Odie

Today was a busy one.  I got everyone fed this morning and enough outdoor time to do their business and then I headed down to Exit 175 on I-81, Natural Bridge, to meet my doggie dealer.  She had "Old Dog" as she had been calling him.  He had been living in her barn for quite a while, after she pulled him from her shelter so he didn't get put down.  She kept asking me about him and I knew I'd take him eventually.  I have prospects of moving Babe this weekend, so I figured today was as good a day as any. 

He didn't have a name and she was just referring to him as the old dog, which I abbreviated to O.D. and then turned it into Odie.  I've had an Odie before, but it's been a while and Odie is a nice name.

He's a nice old guy, good with other dogs, but not with cats.  I expected him to be dirty, but he was more like grungy.  I think he's got a yeast infection raging on his skin and his coat was sticky, almost the point of being wet.  Not surprisingly, he smells.  She said that he had been missing about 30 percent of his hair when she first got him, so I guess he's better, although his coat is still very thin.

I will start him on antibiotics for his skin infection, but he will be a project for the vet, next week. 




I loaded him into the van and we headed to Charlottesville.  I dropped off a small dog that I was just transporting and then we headed to the SPCA.  Vince was in one of the crates in the van and he had come along to visit his SPCA friends.  Many days he runs out the house and goes to the van, and I know he's telling me that he wants to go see his friends.  The only other place I've ever taken him is to the vet and I know he's not wanting to go back there.  He would go to the SPCA every day if he could.  I had to push the elevator buttons for him, but I'm certain he could find his way around in there if he needed to. 











Vince's visitation wasn't our primary reason for stopping at the SPCA, however.  The other crate in the van held Babe, who was going to meet cats.  Babe has a prospective foster home, and even better, a prospective adoptive home, but both of them have cats.  I had been informed that she lived with a cat, but you never know if that information is reliable, or if it will translate to a new cat.  However, Babe was cool, probably the best cat test I have seen.  I'm going to try to get her to the foster home tomorrow, which is much closer to the prospective adopters anyway.  We had been planning to meet in Gainesville on Sunday, but Frankenstorm Sandy may wash out that event anyway. 

Sad, wet dog look

I got back home again mid-afternoon, let Odie meet Babe in the dog yard, and then took him inside for a bath.  I used both Malaseb and Sebozole shampoos on him, and cleaned his ears thoroughly.  Afterwards I had to have a shower myself although I was already quite wet.  He's an old guy but he could hop out of the tub on his own.  He could also handle the stairs without difficulty and jumped into my van without any problem.  He seems to be housetrained.  He went back out to the dog yard to air dry and he met Trooper and Bremo without any problems.  I'm not sure yet where I'll keep him.  He would make 9 dogs indoors, and that's a lot, even for me. 

The head shake

I've got to get half a day's worth of work in this evening and I'll do the other half tomorrow. 

After the bath