Whizzing By

Whizzing By

Time just whizzes by, doesn't it? Another year is coming to an end again. New year, new resolutions. Now that i've graduated, i'll need to seriously re-evaluate my life before i move on to the next stage.

Sis, Tony and Tiffanie are coming to visit this Thursday. i'll have to give up my room and sleep on the couch while they're here, but that's cool. I think it's great that the whole family can just come together and have some fun. Quality time with your loved ones. Priceless.

After working in MPEC for the past 2 days, i'm missing Chester terribly. I've also come to realise how much more at ease i am when i'm working with the large breed dogs, compared with l'il white fluffies. These l'il things can be really spastic sometimes and will snap at you without warning. It is usually easier to read the body language of larger dogs (probably because they have more brain hence behaving more appropriately than their tinier counterparts) and you'll usually receive ample warning before they try to have a go at you. Thank goodness the little dogs in MPEC over the weekend were nice dogs. The larger dogs were quite nasty but i managed, and even grew to love one of them.

Howard is a 7 year old male Rhodesian Ridgeback who's a bit of a nervous wreck and a fear biter. He growls and snaps whenever he feels uncomfortable. Even with a muzzle on, he struggles and tries to bite whoever's holding him. Sometimes i think, there is such an uncanny similarity between dealing with animals and dealing with children. It's often more important to establish trust and respect, rather than forcing a dog (or a child as a matter of fact) into submission with brute force. I spoke to Howard a lot, assuring him that i'm not gonna hurt him. Humans need assurance and so do dogs. I didn't want him to associate me with nasty things (like poking a thermomenter up his arsehole or shoving tablets down his throat), so i patted and played with him when i wasn't carrying out any treatment on him. By the end of my shift, Howard was just like a big boof and wagged his tail frantically whenever i passed by his cage. I took him out for a walk and let him off leash. He behaved just like a puppy and followed me everywhere, pawing at me and even trying to lick me. One of the nurses got a bit worried for me and told me not to get too close to Howard, but i assured her it's okay. I think dogs can sense mistrust and some of them will even take it personally. I was happy that i managed to gain Howard's trust in the end.

Not everyone subscribes to the theory of dog whispering, but i do.

Anyway, Sophie's gonna go back to Singapore this week. I'm not sure what the arrangement is but i'll probably board her. I hope the old girl adapts well over there.