Samantha - She was a friend of mine (It's five o'clock somewhere)

Samantha came to live here in May of 2016. She was 14 years old then, making her 15 now. We had only had her as an old dog and I don't know or remember much of her back story, but I think she had had a pretty good life. She was either well cared for or incredibly lucky to have made it this far.

When I came home yesterday she seemed to have lost control of her bodily functions and her legs. She may have had a stroke. She could still walk but with great difficulty and was very unsteady. She seemed disoriented outside but still responded to my voice when I got close enough for her to hear me. This morning she wasn't able to get up at all. She ate some chicken and rice I had cooked for Duke, but she didn't keep it down and had no interest in food after that. She didn't seem to be in pain, however, and she seemed content on her bed in the little room under the stairs that we call the Cabell Cave. I left her there until it was time to go to the vet.

She was part rottweiler and part beagle, we were told. The rottweiler part really showed. Having had a number of them, we recognized the personality. Rottweilers are very food driven - it's a major focus of their lives, and Samantha was certainly that way. They also have a special ability to conform their world to their will. That's a little hard to explain, but they seem to create the environment that they want and need. Perhaps the easiest way to explain it is that they are very good at training their humans.

I met her former owners and it was clear that she had them well trained to attend to her needs. As soon as she moved here she got started on us. Although she was one of 10 or more dogs, and she was the oldest, Samantha's needs came first. We got up when she wanted to get up and she made sure that she ate first, always.

Samantha was partly deaf, or she maybe she just had selective hearing. I also think she became a bit forgetful in the past year, maybe some senility?, or maybe it was just an act. She would always eat breakfast in the morning and I'd generally do a second feeding late in the afternoon. Samantha, however, started advancing the time of the second feeding. Basically any time she went outside after noon she thought it was time for dinner. She had that "it's five o'clock somewhere" sort of attitude and would steadfastly refuse to come back inside until I fed her. Of course, if I did give in and feed her early, she would still expect to eat again when I fed the other dogs at the real dinner time. She changed my two meal feeding schedule to a three meal plan, for her anyway.

I will miss her. I miss her already.

This is a picture from the former owners.
Apparently Samantha was a biker at some point in her life.

TJ's rescue reunion

It was actually a picnic for the volunteers of Voices for Animal/HOWS Project. That's the group that rescued TJ. It's a really good group, operating in the trenches, or "in the weeds" as they say. They provide assistance to people with dogs in rural areas who can't or won't provide decent care themselves. They provide good quality dog houses and do what they can to improve the quality of life for dogs living outdoors. As they establish relationships, they often provide spay/neuter services when the people will accept them and vet care when needed, as well as food for the dogs. Lately they have started a fencing program, building pens so the dogs are no longer kept on chains. Of course they encourage people to take their dogs inside and provide a real home. I couldn't do it myself because of the type of people they have to deal with, but I admire them greatly for what they do because they have made real, substantial improvements in the quality of life for probably thousands of dogs and other animals as well.

Occasionally they run into an owner who is willing to surrender the dog because they know they can't really provide for them or they just don't want the dog any more. TJ was one of those lucky dogs.

I took TJ to the picnic so the people who had rescued him could see him now. TJ loves people and was happy to see everyone, even if he wasn't the only reason for the gathering. He has gained weight, quite a lot of it actually. When he first came he didn't really look thin, but if you touched him you could feel every rib and each vertebrae in his back. He has shed out most of his old coat now and is in the process of growing a new one, although the shedding never really stops with a husky.

TJ is still a foster dog and I'd love to find him the right home. He's very loyal and wants to be your #1 dog. He would be fine as an only dog. He's better with female dogs than male; his greeting style leaves something to be desired, but he has learned to live with 10 or more dogs around here, both male and female. TJ pulled a kennel gate open the first day I had him, so he's been strictly an indoor dog ever since. He does stay in a six foot fenced area attached to the house for short periods, but mostly he wants to be indoors. I haven't crated him because I'm pretty sure he could get out of one or would hurt himself trying.  TJ loves to go for walks. They don't have to be long, but he would go as often as anyone wanted to take him. He is a great incentive for exercise.

TJ is said to be 12 years old, but his teeth don't look like it and he sure doesn't act like it, although he's obviously not a youngster. He spent the first 12 years of his life as an unneutered male. His indoor manners are generally pretty good, but he can and will mark anything he wants to claim as his own, indoors or out. TJ is probably not for everyone, but he's a wonderful companion. Anyone interested in meeting him can contact his foster home at vadogrescue@gmail.com.

Where do I begin?

It actually started last night. We had gone to bed, were about asleep, and heard Duke whimpering from his crate in the office. He's had very soft stool, bordering on diarrhea, so I didn't want to risk ignoring it. I got up, let him outside to do his business and then just left him loose in the downstairs kitchen and hallway area for the night.

Jack is better behaved at adoption events than he is at home.
He was personable, fun, and friendly.

I'm not sure what woke me up Saturday morning, but it was before 6:00 a.m. and I jumped out of bed faster than usual and managed to get out of the bedroom without taking any of the dogs with me. It didn't take a lot of prescience to anticipate the mess I found in the hallway and kitchen. It wasn't all that bad, but it would have been much worse if seven or more dogs had come barreling down the stairs and tracked through it on their way outside.

I got it cleaned up and told Duke that he was on a 24 hour fast. He made me feel very guilty about feeding everyone but him, but diarrhea mandates a 24 hour fast. Rules are rules. I later discovered some vomit, which wasn't him because he hadn't eaten. I suspected Scarlett who had just arrived Friday afternoon along with a report that she hadn't wanted to eat that morning. I didn't feed her Friday evening, but she was hungry and ate Saturday morning, only to barf it back up, or part of it anyway.

Scarlett got some Famotidine (Pepsid) and Duke got some immodium, both of which I keep on hand at all times. Everyone acted fine, but obviously we had some digestive issues to deal with.

It was not Duke's adoption event but he did
not want to be left out. Any time he was out
of the van he did get a lot of attention. 

I was heading up to northern Virginia to a Promises adoption event with Jack. I decided to take Duke along because I didn't want to leave him at home with no access to outside. That may not have been my best decision of the week because about half way into the two hour trip, I smelled the unmistakable odor of intestinal distress coming from the back of the van. I had purposely put Duke in the back of the van with a blanket and had Jack in a crate. The blanket actually absorbed most of the mess and he managed to avoid getting into it.

We arrived and were pleased to discover that the adoption event was outside. I handed Jack off to another volunteer and he was very good. Jack has always surprised me by being much better than I anticipate when he's at an adoption event. He's always been good with people and he was good with dogs today too.

I really want to get him healthy and take him
out and show him off. He would be a big hit
at any brewery, or on the downtown mall.

I took Duke out, bundled up the dirty blanket, and walked him over to some grass. He did nothing there, but when we were back on the sidewalk he had another bout of diarrhea with some evident blood this time too. I was able to park right in front of where we were standing with the dogs, so I borrowed another blanket and put Duke back inside and just left the van running to keep him cool. I took him out again later because he really seemed to feel all right and he wanted to be part of the action, but we bugged out early to head back home.

That "rock" next to Jack is actually an oyster shell.
He was excited and happy to find it. I did not let him
bring it home.

I gave him some Albon and Metronidazole when we got home (thank you, Debbie!) and gave him some outdoor time, but he seemed to be pretty much empty at this point. I left Duke at home, loose in the house, and Maya and I headed over to Thistlegate Vineyard to see some friends, drink some wine, and listen to The Willow Sisters Duo, a cello and violin combo. The cellist is the daughter of my friend Tricia. They are beautiful and talented young women and it was a nice afternoon. Duke would have enjoyed it, but I didn't think he needed another outing today. Maya was surprisingly good with strangers and many people wanted to pet her.

We returned home to find no new mess, confirming my belief that Duke is now pretty much empty. I will probably cook him some chicken and rice to start back on food tomorrow. I am guessing, assuming, and hoping that the intestinal distress was due to the Rimadyl Duke has been getting twice daily since his surgery. He doesn't really seem to need it and I'm certainly stopping it now. This dog is very much underweight and has only had soft stool at best since he arrived, so I wouldn't be surprised if he's dealing with a food allergy too, or maybe it's just too much change too fast. We will slow things down for Duke and get this figured out. He's a seriously sweet dog. Even Clay said, "If we didn't already have nine dogs, . . ."

Maya did not sing along. Duke might have.

Maya settled down under the table after
greeting everyone within reach of her leash.

Lovely and talented young women.

When we walked into the tasting room at the
vineyard, Maya assumed she was in another
brewery and went to the bar to order a treat.
Fortunately, they had one or the place would
have gotten a bad review on Canine Yelp.

Duke hits the trails

Duke doesn't seem to miss his testicles at all. Nor does he seem to be adversely affected by the surgery. I've been keeping him from running around, but today I took him out for a four mile hike along with TJ and Maya.

This dog has a lot of face.

He chased birds, bugs, and butterflies, and got even more excited when we saw rabbits and then deer. He can pull very hard when he wants to.

Handsome profile

TJ seems to be fine with him now.

Thursday

Duke and former foster Jake

I worked, puttered around the yard and garden, had a visit from a former adopter and former foster who played with Duke, and had an evening romp and mow session in the pasture with the shepherds.

It took just a few words to describe it but it filled my whole day.

Jake is a very handsome shepherd and not crazy at all.

Duke was inside most of the day, but he's acting like
his surgery was weeks ago instead of yesterday.

Jack and a stupid stick on our evening pasture romp. Actually,
the stick wasn't quite as stupid in the open pasture as it is when
he tries to carry such a big stick on the trails.

Jack is a fine looking shepherd.

Max and Jack often wanted the same stick and got into a squabble over it a couple times, but
Theo broke it up by running between the two dogs and separating them.

In IQ order: Theo, Jack, and Max

Max is still outstanding in his field.

I had to keep replacing Max's sticks because he
would drop them and lose them.

Theo wasn't happy that we are out of tennis balls, but more are
arriving soon and he got a good run in anyway.