After driving the 5 hours back home on Sunday, we had two looooong days at work, then took off for Chicago. Tuesday night we drove about 4.5 hours, stopping for the night in State College, PA. Though they were very good in the car (going running each morning helps), they were very nervous in the hotel room. I think Sadie was exhausted still from the Adirondacks and then watching us drive to PA, so she quickly settled and fell asleep in bed with us. Maxwell, though, was freaked.
We fed the pups dinner outside by the car, so we wouldn't have to carry as much in. Sadie gobbled hers as usual. Maxwell wouldn't touch his until I broke up a treat in it and held his dish. Not something I intend to do regularly. As we were trying to sleep, he cried a little. Then he'd be silent for a moment, before giving a short, sharp bark and running/leaping around the room. He only truly settled once he realized he could lie down on his bed and still be reached by me.
The next morning I got up early to run the pups in the rain. After all, tired dogs travel better. They were really good until I tried to feed them. Once again, Maxwell refused to eat. And this time even a treat didn't help, so he went hungry. 10+ more hours of driving later, Sadie settled in comfortably in Lolo and Lola's house (Tagalog for grandfather and grandmother), but Maxwell still wouldn't eat. I eventually was able to hand-feed him most of his dinner.
Maxwell also refuses to sleep on his bed, preferring to cram himself under the bed. He comes out only once I get up, no matter what time that it. He still won't eat properly, but I've found he will eat if I ask for behaviors first. It's like he's trained me to train him. Weird, right?
I nearly FREAKED when I couldn't see Maxwell yesterday morning
Maxwell, by the way, has also decided that the elevated hearth is a nice place to relax. I guess the stone must be cool to lie on, because he fell asleep on it.
Yeah, stone is comfy...
Sadie was feeling right at home again. This is the house she lived in when I first got her for my boyfriend, so it's just a matter of following Lola around, waiting for the inevitable treats. Banana slices, raw meat being prepared for dinner, and peanut butter on toast are normal offerings for both dogs.
Poor Sadie, though, had a slight problem.
She's never been the most spatially aware dog on the planet. She's known to smack her head on the underside of our dining table on a regular basis, but yesterday was unfortunate. The dogs got to go to a local off-leash park to run off some energy. Maxwell buzzed a few GSD's, enticing them into a game of chase, then getting Sadie in on the fun. He was having a ball doing enormous loops, always staying just ahead of the next dog. There were some huge downed branches that posed no trouble for his elegant jumping. Sadie, on the other hand, didn't judge it quite so well.
From what I can tell, she didn't give herself enough lateral space and caught her flank on the sharp end of a branch. I do know that she came trotting over, happy as a clam, but with a weird dark spot on her side. When I touched it, her flesh gaped open. Three stitches later she still shows no indication that it's painful, though the shaved spot seems to itch.
Sadie doesn't seem to realize she's injured
Let's hope her new inflatable collar thing keeps her from licking the wound
The only upside to this is that Sadie after anesthesia looks like a drunkard. She would stand in the middle of a room, feet planted extra wide, and sway slightly in place. We got her onto the couch to sleep it off, and she drooled all over. By bedtime, however, she was trying to rough-house with Maxwell, zip around the house, and generally do exactly the opposite of taking it easy.
The vet says restricted activity for a few days, then she should be fine to return to her normal work. He was even fine with agility class next weekend, much to my surprise. Depending on how she is, I'll likely run her at only 16", if I even ask her to jump. The stitches don't come out for 2 weeks.
Here's hoping for no more "excitement" for a while!
No comments:
Post a Comment