Friday, 4/7 I know, I'm falling down on the job again. I'm battling ooky sinuses and both sinus headaches and one of my rare, bad migraines. A crashed computer. Trying to get Blizzard ready for the CGC. (Which, by the way, she failed - though she aced 9 out of 10 tests, during the test where the dog is supposed to lie or sit still while the tester handles their ears, muzzles, paws, and tail Blizzard tried to climb up into Chris' lap to give her kisses. She failed for being too friendly. *G*) Therapy visits. Etc.

Penny was alone on Monday's therapy visit - there were 2 other dogs, each visited every other week. Penny and I go every week. So every other week Penny and Jackson (a Golden/Brittany-X) are together, and the other dog (a collie or sheltie mix) was Jazz. Jazz had a problem with Jackson, so we were hoping she'd be OK with Penny, but though she was really great with the kids she growled at Pen a couple of times. (Penny wasn't anywhere near her, and not looking at her, either - she just plain out didn't like other dogs except those she lives with.) So Jazz won't be going to visit the kids any more. She'd do well in an environment where she's the only dog, but the hospital wants 2 at a time if possible. So, for now, Penny will be alone every other week until they find a new dog. I'd really like to see Blizzard and Penny working together, but Blizz is 5 months away from being old enough to qualify. She's going to be a great therapy dog, but she needs that 5 months to mature and calm down a little. She's sweet and friendly, but still puppy-boisterous; 5 more months of growing up should do the trick.

I just found out today that the Dogo Argentino Club of America (DACA) is holding their 2000 Nationals in Kalamazoo! That's only about an hour and a half drive away from me. I'm so glad we get to go - Blizzard's going to be in the Rescue Parade, and everyone's interested in seeing how she "performs" with the hand signs. They said to bring Penny along, and they'll just pretend she's "a "rare", spotted, long-coated Dogo". *VBG* This is a great opportunity to demonstrate to breeders what a deaf dog is capable of. Dogo breeders seem to be more willing to place deaf pups rather than euthanizing them than breeders of other breeds with genetic deafness, but there are still far too many PTS simply because they're deaf. (Dogos have a 10% rate of bilateral deafness - that's pretty high.)

Blizzard's in the lower right corner

I have a little over 2 months to refine "manners" and teach Blizzard some crowd-pleasing tricks before she makes her big "debut". But she's kinda switched into learning mode the last week and a half or so - something's just clicked, and all of a sudden she's doing everything I've been asking her to do for months now - and she should pick up some tricks pretty easily. She's got "go out" so well, that I only have to make the sign once and she goes tearing for the back door and sits, waiting to be hooked up to go out. Yesterday, she rose to a sit from a down when I asked her. (This is a big deal - it's easy to get them to go to a down from a sit, but reversing it and having them sit from a down is a toughie. If she's already in a down, she'll "show me your belly" without a nudge from my toe, now. (Ultimate goal is to do it from any position, including standing.) Stay? Yeah, we can do that - piece of cake! Down? Plop! Blizzard never does anything in half-measures - she goes all out. She dives into a down. She gallops to me when called. She's a little barbarian with her dinner. (Penny is much more genteel - Blizzard can polish off a half dozen chicken wings in the time it takes Pen to eat one.) She's so....blatant. Penny is subtle and complex; Blizzard will never be subtle, and she's about as complex as a concrete block. What a pair.

Tika and Fritz went along on today's visit to the seniors. Tika was, as usual, relaxed and comfortable with those elderly laps to cuddle on. Fritz did ok with a couple of the ladies, but I don't think therapy visiting is his idea of a fun way to spend an hour. I think French will do real well in that environment, but oddly, he's always MIA on the morning of a therapy visit. Smart cat. That cat is a hoot. He's turned into the biggest cuddle-mush I've ever met.

Tuesday, 4/11 After I'd bathed Penny yesterday, I got a call cancelling our therapy visit - once again, no sick kids. Good! Since Penny expects and outing after a bath, I decided to take both dogs in to be tested for heartworm. (Something that should be done on an annual basis, even if the dog's on heartworm preventative year-round. Nothing's 100% effective.) I must have been out of my mind, taking both of them at once. Penny's good, but it would have been better if I'd been able to give Blizzard 100% of my attention. Still, they did OK after they calmed down a little, they were rocks during the blood draw (Penny never even flinched when the needle went in), and generally pretty well-behaved while we were in the exam room. I got them weighed - Penny's up to about 64 pounds (about 3/4 pound gain over the last 4 months) so I think she's finally settling in at her "adult" weight. Blizzard's up to 61 pounds - that's a 4 pound gain in less than two weeks. And it's not pudge, either. Her legs are finally growing, catching up with the rest of her - she's getting taller and more graceful looking. (She doesn't look so much like a horizontal fire plug with short little legs anymore.) I'm beginning to see the adult body structure emerge from the puppy, and I think she's going to be a real beaut. Big, too. I think I may have underestimated before - I think she'll be closer to 90 pounds than to 80. Anyway, I just got the call that they're both negative. It's always reassuring to get good news.

I think (I hope) I got a great pic of Mr. French and Blizzard together last night. Those two are such a hoot together! I can't wait to finish up the roll and get the pics developed. I finally found a place to download the drivers I needed for my scanner, so I'm back in business and I'll put up the new pics as soon as I get them.

I got an e-mail today from one of the rescue group board members who's started feeding her dogs BARF. You remember, the group that won't let me foster for them because I won't feed the SciDi or Eukanuba they provide? (I used to buy Sensible Choice out of my own pocket.) I guess maybe my relationship with them served it's purpose, though - I got Blizzard, and at least one of them got educated about food. And that's where Dolce's staying (she hasn't been adopted yet) so at least I know she's back on a raw diet. =)

Friday, 4/14 You know, I am such a doofus - I forgot to make a link to this month's journal from the main diary page. Duh. Problem is, I work on this either first thing in the morning (fuzzy-headed, sucking down coffee trying to collect myself) or late at night (tired). In both cases, I'm a little on the dull side. *G*

I got an e-mail last night from our household obedience instructor Chris. Chris is in charge of Michigan Weimaraner Rescue, and she's got a 6-month old girl with demodetic mange. Lilly was rescued from the "free" bin at a puppy mill auction - she has scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and though her shoulders and hips are in line (the vet said she's got about the best hips he's ever seen - amazing!), her spine sort of corkscrews over her ribs, throwing her ribcage off to one side. Chris says Lilly is the sweetest Weim she's ever met - she has an incredible desire to please (Weims can be rather independent-minded, especially the bitches). Chris says you don't notice Lilly's problem when she's running - apparently, Lilly runs like the wind - and you don't notice it much when she's walking, but she just hasn't quite coordinated the Weim's easy, springy lope yet. As Lilly grows and her spine calcifies, it will protect her from injury - once her skeleton's matured, she's at no more risk of injury than any other dog.

Anyway, they don't want to dip her in mitaban, the generally-accepted treatment for demodetic mange. I've been researching mange since I heard about Lilly, and I've discovered that all dogs, most cats, and most humans have demodex mites living on their bodies. (They live in the base of our eyelashes and the creases of our noses.) They only cause a problem when the immune system isn't strong enough to keep them in check. Demodetic mange is usually a puppy disease - puppies have less well-developed immune systems - and a localized case usually resolves itself between 6-8 months of age as the immune system matures. But Lilly's got three strikes against her - poor nutrition, poor environmental conditions, and poor breeding - and her immune system is depressed. So I spent my "breaks" from housework today researching immune-system boosting therapies for dogs. I got some good information (that Dax O'Buff's a font of good information) that I'll be passing along to Chris.

Anyway, in the exchange of e-mails between Chris and me last night, she told me she's doing two therapy dog demonstrations tomorrow at the county Animal Control Open House and that she'd love to have Penny come and demonstrate. So Penny and I are going to AC tomorrow to put on a show for the folks there. *G* Penny loves to be the center of attention, and is always on her best behavior. It's supposed to be really nice here tomorrow (shorts?), and it'll be nice to spend some time outside.

I actually spent a good bit of time outside today, hanging 8 loads of laundry as they came out of the washer. I put the girls in the dog run together, and I rearranged the furniture in half my bedroom and shampooed half the carpet. (I'll finish the other half tomorrow afternoon.) I'm still not quite sure where everything's going to end up, but the old arrangement wasn't working so it's time for something new. (The dog crates were impeding my access to the closet.) Heck, things are either going to end up pretty much back where they started, or be at totally opposite ends of the room. My bedroom is quite large - like two small bedrooms end-to-end; I have enough room in there for a cat tree, a loveseat and a coffee table in addition to the bookshelf, dresser, bed tables, bed, TV table, clothes tree, and 2 big dog crates, and there's still a lot of open space in the middle. There's just got to be a "smoother" way to arrange the furniture than the way it is now.

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