Paragon Pooch

08/24/2024

After four days of rain and being stuck inside I was very happy to get back to work at the property. The rain softened the ground and I was able to pull out a lot of young trees with my new w**d puller.

08/19/2024

Follow these tips to help your dog cope with being left home alone.

The dog days of summer are coming to a close and many people are heading back to work and school. For some dogs, that means that they will be home alone after having the family regularly around them for the past couple of months. This can be a difficult adjustment, so t’s important to properly …

08/19/2024

More buckthorn battles won and the fence installation has resumed with Andy's ATV back in action. Onward and upward!

08/15/2024

A past client offered me a wonderful gift: a day's work with their digger! They came yesterday and repaired the main road where it needed building up to prevent water accumulating and mud. They also dug some more drainage and filled in some dips in the road to make it a smooth ride. Thanks so much! You can't imagine what a great help this has been. https://www.facebook.com/entreprisemnnadeauinc?mibextid=ZbWKwL

08/14/2024

I liken pulling out the young buckthorn to hand-to-hand combat. It's much more physically tiring than chainsawing and chipping. I have to get these dense outcrops gone before they get any bigger, becoming an impenetrable mess and killing native species.

08/11/2024

My friend, Quinten came for another visit to help me on the property. We got so much done! From taming unruly old fencing into manageable piles to clearing buckthorn and chipping sizeable brush piles into tall heaps of woodchips. Teamwork for the win and great company too.

08/09/2024

Dog guardians of long-haired dogs or poodlely doodlely dogs will be relieved to know that I pulled out all the burdock bushes -at least all the ones I am aware of. They are awaiting their fate on the burn pile. Crisis averted. You're welcome. 🦸‍♀️

08/08/2024

Had a Buckthorn Chainsaw Massacre Day including pulling out lots of saplings while the earth was still soft after the rain. I had some fawns spying on me off and on as I worked in different areas of the forest.

07/30/2024

With the help of YouTube, I was able to solve a problem with the infeed roller on the woodchipper, I now know how to reset the hydraulic valve and flush any air bubbles from the hose. The learning curve continues to make my head spin! Afterwards, I went to battle with an outcropping of young buckthorn trees with a formidable pulling tool and regained a bit of territory. I ended my shift with testing out the wood chipper on a cedar brush pile. It behaved much better and reduced the pile to satisfying chips.

07/24/2024

Working on my own, yesterday I cleaned up some sections of brush and reduced the clutter to woodchips. I collected straight-ish larger branches to finish making a "corduroy " to lay over the mushy part of the road to hopefully withstand my tractor driving over it. I also made another ramp for my other shipping container. Finally, I walked the prospective fence line again to determine the distance- 1.83 km of fencing needed! Phew! Taking today to work at home and get other tasks done. It will feel like a day off in comparison! 😆

07/22/2024

I'm long overdue to update the fans and supporters of the Paragon Pooch Play Park. Work continues to progress despite the occasional yet inevitable challenges and setbacks. I continue to clear brush and work on the trails. And the first fence posts have been put in!

07/14/2024

It's amazing how much work can be done when you have a helping hand. Sara and her lovely dog, Polly came yesterday. We hauled more brush out that I had cut down during the Chainsaw Massacre Day. We also managed to put the huge brush pile plus the additional brush we hauled out through the chipper.
Andy was hauling out the old wire fence, getting the area ready to put in the new fence. Treats for everybody helps the work pass happily!

07/13/2024

Bruce has finished his work on the main road leading into the heart of the property. Things still need to dry up and settle a bit after the heavy rain we had recently. I'm looking forward to getting my tractor back there to tackle the work that's waiting for me.

07/10/2024

Significant progress made on the road today and the shipping containers are in place. I sweated it out whacking w**ds and hauling brush.

07/08/2024

Chainsaw Massacre Day for the buckthorn! 💀I worked in one area and brought down every buckthorn tree I saw. I also pulled a good load of saplings. Hauling the felled trees and piling them in a brush pile was no easy feat. I called it a day once all my water was gone and my Chainsaw battery was nearly used up. My own battery was pretty much spent too 😪. Bruce started work on the main road, and my second container arrived along with the steel beams to support it. If only my energy and bank account were as limitless as the workload...

07/08/2024

We had a whole working party today! Some workers were hired, others were volunteers. Together, we got a lot of work done. With some help from the guys, I got my wood chipper up and running again. Then a whole lotta chipping was going on! I also had a visit from a previous client who has generously offered her excavation services for a day. I am so excited about this! She and her family, including her well-trained dog 😉 came to the property to have a tour and have a look at what work they can do for the park. Great things can happen when people come together!

07/06/2024

Big things are happening at the soon-to-be dog park. Excavation work has started and my fledgling skills as a mechanic got another workout.

07/02/2024

I celebrated Canada Day surrounded by maple trees and their forestmates as I battled against the foreign invaders (evil buckthorn). I think that's rather patriotic! 🍁

06/29/2024

Another chainsaw and pulling out buckthorn saplings day. I feel this will be my life's work for the foreseeable future. 😩

06/28/2024

Tractor maintenance, uprooting buckthorn saplings by the hundreds coupled with beautiful moments under a swaying canopy of maples. It was another good work day.

06/27/2024

Hard at work again today at the property. I'm getting better at using the loader on the tractor to scoop up wood chips into the bucket! My learning curve has been exceptionally steep these days as I figure out how to operate and maintain my machinery.

06/23/2024

Had a productive day at the property, spreading woodchips on the path, cutting and hauling brush, and feeding it into the wood chipper with great satisfaction. I couldn't have done it without the help of past clients, Mike and Svenja. Woo hoo for team work!

06/18/2024

Here are some tips and guidelines to help you prioritize what’s most important to you and streamline your search to find the best possible canine candidates.

Bringing a new dog or puppy into your life can be very rewarding. However, if the dog isn’t the right fit for you and your family, a lot of heartache may lay ahead for both you and the dog. Furthermore, you may find yourself parting with much more money than you had bargained for. There …

06/17/2024

I'm making progress on getting the dog park ready with much-appreciated help from others. Please let me know if you can come lend a hand. It makes the work go so much faster and I will bring snacks! 😋

06/03/2024

This human-dog team has been working for several weeks to complete the Puppy Start Right and Foundations in Training combo course. Maya, a cockapoo, and her human have been learning about socialization so that she feels safe and comfortable in different situations and environments. They've also learnt the basic behaviours and manners needed to live happily together. Training is one of the most important investments you can make to ensure your dog has a happy life.

05/27/2024

This handsome golden retriever is also a very clever boy! He and his human have completed the Teenager Tune-Up class. They have both upped their respective training game to positively and constructively handle challenging adolescent behaviours. Charlie has also further developed basic behaviours to new heights such as recalling away from distractions and holding a stay with greater distance, duration and distractions. Teenagers can do amazing things!

05/27/2024

I'm very excited to announce that my dream of building a dog park and training centre is becoming a reality! I've been hard at work for a year preparing the land, and work has begun on building the fence to keep the doggies safely within the boundaries. I hope to open the park up sometime this year to clients, but I need a lot of help. Please let me know if you can lend a helping hand or become a sponsor through https://gofund.me/b8fb4370

05/26/2024

Paragon Pooch was on the air! Iwas a recent guest on the noontime show at our local radio station, CJMQ to talk about the importance of socialization. In addition to my monthly articles in the Sherbrooke Record, this was a great opportunity to help dogs and their humans in the Eastern Townships.

04/22/2024

Adolescence can certainly try the patience of many a dog parent! There are a lot of changes going on inside a teenager's body as well as their brain, and sometimes it seems like they've forgotten all their training. These canine-human teams recently completed the Teenager Tune-up class which teaches dog parents how to better understand and work with their adolescents while strengthening basic behaviours and learning more advanced work.

03/22/2024

Sniffing is a great way to give your dog mental exercise. It releases "feel good hormones", serotonin and dopamine into their system which helps reduce stress and anxiety. Sniffing is your dog's key to happiness!