The Neurodivergent Dog Nerd

12/06/2024

Hey, guess what?
I'm 8 years clean some time this month.
I'm proud of me.

01/06/2024

Doing important things today. Mainly chilling on the porch and people watching. Living on Main St we see all sorts of traffic. Rambo has a tough time with things on wheels, and apparently umbrellas also. Kiwi just loves everything about life.

25/05/2024

Teefs!

19/05/2024

Just scenes from walks with my little loves.

13/05/2024

Something like 23 years ago I saw some people doing this crazy sport with their dogs in a park. I looked at my parter of the time and said "I want a border collie and I want to do that." Eventually I did just that, and for a long while I did. Then life happened, I started a roller derby league and a dog rescue, had 4 kids to raise by myself, and so on and so forth.
I've had to rebuild my life from the ground up a few times since then. Like literally rock bottom. And I'm still rebuilding. And all along I've had a dog (or several) at my side.
A few months ago I decided to take a reactive rover class with Rambo, partly to see how he'd do in that environment and partly to see what it felt like to dip my toes back into the whole organized dogstuff world. I asked some folks, and found the right fit for us at The Paw Loft. Rambo Rocked his classes, I decided to start taking Roner (and sometimes Rambo) to flyball practice. And while it will be some time before any of my own dogs will be in the lanes, I got to go play with my team this weekend!
I got to run Spyder, who also hasn't played in a while, so we made a great team! We had some pretty good passes and even got to start, but mostly we just had a tonne of fun with a bunch of really great folks. It was nice to see a bunch of familiar faces, human and dog.

10/05/2024

This dog has the weirdest relationship with the cats. She demands grooming from them, and they comply.

08/05/2024

He's a cat now.

10/04/2024

Why are Cattle dogs so loud?!?

Wrong answers only!

03/04/2024

Hey Saskatchewan, check this out! If you are or have been a tenant with pets, you know what the struggle to find housing is like!

We’re establishing a Working Group that will focus on pet-friendly housing in Saskatchewan. Our goal is to raise awareness and take action to improve access to rental housing for people with pets.

We need YOUR input!

We want to hear from policymakers, landlords, renters, and others who are in the know. Together we can make it simpler for pet owners to find homes where they’re welcome.

Please join us for a virtual meeting of the Saskatchewan Pet-Friendly Working Group:

🗓️ Wednesday, April 24, 2024
🕙 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. (SK time)
🔗 Register here: https://ow.ly/e4Wh50R6Cxp

Questions? Contact [email protected]. Please share to help us spread the word!

29/03/2024

It Worked!

23/03/2024

Rambo, doing what he does best.

06/03/2024

Content warning, the last photo is graphic and yucky.

We've had the pleasure of spending the past few days with this little lady. Her name is Zelda, and she is on her way over to Hull's Haven Border Collie Rescue in Manitoba, where she'll be spayed then ready for adoption!
She arrived with a gnarly embedded rear dewclaw full of infection, I can't imagine how painful it was! I took her into the clinic and we pulled a good 2cm of nail out of her pad!!!! (If you're not squeamish you can scroll to the last photo)

Zelda is a 2 year old border collie, she is full of s***k and loves everyone she meets! She's only been here a few days, but we've been working on settle, either on a bed or in her kennel. She hasn't quite figured out how to settle herself, but she'll get there with some guidance! She is great with the other dogs she has met (I have three), and is good with my dog-savvy cats. She can be a little forward, and has received a wee swat on the nose from the princess kitty, which she respected. She'll need to learn some leash manners, but does walk fairly well, and doesn't mind pottying on leash. Her new people will want to work on handling her paws as she is fairly sensitive due to her overgrown nails. She rides well in the car and has been fine either loose or in a kennel overnight.

Overall, this little lady is going to make a great companion for someone. We are so very happy to have been a part of her journey!

05/03/2024

Dog stuff and nerd stuff. Combined. Along with a good cause.
This is my foster pooch and I'm selling things to cover her medical expenses. Check it out if you're so inclined.

26/02/2024

I can almost always eat cheese. And yogurt.

24/02/2024

Wham-O!
Rambles
Squeaks/Squeaker
Rammalammadingdong
Good Sir
Bambo
Sir Barks-a-lot
OhmygodRamboShush!

What other things do you call your pets?

24/02/2024

On top of being all sorts of neurodivergent, I also have a few physical disabilities. That means that some days my dogs don't get as much exercise as I'd like. We have lots of enrichment around the house of course, but sometimes I just want them to have more.
Tonight, we took a different route on our evening walk. They got to sniff all sorts of new sniffs, and p*e on all the snowbanks. We took our time, we strolled and zig-zagged, they decided which way to turn, and we all had a nice time.
Here, Rambo is smelling new p*e smells, while Kiwi has caught a whiff from the KFC a few blocks away.

Pictured: Two dogs sniffing (with a cartoon filter)

14/02/2024

14/02/2024

When I'm not doing dog nerd stuff, I'm usually doing bead nerd stuff.

Look at this sweet spidey getting around and making friends!
I love pics of my creations out in the wild. 🩷🖤🩷

23/01/2024

Snackies support team reporting for duty.

25/12/2023

While I personally don't celebrate Christmas, it appears my cats do.
Monster-Santa and Pippen Claws would like to wish you a Happy Holidays!

(or just Happy Monday if that's more your style)

11/12/2023

I have a page where I make shiny things. Of course my pets make it onto that page too. Couldn't make anything without my sweet little Peach supervising!

Show me your kitties!

I have to keep this space on top of my desk cleared off for Princess Peach. She is the perfect little familiar, and sometimes even helps to pick beads. She likes drum n bass, chasing wand toys, picking on her brothers, and antagonizing the cattle dog.

11/12/2023

10/12/2023

Hope y'all are enjoying your Sunday as much as these three.

10/12/2023

APSS recommends people look at the following criteria before making a decision on adopting or fostering from a sheltering or rescue organization. The following list are issues that could be considered red flags if the organization does not have appropriate answers or will not co-operate.

Does the organization adhere to the CVMA Code of Practice for Canadian Kennels? or Cattery Code of Practice
Will it allow you to tour their facility where they keep the animals?
Do the animals receive appropriate time exercising and socializing with people and other animals?
Does it ensure the animals have been seen by a veterinarian? Have they received their vaccinations and been spayed or neutered before adopting?
Will it share vet records with you?
Will it allow their vet to talk to you about the animal’s health care?
Does it have a process for evaluating prospective adopters to ensure the animals are going to a good home?
Does it have appropriate staff to animal ratios?
Are the staff organized?
What do others say about the organization on social media?

Most of all, we recommend prospective adopters trust their gut. If an organization is sending out red flags, do not ignore them. Many people will still engage with the animal organization because they want to help the animals involved. Unfortunately, this ensures the organization remains financially viable. It’s up to Saskatchewanians to invest their time and money with groups doing the good and hard work of helping animals find homes at a high standard. This is the only way to ensure animals are treated appropriately on their journey to living their best lives.

06/12/2023

🤣

21/11/2023

Art Therapy. Is any craft space complete without the blue cookie tin?
Do you have one?

19/11/2023

Some days!

19/11/2023

I am in my happy place when I am making shiny things. I like beading because you get to pick all the fun colors and shapes, and then decide on a cool pattern, and in the end you might just have a magical little spider friend or two.