Spotz Has a New Home

‘Tis a great day. Our former dog, Spotz, who was returned a few weeks ago to the adoption clinic from whence he came, has found a new home. Not just any home either. From the sounds of it, it appears his new owners will be very caring indeed. He’ll be going to an active family, which is exactly what he needs. One member of his new family is a woman who runs 10 miles every morning, and she’ll be taking Spotz along with her on these excursions. Spotz’s new family tried him out for a week before deciding to keep him, so they’ve had a good amount of time to determine whether he’s a good fit for them.

My family and I are quite pleased with this news. I just hope it turns out to be great for Spotz in the long run, and it seems as though it will. We miss him, but we want what’s best for him, and he needs constant activity and attention. Such thorough care was very difficult for us to maintain. Jeanine was working her tail off with Spotz, but even her godly efforts weren’t quite enough for this particular K-9.

Greener Pastures?

Spotz is no longer with us. No, he didn't die, but he doesn't live with us anymore, and he's been gone since Friday. Wherever he ends up, I hope it means greener pastures.

Spotz Keeps on Growing

This little K-9 isn’t so little anymore. Spotz is growing like wildfire. At this rate, he’s going to be the size of a St. Bernard! When we first got him (back in December of ‘08), we were told he is part Border Collie. What the other parts of him are, we don’t know. Perhaps he does have St. Bernard blood. If so, he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with! To his credit though, he’s very smart and mostly obedient.

Spotz the Biter

This guy sure likes to bite. He’ll grow out of it, I hope.

His legs are wrapped because not only did he just get neutered, he also had his dewclaws removed.

There he goes, biting the hand that feeds.

Hmm, What Next?

Spotz is contemplating what he should chew on next.

Kennel Cough and a Bad Water Heater

Part one of this troublesome day: Our brand new puppy, Spotz, has kennel cough, and most likely pneumonia. Poor little guy.

Kennel cough, also known as infectious tracheobronchitis, is the most common upper respiratory problem occurring in dogs. It is very contagious among canines. Worldwide, a large percentage of dogs will acquire this disease at some point during their lives.

There are various viral agents that can cause kennel cough, the most common being the parainfluenza virus.

Symptoms of kennel cough include a dry, hacking cough (many describe the cough as having a honking sound). Sometimes the cough is followed by retching. In some cases, as with Spotz, another symptom is a watery nasal discharge. In many cases the affected dog will continue to be alert and active with no real loss of appetite. In more serious cases a dog with kennel cough can become lethargic, show signs of fever, and lose the desire to eat. It is possible for this disease to progress toward pneumonia and possibly even death.

My wife and I took Spotz to the vet today, and the vet said Spotz's lungs sounded like they had signs of pneumonia.

A couple of treatment options exist for kennel cough. In mild cases of the disease, antibiotics may or may not be used. Bronchodilators and cough suppressants may also be used, but only in mild cases. In more severe cases, antibiotics (doxycycline, for example, which is what the vet prescribed for Spotz) are often employed, but the use of cough suppressants and steroids is not recommended because of the possibility of immunosuppression.

For a long time it was thought that human contact with infectious tracheobronchitis posed no health risks. However, it has recently been shown that disease may occur in humans who have compromised immune systems. This means that precautions should be taken to keep young children away from dogs suffering from kennel cough. Generally, though, there seems to be no health risk to humans.

The vet seemed to think that Spotz will be just fine and that he'll show signs of improvement within two or three days. I sure hope he's right.

Part two of this troublesome day: When we returned home from the vet we discovered that our water heater had sprung a leak. Bummer. I spent some time draining it, but when I turned off the valve for the water flowing into the tank, the valve handle broke off. Therefore, I'm not sure if it got completely shut off before breaking. If not, it'll be leaking throughout the evening.

Even though I can't afford a new water heater at this time, I may have to purchase one on credit. The ox is kinda in the ditch, as they say. My wife and I currently have no debt (other than the house), and I hate the idea of taking on any debt now.

A Snowy Dog Day

What a day! I woke up to lots of snow on the ground, and it was still coming down when I first saw it. My poor Kawasaki Vulcan was covered in a blanket of cold whiteness.

I got to bed late last night because Jeanine, Benjamin, and I were watching The Dark Knight. We weren't able to start the movie till very late in the evening, and it ended up being close to 3:00 A.M. before we were able to hit the sack. The show was good, the Joker even better. The bad thing about the whole deal was that I was quite tired, and so I missed a few things in the movie. I want to watch it again when I'm more alert. Tonight, maybe?

We did it! As unbelievable as it may sound, we actually did it. We've added a new member to our family. Jeanine and I went to PetSmart and happened to fall in love with a six-week-old brown and white puppy. He's most likely a cross between a border collie and an Australian shepherd. A new dog is what Davis has been wanting for Christmas more than anything. When Jeanine and I got home with the puppy she quickly put him in a box and covered it with wrapping paper. Davis unwrapped the package and got a nice early-Christmas surprise. I know he'll take good care of it. Right now, the little doggy's sleeping in a portable kennel in Freeman's and Davis's bedroom.  He's been rather tired since we brought him to his new home. No doubt it will take some time for him to adjust to his new life.

Coming up with a name for this new addition wasn't super easy. Initially, I suggested to Jeanine that we name the mutt Pirate because "he stole our hearts." Sappy, I know. Then I thought maybe Buddy would be an apropos appellation. Davis didn't like either name. He wanted to call him Brownie. Jeanine told him to think about it for awhile. Later on Davis came up with the name Spots. The puppy does have three or four big spots on his back and little spots on his nose and legs. I then suggested to Davis that we should spell Spots with a Z at the end instead of an S, thinking that would give the name a cool zing. He agreed, as did the other kids. So Spotz it is. We're all excited about having this new pet dog, and we welcome him with open arms.

A New Dog...Already?

My family members have been stating their case for getting a new dog ever since our last dog, Sebastian, passed away (not even a month ago yet). My youngest son, Davis, is especially thrilled about the idea of a new K-9. That's all he really wants for Christmas. It's true that he would take exceptional care of a new four-legged friend. He sure did a good job caring for Sebastian. The question is am I ready for a new dog? We still have two cats and a snake in our stinky household. I was sort of hoping that as the pets lived out their lives, then passed on, that we would eventually be down to just one pet. I don't think the idea of just one pet is unreasonable. It makes a lot of sense to me. Less mess. Less expense. Less chance of stepping on a critter hanging under my feet. But I appear to be outvoted on this issue, so much so that now I'm actually being convinced that it would be cool to have another dog around the place. Oh, boy. So, as fate would have it, my wife and I are going to visit an animal shelter or two tomorrow in search of a possible candidate. Help us all.