Relocation services for British Columbia, Canada

Jasper's Diary

This is a diary created by Jasper. He is a 4 year old border collie. He started out in the UK, probably on a welsh puppy farm, and was imported to Canada along with the rest of the pack.

My halloween

I hate halloween. There are loud bangs and strange noises. And some pretty strange looking people keep appearing at the door. And sometimes one of the junior pack members, Alice usually, will try to make me wear devil's horns or some other silly outfit. I get them off as soon as I can.

Pink eh?

Jasper cannot read the sign on the beach
neither can most Canadian dog owners!I am getting a lot of attention lately. People keep pointing and smiling at me. I must be a handsome fellow. (I have been swimming every day now so I am really fit.) Mistress does not seem so pleased. She said “that bloody cheap red collar has turned the dog pink, he looks ridiculous!” I would have thought she would have been pleased with the attention I am getting. Mistress says I have been here a year and need my shots. (whatever they are.) She took me to that place that smells funny and has slippery floors. I was not worried except that she had put my head collar on. A nice young woman talked to mistress and then we walked into a very small room. Suddenly I realized where I was and tried to run for it!!! Too late!! They picked me up and put me on a high table where the not-so-nice young woman poked and prodded me, She also squeezed parts of me very hard, even though I had my tail clamped between my legs. Then, she pricked me with something sharp and I jumped off the table and ran for the door. Eventually, I got out. Mistress put a new tag on my collar, she says I need it to show I have had a “rabies shot”. Now I have 3 tags, one with my name and address, one for my licence number and one rabies tag. They are all getting a bit rusty from the swimming now. And I am still very pink round the neck.

How I learnt to swim

You know some dogs just don't like swimming. I had a scary time with water when I was a pup. I fell in and had to be rescued.

That doesn't stop me running into the water though. Just throw a stick and I'd be in there in a flash. But only as far as I could walk. Ok I would see those smug labradors swimming past me to get their ball or stick. I preferred to make a loud whining, whimpering noise and hope the stick floated to me. It worked sometimes.

This summer though, we often went down to the beach. It is just a short walk from home. It did have a sign with a dog crossed out, but I guess that doesn't really mean no dogs. There are always a few other dogs there.

In the summer the pack would actually go into the sea. And my master helped me go further out. I was scared, but after a few goes I suddenly got it. Moving my paws in a panicked sort of way actually kept me afloat. And I could get my stick too. Then I would swim as far away from my master as I could and drop the stick at the other end of the beach. He'd shout "bring it here", but eventually he'd have to go and get it himself. Hee hee!

What is all that white stuff and why is it cold?

One day we went for a drive. It wasn't a long one but a bit longer than normal. And we seemed to be going up most of the time. When we got out of the car there was all this cold white stuff on the ground. And it was slippery.

The other pack members were excited and made balls out of the white stuff. And threw them at each other. When I caught them they fell apart. But it was fun.

We walked up a trail and the trees were covered with the white stuff. My master said it looked like a Christmas card. The white stuff was really deep.

Eventually we got to a hut and the pack tied me up outside and went in. I could smell food but I was outside. Lots of people came by and talked to me. Some of them had sticks stuck to their feet. It was strange.

I was pleased when my pack came back and we went back down the trail. It was more fun running around and chasing balls than sitting outside not eating.

My walkies

I used to go to the park in England. It was nice. Lots of grass to run around on. Lots of other dogs. Here the walks are quite different. Mostly we go to Lighthouse Park. It is full of really big trees. Really big. So big I couldn't believe it. And we walk up and down trails that are rough. Stones and roots stick out. There is often water running down the trail. I like to lie down in the water and stare at sticks I want my master to throw.

Sometimes my master and mistress will stop and look out at the ocean. It is really big too. They seem to like looking at the view, and ignore the stick I am staring at. I can't understand it.

My journey to Canada

It all started out well enough. A nice lady came to the door of our house. She was very friendly and smelled nice. After talking to my master for a bit, I was surprised to find that I was being pushed into a crate in the back of her car. And then we drove away leaving my master and she who feeds me behind. They looked sad.

I don't want to talk about the rest of the journey all that much. I had to see a vet. And they built a special wooden box for me to go into. Then I was put inside the plane. It was a long trip and I didn't enjoy it very much.

When it was over, and I got off the plane, I was in a strange place. And then, oh joy, there was my mistress and the other junior pack members. I was so pleased to see them. But mostly, as soon as I got out of the crate, I needed the longest pee I had ever had. I didn't even sniff around for a good spot. Phew!

Then we went to a new place. It was strange and had lots of interesting smells. The other pack members were there so that made it ok and I began to feel safe at last. And after a few days my master and she who feeds me arrived. I didn't mind being there then.