Winter Activities

In two days it will be December and therefore undeniably winter. I don't hate winter but am not a big fan of it either. I prefer to be cold than hot, but the degree to which it gets cold here in Canada, Ottawa to be specific, is almost unbearable at times. This year I am going to try an take in the winter activities a bit more than I have in the past but don't really know everything there is to do in the winter months. I know there is skating on the canal and Winterlude when it comes in February, but that is pretty much all I know. What do you enjoy doing during winter in Ottawa? I am also looking to practice my photography during the winter. I have very few winter pictures as I tend not to want to go out when it is that cold and am not the greatest at dealing with the white-white snow. Is there any place in Ottawa that you know of that looks really great and prestine during the winter months?

Pup Scouting Continued

I contacted a few of the breeders and got a reply from one so far. I learned some valuable information the most intriguing of which is the fact that I had the purchase price wrong. I thought it would cost about $2000 for a soft-coated wheaten terrier but in fact it is only about $1200 with papers, first shots and deworming. This is much cheaper than my original price range and is therefore wonderful.

I also learned that though most breeders have waiting lists, your place therein does not necessarily depict when you will receive a puppy. Most of the breeders place dogs with a family that suits that specific dog's personality and you can therefore be moved around the list. This would be good for me as I believe I would come across as a loving, compassionate owner who would take very good care of a puppy and as I don't think I can really go signing up on lists now, I would be later on the list that I would really want to be.

Anyway, point of this blog: soft-coated wheaten terriers are cheaper in Ottawa than I though they were and that is fabulous!

Note: Image found on puppydogweb.com

After My Own Heart

Now this is a photo after my own heart. A rare (and lovable) animal (echidna to be precise, one of the only two egg laying mammals in the world [monotreme]) investigating a great SLR camera (despite the fact that it is a Canon). So adorable.

Note: image taken from Cute Overload.

1111

I checked my blog this morning to see if there were any new comments and noticed that the visitor counter was at 1111. Is this the same as seeing 11:11 on the clock? Do I get a wish? One would think because this only happens once I would get a big wish. If so, I wish for ... will it come true if I say it? I will hint...

Pup Scouting

During my last trip to Chris’ cottage I fell in love with a breed of dog – the soft coated wheaten terrier. Her family friends have one named Kailey (not sure on the spelling) and she was absolutely adorable. I love terriers but the thing that makes this one perfect (I think so at least) for me and Dave is that it is not a small dog. They are about 30-45lbs and therefore classified as a medium dog. Wheatens were originally bred in Ireland to be all purpose farm dogs. They tend not to be as aggressive as other terriers and I have been told that they have a tendency to not bark but rather communicate their needs in other ways such as nuzzling. They are keen jumpers and unless trained not to will jump up on people when they first meet them (in a kind playful manner though). This is often referred to as the “Wheaten Greetin” which I think is really cute. There are four varieties of wheatens: Traditional Irish, Heavy Irish, English and American. The differences between the different varieties has to do with their coat colour for the most part, however, the American breed is prone to more diseases and illnesses then the other varieties. Wheatens are hypoallergenic and like Yorkshire Terriers, do not shed, which is ideal for our living style and we don’t want to have to vacuum on a regular basis. They are playful and energetic and generally adorable. There are of course the many cross-breeds but who cares about those when the original is just so ideal.
There are a few breeders around, 3 of which are right here in the Ottawa region (as a matter of fact, one is ten minutes from our house). I want to start communicating with the breeders to find out prices and estimated dates of litters, etc. I would only purchase one from a reputable breeder and luckily enough, the 3 that are in this area are not only registered with the Canadian Kennel Club, but also with Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier Association of Canada. They are also active senior members of the Ottawa Association and I believe one of them is the president. I would feel safe purchasing a dog from one of these breeders, even though it would cost more to do so. My parents believe Eddy had his genetic disease due to poor breeding and possible inbreeding and the best way to avoid that is to go to a reputable source who shows their dogs and therefore has to have legal pedigrees with all their dogs. In case you can’t tell by now, I am very excited about this. I have done tons of research and want to take the next step and talk to breeders. I feel I could care for this breed of dog quite well and I know I would love it more than anyone else possibly could. Now I just need to get Dave on board with me for getting one in the new year (I would prefer now, but it just doesn’t make sense with our travel plans for December and how much attention and stability a puppy needs).
Note: images from wikipedia (top) and Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier Association of Canada (bottom).

Site Visits

I have two site visits this week and then an unknown number coming up in the weeks before Christmas. DST has some major projects coming our way and everyone will be doing site visits which means I will be getting tons of really great experience. In fact there are so many site visits to be done that my boss is sending out our AutoCADD technician as a field technician. I am both nervous and excited about the site visits - I want the experience and know-how but really don't want to screw up.

Polling Station

So I had a great idea for a new poll but then lost it and can’t come up with a good one since. Or it could be that the one I had wasn’t that great to begin with and I can’t come up with anything good at all. So it will probably be a few days until I can think of something decent enough to put up for my November poll, but if I can’t think of something soon I will put anything up.

While we are speaking of polls however, today is Election Day for the US. I am so excited to get Bush out of the Whitehouse once and for all. How that man stayed in power for so long is beyond me. I am routing for Obama, which if you knew me at all would be quite obvious - I don’t think the two party system in the states is all that great, but I am definitely a democrat when forced to choose one over the other. This has been the longest and most expensive election in the history of America and I am really hoping that something positive and historic comes out of all this time and money. Although, no matter who wins history will be made either the first African American president or the first female vice president. If you are American – get out and vote today and have a say in your country. The Canadians had a record low for our recent election, but it was a waste of time and money since there was very little chance of anything significant changing. You Americans, however, have the possibility for so much positive change and therefore should have a record high for voter turnout – go prove my theory right!