Rain Rain Go Away!

Steve was born in Atlanta.  He and his brothers and sisters were an "accident".  The result of a one night stand on the wrong side of the tracks!  He spent his first few week of life living in a trailer park and outside dog.  Even when he was adopted by the nice lady that had him for his first 3 years, he was an outside dog.  He was allowed inside and definitely had the best of both worlds, but outside was his main haunt.  A backyard dog.  One with nature.

It's been raining a lot here recently and I've been working long hours.  This means that when I come home from work, Steve has to pee.  BADLY!  He jumps on me with great relief when I walk in the door and bolts to the back door so he can go outside.  He is basically jumping on one foot with his legs crossed he has to pee so badly (Do not judge me, I am getting a handle on the long hours!).  Well my city dog, who has gotten used to his creature comforts has become a little high maintenance.  I open the door he sticks his head out, looks up at me like I'm crazy and walks away.  The dog, who has to pee desperately doesn't want to get wet.  HE HOLDS IT!! He walks back to his bed, snuggles in and goes back to sleep.

What I have learned from this is:  1.  They never have to go as much as they make out they do. All dogs are actors. 2.  Steve's life has gotten pretty comfortable and really, in my next life, I want to be a loved house dog, and 3.  Steve thinks he is so sweet, made of sugar and is going to melt.

A dog's life!!

New Friends

When I got Steve, I had a wonderful cat named Oliver.  Oliver was a 25lb ball of love.  He talked, he fetched and when I was considering bring Steve into our lives I thought more about how it would affect Ollie than how it would affect me.  On Steve's first day in our home, Oliver took one look at him, whacked him across the snout and walked away.  From that moment on, Oliver was the boss and Steve knew it.  City dogs were ruled by cats.

Well, as we all know, having a pet opens your heart to a lot of unconditional love, but also a lot of pain.  Oliver died about 3 years after Steve came to live with us.  Steve was sad.  I was sad.  I was very lucky to have had him in my life.  I love cats but I haven't been about to open my home to a new kitty.  Every time I try I get sad, so I know it's not time;  BUT...I have opened my home to kitty sitting.

Digsy is my friends' Emma and Grant's cat.  He is white and grey and is just the cutest thing.  Emma and Grant are living abroad for a while and after much worry about Digsy living with a dog, they decided to let me have the honour of taking care of him.  Digsy was quite shy when he first got here and hid under the bed and in the back room for quite a while, but now he and Steve are great friends.  Well, Digsy is friends with Steve, but Steve isn't so sure.  He knows that cats are the boss.  Steve gives Digsy anything he wants.  Digsy snuggles on Steve's bed and Steve sleeps on the floor.  Digsy wants to walk through the door first and Steve steps aside.  It's very funny and very cute.    Sometimes Steve looks at me like "What have you done??" but he is happy to share his mom and his house with this wonderful kitty.

Well, things got even more exciting last Friday.  I have taken in another cat.  This time it is Brandon and Tamara's Muffin.  For those of you that know me, you know Brandon is my brother and Tamara is my Girlfriend-in-law (GIL).  They are on vacation.  I am on cat duty.  Muffin is an old lady.  She is not well and so skinny.  She takes medicine and eats like a horse, but doesn't gain any weight.  Steve would love to eat her food.  So would Disgy.  Anyway, you should have seen Steve's face when this little black critter jumped on the bed.  You could just tell, he was thinking, "Another one??!!???".  The funniest part was Digsy's reaction.  The nervous, shy furball, who was afraid of coming out from under the bed, ran right up to Steve as if to say,  "OMG, another critter!  We have to stick together!".

Well, we are 4 days into out 3 animal house and there is peace.  Digsy and Muffin have staked out places on the bed and Steve is just trying to stay out of their way.  He knows he`s outnumbered and out-clawed.  I can tell he is waiting for his peaceful life to return, but that is never going to happen.  It`s never peaceful when you`re a dog in the city.

A True City Dog - Woofstock

So, this weekend in Toronto, the largest outdoor dog festival - Woofstock - has taken over the St. Lawrence Market district.  Steve and I spent our whole day there yesterday and if it wasn't clear to me before, it is clear to me now.  Steve is totally a city dog.

Woofstock is an amazing experience.  Every different kind of dog is there with every different kind of owner.  There are dogs in strollers, dogs in dresses, dogs wearing cowboy hats, soccer jerseys, and party collars.  It is really an interesting study in the human psyche and the bond between person and dog.

Steve and I had a wonderful day at Woofstock.  We started by visiting the rescue group tents and meeting some great people that do amazing work.  Then we ran in to the booth run by the Beaches Animal Hospital.  They were micro-chipping, with all proceeds going to a dog rescue group.  I had never had Steve micro-chipped.  As a country dog, before he came to me, there was never a need, but as a city dog, having a little chip to link him to me in case we get separated is a necessity.  I am so glad that it's been done.

I have been to Woofstock every year since it started, actually since before I had Steve, so I know that there is a lot of paraphernalia that one picks up along the course of the day.  We picked up our annual bag of pigs ears, boxes upon boxes of treats, free samples, and chewies.  Steve also got a new leash and harness - just more necessities of a city dog.

For me the best part of the day was the fact that Steve got to have a little TLC.  There was the booth where he got his nails done.  Steve has very strict rules about people touching his paws.  The doesn't want anyone near them and having his nails clipped has always been an issue.  I've tried to do it myself in the past.  Imagine me lying on top of the dog, him muzzled and me trying to cut his nails.  It kind of looked like a wrestling match.  Steve won!  This fear he has about getting his nails clipped is very difficult for both of us.  Well yesterday we met a great groomer who clipped his nails in minutes.  There was no stress, no pulling away, no trying to nip the person with the clippers.  It was over in a flash and I had a happy puppy afterward.  AWESOME!

Ok, so this is where you are going to judge me.  The end of the day brought the ultimate in city dog TLC.  We met Dr. Leo.  A Chiropractor...for dogs!  That's right, Steve got his first adjustment!!  EEEEK.  For a donation to the OSPCA, Dr. Leo took a full history, did an exam and gave Steve a chiropractic treatment.  His neck was a little locked up and his hips and mid to lower back needed some work.  STEVE LOVED IT!!  At one point during the exam he lay down, rolled over and asked for a belly rub.

So, our day at Woofstock was a huge success.  We walked around for 6 hours and Steve got all the pampering, and treats, he needed.  He didn't even need to be fed last night, he had a tummy full of cookies.  At the end of the day he was asleep in the back seat of the car before we left he parking lot.  He still hasn't really gotten up today.

New accessories, cookies, a mani and pedi, a microchip and an adjustment has made Steve the ultimate city dog.

Steve Out of the City - Camp Wannahugagrandma

Like any city dweller, Steve loves to get out of the city and get in touch with nature.  For Steve, his favourite vacation spot is Camp Wannahugagrandma - my parents house.  Ok, maybe the phrase "getting in touch with nature" is pushing it a bit;  my parents live in the suburbs, but it is a nice change of scenery for both of us.

Our last visit was a little longer than the normal weekend away.  We stayed for 2 weeks while my Aunt Eileen and Uncle Ernie came to visit from England.  For Steve, this meant two whole weeks of squirrel chasing, bunny hunting and begging at the dining table.  Usually the begging is targeted at my mother, or "Grandma", as Steve knows her, but these two weeks were different.  Steve found himself a new target...Uncle Ernie;  kind, loving, and basically a sucker for Steve's brown eyes and furrowed brow that just beg for that last sausage or piece of toast.

Steve worked Uncle Ernie like a pro.  Every meal was a jackpot in Steve's world.  There were pieces of steak, whole sausages, crackers, cheese, cheese and more cheese.  Steve would place himself directly in Ernie's line of site or snuggle up against him and then wait.  His plan always worked and Steve found himself with a delectable morsil of yumminess in his mouth and Ernie with a mischievous grin on his face..

Steve gained 2 pound during our two week vacation, but he also gained a new forever friend and both of us will never forget our visit with Uncle Ernie and Aunt Eileen.

Toe Licking

Steve loves toes.  This kind of grosses a lot of people out!  Especially my dad.   I find it endearing.  It’s one of the things that make Steve who he is. He would lick toes all day of he could.  He especially loves my mom's toes.  Really the whole foot.  He will lick the top of the foot, the bottom and then between the toes.  He takes this work very seriously, but sometimes Steve's foot fetish gets us into interesting situations.

Well the story starts like any other Saturday on a beautiful summer day.  Steve and I were on our way to the dog park (our favourite place to be).  Well, disaster struck.  I got a flat tire.  The park needed to be put on hold while I went to Canadian Tire to get a new tire.

Driving up to the garage, I noticed that there were quite a few people waiting for their cars to be taken care of.  Steve and I were nicely put in the waiting room.  I sat down next to a very nice older woman, grabbed a magazine and settled in for a wait.  The next thing I knew I heard some familiar slurping sounds.  I was pleased that Steve was relaxed.   Then I heard a moan.  It wasn’t coming from Steve, but it was coming from the nice little old lady sitting next to me.  I looked down and there was Steve, in all his glory, tongue between toes making this lady moan. 

As you can imagine, I was mortified!  I profusely apologized and explained about his love of feet.  The woman look at me sweetly and said, "That's ok dear, I have a dog, too".

Our Civic Duty!

Steve and I voted tonight.  I know you might think that this seems strange...a dog voting, but we did.  I was a little worried about marching into the school with my dog where I had to vote, but I did it anyway.

I will just have you all know that the electoral system works!  They like dogs!!  There was already a chihuahua there and as we were leaving, a bichon frise came in!  The volunteers were so happy to see them.  They laughed at Steve's inability to to walk on hardwood slippery floors (imagine four legs going in all different directions) and were very impressed when he sat politely while I voted.  We had a little difference of opinion over who to vote for, but I, as the one with opposable thumbs, got my way.  I will say, though, Steve made it very clear how he felt about the whole election.  He had three poops on the way there and one on the way back.  He was rather unimpressed.

Steve - A Craigslist dog

Steve is a Craigslist dog.  I call him a pre-rescue rescue.  He came into my life with no planning, no research and no idea how to train a dog.  This is not the way you are suppose to adopt a new forever friend, but sometimes the universe works  in mysterious ways.  Here is our story and how Steve became "In the City".

I was moving and needed furniture.  I decided to start my search on Craigslist.  What I needed first was an armoire so I set myself to task.   I looked through ad after ad, not really finding what I wanted.  I moved from the "Furniture" section to the general "For Sale" section and something caught my eye, ”Half Lab/Half Golden looking for a new home”.  It wasn’t an armoire, but there was something about this ad.  I knew.  I knew that this dog was mine.  There was no picture.  There was no story.  There was only the name and phone number of the woman that was looking to re-home her dog.  I called right away.  I don’t know why but I knew it was right. 

The woman and I chatted for a while and I asked her what she was looking for in a new dog owner.  I had never had a dog.   She said “Just love him and give him lots of neck scratches.”  I replied; “I’m your girl!”

I went to meet them that afternoon and got their story.  The dog’s name was Canada.  He was born and had grown up for the last 3 years in the suburbs of Atlanta.  Hot, muggy, no snow Atlanta!  His mom was originally from Toronto, but had fallen in love with an American man and moved to Georgia to get married and start a family.  They got Canada from her friend whose dog had had unexpected puppies.  She raised him and trained him and loved him for almost three years before the day I met them.  She was a good dog mom, but her life had been turned upside down.  She had a new baby, and her marriage had fallen apart.  She flew herself, her baby and dog north to be with her family in Toronto.  Well, her mother lived in a small apartment, her mom was allergic to the dog and her mom’s cat hated him.  She had a new baby, had lost her husband and something had to give.  Canada needed a stable home so she planned on surrendering him to the Toronto Humane Society, but her friend suggested putting an ad on Craigslist.  That’s where I came in.

When I first got to the apartment to meet them, Canada was out for a walk.  When he came back he ran into the living room and immediately put his head on my lap.  The rest happened very quickly.  Before I knew it, we were loading up his food and crate in the back of my truck and I was being handed his vet records.  Canada jumped into the truck and snuggled next to me.  There was no looking back, no pining for his family.  I had him off leash that same afternoon.  He immediately bonded to me.  I call him Velcro dog!  I haven’t peed by myself since 2007!!

Although I think the name Canada is great (if you live in The States and you are Canadian and a little strange - ok, I think the name sucked!), I decided to change it to signify the start of his new life.  I knew his name should be Steve (I mean, he looks like a Steve!), but to respect the past his full name is Steven Canada.  I made a promise to myself that this dog who had got a baby, lost a dad, had an airplane ride and had to deal with snow for the first time, was going to live a happy life.  He had gone from a suburban American to an urban Torontonian - Steve in the City.

Steve and I have been together for over four years now.  Making that call was the best decision I’ve ever made.  This dog was put on the planet to be mine.  I have no doubt about that.  It took us a while to find each other, but once we did, we both thrived.  As I write this, he is snuggled at my feet.  I can’t imagine a weekend without a trip to the dog park or a morning where I didn’t have to wake him up to go out for a pee before I leave for work. 

I never did get that armoire, but I got something I needed much more.  I got unconditional love for life.

So this blog will be our story.  Stories of his idiosyncrasies (of which he has a lot) our adventures and what it is like to be living in the big city as an orange dog.