a touch overdue

Sorry about the extended break in posting. We had a break in the weather and I decided to take advantage by living life more and blogging less. We're finally thawing out from two weeks of snowy weather and I realized that I completely skipped the month of February. To be honest my life has literally gone to the dogs.

Ok, so in reality it's not all been about dogs. Now that I'm somewhat established here and am coming along in learning my new trade, I've kind of been thinking of a way to mess it all up. Yup, I'm talking about actually possibly dating again. For the most part I've avoided the possibility of it over the past decade even though I've pontificated then on whether to do so or not. The difference then versus now is that I'm in a place where I've always wanted to be and happy. This isn't me saying I've hated all the places I've been at, so much as I simply am happier in more rural settings. Getting back on track I have met a few distinct prospects. Nothing I'm willing to elaborate on at this time, but I will do so in subsequent posts.

All things being equal I do apologize for the lapse in posts. I had kind of taken to a more pictorial version of story telling via Instagram over the last few months. Anyone wishing to follow me there as well as here need only look up "kneemow" on instagram to find me. I'm listed as private but will add you.

workin' title

First off, I want to wish you all a belated merry xmas and happy new year.

Last month has been my most challenging one to date. In addition to dealing with snowy weather and the holidays, I'm now working with some legitimately problematic dogs. The upside is that less than half are that way. Still, it's been more than enough to leave me wiped out at the end of the day and/or my weekends. Hence the lack of posts until now. 

In no particular order here's a bullet list of stuff that's happened.

• Incoming water hose/black & grey water tank valves froze several times
• A dog bit me (again, but this time it was just a scratch)
• Bridgette had six teeth pulled on her dental
• Installed a camco rv vent cover (it looks nifty!)
• External water filter exploded shortly after freezing
• Had to get a tooth recapped
• Started playing Eve Online again
• Had a very hard time adjusting to my new area/dogs
• Learned many new and useful skills from the Dogtown Trainers
• Now own and love my first pair of Muck boots!
• Overcame my difficulties and owning new work duties like a boss
• Finally got B a new winter coat
• Helped cross over a dog I cared for in my first area
• Made best friendsies with some of the worst dogs in my (new) area

So yeah, the ride got a little rough there. I'm stronger for it now and up is still the only direction for me.

one and two

Since my lat promo I've been a lot busier than normal. I've been not only learning a whole different set of procedures, but building relationships with 19 new dogs. Technically it's really only 18 since one of the dogs came from my old area. In addition to that I'm also taking on the challenge reorganizing things a bit. That's not to say they're unorganized, but there's always room for improvement.

The buildings are older, smaller, and lack some of the amenities the newer ones (I had worked in prior) posses. Such as radiant floor heating, a bathroom, and paving around the entirety of the octagon. There is heating but it's a small ceiling mounted space heater which does a decent job with it's only downfall being that it's kind of loud when running. Not that you can hear it when something gets the dogs riled up. A lot of sand gets tracked in by human and dog alike so things are always kinda gritty in there.

This area gets less volunteers due to there being purple and red collar dogs present in addition to green. We have a lot of kids with behavioral issues and/or bad habits where they only get to be worked with by the caregivers and/or trainers. At least until they learn how to be good canine citizens. Yes, it is possible that some never do. Those who don't remain at the sanctuary where they can live out their lives. The lessened volunteer count allows me more time to work with the dogs versus my old area. This is great because this is (in part) what I came here for.

One unexpected side effect in getting more dog time is that I've been eating like a horse and still managing to lose weight. I spent a lot more time walking/training than before and it also being winter means I'm burning more calories as a result.

I can't say enough about becoming part of the Dogtown team. They've taken me under their wing, helped me at every turn, and teach me something new every day. This really is a special place in more ways than just the obvious ones.