Monday, Feb. 8th

Today we went for the free SPCA vet exam. His stitches from the neutering were getting infected from his licking. Forty-two dollars for antibiotics will fix that plus the poor guy has to wear one of those cone thingies around his head so he doesn't pester those stitches. He's so embarrassed everytime he hits a wall or doorway. He can't figure out how to bounce back and take another try so he just stands there until rescued. He can't even get into his doghouse. The little dog, Molly, has to have her teeth cleaned and the estimate is $416.00 and that's with a 15% reduction for Dental Month. And it's no wonder I shop for clothes at Valu Village and wear plastic clogs for shoes.
The vet figures the dog may be crossed with rottweiler--not our favourite animal. How does he live with such a split personality--Golden Retriever and Rotti? The Rotti in him growed at two well-behaved poodles he saw in the park. Uh-oh!

Saturday, Feb. 6

Thursday night was terrific. The dog went outside onto the deck and slept all night without incident. No scratching, whining or barking. As I let him in the door in the morning I told him he was perfect then gave him his breakfast.
However, Friday night didn't go well. The Great One had scored a used dog house and it was lifted over the railings of the deck and once situated, lined with cushions and his blankie from the SPCA. At 12:30 he was scratching at the glass doors so I got up, put on my boots and jacket and took him for a walk. The sky was crystal and the moon peek-a-booed through the firs as we walked the road looking for a good spot. And yes, I do carry a plastic bag for those land mines he drops. Nothing like a warm bag of dog poop in your pocket on a winter's night. He was put back on the deck but called again a while later and TGO got up and let him in. He moved out to the couch and the dog lay on the floor beside him. At some point TGO put him back outside and came to bed. At 5 am the dog was fussing so we both got up and the day started.
He learned to play with a tennis ball this afternoon, fetching and returning it. Maybe that will save us some walks as he can race up and down the driveway retrieving. He loves the snow, is scared of the cats and likes people, even the nosy neighbour. Maybe in the spring he can dig a hole and bury her.
Let's hope he's tired and will sleep all night again. I don't mind 5 am but it's the middle of the night excursions that get me down.

Rescue dog--day one concludes.

The day has not been a total loss. The dog has almost learned to sit. He had three walks before noon and three this afternoon. We had a romp in the snow and he's met the rooster. There's still 35 chickens to be introduced and two bunnies. We can even let him off the leash in the yard. A tremendous improvement since yesterday. Poor guy! So many new experiences hitting him at once. Where was he that he knew nothing? What was his name, or was he just called "Hey, you"?
The Great One and I are even speaking.

Getting a dog will be easy

Piece a cake, right? How hard could it be to rescue a dog? We've been trying since before Christmas of 09. Mistakes, errors,verbal battles, missed opportunities. However, we saw one we liked and sent off the papers asap. It's a four hour drive to pick him up and another 4 to return. All was going well on the way down until we missed the turnoff which meant another 35-40 minutes longer on the road. The Great One doesn't like these kind of errors. He went into a sulk and all conversations ceased. No lunch, no pee breaks except for the lap dog. Found the Rescue centre and while he charmed the volunteers I charmed the big dog outside in his run. This lovely dog, golden retreiver crossed with bear, had been tied to a tree and left to die in the woods. He did not want to get into the back of the car and it took two people to get him in. On the way homebhe tried climbing into the front with us and it took all my strength to keep him in the back. The Great One still wasn't talking and neither was I.
We found out once we got home that the dog knows nothing. He's 3 or 4 and doesn't know the command for sit, or down. He couldn't climb the stairs. With coaxing he succeeded both up and down within five minutes. I was in bed by 10 pm and up again at midnight when I could smell something pretty ripe. The dog had pooped elephantine proportions in The Great One's office. :)
I cleaned up while TGO, stark naked, mopped the floors.
It was so dark when I walked him this morning he wore his flashing collar. But already he's better on the leash. The cats have come down from their safe places to see what horrific thing we've inflicted on their pastoral lives. The lap dog is still under the bed.