Tuesday, July 11
Jul. 12th, 2023 02:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gottawonderToday I am grateful for:
Sunny, but cooler today since we had rain yesterday. It still felt muggy, but nice enough.
I got some decent sleep, which improved my outlook on life.
I went to see River.
I chatted with R, and they found a dog standing on the road on a recent family outing. They stopped to pick it up, and it was covered with what is likely mange, and was very dehydrated. R says she thinks the dog was not loose that long, because it's nails were not worn down. She has done a lot of work with rescues, and that is a known hallmark of a dog that has been at large for some time.
That means that the mange and general neglect was likely the fault of the owner, and the poor pup was likely dumped that day or so.
R says they are likely keeping it, as there was no microchip or other identification, though they will post the dog on some sites, just in case. There is no room at any of the local shelters, and she says that if it were taken to the animal control, they only hold a dog for seven days before it is put down (I really didn't know it was still this brutal).
She seemed a little daunted by needing to take it to the vet for treating the skin condition, but I am a little puzzled by that; would it really be that expensive beyond the cost of just having it examined? She's making it sound like it's a considerable expense.
She even mentioned that maybe she needs to have some kind of fundraiser to cover the costs.
So, that actually bothers me that she would say this. It is her family's decision to care for this dog, which is very kind of them, but her personal family animals are not the responsibility of her CLIENTS.
If she holds any kind of fundraiser, it is kind of manipulative, as it is not an easy thing to say NO to your riding coach who is looking after your horse.
It is a bit like if your employer started asking the employees if they would like to buy cookies to support his daughter going to band camp this summer. No anonymity there at all, and really quite a thing to ask of employees.
I've rescued animals too, and I didn't start asking friends to help pay for the costs.
I could see asking for help if the amount was for something extraordinary, like the dog was found after being hit by a car and needed immediate surgery that was going to cost thousands of dollars or something, but taking a dog to the vet for mange treatment should be only a couple of hundred dollars.
It would even be different if she was really only treating the dog with the intention of re-homing it, but she made it sound like they intended to keep it.
Just uncomfortable.
I am very glad she's helping it, but I shouldn't have to help her pay for it. It's not like I would get a tax deduction for helping her out.
Moving on.
River did pretty well today, and I tried SO HARD to focus on the constructive criticism offered by the judge of the equitation class; don't lower my arms at the walk, keep my legs correct, not creeping back or down when I'm tired, and GET SOME IMPULSION.
Same focus with Liberty work; get a real trot going.
Sigh.
Then I came home, let everyone out for a while, and ...pulled more weeds in the garden. Great, big, healthy Canada Thistles. It just isn't a proper day without pulling giant thistles, is it.
Then I came in and worked on a watercolor. I bought a bigger size pad of paper a few days ago, as I am determined to start making bigger paintings. I tend to work on pretty small paper a lot, which is okay, but makes for pretty small works that get lost on a wall.
The one I did today was okay, it is my typical "placeholder", go-to kind of image that I seem to do whenever I don't really have a specific goal. It is a simple forest.
I will have to do a few kind of no-brainers so that I can get used to working with that format.
I learned that Pandas never seem to form strong bonds with human handlers. They are by nature extremely solitary animals that don't have family units outside of the mother raising the young, who go their separate ways. The parents do not raise the young together, and there are no social groups. They form some connections to handlers because of food, but do not show affection or being happy to see their handlers. It is just not in their nature.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/its-easy-fall-love-panda-do-they-love-us-back-180962106/
Sunny, but cooler today since we had rain yesterday. It still felt muggy, but nice enough.
I got some decent sleep, which improved my outlook on life.
I went to see River.
I chatted with R, and they found a dog standing on the road on a recent family outing. They stopped to pick it up, and it was covered with what is likely mange, and was very dehydrated. R says she thinks the dog was not loose that long, because it's nails were not worn down. She has done a lot of work with rescues, and that is a known hallmark of a dog that has been at large for some time.
That means that the mange and general neglect was likely the fault of the owner, and the poor pup was likely dumped that day or so.
R says they are likely keeping it, as there was no microchip or other identification, though they will post the dog on some sites, just in case. There is no room at any of the local shelters, and she says that if it were taken to the animal control, they only hold a dog for seven days before it is put down (I really didn't know it was still this brutal).
She seemed a little daunted by needing to take it to the vet for treating the skin condition, but I am a little puzzled by that; would it really be that expensive beyond the cost of just having it examined? She's making it sound like it's a considerable expense.
She even mentioned that maybe she needs to have some kind of fundraiser to cover the costs.
So, that actually bothers me that she would say this. It is her family's decision to care for this dog, which is very kind of them, but her personal family animals are not the responsibility of her CLIENTS.
If she holds any kind of fundraiser, it is kind of manipulative, as it is not an easy thing to say NO to your riding coach who is looking after your horse.
It is a bit like if your employer started asking the employees if they would like to buy cookies to support his daughter going to band camp this summer. No anonymity there at all, and really quite a thing to ask of employees.
I've rescued animals too, and I didn't start asking friends to help pay for the costs.
I could see asking for help if the amount was for something extraordinary, like the dog was found after being hit by a car and needed immediate surgery that was going to cost thousands of dollars or something, but taking a dog to the vet for mange treatment should be only a couple of hundred dollars.
It would even be different if she was really only treating the dog with the intention of re-homing it, but she made it sound like they intended to keep it.
Just uncomfortable.
I am very glad she's helping it, but I shouldn't have to help her pay for it. It's not like I would get a tax deduction for helping her out.
Moving on.
River did pretty well today, and I tried SO HARD to focus on the constructive criticism offered by the judge of the equitation class; don't lower my arms at the walk, keep my legs correct, not creeping back or down when I'm tired, and GET SOME IMPULSION.
Same focus with Liberty work; get a real trot going.
Sigh.
Then I came home, let everyone out for a while, and ...pulled more weeds in the garden. Great, big, healthy Canada Thistles. It just isn't a proper day without pulling giant thistles, is it.
Then I came in and worked on a watercolor. I bought a bigger size pad of paper a few days ago, as I am determined to start making bigger paintings. I tend to work on pretty small paper a lot, which is okay, but makes for pretty small works that get lost on a wall.
The one I did today was okay, it is my typical "placeholder", go-to kind of image that I seem to do whenever I don't really have a specific goal. It is a simple forest.
I will have to do a few kind of no-brainers so that I can get used to working with that format.
I learned that Pandas never seem to form strong bonds with human handlers. They are by nature extremely solitary animals that don't have family units outside of the mother raising the young, who go their separate ways. The parents do not raise the young together, and there are no social groups. They form some connections to handlers because of food, but do not show affection or being happy to see their handlers. It is just not in their nature.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/its-easy-fall-love-panda-do-they-love-us-back-180962106/
no subject
Date: 2023-07-12 08:34 pm (UTC)The thistles are out in force this year. Though I have none, the elderly neighbours do, so I pull them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltRoUcJLgX0
no subject
Date: 2023-07-13 04:29 am (UTC)The article I posted was from Smithsonian....? Oh well. Internet.