Digging Is His Unhealthy Obsession

October 1st, 2012

Things were going so great with Drake.  He was fitting in with all of my loverlies and learning everything I threw at him.  Had to go on a dog sitting job and I had been making plans to have a dear friend of mine drive down from the Dallas area to join me on a trip to my home town of Beeville.  There we were going to have a 50 year reunions of sorts.  50 years of friendship.  I had make my hostess aware that I would have to bring him, but had reassured him of his progress.

I had been outside with all of my dogs etc working in the yard.  I had the sprinklers on and was having a great morning.  I decided to go in to fix lunch.  As a habit my dogs all follow me in and out most of the day.  I did notice that Drake did not follow me in, but I saw him and didn't have a worried thought as I sat down for lunch.

As I started back outside, I noticed I couldn't see him anywhere.  I ran outside with my eyes sweeping the yard from left to right and back again.  I moved off the porch, still searching.  Suddenly I saw my Mexican Pansies moving, like wind gently blowing.  It caught my attention.  As I moved closer I could see him.  Digging as fast as he could and then tried to shove his whole body through the hole and under the fence.  Then  dig, dig, push again.  I could not believe my eyes.  He was almost out of the yard.

I felt panic as I ran the last few steps to grab him.  He was covered in mud and defiant as I picked him up.  When I put him down, you know by now what he did.  Started digging again frantically.  I grabbed him several times before removing him to the house.  I had to put him in his crate.  He was barking and crying at the doggie door because I had closed it.  I ran outside and begin to drag a couple of eight feet four by twos over to bury in the ground behind the fence, so he couldn't get out.  i did sixteen feet, but would have to watch him now until I could get the wood to finish.

He was in that same manic state that he would get into when playing in water or spinning in my bath tub.  It was that "60" that I talked about in the beginning.  It just seemed that I didn't know what would start him off next.  It wasn't just his manic behavior, but I cold not seem to bring him out of it.  I thought I would have to just be aware of him at the bath tub or in pools of water, but now it was under a fence.  If I didn't know what to redirect him from, what was I to do.  If anything and everything could set him off, how could I redirect him.  How could I help him.  I knew that I was not equipped to handle him when he got into that state.  He would just have to wear himself out sleep and then eventually go to bed.  Try again the next day.

 

Then had been the most serious so far, in so many ways.  He would have been helpless if he had gotten out.  I might have lost him or worse.  The other thought was, is this how we got him in the first place?  Did he escape from a loving owner that did not know his fate?  Had he gotten into the state we found him in by his own demons.  What had he been through?  How much farther did we have to go before we could help his anxiety or whatever is throwing him into these states.  I needed to get him tagged.  I needed to put some notifications on craigs list in Houston, just in case.  I can't imagine loosing him and having to imagine horrible endings, instead of knowing.  Most of all I have to learn how to help him.  I am so over my head.  I have to find some knowledge hidden deep in me that I haven't remembered yet.  So many years of rescue dogs, so many different problems, so many of my own pets, so many years of experience.  I just felt over whelmed and I knew that basically that was what was wrong with my boy.

Two Hundred Dollar Tummy Ache

September 30, 2012

I vaguely remembered that Drake had tried to vomit through the night.  When I woke up I say a couple of spots that just looked wet.  It wasn't pee and didn't look like vomit.  I was due to change the sheets anyway, so just had to strip the sheets a little earlier than I had planned.

I noticed that he was moving a little slowly and when I tried to feed him breakfast, he didn't eat a kibble.  He lay around most of the morning and instead of worrying, I admit that this quieter version of my usually very busy boy was a nice change.

Just as I began to really get things done, he began to hack like he wanted to vomit.  All that came up was a little clear water, with the slightest tinge of red.  It looked like it could be blood.  I just couldn't be sure.  His mood was so somber, that I admit, I began to worry about him.  I thought, well I will just watch him.  I was beginning to think he must have eaten something that he was attempting to throw up. 

They had told me in prison to always pick up the stuffing out of his toys because he would eat them.  I had seen him attempt to eat his rubber toys and the squeakers that came out of them.  Now I starting making phone calls and describing his morning to friends.  One of my friends said that if I really thought that he might have eaten something, that the vet might be able to make him throw it up instead of having to remove it surgically.  I still hesitated until I saw him throw up tons of water.  I hadn't even seen him drink any, but it wasn't going down.  I called the vet and she was in, but of course it was Saturday and about 12 minutes after they closed.  I knew it would be an emergency call, but decided not to wait.

As the vet examined Drake, her urgency seemed to fade.  She said that he seemed fine, she didn't feel anything.  The dog didn't seem stressed.  I said let's take an ex ray, I just knew something was wrong.  As they left the exam room, for the ex ray room, I thought could it be something that poisoned him?  Around the corner they both came.  Dr. Moore said, "The only thing I see is an enormous amount of feces".   What?  He was vomiting and gaging.  She explained that some dogs get nauseous when they get constipated.  Did I want something for the nausea, she asked.  Yes, but for me.  Not for that dog with the little upset stomach from constipation.  I knew that just walking in the door was over one hundred dollars and it was sounding like a two hundred stomach ache to me. 

 

She gave him a shot for his nausea and I paid the bill.  As I put him in the car, my anger immediately turned to relief.  I was so happy that he was going to be fine.  She had suggested that I stop on the way home and get a little canned pumpkin for his food to help his "sticky" situation, so of course I did.  She said that he had to eat to get things moving.  He did and it did and I was relieved.  I looked at his odd little face when he was asleep, I recognized what I was feeling as love.  In spite of everything that was happening on a daily basis, and everything that I was sure would come, I loved the little bugger.  I also knew that as much as he would tear my world apart, that he would add so much to it.

He Smells The Tail That Wags

September 29th, 2012

The next morning after arriving home from my house/doggie sitting job, Drake seemed calm.  He was even approaching my dogs to smell them first.  He wagged his tail and I saw him do a play bow several times, but unfortunately the dog had moved on, not seeing him trying to play.  Most of my pack is too old to want to play, but there are a couple that I hold out hope for a play mate.  I have been told by Paws that he does like to play.  I am hoping for that to happen.

With Drake calmer, I decided he could and should spend more time in the back yard.  It had dried up from my watering, so I was hoping he could explore.  Explore he did.  He seemed so happy again.  He did spin in a few spots, but I would touch his color area and he would be fine.  He did not want me to take him in, so when he would feel me, he would turn and go the opposite way.  Like a kid would.  I would smile every time.

 

I noticed that he paid much attention to the donkey, but when I went back to check on him.  I found the fascination was not with Cisco, but with his poo.  Drake thought it smelled delicious and wanted to eat it soo-oo-o badly.  I tried my best to redirect him away from the donkey and eventually he smelled the chickens.

I know I shouldn't have laughed or be laughing now, but funny is funny.  I will have to start by telling you about my rooster Ruby.  Yep, Ruby is sorta a girl's name, but he deserves it.  It was after the  fire we had last September.  I was trying to reunite pets with their owners and was going out to the local shelter every day.  I kept seeing this small white chicken sitting in a little bird cage, laying in front of bird food.  So on the ninth day I asked what they were going to do with it.  They said, they didn't know what to do with her.  Nobody had claimed her.  I said I have a couple of chickens and could I just take her home.  They said, sure.  As I picked it up to take, I noticed that the feet were all burned on the bottom.  It looked and smelled infected, so I took it straight to the vet.  She said it had a 106 degree temperature, was heavily infected and might not make it.  However, she said 50/50, so I said let's try to save her.  Two months of changing bandages every four days and treating her burns, the vet deemed her well.  The only problem was as the two months went by not only did she heal, but she started to crow.  Now I had two hens, Juanita and Lacey, so you would think romance was inevitable.  The only problem with that was, while we saved Ruby's life, he lost all his toes from the advanced infection.  So when poor Ruby would try to woo Juanita or Lacey and would jump on a back, he had nothing to hold on with.  Just his beak, but he would oh so slowly slide to the side and then to the ground.  Well, I had entertained myself with that maneuver for months.  I will never know if Juanita's eggs had any little Ruby's in them, but it sure was fun to watch him try.

Back to Drake.  I was about to watch sweet little blind Drake kill Ruby and Ruby kill him right back.  Drake would get the scent.  Nose in the air straight to the chickens, of course the chickens had the advantage of sight.  So they would run, not Ruby.  He was ready to fight for his girls.  Problem being roosters fight with their feet (eh toes).  Rudy posing, Drake running the wrong way.  Chickens gone, Drake could never even get close enough to Ruby for him to get a swing with his little nubs.  Now, again, I know I shouldn't have laughed, not to mention be smiling as I'm writing.  However, it might be one of those things that you had to be there for, but I hope one person gets a smile at the expense of my great little ban of animals.

Changing Locations

September 23rd-28th

Today was the first day of a house/doggie sitting job.  I occasionally would watch my neighbors pets while they would travel or if they had an emergency.  Originally I thought this job was for next week and Drake would have more time to adjust to his new home, before having to stay in another home.  I had explained everything to the people that I was going to work for, and they had suggested that I come over a few times be fore they left.  Drake could map and be familiar with the pet and the house before we went.  We had been over three times.  Drake seemed to enjoy it.

He did great at their house.  He used their doggie door, ignored their dog, just as he had mine.  He ate well.  I never saw him stressed.  He would spin very rarely outside.  I thought he was more happy in their home than he was in his home.  They only had one dog there, she ignored him.  They had a smaller home, one story.  I didn't have to water the yard.   I think his transition would be much easier at our home if we did not have a seven pack household.  I kept most of their house and especially the bathroom closed off.  I was always that the size and lay out of my home would be a challenge.  He didn't seem to find things to obsess over, much like his life behind bars probably would have been.

So I just bonded with him, played with the other dog and enjoyed my time in my neighbor's home.  I knew that they would be home and I would go back to the transition of Drake into my world.

A Garden Tub Is My Nemesis

September 22nd, 2012

Wow!  Now he seemed to want nothing but to spin in the tub.  He wouldn't stay out of the tub.  I knew I had to stop this.  It was quickly becoming a neurotic experience and he was obsessing.  What could I do.  I had created him a play room, hoping to replicate the cell he had been living in size and play area.  By narrowing down the area for him to be at any one time, I had thought would keep him from being overwhelmed.  Here he was, as overwhelmed as I had seen him.  He was not having fun, he was acting out in some bizarre way and for some bizarre reason that I did not understand.

Splish, Splash, Now He Needs A Bath

September 21st, 2012

As I did my morning ritual with my Drake, I noticed he was more curious about the backyard.  I slowed down and took my time.  I decided that this after noon I wold bring him out with me and do some watering.  My poor yard had been so neglected, like everything else, since this wonderful creature had come into my life.  Maybe it was just boredom.  Besides it had been nine days since he had moved in, with his precious ball.

As first it was fabulous.  He had always been so independent.  That is the very first thing I had noticed about him the day I first laid my eyes on him.  He was in a very big room, with lots of chairs and tables.  It was the visiting room, so it certainly was not empty.  There he was navigating around at full speed.  Tail and nose high, you would have never guessed that he was blind, much less further impaired with his loss of hearing.  I was seeing that same confidence, as he navigated around my yard.  He visited all my out door pets.  Smelled them and showed no fear, just a healthy curiosity.

Then it happened.  I had been watering and some of the water had run down and formed a little shallow river.  Drake found it.  At first it was just barking and spinning.  I would touch him and he would move a little,but was still near the water.  He had loved water while at Paws.  They said one of his best tricks was to be showed a stone, that would fit into his mouth.  Then they would throw it in their shallow little pond (container purchased from Tractor Supply), and he would retrieve it.  So, thinking that he would have the same reaction, I found a stone.  He showed no interest, just continued with his spinning.  Now he was frantically digging and barking.  It was not a healthy game, he was manic.  I picked him up, took him to the kitchen for a quick rinse off.  As soon as I rinsed him off, I put him down.  He ran out my doggie door into the back yard and the mud.  By the time I arrived, he was muddier that the first time. 
 
Everything seemed to turn into some seemingly obsessive and manic behavior.  His joy always seemed to turn bad.  I had to take him into the house, give him a full on bath and lock the doggie door.  He cried and would spin at the door, so I eventually took him upstairs to play in his play room.  I was going to have to really monitor him, especially when he seemed to be having a good time.  That is what always lead to trouble.  How sad I thought, he can't seem to relax enough to just enjoy anything.

A Tiger By The Tail

September 20th, 2012

Because he seemed to be a little calmer upstairs without any other dogs, I decided to keep my routine the same for now.  Wake up out the front door, around backyard, into the kitchen for morning training.  Then upstairs for playing and first pill.  The issue of that darn bath tub was again going to be an issue.  In the tub, I had started throwing his "special occasion ball" to make his fun last a little longer.  It would give me about 2 more minutes.  It was frustrating, but I didn't want to close the door to the bathroom, it was such a great area for him.  I knew I had to come up with something.  As I watched him play with his ball in the tub, I had a really bad thought.  Things could get worst.  What if he somehow destroyed or lost the ball.  I had asked Machelle about getting more and she said she had no idea where it came from.  It had been very popular and if I found it to get a couple extra.  Well, I had begun to feel guilty about taking the ball out of the mouth of another dog.  Of course that feeling had not bothered me until, I had said ball, safely to my house.  I quickly found the exact ball online.  Found 'em, ordered 'em. bam.  Done.  Now back to the tub debacle.  As I watched him, I saw him go from 1 to 60 so fast.

I haven't shared with you about a "60".  That was his umber fit.  They were horrible and I think extremely hard on Drake.  He would go into them so fast.  He would become angry, spin like I thought he would turn into butter and his bark would sound more like a yelp.  I would pick him up from behind, as I had been taught by my ladies at Paws.  Wrap both arms around his chest, and hold on for his outburst.  He trust around yelping, throwing his head from side to side, and fighting me with all of his strength.  I would sit down to conserve my strength.  His yelp would slowly turn into whimpers.  It was not unusual for him to turn his head and lick my mouth, as he would melt into my arms.  You had to continue to hold him for awhile and make sure he was okay.  If you would start to reach down to release him too soon, he would immediately try to rip himself away from you.  Then you would have to pull him back for a short struggle.  If you let him get down, it would start all over again.   It was as close as I would come, or even imagine coming to, having a tiger by his tail.

The fits look like a temper fit, but I have never thought they were that simple.  He will spin and always will, it is part of mapping.  All blind dogs do this to make sure where they are.  He does it all day, but comes out of it by his self.  What causes these '60" fits?  Are they frustration, manipulation of me, senses overwhelmed, fear or are they all for different reasons.  I am trying so hard to understand, if I could, I could really help Drake.  In my journey to locate a reason, I did reach out to another blogger, named Harold Gale.  His blog is called Blind Dogs Forever.  He has much scientific information and really did teach me alot about the double dapples.  However, this is an emotional outburst and only I can figure this out.  Research, watch over him and continue to take all his fears away and replace them with trust.  Well, that sound pretty darn simple.

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