Money Not Blown

I did not spend as much as I could have in merchandise, which is good, considering I had to pay for a tank of gas, food, and Ferg's licence before anything else. So, my spending was limited to:


^This cute shirt that Eric liked (he said it made sense, since I own a "golden" grey)

and



^Some really adorable stationary cards that reminded me of Ferguson.

All in all, I think if I were to go again next year, I'd definitely go ahead and arrange to stay for the whole weekend. Because of the lack of structured events, it was mostly just a collective place to veg with your hound on the beach while also doing a bit of shopping. It was lovely getting to see so many hounds though...I think Ferguson thought so too :). I regret not taking more pictures of them, but I thought it would be awkward for me to randomly photograph stranger's dogs.

Since we've been back, Ferguson is surprisingly alert; he seeems to have enjoyed the excitement and activity of Dewey to where he acts bored and a little restless at home. *rolls eyes* We just got back from an hour long walk along the paint branch trail again though, so perhaps that will take the edge off. He'll also be coming to work with me for the next four days. Hopefully he likes Svara as much as he likes Lily, as she will be his daycare buddy for the week, with the exception of Thursday.


^She is also pretty cute, and around the same size/demeanor as Lily.

Ohh Ferguson <3

Wouldn't it be nice if...

In my spare time, I've found I have a horrific addiction for looking up homeless animals on petfinder.com. Occasionally, I'll find a pet, either dog or cat, that draws me in with longing.


http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/20066077?rvp=1


http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/19686671

As I'm attempting to move forward with dog training/testing at work, I can't help but configure potential ideas in my head about how I could use this opportunity to help other dogs that are homeless.

Where I used to work at, a select number of dogs were kept on the premises for training, as well as being available for adoption.

If I could do something similar, even if for just one dog, to help it become a Canine Good Citizen that someone could adopt, I could think of nothing more fulfilling. Perhaps when I meet with the head manager, I will think about asking them permission for such a feat...even at a discounted rate.

*sighs*

Maybe one day soon, little homeless doggies...

The downsides of vet office work...

Today a greyhound came in as a drop off for x-rays. He didn't leave again, unfortunately, after they found tumors and masses in several places throughout his body. He was 13.


His name was Eli.

Why oh why was the first PTS I'd ever seen a greyhound :'(.

Work Woes...

I'm afraid there may be a few problems at the office, which I dread because I love my receptionist job so much.

In short, a month ago, I asked off for the 20th and 21st of May from those up front at the receptionists desk. They gladly granted me my two days, and that was that. Up until this point, I have only been working one day a week in the lodging/kennel side, that being Sunday mornings. Apparently, when the kennel manager saw my schedule with that Friday and Saturday not scheduled, he decided to schedule me for these times, and failed to inform me of it. When I went back there randomly, I saw my name written there, on two extra days in addition to my Sunday (the Friday and Saturday I had asked off for). I immediately wrote him a note and said that I had asked off for those two days and was not available, and didn't think it would have impacted my kennel schedule, since I had never worked more than just Sundays before.

He responded by informing my receptionist manager that I could have off those two days, but he'd need me to work the following week on the same days that I am scheduled to work up front, in short, doing doubles for those days to "make up for it" like it was a punishment.

Um. Not so much.

My beef is that I am already working an average of 33+ hours all month, 4-5 days a week as it is with just Sundays. Already, the Practice Manager is planning on hiring 8 new employees to work in the back within the next week or so. And so, I see no reason for me to have to work any double shifts with more people coming in...if I do, I cost $4.00 more than the incoming employees per hour, and will indefinitely exceed my already borderline full-time schedule, which I KNOW the manager does not want. Furthermore, my receptionist manager is due in June and will be on maternity leave for two months. During this time, I will have to work full time to help cover her lack of being there, which has been pretty much decided upon, and would make me completely unavailable to work in the kennel at all.

Now I am just annoyed that I will have to go essentially complain to the practice manager about having to work when I don't want to, and I feel like a whiner and complainer for doing so. But, I absolutely refuse to be "punished" for doing nothing wrong, and have no intention of working an 11 hour day for unnecessary reasons.

URG.

In other happier Ferg-related news, it has been decided that Ferguson can successfully be left now when I work in the afternoons. I leave at 12:30, and my mom usually comes home between 3 and 4:30, and he is reportedly calm, content, and quiet.


Now he'll only need to go with me to work about half as much ^_^.

Working more hours: the pros and cons

Pros: I have more money to spend on things like, a) bikes, b) restaurant food, c)birthday presents for Ferguson (as if he needs more things *rolls eyes*)

Cons: It means I have to drag Ferg to work with me more often, which lately, has not been proving much fun for him.

For some unknown reason (at least for the most part), Ferguson has again had an odd regression towards being alone. I'm not sure when it started exactly, but the result is him being upset, even when left in his soft crate alone WHILE someone is home but in the other room. Um...when did that happen? This hasn't been a problem in the past, and is quite strange.

Of course, we're working on it, and after a few repetitions, he is again comfortable with it, at least for now for up to 20 minutes as I practiced. But what is stranger is that he has taken to crying at work as well, and while he settles down, he carries on for 15-30 minutes before settling, and will sometimes start up again randomly after a few hours. I am thinking this might have to do with me working back there on Sunday, which was very hard for him. He gets very upset when I walk past him and don't let him out (I of course ignore him and remain emotionless when coming and going, but just the sight of me makes him think we're leaving). The kennel staff report that he likes being outside with them and the other dogs, but they often have trouble putting him back in his run...it's possible they could be being too soft on him, and this could be contributing to his bad habits. In any case, I'm sure that tuning it up again at home should help curb the behavior at work.

I also think he's been there just too much lately and it's taken a lot out of him and making him less logical/coherent as he normally is. Today he slept like a rock for most of the afternoon, like he hasn't slept in days. I wish he'd just understand that if he'd learn to be alone, he need not come at all and can crash like that every day until I get home. *sighs* It's a work in progress, but it helps to know that he really CAN do it. It's just a matter of keeping it up and not letting him relapse.

The plan is to start getting him to stay at home when I work in the afternoons 1-close, as my mom gets home at 4 and can let him out and be with him. This would cut the number of times he'd have to come with me in half. Three hours is all you have to do, Ferg! Hang in there.

On a final note, here goes another $20 for Ferg, but I think it's a good birthday present:

Long days of work, less time to train

Today is day 3 of 4 days working, but today and tomorrow's shifts are especially long (today, 6:45-5:30, tomorrow, 6:30-4). I, of course, am beat, but Ferguson seems to be in good spirits, despite the fact that he's had to come to work with me three days in a row for longer time periods.

Shortly after we got home, we had an especially nice training session with a little help from our friend, the elephant dog toy with rope ears. The toy was admittedly a present intended for his birthday, but I think the training and work we got out of it today was worth the early meeting.

With the elephant, we were able to practice alternating reinforcements, as well as teaching "off" and "okay" discrimination. In mid play, Ferguson will drop the toy, and was rewarded with lots of praise and a kibble. Additionally, we could work on our "sits," "downs," and "stays," (the most important commands and ones required for the test), while allowing him to break to run a few strides with his pachyderm friend. It was one of those training sessions where he did everything enthusiastically, with motivation, good spirits, and caught on quickly to each request.

Of course I didn't get it on tape >_<

We even practiced "stay" while I was out of site (for about 15 seconds) and he did well, looking in the complete other direction when I started to return. Hurray :D. CGC test, here we come!

In the doghouse!

Today, Ferguson has decided, completely out of the blue, to try his luck at everything that isn't his.  In the past three hours, he's attempted/succeeded to steal/chew:

My Wii Carrying Case

A loaf of bread (he only had this one for about a second before he was corrected)

My dad's NICE leather shoes.

Unfortunately, the shoe is what he had the longest, and managed to chew off about an inch off the end of it.  >:( !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say, I'm not at all pleased.  When he took the Wii case, the correction was only minimal, because he took it into his kennel and it wasn't clear he was going to chew on it.  He got a firm correction for the bread, and didn't even lift it out of the bread box (it is within his reach) before I stopped him with a firm poke and "NO."  But the shoe?  He got quite a scolding.  He's now in his wire kennel (not as punishment, par-say...he had 10 seconds in-between the events so shouldn't associate it as such) so he can't get in to any more trouble.

But, because he doesn't understand me and I need to vent without being cruel: 

WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING FERGUSON?!  YOU HAVE NEVER EVER NEVER EVER NEVER TAKEN ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU BEFORE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MY STUFFED POLAR BEAR AND THAT WAS MONTHS AGO.  WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR HEAD?!!!!  YOU GOT NOT ONE BUT TWO 30 MINUTE LONG WALKS TODAY, SO YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE TO BEHAVE BRATTY AND/OR BORED.  SO CUT IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel less bad now that I'm making him go to work with me tomorrow.  Perhaps he needs the outings, and that's why he's never acted out before...since had to go to work with me every day in the past. 

Oh, right, and I got the job I was hoping for ^_^  They said there is also a receptionist position available, so they are training me for both to see which I prefer.  I work tomorrow morning from 6:45am-1pm.    Hurray for employment! 

And hurray for Ferguson having a rather exciting outing.  I just hope he doesn't have a panic attack for being alone, but he will be next to other dogs he can at least hear and smell, and people come and go fairly frequently.  I do love him, but after tonight, I think he can live and could use the change in atmosphere >:(.

Improvement and Hope

I am not the best blogger, as things have been looking up for a little while now, but my readers, the few that I have, are still lead to believe my life is still in crisis.

While the end of Yarmouth and Chessie is still quite sad (there shall be a Yarmouth memorial post soon), my job prospects didn't stay down for long.

About three hours after I applied to a dog daycare/veterinary facility in Rockville, MD, I got a call back and interview time for Monday (tomorrow) at 11:30...AND Ferguson is allowed to come along with me for it. The job I think is just part time "with more hours picking up in the summer" and has a starting pay of $9, "but will compensate more for experience."  Rockville, for those of you who don't know, is about half the distance from driving to Sterling, VA, about 30 minutes from my current residence, and 30 minutes from where we are hoping to move to this summer...at least not including traffic.  Anyway, I am really hoping the interview goes well and that I like the job at least as much as the other one.

The place looks quite nice and has just about everything.

In other news, Ferguson got to run (yes RUN) yesterday.  We discovered a fenced-in baseball field that is probably at least an acre.  There were a two spots in the fence that were a little iffy, but my mom and I split up and "guarded" them to make sure he stayed safe.  While he ran all of three minutes, chasing a tennis ball, he was dead tired, and I think still tired today, or at least a little sore.  We did warm him up by walking him all on the perimeter of the fence first, and cooled him down by walking around on leash afterwards.  He seemed to have a great time...I'm hoping we can now take him once a week, and that his endurance improves over time.

I, of course, was a bad mom, and failed to take pictures. AGAIN.

In the meantime, today's icky rainy day made it quite obvious that Ferguson would appreciate a raincoat with a snood.  For now, he has a thick winter coat with fleece lining and the sweater that I knit him...neither of which are really water resistant or appropriate, as it tends to get fairly warm when it rains.  So, today will be spent shopping.  Hopefully we can find a coat that benefits GEGR in some way.

I don't know if I dig the fishy...and it looks a bit tight...Hmmm...

Anyway, happy Sunday to everyone!!!  And keep those greyhounds dry!!!

Terrible Week

I was laid off today.

Something about financial troubles with the new store in Gainesville they've been trying to open.  I also wasn't the only one.

They said they would like to keep my name and information for the future if/when business picks up again in the summer. But...now what do I do?

Not to mention I received a letter from Yarmouth's adoptive family last night.  He got very sick in mid January, and they finally had to put him down.  Yarmouth was the first dog I ever really trained, and my first puppy I raised for Guiding Eyes.  He was only six years old.

Oh, and my pet rat, Chessie, died last night as well.

Can this week get any worse?

My copy of Microsoft Word is also rioting and won't let me update my resume to mail out to dog places like gangbusters.  I guess it will have to wait until tonight...

Urg....somebody save me.

Another two days off :)

It's almost nine am, and Ferguson and I are enjoying the slow waking up and opportunity to sleep in (Ferg perhaps a little more than me ;)).  I work next on Saturday afternoon, but Saturdays are easy, and it's with a good supervisor, so I'm not loathing it.  Though work as a whole hasn't really left me loathing it yet.

Yesterday was my first morning shift during the week...and there were A TON of dogs for some reason.  Ferguson got to stay in the pen all morning while I worked, but then I was invited to go do training for the pick-up and drop-off van (yes, just like daycare, we do that).  So, at about nine, I left with another supervisor to go drive around VA picking up about five different dogs.  Before I left, I told my other supervisor he could put Ferguson in a kennel if they filled to capacity, as long as he had his bed in it with him.  When we got back, Ferguson wasn't no longer in the daycare pen, but was replaced by maybe even a dozen more dogs...I don't know if I've ever seen the pens that full in my life!  It seemed so crowded that I think Ferguson probably appreciated some peaceful quiet to himself.  When I got to him at about noon (so he'd been in there for three hours or so) he looked perfectly content, though had shoved his bed out of the way to not lay on it (?).  His back was facing me and it looked as if he was having an intelligent conversation with the elder black lab kenneled next to him (I wish I could have gotten a picture).  When he saw me, it was like, "Oh, hi, Mom!  Did you want me to get up?"

I do find it odd that Ferguson has no trouble being kenneled and away from me while at work.  I mean, I suppose the environment is similar to a track kennel, but at home I always leave the radio on, and I always drag Nile's kennel next to his so he is obviously not alone (heck, he's even been alone in the other building at work, and he's never made a peep...we can hear any faint barking from outside).  I don't think it's stress induced either, because he seems 100% okay every time I see him in passing or get him out...no panting, no pacing, nothing.  Often, he just lays there with his head down, and will wag his tail when he seems me (good, at least I know he cares).  I suppose this is a good thing, if it's just this house he has trouble being left alone at.  I wonder if that's my fault?  I mean, we practiced alone time...but he is with me most of the time, where at work, he isn't for more than a few minutes at a time (SOMEONE is, or he has the company of other dogs almost constantly).  So...if and when we move to a new apartment, should I leave him alone a lot, just seeing him in passing here and there? lol.  Perhaps I will start it out that way.

Anyway, alone training will continue, with increased portions of kong treats and steady increases of time away, with the gentle aid of the citronella collar (though I'll try to beat the collar back before it's needed).
On the bright side, he seems to know that barking while wearing the collar is a no no, but he still pants and paces somewhat in my absence.  Perhaps we should go visit the dog park or something to completely wear him out.  Does that sound like a plan, Mr. Ferguson?

"Sure...but I think it's time we get up..."

Okay then. Looking forward to spending another great day with my best buddy :)

I got some snow days afterall :D

It took me almost four hours to get home on Wednesday, when I was let home at 3:30.  The roads were horrific.  Because of this, I didn't have to come in the next day either (yesterday) and enjoyed a snow day of doing not that much.  In the evening, however, Eric and I went to Ski Liberty for some tubing fun, and it was :). 

Ferguson, however, was not at his best while my mom offered to "babysit."  He was kenneled the whole time, but decided to throw a barking riot after we left, ignoring her corrections or the fact that she was still there in the room with him.  She said she had to stand over the kennel assertively to get him to take her seriously and finally calm down.  Because of these things, I understand why Ferguson needed to not go to a novice; he has potential to be a jerk, and if you don't know how to stop him, I could see how he could be come unruly.  However, he's a fantastic guy if you know how to halt his problems at the get go, and admittedly, I've not experienced him doing a single "bad" thing, with the exception of him crying while I'm gone (which I still believe is workable and has gotten better with practice).  Hopefully this means he knows and respects me as his alpha (though I also wouldn't tolerate him thinking I was anything less). 

We leave for work at 4:15am...let's see how this new shift thing goes.  I asked Kathy to schedule me regularly for this time, and even perhaps full time....at least I'll be making bank.  Hopefully the work is easier as I thought it might be...I'll be sure to write about it tomorrow.

On a final note, Ferguson slept upstairs with me for the first time on a dog bed, and did really well :).  I was quite proud of him. 

Then his kennel time will be cut considerably.  Also, his travel kennel came in a few days ago, but I've yet to set it up, as I read in the reviews that the fabric stinks and needs to air out...which will have to wait for a less snowy few days. 

It's weird being busy, yet not busy, all at the same time.

Snowy days don't equal Snow Days

We woke up to another two inches of snow this morning, with it still falling.  Unfortunately, it's likely much worse up here in Frederick than it is down where I work in Sterling, VA.  Looking at the map, they are mostly just getting rain at this point.  But, me being so new and not knowing any co-workers to call besides the boss, I can't very well get anyone to cover for me.  So I will just have to drag myself down there...I guess.  On the bright side, most places only got delays, so it should clear up by the time I'm supposed to arrive.  I hope.  : /

Today is my second day of solid three days of working.  Yesterday went okay, for both Ferguson and me.  He was in the daycare pen from 11-2, when I removed him for when they merge the dog pens.  Then he was in a kennel from 2-6 or so.  This way though, he can give his joints a rest and lay on a bed I bring for him.  I think it will be a regular thing.

On Saturday though, I work my first morning shift (5:30-noon) but I'm actually quite excited for it, and wonder if I like it, if I can keep it.  I figure that this way, the time of my day would feel far less eaten up, and the type of work I'll have to do will be quite different than the closing shift I've been doing (11:30-7:30).  Yes, it's true I'll have to wake up at 3:45am to get there by 5:30, but traffic should be a breeze, and Ferguson wouldn't have to be removed from the pen, because we'll leave before they merge it.  So, we shall see on Saturday.

My mother just informed me that a huge snow storm is happening tonight, and we're supposed to get 8+ inches.  I'd better get some phone numbers for tomorrow...

"I'm NOT a babysitter."

Ferguson had a semi-rough day today at daycare.  He was good and fine for the first while, doing his usual following me with his eyes, but keeping to himself, getting occasional drinks and hanging around with the other low key dogs in the low key dog section.  Then came Apollo, the 6 month old Great Dane puppy.  Apollo was first put in with the more active playful dogs, where he found a few others to satisfy his boisterous, silly, un-socialized play.  Then the time of day came when the mellow dog pen is moved to the active dog pen.  Usually, this is not much of a problem, as the active dogs tend to stick with the active dogs.  However, today we had to pull most of the active dogs, as they were there for boarding and had been for days, so Apollo decides to stick like glue to the dog closest to his size....guess who he picked?

He looked a lot like this.  Same expression, too. 

Ferguson was not at all happy about this.  He allowed himself to be sniffed, but did NOT like being followed, shoved, barked at, or beckoned to be played with, especially with mouthing.  Ferguson showed his teeth and growled a few times, quickly corrected by either me or a staff member, to which he would submissively stop and try to move away to the other side of the pen....but Apollo did not dwindle his focus.  We tried to sway Apollo to no avail (he didn't even understand where the water squirting was coming from, let alone that it was a correction) and before long, Ferguson had had enough and lunged a foot or two towards him, teeth barred, and barked a few times, looking fairly intimidating.  STILL, the puppy was not swayed and thought it was a game. I decided I'd save Ferguson his sanity, skin, and ability to be allowed in the pen at all by removing him  and having him be kenneled for a few hours until the pens were separate again.  As soon as Ferguson was gone, Apollo simply selected a new victim, and the cycle continued for the rest of the day of dogs barking and growling and snapping at him, the puppy failing on all levels of picking up dog social cues that meant, "LEAVE ME ALONE."  When he didn't have his way, Apollo would simply bark at his intended victim...I mean...playmate...demanding they acknowledge him.  It was quite a frustrating day.

I think my co-worker was pretty startled by Ferguson's actions, but I was not, especially when it kept happening with different dogs.  She still seemed a little wary of him when I brought him back in the pen after the Dane was removed, but Ferguson did just fine, as expected (most dogs just leave him be after sniffing, or understand subtle body language cues that say he's not interested in playing).  Let's just hope the Dane does not come back, and that Fergus's actions remain excluded incidents.

Ferguson's First Day at Daycare :)

Today went much better.

Ferguson actually got to go into the daycare!  He did absolutely perfectly�and the best part?  There was even another greyhound there for him to hang out with!  The other grey�s name was Maverick, and when they met, it was totally adorable:

Ferg: �Hi�.Hi�K�yeah�Hi�.WHA�WHAT?!  OH MY GOSH!  YOU LOOK LIKE MEEEEE!!!!�

Both dogs got really happy and wiggly for about 5 seconds and wagged their tails while they sniffed each other�and then they relaxed and stopped caring.  LOL.  I really wish I could have gotten a picture :(

 Ferguson was totally perfect behavior wise, even amongst total chaos in the pen.  He stayed extremely calm, wasn�t stressed, and avoided all scuffles, since they are fairly frequent amongst the active dogs.  He even cuddled with a Weimaraner and German Shepherd and napped.  It was so cute ^_^.  He also wasn�t overly clingy to me, even though I was coming in and out here and there all over the place.  He also really liked my co-worker/supervisor, Nicole, and would wag his tail every time she pet him.  The only thing I wished I could have done for him would be for him to have something comfy to lay on, but he looked okay, at least while he laid on his side.  I do think he appreciated his comfy bed once he was home though.  

The way home was probably more stressful than anything else; about half way there, the dog barrier in the back fell in, I think because Ferg was leaning against it, and made it pop out.  Poor Ferg jumped, but dealt with it astoundingly well.  He moved so the barrier fell flat where he�d been laying, and then he climbed over the opening (which first made me very nervous, especially while driving at 55mph) but then simply laid down in the backseat like he knew exactly what to do, and like he�d been doing it his whole life.  I couldn�t help but laugh at his cleverness ^_^.  

My day overall was that much better knowing that Ferguson was okay and in good company so I didn�t have to worry about him potentially stressing to death in a kennel.  It also went by pretty fast, as usual, as there is always stuff to do.  

I think I�ll be able to keep this up pretty well, if all days are like today was :). 

First Official Day of Work

I am soooooo tired, and it's not even 10pm.

Today I:
1. Walked tons of dogs.
2. Picked up lots of poop.
3. Gave a Great Dane a bath (it was actually pretty fun lol)
4. Cleaned off dog rugs.
5. Washed about 100 dog bowls and toys.
6. Mopped up pee.
7. Scrubbed floors.

And so much more.  Poor Ferg got to come with me, but was in a kennel for the day, as the daycare was at full capacity.  He laid down in the kennel, and I gave him a bed, but I couldn't tell how okay he was.  I left his muzzle on for comfort (and to make sure the bed didn't get torn up) and he looked pretty okay when I'd pass him throughout the day.  He also got a bowl of water, but he dumped it and got the bed all wet.  Then, when I took him out to go home, he was shaking slightly, and the bed was still wet.  I'm not sure if he went and peed in it or not...it didn't really smell.  : / but he otherwise seemed fine (and he himself was not wet).  He is also just fine now, and came inside and seemed very happy...so it must not have been all THAT traumatizing.  I don't think I'll give him free access to water tomorrow to see what happens to the bed then (he should survive seven hours if he's not really moving around much except for the walk I get to give him half way through, and I can give him water then).  I put the bed right into the wash once we got home, so it will be all ready to go tomorrow.  I do hope he'll be okay...but he was definitely quiet, if nothing else.

I kind of wish I didn't have to work two days in a row.  I feel like I just got home and it's time for bed, and then I'll wake up and have to do it all over again.  *sighs*  At least I know I'm off Friday.

Here's wishing the best for tomorrow, and that Ferg can hold up.  It will be okay, buddy...it's only temporary.

First day of shadowing for work! Also, first day leaving Ferg : /

I got up at about 9:30am this morning (well, actually an hour before that to this annoying guy who wanted to shovel our driveway...urg) and had planned out what I'd do this morning before I had to go work at one (meaning I leave at noon).  I took Ferguson out for a half hour long walk in the snow, which he did not love since there was minimal sidewalk area, and of course, because it's all cold as usual.  However, he's become a better sport about it since I'm so dead set on walking him.  He's also improved his potty schedule, which is becoming fairly regular now (he goes in the morning, and then sometime in the evening, so twice a day).  He also goes much faster now that he knows what I expect. 

While I am a little nervous about my first sort-of day at work, I think I am more wary about leaving poor Ferg for five hours.  Yes, I have continued alone training, but my parents have been around for the past few days, so someone has always been here, with the exception of the first day when we all went out to dinner for an hour and a half (and when we came back, he was not barking).  He seems pretty beat now from that brisk long walk, as he was only minimally silly with toys for a much shorter time period before going back to sleep (within 15 minutes of getting back).  Honestly, Ferguson spends most of the day napping, so I don't think he'd have the energy to continue prolonged barking for more than 15-20 minutes, but we'll see : /.  Because he is so good about holding it, I've asked my parents the favor of doing absolutely nothing for him while I'm away.  That is, I want him completely ignored if he's barking, and even if he is being good, for him to stay in the kennel until I get back at 5 (it really is only five hours...you'd think he'd be okay).  This is also because Ferguson is good with me being out of his kennel, but is very good about testing new people and might learn he can get away with things (like play with my stuffed polar bear, for example...luckily Eric is around me enough to follow my same techniques, so Ferguson gave it up easily).  So, we'll give him some toys (I froze a bone with cheese wiz in it), and hope for the best.  Please be good Fergie!

On another note, Ferguson keeps barking at noises he thinks are weird at 5 am.  This morning I think it might have been the trash truck.  He stops after like one bark, but it is somewhat annoying, because it wakes me up very confused.  Hopefully once he realizes it's only trash day, this will stop. lol.  He is an oddity that he's a greyhound who alerts you to things. 

*Crossing my fingers that today goes well*

jobs and jobs and greyhounds

I woke up this morning (er...afternoon) to a call from a Greyt Expectations representative!  I was so excited, but my voice was embarrassingly cracky from just having woken, and from this random cold I've caught. Yet, we talked and I answered a few questions, most of them relating to Eric (long term boyfriend) and my parents.  Then, he said he would call my references (my neighbor, and best pal Sarah) and my vet tomorrow, and that we'd be able to come up "next Saturday" to pick out a dog!  However, I don't know if that means next Saturday, the 8th, or next Saturday, the 15th...so I sent an email to hopefully clarify.

Yay!

Also, today, I received two emails back from job applications I'd submitted, both from northern VA dog daycares.  Because my dad was planning on going to Leesburg anyway, he agreed to drive me down to fill out an in person application for the one place, and to stop by the other to see where it was.  The one I actually went into was quite far away, and only plans to pay me $11 per hour at most...while the other in the VERY ritzy location is looking for full time with negotiable salary.  I will hopefully go in for an interview for the ritzy place sometime this week to get an even better idea for what I'm working with, but I am quite excited.  It would only be better if the location wasn't 45 minutes away from Frederick, or basically anywhere else in Maryland : /.  But, I figure if I like it and Winry can come with me every day, then it would be worth it, at least until I find something else in May :).  I applied for three more jobs tonight alone, most of which are closer and in Maryland, so hopefully something comes up that works out well.

I'd love to actually get paid for something I love, and I'd never have to be without Winry!

Hopefully something works out.  This week is certainly an exciting one if I get both a dog and a job!