My New Phone

I bought a new cell phone last weekend, got a Samsung Vibrant. Compared to my old and dying cell, it's like going from a 1964 VW bug to a 2010 BMW! It's very thin, light and comfortable to hold. Yet the screen is large for a cell phone, and it's beautiful. It came loaded with the movie "Avatar" which looks and sounds fantastic. It's also a really good phone, I can actually hear people on this phone :) I've been having so much fun figuring out just some of the things it'll do, and downloading apps, ringtones, etc.

You may be wondering what this has to do with dog training or pet sitting, the answer is... nothing really. Except that having a phone that allows me to do so many things, and so easily, is very helpful! Writing emails, texts and anything else is so easy on this phone. It has a feature called, Swype, which allows you to type by tracing a path between the letters in a word, instead of having to type each letter. It took a little time getting used to at first, but once I did I find... I LOVE IT!! It's so much faster and easier to Swype! It's going to make it so much easier to do my Daily Pet Reports from clients houses when I don't have Internet access!

I also find the maps, GPS and voice directions very helpful. It's all google based maps, so they're up to date. I find I like google maps much better than MapQuest, the directions are better and the maps are easier to read. I go to a lot of new clients homes and I find it's so much easier to follow voice commands while driving than trying to follow directions. My car has GPS, which I use most often, but sometimes a place I need to find is too new for my car's program. Updating it is expensive, so this is a great fallback.

It came with a Kindle app, and I've been wanting a Kindle so I can buy my favorite training books and have them all in one easy to get to place. I downloaded my first e-book... Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals, by Karen Pryor. I've been reading it on the phone and it's very easy to see, such a nice screen! I'm sure a real Kindle, or iPad would be better, but this works out just fine and it's one less thing to carry!

The camera is awesome, both the photo and video above where shot and uploaded directly from the phone. There are several different settings/filters for the still camera, including the one I used for the photo of Jesse James. The video camera shoots nice video and, as you can see from my little practice video above, you can edit in the camera and then upload to YouTube, and a bunch of other places too. I discovered that larger files need WiFi, but that's not a problem... or won't be when I figure out what my WiFi password is... LOL! Yet another project!

Lucy Learned Touch!

This is Lucy, she's four months old. She's a very cute and very bright puppy! Last week was our first training session and I introduced the "Target to Hand" behavior to Lucy and her family and... They've done ever so well! I knew they would...

It's always so great to work with people who really want to work with their dog! After all, they are the ones who, hopefully, will have a long lifetime relationship with her. I know this puppy will have a lifelong home with her family... that's why I do what I do!

The Turtles

No this isn’t about the 60’s Rock Band, although, several years ago, I had some friends who had a couple of turtles named Flo and Eddie… LOL!

When I was a very young child, my impulsive dad brought home some baby turtles. He was a great animals lover, and would “bring me pets” that he could have in our ‘no pets allowed’ apartment. Of course at that age, I was too young to take care of the turtles and dad was too busy, so mom ended up having to do it. My mom loved animals too, but she really wasn’t into the turtles. I liked the turtles and enjoyed “helping” to feed and take care of them, but I really wanted a dog. When you’re four, you tend to have a one-track mind. After about a year of feeding and cleaning up after the turtles, mom had enough. She gave the turtles to a co-worker who loved them and could provide a better home for them. Since then I’ve shared my live with a variety of animals, but except for Flo and Eddie, that’s been my only experience with turtles.

Now that I have some turtle clients, I’ve found I really like the little guys. At first all of them were afraid of me and would hide and/or stay inside their shells when I was putting out their food and water. They wouldn’t come out until I left. But now two of the three have become used to me, and have come out of their shells… LOL. They no longer retract into their shells when I drop a mealworm in front of them. Instead they wait with their heads extended, watch me drop the worm, cock their heads to see it, and then dive in. They like veggies, but they love their mealworms! I find it fascinating to watch them hunt, catch, and eat the worms. They also really like blueberries, bananas and scrambled eggs, some of my favorite foods too.

Since I’ve been interacting with the turtles, I’ve noticed their individual personalities. Harrison is still very shy and hides from me, but the other two have decided I’m OK. Murphy is now very bold, and has actually taken a mealworm from my hand. Norman is interested in me, but not so sure yet. Although he likes it when I drop a worm in front of him. I’ve learned they are so very cute, active and interesting. I like to watch them walk around, they tend move slowly, but with great determination like they have a goal in mind. Yet, when they see a mealworm, they can really hustle to get it. They’re also very curious little creatures, they watch everything I’m doing, it’s so cute how they cock their heads to keep an eye on me. It’s intriguing to develop a relationship with these little holdovers from the dinosaurs.

I keep finding myself thinking about how cute they are, and how much fun it would be fun to have some turtles too. I also think it would be fun to try to clicker train them to do a trick or two… Turtle weave poles? I think it could be done! If I had the time to be a good turtle mom and trainer, not to mention the space to give them a happy home, I would be very tempted to adopt a couple of turtles. Who knows maybe I will one day, but until then I will enjoy my time with my little turtle clients.

Making Friends with Noche

This is Noche, with his brother Cody, and one of the sweetest cats I’ve ever known, in the background. I wrote about Cody in an earlier blog. When I first started pet sitting for them, Noche would have nothing to do with me, except to hiss and growl at me from one of his hiding places. When coming though the door, I would occasionally see a black streak flash across the living room, so I knew Noche was still there, seemingly healthy and alive… LOL! A big part of my job is to make sure all the animals I’m caring for are doing well. However, it’s difficult when said animal is frightened and won’t let me get near them.

I’ve cared for Noche, and his brothers and sisters, several times now. Over time our relationship has very slowly evolved. Once he decided I wasn’t a threat and I wouldn’t hurt him, and also because I feed him, he stopped running away and hiding from me. I knew better than to try to push him by trying to touch him, so at first I would just walk by, speak softly to him, and drop a treat or two. Other times I would quietly sit near him for a few minutes, I wouldn’t talk to or make eye contact with him. He would watch me, and look like he was thinking about checking me out, but it took awhile until he finally did.

Then he started coming up to sniff my shoes, and bat them with un-clawed paws and walk away. Finally he would do the shoe sniff, paw bat and then sit down next to me; but he would watch to make sure I wasn’t going to touch him… so I wouldn’t.

Now he allows me to pet him for a few seconds… Big breakthrough!

Fun at the Park

One of the many things I love about being a Pet Nanny is taking Jesse James and doggie clients to fun places where they can play, sniff, dig, run, swim, chase, etc., and really "get their dog on." I love to watch dogs be dogs, and I could do it forever! Or until I get thirsty, hungry, or really have to use the ladies room... LOL!

We go to local dog parks, beaches and other places of interest. On hot days out here in the East County, it's nice to go somewhere that's cooler... like Fiesta Island or dog beach. It's usually about 15 to 20 degrees cooler at the coast, about 20 miles away. Or, if we can't get to the coast, we go to parks where there's shade and cool grass for the dogs to enjoy after doing the three 'Ps' of a dog outing... poop, pee and play :)

Where did the lizards go?

It was too hot today... even for the lizards. Issie, Dina and Jesse usually have a blast running around and playing together, not to mention hunting for lizards. But not today... it was too hot. They gave lizard hunting a bit of a try, but quickly decided to hang in the shade instead. Can't say that I blame them, I know that I was hot too!

Overnights and Out of Touch

I did a couple overnights this week. I do a few every month, so I’m getting used to it and have gotten a routine down for it.

I really love the pets I stay with, but also I miss my cats and Jesse, if he can’t go with me. When it happens that Jesse can’t go to an overnight, he stays with friends and has a blast with them and their dogs. I know he’s safe and happy, but I still miss him and the kitties.

Overnights are usually fun, but it’s always sort of hard to sleep in other people’s houses. The odd little noises of a different home, catch my attention, and often wake me up. I’m used to the sounds of my house, but every home has it’s own special set of noises. They take time to learn to ignore, but a couple nights doesn’t really do it. I’ve stayed at this house, and with these dogs, several times, but it’s still hard to feel truly comfortable there. It’s just not home. For instance, I wanted to boil some water to make tea, but it took me awhile to figure out how to use the burners. The electronic starter was odd, you had to dial to it the first stop and wait for the burner to light. Can you tell I have an electric stove? I finally got it and boiled my water, but also decided it was easier to just nuke it… LOL.

The one thing I really miss, besides my babies, is when I don’t have Internet access. Most of the time people have WiFi and are happy to give me their code so I can get online, but some people either don’t have the Internet, or they’re hardwired. They tell me I can use their connection, but I don’t want to go unplugging people’s computers. It’s not that I want to spend the whole time surfing the net, instead of caring for the pets, but I do need to write emails, my Daily Pet Reports, to clients, and I often need to send forms and other docs to people. And I admit I like to check in on facebook and twitter occasionally too.

So I’ve been looking for a way to get Internet access anywhere. I do have and use my smart phone, but it’s just not the same as a real computer. I find in difficult to write anything longer than a couple sentences on that little keyboard. T-Mobile, my cell carrier, like everyone else has 3G USB connecters for computers, but it’s a little more expensive than I want to pay for just occasional use. Also, it would extend my contract and, at this point, I don’t want to do that. At least not until I have to buy a new phone, which may be soon since mine is getting worn out.

Any suggestions for an inexpensive way to get my computer online at my client’s homes would be very welcome and much appreciated!