Happy Mother's Day

My animals bought me a Mother’s Day card. They pooled their allowance (raided my change jar), and their Uncle John picked it up at the store. After all, its not like one of them could just stroll into Hallmark and buy a card...

Artistic Pups

There was a Dog Painting Booth at the SPCA walk last weekend. Duncan went first, and then Reyna. Who knew they had so much artistic talent inside?

Final (hopefully) Back Update

On the upside, the physical therapist has released me, as I generally feel okay. On the downside, I still have to be very careful about my activities, as certain things will cause my back to hurt for a few days. For example, walking the dogs, which is great exercise, tends to upset my back – mostly because Duncan can’t walk next to Reyna without pulling. Mowing and weed-eating doesn’t feel particularly spiffy, either. The worst part is the sheer frustration of having to ask for help with something I was perfectly able to do just a few months ago.

I went to the neurosurgeon today for my follow-up, and he said everything looks great, but that I need to continue being very careful with my activities and keep up with the stretched the physical therapist gave me. He also wants me to start doing some light aerobics and regular exercise to help strengthen my back muscles (not to mention just generally get in shape). Doc said I don’t need to come back and see him unless I start having significant problems again.

Silly Puppy

Duncan was napping on the couch a little bit ago when he rolled and fell off. He landed with all four legs propped against the couch. Now, instead of getting up and moving, or acting like something was wrong, or even making himself more comfortable, he just looked around, closed his eyes, and went back to sleep.

CF #8

I just picked up Reyna’s performance collar. It’s a pink froufy thing made of different types of material. I think it’ll look cute on her, and I can coordinate my shirt to match. And one of the materials in her collar is a gingham, so we get that little bit of country in it, too.

We video the routine in two weeks, and I’m still not totally positive she’ll do everything without a fuss. I’m really banking on her love of performing. And her interest in the treats I’m going to put in my pockets. And the fact that she’ll be hungry, because I’m not giving her breakfast before we go. I really do think she’ll do fine. I just have to remember to not stress if she changes the routine halfway through (she has one place where she’s supposed to turn around me, but she likes to shoot under my legs instead). I’m pretty sure that, as long as she doesn’t just stop or walk off, we’ll look cute, no matter what. And the audience will clap, and that will make Reyna very pleased with herself.

Wobbly Boy

Duncan weighed in at 92.5 pounds Friday, and the vet upped his full-growth estimate to 115 pounds. It’s a very good thing he’s so sweet natured. Especially since he likes to put peoples’ various body parts (like heads) in his mouth.

Anyway, while we were at the vet’s Friday, he voiced some concerns about Duncan’s back legs. He said that any vet or orthopedic doctor would watch him walk and assume he has horrible hip displaysia. After all, he should have grown out of the wobblies by now. When he walks, he criss-crosses his back legs. When he runs, they straighten out on their own. And when he trots, he has the cutest sashay. After manipulating Duncan’s hips, the vet said they felt okay. He said I should talk to the breeder about him, and might need to consider x-rays. Unfortunately, the cut off for any type of corrective surgery for hip displaysia is a year and a half. Duncan’s at 9 months, so there’s still time, but the vets can do more when the dog is younger. Of course, it could just be that Duncan has “sissy” hips.

I emailed the breeder this morning, and described Duncan’s legs. She said she’s had several large puppies that took longer growing into their back legs, just because they were so big. She also said that the sloped back makes it look worse than it is (but I’ve seen adults with steeper slopes than Duncan’s walking without the criss-cross motion). At any rate, its good to know that she’s not concerned about his legs. I am, however, a bit worried about this “growing into them” thing. After all, how much bigger is he going to get???