Routines (Oso's Rescue - Day 4)

Today I think you were starting to catch on to the routine. Your barking was much less, and I was greeted this morning by more wiggles than barks. Everyone in the house likes that accomplishment! Once we went outside to your special place in the yard, you were prancing around, and nosing at my hands checking for your pink medicine. Well you sure had me figured out. Once again you sucked down every last drop of the liquid, nibbling at the ends of the syringe. What you didn't know, was that I had figured you out as well, and I held firmly to the syringe this time as to prevent you from swiftly removing it from my fingers. When we came back inside I shared your poop story with Brandon. It finally wasn't runny! He was thrilled, of course, that I had shared this information with him at breakfast time. Sometimes I forget that non-medical folks might tend to have a more queasy stomach than mine. At any rate, it didn't bother me in the slightest, and I was tickled about yet another improvement. I had to share it with a couple of our other friends too who had been asking about you. Hey...they asked! I simply passed on the information.

At feeding time I tried to convince you to get in your kennel before I set the food down, but we were not understanding each other very well. I tried the patient approach, and stood quietly with your bowl. You were dancing all around in front of your kennel, but just weren't catching on to the actual 'getting in' part. I thought that with your prior sporadic feedings, that maybe right now food time was too much of an overload in itself. I made a mental note to work on this some more later.

A good amount of whining still ensued again after your meal this morning. But as much as I would have liked to offer you the entire food bin to binge on, I didn't think you quite grasped the consequences of those actions. But no amount of explaining seemed to satisfy you. You are an intent listener. Whenever I chat with you those cute little brown ears perk up and your eyes intently focus on your conversationalist. And then just like you understood completely, you always seem to cock your head at just the right moment. Or sometime you may just show your resignation or relief with a deep chested sigh.

When Elizabeth got home from school this afternoon, you were the first one she visited. Not me, or Chris, or even the other dogs. In fact, she put them all outside so you could have her undivided attention without the interference of the 3 other brown noses. I think she really likes you. She washed out your bowls and re-filled your water dish. I saw her running with you in your special area of the yard together. I sure wish I would've had my camera. I saw her enticing you with a large chunk of wood. And then ever so thoughtful, she made sure to put the wood in the trash when you were done playing so as to not leave any germs behind for another dog to find later. I think you two frolicked for nearly 15 minutes together before she brought you back inside.

When I peeked on you again, you were snout deep in the XXL Kong. Elizabeth had made several of them days earlier, and had unwrapped the biggest one of all for you to enjoy in your kennel. I think this one was stuffed with cottage cheese with bits of string cheese and at a lot of kibble. You worked diligently at every angle to reach the stuff stuck to the insides.

I took the afternoon to do some housework before my work-weekend. Your eyes tracked my movements around the kitchen and living room as I picked up school backpacks, a few stray glasses, and small accumulations of clutter. Okay, well maybe you only had one eye on me. Because at one point I looked over and you had curled your paws around your Kong, and pinned it against your chest so it couldn't escape. So, now I knew you were an expert wrestler too.

When it was time to vacuum, your attention turned though. There was no fear in your eyes at all. It was more like a look of amazement. Your whole head moved as I ran the vacuum around the edges of your kennel. Every second or so you would pause to take a few licks from your Kong, look up at me, and then back to the vacuum again. Chris chuckled as we both watched your reactions. I did a few zig zags in front of the kennel door and your tail started to wag. I asked you if you wanted to play.

Usually Buddy likes to follow me around as I vacuum the house. I wondered if you would do the same thing once you kicked your bug. You seem very relational. I bet you would.

Just before 5:30pm you started to dance around. I don't know if you were feeding off the energy of the other dogs, or you really knew it was dinner time. I started putting some salmon oil gel caps in your food to help get your skin and coat whipped into shape. It may take a while. But maybe with spring coming soon you'll just shed off the remaining coarse, lusterless, fur.

Tonight I took you on a walk up the road to a 10 acre vacant property. We worked on a long zippy lead and you fetched sticks. I say fetched because once you picked them up you would muster up a whole lot of speed and try to run right past me. All the while, bucking like a bronco (this must have been a glimpse of puppiness). I only let you get away with it a few times, then decided there was no time like the present to teach you about the actual act of a retrieve. At first you really didn't understand why, when I called you to me, that once you arrived I would take the stick away. Even more puzzling to you was that you had to first sit before I would throw it again. But in short order, and several repetitions later, you still didn't really get it. But you did it anyway.

Since we had some open space, and no other distractions, we also practiced 'wait'. You were already grasping the idea of wait when I would open your kennel door. But soon you realized that 'wait' in the kennel was pretty much the same as 'wait' outside the kennel. A few times you put me to the test. I understood that you were just testing my knowledge of the term 'wait', hoping maybe I'd forgotten. But you weren't quite so lucky. Before we went in for the night you did 4 solid sit/stays in a row while I backed up 10 feet away. I would have to say, that you don't mind the 'wait' part at all. But you would prefer to do it without the 'sit'.

The other dogs had a good play outside at the ponds. The rain has subsided this week, so the water levels had gone down a bit. With more dirt exposed, they got muddier than ever. Some day I'm going to put in a warm water spigot to hose them all off with at the end of the day. Of course, if all goes as planned, we are hoping to plant a whole lot of field grass and clover to help with all the mud in future years. We're shooting for the end of March as long as Mother Nature cooperates.

The evening was oddly uneventful. You quietly laid in your kennel and sometime licked at your now empty Kong toy. I think you are finally catching on to our routine.

Mom's Secret Weapon (Oso's Rescue - Day 3)

Good Morning Oso! This morning I woke you up bright and early again. Today I had volunteered to cover a shift at the hospital. I needed to get all the dogs fed, out for potty, and settled for the day in a short time. You were quite spunky this morning, but did so good at waiting to come out of your kennel until I invited you. Then when I finally called your name, you sprinted out the door, but did a little less leaping at me this time.

I had been still trying to keep some distance between you and other dogs until you are 100% cleared from the vet with this newest coughing/out of breath thing. Although this morning I didn't hear you cough or breath hard at all. I brought out your bright pink medicine when we went outside. You, who obviously really seem to enjoy your food, lapped the 2.5ml of fluids right out of the syringe

. In fact you wanted to steal the little piece of moulded plastic right out

of my hand. I'm pretty sure that you were just not entirely convinced that it was really all gone, and wanted to check for yourself.

Our friend, Brandon, agreed to take care of you today while I was away at work. I gave him all the directions he would need to make sure you got your food, your medicine, and your regular potty breaks to your own special area of the yard...on a leash of course.

Well things must've gone great. Because you happily wagged your tail and howled at me when I came through the door this afternoon. Other than being a sloppy drinker and making the corner of your crate wet, everything looked perfect with you. No potty accidents in the kennel and still water in the big dish I bolted to the side of your kennel (minus the many lab drooly dribbles underneath).

I brought you some special groceries from store. I once heard someone say to a skinny dog that he 'needed groceries'. This crossed my mind as I was shopping for you at the store. Let's see, we bought cottage cheese, peanut butter, and string cheese. Got groceries! I had another a secret weapon stored in my brain on how to keep you entertained for the next week and a half. A secret that I had learned at the puppy class that I had taken our eldest chocolate lab (now 7 1/2 years) to when she was just a wee little pup. We were going to make the labrador delicacy of frozen stuffed Kong.

There are tons of variations, but tonight Elizabeth and I used cottage cheese and dog kibble. She cram packed it into a giant kong and then placed it in the freezer for a few hours. Once they were frozen, the Kongs are a fun and nutritional way to keep puppy, adolescent, and adult dogs occupied for a long, long, time. And just as I suspected, when I placed the tasty frozen toy in your kennel for the first time, you thought this thing was out of sight!

We laughed as you pinned the black rubber toy under your paws and gnawed away at the icy end that protruded out the bottom. Sometimes you would shove your tongue and lower jaw in so far that you would almost get it stuck trying to get it back out again. But my favorite part was when you had the whole thing stuffed in your mouth. As you paused to watch me, the Kong started to dangle out the side of your mouth like you were enjoying the best cigar ever. You just wagged your tail and went back to the business of trying to extricate every last curd of cottage cheese from the farthest depths of the toy.

After dinner tonight, it was time to clean out your kennel. You were excited to hang out with Chris for a few minutes while I tended to your corner of the living room. The top of your kennel was littered with leashes, a water bottle, lysol wipes, and hand sanitizer. Everyone has been quite diligent about keeping any germs to a minimum. After feeding or watering you, petting you, taking you potty or tending your kennel; I watched everyone clean their hands regularly. I never even had to remind them. Everyone in the house knows that we are trying to keep everyone as healthy as can be.

Elizabeth gave you ice cubes to play with in the afternoon. Rather than chew them up, you enjo

yed pushing them around your kennel and sucking on them. You are a funny character. When I cleaned your kennel I used disinfecting wipes and washed both your bowls. I removed the

damp, fleece blanket and replaced it with a larger wool one that wouldn't get quite as bunched up in the back of the kennel. You were especially thrilled to see that the ends of the blankets had thick wool fringes. They must've been quite intriguing because you mouthed them and twisted your tongue around a few large pieces. I could see right away that they were simply too resistible for you to avoid. I had to re fold the blanket so that the fringes were out of sight, and hopefully, out of mind. That was the end of that.

I got a few

cute pictures of you in your little corner of the living room; inside the kennel. You were still working on the remnants of stuff inside your Kong. I'll have to remember to post them on the internet. I thought you looked better yet again tonight. Baby steps...one day at a time.

I just had to take advantage of a few training moments tonight. At one point, after I cleaned your kennel, it was time to put you back inside. So I grabbed a few pieces of food from a small dish I placed nearby the night before. As I started toward your crate I motioned inside and, in my happiest voice, gave a simple instruction; "kennel". I tossed the pieced of food inside your kennel and tonight you dove right in. After I closed the door behind you, I gave you lots of praise. Later we tried a different game.

You were still keeping busy working on that Kong (frozen stuffed Kongs are THE BEST), when you did a little bit of whining. I guessed that you might need to go out again. So I walked to your kennel and opened the door. Ha! I was so proud. You stayed right there inside, and peered at me with 100% attention. You didn't even try to bolt for the door...Until you saw Henna and Buddy stroll by as they were getting ready to go outside. Just as you looked like you were about to make a break for it I shut the door and gave you a quick reminder, "ah, ah ah". In a split second you tucked your front paw and that little brown nose back inside the crate and sat down. And you waited. And waited. Henna and Buddy strolled by on their way back in, and you waited. A few times I told you that you were good boy for waiting. And you waited. I walked over near the front door and grabbed a camera. Man, you were intense. And you waited. Henna was waiting with baited breath to see what was going to happen next. Buddy laid down about 8 feet from your kennel, and you waited. Wow. I was impressed. I snapped a few pictured of you without having that annoying kennel door in the way...and you waited.

Finally, when I quietly called your name, you stretched out your back legs and nonchalantly walked out. I gave you a good pat on the chest and a few shoulder rubs, then snapped on your leash to go outside. You are so smart!

We walked along the far end of the driveway, and across the dirt road that runs in front of our home. I noticed your tummy still looked a little perturbed with the food switch, but it seemed like things may have been improving. We did a half dozen recalls on your leash, in which you executed with perfection. You sure do get excited when you do good. You can hardly sit still when I try to pet you when giving you praise.

I laid on the sofa with Henna and Buddy for a while and together we all watched you sleep. Your little paws twitched in your dreams and your eyebrows danced an elaborately animated dance above your closed eyes. I wondered what you were dreaming about. I hope you dream of good things.

Exploring in the country (Oso's Rescue - Day 2)

Today was the first day of the rest of your life. This morning I arose at 5:30 am to check on you and take you out to potty. Just so you know, this 5:30am thing isn't going to be a habit. I am not an early bird, but we wake up at a leisurely time of around 7 or 8. The only time we get up that early in the morning is for DockDogs or hunting.

The moment I flipped the light on in
the hallway, you greeted me with a loud whine/bark sound. I heard the clack, clack, clack of your long toenails as you pranced around in the front part of your kennel. You had bunched your blue fleece blanket to the back of the crate to curl up on. "Those nails are num
ber one on my

list of things to do today", I thou
ght. When I got to your crate, you could hardly contain yourself. I leaned over and peeked inside to see if there were any potty accidents.
None! Yipee!


When I first began to open the door to the kennel, you began to wiggle your way out; nose first. Ha! The oldest trick in the book. I kind of giggled, then quickly closed the door and told you to wait. You had the funniest, most puzzling look, on your cute little face. I swear if you could talk you would've said, "but I gotta pee!" I slowly began to open the door again without a word. Albeit a little slower this time, you started to head right out the door. I closed it on you once again, with a little "ah, ah, ah". There was that lo
ok again (it was s
o hard not to laugh). But this was serious business, and an important lesson to learn. So I put on my best poker face and waited a few mo
re seconds before opening the door one more time. And VOILA! Just in a matter of minutes you figured it all out. In fact I didn't have to scold you at all when I opened the kennel door throughout the day. I reminded you to wait, and you did it with perfection. You are smart!


Once again you woofed down your meal and yelped for more once the bowl was clean. I tried to explain to you that your tummy might be a bit sensi
tive, but I really don't think you cared. I promised to feed you snacks today every time you went in your kennel. You liked that idea, and had fun chasing the kibble of food that skittered across the floor of your huge kennel.


This morning we went outside and I had a chance to take a look at your lengthy nails. Wow, they were long! I decided that using the dremel wod take too long and might scare you, so I decided to make quick work of it by using the nail clippers. I'm sure they could be shorter, but this was definitely much improved. You were fairly patient, but were a curious pup, and kept getting your nose in the way.


Once your nails were trimmed, I noticed that your toes lo
oked better too! They were closer together. Before your
nails were preventing them from touching. I was amazed at the difference, and wondered if had ever hurt to walk on your toenails like that.


I was excited to take you on your first walk around the property. I brought my favorite whistle and thought I'd see if we could work on your recall. I put you on a 25' flexi-lead and off we went down the trails to the pond. You weaved your way all the way down th
e straw-covered road, all the while sniffing the air and prodding every tuft of grass with your nose. We made our way down to the creek, and you lapped up the water like it was your last drink. Another tanker in the house. I'd seen this behavior before with our 3 year old rescue, Buddy. I'd be willing to bet that all those hours in a kennel, he didn't have access to water. It took a long time for Buddy to learn that the bowl is always full. Even now (2 years later) occasionally if I he sees us put down a freshly filled bowl, he'll drink up every last drop.


Intermittently I would blow my whistle, give a quick tug on the leash, and call you to me. We practiced this many times while you explored the edges of the stream and the pond. Pretty soon, just the sound of the whistle seemed to get your attention and you kept happily trotting back to me for a good chest rub.


I decided to let you try a short off-leash play with the other dogs. You were nearly beside yourself when the 3 other dogs went rushing by you the first time. You wanted to play with them all so badly, you had a hard time deciding which one to pounce on first. Unfortunately it was the biggest dog that you picked. You practically jumped over his head and onto his back. With a ninja-like move and one the help of one really l
arge paw, Buddy rolled you. Unscathed, you jumped up, shook off, and tried again. But this time you changed your approach. You looked cute in your play bow with your tail wagging. This approach was much more acceptable to Buddy, and he obliged with a bow in return. The two of you looked quite jolly as you bounded across the yard together. Buddy was much too fast for you though, and would turn around to wait for you to catch up.


As you all ran along the edge of the pond, I was impressed by your impromptu braveness. As the other dogs leaped into the pond, you followed them fearlessly. At least until you realized that it was deep water, and that you didn't really know how to swim. I thought for a moment that I was going to have to dive in to rescue you. Your little brown head went underwater. It seemed like many seconds went by before I saw the splashing of your thin legs and inexperienced paws. But within moments, you reached the shore. You did this twice more, but definitely preferred to play in the shallows of the creek bed.


After a short play
I noticed that you were slowing down and having a hard time catching your breath. I decided it was time to be done. No need to push it on the first day. We would talk to Dr. W later today about your wheeziness. I had to hose the mud off before we went inside, but you didn't mind at
all. I rinsed the mud off your face, and Buddy slime off your head, and told you that someone was going to be very lucky to have you someday.


Later that evening we went for another ride (this time in a crate in the back of the truck) to see Dr. W. Your temperature was much better this time. But when I talked to him about your "hah, hah, hah" breathing I had heard earlier, he decided to put you on antibiotics for kennel cough; Just in case. And bummer for your socialization, because now you will be quarantined from the other dogs for 10 days.


When we got home, I knew I had to keep you entertained in your kennel so that you wouldn't raise a raucus again. I had a long marrow bone in the closet, so I scraped yogurt on the insides of it for you to lick. I think peanut butter would have been a much better choice, but we were out. A few hours later I replaced the bone with a giant Kong toy stuffed with a few large pieces of the Natural Balance food roles. It was funny to watch as you shoved your entire lower jaw into the hole in hopes of getting even so much as a taste. That kept you busy for a while!


This afternoon I posted your story on our blog and on facebook in hopes to find you the perfect home. Our friends say you're the luckiest dog on earth. I think they're right. Now let's see if we can find the persons to match!


Tonight, you were peaceful. You rarely let out a bark or whine, and settled right down to sleep when the lights went out. It only gets better from here little brown dog.

The day we met 'Oso' (Oso's Rescue - Day 1)

Dear Oso,

When I picked you up last night, I had no idea what I

might be getting in to. What I did know, is that you were desperately in need of a new home, and I could be the person to make that happen. When I arrived I asked about the type of food you were one. Did it have chicken, beef, or lamb in it? She didn't know. She led me to a giant red and white bag in the kitchen. In large red letters, I read clearly the brand "DOG FOOD". Not that there was any brand information on it that I could even find. As I turned the bag over to scan the ingredient list, I began to read, "Corn, corn gluten, corn meal, wheat..." As I finally reached the very bottom of the list I thought I had found what I was looking for. But

all it said was "meat meal". What the hell was that supposed to mean? She said that you eat a lot. "8 cups a day

sometimes", she said. I decided that it just didn't matter, as soon as I got you home, I would start you right away on what I was already feeding my 3 chocolate labradors.

I was warned that you liked to poop and pee....a lot. And that I shouldn't leave you in your crate too long because y

ou'd just poop in there too. I bit my lip and thought to myself about where 8 cups of corn meal might end up throughout a single day. She also warned me about your repeated bouts of diarrhea (vet here we come).

Your eyes lit up when I took you out the door for the first time, and your happy tongue waggled. You seem to be a resilient little pup. As I was nearly dragged to a grassy area so y

ou could relieve yourself, I noticed how thin you were. Your brown coast had lost it's luster, and your hips and ribs protruded out, causing your puppy body to look a bit miss proportioned.

The plan was to pick you up and rush you off to the vet for a health check. The woman assured me that you liked going for a ride. But it took me many minutes and a handful of salmon treats to help to convince you that being in a vehicle was a fun place to be. You were not so convinced. As I shut the top of the canopy, your tiny brown nose tried to squeak through the crack between the canopy and the tail gate. As we drove off, I noticed that your scrawny body was plastered to the floor. I felt terrible for not bringing one of my dog crates for you to lay in. I kept telling myself, that it's only for a short

time, and that it was better to just get this all done now; crate or no crate.

We were early for our vet appointment, so I decided to take you for a short walk at the park to burn off even a little of that nervousness and puppy energy. But you were no match for the leash that came with you. The store brand flexible leash was zipping in and out so fast that it was nearly impossible for me to get the cheap plastic button to stop you before reaching the end. You erratically ran left, then right; snapping the leash each time you came to the end of it. Pop! Pop!

We made one lap of the park (that was all my arm could take with this leash). I'm pretty sure you didn't spend one iota of energy from your youthful stores, but at least you were able to relieve yourself many times over. I remember thinking, "I sure hope he doesn't have a bladder infection". When we were at the park, I finally had a few minutes to look you over. Your eyes looked clear, ears were filthy, nails appeared as though they had never been trimmed, dew claws in place, testicles....just starting to drop, coat feels gross, clumps of hair coming out - needed a brush and a bath badly, skinny...really skinny. But your energy levels were great, and later that night I found out that your appetite was voracious!

When we arrived at Dr. W's office, it took him a minute to realize that you weren't one of my dogs that he had seen before. After all, he sees me with brown dogs on a regular basis. I introduced you to him, and you wiggled and

hopped all over the lobby of the clinic. I told him that we wanted to make sure you were healthy enough to be around the other dogs, and that our goal was to make sure he was happy and healthy enough to find him a new home.

The vet tech knew you! I was happy to hear that I might get some insight to your history, but instead was saddened to hear the sto

ry of your lack of care. Only one set of shots as a pup, and then a few vet visits with bouts of illness of diarrhea and tests for parasites and parvo. Thank God they were all negative. Over the months I had heard of your escapades; Hours on end with your nose in the trash while left out on the patio of an apartment. As a young pup you were left alone in a bathroom, only to shred and ingest the vinyl flooring before eating your way through the bathroom door. The stories poured in during dinner conversation for months. My husband, Chris, told your owner, that if she ever decided to give you up, that he would happily make sure that you were taken care of. For a while, she tried to sell you for money. But that didn't work out either. And now here we were, together, at the vet...learning another part of the story of your life, and the two deceased puppies that once lived in your home prior to your arrival. I learned that you were born in June, and would be about 7 months old. "Ah....just getting ready to enter the teenage years", I thought.

It took a great amount of wrestling to get you still enough to take your temperature. We had to do it twice because it was 106 degrees. Dr. W was straightforward with me. He said you were undernourished and lacked muscle bulk. Probably just the walk around the park, just minutes before our visit, heated you up a great deal. I was instructed to take your temperature later that night, and the next morning. By that evening it had returned to normal. Nevertheless, we were unable to get your shots because of your high temperature. The good news is that your fecal exam was normal and Dr. W cleared your general health to come home with me right away. He patted you on the head and said, "you are a lucky dog'.

I tried to bribe you to get back into the truck, to no avail. No amount of salmon treats were worth that scary endeavor again to you. I finally hoisted you up, and sat with you for a few minut

es before heading home. We both smelled the same kind of bad. Now we both needed a bath. On the way home I swung by to pick up your large wire crate. That was a mistake. I thought maybe I could convince her to let the crate go with the dog. But when I arrived, she insisted I could borrow the crate, but it must be returned. In a hasty decision, I decided to bring it home with us so you might rest more comfortably that night. The crate was empty, with a hard plastic floor. She told me that you don't sleep with a blanket, towel, or bed. Just in the empty crate. I quickly loaded it into the truck and was anxious to get you home and settled in for the night.

At home 6 little eyes, and 3 brown noses peered through the front window as I climbed out of the truck. They watched intently as I opened up the back and hoisted you to the ground. First on our agenda was to b

rush the handfuls of hair from your coat. You wiggled and did a little labrador jig, but then settled down and patiently let me lift the massive tufts of hair from your coat. I kept you on a leash, and we let the other dogs out to meet you. Your eyes lit up and you began to buck like a bucking bronco. I don't know how much experience you had around other dogs, but you were hell bent on having a smashing good time.

Henna, our 7 year old lab, is an excellent pack elder. She let you get away with quite a bit; jumping, spinning, and barking. But when you stepped out of line, she gave you a firm little 'GRRRRRRR' to make sure you knew you had crossed the line of acceptable puppy behavior.

Buddy, is almost 3, and is more than double your size. He wanted to play, but was quickly overwhelmed with your hyperactive energy level, and eventually also informed you of your place in this pack. You picked up the signals quickly, though, and began to approach them all with a little less exuberance each time you greeted them.

The shyest girl in the house is little Mossy. Although you are actually taller than her, she is a solid 10 lbs heavier. She was not about to deal with all this energy this night, and curled up next to her dad on the big chair in the living room. Later, she quietly walked herself down the hall and tucked herself into bed for the night.

With introductions over, and the night coming fast, it was time to get you cleaned up. I took you into the main bathroom, where you willingly climbed into the tub, without bribery, for a bath. Your coat was so coated with oils or grime that I had to wash you twice with flea soap before the water ran clear. You stood in the tub and took it like a champ. When I cleaned your ears, you tilted your head to one side and groaned as massaged in the ear goop. You laid your head on my shoulder when I scrubbed your protruding ribs and checked you all over for any lumps or bumps. I think you actually enjoyed the bath much more than the drying process. When it was time to get out, you managed to slip out of your collar, and ran pell mell through the house. You sure are a wiley little thing!

I set up your freshly sanitized crate in the living room with a blanket and bribed you in with your dinner bowl. You scarfed every last kibble of food and begged for more. You howled, barked, and cried in your kennel looking for attention. But as soon as you were quiet for a few minutes, I would let you out to go potty and give you lots of attention. We repeated this many times until after midnight. Finally, as I turned the lights out for bed, you cried out feebly for a few more minutes before settling down on your blanket and closing your eyes to sleep.