Tough Decisions

Some of you know that I've fostered dogs a few times.  The first dog was a disaster.  He was returned to the rescue after his owners had him a year due to "allergies."  They owned the dog his entire puppy-hood and I'm pretty sure they just got tired of all the destruction.  The dog had no manners and didn't know how to act around my dog. I could have dealt with the no manners, but in combination with him not getting along with my other dog, it was just too much.  So unfortunately I had to return him and try to foster a different dog.

I ended up fostering the sweetest dog ever, Lilly. (Photo Right)

She had/has a skin condition which I was helping her with. I would take her to the vet and try to figure out what it was. But because of the skin condition she was un-adoptable for several months and I ended up having Lilly for almost 3 months.  Needless to say, even though I tried my hardest to not get attached, I got attached.  I knew going into it, that I would be giving Lilly away to her forever home, but its real difficult for me not to fall in love with animals.  I just couldn't help it, I guess.

So now comes the hard part.  I am ready to foster again, and I texted the rescue I work with.  They have a 4 month old beagle that also has some medical issues.  They asked if I could take him/her.  But I know it will be the same thing as it was with Lilly.  I'll have this puppy for several months and I'll start getting attached again.  Lilly went to an amazing home, honestly I couldn't hope for a better home for her.  But what if the next dog lives with me for several months and goes to a less than ideal home?
But how can I saw no to this puppy who really needs some human companionship right now?

Unfortunately, I think I have to tell the rescue that I am not ready for that puppy, but I feel terrible saying that and I can't bring myself to text them.  I know there are tons of adult dogs at the shelter that would just love some human companionship.  Its a much easier transition if the dog has been in a home, around people, and gets to learn how to be a house pet.  They are much easier to adopt also because the potential adopters can ask you questions and you can say with confidence "Lilly did not have a single accident inside while I had her."

I know what I have to do, but its not going to be a fun text. :(

Dublin and Skype

C was supposed to leave for a 9 month work assignment a few weeks ago (he was supposed to leave the day before my birthday).  I was pretty upset when we found out because that would mean I would be moving into our new (to us) house all by myself.  Since my laptop was a piece of shit and the webcam didn't work, C and my parents bought me a new laptop for my birthday. :) (I'm getting to the point, I promise) The laptop is super nice and I absolutely love it. :)

So, I've had the laptop for about 10 days, and last night is the first night I got to Skype. :) It was pretty fun being able to see C, but I think the best thing was Dublin.  Dublin would hear C's voice and start searching around the whole room for C.  At first he just looked behind the laptop, then he looked behind the furniture, left the room, ran downstairs... just about everywhere.  Poor Dublin was certain C was in the house and was so confused when he couldn't find him. 

Eventually Dublin went to sleep while C and I were Skyping, but every once in a while Dublin would wake up whining.  Poor Dubby, he misses C.

This is ADORABLE!!

C sent me this.  I literally had a smile on my face the entire time I was watching it... So cute.

Local McDonalds makes HUGE mistake

I've heard people say "there is no such thing as bad press."  However, I beg to differ.  Especially in this case.


A local McDonalds said petting a stray pitbull is more dangerous than eating at McDonalds.  As if Pitbulls don't have enough of a bad rep, McDonalds airs an advertisement against Pitbulls.  Is this local McDonalds hurting so much that they have to put down poor dogs?

I can't imagine how this ad ever got to the radio... Do you know how many people would have to be involved before it aired?  I can't imagine that the person who read the ad was willing to say that... Just insane... and STUPID. Isn't there a saying "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all?"  Obviously, the Marketing Rep did NOT learn that in school.

One of my friends parents own a McDonalds, and I'm sorry, but Corporate PR should have dealt with this already.  I am very disappointed in Corporate McDonalds. 

I would like to point out that usually, when Dublin is at the dog park, the bully breeds do NOT start the dog fights.... 


McDonalds - I haven't been a huge fan of you for the past few years, I'm more of a fan of local restaurants than chains, but I will never visit a McDonalds after this.  As far as I know, the only apology that has been issued is a tweet... Come on Corporate McDonalds... Step up to the plate, issue a formal apology and feature some wonderful and kind pits in your national commercials.

Dogs, Horses and Humans are the most abused

Dogs, Horses and Humans... If you think about it they always come back and appologize for doing something wrong.  "I'm so sorry you had to beat me..."  They hang their head low, and come back. 

Video here

I thought this video was very interesting about dog training, but that comment was my favorite.  And its so true.  I've been involved in horses, and now dogs.  Animal abuse is so abundant (especially in horses and dogs) and makes me want to cry. 

I love Free

Who doesn't love free stuff?

There is a 4.99 rebate here - $5 Rebate

I found it for $4.99 at Amazon.  And the best thing about Amazon... in Illinois you don't have to pay tax. :)  Which means the total cost of this item is the cost of the stamp to mail in the rebate.

Dublin barks a lot during storms

Dublin is a fantastic watch dog... almost too good of a watch dog.  Last night was very windy and stormy.  C was out with friends so I was home alone.  It got to be "bed time" (haha, yes I go to bed at the same time every day) and I went to bed with Dublin.  The only problem was Dublin kept hearing the wind blowing and kept barking.  I was too afraid to turn the lights off for fear of Dublin actually barking at a burgler and not just the storm.  So, I sat in bed (with the lights on) until C got home.

During that time, Dublin barked every 5 minutes.  Sometimes Dublin would just bark once and then put his head back down.  Other times he would bark excessively and get up and run to the front door.  I could hear him walking around, barking every few minutes, checking to make sure no one was there, and then run back to bed with me. 

After doing this 2 times, I was starting to get nervous and was 1 more time away from getting up and grabbing the bat and setting it right beside me.  See, when I moved to the city, my mom gave me her metal baseball bat to use as a weapon if a burglar ever came to the house.  (I'm pretty sure this bat has lived under my parents bed for the past 20 years.)  I actually started looking around the room, if a burglar did find me, to see what I would throw at him to try to get away. 


Thankfully, after 30 minutes or so, C arrived home and saved me from the scary burglar to come.  (phew)

Children at a dog park

So - I don't normally post on a Saturday, but I slacked last week.

I woke up this morning and took Dub to the dog park.  He was the very first dog to arrive (at a bright and early 8 AM) however other dogs came shortly.

Around 9, a lady brought her dog, and her 4 year old daughter to the dog park.  I immediately got nervous.  I mean, lets call a spade a spade.... Dublin is NOT good around children.  So I grabbed his leash and was ready to go, until I saw Dublin didn't even care about the kid.  He completely ignored her and just went to play with the other dogs.  I put away the leash and tried to relax.  After about 15 minutes, I grabbed Dublin and introduced him to the 4 year old.  He was a real good boy, I was thrilled!

However, 15 minutes later, they left and 3 more children came in.  They were 3 year old, 5 year old, and 3 month old.  I asked the mother if Dublin could say Hi.  Both children LOVED Dublin and they wanted to play fetch with him.  It was great for about 15 minutes.... until Dublin jumped on the 3 year old. 

So.... That brings me to the question of why bring children to a dog park.  I really don't know what I would do if I were in that situation.  Needing to take your dog for exercise and having no one to watch the children.  I talked to C about it, and I said "I would never bring..." at which point he interrupted me and said "Yes you will.  Your children will grow up around dogs and you'll want them to play with the dog." 

Its just awful, everyone always says that in order for Dublin to get over his fear of children, he needs to be around them.  Today was (overall) a positive experience for Dublin.  The young-ins were playing fetch with him.  He loved it.  I think he just loved it too much.  So frustrating... On the plus side... no one got hurt.

Got freaked out walking Dub a few nights ago.

So, I live in Chicago (which should be obvious) and a lot of neighborhoods are not the best.  Even "good" neighborhoods have substantially more crime than the suburbs.  (Hence why most parents move to the 'burbs to raise a family) 

Anyway, It was bed time for Dub and I always walk Dub right before he goes to bed.  Almost everyone in the neighborhood is afraid of Dub because they think he looks like a pit bull.  Honestly, he has some characteristics (short coat, wide set back legs, the snout is similar), but he really doesn't look that much like one.  Regardless, since I am a young female and I generally walk Dub alone, I am perfect OK with strangers thinking he looks like a pit because of the terrible rep pits have.
On a side note - I believe very strongly that it is the owner who makes the dog mean, not the breed.  My mother and their 8 year old beagle have been attacked 2 times by different Jack Russel Terriers.... so.  Um... yeah. 
But - Lets get back to the original story.  I was leaving the apartment and all of a sudden I got a real bad feeling on this walk.  I've never had this bad feeling walking Dub before.  Like I was being followed or watched.  It really gave me the creeps.  That's when I wished I had Pepper Spray.  I know Dub is very weary toward other people and other people are very weary of him, but it didn't really help the bad feeling. 

So - I ordered Pepper Spray today. I picked this one because it was cheap, and had good reviews. The funny thing is I actually read the reviews and they were quite humorous.

One was titled - Accidental "Test" Reveals Efficacy!" Wow... That must suck....

Another - "Having never been subjected to pepper spray before, I thought it would be "fun", "interesting", or "exciting" to allow a trusted friend to spray me under extremely controlled conditions. As an action medic, I've treated individuals that were maced and have gotten extremely minute second-hand effects from being around them...but I'm certain there is nothing that could prepare anyone for the amount of pain, irritation, and terror that this self-defense tool causes."

I just can't imagine ever buying this product to "test" it...  I guess its more common than I thought.

Horses and Dogs

By now you should have figured out I love horses and Dogs... Therefore I love this pictures. :)

Adorable Puppy

Puppy Howling with Wolves  C just sent me this.  It is SOO cute!  Just thought I would share.

Dog Friendly Bar in Chicago

Bonus Post!!

I just found out about this promotion a nearby bar is doing.  Is it bad how SUPER excited I am about this!?  Dog Friendly Bar I can't wait to bring Dublin there. :) I've never been to this bar, nor have I ever heard anything about it.  But come on, who would not like to drink with their dog.  I've been waiting to hear about a dog friendly bar since we first got Dublin.  I can't say I spent a lot of time looking for one.  I mean C and I have been super busy the entire summer.  But now that I found one, I can't wait to visit it.  I will post pictures as soon as we go. :)

Dog is a finalist in a contest

A few weeks ago, I entered Dog (who's name is now revealed to Dublin) in a contest.  Its a photo and story online contest.  The first prize gives a shelter 10,000, 2nd prize is 3,000, and 3rd prize is 1,000.  The dog will get a gift certificate to fuzzynation.com and a dog bed.  Apparently, the judges liked Dublin's story so much, they made him 1 of 50 finalists.




Somehow Dublin became a finalists.  In order for PAWS get the money -

Go to http://www.facebook.com/fuzzynation?sk=app_117170818364057 on facebook.  Click on "See finalist and vote" and Vote for "Dublin"

You can only vote once per day.  Dublin is getting started slowly, and only has 2 votes.  1 dog already has 141 votes!!! 


The story that convinced the judges to place him in a finalists is below. 


Hi, My humans call me Dublin. I'm a 1 year old Catahoula Leopard Dog. I haven't told many people about my past because its not something I like to think about. When I was younger I was abandoned and all on my own. I had to scrounge through peoples back yards for food. One day I was in this person's yard looking for food and all of a sudden I hear this loud "BANG" and pain shoots through my ear. I ran away real fast. My humans talk about that ear sometimes. I have heard them mention something about a BB and getting shot. I don't really know what that means, but I feel something hard when I lie down on that ear. Oh well. Anyway, after a while on the road Chicago Animal Control found me and took me to this place with a ton of dogs. I was real scared because all the dogs were very loud. Soon a person came up to me and took me to a different place called a rescue. This place was nicer and quieter, I liked it a lot better but I still wanted my own humans. The only problem was I got pretty sick when I was "on the road" and no one could tell, see I'm pretty good at hiding stuff and I knew I couldn't pick out my humans if I was sick. I was only at the rescue for a few weeks until I saw the people I wanted to take me home. They looked very nice and they looked athletic, see I love to run so that was a must. After they took me to my new home, I finally started to relax. I only got to spend 1 night with my humans before they took me to a bunch of vets. I was pretty scared, but I figured my humans were doing the best for me. The vet told me I had something called pneumonia. She also said "We don't know if he will make it because he is so young" but I don't know what that means. All I know is as soon as the vet said that, my human mom started crying. I ended up staying at the vets office overnight in a special room all to myself. They told me I had an oxygen tank or something like that, but I don't know what they are talking about but it made my sickness get so much better. As soon as they let me go I felt so happy!!! My humans have told me that almost 3 months, 1 allergic reaction to the pneumonia medication, 1 food allergy, a severe round worm infection which was hidden due to the medication, and almost $5,500 later I was finally healthy. My humans don't blame the rescue for adopting me out while I was sick, they understand that mistakes happen and are thankful the rescue helped pay for some of the vet bills. I like my humans a lot. They take me to the dog beach, and I get to go to doggy day care and they give me real good treats and toys! I think the thing I hate the most is when my humans leave me to go to work, whatever that is. I just want my humans to be with me all the time! Is that so much to ask? Its just that I was abandoned before, and I don't want to be abandoned again. My humans call it separation anxiety, I call it, "I LOVE YOU SO MUCH-iety" One time, I heard my human mom ask my human dad "Do you think Dublin would be as happy with another family?" I heard my human dad say "Honestly, I think another family would have put him down." All I know is I am very happy with my current family, and I let them know that all the time. I always bring them presents when they get home. I've even given them my raw hides! Although, they usually take too long to eat it, so I eat it anyway. :)

Fun Saturday Morning

So.  I had a wonderfully eventful Saturday morning.  It all started with Dog needing to go out in the morning.  This normally is not that big of a deal.  I woke up at 9:30 and grabbed C's phone because mine needed to charge.  I get to the front door and see a bunch of white stuff on the floor.  At first I'm completely confused and then I look up and notice that ceiling is leaking (again) and whats on the floor is drywall.

C's phone does not have the phone numbers that I need to call in order to get this matter resolved, so I go back into the bedroom and grab my cell phone.  Then, I close the door behind me because I don't want Dog to wake C up.  I grab Dogs leash and my phone and walk out of the house.  As soon as the door closes I realize I had just locked myself out of the apartment.  In my fluster-ness I had completely forgotten to grab my keys.

I ended up calling the condo manager (since its their $$$ that will be spent opposed to my landlords).  The condo manager basically says "that sucks," and then tells me the roofer can't get out until Monday.  Awesome... great...

I call C's phone immediately after, along with the house phone.  I know its a long shot that C will hear it, but I'm hoping (and praying) he will get up and hear it.  After our 30 min walk, I go back in the condo building and try to knock on the door and get C to wake up.  No luck.

I sit on the floor, in front of our door for another 30 min or so.  I'm checking my email and updating facebook, which in hindsight is real stupid since I didn't have much battery on my phone.  After another 10 phone calls and some more knocking, I take Dog for another 30 min walk.  Only to return to sitting on the floor.... again.  Dog was pretty cute.  He would frequently walk over to the door, stick his nose at the bottom and try to figure out what was going on.  Then he would look at me and whine.  I am sure Dog had NO idea why he wasn't allowed inside.  Poor guy.

After 3 walks and 2.5 hours I was getting stir crazy.  It was past noon!  I did not know a day when C slept this late.  I looked up the local locksmith on my phone.  I eventually got transferred to a technician who told me he could be at my apt in about 30 minutes and it would cost me ~ $100.  See, the thing is, I know Chicago roads.  If he told me 30 minutes (because he was at a house currently), unless he was less than 2 miles away it was going to take longer than 30 min.  And that's assuming he was about to "wrap it up" at the current house.  Trust me, our few mile drive to the highway usually takes about 30 min.  Its only supposed to take like 10, but there are so many cars it takes 3 times as long. 

So, considering how gigantic Chicago is I didn't trust this guy that he would be here in 30 minutes.  So I told him to forget it, and then I just sat, and waited.... 10 minutes later I tried the house phone again.  The house phone picked up, and thinking it was the voicemail, I hung up.  That was when I realized it was not the voicemail, but a real human!!  Dear god I was so happy.  I called the phone back, and all I could say was "Open up the front door."  C was like "I can't."  "I'm in the hall right now, just open up the door to the hallway."

So, after over 2.5 hours, I finally was let back inside the apartment.  Unfortunately, C had to deal with the wrath of me after I got back inside.  I tried SUPER hard not to be a B*tch... but ... I had wasted my entire morning!

After getting mad at C (for no reason) and then apologizing and then getting mad and then apologizing, I took an hour long hot shower.  I emerged, decided I was going to be a good girl, and started making the peanut butter rice crispy treats I had to make for a party later on.  C returned from the store about 10 min later and returned with some beautiful flowers.  :)  I didn't deserve the flowers at all, I was a huge mean person to C even though I tried real hard to be nice.  Its not like I was mad at him, I was just upset and cranky. 

Anyway, thanks babe for bringing me flowers.  I know I didn't deserve them, but they definitely turned my day around. :) <3

Dog - Part 4

So its been a while since I talked about Dog.  I don't have much to talk about today, so I'll continue his story of the first few months we had him.

I left off when we were at the shelter and the shelter was trying to see if they could help us out at any way.  When Megan comes back I'm still upset.  I told her "I know I signed a paper that said I will pay for all medical expenses from yesterday through the rest of Dog's life, but this is a little much!" Thankfully she told us if we transferred Dog to an emergency vet facility that they suggested they would take care of some of the bills.  So, we decided to transfer Dog.  The vets office he was currently at couldn't keep him past 7 PM, so we had to transfer him no matter what.

I called the new vets office and told them to expect us.  When I arrive, they take Dog and tell me they'll call me and keep me up to date however, they don't know when Dog will be able to go home.  They are going to place him in an oxygen tank overnight and give him IVs and meds.

The next afternoon I get a call saying Dog is doing fantastic and he is ready to be picked up.  The vet also says "By the way, your dog is sure a barker!"  I was shocked, I had no idea he was a barker.  He had never barked at us.  He had barely made any noise while we have had him.  I just dismissed the vets comment as a mistake.

I left work early that day to go pick up Dog.  As soon as they brought out Dog I knew everything had changed.  Here came this energetic dog literally running at me.  The nurse was attempting to hold him back but Dog was "on a mission."  Seeing Dog's energy in those 10 seconds really showed me how sick Dog was when we met him.  I ended up getting pretty overwhelmed thinking "This is NOT an apartment dog."  The vet ended up prescribing 2 different medications for Dog and I would have to come back in a week so they could check his progress.

Well, I went home, and we gave Dog his first dose of medication and his dinner.  Dog gobbled up his dinner so fast that he burped a few times.  We soon discovered that Dog is VERY food motivated and will eat just about anything.  He even had no problem taking his pills because he really didn't care what went in his tummy.  Again, this really scared me, because I could barely get him to eat hot dogs the day before.  I wondered how sick Dog really was if he was so different after 24 hours.

After a few days we notice Dog is developing a severe rash on his belly.  I bring it up to the vet and she says to put some cream on it and to let us know if it gets worse.  Well, of course with our luck, the rash gets worse.  I can tell Dog is very uncomfortable, his stomach is very warm to the touch and he keeps licking and scratching it.  I feel awful.  We go into the vet and they tell us they are going to call a Doggy Dermatologist who has more knowledge on skin infections.  We go back to the vet 2 days later.  The Doggy Derm says the rash is an allergic reaction to one of his medications.  The rash has turned into a fungal-type infection, so we need to take him off one of the pneumonia meds and put him on a steroidal cream.  Unfortunately this means that Dog will take longer to get better.


To Be Continued... Don't worry, there is still a ton of Drama with Dog's health.

Hottest Day in 5 years

Its supposed to get up to mid to high 90's today.  Yesterday reached 96.  Lets just say, I never appreciated how close I live to the EL until now.  Having that 2 minute walk was a blessing.

Anyway, so Dog normally goes to Doggy Day Care on Wednesdays.  Seeing as how yesterday was 96, and today was going to be just as hot, I was a bit concerned that it would be too hot for him.  Dog gets to sit in air conditioning during the day at home (spoiled, I know).  But walks are pretty rough for him since he has such a dark coat (he heats up very fast in the sun).  We can go on a 20 min walk, and at the end of it, he is panting like crazy just do to the heat.  I feel bad for him.

So, since I pay about $25 for day care, I didn't really want him to be so warm that he hardly moves.  The whole point of day care, for him, is to get energy out.  So yesterday I called the day care place asking if the dogs were going to be outside today.  They told me that they were going to be inside, and it generally doesn't get hotter than 80 degrees due to the 30 foot ceilings.  Then they told me that they can give doggy breaks if we are concerned with overheating.  I told him I think that would be a good idea.

So at 7:15 this morning, I dropped Dog off at day care.  The employee takes Dog's leash and says "Hi Dublin!" Looks to me and says "How many breaks would you like?"  I laugh, awkwardly and say "Wow, you remember me from the phone?"  He kinda looks at me like I've grown a third arm. I've been taking Dog to Doggy Day care for a few months, probably some time in March we started.  But the day care place has as many as 50 dogs show up (Just on Wednesday!).  So I figured I sort of blended in with the rest.  Unfortunately, I don't, and I think I now have the growing reputation of "the youngest crazy dog lady."

Dog - Part 3

After calling the vet to schedule an appointment, I couldn't get in for another 3 hours.  So I tried to get Dog to eat some more food.  I cooked rice, (no luck) Chicken (no luck) Hot dogs (sorta interest).  I ended up hand feeding (I know its a BIG no-no) Dog 1/2 a hot dog before he decided chewing was too much work.

We got to the vet's office and eventually saw the vet.  The vet tech asked a ton of questions.  "How is his energy level?" This is when C and I told them we have had him for less than 24 hours.  We had no idea what his "usual" energy level was.  The nurse then asked us "Is he drinking water?" To which we both responded "We don't really know"  The nurse seemed to not understand that we only was with Dog for 20 hours, 8 of those were sleeping, and several of those were in a different vets office.  All I could tell her was that Dog wasn't eating, but it could be due to stress.

Finally, the nurse seemed to "get" it.  She left, and the vet came in shortly.  She listened to Dog's lungs for what seemed like an eternity.  That's when she said "Well, Dog has pneumonia.  He is very young, so you both need to be prepared for the outcome.  He may not make it."  As soon as she said this, I stopped listening.  All I heard was "blah blah blah blah."  I couldn't believe what she had just said!  Dog was already a part of my family.  I couldn't let him die. 

At that point, I tried to toon into the conversation again.  Basically, Dog was going to have to get a bunch of x-rays, and a bunch of fluids, and cost a BUNCH of $$$.  The vet left us so we could talk about how much money he was going to cost us.  I looked at C and decided there was really only 1 option.  To suck it up and pay the bills.  Dog was going to cost us about 3-5k due to the fact that he would have to go to emergency care overnight, and get multiple rounds of xrays.  But Dog was apart of my family.  There was nothing else we could do.

Later, the tech came back in and summarized everything for us.  She said I could open a 0% interest for 12 months "care-credit" credit card.  She also said the (first) bill was going to run about 1500 for the first visit.  Honestly, at this point I was so shocked I may have to put my dog down, that I really didn't comprehend anything.

C and I left, and went to lunch.  We decided to head to the shelter to tell them they adopted out a dog that was on death's door. When we arrived at the shelter, they were very busy.  We asked to speak to a manager, and when they asked why I said "We adopted Dog yesterday, and we were just told that he has pneumonia and may have to be put down." The two receptionists just looked at each other. They obviously didn't know what to do, and they said they would get the adoption manager, Megan (Name Changed).  Little did I know, Megan and I would become great friends over the next few months.

Megan came out, asked for the story.  After I told her, I started bawling and said "Can we still keep him?" She was shocked, I was shocked.  I still don't know why I asked that question. She quickly transferred us to a less conspicuous location while she made a call to see what the shelter could do to help us. 

TBC

I'm "That" Dog Owner

Yeah... I'm totally that owner.  The dog owner who talks about their dog all the time, puts their dog pictures on facebook, feels bad leaving the dog... Yeah. I'm that owner.

Dog's "Manhood" is infected.  He has to wear a Cone of Shame.  And, since Dog is not trustworthy in the house alone, we have to lock him up in his crate.  So there he is, wearing the cone of shame, barely able to turn around in his crate, and my mom offers to dog sit for a few days.  She said we could drop him off Wednesday night, and then we would pick him up Friday night.  He would get to be out of his crate Thursday and Friday.  Dog would still have to wear his cone, but instead of barely being able to move, he would get to run, and jump, and play, a piss off my parents Dog (an 8 year old beagle who doesn't have the energy to play with puppies).

I told Mom yes... Then a few hours later I told her no... I would miss Dog!  I only get to see him at night since I work all day, and I didn't want to give up my time with him for 2 days... So, Yes... I'm that dog owner.

Sorry. :-/

Paranoid Dog Owner

Apparently I am a paranoid dog owner.... Dog's... "manhood" was red and pussy.  He also kept licking himself.  So I took the day off of work (I also am getting sick) and took him to the vet.

The vet nurse was interesting... he seemed nice, but well... I hate gages. I think its disgusting.  But I am not sure which is worse; ears with gages in them, or ears without gages in them.  It was soooooo disgusting.  The vet nurse/tech had gigantic holes in his ears where the gages used to be.  I had to try to force myself not to stare at his ears.  But like I said, overall he was a nice guy.  Loved my dog. :) Its just his ears reminded me of the song... "Do your ears hang low, do they wobble to and fro..." And yes, his ears DID wobble...

The verdict at the vet was, apparently, Dog doesn't have any infections, he just is overly licking himself.  The vet said its a circle... manhood itches, then he licks, but overly licks makes it aggravated (think chapped lips) then he licks cuz it hurts but licking makes it more aggravated....Well, you get the picture.

Anyway, the vet gave me ointment... and a "coller of shame."  So, I have to put ointment on his "manhood."  Not that big of a deal, I quickly got over it.

I feel really bad for Dog about the collar of shame... he keeps walking into things, can't walk up stairs (we live on the 3rd floor) and has a very difficult time getting in and out of the car as well as on and off the sofa (he is spoiled).  Oh well, it is a bit amusing for me to watch.  Am I a bad dog owner if I can't help but chuckle when he does something funny in the collar?

Dog - Part 2

First, I'm going to change D's name to Dog.  C is still going to be my boyfriend.  He told me I can refer to him as Amadeus, but I don't like that nickname... 

Alright,

So Last I wrote about getting Dog, we had just arrived at the 3rd shelter, a No-Kill shelter.  The shelter I *Didn't* want to get a dog at.  C and I walked around.  Looking at all the dogs.  Some of the dogs were super cute, but most of the ones I liked were puppies.  And I didn't want a puppy.... I wanted a female, 1 year old, curly haired dog. 



One of the main reasons, C and I didn't want a puppy was energy.  We live in an apartment, and didn't want a dog that would require a lot of exercise, since, that really wasn't an option without a backyard.
We walked through almost all the dogs when I saw Dog.  He was 6 months old, a boy, non curley hair, but I fell in love (even though he was nothing like my list of wants).  He was gorgeous!  He was way too young for us, but he was the most docile puppy we have ever seen.

He was kenneled with a 3 year old Jack Russel Terrier (JRT).  The JRT was kinda.... well... mean!  He kempt humping Dog!  I was horrified, but Dog just sat there and "took it." Of course, the fact that he didn't care made me fall in love with Dog even more.  C and I walked in the kennel with a volunteer, I kept pushing the JRT off of Dog.  Eventually we decided to take Dog to the "play area" so we didn't have to get the JRT off Dog every 30 seconds. 

We played fetch with Dog a bit, he would jog after the ball, look at it, and then come running back to C and I to get attention and scratches.  We all figured Dog had a rough life, and just wanted love.  C and I joked that when we took him to meet my parents Beagle, they would both just stare at eachother.  (My parents beagle is VERY mellow)

So, considering the 6 month old had the best personality, looked to be a big lapdog, and was just the most lovable dog ever, we decided to adopt him.  The next available adoption concelor couldn't see us for about 45 minutes, so C and I walked over to petco (conveniently located across the street) and started to buy our supplies.  I bought -
1 Crate with removable divider
2 Bowls
1 Leash (Never even used it)
Dog Food
Billy Jack Liver Treats
1 Kong
and a few toys

While I was in the checkout line, I noticed I had a missed call from the shelter.  I ran outside and asked C to put everything in the car without me.  (Lucky him.  We purposefully brought the small car because I REALLY didn't want to get a dog here.  I thought if we brought the small car, I wouldn't be ABLE to get a dog because we couldn't fit all the supplies in it.  That didn't deter me... at all)

I ran across the street, and started talking to the adoption counselor.  C came shortly afterward and we recapped everything.  The adoption counselor tried to talk us out of it (Apparently he does this will all the dogs).  He told us puppies are a lot of work, but I didn't care.  This puppy was going to be the most well behaved dog ever!  We got the diamond in the rough, (Or so I thought) so, C and I finished the paperwork. 

After the paperwork was all finished, and Dog was officially mine (unless I decided before 2 weeks that I wanted to "return" him) they handed over the leash.  This was when Dog coughed.... once. C and I weren't worried; we played with Dog for about 30 minutes, and he didn't cough once. However, since the shelter gave us 1 free office visit at a nearby vet, we decided to go straight to the vet instead of going home.  So we took Dog to the vet.

First of all, this was the WORST vets office I have EVER (even to this day) seen.  The floors were STICKY and gross, the rooms were unwelcoming and cold.  I mean seriously, I am a person, and the office scared me!  The vet ended up giving us some antibiotics, saying Dog has Kennel Cough.  My favorite part was the fact that she said "Oh, you know that spot on his nose... That might be an auto-immune disease."  I just looked at her. I mean seriously, your telling me I just bought a dog that is going to die soon?  Awesome...

We went home after that, and set up Dogs place.  He was very docile, and just wanted to sleep all evening.  We made sure he had water, and gave him dinner.  Unfortunately, Dog wasn't hungry so he didn't eat.  C and I assumed Dog was nervous, so we didn't fret.

Probably a bad decision, but we invited 2 friends over to see my new addition to my family.  (Hindsight is 20/20) The meeting went just fine.  Dog was alittle weary of the guy that came over, and fine with the girl that came over.  Our friends left early, and we put Dog to bed.  He still hadn't eaten any dinner, but we thought it was fine.  We gave him a Kong filled with peanut butter when we put him to bed in hopes the treat would distract him from his loneliness.  I had gone through a dog adjusted to a new house before, and new it was usually rough.


Lets just say, Dog did NOT like his crate.  Dog ended up howling and crying ALL night.  I half expected this, but it didn't make it any easier. 
I woke up around 7:00 AM and tried to give him his dinner from the night before, he wasn't interested.  I also noticed he didn't even touch his peanut butter filled Kong.  Then I took him for a walk and he went potty outside.  I told him "Good boy" and gave him a liver treat.  He ended up turning the liver treat down.  I thought I had the one dog in the world who didn't like liver treats or peanut butter.

I was starting to get stressed.  I also was having a gut feeling that Dog was misdiagnosed at the first vet. Unfortunately, I would find out later that day, that I was 100% right....

To Be Continued.