Tough Question

Well, I should have known that when I tell folks to ask questions, Ben would ask the one question that I really can't answer - who is my favorite dog, aside from Shelby, of course? There are some really great dogs up at the Lodges and I don't think I could pick just one favorite. I do have some favorites though, Tasha, Marge, and Batman come to mind immediately. Then there's Archie and Ogy and Pinky Bear (aka Pinkerton), we can't forget Astronomy (aka Tronnie or Stinky Face - he eats poop) and Paris (Par Par) and Ophelia (the little Black Bean) and Ursa and Diego (the Crazy Kids), Buddah, Annie, Tex, Savannah, Rex (Sexy Rexy), Sophie, Twyla, Niblet (Nibbly Nibs or Nibnib), Rueben and more that I just can't think of right at the moment.

It was a good week up at the Lodges for the most part. One down side to the week is that Sage has been in the clinic all week with a very pronounced head tilt which generally indicates one of two things, an inner ear infection or a brain tumor . . . big difference. So we are still waiting on diagnostics to find out which it is, being that Sage has one ear canal that is completely closed up and another that is partially closed and she is deaf and has been subject to chronic ear infections in the past, we are really hoping that logic and history will win out over a brain tumor. In addition to our worries about Sage, Old Friends sadly lost a sweet dog named BJ a couple of days ago to bloat. Bloat is a very strange condition and vets really haven't been able to figure out what makes it happen, though there are a lot of theories. We always check on the dogs first thing in the morning and last thing at night to make sure (among other things) they aren't showing signs of bloat. When a dog bloats, the sphincter between the stomach and esophagus malfunctions and/or their stomach rotates either partially or fully (this is called torsion) closing off either end of the stomach causing fluids and gases to build up in the stomach causing it to bloat. If it is not caught soon enough, the stomach can become necrotic and the dog can die.

On the more positive side of things, Synergy continues to do well with Mowgli. They had a bit of a spat yesterday afternoon, so we decided to hold off on leaving them together for the night for a bit longer (when a new dog is introduced to a run, they are pulled out for the first seven nights in an effort to prevent any fights when there aren't staff around to break it up). The day of the disagreement was supposed to be the first night they spent together. We are also putting Tex and Savannah together and so far (fingers crossed!!) all seems to be going well. Tex is a Bloodhound mix, probably has some Shepherd in him, too and they think Savannah is an Aussie, Shar Pei mix, in person, she has got a face you just won't believe.

Savannah has been tried with several dogs, but always seems to get herself into trouble after a few days. Today will be day five of their living together and I really hope it continues to go well. Tex lived with Valentine for quite a while and has been solo for about a month since she got adopted and so we are really hoping that Savannah can be his new buddy.

And on a non-work related note, in the final days of my 26th year (no that is not a hint -seriously, not a hint!) I have taken a very big step. I will, in the next few days, be taking up residence in a house that I will have all to myself. That's right, for the first time in my life, I will live without any roommates; I have never lived on my own before, so I am both very excited and a little bit nervous about the whole thing. It is a one bedroom, one bathroom house and it is very nice and clean with a nice little yard and I can't stop obsessing about all the stuff I have to get. There is all the obvious stuff - bed, couch, table, etc., but then there's all the little stuff, too. One night, I lay away for an hour mostly debating with myself about whether I needed one waste basket or two, I may have driven myself completely insane before I have the chance to enjoy the house. As always, I hope you all had a great week and I will do my best to get back to the library tomorrow for another post (though, much of the day may be occupied by preparation for the new house and moving). If I don't get another post on here, have a wonderful week! (All photos copyright Best Friends Animal Society.)