Back Home

I was gone for a bit, visiting my family in California. This usually dislocates the doggies a bit, since they have to do without me, Giver of Walks and Provider of Snacks, for a few days.

However, I love it when I get back, because I gain two lovely, furry shadows when I get back.

It's good to be home, with two doggies who love me unconditionally.

Spring Has Sprung in Texas

Today was a very warm day. Tomorrow might be cloudy. No matter. It looks like the cold days might be behind us. Trees are blooming, grass is greening out (goodbye brown!), and the doggies are happy. All is well.

Hefty Doggies Make Life Fun

Honey has struggled with keeping her weight for the past two years. She should be around 40 lbs, but she got to be about 34 lbs a while back. This was kind of scary, since she was skin and bones, and we had to trick her to eat her food.

The culprit, it appears, was the Prednisone she was taking. The doc upped her meds, and I have been feeding her all the food she wants. The result? As of last Thursday, her weight is 45.9 lbs -- and she looks rather healthy and I know she is pretty happy.

Life is good for all.

It's been a long time

It's been a long time, but life is good. There is now a new dog in the house. Her name is Ginger and she came into the home back in May. She's a little tank - part pitbull terrier and part chow. Her name is Ginger, and she is becoming a good dog. Pictures will be uploaded soon.

Honey has finally learned to accept Ginger as a member of the pack, and she is no longer jealous of the puppy. Life is good at home. Her health continues to be good, even though her hearing is starting to fail (or maybe her desire to be left alone is what dominates).

End of Summer Update

It's been a few months with no updates, but it's all been good. Life continues for Honey the dog, and it continues to be a comfortable, safe life for her. Here are a few high points from the last few months:

1.) Visited Ron's parents in Arkansas, and Honey spent a few days running all over the property. There was a lot of squirrel chasing, bush smelling, and plain old exploring. She was a very happy pooch at the end of the visit.

2.) The medications for the Addison's disease had to be adjusted, as Honey was going slowly bald. Her hind legs and underbelly were the first ones to lose their coat. The vet changed her meds, and now she's got a lustrous coat all over again.

3.) We had some fleas this summer also - because the massive rains of earlier this year caused a flea infestation. A couple of flea baths took care of it.

4.) Honey had to go off her regular food for a bit, because she was throwing everything up. After being put on a really bland diet and taking an antiacid every day, she finally recuperated.

5.) We had a doggie visitor stay with us for 10 days. It was a 3-year-old Border Collie by the name of Angel. She is a very sweet dog and mighty friendly, but Honey was tolerant of the younger dog and more than a little jealous.

In other non-doggie related news, Ron finished his college degree and is currently looking for work in project management. Marco became a citizen and continues to work towards his MCSE.

More later.

Quick Update

Honey is doing great. She has been put on the proper medications and she's getting the hormones and cortisol she requires.

She's now the dog we were meant to have. She's happy, energetic, and fun to have around. She continues to be a loving, happy dog, and she's even doing better at the dog park!

I'm very thankful for our vet, since she has been able to get Honey's ailment managed properly.

Not Old - Ill

Honey has not been feeling well for the past few days. She was not showing signs of age, she was getting sicker. Turns out that she has Canine Addison's Disease. She was lethargic, tired, and unable to eat.

We got her to the Animal Emergency room in time, and the vet that took care of her really knew the disease, so we got the right diagnosis right away. She's been in the animal hosptial since yesterday afternoon, and we will get her back sometime today.

Sleep was hard last night. I missed her laying next to me.

I will update you once she is back home.

Sunny Afternoon, Long, Slow Walk

In what seems to be the pre-spring start, we had a pretty sunny afternoon today. Around 5 or so, Honey and I took a long walk together to take advantage of the nice weather.

The long walk (about 2.5 miles) usually takes us about 40 minutes, and Honey usually leads the way. We haven't done it in a long time, since this winter has been so cold. It's been hard to take her on long walks because the cold really gets into her bones.

We headed out and started in our usual jaunty way . . . with Honey in the lead. About one third of the way through, Honey began to slow down. I think it was the arthritis.

We still took the whole course, but we went about it very slowly. It took us nearly an hour to get it all done. I had to encourage her a lot, and I had to fight the impulse to carry her for the last block. She is now curled up in her little bed, fast asleep.

Aging is not a pleasant thing, but seeing your dog begin to show that she is getting old is downright sad -- especially when she's trying to show you she still can keep up to please you. I'm sure things will get better as we adjust, but right now, things are not well in our world.

Doggie Gets Old, Doggie Needs Help

Well, the day has finally arrived. Honey can't jump on the bed anymore. Last night, after an evening of watching movies with Honey laying by my feet, we headed to bed, and I asked her to get on the bed, as always.

Usually, after I point to the bed and say "up, up," Honey jumps on the bed, curls up and lays down for sleepy time. This time, she tried to jump and ended up halfway up, with her front paws on the bed, gripping the edge, and her hind legs trying to push up. She slid off the bed, and gave me this look that said both "I'm sorry" and "I really want to get on the bed." To say the least, she was a little anxious.

I helped her get up on the bed, and she proceeded to lay next to me and to seek my comfort. I spent about 30 minutes holding her, petting her, and making her feel that it was OK. For some reason, I got the idea that she thought I wasn't happy with her not being able to jump on the bed. I knew this day was coming for a while, but it still broke my heart nonetheless, because instead of being glad that she was helped on the bed, Honey was trying, in her doggie way, to let me know that she was sorry for not getting up on the bed on her own.

After a lot of hugs and assurances, Honey finally curled up and let out a big doggie sigh. All was well with her again.

Let's Ride in the Car!

I was getting my car ready to take some equipment to a client, and I had to get all the stuff I had inside and fold the back seats to make room.

Honey, as always, followed me outside as I started to clean the car. I went back into the house, loaded with stuff that needed to come in. When I came back out, she was sitting in the trunk, with a very expectant look.

I had to take some pictures, because as I kept unloading the car, Honey just got comfortable and laid down to wait for me to get ready so we could go out and have some fun.

Imagine her disappointment when I had to ask her to step out!

All in all, though, I thought it was cute how she just invited herself to the ride.

Rain, Snow, Cold, Go Away! Dog Park!

For the past couple of weeks, the greater Dallas Metroplex has been buffetted by rain, sleet, and snow. Sub-freezing temps have been the norm, and since Honey is an older doggie, walks have pretty much been put on hold. Walks are becoming painful in extreme cold due to her growing arthritis.

Today, the sun finally came out! Temperatures were nice and warm (low 50s), and the day was just so great, that I decided to treat the Honey Bunny to a treat: The dog park.

We hadn't been there since the end of summer, and she was jumping out of her skin when we finally pulled into the parking lot. She jumped, she ran, she had a ball. She walked around the whole place, sniffing the ground, greeting other dogs, and walking all over the place. Her tail never stopped wagging, and she loved every minute of it. I almost couldn't get her to come back home.

When we finally got to the car, she crawled into the back seat, laid down, sighed in contentment, and let me driver her home. She has been resting since then.

Grandma and Grandpa's Christmas Visit!

Ron's parents visited for the Christmas holiday. They spent a few days with us, and Honey got seriously spoiled. Before their arrival, Ron and I spent a few days wrapping up the last of the decorations, wrapping presents, cleaning the house, filling up the fridge, and trying to keep Honey from panicking, since there was an awful lot more commotion than usual.

They came in Saturday night, and Honey recognized them from the start. She's usually pretty welcoming of the few friends that visit, but she went out of her way to make sure Ron's parents knew she was truly happy to see them. I was wrapping up her bath when they came in, and Honey could barely contain herself in her excitement about their arrival. She was a little damp when she went over to say hello.

Honey was thoroughly spoiled the entire weekend. She got lots of hugs, kisses, and petting. She got so much attention, that she slept like a log every time she had a chance to finally rest.

When Christmas day arrived, Honey got a few presents. She got a new bed and a coat for going on walks from me, some really tasty treats and a new toy from Ron's parents, and more attention than any dog ought to receive on a single day.

To say the least, Honey really enjoyed the holiday . . . which is kind of good since she's only a doggie, and each day is the same.

Christmas Spirit in Full Swing! House Is Decorated!

After much toil, the house is decorated. It looks completely decked out with Christmas cheer, and Honey approves.

I have heard of dogs getting into the decorations, or trying to play with them. Honey just likes to watch things, smell them a little, and then just walks away from all the action.

Pictures of the house shall be posted later. It looks good.

The Boxes Are Out! The Decorations Are Coming Up!

Well, Christmas is just around the corner, and it looks like the boxes are out. Honey has spent the entire evening smelling all the boxes and getting a little nervous over it. However, it can be confidently said that Operation Decoration is well on its way. For the next 10 or so days, we will be decorating the house, making sure that it looks like the Christmas wonderland it is meant to be. Honey, of course, will have to put up with not having a bit of space or peace to herself, but I am sure she'll like the end results.

Giving Medicines to a Dog

Honey takes daily supplements to keep her coat lustrous and curtail her shedding and another one to keep her joints lubricated. Once a month, she a pill that protects her against heartworm. To Honey, these pills are just treats, so she takes them eagerly.

Now that we're treating her eye allergies, there's a gel that needs to be put right on the open eye twice a day, and a Benadryl pill that needs to be swallowed twice a day also. But since neither one of them is a treat, she does not approach her ministrations with the same enthusiasm.

The eye medication is fairly easy. I ask her to lay down, open her eye, and squeeze the gel on the eye. I let her lay down for a bit so the gel will spread to her eye, and we're pretty much done. The Benadryl pill . . . that's a completely different story. She has to sit down, and then, time to lean her head all the way back, open her mouth, and drop the pill as far down her throat as possible. Then, the fun begins. I gotta keep her mouth closed so she will swallow the pill, and then I gotta feed her treats right away so that the pill will stay down.

As hard as this might sound, it is a walk in the park compared to trying to give medicines to a cat . . . that is an ordeal.

Allergies and the Vet

Honey's right eye waters whenever there are the right kind of allergens in the air. It happens for a bit, and then her eye is normal again.

For the past couple of weeks, her eye has been more sensitive to light than usual, and has been watering non stop. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that her eyelids were swollen and that the hair around her eyelid was thinning, due to scratching. I called the vet and set up the appointment, as I feared that she might have scratched her cornea or worse yet, had an eye infection.

Ron was home the day of the appointment, and so we both took her to the veterinary office. As usual, she was shaking so hard that she was vibrating when we got into the office, and she kept wanting to get off the examination table when the nurse was doing her work. By the time the doctor arrived, Honey was more nervous than ever. I think having Ron there made her feel even more nervous, her canine thoughts being, "Both of them are here! It must be serious."

The vet arrived to check on her eye, and being the gentle dog Honey is, she let the doc check the eye out. The vet wanted to check and make sure Honey had not scratched her cornea, so she left the room to get some stuff to check the cornea. When she returned, armed with a couple of containers in hand, Honey buried her face between my arm and side. The doctor said, "Now, that's a bright dog."

The examination was pretty neat. The doc put a clear fluid in her eye, turned off the lights, and then shone a blue light to her eye. The fluid was now optical green, and the doc didn't find a single scratch in her eye, as the fluid would have pooled and thickened on any scratch.

Bottom line: For the next week or so, she is getting steroids in her eye twice a day, and she needs to swallow an adult Benadryl pill twice a day. Her eye is looking better, and she can see from both eyes again.

Honey Does a Double Take!

I just finished my Thanksgiving trip to California a few hours ago. Ron picked me up at the airport, and since a big winter snow was coming, we went to the market to stock up on supplies.

Once we made it home, Ron went in first, greeted Honey, and he put her out in the back yard to let her do her business while we brought the stuff inside.

After all the supplies were in, I came in, sat down at the entrance step, and waited silently while Ron opened the door and let Honey in from the back yard.

She greeted Ron, and started heading to the kitchen to grab a bite, but on her way, she looked at the front door. She kept walking. She stopped. She looked at me. Her face lit up, and then she charged me. Next thing I know, I am the object of much happy whinning, barking, and licking.

The image of Honey doing a classic double take made it all worth it.

Virtual Pets Create a Commotion

I am a big Sims2 player. I have families that have grown to the fourth and fifth generation. I usually play the game at night, after the walk with Honey. She usually rests on the futon while I play demi-god to my little virtual families.

EA Games just released the new expansion pack, which allows you to add pets to the game. You can create dogs and cats . . . and being the kind of dog owner I am, the first pet I created was Brownie, which looks an awful lot like Honey.

As I was creating Brownie, Honey was doing her usual lay-down-behind-Marco thing, and I guess she had a clear line of sight to the event. All of the sudden, she started growling, got up a little, and started crawling and sniffing towards the computer screen.

She saw Brownie, the virtual dog.

My roommate came into the room after I beckoned him, and we both had a good laugh as Honey kept trying to figure out what that dog was doing on the computer.

Honey is a smart dog, isn't she?

The Greeting Game

Honey and I have developed a new game. Whenever I get home, and after the initial greetings are done and over, Honey follows me to the bedroom. While I am starting to change, she jumps to the bed and starts rolling on it, barking, wagging her tail, and daring me to play with her.

Being the softie I am, I usually join in. For the past few days, that has been the new thing . . . to play for a few minutes. Here I am, trying to change from work clothes to home clothes, and I have this doggie jumping around, rolling on the bed, getting up and pawing my arm to get my attention.

So far, it's been fun for both of us. She gets the validation she always craves, and I get to forget about whatever happened at work, going into home mode.

Life's good for both.

What's the Deal with All This Glass on the Floor?

Honey and I went early to the dog park, and as usual, she had a great time.

On our way back to the car, I noticed that the passenger's side window appeared open. As I got closer, Honey and I discovered that the window had been smashed. Someone did a smash and grab job on my car, and they had stolen my iPod Shuffle and other paraphernalia.

Honey was eager to get home, but she was pretty good about waiting for me to call the insurance company and get things taken care of. On the drive back, she was pretty nice about laying down and resting away from pieces of broken glass.

Home Improvement, or "Where Can I Lay Down?"

My roommate and I decided a few weeks ago that after watching all those DIY (look it up) shows, maybe we should challtenge ourselves and take care of a small project. After much deliberation, we decided to work on my bathroom, which is the smallest room in the house, and the one that would pose the least amount of challenges.

The project started with just repainting the walls . . . and moved to repainting the bathroom cabinets . . . and included after changing the bathroom faucet.

We had to remove all the bathroom cabinets and clear out the bathroom. With paints and tools and stuff out of the bathroom, the house has become a bit of a mess. Honey, in her near saintly patience, has pretty much put up with all the mess. To her, it has been a fun time, because she gets to follow us everywhere to see what it is that we're doing. She's smart enough to know that if we're carrying something, she needs to get the heck away from us, but she's always around to see what is up. She's managed to get more head pats, hugs, and "good girl" comments in the past few days than in a couple of weeks put together.

The only major problem is that her usual resting places have been invaded by boxes, tools, and assorted home improvement paraphernalia, so she's had to improvise . . . and that has been a little incomodating. She's a good girl, though, because I get the sense that for her, this is sort of an adventure.

We have a couple of more days to go, but I think the results will be great. In the meantime, the little lady continues to bask in the constant affirmation and attention she gets while we work. Somehow, she's figured out that if she walks by us while we're working, she's more likely to get a casual pat or caress than if we're just resting, watching TV.

She's got us figured out.

Teeth Cleaning

Honey is a pretty healthy dog, all things considered. All her shots are current, she gets her preventive medicine regularly, and I pretty much keep an eye out for anything that might be off with her. The one thing that I hadn't done since she came into my life was to get her a teeth cleaning.

I got ready for work, got her in the car, and headed to the vet. She figured out pretty quick that this was not a fun trip at all. Honey was quiet and subdued in the car, awaiting her fate. When we finally made it to the vet, she was whinning, because she knew that we were going to That Place.

I guess the procedure is the same as for a human, with one added blessing . . . they put doggies to sleep before the cleaning begins. I had to sign release forms, authorize IV lines, catherers, and even bloodwork before the vet would get started with the procedure. We were lucky because her last bloodwork, taken on her last visit, was still decent enough, so Honey was spared one more prodding.

I dropped her off at 8:30 in the morning, and blessedly, I was able to pick her up by 3:30 p.m. She was groggy and out of it, but she was happy to see me . . . and now she has gleaming white teeth.

Once again, all is well in her world.

Hall Monitor and Protector

In the past few months, I've noticed that Honey will sometime chase dogs and try to get them to stop running . . . or fighting. I guess it's all part of being an Australian Cattle Dog mix.

As of late, I've been a little bit more observant of her behavior. I have noticed that she doesn't chase all dogs . . . she usually chases bigger dogs following smaller dogs, and usually nips the bigger dog in the butt to give the little dog a chance to get ahead.

She is definitely the hall monitor and the protector of the weak. Such a good girl.

Posing for a Picture

Last week, Honey went to the doggie spa for the full treatment: Bath, hair trim, nail clip, the works. When she got out, she looked different. All the excess hair was trimmed out, and now she looks pretty nice, but not the same.

Today, I took my digital camera, so I could get a picture of Honey to post here.

I forgot how hard it is to take the picture of a dog or cat, because they are always looking somewhere else when the camera clicks. I took about 20 pictures, and from all of them, I think the one posted here is the best. I won't say more. Just check the doggie with her summer 'do. I hope you like it.

Back to the Park

I took Honey back to the dog park after being absent for almost two weeks. When we pulled into the road that leads to the park, the little lady got all excited, barking happily, whinning excitedly, and running from one side of the car to the other. By the time I pulled into the parking lot, Honey was ready to jump out of the car and run to play with the other dogs.

She actually managed to walk by my side, without her leash, all the way to the transition area. By the time I opened the door into the dog park, her tail was wagging so hard that her butt was almost ready to lift off the ground. No longer was she shy or eager to stay by my side. In a show of pure doggie happiness, she took off and started exploring the entire park again. She played, ran, and explored the entire place all on her own.

After she tired of it, she spent a few minutes looking for me. Once she found me, she hovered around, but I was happy to see that whenever doggies ran by her, she went and followed them.

I'm very glad that her shyness about the dog park has finally disappeared.

To Shed or Not to Shed . . .

Honey sheds. She sheds when she shakes. She sheds when she walks. She sheds when she stands still. She sheds when she lays down. She sheds in her sleep. She sheds a lot.

On our last visit to the vet, I asked her if she had any advice on the shedding problem. She told me to get some fatty acid pills to give her on a regular basis. They would improve her coat, help keep her skin from drying, and curtail the shedding.

I went to the pet store and bought some fatty acid pills under the name "Shed B-Gone." It's been a week so far, and her coat is looking mighty nice. I have noticed that she's shedding a little less. According to the bottle, the shedding should be under control (as much as it can), within a month.

The best part about the pills? Honey thinks they're special treats, and she gobbles them up happily.

No Means No!

As part of our week-long crusade to get used to other dogs at the Denton dog park, Honey and I did our usual thing yesterday.

There was one dog there who was trying to show he was boss by mounting other dogs. Some dogs just laid down, some others tried to get away, and a few actually growled and tried to nip at the dog, to show him he was committing a major social faux pas.

He eventually got around to Honey. While a little worried about the big dog's intentions, I let Honey deal with it herself. The dog tried to mount her, and Honey immediately turned around, growled, barked, and even nipped at the big dog! She let him know in no uncertain terms that she (1) wasn't that kind of girl and (2) wasn't going to allow him to be so rude.

After the dog stepped away, she came to me, tail a-waggin', mouth a-grinnin'. She got a big hug and lots of "Good girl!" affirmations.

Who says Honey can't take care of herself?

Visiting the Denton Dog Park

Honey and I got in the car yesterday afternoon and visited the spanking brand-new Denton Dog Park. It is a very nice facility, and all the dog owners are very conscious of their dogs, wchich makes it a pretty safe place for all dogs, from the shy and skittish to the overtly friendly.

Honey whined and stayed close to me on Sunday, as she wasn't too sure about what to do about all the dogs around. Today was a little better. She finally managed to calm down to where she only whined if there were more than two dogs near her.

I hope that she will get better as we visit more often. She's now laying down on her little bed, getting ready to chase rabbits in her sleep.

All is well in her world.

Cleaning My Room

Some of you might not know this, but Honey's one flaw is that she sheds. She sheds a lot. She sheds so much that when the last vaccum cleaner broke, my roommate bought one of the bagless ones to save on bags -- even recycling the bags didn't help. The poor doggie sheds and sheds and sheds . . . even with daily brushings.

My room needed a major cleaning, as the lady sleeps with me every night, and with all the shedding she does, it gets gross. So, today, I treated my room to a top-to-bottom cleaning. The room is looking great, and I even moved my bed, just to shake things up.

Well, Honey came into the room and smelled everything! I guess she got a little confused with the new layout, but I am sure she will adjust.

The Ear Alignment That Ended Up with Shots!

Honey's right ear has been lopsided for a few days, and after examining them myself, I didn't see any crawling little critters inside. Since she wasn't scratching her ear, I assumed it wasn't a big deal. I'd wait a few days and see what would develop.

The lopsided ear didn't go away, and she started to hang her head a little lopsided also . . . and would shake it as if to dislodge something stuck in the ear once in a while. I decided it was time to head to the doctor.

The vet office was very accomodating, and they were able to see her on the same day. We got in the car, drove to the vet office, and Honey was taken to the back office to get a swab done in her inner ear.

While we waited for the results, the nurse pointed out that the little lady was due for her shots (including rabies and boosters) the week of June 11. I asked her how much trouble it would be to get the shots done now. She went back to ask the vet, and told me that it would be OK to do it all in one visit.

The vet called us in to do a quick physical which the lady passed with flying colors. The ear problem is an ear yeast infection, and so she gets antibiotics twice a day for 14 days. It's really a torturous procedure, as I must massage the ear to make sure the ointment spreads through the entire ear and ear canal. Honey endures it with eyes in half slits and a huge doggie grin. I guess it's a good massage for her.

The shots were easy. She didn't even blink when the vet injected her with all three needles. I guess she is used to them. So . . . she is current on all her shots and her ear infection is being treated. This dog's life continues to go well.