Heavy Breathing

This time we sniffed the sea at the Seawall

2008-07-22T13:18:00.006-07:00

I think that one of the things Louise likes about coming into the office with me is that she gets to go on a walk in a different part of town. For example, we usually get to walk along a different part of the Seawall, or walk along the quieter blocks close by the office. Well that, and it is a day off from the cats at home.

Today was slightly overcast, so the Seawall made a good choice. The tide was out so we were able to climb down the stone blocks to where the water was, and Louise had fun running along the edge. She wasn't really interested in going into the water today, again probably because the temperature wasn't as warm. Well that, and there were no bothersome cats in the area to complicate things.

No video today - I did take some time lapse footage, but at 30 frames a second, it only gives me 4 seconds of footage. Maybe if I can figure out how to stretch it out some then I can post it. And don't worry, there will be no cats in this video upload.

Beach dogs

2008-07-20T22:15:00.006-07:00

We decided to take Louise down to the dog beach late this morning so that she could run around before it got too hot, as it was expected to this afternoon. She was pretty laid back as we walked the several blocks to get there, but once we got down to the water, she was able to meet a few other dogs, and that got her excited.

One dog we met was a little Boston Terrier that had a lot of white in her coat. The two dogs ran around and played for a while until Louise noticed some other dogs at the far end of the beach. In typical fashion, she darted off toward them and promptly forgot the little Boston. It wasn't until I was editing the photos later that I noticed that the person who brought the first dog was wearing fairly high heels down by the water. Not only did she not break an ankle, she didn't seem to be having any difficulty either.

Later on the way back, we stopped into the local pet store in part to cool Louise down as she was already starting to heat up in the sun. It was a task of walking from shady spot to shady spot but we made it back in good time. While I said we made our way to the store with the intent of cooling off Louise (they have dog water set out) we ended up buying another harness for her. We have been trying several to find one that doesn't make her feel uncomfortable as she will often pause to shake when she is wearing one. I guess our dog just likes being naked most of the time.

Like last time, I'm ending the post with a quick video of Louise. I'll probably tire of this quickly, or at least only post ones that aren't quite so shaky. I like how she uses a partially submerged rock in this one to get a better view of the larger dogs.

New Camera, New Photos

2008-07-19T22:51:00.005-07:00

Poor Louise. I got a new digital camera today, so she had to endure me taking over a hundred photos as I was trying to get used to it. As a result, I have at least one or two photos I can upload here, and a quick video too. Overall, I like the smaller size of the new camera and it does seem to take a good photo as I start to get used to it.
Louise endured multiple photo shoots and was rewarded for her efforts with treats and lots of praise. She also got to go on a longer walk than usual, so I think the trade off was pretty fair.

One of the things we noticed along our journey was the Celebration of Light barge has been set up already. This is probably the largest fireworks event in Vancouver all year and possibly the only fireworks event in Vancouver that even comes close to comparing to just about any American fireworks display.

On the way home, Louise met a nice lady who was out walking her dog. This lady offered a treat to Louise, so she was immediately promoted to the 'Best People to Meet on a Walk' list. Her dog was used to doing a bunch of tricks for treats, so he was able to shake paws, take a bow, etc. Louise wasn't even going to pretend to do all that, but she did consent to sitting pretty while the lady got the treat ready.

This requires more investigation

2008-07-17T19:35:00.002-07:00

I took this shot last Tuesday when Louise was in the office. That's Greg peeking in the background and Louise is standing on the desk because she is more interested in the food I was eating than in the food I gave her. (See the uneaten carrot sticks and snap peas at her feet.)

Basically, it is just a goofy little moment caught over lunch time. Shortly after this Louise and I headed out for a brief walk - it was warmer that day so I opted to take her on shorter, but more frequent walks. It seemed to work out well, with Louise not getting quite so overheated as she would with a longer walk in the afternoon sun.

Bath Night

2008-07-16T22:12:00.005-07:00

We ran out of pet shampoo a little while ago, so Louise has been going a while without having to take a bath. As time went on, this became less and less acceptable. She's not the kind of dog that gets really stinky (or at least we don't let her get to that point) but after a day of rolling around on just about every lawn she came across, we decided enough was enough.

On our nightly walk we stopped into Bosley's, where she got her usual complimentary doggie treats - Louise has learned that if she sits, she gets more pupperoni, so when we entered, Louise decided the first thing she should do is to sit, right in the entrance. That of course didn't last long as she couldn't wait for the people in the store to bring the treats to her, so she had to run over to them.

Eventually we did get some shampoo and Louise finally got her bath. As usual, she is never really 'impressed' during these times, but she does tolerate things fairly well, so long as I can keep the water out of her eyes. I guess technically Louise doesn't bathe - she showers. It's just a lot easier to use the shower nozzle to point the water at her. I got a few of the obligatory dog-shakes, but other than that, she waits for me to wrap her in a towel and carry her into the living room to be properly dried off.

Rollin' with Porsches

2008-07-15T13:01:00.004-07:00

The other day Louise and I were out walking and it was getting pretty hot. When that happens, keeping her hydrated is kind of important. So when we saw a patch of freshly watered grass, Louise was only too happy to roll around in it to cool off. Rather than posting half a dozen nearly identical photos, I decided to do the next best thing and I roughly edited this one photo to have the best of the various shots I grabbed, all in the same spot-ish.

However, since some Porsche enthusiasts only like the older ones, I figured we could also include a shot that is more to their tastes. This older 911 was parked just a couple cars away from the gray one. While Louise wasn't in the mood to keep rolling around in the grass, she didn't mind relaxing in the shade.

Sunday Morning

2008-07-13T15:56:00.003-07:00

Like a few other dogs in the area, Louise headed out early this morning to 'get her church on'. If you look closely, you can see the angelic glow in the first picture. Okay, that was me playing with the brightness and contrast, but it was taken on the church grounds, which just happens to be the closest place for her to sniff some grass and stretch her legs a bit.

In other news, we got a different harness for Louise, and it seems to work pretty well. The two black straps go under her forelegs and hook into the top of the collar - the effect is that when she pulls against the leash, she doesn't also choke herself half to death. (Yes, we have experienced the choking as she dashes after a car, only to catch the full length of the lead after about three strides and plenty of momentum.)

Watching the cars

2008-07-11T22:52:00.002-07:00

Sometimes Louise just has energy to burn. On days like those, her habit of chasing cars can be harder to control than usual. This shot, taken back in early May, was taken on a day such as this. Even the parked cars were suspect to her that day and she was watching them, waiting for any one of them to make a move.

Since my memory isn't that great, I can't remember what happened next. Most likely, I convinced her to move on but it's hard to say. There could have been another dog just outside of the photo that she was paying attention to instead. All I can say for sure is that at the time I took this photo, Louise was ready for action.

Sitting in the sun on the sand

2008-07-09T22:05:00.002-07:00

I keep meaning to post to my other blog, but of the photos I take the ones of Louise keep turning out best. I guess it does help that she's really not that big so I can crop around her easily.

Today's photo was taken on the beach along the seawall - it was sunny, there was little to no breeze and people were out enjoying the weather. Just the kind of day Louise likes, but I think that has more to do with having people along the way to stop and give her attention, or possibly some food. (Not that she gets any food, but a little dog never seems to give up hope on this.)

Later this evening she was napping on the sofa, and then woke with a start. She started barking and was so mad that she had to eat a bit of her food to calm herself down. It was all over in about five minutes, and it left my wife and I mildly amused and bewildered all at the same time. The reaction from the cats was more indifferent.

Tired, but wanting to walk anyway

2008-07-07T23:49:00.003-07:00

I took Louise out for a walk around nine in the evening and could tell that she was not feeling very energetic. Just the same, she was pretty determined to go for a good walk, and if I slowed the pace or sat on a bench for a bit, Louise was the one who looked impatient. Not that I really minded though. It's just that I could tell she was tired, so I was making sure that I didn't walk her too far.

It was a nice night for a walk though, and a little bit cool - perfect temperatures for her, as we are now in the season where dogs like Louise can overheat easily. In the first picture you can see that her tail is down, and not curled. This is Louise's 'energy meter' on most days, with it going down only when she is exhausted. This is why I was stopping at the park benches - I figured she was done.

The last laugh was on me, when she wanted to go out for a brief run at about eleven thirty.

A new look for the blog

2008-07-06T23:38:00.003-07:00

As you have probably noticed, Louise's website has had a bit of a freshening up recently. I updated her template in blogger to take advantage of some of the new functionality that lets me edit the layout the way I like.

I hope you like the new look.

This photo was taken today when Louise and I were out walking just before supper. She was in good spirits but wasn't overly active as we had her up late last night as friends were over for a birthday party. Louise didn't mind since they spent a lot of time petting her and trying to feed her drinks. The crazy dog actually tried to drink it too! I was amazed, because usually Louise wants nothing to do with what I am drinking if there is alcohol in it. Of course, I usually want nothing to do with the glass if she was to put her muzzle in it, so I don't try very often. But here was this pug trying to get her drink on at the party - it's a good thing it was a tall glass and she couldn't get to the drink. I don't want to imagine how unruly she might become while under the influence.

Enough jokes, she was very good while we had company in, which is always nice. Our condo isn't very large, so if people come over they generally have to accept that we have animals about - we aren't really able to shut them into the bedroom while entertaining and besides, that wouldn't be very entertaining for us.

Still posting pictures

2008-07-04T22:51:00.003-07:00

We are still posting pictures of Louise on this blog. I took this one yesterday with my broken camera - it just takes a little luck since I'm shooting blind. The banner shot was also taken last night on our walk. If I was faster with it, I could have caught Louise sniffing the roses, but I wasn't ready so I had to work with what I got.

I'll probably talk about my camera on my other blog, and focus this one on the main subject matter - the dog.

On today's walk an elderly man heard her breathing and remarked 'It sounds very tired!' Louise wasn't interested in stopping though, so I just let him know that it was pretty normal for her and we continued our stroll along the beach.

Looking back through the archives

2008-07-03T13:53:00.002-07:00

When I upload photos from my camera to my computer, I tend to make a folder and name it after the current date. I haven't replaced my camera yet, so today's photo is from June 20th. Given the title, I figured this was a good photo to include.

For Canada Day, we packed Louise up in her stroller and headed down to the seawall. From there we took the aquabus across False Creek to the Granville Island Market, where all kinds of things were going on. The stroller turned out to be a very good idea, since it helped prevent Louise from getting trampled in the crowds. After spending the morning there, we crossed back over False Creek and headed up to Robson street for cupcakes and a live jazz performance. I got a few pictures on my cell phone, but haven't been able to upload them yet.

In the office a day early this week

2008-06-30T14:58:00.004-07:00

Here in Canada, we take July 1st as a national holiday. It also happens to be our wedding anniversary so it is kind of nice to know that there is always fun things to do around town (free cake, parades, fireworks, etc) and it is also a day off from the office.

This year, Canada day falls on a Tuesday, and that also happens to be Louise's work day so it worked out that she would come in today (Monday) instead. A lot of people at work opted to take Monday off as well as Tuesday (for a super-long weekend) so that left Louise a little more bored than usual. Also, it's getting quite nice outside, which means I will probably get her soaked before we go home tonight as I'm sure she is going to overheat.

Today's pictures have been taken a while ago. I broke my camera this weekend so I don't think I will be taking quite so many photos until I get it replaced. I had it in my pants pocket and it got slightly crushed while I was moving some furniture - the LCD on the back cracked and no longer works. It still takes a fine picture though, if I happen to point it at the right spot. But without the LCD panel I also cannot adjust any of the settings, so it's really not very useful anymore. Still, I have taken LOTS of photos with that camera, so I should be able to continue updating this blog while I sort out my technical difficulties. The first one is my attempt to catch her as she kicks over some grass, something that happens after she 'does her business'. She can get carried away with this at times and grass can sometimes land on her back. Somehow, she likes it best that way. The second is a typical 'Louise, please stay while I take your photo' shot.

Smelling the roses

2008-06-26T22:21:00.004-07:00

Sometimes you just have to take time to smell the roses. Sometimes, you have to get your owner to lift you up to be high enough to actually get your nose to the roses. Most times, it's completely worth it.

Not really a lot to say here today, I figure the pictures tell the story by themselves. We were out walking Louise, saw the roses and I held her up to take a sniff. Maybe it was just me reading into the situation, but after that Louise seemed to have a little extra pep in her step.

Meeting Boredom

2008-06-25T11:17:00.002-07:00

Like most Tuesdays, Louise was in the office. The weather was nice, so we were able to enjoy a walk along the seawall at lunch time and well, it's just always much nicer when I don't have to juggle an umbrella with the stroller and/or leash.

Today's photo was a rather impromptu shot taken at my desk as a few team members were gathered around discussing work things that didn't seem to keep Louise's attention very well. At this point I'm sure she was waiting for me to ask her if she felt like stepping outside for a bit.

Stairs to the Sea

2008-06-22T21:44:00.003-07:00

It was sunny and warm when we went for our walk along the sea wall tonight, and we took full advantage of it. Louise had been cooped up in the house for most of the day while we were out running errands, so she had lots of energy to burn.

The tide was low and there is one spot on the sea wall that has stairs down to the beach - Louise generally isn't interested in going too far down as she is unsure of how slippery the rocks could be. Still, she wanted to come down close enough to bark at the boats that were going by, and to smell the ocean, no matter how watered down by the Fraser river it may be.

I happened to get a bunch of good pictures tonight, probably because of the bright lighting - whatever the reason, I decided to put up more than just one or two for this post. You can check out some more of them on my flickr account.

Just when we arrived back at the lobby, we happened across a couple of people with pet parrots. They were kind enough to let me get a couple photographs but honestly the colours of these birds were so bright that they didn't turn out very well. I had to desaturate the photos in order for the colours to appear 'correct'. Again, the photos are posted on flickr.

Seeking refuge in air conditioned offices

2008-06-20T16:08:00.002-07:00

Louise was in the office today and at lunch time we walked over to City Hall, which according to google maps is a mere 1.7 km away. Anyway, that means roughly two miles of walking in the late morning sun.

Louise doesn't do well in the heat.

She did pretty good on the walk though. We kept to the shady side of the streets and more importantly, the less busy ones that had fewer cars on them. Along the way we met an interesting little Boston Terrier who laid on the sidewalk waiting for Louise to approach. She moved quickly though, so it was not easy to get a good photo.

When we got back to the office, Louise ran straight to the water bowl to cool down. She then proceeded to lay down close to my desk to take a nap. That's when I took the above photo. One thing I found interesting is that last weekend we got her a Pet Blinker to hang from her collar - it's great at night because it makes her more visible. Anyway, I guess it came on when she flaked out, you can see it as the purple-ish glowing thing hanging around her neck. It's a great idea, but the implementation leaves a few things to be desired, namely an on-off switch would have been nice. Currently to turn it off we have to unscrew it a bit, which makes it loose. Still, I think it looks cool. Maybe Deal Extreme will have a cheaper/better version.

Taking Tommy for his first walk

2008-06-18T08:16:00.004-07:00

Well Louise was in the office again yesterday and as usual had a lot of fun. No getting sick this time, which was good. At one point, a few of us stepped out for a quick stroll and of course Louise was to come along. Shortly after getting going, I passed the leash over to Tommy, who then informed us that he had never walked a dog before.

During Tommy's interview to work with us we had to disclose that there is usually a dog in our office. Each day of the week is a different one and this was an area of concern for him, as he was not used to dogs. We called it a 'growth opportunity' and hired him anyway.

Sunsets on Sundays

2008-06-15T23:21:00.003-07:00

It's that time of the year again, when the last walk of the night is still done in the daylight. Not that I mind at all - our condo has a 'garden view', which is to say there is a building next door that blocks any possible direct sunlight from entering our bedroom window. It could be sunlight twenty-four-seven and we would have no problem sleeping.

There was a pretty big festival today on Denman street, and we were down wandering among the crowds. Louise was a big hit with the kids and even managed to get some frozen yogurt from the Doggy Style Cafe. We also got her an LED blinker thing that hangs on her collar. I suppose it is for safety, but really, it is better at attracting even more attention.

After the festival, the beach continued to stay busy, and the street buskers moved closer to the water to perform where the crowds were at. Louise and I had to go on the sand to get around one of the crowds, it was that large. Of course, the performer was just wrapping up his show, so we continued our walk without the entertainment.

Hurry up let's go!

2008-06-13T15:31:00.002-07:00

Another bit of video I took (on the same day as the last one) was at lunch time when we were walking along the seawall. There is a lot of construction going on behind a fenced area as the site for the Olympic Village is being built. Walking along here is usually interesting if only because things are constantly changing.

From Louise's perspective, things are always interesting because of construction workers who just might be eating lunch.

So here we have a clip of Louise as she says hi to one of the guys on the job. Several times. Just checking to see if he is going to break for lunch now. Because that would be interesting. And Louise would be willing to assist with that, especially the eating part.

Stroller dogs gone wild.

2008-06-11T11:10:00.002-07:00

So like I said, Louise was in the office yesterday and on the way in I thought I would try taking some video on my little point and shoot digital camera. While the camera is not bad at this sort of thing, it is pretty obvious that I don't have a lot of experience shooting anything other than still photos.

But don't let that stop you from watching the video. What I have filmed is Louise in her stroller during the last block of our walk into the office so you can see what I mean when I say she barks at cars. She finds it all very enjoyable.

Bonus Post: A small guest visits Louise

2008-06-10T22:47:00.003-07:00

Louise was in the office today. Her moring was off to a good start, but she quickly fell ill, and threw up twice while at work. Luckily they are pretty dog-tolerant there, so I was able to clean up the mess and carry on with my day (and caring for a dog that was still not feeling great.)

At one point while Louise was sleeping it off and I was in a meeting, someone took a few photos with my camera. I didn't realize they were there even when I got home and uploaded them.

It was hours later when I went searching for photos to be used in tomorrow's post that I saw these gems.I suppose I could make up an elaborate story about Rock 'n Roll dreams but honestly at the time I think she was opting for unconsciousness over whatever stomach pain she was having.

Later, when Louise and I were coming home, she did get her appetite back and now appears to be quite normal again. I guess the twenty-four hour flu in dog years only lasts about three hours, which would be about right.

Rain does not make dogs Shine

2008-06-10T16:38:00.003-07:00

Rainy walk
Originally uploaded by iTripped

Yesterday was very wet. Normally Vancouver has persistent drizzle, but the rain yesterday was almost movie rain but that did not stop us from going out for a walk. That's when I got these shots. Later, just before bed time, we went out for another walk (that's our normal routine) and once again it started to pour hard.

Louise generally doesn't care about the rain though, it's just weather to her. About the only things that really bother her are excessive heat or excessive cold. In that regard, Vancouver has the perfect climate for her, unlike Vernon, which would often get very uncomfortable for her on both extremes. Be warned, the top photo is actually an animated gif, in the G-Willi style. So if you aren't into that sort of thing, just enjoy the photo as is and don't follow it through to flickr, and especially don't view the large size. You've been warned.

Burgers and Beer

2008-06-07T22:33:00.006-07:00

Tonight was one of those nights where we had a simple meal, but I loved it so much. I kind of aggravate my wife that way sometimes, since there are nights when she will cook something really spectacular and my response is something like 'yeah, it was alright' and then other nights when she effortlessly puts something together and I rave about it for weeks. I'm thinking tonight might have been one of those nights, because man, those burgers were good.

Louise thought so too - the small one on the grill was for her (note it even had a slice of cheese on it.) The colour difference is due to the fact that hers did not have any spices in it, so it is just a plain ground turkey burger. Of course, no burger is complete without a cold drink, so last night the three of us headed over to the local liquor store to pick up some beer. Louise and I waited outside while Holly darted inside to brave the lengthy checkout line (it was a Friday night, afterall) and we amused ourselves by taking some pictures. Ok, ok, I amused myself and Louise tolerated my camera. Either way, the result is that we have these pictures to share with you.

Now I realize that I'm working backwards here, but the night we got beer, we also happened to have lamb steaks (and beer.) I took this photo shortly after the steaks came off the grill and before we had a chance to sit down and eat them. As you can see by the photo, Louise was monitoring the situation closely and if you look at her eyes, you can see the 'good' and 'evil' thoughts racing through her head as the decision to steal a steak weighed heavily on her mind. I am happy to report that there were no pug fatalities that night - Louise was a good girl and waited until one of us eventually threw her a bone.