Just Stop.

Some times, sometimes you have to just stop, you know? Just. Stop.

Yes, it's Nunavut. Yes there's a limited degree of "hustle and bustle" here to begin with. But it's amazing how hard it is to forget everything else and just stop for a bit. Just for a little while. Just stop.

I left work this evening just before 11PM. I was tired. I was droopy-eyed, I was ready for bed. I went outside to start the work truck, visions of sugarplums just moments from dancing above my head ... only to discover the truck wouldn't start. Battery's dead.

I considered my options. 1.) Go to the Red Top, buy some spark plugs, install them in my skidoo and drive home. 2.) Go to the Red Top, get cash back and call a cab (hoping they'd still be running). 3.) Walk the 20 minutes home.

For some reason, maybe just wanting to be done with the day, I decided to take the shortest (though by no means quickest) route. And I walked.

It was a coldish night. Sitting still at -30. And I hit the trail at a good pace, my warm breath making icicles out of my eyelashes and fur-trimmed hood. Without my iPod to distract me I was left with only my own thoughts for company. And before I knew it, I was just steps away from home. As I made the final approach, I unzipped my jacket just past my chin and flipped my hood back, shaking my hair loose.

I made a little turn before I climbed the stairs, and a wisp of smoke caught my eye. I followed it with my eyes, and then my whole head, cranked up towards the night sky. That wisp of smoke joined its friends in the most spectacular show of Northern Lights I've ever seen in Rankin.

It was like the northern lights were their own dynamic constellation. Or maybe a galaxy of sorts. As I watched, the little beams swirled around themselves; some times forming little milky ways, and other, delicate strands of green light. Before my eyes, one of the little green hurricanes of light wound itself so tight, pale shades of pink began to shine through. The pink began to escape from the eye of the storm, marching down, fading out into green, and finally dissapating to dark night sky.

I ran into the house to grab my camera my tripod, my puppy and out we went. I got my first photos of the Aurora, thanks to Mini Spy Cam. We spent the next half hour freezing and photographing. Though puppy doesn't have opposable thumbs, so he mostly did the freezing part.

As always, these photos haven't been altered in any way from how I took them. Just compressed so they'd upload easier to Blogger.

Admittedly, pictures and words do the Aurora no justice. Only when you see them can you really appreciate their beauty. But so often we don't see them, because we're too busy zooming home, the last thought in our minds being the night sky, and the treasures it holds.

Sometimes you have to just remind yourself to stop. Stop and... well if not smell the roses, then stop and appreciate the world for its beauty. Just stop.


Happy 500th blog post "The North is My Snowcone." It's been a slice.

Sulky Sully

I swear.

Ever since I got back from Mexico, the pup has been SO MUCH MORE NEEDY than ever before. Its like he had a serious, chronic, case of separation anxiety when I was gone, and now he needs to be near me at EVERY GIVEN MOMENT just to make sure I don't sneak off again.

Seriously.

I sit on my bed. He follows.

I sit on the couch to watch TV... he rests his noggin on my knee.

I use my laptop, and he nudges my hands off the keyboard, and sticks his nose on the handrest.

I make a move towards my parka, and he starts barking like the calvary are coming or some nonsense.

Granted, it's kind of adorable. Normally he'd just bounce around my apartment until I had been driven sufficently crazy, and sent him to "his room." I like that he is spending quality bouncing time with me. It makes me happy.

But dude. When I jingle my keys cuz I'm going to get some pop from the store room... the barking REALLY isn't necessary.

Sincerely,

Your owner and food-supplier,

Jackie S. Quire.

A secret rawhide mountain

It's that time again... time for a puppy story!

But first, some eye candy:


Turns out my pup is a bit of a picky eater. Granted, he'll eat anything I drop on the floor... and only this morning he climbed up on the arm of the couch, reached over and STOLE a fried egg off my plate that was resting on the windowsill (I had hoped) out of reach. But when it comes to treats, he's notoriously picky. Milkbones? Not a chance. I have had the same little box of Milk Bones since he was a puppy over a year ago. These faux-chocolate treats Laura got him last year at Christmas... well he's still not finished them all.

But if there's anything he loves, it's rawhide bones.

Yep, these suckers:


He mows through them... but as I've learned in the past week or so... he only eats part of the bones... and then hides the rest of it for a rainy day. I don't think I've given him a rawhide bone since I got back, but every now and then he'll duck out of sight, and come back munching a linty, half-chewed, often folded-over foul-looking scrap of a rawhide bone.

I don't know, or WANT to know where the hell he's keeping them. I have a sneaking suspicion there's a stash under my (and the spare room) bed.

But at least he's not wasteful... I guess.

Strange animal.

Preparations continue...

Okay, yes I've been slacking on my blogging duties. But there's a good reason:



If you have ANY IDEA how hard it is to type without a space bar, you should feel very sympathetic right now. Because it's pretty near god-damn impossible to do. Instead of having this three-and-a-half inch button that you gently tap to get a space in-between every word...

YOU HAVE THIS LITTLE 5-MILLIMETER NUBBIN THAT YOU HAVE TO HIT SQUARE ON THE NOSE.

So yah, don't think I'm a bad blogger, just think how much it sucks that we don't have a computer repair place in Rankin. And the dumbest part of all? It came off because of that stupid little insignificant white hair you see in the photo.

Sully's of course, and I took off the space bar to clean underneath it, and now I can't get it back on again. GRRR. Trust me, it's harder than you think.

But on to the real entry...

So it took a couple weeks, but my vacation is now more or less together, and I'm just fixing up dinner arrangements and the like.

Unfortunately, despite all my nagging, bribing, and offering of totally-inappropriate sexual favours, the condiment reunion didn't come together (which reminds me, Kara, I still have to answer your question... that will be my next post, I promise!).

Which is too bad, for many reasons... but there's nothing to do but whine about it, and I think the girls feel guilty enough as is.

So after much humming and hawing...

I'm headed on my very first all-inclusive vacation to the pacific coast of Mexico in just 19 days!!!! Eeee!

Yep, I gave in. I spend WEEKS bitching about how expensive all the vacations were... and how they charge that "you suck for travelling by yourself" penalty fee... but when it came down to it, and I did the math, flying to a city and staying in a 1-star hotel (aka hostel with private room) was going to cost the same as going to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. And that's not counting meals. Or any activities.

So instead, I've chosen to be pampered and hassle-free for a week. I can't freakin' wait.

I'll be honest, I really need this vacation. Some junk has been piling up over here in Rankin and I was VERY NEAR a burnout-and-leave earlier in December. I *think* (and hope) that the worst is over, but I feel like in the process I let a bunch of people down, and shirked on some of my commitments. I'm sorry to those it affected, but I need to put me first for a little bit. I hope to come back refreshed and with a more positive outlook.

ANYWAYS, most everything is figured out. I leave on the 16th from Rankin (a friday), meet and greet and have dinner with Madam Megan over in the snow-covered-hills, spend the night with JS v.1.0 (I'm JS v.2.0 - natch) then get on another plane bound for Edmonton in the early-AM. Then I spend from 8:30-5:30 at the Edmonton Airport (not sure what the hell I'll do then, but somehow getting my laptop space bar repaired is on the top of my list) and then I fly direct to Puerto Vallarta, arrive at almost-midnight... then hop on a bus and drive to my little resort in Rincon de Guayabitos - on the beach in a "fishing village".

I'm there until the next Sunday when I leave at 1am direct to Edmonton... arrive in the wee hours of the morning. I then plan to rent a car for the day, spend the night with my cousin and her son, do some damage at the West Edmonton Mall... and call it a day, before heading back to Rankin and work on Monday the 26th.

A week on the beach, good food and good friends ... and I should come back to Skankin' Rankin a much happier person. Horray!

And, obligatory puppy photo - in a rare "sleepy" moment.

A new addition...

Don't freak out. No fetus here! (Though the way things are going in the Northern blogging world, I can understand why you'd think this).

Nope, I'm petsitting... again. But this time I am THRILLED about it.

A friend-of-a-friend has a little black shih-tzu named Buddy and he and Sully are as thick as theives. I normally don't relish the idea of a second dog (not without a yard of some sort and/or more temperate climates) but any time these two get together I ACHE for a little Buddy of our own.

Buddy is the cutest dog of all time. Well, you can't really see what he looks like because he's got so much fur/hair... but he ACTS cute. He cuddles like a cat, and will do anything you want... and even knows tricks! My favourite is (insert annoying high-pitched voice) "what do you do" - - he rolls over!

Sully is NOT a very rolly puppy. Sully is a rigid dog. So really Buddy is Sully's opposite.

Also, Buddy is not house trained. He is pad-trained (so was Sully for the longest time), but my goal is to return the dog moderately house-trained. I figure if ONE is trained, the other will follow that good influence.

But admittedly, my dog psychology is a bit rusty.

Obligatory photo:

Life's hard

I'm having a life-conflict right now.
I've been given the choice to leave my job and move back down south and for a variety of reasons turned it down.
Lack of a job on the other end is one reason, the boy is another, but overall while I have my moments (and right now is one of them) ... I am not ready to leave.

So I've worked my ass off this past week, "trying to make it work" and external forces are not making it easy on me.
And I may or may not have come to a breaking point.

Someone treated me unfairly today. This is not the first time, nor do I expect it to be the last. But it was just so uncalled for.
I asked a favour, and exhausted all other options before asking said favour, and I got shat on.
And it's just so unfair.
In a rare moment of assertion, I stood up for myself, but I really don't know if it did any good. I don't feel like it did.

All I can say, is thank goodness for Sully.
I walked in the door this afternoon, tears in my eyes and that little waggy tail made me smile so hard they dropped down my cheeks.
I probably don't treat him as good as I should. I should probably take him on more walks.
But he doesn't care. He just loves me unconditionally as long as I feed him and let him out to pee. Why can't everyone be like that?

I think I'm going to go give him a hug.

Obligatory photos

First, Where's Kitty? (variation on Where's Waldo, of course)


Second, Puppy on Halloween. He went as Air Bud

Third, my new drawing. Which I love even more now than I did 20 minutes ago. For no good reason, I just love it.

Save me from the furry things!

It's official.

The animals are out to get me.

Okay Mom. Here's where you stop reading the blog.

Okay. No. You can read the next two sentences or so which state NO I HAVE NOT GOTTEN ANOTHER DOG.

Instead I am pet-sitting.

(Okay, I think she's gone now)





Okay, everyone else, I am typing the following with in good faith that you all will not contact my mother to tell her that I have been pet-sitting Jeff's cat since he left... and she's still here.

Not that I'd be surprised if she knew, because the stupid feline keeps meowing any time I'm on the phone with Mom.

Anyways. So Puppy and Kitty have been co-existing for the past month+ (really? That long? Wow.) For the first two-ish weeks I hardly saw her. She never came out before 9-ish and even then just to eat and then go hide again. Which was great for me. I'm actually (normally) deathly allergic to cats (this is why mother can NEVER KNOW). But for some reason, I have either grown out of it, or I've met 2 cats now that I'm not actually allergic to.

So all was quiet for the first couple weeks. But now puppy and kitty are friends. It took awhile, but it's happened. And it's as an unlikely... and unfortuneate partnership as they come. Why? Because Kitty is EVIL.

Case #1.)
When? Constantly, but mostly the second/third week of pet sitting
Where? The puppy's area
Why? Who the hell knows
What? Kitty jumps over into Puppy's area. He gets excited. Comes over to investigate. Kitty is not impressed. Kitty hisses. Puppy trots away to the bed I made FOR HIM. Kitty decides to be evil. When Puppy gets up to check out Ball (which has been there on the ground, across the room for YEARS, but he only finds interesting SOMETIMES), Kitty springs into action. She streaks across the laundry room/pen and plunks herself down ON PUPPY'S BED. Then when Puppy comes back to his bed, she hisses at him.

That's right. She ENTERS HIS AREA. She HISSES at him. She SLEEPS IN HIS BED. And then HISSES AT HIM EVEN MORE.

Case #2.)
When? Last week (we're now probably in week 5 of pet-sitting)
Where? Puppy's pen, again
Why? Because Kitty's EVIL, possibly hungry, but DEFINITELY very sneaky
What? Kitty jumps into pen. Says "hi" to Puppy (They sniff and 'wreasle' with each other). Looks in Puppy's food bowl. Sees no food (no surprise, Puppy eats food VERY fast, it's like a hot-dog-eating-contest but with kibble). PRIES OPEN CUPBOARD WHERE I KEEP PUPPY'S DRY FOOD. TEARS OPEN BAG. And proceeds to feed herself AND puppy a late-night snack.

I could have sworn when I caught them the second time (yes, this happens often) that I saw her PICK UP a piece of dog food with her paw and FEED IT to puppy. But maybe I was hallucinating. That's pretty freakin' weird.

Yes, this cat likes dog food. I thought cat's were supposed to be PICKY EATERS?

Case #3.)
When? Wednesday night
Where? Puppy's pen (see a pattern?)
Why? Because Kitty is feeling restless (and because I didn't feed her immediately - - my bad).
What? Again with the food. Kitty jumps into Puppy's pen. Spies the half-empty can of dog food that I forgot to put back in the fridge. KNOCKS the can off the counter with such ENTHUSIASM that she actually DENTS it.

Yah.

And all night, the cat's been tearing around the house like Tom Cruise in Risky Business... and I keep hearing noises that sound eerily like pop cans being opened, and carbon dioxide escaping. So enough blogging, I have to go take care of the zoo.

But first, a photo:

My dog is SMART: S-M-R-T

1. A year ago, probably longer, I placed the inner leaf from my dining room table across the entry way to my laundry room. At the time, puppy was small. Very small. He couldn't even climb up stairs by himself. He did not jump over. Now puppy is bigger. He still doesn't not jump over the divider. The divider is short enough that the puppy CAN jump. I've seen it. It happens every day when I put his leash on, and take him outside. He jumps over, he jumps back. Then the leash comes off. And he stays inside. He CAN jump, he just chooses NOT to.
2. Puppy hates the rain. Not the snow. Just the rain. I don't think he likes the bitter cold much either. How do I know this? Because when it rains, or when it's unbearably cold, Sully hides under my front steps (sometimes actually burrowing down INTO THE GROUND) and loses all control over his waste functions. It's sooo frustrating. But he's not really losing control over his bladder/sphincter (wow, never thought I'd work THAT word into my blog ramblings). No, my dog is being passive-aggressive. You see, he's SHOWING ME that he doesn't have to use the washroom, by DOING IT IN THE HOUSE. "C huuman? I no has 2 P N E more"
3. A variation on point #2: sometimes, if I catch him before he graces the house with his bodily functions, and take him outside, but think it's too freaking cold to go out myself... he'll just sit on the top step. And whine. Such a painful noise. But he won't actually MOVE DOWN THE STEPS TO TAKE A SHIT until I come outside too. Misery loves company.
   

So yah, my dog may not be able to do all those circus tricks like "shake" or "roll over" but he IS capable of thinking at a higher level.

Or so I tell myself.

Four things

First - I provide the following without comment, and for your consideration. Oh. Except for this comment: Sounds a lot like recent happenings with First Air.

Second - HOLY CROW I THINK MY STATCOUNTER IS BROKEN. As I write this, 585 people have read by blog ... TODAY. And it's only 10 am!!!!!! It will be interesting to see how this whole Spark thing influences my daily readership after things settle down. But for now, check this out:


Now the one thing I DID notice is that I have VERY FEW returning visitors. Which makes me a little le sad. Hopefully people will come by again - if nothing else than to admire my totally swank new header. Because it's a work of art. Literally.

Third - I hate puppies. Okay, no. That's a lie. I love puppies, therefore I must hate puppies. Because if I don't hate puppies, I will beg/borrow/steal my way into having a second one. And that's probably the least sensible thing ever.

Fourth - I GOT MY TRAVEL INSURANCE CHEQUE YESTERDAY! This is a big moment. The boy and I have been filling out paperwork and harassing Manulife for MONTHS now, following the Greecian Holiday Baggage Fiasco. Now I'm going to have to go back into my files and double check, because I'm pretty sure they short-changed me. But I'm not even sure if it's worth fighting. I'm just SO TIRED of trying to get money from people, be they insurance co's or dentists. What I really need is one of those dealies where THEY pay for it up front. NO more of this "I'll pay for it first and then maybe you'll give me my money back"

-30-

Alive and kickin'

Reader asks: Let's talk about that photo! Horizontal does not translate well into vertical. Caption: Dead man holding dog! Maybe if you checked deeper into your files you could find something that would indicate to your blogger buddies that the old man is still on the green side of mother earth.

Okay, okay. I just thought it was cute that the puppy and the father were hanging out. I still think it is cute. So I'm going to post another father-puppy photo.

Geeez guys...

Let meeee call myyyy girrrrlfriend in peace!



Has anyyyone seeeen my reetaiiiner?



I'm the preeesident of the A-V club *snicker*


(When reading this, insert voice of Neil Goldman from Family guy)

Fat puppy

Fat Dog:






















Photo by: Sara Dea, who I went to school with at Carleton


VS.


Skinny Sully

Post-op

As I sit writing this, I've got my laptop on one knee...

And my puppy resting on the other.

So Sully had THE BIG OPERATION yesterday, and of course bounced back immediately. The only thing he's been dealing with is how to sit down now that he's got a sore bum. So he kind of does this funny little shuffle thing and spreads his legs before settling down on the floor. He's been spending a lot of time on the bed I made him though. It's softer, and easier on the behind I gather.

I was told to keep the little guy from jumping around too much, but that's like near impossible... so I just try not to excite him too much. But if he wants to jump up on the couch, face it, it's going to happen.

Tonite it's just the two of us, laying in bed. I don't normally let the dog sleep with me, but I think both of us could use the company. The other boy in my life leaves for another week of duty travel tomorrow, and I'm a bit sad. The summer/fall is especially bad for him traveling, and he's leaving in a month for an almost month-long vacation. So I'm understandably missing him a bit.

This weekend was a very chill one for me. Hardly left the house except to take Sully to the vet and back. But I did manage to accomplish one major milestone....

My bedroom is FINALLY painted.

Yes. I know. This is incredibly sad. I originally started painting my bedroom in something like December of last year. But for one reason or another I never got around to finishing it. All that remained was two walls. I'd even done most of the taping at least 6 months ago. But never got down to finishing the job.

So it's done. And I'm sleeping in the spare room tonite because I don't like the smell of fresh paint. I think the only thing left for me to do is try and fashion a set of curtains/drapes. Going to be tricky seeing as I don't own a sewing machine. But hey, if I was able to make a dog bed out of a strip of fleece, I can probably do this as well.

I'll have to post a photo of the end product if/when my room is ever presentable.

Neutering and Stephen Harper

...but NOT

Neutering Stephen Harper. I'll leave that to Laureen.

Does this photo not look photoshopped???? It's from the front page of cbc.ca this morning, but it looks like Harper was cut out of a press photo and pasted in a pastoral scene.

Bizarre.

Also: there's no photo credit. Hmmmmmmmm.

**update** The photo has now been removed from cbc.ca. So I am now the one and only person to have this rare photo of Harper pretending to be pastoral. Enjoy.

So now that I've got that out of the way... I have an announcement to make. The puppy is soon going to be emasculated.

That's right. The vet is in town the week after next, and Sully is gettin' fixed. I feel a little bit bad, because he's really mellowed out in the past couple months... he still eats anything and everything he can get his little paws on... but he now sits on the couch fairly content-ly... instead of bouncing from it to the armchair and floor and back again (ok, well he still does that, especially when just being let back in the house... or when he's first out of puppy-confinement [the area where he stays when I'm not at home]... but it's a HUGE improvement).

So, anything I should know about this whole 'procedure' from you folkies? I know there is a certain soon-to-be-vet who occasionally frequents this blog...

Keep in mind, Sully is my first puppy... and I....


***SIDE NOTE. I AM WRITING WITH AN EDITOR TODAY. I HAVE A LITTLE PESKY KNOW-IT-ALL LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER WHO HAS INFORMED ME I AM NOT ALLOWED TO USE THE PHRASE 'PSEUDO-KNOW-NOTHING' BECAUSE INSTEAD OF JUST SOUNDING LIKE A FUN WAY OF SAYING I KNOW NOTHING, IT ACTUALLY MEANS I KNOW EVERYTHING. AND THAT I CAN'T WRITE 'OCCASIONALLY FREQUENTS' EITHER. BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. YES I AM A JOURNALIST. YES I SHOULD, IN THEORY KNOW THESE THINGS. BUT THIS IS A BLOG. I HARDLY STRIVE FOR LITERARY GENIUS. MY DAY IS OFFICIALLY RUINED :P ***

... don't know anything about dogs. So anything you've got is helpful.

And, a photo, because it's been a long time since I've posted a photo of the pup (who, incidentally, is no longer a puppy... he turned 1 on the 24th of August.)

The Big Shed

My life is covered in dog hair.

I kid you not. If you were to carefully inspect my belly-button, I'm pretty sure you'd find dog hair hiding away inside.

It's "hot" here in Rankin Inlet... and the puppy is trying to adjust his coat. And it's going to drive me up the wall. I could brush him every single day, and every day I'd pull out 3 large brushfulls of puppy fur. I just gave the little bugger a much-needed bath... walked away for 10 minutes, and when I saw him again, it looked like his fur had grown a full 2 inches in places.

The shedding fur had dislodged itself during the shake-down.

I wonder what a person can do with excess dog hair. It's pretty soft... maybe I could make pillows out of it. Or little stuffed toys. It's not long enough to knit a sweater, so that's out. But I really thing the pillow thing might fly. OOOooooooo, I wonder how insulative it is. Maybe I could whip up my own brand of northern jacket. Canada Goose-style...only it would need to have some kind of Sully/Corgi/Sheltie play on words for its name. What about Puppy Parka.

Hmmm...

But seriously,

I really can't wait for this summer-shed thing to be over, it simply can't be healthy to breathe in so much dog hair.

Just watch, I'll probably end up with dog-fur-inflicted-lung-cancer a la asbestos.

A puppy after my own heart

I turned my head for 20 seconds while making dinner and THIS is what happened.

Definitely from the Island eh?

Warning

Six days stewing in a two-bedroom apartment = recipe for cabin fever/insanity.

Three of those days were spent sick and in a near-coma... (incidentally watching copious episodes of House, so it was like the coma-ee watching the coma-ed)

And the other three were spent pacing the apartment, simultaneously happy that I didn't have to go to work and frustrated that I couldn't go outside.

Still no groceries. I've been eating plain rice for the past couple of days. It was boring the first time I had it, let alone several bland meals later... when not only does it lack flavor but variety as well.

I think even the puppy is annoyed that I've been around so much. He pulled a total diva last night, and wouldn't stop barking until I opened the doors to every room in my house (so that he could explore them at his leisure) ... and shut myself up in my own little cave. On the upside, he now knows how to "sit"... I'm working on "lay down" ... but he's just so darn pleased with his "sitting" ability that I almost feel bad breaking it to him how much more there is to learn.

And the last time I checked, tomorrow was supposed to be blizzard-y too. That's four straight days of weather so awful I can't leave the house. And three days of just being sick.

Please please please let me be able to go to the Northern tomorrow!

Not impressed, Robyn

OOoo, one more snapshot... this one of Sully in his Christmas present from one of my best friends, Robyn. He hates it. I hate it. I love it. It's terrible. LOL.

And yes, he is kind of sticking out his tongue in that photo.

Puppy pondering

Sully is alive and well.

Sometimes TOO alive... but that's just cuz the poor guy is cooped up during the day... and boy does he ever run loose when I get home.

It's actually kind of funny to watch him run into things... very much like that toilet paper commercial.

But unlike Sully, some of his former pen-mates at Snookums pets... weren't so lucky.

I don't know what to think about this. Honestly, my first emotion was sympathy. The guy who owns/runs the shop (Bud Wheatley) is probably the most involved pet store owner I think I have ever... or will ever... meet. He got Sully up to me safe and sound, and insisted that I call him when I got my puppy... even though that was going to be after midnight, PEI time.

He refused to ship a puppy up to the north ... that he didn' t think could make it... that means it had to be over a certain weight... and he quickly discouraged me from considering getting a Yorkie ... because it would just be too small, and lacks an undercoat.

He consulted with a vet in town to make sure a corgi would be "comfortable" in the north... and made all the flight arrangements for me.

The store called me several times in the first week I had Sully... and when I was scared about some of his "droppings" they calmed my fears.

But the thing I WAS TOLD, many times over, and what makes me wonder about some of these puppy deaths... was to NOT FEED HIM ANYTHING EXCEPT THE FOOD HE CAME WITH. No rawhide bones, no treats. And to give him half a pill (some sort of medicine they developed with the vet....) every day till they were done. Come to think about it, I now think the pills were for parvovirus... which they explained to me even before I paid for Sully, and they sent him on his way.

And I got him right around the same time these people did.

Now, I don't know anything about dogs. I don't know anything about the people who lost their pets, and I'm sorry they did. But I can't help but sit here and wonder... if my puppy survived shipping up to the north, being cooped up in a travel crate for a horribly long time ... and unexpected plane delays... maybe it wasn't the puppy.

I'm just putting it out there.