Heart Like a Dog

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

Some Dogs Just Walk Bow-Legged

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Last Friday Sampson started his physical therapy.  But before he did, we saw the surgeon because the physical therapist isn’t entirely pleased with the way Sampson is using his leg, specifically the way his knee sticks out when he walks.

After watching him walk and examining his knee, the surgeon wasn’t entirely pleased either, BUT he wasn’t too concerned because we aren’t entirely sure how long he’s been having trouble with his knee.  He also said that some dogs recover more quickly than others and some dogs just walk bow-legged.  His exact words were, “He’s a B, not an A+, but a B.”

In two weeks he’s got to go back and have an x-ray of his knee to gage his progress and see how well it is healing.  IF there is a problem with it, we’ll find out then.

In the meantime, we continue with Physical Therapy.  His physical therapy started out with some basic massage and stretches, then she moved on to Cavaletti’s and finally the underwater treadmill.

I didn’t know what a Cavaletti was, but in my mind it’s very similar to the tire exercise you see athlete’s do.   Because of the way the Sampson walks the Cavaletti, he ends up putting his whole weight entirely on his bad leg, if only for a few seconds.  It will help him build up muscle in that leg again and give him some confidence that the leg will not fail him or cause him pain.

The course is set up with about five to six Cavaletti’s set about fourteen to fifteen inches apart.  He’s supposed to do ten Cavalettis, take a break and then do ten more.

I priced Cavaletti’s online and they were about $20 each, so I came up with a plan in my mind as to how to make my own, but it requires a trip to Home Depot, which I’m planning on later today, so in the meantime, I totally improvised with some pairs of shoes and pieces of wood.

The stick is about two to three inches off the floor.

The stick is about two to three inches off the floor.

Phew, someone needs so baby powder in their shoe.

Phew, someone needs some baby powder in their shoe.

 

While I can create Cavaletti’s at home, I cannot recreate the underwater treadmill.  So I did what bloggers do, I took pictures.

 

Hey, do you realize this tank is filling up with water?

Hey, do you realize this tank is filling up with water?

You want me to do WHAT?

You want me to do WHAT?

 

Other than the fact that Sampson kept trying to drink the water, he did quite well.  I’ll work on getting the video up for Thursday’s Barks and Bytes.

And I’ll work on perfecting those Cavaletti’s too. 🙂  Not too bad though, huh?

You Make Me Smile – April 27, 2014

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You make me smile (or laugh,) the funny, sweet, loving things my dogs do that brings a smile to my face, or a laugh to my lips.

Sampson, the way you lay your head on our necks…like you just can’t get close enough to us….

4-27-14

You Make Me Smile.

This was taken when Sampson was still confined to his recovery room.  Hubby would come home from work and come into our room to say hello and Sampson practically crawled on top of him.

He loves to lay his head on your neck or shoulder.  Nothing makes me happier than to wake up in the night to find Sampson’s head on my neck or shoulder.

Your turn, what do your puppies (pets) do to make you smile?

 

 

Planting Seeds

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Spring has finally arrived and we’ve had some decent weather the last week or so, even though it got super cold last night.  Easter Sunday was just about perfect weather wise and it was made even better by having the grandchildren over.  I was so excited that my grandson who is six was showing some interest in walking the dogs.

He did super good with Sampson.  Sampson is one of those dogs who adapts to whomever is walking him, he’s also on a new harness which helps with his pulling and I was tickled that my grandson could walk him.

Don't worry little dude, I'll go easy on you.

Don’t worry little dude, I’ll go easy on you.

When it came time for Delilah’s turn I became a bit more hands on.  If she saw a squirrel or a dog I was afraid she’d want to take off and he could easily get pulled or worse, so I kept a good eye on it. It was a good learning opportunity for us, as a couple of times when Delilah pulled he gave her leash a good tug.  I explained to him that is not how I work with Delilah, I want her to do something because I ask her to, not because I force her.  We had a good conversation and I hope at the least I planted a seed.

Hey, take it easy on that leash, yo! We don't leash pop dogs in this house.

Hey, take it easy on that leash, yo! We don’t leash pop dogs in this house.

It took me back many years to the beautiful walks and talks I had with my grandfather and the many seeds he planted in me.  What a beautiful Easter gift to share with my grandson, the gift of having an adult listen and share.

Sampson

Sampson starts his physical therapy tomorrow.  This past Tuesday was the four week mark since he had his surgery and it seems to me that he is walking a bit better.  He still resists his weight bearing exercises, but we’ve discovered if we let him initiate a game of tug, he naturally puts weight on it without realizing it.

And yesterday on one of his walks he pooped and used that back leg to kick some dirt over it.  I was so excited, I couldn’t wait to get home and tell Hubby!

Delilah

Delilah continues to be her crazy, zany self.  Honestly I need a video camera to actually capture all the crazy things she does.  Yesterday as I was prepping for her walk she she mistook my hand zipping up my jacket for a treat and actually tried to eat the zipper tag.

This dog yo!

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