tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126508362024-03-13T10:29:15.300-07:00Heavy BreathingFeaturing Louise the PugUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger402125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-7848117764480090522011-07-30T11:37:00.006-07:002011-07-30T12:31:04.602-07:00Full Tilt, right to the end<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lPXAd4Uw-0E/TjRbAvnANeI/AAAAAAAAD-k/NvVCiWBxJKc/s1600/IMG_0851.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lPXAd4Uw-0E/TjRbAvnANeI/AAAAAAAAD-k/NvVCiWBxJKc/s200/IMG_0851.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635229102085518818" border="0" /></a>She had an episode on our walk and I had to carry her home - she didn't really recover from that point on. After spending the night in a 24hr Emergency Clinic for animals we finally got the prognosis from the doctor: Louise was suffering from congestive heart failure, the symptoms of which intensified greatly earlier that night. X-rays showed the telltale signs. Other tests showed that she was no longer able to get sufficient oxygen from breathing - possibly from fluid in her lungs. Holly and I opted to say our goodbyes to Louise rather than to prolong her suffering - Louise died this morning, at 6:15 am. This was not a financial decision but rather one made out of compassion. We let Louise leave with dignity.<br /><br />While in hindsight we can see some of the telltale symptoms of her progressing condition, Holly and I were blissfully unaware of how weak Louise was becoming. Sure, she was slowing down, but Louise was pretty good at indicating to us when she wasn't interested in going out, etc. In some ways this proved to be a good thing for Louise as she continued to live her life unencumbered with thoughts of tomorrow and for the most part, at her pace.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0A5yZ1Ea10M/TjRbIB5cXkI/AAAAAAAAD-s/AnoQSqUv0Rg/s1600/IMG_0854.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0A5yZ1Ea10M/TjRbIB5cXkI/AAAAAAAAD-s/AnoQSqUv0Rg/s200/IMG_0854.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635229227253784130" border="0" /></a>Louise's final week was spent pretty much like any other week - she was in the office with me on Thursday, she was rolling around on the sofa in one of her playful 'wrestling matches' with me just yesterday, our walks were relaxed and quite enjoyable in the summer weather. Louise generally wanted nothing more than to be with Holly or I. (and whatever was on our plates.) Just yesterday she was barking on the sidewalk, just letting the neighborhood know she was there. Every day was a happy one, so long we we were together.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pl6HMmTgvvE/TjRbSR2EIXI/AAAAAAAAD-0/BZE6EmhBuYo/s1600/IMG_0855.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 182px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pl6HMmTgvvE/TjRbSR2EIXI/AAAAAAAAD-0/BZE6EmhBuYo/s200/IMG_0855.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635229403333271922" border="0" /></a>Louise was one of those fantastic, 'enrich your life in ways you never thought possible' kind of dogs. By that I mean to say she was a completely normal dog given a chance to be a part of a group who adopted her as one of their own. Our family group consisted of my wife and I, two cats and of course, Louise. Having two cats in the group ensured that our days would never be boring, as there was always just a little friction between them and Louise. But they had their moments of reconciliation as well.<br /><br />I don't have a fantastic memory, which is why I'm thankful right now to have kept a record of her time with us here on this blog. Sure, the frequency of updates slowed down over the last while, but so did Louise, so I figure it evens out. Just knowing that I have several years' worth of stories and photos to remind me of the many adventures she had is comforting to me.<br /><br />This is going to be the last blog post here but the content will stay up for those who wish to continue remembering this little dog. Comments will stay enabled for now and as always, we read every one. I hope you enjoyed these random stories about our little 'Heavy Breather'.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-48219138944027770692011-07-26T20:47:00.006-07:002011-07-26T21:03:20.790-07:00Getting a bit warm in these parts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cmQWMmM1L9o/Ti-KZ2DfpuI/AAAAAAAAD-E/RC5NEFs4l94/s1600/IMG_0797.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 188px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cmQWMmM1L9o/Ti-KZ2DfpuI/AAAAAAAAD-E/RC5NEFs4l94/s200/IMG_0797.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633873835475314402" border="0" /></a>It's been so long since I have posted to this blog, but hey, at least I have been doing twitter updates. Anyway, this time I hope to recap a few of those twitter pictures as well as a couple new ones, just to keep things fresh.<br /><br />The warmer weather has finally arrived, but it is in true Vancouver style, which is to say that it's decidedly 'warm' and not 'hot' like the rest of the continent. That's ok though, it's just about perfect weather for walking a heat-sensitive pug like ours. We haven't had to take any special measures yet, but both Holly and I have noticed that Louise is losing stamina when out for her afternoon walks. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A275Yyd4otw/Ti-LcONb3hI/AAAAAAAAD-M/b8LJBucqxRY/s1600/IMG_0798.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A275Yyd4otw/Ti-LcONb3hI/AAAAAAAAD-M/b8LJBucqxRY/s200/IMG_0798.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633874975830826514" border="0" /></a>She still wants to go out, but well, she doesn't really last all that long.<br /><br />The first two pictures are ones I took while walking with her along the sea wall. In the second one she is just 'investigating' the bottom rung and not actually trying to drink salt water. But it took a lot of sniffing for her to determine that it wasn't actually worth drinking. I guess the salt content isn't all that high in the waters around Vancouver so maybe <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zYIXWj68zlg/Ti-MUGSvhCI/AAAAAAAAD-U/4l-ezhhhXFI/s1600/IMG_0817.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 178px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zYIXWj68zlg/Ti-MUGSvhCI/AAAAAAAAD-U/4l-ezhhhXFI/s200/IMG_0817.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633875935778276386" border="0" /></a>it's normal that it would take a dog a bit of sniffing to figure it out.<br /><br />The next picture is one where I have captured Louise licking her paws. If you asked me I'd say that it was a very cat-like behaviour but well that's not a popular theory with either the dog OR the cats.<br /><br />All of this brings me to the last picture in this post, which is also one that I tweeted a few days ago. It was one of those lucky shots where <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rsASS4QgJT0/Ti-NmTyl7GI/AAAAAAAAD-c/zqyBBCfXPLo/s1600/IMG_0830.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rsASS4QgJT0/Ti-NmTyl7GI/AAAAAAAAD-c/zqyBBCfXPLo/s200/IMG_0830.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633877348150799458" border="0" /></a>I had set a wine bottle by the door with intentions of recycling it (we still have it here) and Louise decided to lay down next to it because the door was open enough to allow some cooler air to come in. Holly noticed first and suggested I take a picture. I did and what we have is a decently staged 'hangover' picture.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-39182985732889711412011-07-07T21:07:00.005-07:002011-07-07T21:35:35.446-07:00Wii find it exhausting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w7ZLoJ-ujAw/ThaDrVVqjVI/AAAAAAAAD7o/BeEwOn3gt3U/s1600/SAM_0807.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w7ZLoJ-ujAw/ThaDrVVqjVI/AAAAAAAAD7o/BeEwOn3gt3U/s200/SAM_0807.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626829564931640658" border="0" /></a>I think we might have been the last family in Canada to purchase a Nintendo Wii. Of course, by being last we also happened to score a great deal (ie. basically free by using Shopper's Optimum points for a discount greater than the price of the console). Even with that though, we have noticed that prices for the remotes have held firm. I guess it's pretty easy to see where Nintendo makes it's money from.<br /><br />Anyway, the Wii is a bit bothersome for Louise, as when we are playi<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hl0onNKgMqY/ThaEsD2zJzI/AAAAAAAAD7w/AbEM2F-PjYA/s1600/SAM_0883.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 118px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hl0onNKgMqY/ThaEsD2zJzI/AAAAAAAAD7w/AbEM2F-PjYA/s200/SAM_0883.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626830676930275122" border="0" /></a>ng with it, she is never quite sure where she should be sitting. Should she sit on my couch? Probably a good idea if it's Holly's turn. But once Holly's turn is over, Louise is wanting to switch couches again, as now I am up, practicing my golf swing. This back and forth action will continue for quite a while until Louise finally gives up and goes to nap in her bed.<br /><br />Today was also the day when<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CHF3558n080/ThaFP79LNiI/AAAAAAAAD74/eJiXdHvO5Zs/s1600/SAM_0884.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 124px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CHF3558n080/ThaFP79LNiI/AAAAAAAAD74/eJiXdHvO5Zs/s200/SAM_0884.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626831293284824610" border="0" /></a> Louise came into work with me. I tweeted her picture a couple times as we had an employee information session, which gave me a few minutes of downtime while they prepared the room. Louise wanted to sit in my lap, so she was only too happy to smile for the camera. Of course, ten minutes later she was also bored enough to insist we go for a walk immediately. Luckily, my boss doesn't take offense to me walking out of his presentation, and I was able to get caught up later.<br /><br />Still, overall it was a pretty good day for Wheezie.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-29864133262673245832011-06-28T21:00:00.005-07:002011-06-28T21:15:16.712-07:00Return to the river<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ziO0t-jLhyM/Tgqjm5F0qRI/AAAAAAAAD6o/K7bCi-ZgL4Q/s1600/IMG_0717.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ziO0t-jLhyM/Tgqjm5F0qRI/AAAAAAAAD6o/K7bCi-ZgL4Q/s200/IMG_0717.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623486973281085714" border="0" /></a>We rented a car for the weekend so that we could do a day-trip to the USA. Nothing like a little cross-border shopping to help out the economy, 'eh? Anyhow, as a peace offering for not being able to entertain Louise for an entire day, we decided to take her with us on Sunday, as we had some running around to do.<br /><br />Based on where we needed to go, Holly also figured that we could probably fit in a visit to the park by the Fraser river - we used to live near this spot before we got Louise,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--zKjFmWKJ-8/Tgqkh9gU6LI/AAAAAAAAD6w/bYkCGWA2HXw/s1600/IMG_0722.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--zKjFmWKJ-8/Tgqkh9gU6LI/AAAAAAAAD6w/bYkCGWA2HXw/s200/IMG_0722.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623487988078274738" border="0" /></a> and so for us it's fun just to return to get reacquainted with the place. That's probably a bit wordy for what I needed to say, but I have more pictures than words for this post, so bear with me while I fill things up a bit.<br /><br />Our first stop was at IKEA to return a few things we got earlier (and then later suffered buyer's remorse over). This is actually a semi-common thing that happens to us with IKEA, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XEO93EgEmrw/Tgql148YxEI/AAAAAAAAD64/SaDHHr7WZso/s1600/IMG_0724.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XEO93EgEmrw/Tgql148YxEI/AAAAAAAAD64/SaDHHr7WZso/s200/IMG_0724.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623489429962802242" border="0" /></a>so we have learned to keep our receipts close to the stuff we get there. A lot of their stuff is good, but well, not all of it tends to go well together and this was one of those times where what seemed like a good idea at the time of purchase turned out to be less compelling once we got home. Hence the return.<br /><br />Since this was our first stop of the day, it also meant that we had to have a bite to eat - Holly had a cinnamon bun while Louise shared a hot dog with me - of course I was the greedy one who ate most of it, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l-m97n0xFyc/TgqmAVICSpI/AAAAAAAAD7A/RI8xEEYyThY/s1600/IMG_0726.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 186px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l-m97n0xFyc/TgqmAVICSpI/AAAAAAAAD7A/RI8xEEYyThY/s200/IMG_0726.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623489609326545554" border="0" /></a>but Louise was ok with that because she actually got some hot dog - and the day was far from over.<br /><br />Louise enjoyed the river but what was troubling to me was that for some reason she also really enjoyed the TASTE of the beach. That's right, Louise was licking up the sand like it was ice cream cone and I was getting more and more disgusted by the minute. Still, she thought it was grand, and had a good old time, as evidenced by this last photo, where I tried to get a good shot of the sand lining her lips.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-73435284076704296472011-06-05T17:47:00.004-07:002011-06-05T17:56:33.347-07:00Starting to feel like Summer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pYqnh8n5QYI/Tewj1tKur2I/AAAAAAAAD6I/ScPpPIFrnCg/s1600/IMG_0636.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pYqnh8n5QYI/Tewj1tKur2I/AAAAAAAAD6I/ScPpPIFrnCg/s200/IMG_0636.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614902240988802914" border="0" /></a>Well we finally got some warm weather. Spring has been so late in arriving that it is almost summer. While Holly and I appreciate the way things are warming up, it's already evident that things are starting to take a toll on Louise. We had her out for a walk along Robson Street, which was convenient because we could slip into a store if Louise started to get too hot.<br /><br />I'm still kind of surprised that I haven't seen very many water bowls <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LHwV7nQ1lEI/TewktLP1yCI/AAAAAAAAD6Q/t8esQYj3QA8/s1600/IMG_0630.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 197px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LHwV7nQ1lEI/TewktLP1yCI/AAAAAAAAD6Q/t8esQYj3QA8/s200/IMG_0630.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614903193956108322" border="0" /></a>set out for dogs yet. Spring may have been cold, but dogs still get thirsty.<br /><br />Oh yeah, earlier today when Louise and I were out for her morning stretch, we met some people that recognized her. I was a little surprised when a lady asked me 'is that Louise? I read her blog.' I mean, Louise is famous, but I didn't think she was that famous! At first she was going to totally ignore the people, which is what she has been doing lately, but since the lady knew her name, well that kind of changed Louise's perspective a bit. She was willing to be neighborly.<br /><br />What is she doing now? She is konked out in her doggie bed, snoring a little. One thing about the heat is that it really tires her out. Good thing our apartment stays nice and cool most of the time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-38561424067910321882011-05-21T13:02:00.006-07:002011-05-21T13:27:41.618-07:00We found some tall grass<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bGnOjUDnPn4/Tdga76kh23I/AAAAAAAAD5c/sPIwIP0zzKY/s1600/IMG_0594.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bGnOjUDnPn4/Tdga76kh23I/AAAAAAAAD5c/sPIwIP0zzKY/s200/IMG_0594.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609262952527027058" border="0" /></a>Louise was back in the office yesterday which was probably a good thing since the weather forecast for the next little while is all rain. While I can still bring Louise in when it's wet, it does make for a lot of extra work.<br /><br />But Friday was a fantastic sunny day and Louise discovered a new park area that has recently been put together. It is next to the Olympic Village, but is not nearly as elaborate as the park that is part of the Village. I think this was a vacant lot and they decided it would look nicer if they just threw down grass seed and some gravel for a path or two. It really was that low budget and simple and you know what? It turned out fantastic.<br /><br />The grass is uneven as some places grew faster and taller than others, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IOAFdVevqTE/TdgeNMZtr5I/AAAAAAAAD5s/jDHtnQ5Xnps/s1600/IMG_0597.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IOAFdVevqTE/TdgeNMZtr5I/AAAAAAAAD5s/jDHtnQ5Xnps/s200/IMG_0597.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609266547906162578" border="0" /></a>leaving a patchy texture across the lot that must have seemed a lot more interesting to someone at Louise's height than at mine. She already has a thing about long grass, as she likes to run in it, so I let her off leash and she would weave in and out of the tall spots.<br /><br />I tried to get the camera low enough to give some idea on where the grass was in terms of height - obviously we aren't talking about a hayfield here. Just very fresh, new grass that has grown quickly. Louise just loved it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XzpAMynanOs/TdgdUjdsoVI/AAAAAAAAD5k/A8Y47pztLCA/s1600/IMG_0596.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XzpAMynanOs/TdgdUjdsoVI/AAAAAAAAD5k/A8Y47pztLCA/s200/IMG_0596.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609265574844342610" border="0" /></a>The other nice thing about this little park is that it's even closer to the office than any of the other spots. This is great news for me, as there are times when Louise just doesn't have the energy to walk all the way over to the far side of the Olympic Village just to play in a park. Either she toughs it out and just sleeps the entire day away afterward, or she just pulls up short and indicates to me that she doesn't want to walk that far.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_CKo2PJyVXo/TdgfMPJIDtI/AAAAAAAAD50/PZWDTVHlwEU/s1600/IMG_0600.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_CKo2PJyVXo/TdgfMPJIDtI/AAAAAAAAD50/PZWDTVHlwEU/s200/IMG_0600.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609267630973652690" border="0" /></a>Yes, Louise has no problem telling us when she is done walking. Sometimes (especially on rainy days) it happens immediately on exiting the condo. Once she sees the rain, she will often just turn around and walk back inside. At other times, we will approach an intersection and she will just stop walking if we are about to go in a direction she doesn't want.<br /><br />That wasn't a concern yesterday, as this park was close enough that she was able to romp about without getting too tired. She still wanted a nap later on though, but that was perfectly fine by me.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-17270693083884103912011-04-15T13:03:00.007-07:002011-04-15T13:51:12.787-07:00Dog-casting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bmVrVlxeYw4/TairktIfwgI/AAAAAAAAD48/IufQg9daocs/s1600/IMG_0376.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 166px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bmVrVlxeYw4/TairktIfwgI/AAAAAAAAD48/IufQg9daocs/s200/IMG_0376.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595911184086712834" border="0" /></a>Ok, the first part of this post won't really be about Louise at all, but I'll bring it around to her, promise.<br /><br />As some of you know, I'm a big fan of podcasts. I listen to a lot of them, especially on my daily commute into work. CBC is a fantastic <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/">source</a> for some of my favorite ones and one in particular, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/">Ideas</a> had a three part series on dogs recently. You might not be into the far ranging topics on that podcast, so here are parts <a href="http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/podcasts/ideas_20110407_34910.mp3">one</a>, <a href="http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/podcasts/ideas_20110407_27760.mp3">two</a> and <a href="http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/podcasts/ideas_20110407_53583.mp3">three</a> respectively. Go ahead, they are free to listen to. They might take a bit to actually load up in your browser, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g0ab1FLPlyM/TairvumRw0I/AAAAAAAAD5E/Xjtrl1LXxTo/s1600/IMG_0384.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 188px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g0ab1FLPlyM/TairvumRw0I/AAAAAAAAD5E/Xjtrl1LXxTo/s200/IMG_0384.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595911373458621250" border="0" /></a>depending on your internet connection, but I tested them to make sure they were legit.<br /><br />Now coincidentally, Apple released a software update for their iphones (my podcast delivery method of choice) and when I synched up to get the update, I was half way through listening to the third part. Something messed up with that software update such that for a podcast that was part way through (an ipod/iphone keeps track of where you are) the pointers would be messed up, reporting the podcast as complete. If I pressed play, it would pick up from this point always, and play through, but if I paused or stopped it, starting again would resume from that same point. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gvNNoQ3Bua0/Tair1cbaPRI/AAAAAAAAD5M/1DLh2sgAXGw/s1600/IMG_0386.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gvNNoQ3Bua0/Tair1cbaPRI/AAAAAAAAD5M/1DLh2sgAXGw/s200/IMG_0386.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595911471660416274" border="0" /></a>It was kind of like Groundhog Day, but on a very small scale. I ended up listening to that same portion about five or six times in order to hear it through to the end.<br /><br />I'm not one to believe in fate or such but I do believe that one is shaped by the experiences in one's life. Maybe there were parts of what I listened to multiple times from which I will draw upon in the future - who knows. What I do know is that at the time I was listening to it I had Louise with me and we were making our way into the office after visiting with a friend. I did note that I was a little more attentive to Louise and what she might want to do as we walked on some less familiar streets in downtown Vancouver.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pHn8dfNqx20/Taitf4BtzuI/AAAAAAAAD5U/Kn6zSovozsI/s1600/IMG_0382.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 178px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pHn8dfNqx20/Taitf4BtzuI/AAAAAAAAD5U/Kn6zSovozsI/s200/IMG_0382.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595913300134973154" border="0" /></a>One of the things I found interesting about the above podcasts is the notion of how a dog's experience of the world must be radically different from our own. These creatures are smell driven, not sight driven like us. As such, they most likely interpret their surroundings with a different sensibility (no pun intended). It was an interesting topic that made me look at Louise in a different light. She's quite a little individual.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-18147947157745302412011-04-14T09:30:00.002-07:002011-04-14T09:39:43.959-07:00Playoff Madness<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ciID3iZJMnk/TachRurzFCI/AAAAAAAAD40/DjpAtZaZL3U/s1600/IMG_0259.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ciID3iZJMnk/TachRurzFCI/AAAAAAAAD40/DjpAtZaZL3U/s200/IMG_0259.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595477650504356898" border="0" /></a>Louise lives in a hockey town. No, not Detroit, although that is also a hockey town. We are proud to live in Vancouver, BC and all of us in our household are Vancouver Canucks fans.<br /><br />Last night was the first game between our Canucks and the despised Chicago Blackhawks. I had to take Louise out just before the game and tried to see if Louise could predict the score, based on... well that part gets kinda gross, so I'll just call it 'reading the tea leaves' and let you imagine the worst. It's probably not far off.<br /><br />Anyway, I think I mis-read what she was telling me because I was certain that she was predicting a 3-0 win for Vancouver. As it turns out, we scored 2 goals in the first period and that was it. We were out for another walk during the first intermission and this time the 'tea leaves' told me one more goal. Again, I was off in my reading by one goal as the remainder of the game was scoreless. I think I have seen the flaw in my reading pattern though, so I look forward to testing this further tomorrow night (hopefully another win against the no-good Hawks).<br /><br />Maybe Louise can become as good a predictor as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Octopus">Paul the octopus</a> was during the last FIFA cup.<br /><br />Oh yeah, welcome to our newest followers! I am pretty sure you discovered us through twitter. I don't tend to blog frequently, but feel free to browse the more than three years of posts from the past. Louise has had many adventures.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-80390167249154206312011-03-30T21:26:00.005-07:002011-03-30T21:45:07.710-07:00Another Visit with Dr. Sandhu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TbHWvCzPXLE/TZQD6eM5E2I/AAAAAAAAD4E/i18-LQwtR2Y/s1600/IMG_0267.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 101px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TbHWvCzPXLE/TZQD6eM5E2I/AAAAAAAAD4E/i18-LQwtR2Y/s200/IMG_0267.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590097340548060002" border="0" /></a>My goodness we had a long night last night. Louise was clearly having problems and was very uncomfortable. She could barely sleep and was generally miserable all night. While she was feeling miserable, at no point did she take it out on any of the rest of us - I just wanted to make that point crystal clear. Louise was suffering a lot but was good throughout all of it.<br /><br />This morning, I didn't even make it all the way to work before I get a call from Holly saying that Louise is doing even worse and we are going to have to call the vet. I start making arrangements at work and with the doctor and in short order we arrive at his office.<br /><br />I'm not really going to go into great detail over what was causing her problems, but will say that <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7gSknTgSU40/TZQE9OskZ5I/AAAAAAAAD4M/KosNfwVlHAk/s1600/IMG_0249.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7gSknTgSU40/TZQE9OskZ5I/AAAAAAAAD4M/KosNfwVlHAk/s200/IMG_0249.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590098487437191058" border="0" /></a>her bowels were blocked. Once Dr. Sandhu took X-rays it was pretty clear what the problem was and he had her back in fighting shape before we were able to return to pick her up. Louise's visit with the vet was barely an hour. She would normally have her teeth cleaned in about a month, so we also opted to have her blood work done at this time just to streamline the process for next time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--yz7VlmGcKg/TZQF5ota89I/AAAAAAAAD4U/hqxS3VcupKM/s1600/IMG_0244.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--yz7VlmGcKg/TZQF5ota89I/AAAAAAAAD4U/hqxS3VcupKM/s200/IMG_0244.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590099525212238802" border="0" /></a>One of the cool things about the X-ray is that you can see her micro ID chip (around the shoulder area). I always nerd out over things like that and Dr. Sandhu had no problem with me taking pictures of the X-ray photos. (He was asking how many megapixels were in my camera phone.)<br /><br />Oh yeah! Last weekend we saw <a href="http://pug-dog.blogspot.com/2011/01/remembering-chester.html">Chester's</a> owner and they finally got a new pug, this one named Julia. She's a lot smaller than Louise is, and of course is super cute. Just look at that face! Louise was pretty hyped up at the time and barking at nothing in particular and this was a bit startling for Julia so hopefully our next encounter will be more relaxed. It's alway fun welcoming a new pug to the neighborhood.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-87799993442048216122011-03-01T15:49:00.006-08:002011-03-01T16:39:05.810-08:00Louise welcomes Diesel to the office<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drLGECjDVEI/TW2J6LxhGYI/AAAAAAAAD3E/5hvmQhdz4Cw/s1600/IMG_0117.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drLGECjDVEI/TW2J6LxhGYI/AAAAAAAAD3E/5hvmQhdz4Cw/s200/IMG_0117.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579267146067810690" border="0" /></a>Today was a pretty good day at the office. That was because today we were introduced to a little Boston puppy named 'Diesel'. I arranged to bring in Louise so the two dogs could meet and I'm pleased to say that it went very well.<br /><br />Louise and I arrived at the office first and as we planned, when Diesel arrived we came downstairs so the two dogs could meet. We have found that it generally goes much better when we introduce new dogs in this way. There have been times when a new dog will arrive at the office and if there is already a dog working that day, they will attempt to defend the office against the intruder. This neatly avoids all that and it gave the two dogs a last chance to pee outside (instead of on th<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZA3vxpPcAiI/TW2M_qI5IHI/AAAAAAAAD3M/n0NI2vEoLnM/s1600/IMG_0131.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZA3vxpPcAiI/TW2M_qI5IHI/AAAAAAAAD3M/n0NI2vEoLnM/s200/IMG_0131.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579270538653147250" border="0" /></a>e carpets.)<br /><br />Once inside the office the two dogs got along really well. Louise set her boundaries once, and after that Diesel respected them, despite being VERY excited to see another dog. He would jump toward her and try to get her to play (Louise was having none of it) but never challenged her directly. The best way to describe Louise's reaction to Diesel would be 'casual.' She didn't seem to mind him being around, and didn't seem to miss him when he was gone.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4bBlbmv-co4/TW2NiSkPPDI/AAAAAAAAD3U/5opTZhF1dqg/s1600/IMG_0130.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4bBlbmv-co4/TW2NiSkPPDI/AAAAAAAAD3U/5opTZhF1dqg/s200/IMG_0130.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579271133620812850" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Of course, being a puppy, Diesel overwhelmed the office with his cute antics. I wasn't the only one chasing him around with a camera today. I have to say - it's much easier photographing Louise these days. Not only does she move a lot slower - something I don't seem to notice unless there is a much faster pup around - but she also knows what I'm trying to do when the camera is out. Louise will 'pose' for a photo much better than Diesel. Of course, he's young and still learning a lot.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LQo8sqbIUeE/TW2QS6Ry_FI/AAAAAAAAD3c/qAOU0M77weE/s1600/IMG_0133.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LQo8sqbIUeE/TW2QS6Ry_FI/AAAAAAAAD3c/qAOU0M77weE/s200/IMG_0133.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579274167937858642" border="0" /></a><br /><br />One thing is certain - even though there was a young pup in the office, it didn't affect Louise's sleep schedule. Both Louise and Diesel managed to fit naps into their day.<br /><br />Overall, it was fun having a new dog in the office. It reminded me of earlier times, when we had a lot more dog owners looking to bring in their pets. While at that time we had to be a little more rigid over which day of the week belonged to what dog, I think the rest of the office appreciated the overall variety of dogs, as compared to just the same one over and over.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4rV-34wPW_s/TW2QoQwfJxI/AAAAAAAAD3k/yFb6f9gm058/s1600/IMG_0135.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4rV-34wPW_s/TW2QoQwfJxI/AAAAAAAAD3k/yFb6f9gm058/s200/IMG_0135.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579274534749415186" border="0" /></a><br />As for Louise, I like to think that she was a bit relieved to discover that there was another dog to lend a paw at the office.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-78719602732348653712011-02-24T15:49:00.003-08:002011-02-24T15:56:42.823-08:00Twitter account for LouiseI'm trying to keep up with the times. I tell you, that's what this is about. Louise now has a brand new twitter account and you can follow her by adding @wheezie_dog to your twitter feed. For a while now I have struggled to update this blog regularly enough because a lot of the time there really wasn't anything extraordinary going on, but I would have a funny photo. Well twitter seems to be about perfect for that, so I'm trying it out as a bit of an experiment.<div><br /></div><div>Don't worry, this blog won't be going away. I will still update it from time to time. I'll just feel less guilty about not updating it weekly if I can still put out photos of Louise on twitter. When interesting things happen to Louise, I'll post a writeup here like I always have, and in a similar fashion. This is really just a way for me to increase what I put out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let me know what you think, if you like the idea, if twitter mystifies you, anything. I'm hoping this becomes a fun little experiment. Also, if you have a twitter account that is used primarily for your dog, let me know! I'll have Louise follow other dog's tweets!</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh one final thing: if anyone knows of a better gadget for this on blogger, let me know. While the one on the side seems to do the trick, I'd prefer something with a bit more consistent formatting, etc.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-72731367302607959572011-02-21T07:09:00.006-08:002011-02-21T07:22:10.548-08:00February Adventures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QKUBNllxhBs/TWKAYPA_4DI/AAAAAAAAD2k/nNnYQQk93OI/s1600/SAM_0018.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QKUBNllxhBs/TWKAYPA_4DI/AAAAAAAAD2k/nNnYQQk93OI/s200/SAM_0018.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576160442474029106" border="0" /></a>A few weeks ago we got a new camera for Holly. She has been taking a lot of pictures and video with it as she gets used to it and as a side effect I have a lot of fantastic shots of Louise I can share with you.<br /><br />This first one is of Louise asleep on the back of the sofa. This is a usual cat perch so it's a bit odd to see her jump up here to relax. I'm guessing the sun was out that day and it would have been a warmer spot in the house.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UVaaZXcHgL8/TWKA8DsN1kI/AAAAAAAAD2s/u2qFRoVr_2Q/s1600/SAM_0175.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UVaaZXcHgL8/TWKA8DsN1kI/AAAAAAAAD2s/u2qFRoVr_2Q/s200/SAM_0175.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576161057909364290" border="0" /></a><br />One of the other things Holly likes to do is to compose the occasional song. To do this we have a digital keyboard that can plug into our computers and well, here we have Louise taking over a bit. I'm not quite sure what was going on but I bet that the song was probably about steaks, or maybe a blues number bemoaning the hardships of living with two cats.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UjYuSjE-vlU/TWKBhgg1tSI/AAAAAAAAD20/stZlcWNN3X0/s1600/SAM_0168.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UjYuSjE-vlU/TWKBhgg1tSI/AAAAAAAAD20/stZlcWNN3X0/s200/SAM_0168.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576161701301433634" border="0" /></a>Next up we have another action shot, this time Louise is eagerly looking forward to wrapping her lips around that turkey meat ball that Holly is holding up. We tore it in half so Louise wouldn't choke on it, which she didn't. Everything happened so fast after this photo that I really don't have a better one. Pugs are efficient when it comes to meatballs.<br /><br />With all these indoor shots you might think that Louise never leaves the house during the winter.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9LtbIBylHL8/TWKCFeee37I/AAAAAAAAD28/diA10N5FB9Y/s1600/SAM_0171.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9LtbIBylHL8/TWKCFeee37I/AAAAAAAAD28/diA10N5FB9Y/s200/SAM_0171.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576162319229968306" border="0" /></a> Not so! While she is sleeping more these days, she still insists on going out at least a couple times a day and unless it's raining she is usually out there for at least a half an hour. Of course, that means that one of us is out there with her during that time too. Louise has always been a great source of vitamin exercise because of this consistency. Oh, and as you can see, our grass is still green and we are without snow. But the temperatures vary quite a bit, ranging from a few degrees below freezing to about ten degrees above.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-27309240572863580132011-01-30T16:35:00.002-08:002011-01-30T16:42:45.416-08:00Bone Crazy<iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dIkxcFm32Ds" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="640"></iframe><br /><br />So last night we were watching some shows and Louise hopped up on our sofa with one of her 'bully bones'. I'm not going to describe what this is other than to say it's a dog chew toy made from bull 'parts'. Anyway, Louise hopped up on the couch and started to chew her bully bone.<br /><br />About a minute into this, Louise starts to act a bit silly over it. Holly had the quick thinking to suggest I get out my phone to film this, as it had us entertained. You can tell when I'm laughing because the camera starts to shake a bit.<br /><br />Later on in the evening it happened again, this time in her doggie bed. I tried filming that too but this clip has the better quality so it's the one you get. Hope you enjoy the silliness.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-34828128755765939012011-01-27T09:33:00.007-08:002011-01-27T09:53:02.441-08:00Remembering Chester<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TUGuDFHdl6I/AAAAAAAAD1s/YANFxnBVATk/s1600/DSCN9560.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TUGuDFHdl6I/AAAAAAAAD1s/YANFxnBVATk/s200/DSCN9560.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566921982342961058" border="0" /></a>Man, I'm getting bad at this. A full week went by and I haven't been able to post about our walk in the park. The danger here is that the longer I put it off, the less detail I remember about it. I recognize that it's not really much of a danger for you, as really, the pictures are by far more important. But for me, I feel the need to fill the rest of the page with text. Forgetting details is losing precious cargo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TUGuLi_oVrI/AAAAAAAAD10/lMKWjHL7jDg/s1600/DSCN9565.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TUGuLi_oVrI/AAAAAAAAD10/lMKWjHL7jDg/s200/DSCN9565.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566922127802128050" border="0" /></a>Before I continue, I do have some sadness to report: Louise's old friend <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/THHsiDjF1EI/AAAAAAAADrc/bqevoDCLJyM/s1600/DSCN8626.jpg">Chester</a>, who lived just a block away, was put down due to illness over the holiday break. We just found out last night because Chester's owner saw me coming home with Louise and she took the time to let me know. He was a fantastic pug, even more gray than Louise is, but only about a year older. Click on the link on his name and you will see a picture of him with Louise. Chester, you will be missed little buddy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TUGub_LzgaI/AAAAAAAAD18/ZvC45lG9-OM/s1600/DSCN9574.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TUGub_LzgaI/AAAAAAAAD18/ZvC45lG9-OM/s200/DSCN9574.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566922410247291298" border="0" /></a>So as I mentioned, these are some more pictures taken from about a week ago when we were exploring the island park next to the Olympic Village. I think Louise liked the challenge of scrambling across the rocks to get to the island area, and she certainly liked what the city works department has done with the place. Even though it's an artificial island, it feels very natural.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TUGvvZ96JXI/AAAAAAAAD2E/nvMdGCiHaL0/s1600/DSCN9584.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TUGvvZ96JXI/AAAAAAAAD2E/nvMdGCiHaL0/s200/DSCN9584.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566923843365905778" border="0" /></a>On the way out of the park we wandered along a creek area that had also been created as part of the Village - it is now home to dozens of mallard ducks, of which Louise casually took note. I think by the time we saw the ducks she was already getting tired from running around though, as she didn't bark or give chase. For once, the ducks barely noticed her.<br /><br />As I said, that was all about a week ago. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TUGwadRlnXI/AAAAAAAAD2M/oso-vjtjLGQ/s1600/DSCN9586.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TUGwadRlnXI/AAAAAAAAD2M/oso-vjtjLGQ/s200/DSCN9586.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566924582988127602" border="0" /></a>Louise was in the office again yesterday, although it was a much more casual work day for her. While we did go out for a walk in the afternoon, she took the rest of the afternoon off to have a nap in her stroller. At one point one of my co-workers remarked that he wanted to just crawl in beside her to also nap, she looked that comfortable.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-59935083976663955152011-01-23T20:22:00.006-08:002011-01-23T20:34:36.647-08:00Preamble to a walk in the park<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TTz-wOix2DI/AAAAAAAADzs/-6q2ASURGOo/s1600/DSCN9532.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TTz-wOix2DI/AAAAAAAADzs/-6q2ASURGOo/s200/DSCN9532.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565603344014235698" border="0" /></a>We had a small adventure last week when Louise was in the office. On our lunch break we went for a walk in the park by the Olympic Village as usual, but this time the tide was low and we were able to check out this semi-island part of the park that has been completed.<br /><br />Of course, this first picture is not about that at all. It was taken on a different day altogether, and the cat perched above Louise is Sassy. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TTz_vIOK4PI/AAAAAAAADz0/iy6ru1eymp0/s1600/DSCN9539.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TTz_vIOK4PI/AAAAAAAADz0/iy6ru1eymp0/s200/DSCN9539.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565604424648941810" border="0" /></a>They get along reasonably well, if by that one understands that Louise will sometimes chase after Sassy because the cat wandered too close to her food bowl. This in turn usually starts a fight between Louise and our other cat, Sophie. Sophie (not pictured here in part due to objections raised by Louise) has been known to act protectively toward Sassy, even when it isn't warranted.<br /><br />But I digress. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TT0AGYdYHZI/AAAAAAAADz8/TRcHCKd5nKA/s1600/DSCN9545.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TT0AGYdYHZI/AAAAAAAADz8/TRcHCKd5nKA/s200/DSCN9545.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565604824144682386" border="0" /></a>Louise and I had a fantastic walk and I got lots of pictures as she scrambled over rocks, ran across sandy beaches and hopped along wooded trails - all within about 500 square foot area. This island isn't really all that big, and when the tide is low a land bridge becomes accessible. Technically, it's no longer an island at that time, I know.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TT0AtR_g1MI/AAAAAAAAD0E/SCJVpLqbUFQ/s1600/DSCN9556.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TT0AtR_g1MI/AAAAAAAAD0E/SCJVpLqbUFQ/s200/DSCN9556.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565605492423709890" border="0" /></a>Anyway, I took lots of pictures, enough to stretch this into at least a couple posts. As usual, the hard part for me will be remembering enough about what happened in order to write something to go with the pictures.<br /><br />Oh, and my wife got a new camera recently, so she has been taking some really nice pictures of Wheezie too. I'll see about getting some of those up soon as well.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-52457837540205845502011-01-15T22:27:00.004-08:002011-01-16T01:00:37.527-08:00This January feels like April<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TTKQERmdX6I/AAAAAAAADzU/e9rRrc1EGIM/s1600/DSCN9528.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TTKQERmdX6I/AAAAAAAADzU/e9rRrc1EGIM/s200/DSCN9528.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562666892874571682" border="0" /></a>We are in the middle of the rainy season so that means our walks have generally been shorter. But today was warm so Louise and I set out despite the rain and toured the soggy neighborhood.<br /><br />We did see a few other dogs out being walked, but none of her usual friends. There seems to be a lot of puppies in our community lately and well, Louise isn't a big fan of those. Specifically, she doesn't like puppies that don't have manners.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TTKyxXnvmeI/AAAAAAAADzc/VO_oR7PH99Q/s1600/DSCN9530.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TTKyxXnvmeI/AAAAAAAADzc/VO_oR7PH99Q/s200/DSCN9530.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562705050980030946" border="0" /></a><br />Still, she was pleasant to all we met, even if a bit aloof at times. This is of course preferable to the alternative of growling or snapping at a rowdy youngster. But as I said, there was none of that and the two of us had a pleasant stroll in the rain. I even let her read her P-mail off one of the fire hydrants, which she seemed to enjoy.<br /><br />One thing about all <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TTKzW7FdyDI/AAAAAAAADzk/5QV_r8ck_G4/s1600/DSCN9531.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TTKzW7FdyDI/AAAAAAAADzk/5QV_r8ck_G4/s200/DSCN9531.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562705696155093042" border="0" /></a>this rain is that I try to time her visits to the office for the days that will be sunnier. This means she doesn't get into work as often. The current forecast is for the rain to break sometime around Tuesday, so if all goes well she will get her shift next week.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-18582726941584547502011-01-08T09:58:00.003-08:002011-01-08T10:01:23.829-08:00Food Coma<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TSil3NHOWBI/AAAAAAAADzM/9iHaOmCuWFM/s1600/DSCN9495.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TSil3NHOWBI/AAAAAAAADzM/9iHaOmCuWFM/s200/DSCN9495.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559876107820226578" border="0" /></a>This is a leftover picture from New Year's Eve. We had enjoyed a lamb dinner and that always means that Louise gets to feast on freshly cooked lamb bones. It's good times all around. Anyway, just like us, she ate a lot and celebrated a lot and well, later in the evening we noticed Louise slipping into a little bit of a food coma.<br /><br />Yes, I'm that horrible person who takes pictures of you when you are at your worst. Still, this wasn't really Louise suffering as much as it was Louise basking in the glow of having eaten her fill.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-66277833400868999842011-01-03T13:20:00.007-08:002011-01-03T19:57:07.417-08:00Visiting Daisy and Gretzky<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TSI-DAgVbyI/AAAAAAAADys/wzMThAmVUAc/s1600/DSCN9484.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TSI-DAgVbyI/AAAAAAAADys/wzMThAmVUAc/s200/DSCN9484.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558073111524765474" border="0" /></a>Over the holiday we went over to visit with Bill and Colleen, friends of ours. They have two great dogs, Daisy and Gretzky. We were able to bring Louise with us, which is why I'm posting about it here.<br /><br />Luckily for us, Louise has already met Daisy and Gretzky, so we didn't have any real issues with the re-introduction. Having said that, Gretzky has a habit of sneaking bites of food from the other do<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TSJaf9lrzEI/AAAAAAAADy0/1vI-BVzQM6M/s1600/DSCN9483.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TSJaf9lrzEI/AAAAAAAADy0/1vI-BVzQM6M/s200/DSCN9483.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558104395283680322" border="0" /></a>g's food bowls and well, that wasn't the sort of thing that would put him in Louise's good graces. Any time her food bowl was down, Louise had to sit guard to ensure it was safe from Gretzky.<br /><br />However, Gretzky is talented. He knows how to wait for a commotion, or distraction. According to Bill, he's a master at this. The master did score once on Louise's bowl, but not without notice. We fully expected Louise to launch into a full on attack over this<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TSJcdXuvK7I/AAAAAAAADy8/mRUtPuj1Ap8/s1600/DSCN9469.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TSJcdXuvK7I/AAAAAAAADy8/mRUtPuj1Ap8/s200/DSCN9469.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558106549784619954" border="0" /></a>, but instead she just resumed her guard.<br /><br />Which was good. We commended Louise over her restraint. Still, we had a good visit with our friends, and got to see their little baby girl too which was a lot of fun. Louise likes these little adventures as they give her something different to do. Of course, with a change in her routine comes a drastic increase in her activity and well, this would ultimately have a toll.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TSJfkoyjoOI/AAAAAAAADzE/Dn7jTN71Lsw/s1600/DSCN9477.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 116px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TSJfkoyjoOI/AAAAAAAADzE/Dn7jTN71Lsw/s200/DSCN9477.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558109973158011106" border="0" /></a><br />Indeed it did. Louise was pretty tuckered out the next day and really wasn't interested in doing much other than taking a nap for about 75% of the day. Still, her spirits were up and it was certainly worth it in my eyes. Thanks again Bill and Colleen, for having us over. All three of us had a pretty good time and we can't wait to see you again in the summer.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-86529485058729256112010-12-25T18:45:00.004-08:002010-12-25T19:18:56.728-08:00Sleepy Santa Pug<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TRasdnlvv3I/AAAAAAAADxs/7fUUq0vbVx0/s1600/DSCN9429.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TRasdnlvv3I/AAAAAAAADxs/7fUUq0vbVx0/s200/DSCN9429.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554816815251570546" border="0" /></a>Okay, this is a bit overdue but here we are. Louise has had to endure lots of rain this past month but now that the holidays are upon us she is starting to perk up.<br /><br />We put up two trees this year, on opposite ends of our book case. Normally, we have a pet bed in each of those spots, so they had to be moved. In Louise's case though, her bed did not move very far at all, and she ends up sleeping just under the tree. Luckily, she hasn't messed with the ornaments too much so far - the worst that <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TRav9nDCd0I/AAAAAAAADx0/WYKyj967A7U/s1600/DSCN9440.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TRav9nDCd0I/AAAAAAAADx0/WYKyj967A7U/s200/DSCN9440.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554820663396693826" border="0" /></a>has happened is that she has brushed past them while getting set to curl up on her bed. (Louise tends to circle around her sleeping spot a couple times.)<br /><br />It just happened that we were home for the holiday this year and I think the pets were pretty happy about that. It means less time being left to guard the house without us. Louise was pretty relaxed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TRayXrPaaUI/AAAAAAAADx8/8fbmOmQdd0U/s1600/DSCN9444.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TRayXrPaaUI/AAAAAAAADx8/8fbmOmQdd0U/s200/DSCN9444.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554823310222190914" border="0" /></a>, in fact she hasn't wanted to move from the sofa all day.<br /><br />Well, I need to wrap this up - Louise has started to stir and is looking to go out - right on schedule. Have a happy holiday season everybody and we look forward to posting more in the new year!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-50900828253988385852010-11-20T20:59:00.004-08:002010-11-20T21:08:11.322-08:00First Snow of the season<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TOincfvmhSI/AAAAAAAADxc/qRfEQRQuN_c/s1600/DSCN9293.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TOincfvmhSI/AAAAAAAADxc/qRfEQRQuN_c/s200/DSCN9293.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541863449478726946" border="0" /></a>They have been taunting us with snow in the forecast all week and I basically refused to accept it until the snow actually started to fall. Holly and I were returning home from eating dinner when some light flurries started up. This wasn't enough to inspire Louise to go for much of a walk though. What she noticed more was that it was basically cold and wet, and it was warm and dry in the house. She did her business and wanted to hustle back to the condo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TOioY7og_vI/AAAAAAAADxk/yOr3F0R-YKY/s1600/DSCN9295.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TOioY7og_vI/AAAAAAAADxk/yOr3F0R-YKY/s200/DSCN9295.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541864487757348594" border="0" /></a>Of course, this was precisely what I had in mind too, so we agreed to have as brief a walk as necessary.<br /><br />On the next morning Louise and I had a vastly different experience. There was about an inch or two of heavy, wet snow. This of course made everything on the ground twice as interesting and Louise had a ball. After she tinkles she sometimes likes to kick the dirt up a bit, and this is especially true with snow. Sorry for the posterior shot but well, I felt it was worth it to showcase the flying snow in action.<br /><br />The snow continued to melt through the day but wasn't completely gone by the time temperatures started to drop again so now it's starting to freeze. It will have an entirely different, and less pleasant character by tomorrow morning.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-80827868425092361002010-11-16T21:13:00.002-08:002010-11-16T21:19:07.766-08:00November Wind Storm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TONkofq5lqI/AAAAAAAADxU/BeU8xZvIz0U/s1600/DSCN9286.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TONkofq5lqI/AAAAAAAADxU/BeU8xZvIz0U/s200/DSCN9286.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540382613454821026" border="0" /></a>I took this photo on the weekend, when Louise and I went for a longer walk one morning. We went down to the marina in Coal Harbour and despite it being very overcast, we had a pretty good time of it.<br /><br />Then, last night we were out for a walk and WOW, was it windy! Such a contrast to the quiet mistiness from the weekend, the winds were gusting up as high as 80 kph. It didn't rain very much or very hard while we were out walking (luckily) but the wind blew most of the leaves off the trees. It was kind of fun too, as it was not overly cold. Louise enjoyed having her little ears flapping in the wind and insisted on walking down to English Bay to see the waves crashing in.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-46157790261652262542010-11-11T14:14:00.004-08:002010-11-11T14:40:01.331-08:00Lamb bone and a visit to the Vet<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TNxqvM6tk7I/AAAAAAAADwk/yqXUrWihH0M/s1600/DSCN9265.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TNxqvM6tk7I/AAAAAAAADwk/yqXUrWihH0M/s200/DSCN9265.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538419000912745394" border="0" /></a>Just look at that face.<br /><br />Holly picked up some lamb and one of the side benefits is that it usually has a bone suitable for Louise. This is always a highlight for her and she gets quite excited. I get quite excited too, because Holly is an excellent cook and as always, the lamb was very tasty.<br /><br />I know that last picture is a little out of focus, but I really like the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TNxt9BQ26pI/AAAAAAAADws/OAl3HoD5Z2w/s1600/DSCN9258.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TNxt9BQ26pI/AAAAAAAADws/OAl3HoD5Z2w/s200/DSCN9258.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538422536837458578" border="0" /></a>expression on Louise's face, which is why I decided to go with it anyway. She settled in on her pet bed and went to work on it. The bone kept her busy for the rest of the night but there was still most of the bone left over by bed time.<br /><br />The other thing that happened recently was our annual visit to the vet. I guess it wasn't really the annual one, since we arrived months after the reminder notice was sent out. Still, better to be late than to have never showed up at all. We brought all thre<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TNxvunPsLpI/AAAAAAAADw0/Lp-WyTT2hBw/s1600/DSCN9243.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TNxvunPsLpI/AAAAAAAADw0/Lp-WyTT2hBw/s200/DSCN9243.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538424488358325906" border="0" /></a>e pets in for their shots and Louise went first.<br /><br />It was pretty obvious that she remembered the vet and what that experience involved. She was not interested in being anywhere near him. When we placed her on the examination table she would move to the far edge - away from Dr. Sandhu. She was squirming so much that we had to hold her tight just for him to use the stethoscope on her chest. Louise remembered that this was where needles were involved.<br /><br />Eventually we got her shots done (she had 3) and then we brought her back into the lobby while we looked after our two cats. Louise was cool as a cucumber and relaxed on one of the chairs while the cats were being dealt with. From there it was home, where all three animals slept off the medications for the night.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-30265671652100071622010-10-31T21:06:00.002-07:002010-10-31T21:12:13.148-07:00Happy Halloween!Our little pug didn't do much celebrating this year. She had to stay home while we went out to a costume party, but for tonight she managed to cuddle up in Holly's lap and is fast asleep. I figure this is the way she likes to spend the holiday best, so that's ok by us.<br /><br />BOO!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-3658600849463463782010-10-23T12:11:00.006-07:002010-10-23T17:18:09.421-07:00Welcome to the haunted season<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TMMzoPfhL2I/AAAAAAAADvk/e9rLt3Dko4k/s1600/DSCN9147.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TMMzoPfhL2I/AAAAAAAADvk/e9rLt3Dko4k/s200/DSCN9147.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531321533787615074" border="0" /></a>On our lunch break the other day, Louise and I walked over to the Olympic Village to check things out. Well to be honest, I was just curious to see how progress was coming along for the new London Drugs location as it is super convenient in relation to the office. Sadly, they are still painting the walls and such, so it is still a few weeks away from opening.<br /><br />While there we did discover an overly tall patch of decorative grass, <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TMM0Nhqe0qI/AAAAAAAADvs/JPobJ4_KbPA/s1600/DSCN9148.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TMM0Nhqe0qI/AAAAAAAADvs/JPobJ4_KbPA/s200/DSCN9148.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531322174320595618" border="0" /></a>and I managed to persuade Louise into getting a couple good shots. She didn't really mind and we had a pretty good walk before heading back to work.<br /><br />Fast forward to this morning when we headed out for our morning walk. Louise was raring to go, so we decided to head down to Coal Harbour to see the boats. We did that, but there wasn't much going on. I guess it's not really boating <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TMNEkMEUCiI/AAAAAAAADv0/j1CuiYaSL0g/s1600/DSCN9159.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TMNEkMEUCiI/AAAAAAAADv0/j1CuiYaSL0g/s200/DSCN9159.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531340155846396450" border="0" /></a>season anymore. On our way back though, Louise found some really nice leaves to rummage around in. The only complication I had was that it made it a little more difficult for me (as dog owners, you know what I am talking about) to pick up after her.<br /><br />Still, Louise was not perturbed and we carried on our way, encountering more sidewalks covered in leaves. Oddly enough, we didn't stop to chase any chestnuts, although I do recall seeing her <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TMN5mSQE9NI/AAAAAAAADv8/Cgj1zvhnc5c/s1600/DSCN9162.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TMN5mSQE9NI/AAAAAAAADv8/Cgj1zvhnc5c/s200/DSCN9162.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531398465982362834" border="0" /></a>searching for some.<br /><br />Later on we were out for our afternoon walk, and noticed that there was a 'citizen protest' going on against the proposed rental tower to be built in our neighborhood. There were dozens of people gathered, listening to various people take turns to speak. We took a pamphlet and kept going home though as by then it was lightly raining and Louise was pretty much done walking.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12650836.post-70220421391425158062010-10-16T15:07:00.004-07:002010-10-16T15:18:20.007-07:00Octoberfest includes Chestnuts<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TLoiNtr0vCI/AAAAAAAADu8/xBWRVCKuMIU/s1600/DSCN9109.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TLoiNtr0vCI/AAAAAAAADu8/xBWRVCKuMIU/s200/DSCN9109.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528769111547755554" border="0" /></a>Okay, this first photo is of Louise with yet another chestnut in her mouth. What is unusual about this one is that she decided it was the right one to start chewing on, and managed to drive one of her K9 teeth so deep into it that I had to pull it off the tooth for her.<br /><br />At least there was no risk of her choking on it. Sheesh. Still, she has oodles of fun with this, as evidenced by her furious tail wagging. I took a brief video of her chasing chest<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TLojQh0F50I/AAAAAAAADvE/LCuXGpAitEw/s1600/DSCN9115.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TLojQh0F50I/AAAAAAAADvE/LCuXGpAitEw/s200/DSCN9115.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528770259412444994" border="0" /></a>nuts, which I will add to the end of this post.<br /><br />Of course, chestnuts aren't the only thing going on this time of the year - oh no. Last weekend while on our morning walk we got a call from Holly who was wondering what we should have for brunch. We decided that it would be a good idea to go to Starbucks and get some pumpkin spice lattes, along with a few things to eat as well. It was a bit of an indulgence but that was okay because <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TLoj9aKTEyI/AAAAAAAADvM/iuQrsKyosZ4/s1600/DSCN9117.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3GAS1ZB8xo/TLoj9aKTEyI/AAAAAAAADvM/iuQrsKyosZ4/s200/DSCN9117.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528771030452212514" border="0" /></a>Louise just loves waiting outside a Starbucks coffee shop - I think she assumes that there will be some treats in it for her if she does. She sure likes her Vancouver Island oat bars.<br /><br />Of course she's right too, when we got home we ate our snacks (and shared a little with Louise) and drank our drinks - but ultimately concluded that the pumpkin spice latte is far too sweet for it to taste good. We have also tried a similar drink at Blendz but had similar results there too. It might be nice to find a pumpkin spiced drink that had the spice like a chai tea and a good pumpkin flavour without being filled with sugar on top.<br /><br />Not that Louise cared one iota. She got her oat bar.<br /><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/c9Db8_Is7g4?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/c9Db8_Is7g4?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4