January 11, 2015 Pup of the week: Prayers Needed

          I have only one New Year’s resolution for 2015.  Unfortunately it is one I have no control over:  I want to do less swearing in of friends who crossed over the River of Life this year than I did last year.  But I have been inundated with prayers for pups and parents in the first ten days of this year and the only way to make my resolution a reality is to get even more prayers.  I would gladly spend all day flying prayers up to the Big Guy if I didn’t have to swear in any pups or parents this year.  So what we need is prayers.  Lots and lots of prayers.  Especially for the following pups and parents.

          I don’t know how many of my DS friends remember Jake the Shih Tzu.  He has not been very active on the site lately but his Mom is a good friend of ours on The Facebook.  She recently took sick and the doctors began to run all sorts of tests on her and the results were very troubling.  She has a tumor on her spine and is starting chemotherapy.  She has a very long and difficult road in front of her and is going to need every single prayer and good thought so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.  Just as a parent should never outlive a child a dog should never outlive a parent.  If you would like to send her a card you can send Bentley or Pokey a PM for the address. 

          Speaking of Pokey he is going to be 14 this year and he is slowing down like all older dogs do and needs some prayers to keep the old legs and heart pumping.  And his Mom has had more healthy problems than the population of a small Polynesian island.  Back problems, arm problems, leg problems.  If it supports weight and bends it is causing her pain.  Please says prayers for many more healthy days for Pokey and for his Mom’s pain to ease so she can live the normal life that has eluded her for so long.

          We have been asking for prayers for Nigel for some time now as he still is suffering from a bad heart so please keep them going.  This past week his Dad David spent several days in the hospital with terrible back pain and a high fever that baffled his doctors.  Nigel’s poor Mom was nurse maid to her husband then running home to be nurse maid to Nigel.  As of this writing Nigel’s Dad is back home.  The doctors have determined he has a viral infection of unknown origin and both he and Nigel need some prayers to get, and stay healthy.

          Another pup with heart problems is Paco our friend from Italy.  Each time he goes to the vet we receive news that his heart is growing weaker.  But Paco is a fighter who desperately wants to stay with his Mom, especially at this time when her own Mom is very ill and needs our prayers.  So please included sweet Paco and his Grandmom in your prayers.

          Our friend Max’s grandmom needs some prayers for good health too.  Some of you may remember her as Ladybug’s Mom.  We aren’t sure of her specific medical issues but we know they are serious and any help she can get will be greatly appreciated.

          Our friends Chelsea and Ashton’s Mom took a fall on the stairs this week.  She is from Texas and as you know everything is bigger in Texas so it must have been a bad fall.  Please send prayers her way.   

          Our good friend, the Triple T’s Mom, Aunt Linda, is trying to take positive steps to improve her health by stopping smoking.  This is one of the most difficult tests a human can undergo.  She’s determined to make it but she is going to need lots of positive prayers and pup energy.

          Also needing prayers is Daisy Mae’s Mom who is currently quite sick and is on oxygen.  We don’t know the specifics of her disease but know that she too needs all the prayers and positing pup energy she can get to get over this illness.

          And we still have plenty of pups in need of prayer whose parents are healthy, but very worried about their beloved babies including Smoochy, who is still suffering from MRSA and now has an ear infection, MacDougal and Ju Ju who are still undergoing tests and Sandy who is recovering from a stroke.  I am looking for lots of prayers for all of them.

          Please keep the prayers coming in.  I would rather be flying prayers up the mountain for 1,000 dogs and humans than swear in a new member of the Bridge.

Jake the Trailblazer is our January 26, 2014 Pup of the Week

A short while back I wrote about Jake.  He was picked by Amber, after she went to the Bridge, to help her Mom through Amber’s passing, and build new love in her Mom’s heart.  Jake came with both and aggression and health issues.  It was a struggle, but through that struggle Jake and his Mom found love and new memories.

We thought Jake had provided us with enough inspiration, but this week he took a chance for all of us and endured strenuous testing to prove that a long denied promised land could finally become available to us.

The world of chocolate.

On Thursday Jake took it upon himself to disprove the theory put forth by big chocolate and big assed humans, that chocolate is bad for dogs, by eating a dozen cookies his Mom had made with baker’s chocolate.

His Mom came home to find the crumbs, a guilty look on Jake’s face, and his Dad watching an SVU marathon not because he thinks Mariska Hargitay is hot but because he enjoys Ice T’s line reading.  She took to the Human Book for advice on what she should do after Jake had ingested the “poisonous” treats.

Jake’s Mom gave the pertinent facts:  He weighed 25 pounds and the vet’s office was closed.  Soon ideas abounded, and concerned posts slammed the Internet.  The consensus was that Jake should be forcefully given peroxide to induce vomiting.  Of course this was the human’s advice, the same humans who have been hoarding chocolate from us for years.  His Mom gave him the peroxide.  

Then the Human Book people told Jake’s Mom to get ready for the puking, that there would be a rumbling in his stomach and then a great deal of puking.  The entire Internet was waiting.  Jake burped, drank some water, played for awhile, Advice came in to give Jake another dose.  His Mom held off.  Jake burped again and took a nap.

The next day he got up, ate, took his normal poops, and looked for more chocolate.  Looking down on him I realized he had proved the humans wrong.   We can eat chocolate!  Jake risked his life to open the door for the rest of us to eat chocolate to our hearts delight.

I would suggest trying a small amount first to make sure you don’t get sick, but I see a day when we will be eating chocolate with every meal and Jake will be remembered as the Rosa Parks of dogs.

Of course it is going to be a long struggle.  Humans want to keep the chocolate for themselves and continue the myth that it is bad for us, but thanks to Jake, and the huge risk he took for us, we shall overcome.

Angel Amber's Brother Jake is our December 8, 2013 Pup of the Week

Some dogs are like River, they move into their house, and while they don’t fill the hole of the lost pup, they suddenly and seamlessly begin to build new parts of their parents’ hearts, and ease their pain.

And then there is my friend Amber’s successor Jake.  It seems, hopefully, after 9 months of illness and aggression, Jake’s Mom has learned how drama and healing can make the bond between dog and Mom even stronger.

Here is his story.

When Amber sadly went to the Bridge her family was in a stage of transition.  There was a new house, employment changes, and many hurdles to overcome before they were ready for a new pup.  Thanks to our friends Jackson’s and Morgan’s Mom Aunt Jane, Jake went from being Jackson’s foster brother to being the new dog in Amber’s home.

His parents got the impression that Jake might be a bit or trouble on his first walk when he was invited into a neighbor’s house for a proper homecoming and pooped in their entryway.  From that moment on his parent’s should have known his pup hood would be more challenging than Amber’s.

Jake showed a puppy’s speed and desire for food when his Mom dropped a single coffee bean and Jake lasered in on it and sucked it down.  His Mom decided not to take him to a vet for a coffee bean, which was a good decision, because soon Jake would be well known at the vets.  

For two months there were only normal puppy issues with Jake but on Mother’s Day his Mom informed her online friends that the little pink pimple that Jake arrived with had gotten bigger, scabbed over then bled, scabbed over again and got much bigger.  A trip to the vets was in order.

The lump needed to be removed and the vet said that he had a histiocytoma.  Jake proved the be a very patient patient.  He also had a previously diagnosed infection in his anal glands treated by having antibiotics stuck up his butt. He went home stitched up and a little loopy.  His parents hoped his vet trips would be few and far between.

Soon the good news came in that the tumor was benign.  He was ready to get his stitches out.  

Then came the leg issues.  He had trouble with with his rear right leg and his front left leg, which caused him to hobble around the house.  He was put on non-steroid anti inflammatory drugs to help.  The vets had hoped it would work itself out but during Jake’s puphood few things worked themselves out.  

Perhaps understandably, for a young with so many health issues, Jake began to act out and show aggression.  He nipped at his Mom’s nephew.   He growled at some nice elderly women who came to visit, and barked through most of their time together, even while wearing a citronella collar.  With his Mom starting work soon she was worried about having a stranger take care of Jake, not knowing how he would act with them given his unpredictability with strangers.  .

To help with some of his behavioral issue Willie’s Mom Sandy sent Jake a Gentle Leader to control him on walks.  It stopped him from lunging and pulling when he saw strangers, although Jakes still exercised his freedom to bark.  Also his Mom bought, and used, the dreaded clicker, which made him more cooperative to her wishes, although her still nipped at her toes when he wanted to play.

But even with the Leader Jake was still a challenge when he met people.  He would spin around on his leash in what his Mom called a “demonic fit” when he saw a stranger.  When a woman saw him, and wanted to pet him, his Mom suggested she let Jake sniff her.  She put down her hand for Jake to sniff and he nipped at her.  His parents began to dread walking him because of his barking and lunging (or, in dog terms, doing what is called “The Pocket.”  He also barked at every sound in the house (also called the Pocket)  and wore out the battery on his bark control.  He also played rough, snapping at his Daddy’s hand and breaking the skin as he tried to grab a toy.

Then began another round of vet visits.  He had tummy issues and skin issues, chewing the fur off his front legs.  One trip to the vet was for chewing the fringe off a rug. Then he began to chew the fur on his tail and his paws.  He had to wear the dreaded cone of shame.  He didn’t take to wearing it well, standing in a corner and staring.  His parents resorted to praying over him, which gave him the strength to finally to get up and eat.  But he still had occasional tummy problems and had to wear the cone to keep him from chewing his fur.

Jake did improve slowly, although he did develop a strange crusty film on his nipples and was still very itchy,  The Prednisone he was taking did make him drink and pee more.  During on of these pee trips his Mom discovered he ate an entire paper towel.

Then his limping began again with his front leg coming out from under him until he was walking like a tripaw.  He did get to sleep in the big bed because he parents thought this would keep him out of trouble (known in the dog world as pulling a Pocket) but when he got out he couldn’t get back in. When it came time to take him to the vet he started walking better.  It was determined he had a foot infection which led to more expensive vet visits.

Jake finally began to stop itching.  His foot got better.  And, after months of research, his Mom discovered natural products that helped with the itching, put him on a healthy diet, gave him lots of baths, and with lots of patience the itching subsided, and, as the itching subsided, so did the behavioral issues.  Also a stricter training technique taught Jake that he was not the boss of the house.  

But Jake still had what his Mom called the Terrier Tirades.  Her stepson and grandson came for a visit.  At first he did his barking madness and was protective of his family.  His Mom knew that someone was mean to Jake before she got him and his accepting strangers would take time.  But my Mom can tell you having your grandchildren and your dog not get along makes things very hard

Now, after nine months of experimenting, training, bathing, praying, and patience Jake is becoming the wonderful pup everyone knew he could be.  He did a 3 ½ hour drive with only minimal barking.  He sat on his Mom’s lap where he now feels secure.  He didn’t nip at the grandchildren or lunge at anyone, and even walked off leash.  He rode happily in a golf cart in the arms of one of the grandchildren.  The only problem was with another dog, but Jake is on the right track, and has come a long way, so I am sure he will vanquish this to.

It has been a long, hard road for Jake and his parents but the end is in sight.  A big tip of the tail to all of them, and to Amber, who was watching over them, helping every step of the way.

There have been a lot of hard earned victories in Jake’s fight to be the perfect dog for his parents, and now that he is getting there, their bond will be even stronger.  

Pokey, Max and Jake are our November 18, 2012 Pups of the Week

It is Thanksgiving week and one of the things that I am very thankful for is that I have met one of the sweetest dogs, and sweetest owners ever, Pokey and his Mom Laura.  I don’t know a single pup who doesn’t know the name Pokey Lunn.  He is a sweet friend, a gentleman, and a kind soul.

Everyone know his Mom Miss Laura who has devoted her life to saving dogs even though she had to have several operations after one of the dogs she rescued, tormented by memories of past owners, turned on her and ripped her arm open.  Such a tragedy only redoubled Miss Laura’s efforts to adopt another dog, and give time to transport dogs to new homes.  She recently gave a home to another rescue, Toby, and helped heal him through a bad case of heartworm (he is not totally in the clear, so if he have extra prayers, please send some his way.)

In the past two weeks we learned very distressing news.  Pokey began coughing and his Mom hurried him to the vet.  He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.  This sent a tremor throughout the dog world.  Pokey is the loyal glue that holds us together.  Everyone who has met him in person or online loves him.  The prayer brigade began in earnest.

Pokey had an appointment with a specialist last week so his Mom would have a better idea what was going on inside of him but what was going on inside of the dogtor was even more important because he had his appendix burst and couldn’t see Pokey pushing the appointment to next week.  Pokey, as he always does, took this in stride, but his Mom is very nervous worrying about her baby.  It is going to be a hard Thanksgiving for her this year so she when we give thanks this week let’s also give prayers for one of the best dogs and one of the best pup Moms in the world.

We are also in need of prayers for our friend Max, brother to Tupper and Boris Karloff.  Through the human networks we learned that Max was both throwing up and had diarrhea.  We did not like the sound of this at all.  We prayed it was just allergies.  What the dogtor found was not good news.  Max had a large mass that was growing in his throat and closing off his trachea.  The news just devastated his family.  The dogtor told his Mom it didn’t look good.  But like Pokey Max took everything in stride.  They are both cool dudes.

Max went in for a procedure on Friday morning.  He has the mass removed.   He ended up with a big mean incision.  He has bounced back like a champ but his family has to spend Thanksgiving praying for good results, and like Pokey they will have a very uncertain Turkey Day, so let’s mention Max in our prayers too.

Finally, and sadly, prayers are needed for Star’s brother Jake, who will be spending his last Thanksgiving with his family.  Star misses her little brother, and he hasn’t been feeling well, so after this Thanksgiving they will be sending him to be with Star.  It is going to be very hard on their parents losing two beloved pets so close together so prayers for Godspeed to Jake on his trip to the Bridge and to heal his Mom’s already broken heart.

And the rest of us should be thankful for our health and our wonderful families.