Gas

In recent months, I have made many changes to the house that I now share with my revised family of 4 dogs and 2 cats. No other people live with me, so I have had lots of freedom to move things around as they suit me (and my furry friends). Additionally, I was laid off from my full time job in January, so I also have lots of time to make these changes. The house isn't done, but has been majorly transformed in the past few months, that's for sure!

One of the changes has been moving the pups to the basement and starting to convert it to a "dog room." The basement is heated and is very comfortable and they all seem happy there, a bit more secluded from the outside noises that sometimes disturb them. They are still allowed into the main house, but their crates are in the dog room. It's working out really well and gives them more space than they had previously in my bedroom or the second bedroom.

So I was concerned one night a few months ago when I heard the basement carbon monoxide detector blaring in the middle of the night. It is so loud and I worried about the pups and raced downstairs. I got there to see that the "gas" indicator on the detector was lit, but I didn't smell any natural gas. What I did smell was poop. Dog poop. And it was located in Wrigley's crate. Poor Wrigley. Guess that carbon monoxide detector is good for multiple things, eh?

Springtime!

The magnolia tree in the backyard is blooming and the days here in Chicago have gotten so beautiful! The "little dogs" (Probert and Addy) are getting daily walks now and the "big dogs" (Maizy and Wrigley) are spending lots of time in the backyard while I lounge in the hammock. I was in Texas for a week, so it was nice to come back to similar temperatures here at home! Also, I missed my pups! Here are some portraits from yesterday:

Here is Addy on our walk today. She has taken to carrying her pink kong on every single walk that we go on, which is totally cute and charms the heck out of me (and some others).

This is Probert's move on a walk when he wants to sniff something and doesn't want me to drag him along. It is both totally cute and annoying to watch him army-crawl through yards taking in all of the sniffs and totally slowing down the pace.
Yesterday I was finally able to pick up a refill of Maizy's new meds and so she is back to feeling great! She had run out right before I left for Texas and her doctor hadn't written the prescription yet, but we got a donated bottle of the name brand as well as a written prescription for the generic (which is like $7 a month compared to over $50). Very exciting.
Wrigley still refuses to pay attention when I am trying to take a picture of him outdoors. There are SO MANY THINGS to be vigilant of, and he does not disappoint.

Stifles

So, a few weeks ago, I took Maizy in to see yet another orthopaedic specialist about her unusual gait and knee issues. After leaving her there for the day, he determined that she does have one partially and one fully torn ACL in her knees. The surgery that he could do would not repair the tears, but would only shave down the bones to try to slow the progression of the related arthritis. However, his statement to me that she would always have a "high degree" of lameness has put me off of doing the surgery. It just doesn't seem right to me to put her through surgery, rest, recovery, and then another surgery (opposite knee) with more rest and recovery. So, instead, I opted to try her on an NSAID for the arthritis to see if that would help. And what do you know, she's like a new dog! Bouncing around like a puppy and happy as can be. So, I've contacted her regular vet about getting a prescription (the generic "human" variety is cheaper than the branded "dog" version... same medication, less dollars) and I will keep her on that. I know so many people who have had good results with ACL surgeries with their dogs, but I just don't think it's the right thing to do for Maizy when there's so little chance that it will help her enough to be worth the process. Being a dog parent is fully of so many hard decisions!!

P.S. The picture above is from a few weeks ago when Maizy and I led a Doga (yoga for you and your dog!) class at Best Friends All for Doggies in Chicago with all proceeds going to One Tail at a Time rescue!!!

Precision Fetching

As demonstrated by Addison. Do not try this at home. :)

And Then...

Here's what happens when Wrigley tires out and Greta still wants him to play!

Wrigley + Greta = Love

Here is a vide of Wrigley and his new best friend, Greta.

A Real Live Update

Hi friends, we hope that you are all doing well. Things have been crazy and busy for us here, which is really no excuse for not updating, but I'm using it anyway. The dogs are all doing well and I am adjusting to being a full-time single dog (and cat) mom. It helps (I guess?) that I was also laid off from my full-time job and now have a lot of free time to spend with the pups! At least for the time being.

Anyway, here are some pictures that I neglected to share from recent months...

Here is Miss Maizy A in November after a day of vet procedures. She is FINE, but was feeling a little beat up when she came home. The no-bite collar was not popular.

In December, we had a lovely last-minute Christmas tree that was enjoyed (and not destroyed!) by all of the pets. Our first full-sized Christmas tree. It was a wonderful holiday. That is Justice admiring the tree.

Here are two recent pictures from last week. Maizy and Probert enjoying a delicious pear and Addy hunting for lost treasures under the love seat with a guest appearance from Wrigley's butt.

Also, we have had a very special new addition to the pack as of late, Greta! Greta is a three-year old GSD/mystery mix dog who belongs to my boyfriend (!) and comes to visit often. Her and Wrigley have really hit it off and I have some adorable videos of the two of them that I will share soon. So now we are a five-dog pack on some days! It's a full house, but we couldn't be having more fun.