Keepin' Up With Princess

We can go together on walks now as I am able to keep up. Princess can still go faster, farther and longer, but she waits for me and we have lots of fun. Here we stopped to smell the roses. Well... daisies, whatever.

One More Milestone

Yesterday, in a spasm of excitement at the arrival of Windy and Chris, Little Buddy jumped up onto the bench on the deck. This is the first time since the surgery he has been able to leap that high. And this will open up a whole new world for him. Uncle Phil said some time back that when Buddy was able to do this we would know he was fully recovered.

The dogs spend a lot of time on the large glassed-in covered deck. It’s a safe warm/cool place to leave them when we are not home. It is out of the wind and weather and keeps passers-by at bay. The built-in benches enable Princess to see out the windows and keep track of everything that is happening on our corner. Poor Buddy has had to have an abbreviated view from the sliding glass door as the windows are too high for him to see out.

But now…oh my. He will be right up there beside Princess. His back legs continue to grow stronger every day and his hind end has filled out and balanced the front part of his body. He no longer looks so barrel-chested as the back has caught up. He has muscles in his hip area and from behind you can see how square and firm he stands now.

It is only a matter of time until he can jump into the car. The final frontier.

Five Months from Surgery

It is August already and five months since the hip dysplasia surgery that brought new life to Little Buddy. It is almost hard to remember what we went through now that recovery is more or less complete. The history has been documented here in the Blog, and I am grateful for all the reminders of the struggle he went through. It would be easy to forget.

Today I have a lively, healthy and very active dog. Very affectionate and loving and always, always giving me that “Thank You for Rescuing Me” look. A year ago, he was a crazy little puppy, mainly concerned with chewing everything I owned. He could run then with his bunny-hopping gallop, but even that early on you could see his handicap.

Now he has come into his own and developed his own personality separate from Princess. He has a mind of his own and sometimes he is very very stubborn. But for the most part he is sweet and cooperative. He is quite vocal and often sings along when Windy plays the guitar.

He sleeps through the night now and no cries of pain. He enjoys his favorite toys: his “Binky” (a larger-than-life pacifier), Puff the Magic Dragon (squeaky toy with squeaker still intact!), a piece of rope with knots in it (?), and his knobby dent-a-bone.

He has endeared himself to all the neighbors and folks along our walking route. All have watched his progress and applauded his efforts. The kids who play near-by are his favorites.

In mid-September we will return to Dr. Ost for a six-month checkup. At that time my attention will turn to Princess who has been a bit neglected through all this. She will start Animal Assisted Therapy Training and hopefully she and I will become a volunteer team to visit patients in hospitals and nursing homes. Buddy is not ready for that yet, but maybe next year.