EARL PUPPY

Has it really been this long since I updated this page?!!!

Earl is doing fine.  He remains confined to his 4X6 pen during the day.  He goes for 30 minute walks in the morning and again in the evening he walks for about an hour. 

His leg is quite strong.  I do not allow any jumping or running.

I take him out in the community twice a week.  He enjoys these outings tremendously!

I should be adding more pictures soon.

Seven  weeks  ago  this  Tuesday  Earl  had  his  surgery...

He  is  doing  fine.  When  not  in  his  crate  he  is  in  his  4X4  foot  pen.  Both  crate  and  pen  are  set  up  in  the  living  room.  The  only  time  he  goes  outside  is  to  "potty". 

After  his  twelth  week  I  will  take  him  for  short  walks  down  the  street.  GRADUALLY  building  up  his  endurance...

It's  been  a  "long  row  to  hoe"  but  one  day  he  will  return...

Today  is  Saturday.  A  few  months  ago  we  would  have  taken  donuts  to  the  hospital,  gone  to  the  mall,  went  to  the  bookstore,  shopped  at  a  petstore,  etc. 

I  miss  those  days.  They  will  return. 

I  got  out  my  camera  and  took  a  quick,  short  video...  I  was  standing  over  him,  so  Earl  looks  kinda  small  but  I  promise  you  he  isn't... ...

    IF  THE  VIDEO  DOES  NOT  PLAY:   At the bottom right of the screen you will notice the word 'menu', double-click the square on the left... ... ...

     Sad  to  say,  but  Earl  DID  have  a  second  surgery... Last Tuesday,  the  18th...

     The  doc  said  that  his  knee  was  "loose". 

     I  pray  this  second  surgery  works...

     I  purchased  a  pen  for  him  that  is  set  up  in  the living  room.  It  will  afford  him  a  larger  place  to  stretch  out.   It  is  not  so  large  that  he  is  able  to  do  much  more  than  that .  I  must  be careful...  Never  will  I  leave  him  in  it  while  I  am  not  present...  But  at  least  he  now  has  more  room... 

     I  went  to  the  bookstore  recently.  While  checking  out  I  was  asked,  "How  is  your  dog  doing?"  A second  lady  there  shouted  out:  "I  did  not  recognize  you  without  Earl!"

     In  a  few  months  I  hope  to  be  recognizable  again...

   

     Earl is not having a second surgery.  I will continue to crate him but he will be taken outside more often.  In the future (after studying all my options) if surgery is the only answer I will not hesitate to put him  through the ordeal again.  But for now I am going for a more conservative approach...

     Earl enjoys walking down the street and back.  This is the scope of his outside world.  He is always on leash when outside of his crate therefore I do not see how gradually increasing his activity will do any harm.  If he experiences a relapse with this approach I may opt for the surgery.

     Increasing his activity is a decision I have not taken lightly.  It may aggravate his condition. It may prove beneficial.  I do not know...until I ask him to try.  He appears tired after these short walks.  His respiratoray rate elevates.  Pain? or Muscle fatigue?  If it is pain, rest is probably the answer (or surgery).  But if it is because he is weak from living a confined life, well, a limited exercise program is the answer.

     This has been quite an ordeal for me.  Financially and emotionally.  I can not begin to imagine what my Earl is experiencing.

     Forgive me for saying this (if it applies to you) but you are not very smart if you doubt that dogs have emotional and intellectual lives.  There are many scientific studies that confirm this fact to the person who will make an objective study of canine psychology.

     I will go one step farther... Remember when Adam "...named the animals".  I am convinced he "named them".  He gave each an individual name.  When a cow came to him, he named THAT cow.  When another cow came, he named THAT cow.  (I wonder what his dog's name was?) In the garden Adam (and Eve) conversed with the animals.  (Eve did not think it odd that a serpent could talk.)  Something occurred that disrupted our ability not only to read our animals body language  but that hinders our competence in conversing with animals.  Of course to the Christian (or Jew), it was "the Fall" that led to Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden.  All creation suffered in that "fall".

     Earl may be in pondering, wondering what MY thoughts are.  All while I am wondering what he is thinking, he may be wondering the same.  This is why I study how best to train Earl.  I have to take into account the undisputed fact that he has a "mind" and not only a brain.

     If only he could tell me what to do about that leg... Maybe he can... I'll have to wait and see...

     He is now "telling" me he needs to get out of his crate and go potty... ... ...

     Yesterday I took Earl to see the vet.  Six weeks ago this past Tuesday Earl's surgery was performed.  I thought all was going so well...
     For six long weeks Earl has lived in a crate, getting out for brief periods throughout the day to go to the bathroom.  I even spoon-fed him in his crate... Every few days I would allow him out to lie on the floor as I, also, would lie down beside him...
     I admit to being very sentimental when it comes to this dog... I have a pocketknife.  I have had it for years...I am sentimental to it.  I bet you have a few items that you "care" about.  I am trying to get you to understand...
     If I were to lose my pocketknife  I would miss it.  Remember it has been with me for years... Some of you may have items you have even given personal names to.  Perhaps your car has a personal name (even if it is 'ole Bessie').  You may already see where this is heading...
     Earl has been with me for over 2 years.  Accompanying me faithfully.  Never disputing any of my choices over where to go...Never NOT failing to greet me when I have returned from having left him behind (even if I only just stepped out of the room for a second!).
     Granted he is only a dog.  I know that.  I am no one's fool.  And Earl does not fool me either.  Nor does he try. He must know he is not human and does not pretend to act like one.  He is a dog. But a dog has intellect.  They have emotions.  This is something else I know.
     I am wandering in my thoughts.  Maybe it is an attempt to evade my strong emotions...
     For whatever reason, Earl's surgery has failed.  This coming Thursday he will have surgery again.  Something is wrong. Something is wrong with my dog. Wrong with my friend, Earl.
 

     This is post-op day 11 for Earl.  At the vet's this morning he had his sutures taken out.  All is progessing nicely and, to my dismay, slowly.  I was cautioned to not be in a hurry and be patient.  The rewards for my being so will come later.  The vet told me of dogs being allowed to return to normal activities too soon and did so to their peril.

     For the most part Earl seems resigned to his crate.  More often than not after potty breaks he returns to his "little room" without any prompting to do so.  After all this time does he now think this is a way of life?  Without a way to communicate to him that this is only temporary, what must he be thinking?  A more prefered explanation is that he is sleepy from his medication and only wants to rest. Hopefully in a few months this will only seem like a dream...

     I mentioned the wagon idea to the vet.  He thought it was a bad idea.  Suppose for whatever reason, Earl jumped from the wagon while I pulled him along?  I had better not chance it.

     I must continue to call into play that elusive virtue of patience... And wait...

     On a side note... Earl knows the difference between wait and stay.  'Wait' is a temporary 'stay' and proves useful in many situations.  If I say "wait" and start walking away from Earl he will follow.  As long as I remain with him he will hold a stay when told to 'wait'.  On the occasions when I want him to remain in place while I venture away from him, 'stay' is used.  Confusing?  I assure you it makes sense to Earl.  They are two distinct and separate commands.  Also, a solitary tap of my foot is used to signal him to prepare to break the 'wait' request. While he is 'wait'-ing he can do whatever he desires-sit, lie down, turn around-anything but go away from me. To train a dog to any command whether given by foot, hand or voice signal, consistent use of that particular cue is the key. But patience is the most important virtue one must possess in order to learn to communicate with a dog. 

     And patience is of vast importance when you are called upon to "crate" your dog for an expended period of time!

     On October the Ninth while playing outside Earl tore a ligament in his left hind leg.  Surgery was performed one week later.  Sometimes the ligament may only be partially ruptured, but Earl having to give everything his all managed to completely severe the ligament!

     Recuperation time is lengthy.  He will remain lightly tranquilized in his crate except for "potty" breaks and the occasional time out to lie upon a blanket on the floor.  It is during these times that he is massaged and petted.

     While his accident and all it entails is trying for me, it is no small ordeal for Earl!  He is very outgoing to say the least and his confinement puts him in a state of confusion.  Initially, anytime I opened the front door he would try to stand thinking he should accompany me.  Days later he now just lies there in his "private hospital bed" and looks longingly at me.

     When he is able to walk short distances I intend to procure a wagon large enough to accommodate him as he travels with me to varous places that are familiar to him.  I do not have any desire to cause him stress nor any intent to place him in any predicament  where he may further injure his leg, but it is clear he misses our outings together.  Only when it is safe will he be allowed once again to enjoy the public eye.

     Please come back to this page from time to time for updates on Earl's condition.  I will try to provide photos here as well.