Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Follow-Up Friday-March 14, 2014

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-Up Friday, the post where I highlight reader’s comments, answer questions and generally just wrap up my week.

You Make Me Smile – March 9, 2014

Food Guard Donna said, “Really??? That works??? She doesn’t just climb over him???? LOL!”

Good point Donna!  It worked this time.  No future guarantees.

In Case of Emergency

So some of you have emergency bags packed.  That’s a good thing!  Some of you have far more things packed then I do, but thanks to all of your comments, I have a pretty good idea of what I need to pack.

Reilly and Denny said, “We have small signs by the front door and garage to let emergency know there are 2 dogs inside and we have spare leads and harnesses for them in the car etc.”

Excellent point Reilly and Denny!!  I have one of those stickers at my front door and one on my bedroom window as well.  This is so important if something happens when you aren’t home or if you are unconscious when they arrive.  It lets emergency responders know to get to your pets.

Genevieve said, “I have a backpack with copies of important household papers and dog records in it. There’s also a first aid kit and a few days worth of: my medicines, power bars, dog food, and underwear! I’m not going commando in an emergency…

I commend you my dear, but in an emergency going commando is the least of my worries.  Besides, it’s kind of freeing if you know what I mean. 😉

I found this post with easy camping tips and thought numbers 13 and 21 would be perfect for emergency kits.  I think the post title says it all.  Some of these tips are really borderline genius, especially if you are really roughing it.

Conservative Management

Well most of you know, this went out the window Tuesday night, but some good questions here.

Jackie Bouchard asked, “So, does a full tear mean the conservative approach is out?”

Basically yes.  Jana at Dawg Business had a post explaining it and she can do it better than me. 🙂  You can read her version here.  This is how I understand it, of course after today I may have a far better idea.   The ACL is a ligament that holds the knee in place, if it partially tears, you have the opportunity to isolate the ligament and give it time to repair itself.  I had a torn ligament from a car accident many years ago and I wore a brace for months, until the ligament healed itself.  BUT when the ligament fully tears the knee is unstable and cannot support the leg and is incredibly painful and to my understanding it is unable to heal.

Sue asked, “Is there any possibility of water therapy near you?”

There is Sue, and we were scheduled to start that tomorrow.  I also discovered the vet we are seeing today has physical therapy in their office and I’ll be checking into that as well.

I Jinxed My Dog

That's a sad dog right there. If looks could kill, I'd have been dead last night because of the daggers he was shooting at me.

That’s a sad dog right there. If looks could kill, I’d have been dead last night because of the daggers he was shooting at me.

As many of you pointed out, I couldn’t actually jinx him, and truthfully I really feel like we gave it our very best.  Sadly it happened in spite of that and I can’t change that.  All I can do is move forward.

Emma said, “He will have to go eventually, but bring one of those 40 gallon Hefty trash bags out with you for when it finally happens!”

He actually did go!!  He went yesterday morning and he went again last night, twice!  

Jan K said, “I have a lot of regrets when it comes to my pets, but we just can’t know.”

Me too Jan.  But you are right, we just can’t know.

Again I want to thank all of you.  For the phone calls, the e-mails, the, texts,  private messages and comments.  It helps.  It makes me feel like I’m not alone and for that I am so grateful.  This is an amazing community and I couldn’t ask for better friends.

I will update my personal Facebook page as well as the blog page after I get back from the vet.

Have a great weekend my friends!

 

You Make Me Smile – March 9, 2014

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You make me smile.  The funny, sweet and loving things my dogs do that make me smile or laugh on a daily basis.

This picture was yesterday morning.  To set the scene, when I get up in the mornings I put the dog’s breakfast of chicken necks in a bit of warm water to take the chill off them.   Typically I put the bowls in the microwave while I get dressed for work, but yesterday as I was putzing about the house, I set them on the counter.  I was a bit concerned about Delilah getting at them, so I made her follow me around.

As it turned out, I didn’t need to.

Sampson, when you guard your breakfast to prevent Delilah from stealing it….

Food Guard Not only do you make me proud, you make me smile.  And I may have giggled a little too.

Isn’t that the cutest thing?  What has your baby done to make you smile?

‘Twas Just Before Spring

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‘Twas just before spring, when all through the yard

Something was stirring, despite the snow being hard

Yup, there’s something moving about in the yard and it’s mostly hiding in the piles of wood.

Woodpile1

Two weeks ago the pups were interested in the pile by the retaining wall.  They stuck themselves so far under the tarp, they scared me.

Tuesday I took the dogs out after I got home and was doing my poop patrol of the yard, when I noticed Delilah had a Mohawk.  (Sadly, I could not get a photo.)  The fur right before her tail was all puffed up.  I looked around to see if I could see anything that might have gotten her hackles up, but found nothing.

Woodpile

Then yesterday morning her fur was up again and both dogs were interested in some uncut wood Hubby had wrapped up in some tarp.  They both climbed up on the snow bank and stuck their noses down.  I swear I saw something brown move under the tarp, so I hurried up on the deck.  Then I thought, it’s better to get your camera and record it.  How many times have you missed an opportunity because you didn’t have the camera?

It reminded me of the time I went home at lunch to let the dogs out.

Delilah was intent on this tree in our yard.  It had been topped and stood about 4 to 4 1/2 feet tall.  There was a small hole in the dead center of the top of the tree and this is where she focused.  Being inquisitive and curious myself, I decided to play the Bear Went Over the Mountain and walked up to it to see what I could see.  I peeped over the top of the tree and it hissed at me.

You read that right,  The. Tree. HISSED. At. Me.

You can imagine that I jumped back startled and I maybe, might have screamed like a little girl.

Then that curiosity thing (you know, the one that killed the cat) got the better of me, so standing a good distance away, I began to throw rocks at the tree.  And I giggled a little thinking how the dogs would chase after whatever it was that came screaming out of that tree.  Until I realized I was probably in the direct trajectory of one very pissed off animal.

Visions of a rabid raccoon tearing my face to shreds while the dogs barked and jumped danced through my head and I decided it was better to wait until Hubby came home and let him deal with it.

I’m almost certain I sent him a text that said, “Dude, the tree hissed at me.”

He text me back, “It’s probably a bird.”

A bird I scoffed, birds don’t hiss.  WTF are you smoking? I’m a grown ass woman, you can’t pull that over on me.

I was on pins and needles waiting for Hubby to get home. Sometimes and I say SOMETIMES, Hubby approaches things a bit differently than I do.  He grabbed a mirror (why didn’t I think of that?)  Meanwhile, I put on my running shoes, just in case.  Standing a good distance away I watched as he approached the tree.  He stuck the mirror over the tree and said, “It’s a bird.”

WHAT?  I couldn’t believe it.  I had to see it for myself.   So Hubby showed me how to angle the mirror just so, and I peered into the mirror to see a wide-open beak hissing up at me.

Well dip me in fruit juice and call me a Popsicle, I had no idea.

That story quickly raced through my mind as I went inside to get my camera, but by the time I got back outside, whatever had interested them had made it’s escape.

As for that tree?  I took it down to the ground in the fall.  Ain’t nothing hissing at me in my yard!!

Welcome to Thursday’s Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by Heart Like a Dog and 2 Brown Dawgs.  Hop along to see what everyone else has to say!

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