sooo... work!

Ok - I thought i'll post a quick message about the new job. Will fill in more details later (although knowing me i'll just keep typing anyway!).

Started yesterday and I think i'm really going to like it. Spent the morning at Clayton getting organised then shipped off to Caufield to get set into my office and start on the grind.... which basically just involved reading up and getting my head around the projects. Pretty cool. I like the sound of two of them, while another two i'm a little 'blah' about - one of them we actually touched on at uni!!! I also thought of a 'project' I would love to do as a honours/masters/ phD (honestly, why do I think of that now, couldn't I have thought of it LAST year, before I said I didn't want to do honours!). I'd love to do a study/survey on anti-bsl Laws. Basically I want to give scientific evidence that we should be blaming the deed and not the breed. Work on 'responsible pet ownership' in terms of socialising and training *does* work and no matter what breed, does invariably help the dog. We should be looking at educating the public and rewarding those that *do* train their dogs by giving them more privelidges (ie: more off-leash areas), reduced council rates etc. At the moment, all you have to do to have a reduced council fee is to be either/ or registered with the VCA (not even the individual, just the dog), de-sexed (dog obviously, not you :-P), microchipped (which is soon to be mandatory), over the age of 10, and waaay down the bottom of the list - obedience trained. I just really want to get the message out that it is both genetics and environment that affect the dog and by encouraging others to choose the correct breed, do the research and TRAIN their dogs adequately, the amount of aggression and 'dangerous dogs' will decrease. I mean, this could lead on to oh-so-many things like expanding off-leash areas (high quantities of dogs in one small area is bound to cause problems eventually), being stricter about who gets what breed and even possibly nutting down on pet shops and BYB. Obviously not all in the same study, but several and i'd love to do them ALL!!! LOL! All this after one day of work ;-).

Well anyway - everyone in the office is really nice and I *am* still allowed to use the net, so long as I don't over-do it. Which I wont. I have my own little area, so this morning I came equipped with pics of the 'babies' to place near the computer. I've also found my new best friend - hot 'mocha' in the morning... just enough caffine to keep me awake and sane through the day :P. mmmm.....

Leo is much better now and trying to keep him quiet for 2 wks is prooving to be a tough call. Both dogs are going a tad stir-crazy :P. the cause of injury was a toe out of joint... but it was inflamed so he had to stay quiet for 5 days (we can go crazy after Thur), but the problem is that as soon as I let him 'free' again he is going to go bonkers, so i'm slowly letting him get back into things.... no agility training again this week. Aside from that his shoulders, neck and back were also out, but that is sort of a chain effect coz if the shoulders are out it generally causes the neck to be out which causes the back to be out - nothing major. I like this guy though - in Hampton Park. He was a tad rougher than the other guy i've been to but much cheaper and still quite gentle with the dogs. The only thing I didn't like is that after manipulation he didn't have a play with the dogs which my other chiro does. Am thinking of going to Myuna farm occasionally though to give my dogs 'controlled', low impact exercise.... when I can fit it in of course!

Other than that nothing else to report. I had a great birthday and was considerably spoilt. Work gave me some nice stuff when I left (holidaying with dogs book and a doggy photo frame) as well as a cake. Off to Phillip Island this weekend for some fun!!! At least the dogs will be able to run wild there!!!