Straydog UPDATE posted SATURDAY 3/8/03 at ~10:04 p.m. CT

Pat Arnold's Daily Dog Log

SATURDAY MARCH 8 2003

No dogs adopted today--but a home visit is set up for next Saturday, with Puppy-Dog Gidget!

      Today we took six beautiful dogs to our Adoption Day in Dallas, and they all came home again. No one was interested in adopting a special pet today while our group was there, but we did get a call later from a young woman who had seen Gidget during our stay at PetsMart, and she wants to adopt the adorable, gentle little puppy-dog. The plans are made now for Gidget to go to the family's home this coming Saturday.

Tenison Golf Course Dog Family Update

      The father and Jesse-Bear's sibling are still on the loose, even after so many attempts to rescue them, but none of us has given up on these two dogs. Another rescue mission is in the planning, and hopefully we'll have good news to report very soon.

The two dogs of the golf course family who have been rescued, Jesse-Bear and his mother, Mama Dog Laura, are doing fine

      Jesse-Bear and his mother, Laura, both here at our Happy Home for Strays, are adjusting very well to their new life as "confined" dogs. Losing their "freedom to roam" hasn't seemed to phase either dog at all. Mama Laura, who is very ill with advanced heartworm disease, seems to be feeling better every day. There's lots of happy tail wagging going on now from the mother and her son, which shows they are happy and feeling good, and they both have terrific appetites!

Snowflake is not doing very much better

      Snow has been getting her subcutaneous fluids for two days now, but she doesn't seem to be getting any better. ("Subcutaneous" means "located or placed just beneath the skin.") Her tummy is still upset. She was hungry for breakfast but couldn't hold it down later in the day. She continues to enjoy her many trips outside, tho, and she loves the beautiful weather we've been having for the past couple of days, so we take her out often, mostly at her request. I'll be taking her to the doctor this Monday, first thing, if she isn't better by then.

All the new puppies are just fine

      We added a small section to Terry and Tina's tiny puppy kennel, and they love having a bit more room to run and tussle in.

Corky visits with bigger fellas, Blind Puppy Chubs and his sister, Cassie

      Today I took Corky into "the Helen kennel" to play with bigger pups, Cassie and Chubs, for a little socialization for all three pups and to give Corky some friends to play with (in addition to Aussies Terry and Tina, as their threesome play periods are short and have to be closely supervised to keep the two bigger pups from picking on Corky).

      All pups need socialization to get them used to other puppies so they will grow up to be friendly dogs and not be agressive toward other dogs, and Corky had a great time playing with Cassie. Cassie entered into play right away with Corky, and Chubs played a little too, but when things became a bit rowdy between Cassie and Corky, Blind Pup Chubs preferred to sit on the "sidelines" and listen, which is certainly understandable.

      Because Chubs can't see, he can only tell where the other pups are by hearing them (or smelling them) as they tussle with each other, but when Corky and Cassie began running all over the kennel, whizzing by Chubs in all different directions, I could see that this "fast-action," rough-and-rowdy play was beginning to upset and confuse Blind Chubs, so I took the little fellow aside, and we played tug the tuggy toy, while Cassie and Corky played together. This is also the reason that we haven't put Corky in the Helen kennel to "room" with Chubs and Cassie. The arrangement would be okay for Cassie but not for Chubs.

      Three pups together right now is too much for Chubs, so tomorrow I'll put Cassie in the big play yard for some sniffing around fun, and let just Corky and Chubs play together in Chubs' kennel (formerly the Helen kennel, familiar territory for Chubs). This will be especially good for Blind Pup Chubs, as he needs this socialization just as much as (if not more than) the sighted pups. (Mike, Blind Stevie's dad, will attest to this.)