A Boy and a Dog at Doggie Park

We started the day with doggie park. Guinness's friends did not come today.

Kevin found a long stick to play with...

...until Guinness broke it in two.

King Guinness

Kevin watched some old Christmas VHS videos that we taped from TV for his Mommy and uncle back in the early 1980s. They are still as good now as they were then! ha! And Guinness enjoyed watching them too from his perch on the bed!


I thought I had trouble keeping stuffed animals on the stairs as a Christmas decoration with Guinness around! Kevin collected them, plus other toys too, and put them on the bed with Guinness.

Kevin Has Come to Play for a Week!

Kevin spent the morning coloring with crayons and markers. Guinness eagerly watched hoping to have some fun with this cute boy.

Kevin and I prepared the sandwiches for lunch and placed them on the table in the dining room, then returned to the kitchen to begin making Rice Krispie Treats while waiting for Grampy to come home. We heard a commotion, ran to the dining room to find that Guinness had eaten Kevin's sandwich and had the napkin in his mouth. I tried to snap a picture of this goofy dog, but he runs pretty fast, though you can see the Christmas napkin in his mouth. I guess that tells us that Guinness sees himself higher in the pecking order than Kevin!

Christmas Dog

Since the kids were young, I have decorated the stairs with Christmas-related stuffed animals. But, with Guinness, there is no way he would leave them alone. This year, I decided to put HIS stuffed animals on the stairs rather than have none! It worked very well! Sometimes he would play with one or two, but there were no chase games, because it didn't matter. I posed him with the animals today, and he was more than willing!

Do you see the stem on the floor? Guinness's doings... He has done that twice now -- pulled a stem out of the garland decorations. sigh But no big deal; I just push it back in.

Our Best Friends

Doggie Park has changed in the past few months. One friend moved away. Others' schedules have changed. Instead of meeting at 7 AM, there is a new grouping that meets at 8:30. Most of them are Goldens -- four or five of them! Our old friend Holly is among them. Also Frank the candyman and Mad Mattie, a barking Border Collie, usually make an appearance. Often, Guinness is the only dark dog. A couple of days ago, a 6 month chocolate came. He and Guinness had great fun running! I am convinced they know their own breed!

This morning, the ground was coated with glittering, soft, cotton fluff snow. I hoped that the flashing diamonds in the snow would show up in the pictures. The view down the bike path was fairy-like with bright sun and twinkling snow. You'll have to take my word for it.


Today, there were only Holly, Wilson, and Guinness. A little fluffy dog stopped by for a few minutes. Here Guinness is begging his master for a treat.

Guinness is making a bee-line to grab my mitten. He spends much of his playtime stealing my mittens surreptitiously. He immediately is treated so that I can have a warm hand as soon as possible!

Holly and Wilson love to wrestle! Guinness only wrestles with Marley, a large Golden who has an uncanny resemblance to Aslan from Narnia, but he was not there today.

Guinness spies a dog entering the ballpark.

It is a dog that does not like other dogs, but Guinness seems to be blind to who the dog is until he runs up to him. Wilson wants to check him out too.

One of them finds a stick and they have a tug-of-war.

Holly comes along too, and it is a threesome!

Guinness relinquishes the find to his friends.

At home, I manage to snap a shot showing the snow jewels! Click to enlarge.

While I clean up the yard, Guinness cleans up where I spilled birdseed yesterday.

New Trick

For the last month or so, Guinness has found something to do while we are out of the house to let us know his displeasure at being left behind. Unless the weather is too hot or too cold, or for a convenience reason, he usually does travel everywhere with me.

No harm done. It's actually kind of cute. (You have to be a dog lover to say that! LOL)

Leaving NC

Kevin has a "jungle gym" bed. He climbs a ladder to the bed, which has play space beneath the bed, and glides down a slide to leave his bed. This morning, Guinness shot up the slide and was on top of Kevin's bed!!! What a goof!!! He certainly loves having a child to play with!!!

We had to say goodbye this morning. Kevin cried and Grandma did too! What a sweet boy! Somehow or other, Grandma and Grandpa need to move closer!!!

In spite of rain in our eyes, the skies were cloudless and beautiful! My new SUV has a humongous sunroof so that it is almost a convertible! Guinness loves it!

Black Friday

We spent Thanksgiving with Steve and Kevin in NC. While Grant, Kevin, and I were out shopping, Steve was home alone with Guinness. Steve was working upstairs and heard some noise downstairs, but did not investigate. When he returned to the kitchen, this is what he found --

I think he looks INNOCENT!!!!

Thanksgiving Day

Kevin was VERY tired last night, got to bed late again, and we hoped he would sleep in. Not! The day began with Guinness awakening at 7 AM, wandering into Kevin's room, and licking Kevin's hand. He awoke happy, but not impressed with the lick.



We saw two deer in the backyard today. Here is one.

Guinness Arrives in NC

Grant and Guinness arrived today for the Thanksgiving holiday!
Guinness is loving his big brother. ;-)

And, of course, his cousin Kevin!!!

Funny Dog

Even though he does give me my shoes now when I ask, that does indicate that he still does steal my shoes. Cousin Vanessa was here today. He brought my shoe to her, I guess, hoping that she would play with him and try to take it from him. He definitely keeps us laughing.

Towels

Our pod coffee maker has started leaking. Until we replace it, I placed a towel under it to absorb the excess water. As you may remember, we cannot keep towels on a towel rack, because he pulls them off and hugs them. He also pulls them out of the laundry hamper. It never occurred to me that he would pull it out from under the coffee pot. So who is the dumb one here?

Enjoying the towel.

Wildlife

We have plenty of wildlife around us. Maybe a bit too much!

Our pest control person told me that this "mouse poo" I found is most likely bat poo! He must be roosting in our soffit. Not good.

Then this pastoral picture is in our backyard. Now that the leaves are coming off the trees, we can see the raccoons better -- in the hole and one in the crook of the tree.

These adorable raccoons won't leave my bird feeders alone.

They knocked them down even though I had them on an enclosed hook, they were able to open the hook and remove the feeders. I will have to wait until they hibernate to feed the birds.

Unpacking

I was a bit slow in unpacking my suitcase from the weekend, so Guinness helped me. He took out my new Halloween T-shirt.

The Model

Guinness did some modeling in our yard today -- displaying his exquisite form.

The Good and the Bad

Now that Guinness has regained his freedom, his behavior has changed in the intervening four months of rehabilitation -- some things for the better, some not.

The Good:
1) He still likes to play the reverse retrieve game, but he gives up the object quite readily. Thus, now we can keep our outdoor shoes at the door instead of on top of a cabinet!
2) He has a "job" for the first time! When I gather up the dark clothes to take down to the laundry room, invariably there is a sock dangling and Guinness grabs it. Now I can coax him to come along with me downstairs, carrying the sock, and he willingly gives it up to go in the washer! So now his job is to help carry the laundry downstairs! :)
3) He has not pulled the placemats off the table! I can actually leave them there between meals!


The Bad:
1) He has forgotten what "side" means while walking (that is the term we use for "heel"). He is much more forceful about wanting to charge ahead on a walk.
2) He is quite vocal when he sees a dog on the street. He sounds like a vicious dog because he is so adamant that he wants to play, and barks and barks while jumping at the end of his leash. Not good... He is not making favorable impressions.
3) There is no improvement in towels on towel racks. He still pulls them off.

Lonely

This morning, we walked to our unofficial doggie park beside a bike path. Over the summer, our group has broken up. Riley moved away a couple of weeks ago. Everyone else's schedules have changed so that they do not arrive at doggie park at the same time. We walked around the baseball diamond then started walking in front of the row of evergreens, when he sat down in the field just beyond the ballfield and stared at the horizon of the bikepath from where Riley and Mattie would arrive. He sat there keenly alert and motionless for about 2 minutes before I called him away!!!! He is missing his friends! Sad.

Crazy, Then Relaxed

Today is the first day in four months that he has been allowed to go to doggie park to see his friends. Our group seems to be dwindling with different schedules plus Riley will be moving away next week. Today only Riley and Smartie were there, but, boy, was Guinness happy to see them! Not sure they were as thrilled. When I let him off leash, he ran like a crazy man around them making a huge circle as fast as he could go -- just like he did on May 19 when he blew his knee. I thought I should snap his leash back on before he does any damage, so he didn't even get his 5 minutes of allotted freedom.

When we arrived home, he was content to lie in the yard, so I left him there for a couple of hours. During that time, a UPS man came to our door, passing Guinness beside the patio. Amazingly, he didn't go crazy. He lay there like a perfect gentleman. I had to take his picture to prove it.

Recovery at 16 Weeks

Today was our final post-op check at the vet college. Again, Guinness was very happy when we turned on Route 6. Again, a half hour later and two blocks from the veterinary college, Guinness was dancing his happy dance!

Two German shepherds parked beside us as we arrived and everyone got out of the cars together. Guinness's "I want to get to know you and play" barks sent the Shepherds into "Don't you dare come near us!" barks. I had to have the lemon in my hand and threaten him with it repeatedly to slow down the barking. We entered the waiting room, and it was a challenge to to be heard at the check-in window above his excitement.

We arrived on time, but had to wait an hour before Guinness was ever called. The intern checked his leg, and we conversed a bit about his progress. He informed me that they needed to do more X-rays, and I pleaded that they not over medicate him as they did last time. He told me that overly excited dogs sometimes react more acutely to sedation. An hour and a half later, the intern said that he would be ready in 10 minutes for me to talk to the doctor. 45 minutes later, I was finally called. When we left, we had been there a total of FOUR hours!!!! And I came without a book to read.

Our instructions for now are -- only 5 minutes per day of playing off leash, limited stair useage, and no jumping in and out of the car. He said that going up stairs is easier for him than going down, but it is rather difficult to traverse stairs only in one direction. We left with a clean bill of health!

Life's Embarrassing Moments

Today, we drove to Chautauqua to check out houses available for rent next summer. We stopped in Mayville at The House on the Hill for brunch. Grant parked under a tree to give Guinny some shade, then we walked him around the property for a potty break. When Grant put him back in the car, he removed his leash. I asked why. He said, "I don't want him to get caught and hurt."
"Well, *I* would have left the leash ON."
As we bantered, Guinness jumped OUT, ran straight to the back door/kitchen door of the restaurant and ran THROUGH the already broken screen!!!! Oh, my.... There I am screaming at the top of my lungs, "Guinness!!!! Come!!! Stop!!!" The cook was quick! He grabbed Guinness's collar and brought him to me.
No harm done. Thank goodness!!!

After lunch, I saw the young man standing on the back porch. I apologized to him profusely and asked to take a picture for Guinness's blog. He said, "Don't worry about it. That is the most fun thing that will happen today!" For sure. Glad it was fun!!!

What Else Can Happen?

I am away this entire month. Grant was out of town this week, so Guinness lounged at his pet hotel this week. Before Grant left to pick him up this morning, the hotel manager called to say that he had bit his tongue and that they could not stop the bleeding. They arranged to meet Grant at an emergency animal clinic near them.

After hearing more of the story, Grant thinks he got into a garbage can while being walked and cut his tongue on a can or other sharp object in the trash. He was transported in an airline style crate which meant that he lay in a pool of his own blood. When Guinness saw his daddy, his blood pressure rose, causing the bleeding to increase from drips to a near stream. They had to sedate him to calm our effervescent dog so that his blood pressure would go down and the bleeding subside.

Grant told me that he found a mop and bucket and mopped up the bloody floor in the vet's office. They recommended keeping Guinness until 5 PM. Grant brought him home in the pet hotel's crate in case there is more bleeding. He will relax all weekend in the crate on a tile floor to insure that he remains calm thus preventing further bleeding. Then Monday morning he must return to the pet hotel. Never a dull moment!!!

Turd?

Today was another hydrotherapy day. We are doing better upon arrival. I try to use the pop method (instead of pulling/yanking), and we have the lemon to control barking. But... tell me... how do you unscrew the cap with one hand while holding a jumping, barking dog with the other, and then squirt it in his mouth? Thankfully, the sight of it has some effect, but the real squirt has a better result, yet it rarely happens due to the juggling involved.

He was semi-under control, though racing off to sniff nearby open/empty crates, when another client entered the facility without dog. He loves pulling my gloves off my hands in the winter, then playing the catch-me-if-you-can game. This past winter, he started stealing the gloves of other masters at doggie park. Today, he nabbed the woman's car keys out of her hand, but, being on leash, could not complete his game plan. What a character! He does make everyone laugh. His therapist referred to him as "Turd" today. I guess, that is similar to the "Stinkpot" name I have uttered.

Worrisome

We returned to the vet today for a recheck of the neurological test and his annual shots. Fortunately, no one was in the waiting room when we sprinted in. While they took Guinness in the back for his pedicure, a 4 year old black lab arrived in very similar fashion to Guinness's typical entrance, but slightly more reserved. When Guinness returned to the waiting room, the two were ecstatic to meet, then relaxed under durress. Meanwhile, another client and her little dog arrived. She did not trust the two crazy labs and kept her sweetie on her lap.

Yesterday, to do the neurological test, I held Guinness's head and the vet turned his paw, but he was still loopy from sedation. Today, he did not want to stand still, so the vet called in TWO assistants to hold the goofy boy still.

When the doctor turned Guinness's left (leg that had surgery) toes upsidedown, Guinness immediately put his pad flat on the floor -- a normal reaction. When his right toes were turned, he did not move his paw. Definitely not normal. The vet said it could be due to residual sedation or he may have a problem requiring a neurologist to assess the problem. He said he would call the vet college and speak to the intern from yesterday to see what they say, then let me know.

The good news for Guinness: Guinness did not have his annual shots today.
The good news for me: There was no charge for our visit, except for the pedicure!

Today has Been a Day!

Today was the day for Guinness to have his 8 week post-op exam, x-rays, and progress report. His canine GPS was very accurate today. When we turned onto another highway, still 40 minutes from our destination, he knew where we were headed. Then two blocks from the veterinary college, he started dancing and whining with delighted delirium!!! We were early, so I stayed in the car for a few minutes while he deafened me with his eager barking. The lemon juice yields results, but his excitement exceeded its effectiveness. We went inside a few minutes early. Soon many other dogs joined us with their masters. Some looked to be in serious condition or had lost a leg. Despite their frailties, Guinness wanted to be their friend. I set the lemon beside me and threatened him with it many times.

We waited 45 minutes before being called, and then what a sight to behold. He dragged me across the waiting room as he bolted for the door. With a couple dozen people gaping at us, I declared, "He has passed advanced obedience! I have a certificate to prove it."

As he jumped repeatedly on the new intern, the doctor said that he looks like he is healing well. Assessing his level of activity, he told me that they would have to sedate him for his x-rays and asked me to return in an hour. Great! I didn't bring a book with me. The Academic Dean of my college told us once to never be caught without a book. I lamented that I did not think of that admonition today. I bought a coffee and breakfast bar at a nearby coffee shop, sat in an easy chair, and emailed, then napped.

The report is that he is healing well, but has a ways to go. He cannot be off leash, but can walk on a long lead to give him more exercise. Instead of two 40 minute walks a day, four 20 minute walks would be better. He can jump on a sofa now, but not use stairways. The doctor also felt that the sedation would wear off quickly and that Guinness could have his therapy sessions late this afternoon. We had to wait again in the waiting room before his paperwork was ready for him to be checked out. He was very groggy but nosed up against the people near me begging to be petted, and they accommodated him.


He walked to the car slowly and managed the ramp. After a few minutes on the road, he stood with his hind end crouched down and remained in that position for the remainder of the trip -- about 40 minutes. He also was salivating as if he might vomit.

At home, he walked down the ramp, but then had great difficulty walking up the grassy slope to get to the front door. Half way up, he dropped to the ground on my feet and his eyes went glassy. I was afraid he was dying! I had to leave him there to go inside to find the surgeon's phone number. I reached our intern for today, and he thinks that the car ride made him nauseous and that the sedation is wearing off slowly. He suggested that I take him to our local vet for my peace of mind. He called the vet to describe the sedation used and to prepare them for his arrival. I have to say that it was nice to have a calm dog at the vet's office. He actually behaved as a normal dog, though a bit sleepy.

I told the vet that he had crossed his hind legs when trying to walk up the grassy slope, so he did a neurological test of turning his toes under. A normal dog would set his pad flat on the floor, but Guinness didn't. So he wants to see him again tomorrow after the sedation has worn off. And, obviously, he cannot have his therapy sessions today after all.

Chautauqua

July 17 - 15, we vacationed at Chautauqua Institution.
This is where we lived this year -- in the first level apartment.


Due to his limited activity (no jumping on furniture!), Guinness was conveniently tethered to a very heavy coffee table while inside.

Grant and Guinness met the carillonneur! She petted Guinness while she played the carillon!


Grant asked her to play "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" for Karin.

Yes, that is Grant and Guinness at the base of the tower.

We took a couple of daily 40 minute walks around the grounds. Since it is a dog friendly place, we met many dogs on each walk. Guinness asks the other dogs to play by barking, so we had to use the plastic lemon for training. By the end of the week, he realized that barking was not appropriate! Yay!
Here we are walking past the President's home.