Poor Pocket

It's been a long time since I've posted. Partly due to the fact that nothing super interesting has been going on with us lately and partly due to the fact the my computer had been at a stand up desk for awhile and standing and typing a post after a long day of work was just too much sometimes.

Since the last time I posted, the dogs and I have been sitting around doing a whole lot of nothing. And I think that we are all the better for it. Last summer was crazy busy with classes and with sniper being around and I think that we all deserved a break. The kids really seemed to enjoy the quiet walks around the neighborhood and the "sleeping in" on our days off. I really enjoyed saving some money on gas and having afternoons/evenings free.

Things have been really crazy this past month and our lives have turned upside-down again. . .but now that it's over and we are getting settled again, I think that things will be even better than before. But getting back to "settled" can be a bit of a challenge and my dogs don't like change to begin with, so I think that we are going to have a few challenges in the next month or so.

The first challenge is getting our place set up in a way that is comfortable for the kids. We've already had one accident with poor pocket misjudging the spacing between two objects and falling in between while trying to jump the distance. Pocket came running holding up her back right leg and screaming like crazy. Luckily she didn't bite me while I tried to examine her! She had full range of motion in that leg and no obvious sore spots and no bones protruding. I figured it was just a sprain and gave her some pain meds and put her to bed. She woke up seeming normal today. She is using her leg most of the time, but still picks it up if she wants to run around. I'll give her some meds the next few days and she should be completely healed soon. Poor Pocket!

Abby, Abby, Abby. . . Why? Why? Why?

Sometimes I think back to the day I brought Abby home and wonder what my life would've been like if I made a different decision. I don't spend a lot of time thinking about that because I have so much else to worry about with Abby actually being here. Now that Abby is finally past the majority of the behavioral issues, she has decided to start experimenting with medical issues. For a recap of some of Abby's medical issues, you can read here, or here, or here, or here, or here, or here. And while looking for those I realized that there have been a few other things that haven't been blogged about - probably because they stress me out too much to think about.

This latest medical adventure is a do-over of sorts. Abby didn't give me enough stress with the first tumor we found in her mouth, so she decided to grow a second one. I was less than thrilled. This one was at least a bit easier to remove as it was in the front of her mouth where she no longer has any teeth. A few minutes with a laser and she looks as good as new.

Or at least as good as any 7 year old over-bred dog can look. Poor Abby looks so silly as she recovers!  In general she seems to be doing much better this time after surgery. Her personality seems to be intact, although she is a bit more whinny and demanding. She doesn't seem to be having the same side effects from the drugs that she had last time either. Abby is still eating this time too - a great sign considering how long she was on her hunger strike the last time. She doesn't seem to be in much pain and I think that in another few days we can stop the pain meds all together.

Thinking about all the medical issues that Abby has faced, and will continue to face as she gets older, makes me even more thankful for the fun times that we share. Two days before her surgery, Abby was in another agility fun match. She can't do as much because her back and elbows bother her, but she still looks like she is enjoying herself. And at the end of the video, when she is looking up at me with that tail wag, I think back to the day I brought her home and know I am so lucky that I am allowed to share my life with such a wonderful dog.

Almost Like Having No Dogs At All

Going from four dogs back down to three makes it seem like I don't have any dogs at all. I've had four dogs on and off for the past three years and sniper was by far the most challenging one. Not that he was a difficult dog, but he was 80 pounds and young and energetic. He is the antithesis to my other ones. Even though he got along great with the kids, I still had to keep an eye on them for safety reasons. And he needed different amounts of exercise and training. For the past 6 months my life revolved entirely around him and the kids. And with him gone and I only have the three old, sluggish, grumps I suddenly have a ton of free time to do some of the things that I've wanted to do for a while. I'm getting out for dinner with friends and I'm able to go to the movies mid-day. I've recently re-learned how to ride a bike. I can make plans without worrying how me being away will affect the group. Don't get me wrong, my kids are still pretty demanding. They need walks and lots of potty breaks. They need individual lap time and they can only handle being alone for 4 hours at most. But those four hours are worry-free and relaxing. I really miss sniper and have been seeing him every chance I get, but it's nice having a calm and quiet household again. The dogs seem to like it too.

What I did on my summer vacation

It's hard to believe that the summer is over . . . and even harder to think about what that means for me and my little family. With the return of the cold nights comes the  return of a very good friend - Sniper's dad. Pretty soon my boy is going to leave me.

These past few months have been filled with classes and hikes and training opportunities and I've enjoyed every minute of it. I've especially enjoyed the companionship that comes from having a dog that can actually do what I want to do. Not that I love him more than my own kids, but it's different. He has given me the freedom to pursue some of my passions in a way that I haven't been able to do before. He is always a willing participant in anything that I've want to do and has opened my eyes to some things that I didn't even know about it before this. He has expanded my training skills and has taught me a lot about relationships and what it means to be in a one with a stable working companion. I have learned more in these past few months living with him that I have in the years that I've been training.

Here are some of the highlights:

You can have fun while you work, and you can work while you have fun.

Relationships are 100/100 and if I slack off, so will my dog

You don't have to yell at your dog to get your point across, sometimes a quiet voice is all that it takes.

Teaching your dog what you want him to do is far easier than teaching him not to do everything else.

Manners are important, but not everyone is worth a fight. Sometimes it's best to let certain things go.

It's ok to correct your dog as long as it doesn't affect your relationship

Positive based training doesn't mean cookies and toys - it's about the positive attitude that you and your dog have while doing the training.

A tired dog is much easier to live with

Even crazy, working-bred teenage boy Mals still need a cuddle from mom

Dogs need time off to let loose and blow off steam.

Dogs really do have a sense of humor.

Officially Diagnosed!

I picked sniper up Sunday afternoon from the kennel and he immediately hopped into the car through the open window. At first I thought it was cute and that he really wanted to go home but once we got home it was obvious that something was wrong with him. The right side of his face looked "lopsided". I emailed the kennel thinking that maybe he got stung by a bee, and they confirmed that there were wasps near by. I gave him a benadryl and hoped that he would sleep it off.

This morning, it was obvious that something more was wrong. The entire right side of his face looks like it "fell off". He seriously looks like he has Bells Palsy. I took him into the vet and he immediately said "your dog has neurological issues" I wanted to say "Duh! he is a Malinois!" but I knew what he meant and was slightly glad to hear it wasn't just me imagining things. We checked everything over carefully just to make sure that it wasn't an inner ear problem or something else. We found nothing other than the obvious. The vet thinks that he probably ran his face into the kennel door or something. He said that it should take about a week or so to heal.

 

His ear is the only really obvious thing in this photo, but if you look closely, you can see his eye too. The drooping continues down his face and affects his lips too. He is acting completely normal other than the excessive drooling. He is having a hard time catching a ball and biting down for a game of tug, but he doesn't really seem bothered by any of it.

I hate to say this, but he looks absolutely adorable all droopy! It's hard to imagine that this makes him even more lovable than he already is! Finally his outside appearance matches his goofy personality!