Horses and Pain!

Me, helmet, my new saddle, Poco (front) and Sassi

This isn't house sitting related necessarily, but it's about animals so I thought I'd share anyway.  Almost 2 weeks ago I went horseback riding with a few friends and had quite an eventful day.  I had a riding lesson on a Missouri Fox Trotter, Sassi (picture below), who is just that!  She got a little frustrated and impatient with the lesson and decided to rear up!  I have yet to experience that on a horse to this point, but figured my time was due.  Luckily I did everything right and stayed on, but it was pretty scary and exciting all at once.  Little did I know what else would be coming...

We went to Dimple Dell afterward to trail ride and ended up having quite the frightening adventure.  I was initially riding Sassi, who I have to briefly describe.  She's an English breed so her gait is very unique.  Her walk and trot is so smooth you feel like you are gliding; you barely move, which is so different than the typical bounce of the trot on a Quarter Horse.  Her gallop is interesting too, also smooth but different.  Her breed types are used in endurance racing so she has sooo much energy and can go on forever.  As we started our trail ride she would gallop ahead a hundred yards, turn around and run back to the other two riders and then turn around again.  She is like an attention deficit child on a walk with elderly adults.  It is super fun!

Sassi-Missouri Fox Trotter-and me!

Anyway, back to the frightening adventure...so halfway through our ride I switched horses with someone and ended up riding Riley, the Quarter Horse (pictured in a previous post).  Poco (the horse I usually ride) was also there, being ridden by another friend.  The ride was beautiful and so fun, but as we were approaching the end of our ride, a dog barked suddenly and spooked the horses.  All three of them abruptly turned away from the dog and threw ALL THREE of us riders on the ground.  Right before I came off, I realized I might be coming off and kept saying to myself "No, you are NOT falling off this horse!"  I tried to fight it as best I could, but before I knew it I was on the ground rolling, having hit my leg against something.  Riley was much taller and stalkier than Sassi so the thought of coming off (compared to when Sassi reared up) was a lot more intimidating!  I could hear the stomping of his hooves behind me and I prayed he wouldn't accidentally step on me, causing much more severe damage than what I had.  Luckily he didn't, but my leg was in intense pain.  I couldn't talk or move for a good 5 minutes; I just sat there holding my leg rocking back and forth.  I was worried I had broken something and the pain shot up and down my leg.  But after I rested, the pain subsided enough that I was able to get up.  One of the other riders broke her arm, unfortunately in her fall.  After assessing each other's injuries, we ended up all getting back up on our horses and riding back to the trailer, which was only about a 10 or so minute walk back luckily.  The friend who broke her arm ended up at the ER that night, sadly.  Pictures below!

It was cooooold that day! I like Riley's ears at the bottom of the frame.

Me and Sassi; Colleen and Poco

My Leg Injury-Day 1

Leg Injury-Day 3

Leg Injury-Day 5

Leg Injury-Day 9

Ingrid the Bernese Mountain Dog

Meet Ingrid!  She is a beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog.  I adore her.  She is a giant teddy bear; she lets you lay on her belly and envelopes you in her soft curls.  She even looks like a bear.  I've been sitting for Ingrid for a little over a year and she has become my pal.  She came up to my cabin with me last summer, she'd let my foster dog Buddy come stay with her when I'd sit her, and she comes to work with me on occasion.  One of my favorite things about her is her mellow/peaceful demeanor.  We'll go on walks and she'll just saunter down the sidewalk, like she has all the time in the world and no cares at all.  But she loves to play in the snow and water!  When it snows she chases and catches snowballs like a playful pup and lays in it to cool off.  She swims and stands in the water on hot summer days, which is so funny because sometimes the water will be up to her shoulders and she just stands there looking around like everything is totally cool.  And I guess in a literal sense, she is cool!

Pee-Wee and Twinkle

I mentioned a few posts back that I would post some pictures of Erdo's kitty sisters, Twinkle and Pee-Wee.  They are very shy so it was hard to capture the pictures but I have posted them here. 

Pee-Wee

Pee-Wee, the Calico, hides out constantly and will only let me sit in the same room with her; I have never touched her.  From what it sounds like she had a rough life prior to coming to her current owners. 

Twinkle, the Tabby, is funny.  She loves to play with string, as most cats do, but sometimes as we play she grabs this little stuffed banana toy and cradles it in her paws and licks it.  It melts my heart for some reason to watch her nurture this little toy. 

Jax and the Gang of Cats!

I recently pet sit for a special crew.  Jax, the Jack Russell and Fox Terrier mix, holds a special place in my heart because I have known him his whole 8 years of life and is also my therapy partner through my work.  What this means is, his momma let us become certified as a therapy team that gets to visit facilities to cheer up people in need.  In my "About" section you will see our official photograph after we became certified.  We visited the Wentworth retirement center for about a month and cheered up a few stellar elderly women who adored his kisses and lap hugs.  He is a natural therapy dog and trots down the halls of Wentworth like he owns the place and absolutely everyone is watching him in his therapy parade.  He even participated in the R.E.A.D. program for a while, which is the literacy program of Intermountain Therapy Animals (and the program I have the honor of coordinating) where children read to him to help boost their reading skills.  He would get a little antsy doing this though and wanted to just chase the ball around so we decided to find a new niche.  I truly have my dream job! 

Anyway, back to house sitting!  So Jax and I had a LOT of fun because I got to tend him over Halloween.  I borrowed a friend's dog wings and dressed him up as a little butterfly!  We went to a friend's party and he was the King of the Ball.  He would trot around with his stout body and short legs, his wings fluttering, ready to take flight!

Sitting pretty butterfly

There are the wings!  I was a ninja :)

In the pictures above you can see his "Sitting Pretty" pose.  The people he visits at the Wentworth adore that!  He knows he can get whatever he wants doing that pose!  Here is one more of Jax sitting pretty!

One other thing that always gets me is when you talk to Jax.  He really tries his hardest to understand what you are saying.  He cocks his head to one side until you think he's going to flip himself over completely!  I tried to get a good photo but he was always come out of it when I captured it, so the photo below only gives you a very small taste of Jax trying to understand.  And it's so cute because the longer you talk to him, the further he turns his head to understand.

 Jax isn't the only one in this household, though!  He lives with his 4 Burmese kitty sisters: Mocha, Nutmeg, Bluebell, and Ginger.  He's very sweet with them, licking them and cuddling with them, and  sometimes he can be a bit of a big brother bully toward them.  But overall they all seem to love each other.  The cats are beautiful kitties who kind of remind me of the Korat, Kanga I wrote about in an earlier post.  The 2 light kitties are a silver-blue color and the 2 darker are are deep chocolate color, all with big gold/green eyes. 

Nutmeg and Ginger

Bluebell reminds me the most of Kanga the Korat kitty from a previous post

Every morning Bluebell would stand on the table and make this loud, deep, and funny meow like she was trying to shout something out!  Usually she just wanted some love and one on one time.

Bluebell's sister, Ginger: she's slightly lighter in shade and very cuddly

Nutmeg

Nutmeg recently had eye surgery and only has one adorable eye, as you can see here in the above picture.  She is sooooo cuddly.  I would sit in bed ready to read a book and she'd walk right on top of the book and rub her head eagerly against my hand, or the edge of the book, or whatever would rub her.  She's definitely the most outgoing toward me of all 4 of them.

Mocha

Mocha has the most ADORABLE face when with her eyes open.  She looks like a caricature of a kitten, with her big eyes and tiny little nose.  I tried and tried to capture it here, but she kept giving me her sleepy face. Still very cute though!

The kitties, Jax and I had so much fun together!  I always get sad saying goodbye.  But Jax and I will be on our next therapy adventure soon enough!

Erdo!!

Erdo in Neff's Canyon bundled up

You may remember a few posts back when I house sat for a funny boxer named Erdo.  Well, I am now his bi-weekly exercise partner.  He has so much energy (especially for a 6 year old!) that his mom and dad asked if I'd help by giving him some good exercise.  So we go up Neff's or Millcreek canyon a few times a week and go trail running.  We started jogging at the end of October when we started getting our first snowfalls.  Erdo has hardly any meat on him, so he wears a cute dog coat (shown in the picture above) to keep him toasty.  He adores these hikes!  He runs up the mountain playfully a ways and then turns around and runs back to me to make sure I'm still coming.  He made a friend with another dog on the trail.  At first he wasn't sure about her and was quite wary but once he met her and got to know her, he was bowing down in in playfulness.  That's our adventure!

Kanga the Korat

Kanga is an adorable and beautiful Korat kitty.  She's silver-blue in color and her breed originates in Thailand and is one of the oldest stable cat breeds!  Kanga is very small and super playful.  She reminds me of the Burmese cats I house sat for recently (see above blog for pictures).  Kanga lives right by the Lu Lu kitty that I recently posted about and is one spunky cat!  She lives up to her name as she bounds around; when I come over she is very vocal, meowing and running just under my feet as I walk.  I will often sit down on and Kanga will crawl right up into my lap and purr and purr and purr as I pet her. She has a very eager way about her when she wants attention and will shove her cute little head into your hand to help you pet her.  She soaks up the love and gives it back!

Kanga the Korat Kitty :)

Video Riding Poco

Here is a video of me riding Poco and doing some casual barrel trots on my new saddle!  My momma was sweet enough to film it for me. There was another girl in the arena at the time so I had to share the space. :-/

Lu Lu!

This is Little Lu Lu, or also known as Emmie.  I get to visit her when her family goes out of town and recently had the chance to.  She is an adorable Siamese kitty who emerges for the scent of food in the air.  She is not the easiest to photograph as she is always moving, but you kind of see her pretty blue eyes.  She has a funny little walk and meow and loves to be loved.  She has a brother who is a therapy dog through Intermountain Therapy Animals where I work but he goes somewhere else to play while the family is out of town.  I also house/cat sit for their neighbor; post and picture coming soon! :D

Me and Erdo Dog

It has been far too long since I have posted here, especially since there are so many new things to post about! First things first: the next chronological house sitting gig since Maddie and Hootie is with Erdo and his kitty friends, Twinkle and Pee Wee.  Erdo is an absolutely adorable Boxer.  He has some anxiety and fear issues with new people, but he and I bonded quickly and now we (his Mom, Dad, and I) like to joke about how I am his girlfriend since he lays on my lap and won't let me leave (see picture above!) or gives me lots of kisses. :)  I got to play with Erdo and cats in October and it turned out to be a really fun weekend!  Erdo and I went on a few hikes up Millcreek canyon; it was his first time trail running and he had so much fun! 

The second hike was stunning and healing the whole way.  We went to Mt. Aires and the leaves were just in their prime of Gold, Red, and Orange.  There were blankets of Aspen trees draping the mountainside, quaking as they do with Gold leaves shimmering in the beautiful Saturday morning, sunshine air.  I started at the trail head by about 9AM and there was not a soul in site, so it was very solitary.  I met no one on the way up and only 2 small groups on the way down.  This hike was like opening a present: it started out beautiful and as you unwrap it just kept getting better and better.  I remember at a few points I would just stop in awe, with my jaw dropped.  I have included a few pictures, although they don't do the experience justice, but you get the idea.

Starting Mt. Aires Trail.  Erdo isn't too sure about this...yet!

It was just what I needed to heal my soul that day, being up in the crisp air and rejuvenating my body and mind with a sweet pup running ahead.  The further I hiked and the more beauty that was unveiled, the more my heart expanded.  Negativity melted from me with every step I took and by the time I reached the peak, I felt reborn. 

Wow!

Aspens

View on the way up

This is the view of the ridge from below, just before the peak.

When I did eventually reach the peak the sun was streaming through the trees just over the ridge of the mountains beyond. Below is a picture of Erdo at the peak, with the sun coming in from behind him.

Erdo made it to the peak!

And so did I!

Needless to say Erdo and I had fun.  The kitties are more shy so I have not gotten a photo of them yet, but I will try this month as I will be watching them next week!  I'll post them soon.  Thanks for reading!

New Adventure!

Today I finished house sitting for a quirky duo: a Maine Coon, Hootie and a Labrador Retriever, Maddie.  Hootie is enormous and looks like a wild cat...from his 30 pound (?) body with bobcat-like markings to his lynx-like tufts of hair on his ears.  If I saw him in the woods or on a boulder somewhere in the mountains, I would absolutely think he was a wild cat.  Even his meow is not like a standard cat, like a growl or call rather than a meow.  However, his completely sweet and social demeanor changes your mind instantly!  He's so adorable and has such a lovable personality; and his purr can be heard across the room!

Maddie is also a silly creature.  She is so eager to know what you are doing all of the time, following you around from room to room anticipating your next move.  If you stand still or stop for too long she starts whimpering in anxiousness and need to keep moving!  We had quite the scare last night when I was throwing the ball for her in the backyard.  We've thrown the ball in the yard on multiple occasions but this time, as she disappeared into the darkness chasing the ball, I heard a very unassuming whimper from the trees.  I called to her and she came limping out on one of her paws.  She had a gash on the top of her paw.  We went to the emergency room and it turns out the gash went all the way through to the bottom of her paw!  It was so sad but she was so brave, practically elated as she usually is.  Anyway, she got all stapled up and came home that same night.  She has to wear a cute e-collar, or "Collar of Shame" as they refer to it in the movie Up.  :) Plus her cute, bandaged paw has to be tied up in a plastic bag when she goes outside so it is quite the scene to see her stumbling around in the yard trying to potty.

Bucky, the Newfoundland, used to live with Maddie and Hootie but recently passed away.  He was a gentle giant and I loved sitting for him.  He and Maddie would wrestle and eat ice together.  He had this adorable straight-haired fro on top of his head that would stand up like static electricity.  He had a biggest and softest tongue that would cover your whole face from top to bottom and side to side.  Plus, he was the best cuddler!  I have included a picture of him and the rest of the gang below. 

Bucky

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bucky and Maddie

Hootie

 

Hootie and Maddie.  Hootie looks tiny here, I swear he's huge!

My most recent and interesting house sitting gig

I just got done house/pet sitting for a friend of mine.  I can easily say this is my most interesting gig as she has a plethora of animals ranging from horses, pigs, a sheep, to dogs, and a gecko.  It is also exciting because we trade services instead of being paid.  She has given me horseback riding lessons and the opportunity to go riding whenever I want in exchange for my house sitting for her.  Many of the readers who know me well, know this is a dream come true!  When I was a little girl I used to write stories about a young girl who lived on a dude ranch with nothing but horses and got to ride them all day long.  I would draw pictures of a little blond girl riding horses everywhere.  Also, when we would go on our annual St. George trips with my family, the one thing I would always insist on, is horseback riding.  Horses have always been my favorite animal and I have always wanted to be a savvy rider and to someday have my own horse(s).  So getting connected into this community so conveniently has been awesome!!

I have been riding my friend's horse Poco (this is the same lady who has all the other animals I just mentioned) and I think I can say I am to a point where I ride comfortably on my own!  I can set up the saddle and reins, trot, and lope without outside assistance!!  And when I ride, I feel completely in my element.  I remember the first time I rode without fear, I said to myself "This is it."  So THANK YOU to my friend who has allowed me to ride with her!  I have included a few pictures of Poco and me and some of the other gang I house/pet sat for too! They are so fun.

Poco and me! She is a Morgan and a great horse.

Riley (the Quarter Horse) and Ellie the pig

Snowflake

Jazz

Harley, the foster boy

Fostering Buddy

For 3 months I had the amazing privilege of fostering the sweetest dog I've ever known: Buddy.  Ever since I was little, I have wanted to foster for a rescue organization and when I moved out on my own back in January, I thought this was the perfect time to do it!  So I began fostering for an organization called Ruff Patch Rescue.  I found them when I went to an adoption even in December of 2009 at REI and fell in love with this little pooch named Eli (I will post a picture soon!).  He was an elder Lhasa Apso with hardly any teeth and a tiny little bony body.  I wanted to adopt him but decided it wasn't the best time for me to own a dog, so instead I began (finally!!) my fostering career starting with little Buddy.  He came to me from another foster parent with energy, energy, energy!!  He was always like a toddler, wanting to know everything and know where I was at all times, but then at nap time, he was out like a light. 

I developed a great sense of stewardship and responsibility over this guy and as time went on I thought "What was I thinking, thinking I could foster a dog without falling in love??"  I seriously considered adoption, but had to remind myself of the commitment I have to rescuing animals from death row in shelters.  By adopting Buddy, I would eliminate one more foster home for a pound puppy to potentially stay in.  So, I opted to not adopt Buddy, but to not settle on just any forever home.  He was very emotionally and physically needy so I knew he needed family with kids, dogs, and a big back yard to run in.  I knew he needed a family that was willing to give as much love as Buddy gave and one that loved his quirks through and through.  After 3 months of wonderful bonding time with that little rascal, the perfect family came along.  Their daughter (along with her parents) fell in love with him and knew he was right for her.  They had just adopted a Pit Bull puppy that worships Buddy and follows him everywhere and runs and plays with him till he's tuckered out.  They have a big backyard and a 6 foot fence so there was ample running space and not a chance of escape.  They contact me regularly, giving me updates on Buddy's well being and he is in Buddy heaven! He gets to sleep on the bed with the daughter, run with the other dogs, and be spoiled!  I couldn't have been happier!  It will be only a matter of time before I foster again, but I've been so busy with house sitting I haven't had a chance. 

Buddy!

Remembering where it all began...

Ever since I was a little girl, I have had a special and instinctual place in my heart for every single creature of the earth (including bugs and reptiles!).  I recall a few incidences growing up that made me acutely aware of animals and their needs.  I was about 4 years old and found a mass of red ants accumulating on a driveway.  Somehow I decided they were in need of food and I ran home and grabbed a carrot, of all things, and scurried back to the ant pile.  I laid the carrot down and watched intently as they curiously investigated the foreign object.  I remember watching them for a very long time, intrigued by their behaviors and little lives.  My maternal instincts were obviously in tact, but my awareness of what their needs actually were were a bit dull. :)

Another pivotal time of awareness toward animals as a young girl was driving with my parents.  I looked out the window just in time to see a deer dead on the side of the road.  My heart sank, but my naive and creative imagination believed something other than death had found the innocent deer.  I don't know why I said what I said, nor do I remember the logic that went through my head when I said it, but it must have been a coping mechanism of self comfort because what came from my little girl lips to my mom and dad in the car was, "It's okay, she's just sleeping. In a little while she'll get up and walk away."  I really believed it at the time, like if I could imagine it, it was possible.  Well, this attitude of compassion toward animals was also reflected toward domestic pets as well.  I recall visiting homes with my family and if they had animals, be it a dog, cat, bird, snake, or bunny, I was glued to this creature for the remainder of our visit.  Looking back, I don't even remember who's house we'd gone to, I just remember the Cocker Spaniel, or Siberian Husky, or Dachsund I left behind.

Finding my niche has been a lifelong journey; I grew up with all sorts of creatures from dogs and cats to birds, rats, and hamsters. I was blessed enough to have parents who welcomed my love of animals and allowed me to have them in the home.  I remember my mom calling me on the phone one day, "Lesley!" she exclaimed, "do you want a Cockatiel?" "SURE!" I responded with glee, "What is that?" I had 3 different Cockatiels after that.  They taught me patience as I tried to teach them to talk and all the while learned a sense of responsibility.  My next project was rats.  I started out with one female, Mitzi, whom I loved and adored.  She was the queen rat.  Then, after lots of research and begging, I was given permission to breed Mitzi with a male rat.  I had several litters of rats and fell in love.  They are incredible companions and very smart for a rodent.  Mitzi knew her name, would follow me around on my shoulder and in the hood of my sweater, she was also an excellent mother.

It was my love for animals that initially motivated me to become vegetarian 15 years ago.  I had heard from my hippie brother who was living in the foresty hills of Santa Cruz about the treatment of animals in slaughter houses.  I couldn't bear the thought of eating my friends and so I made the choice, at the impressionable age of 12 years old, to not eat living creatures.

Who I am and why I am here:

My name is Lesley Pulsipher and I am from Salt Lake City, Utah.  I love being outdoors and in the sun hiking, biking, camping, eating, walking, snowboarding, wakeboarding, traveling, and recently, gardening.  Creatures of all kinds inspire and heal me; they carry a sense of innocence and authenticity that is refreshing and safe.  I am here to make the difference for animals as they have made the difference for me in my life.  This site is far more than a promotion of, and blogging about my house and pet sitting services.  I want to create a world in which people are raised to a keener sense of awareness, sensitivity, and vulnerability because of their relationship with animals.

The title "Homeward Bound" is to represent two aspects of my commitment: first, to ensure the that pets stay in the safety and comfort of their own homes with a house sitter (me!) rather than in a boarding facility when left alone (I've seen too much trauma there; see my "About" section for more details).  And second, to find lifelong and amazing homes for all homeless and/or abused animals that are facing possible euthanasia in shelters.  To achieve this, I am committed to developing an organization that rescues domestic animals that are on death row from shelters.  This is where the story begins, here on this grassroots blog page, to document and articulate my journey and hopefully inspire others.  Welcome. :)