A New Chapter

The sound of champagne bottles popping their corks has been somewhat foreign in my life ...but not this week.  As of December 15th, this blogger completed her 5th degree - a three-year BSc.ABC.  That translates to:

Certified Professional Animal Behavior Consultant !!!

The thesis was accepted, and received the evaluation comment of being a "dedicated and outstanding project."   It was only the sound of popping corks that brought me out of my stunned (and unusual) state of silence.  

 

Five women came together 3 years ago ...each with different histories and backgrounds, each with different dreams and goals. Mette will begin her work with horses on her new farm.  Tina, will continue enhancing the relationships between dogs and their owners, and wants to become involved with training rats for the African bomb deactivation program. Ayoe, will focus on improving the lives of felines -in shelters, in homes, or anywhere else that cats who need her help can be found. Liv will head for an unknown tropical  location, in search of marine mammal work -and as for myself, my sights are set on wildlife training and conservation efforts -wherever that may take me.

Five glasses were raised last night as we came together for the last time, and while we have now set off on our separate ways, I have no doubt that we will continue to be the voices of encouragement, support, ideas, and possibilities for each other for a very, very long time to come.

So, for my amazing colleagues, take one last piece of cake for the road:

We'll need it for the job search!

My thanks to Liv, Ayoe, Tina, Mette, Bettina, Gita, Maiken, 

Marnie, Samantha, Dustin, and my mother (the humans)...

 Winkin', Blinkin', Nod, and Tail-Up-Straight (the thesis animals)...

&

 Wilma, Gunnar, Benjamin, Destiny, Bessie, Totte, Penny, Bryan, 

and numerous other animals that have taught me more than any book ever could ...

A special "thanks" to Brandy, Patches, Sniffles, Nacho, Mud, Minnie, Laddie and Taffy -they are the reasons "why."

Lessons Learned:

Following one's dreams can be as easy as breathing, 

or the hardest thing you ever might try to do.

But, what a moment- 

when an artist's image 

suddenly comes to life.

The Gentle Giants

There's something very peaceful about watching a giraffe simply stroll about.  It's almost as if someone has set the world on 'slow motion.'  I felt the same hypnotic fascination some years ago while watching the palm trees bending and swaying with the wind in Hawaii.  But credit must be given here to the giraffe, as he is able to trigger the same endorphin-like state in my mind ~without the help of a pina colada.

I will be attending the International Giraffe Symposium this year in San Francisco -not that I've ever worked with a giraffe, but I am curious to see and meet the people who have developed training techniques for an animals who tower 18 feet over them.  One interesting fact I obtained from the San Diego Zoo was that their giraffes' favorite preference is to work for pieces of red onion.  I can only imagine the boxes of tissues I'd go through every day at the food preparation station!

None the less, off I will go to San Francisco in February -to observe, to network, to listen and to learn, as I enter for the first time into their gentle, slow-motion world. 

Lessons learned:

Keep your pockets filled with red onions, 

and don't look down when training a giraffe

Into the Heart of Sweden

It was a typical late afternoon in November, where the clouds leave no space between the ground and the sky.  But it wasn't the limited visibility, or the damp chill in the air that formed my lasting 'first' image of Dalarna ...it was the 24 hour silence that exists in the high country of central Sweden.

The houses are woodsy and welcoming -whether they be large ...

or small.

The artistry and detail of even the most functional of things caught my eye, 

as well as my reflection

Small tea lights were everywhere -helping to offset winter's long hours of darkness,

and the intoxicating aroma of birch wood fires,

and afternoon coffee brewing proved to be just the appetizers ...

for the saffron bullar and pepperkakor waiting inside.

While hiking on trails in Dalarna, If you're lucky, you may pass by a doorway such as this ~

where carvings deep in the metal hinges convey thoughts known only to the Viking hand that carved them over 1,000 years ago.

In the heart of Sweden, even the modern-day graffiti commands respect. (circa 1793)

Any trail, in any direction will take you through untouched, ancient forests ~

where one can still taste the sweetness of natural spring water.

Lesson learned:

I wonder if the marks we leave will ever communicate 

such a sense of wonder and connection?

Turing the Pages, One by One

It's not much, but it's everything I would need ...

The upcoming thesis presentation and exam dates are fast approaching, and with each passing day, the butterflies multiply.  I'm not alone with this condition, which in some twisted sense, makes me feel better, but I won't entirely be back to normal until this event has passed.  The small group of students that embarked upon this journey 3 years ago has managed to pull together through thick and thin, and our last gathering together is a combination of mixed, bittersweet emotions.

It's times like these when I feel I could so happily slip away into the fantasy of a Bohemian lifestyle ~ and without a doubt, I would do it in one of these.  It's my definition of the original Mercedes Benz ...the ultimate cadillac of contentment.  The vision is so real at this particular segway in my career shift, that I would swear my daughter is perched on the wagon's ledge below ...strangely enough, it really does resemble her.

I've recently begun the long process of looking for work.  Sometimes, I'm convinced that the sole purpose of the job search is to elevate the status of the 'employed,' and for the aging applicant ...it is entirely an exercise designed to test the  strength ones self-worth!  I have to chuckle here -in almost every posting I see for wildlife animal related work, the one constant is that the applicant must be able to lift 75 pounds.  There's nothing much mentioned about what goes on inside ones head, but this test of strength apparently is crucial.  So yes, finding work will not be easy  -mainly because wildlife facilities still tend to hire zookeepers, and then encourage them to learn animal training by attending a seminar or two on the subject.  

My concern with hiring zookeepers to train animals can be exemplified from my recent experience in the Swedish wildlife park.  The senior carnivore zookeeper, when talking about the stress-related behaviors of their wildcats, stated: "I don't know why they behave like this ...they know I bring the food everyday."   It sounded logical enough - she did bring the food, but given the cat's 'netting and crating' history with humans, their avoidance behaviors were firmly in place, and 100% self reinforcing at this point.  When I constructed the cat's entire behavioral chain, and then grounded it in theory, her conclusions were not logical at all.  In truth, the scenario  looked like this: 


1. the sound of the approaching food truck was the cats cue to RUN! -which resulted in (R-) [negative reinforcement, usually associated with the feeling of 'relief'] 


2.  the zookeeper's approaching footsteps and the sound of the enclosure gate opening was the cue for the cats to engage in the avoidance behavior of their choice (run or hide) - which resulted again in R-


3.  the closing of the enclosure gate and the zookeeper's departing footsteps was the cue to come out of hiding to forage and eat - which resulted in R+ 


So, when you understand the theory behind the surface behaviors you see, contrary to the senior zookeeper's logic, positive reinforcement for the cats didn't occur until she actually  left !  Everything else she did, up to the point of her departure, was an aversive (a positive punisher).


Understanding learned patterns of behavior is the foundation for effective training.  I rest my case -it is in the facilities and the animals' best interest to have behaviorists or trainers on staff.

But for tonight, I'll step out of this transitional phase between 'obtaining knowledge' and 'using knowledge,' and I'll allow myself to temporarily slide into the mindset of a carefree, vagabond life ...just for a few brief moments anyway.

Lesson Learned:

One must write the unknown page by page, 

and with the turning of each page, the chapters will someday tell your life's story

Journey to Olde England

The England I Had in Mind
Flower carts, high tea, antique book shoppes, thatched roofs, and James Herriot

                                                 The England I Landed In

It was not the England I had envisioned -nor was it the birth 'day' setting I could have ever created, but none-the-less, here I was ...completely unaware as to 'where' I was.  I stood for a long moment, taking it all in.  The unsuspecting traveller, while able to wash down their burgers, scones, fish & chips, and ice cream with an expresso or latte, can also find an Alchemy shoppe just to their left, right next to The Black Rose drinking establishment -AND according to the brick wall, as a bonus, one can also find Karma in that same direction.  Such a find!  If however, drinking, alchemy and karma are not to your liking, you can always ask the 25 ft. gender-specific, Star Wars guards to your right, what they enjoy doing for fun on a Saturday afternoon ...that is, unless the God-like alien above them isn't too deep into mind control.  If this all seems a little too surreal to take in, no worries, you can always find repose over at "little Japan" (to your right), or, back up just a few steps to the cafe on your left, sit for a spell, and clear your mind with the help of a good water pipe.  

The beauty of it all is that British Security is right there at your fingertips -just to the left of CP3O's knee and to the right of the ice cream cone.  Happy birthday to me!

The England I sought, while making the journey for the sole purpose of keeping my visa status legal in Sweden, I found 90 miles to the Northwest, and had to pay 20 GBP to see.

The Victorian Bakery ~which included several pieces of shortbread at half the admission price!

Some unusual games of chance ~ just think, all it takes is 1 ball to win ...it must truly be a game of skill!  I've known players in this day and age with many balls who had no skill what-so-ever!

                                     The diffused light and the smell of leather

I spent 2 days getting to know the British better -they are quite a lively group.  When I did finally tire of strolling through the villages, I managed to find some lovely paths to explore down by the River Severn.

                        With fruit right off the vine and still warm from the sun ...

                                  and surrounded by the colors of autumn ...

                                                  I sat down on the rocks,

                                  and cooled my weary feet in the River Severn.

(note: Unfortunately, after giving my feet a good soak, I chose to explore the area a little further upstream.  Following the water's edge, I turned a corner and came face-to-face with a nuclear power plant -yep, right on the shores of the River Severn.  My jogging has improved immensely)!

                                                    Lessons learned:

Look for dead fish before you soak your feet in just any ol' river,

&

How to catch a man in Shrewsbury

                               Some lessons in this blog are better than others!

Back to the Goats

With the bulk of the studies now behind me, I have been able to return to the more practical aspect of training.  It is somewhat humbling to see how my timing and once 'clear' cues have deteriorated.  There's nothing that can snap me back into shape like the expression on a goat's face, when he clearly doesn't have a clue as to what I want.  Perhaps it's the natural 'yellow' of a goat's eyes, or the horizontal, rectangular shape of their pupils as they focus upwards in my direction, but whatever it is, they have mastered the gaze of intimidation. 

oh yeah??

I became so intrigued by their expressions, that I started to do a little reading.  A fellow blogger named 'guernyjourney@blogspot' posted the photos below, which substantiate the fact that a goat's eyeballs can rotate within the eye socket. Note that position he marked on the slope of the nose remains the same in both photos, while the angle of the pupil changes.   All this -the rectangular pupils and the rotating eyeballs -so that the goat can better see my cues and ignore them!

       Below is a photo of my trainer, posing nicely at his home -our local 4H-Club.

Benjamin is 100% goat, and he seems to enjoy his elevated status.  If he chooses not to do a behavior I've asked him to do, which results in no slice of apple, he has learned that that he can slightly lower his head in my direction, and I will quickly jump out of harm's way. This seems to please him greatly.  I know this because he wiggles his tail, while he emits a strange little sound that, without a doubt, is a goat-giggle.  

Not Benjamin, but a prime example of a 'goat-giggle'

He really should be more grateful.  As of 3 weeks ago, he was scheduled to be euthanized.  The reason? -he tends to be aggressive to the guests who visit the goat house.  The Club chose to neuter him, thinking this would resolve the problem, but it only served to make him unattractive to any other farm who might be willing to take on his case.  I championed his cause -stating that he is a very talented goat; albeit somewhat stubborn, who's now in the process of learning all sorts of wonderful cues and engaging behaviors; certainly a clever goat. The end result is that I now am in charge of correcting his aggressive charges at 5-year-olds.  sigh.

A clever goat, indeed!

                                                      Lessons learned:

Never turn your back on something with horns this size!

Their Lives on Paper

The stillness of the year returns in Autumn.  The berry-pickers have left the rocky shorelines, and only footprints remain on the sandy beaches of the Stockholm Archipelago. 

Campfires are no longer for marshmallows, they're for warmth to offset  the chill of Autumn evenings.  Marketplaces sell their cloudberry jams, and the thought of searching for mushrooms creates a fanatical glaze in the eyes of most Swedes I know!

With the thesis writing now completed, I want to taking some long morning walks in the woods, while the air is still richly scented with  evergreens and damp moss.  Soon enough, the first icy frosts will crystallize the forests, and my sense of smell with go into deep denial.

The days spent with the little wildcats have gradually transcended from my memory -onto sheets and piles of data, with some 3,200 minutes of their lives now nothing more than permanent impressions locked within my often inadequate words.  I'd like to hope that the research would instill some "training" awareness in wildlife facilities who are still in the process of implementing enrichment programs, or perhaps even go so far as to change the lives of animals in captivity for the better, but the transparency of that thought only reflects my overly optimistic, and sometimes unrealistic nature.  Small steps ...small steps.

So, with the smell of birch wood smoke and morning fog hanging low in the air these days, I'll take a little time to walk into the forest, breathe in all the earthy smells, enjoy the changing colors, pick some kanterelles to later saute in garlic and butter, and then simply sit back and take in the incredible stillness of Sweden's autumn.

Lesson learned:

Light a fire, and keep the windows open

 

The Writer

Proceed with caution ...thesis writing ahead!

                                                                           Lucrecia as Poetry                                         Salvador Rosa                                                                                                                                                                                                    

The bloggie will be allowed to blog again as soon as the first draft of her thesis is completed!

Lesson learned:

Procrastination is an evil thing!

The Blues of Summer

...Imagine a country where 17% of the ground coverage is wild blueberries.

...Imagine a summer sky and a sea so blue that it becomes difficult to determine where the blueberries end and the scenery begins.

...Imagine buckets and buckets of tiny antioxident wonders in pancakes ...pies ...muffins

and tarts.

I close my eyes and see nothing but a mass of blue. My fingers are permanently purple. My back, rounded as a tortoise I once tried to train, and if I tried to quickly stand up straight, I'm certain I'd fracture several vertebrae.   

And no matter how long it's been since the sun and moon exchanged places in the sky, I can't seem to stop picking. 

 

I'm told it's a condition that strikes 
unsavy animal trainers every July here in Sweden.  This year, I tried to counter-act my harvesting compulsion by bringing my son along to utter verbal reality checks every hour, on the hour.  It helped somewhat, but there always seemed to be one last "perfect" berry that just had to be plucked. 

After sketching the nearby artist's cottage, and monitoring my progress over the course of several hours, my son finally got my attention.  Even with my head in the bushes, I heard the smultron cider cork pop, and the sound of the cool, bubbling brew filling two glasses.

Lesson Learned

Summer in Sweden is bewitching

The tiny 'smultrons'

 If 17% of Sweden's ground-cover also contained these,

 I'd be dead by now!