Taking a Chance

So we met the dog tonight - such a hard time to get to this point as the rescue organization was having issues with their website. All our info was held up on the website so they couldn't get an update on the status of our application. James and I were REALLY worried. They called our references and that went really well according to them. We couldn't understand why they weren't getting back to us. And with the website down, how were we to know that they were even still working to find homes for the dogs on the site?

James had to send a not so nice email asking them to remove our application if they were going to continue "jerking us around." Perhaps this wasn't the best way to describe things. But it did get a reaction and that's why the very next day after sending the email we were able to meet Chance.

Boy he's a sweetie. He's older, but still has lots of life in him and is so completely full of love. Instantly took a liking to me and met me at the door. Went right past James and went straight for me. He was so happy to see me for some reason and just lapped up attention from me. Stayed attached to my leg the whole time we sat and talked and only pushed me out of the way once to get some love from James.

The couple that have been fostering him really have done wonders with him. They keep him from jumping up and have spent lots of time with him keeping him with them as they work. They love in their eyes for him was evident and they were really happy to hear that he'd be going to a loving home. I think they were amazed by just how well he took to us too and how much we showered him with love. The husband asked on several occasions if we were taking him with us - and as much as we'd love to - it isn't how the rescue works.

We are now in the next phase. If they give us a good reference with the rescue organization, then we'll get to have the in-home visit. If that goes well - he stays with us and he's the newest member of the Hill-Harri(u)s clan. In my heart he's mine and htis waiting is agonizing.

Waiting some more...

I am starting to wonder if I just love the idea of any dog - or if I really love the dog we have put in for adoption.

James is very concerned that I'm getting attached to this picture and this story. We haven't even met him yet and I've got all my hopes and doggie dreams in him. But then I go online and I see places like petfinder and even on kijiji and I keep seeing other dogs that are also awesome and adorable. My heart goes out to them all!

I know me and I know James and we will be a one dog family. Given a chance we'd have a cat too but unfortunately due to allergies that won't happen. But I still love the idea of having a dog. We've agonized for months - okay I've agonized and any that I feel he might like I've shown him. It's amazing how picky he's been on the process - but he was the same way with houses. Didn't want something with too much siding or was too old or had a bad decor. We're lucky we found anything at all!

Anyhow - back to dogs - The organization we were in the process of adopting from had a dog needing emergency surgery this week. That might have put things behind with them and we most likely won't hear anything for a little bit. They are asking for donations though as this came up unexpectedly and will cost $900. You'd think they'd be interested in getting adoptions going to help pay for the cost right? Well no. guess not. But they did get one pooch adopted out this week. It wasn't to us, but he did get adopted so that leads me to think positively.

But then something negative happens - like their website account has been suspended, and I start to worry again. I know they are saying the problem is with their hosting package -but things like this should be taken care of. I keep worrying that they aren't actually that good of a place. I mean - who else takes over two weeks to even let you meet the dog?

I know they've called our references and that they went well. The references told us they were really positive about things. That made me happy to hear and I kept thinking we'd hear something soon but thus far - only a standard form email we had to reply to that said that we'd stop looking into dogs with other agencies and focus only on this one - and that we'd be okay with waiting one to two weeks for the process to be over. Well is that one to two weeks from the email or from when we applied? Because if it's from when we applied, that puts us to Tuesday and we haven't met him yet or had an in-home visit to make sure that he'd fit in here.

James and I are instant gratification people. Well he is. I like to look things over and thanks to him I have to convince him it's a good idea. I've been looking at dogs since the fall but knew that we couldn't get one until we were in the house. James and I both wanted a dog once we were in but wanted to get settled. Now we are, and now we want a dog. And James liked this dog - just as much as me. Enough to actually help me fill out the application and to be the point man on the emails and calls during the day at work. He was ready for a dog. For this process to be taking this long it's eating him up inside.

We hear stories all the time about people finding a dog they like and actually taking them home the same day. It seems so simple - but I know this is also why many people end up giving their dog up or letting them run away and get caught. We thought by going through a rescue they would help make sure that this dog is the right dog for us, and that we are the right owners for him.

Now I worry that we made a bad decision.

Hopefully it is true: Good things come to those who wait - cause lord knows I've been waiting.

They have ruined my McDonalds

New building = nice
New decor = nice
Childs Play area = great
Free wifi = awesome
Comfy reading areas = okay
Cool subway tile behind the counter = funky
Nice seating area outside = really good
Driving area at front of store to allow for pass through to second driveway = smart

Dirty tables all the time = gross
Slow service = not good
No free smiles = disappointing
Servers that disappear in the middle of getting your order = bad
Lack of communication as to why they disappeared = horrible
Managers that yell at their employees in front of customers = awful
Staff that complains about their weekend or their period rather than serving another customer = rude
Double drive through that is an interesting concept stolen from Fast Eddies = too small to be effective
Open concept creates loud noisy restaurant where customers can hear EVERYTHING = not comfortable or relaxing
Understaffed on the register = really slow
Manager standing at the edge of the kitchen barking orders rather than helping customers = appalling
Two managers in drive through and Zero in the front = unprofessional
Staff only able to handle one order at a time = terrible
15 minutes for a flurry = horrendous

The only saving grace is the things they do right compared to another restaurant in town --
they actually get orders right and the food is hot (or cold depending on your order) and it tastes like it should.

But is this enough to make up for all the rest? Only time will tell.

The Waiting Game

So I'm starting to get a little antsy about this whole dog process. As of Tuesday it will be two full weeks from when we sent in our application to Barlees and we still haven't met the dog yet! We do know they aren't completely ignoring us - we've gotten two emails and they have contacted our references. The references have talked about how we are around their dogs and how we were with the dogs we had growing up and stuff.

so anyhow - it's been really bothering me. Two weeks is a long time to wait, but it sounds like it'll be another week yet before we even meet him at his own surroundings and probably a week after that before we take him home. If we even get to that point.

It is possible they go and talk to everyone and say "You know what, you guys aren't cut out for this dog." If that happens, we'll find another way to get a puppy of our own. We just really like him and his story and his size. I think we'd really make good dog parents and I hope that something happens soon.

So yeah, I'm sitting here agonizing and that's pretty much all I can do.

Deelish Doggie Dream

There are a few barriers right now holding us back from getting a dog but all pends on our application. Let’s start at the beginning.

I’ve been thinking about how wonderful it would be to get a dog of my own since about a year after Sparky passed away. He was such a good dog and a true joy to be around. James and I both loved how loyal he was and how well behaved he was. Sparky was beyond the puppy stage and we both loved how well he acted in the house and around people. We realized that an older dog truly was the way to go.

The problem at that time was that we were living in an apartment building that didn’t allow much more than fish or maybe a caged hamster. So we got a fish and a hamster. We moved again to an apartment in a house and were very hopeful we could bring a dog into our little family, but our landlord had a dog and she felt that two dogs in the house would be a bit much. She said “You can get a cat or two if you’d like though.”

Doesn’t really help when my loving husband is allergic!

Shortly after that we moved back in with my parents. We had an opportunity to get a puppy at this time, but my parents laid down the law “No dogs!” They didn’t want to get attached. The pain of Sparky’s passing was still too fresh in their minds so we held off.

I always had a series of goals in my life. College. Travel. Meet the man of my dreams and fall in love. Date for awhile. Move in together. Get Engaged. Get married. Get a house. Get a dog. Have kids. As you know, the man of my dreams and I just moved into our own house. We made sure to get a fenced in back yard for our little pooch that we both knew would be joining our family at some point.

Before moving though – I was introduced to the idea of an animal rescue. Many shelters in the US, and some in Canada, have a kill policy that if they don’t have space, they put the dogs down. They don’t even give them much of a chance even though they might be the perfect family pet. Many people in this area feel for this plight and have created rescue organizations to help take in these animals. Maybe the dogs and cats aren’t the cutest animals out there, but they have hearts and aren’t willing to be given up on yet.

Through looking at Rescues, I’ve become fond of a few in the Cambridge/Guelph/Hamilton area and I’ve frequently looked at their websites to see what dogs are available and if any interest me. Back in January I saw a picture of a shorter guy that was in need of rescue from a shelter. The Shelter had him listed as Kirby – border collie crossed with a bernese mountain dog. He had a cute bandana on and just looked really lovely. They needed a foster right away, but unfortunately we weren’t in the house yet. I kept him in the back of my mind as he was a solid dog, but short for being 5 years old.

They brought him to the Guelph area and the cute little guy was put into a foster-to-adopt situation with a family on a farm. They said he was a great dog and fantastic in the house. They renamed him Chance after giving him a second chance at a forever home. Also after looking at him, they realized there was no bernese mountain dog in him – and they figure due to his stature that he’s part corgi. So sweet and so well behaved, I was both sad and happy to see that the family fostering him wanted to adopt him.

The move happens and we get settled in without cable television – which means more time to be spent doing household stuff and more time on the computer. I started looking at dogs again. I had kind of stepped away from the shelters and was looking at puppies because they are incredibly cute when James reminded me that we didn’t want a puppy. Good point hubby!

After spending some time with two dogs at a family function, and realizing how quiet the house was, I think he started to warm up because he asked me what dogs I was looking at. I went online to check out www.barlees.org and saw that Chance (formerly Kirby) was available again. As the family fostering him has a farm, they would like to let him off his leash and poor little guy would wander away. Not so good when dealing with a vast property. He was probably getting lost and couldn’t find his house! So he was back up for adoption again. As soon as I showed James he thought that this could be a really good dog for us. He was older, settled, trained and really just looking for someone to love him.

Even still we went and looked at a few other dogs on www.petfinder.com and he found another dog that looked really close to Chance but was a female! He’s always said he liked poodle crosses so I was surprised that he was drawn to the border collie cross. Guess he loved Sparky as much as we all did!

We went out of the house and were talking a bit about stuff and he said “If I were picking, I’d choose Chance because he has an awesome name!” This started a bit of a debate as our friend named Chance might have issue with us naming a dog after him. But James assured me “If anyone wouldn’t mind, it would be Chance. He’d think it was fabulous!”

With only one question on whether or not the little guy was neutered, we decided to fill out an online application when it was confirmed that he was in fact an “it”. For some reason my computer was acting up and I had to reenter the information three times! Agonizing!

The next step involves them reviewing our application, seeing if we are a good fit and then calling us for any questions. If we pass that step - we get to meet our potential new pooch for a visit to the home of the foster parents. They want us to interact with him in his environment before bringing him home.

Once that is over, then comes the home visit. They may or may not bring Chance with them when they come but if they do and the visit goes well, he gets to stay with us on a trial adoption. These tend to last for two weeks and at that time we get to sign the full adoption papers.

So excited and so nervous and unsure. What if we didn't fill out the application they want us to? What if they call the vet and find out that they have no history on us? Even though the vet has worked with James' family dogs, they will not have any records with our names on them unfortunately.

James thinks I'm crazy telling people about the dog already as this may not end up being our dog. But I know that people were able to learn from our house search - maybe they can learn from our dog search.

Either way - I'm really looking forward to being doggie mom!

Firey Memories

It's funny how certain events can trigger a memory that had long since been forgotten.

Recently in Cambridge, Ontario the town was wrought with a series of arson's in one particular neighbourhood. Within a 10 block span, four fires were set to curbside furniture and even a house undergoing renovations. The stone house suffered nearly $100,000 in damage. Images of the fires were shown on the national news, bringing the national eye on my hometown. Police are looking for links between the fires and many are certain that it is the work of a single or a group of arsonists as all the fires were started around 4am.

Read the store on the Cambridge Reporter online by clicking here.
To watch the video from CTV - go here.

Back when I was in college my parents helped me out with getting my first car. It was a Pontiac 6000 - otherwise known as a glorified K-Car. I liked to think my car was a class above as it had unique seats from two different cars and a sunroof. I loved that car and I loved driving it. That could be why I chose to take a different direction home from a friends house. Or at least I think it was my friend's house. It's strange how every other aspect of that night has been erased from my memory except for the drive home.

I grew up in the north side of Galt, a section of Cambridge that was across the river from my boyfriend at the time and several freinds. Because I was across the river, I had to cross over one of three bridges in order to make it back home. I was over there a lot and normally drove the same way each time. I'd shake it up every once in awhile by taking a different street closer to the river, or a different bridge, but the way I chose to drive that night was not a way I had ever gone before.

The West side of Galt had streets running in two directions - to the river or perpendicular. I knew that by taking all streets heading in one direction I would get closer to the bridge I needed to cross. I don't know what compelled me to go down this street on that night, and I can't even tell you the exact street but I remember the look of the houses and I remember what I saw that night clearly and vividly.

Even in the dark of night I was impressed by the big two story houses that were built around the start of the 20th century. Big red brick and yellow brick houses complete with dormers and big sweeping porches. Each house a testament to old Galt. Built in a time of opulance and growth in the town and long before Galt was amalgamated to become Cambridge. I remember looking up at the big oak and maple trees each tall and strong. You could tell that the trees had been growing for many years - more than I had been alive to see.

The street was quiet, with many residents already nestled safely in their warm beds. It was a calm contrast to the bustling cross street I had taken to get there. I remember remarking how peaceful everything was. Little did I know that my vision of that street would be forever changed.

Halfway to the top of the hill I could tell something wasn't right. There was an unnatural glow. As I pulled up I noticed a huge fire burning on a pile of autumn leaves lining the gutter on the left side of the street. The flames were at least 12 feet high and were coming dangerously close to the bottom of the trees above. Being autumn there were leave piles all down the street and I could see the fire spreading to all trees and ultimately to all the gorgeous old homes.

As I looked at the flames I was struck by someone standing behind the flames - eagerly watching them get bigger and higher. He must've been about 13 - eyes glowing with an evil look of satisfaction as the flames grew. When he saw me they grew wide and he ran off between two houses - but not until after staring at me for what felt like minutes but was probably mere seconds. I was certain that this was the person who had started the fire and let the flames grow until they became perilously close to causing massive amounts of damage.

Back then I didn't have a cell phone but knew I couldn't just stay there. I drove my car as fast, and as safely as possible to a nearby store and called 911. Having never called in an emergency before I was nervous but the evil look in that boys eyes was resonating in my head. I was all alone as I rushed into the phone booth and made the call. Even with their hundred questions, I knew that I was potentially helping a young arsonist before they moved onto bigger and potentially more dangerous fires. Hopefully with my strong description they were able to determine who it was that set the fire and were able to teach him the error in his ways.

Simply as a concerned citizen, I'll never know if the young boy I saw was ever caught but I like to think that my actions may have saved lives.

Paint and Plaster

We've been doing some awesome painting in our hallway tonight. When we moved into the house - James had to make a tough decision. Couch in the basement and hole in the wall or ceiling, or no couch in a giant room with a tv in it. He opted for the hole in the ceiling and the couch in the basement. All in all it wasn't a huge fix. We had my dad, his dad and Curtis to help out. But James did all the work putting it together.

We knew we'd have to paint anyhow - so why not right?

Well last weekend we went out and picked out some paint. We wanted to stay in a similar tonal family, but with a darker dimension. James really was set on a very specific colour and rather than completely fight him on a shade or two, I let him have his say. As we put it on the wall we loved it more and more. It's awesome!

I'm not sure how it happened, but I did all the priming. I'm sure I could've done a better job, but I figured an allover coat allowing us to not see the plaster used to cover holes was a good start. I got all the points that we needed to have covered, and then taped off the areas we didn't need - you know, like the carpet! I figured since I was priming the walls, I might as well prime the baseboards too. I hated the wood on them, so why not right? Well when we started painting we started to see how awesome the white trim will look with the dark blue-grey colour.

I'm very proud of our little house and very proud of James for his stellar work in covering the hole! Now just to show off our handy work to our friends and family at the housewarming!