Moving in With Sierra

Who would've thought that I would end up adopting a georgous dog, and buying an apartment just so we could be together. Although, a year ago in Feb. I knew I would be moving, but didn't know when, and didn't know a dog would be involved. I DID start to pack back then though.

So in the next couple of months...no, at the end of next month (July) actually, Sierra and I become room mates, in our OWN home. I'm still packing, amazing how much stuff a person accummulates in 21 years.

During this 'moving' experience, I am working 12 hour days, and going to my parent's place on the weekends so I can visit my girl. This doesn't leave much time for packing, or cleaning.

Oh, and I've caught this absolutely horrible head cold, it's mostly migraine-like headaches followed by sick stomach, then back to headache. So today I had to come home from work early, and I'm in a job that if you don't work, you don't get paid!!! And I have to work, to keep my puppy in kibble, so....off to work I go tomorrow, even if I don't feel 100%.

Friends keep asking me if I'm excited about the apartment, and I hesitate. Yes, I'm excited about it, but more excited about Sierra and I getting to see each other every day. Sometimes it feels as though the apartment was a foregone conclusion over a year ago. Kind of like the money being available to do it. It feels like it has all been decided long ago, now, I just have to wait for it to manifest. Odd I know, but I'm a big believer in fate and the power of positive thinking. Of course being grateful is a key too.

Maybe I should start up a blog about that, so many wonderful things have happend to me since I started changing my thinking about life, love and money.

Hmmm, something to think about.

Anxiety? What Anxiety?

Well, it's officially been 21 days since Sierra and I became family, and I've loved every minute of it.

Every day I spend with her (weekends only at the moment), I find out something new and mostly wonderful about her. For instance, she's easily trainable; we've trained her to sit and give a paw before getting her breakfast, supper, snacks, even when I want to put the leash on the harness. She's not afraid of thunder, but is afraid of loud sharp sounds; like a book being place down too heavy, or the snapping of asparagus. She won't try to fight anything smaller than herself, but will defend herself against a large or larger dog. She loves to socialize with other dogs, and will do almost anything to get to swim in the river.

Sierra is also very protective of me. I was laying on the floor and my Mom was giving me a back rub, as she was finishing, she patted my back with both hand. Sierra, ever on duty, came up and pushed my Mom's hands away, getting under her arms so she couldn't hit me, then Sierra tried to push me up into a sitting position with her head and body. It was so cute and beautiful. Of course I thanked her for 'saving' me.

Sierra and I have such a strong bond, it began the 2nd time I walked her when I was volunteering. Being away from her is difficult, and I know she feels a bit anxious about it too. I phone my parents twice a day just to see how she is. We are both improving on this I'm proud to say. She is understanding how many days I wll be away. Still, it's tough. I spoke to one of the kennel attandants at the shelter she was at, and mentioned the seperation anxiety. She told me the best way to deal with it is to ignore Sierra when I first get to my parents' place. To not make a big deal out of seeing her, that it would make it easier on both of us in the long run.

How? How does one not pay attention to such a beautiful, loving, gentle soul???? I got tears in my eyes as she told me what to do. The kennel attendant said to 'be strong, I have faith in you". I'm glad she has faith in me, I don't.

I suppose both of us will have anxiety for awhile longer...at least until I get the courage to ignore her.

Oh, I got the mortgage, we now have a home that we will move into around August.

More about Sierra

Ok, Ok, I know that a blog devoted almost entirely to a dog can be a bit boring, but for anyone who owns a dog, you know how much fun they can be.

Today I took Sierra back to visit the shelter before we started our 1 1/2 hour walk. Everyone there was happy to see her, more importantly, she was happy to see them! That's how you know the shelter people are good! They were oohing and aahing over how beautiful her coat is and how she is loosing weight and firming up.

We've found out something very important about our pup...she's afraid of load sharp noises. My Mom was preparing asparagus for dinner, snapping them instead of cutting them. When she snapped the first one, Sierra got up, ran upstairs and hid! It took both of us to coax her down again. Then, when Mom closed a book a little too loudly, Sierra did it again. Maybe that is how she became lost the first time, a firecracker or gunshot and she bolted. Poor baby. She also prefers to sleep near or always be near someone. That's ok by me! I like having her sleep beside the bed.

I let her off-leash again, and she was a gem..as always. She had so much fun with the other dogs, oh and the river!!!! Amazing how she lives to wade in the river, but doesn't like a bath very much.

I still haven't heard from the bank about a mortgage. I remember years ago going in to see about qualifying for one and being told that I wouldn't be given very much, somewhere around $100,000 only. You couldn't buy a tent here for that. When I asked why someone with A-1 credit (perfect), a steady job who has never defaulted on any loan couldn't get more than $100,000, I was told " let's face it, you could get pregnant, then who'd pay the mortgage?" It didn't matter to them that I wasn't going to have kids.

A fellow I know who had horrible credit, was making less an hour than I was, was told by a bank that he would qualify for a mortgage of over $200,000. A guy with BAD CREDIT and they would trust him more than me, a woman with PERFECT CREDIT??? Of course the bank only saw my sex...a woman buy by herself? no way! Thankfully things have changed since then. But I wonder how much.

Wish me luck!

Sierra Chronicles - 1st week

It's now been a full week since Sierra joined the 'pack'. Everyone absolutely loves her. My Mom even lets her sleep beside her bed. Now, this is huge, considering my Mom has NEVER in my life, ever allowed the family dog past the front foyer or back enterance. So for her to allow Sierra upstairs....WOW!!!!

I took Sierra back to our usual North Shore trail on Saturday, so she could socialize with other puppies and because she likes to swim in the river there. Also, I wanted to try her off-leash in an area I knew well.

After explaining to her that she had to listen to me or she'd go right back on-leash, I let her off. And she was off!! Running, enjoying herself, I called her back, she looked at me and kept walking. I call again and kneel down to make it fun. She comes back about 20 feet then goes up a small hill. All this time I'm wondering how I'm going to catch her to leash her up. Then She comes back to me. I give her a hug and some praise and she continues on with her fun. Part of the problem is she didn't know her name really well.

After that she was an absolute gem. She never went too far and always looked back to see where I was. It was beautiful watching her so full of life and fun. Running down the bank and jumping headlong into the river, splashing around with other dogs. At one point she ran down a bank to splash around, I was still up on the trail walking. I call her, she tries to follow me while running in the shallow part of the river. Finds she can't get back up to me, so runs all the way back to where she went down, runs up, runs full speed towards me (huge smile too), sees a chocolate lab, runs past and while trying to stop, shakes the water off. One of the funniest things I've seen in a long time, a hundred pound dog doing a mid-air shake....all legs, tail and floppy ears.

I think I'm going to have to do this (go to the NS trails) once or twice a month, just so she can get in her socializing and fun time. In Port Coquitlam (where we will be living), I don't think there are any off-leash parks. Also, I think she has allergies to some of the grasses on the trails in PoCo., she gets a bit of a drippy nose after we go for walks there. Perhaps the forest trails are better than the savannah type.

Oh, and I may have found a garden apartment for us. We went to see it on Saturday, I put in a bid on Sun., it was countered and accepted, so now it's up to the bank. It's 2 bedrooms with a large patio right beside a small park. It seems like a nice quiet area and only a few blocks from a bunch of trails, also, a few blocks the other way is 'downtown' Poco.

If all goes well I will take posession of it in late July. Guess I should go pack!