Guess where I went camping this weekend

Hint: it was somewhere in Oregon.

Oregon Zoo: Creatures large and small

These are my favorite shots of the whole trip. I wasn't even that excited about this exhibit. I admit I'm totally spoiled by the Newport Aquarium, and this seemed like a pale imitation. This giant Steller sea lion was swimming loops in front of these little children. I tried my best to capture just how big this animal is. I almost got it right. These kids are the size of his flipper.

Intruder!

Yesterday morning, literally just as we were walking out the door to leave for work, I hear this low moaning meow coming from the back of the house. It sounded like (and turned out to be) an unhappy cat. The neighbor's cat. Tucked in the corner of our office. We had left the kitchen door open all afternoon for the breeze, he must have come in and gotten trapped when we shut up the house at bedtime. I don't think he'll be making that mistake again.





He looks content in this photo (yes, I had to take a picture. No, I don't know what's wrong with me). But he was actually quite upset. I also earned myself some extra idiot points for cornering a strange, scared cat and reaching for his face with my bare hand. Luckily his response was to run rather than rip my flesh open.

Ten minutes, two furniture moves, and one small stress-released poo later, and he was out of the house. And I was only a few minutes late for work.

Oregon Zoo: Gray Wolf

A man munching on a bag of popcorn walked up to the exhibit. The female immediately became very interested and came over to the fence. If she were a dog, I'd have said she was flirting or begging.









Edited to add: I found some more information: http://www.oregonzoo.org/Newsroom/2008releases/2008Dec.htm#wolves

The wolf's name is Yazhi. She and the second wolf, Cheyenne (who was sleeping in the shade while I was there, so I didn't get any photos) just arrived at the Oregon Zoo last December from Minnesota. Yazhi is only a year and a few months old, which might explain her slightly gangly appearance.

I also came across these taken a few months ago at the zoo. Check out the ones of Yazhi playing! She is definitely a puppy.

blah blah blah about my dog again

I wish I'd brought my camera with me yesterday. I took Zelda to a company picnic. Best day of her life. There were people, and CHILDREN and a soccer BALL. Then the children started kicking the ball around for her. She was in heaven. And even during three hours of play she didn't knock over a single one of them, even the teeny tiny toddler that was wandering around (whenever he held his arms out for the ball, she would obediently bring it over and try to hand it to him gently but he didn't quite have the coordination or strength to grab it. It confused her a bit).

(My shame as a dog owner is not having broken her habit of jumping up to greet people. Luckily, she doesn't do this during play or I would never have let her run around loose with children.)

Messing around in Photoshop

I rarely use pink. It felt so gooooood.

Inavale Horse Trials 2009

Good news!

Yesterday I volunteered at the shelter after a 5 week hiatus. While chatting with the staff, I discovered that while I was gone, Sissee got adopted!






This is the dog who was, in the words of the front desk lady, "practically raised in the shelter". After many months, she was adopted, then sold on craigslist by her adopter, then brought back to the shelter by someone else. There she she sat for several more months. No one could figure out why. I spent time with her; she's a cute, medium-sized, mix breed. Barely OK on leash, and high energy, but many of shelter dogs are like that (or worse!). She was excellent at fetch and very friendly and responsive to people. Oh well, some times these things happen in shelter life. (Yes, I know she's black, but the black dog stereotype is apparently less of a problem in the Pacific NW, and not a problem at all in this shelter).

Anyway, now she's been adopted again. I have higher hopes for this time around. Apparently, the couple were so enthusiastic about her that they came in every day for 2 weeks to spend time with her while they waited to move into a dog-friendly house.

I love my vet. They're close to where I live, all the staff are friendly and knowledgeable, they're not afraid to say "I don't know, but I can refer you to someone who probably does" (as with the case of my rats), and they're usually able to fit me in the day I call because I procrastinate with setting appointments.

They also reeeeally like my dog. This exchange happened yesterday during Zelda's exam:

Vet (to the tech in the room): "Look, I said 'sit' and she actually sat! A dog that obeys at the vet's, that's crazy! Here, watch this: 'sit'" (Zelda sits) "isn't that great?"

(later)

Vet: "She's is such good shape. She must get a lot of exercise."

Vet (calling the tech over): "Feel Zelda's butt muscles!"

She and the tech then proceeded to feel up my dog, a task made difficult by her furiously wagging tail and the fact she's trying to turn around and lick their faces.

Vet (to me): "She must do a lot of jumping."

Me: "Yeah, we do agility and she loves the Frisbee..."

Vet and vet tech together: "OMG, someone who actually DOES something
with their dog! Yay!"