Carla

@servicerotties Thank you for all your posts, for sharing openly and humbly. You are making a difference, you are a role model and inspiration. Kuno is cheering you and Chesnyy on! 🐾

Admin post: In August of 2021, I took my trusty partner Kuno, and we went on our first out of town adventure by ourselves. Travel as a non-ambulatory wheelchair user is challenging, and I'll admit, I was scared. It was only a 2 day trip to a city a few hours away to get a custom dog crate installed in the van. Using hand controls means a dog can not ride loose. Getting excited or losing balance and bumping me could be dangerous, and I didn't like the idea of having him tethered. A crate was the best way to keep him safe. That first trip was daunting, though. I didn't have much confidence interacting with people. It was my second year being completely non-ambulatory and I hadn't had many opportunities to go many places without a human companion, and the places we did go alone, I had always been to with someone before so I could learn about the barriers. The accessible hotel room was a challenge. I made the mistake of going for the affordable older hotel, and even getting in the room was a struggle. It was awkward to roll into the restaurant, park Kuno under the table, and dine alone. We got stared at a LOT. On the late night walk, we decided to cross a major street to get to the gas station so I could pick up a bottle of chocolate milk. On the way back, I realized that the button to trigger the walk signal was on a little island with no curb ramp. I had to wait in the dark on the corner until a cyclist came along and was going to cross the street and push the button on the other side so that we could go back to the hotel. When I was checking out and carrying things to load up and go home, a child pointed at me and asked her parents if I had been attacked by zombies. It was embarrassing at the time, but now something I laugh at. It was a hard trip. There were overwhelming moments. But we did it. It felt like a huge win for me, and I really needed that. It's been a long road to building my confidence, and to be completely honest, I still don't have a lot. I know that I'm competent and capable, but I still feel incredibly awkward, ashamed of my body, and I hate when I end up having to ask strangers for help. Kuno was my safety net through so much. Because of him, I'm able to get out and do so many things I really believed would be impossible. This weekend is my first trip away from home without him. I've put tons of time and work into training Chesnyy to take on the responsibilities he held. She's traveled with us to many places, and she does her job well. But it will be different for both of us to stay somewhere away from home without that feeling of comfort that Kuno always brought. I suppose this is the first of many big adventures without him. And we'll be just fine. He taught me how to live life, and helped me get Chesnyy to the point where when I need that extra help grabbing the item I drop, or activating the power door when my hands are full, she's on it. It's a bittersweet feeling. I'm going to miss his giant head on my lap as I settle down for the night in a strange room. But us girls are going to be fine, and this first road trip without him will help get my confidence back up. It definitely took a hit when he passed. So today we pack up. I'm cooking a roast to make sandwich meat for me and treats for Chesnyy. We'll pack our grooming bag and show stuff. And a much smaller amount of dog food than when I took them both. And tomorrow afternoon, we head out on the first of many adventures as a team of 2. Many of you have been incredibly supportive of my journey. You've given encouragement when I desperately needed it. You've helped cover expenses. You've empathized with our struggles and celebrated our victories. Thanks for being here for us. That means a lot more than you realize. ❤️

@Raptors @LGCanada 🏀❤

We got a pair of lower bowl tickets for the Feb 2nd game courtesy of @LGCanada Feeling optimistic about your chance to win? Drop an emoji below for your chance to win 👀 🔗R&R: link in bio Plus enter for a chance to win a VIP away-game Raptors road trip experience: play.raptors.com/tb_app/514383

@Ruggable PM sent yesterday, no reply …

@themomdept Hi, Carla! Thank you for your feedback, and we're sorry about your experience. Please PM us and we'd be happy to help!

Maddening customer service from @Ruggable - repeating the same empty promises for weeks. #CustomerServiceFail

@CUFLAlacrosse What is the address for Kiwanis Field? Thanks

🚨 Full details announced for #Baggataway2024 Weekend schedule and ticket information here: #SuperQualifierWeekend cufla.ca/post/baggatawa…

@sampson_dog @TrentUniversity Safe travels. The fall colours are beautiful in Peterborough now. 🐾

Pax Bellator and Mom are headed to Canada! Looking forward to talking with @TrentUniversity about service dogs in science! The mission continues!

@moggymainecoon @bemorebob2 @Spikeontour Our local pet shop offers free nail trims every Tuesday. Gets ppl in the door And they shop, donate or both. Good luck 🐾💕

@bemorebob2 Hi Bob’s mum, we’d first like to say that your shoppy is brilliant and that we send Staff there whenever they are in the area! 😻We love buying gifts for our besties like @Spikeontour Would it be worth having a pop-up stand at the craft fair that runs near your Huffkins? /2

Pals, I’ve always been transparent with you about the ups & downs of owning a small business. This week we had 6 sales yesterday & 7 today. Oh, and 2 of them were me & Lucy buying things 🤪 It’s a constant challenge to get people through the door. I’m going to invest in a leaflet drop in the local area. See leaflet design. Pals, do you have any other ideas on getting paws through the door? Twitter has always been our biggest supporter, maybe you have some insights? Love Bob’s mum ❤️🐾

Knock, knock. Who's there? #Opportunity Excited to share insights on creating personalized, impactful employee comms @RaganComms Internal Comms Conference! Here's a discount code CARLA100 to save on registration. link.ragan.com/IC24Speaker #RaganSpeaker #RaganEvents

@CUFLAlacrosse @queensgaels @uOttawaGeeGees Any update on livestream? @uOttawaGeeGees @queensgaels

It’s game day! @queensgaels taking on @uOttawaGeeGees. 7pm at Gee-Gee’s Field. Live scoring is available at CUFLA.ca

Excited to be a speaker at Ragan's Internal Communications Conference! Join me for insights on how to create personalized, impactful employee communications. Here's a discount code CARLA100 to save on registration. link.ragan.com/IC24Speaker #RaganSpeaker #RaganEvents

@NESCAC @AHCAHockey Very proud of Connor and his @AmherstMHockey teammates honored for their commitment to academics as student-athletes 💜

1⃣8⃣5⃣ NESCAC ice hockey student-athletes recognized as @AHCAHockey Krampade All-American Scholars Men > nescac.com/news/2024/6/25… Women > nescac.com/news/2024/6/25…

@queensu Where can I find the 2024/2025 academic calendar for arts and sciences? Thanks.

@AmherstCollege @mellio2 An amazing day and excellent words of wisdom from @mellio2 during turbulent times - well balanced and empathetic. Congratulations to the great class of 2024 💜🦣🎓

During #Amherst2024's Commencement, President Elliott (@mellio2) urged the graduates and their families and friends to “learn together with passion, with openness and alive to possibility” and, above all, to never lose their senses of hope and curiosity. bit.ly/4aCFsVt

@ShopGOVX do you ship to Canada? Are website prices in USD?

Knock, knock? Anybody home @CityofEdmonton @YEGMayorOffice @CityNewsYEG

Let’s go mammoths 🦣🥍 @AmherstMLAX

@WestJet Thanks for the reply and a shout out to Jasmine on the phone line who provided quick and friendly support!

@themomdept To reach our Rewards Support team, please call our contact centre at 1-888-937-8538, press the option for a new or existing reservation and ask the agent who answers to transfer you to our Rewards Support team. They are open daily from 7AM to 9PM MT.

Any idea when the @WestJet rewards login will be working? Haven't been able to log in for 5 days.

Maybe instead of opening new centres, you should focus on providing support for existing centres and applicants ... absolutely terrible service! #CustomerFail @VFSGlobal @vfsglobalcare

Dealing with @VFSGlobal is the most frustrating I have ever experienced. I would avoid working with them in any instance. #CustomerFail