The Threshold (Oso's Rescue - Day 10)

Boy are you full of it! I knew that eventually you would reach the point of - get me out of this kennel, I'm ready to play. But this afternoon I think you finally met that threshold. Only two more days to go, and it seems that everyone around the house has started growing antsy.

Our friend, Brandon, asked if he could let you out to play today if he promised to take you down to the ponds and away from the house. When I said no, he asked if he could take you to the back side of the property. I had to keep reminding everyone that we had come so far, and didn't want to blow it.

The plan was that just two days from now (first thing Monday morning), you would be sprung from quarantine, and ready to begin socializing with the other dogs. By then, your antibiotics would be complete and (according to most medical estimates) you should be no longer contagious. We will have had you at our house for 12 days then. Time sure does fly!

Today Brandon took care of you, and the other dogs, while Chris and I were away at work. He said that every time he let you outside you bucked and jumped your way out the door and all the way to your potty spot. He said you were "slightly wound up".

As I peered in your kennel this evening to say hello, I noticed that you had a toy inside with you. It was the large remanent of a so-called "tough" toy. When I purchased this toy, I bought into one of the most overstated claims on the package of so many dogs toys, "Tiger tested - dog approved." I figured that seven rows of industrial stitching and material sewn with protective webbing might actually be fairly Lab proof. After all, I saw the video of the tiger playing with the very same toys in a small plastic wading pool with my own very eyes. I was guessing that this particular toy must've passed the tiger test though, because it took our three labradors to pull the stitching offf one end and pull out the squeakers that were once sewn into a specially designed "squeaker pockets" during an impromptu game of keep away. What does that say for Labradors?

Nevertheless, I had to give a fair amount of credit to this particular toy maker. The toys were supposedly non-toxic, had a Lab appeal, and managed to make it past the 60 second mark in the first day (always a good indication of toy longevity in our home). In fact, come to think of it, I believe this toy had actually been around since Christmas, before it was de-squeaked. That's a whole month of brutal abuse!

It turns out that Mossy, Henna, and Buddy had apparently donated the toy. Perhaps they were feeling a bit sorry for you. After all, you had been at our house for 10 days, and had been stuck in his kennel ever since. According to Brandon's report, one of the dogs carried it over and pushed it up against the front of the large kennel, then walked away. Apparently you spent several minutes working it through the spaces in between the wire kennel door. Once you managed to get the toy inside he said that you playfully shook it and chewed contently for a some time.

It sure made me wonder if this was a legitimate gift, or simply the act of distraction of one of the other dogs. I chalked it up to being a gift and thanked the other dogs for being so generous. They just happily wagged their tails at me. Mossy, Buddy, Henna and I headed outdoors for a short walk around the property.

Each day had been growing longer, and staying light later into the evening. But still, once the sun goes down, the darkness came pretty quickly. I wanted to get you outside to let you expell some of that puppy energy before you exploded. I had filled the pocket of my fleece jacket with cut up bits of string cheese and picked up one of our 6' leashes for doing a bit of obedience work.

You had the attention of a flea, so I grabbed an old training clicker I had stored away in the dog closet. The dog closet, as we call it, is a large floor to ceiling cabinet where we keep all the dog supplies in the laundry room. I have found it quite handy to keep the heaps of dog gear stashed neatly in one place. Everyone in the house knows where to look if it pertains to the dogs.

After a short walk and play, I started right in with some basic obedience. I thought we'd start with just an ordinary sit first. I was hoping to work on you learning to sit for longer periods of time; and to sit much faster when asked. I have found that you learn best if I use a combination of techniques. Being a puppy, it was difficult for you to keep your focus for more than a few seconds. Each time you sat, I waited longer and longer before praising you for doing a good job. In any kind of obedience, I know how important it is to have a dog look at it's handler and wait for the next instruction. Otherwise, a dog will be looking off in la la land and have no rapport with the handler.

I pulled out the clicker and asked you to sit. At first I would click as soon as your butt touched the ground. This seemed too easy for you, and it was made obvious by your wandering eyes. Although I don't use a lot of clicker training, there are definitely advantages to using a clicker to capture and mold specific movements or behaviors in a short amount of time. Once you sat, I then waited for your eyes to make contact with mine; then I would press the clicker and give you a treat. Within a short matter of minutes, you would sit, lift up your head, and wait for my next instruction. You were still struggling with the speed at which you performed the sit command, but slowly and steadily you improved.

For the first time ever we performed some basic healing drills while walkikng up and down the gravel road. You would try to lunge forward at first, not understanding the rules. When I said, "heal" that meant that you were to stay right by my side. Speeding off like a horse just out of the gates at the Kentucky Derby, wasn't going work while leash walking. We must've done 20 laps up and down the road practicing the general concept of the word "heal". I didn't do any stopping, or ask you to sit; just to heal (the stopping ,and sitting when stopped, would come later).

Before we went inside for the night I decided to let you cut loose. I snapped on the long retractible leash and revved you up. You played chicken with me for several minutes; running straight at me with your butt tucked, at a high rate of speed. I grrrrrred at you, and ruffled the fur on your head as you whisked by. You would quickly spin around and do it all over again.

You started to pant a little and your tongue was hanging out over your bottom teeth. You were all kinds of wound up, and ready for more. I would've loved to spend more time playing with you, but it was now nearly pitch black outside. I told you of your impending release and reassured you that we were going to plan a fun bunch of days.

After dinner I spent some time disinfecting your kennel again. It was beginning to smell a little doggy in there, and soon the odor would waft to the rest of the house. You mussed up the wool blanket I placed inside. I have no idea what exactly you were doing with your blanket, but in the end you ended up pushing it to the back of your kennel and sprawling out onto your back to watch my every move through the door from a silly upside down position.

Your Kong toys were all empty, so I prepared a special mix of plain yogurt, kibble, string cheese, and natural balance rolls to stuff inside and freeze. I made too much, so I used a spoon to dole out the left-overs to the other dogs in the kitchen and fill a tiny Kong to give to you right then.

You were becoming a pro at cleaning out the inside of the Kong toys. In a matter of minutes you had licked it clean and were giving the once over just one more time for good measure. You finally settled down and passed out on your fresh wool blanket.

Tomorrow I would get to come home early. Our DockDogs club awards banquet was to be held this weekend, and I had re-arranged my work schedule to accommodate my attending the banquet. But this would also mean that I would be able to come home early and spend a few minutes with all the dogs in my life.

Just two more days little guy. We can do it!

The Passing of a Friend (Oso's Rescue - Day 9)

I think today you finally were beginning to lose your patience. It's probably my fault, though, because I only took you on two relatively short walks up the road yesterday. But today you begged to come out and play from early on. After breakfast, you watched from a distance as the other dogs had their morning wrestle in the middle of the living room floor. You whined with jealously when I left a door open and they began to drag a variety of toys from a basket inside the closet. Buddy pranced with glee as he whipped his tough fabric toy high in the air, Mossy was happily pushing a big red ball with her nose across the living room floor, and Henna was joyously squeaking out her favorite tune on one of those rubber squeaky balls that resembled a frog.

Barely able to contain yourself, you started to dig at the corner of your crate. I knew right away that we had only two options to make this work. Put all the toys back in the closet and shut the door, or give you a toy inside your kennel and see what would happen. I opened your kennel door and tossed in am odd shaped yellow toy. It was called a Cuz toy, and it was big and bulb-like on each of it's two sides. This toy made a terribly loud squeak for it's size, and usually all the dogs loved it. As it turns out, you loved it as well.

It took you a while to figure out what exactly to do with it, though. First you picked it up by the skinny bulb and tried to just chew on it. But when you bit down it even a little, it made an incidental 'squeak' sound. Immediately you dropped and starred at it. I stood on the oppostite side of the living room and watched as you turned your head and perked up your ears. You picked it up again and began to chew; A few more squeaks came out. Within a few minutes, you were beginning to make multiple squeaks and starting to shake it. You stepped on it with your feet and even flung it around inside your kennel. This was great! You were having a grand ol' time keeping yourself content, and were essentially playing side by with the other dogs; but from a living room away.

In the afternoon we went for one of our daily walks down to the vacant property at the end of the road. This time I brought a special toy to play with. This was the first time I had tried to play with any toy with you, and I had no idea what to expect. Keeping the zippy leash on you, I tossed the bumper several feet away. You ran over and pounced on the top of your prize. You reminded me of a polar bear raising up to pounce on the ice in search of food from the water below. You liked this game.

Once you picked up the bumper, you began running to me; and then continued on right past me. Subsequently, each time you returned I would reel you in until I could hold you by the collar. I reminded you each time you returned with a simple "here", then gave you a good shoulder and ear rub as a reward. You were starting to get the idea a bit, but this would definitely be an ongoing lesson to learn. Having to pry the bumper from your mouth was going to be part two of today's lessons.

At first, you simply didn't want to give it up. You chased it. You retrieved it. In your mind it rightfully belonged to you. I was sorry to have to be the one to break the news to you, but the law of our pack convey that all toys belong to one person, and that person is me - or any other two legged, upright walking, individual that has opposable thumbs and can utter the words "drop it". This was a hard concept for you to grasp.

At first, we began with the death-grip and run issue. As soon as I would reach toward you, you would jump back and lock down on the toy. This was definitely not acceptable behavior from a Labrador. Not to mention that I was not about to spend my days chasing you across the yard in attempt to retrieve MY toy. So I would grab the toy in one hand, and hold you close to me while firmly holding the leash. I only said one word, "Drop" and waited. While exerting a constant pressure on the toy, I did not tug, pull, or twist. I simply waited. It seemed like an eternity before you finally began to loosen your grip. I bet it was 15 seconds. That was 14 1/2 seconds too long. My goal was to cut that down significantly today by just teaching you that letting go meant that we get to play again.

Each time you released the toy I would toss it straight away without so much as a pause. Within minutes your death-grip had given way to something of a for you to release. Pretty soon, after you would let go of the bumper, I would hold it high above your head as ask you to sit. Another difficult thing to do. You wanted to play so badly. You were a bit stubborn about not wanting to keep your butt on the ground for more than a split second. But I knew that I was even more stubborn than you, and I waited until you sat properly. I tried counting to five before tossing the bumper again. It took several tries before you would actually wait that long. But finally you settled down, and were doing so well that I was able to take a nice picture of your happy smile. "That, my friend is going to find you a home", I thought.

You were so cute! Your ears were alert, and your eyes looked remarkably patient. The expressiveness of your eyebrows appeared matter of fact. Your face looked fuller and your jowls (oh look, you have jowls) were pink and moist. You mouth hung comfortably open and your wet, pink tongue was hanging playfully out over your bottom teeth. The feathers on your chest were now starting to become more visible from the brushings of your coat, and your coloring was beginning to look more uniform. Yes siree, you were looking mighty handsome!

When Elizabeth arrived home from school you rattled your kennel as you wiggled and whined with excitement. Admitedly, you had quickly become her favorite. She practically brushed past the other dogs just to give you some attention. She sat in front of your kennel and fed you kibbles of food and you kissed and nibbled on her fingers when she poked them through the door. She filled up your water dish and took you out for a walk. You had already been out recently to relieve yourself, but this was your special time with Elizabeth. She would like you to stay here forever. I know that when the day comes to say goodbye, she is going to have a hard time letting you go.

In the evening I had to leave the house early to attend our DockDogs Wedneday Night Workout. Teams were practicing learning how to jump of a dock and into a swimming pool for distance. I hoped that one day you could know such fun. For the first time ever I went to a practice without a single dog in tow. Until your bill of health was clear, and the other dogs continued to be symptom free, I did not want to take the smallest chance of infecting another dog with kennel cough. Although, admittedly you are doing quite well, you must stay in quarantine for 4 more long days. I borrowed a few labs of varying color and age to jump off the dock from a couple of my friends to make the time more enjoyable. The time sped by quickly as I chatted with my dock jumping friends, assited many new teams get their first jumps off the dock, and helped some more experienced teams gain more speed, height, and distance. As always, I had a good time.

As I worked on my computer late in the evening, I glanced over to see you sleeping in your kennel. You made deep squeaky noises in your sleep, and sometimes even grunted and groaned. You sleep with your tongue out! As you slept, I thought about the sad news we had heard of the passing of a rather special Black Labrador named Tucker. He was an integral part of the earliest days of the sport of dock jumping. Tucker was a true pioneer, a professional spokes-dog, top notch competitor in his time, and did what many of the DockDogs, canine sporting greats, do best...They make their handlers look good.

It made my heart heavy when I read the news. I first met Tom and his dog Tucker during our first DockDogs event nearly six years earlier. He was in his prime then, and traveled around the country to events and demonstrations with Tom. They were a good team all the way through the end of Tucker's full and adventurous life. There have been many quotes made about the reason dog's lives are so much shorter than ours. Some say it is because they learn to love so much faster, or that they have learned all there is to know about life's lessons. Whatever the reason, it's difficult to fathom how quickly a young pup grows into adulthood. Ever so quickly adulthood then gives way to a more distinguished coat of gray hair. But I believe the most difficult part is watching as our pup's body fails, while the strength of his spirit lives strong . God's speed Tucker.

Are You Awake Now? (Oso's Rescue - Day 7)

Over the last two days I was only able to visit you for a short time before and after work. Although I knew you were being looked after and well cared for by Chris and Elizabeth (the teenager of the house), you lingered in my mind as I worked my shifts at the hospital. I shared your story sparingly with a few of my close work colleagues.

~~~
I’ve begrudgingly accepted the fact that many people cannot or are unwilling to comprehend the love, time, and bond that I share with the dogs in my life. Unfortunately I can say that I know people that refer to their dogs as 4-legged “fleabags”. That live outside in the backyard with no shelter and little socialization or training; only there to meet the needs of their owners during their own moments of self fulfillment. Others see their health care as an endless money pit and are wholeheartedly convinced that that my dogs will leave our family in financial destitution. What’s worrisome to me is that some of these people have dogs of their own. Those people are the ones that I seldom refer to as my true friends, and I struggle to understand their lack of compassion for the dogs that depend on them for their health and welfare. Thankfully a less cynical, more compassionate group, make up the larger majority in my life. I am fortunate to have a wide network of friends that are quick to offer up their support with training, veterinary care and (as of lately) rescue suggestions, laughter, and unwavering friendship. Together they offer an unsurpassed wealth of knowledge and enough support to hold up the mighty Golden Gate Bridge. These are the type of friends every person should have the opportunity to have during a lifetime!
~~~

During the few minutes of down time in between patients, I dove into a new training book that I had recently picked up about training ‘difficult to train’ dogs. A half sheet of light blue notebook paper held my place. On it was written the notes I had taken the morning you came to our home:

Oso - Dr. W @ 4:30
Fecal test. Rabies. Other shots - $120
Age? Food?
Kennels in Eastern Washington?

Every time I opened the book, there was the note staring back at me. I wanted to crumple it up and toss it out. I kept thinking to myself, “What is wrong with people…Why don’t they get it?” What you needed was a do-over. I almost wished I knew less about you, because that would be easier to swallow.

I spent the evening watching the clock slowly tick by. I knew that I’d only have a short time with you when I came home during my two weekend nights, but I wanted to be able to share what little time I had. Elizabeth updated me when I came home each night. Yes, you sucked down all your medicine. Yes, you managed to stay amused with your frozen Kong treats in your kennel. Yes, you had normal potty (and…oh yeah, “gross mom for even asking"). Chris said you are funny. One morning he forgot to put your pill in your food dish, and instead decided to simply offer it to you without any accoutrements. He said you sucked it down like a vacuum. I thought back to all the other not-so-wonderful experiences I have had when trying to get medicine down a sick dog, and laughed at your willingness to eat anything we’ve offered. I felt better knowing you had such good caretakers.

With the passing of every day, I am beginning to see more of your personality. This morning you greeted me with great exuberance. Still groggy from my late night at work, I got up this morning after I heard you whimpering and knew you needed to relieve yourself. I pulled on a fleece jacket over my t-shirt and pajama bottoms, went to your special home in the living room, and sprung you from your kennel. As soon as I snapped the leash onto the silver ring of your collar, you began to bounce around me like a little kangaroo. Before I could lock the button on the zippy-lead you managed to bounce yourself in a complete circle around my legs. As I unwrapped myself, I admired that you had so much more pep in your step than I could even begin to muster this morning.

We had to briefly pause just outside the door where I had left my slip on shoes; the rubber Crocs I wear to work each weekend. I let up the button on the leash as we headed across the dewy grass to your special potty spot. You took off like a bat out of hell, catching my still sleepy reflexes off guard. As you hit the end of the length of the leash, the speed at which you were traveling evoked an undisputable law of physics. Tired and uncoordinated, I was yanked first to my knees then flat on my belly to the ground. I was awake now! I quickly gathered myself, looked around for any witnesses, and called you to me. Oblivious to what happened, you quickly came running over and promptly relieved yourself in the spot which now had a not-so-dewy crime scene-esque shadow in the grass. My light blue pajama bottoms were muddy on the knees, my shoulder was aching, and somehow I managed to take the skin of the top of my now instantly swollen fingers.

What had just happened? A 7 month old puppy with "no muscle mass" just yanked me to the ground fair and square; or did he just have physics on his side? As I scoured the end of the driveway once again for witnesses, I realized this was just more reason to be grateful of our recent move to the country. Not a single neighbor was close enough to peer out their window and have a good laugh at the latest escape on our front lawn.

With a score of Oso; one, and me; zero, the day had begun. I pulled everything out of your kennel and used disinfecting wipes to sanitize every crook and corner. The hollow bone that was once filled with peanut butter and a small Kong toy gave me a glimpse into what you had been up to all weekend. Your bowls were all washed, and your laundry done. We practiced going in and out of your kennel a few time with pieces of dog cookies that were shaped like miniature gingerbread. Your little eyes would stare intently as you waiting for me to call you out of your kennel each time.

In the afternoon hours we walked down near the vacant land at the end of the road. We practiced a few sit/stays on your leash, but you were much more interested in playing and sniffing the large fir tree branches that had recently been blown down in a wind storm. After a few good sit/stays I decided to just let you explore. You picked up sticks and branches. Each time you got one in your mouth you would tuck your butt low to the ground and run like you just robbed the local bank and were making your best getaway attempt.

I did not hear a single cough or funny breathing sound from you and your face looked fuller today. Your eyes did not look nearly as sunken, and the bones that make up your facial features were barely visible now. Your eyes were bright in the sunlight. I can’t wait until the day you can go out and really play.

I whipped out a bright yellow brush and ran it over your brown coat. This time there was much less fur to remove. Keeping your nose to the ground, you hardly paused as I gently brushed over the bumpy set of ribs on your side. You held your head high and kissed me as I brushed your chest. This time I worked carefully around your ears and head; an area that I had not done before. As the sun shone on your freshly brushed coat, I noticed how much shinier you looked than just a few days ago.

When I brought you back inside, you settled in quickly. For more than an hour you played with an empty small sized Kong toy. Sometimes you would turn on your back and chew as you pinned your toy with your mouth on the side of the kennel. You stared at me through the front of the wire door. Lying on your back, you playfully tasted the sides of your kennel and explored their shape with your lips and teeth. You were comfortable, healthier looking by the day, and soon were going to be more discontent with spending so much time in your kennel. I am counting days, too!

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.