THe difference between Miriam's idea of play and Doug's.

 

Doug gave us permission! So say the dogs...Doug remains mum.

Hootie and fellow pooper scooper

 

Fellow Pooper Scooper and great freind Randi, hugging Hootie after a scalping haircut. Hootie is realizing getting scalped is not so bad if it means Randi will keep hugging him.

 

My fellow pooper scooper and good friend Randi comforting Hootie after a scalping haircut. Hootie is thinking getting scalped is worth it if it means Randi will keep hugging him.

My Guys on a Rock

 

Just enjoying a February day. Remembering we did not have much snow at all last winter!

Holiday Food and Your Dog

After every holiday the importance of being a pooper scooper is magnified. Sadly, it is not rare enough that some family dogs die a tragic death from overeating or eating the wrong things. I can pretty much tell you who fed their dogs turkey and sweet potatoes that week. Yards that are normally a breeze to clean up start taking two and three times as long. The poor dogs are suffering GI distress all week! Don't let those big eyes fool you, they do not need too much extra food. A few bits of turkey and rice will be fine, but lay off the skin, the gravies, the candied yams and all desserts! Gee, it sounds like my diet.

The really scary stuff we find in our customers yards has been tons of tinsel, long stream of ribbon, bits of left over teddy bear fur and a large amount of plastic, barely digested. Image that traveling through your dogs tummy.

Save yourself the grief and expense of a long night at the Veterinary ER. I have been very lucky with my dogs' digestive tracts...most of the time. The worst "accident" caused by over consumption of a drug in my house was when a squirrel came in through the opened back door and OPENED a bottle of benydryl and ate most of it.
He did not die, but he was not moving very quickly for a few days either.

So, keep those ribbons and bows tidied up, put away your socks and underwear and have a very Merry Christmas!

Do What You Love (and some of which you don't) And The Money Will Follow

Remember that book? It made the rounds during the 70’s, renewed and refreshed itself in the 80’s & 90’s and is still hanging tightly to its spot on the book sellers shelves in the 21st century. I read it and thought, but you have to have money to really take the chance to do what you want. And I set the book aside – forever. Life went on, my career climbed (or stumbled) up the corporate ladder and I dreamed wistfully of when I could afford to do what I really wanted to do.
Problem was, I never knew what I wanted to do that would make me enough money to live comfortably, much less luxuriously. I love to draw, I love animals, I love being outside and I even like people a fair amount of the time. My career was based on decisions by default, being in the right place at the right time, having the right contacts and skills needed at the same time. I enjoyed parts of it, but as the years went on I realized I was bored out of my skull. I left, took all my savings and retirement and opened a business with a partner. Too long a story and old news, it no longer benefits from being rehashed, except to say it ended badly. The partner should be in jail, she’s not and I was flat out broke.
All of a sudden I had to figure out how to support the life I had created doing stuff I was good at, but not really willing to do anymore (mind numbing, soul draining boredom being a primary reason). Someone gave me a copy of Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow while I was selling my valuables on eBay to pay my real estate taxes. I sold the book on eBay without cracking the cover.
This time I decided not to look at what I wanted to do, but how I wanted to be each day of my life. Happy, healthy, kind, creative and solvent all came to mind. Suddenly, with prompting from a dear friend, the light bulb in the brain moment happened giving birth to MissPoop. And she lived happily ever after – right?
Well almost. I am solvent, cheerful, healthy, kind more often than not and creative beyond my expectations…with plans to keep growing as an artist, dog trainer and writer. MissPoop keeps me grounded and I will never give it up. MissPoop, however, was not paying all the bills the first few years.
One day, in the beginning of my new career, I was in a cell phone store getting my cell phone upgraded, and upon seeing my business card, they asked if I cleaned offices. Insulted I ran home mortified to be offered that sort of job! After all, I am now MissPoop! If I sat down and followed the guidelines of Do What You Love…I seriously doubt I would have decided to become MissPoop. However, it did meet a lot of the criteria to creating a path to a life I would enjoy.
My friend reminded me that while I was a stellar pooper scooper, I was barely able to pay my mortgage and I really ought to think twice about saying no to any job. Name a price, he said, and if it is something you can live with, do it.
Swallowing my pride I went back and offered my services for $100 per hour (after all that was what I made as an illustrator). Surprisingly they accepted my offer so I added office cleaning to MissPoop. I was embarrassed (and not about poop?), but decided to make the most of that 1-3 hours a week.
I cleaned, I organized, and I mentored young employees on better communications as I scrubbed the toilet bowls. I bought flowers and cleaned up the tiny garden in front. I used fung shui to create a warmer and more welcoming store front. I threw my heart into that job but I still hid if someone I knew came in the store.
As MissPoop grew I found I did not want to give up the cleaning job. I enjoyed the people and they liked me. I created a pretty and happy place for them to work. Eventually though, as MissPoop grew significantly and I started training dogs, I was running out of hours, even at $100 per. It was hard to give up, however a line of friends all clamored to take over my position.
I rarely mention my cleaning job. It was my dirty little secret. The current economy reminds me that I was lucky to have the opportunity to do what I loved, and a few things I didn’t, until I got on my feet again. I believe remaining positive, and a little bit humble, success will continue to follow us. Success is more than just making a living; it is creating a life worth living. Discovering what you love to do is a process, discovered in steps with willingness to have faith in yourself. And doing a “dirty” job makes the jobs you love all that more enriching. And you can do it on a bare bones budget!

Heart Breaking News at the Nature Preserves

Driving into the parking area of one of my favorite places to walk my dogs, I saw a big yellow sign with red lettering say "ALL DOGS MUST BE LEASHED"! I felt like I had been punched in the stomach and wanted to cry.

Of course all dogs should be walked with a leash for safety and good citizen reasons, but it struck me that we have no where to walk dogs freely so they can enjoy letting their limbs stretch; romp with their pals and just let lose. Over the past few years many of us who frequent the nature preserves in our area have been trying to educate other dog owners that having your dog chase other people, leaving poop all over and being aggressive to other dogs is going to get us kicked out of most of the parks.

There's not too much else to say right now. I just wish that the good dogs were rewarded with more freedom. Or that I could buy my own 100 acres and have a sign that says No Humans Unless Accompanied by Well-Behaved Unleashed Dogs.