Bowlingual: The Two Way Dog Translator

As dog owners ourselves, we tend to do pretty much anything to make our beloved pet feel great. Depending on what breed you have, dogs can be quite expressive. Sure, they can’t speak, but they can express what’s going in their little minds. What would you say to a machine that could record and translate your dog’s barks while you were away?

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Sled-Doggies in Alaska

Cute looking dogs and a musher looking on. They just look happy!

Pointer MIA

On my way to a class, a pointer-type dog started running around me happily. There were other people around, but I guess he knew that I was a dog person and wanted to play with him. He didn’t have a leash on and he was pretty cute. He kept running around me for at least 7 minutes. I was starting to worry that his owners wouldn’t find him. He playfully bumped into my back legs lightly a number of times. It was cold and his fur was wet. He was a small black and white dog, with a red collar.

Finally, when I was near the parking of my work, I saw the owners call him in the distance. I watched until they caught up with him and went on my way.

Yoda’s Life

Yoda, the two or three week old kitten that I rescued earlier this week, is doing fine and dandy. Her life revolves around sleeping, being bottle fed some warm milk that I heat up, being cuddled, playing with my French Bulldog Spike and exploring her new surroundings. She’s never kept me up at night and always sleeps throught the entire night.

During the day or when I’m awake and she’s around, she sleeps either on my chest or snuggled right next to my arm, hip or leg. She’s really affectionate and playful. She’s also quite athletic and curious about what is around her. She plays with Spike all the time and they get along well. After the first night and after having her defleaed and deliced, she’s purring a lot when I pet her.

She’s doing pretty well and she’s incredibly cute. I’ve successfully taken a few pics which I’ll upload over the weekend.

I’m always amazed at how tiny she is. I’m glad that Spike gets along well with her. In the end, I think that he needed the company. For now, she stays crated during the day when I’m at work and at night. She sleeps most of that time anyway.

Yoda

Yoda has moved into a new sleeping position, into the crook fo my arm. Spike has jumped down onto the tile floor to cool off. He was busy grooming and licking Yoda most of the time. She was busy playing with him with her sharp little claws. She’s also had her ears cleaned and her nails cut.

Mr. Micro Cat

Last night, right before my job, I was walking my French bulldog when we came upon a sight for sore eyes. A little kitten was mewing right in front of us. We waited for a few minutes to see if a mommy cat was around, but no one turned up. I looked at the poor little thing and I picked it up. It was so small that she fit in one of my hands.

I took her home and left her on the porch behind the kitchen, where the washing machine is. The weather was hot and she’d be comfy. I left her some milk and water, a towel in a box to serve as bedding and even some of Spike’s dog food and left for my jog.

While I was jogging, I noticed that a few young people were trying to coax kittens out of a locked shed. Apparently a cat had given birth a while ago and Mr. Micro Cat was a result.

When I came home, my wife was already home. She was talking on the phone and hadn’t noticed Mr. Micro Cat. I showed it to her and she almost cried of the cuteness and the hard life that Mr. Micro Cat must have endured. Mr. Micro Cat is actually a missus and she’s extremely cute.

I tried to find someone to take her but to no avail. I left her most of the day in the same spot. When I came home, I took her to a pet grooming place. Initially I wanted to take her to a vet, but finding one wasn’t easy. So I remembered that there was a pet grooming store nearby. I stopped there and the lady knew exactly what to do. The kitten was actually being quarantined away from Spike because of the fleas and the lice.

She was going to be deliced and defleaed. I was extremely relieved that she was going to be alright. The pet grooming store owner showed me how to feed the little kitten with a little itty bitty milk bottle. I was told that she needed to be fed four times a day. She would have to come back six times this month to completely delice and deflea her.

I brought her home in her new cage and set about the task to feed her. I immediately introduced her to Spike and they have begun a fast friendship. She is very calm around him and Spike enjoys her a lot. He’s kind of become her foster dad. It’s very cute to watch.

Right now, both have been fed and are hanging on the sofa with me. I’ve decided to call Mr. Micro Cat Yoda. She’s mews a lot when Spike isn’t around and loves being near him. It’s the start of a beautiful friendship. I’ve always wanted to get another dog, but Spike is enough work on my busy schedule. Yoda won’t be that much trouble I gather. She’s awfully cute and I haven’t taken any pictures yet.

My wife tried to do so yesterday before she left for Canada for a few weeks, but Yoda was just too fidgety. Yoda has stopped mewing and is sleeping by my side. Spike is fast asleep near my feet.

Outdoor Teaching

I went outdoor teaching today. It was 35C. It was incredibly hot. I had 4L of water with me. I was using a hydration bladder. It was cool. My Osprey Atmos 25 is perfectly suited for the job. Still, I brought too much water. I like using the hydration bladder. It makes drinking water on the go a cinch.

I hate it how the playgrounds in parks are so dirty. It’s terrible. There are dog turds all over the place. You don’t even want to sit down. Shit all over the place, bums hanging around drinking alcohol, dogs all over the place. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a dog owner myself, but I never let my own dog near a playground.

I stopped at the Carrefour and got some dog food for Spike. It took forever to find the place where they moved it to. I couldn’t decide between PetLife, Purina, Alp and a few others. In the end, I got a 15kg pouch of PetLife and a 4kg of Alpo.

Today was a great day for Spike. He was off leash in the park and stayed near me the whole time. He came when I called and did his business by himself. After he finished, he heeled and we left the park. I put him back on the leash before I exited the park.

Coco Is Eating Chuck

Coco is eating Chuck.

Potty Training At Dooce

Potty training over at Dooce.