Hello!

Six year old Curly Joe, pouting because his bed cover isn't dry yet.  WOOF!

Merry Christmas, Curly Joe!

It's been almost a year since I updated last.  Sorry.  Curly Joe is still alive and well. In fact, he's a bit of a bastard. Haha! Really, he's healthy considering his liver issues. Just a happy little dog with lots of energy and a bit of an attitude. We're happy he's still with us, and we're pretty sure he feels the same way!

The Terrible Two's

Happy Belated New Year to one and all. I apologize for the lack of updates. You know how life gets.

Today's update is special because it is Curly Joe's second birthday! Or so it said on his adoption papers. I admit, I'd forgotten about it until I got an e-mail from Dogster wishing Curly happy birthday.

At obedience class last year, the trainer said that dogs are still pretty much puppies well into their second year. Well ... crap. I guess we'll have to put up with this a while longer. And by "this" I mean CURLY JOE. There's no end to his energy levels, and nothing ever gets him down. The rest of us are exhausted, but Curly Joe still wants to go go go. I'm grateful for this, of course. He's still a sick little dog in regards to his liver shunt, but he is maintaining very well on his supplements and special food. We ran his labs at my work and his bile acids came in at the high end of normal, so the vet suggested I put him on Denamarin, in addition to the Hepato Support and l/d food. In less than a week, there was a marked improvement in his health. I had thought he'd been looking a little "off" for a few weeks, and that confirmed it. The supplements are expensive, but if he needs them, he's going to get them.

I don't really have anything to report in regards to our little friend, and really, that's the best news. In December, our friend Aed and her two dogs moved in with us for a few weeks, and Curly Joe had a great time playing with them. Not that he doesn't enjoy Tank and Jackson's company, but Tankerbelle is old and arthritic and Jackson has bad knees, so neither of them are viable options for roughhousing. Aed's dogs were perfect for that. Video (and pardon the audio -- we were figuring out what to get from Pita Pocket):

And here he is, frolicking in our (thankfully) only snow this winter:


Last video, me trying to get Freddie to beat up Curly Joe. She loves it.


That's basically all I've got. Want some pictures? Here you go.

Tuckered out while the humans play Cranium:

I took this one when I got home from work this morning. As you can see, he still hates having his picture taken. But it was the best I could do for an impromptu birthday pic!

So that's about it. Curly Joe is doing well and running us all ragged. He is having some dominance issues which I'm trying to clear up. It might just be the new pecking order amongst the dogs, but he does tend to get protective of the strangest things (litter boxes, a pile of laundry, the couch, etc). There were a few recent incidences where Curly Joe and Tank got into a fight while I was at work. Nothing serious, but I still can't accept that kind of behavior from a dog. We'll have to work on it.

We took the dogs to Sauvie Island last summer. This year, I want to take them to the coast. As far as we know, only Tank has seen the ocean, and though we know none of them like to swim, it would at least be nice to get out and enjoy Oregon with the boys.

I hope you are all doing well. Curly Joe sends his love. Or rather, he would send his love if he weren't busy chewing on his Nylabone.

Dog Days of Summer

Update!

Hi, everyone. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. We're all fine here, don't worry. In May, Curly Joe's auntie LaShea (former foster mom) came out for a visit and he was so happy to see her! He totally flipped out. She got to see how big he got and what a bastard he's turned into. I'm just kidding. She already knew he was a bastard.

Still kidding! Here they are, saying goodbye. It's ok, though. She and her partner and their dogs are moving to Portland next year! We'll all be one big happy, demented family!

It's August, which means it's almost our Curlyversary! I'll have to bake him a little doggy cake or something. He's come so far in 12 months!

I haven't signed him up for Intermediate obedience classes yet, but I will. He's gotten rather unruly since May, and I take full responsibility for that. Still, he does remember what we learned. My sister just bought him a little doggy back pack so that we can put stuff in it on our walks. The idea is that it'll wear him out faster. He's just got so much energy!

I found another solution to that problem, too. I'm still working nights at the lab and feel like I never get to see/spend quality time with the dogs, so I've started walking them as soon as I get home in the morning. Lately, the puppy that lives on the corner has started joining us. It pissed me off at first because he was disrupting our Together Time, but I quickly came to enjoy his presence. I feel bad that he just sits outside that house all day (they don't let him indoors, he's not neutered and he doesn't wear a collar). I figure since Jackson and Tank are too rickety to roughhouse, this puppy (who I call Horace) is perfect for him. They both get to play and have fun for a little while.

Horace tries to eat Curly's brain, then decides it's not worth the effort. Too small a payoff.


Curly Joe thinks he's got the upper hand...

Think again, Curly Joe. I actually laughed so hard when this happened, my glasses flew off my face and landed in the ditch.

When we got home, I fed the minions and then hopped on the computer and all three dogs are passed out on the floor. SUCCESS!

So that is pretty much what's been going on. Jackson has settled into our family quite nicely. Curly Joe tries to play with him all the time, but Jackson doesn't have the knees for it. Getting a fourth dog is definitely within the realm of possibilities. We need a younger, "take charge" girl dog to keep Curly Joe's butt in line.

Oh, I forgot! We took the dogs to Sauvie Island a couple of weeks ago. It was Curly and Jackson's first trip and we were sad to find they both HATE water. We coaxed them in (Tank was the only one who swam, which is ironic because he's hated water since he was a puppy) but Curly just clung to me the entire time.

Aren't they handsome?

When a friend of mine saw the pictures of the dogs at the beach, she asked how I get them to just lay there. "I tell them to lie down and stay." And that's it.

Graduation!

Guess who graduated? That's right, Curly did! I don'the know how, since he was an absolute bastard yesterday. Seriously! I was so embarassed. I'd played fetch with him before we left, too, but it apparently only served to give him even more energy. For class, we did "puppy push ups," which means we reviewed all the commands we'd learned, but out of order. Curly did well on that, but then we went out into the store for more reviews. Except Quinn was testing us, not the dogs. Well, I failed miserably. Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiilllllledddd. Curly Joe wouldn'the listen to a single command. Quinn kept laughing and saying he had ADD and I was thinking, "Well, somebody here does, and it isn't the dog!" Then we went back to the rink room and tried to learn heel. I say "try" because CURLY WOULDN'T DO IT. I would lure him with a treat to sit by my leg. He would follow it for a few seconds and then walk off in the other direction. Quinn said it was the hardest thing to learn in Beginner class, so I wasn't too upset about it. It was like the dogs knew it was the last day of class and figured they didn't have to listen to a damn thing we said.

When it came down to the graduation ceremony, Quinn pulled out this yellow chicken and when she pressed the arm, it would play the graduation song. She walked over and gave Nita the Shepherd her certificate and congradulated her and loved on her. Then the chicken went into the chicken dance and she turned it off. Repeat for Ava, the Boston Terrier. Then came Curly Joe's turn. Holy crap, he did it! We did it! I give us an F+.

After "diplomas" were handed out, Quinn brought the graduation cap around and took pictures of all three dogs wearing it. Nita did the best.

Ava wouldn't sit for it, so her mom had to hold her up. So cute.

And as for Curly? Well, I'd been dreading this moment. I expected the Pirate Incident all over again, and that's exactly what it was. He tolerated the hat, but the look he gave me? Ouch.

I've never seen an animal so completely disgusted with me in all my life. And I wasn't even the one who put the hat on him! After pictures, we let the dogs have their final playtime. It was so sad.

Big, Medium, Small: Nita, Curly Joe and Ava get ready to rumble.


I kept encouraging Nita to chew him up, but she was far too polite to try such a thing.


Who's the biggest asshole in class? Curly Joe is! (I'm kidding, my dog isn't an asshole.) When he gets too rambunctious, Quinn makes him take a brief time out. Like when he does what I like to call Boston Bowling. Ava seems to enjoy it (fall over onto her back and slap Curly Joe's face with all four of her paws), but Curly gets overstimulated. Look at this face. This is the look of a dog on the edge.



And here is Curly Joe watching Nita walk out of his life, probably forever. *tear*

I admit, I teared up at graduation. Not because I'm overly sentimental, but because I was thinking about how far Curly Joe has come. A year ago he was just a sick little puppy that nobody wanted. Eight months ago, he was in critical care. Just one phone call away from being euthanized. And now look at him. He's in his doggy teens, he's got a forever home. His liver is still fucked up, but he's doing well on his special food (and the Hepato Support and 3V). He has two big brothers and is well on the way to becoming a kick ass therapy dog. Incredible adventures, indeed.

Before we left, I told Quinn Curly Joe and I would be back for the Intermediate class. I just have to figure out how/when I can work it into my schedule. And then, because he's such a good little dog, I bought Curly Joe two presents: a new toy, and a box to put it (and the rest of them) in.

In exactly a week, Curly Joe's Auntie LaShea (foster mom) is going to be here! I can't wait for the reunion. Hopefully he doesn't shame me again....

To be continued...