The Unorthodox Kennel And Various Happenings

Animal Planet airs a plethora of shows related to animal hoarding and all those unpleasantries...well today I encountered the most horrid kennel facility I have ever seen. Now Chloe may be an indoor dog...and quite spoiled...and mainly treated like a human being...BUT that does not mean that I can not recognize truly unsuitable accommodations when I see them.

Upon our arrival we were greeted by the "owner" and a very large and wild looking dog undergoing a shave. Unlike Sweeny Todd, the man was not British and did not burst out into song, but he did seem a bit off. He proceeded to tell me not to come any closer with Chloe as the dog he was shaving was half wolf and attacked smaller dogs frequently. In fact, he elaborated that this dog had just finished off a mini Schnauzer the previous week...so as you
can imagine my first impression was not one of safety.

The kennels themselves were very unkempt and filled with unsocialized, noisy dogs (not the kind of crowd Chloe and I are used to). Within about two minutes of my arrival I had decided that there was no way I was paying $200 a week for Chloe to stay here, I would have rather paid $200 to avoid the place. Among other things there was an array of farm animals that the man had rescued (which is a very compassionate act) one of which was a donkey that nearly gave Chloe a concussion by kicking at her head, as I was asphyxiating on the airborne gobs of hair. Good intentions aside, he could clearly not handle all the animals in a manner that was up to my standards. After lots of hand sanitizer in the car, we were off from that place, never to return. Luckily, I found another, far superior business - where I am confident Chloe will be treated more as she is accustomed. Moral of the story: always visit kennels, pre-boarding - actually pre-scheduling for that matter.

On the bright side of things, today I went inside a fire house that had been built in 1929 and resembled a castle. It was a real struggle to resist the urge to slide down the fireman's pole, as it stood, brass and gleaming in the very center of the room. I will be doing three consecutive luncheons there for all the shifts, so perhaps then I will have a chance. Historic architecture is such a welcome sight amongst all of the cookie cuter squares that liter the city plan. I am all for charm and character (with modern upgrades of course...and ample pest control).

The battle between Splenda and Truvia is over (well as far as my taste buds are concerned). With its bad after taste and lesser potency, Truvia has been cast out of my pantry indefinitely. I welcome the glorious return of my tried and true (albeit very chemically enhanced) beverage companion, Splenda. I indulged in a glorious cup of tea today with not one, but two packets, just to celebrate.