree with their practices or its nature. If you sold every book ever published, I might be able accept the censorship arguement but you don't. I'm assuming you chose to carry books that you believe will bring you profit. By selling this book, I hope you keep in mind you are loosing profit from other books, from other clients that are no longer shopping in your stores.

Wendy Devent

Can you tell I'm a little annoyed?

Dog Fight Book

I can't believe this is being sold (see below - text from an e-mail from Sharon Larson with the Xolo Rescue in Alberta). I've vowed not to shop at either store until the book is removed. It will be hard as I love Chapters but I guess that is the cost of having strong beliefs.

You, too, can train dogs to kill each other... Just visit amazon.ca or chapters.indigo.ca

It’s likely that Michael Vick has now become better known for his involvement in dog fighting than his feats on the field. Throughout North America, people reacted with horror and disgust as the brutal facts surrounding his case came to light. Did anyone advocating dog fighting speak up? Did anyone rise to Vick’s defense with the old, ‘they’re just animals’ excuse? While dog fighting as blood-sport may have been more common and more acceptable 100 years ago, society’s sensibilities have evolved. We now see dogs as companion animals, work animals and sport animals. We do not tolerate as entertainment the brutalization of dogs or other animals.

Rightly so, most Canadians react with strong emotion when we learn of this type of animal cruelty. So, why is it then acceptable that Amazon.ca and Chapters.Indigo.ca are selling a number of books glorifying and, in at least one case, providing instructions on how to train dogs to kill each other? Both of these retailers currently offer one particularly disturbing book, “The Dog Pit – Or, How To Select, Breed, Train And Manage Fighting Dogs, With Points As To Their Care In Health And Disease – 1888”. Imagine that: selling a book that not only advocates dog fighting but even teaches you how to do it!

When I contacted Amazon.ca about this, they ducked behind the free speech – no censorship blind. Their response, “Let me assure you that Amazon.ca does not support, promote, or profit from perverse or criminal acts; we do support the right of every individual to choose his or her own reading material.” And “Amazon.ca believes it is censorship not to sell certain titles because we believe their message is repugnant…” and it will “continue to make controversial works available, except where they are prohibited by law.” In defense of profiting from this garbage, Amazon.ca goes on to say “…we strongly believe that the appropriate response to repugnant speech is not censorship, but more speech…”. Fine. To all animal welfare advocates and those who find dog-fighting repugnant, please let Amazon.ca and Chapters.Indigo.ca experience ‘more speech’: contact them right now and tell them exactly how you feel about their commitment to selling this reprehensible book promoting such an illegal, immoral and barbaric activity. Contact your friends and family and ask them to do the same. Make every single animal-loving person you know aware of what these two retailers are offering for sale.

Given Amazon.ca’s free speech logic, presumably then Amazon.ca would have no issue selling books that advocated and provided instructions on how to perpetrate child sexual abuse, domestic violence, genocide, slavery, etc. Dog fighting is illegal in Canada as are these other horrific abuses. Clearly, Amazon.ca has a unique interpretation of the federal Criminal Code and the notion of ‘profit from perverse or criminal acts’. What are Amazon.ca and Chapters.Indigo.ca thinking? One thing is certain, common sense plays no role in their profit equation.

To contact Amazon.ca:
Online: Visit www.amazon.ca or click here to access the ‘Customer Service’ page.
Mail: 1200 12th Avenue South, Suite 1200, Seattle, WA 98144
Phone: 1-800-201-7575

To contact Chapters/Indigo:
Online: Visit www.chapters.indigo.ca/contactus and provide them a taste of your free speech.
Mail: 468 King Street West, Suite 500, Toronto, ON M5V 1L8
http://cfhs.ca/law/you_too_can_train_dogs_to_kill_each_other_just_visit_amazon_ca_or_chapters_indigo_ca/

Indoor Weekend

Well it wasn't a very exciting weekend. I started sneezing on Friday night and woke up Saturday morning with an awful cold. Marlin went to the store for videos and medicine and I pretty much spent the weekend on the couch.

The girls had a blast in the snow. Lacey always managed to get absolutely covered - which isn't hard when the snow is almost higher than you are - and she bunny hopped all over the backyard. She had serious zoomies every time they went outside. I'm glad someone was having fun! Her retching has improved but we can't seem to keep her belly from getting empty. We are feeding her three times a day with the last feeding immediately before bed but she still retches at 3 a.m. so we feed her more. Which means that we reduce the amount of food in the rest of her meals, which means she starts to retch earlier because there isn't as much food in her stomach. It feels like a never ending cycle! I'm not sure if we should switch her to cheaper food so we can feed her more or what. Seems a little silly but I'm not sure what else to do. Amanda suggested some wet food because it has lots of moisture and less calories so maybe we'll try that.

After spending the weekend with boring old me, they sure had a lot of fun at daycare today. Coulee is winking in the picture because a black lab was wagging his tail in her face. If I hadn't been holding a toy, she never would have put up with that.

Lacey update

Well Lacey and I went off to the vet today. The initial diagnosis was too much acid in her belly so we just need to feed her more often and later in the evening. So this means she'll be getting a third meal just before bed. Oh the tourture!!! ;) If we hear her retching in the middle of the night we are supposed to give her more food. I don't think she'll mind her "medicine". Coulee on the other hand, might have to be sedated to get over her jealousy.

Keep your fingers crossed that this was the problem...

One Last Rally

So last night was our last Rally class night. Sarah set out a long(er) course for us and then marked our performance. Lacey did pretty good for being such a little tyke. Her "sits" and "downs" are really good and she is learning to walk by my side...at least when I have treats!

After running through the course once, we traded dogs and did the course again. I had the "pleasure" of working with Sawyer. Margaret sure has her hands full with him. His attention span is non-existent. We were practicing on the side and he was sitting and laying down for me great but the moment we walked on course his head started swiveling in every direction. It was interesting to handle a dog with different challenges than both Lacey and Coulee - it gave me a great appreciation for how knowledgable instructors need to be in order to have practical solutions and training tips for all kinds of dogs.

Jolene took Lacey on the course. They were pretty cute together. I noticed Jolene talks in the same "baby talk" I use with Lacey - it must be impossible to use a different voice or something! Before Jolene started the course I had to finally admit that Lacey doesn't actually have words for any of the commands, other than sit, down and stand. She heels pretty good on her own and I just use lures to get her into place. heh heh. I guess I need to work on that...oh yeah...and she needs to learn to stay. Sarah wasn't impressed. :)

Retching

Nice subject eh? Lacey has been retching in the middle of the night. It sounds like she is bringing up tonnes of stuff but after flying out of bed a few nights in a row to find nothing, we no longer even check. We know there won't be anything there. So after talking to a vet and googling "dry heaves dog", We are going to try her on a different food. We noticed when we brought her home from the vet after being spayed and having her teeth pulled, we fed her wet food so she didn't irritate her teeth. And for the 3 days when she ate this food, she didn't retch. So I'm trying a new food to see if that helps.

It could also be all the junk she eats - we have litter that blows into the backyard and the out door area of the daycare and it never fails, she will find even the smallest piece of "whatever" and eat it.

Great Day

I had a great day today. The sun was shining, it was wonderfully warm and I didn' have to work! Me and the girls met Marja and Tundra this morning for a dog walk. Coulee and Lacey were both very well behaved, if you don't count eating goose poop as being bad. Coulee and Tundra ran around like maniacs and Lacey desperately tried to keep up. She was definitely being treated like the younger sister no one really wanted to include. Poor girl. She ran down a bank to join them in the river and then couldn't get back up. Thankfully she figured out to run along the shore until there was an easier place to get back out. We ran into Jack, a daycare buddy, who was just as wild at the park as he is at daycare.

Then after a brief stop at Starbucks (for Sandy but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get one for myself too!) and the daycare I went home. The girls crashed and I did fun things like pick up poop, try and rinse Lacey's pee off the deck, read a book and knit. And then I napped. It was wonderful. I used to nap every day but I haven't napped in a long time.

Now, I'm just at the daycare so I can drive a few dogs home and then I'm back home for a BBQ dinner and a few movies. I can't wait!

Forgotten Video

I forgot I had this video of Lacey. She is just too cute!!!!

Big Brother?

What do you think? Lacey's taller, older brother?

Supposed to be working

I am supposed to be working, but I'm not. I'm dreaming of summer. I can't wait to start hiking and camping again. It will have been 2 years since we went camping (except for the 2 night canoe trip we did last year). I just realized that now we will be sleeping with 2 dogs in a little tent instead of just one. Good thing Lacey is small! We might have to listen to Coulee grumbling all night every time Lacey touches her. That won't be fun.

Coulee and I did do a few hikes together the first year I started pet sitting. Some days I didn't have any jobs so we were able to slip away for the day. She is great to hike with. Her bad leash manners actually are a blessing as she hauls you up the mountain. The way down isn't as fun but that is what an easy walk harness is for!

Daycare Fun

The kids seem to be having a particulary fun time at daycare today. Coulee had fun chasing the ball.

Lacey had fun looking for buried treasure. She would dig..

...get the zoomies and then dig some more.

She eventually walked away with the prize (a piece of bark I think).

Dogs and Knitting

Look what I stumbled across today! Weeones! The moment I saw her banner I was pretty excited. How cute is that? And it combines dogs and knitting...two of my favourite things!

Temporary Wheels

I was in a fender bender back in January and the van is finally in for repairs. I have a "sporty" new mini van as my rental - only 3,000 km! I hope they take a while with the repairs! I really like it.

Busy Weekend

Amanda posted about how busy and fun her weekend was. Mine was busy and fun too...unless you count the 10 hours my dad and I spent working on the Paws on the Run financials on Sunday. Geesh. The sad thing is, I'm still not done yet. I have to figure out one last thing in Quickbooks before I can say year end is complete. The good news is, we have actually made money these past few months. Not alot, but we didn't lose money. :)

So no fun pictures from the weekend but we had a good visit with my Dad and his wife Shelley. They made a trip out so they could house hunt in Cranbrook last week. They actually bought one and will be moving out from Vancouver in June. We'll be able to meet in the Crowsnest Pass and go hiking together this summer. I'm pretty excited.

In Lacey news, her feet are not bothering her at all! The vet warned that they would get pretty itchy around 8-10 days after the surgery but she hasn't been licking or chewing them at all. I'm so happy. I've seen some pretty infected feet before and it doesn't look fun.

Just had to share

So do you remember that yarn, my nieces dyed with Kool-aid? Check out the mitts my sister made for them out of it!

I'm a Border Collie

Funny. When I took dogster's quiz to find out what kind of dog I am, I ended up as a border collie. I don't think it describes me at all. I'm one of the least competitive people I know. Although technically, I guess you could say I'm a CEO! :)

You've heard about this "second-place ribbon" thing, but really don’t ever plan on getting one. Not a chance. Highly competitive, you keep one eye on the Best in Show prize and one on the rest of the pack, making sure you're always at least one paw ahead. You love your family and enjoy the company you keep, but you'd trade all of them in a heartbeat for a corner office and some meaty stock options. When you're not licking your professional coat, naked skydiving and triathlons keep you entertained. You idolize the top dog and will do so until you sniff out a way to take over the company and do a little "restructuring."

New floors

Amanda thinks my new floors are boring... so I've included Lacey in the picture so it isn't so boring.

Nice posture eh?

Knock on Wood

Or should I say Laminate... Lacey hasn't had a single accident since we installed the laminate floors. Yippee! She isn't the type of dog that we will need to crate in the home once she is fully house trained as she isn't really the destructive type. I held off posting this as I wanted a picture of our new floors (my sister has some on her camera - hint hint Debbie!) and what does Lacey go and do last night? Poop in the house!

She is holding up well and so far all her incision sites look good. Her feet bother her the most but she was able to spend some time last night without her cone on. It doesn't usually take her long to start nibbling at those feet.

In non-dog news, our furnace has decided to stop working. When we woke up this morning it was a balmy 12 degrees in the house! We tried to convince Lu to spent the morning curled up next to the fireplace and I brought Lacey to work (despite the cone) just so she wouldn't be a pupsicle by the time we got home. Someone is coming over this afternoon to check it out and hopefully it is a quick fix! We have heat! Thank goodness. Turns out it was just a clogged filter...we won't talk about the fact that we had a new clean filter sitting right there! Sigh.