I only worked 2 days at the museum this week which was great because I had to run into Grenoble on two different occasions: one to pick up my papers from the job I quit at TCS, and the second to take said papers to the unemployment agency and let them know what is up. The quitting part went pretty well in that the owner is so ridiculously nice and understanding that she didn't make me feel bad about it at all. I did feel bad though because I really enjoyed some aspects of the job (and all the people there), but I know it was the right decision. Working part-time at a job that is only 15 minutes from home is going to make transitioning back into working so much easier for not only me, but my husband and dog too. Max's working hours are anything but standard office hours, and he needs me to be home to take care of stuff that he just doesn't have the time to do. There have been a lot of home robberies these past few weeks, so he's been called out quite often to go investigate. Thankfully, he's got some down time now, and will have a few days off at Christmas, but he's got a ton of files to wrap up before the end of the year and is really tired between work, his boxing training 3 times a week, and other errands with me.
Max's parents are coming down to stay with us for a few days next week. They plan on spending a a couple of days in Annecy with Max's sister and her family, then coming down here (we are only an hour away) from Tuesday night til Friday. I've never actually had his parents as overnight house guests, so it should be interesting (and by interesting, I mean stressful). I'm not actually worried about them, as they are very discreet and polite guests, but more about their big bouncy dog, Roxanne. Roxanne is a sweetheart, but she's enormous and has long hair that she likes to leave behind. Pinch and her get along pretty well (thank god), but I'm worried about the cats. Mini has never seen another dog besides Pinch, and this next one she's going to meet will look like King Kong to her. The poor thing will have to be locked up in a separate room to avoid any problems and I think I'll be freaking out the whole time they are here wondering if Mini has snuck out the door when we weren't looking. But of course I can't say anything because of all the times Max's parents have accepted Pinch in their home and dogsat for us. Still, Pinch is about 10 pounds and has short, non shedding hair. But he's got a big attitude, so maybe it's a fair trade off with gentle, sweet-natured Roxanne...
Speaking of Pinch's attitude problems...we had a first consultation with the dog behavioural guy on Monday. He came by in the evening with a stagiaire (trainee) and saw first hand the warm welcome that Pinch reserves for visitors to our home. After a long explanation from me on Pinch's early days until now, the guy looked at me and said, "This is one of the toughest cases I've had and he's gonna need a lot of work." Well, duh. That's what I called a dog behavioural expert. The guy had the nerve to say that it's maybe a bit late now to be addressing all these problems considering Pinch is 4.5 years old. I looked at him and answered, Better late than never, right? Pinch decided to really put on a show too, as if to prove my point considering his aggression issues. He barked and lunged and try to snap at the guy then cowered and licked his front legs in the anxiety stricken way he does. Meanwhile, Skinny Mini snaked her way through the guy's legs, dove on the trainee's lap more than once, and sashayed across the table as if to say, Look at me! Look at how cute and nekked I am!! Clearly little Mini does not have any socialization issues!
I'm not sure I'm completely sold on this guy though. He seemed quite lethargic (maybe he was tired?), almost disinterested in my babbling, and didn't always answers my questions or address my concerns in the way I was expecting a professional would. I know quite a bit about dog psychology - having read all of Cesar Milan's books and seen his show, not to mention the library of books on the subject that I've acquired over the years - and he seemed a bit taken aback when I talked to him, as if I was testing his knowledge and credibility (and I was).
What Pinch really needs is more socialization with other dogs and people, and the guy told me that he needs to be in group lessons with other dogs. I agree, but the problem is finding such training in this part of France and being available to take him. Next week, we are going to the guy's home (which is also a kennel and site of some of his rehabilitation work) to try Pinch in an unfamiliar setting with unfamiliar dogs. But the only reason we can go next week is because Max is off work and can drive the 40km with me to his house. The resources and the help I know Pinch needs are just not really readily available out here, and so I'm not sure how much progress he will make. I'm willing to give this guy another shot though and see how he is next week in a more practical and less theoretical situation. If I'm convinced that he knows what he's doing and that he establishes a plan I think could work, I'll keep seeing him. If not, I'll look around for another trainer. So stay tuned for Part II of Pinch's rehabilitation and my experiences with a French dog whisperer (but I think I will stop calling him that because he doesn't even agree with Cesar Milan's technique and his people skills leave much to be desired. Plus he doesn't wear cargo pants or have a charming Spanish accent).
So next week will be a full and busy one. I work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday at the museum, Thursday is dog-training, all the while trying to keep all our house guests (furry and otherwise) happy and entertained. When I finally get some down time next weekend, I'll catch you up on how it all went!
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| How can this be the face of such evil? (the dog, not me) |
3 comments:
I love that you had to say (the dog and not me)... just in case we were confused :)
Aw, I don't think it's ever too late! I can't wait for the next instalment.
LOL at your photo caption!!
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