I Am An Adventurer - Rattlesnake Avoidance Training

Let me say at the onset, I do not like reptiles.  Even lizards and little garter snakes, I will only view from a distance.  So when my son, Joe, invited us to come out to Acton to see the Rattlesnake Avoidance Training he was hosting on his property, I had mixed feelings.  This annual event is co-sponsored by Joe Altieri, 2^nd Home Dog Boarding, and Jill and Kevin Parnham, founders of 2^nd Chance Dog Rescue, Inc.   

Kevin and Jill Parnham, with Joe Altieri

Joe was hosting an Open House of his Boarding Kennel as well, so Jay and I decided to pick up some Open House Snacks and drive the hour and a half from San Pedro to Acton to support him.

Driving to Acton is like entering in a foreign land.  While there is no border to cross, once you turn on to the #14 Highway, you are in different territory.  The sky is huge, the air is clear, the pace is slower.  It is the high desert, with great expanses of scrub covered hills, unique sandstone rock formations resulting from prehistoric uplift of the San Andreas fault, and sporadic lovely white plumes of blooming yucca plants.  And, oh yes, rattlesnakes. 

The high desert!

Dog owners are especially concerned as summer approaches with its heat and lack of water which drives the snakes out from under rocks and presents a hazard to the inquisitive nature of domestic dogs.  But dogs can be trained to recognize and avoid the rattlers.

 

When we pulled into the parking area, things were already happening.  People had signed up for an appointment for the training.  There was the sign in station 

Jill working the sign-in station...the wind does blow in Acton!

and a set-up where dogs could receive rattlesnake venom vaccine injections provided by Sweetwater Veterinarian,  Dr. Caroline Conn, and her assistant, Natalie. 

Natalie and Dr. Caroline Conn

Then one by one the dogs were taken under the wing of Natural Solutions for their training.  Joel did the honors of placing the “muzzled” but alive and squirming snakes in the dog’s path while Anthony walked the dog through their paces to learn to recognize, by sight and smell, the deadly rattler.

Joel preparing the "big snake."

Anthony with his student!

It was amazing to watch as the dogs learned how to focus on the snake and then back away.  Many of the dogs were repeat trainees, coming back each year for up to 4 years of training.

And just to prove the point of the constant threat, while training, Anthony spotted and HEARD a “local” rattlesnake on the other side of the fence and Joel, with correct equipment, captured the snake and placed it in a container.

In the bucket you go!

We enjoyed talking to the various dog owners. Animal lovers are special people. We listened to stories of those who had lost their much-loved pets to snake bites. We heard accounts of how much they love living in the wide open spaces of the Antelope Valley.  We watched Jill interact with a young boy who translated for his father.  Their dog, Chita, had come loose and ended up at the kennel as a stray with no collar or identification. The boy and his dad were thrilled to find her at the Rescue.  Jill gave them vouchers to have Chita spayed so she can abide by the Animal Control laws and remain in Acton. 

Jill talking to Chita's happy owners!

While I found the training fascinating I was much more relaxed at the Open House for the 2^nd Home Dog Boarding Kennel.   

Joe talking with one of his customers.

This facility is amazing.  There is such an expanse of play yard for the “dog-friendly, sociable” guests to play with each other, run and climb on bales of hay.   

Joe and guests out in the play yard!

There are private kennel spaces for indoor dogs, each with its own access door to an outside play area.  

There are large fenced areas with dog igloos for outdoor dogs, 

a large dog run for any dog who “does not play well with others,” 

and even a little guest house where a family of dogs can stay together for a special rate.

And his clients love him and having such a wonderful, caring, clean facility for a “home away from home” for their pets.  At their request, he is also beginning to offer doggie day care for qualifying dogs.  

He says, “I don’t care if I am often strapped for funds.  I don’t need much.  Just so I can pay my bills and have my dogs.  Dogs are my life!”

My son has been a dog lover since he was a young boy, bringing home every stray dog in the neighborhood and begging to keep it.  Watching him interact with the dogs and his customers, it is clear that his is a labor of love. 

Joe with Buddy, one of his foster pets that was going to his "Forever Home" that day.

Check out 2nd Home's Facebook Page.  

I Am A Renovator - The Process of Renewal

When Jay and I bought our manufactured home almost 3 years ago, we knew that what we were purchasing was the view from our deck of the fantastic Pacific Ocean.  

The house itself was old, worn and tired, but so were we.  We said we could clean it up and make it work and when it didn’t we would go out and sit on the deck!   

Gradually we made small improvements and it was certainly livable…except for the OLD (read cracked, stained, dirty grout) tile floor 

and the embarrassing old, worn guest bathroom.   So we did the math and decided to replace the tile floor, replace the old, worn and tired appliances and redo the small bathroom.

 

It has been 4 weeks of contractors in the house and we are in the home stretch. Now there are shiny new appliances gracing the lovely new tile flooring in my kitchen, a small bathroom that welcomes guests

and when I glance into them, I smile and my heart lifts.

While all this contracted renovation was going on, something else was occurring.  I realized how similar I felt about myself and my life.  I am also older, worn a bit, and crackly. I began to feel a desire to relook at other things in my house, my life and my body.  I began a broader  “renovation campaign.”  In my house, I saw piles of magazines that had been accumulating and sat down to go through and decide what to keep and what to give away.  I saw messy drawers and took 10 minutes to empty the contents, refold and neaten the items.   

And each time, afterwards, I would smile and my heart would lift.  

In my life, I saw things hidden away that I used to enjoy (pictures, music cd’s), and began to take them out, clean them up and put them within easy reach. I recalled activities that I had engaged in but somehow forgot, like a few minutes of morning meditation or being more mindful during the day, and began to make new commitments.  And each time, I would smile and feel my heart lift.

These tasks led me to relook at the noise and clutter in my head…the thoughts that create a messiness in my mind.  The thoughts I hold about my body, my age, my future.  How do I renovate them?  I AM old and worn and my parts CAN'T be replaced.  Yet, somehow this remodel has had a psychological effect on me that is positive.  Rather than thinking of possible future changes, I am content and happy to stay in this present moment and appreciate what is.  My body, though aging, still serves me well.  I am surrounded by people I love and who love me. 

 I have opportunities to share myself with them.   

So what started as a little renovation project, has expanded...mission creep...into many more areas of my life.  The gift is that with these thoughts in my head,  I can say that I feel  “spruced up,” younger, more energetic. 

So, I smile and feel my heart lift.  

  I think I will go sit on the deck!