Chapter 2: Settled In

Hello, my fellow Animal Enthusiasts!

It has been one hell-of-a-GREAT week at Woofs N' Whiskers!! I'm still loving every second and am very happy to be more settled in my training and able to pick up my pace a bit more. I've even gotten to do the DOG feedings a few times...SUPER exciting!! I love it!! :D

And, of course, I've been getting much more acquainted with my KICK-ASS coworkers (who have apparently discovered this blog, and tell me they don't-hate-it, so a HUGE shout out to all of you! :P) But seriously...they are all AMAZING...and I promise I'm not just saying that because they may or may-not read this...I only type the truth here, folks! :D Oh! AND I finally got a work-shirt!! I'M OFFICIAL. Yeah!!

Really...it's been a GREAT week!! Tuna can vouch! 

There were SO many just... FANTASTIC animals that I was honoured to meet and work with this week! So here we go!! It's time for: Al's-Weekly-Photo-Montage-Of-Woofs-N'-Whiskers-Furry-Guests-That-Al-Loves-To-Pieces!! Or...you know...something much shorter... :P

Reggie & Pamuk, Watching The Rain!

The Adorable Rose (left) & Axl (Right) Claiming Their Chair!

"Pet Me!" Says Peanut Butter...Can't Stop For Even A Second! :P

Kokoi's First Day! A Much Happier Pup By The End Of The Week!

Lovely Luna! A Very Humble 3-Month Old Puppy! :D

That Was A HOT Day; Bailey Never Left The Pool! :P

The B-E-A-UTIFUL Becker!! I LOVE YOU BUDDY!!

Representing The Felines This Week: Crazy Simmy! Love You, Kitty!!

Good Ole' Azi; Enjoying The Shade, Frog-Style! ;)

Bucko!!! You're The BEST, Buddy!!!

You're My Boy, Blue!!! (Both A Movie Quote AND The Truth! :P)

Aoifa Had A Bit Of Drool She Needed To Shake Off, There! :D

And finally, folks...if I MUST choose again... Al's #1 Love Of The Week... Is:

TUNA THE BEAR

I've Fallen In Love With This Big-Ole' Tibetan Mastiff!! Also...Tuna The Bear?? GREAT NAME.

I'm Very Glad We Have A Kennel Large Enough For Ya, Buddy! :P

Such A Big, Happy, Dog!! Just Look At That Mug!! :D

Being Adorable Is Tiring... WE ALL LOVE YOU, TUNA!! Enjoy Being Home, Buddy!!!

It's been an amazing seven-days...and I can't wait for the next seven!! Thanks to everyone for reading this blog...you all rock!! I look forward to recounting my future adventures!! :D

Have a GREAT week, readers! Stay awesome!!

All the very best,
-Al :)

The Eventful Chapter 1

Hello, my fellow Animal Enthusiasts!

My first full week at Woofs N' Whiskers was eventful, exciting, amazing, incredible, wonderful, kick-ass, and just... ...AWESOME. In short: I LOVE MY NEW JOB.

And so...I thought I would show off a few pictures of my new furry-co-workers and "office" and also recount the story of a PARTICULARLY eventful 5-minutes on the morning of Friday, September 4th...

JUST KIDDING!

I was outside alone in the beautiful yard with what we call the "Purple Group"; which today was only about 6 dogs who have less energy, are maybe a bit older, or are a wee bit more likely to "get after" another pup...so there are less of them, and they are all GREAT!! Even if they have to wear a muzzle in the yard...they are still each the sweetest dogs you could ever meet! 

Though, of course, things happen and Sadie was repeatedly getting after the higher-energy Pushkin, and so I had my first instance of putting a pup in the "time-out box" to cool off for a bit:

Don't worry; she has a much larger area to herself than in the picture and was able to come out again soon! :D

And THAT got the Playful Pushkin even MORE excited...

And he began jumping up and down and he repeatedly head-butt me in the face...scratching my glasses... and causing the bridge of my nose to cut open and bleed a wee bit...

After Cleaning It; NO BIG DEAL AT ALL....though I DID get blood on my new shorts...DAMN. :P

Oh...you're SORRY, huh????

Okay...I forgive you, Pushkin. LOVE YOU, BUDDY!!

And IMMEDIATELY after that (before I even noticed I was bleeding...) a pigeon flew into the tarp in the yard, hitting it hard, and going down!!

And of course...all the dogs go RUNNING for it...(I mean; I have 6 big-old sporting & working breeds here...they all want the pigeon!) and luckily I was able to beat them to it, scoop up the pigeon, and put it in it's own "time-out box" away from the pups.

NOT the actual pigeon, sadly...not much time for photo-taking in that moment...

I called for my awesome manager and co-workers; they brought gloves and we checked him out. VERY luckily there were no broken wings or legs or blood or any obvious injuries. I think he was just stunned. My manager put him out front, in a bush, away from traffic. With luck, he took his recovery time and was back to the New-York-City sky shortly after!

I'm glad he was alright; and that I was able to stop the dogs from destroying it. That's NOT something I wanna see on my first week of work...and to try explaining the bird-blood-stains on the pups' fur to the parents?!? No thanks!! :P

And that all happened within maybe 3-minutes. Haha. HURRAY for me proving myself! It was a GREAT day!!

And NOW; to show you my amazing place of work and some of the animals I have fallen in love with in this last week...enjoy! :D

Playtime With The VERY Playful "Blue" Group!

The Amazing Yard! 7,000 Square Feet in Brooklyn, New York! :D

Radar (Bottom), Pushkin (Middle), & Blue (Top). Good Boys!

Big, Bad Shep! Love You, Buddy!

TIPPER!! SO Sweet! You're The Best!!

The Beautiful Pamuk!! :D

Wee Gidget! Can't Be Away From Me For Even A Second! :P

And Finally, Folks, Al's #1 Love Of The Week (Though I Can't REALLY Choose Just One...) Is:

CEECEE

She Hisses Every Time You Open The Door To Her Condo...She Scares EVERYBODY...

...Except For Me! You're Not So Scary Ceecee...

In Fact...You're Feckin' Lovable And Amazing!!!

I've Fallen In Love With You, Ceecee. I'll Miss You, Kitty! Enjoy Being Back Home!! :D

It's been an INCREDIBLE first week, everyone! I truly love everything about this place and know that I belong here. I love my job so damn much! I hope you all enjoy reading these stories...I certainly enjoy living them!

Have a GREAT week, readers! Stay awesome!!

All the very best,

-Al :)

Woofs N' Whiskers

Hello, my fellow Animal Enthusiasts!

Guess what?? I just began a job as a Kennel Attendant at a boarding & daycare facility in Red Hook, Brooklyn called Woofs N' Whiskers. Yup, that's right! Al gets to spend their days cleaning for, taking care of, and playing with dogs and cats (and sometimes bunnies & reptiles too!). YES!!!

No more stress of dog-walking from door to door in Manhattan; millions of keys, dozens of miles, and 10-dogs-in-two-hours (as sincerely fun as that was...and more stories on that later!). No more sleep-less over-night sitting; spending days and weeks away from my own bed, being in places in New York City (or Jersey!) I may not want to be in, spending way too much money on food for someone else's kitchen...though, let's face it, that WAS really fantastic overall; and I'm sure I'll do it again now and then...

Willie: C'mon Al...you know you will...

But THIS, folks...THIS is what I want to spend my days doing. Being in one central location, looking after many animals at one time; feeding them, making their space clean and shiny, and making sure they are healthy and safe in every possible way. AND I get to work with some pretty fucking-amazing people!! All different; all open-minded; all respectful; all: Just. Plain. AWESOME.

And so...in honour of this fantastic new gig of mine (and while I'm still in training and don't have a ton of time to take many pictures of the animals I'm CURRENTLY falling in love with...) I thought I'd do a photo montage of what made all of those previously mentioned walking & sitting jobs fantastic and worthwhile. Like good ole' Willie up there; these are real photos I've personally taken of real dogs & cats I've had the pleasure of being in love with. Please enjoy! :D

Dog Walking in Manhattan With The Hoochie Poochie Club:

Truman & Bailey Love To Play!

GO, Billy Bob!

Ari: The Muppet-Puppy!

Daisy, Sadie, & Bernie; Best Group EVER.

Brucie: Stole My Heart

Freelance Dog Sitting AAAALLL Over The New-York-City Area:

Dante & Lulu...Much Closer By The End of the Weekend!

How Could I Read A Book Without Dasha??

Binky; The Diabetic Kitty!

Comfy Yet, Lucy??

A Special Shout Out To My "Firsts":

Rest In Peace My Beloved Friends

Benny; The First Dog I EVER Sat (Back In Rural Montana...). I Miss You My Best Buddy!!

Jordy & Griffy; The First Pups I Ever Sat In New York City; Only 18 Months Ago. I Miss You Both Like Crazy.

And Finally; A Shout Out To All My Rural, Non-Business, Childhood Fur-Babies!

My Beloved First Cat  & Best Friend Salem; Rest In Peace, My Main Man!

My Adorable Furry Pals Gidget & Olivia: Rest In Peace Pretty Girls!

Our First Dog; Niko. I Carried Him Home When I Was 8 Years Old & He Was Bigger Than I.  The Best Dog Anyone Could Ask For. Rest In Peace Big Boy!

(And An R.I.P. For Those Loved and, Sadly, Without Digital Photos: Curious, Angel, Fozzie-Bear, and Mr. T. :) )

(Don't Worry; No R.I.P.'s For The Following Cuties Waiting For Me To Visit Montana Again! :D )

Nilla Bean; The Wanna-Bee Dog & Most Loving Cat You'll Ever Meet!

Nikita-Banana! Just Turned 13 This Year. A Hilarious & Wonderful Boxer-Pug Mix; Adorable and Loved!!!

Princess: Who Lives Up To Her Name; And Won't Let You Forget It! Playful & Fantastic! ;)

The "Newest" Member Of The Family: Our Beloved Husky/German Shepherd: Mystery. :D

It has been an incredible year-and-a-half with all of my New York City furry-friends. And an incredible life with ALL of my fur-babies. I'm so very lucky. I've loved them all and have learned SO MUCH from each and every one of them (even if their cuteness didn't quite make the blog posting today...). And I am excited to take all of that experience with me to this next phase of my life. It's been an exciting journey; and it's just beginning!! :D

And on that note! :P Have a GREAT week, readers!! Stay awesome! :)

All the very best,

-Al :)