Dogs, Cats and Humans packing for trips.

How much do we actually need when travelling?  I think that dogs perhaps join the male population from Mars and the cats join the females from Venus. Dogs like men could care less what they pack as long as it is something to wear.  While Cats like women want all their accouterments with them, frequently over packing and preferring that someone carry their luggage.

I guess on my past travelling adventure, I was more like a cat wishing I was more like a dog. That was the thought I had as I returned from my infamous trip to Florida and New York.  Let me set the stage for this adventure by telling you that I was flying from Carlsbad, Ca to Los Angeles and then on to Florida and soon after that to New York City for a family wedding.

I decided instead of driving the early morning bumper to bumper commute to LAX,  I would take a commuter flight from a small airport near my home to Los Angeles and on to Florida. So at 6:00 AM I got on the plane, checked in my large suitcase for the short flight to LA ready to pick up my luggage in baggage claim and trot off to Virgin American Airlines and onto to Orlando. Well to my surprise, when I went to baggage claim and waited an hour, I got the sinking feeling something was drastically wrong.  How could that be since I was the only checked in bag on that flight and was told by both airlines I had plenty of time between flights?  Especially since it was a commuter flight and most people hand carried their luggage onto the plane. Slightly panicked I spoke with a United Airlines representative and he couldn't figure it out either, but said I better run to my next flight a few terminals way.  I did and figured that my suitcase would arrive on the next flight to Orlando.

Remembering, I guess as they say "back in the day" an airline would fly your bag out on the next flight and have someone in an old van deliver your bag at any time during the night.  I was fairly confident that my clothes would arrive. WRONG!

When I got up the next morning, no bag, and I discovered through tracking that my possessions went to Memphis via FedEx and stayed put. Now this was presenting a problem because very early the next morning I was flying to New York with my sister and had no warm clothes except my cotton dress, a sweater and some over sized Uggs my neighbor had given me from Goodwill the night before. Luckily I had thrown them in my purse as I ran out the door of my house in Ca. So I borrowed a coat and pajamas from my sister and hoped a plane to NYC. Again positive that my bag would arrive that afternoon and my brother in law would have FedEx pick it up and all would be ok, just 1 one day in New York without any warm clothes.  wrong again.

So I put on my cotton dress, sweater and Uggs and headed out the door in 16 degree weather to meet some friends for lunch. By now it was Friday, the day before the wedding and that was the main reason I came to NYC and I was not a happy camper.  I called FedEx and they said they had tried to deliver the suitcase the night before but they had the wrong address and the front security people wouldn't let them in. So they promised that they now had the correct address and would deliver the suitcase sometime that afternoon. And yes they did, my suitcase was now in Florida and I was in New York. at least a little closer to me. My brother in law said he did not want to send the suitcase, but would pack a box for me of some clothes and send it to me FedEx one day air. At this point in my journey I was doubting everything. So I went that afternoon with my sister to Lord & Taylor to buy a few things to wear like nice boots, gloves, a hat, wool pants, sweaters and a suitcase to carry what I purchased and got from my brother in law back home.

Luckily my niece lent me a beautiful dress and velvet jacket to wear for the wedding.  Lo and behold my box arrived Saturday afternoon two hours before the wedding and I was able to wear a few things from my list that I gave my brother in law.  However, I truly think that men and women have a whole different clothes realty when it comes to what is necessary to pack and wear on special occasions. I won't go into what he didn't pack because I am grateful that my coat and flat boots arrived and a bra, but wow Mars and Venus are a few galaxies away from each other.

I am back home in California and my suitcase finally arrived after my sister sent it from Florida. When I called the airlines the other day to find out about reimbursement, they had a recording that said, "due too extreme weather conditions in the East and South, no calls would be answered and no messages could be left".  So travel light and hand carry every thing you want for a week and think of a dog's motto, "Wear what you need, and leave the rest home".

Fostering an animal, something I thought I would never do!!! But then again, Never Say Never

I haven't written in many months, because I had been making many decisions regarding my shoulder.... shoulder surgery or stem cell?  So here goes one of my newest animal adventures.

I surprised myself when I got the chance to foster two adorable dogs who had been dumped by their owners. In the past whenever I said the word "never" the Universe and God laughed.  The declaration 'never' was like a boomerang that often came flying back to me, so that I got to re-examine the statement of "no, never". Because of my love and attachment to my own dogs throughout the years I never felt like I could foster a dog. The thought of giving them up would be hard.  Actually, five years ago a friend found a beautiful black Labrador Retriever running along a highway in Los Angeles and brought him to my house for me to keep, because she couldn't. The dog was totally disruptive to my existing pack and my newest puppy was afraid of him, I had to give this wild black Lab up. Luckily, with the help of a friend, I found a fabulous new home for this energetic dog. That wasn't hard for me because the synergy of the pack was the most important thing and he didn't fit in.

Well, the universe surprised me and I rescued a couple of  two year old pups who had been dumped in the hills in the country where I often hiked early in the morning. I was with a girlfriend and just as we had started out for our walk when these two pups ran out from under a tree towards us. We were clearly in coyote country and in the middle of nowhere. They were scared, very very thin, lost and wanting to be rescued  My friend stayed with them while I ran to a neighbor's house and asked them to help.  They came back with me in their car and drove us and the pups back to my house. I immediately took the dogs to the Vet to see if they had a chip, which they didn't. I then took the two little girls to a groomer to be washed and combed out while I went through the neighborhood knocking on doors and posting signs. After doing this all day I took the dogs back to my house and created a safe place for them to sleep and eat. They were very content and slept quite well that night. I went out again the next day to find their owners convinced that I would find them and they would safely be back home soon. After a another day, I realized that they had truly been given up and were no longer wanted by their family. Now it was the day before I was going to have stem cells injected into my shoulder, something that I had waited for two years to do. Hmm and these pups arrived right before my surgical procedure. Coincidence or divine timing?  Was it possible they we were all being healed?

Of course my dogs were very great nursemaids and delighted that I was staying home for a few days and spending more time resting. My trio watched my every move and were happy when I took a nap and left the pups in their own room. The experience was wonderful of course, but not without challenges. These dogs were not house broken because they had been kept in cages as breeding dogs and they knew NO commands like "yes or no" or "come and sit". And of course I had no idea what their names were, so I made up two names for them. They seemed emotionally deprived, and their trust factor and ability to listen was missing, they were in their own sweet worlds for a few weeks.  But each day the two became more and more affectionate and responsive to me and others who came in my house.  They didn't play with my other three dogs or form a pack, but they watched them and as time went on they began to pee and poop outside by copying my guys.  They also learned to play with dog toys and expect frequent treats as mine did. Of course constant reinforcement and praise helped tremendously.

Each day I fell more and more in love with these two cuties and in my heart I wanted to adopt them.  But I knew they both needed to be Number one in a household, not number four and five. They were Cocker Spaniels and one person dogs. At first I wanted to adopt them out together as a bonded pair thinking since they been together they needed to stay together.  But as time went on, I found it more difficult to find a home for two untrained dogs, than one at a time. The little blonde one who I named Taffy was adopted first. She went to a wonderful home with a couple that knew the breed and wanted to train her and love her. At that time I had bonded with Taffy more than the little black dog, I thought, but in the next forty five days I completely fell head over heels in love with Nece, the black dog. We became tied at the hip and her heart opened and so did mine, she was my little baby girl that needed love and I was more than happy to give it. As her self confidence blossomed she could understand commands and even responded to her name. Amazing how one's lack of self confidence keeps one's heart and brain from functioning at a normal capacity. Uh Oh, now I was in trouble, because I knew that I needed to find home a wonderful home for her and my resistance could keep her from finding that perfect home. The universe wanted me to let go, just the very reason that kept me from wanting to be a foster mom in the first place. The good news is I worked with a wonderful dog rescue lady who found a home for both dogs and made sure they were loved, trained and cared for. Christmas Eve, Nece ended up going to a fantastic home with four middle school aged boys and she was their Christmas present. I put reindeer ears on her, coupled with a big red bow. She looked absolutely precious.

What did these babies have to offer me? I wasn't sure at the time I found them, but in retrospect they touched my heart in ways that I truly needed. And I in turn helped open their hearts, to trust again and to know they were lovable and loved.I actually really enjoyed and loved my time with these two dogs.  Would I ever do this again.  Well I have learned Never! Say Never, who knows what the universe has in store for me.

Always Learning from My Four-Leggeds!

Acceptance of what is, relaxation, and love of life are great reminders from my animals this past month.  They have recently dealt with major changes in their routines and in their eating schedules.  In addition, the cats also had to adjust to a completely different place to reside day and night.  These changes were due to  having many houseguests of all sizes, shapes, genders, ages and allergies for the past month.

The animals responded to all of this change with total acceptance.  In fact, my teachers with four legs sailed through this experience with flying colors!

Because two of my house guests were very allergic to cats, all eleven kitties stayed in their indoor/outdoor palace in the three car garage and in their 450 square foot outside enclosure.  Although this sounds quite grand and equal to a kitty Four Season’s Hotel, it was still a total change for all of them.  No wandering through the house all night, no morning affection and cat treats from me, no morning belly rubs.

When I ventured into the garage to feed them or change their kitty litter, they looked at me with total acceptance of the way it was, and continued on with their new routine.

How often, I wonder, do we accept change as quickly as animals do?

For me, a lot of change or upheaval in my daily or weekly routine takes its toll.  Is that because I want things to stay the way they are, or because I am not totally in the moment?  

When I asked my dog Bodhi, he said, “ It is what it is, and we don’t argue with what is, we accept it.  We love our routines because they make us feel safe, but we also know that if there is change, then we need to accept that.”  Wow, bow-wow, good advice!

I then asked my cats about change.  They seemed more reticent to answer, because they feel cats should be the decision makers about change.  After all, their attitude is “dogs have family and do what family wants, and cats have staff and tell them all what they want”!

BB, my head honcho cat, told me that they all knew it was necessary for them to be in the garage for a month and that was “ok” with all of them.  Subject dropped.  All the comings and goings these past four weeks have definitely been reminders that life is always moving and is constantly in flux.  My beloved four- legged teachers relaxed into the flow of it all and accepted what was.  They chose to focus not on the inconveniences, but on the fun and life enjoyment they could have in the process.

An added note, about acceptance of what is, my friend Andrew and I rescued a hurt Crow in my backyard.  Anne, Andrew and I communicated to the Crow that he would be safe and on the way to someone who could help him. The Crow went into a cat carrier very easily and was transported to a Wild Life Rescue Vet who immediately went to work on helping the injured bird.  Total acceptance of what is and complete trust!  Another great example for me!!

       

Everyday Miracles

My, you never no what life has in store for you!  I had just come back from a wonderful visit to Maui.  One of my days there was spent on a zodiac boat watching whales swim in front, back and under our boat.  This boat held only twenty people, so it provided us the opportunity be close to the whales as they put on a grand show for us.

Perhaps this sea creature energy stayed with me when I arrived home in San Diego.  The morning after I returned, I decided to take beach walk in Carlsbad with a friend before unpacking from the trip.
A mile and a half into our beach walk, we came across a baby sea lion curled up in the middle of the sand on the beach.  A bystander told us that he had called both Sea World and the Carlsbad lifeguard tower, insisting that someone come soon to help this pup.  He had not reached anyone at either desk, but he had left messages. We continued walking down the beach another mile and a half before turning around to head home.  Again we came across this beautiful sea lion pup in need.  Somehow he looked worse than before, certainly emaciated and starving.  The bystander who had made calls on his behalf was gone, so we had to act.

It was clear that the first thing this baby needed was food.  We knew of  a seafood restaurant that was also a fish market a few miles away.  We literally ran the distance back to the car and drove to this fish market.  We then asked the clerks what sea lions eat and they did a google search to be certain.  The answer was salmon and squid, so that is what we purchased.   We wonder how we would survive without google and the internet;  hopefully the power of google would save this sea lion.  The clerks wished us the best and even provided rubber gloves for us to wear.

I don't think I have ever driven faster or ran faster than I did in those next few moments.  The pup was right where we left him.  We got close to him and gently threw some of the fish close to his body.  It occurred to me that perhaps he had never eaten on his own before without his Mother's guidance and supply.  At first the pup didn't even open his eyes, he just smelled and approached the fish by allowing his sense of smell to guide him.   He ate the smaller pieces first.  Once he caught on that this was food was for him, was safe, and that he could feel better by eating it, he then devoured the entire lot of salmon and squid.  It was a miracle to witness. Within minutes, the little guy opened its eyes, looked around, wagged his fin, and even wiggled around a bit.  It was if he had come back to life.  To say he seemed happy seems such an understatement.

After seeing this transformation, we decided he might need some more nourishment.  My friend stayed with the pup while I made another trip to the fish market.  The gentleman who had originally called Sea World and the lifeguard tower on the pup's behalf came back to check on him, and my friend explained the reason for the transformation.  The pup didn't wait for me to return.  Apparently after a bit he looked around, seemed to smile, and waddled into the ocean.  Alive, wide awake, and happy with food in his belly.

I arrived back on the beach shortly after, with a new bag of fresh salmon and squid.  I learned of his waddle to the ocean, and decided to put the feast into the water near where he had entered.  What a wonderful feeling.  With our surrogate mother help, the little guy was able to learn to feed himself and reenter his world with new-found energy.

We waited for awhile, partly for him but also for ourselves.  Ten minutes later two Carlsbad lifeguards came by and apologized for not getting there sooner.  We explained our rescue, and were humbled when they explained that they had saved ten baby sea lions that morning alone.

I returned to the same spot on the beach for the two days in a row following.  No beached sea lions were to be found.  Each day I breathed a sigh of relief, and put my bag of salmon and squid in the water where our little friend had reentered for good measure.

P.S. I always look up the meaning of animal encounters and their symbolism.  Sea lions represent dream work and creativity.  Thus, I have enrolled in a dream work course that begins this evening.

To Pee or Not To Pee

To pee or not to pee outside the litter box. This is the question that goes through the minds of my cats, to my dismay.

My cats believe there is a good reason to pee outside their litter boxes. I have politely explained
that there is no reason on earth that they would need to leave their odiferous markings anywhere else.

They promptly referred me to a book written by cats titled "I Could Pee On This".

Wait a minute....who taught cats to write?  And who taught my cats to read?  Not I.

From "I Could Pee On This" and other poems by cats author Francesco Marciuliano:

Her New sweater doesn't smell of me
I could pee on that
She's gone out for the day and left her laptop on the counter
I could pee on that
Her new boyfriend just pushed my head away
I could pee on him
She's ignoring me ignoring her
I could pee everywhere
She's making up for it
By putting me on her lap
I could pee on this
I could pee on this


The photos here show three of my cats who are definitely guilty of the crime. They each seem to
feel that my entire house is their territory for marking. The most effective remedy is bannishing them to the 3 car garage (of course no cars in it). But if pee happenes, the second best remedy is putting Organic Cat Litter on the spot, letting it soak in, and then vacuuming it up. I came across this home remedy when I was away for a week and my boyfriend at the time resorted to putting my new silk dress and coat in the kitty litter following an accident. Thank God I wasn't here, because I would have flipped out watching him do this seemingly insane procedure. But much to my surprise, the clothes were stainless and odorless folowing the kitty litter bath. I was about to throw these beautiful clothes away before this miracle. I took them back to the dry cleaners to freshen them up, and the cleaner was amazed at the results. He had thought that there was no way to save my silks.

I have also used Feliway cat pheromone (don't we all need them sometimes) to help cats feel relaxed and safe in their territory. Nothing worse than a pissed off cat pissing up a storm over territory wars!

So for now, I've hidden the book of poems. We know they can read, so I will no longer tempt them with the power of suggestion.

So after running around with pheromone spray in my house and their large indorr/outdoor kitty condo I said " that's it we all get along everywhere, or else". They seem to have shaped up, perhaps it was me talking about cats that use toilets and that was next.

 And if anyone knows of any robots that can toilet train cats, please let me know.