Tuesday
OK, I lied. Just puppy stuff. Not ready to vent about the human stuff just yet. (I did, after a couple of days, get back to it.)
Ember: See my pretty bandana, Prisoner? I got my groom on today while I was at day care!
Prisoner: What? Are you back already? I thought I had more time to own the house!
Mom: You came home with your harness on upside down again, Ember.
It was the alternate harness, mind, and more folks have trouble figuring it out, but the problem is still the same. The Tuesday version had her chest strap over her shoulders, her belly strap across her chest, and her shoulder strap under her belly.
Such a good girl. She greeted the kitty but did not harass him.
As close as we got to a "pose" after day care. "Really, Mom, why isn't supper coming faster?"
At "last call" on the day of grooming, what do we do? Lay down in the dirt, of course! And chew on a BIG stick. That thing has lasted as a toy for over two weeks now. Last call is now light enough for outdoor photography, too. It's definitely Spring as far as the sun is concerned.
Wednesday
No run with Scott (we knew this a week ago, that he had out of town things to do today). No afternoon puppy parade, either. As it turns out, Ember and I had taken the longest walk on leash that we have in a while. 1.27 miles Wednesday morning.
She got balky the final three blocks, and I expended more treats to jolly her along the rest of the way home. There were lots of distractions: other people, other dogs, street traffic.
I did get her bandana off Wednesday morning before that walk. Tony does tie great knots. It took me three minor sessions to finish the job.
Thursday
OK, I'm finally ready to dispassionately vent about my human stuff. On Wednesday I took the burnt-out TV to Best Buy to recycle it. I was confident that they would take it, because I bought it from them and it's a flat-screen smart TV. I was informed by the young man at the front of the store that since it wasn't their house brand TV they would charge me $30 to recycle it! That's 25% of what I paid for it to begin with! I was not a happy camper. As I was standing in line behind another upset customer, another youngster told me I could set the TV down on the counter while I waited.
Well! I continued my slow boil. I'm usually pretty compliant about just about everything. I'm a rule-follower. But when the same young man who had met me at the front of the store came and was going to take down the information and charge me the money, I protested. I said it wasn't right. And I turned on my heel without giving him my name, started to walk away. He said something about what about the TV? "I'm just going to leave it right there," I responded, walked out of the store, got into my car, and drove off.
I was still that upset when I got home and messaged the small family group: "If you see my picture on Crime Stoppers"... and told them what I had done. I suppose they could come after me for littering, abandoning this non-functional piece of equipment. But it's their problem now, deciding how much effort to put into chasing down the old lady who had reached her limit and was protesting by walking out. They had not yet performed any service, so it can't be "theft of services".
After sleeping on it, and getting some nice cuddle time with Ember, I'm back in balance and can laugh over the experience. But it was stressful at the time.
Oh, to add to the giggle collection, the day care put Ember's "Easy Walk" harness on at the end of the day so wrong I had to laugh.
The giggle part about this is that despite essentially wearing a "collar" around her belly, not a full harness, she walked nicely outside the building, sat on the sidewalk, and accepted pets from a family coming in to collect their own dog, including two children.
Add to that, she jumped right on into the car to the "load up" command!
She licked the platter clean for supper. She fetched the dummy rope toy for me a few times in the back yard, and she cuddled up on the couch before willingly going into her crate before "last call".
My princess / diva /baby is slowly growing up, and I have my fingers crossed for the next lab phase: "best dog ever!"
Life is good. Keep on Sparking!
Sounds like quite the week with Ember and your human stuff! That Best Buy experience definitely sounds frustrating, but hey, at least you got a good story out of it, right? And Ember, bless her heart, rocking that upside-down harness like it's the latest fashion trend. Glad you're finding the humor in it all now!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your day! (((BIG HUGS)))
Sometimes humor is the best defense. The family says that was so out of character for me, that they definitely got the giggles over the Big Box store incident.
DeleteIs it possible, when you pick her up from day care, to remove the harness and put it on correctly while the staff watches? You don't have to say anything to them, just readjust it. If it's the same staff each time, eventually they should get it. They HAVE to realize it's not correct when they put it on her. Why don't they ask??
ReplyDeleteGood customer service has gone the way of good manners. I'm surprised the other customers didn't cheer for you when you made your exit. Good for you!
Enjoy your day! 🤗💖
What a great idea to correct it while the worker is there to watch. One impediment to that is how busy they get at drop off and pick up time. The last thing I want is for her to get loose and be running around the lobby where there are other dogs and other owners, or worse in the parking lot yikes!
DeleteI would wish I was as brave to walk away like you did. I think that was a wonderful way of dealing with the whole mess. The harness thing is kinda odd considering they handle lots of dogs at their daycare. I wonder why this harness gives them such a challenge. I, too, wonder why they don't ask. Great pictures! Have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteAs I said it was very much out of character for me. But in retrospect I feel good about it. I sort of understand the confusion about the harness. These are young workers, seriously, and if they have not encountered one before of this sort I can see they might be confused. It always seems to be a different young worker that has found a new and inventive way to get it wrong.
DeleteIt is usually so busy at pickup time at that place, that I pointed out to the worker when I get her to the car, I haven't yet interactively changed it because I don't want her running across the parking lot while we attempt to make the change. But that is a great idea.
PHOENIX1949
ReplyDeleteIn "Fried Green Tomatoes," "Towanda" is the name Idgie, a character, uses for her assertive, warrior-like alter ego, symbolizing her defiance and strength. Amused and proud of you for speaking out and leaving the TV behind.
Spouse challenged with KC's harness which I usually have to redo. Good thing we don't take it off often and the mobile groomer is an expert on harnesses of all types.
CT Scan results GREAT so another round of treatments start next Thursday, followed by an evaluation in June -- hopeful that I will have a six-month period before next round. Tumor removed in February reset the time clock for two years clear from most recent one.
90F here yesterday. Think we skipped over Spring.
Enjoy the Amber photos and stories.
Susan
Oh my goodness. I had forgotten the Towanda personality in Fried Green Tomatoes!
Delete"...reset the time clock for two yers clear from most recent one" not too clear when I reread it. From February 2025 - February 2027 I will need regular monitoring and followup before being released back to PCP.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clarification Susan. Far too many people that I know are in similar shoes to yours. Prayers on your behalf and theirs. Grateful for the most recent scans that allowed treatment to continue.
DeleteAwwww, LOVE Ember’s bandana. At least she’ll keep it on awhile! Miss Lilly never wil.
ReplyDeleteHappy that Ember greeted the Prisoner w/o harassing ! Victory.
OF COURSE, it’s mandatory to roll in the dirt or at least in the grass to smell right again! Miss Lilly told me so.
OMG! That young man was rude. Good for you walking out and leaving that TV behind. Did NOT see you on Crime Stoppers, so that’s a good thing. I have bail money buried in the back yard. LOL
Well, despite the errant harness placement, Ember did good getting into the car on command! Go Ember!
HUGS and hope it’s a good weekend.
Barb
1cd
LoL... Now I know who to contact for my bail money. Seriously the mythical son says "they don't pay those workers enough for them to worry about you walking out".
DeleteOh, you little rebel you!! :D I totally get why you walked away sans tv. It's annoying when places charge more and more for poor or no service. Add that to wrangling a tv from home to store, understanding that the store would recycle it only to find out it was a sort of bait and switch. I'm glad you've gotten over it.
ReplyDeleteThe harness ... too funny. They can be hard to decipher until getting accustomed to them, especially if the dog is wiggly. (Ours always were, because the harness usually meant Grandma and Grandpa's or the park for a walk.) Thank goodness Miss Ember does what she knows even if it's not on correctly. So glad you're both hitting your stride in the training/maturing phase.
Since they care for multiple dogs, and those dogs have a variety of gear, I think they do a pretty good job of trying to leave the leash attached to the harness to give them a clue as to how to put it back on. The tricky bit with this harness and for that matter the other harness too is that I clip her on the chest at the front not on the top. If you're going to have a dog full of sled you want a top clip harness. But if you just want them to turn and look at you the front clip works well for loose leash walking.
DeletePS: Is there some way to label the harness "around neck" or "around chest" with a little piece of fabric until the daycare workers get the hang of it? It seems like it would be a bit uncomfortable for Miss Ember, especially that one that was kind of squished around her shoulders. Free advice, so consider it's worth.
ReplyDeleteLoL... I believe the harness came with the straps labeled, but those labels have long since worn off. This is the older harness, and I've been using it to give her a rest from the big one that has resulted in a couple of rub spots.
DeleteCracking up about all the money spent on toys and she plays with the stick. Kind like giving kids an empty box for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteYou go, girl. Sometimes a venting is necessary foe rebalancing the world.
I think I need a whole lot of company in the venting to "make a difference"! You up for it, Girlfriend?
Delete