Little Guy Profile

Little Guy Profile, a photo by Jodi K. on Flickr.

I love playing with the camera apps on my phone.

Muttley Crew

Muttley Crew, a photo by Jodi K. on Flickr.

Happy New Year from Little Guy, Rusty, and Honey. They are all cuter in person, I swear.

A single gentle rain makes the grass many shades greener...

Thoreau may have waxed poetic about the rain, but personally, I find it annoying and inconvenient. I have acclimated to the normally sunny Southern California weather and am having trouble dealing with our current deluge. I don't know how folks living in the Pacific Northwest do it. I'm not sure I'd survive.

It's true that the rain does make the grass greener. In fact, it produces grass in our back yard, which spends a good part of the year being brown and dusty.

This photo of our sweet Cosette was taken in November of 2006, before the rainy season. Notice the "yard" behind her (and Rusty and Little Guy!) Pretty desolate.

I took this photo yesterday during a brief break in the rain after convincing Little Guy to take a potty break. I imagine that once this rain is done, we'll have twice as much green back there as we do right now. Luckily, I cut it a few days ago as it was growing pretty well from some other recent rain. The dogs and I will be thrilled when the storms are gone though, just as Cosette always was. Damn, I miss her.

Happy Christmas

Little Guy and Cosette still don't really like each other, but now that they are old they don't bother quibbling so much. They would have never shared a blanket in the past. Makes me happy.

Rusty went nuts all day with a chewie that Santa Paws brought for him. He frantically searched for a place to hide it throughout the day. Actually, he's still looking, now in the back yard.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Milestones

In the next week or so, there are a few important markers of the passage of time.

• Tomorrow, October 1st, my precious Little Guy turns 13 (well, that's our best estimate anyway). I suppose we should be doing a Bark Mitzvah, now that he's a(n) (old) man-dog. However, I think that kind of thing goes along with the mother's background and I'm not Jewish. Not that any of that stopped me from dressing Cosette up like it was her quinceañera, or caninceañera, because apparently I'm Mexican. So, perhaps I will throw a yarmulke on his head and snap a photo. I imagine he will protest.

• This Friday marks the 15-year anniversary of our arrival in Los Angeles. E, Cosette, who was almost 2 at the time, and I were packed into the Honda Civic I had at the time and had spent four days driving across the county, with a brief little side trip to the Grand Canyon. To this day, when I drive west on the 134 and curve around the hillside while descending toward Glendale with downtown glimmering in the distance, I recall that day and doing the same drive. With nervous excitement, we checked out our Burbank apartment, which we hadn't even seen. I don't think I knew at the time how much I would fall in love this city*, the place I've lived far longer than any other in my lifetime, and that I'd be proud to call it "home."

• Next week, I will celebrate my 15-year anniversary at work (and a little over 17 in my career). It's difficult to comprehend, with some days feeling like I've been here forever and others still mistakenly thinking I'm one of the newer staff. While I'm not necessarily exactly where I'd hoped to be at this point professionally, I have accomplished quite a bit and am proud of the job I do. In these tough times, I am very lucky to have fairly stable employment. For various reasons, I don't discuss details of my work here, but I'll say I'm very happy and honored to affect young lives, in a positive way. What I do might be small in the grand scheme of things, but it often feels huge when taken down to the individual human level.

*We only lived in Burbank for a couple of years and now do live in the City of Los Angeles, for whatever that's worth.

Tolerance

Cosette and Little Guy

This is a crappy cell phone photo, but I captured the rare moment while still in bed yesterday morning. If I'd gotten up to get the real camera, they would have moved in anticipation of something to eat.

Cosette and Little Guy have merely tolerated each other for the eight-plus years they have lived together. Cosette had been an only dog for about seven-and-a-half years and it was a big adjustment. Little Guy came into our home thinking he'd suddenly take over as alpha dog. This did not go over well with the true leader and he was soon put in his place. When Rusty became part of the family a year or so later he bonded immediately with both dogs. He and Little Guy became playmates and Rusty took on the role of the puppy Cosette never bore. Little Guy and Cosette haven't fought since the very beginning, but they simple coexist.

I think that's why I was a little surprised to see them lying so close together, which is something they just don't do. Cosette kept getting bopped in the face when Guy would wag his tail, but she'd simply move her head position and that was it. At first I thought it was a really sweet moment and perhaps it was. In reality though, I think it was more likely that nearly seventeen-year old Cosette and almost thirteen-year old Little Guy, who is still recovering very slowly from his knee surgery, have difficulty moving and can't be bothered to get up for such a trivial matter.

National Poetry Month: Haiku A Day (Sort Of) #7&8

The season for Peeps®
Love the sugary goodness
And squishy insides



Little Guy smiley
My sweet, sweet baby boy dog
Recovering well

8 Weeks Post Op

Little Guy had his 8-week follow up appointment with his surgeon yesterday. Everything looks good. We can now start walking him up and down the block a little, starting with 10 minutes, progressing to 15, etc. For the next two weeks, he remains strictly confined aside from the walks. He's not allowed to jump or bolt after squirrels for six more weeks.

I'm still being pretty conservative with his activity. We will most likely be confining him when we are out for awhile (forever?) just to play it safe.

Post Op Day 44

Little Guy continues to recover nicely. Still as grumpy as can be due to continued imprisonment. He will go for his big 8-week follow up appointment with the surgeon next week, where he'll hopefully be given the clearance to start his month-long "gradual return to activity" program. Essentially, we'll start walking him prescribed progressive distances.

The fur on that rear hindquarter is coming in nicely. Not sure what's up with the big patch on his back though. It's still just stubble.

1 Month Update

Little Guy had his 1-month follow up appointment with the surgeon this morning. The doctor is very pleased with his healing up to this point. The collar is off, which will hopefully help his grumpy mood improve.

He has one more month of strict activity restriction, aka doggy jail. If all is still well at that point, he'll move into the next phase of recovery, which is one month of gradual return to "normal" activity. I have a feeling it take a bit longer for Guy as his left rear leg muscles were quite atrophied before the surgery due to him not really using that extremity much.

Overall, it's all good news and my efforts at being very strict at minimizing standing, walking, etc. are paying off thus far.

Post Op Day 24 Haiku

Still in doggy jail
That's why I have a sad face
Hope to get out soon

*Little Guy continues to recover well from his surgery. He's very bored though and pretty grumpy to be confined with strict limits set on his activity. He goes back to see the doctor on Friday for a 1-month follow-up. And then it will be only 2 to 6 weeks more of dog rest.

Little Guy Update, Post Op Day 14

It's kind of hard to believe that it's already been two weeks since Little Guy's surgery. It's even harder to believe I'll have to go back to work on Monday. He saw the surgeon today and had his sutures removed. The doctor was very pleased with how his incision is healing and said the 'knee' felt good. Along with that came the strong reminder that Guy's activity must be strictly limited for the next six to ten weeks, which will be challenging.

I took the above in the parking lot at the vet. Little Guy was very happy that we were leaving and that the doctor told me he could keep the collar off. Well...that didn't last too long and he's back in the collar. He was good for a while, but then started really licking the incision. In the interest of protecting the healing he's done and not opening it back up, we had to take action.

So, yeah, he's coming along nicely. We just have to keep him quiet and inactive as much as possible. Hopefully the collar can really come off soon.

Little Guy Update: 1 Week Post Op

Here's a brief update on Little Guy's progress since last week's surgery.

Little Guy is:

• In much less pain. He's still on some meds, but less.

• Tolerating his "pen" that we set up in the hallway.
  

• Sleeping through the night.
  

• No longer whining and moaning for hours on end.
  

• Pooping (as of yesterday)! This is a post-surgery milestone.

• Much more comfortable in his inflatable e-collar vs. The Cone.

It's still going to be a long couple of months and I'm carrying him in and out for every potty break. We've definitely come a long way in a week though.

Little Guy Update, Post Op Day 1

Just a quick update for those of you wondering how Little Guy is doing. If you don't know, I'll just briefly recap that he had a torn ligament in his left "knee" and underwent orthopedic surgery on the 15th. The doctor reported that the operation went well and he only had to stay over one night.

On the way to the animal hospital early in the morning on 1/15/09.

I picked Guy up around 6pm on the 16th. He was still hazy and didn't seem excited to see me, understandably. We made it home, with him whimpering the entire time in the back seat, and E helped me get him settled.

Car ride home, post op Day 1.

The procedure Little Guy underwent has good outcomes. In order to get acceptable results though, you and your pet have to endure a 2-3 month recovery period of strictly limited activity. We made a little area with a dog bed, blankets, and a little fence in LG's favorite spot in the den. Not long after we got him fairly comfortable, he wanted to go for his incision. So, yeah, we had to break out the cone. I was hoping he'd be out of it enough for at least a day or two before resorting to that. Oh well.

Not the cone!!!

Little Guy HATES the cone. Since it went on, he has been whining nearly non-stop for 8 hours now. I wish I was kidding. I thought by now he would have worn himself out and slept. Actually, he did that about twenty minutes ago and dozed for four minutes. I'm typing, Guy's crying.

Of course there is no denying that he is also in pain. He does have a lot of narcotics on board, including the dose he had an hour ago, and really wasn't acting like this until he got the cone. He still tries to shake off every half-hour or so. He just let out a big, pathetic sigh, which gives me hope that he's wearing himself out. I plan to sleep here next to him.

Thanks to everyone who emailed, left Facebook messages, and even sent cards (!) to wish Little Guy well. We have a long road ahead of us, but it will be worth it when he's up and around on squirrel patrol again. Also, don't worry that every post from here on out will be about the dog, his incision, the cone, etc. Some will, but definitely not all. I still have to tell you all about the cool Battlestar Galactica stuff I saw today and share the photos. I may just have time to upload them before the sun rises.

Were jammin' and I hope you like jammin' too.

Rasta Guy

Photo pimped at pikipimp

I altered this photo of Little Guy based on a conversation E and I were having about his upcoming surgery. We've been discussing all of the heavy stuff, like what, if any, life saving measures we want the doctors to take if necessary, etc. While talking about post-op pain management, E suggested that perhaps he can get a prescription for medical marijuana and yeah, you can see where it went from there. Made us laugh, at least.

Come Thursday, I may be shedding a few anxiety induced tears, but for now, we're having a laugh, which is helping us face what is to come.

A Bolt To The System

It's hard having old pets. I know some of you who stop by here from time to time understand that from experience. You either have or have had senior animals. Just like with people, diseases and infirmities come with old age. Since most of our critters have relatively short life spans, it can seem to hit all of a sudden. Granted, an old dog (or whatever) with a few issues, but good quality of life, certainly beats the inevitable alternative.

Almost four years ago, Cosette, now 16, had major surgery for breast cancer. She came through brilliantly and is aging graefully. Sure, she's deaf as can be, sleeps quite a bit, and has some creaky joints, but when she's awake, she's pretty perky. Especially if you have food that she wants. And there there is Little Guy. There was an update recently about some of what he is going through. It seems to be hitting him hard and quick.

When the movie Bolt first came onto my radar, I got really excited. I saw the trailer in front of Wall-E initially. O.M.G. Not only was a movie coming out with an adorable doggie as the star, but one of his sidekicks was…a HAMSTER. O.M.G. In the time between seeing that and the movie opening, I had a lot of inquiries about how excited I must be to see a movie with a HAMSTER!!! O.M.G…a HAMSTER!!!

[insert sound of loud, cartoony brakes here]

Um, yeah. I had intended this to be more of a review of Bolt. I really loved the movie. Yes, Rhino, the hamster was cute and very funny, but it was Bolt who got to me. He reminds me of my Little Guy and watching the cute cartoon canine leap and run around on the screen made me a little sad. I'm sure I'm one of the only people who shed several tears during the film. Not only is Little Guy small, nearly white, and snouty with pointy ears like Bolt, but he's spunky and incredibly loyal too. Every morning when I get out of the shower, Guy is lying right outside of the bedroom door waiting for me. We have a special bond, just like Bolt and his girl Penny.

I'm doing what I can to help Little Guy, and all my pets, live good lives. For now I'll even refrain from shaving a little lightening bolt into Guy's side.

The only Bolt merchandise we found at Disneyland. When I took this photo, I didn't even realize my own Little "Bolt" Guy snuck into it!

Do You Wanna See What's In My Dog?

I got pictures of what's in his hips, I got pictures of what's in his hips. They took 'em in Burbank and I brought 'em back with me to North Hollywood...

Ridonculous

It's been one of those weeks. You know, the kind where you shake your head, and maybe even want to cry, but decide you'd better just laugh at the situation (and/or yourself) and move on. Admittedly, there were a few tears.

It all kind of started with the Great Fruit Fly Invasion of 2008. In my house. So disgusting. We'd noticed a few of the little buggers buzzing around and then suddenly, the kitchen was swarmed. They were hanging out everywhere! I tried making a funnel trap, but must have left too much of a gap because it didn't work so well. What has been working is leaving bowls around with a concoction of vinegar, apple juice, water, and dish soap. I'd read to use cider vinegar, but only had white, so added a tiny bit of juice. It's amazing how many of the critters have drowned. Oh, and the cause of this infestation? My failure to empty the compost bin we keep under our sink.

Note to self:
Don't forget to empty the kitchen compost bin into the outdoor one!

I did shed some tears on Friday. Little Guy had an appointment with the vet to check out his back legs. Recently, his arthritis progressed to the point where, after lying around for a few hours, he occasionally had trouble standing up on his own. A brief walk and some range of motion and stretching exercises seem to loosen him up, but only temporarily.

Recent mobile phone photos of Little Guy, aka Hobo Dog, lying around on some newspapers and dirty socks and underwear.

Two hours later, thorough vet exam, blood work, x-rays, and several hundreds of dollars, Little Guy was diagnosed with a possible torn knee ligament. The arthritis in his hips didn't look too bad on the x-rays and ligaments don't show up. So, he's being referred to a specialist to look at the knee, which very well may be a surgical situation. He also got some pain meds for the meantime. I didn't mind the length of the visit. Seeing as it was Black Friday, it beat braving the stores. It was kind of emotional though as one woman brought in her dog who had passed away at home (but unfortunately missed the jolly guy from the pet crematorium, who told some really frightening tales of attempting to shop at the local Fry's Electronics earlier). Another woman discussed euthanasia options with the front desk staff for quite some time. It was killing me.

We finally got out of the vet's office, made one quick stop, and headed home. I lifted Guy out of the car and set him down on the ground. He was holding his rear right leg up very high, with the paw up near his back. When his hips (or now I wonder, his knee?) have bothered him before, he's not wanted to bear weight. This was different and the wrong leg! His bad knee is on the left. I noticed he was trying to nip at his paw. Taking a quick look, I saw a bee stuck right on one of the pads. I knocked it off and sure enough, the stinger was embedded in his paw. I pulled out the stinger, grabbed my cell phone and called the vet. They suggested I come back right away. I have no knowledge of Little Guy ever getting stung, so didn't know how he'd react. I piled him and my bags back into the car and raced off.

This time, there wasn't much of a wait. Our vet had gone home, but we saw one of her partners. She checked out the paw and then gave him Benadryl and pain medicine injections. He was in so much pain that he would not put his foot down, thus putting all of it on his "bad" knee. Several hours later, he was feeling much better and had no signs of an allergic reaction.

So, the flies are nearly gone and Little Guy is bearing weight on all legs.

Coming soon: My musings on Bolt, which I LOVED!!!

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Fluffy Butt!

Now that Little Guy is 12 (since he didn't turn 12 last year, as I originally thought!) he is showing his age. Hence the twice weekly trips to the vet for joint juice injections. I wish I was kidding. Luckily, it will taper down soon.

No matter what his age--we don't really know and the controversy has reared its ugly head again--nope! Solved again by the paperwork...he's "12." Who knows really, as he was found wandering the streets of L.A.

Little Guy is a neurotic, anxious dog, much like his mother! He is really sweet, as long as you are a person. If you are a squirrel or another dog then you can forget it. Sure, he's stinky, but he's soft as a bunny and a great snuggler. Here's a new tag I got him recently as an early birthday gift.

Here's to lots more birthdays with Little Guy, my Middle Guy, Petite Guy, Gaius Baltar, Pupworth J. Crumpet, Payaso, Junior, Geechy Guy, etc. I could go on and on with the nicknames, but I won't!