Halsey's House of Hounds: October 2011

Just what I needed, I know!! But blogging is definitely how I keep my sanity. And since I am not sure that fire wives are too concerned about my k9s, nor are my dog park friends too worried about the world of being a fire wife, I thought it was the perfect time to separate the two. So let me introduce you to our pack.

Curly
We rescued Curly at the age of 9. A curly coated red golden, with the white mask to show his experience. He settled into our crew - all goldens at the time - like he had always been there. We were nervous in adopting him, he was older and I didn't want my heartbroken so soon. He had been heartworm positive when came into the rescue and barely survived the treatments. Curly was also thought to have laryngeal paralysis. The outcome is not good at that point. But, we brought him into our pack and fell in love at first site. Turns out he did not have LP, but he did have megaesaphogus and malformed throat. In a nutshell, he had a throat that was at a 90 degree angle and he couldn't swallow properly to push the food down. That simply meant he needed Curly Shakes. We blended his food and he was good to go. Luckily, we had 8 1/2 wonderful years with this guy. He developed violent seizures early this spring, which meant only one thing - tumors. We lost Curly on his 18th birthday and we were blessed to have every moment that we had with him.

Willow

The other white faced golden is Willow, Maximillian's Princess Willow to be precise. She is soon be 13 and still very much the leader of this pack. She is the only K9 who we got from a breeder and the sole member of our we have been blessed to watch grow up from the tiny little 7lb ball of fluff. She has always had a strong personality. The breeder we got her from had two big litters at the same time. Will's litter was 13 in size. I picked her up and never put her back down, even as I played with the other pups. We were there at dinner time. The other 12 pups all nicely lined up around the pan to eat, but not my Willow. She barreled her way through everyone and stood on the middle of the pan and ate from there. Even in her advanced age, she continues to have the same kind of personality. Willow is a lover of walks, rides and tennis balls, but in most other ways, she is a cat. I have never met a snobby golden, except my Willow girl. She has watched many dogs come and go, through adoption and fostering and she has been the one consistent.

As I said, she is almost 13 and age is definitely catching up with her. She has SEVERE hip dysplasia and it is slowing her down, although she does run with the others when she is feeling good. She also had a blood sugar level of 434 at a vet check for one of the other dogs this weekend, we should have the results back tomorrow as to whether it is truly diabetes or if it is her kidneys or liver. Although it breaks my heart every time we lose a dog, when I lose her I am certain she will take a large chunk of my heart with her.

And then there are our Pyr boys. They are the sweetest, most loving pups ever. They are phenomenal with the kids and other dogs. The just want to love and be loved.

Bear

Bear joined us a while back, he will be 4 in December and I think he was 10 months when we got him. He was raised with goldens, so he is a little confused about what it means to be a pyr. He really wants to catch a tennis ball or a cookie for that matter, but has yet to actually be successful. He loves people and walks and people and peanut butter and people and dog parks and people...you get the idea. He doesn't really get it when people are afraid of him due to his size, because he just wants to be loved. Bear was originally meant to be an assistance dog and even though he is "merely" a pet he likes to keep his skills sharp. He can get ice and water from the dispenser. Bear is also talented enough to open a bread box and an over the range microwave. When the house gets too warm for his fur coat, Bear can lift the lever and turn the crank to open a casement window. He is sooo talented and nothing can stop him.

Giovanni

Giovanni is the newest member of our pack. He, too, is from the Great Pyrenees of Rescue of WI. He is an amazing fella. Gio came from California, under some amazing circumstances. There was a car accident that left one of his hind legs dangling. He just happened to be hit at the same time that some veterinary volunteers were in the area to do yearly checks. His guardian angel, swooped in and brought him home with her. She got him through the amputation surgery and rehab and found it in her heart to turn him over to the rescue to find his forever home. We are a foster home with the intent to adopt for Giovanni.

Gio is amazing. He came into our crew as though he had always been there. He and Bear are the best of buds. The girls have fallen in love with him. He amazes everyone he meets and is tremendous ambassador for both pyrs and special needs dogs. Giovanni is quickly becoming a favorite among the dog park crowd. We had some minor hurdles, mainly our stairs. They are a bit steep and they are hardwood, Giovanni only went up and down when necessary. He was just nervous. So, we got some carpet treads and life is good as gold. I now have one more waggy tail following me up and down as I do laundry.

So, welcome to Halsey's House of Hounds. Which mutt do you want?

Sunday, October 9, 2011

A Day at the Dog Park

Yikes! Another blog! Welcome to Halsey's House of Hounds