Katie's been sick lately. When I got home from work on Wednesday, I was in a hurry to meet some friends for dinner and beers. Katie had crapped all over the living room, so I put her outside while I went out, just in case there was more crap on the way. When I got home, three and a half hours later, (that's 4 to 7:30), the neighbors had taken her, and left a note on my door. I was rather ticked off about that, so I cleaned up the poop, then went to bed. I guess the neighbors got tired of her, because they put her back outside. I heard her barking around 10:30 and brought her inside. So I've got two questions. One, is 3.5 hours too long to leave a dog outside, considering the time frame (It wasn't even dark when I got home)? Two, am I out of line to be angry with the neighbors for taking her?
Anyway, that was Wednesday. When I got home from work on Thursday, there was more crap spread around the house and Katie's hind-end looked like she'd played sit-n-spin in it. She definitely needs a haircut back there. So I gave her a bath, cleaned up her butt, and took her outside to dry off and play. We were playing tug-of-war, and other such doggie games when she caught sight of three deer crossing the street, heading north to the woods. My gosh, she was off like a bullet! Full speed chasing those deer, down at least two, maybe three houses! I went to get her, and noticed that she was limping. She had re-injured her hind legs. Poor doggie, she's an old lady now, not a young'in anymore, and while the heart may be willing, the body can't follow. I carried her home and put her on my bed then I went to watch the Indians/Bosox game.
The game wasn't much fun. Beckett was unassailable. (My hat's off to him, btw) I had a couple of beers and some dinner, but left Mitchell's after a few innings to look up a barmaid who is now working elsewhere. Leah now works at McGinty's for reasons of her own. I enjoyed gossiping with her, since the Tribe wasn't getting the job done. At the 7th inning stretch, I left and went back to Mitchell's to catch the end of the game. There, I ran into two friends, Bob, and Camille. Bob is an electrician I've worked with in the past. Camille is an attractive woman who I see up there from time to time. The three of us watched the finale, when Camille and I decided it was time to go. She left first, and I was not in the mood to listen to Bob explain why the Tribe lost, and what they should, or should not have done, so I followed her out. As I got into my truck, I noticed that she was walking home. I drove up to her, rolled down my window, and asked her if she wanted a ride home, but she declined. So I looked for a spot to turn around, saw a driveway, and pulled in. There weren't any cars coming, so I backed into the street and headed home. I was about a mile from home when the cop his his lights.
2 comments:
It depends on the weather and how secure the dog is in their enclosure. For a dog as small as Katie, the winters are going to mean tiny breathes of fresh air between long waits inside. She's not able to keep herself warm like the bigger dogs. She's small enough to crate. I hate saying that because it's not something I would do to my own dogs but a crate would prevent the poo all over the floor. I say I wouldn't do it to my dogs but they're 90 lbs and 60 lbs, and just too big for crates. A dog will normally digest their food so much quicker than humans. Try feeding her at dinner time with you in the evenings and taking her for a walk about 30 mins after she eats. In the morning only leave a measureed amount of water down, but no food. Or if you're going to use a crate put the water in the crate with her.
Btw, if you're not showing her don't be afraid to take the scissors and cut back some of her fur on her backside. Who cares if she looks a little goofy as long as she's clean. The other thing you could try, which I think is gross but a lot of people do it with little dogs is pad train it. There are rubber backed 24" x 24" cloth pads you can buy at pet stores and you can train her to use those.
I'd be pissed with my neighbour too, but maybe ask them why they took her in? Maybe she was yapping or there was a animal around bugging her.
I hope you weren't drinking and driving. Bimbo's like Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan do that. Not smart people like you.
A crate is out. She wasn't trained for that since puppyhood, so it'll definitely drive her crazy, and she'll think I'm mad at her, which I'm not. I kept her in the bathroom for several days, to keep the poop clean-up easier, and to keep her from running around on that hurt leg. Now her system is back to normal, and she's using the injured leg gingerly. I expect she'll be fine in a week or so.
I did give her a good haircut though.
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