Has it really been an entire month since I last posted? Time flies when it's freezing in Cleveland I guess! February was a good month, despite the cold. I went on a long weekend trip to New Orleans, meaning Woody got some much-needed time at doggy daycare. The rest of the month was full of snuggles and it was perfect. You may recall I was doing the Minimalist Challenge in January. The biggest thing this challenge taught me as that accumulating a bunch of stuff is actually time-consuming in the long run. Pulling out all of my junk took more time than I thought, but I managed to get rid of quite a bit. I didn't make it to the full 31 days, but I did get to day 22 (253 items!). I'm sort of relieved I didn't have the full 31 days worth because it means I was not holding onto as much "stuff" as I thought in my apartment. But here is what I did let go of in the final days:
P.S. Despite the pristine state of all the clothing I sold I made no money :( So everything was either trashed or donated.
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It was a rough morning for Woody and me. We got hit with a huge snowstorm between last night and today, so our already shortened trips outside were even further limited as the snow comes up to Woody's back. Once we got back inside I went to take his leash off and something about my thick North Face gloves ($12.99 at Nordstrom Rack!) scared him into an aggressive state. It took about five minutes of calming down to get the leash off him and even then he was still on edge as he was growling, barking and showing his teeth at the sheer state of my presence.
My first instinct was sadness, then anger, then more sadness. I hate when Woody gets in this state because I know it is something that can be controlled with sufficient exercise and creating an environment that minimizes territorial and aggressive triggers. No walks and big scary things coming at his neck don't help matters. After going to a behavioral vet, I have a pretty good handle on rationalizing what sets him off, but sometimes I fail to react properly or prevent the situation. This is why I do not allow most children to touch him, much to the dismay of a few parents I've encountered who think I'm being rude. Even after extensive training I sometimes need to be reminded that Woody's mind needs to be in the right place to keep angry thoughts at bay. This actually goes for humans too, but that's a post for another time. When I got to work, I consulted my good pal Cesar and refreshed my head with ways to manage aggression. You could say this was today's dose of self-help. If you are dealing with a dog who is acting a little off like mine and you are getting frustrated, I strongly suggest reading some Cesar articles and some of the helpful tips from the ASPCA. And above all, call your vet. They can give you some suggestions for managing the situation and recommend a behavioral specialist in your area that will work with you and your dog on the best options for treating his/her type of bad behavior. Here is what I have found that helps me and may work for you while you are waiting to connect with a professional:
After a stressful morning, our evening has been much better. What are your tips for managing your dog's bad behavior in the winter months? Say what you will about Uber, but today they are doing good. Uber is partnering with the Cleveland APL to bring adoptable puppies to offices in Cleveland for a $30 donation. If you want to support a good cause and brighten your co-workers' days (boss permitting), you should check this out!
http://blog.uber.com/puppybowl And, if you don't live in Cleveland, there are multiple cities participating. It was still smooth sailing over here for the Minimalist Challenge. Days 7-11 really brought up some "why do I still have these things?" moments.
Note: This post really doesn't have anything to do with dogs, so turn around if that bothers you :) One of my recent goals is to find new ways to simplify my life. There are many complicated things I cannot control, so I might as well work on un-complicating the things I can. A blog I read frequently titled And Then We Saved sparked the idea of a Minimalist Challenge. How it works:
Below are photos from my first 6 days and lists of what the items are and what I will do with them. So far, everything is getting pitched or donated. I live in an apartment, so I can't really save up too much for a yard sale, but I know this will change once I get to my clothes and can take them to consignment stores. I haven't had to part with anything from my closet - yet.
If you have not submitted your dog photos to Photo Doggies for Anthony, you should do it now. People complain so much about the negatives of social media, but here is a perfect example of using it for social good.
Not sure what I'm talking about? I'll let the Facebook page do the talking. I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful New Year! We celebrated Woody's 9th birthday on New Year's Eve. I still can't believe he's that old! I got him when he was nearly 5 and he has just as much energy now as he did then. I don't even want to fathom what it will be like when he starts slowing down. A lot of people create New Year's resolutions, but it seems that just as many people complain about how stupid New Year's resolutions are. I like to live by the rule that you don't have to wait for a fresh start. Whenever "now" is, you can change your mindset and create goals. I get that it seems cliche to create resolutions when most people throw them out the window a few months in, but the idea of a fresh start to the start of the New Year can be a good benchmark. For example, maybe you want to lose weight as your overarching goal. Instead of thinking of the big picture, think of how you can make small steps to get there. Each month have a new, smaller goal that is related to health and wellness - in January you make it a goal to go spinning twice a week, February you swap soda for tea, March you say no to fast food, etc. Doing these things by a monthly basis is much more manageable and can give you some new perspective on what you like and don't like about trying to lose weight rather than going cold turkey on everything all at once and buying expensive gym memberships.
But enough on that tangent. Every year I try to think of some new things to do with my dog and reflect on some of the fun we had in the year prior. This moreso happens because his birthday falls on New Year's Eve. In 2014, I said I would take him to 3 new dog parks. I didn't do that - I know, bad dog mom. I did, however, take him to the new Cleveland dog park a few times before it got too cold for him to walk all the way down there. And we went on much longer walks and runs than we did in 2013. I guess I learned that if he is getting exercise around here and he is socializing with other dogs at doggie daycare and out in the park in my building there's no point in driving him all over the city. Since his energy level hasn't changed, I'm going to continue to focus on doing as much activity with him as I can. Things to improve upon are:
What are some goals you have this year? Anything your dog can be a part of? I have one more Christmas get-together today. New Year's is this week. This is how Woody felt after Christmas morning, and it is how I'm going to feel come next weekend. Is everyone else having as much fun as us?
It's been a busy last few weeks for the Woodster and me. From getting ready for the holidays to taking Woody on walks before the ice and snow make it unbearable, this December has been jam-packed. The other night we were able to walk through Playhouse Square, the temporary home for Cleveland's Christmas tree and light display. Woody is wearing a stylish scarlet & grey fleece while I wore sparkly sweatpants and my best coat to get in the holiday spirit. We couldn't get a picture of the big tree because the other lights were drowning out the holiday lights, but you get the point. I've only lived in Cleveland for a couple years, so I don't know if I can pinpoint a Cleveland holiday tradition just yet, but I do have one that's starting to become a thing that merges Cleveland with a family Christmas memory. You probably know that A Christmas Story was filmed in Cleveland. You probably also know that there is a 24-hour marathon devoted to it on TBS (which I LOVED to watch with my uncle, who recently passed away this year). But I bet you didn't know that, beginning last year, A Christmas Story House Foundation hosts a 5K/10K race to support the restoration of the house, the museum, and the neighborhood. I've now ran in it both years and will probably continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The race begins downtown, and the distance to the house is an exact 3.1 miles. The people watching is fantastic, as Pink Nightmares, leg lamps, robbers and elves go running through the streets of Cleveland. Oh, and did I mention you can run with your dogs?? Woody can easily run a 5K but unfortunately his paws are a little too sensitive in cold weather for this type of race.
I've shown you a little of what I've been up to so I have to ask - what's your favorite Cleveland Christmas tradition (both dog or non-dog friendly) and what should I definitely make a point to do before the season is over, or even next year? Despite his small size, Woody loves to go for runs. He can be the best and worst running partner - best because he could keep his pace forever and worst because if he does stop, it's to use the bathroom or sniff something that must smell REALLY interesting. Now that it's nearly winter and am actually in the home stretch of training for a couple of races, I can't really take him along. People say running is just as much about mental strength as it is physical, and tonight I got to thinking about how different my thoughts are when I'm running with my dog vs. when I'm running without him. Maybe you can relate?
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