What's the Deal?

Yesterday, Winston went back to puppy day care for the first time since before the whole gimpy-leg thing happened two months ago.

He was hopping up and down, excited as a kid heading for the swimming pool on a 100 degree day. Tail wagging, he pulled me toward the door, eager to see his pals. He was happy. I was happy.

I picked Winston up about 5 hours later. He immediately fell asleep. That's what I love about day care. A tired puppy is a good puppy.

We got home, and as soon as I sat down, Winston upchucked all over the floor.

Do you think he and his pals may have over-celebrated?

A Extraordinary Day

Yesterday I attended the All Write Conference in Cape Girardeau, Missouri with several members of my critique group, Donna, Sarah, Jane, Marcia, Doyle, Les, and Janet. I feel so fortunate to be a part of this talented group.

My absence gave Winston the chance for his first road trip. Son and DIL took him with them to Perryville, where he assisted by barking at any people who came to view the house they are trying to sell. Winston is great at unwanted snoopervision.

I'm king of everybody's castle!

Attending the conference was well worth the two hour drive. The speakers were excellent, hearing comments from panelists about "the slush pile" made me rethink some things, and the food was scrumptious.

Talking to fellow writers is always a special treat. My friend, Sioux, won a prize for best elevator pitch. I won't repeat it here (this blog is G-rated), but it sure caught the eye of the agent who heard it. Fellow critique members Jane, Marcia, and Janet all won prizes in writing contests. I got lucky and won first place in the essay contest. What a thrill!

Meanwhile several of my buddies and I pitched novels to agents and/or publishing companies. Each writer got five minutes to "sell" their novel. I pitched to an agent and a publisher, and must admit my hands were sweating both times. What a relief when they each said they liked the idea and wanted me to send the manuscript for them to read. Of course, that's not a guarantee of anything, but at least I did it. Now I want a T-shirt that says: I Survived My First Pitch Session.

All in all, an extraordinary day.

Even my sweet little grand-baby had fun on Saturday. He went with mommy and daddy on his first boat ride.

Little Chubs has quite a beach body, doesn't he?

Surveying the lake with Daddy.

What a great day we had! Hope your Saturday turned out to be just as special.

The Good Old Days

Yesterday Winston had his third follow-up visit post-surgery. The vet says he's doing well, but told me I should still keep him on leash or crated except when I'm able to closely supervise him.

Oops. He's been off leash since the first week after surgery, with me scrambling around to keep him under control. Hopefully I can keep Winston from self-destruction over another fourteen days because that's when we have our (hopefully) final appointment. The vet says if everything looks good, Winston will be taken off restriction.

Winston, of course, doesn't feel he should ever have been on any sort restriction at all, and is offended over my helicopter pet parent ways.

What do you mean, we can't wrestle?

I think this poor puppy has given up on ever being allowed to have fun again. He hasn't gone to puppy day care, been in a training class, or strolled through delicious goose poop in more than a month.

Geez, Mom, whatever happened to the good old days?

My New Prescription

My mother always told me that time flies by faster than an eye blink. The older I get, the more I realize she was exactly right.

I've been caught up in a big project for which I have a short timeline. Back in 2011, I did a NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) project, and since my retirement in August I've been playing around with actually finishing it. Well, I was playing around. For the past month or so, I've been pushing hard to get it done. My first draft is now complete, timelines have been checked (its an historical novel--though not, I hope, an hysterical one) and now I'm polishing and layering. I've even found an editor who I think will be a perfect fit for me.

The bad news is nothing much else is being accomplished. I'm not writing essays or short stories. House projects have come to a halt. I can't remember the last time I turned on the vacuum cleaner.

Winston, however, refuses to be ignored. He barks incessantly until he gets the attention he wants, which is quite distracting when I'm trying to concentrate. So how do I entertain him? This puzzle is one of my many efforts, though it didn't take long for him to figure it out. Yep, he can now solve the puzzle in under a minute and gobble all the delicious hidden treats.

On the bright side, his bandages are off and we have graduated from wearing the cone of shame or an inner-tube around the neck. However, his leg looks quite pitiful, and strongly resembles a chicken drumstick.

The vet says I'm still supposed to keep him from running or jumping. When I whined about those instructions, he gave me a wonderful prescription.

Tranquilizers for Winston and a couple of stiff drinks for me.

One Day Post-Op

We are one day post-surgery,and you may notice that only one of Winston's legs is bandaged. On the morning of surgery, the vet called me and said he woke up at 4:30 am thinking about Winston's case. He told me he had a strong feeling that he should not operate on Winston's right leg, since at this point Winston wasn't having any problems with it. The vet feared that surgery might make things worse for his non-limping leg.

To tell you the truth, I'm kind of glad. Winston is so pitiful with one bum leg, I can't imagine how we (meaning I) would be able to cope with two surgically altered legs at the same time.

As you can see, Winston is wrapped up in a weird way, almost as though he's on the tip-toe of his foot. That being the case, he doesn't want to put any weight on his leg at all, and hops around on three legs instead.

Poor guy. He's pretty miserable, and can't find a comfortable position to sleep. Since he's on a no running, no jumping, no roughhousing, no anything regimen; I try to put him in his crate to keep him safe. This is NOT a popular idea. Barking, and crying, and whining, oh my!

There's only one thing now that makes Winston happy. Food. He may well end up doubling his weight by the time all this is over. When Winston is clearing all the peanut butter from the Kong, he's quiet. This buys me about five minutes to breathe. Five.Whole.Minutes.

Oh, and guess what? In the midst of all the fun we're having, my daughter phoned. Seems her pup tore an ACL jumping on the bed. Now little Tinker Bell has surgery scheduled next week.

When it rains, it pours. Hope you're not getting as soggy as we are.

Our Paws are Crossed

Today was the day. Winston and I trekked our way across the mighty Missouri for a second consultation with the veterinary orthopedic surgeon regarding his wonky little front legs.

Since both legs are bad, they both need surgery. The vet said we could do one and then do the other at a later date, if I preferred to spread out the cost, but his recommendation was surgery on both front legs at the same time...a double ulnar ostectomy. 

The procedure basically entails removing a small section of the ulnar bone on each leg and inserting some fat taken from Winston's leg in between the two sections of bone. This (hopefully) will allow the still-growing radius bone to grow without being pulled into bowing out even more than it is now because of the no-longer-growing ulnar bone. After surgery, Winston will be in the hospital for 1-2 days and then placed on 4 weeks of rest, while we cross our fingers for success.

Definition of success: Improvement. I've been cautioned that his legs will never be perfect, at least until the veterinary world comes up with a satisfactory knee replacement procedure. The bad news is there's a chance everything could be for naught, as surgery could worsen his condition. Since I think that can be true for any surgery, I decided to press on. 

I must admit to whining a tiny bit to the vet since we've already spent $700+ just for consultations, exams, and x-rays. He must have taken pity on me as he said he'd see what he could do. When he gave me the cost for surgery on both legs, it actually turned out to be far less than what I imagined it would be, although still enough to put a decided dent in the old pocketbook. 

After thinking it over for about a second, I decided to go ahead and have both legs done at the same time. Who needs a second anesthesia and a second 4 week recovery period? Not us! Let's get on with it and hope for the best.

So Winston is scheduled for surgery next week on June 1. Positive thoughts and crossed paws would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Could an Apple a Day Keep the Vet Away?

This morning, a friend asked me if I watch any of the veterinary shows currently on television.

I told her no, because my house is a veterinary show.

There's my son's dog, Brady, who's at my house about half the time. Between his plethora of medications for severe skin allergies and the diaper I have to keep on him to prevent his teeny little marking habit, I might as well be a vet tech.

And now I have Winston. When I brought home an adorable little ten-week-old bundle of fur, I never dreamed about the possibility of mortgaging the house to pay for vet bills.

So far I've spent hundreds on x-rays, ultrasounds, and consultations with an orthopedic veterinary surgeon to figure out why he developed a small limp.

Winston has now been diagnosed with elbow incongruency and premature closure of ulnar physis. In short, he's got rotten knees. And not one rotten knee, mind you. Two of them. One is just a whole lot worse than the other.

The specialist gave me the bad news via phone. He's thinking Winston will need multiple surgeries to "fix" his problems. Of course after surgery, I must keep him perfectly still for 6-8 weeks. Did I mention he's a 7 month old puppy?

We meet to discuss the frightening details next week, and it's a sure bet the cost is going to be astronomic. Worse yet, from what I've read about surgeries for such issues, there's something like a 50-60% success rate. Awesome.

Winston, of course, is oblivious to what anyone says. Despite instructions to "take it easy" he's running everywhere and jumping around like the Energizer Bunny on stimulants.

Yesterday I found him here...

Yes, even the cat tree isn't safe.

And speaking of cats, Bogey is the only critter in my house who doesn't have some sort of weird health problem.

Another score for me in the game of cats vs dogs!

Peppy Puppy Problems

It's been an eventful few weeks. My dear, sweet mother-in-law passed from this life to the next on May 3 after a long and brutal illness. I'm glad she's no longer in pain, although she'll be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her, most especially her husband of sixty-four years. What a sad and lonely adjustment this will be for him. Sometimes the circle of life isn't very easy.

A while back you may remember me mentioning Winston developed a limp. This has not improved, so he will see a veterinary surgeon on Wednesday. Apparently, he may have a dislocated shoulder. The surgeon doesn't know whether he can put things back in place and keep them there using a "sling" or whether Winston will need a full blown surgery complete with a screw and bolt to keep his shoulder where it's supposed to be. I guess this is one of the issues that can happen with little bow-legged dogs. Who would have dreamed a seven month old puppy would have joint problems? All I can say is...yikes.

I'm hoping for the least invasive option, but it all depends on what the vet thinks is necessary. Regardless of what method is chosen, looks like there will be several weeks where Winston is not allowed to run around or jump while he heals.Good luck to me on accomplishing something like that with the peppiest puppy around.

Tranquilizers, maybe?

Even with his current sore shoulder he still leaps up and down more than any frog Mark Twain ever ran across in Calaveras County--or anywhere else for that matter.

Suggestions for the weary are welcome.

A Boy and His Dog

Last week Winston and Bogey had their first meeting with Baby Henry.

Bogey and Henry. Meh...

Winston and Henry, love at first sight.

A Boy and His Dog. Book and movie rights currently being negotiated.

Time's a-Wastin'!

If there's one thing I have really mastered since retirement, it's wasting time.

If I'm not adopting a new puppy, I'm orchestrating a brand new home remodeling project or browsing at the mall because it's so much better to be there when everyone else is at work. Not to mention how frequently the car is pointed to my daughter's house so Grandma can have a little cuddle time with Baby Henry.

As if all that wasn't enough, I broke down and bought myself another time waster.

Yes, I have a coloring book. The drawings are beautifully intricate, microscopically tiny, and take an eon or so to color. I've spent hours on the first page and still have most of the second page to go.

I do try to keep this new diversion as something to piddle with only when I'm sitting in front of the television, so it's extra slow going. In fact, at the rate I'm coloring, all the pages won't be finished until I'm at least 237 years old...in dog years.

Speaking of dogs, I have not forgotten about Winston. Here's another acquisition designed to keep him from diving off the bed like a Labrador after a duck.

Winston has developed some gimpyness in his little bow-legged front legs, so we're keeping an eye on him. Hopefully the stairs will help prevent any further stress.

Tic-tock goes the clock.

Have you been wasting time, too?

Geese Herder

There's a lake behind our house. Geese love lakes. Therefore, we've been having a few problems with some large feathered birds at our house.

Apparently some of the flock decided it would be a swell idea to hang out in the far end our yard. No, nope, uh-uh. For one thing, this means poo everywhere, since geese do their duty approximately once every 60 seconds. For another thing, Winston believes goose poo is a delicious delicacy arranged for his personal enjoyment. Yuck.

To make matters worse, two of the birds actually came strolling up to the back door and rooted around in plantings right next to the house. Apparently this signifies their readiness to move in, build a nest, and have a plethora of little geese. Geese become quite aggressive and will attack anyone if they have babies to protect. Not to be uncharitable, but I refuse to be held hostage by birds in my own yard. After all, this isn't a Hitchcock story.

So first I tried going out and shooing them away. The birds would casually waddle out of range and then return the second I went inside. Next I tried making loud noises. No dice. Then I swished cellophane paper in the air. Same result. We were obviously at war, and the geese were winning.

I consulted the internet for suggestions. Apparently the best method to keep geese away is by using a herding dog such as a Border Collie or Australian Shepherd. I had a talk with Winston and we decided to try the goose herding business. He runs to the end of his lead and the geese stroll away. Since Winston stayed outside longer than I could do, the geese apparently decided to avoid further annoyance by moving into a yard three houses away.

Winston may be smaller than even the tiniest goose, but in my book he's an honorary border collie.

After all, it's not the size of the dog in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the dog.

It's a Weekend of Firsts!

What fun to have a weekend of firsts!

Tomorrow will be our new baby grandson's first Easter! Today Henry had a visit with the Easter bunny. He wasn't a bit upset at being held by a gigantic rabbit with scary looking deep-set eyes.

Of course, he is only five weeks old, and his vision isn't as strong yet as it will be when he's a bit older. I suspect next year's visit with the Easter bunny may not run quite so smoothly.

Speaking of scary looking bunnies, take a look at a few old photos I found. No wonder the children are petrified.

Of course, it's Winston's first Easter, too, but no bunny pictures for him. Hey, I'm still trying to help him realize every man he sees is not a potential ax murderer. If a giant rabbit got hold of him it might set his training back for months.

However you celebrate the day, we hope you avoid the scary bunnies and have a wonderful Easter!

Spring Has Sprung (Sort of)

What happened to Spring?

The flowers have pushed from the earth, blossoms bedeck the trees, and we've got snow on the ground. Yes, snowflakes big as silver dollars are back to say hello. Winston is confused, but then again he's only five months old and still learning about the strange world he lives in.

Welcome to Missouri, Winston. You've been born into one of the few states where it's routine to wear a tank top and a down-filled parka within the same week.

Since today is Sunday, I'd suggest sipping a cup of hot chocolate while you read a book, work on a project, or watch that movie you've been thinking about. Our snowy day won't last long.

On Tuesday, the temperature is predicted to be over 70 degrees.

Happy first day of Spring!

The Game Designer

Winston has created a new game. He should probably patent it since playing never gets old. In case your dog is bored and looking for something to do, here are the rules:

• Give the dog a tennis ball
• Let him push it as far as it will go under any piece of furniture
• Next he will bark hysterically without stopping until someone gets it out 
• Repeat
• Repeat
• Repeat, etc.

The only thing that stops Winston from playing this game is when a mysterious force causes the tennis ball to completely disappear.

From my experience, the only ones who truly enjoy playing are dogs. Thus I fear there would be some issues with marketing to a canine target audience for one important reason.

Dogs don't carry credit cards (thank goodness!).

Babies

Okay, I can't help myself. Here's a picture of my brand new, beautiful grandson at 6 days old!

Lucky me got to be there for Henry's newborn pictures, a very interesting process. The photographer reminded me of a Baby Whisperer. At any sign of fussing, she'd touch his face and make a breathy, whistling sound. Suddenly he'd become cooperative as could be.

As you may guess, Henry's Mama and Daddy like golf just the tiniest little bit.

Winston met Henry last week. Winston enthusiastically licked the top of Henry's head, but Henry didn't even open an eye. Perhaps someday they'll become the best of pals.

I like Henry. And snow. I also like snow.

Forgetful Mom

Last week was quite eventful for Winston. He had his "tutor" appointment with the vet, started puppy kindergarten, and went to puppy day care.

Yes, puppy day care. I dropped him off to the deafening barks that I'm sure greet any newcomer. The other pups were merely extending generous and helpful doggy greetings. At least that's what I hoped. 

Miss Puppy Day Care Attendant took Winston to an area reserved for the tiniest students. 

He met two of his fellow classmates and introductory sniffs abounded. Winston was not amused. 

Me hanging around wasn't helping the situation, so I took one final, pitiful picture and left.

Hey Mom, wait! Please come back. You forgot me! 

Happy Valentine's Day 2016!

Happy Valentine's Day! In case you didn't know it, Sunday is V-Day. We can't think of a better time to show a little love...for yourself. So spend the day doing what makes you happy. Love to read? Do it. Want a nap? Take one. Crave chocolate covered strawberries? Indulge yourself. Make it a wonderful day, no matter how cold, blustery, or snowy it may be.

I also have an apology. I moderate comments for this blog (thank you, horrible spammers) and inadvertently hit the "delete" instead of "publish" button for three comments. Oops. My fingers sometimes don't cooperate with my brain. I am so sorry to whomever I accidentally vaporized.

To make up for it, how about a dose of cuteness?

Winston before his very first groom. Notice his scraggly little face. How can you see, Buddy?

Winston post-groom. Since he's a first-timer, they only bathed him, trimmed his face and furry little feet, and cut his nails. He weathered the experience without incident, so next time he'll get a full puppy cut. Finally, full vision! Umm, perhaps a little too full...

Well what do you know? It's a shoe. Delicious!

Le Pup Misérable

It's hard to imagine a sight more pitiful than a dog getting a bath. I suspect Winston's face was unhappier than a teenager's on the last day of summer vacation. 

That's a lot of misery for one little dog.

But not to worry. After the dreaded bath, he was bundled in a towel and whisked to a warm room for purposes of drying and fluffing. (Note: The fluffing reminded me he needs to be scheduled for his first haircut-sure to be another traumatic experience)

When finished, Winston reverted to being a happy boy.

Happiness lasted until the following day when he went to the vet for his final round of immunizations. Crying, and screaming, and pouting, oh my! Winston is not a patient patient. And sadly, his vet visits aren't over yet. 

In two weeks he goes back to be "tutored". 

I'm afraid the vet will really be on Winston's "poop" list after that adventure.    

We All Make a Few Adjustments

Life is very different at our house these days. Winston has become the center of attention. The reason is primarily because he is like Dennis the four-legged Menace. We always seem to have trouble.

Bogey is curious but mostly annoyed by our new family member.

Really, Mom?

Mr. Bogey, won't you please be my friend?

A friend does not put his nose under my tail!

By the way, Mousie is mine. Keep your paws off.

That's right. Go ahead and chew up Mom's shoes but leave my toys alone.

And so it goes. 

So what to do?

Nobody wants to be my friend. 

When I see that sad little face, I feel guilty and get down on the floor to play. And let me tell you, it's time consuming to be a puppy's only playmate. 

Once bedtime arrives, I shake my head. How the heck does an entire day slip by with absolutely nothing accomplished? 

I've decided that we need to sign up for puppy class. Winston would have so much fun if he could romp with other puppies and burn off some energy. He might actually become tired and sleep. And I might have a few hours to get something done.

Sounds like a win-win to me. Suggestions, anyone?