Such a lovely day and it's really warm for November. (Perfect for paddling but I didn't have a boat!) I spent time walking 5 dogs this morning and would like to share my experience with you here. Hopefully you're in DC Suburban and want to visit these doggies after reading about them. By the way, I was pretty clueless about dog breed. So forgive me here.

I arrived around 9:30. The on-site staffs had just fed the dogs and were cleaning (hosing down) the runs.

I started with Joi, whom my friend walked at the training. She was one-foot-tall, all pure white color short hair, and such a joy to play with. She looked similar to Smooth Fox Terrier. She was jogging, jumping, sitting with me on the bench and always looked at me with her big bright brown eyes.

The second dog was Mickie. He was sitting calmly in his run while others were barking like crazy. His head was black and the body mixed with black, gray and white. I had to say he was very diplomatic. He was stretching lazily while I was opening the front gate and putting the leash around his neck. Then once he was out he pulled and ran. He loved going after the bouncing tennis balls in the play area. He pee a lot though. Must be a male dog thing.

Then I walked Alice. She was an auntie I would say. She was brown Bullmastiff or Boxer...I am not sure. She was very lean and tall and had a bit of gray hair. She was an explorer. She sniff everything before moving forward, which, thanks goodness, slowing down the walk from the racing speed that I just went with Mickie to a real walk. She somehow decided to hide the treat I gave in the ground....and well...you know she couldn't eat it because it's now covered with dirt. She was the first dog manage to lick my face.

I was about to take a break when I spot another dog named Deuce, a white and brown, chubby, short, mix breed. She must be a fan of tennis. Just like me. (But she didn't know how to chase or catch a tennis ball like Mickie did.) Deuce also loved to race but she always turned to me to check if I wanted to run along. Such a thoughtful dog. Well couldn't deny her, could I ? So I had to run again. She loved to put her front paws on my laps. You can imagine what my jeans look like. (And I went to Target afterward in those jeans. People probably thought I had played baseball earlier.)

Then I decided it's definitely time to take a break. But when I left the building connecting the runs, there was a good size white and brown foxhound standing and looking at me from the back of the cage. So we kept looking at each other. Hmmm. There was something looked familiar here. I went back in and check the name tag at the front of the cage. It's Molly! She seemed to recognize me. She was moved to a different line and run and hadn't been walked today. But I really needed food so I had my sandwich and came back to her. Molly was still energetic as ever. Racing me through the road and slapping her right paw on my left cheek once when she jumped at me while I was sitting. I wonder why she was left with the shelter a month ago.

In case you wonder about Jolly, the tiny Yorkshire Terrier who couldn't fit in the harness last time. She just got neutered and had that bowl-shape protection around her neck. I really wanted to walk this little poor thing but I didn't want to hurt her in any way. I let the senior volunteer taking care of her this time. :(

I basically gave each dog roughly half an hour including playing time in the play area where they would be off-leash. (Well, I sort of left the leash on and let them run around with it.) And still have to stick with the rule such as pick up all the poop off the trail, keeping a dog away from other dogs at least 15 feet. But I have to say getting them out of the run and putting the leash on them is the most challenging.

There were more people arriving around noon which was also the office hour for an adoption. I hope all the dogs were walked before it was dark. I was there for 3 hours and managed to walk 5 dogs. I don't know how long it will take to finish walking 80 dogs there.

One thing I noticed those doggie seemed to prefer Wholefood's dog treat than one from Pedigree. Not sure because of the taste or the soft/hardness.

Everytime there was a car coming into the complex. Those doggies stopped playing and watching it passing by. It's almost like they thought it's their owner. It's sad to witness that. If you're interested in adopting a dog, a cat or volunteering, please visit FOHA.

My coworker forwarded me an amazing animated lecture about a year ago. Today I came across other work by the same artist, Andrew Park from Cognitive Media Company, on a lecture by my favorite educator, Sir Ken Robinson.

One of Sir Ken Robinson's lecture in 2006 at TED Talk can be watched here or at TED.com



And here is the animation style.



Hope you enjoy the video like I do. This is another brilliant way to make your drawing skill recognized.

If you're insterested, more lectures are available at RSA Animate and at Cognitive Media


Source: YouTube, Coginitive Media, RSA Animate

What an active day with a swimming lesson in the morning, rushing to the post office to send new winter boots to my sister (since she forgot hers) and then an animal shelter in Aldie where I have signed up to walk a dog and today was for an orientation and a training.

The shelter is called Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA). Currently there are about 80 dogs and 48 cats on site. Their main goal is to find a home for the dogs and the cats.

Most of the dogs are placed in their run but the senior dogs have a separate "home". Each individual home has a front yard. It is conditioned and decorated with furniture. We were told that one even has a chandelier. We haven't seen yet since it's in the inner corner.

Each dog should be walked about half mile which takes about half hour on Saturday and also on Sunday. That is 40 hours of work to walk every single dog at the shelter per day. So you see the more volunteers mean the more hours each dogs can be outside. (So please help!) You can come to help on weekdays but this is not regular hours so you may be asked by the on-site staff. Most of the work on site is also done by the volunteers from cleaning, maintaining, laundry, bathing dogs (summer only), etc.

Today I walked Jolly and Molly. Jolly is a tiny Yorkshire Terrier who was too small to wear a harness and needed to be carried back to the run. (The dogs need to be on the leash all the time outside except in the gated play areas.) Molly is a Foxhound (I believe) who was just brought in, have been quarantined for 2 weeks and pulling me through the trail.

This is not an easy task. Let me warn you. There are procedures to make sure everyone is safe such as how to get a dog in and out the building or the run, keep the distance between the dogs, etc. At each run they have the dog name, their special needs and a color code indicating the level of difficulties to walk from green (easy), yellow and red (most difficult). I think Molly must be yellow! She hasn't got a color code yet since she is new. And it is okay to have your favorite or if you don't feel right with some dogs.

Every dog are so eager to be walked. The shy ones might not show much expression. Some are siblings and preferred to walked together. Some go nuts outside like a cat on catnip. But I am surprised that they get along with people so well.

I had a chance to talk to a couple volunteers. One of them has been volunteered for 9 years. She comes every Saturdays (except X'mas) and stayed late with other senior volunteers until they're sure that every dog has been walked.

If you're interested in adopting one, they will need to check your background. I am not sure the extent. If you already have one at home, you will be required to bring him/her/them to the shelter to make sure if they get along with the new one. And if you have adopted one from FOHA and are not able to keep the dog or the cat anymore, you need to return them back to FOHA. So they can keep the record straight. They open only on Saturday and Sunday for this. Or you can wait for the adoption events at retail stores in the area.

If you're interested in volunteering, you are required to have an orientation/training with them first. Please contact a staff at FOHA They always need help.

Oh and don't throw your old blankets away, they would like to have them.