Halifax Doggie Expo 2012

Today we had a rather exciting outing — a visit to the Doggie Expo at the Halifax forum. This was a fundraising event for Greyhound Pets of Atlantic Canada (GPAC), a non-profit organisation that finds homes in the Maritimes for retired racing greyhounds from the US.

Google maps put the Expo at around a 40-minute walk from home. Fortunately it was a sunny day, and not terribly cold.

Once there it was a bit of a struggle to find the right entrance, but we made it in the end. And after only three people skipped the queue in front of us, we arrived inside. The area was packed full, with about 70 vendors and organisations, including the SPCA and GPAC. Hundreds of people and dogs — a good few of them greyhounds — were milling about.

One of the first booths we found was PetValu, where the team immediately recognised Apollo and showered him with treats. We also found Christine from Bark & Fitz, and right next to her was Jennifer (who gave Apollo his first bath a few months ago) had her own booth showcasing her lovely paintings.

At the far end of the room we found Dogs In Gear — they were also at last weekend's dog show, where I bought Musher's Secret to stop Apollo from being bothered by all the salt on the roads. There Apollo tried on one of their X-back harnesses which they custom make by hand. I am now having to decide how long I can wait for Apollo to grow before I buy him one. Or maybe I should get one now, and then he can have a new one later, and the first can be re-homed (or saved for a potential dog number two somewhere down the line… ). I did splurge on a mushing belt, the last one they had. The plan is for this to make long walks a little easier, especially as it frees up my hands for more picture-taking (stay tuned). Of course, this means I need to get an elasticated leash, and that harness, and and…

Photo courtesy of manmat.cz

After picking up a couple of bags of treats, we happened upon a table covered with dog coats, and I was delighted to see that they had one I'd been looking at online for a while, but hadn't dared to order because I wasn't sure how it would fit. Happily, it was the perfect length for Apollo! The only problem is that seeing as he's so lean right now, it fit very loose around his shoulders and chest. The seller offered to attach extra strips of velcro before delivering it to the house, so now we're waiting eagerly for his new raincoat. Until I can get pictures of Apollo showing it off, the one below gives some indication of the look.

Photo courtesy of Amazon

At the Expo we met several lovely dogs, including Apollo's Aussie friend from the dog show. This time they were able to play together a little more, since getting their coats messed up wasn't a concern. We also met a 3-month old malinois puppy — an absolutely beautiful girl with huge ears, a soft, glossy coat, and already a fair bit of black down her back.

The only negative experience was seeing one of the stands selling invisible fencing, using electric shock collars. With everything else there being so positive, this really felt out of place. My only hope is that they didn't get much business or interest.

After about three hours at the expo we headed back home. Within a few minutes of arriving, Apollo stopped being the energetic puppy and proceeded to sleep through most of the afternoon and evening. Success!

Walking home along Citadel Hill

Our Christmas and New Year's trip

Over Christmas break, Apollo and I went to Newfoundland, as my flatmates decided (quite reasonably) that I should not stay in Halifax by myself (well, with only Apollo). I rented a car, booked the ferry crossing, and off we went. Unfortunately there are no pictures of that first part of the trip… We left Halifax on the afternoon of the 23rd, and arrived in St. John's in the early evening of the 24th.

Whilst we were in St. John's we visited the dog park at Quidi Vidi four times, but unfortunately there are no pictures from there either. The first three times there were anywhere from five to 15 or so dogs there. Apollo quickly decided his favourite thing to do was to get other dogs to chase him, and he had a terrific time. The fourth day we were not so lucky. The only two dogs there when we arrived were a Rhodesian Ridgeback around his age (massive!) and an older lab. The two of them were playfighting when we arrived, but the lady with the lab left almost right after we arrived. The Rhodesian then decided to pay attention to Apollo — by biting at his ears and neck. Apollo has been very gentle with every dog I've seen him with, preferring to run and chase and be chased. I decided to leave immediately. Had there been other dogs there it might have been different, but as it was I didn't feel as if the other dog (or owner, who didn't see the problem) should have been there.

Anyway, for New Year's we went back to the west coast of the island, to Stephenville. There we spent New Year's itself at a cabin in the woods. The snow was belly deep on Apollo, and since we were far from roads with traffic, people, and most other things, he was off leash the whole time. When we first arrived he spent around an hour racing up and down the path, "helping" as we unloaded the cars and got everything inside. He stayed close, and kept coming back to check that I was still following. He also came back when I called!

During a short break on our way to the cabin, still wearing his car harness

Getting rid of some snow 

Looking handsome — and fox-like — on the path

No time for slow strolls…

Moments before racing up the path towards me

One happy, soon-to-be-sleeping-soundly Belgian

Snow! Or at least, after-snow fun

After the slushy mess cleared up, we were left with a few piles of snow, especially in the parking lot across the road. Apollo discovered just how much fun could be had by racing up and down one pile in particular.

Posing briefly

Contemplating the descent…

…a quick glance back…

…and off we go!

Taking a moment to look handsome in the sun

Letting me know it's time to visit that snow pile again

No really!

Puppy eyes please?

 Needless to say, we did visit it quite frequently.

First visit to the groomer's!

A little further into November, Apollo was smelling rather doggy. As much as I had been intending to bathe him at home, it's just not a great place for it. The showerhead is fixed high up on the wall, the tap isn't the kind you can fix a hose to, and the shower doors don't give the right access. So I decided I would take him to Bark & Fitz, where they also offer grooming services. As my luck would have it, the day before his appointment Halifax became covered with wet grey slush, but it still had to be done.

Sleeping soundly, not knowing his bath was only a night's sleep away

Along with Apollo I gave the groomer my camera, asking for a few pictures to document puppy's adventure. She kindly took several lovely pictures, some of which follow below.

One delighted, bat-eared puppy

Not quite so big and fuzzy anymore

The towel wasn't so bad…

…whilst the blow dryer was a little less fun (though not scary!)

After his bath, Apollo was extremely fuzzy for a few days. The fur on his back stood in all directions, but there was no more doggy smell. We went back a few days later so that the other groomer could trim the fur in his ears a little, and he certainly knew that he looked good as he pranced around even before that.

Quiet days inside

Early November in Halifax involved a good bit of time studying inside. That is, I sat studying, whilst Apollo lay quite contentedly taking naps. And growing.

Even in November spots of sun can be found by the puppy who tries hard enough

It was also around this time we brought out the vacuum cleaner for the first time. Apollo was not impressed. He stayed downstairs for a short while, trying to figure out what this noisemaker was, whilst keeping a healthy distance and then some. When the vacuum cleaner moved too fast for his liking, he ran upstairs. When I followed him a little while later, I found that he had taken refuge in a pile of things I'd not quite gotten unpacked and sorted (they have been since, honestly).

When there are no sunny spots or piles of not-yet-unpacked
things, the bed makes an acceptable substitute

The windowsill is still an excellent vantage point

Looking less like a puppy and more like an adolescent

Keeping a close eye on progress at the construction site across the road

First meeting with the Atlantic

Less than a week after our previous visit to Point Pleasant Park we went again, this time accompanying Jess on a geology mission. For the first time we took a path down to the water, as we needed to find a specific outcrop on the beach. There, Apollo had his first close encounter with the Atlantic.

At first calmly exploring the beach

Soon even venturing into the sea

Distracted by a noise on the far side of the harbour...

...and suddenly it got a little deep

A short trip on land to show off those huge fluffy ears...

...before gracefully re-entering the water...

...before racing up and down the beach to get dry

Apollo is also kind enough to stop and pose every so often

Biggest surprise came when importing pictures. The colours have been
tweaked a little, but that's all. Sometimes dumb luck works out best.

Oops!

 Well, I certainly wasn't planning for it to take this long to write again. I kept telling myself I just had to import and process pictures, and that I would have time for that during the weekend… then it got put off… then I had more pictures, but I had to post the older ones first… and in the end, nothing happened, and now it's February. So, to catch up on the last 3-4 months. Apollo has grown a great deal, is looking ever less like a puppy and more like a young dog, and a good lot has happened in the last few months. Although the dates naturally won't be accurate, I'll try to separate into different posts in chronological order. So apparently it's possible to set the published date to one in the past. Eureka! All will be well!

Here's a puppy in the window to go some way towards making up for it.

The Pumpkin Project begins…

I am about to become one of those people who gives far more information than anyone has asked for. Be warned.

Briefly put, Apollo's output has not been very, ah, scoopable since he came here. Advice to pour some water on his food before giving it to him has helped somewhat, but there's still room for improvement.

So, yesterday at Sobey's I picked up a tin of puréed pumpkin, after hearing that a tablespoon or two in each meal helps many dogs. Apollo had his first taste with supper last night, and seemed extremely enthusiastic about it. Likewise for his two meals so far today.

Even with being extra eager due to the new smell, his table manners are excellent. He'll get very excited the moment I get the bag and scales out, but settles down almost immediately. He then waits while I prepare the food, put the dish down, and give him the ok. If I ask him to wait whilst I put everything away, fill water in his other bowl, that's no problem. This wonderful pup seems to have some patience and focus — most of the time (though we'll see how long that lasts when he hits puberty…).

Of course, it's too early to say for sure, but today's answers to nature's call have been promising.


In other news, we had our second visit to Point Pleasant Park a couple of days ago. More on that, with pictures, soon.

First visit to Point Pleasant Park

After the miserable weather we had last week, this weekend's summer heat was quite welcome. Apollo and I went on our first walk to Point Pleasant Park, and what was originally intended to be a medium-long walk ended up filling our afternoon for over two and a half hours. Below is the route we took in the park. According to my sophisticated guesstimate (technically according to Google Maps, but they don't have a setting for "sniffing puppy" speed), our walk to the park and back was about half an hour each way.

Once in the park, Apollo found a delightful little pond.

What do you mean, I can't stay here forever?

We also met lots of other dogs and owners, including one adorable 12-week old chocolate lab mix. I didn't get a picture, so you'll just have to take my word for it. This pup was seriously cute, as was the 4-month-old golden retriever we also met.

Watching a dog up on the hill

Hopefully we'll see some more warm-ish non-rainy days soon, so we can head back there. Apparently there are dog meets at 9:00 on Saturdays, but I feel like I need to be able to let Apollo off leash before going there. Haven't been working quite enough on recall yet for that.