Beach Blanket Bizzy

Yesterday was an interesting day. I secured another client for my consulting business  and did work for another one until late in the evening.  So all in all a good day for the new business.  On the downside - I discovered Bizz knows how to bark - a lot and loudly.  My landlords had the plumber come to install a line outside for a washing machine for the mother-in-law apartment and to fix my shower. Well if I were a psychologist I would say Bizz hates guys who wear bulky work gloves. I personally hate people who drill underneath the house while I'm trying to work.  Since the plumber didn't finish and I knew that work was a distant dream between the drilling and the barking, I decided that today was the day for an outing.  So I packed up Bizz, the Bizz Bag (treats, water, food, bowl, toy, my sweatshirt for him to sleep on) and myself and headed to Half Moon Bay.

I thought I would describe our day as a dialog between the two of us since I think we had very different perspectives of our time.

(jerri)We arrived in Half Moon Bay around 9 am. I had had an early appointment so Bizz had stayed in the car for an hour from 7-8 am (windows open, in the shade, it was cool and everyone was checking on him for me). During that  time he dismantled the Bizz bag, dropped his toy in the bowl of water- the toy absorbed all of it, escaped from his harness and still charmed everyone when I brought him in to say hello.

(bizz) Sue me, I was bored. That will teach you.

(jerri)  Half Moon Bay was pretty empty so we took a walk up and down the main street to check out which stores are still there, scope out places for lunch and generally stretch our legs a bit.  Bizz managed to pee on every tree along Main Street.

(bizz)  So many trees, so little time.  Next time I'll drink more before I come.  I nearly ran out.

(jerri)  We headed to Half Moon Bay State Beach.  Bizz had decided he'd had enough of the back seat and had climbed into the front seat. The signs said no dogs on the beach so when I talked to the park ranger he explained Bizz could go anywhere on leash except on the sand itself.  Since we were going to hike the trail I wasn't too concerned.  However, when I turned to pay the parking fee I discovered Bizz had managed to climb into my purse and was sitting on my wallet.  The ranger had a good laugh as I attempted to negotiate access to my wallet but finally had to scoop Bizz out and pay.

(Bizz)  Big purse, little dog. 

(Jerri)  We started out with a refreshment break since we'd walked a mile before we even got to the beach. Bizz decided he would join me on the bench even though he would have preferred being turned loose to complete his true mission in life.

(Bizz) All birds must die.

(Jerri) As we headed towards the trail we cut through the campgrounds.  What an array of camping - from a simple pup tent to a camper complete with Direct TV hook up.  No kidding - check the picture.

(Bizz)  I saw no puppies in tents.

(Jerri) We hit the trail and had a lovely 2.5 mile hike.   Bizz loved exploring all the new and different smells.  There  was a wide array of lovely flowers though the spectacular pink ones have not bloomed quite yet.  And he made sure to leave his mark on as many as he could.

(Bizz)  They are all mine now.

(Jerri)  We also encountered a cute baby bunny.  Bizz went into stealth mode - thank goodness for the leash and harness.  I definitely think he'd make a great hunting dog.

(Bizz)  All bunnies must die. 

(Jerri)  We did take a break at the half way point of the hike.   This was our chance to  enjoy the breeze.  (Note his ears were at full deployment in his shadow).

(Bizz)  I was not tired but if you had brought the bag you could have carried me back.

(Jerri) Our return trip gave us an even more impressive encounter - horses. I'm not sure what Bizz thought they were but I think he thought they were enormous dogs.  They were gorgeous and a huge hit.

(Bizz) I must be pack leader of the giant dogs.

(Jerri)  We concluded our hike with a total of 3 1/2 miles for the morning.

(Bizz) 7 Miles

(Jerri)  3.5 - I had on the pedometer.

(Bizz)  2 legs went 3.5 miles.  4 legs means 3.5 miles x 2 - I went 7 miles.

(Jerri)  In any case, we went back to town for lunch.  Bizz behaved perfectly in the shop and we shared my roast beef sandwich.  He conked out on the way home though I have now learned that when they say let sleeping dogs lie they also mean don't take them through the car wash even if they are lying with their eyes closed sound asleep.

(Bizz) What the hell was that?  I'm dreaming of birds, rabbits and giant dogs and suddenly we're in a tsunami.

(Jerri)  All my fault.  I never realized how loud a car wash was until I had a barking dog on my lap during one.

(Bizz)  Car washes must die.

(Jerri)  We're heading back to Half Moon Bay with Aunt Marina on Saturday so who knows what our next adventure will be.

Communication: Non Verbal and Verbal

Since  Bizz and I are going to school each week I've been very very focused on both my verbal and non verbal communication skills.  Verbal is easier - Sit, Down, Relax, Stand, Let's Go (to start our walks) have been learned - especially now that he knows his name.  Some are trickier - we are still struggling with Stay and Wait - mostly because Bizz and I have bonded very tightly so he is endlessly following me around.  I cannot actually leave a room without him jumping up (even from a dead sleep) and trailing behind.

The non verbal communication skills are equally important - there is a hand gesture that goes with each of the commands and I have to remind myself to use the right one with the verbal command.  Of course as we are training there are non verbal commands that are also learned.  Putting my hand in the bag of Happy Hips (his favorite treat - lamb and rice flavor) causes him to immediately sit.  Patting the couch means come snuggle.  Pointing to my bed means it's bed time let's settle down.  Which for Bizz means lying right where I like to sleep on his back all spread out so he can get his belly rubbed and there's no room for me.

I've also learned that dogs love to be talked to - while I still listen to music while walking I now often single along softly so Bizz gets spoken to.  Since he's learned to check in with me visually as we walk I think it reassures him.

I have been ahead of schedule on one command. Since his first day with me Bizz has had a big maroon pillow in my office as his bed.  Well, when we are in here I just say - go to pillow and he climbs on, curls up and conks out.  At class they told us to train them to go to your bed which they are supposed to do and stay there so you can open the door. That's not working so well. Perhaps its the fact that he now has three beds in three different rooms.  Or perhaps it's that he has boundless curiousity and hears people coming before I do.  In any case I'm working on that one.

A former boss once said to me - and I'm not kidding - Just because I am looking at you and you are speaking to me doesn't mean I'm listening to you.  I still ponder that and laugh since the whole point of communication is making sure that your message is heard (or at least seen).  So with Bizz I am very focused on how I am communicating and leading him both with my words and with my non verbal commands as well.  And I am extending that to my human friends and colleagues as well.

Here is Bizzy during his couch cuddle time.  Note it is very hard to do non verbal communication when your dog is actually holding your hand as he naps.  However since all the communicating he wants is his belly rubbed I think we understand each other just fine.

Taking Time to Stop and Smell the Roses and a Few Nasty Things as Well

One of the things I've found in my now multiple daily walks with Bizz is the need for variety.  If not for his sake then for mine. We have a routine late night walk which I like because it is safe, well lit and low traffic.  And I can practically do it in my sleep. Then we have some longer walks and I've taken to following different side streets as well. And then there are the drive to walk places - walks that I'm discovering through other dog owners who share openly the good places to take a dog.

One of the highlights of these walks has been my ability to truly appreciate just how glorious nature is here in California.  Many yards are full of lovely blooms - roses of all colors, many flowering plants and bushes, and great home décor. One house I particularly adore has old posts from a harbor out front linked by thick lengths of rope.  It reminds me of all sorts of little harbors along the east coast. 

Today, I took a new walk with Bizz in Los Gatos Creek Park.  This county park has a dog park with a small dog section (which Bizz played in a bit but was soon bored) a large reservoir stocked with fish and several great trails.  We did the 1 mile hike today but will do longer ones in the future.  As we circumnavigated the water I discovered that all nature does not smell sweet. I do not know what Bizz rolled in but it smelled pretty foul.  So much so that when we returned he immediately went into the sink to get the smell off of him.  He is now his usual fluffy sweet smelling self.  What struck me was how much this park reminded me of Verona Park, in Verona New Jersey - my home town.  The lake there also had a nice trail around it, an island in the middle and lovely trees.  My mom used to walk around the lake almost every day - sometimes alone, sometimes with her friend.  In fact I believe she was walking me in a stroller at that park when Kennedy was shot.

So today Bizz and I enjoyed the walk, the views and he certainly enjoyed the smells.  Here is a view of the reservoir -

And here is the new Bizz photo of the day.  I call this his Lion Dog pose.

Leader of the Pack

I have decided to start writing a bit about leadership in this blog - which is tangential at best to the blog's main focus.  However, as I am now leader of my own very tiny pack - Bizz and I plus our frequent visitors, I am finding leadership is often on my mind. 

I have positioned myself in the world as a leader in marketing but if you had known me in high school you would never have thought I was the leader type. I was tall, with thick geeky glasses and pretty quiet.  On yearbook I was faculty editor, and in clubs I ran committees but was never a president type.  A lot of that changed in college, where I was president of things like the biology board and thus was working closely with students and faculty.  But working after college I was back to being one of a group of employees where my boss was definitely the leader, since he directed everything.  Of course this is true in a lab environment where it's all about the experiments and publication which were largely on him.

Grad School became a time when I first encountered true leadership opportunities and took them. I came to run just about every team I was on in business school. I think it was largely due to my packed schedule - full time school, two part time jobs and endless studying.  Being on scholarship meant my ability to stay in school was dependent on my getting above a 3.5 grade point average - which meant you better not get in the way of me getting an A.  My teams always did well because I made sure of it.  In those days I would call my leadership style definitely pack leader - I was driven and you better get on the train with me.

As I read about women in leadership I can see why some of the weaker men (my school was 20% female so most if not all of my team mates were men) may have felt I was a - no other way to say it - a bitch.  In fact one guy decided to take me on directly during a team meeting.  The four of us were working on a project on the elasticity of pricing for custom calling features for Rochester Telephone. The three guys and I were all marketing majors.  One of them was a real slacker - showing up for meetings but doing nothing but criticize what the rest of us were doing.   Gordon (no last names here) came to one meeting when we were finishing up the project and decided to cause a bit of trouble. He looked me right in the eye and said, Jerri, did anyone ever tell you that you are a pushy broad. I looked him right in the face and said, Gordon, did anyone ever tell you that you are a short weasel.  Our two team mates both threw back their heads and howled.  While Gordon sputtered and looked for a come back my one team mate told him, Gordon you better just shut up. Jerri is why we are all going to be getting A's. 

Hilariously, Gordon and I both got job offers from the phone company after graduation.  I should have learned the lesson then that you have to self promote - Gordon had sold his hiring manager that he had done the work on the project through his resume and his talk, while my hiring manager knew what I had done since she was my point of contact at the phone company during the project.  It was there I also learned to question everything on a resume since you can say you did anything in writing, but you need to dig down to learn the truth.  The irony was he was in my starting group at the company and never showed up for work the first day. He'd gotten another offer from a firm in NY and took off for those greener pastures. 

So what is the point of all this, besides documenting one of my truly favorite stories from grad school?  My point is that leadership is something that does not necessarily come naturally to everyone, it is something inspired by passion and an internal drive.  My drive in school came from my need to maintain my GPA in order to continue in school. My leadership style has evolved over time.  However, with Bizz that old command control has come back a bit in our training. I was teased that he was training me but I'm learning to be the pack leader and I think it's a good thing for both of us. 

Unconditional Love

I just need to say that I am amazed at the amount of love a little dog can pack in his little body. I had to go to the dentist this morning and of course Bizz could not come with me. He had to stay home for 2 hours by himself.  We'd done our morning walk and he had food, water, 3 beds of his own plus mine and the guest room bed, all his toys. Everything a dog needs.  Except his master.  When I came through the door his excitement was boundless. He jumped on the tallest piece of furniture and just barked and danced.  Then he got on the floor next to me and leapt up and down - he's a good little jumper.  I decided to count and after 15 times he finally calmed down enough to let me pet him. 

Yes, a dog is truly capable of unconditional love.  He's now back on his pillow beside me, happily napping as I type.  What's amazing to me is that anyone would have ever given him up. 

At the vet this week there was a sign (and I am totally paraphrasing) - You have your family, your relatives, your friends, and your co-workers.  He just has you.  It is so true - we all have many people in our lives but your pet can only depend on it's owner to take care of him. Now, I will say - Bizz has his Auntie Marina, Auntie Ellen, Auntie Deanna and Auntie Maya.  He also has Kelvin and Isabelle who love him, as well as all my other friends who have become his friends too. 

I think unconditional love is a wonderful thing and I truly feel that owning Bizz has made me a more open and loving person.  Everywhere we go I run into other dog owners and I love hearing their stories and sharing my own.  It's a nice way to expand your own world.

Bizzy in a quiet time.

School and the Doctor - Pet ownership is a bit like having a child.

This week has been consumed with things around Bizzy's health and education.  On Monday night he rocked his obedience training class.  He got top dog for his ability to walk on a loose leash and to come when called.  I tried to explain he follows me everywhere so adding the word come doesn't actually do anything new but he impressed the trainer. She asked us to join her relay class but I'd like to get through this class first. 

We also had our first vet visit and Bizz did very well. Dr. Shapiro and his patients loved him - he was incredibly well behaved and allowing everything to be done.  He has ear infections in both ears and his teeth are not good at all.  I have to do daily ear cleanings, daily antibiotic treatments and then in two weeks he goes in for a day to be sedated for his deep teeth cleaning and bum treatment and any extractions.  I will personally be grateful if this means his breathe improves.  However, he is so sweet natured I don't worry about it.

Our walking continues - we're at 2-3 miles every day and honestly I can't sleep well without my evening walk now.  He loves to walk and he greets everyone we meet with a wag and a lick.  The older women in my neighborhood think he's great as do the children.

The doctor assured me the walking is good for him (us).  We did 1 1/2 miles today walking up to the tax preparers office. They were great with him - he got water and treats and dosed through the hour long meeting.  Tomorrow will be more of a test since he cannot go to the dentist with me.  Hopefully he and the house will survive.

Here is Bizzy on his travel bed surrounded by his toys and holding the new toy Dr. Shapiro gave him. What's funny is I don't tidy the toys to stay near him - he does it himself and gets very annoyed when I move them away.  So yes, I think my dog is a hoarder (or a neat freak like my mom).

Finding the Right Doctor(s)

One thing I have learned as a diabetic is that it is critical to have a good team of doctors in your corner.  I have changed doctors a few times to get to the right combination.  I have a primary care physician who looks after all my general needs and referrals, an endocrinologist who rocks and takes care of my diabetes, a podiatrist who keeps an eye on my feet - ever alert for signs of neuropathy, two eye doctors (both named Wong) who keep track of overall eye health and the second watches for retinal issues common to diabetics, a dentist, an oral surgeon, and of course a gynecologist which seems to be my greatest challenge since I work more with a department than an individual. However, it was a gyno who first diagnosed me and I am forever in her debt.

So now it is time for me to find Bizzy his new vet. And boy is it a challenge.  This vet is too expensive, that vet yelled at a patient, this one sneaks you freebies while another does unnecessary testing.  Wow is all I can say. 

So where did I turn after every person I talked to gave me mixed reviews?  Yelp.  Yelp is a great review site and people really tell you what they think of a vet.  So I have located one that sounds pretty good - decent prices, great care, honesty, etc. 

I hope he's good - I have read Bizzy's medical record in great detail and its' fascinating.  The vet found hiim bright, alert, responsive and a really nice dog.  His body was a 4 out of 9 - due to being on his own.  He had some issues with his ear and he has severe dental disease. It explains why he won't let me brush his teeth and won't eat hard food.  So it's off to the dentist for a check up and teeth cleaning. They may have to sedate him and me for this process.

The other funny thing is I found out his original name was Phelps - cannot figure out why except I keep thinking Peter Graves on Mission Impossible had white hair and every show started with Good Afternoon Mr. Phelps.  So does not fit him.

More to come as the saga of the doctors continues.