Happy National Dog's Day

It's funny because I'd planned to blog today about my dog, Harley. Then I discovered that it was National Dog's Day so I figured I'd better blog about all my boys. I figured I'd tell you how they came to be my dogs.

First there's Max. I like to joke that he came with the house but the truth of the matter is that he was born roughly a week before I moved in and it was a few weeks before I even met him.

He came from a big litter of puppies, all of which would crawl under the fence into my back yard (oh yeah, his "birth owner" lives behind me). All but one of them would climb on me and scratch me, with one sitting back looking at me as if to say "I'm good. I'll still be here when you get a minute. No rush." All but one would wiggle and squirm when I'd pick them up and snuggle them up on my shoulder. The one would rest calmly on my shoulder as if to say "this is the nicest place I've ever been." This went on for weeks.

Of course "the one" is Max. Well, one day the dogs were all in my back yard and I'd actually brought Max into the house with me then noticed that his "birth owner" was at the back fence looking for the last dog that hadn't come home when he got there. I went out with Max and was apologizing for having his dog and asked if I could buy him from him. He gave him to me. And I never looked back. :)

Next came Brewsky. When I moved into my house I had a doberman, Cleo. Max adored Cleo so when she died in 2004, he took it pretty hard. Cleo's death also coincided with a job change (that included longer hours) so Max's life changed dramatically in a very short time. I quickly realized that I needed to change things and pick up the slack and become the "other dog" in Max's life. I started walking him in the morning before work, coming home at lunch and playing with him and then walking him two or three times in the evening just so he was getting exercise. But even with all that, he wasn't handling things well. Then one day this adorable little dog followed us home from a walk. I let him in the front door (okay I had to force him through the first time, after that he knew it was okay) and he played with Max for a while. This became kind of routine that this dog would follow us home several times a week. When he didn't meet up with us Max was visibly sad about it. Over time I kind of figured out who the owner was so I approached them to see what we could do about coordinating play dates with the dogs (yes, play dates!). Long story short, they were looking to get rid of him because he kept getting loose and they ended up giving him to me. I wasn't looking to get another dog at the time but he was what Max needed at the time and now I can't imagine my life without him.

That leaves us with Harley. For several days before I met him I'd come home and the house smelled like wet dog to me. I have a doggy door and at the time I had a kiddie pool for the dogs in the back yard but I couldn't smell the wet dog smell on them so I wasn't sure what was going on. Plus, Max seemed really tired for several days - to the extent I was thinking of taking him to the vet to see what was wrong with him.

Anyway, I always talk to my dogs when I'm leaving the house, even if it's just to say (like I did this morning when I left to go to the grocery store) "I'll be back shortly." Well, on the day I first met Harley, I had a massage scheduled for after work so I told Max and Brewsky that I'd be late that night because I had a massage after work but I wouldn't be too late. Then I got to work and had a voicemail message that the massage needed to be rescheduled. So I came home at my regular time. When I came into the house I was greeted by Max, Brewsky . . . and Harley. He was IN my house! Turns out there was a fence post down and he'd wiggled his way through it and followed the other dogs into the house through the doggy door. (I apparently took them by surprise because they thought I'd be home later and I've since amended my "discussions" with them to include "no friends can come in the house!" hehehe)

For a while he'd camp out on my front porch and follow me in the house to play with Max and Brewsky for a while and then I'd put him back out again. Once I saw him follow two girls with a dog down a cul de sac street so when he wasn't on my porch one day, I went down that street to talk to his owner. I was concerned that he was always loose but I wanted to have play dates with my other dogs. Long story short, this family was feeding Harley but didn't consider him their dog. She said that his real owner had thrown him out and they were considering calling animal control on him. I told her if she did that, they'd destroy him and I said I'd see what I could do about finding him a home because I already had two dogs and that's the limit in the subdivision.

He's been my dog since I walked away from their house with him. I worried for months that it'd be found out that I had more dogs than allowed but it's been almost five years ago so I think I'm okay. :)

Happy National Dog's Day!

Most Expensive "Free Dog" ever :)

I have three dogs - Max, Harley and Brewsky. For my post labels, I only have one named for Harley and I realize that's because he's a bit "special" (bless his heart).

For those that don't know, Harley showed up in my house one day after work (the benefits of a doggy door). I tried to find his owner and discovered that he was a bit of a gypsy dog and decided to give this gypsy a real home.

I love this dog dearly but he is a bit "unique". For one thing, he sees the vet more than any other dog I've ever had. We go every 4 - 6 weeks for allergy shots. Before we realized he had allergies, the poor dog was being treated for mange, getting a shot every two weeks, followed by taking an oral medication that he hated. He limps a lot so he has to take a pill for his muscles/bones (it smells like skunk and I have to force it down his throat...meanwhile, Brewsky will gobble them up if given a chance). Things like that.

Anyway, about a month ago, I took him (when I took Brewsky to get his annual shots) to get his allergy shot and noticed he had a bald spot on his back, about the size of a nickel. I asked the vet about it and he said he didn't think it was anything to worry about but to keep an eye on it - his hair should grow back. Well, not only did his hair NOT grow back, the spot grew to the size of a quarter and the skin turned black. Then, a couple of weeks ago, he got a second bald spot on his tummy. They didn't seem to really bother him so I wasn't overly concerned but I was going to take him to the vet on Saturday with Max because Max's shots were due so I was going to make one trip (my vet is 25+ miles away - one way) and kill two birds, so to speak.

Well, Wednesday night I came home and there was a place on Harley's back that the hair was laying funny so I decided to investigate. I was running my fingers over his back to try to see if there was some sort of injury on his back and as I pulled the hair back, a big clump of hair came off in my hand! I kind of freaked. Fortunately the vet's office hadn't closed yet (I wasn't going to be able to get him in that night but I would be able to talk to the vet) so I called them.

They said they didn't think it was an emergency but didn't think I should wait until Saturday. So, I took him (and Max) to the vet yesterday morning. Apparently it's some sort of skin infection. So I got MORE pills that I have to force feed him and an expensive medicated bath soap.

I do love him but he is pretty expensive...for a free dog. :)

On the bright side, I can sleep in Saturday now, since I don't have to get up to take the dogs to the vet.

What weekend plans do y'all have?

Week Two - Day Two

I'm kind of behind on my schedule for week two. I ran on Sunday, as planned but I wasn't scheduled to run again until Tuesday. So Monday I worked late and came home Tuesday and got sucked into watching the election returns until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore (it hadn't been decided yet but it was all but a done deal at that point, as far as I could tell - and it turned out the way it looked to turn out).

Last night I had class so I wasn't able to run yesterday either. So today was my first opportunity since Sunday night to run.

I took Harley with me this time. He didn't have the "OMG a crazy lady is running after me" look in his eyes tonight and he actually did more running beside me, which was good. I felt pretty good out there. I ran the first 90 seconds with no problem (although, don't get me wrong, I was glad to hear "you can walk now"). And I wasn't all that upset when she said it was time to run again. It hardly seemed like it could be 90 seconds again when she said it was time to walk again.

I wasn't quite ready to run again when it was time for the next 90 seconds but I did it anyway. I was actually thinking I would make it all the way through the full six runs this time but at the fourth run, I decided that would be the last - again. Even though I was doing pretty good at that point - better than I have to date.

So, I came home, changed clothes and logged on to blog about it, when I felt something scratching my neck. At this point I was at full rest mode (the energy fades quickly) so I kind of brushed at it. Turns out, my pajama shirt is on backwards. Maybe if I get another burst of energy this evening, I'll turn it around...

Save yourself!

That's kind of what I was thinking last night as I went out for my run. I hadn't seen the link to the Couch to 5K podcast Mel provided so I was on my own again, running when I thought I should and stopping when - okay, let's be honest, stopping when I wanted to.

I took Harley this time and somehow managed to avoid the whole chase-Brewsky-down-the-street-because-he-got-loose-as-I-tried-to-get-out warmup of the other night. Harley, who has in the past been the best walker, not pulling or stopping to pee or anything, decided that last night was the night he wanted to change HIS style. At first he was pulling on the leash and then he'd want to stop and smell something and then I'D pull the leash. When we ran, he would get immediately in front of me so that I was afraid of stepping on him or tripping over him and FALLING on him. He apparently had the same fears because he periodically looked over his shoulder with a "OMG this crazy lady is gaining on me" look on his face. I took a detour of our usual walk (making it shorter because I didn't think I could handle the full one, walking and running) and when we would walk, when Harley would want to stop, I reached a point where I thought, "Am I crazy? Let the dog stop and smell the roses - I'll just lie down here so he doesn't feel rushed." I didn't do that - I just thought about it because I knew it would be harder to get back up and he wasn't likely to send back help.

Anyway, overall he was actually okay (other than me thinking I was going to trip over and fall on him). It kind of made me think his previous owner might have been a runner. Either that or in his previous life he was chased by what he perceived to be a crazy lady.

Anyway, we made it back home in one piece and getting back into the house is usually the easy part. I'd put my house key in my shoe and thought I'd felt it shift as I stepped up onto the porch. I reached into my shoe and had it, until it slipped down into the shoe so that I had to take the shoe off, only to find it empty. I took off the other shoe and there it was. So, I was holding both shoes and Harley's leash, opening the door. Normally the other dogs will back away from the door and let whoever enter. Not last night. Brewsky saw my vulnerability and darted past me, as did Max. I dove for Brewsky (Max is usually pretty easy to handle) as my shoes went flying. I missed him but the dive was broken by the corner of the door jamb. Max and Harley both stopped (okay so I still had a hold of the leash with Harley attached to it but I'd like to think he wanted to stay behind) and Brewsky ran down the street, obviously thinking I needed a "cool down" portion of my run (little did he know I was content to do my cool down in the comfort of my living room). I changed shoes and came back to the front door to find Brewsky waiting to get in. It would have been okay but Max pushed past to get out and he took off again. He went as far as my next door neighbor's.

So, the run was okay but the "events" at home aren't as "fun". And I have a big old bruised goose egg over my left temple to prove it. I woke up in the middle of the night with pain in my left knee too (apparently the left side of my body is the sissy-side of my body) but I'm doing better this morning. And I'm looking forward to running tomorrow with the podcast that tells me "run" now "walk" now "run again" on the official times I'm supposed to. (Thanks Mel!) :)

Best Kiss

I stayed home from work today because, well, I kind of wanted to. I mean, there were legitimate reasons for me TO stay home - like I came home to a busted window last night that needed repairing and I needed more poison - er medication - for Harley. And a storm is coming tomorrow, which makes it harder to get some things done (like grocery shopping). So today was a good day to get things done - so I took a personal day.

Anyway, after I got things done (actually it was all done before lunch, if you can believe that...and that was with me heading out to the vet - which is 25 miles away - TWICE - poor Harley), I decided to watch some things on my DVR.

I just finished watching Derailed with Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston. I won't spoil (much) if you haven't seen it. It's a thriller. But there is one scene in it that I loved. Owen and Aniston's characters are sitting in the bar and he says "I'll bet you $20 I can kiss you without ever touching your lips." She takes the bet and then he kisses her and says "It was worth every penny." I really liked that scene.

I also really liked the movie. It was different and not what I expected.

But I really liked that scene. I think it's my new favorite kiss scene. And I wonder, would that line would work in real life? ;-)

What about you? Do you have a favorite kiss scene from a movie? If so, please share. :-)

Harley

I didn't blog about this before but for a while there, I was really worried about Harley.

I came home last Friday and he had a slight limp - very slight limp. I might not would have noticed except that he kept holding up his front paw when he sat or stood for any length (and not necessarily long length) of time. I gave him an aspirin that night, which seemed to help.

Saturday, I considered taking him to the vet but I'd given him another aspirin and he seemed to be okay so I decided against it, thinking he'd be fine.

By Tuesday, when I returned to work, not only was he still limping (and it was more pronounced), his energy level was falling. If I could get him to eat he would empty his bowl but he didn't seem to have any real interest in eating, except to make me happy. The biggest indicator for me was that he had no interest in my used kleenex either (and that was a big deal! believe it or not). I started to get really concerned.

Wednesday morning he seemed to have energy so I thought he was getting better. He didn't eat breakfast though, but then he really hadn't been eating much for the last couple of days so I didn't get too alarmed, just from that.

That evening though, he ate his dinner - for me - and then threw it up. He still wasn't interested in used kleenex and when he jumped off the bed (he hasn't had any problems jumping up during this whole ordeal), it was like he didn't have any front legs at all. He came down chest first.

Thursday morning he didn't have energy and didn't eat so I called the vet and scheduled an appointment for that afternoon. When I came home for lunch it seemed like it was an effort for him to open his eyes. By now I was really freaking out. Oh, and someone had mentioned that I needed to watch to see is if was doing his business or not (I don't usually see that because they let themselves out), so I'd gone out the night before. Sure enough, one of my dogs was having diarrhea - I assumed Harley.

I took him to the vet and he would notice the house cats and other animals there but if they moved outside of his eye-line, he didn't see what they did...he wouldn't even move his head. I was hoping for some miracle drug that would help my baby.

Anyway, the vet had me walk him around a bit and commented that his back-end seemed stiff when he walked. He noticed that he seemed to be favoring his front leg but he also thought the rest of him was stiff. Of course, I'm thinking it's because he's not moving much at all but I didn't say anything.

He told me that it was probably one of two things...a virus that is going around that attacks their joints and muscles, or he was injured. He said that all the other symptoms - his lack of interest in food, throwing up, diarrhea, lethargy - were all consistent with an injury. But he wanted to treat for both - just in case.

So he gave him a shot of an anti-inflammatory and sent me home with an anti-inflammatory drug and an antibiotic.

Within a couple of hours of the shot, he was like a new dog. Which of course made me wonder if he wouldn't re-injure himself...I still wonder about that. Anyway, I came home with a week's worth of drugs and just a few days in, he's almost back to 100%. First thing in the mornings he's limping because the medicine has worn off but his appetite is back, he's as curious as ever and he's back to jumping at the sound of me pulling a kleenex out of its box.

Life is good.

*Sigh*

Tonight my dog, Harley, came in when he heard me open a muffin wrapper. He placed his chin on my leg and when he moved it, it was covered in mud. So I decided to investigate what he (and possibly the other dogs) had been doing outside. It was already dark outside so I took my flashlight with me.

Over in the front corner of the fence it appears like he/they have been digging a hole. O-kay. Now, I don't know if you've heard this but if you fill a hole where dogs have been digging with their own poop, they won't dig there anymore. I was told this a few years back when Max was a puppy and doing the digging - and it worked. So I went and got my shovel to fill the hole and go searching for poop (jealous are you? LOL).

First I filled in the hole and then went looking, shining my flashlight everywhere. The first "pile" I saw and approached turned out to be a dead bird. Poor thing. I hope it went quickly.

Anyway, I decided to look on the other side of my yard because that's where they do most of their business anyway and I headed out on the path that they've created out that way, watching my step. And you know what I found? Are you ready for this?

The cable line that the cable guy buried a couple of weeks ago (see Television Reception entry)? The cable line that I could barely tell WHERE the cable guy buried it because he did such a smooth, clean job? The cable line that is NOW exposed and just begging for Harley to rip it back out of the wall.

Yeah, that's what I found.

I'm telling you, I love the little guy but he is making me crazy.

In any event, I found some poop, filled the hole and disposed of the poor dead bird. Not exactly how I'd pictured this evening going but what are ya gonna do?

Television Reception

Remember when you had to get your television antenna just right so that you'd have decent reception? You know, before cable.

Or how about skits about how families had to stand in a particular formation, each holding something related to the antenna to get a sharper image?

Yeah, well, that was me tonight. Seems the cable line that the cable company failed to bury when they replaced it a few years ago (lightening strike) was ripped out of place by the newest addition to my family...Harley.

And it was Dancing with the Stars night so I was not a happy camper. Tonight is the first night in the history of the show that I did not vote - because I couldn't see enough to give a fair judgment. I tried really hard to get a decent picture but it wasn't working - or when it did, it was fleeting.

The cable company won't come out until Wednesday (some time between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm - so glad they could narrow the time down) so until then, I'm basically without television. Oh, I know I could be doing something productive, like working on my wip, but whining feels so much better.

Pass the cheese and crackers please~