We just got home from an advance screening of Iron Man. I really like
Gwyneth Paltrow. Great Expectations is one of my favorite films. And Robert Downey Jr. is always entertaining. He
was brilliant in Natural Born Killers.
So I was really looking forward to tonight.
I'm so disappointed!
Remember the Blue Nile restaurant in Munich, where we celebrated Thanksgiving last year? Well, there is another Blue Nile restaurant in Michigan. And it knocks the one in Munich out of the park! Not the service, just the food. To be honest, I've found that in all of the Ethiopian restaurants I've visited, and I've probably been to around 6, the staff has always been incredibly friendly, with great service. I appreciate that just as much as I appreciate the flavorful food. I remember a friend and I were working in Boston and we discovered that we both loved Ethiopian food. So we looked up the address of a well known Ethiopian restaurant online and decided to just jump in a cab and head over. Well, that cab ride was the most shocking cab ride I have ever taken. We went from downtown city lights to a war zone! We were afraid to get out the cab. But like I said, we really love Ethiopian food. So made a run for the door and decided to stay. And I'm so glad we did because that dinner was the best Ethiopian food I've ever tasted. And from the inside, the restaurant was quiet and cozy and the staff was so sweet. We drank a lot of honey wine and laughed through the entire dinner. It was totally worth the risk.
We love, love, love Virginia! After a week of house hunting, shopping, trying out some of the local restaurants, and hours of driving and exploring, we are so excited about living is such a beautiful state for the next two years. We will be living in Northern Virginia, which is only 30 minutes from Washington, D.C.. If I had to describe the area with one word, I'd have to say, it's very "GREEN"! I was overwhelmed by the abundance of trees. And from what we've been told, we can look forward to long hot summers and mild winters with very little snow - woo hoo! The homes and neighborhoods are gorgeous but expensive. Unfortunately, we did not make a final decision on a house. We are set to move in June so we will be taking another look-see trip in May. We both decided to narrow the search down to one area in particular so I'm not worried at all about finding something. The only bad part about our visit was that I didn't take any pictures in Virginia because I was too busy looking at floor plans, calculating square footage, and comparing closet space! But I managed to snap a few shots in Washington.
It's better to be safe than sorry. With this thought in mind, we took Denzel to the Vet on Monday evening, after noticing that he wasn't eating or drinking as much as he normally does. We told the Vet about the horrific training session on Sunday and guess what? She was appalled. I knew I wasn't crazy. So, she examined Denzel and found that he was resisting when she tried to move his neck to the left or up and down. She said that his neck muscles were probably sore from being choked and prescribed an anti-inflammatory/pain medication. I was so angry. So we drove directly to PetSmart. We received a full refund and they will also pay for Denzel's Vet visit, as well as his medication. And the so called dog trainer? She's looking for a new job. Hopefully in a field that does not involve animals.
Yesterday, we took Denzel to his first training lesson at PetSmart.
It was a horrible experience. First, it's important to mention that we are still grieving over the loss of our beautiful puppy, Robbie. Without getting into specifics, to say that we are overprotective of Denzel because of Robbie's death, is an understatement. And I think it is because when you experience a traumatic event, like death, one of the worst parts is the aftereffect on your daily life -knowing that at any moment, your absolute worst fear can become a reality. And when it does become a reality, it is gut wrenching, way worse than you ever could have imagined. And so for a while, you are constantly on edge, looking for every possible way to prevent it from happening again. God willing, G and I will get better. But we acknowledge that this is still a sensitive time for us. So - when we arrived at PetSmart, our instructor introduced herself, explained her method of training, and asked us about our expectations from the class. There was only one other puppy in our class so it was nice to have the time to talk in depth about Denzel's behavioral issues and to hear about the other couple's concerns for their puppy, who was also 7 months old. After that, the instructor wanted to begin an exercise on walking properly on the leash. She decided to start with Denzel. Denzel wears a harness, not a collar. She told us that she preferred to train dogs on collars and thought it would be best if we bought him a collar for the next class. We agreed. But for the first class, she would use our leash as a collar. She took his harness off and used the end of the leash, a loop handle, as a make shift collar for Denzel. She put his head through the loop and took the long end of the leash and threaded it through the loop to create slack. Denzel immediately started twisting and wiggling around. She said, "Do you see how much he hates it? He is not used to a collar so we have to break him into it." We watched as he continued to squirm and she continued to pull the leash tighter. I asked if he was okay, and she said, "He is fine. He's just mad about the collar." So we watched Denzel squirm while she continued talking. At that point, I was fine. I realized he wasn't used to the feeling around his neck and he was squirming because he wanted to get out. But then, I saw Denzel's eyes turning red. The corners of his eyes were turning bright red and he was really fighting to get out of the leash, which in turn, made her pull even tighter to try to control him. This is when I started feeling very uncomfortable. I looked at G and I saw concern in his face as well. So I interrupted her and asked if he was okay. I told her to look at his eyes. She did and said, "He is just mad. Pugs have big eyes and when they get mad, their eyes turn red and bulge out." G asked her, "Are you sure?" As she answered G, I looked at Denzel and his eye lids were starting to close. He was actually swaying a little. He was beginning to pass out. I got up, ran over and took the leash from his neck, which had no slack at all. I rubbed his neck and his sides to revive him. He did not pass out but I am positive he would have, if I would not have intervened. The other couple sat in shock. I took Denzel back to our seats and G checked him out. The instructor then said, "Maybe we should try this exercise with the other dog." She was not concerned about Denzel at all. We took a moment by ourselves to talk and try to calm down. We asked ourselves if we were overreacting? But why were his eyes turning red? That has never happened before. Why wasn't she concerned about him almost losing consciousness? Did the other couple see what we saw? G said to calm down and just finish the class. Looking back, that was wrong. We should have walked out. But at the time, again, we didn't want to overreact. We second guessed ourselves because we thought since she was a trained professional, she must have known what she was doing. We stayed for the final 30 minutes. But to be honest, those 30 minutes were a blur for me because I was so upset about what happened that I couldn't pay attention to anything else she said. And I didn't even want her to touch Denzel again. And she didn't. After the class, the instructor came over to reassure us. She told us that we were worrying too much and that she was not hurting him, he was just mad and protesting. When we got home, G said that we should both think about it, sleep on it, and make a decision about the next step. This morning, we made a decision. I called and spoke to the manager. We pulled Denzel out of the class. How can we trust the instructor to train Denzel if we think she was hurting him?
What do you think - did we overreact?
In Munich, we enrolled Denzel
in puppy school when he was only 3 months old. We both agreed that we wanted Denzel to start training and learning commands as early as possible. The school was great in reinforcing the basic commands we had already taught him but more importantly, it allowed him to socialize with other puppies, off the leash. I think his personality really began to emerge in these classes - he went from being an aggressive little monster to actually developing friendships. When we found out we were moving back to the US, we decided to enroll him in an 8 week pet training course, during the two month lay over in Michigan. I found a course at PetSmart that I thought was perfect for Denzel. G immediately hated the idea because he thinks it's ridiculous that the classes are held in an enclosed area, in the middle of the store. He thinks it's better to train Denzel in a large open area and then use the exercises we've learned in class, at home. Denzel's main issues are learning to walk (not pull) on the leash and obeying commands from a distance. So I agreed with G, that learning in a big open space would be the best scenario. But after speaking to 2 managers about the benefits of their courses and trainers and getting a money back guarantee, we enrolled Denzel. To make a long story short, after going into the store the first time, and being instructed to come to his first class on Sunday at 11am, then coming in the second time and being told to come at 6pm, it turns out that the class was actually at 4pm. So because the PetSmart staff screwed up the time, twice, we missed the class. G just shook his head when we pulled up to the store to find it already closed. Not a good start, PetSmart.
We made it! I am back home. Whew! What a week. Right now, we are in Michigan. We will be in here for 2 months and then we'll move to Virginia for the next 2 years. We are living in corporate housing and in the meantime, our entire house in Munich is being shipped in a container to Virginia. Next week, we'll be taking a look-see trip to figure out where we want to live. When I found out that we would be in Michigan for 2 months, I was ecstatic! Did I mention I grew up in Michigan?! So for the last week, we have been hanging out with my Mom, visiting my family, catching up with girlfriends, and of course, eating like crazy. We have been out of control. Today is my birthday and one thing is for sure - I am older and fatter. Well, 2 things. I can't help it - there are so many foods I've missed. Zum Beispiel,
All You Can Eat Crab Legs
Hungry Howie's
Sweet Potato Chips
Crocs
