December happened
I very much enjoyed my time off in November. I got to visit with my Mom and some dear friends back in Winnipeg and enjoyed my favourite burger places too. Both Dairy Whip and Salisbury House (twice!). My kitchen was clean, laundry was done. I felt rested and thought I was ready. But, boy oh boy was I wrong.
It was busy with the pets, just a little too much, so things quickly got away from me. I did not get the photos sorted for the annual Christmas mail out in a timely fashion so with the pet care and walks and general admin stuff, Christmas creeped closer and closer without much progress. I started to get super stressed and tried to focus on the project but there is only so much time in the day.
Some additional distractions and excuses include that I got whiplash from slipping on some ice. Me and ice have a long history of animosity, starting with my broken ankle in 2017. As an aside I had to buy one of those travel neck pillows for sleeping and the only option was a Christmas themed one. Festive, but I would have preferred the Hello Kitty one I saw a few months ago. Who knew I would need one then?
There was also the Wheel of Time Season 3 teaser trailer and new Superman movie trailer which were a huge nerdy distraction, though both brought me much joy.
And, then December is our business Anniversary. We celebrated 13 years this December, launching way back in 2011. I posted a series of reels with a look back at the Furryornot Gang over the years. Some photos were of pets that I had fond memories of, or I have not seen for a long time. Some were of pets that have since passed away. It was both nice to look back and think about them all, and also sad at times. I compiled some of my favourite photos of all time, most of which were very silly and made me laugh. Despite my best efforts that all took a lot of time and that meant time away from the mailout project.
So, my apologies for the late cards this year! I thought I could get them all done and ready in time but I could not pull it off. I managed to get some done and out, then a another batch went out the following week. But, as I got more and more finished, trying to hand deliver them became completely overwhelming. Thank goodness the strike had ended so I did eventually give up and let Canada Post handle the rest. When I mailed the last pile of cards I celebrated with a dinner from Wok Box. Sweet Mongolian with udon noodles is my favourite. I DESERVED those noodles.
One point on my side is that I can technically claim to celebrate Ukrainian Christmas and New Years thanks to my family. This gives me some emotional leeway. And, a minor win is that most of you did get the cards by New Years on January 14. Just not the normal North American version of New Years. It makes me feel slightly less bad.
With all that going on, I was unable to get a December newsletter out, do any blog posts, or anything else. I am hoping you will forgive me, and I think this next story will help make it up to you.
For any of you that missed out on the photo mailout, here is Rudolph Ziggy wishing you a very happy and healthy 2025!
A Bunny Rescue
The other day I stopped to do an errand and noticed a little black bunny in the parking lot. He was very small so I suspected he was young and he was clearly scared and confused. There was no grass anywhere nearby just the odd weed sticking up here and there which he was trying to nibble on. He darted under cars and into the garbage area for the building. I couldn’t catch him. The lady at the pharmacy got the key to the garbage area, shout out to Newgen PharmaChoice on McCallum, and tried to help but we couldn’t get him. I was so scared and frustrated. It is a terrible place for a baby bunny. It was possible he just got away from his home but because of the location I was fearful that he had been dumped there. And, if I scared him off in the wrong direction he could be hit by a car as it is a very busy area. I called the SPCA hotline and they were helpful but unable to come and try to collect the bunny. They suggested a few things and took a report and sent that to the Abbotsford office. They have a lost or found pet tool on their website so I tried that but no listings. I called Elizabeth’s Wildlife Center and they were very helpful but could not help catch the bunny. They did give some good suggestions though. I called Animal Control but they were unable to help. I then posted a photo with the location and explanation of the situation on the two Facebook Groups I follow.
Abbotsford Missing & Found Pets
A lady saw the post and was able to go and catch the bunny. She has bunnies of her own and had all the supplies needed to feed him and keep him safe. She could not keep him long term but, was able to arrange a foster with a local rescue. So he was safe!
I was relieved and even got a nice little update video of the poor guy resting in his hay. It must have been such an ordeal for him.
What moved me the most was the overwhelming support on Facebook, well wishes, shares, and even other people offering to help. Another lady even drove out there to see if she could find him, but it was just after he was caught. Rabbits do not have the status of dogs in our lives but so many people cared about this poor little creature. It made me feel better knowing there are so many kind people.
The main point though is that we can all help. If you see something questionable try and help, even if it is just a post, comment, like, or share.
If you are posting on Facebook it is helpful to include the following:
a photo
the city
exact location and/or closest cross streets
time of day
brief description of the situation
It can make all the difference.
When you see something you are unsure of use the term ‘Sighting’, if you find a lost pet and they are at your home use ‘Found’ and indicate you have them safe, just so it is super clear.
If you have lost a pet and make a post you will want to give the last date they were seen, as well as the suggestions listed above. It helps to describe what they look like and list any unique markings. And of course include a few recent photos.
Other lost pet groups include Pawboost, Missing Pets in BC (Petsearchers Canada’s lost and found pet postings), and the BC SPCA’s website has resources. BC SPCA Pet Search
You can also post on Nextdoor, contact your local Vets and rescues, and if you are missing a pet it is important to do a very thorough search of the immediate area. And, keep looking. A lost cat in particular will likely be hiding somewhere nearby, such as under steps, in crawl spaces, in sheds, and other small spaces. I recently even saw a story of a missing cat that crawled under the road through some construction and got stuck and had to be rescued. The only reason he was found was that his mom kept searching for him and heard a faint meow!
So, let’s all help out and see if we can save a few more animals!
Social Media scrolling
I keep hearing about people giving up social media or limiting their consumption. And, while I agree that it is important to not spend too much time scrolling aimlessly I have to say that I get a lot of laughs and joy from social media. I think partly it is what I follow, I don’t ‘doom scroll’ I ‘dog scroll’, ‘cat scroll’, ‘bird scroll’, ‘baby capybara scroll’. I feel like I do spend a bit too much time looking at animals but it is fun and I learn a lot. Just today I learned that the Canada Jay is also called a 'Whiskey Jack’. I had heard both names before but didn’t make the connection. And, that finally forced me to compare what a Scrub Jay and Canada Jay look like because I mixed them up. Bird nerd stuff, but yet it’s still learning.
I think the algorithms can work against us but you can also make the algorithms work for you. If you keep following, liking, commenting, and watching videos of cute awesome things you will get more cute awesome things to follow, like, comment on, and watch videos of. As an example, a few months ago I saw a ‘We Rate Dogs’ video and watched it and liked it and then I saw them more frequently so I watched all of those and now I see it every time they post. And, I lost count of the amount of times I laughed and cried. Dogs are so funny. FYI, the average rating is 13 out of 10. Dogs are just that great.
So, my challenge to you is if you spend too much time scrolling on social media try shifting to wonderful adorable positive and informative content creators (like @furryornot!) and make your scrolling helpful, fun, and good for your mental health. So, when you do scroll to avoid the dishes, or after a long stressful day, or whenever you need to distract yourself you will be reinforcing how awesome animals are and have more joy in your life.
Suggestions to help shift the algorithm and bring joy
Fun Dog stuff:
halfhuskybros (I love Champ!)
Random heartwarming and funny stuff:
Leroy and Leroy (just because I am from the Prairies, NOT animal related!) Always Something To Do
Kickball Dad (mostly not animals but he is a birder and funny!)
Educational and helpful stuff:
Bunsen Berner bmd (of The Science Pawdcast family)
Fun cat stuff:
Lindsey Kuzmin with Marshall & Leela
Maruhanamogu and YouTube
Other cool animal stuff:
Bat Conservation International
San Antonio Zoo for baby Tupi the Capybara and Wilson the Armadillo
And, a special shout out to the best quotes goes to…
National Park Service (this will take you on an algorithm trail of other National Park accounts which is additional fun…), specifically for my favourite quote:
“Be careful. That ice is slippery” - Everyone after you slip on ice.
Yes, that is me!
And, a hidden gem:
Snowman’s guide to surviving the holidays:
Spend some time outdoors.
Avoid meltdowns.
Self iceolate if necessary.
Stay chill.
You all know how much I like a good pun.
And, the one that hooked me:
Pspspspsps responsibly.
Making the pspspspspsps noise around wild animals is not recommended. You may think you’re an animal whisperer, but you just insulted their mother and are now surrounded by a horde of angry squirrels.
Excellent advice and also made me laugh so hard I almost choked.
A final bonus
I met some people at the last Petworking event I attended and wanted to share their websites with you.
A website and blog dedicated to senior dog care:
A website and blog dedicated to rescue dogs with helpful tips, best practices, and guides:
I hope you find them useful.
If you have any other cute, fun, educational, or heartwarming accounts to follow please let me know and I will share them next time.
In summary
See something, say something. Keep dog, cat, capybara scrolling! Be careful when walking on ice! Avoid pspspspspspspsing.
Bye from,
Jennifer, Ziggy, Bean, Moxie, and Little Crab
Furryornot Petcare
www.furryornotpetcare.ca
office@furryornotpetcare.ca