Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Its 6:00 am, and as I let the other dogs out on the training field Buddy is still fast asleep in his crate. Feeling safe and secure, resting, and healing. Just what the doctor ordered. Kim and I prepare all the dogs for a pack walk, backpacks on, and off we go. Be back in an hour or so Buddy!

As we return back from the walk we notice Buddy has come out of his crate to join the world, congratulations little doggie! We also notice Buddy is experiencing a good bit of Urinary Incontinence. He’s lying there, sleeping, and peeing all at the same time. Lovely. So now our Buddy gets to be sore, recover from surgery and lay in pee.

Ok, time to go in the kennel run and clean up. This does not make for a happy dog, so we start on the outside of the kennel run with hose on a gentle flow, not full blast, and we start to rinse. Keep in mind at this point Buddy is still not very coherent at all. He is still coming out of his Acepromazine coma from the day before (125 mg is a very large dose!), and he was under anesthetic. Just the sight of the hose, and the gentle flow of water sends Buddy into a bit of a frightened frenzy. Wobbling, nearly losing his balance at every step, he stumbles and scurries back to his crate, dives in, and hides in the back. Ok, so this tells us that at some point he has had some very bad experiences with a hose. Buddy’s behavior is very consistent with a dog that has been hosed down crudely, and often. Some use the hose as a way to punish a dog, hose him into a corner, or correct them from barking. I’m sure we can all agree this is definitely not a responsible, or moral method. A hose should not incite fear, but perhaps a little well earned play. Just as Lucius, Dharma, and Laila can hardly wait for me to initiate a game of play-in-the-hose while I water. What’s more fun then three dogs running around, jumping, and play biting the water as it showers them, and my grass?

Future goal: see if I can teach Buddy to enjoy the water, and hose during a warm summer day.

Today’s goal however, not so demanding on Buddy. Our focus for the week is to allow him to recover. This is a time for healing, and a time to build trust. After all, doesn’t Buddy deserve it? Goodness, just thinking back through Buddy’s journey thus far is nearly unimaginable.

No worries Buddy; be happy. Throughout the day, about every hour I just walked in the kennel and fed him a hot dog. Each time I got a bit of a lip curl as he tried to pull his head backwards, and away from me. After the first bite from this hungry boy the lip curls stop and he eats rather gently from my fingers. Excellent. Lather, rinse, and repeat every hour. Get a lip curl every hour, and then he eats gently. Could be worse, I’m a happy camper.

Unfortunately, due to the incontinence, I have to hose out the kennel often. This does not make for a happy dog, and each time I go in he scurries fearfully into his crate.

Lori and Claudia come for a visit, and chat about our new friend Buddy. Or should I say Cesar? Lori contemplates changing his name to “Cesar” in honor of the man that has made all of this possible. Ok, so we will call him Cesar and see if that name resonates with our rescue. Time to call it a day. A very long day, but a good day! Off to relax my hand, soak it, and enjoy a good nights sleep!

Positive thoughts for tomorrow…

Jen and the pack!