Mr Perfect’s dog

Since visiting the SPCA last week we’ve been talking about the pros and cons of adding another dog to our family. For some strange reason, Mr. Perfect thought I was against getting a second dog, while I always assumed we would eventually get one. After clearing up this little matter, we agreed that adopting might be worth exploring. I had always thought we would get a second dog after our first kid (since we could see how Pacha reacts to the babe), but is post-partum really the best time to be training a dog? WE realised that this might actually be a good time to introduce a new dog. Mr Perfect would love a Boxer. I, on the other hand have a penchant for Greyhounds. When it comes down to it though, Boxers are a more manageable size than greyhounds.

Over the weekend we set some ground rules: we will not be swayed by a cute face, chemistry and energy has to work with our family, no rash decisions, Pacha’s reaction to a new dog is an essential element in our choice and any dog has to pass my allergy test.

Last night we headed back to the SPCA to see if “Marshall” was still there. When we did our initial sweep of the premise he appeared to be gone. Mr. Perfect was clearly crushed. :-( Then we found out he had already been transferred inside for the night. Yay! We asked to take him out for a walk. We did our best Ceasar Millan imitation and stayed calm and assertive. Marshall seemed to react well to our assertiveness. We waited for him to calm down before heading out for a walk. He wasn’t really that agitated, but you could see by his breathing he was curious/excited. He pulled a little during the first part of the walk, but within 5 minutes (even less) he was calm and walking in a perfect heal position. At the halfway point we made him sit and traded the leach. I had the lead now and I can honestly say it was like walking Pacha – I barely noticed he was there. I corrected him a few times, but that was really only when I noticed he wasn’t perfectly calm... it’s like I stopped his excitement before it escalated and he started pulling. When we gave him back to the SPCA employee, he was noticeably more excited, but you could tell her energy was different too. Where Pacha is calm 100% of the time, Marshall takes his cues from his leader. He’s definitely different than Pacha, but that’s also what we are looking for. I love Pacha more than anything, but she is also one lazy puppy. Hah! It would be nice to have a dog that can play fetch, go for a run and keep up with us on a hike. In that sense, Pacha is like a cat, except that she’s fun. :-P

He also passed the allergy test with flying colours! I rubbed my hands all over his coat and litterly stuck my fingers in my eyeballs! I rubbed my eyes as much as I could and has NO reaction. This is awesome news because I sometimes irritate my eyes just by rubbing them, so this means I'm definitely not allergic to him.

So now we wait for the SPCA to approve our application. We also decided that, since we are going away this weekend, we wouldn’t bring a dog home until Sunday. It’s just not fair to the dog to bring him home for 2 days and then drop him off at a kennel for two days. The SPCA won’t put a dog on hold, so we are leaving it in fates hands – if he’s still there on Sunday, then he’s our dog... if he’s not, we’ll just keep searching. The only problem is, Mr Perfect has already adopted him in his heart. :-)

The lure of a cute face

You know the scenario: you just happen to check out the SPCA website and happen to see a dog from a bred you would like and accidently end up at the SPCA on a rainy day staring on an adorable face the other side of a cage. No. We haven’t adopted another dog, but we sure are tempted. Mr Perfect’s always said he would love a second dog and has a particular soft spot for Boxers. I too would love another dog but sometimes I worry a second pet would create unbalance in our perfectly sweet and calm pupster Pacha. As well, there’s the kid factor. Right now, we’re fairly certain Pacha would adjust easily to a new crying babe, but any other dog is an unknown case. We resisted the urge to bring this beautiful 2-year old Boxer named Marshall for a walk, but then sat in the car debating on what to do. We finally agreed to come back when it’s not raining to bring the guy out for a stroll. We figure it should give us a few days to mull over the idea of a second pup. Either way, we would have to introduce him to Pacha to make sure the chemistry is right. Anyway, here's a picture of the big guy:

Before and After

The front porch is finally completed!

Here is the progression of the work


Here are some additional pictures of the process



Mr Perferct working. Our bizzare neighbour spent most days watching Mr. Perfect work.


Pacha inspecting the workmanship


I'm so happy!

So much for leverage or decisions

** Note: I’ve changed the name of Hospital A to Hospital F and Hospital B to Hospital E. If you’re a local you’ll understand why and it will hopefully be less confusing.

I just talked to the nursing director at Hospital E and they have no full-time permanent positions to offer. They do have positions in ICU but they don't hire new grads (but I'm not interested in ICU anyway). I'm frustrated and sad that I don't have more options. I mean, Hospital F’s offer looks promising, but I was really hoping I would have options AND leverage when I graduated. I DO have lots of options... just not in my city. I'm also especially frustrated because I'm doing my preceptorship at Hospital E, with no apparent chance of a job there. Had I known I didn't have that option I would have chosen the Hospital F for my preceptorship. It means doing a month at the Hospital E, learning the ins and outs of the department and then having to start all over again when I start at Hospital F in January.

She said she could meet with me near the end of November and when I told her I already had an offer from Hospital F so I would like to meet earlier, she said I should take the offer from Hospital F because she wouldn't be able to make me an offer anyway. How is this even possible in the midst of a national nursing shortage?! Is it silly that I'm so upset over this?

For the last few months our professors keep telling us: choose wisely because your first year is crucial. Choose a hospital that offers lots of support for new grads and Hospital E has a better reputation in this department than Hospital F. Now it seems it’s not even a choice.

I’m being over dramatic, right?

Decisions, decisions.

I’m getting really annoyed with Hospital E and their complete lack of wooing. Humph. We’ve been wooed by local Hospital F, two other hospitals in the province, one in Ontario and one in Quebec. Seriously, Hospital E really isn’t in the game this year. In fact, it seems impossible to even get a meeting with someone. Unless I’ve been blacklisted, I really don’t know what’s up with them.

I met with Hospital F this morning and a job offer is on its way. I was honest with them and stated I would be considering both local hospitals and they respected my decision. However, they do need an answer from me by November 15th. From now until then I’m hoping to get a meeting with Hospital E so I can at least have something to compare. The most frustrating part is, I’m doing my preceptorship at Hospital E because I wanted to be able to compare both paediatric departments (I’ve worked several times in Hospital F’s peds unit) before choosing where I wanted to start my career. However, I need to make a choice by November 15th and my preceptorship only starts on November 17th. Blarg.

I got peds!

I got the preceptorship I wanted in paediatrics! YAY! I’ll be doing my preceptorship ay Hospital E and I start in a few weeks. My preceptorship is the final stage in my bachelor program – once I’m done I’ll be a nurse. WOW! The difference between a preceptorship and a clinical practicum is essentially the one-on-one work. In a practicum you have a teacher and are in a group of 5 to 7 students and usually have up to 4 patients. In a preceptorship it’s just you and a nurse. The first few shifts you work together while she shows you the ropes. Once she feels you’re ready she gives you the full patient workload (usually 6 to 8 patients) and steps back to just observe. It’s like being a real nurse but with a safety net.

I’m so happy I got my first choice! My second choice was in neuro but it wasn’t so much because of my interest in the field, but because it’s a unit I feel comfortable in and it would have given me some great learning opportunities.

I also have a formal interview with Hospital F on Tuesday so I’m looking forward to the continued wooing from them. Hopefully now that I have my perceptorship at hospital E they’ll get on the wooing train too.

Let the wooing begin!

I just got back from my first informal meeting with one of the hospitals regarding jobs once I graduate. You know it’s going to be good when the first thing they say is, “it’s not a question of whether or not we choose you-It’s whether you choose us" and "what can we do as an employer to convince you we're the best choice". Sweet!

Now that I’ve seen what Hospital F has to offer, let’s see what Hospital E can do for me. :-) So far Hospital F is looking pretty good... if they could throw in a signing bonus I think I would be sold. It’s surprising though, because I was sure it was going to be Hospital E who would win me over. All I can say is they better start wooing soon or they might lose me.