If you know me, you'll know dogs are a pretty huge part of my life these days. I had a girl friend when I was younger, who wanted to be a vegetarian and her life dream was to be a veterinarian to save all the dogs in the world. I used to think she was crazy.
Today, I'm a pescetarian, and I'm currently on a mission to help save all the dogs in the world.
Let's look back a bit here and take a trip down memory lane:
February 28, 2014
Jon and I had decided we wanted a dog. He decided a shih tzu was the best breed, because of their demeanor and that they barely shed. We didn't want a puppy as neither of us could take time off work to train one, and we felt more noble adopting an older, "less desirable" dog. I scoured the Internet for a shih tzu, and then I found her - Bella, a beautiful little 1.5 year old brown shih tzu, who was being given up in a Kijiji ad because she was "aggressive towards the baby". I don't have babies, so I wasn't very concerned, and I think any human who can't keep their newborn away from a ten pound dog simply isn't trying hard enough (#sorrynotsorry).
So February 28 2014, during our University Reading Week, we took Bella home, whether we wanted to or not.
No, really. Her owners came without paperwork for record of her shots, and after five minutes, the woman's significant other was laying on the horn for her to hurry up and leave the dog behind. The woman also bragged about having put an egg in the dog's fur to make it shiny - when she clearly had never had a groom. That's not even an exaggeration.
After a quick decision that we didn't want this poor mutt thrown into a ditch by people who obviously had no concern about the type of people buying her, and a promise for emailed vet papers that never came, Bella was officially part of our family. Thus beginning the journey of spaying, vetting, grooming, and house training our dog as though she were a puppy anyways. I wouldn't change a thing about this little mop-head.
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| Bella's first day with us. |
July 11, 2014
We only planned on one dog, I swear! But Bella didn't know how to be a dog. She didn't bark, she didn't know how to ask to go to the bathroom, and she didn't play even when encouraged to. All she wanted to do was cuddle you on the couch. We felt like she was depressed and needed a friend when we weren't home, so we started our search for a second dog.
We thought we'd get another shih tzu, but they were hard to come by in any adoption sites, and Kijiji had just implemented its policy of forbidding posts of animals for sale. Then I started looking for other hypoallergenic breeds for Jon, and thought either a mini-schnauzer, or a havanese would be worth looking into. Lo, and behold! A schnauzer-havanese cross popped up onto a new local animal rescue site - The Greater Edmonton Animal Rescue Society!
We met Freddie (then, Howie) within three days of applying, and we knew we had to adopt him when Bella seemed to liven up and started dragging him around the back yard by his leash. On July 11, 2014, he became ours. We almost returned him the next day when Jon spent 45 minutes chasing him down Victoria Trail in busy traffic after he escaped the yard. Luckily, I convinced Jon the dog just needed time to adjust and learn his name, and Freddie's completed our family unit...so far.
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| Freddie's first day with us |
July 13, 2015
At some point in between adopting Freddie and volunteering for GEARS, I tried a bunch of things to enhance my life. One of them was my own faux-business, "The Barking Bakery Canada", which failed miserably and made a whopping $125 over three months of appearances at Farmer's Markets to sell my home made dog cookies ($90 of that was my debut at a Christmas craft show). I tried doing art, and selling my paintings, but that didn't work either.
I had been a volunteer my whole adult life, travelling across Canada when I turned 18 to volunteer at Cancer institutions, learning disability centers, and even the United Way. I spent a year as a crisis line volunteer at The Sexual Assault Center of Edmonton. I continue to be on the Board of Directors at my community league. So I hung the towel for a little while in the entrepreneur department and went back to my roots: finding something I was passionate enough about to get involved in.
I first applied to volunteer with GEARS as a blogger on July 13, 2015. It combined my favourite things: volunteering, the Internet, and dogs (sorry cats, you're important, too). Blogging turned into helping with social media posts overall, and eventually being a temporary foster somewhere down the line. Basically, I have a multi-personality disorder within GEARS
July 27, 2015
I stopped eating meat kind of on a whim this day. I always hated chicken, and bacon was making me feel gross, especially when I had cut out a major source of my exercise regime a month earlier. I continue to eat eggs and fish, but for somebody with chronically low iron, I surprisingly feel better with the lack of red meat in my life.
Let's clarify, though: I stopped eating meat for dietary purposes. People expect me to advocate for animal rights and be some version of a hippie because of my meatless ways, but it's not true. I advocate for animal rights, and I avoid red meat and hate chicken. The two are entirely unrelated. However, I coincidentally feel less guilty when I'm not indirectly killing cows, but I won't judge you if that sort of activity thrills you.
Today
Today...I was faced with the possibility of adopting a third dog. Dammit Bella, what did you start?
We'll update that soon...
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