Surprises of the Best Variety!

Meet Curley-he's an 8 yr old Cocker that was dumped in a NYC shelter by his heartless owners because he has glaucoma...and massive ear infections that were obviously never treated.  The shelter got in touch with a wonderful organization in Flushing, NY called Abandoned Angels.  They are dedicated to rescuing Cockers, but take other breeds on occasion as well (http://www.nyabandonedangels.com/). 

I stumbled across them one day because when I mentioned to my boss that we're getting a puppy, he asked if there were any Cocker rescues and I didn't know, so I Googled.  And my entire world changed.  I found them about the same time they found Curley. 

Their vet determined the infections were so bad, no medication would help.  He would need a dual total ear canal ablation, an extremely traumatic surgery that would render him deaf for the rest of his life, but also pain-free for likely the first time in his life.  So they began to raise money for his surgery through donations.  I did not find their Facebook page in time to participate in the candy sale, regretably...

I frequently and anxiously checked back for word the funds had been raised and the surgery was scheduled.  Instead, they posted an urgent request.  In late April, their vet determined that unless the surgery was done within 2 weeks, Curley should be humanely euthanized.  I sent  check and when they dedicated the money raised through their most recent Hendrick Boards shirt sale to his surgery, I bought a shirt (that I would have bought anyway-it says "Be the person your rescue thinks you are.").  And I resumed my vigile. 

Finally, they announced his surgery would be done on May 16th.  It was a long day.  He was in surgery forever and the initial update wasn't good.  His right ear was so bad, one of the worst he'd ever seen, that he wasn't sure he'd even be able to do the left ear.  The calcification from the infection was so extensive it had attached to his skull.  But they were able to do both. 

He was in ICU for a few days and then in the hospital for a few more.  He was finally released on Tuesday.  Days went by before we heard anything further, until an update was posted yesterday.  The general update is that his recovery is going very, very slowly and he's not ready for a foster home yet, but when that day comes, they'll begin looking at applications. 

I got a little bit more of an update.  After taking Chica to the vet for her heartworm test and meds, I stopped by the office.  And I e-mailed an application to adopt Curley.  A few hours later, my cell phone rang.  It was Abandoned Angels calling to let me know that Curley's not ready to be adopted yet.  He's very depressed and they want to get him through that and healed before sending him to his forever home.  I can only imagine what it's been like for him, living in pain for so many years, then having that pain gone, but waking up one day unable to hear anything and unable to blink. 

They have said I can call or e-mail any time to check on him.  He's getting his stitches out this coming week.  They figure he'll be ready to come home in late June, which will be perfect because we'll be within a few hours of them.  However, they said they'd be willing to drive him up to us.  Perhaps we can meet somewhere, like Mom and Dad's.  That would let us take him for a walk to begin bonding with him before beginning the long drive home and into our new life as a family.  And give us one night with him before we introduce him to Chica, who will be at the kennel. 

Even before I knew he was ours, I had a pretty good feeling he would be and began researching deaf dogs.  There's a great web site, http://www.deafdogs.org/.  They had a lot of great tips and some recommended books, which I went ahead and ordered off of Amazon. 

And, as if our new little boy isn't enough, Snuggie's puppies were born today!  Sue's going to send out her announcement Tuesday or Wednesday.  Hopefully she'll update her page again with the actual date.  I'm just glad it's not Thursday when I have Aunt Jo Ann.  If we're lucky enough to get one (prayers and fingers crossed!), Bailey will be coming home Sunday, July 22nd, and our family will be complete...for a few years....

So, I better hurry up and get through this Liability class!  I have to finish watching Cesar's Master Classes, finish his books, learn how to meditate from my new DVD, finish the over-haul on the apartment because now we'll need room for 2 crates and 3 dogs, read my books on living with a deaf dog, and learn sign language to teach him so we can communicate with him.  Nope-not overwhelming at all!  Fortunately I've been getting a lot of support from my friends and family since we announced we're getting Curley yesterday. 

Time to really step it up, get his lessons down and become the pack leader my three (3!) kids need me to be.

Little Miss Manners!

My poor Chica!  She will be glad to see ME go back to work tomorrow.  First I made her spend Friday in day care, then I made her go for a pack walk with the kids across the hall after she barely got up yesterday morning and today I put the icing on the fun cake!  After a lazy morning we went to McDonald's as usual for Sunday brunch.  About 2:00 I called my friend, Sam, to see if he was around.  He offered to show me and Chica around Green Lake in Orchard Park, where he likes to walk his dog, Axle.  When I went to voice mail, I decided to just take her around the block.  Shortly after we got home, Sam called back and we piled in the car to meet him and Axle. 

Green Lake is a neat little place off the beaten path.  We parked our cars and introduced the two dogs.  I had Chica off leash at the time as she seems to do better when she feels she has the freedom to move toward or away and she can't feel my energy directly.  They seemed to hit it off.  There was no growling or snapping.  So, we set off on a walk and we went up and down, spending some time at each end of the lake.  Around the 90 minute mark Chica started indicating she was about done with all this exercise, but Sam's wife was going to come meet us, so we set off on one more lap.  Axle would follow Chica and Chica would follow Axle and it was all very cute and social.  Then Axle, who's only about 2, decided it was time to play.  His way of trying to coax her into this was to go running up to her and bump into her or try to jump on her a little.  She was not having any of this kid's disrespectful treatment of his elders and set about teaching him a lesson by showing some of her teeth and getting her hair to stand on end.  It took a few times, but he got the message and back to peacefully co-existing we went for the remainder of our walk.  Since she never struck out at him with the intention of biting him, I did not correct her and I was a little glad to see her stick up for herself after last week's incident with the pitbull.  So, Bailey beware, your big sister will not have any nonsense disrupting her twilight years.  She wants a respectful comanion who will lay with her and walk with her and bring comfort to her.  God, she's going to kill me when I bring that puppy home....

When Your Energy Goes Bad...

A week and a half ago, the Wednesday after Chica's stitches came out, I took her for a walk after work.  It was a beautiful afternoon and she was just as anxious as I was to get out for a bit.  We made it up to the corner of Ashland and as we were making the turn onto Bryant we ran into the same pitbull we met Easter Sunday.  Everything was fine for a few seconds, then I felt myself tense for some reason, and then the pitbull latched onto Chica's right ear. She screamed and screamed and it seemed like it took forever to get the other dog off her.  Her owner walked away with a bloody nailbed from it and Chica had a tiny cut on her ear that I was able to clean with an antiseptic wipe when we got home.  But once again I forgot everything Cesar taught me.  I didn't think to touch the pitbull to try to distract it and get it to let go of Chica.  Of course, that might have meant I was the one that ended up in the ER.  And I didn't make the pitbull lie on its side, either.  I did not make a fuss over Chica once she was free.  I did check her for injury, but that was all.  I made her stay there until she stopped shaking and her tail relaxed and started wagging again.  She even went over to smell one of the other owners before we all continued on our way.  As a result, there has been no drama when we've walked past that spot again. 

And since that time, we've gone for two pack walks with the dogs across the hall, both of which have gone really, really well...until we get back to our apartments.  Enubis came near our door and Chica's hair went up and she started growling.  This is one of a very few areas we need to work on, but it's a BIG one if we're going to bring a puppy home in July! 

Now, before I can work on Chica any further, I need to work on myself.  I have not been able to shake the tension I've been feeling.  I thought it would go away when I passed my test, but it hasn't, so I've called in some help.  I ordered a Meditation DVD and Cesar's Mastering Leadership series.  I've also finished "Cesar's Way" and am on to "Cesar's Rules."  That will just leave me with "Be the Pack Leader".  I don't know what I'll do when I finish his books because I don't think he has any others coming out.  I'll have to be content with "Cesar's Way" magazine...at least until the Summer season of "Dog Whisper" starts.

So here are the things I need to work on this Summer:

1)  Mastering relaxation techniques
2)  Getting into a routine of going to bed at 10:00 and getting up at 5:00 to get a walk in before work
3)  Puppy proofing the apartment
4)  Mastering the walk
5)  Recognizing and reading energy
6)  Practicing Exercise, Discipline, Affection

And here are the things we need to work on with Chica this Summer:

1)  Continue our socialization efforts
2)  Anxiety when she first gets in the car
3)  Possessiveness of the apartment
4)  Mastering the formal walk
5)  Anxiety around traffic and other noises
6)  Anxiety at new places

It's going to be a busy, fun Summer as I leave my insurance classes behind and go to dog classes instead.  Somehow I think that will be more fun!