#from giving a cute pupper a home to chasing down a mad dog

[woundedheartwithin]

Puppy

*nodding* puppy

[marlenemckinn]

114 for the prompt list, make me cackle! 🖤

No more dogs. How hard is it to understand?

Remus was tired. For the last eight hours he had been basically locked away in the office upstairs teaching online classes and grading, only going across the hall to use the bathroom. Sirius had brought food and tea in for lunch and a snack. He was very lucky to be with someone that cared about him so much, and watched out for him when he was busy. Some days he wondered how he managed to win this wonderful man’s heart.

Falling onto their sofa, Remus nearly called out for Sirius, but he could hear him chattering away on the phone. It sounded like he was talking to Lily about her pregnancy cravings, and he was wondering if they were going to have to make a run to the shops because James was out of town. Sirius was the second dad, that’s what he claimed but he was actually the godfather. Not that that wasn’t an important deal, but Sirius like the label of him being another father because it made James shriek that that was not fair to take his father title. Of course it was all in good fun.

Just as he sunk into their well loved green sofa, Snuffles attempted to snuggled up to Remus. This was ridiculously difficult because Snuffs was a giant wolfhound, but the big lug thought he was more tiny puppy than large wolfy dog. As Snuffles rested his giant snoot on Remus’ chest, giving him the biggest puppy eyes of please pet me, their corgi Bucky trotted into the room with the black lab Crookshanks right behind him.

Yep, three dogs. Three was a one too many somedays -- not that he didn’t love each of them, but it did turn their home into a mad house somedays. Sirius had a heart of gold when it came to strays, he always joked it had something to do with being a stray mutt himself. Remus had a hard time denying him. Puppy dog eyes always worked on him, from both the actual dogs and Sirius.

As he gave out ear scritches and several what a good puppy praises for his dogs who were licking his hands Remus heard another bark from the kitchen. He furrowed his brow looking at the three dogs, who were all just far too preoccupied with getting love and attention. They didn’t seem to notice the foreign bark, or they just didn’t care. He hoped that someone was over the house and Remus just didn’t know. But none of their mates had a dog, unless if Sirius was watching one of the neighbor’s dogs.

“Sirius? Love, are you off the phone?”

There was a long pause and that could only come from a dog before another bark. “Um, yep, off the phone.”

Remus attempted to get up, but Snuffles was very busy snuffling away. “Can you come into the living room... with the dog.”

“Ah, ha... ah dog? Rem, you have all the dogs out there.” Sirius’ voice sounded as if it was coming down the hallway.

Before Sirius even appeared, a tiny little rat terrier came trotting out yipping away. “Sirius...”

“Yeah, babe?” The metaphorical tail between his legs as he shuffled into the room.

“Who’s this?” He pointed to the terrier who was now chasing after Bucky.

“Um... his name is Sal.”

“And Sal is...”

Sirius bit his lip. “An adorable puppy who was left all alone without a mummy and the shelter had got him all nice and healthy and he needs a good home.”

Remus put a hand on his forehead. “No more dogs. How hard is it to understand? We agreed that we wouldn’t get more.”

He pouted a little, giving his own puppy dog as as he came to kneel in front of Remus, patting his thigh and calling for Sal. “Come ‘ere Sal,” he said as he picked up the new puppy. “Say hi Daddy, I’m a cute lil pupper who needs a loving home.”

God did he learn the puppy dog eyes from the dogs? “I can’t believe we have another dog.”

Sirius perked up, putting Sal on Remus;’ lap. “I know, I know.”  He kissed Remus’ knee over his jeans. “Look how cute he is though.”

Sal licked Remus face. “Yeah, he’s pretty cute.” Christ, he could never say no to Sirius. “Welcome home, pup.”

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

we’ve had foster pupper harvey for like, a week, and so far:

-i have endured more dog spit than three humans should ever deal with, i am lubricated enough to become a giant slug at all times

-covered in the bruises and scratches one associates with very stressed, hostile cats seeing the giant barking baby for the first time he couldn’t get to them, there’s an aviary door, but apparently that doesn’t mean they can’t lose their shit and climb you like a tree... three separate times

-has somehow wiggled his giant fucking body through the dog fence, in what family has referred to as ‘the closest thing you’ll ever see to birth, head first, one shoulder, the other and he slides on out’, which is a phrase i never wanted to hear... 

-just fucking took off like a racecar after the nearest wallabies once outside the fence, requiring everyone to fucking run through ass-deep grass squeaking toys in order to find him, he thought it was HILARIOUS... sibling caught him eventually

-once caught, offered pure Passive Resistance by flopping to the ground and requiring himself to be half-carried, half-dragged back up the hill to home, then had a massive nap after his cuts and scratches were dealt with

-has adopted a not-so-helpful stalking walk when he sights a cat, thinks this will make him less spooky so he can talk to them... does not work; still not allowed near them

-can no longer go out into the yard without someone with him, has to go out on a lunge lead, specially bought in a huge hurry from local horse store... 

-refuses to do certain bathroom activities whilst on the lunge lead, waits until no one is looking, has gone through an obscene amount of puppy pads in the last few days... literally, 110 pack, 5 left...

had to buy more. like, they’re $25 for a big pack (puppy pads are just blueys, like in hospitals, let’s be real) so some of us are very poor

-cannot be allowed to be alone in the house... will eat literally anything.  fucking ANYTHING, has chewed no less than three shaving razors to shreds, somehow avoiding causing any damage to his mouth??? also took out several dolls, a pumice stone, a plate, and several mad magazines... he’s a whirlwind

-has a cute little dance he doesw when excited, even when sitting his two front legs seem to tap out this pattern that always makes me think if the opening notes to Africa by toto

-still jumps up all the time, working on ‘down’, he gets it mostly. sometimes thwarts the rule by jumping up on the wall or nearby furniture, and falling back, into your arms. like some romance novel damsel in distress... who licks your face. lmao.

-have had to order a bunch of specialised items to work with him... so what we know about him after observing his behaviours over the last week is: -definitely ~8months, just very large -was a christmas puppy, who was originally very loved and always playing! -got too big, had no training or manners or boundaries -was clearly left outside, chained in a backyard for a significant length of time -his reactions when dealing with other animals, with people and how he responds on a lead have informed this analysis. whoever threw this boy away failed him, but at least he won’t spend his life tied up in a backyard desperate for love.

+he’ll need a ‘halti’ or however you say it. Special harness that allows you to control a large, powerful dog without having your arm wrenched from its socket... +getting a clicker, to reinforce training (has ‘sit’ and ‘down’ and ‘come’; about half the time. his emergency carers taught him ‘sit’ in a week, and we’re following on with more intense work) +special teeth-cleaning treat ball... for one, he’s a smart boy who would love a treat ball, but also it’ll be a good challenge + good for his mouth. +slow-feeder bowl. Harvey eats like the offspring of a vacuum cleaner and a leafblower, desperate and exploding it everywhere. He is under the impression it will disappear if he doesn’t get it immediately... (Harvey requires puppy food, but given how small the puppy food kibbles are, and how he eats at current, we have to give him regular optimum, just because the kibbles are larger... also they absorb water a little easier, which is how we slow his feeding down at current)

+a screaming chicken toy, he loves anything that squeaks, and will come immediately 

+stronger dog seatbelt

we already had a bed, bowl, blanket, handful of toys, harness, collar, etc. waiting for him, but it tends to amass to more once we meet the new doggos, and learn their specific needs.

-he is desexed, so that’s one less thing to worry about. 

-he is not currently adoptable, and likw Willow before him, will be with us for some time, just to learn how to calm down and accept affection without being so anxious. he’s a lovely boy, who is also a little shit, but we love him.

-he’s going to get bigger. Harvey has no fucking clue how big he is, or that suddenly licking someone up the leg/on the butt is not ‘cute’ and rather ‘sweet motherfucking christ what was that?!’  but he’s only 8 months and we think he’ll grow larger soon enough. he was a surprise when we got him/we were told ‘puppy’ and got a 26kg animal who could put his front paws on your shoulders and lick you on the forehead

-likes to chew on electrical cords, has given me a heart attack more than once

-can crawl through or over any barrier, #demon

-likes to fall asleep with his head on your feet/resting against your ankle, or with a paw touching you. very affectionate.

-can be supremely frustrating, but then, so are kids

-has to be reassured when put in bed/crate for night, or in the bathroom (bc it’s easier than trying to move another dog outside with him free)

-ww’ll have to create a run and reinforce the fences before he can run free

-has been known to pull clothes off the line, for fun. doesn’t ruin them, just... takes them off. has no concept of ‘games’. will chase a thrown ball, but does not think to retrieve it. willow had the same issue, she learned to play when socialised with the other dogs living in the household, but he’s not ready for that yet. soon.

-loves all the other dogs 100% does not understand jumping on them (esp. blind foster doggo Debbie) does not gain their love (he is pure puppy, no training, no manners, nothing but continuous frantic need for approval... working on calming him down, he has done really well since arriving, able to sit and have little naps, and one-on-one training/affection)

-he will be the perfect addition to a family soon enough, he’s soft and loving, very energetic, playful and fun. just needs to stabilise, grow reassured that he doesn’t need to be so desperate for affection and anxious, and learn to sit/stay/play. etc.

it’s been a big week and money should grow on trees, gdi

[emilyjoymcdonald]

Winding Down

Hello, again!

It’s time for your “weekly” recap about my time here in sunny Merida, Mexico!

Week 6: As you already know, week 6 was a short one because of Carnaval on Monday and Tuesday. I was in the thick of my full-time teaching, and February 14 happened to fall on one of those days! I did this fun lesson with my kiddos where they listened to a song in English and used a worksheet to follow along with the lyrics and fill in the blanks that are missing. I remember doing this sort of activity in my Spanish classes in high school, and I always LOVED it! For my little ones, I chose the song “Taylor the Latte Boy.” If you haven’t heard this beaut, please look her up. It’s such a silly song about a girl that falls in love with her barista at Starbucks because he gave her an extra shot of espresso. Kristin Chenoweth is my hero. For my advanced kiddos, I introduced them to two types of love songs from Hamilton! Whenever I have an opportunity to combine my loves of Hamilton and teaching, I take it. They listened to “Helpless” and “Dear Theodosia.” It was challenging enough for them with new vocabulary and phrases in English that we could go over. One student told me that she was going to dance with her father at her quinceañera to “Dear Theodosia.” My heart melted to the floor. Another student told me that I had hooked her on Hamilton. If I didn’t accomplish anything at all in my entire student teaching experience, I know that I have succeeded in this child. Her life will be forever changed.

I’ve noticed that people LOVED to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Everyone had some sort of treat to give to everyone else. By the end of the day, I had gathered a cupcake, a few bars of chocolate, and two suckers! We even had a fun photo op in the English department!

I taught two other classes this week which were particularly enjoyable! I taught students how to write an autobiographical poem. I went through one about myself first, and then they followed my example and wrote one about themselves. I really loved hearing these kids pour themselves into a poem. I had them present their poems to the class if they wanted to, and they were so proud. I loved it! Another lesson I taught was a Mad Lib lesson. They had never heard of the fun Mad Lib game where you fill in blanks with parts of speech and other kinds of words to make a silly story. I was able to introduce it to them and we created a funny story together! It was great to see learning English be such an enjoyable experience for them!

That weekend, I FINALLY made it to the beach! Heidi, Michelle, Jenna, and Katie came with me to Progreso, and I WAS SO EXCITED! We spend the day splashing in the water and chatting to a kind man who spoke ELEVEN languages!! It was a BEAUTIFUL day, but we definitely got a tad pink.

On Sunday, we finally went to the English speaking church service at the church near my school. It was AWESOME. There were only gringos in the service, but it was such a cool thing to be able to worship in my own language again. I LOVED it. 

Week 7: I had my last three days of full-time teaching! On Monday, I gave a speech in their general honors assembly about Dutch culture in English. I’m fairly certain not a soul understood what I was saying, but it was cool to be able to participate in one of their traditions as a school.

Wednesday, my last day of full-time, was just the best day ever! So many wonderful things happened. Let me tell you about them!!

1. It was my last day of full-time teaching. That was exciting enough to get out of bed at 5:25 AM!

2. I saw two puppies in the park before school! One of them only had 3 legs. They were the cutest things, and if you know anything about me, seeing a dog can make my whole entire day. Let alone TWO dogs! Wowwie wow wow, my day was a goodie before 7 AM.

3. My students were angels today! How? I don’t even know. Even my most difficult class behaviorally was a dream. I was a little skeptical, but I was definitely fine with it! I even noticed how they were really soaking in what I was teaching them over the last 9 days especially. That’s such a satisfying feeling as a teacher.

4. In one of my classes, I was telling them common mistakes that were used in their oral presentations, and the students were just so invested in what I was saying. One student asked me how to pronounce the word “curtain.” Apparently it sounded SO silly to them and they just couldn’t stop laughing. It made me start laughing, and laughing just lifts my spirits in general. It was a lighthearted class!

5. One student gave me a thank you note she had decorated for me. She was thanking me for coming to her classes and helping her learn English. It was so sweet. Any moments like that warm my heart.

6. I treated myself to some yummy chicharrones after school. I happily ate them on the bus that was waiting for me at the bus stop (which it normally isn’t doing).

7. A stinkin’ cute baby was on the bus on her momma’s lap facing the back of the bus. I witnessed three people get on and off that sat behind this baby. I watched as they just couldn’t hold back smiles. All of them even began to make faces at the baby so she would laugh. It was so fun to see how much joy a baby can bring to a hustley bustley day.

8. Right after that, I looked out the window and saw ANOTHER baby in a park chasing a pigeon with arms wide open. It was precious and just made me joyful. BABIES BRING SO MUCH JOY TO THIS WORLD.

9. When I got home, I learned they had set up the pool on the balcony! I was so excited! The students were leaving for Chiapas on Friday, and I wanted something to do while they were gone. I wasn’t sure if it was going to go up quite yet, but they did it just for me! Thank you, Carlos!!

As you can tell, it was a lovely week!

To top things off, Jaime graduated from Marine boot camp on Friday! On Thursday, it was family day, so a lot of his friends and family were able to come and hang out with him for a few hours on base! I even got to call and say a quick hello. My mom was able to go to San Diego and surprise him, too! I was so thankful for that!

On Friday, he officially had graduated! I’m so dang proud of him and so thankful to be able to communicate with him in another format other than snail mail! It had been a long 13 weeks. I’m so proud of you, Jaime! I love you!

This weekend, I just had to wrap up loose ends with my student teaching requirements. I’m observed one last time on Monday, so I wrote a lesson for that day. Otherwise, I’ll be doing observing and phasing out for the rest of my time mostly. It’s crazy how fast this time has gone. However, I’m very ready to go home and hug my Marine, fam, and pupper.

*One funny tidbit from this weekend. I was craving movie theater popcorn, so I took a bus all the way out to the Altabrisa mall to get it at the movie theater for my supper. I proceeded to sit in the lobby eating my popcorn and apple pop. I’m sure I looked like such a lost gringa grande. One worker even came up to me and asked me in Spanish if I needed anything or if I was okay. (I think that’s what she said.) I kindly nodded and said thank you, but she definitely caught me off guard. I felt like I had to leave or something. I think she was worried about me. I found it slightly humorous, though. It was quite the mini adventure, though. :)

One last week!! HOW NUTSO IS THAT? I’ll make sure to write one last time. Talk soon!

-la gringa grande