Leia's First Friends!

Leia has made her first friends (Dog and Human!) Today we bumped in to a man and his Yorkie as we were returning from getting the mail and they were going to get it. I asked if he wanted to meet and he said sure. He asked her name and I said "Leia." He laughed and smiled "and this is Obi wan!" We died laughing as the pups sniffed.

Leia did growl at him once but quieted down and got to sniffing. Little Obi was very bouncy and happy. We found out he is about to go into training to be a therapy dog for children and veterans with PTSD. His owner, Pierce, is a nerd just like us and is going to the Star Wars con that Tom and I desperately wanted to go to (Jealous). Both Leia and Obi didn't seem to want to leave but eventually let Pierce and I go about our chores. I thanked Pierce for letting her socialize with Obi and he jokingly said the quote from the movies "help me Obi Wan Kenobi, your my only hope." Little Obi may be the hope for Leia and socializing, So far he is the first dog that she has been interested in socializing with and she really liked his owner too.

Thank you Obi and Pierce for being our first friends!

Thank god it's Fri-- Is that a cookie?

Well this morning we went for a short jaunt on the Tennis court and then a walk around the lake.We saw our friends the Ducks again and got some additional pictures. Leia's hip is still a little sore as sometimes you can see her "stagger step" (begin to step on that leg and then shift the weight off of it) but all in all she is still doing very well.

I took a short video of her on the tennis court.

As we were finishing up walk around 10:30, I saw a work truck from AT&T who had stopped to do some work on the lines for another building. Leia noticed the workman who immediately smiled and said hello. He asked if he could greet her and as always I said yes but just make sure to give her your hand first. He was sweet and kind and admired how cute she is. I mentioned she was a rescue and he said he didn't know why people still insist on buying dogs with how many good rescues are out there. I like this man!

He then asked if he could give her a cookie. He mentioned that the smartest thing he'd done was to start carrying milkbones in his truck. I had Leia sit and she gently took the cookie from him. I wish I knew his truck number. I tried to call AT&T and give him a good review but couldn't find a number that would do anything except sales. Either way, thank you to the great guy who took the time to make a Dog's day.

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Crazy storms coming in.

 

Leia with her Tail Mustache

 
For my own records: Hip problem happened again 8/17

Quick Update before bed

Well, today Leia was a bit subdued in the morning. We went on our walk and she kept up. We met a lady who saw Leia sitting, wagging, and smiling and laughing said "Oh she looks vicious." I replied "She'll kill ya with kisses." We came back to the apartment and she napped most of the morning and part of the afternoon with breaks between naps to follow Tom and I around the apartment and check to see if we were doing anything interesting.

Tom and I went out and picked up some dinner (Boardwalk Fries: We were impressed with their customer service and how personable they were) and when we returned Leia was supercharged. She was bouncy and excitable to the extent that when Tom was in the bedroom with Leia tailing him, and I called her back she came charging out of the bedroom, ran the length of the apartment, then ran back and flopped on her bed.

I took her out to the tennis court, hesitantly, and just let her trot around (no toys or sticks, just freedom to wander around). She promptly burned rubber from one end to the other, full speed, back knees to chin. I think she was tired of being on bed rest for her hip and luckily she was able to run without hurting herself.

Since that she has been out cold beside me or on her doggy bed. Around 10 she tucked herself in to her crate but around 12 she came back out because Mom and Dad were being too loud laughing at the TV and well, something worth while must be going on. All in all, it's been a good day. We even got a few of her nails trimmed! Well, goodnight social world!

Another Morning with the V.E.T.

Well we are back from our ...3rd? 4th? Not even sure which number but another Vet visit. First we had her ears checked, the left is still infected so we're gonna resume with treatment. We picked up more meds and cleaner and round 3 begins.

I had the vet check the spot in her mouth and was informed it is just a gland. Check the spot in her ear which is "red and angry" but definitely not a tumor. For now we just put some of her ear drops (a steroid drop) on it to help fix it.

They checked her hip and it probably did dislocate but went back in. They did an extension test and confirmed that her left is a bit sore at full extension. We'll take it easy for the next few days and just do walks, no big running for a few days.

She's now resting at home and conked out for 2 hours in her crate. Tom woke up, and she switched from her crate to her bed. She's such a sweetie but is just a bit subdued today (common after this vaccine.)

Before the vet this morning we discovered that Leia's favorite color is yellow-green as that was the pencil she stole and chewed under the coffee table...I corrected her and she pouted but hey, she takes after her Dad, his favorite color is green.

Tonight when we came home from a quick run out to the store I could hear Leia howling from the hallway... awesome. It could have been triggered by the neighbor's dog screaming, or the thunderstorm, or she could have just been pissed off but either way, I busted in the door and scolded her, then we walked out and went to check the mail. When we returned she was silent.

Practice, practice, practice... and thank God for merciful neighbors who haven't complained about her occasional in-crate tantrums, which I am pretty sure they can hear because I can hear it from the parking lot!!! Jebus Leia.... I love her so much but that has to stop for the sanity of all involved.

I did her first ear cleaning/drops this evening. She remembered all too well what that meant and was not a fan of it. She tried to run and hide behind Daddy, who brought her right back over. I offered treats and brushed her after (which she enjoys) but she was miffed.

Additionally we started playing a little bit of a training game with here to help learn who is who. Tom will say "Go to Mommy" and if she comes to me she gets love and praise. Then after some affection I say "Go to Daddy!" and she hurries over to Tom for more affection. She's learning our names (and her's too!) as we go through training together. She can be stubborn as a mule but her happy smile when she realizes she is going for a walk, or how willing she is to get in her crate, or the quiet thump of her tail when I get up in the morning makes it all worth it.

She's resting quietly now in her crate (She put herself to bed again). I might have to take a page from her book and get to bed soon. I am personally trying to stay healthy as the rescue world has gone up in flames for a bit. "Keep Calm and Rescue on" right?

Summer Snow and Boo-Boos

Picture from our walk.

This is an actual sign from our complex. Haha!

Well Leia is ABSOLUTELY shedding up a storm. I've brushed her a good 5 times in the past 2 days and have filled the small trash can both times. The house is absolutely covered in fur (oops!). Guess it is time to use the house cleaning groupon. It's like a snow storm in here.

This morning we went for a walk around the lake, met one of the maintenance men, and then went to the tennis court. Something told me I shouldn't go to the court but I figured I was just over reacting. Leia happily walked in, sat down, was released form her leash, and went to play with her new favorite toy, a palm clipping (light weight hallow stick).

I picked it up and threw it clear over the net. Leia went bounding off and took the tight turn at the corner of the net.  She skidded to the side and lifted her left leg, limping. I ran over to her and checked her paw, which was green from the court.  She limped for about 5 steps and then put her paw back down. You could tell she was uncomfortable but not yelping or crying. I'm not sure whether the court just stung her paw or if her left hip almost went out (it was in place when I got to her) but she scared the heck out of me. She also was not interested at all in continuing to play.

She left her little stick, her favorite new stick, laying on the court unattended, and slowly walked back to the gate with me. She can sit down and walk normally, but I'll be rubbing her leg down a few times today and cleaning her paw to make sure she's ok. I feel horrible for her cause I know how bad that can hurt. We'll take it easy today but keep her moving so she isn't in pain or getting too stiff.

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Leia gets Baptized

Well, today was the day. It started with me cooking a hotdog. Confused yet? Leia sat in the living room, inhaling the sweet smell of hotdog cooking on the stove. As the hotdog was cooking I started a bath and then returned to cooking. I chopped up the hotdog, put it in a small bowl, and walked into the bathroom with a slip lead and Leia trailing behind me. I pushed the door to, took off her collar, put on the slip lead, and then picked her up and plopped her in the bath. She just stood there, accepting her fate... Bath time!

It took a good 15 minutes to get her soaked, soaped up, and scrubbed down. Then (using a large movie theater soda cup) I rinsed her off again. She stood, clearly not comfortable and let me bathe her on the condition I kept the tiny bits of hotdog coming.

Then I lifted her out, and began drying her off. We went through two towels and 3 shakes in the bathroom, and a third towel out in the living room (with more shakes and bouncing around the apartment). We sat down for way over half an hour and brushed and dried, brushed and dried, then furminated, brushed and dried. Remember the picture of the fur filled trashcan from yesterday? Yea, same amount today!

She looks great and smells good too. She is currently sitting on her bed, resting but just  a moment ago something set her off and she lay there, giving a low gravely growl. Not aggressive, just talking I think. Maybe she could hear something I couldn't. Tom was equally puzzled.

All in all she handled it very well.

A Week with Daddy: Welcome Home Mommy.

Well, I am finally back from vacation. Leia and Tom did pretty well without me but the first two days were a little rocky. Leia was nervous and very needy and it frayed quite a few of his nerves but they got into a good routine and were able to do very well together.

When I came home Leia was a bundle of puppy energy, prancing around the house and practically crawling circles around me. You could hear it in her behavior "Mommy's home! Mommy's Home!!!"
 
We returned to our normal schedule with she and I going on our morning walk, breakfast, down time, walk, and dinner. The main exceptions to the schedule today, was our trip to PetSmart  for more food, Time on the tennis court, and Tom and I going out to dinner. 

We did well with getting the food except that they were out of the 35lb back of her food. We discovered that they will, however, sell you two 17.5lb bags for the same price as the 35 (each 17.5 is normally $20 something, so it would have been way more expensive than the one big bag).

"I'm telling you, that dude and his dog
were flat! Like 2D!"

Leia did well in the store but was a bit concerned by the cardboard standee of Bret Michaels and his German shepherd. She growled a little and barked at it because I think it scared her. It was like she was saying "Mom... Dad... something is wrong with those two.... seriously!... I mean look at them!"

Outside of the PetsMart we were waiting for Daddy to run an errand in the next store over when I notice Leia try to eat something. She hit it but didn't catch it in her mouth. I then noticed that what she'd attempted to eat was a wasp, a very mad wasp who was now chasing us. Seriously girl? A wasp!?

We ran back closer to PetsMart and waited for Tom. We met and greeted a family of 3, Mom, Dad, and a little girl who was probably about 4 years old. I knelt down and explained to both the Mom and the little girl (who arrived first) how to greet Leia by holding out their hands and letting her sniff. They did and then petted her when she was ready. Leia did very well with the little girl. Her mom asked about Leia and what breed she was. I gave my best guesses and explained she was a rescue. They loved meeting her and I think it was good practice for her. The family got to see how she reacted when Tom came out, which was to get very excited and stand to wag from tip to tail.

We came home and went out on the tennis court to run for a bit. We've discovered she loves chasing palm sticks. She almost knows how to bring those back to us, except when she doesn't want to, but really that attitude extends to many things. She can be a bit stubborn when she feels like it, Mommy and Daddy just have to be more stubborn.

After her run we brought her back to the apartment and put her dinner and a Kong in her crate with her (as she went in to cool down) and gave her a tranquility treat before we headed out to use some gift cards at outback for dinner. That being said, special thanks to the sweet couple who gave us a $5 off coupon, it really came in handy and we only had to spend 20 cents plus tip for the whole meal.

When we got home I furminated Leia again, and then brushed her. Please note, she'd already been furminated twice that week... and tonight I got a ball of fur significantly bigger than a softball. She must be blowing her coat for the end of summer. One more reason she needs a bath soon. She loved the whole session, which probably lasted a good 15 minutes.

 I really did miss this girl and we are plotting to take her to the beach sometime. She's been pretty good today and seems to be accepting that I am not immediately leaving for another week. It's late now and Leia is settling into her crate for bed time (she put herself to bed again). We took a bunch of  cute pictures today which I posted bellow. Enjoy!

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