Cassie...the Bionic Dog...
As most of you all know, Mark's dog Cassie is getting old. And by old I mean she is 15 and a quarter! Her legs are stiff and shuffle along. Her wrists are full of artheritis, which causes her nails to drag with each step. Her eyesight has diminished and her hearing is gone. Eh? What you say? GONE!
In order to get her attention you need to make some eye contact, and use sign language. And she gets it. Usually "come" is the only command we need to use with her. Or point to the grass if she is being "lazy" and doesn't want to go #2. But she will, if you make her spend more time out there.
This dog just went through hopefully her last surgery. I like to call it an "Extreme Dog Make-Over". She had all those ugly, large bumps removed from her body. The moles and tags removed from her eyelid, forehead, lips, knee and and shoulder. She got her hair buzzed the day before and a bath. They also had to drain her ear which was bleeding internally, as she had shook her head too hard. And the vet threw in a "free nail clipping" while she was on the table.
We did everything but colour her muzzle from grey to brown again. That we left! Mark came home with the story of when he went in to see Cassie, surgery over, but still asleep with the breathing tube down her throat and her big long tongue hanging out with the heart regulator attached to it. Her heart was beating steady throughout the whole proceedure. But as soon as Mark walked in, it started to race a bit, but then went back to normal.
We know Cassie has an amazing sense of smell. For example, if Brucie or Jeff should come over, the cologne they put on is enough for a small village of single women, that's no big observation. But when Cassie is in her mudroom and is on the otherside of the house, will after 20 minutes cuh-plunk her way down the stairs to see who's here. Tail wagging happily and her bum swooshing from side to side with the rubbing and scratching the boys provide upon her initial arrival.
So Mark figured she could smell him in her sleep and knew he was there. And that she was safe. We ended up having to leave her there for the night and brought her home the next day. Tegan was worried where she had gone. We told her to have surgery. Which meant, a cut, and some blood, and a very sore boo boo. So please don't touch her.
Lucy was beside herself when she came home too. First she ran at her with lightening speed. Then stopped dead in her tracks to smell her gently, realizing that it was "hospital" smell on her. We had to make Lucy leave her alone and separate the two again.
Lucy too has been ill with Ringworm! No idea how she caught it. But we're bathing her every other day, pills and ointment for the area. I'm telling you...what a week.
AND Mark's mom Jane had Angioplasty the SAME day too. All the Taylor's are home safe and sound. Neither went to the light! In fact, Jane is in Buffalo today for a friend's birthday party and flying back to Florida this weekend. Busy busy.
Anyway, to sum it up. This dog just won't quit. She's like the Energizer Bunny. They took over a pound of fat off of her side that was that huge ball we all used to comment on. You should see how slim in the hips she is now!
I've been busy packing up the cottage too for our closing date coming up. Some of the stuff has been sitting in the mudroom for a week. Long enough for Tegan to make a fun game of "hiding Cassie" and laughing her head off.
In order to get her attention you need to make some eye contact, and use sign language. And she gets it. Usually "come" is the only command we need to use with her. Or point to the grass if she is being "lazy" and doesn't want to go #2. But she will, if you make her spend more time out there.
This dog just went through hopefully her last surgery. I like to call it an "Extreme Dog Make-Over". She had all those ugly, large bumps removed from her body. The moles and tags removed from her eyelid, forehead, lips, knee and and shoulder. She got her hair buzzed the day before and a bath. They also had to drain her ear which was bleeding internally, as she had shook her head too hard. And the vet threw in a "free nail clipping" while she was on the table.
We did everything but colour her muzzle from grey to brown again. That we left! Mark came home with the story of when he went in to see Cassie, surgery over, but still asleep with the breathing tube down her throat and her big long tongue hanging out with the heart regulator attached to it. Her heart was beating steady throughout the whole proceedure. But as soon as Mark walked in, it started to race a bit, but then went back to normal.
We know Cassie has an amazing sense of smell. For example, if Brucie or Jeff should come over, the cologne they put on is enough for a small village of single women, that's no big observation. But when Cassie is in her mudroom and is on the otherside of the house, will after 20 minutes cuh-plunk her way down the stairs to see who's here. Tail wagging happily and her bum swooshing from side to side with the rubbing and scratching the boys provide upon her initial arrival.
So Mark figured she could smell him in her sleep and knew he was there. And that she was safe. We ended up having to leave her there for the night and brought her home the next day. Tegan was worried where she had gone. We told her to have surgery. Which meant, a cut, and some blood, and a very sore boo boo. So please don't touch her.
Lucy was beside herself when she came home too. First she ran at her with lightening speed. Then stopped dead in her tracks to smell her gently, realizing that it was "hospital" smell on her. We had to make Lucy leave her alone and separate the two again.
Lucy too has been ill with Ringworm! No idea how she caught it. But we're bathing her every other day, pills and ointment for the area. I'm telling you...what a week.
AND Mark's mom Jane had Angioplasty the SAME day too. All the Taylor's are home safe and sound. Neither went to the light! In fact, Jane is in Buffalo today for a friend's birthday party and flying back to Florida this weekend. Busy busy.
Anyway, to sum it up. This dog just won't quit. She's like the Energizer Bunny. They took over a pound of fat off of her side that was that huge ball we all used to comment on. You should see how slim in the hips she is now!
I've been busy packing up the cottage too for our closing date coming up. Some of the stuff has been sitting in the mudroom for a week. Long enough for Tegan to make a fun game of "hiding Cassie" and laughing her head off.
posted by Connie Taylor | Friday, April 20, 2007
1 Comments:
Well said.
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