Trunkles at PawsWay

Trunkles, the dog-with-a blog, the English Setter with the English Settler, will be at PawsWay for the English breeds weekend September 18th and 19th. PawsWay is located at 245 Queens Quay West in Toronto, which is the first building west of Harbourfront Centre. The event runs from  11 a.m. on both Saturdays and Sundays.  Programming is completed at 5 p.m. on Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

PawsWay is a public facility built for cats and dogs. Pets are always welcome inside. The centre is discreetly sponsored by Purina. Admission is free.

Honey, where's that pie? ... TRUNKLES!!!

It was a quiet afternoon. I had been doing some administrative tasks at my home desk when I noticed that Trunkles wasn't in the room. Trunkles is always in the same room. If I leave a room Trunkles will up and follow me. The same goes for her new buddy Molly.

I looked around and sure enough Molly was on the old couch right behind me; but where was Trunkles? I was suspicious. I stood up and went to look for her. I found her quickly enough. She was lying on her bed in the hallway near the front door. She wagged her tail as I approached.

And then I remembered that I had left a plastic bag containing two steak pies on the chest near the front door. I had intended to take them out to the garbage; they had been in the fridge a little too long. I picked up the bag which felt light. Looking inside I saw only one pie. "But there were two pies in there a few minutes ago" I thought to myself.

"TRUNKLES!!!! Where is my pie?" Trunkles rolled over onto her back as she does whenever she feels guilty. Her tail wagged furiously between her legs. I looked over at her bed and there was the pie wrapper. The culprit had been apprehended!

To her credit, she had only eaten one of the two pies in the bag. Perhaps she left the other pie for her best friend Molly. But Molly missed out; the other pie went into the garbage without further delay.

Farewell to a Friend

When Trunkles, the dog-with-a-blog, first came into our house she had to contend with the owner of the house - the cat! The cat has featured in these stories before. We had her company from the very day she was born. I had let her pregnant mother - a stray - into our house late one night because she sounded distressed. She was distressed - she was in the late stages of labour!

In the morning we had a proud mother and a litter of six kittens. Homes were found for all but one of the kittens. She was the runt of the litter; an unusually small animal that we christened "Velcro" because she would stick to our clothes using her sharp claws.

Eighteen years into the life of Velcro a blogging dog appeared. Velcro held Trunkles in great disdain. In an attempt to starve the usurper from her home, Velcro attempted to eat all of Trunkles' meals. It was a big task for a small cat, but she was determined.

Eventually they made friends with each other. Trunkles' attempts at affection were initially repulsed with the swipe of a sharp claw. But now Trunkles was determined. Velcro began to spend a lot of time sleeping and Trunkles would surprise her with a few affectionate licks on the side of her head. Finally Velcro accepted the affection.

Eighteen years is a long time for a cat to live. She began to lose weight. The vet checked her over and called with the bad news; Velcro's kidneys had failed. She died peacefully in the loving arms of her friend and lifelong human companion.

No More Puppies!

Poor Trunkles, the English Settler's English Setter. She isn't feeling her best this week. The time came, as it comes to all, when she had to answer the veterinary's call. But, instead of her usual checkup and pampering by the fantastic staff at the Dufferin Veterinary Clinic, she went under the knife.

We had planned to have her spayed during the Christmas holiday period when we could spend some time with her during the two week rest and recuperation period. Mother Nature thought otherwise and put her in heat instead. The scalpel had to wait.

Trunkles date with fate came in February. After a few hours in the clinic she came out looking dazed and confused. Her big comfy bed was waiting for her in the van and she slept her way home.

But Trunkles, being the effervescent young dog-with-a-blog that she is, was back on her feet the very next day demanding her usual gruelling morning walk up her favourite steep hill. Of course, we had to disappoint her in that ambition. For three days she was permitted only brief excursions into the back yard to do the necessary.

The irrepressible Trunkles will be back. In her next blog post: Who is the boss?

Trunkles Goes to PawsWay

It was an unusually mild January afternoon when young Trunkles, the English Settler's English Setter, decided she needed an adventure. There is a little known destination in the City of Toronto that is like a Disneyland for dogs; it is called PawsWay. That is where young Trunkles headed that afternoon.

PawsWay is a building on Queens Quay, right alongside the shore of Lake Ontario. Pet food company Purina is the very low key, but generous, sponsor of the facility. Inside is a cats' and dogs' paradise. Pets are not just welcome inside; the whole place was built for them.

I had visited PawsWay several times before, but it was Trunkles' first visit. PawsWay seemed to have a magnetic attraction for her. As we entered the front door she hit the end of her leash with enthusiasm and pulled me inside.

As she walked me around the building we met lots of other dogs - everyone of them as friendly and well-behaved as Trunkles. She put her name on the chalkboard for agility training and made two or three attempts at getting around the course. With the aid of a generous supply of treats provided by the volunteer staff she did quite well for a beginner.

We'll be back at Doggie Disneyland again soon. And as soon as new friend Molly has gotten over her travel sickness we'll introduce her to PawsWay too. PawsWay is located at 245 Queens Quay in Toronto and came be found on the web at www.pawsway.ca. Admission is free. Trunkles gives PawsWay her personal recommendation.

Good Golly; It's Molly!

And then there were two. Trunkles the Setter had barely settled in her new home when the front door bell rang and in bounded a companion. Molly is a six year old English Setter rescued from her previous less than happy circumstances.

Trunkles and Molly have quickly become friendly rivals. They thoroughly enjoy each other's company but compete for attention ... and food.

Starvation Tactics
Trunkles learned a trick or two from the family cat. In a previous post we told the story of how the cat tried to starve the new dog (Trunkles) out of her home. Trunkles learned that trick. When the two dog bowls go down on the floor Molly buries her nose in her bowl. Trunkles feigns attention to her own food bowl for a few seconds then sprints across the room to assist Molly with hers. As soon as Molly's bowl is empty Trunkles sprints back to defend her own bowl.

Walk Me ... Walk Me!
Walk time happens twice per day. The dogs assemble at the front door in excited anticipation of their outing. Trunkles' harness goes on first - she insists on being first in line. As we turn to put Molly's harness on Trunkles pushes her nose in front hoping that she will be given a second harness. What is she thinking? That we will leave Molly behind and walk the dog with two harnesses?

This is going to be a whole lot of fun!

The Heat is On

Young Trunkles, the dog-with-a-blog, came into our home in early September. Judging by her appearance she had not long been parted from her first litter of puppies.

We didn't think it was appropriate that she had been bred at such an early age (she was only 2 years old). We also didn't plan on breeding her ourselves. Trunkles is a pet and we planned to have her spayed at the earliest opportunity.

The Christmas holidays seemed like a good early opportunity to get the job done. We would be able to nurse her back to health and keep an eye on her during her convalescence. But, it was not to be. Just before the Christmas holidays were about to begin we found evidence that it was too late already - Trunkles was in heat!

The young canine blogger now has an appointment with the family vet in February. Meanwhile we have to be extra vigilant during her walks. Whenever she ventures outside, all the male dogs in the neighborhood greet her with her exuberant barking and she shows an inordinate interest in meeting and greeting any and every dog she encounters.