6-30-08: Well, if you’ve seen Gunny’s video, and if you weren’t too bleary-eyed from tears by the end of it, you might have caught my Big Revelation.  There ain’t no way I’m going to be able to give up this dog, so I’ve left my denial behind and openly admitted that Gunny will not be needing adoption applications afterall.  He is my first attempt at fostering, and my first “foster failure”, all in one.  Apparently foster people getting sucked in by their charges happens often enough in the world of rescue that there is an official  term for it…Foster Failure! : )  But in situations like this, failure IS a very GOOD option!

Not only has Gunny wiggled his way into my heart and the hearts of the other residents of my home (and non-resident fixtures in my life!), he has also make it quite clear that he considers all of us HIS family and he has no desire to go live anywhere else.  After all he has been through, I just can’t stand the idea of sending him off to even the most wonderful of homes, knowing that he will be confused about why I didn’t keep him myself. 

6-28-08:  Gunny started his obedience classes yesterday.  We are working with one of my all-time favorite dog trainers, Teresa, up at the Mooresville Petsmart.  Petsmart was very generous and donated Gunny’s classes.  Teresa is phenomenal and has so much experience in so many areas related to dogs.  She was invaluable when she worked with me and Oscar, and she has even given me feedback on Ozark when I brought him up there for a visit.

Gunny did a wonderful job, even with 6 other dogs, and 13 humans in the small training area.  I think his attention will get much better now that he is strong enough to go out in public for fieldtrips, but that is something that needs work.  It was sad to see some obvious “baggage” that popped up from his old life.  We had almost beaten his tendency to flinch significantly when touched on the back of the neck, but that popped up again yesterday in class.  I think he was nervous in that new environment, and old scars reared their ugly heads.  But God bless him, that dog has NEVER shown any defensive behaviors at all, even when startled or scared already.  I also noticed something when we were trying one exercise that involved the dog making and holding eye contact with its handler.  You do this to hold their focus on you while they wait for the next command.    Gunny was very reluctant to hold eye contact at all…lots of blinking and looking down or off to the side, ducking his head like he was afraid.  In the dog world, holding eye contact with another dog is a challenge and can escalate an already-bad situation.  Gunny must have learned to try every trick in the book to get those dogs to understand that he didn‘t want to fight with them.  Poor baby, it made me so sad to see that glimpse of his old life.  At home he does look me in the eye, but we have never really worked on “holding” that eye contact while he waits for an instruction or direction.  My thought is that being in an unfamiliar, stimulating environment like Petsmart ups the ante as well as the anxiety, even if the dog APPEARS to be relaxed or “doing OK”.  I have a feeling that Gunny will quickly get the concepts at home and that will give him the confidence to trust that he can still do it out in public.  He is a very different personality than Oscar, and I think I will be learning a lot of new strategies for him.  It’ll be a great learning opportunity for both of us.

Some of the people in class had actually seen his story on the news or in the paper…they thought it was pretty cool to have a celebrity in class! 

6-25-08: A big thanks to everyone who was able to make it out to The Wine Vault for Gunny’s Meet and Greet last night! There was a great turnout, and I heard from Beth that NMAR raised a bunch more money for Gunny’s vet bills. Fantastic! It was really nice to meet some of you who have been following Gunny’s story. People came from all over, some just because they had seen the article in The Charlotte Observer.

Gunny loved all of the attention, and did a fantastic job around all of the humans and dogs. He was actually over-tired when we got home around 11pm. A bit like a kid who is long past due for a nap, but who continues to run around like a whirling dervish. When he finally slowed down for a second, he realized he was pooped, and went to bed around midnight. Oscar woke me up at 7AM to head outside----when he and I walked into the living room, Gunny halfway slid off of the couch to follow us---he was so tired his eyes were just barely open the teeniest bit. I told him “It’s OK, if you don’t have to go out, just go back to bed” and dang if he didn’t climb right back on the couch and pass out! I came back out about an hour later to take him on a walk, and when we got back home, he ate his breakfast and went right to sleep in his crate!

There was a brief clip on Channel 6 news at 11pm, and apparently they repeated it a few times this morning. The man who filmed for them told me he was going to try to “pitch” the story to some people at the station and see if they wanted to do a bigger piece on Gunny. Said he’d call if they went for the idea. Maybe you guys should email Channel 6 and tell them you want a bigger story on Gunny---maybe then they’d do it? I tried to find the story on their website but had no luck.

There’s also another video on the Observer’s website. Knowing Terry and her advanced computer skills, I bet she’ll have links up for you guys soon, if she doesn’t already!

6-23-08: The reporter from The Charlotte Observer called today. Everyone look for Gunny’s story in tomorrow’s paper! They are still deciding which section…if it is in the “Local” section, it will be in everyone’s paper. If it is in the “Neighborhood” section, some of you might miss it. However, she did say that it will be online tomorrow as well. Sounds like they hope to have different pictures and a video clip to accompany the online story. So, even if you see it in your morning paper, still go to The Observer’s website and check it out there too!

6-22-08:  Big night out for Gunny!  A friend was needing some “get out of this house” time and we headed out to, of all places, The Wine Vault.  Since going to there without a dog is just foreign to me, I decided it would be a good dry-run for ol’ Gunny, so I packed him into the car.  Of course we were in the middle of a HORRIBLE storm all the way there, and when it came time to get across the parking lot, Gunny was REALLY freaked out about all the rain.  He did OK walking around the outside seating area, but when it came time to head in, he was very unsure.  But then he saw a yellow Lab sticking his head out the door and he was willing to give it a shot.  He and the Lab had a nice little visit, and as has been the case thus far, Gunny was all wags and licks for the other dog.  The place was pretty full, and a bit loud, and this was only Gunny’s second “community outing”.  He was pretty antsy and only wanted to be squashed up against me, or tucked in between furniture, at least for the first 5 minutes.  He slowly started to warm up, was happy about the attention from the other people sitting in our area, and then found a nice spot to lay on the floor beside my chair.  It gave him a good vantage point, kept him safe, but also made him very visible to passing traffic, and just about everyone stopped to say hello.  That was when he really figured out that going “out on the town” was really a very fun idea.  The manager of the Vault recognized us as soon as we walked in the door, and made trips over to visit him, multiple times, cookies in tow.  He socialized with the rest of the staff as well, and by the end of the evening, any time we walked by, I’d hear “GUNNY!!!!” collectively from the staff…remember Norm on Cheers??? 

Gunny came completely out of his shell in a very short time, and discovered that when there are multiple people sitting around an area on large couches and individuals chairs, the best way to see them all is to stand on the centered coffee table and just make the rounds!  That was very funny to watch, but I did have to correct that behavior regardless…didn’t figure it was a good one to encourage!  He eventually became comfortable enough to just circle the table, making his rounds, climbing on selected laps.  All of the patrons got very good at guarding their glasses or bottles from that Pitbull tail as he circulated.  I am proud to say, there were NO spills….at least not because Gunny!  When the weather cleared, he made his rounds through the outside areas, and even tolerated leaving me to go along with his Aunt Andrea.  That was very good for him, as he is VERY attached, and quite vocal when I leave.  But last night, there was no “screaming” and very little whimpering.  His time with his Aunt gave me a lot of opportunities to chat with people about Gunny’s story and his upcoming Meet and Greet.  It was a great chance to dispel a lot of the Pitbull Myths, as well as educate people on the horrors of dog fighting.  Gunny was the perfect representative and the Living Proof that a lot of these people needed to see.  I was happy to see that Oscar was not offended about being left home.  He had been feeling a little under the weather the last day or so, and I thought an outing would be too much for him.  Plus, it sort of forced Gunny to stand on his own a little bit in a new situation. 

6-20-08: Gunny has been doing very well.  It’s now time for him to have more freedom as far as exercise goes, and I remain optimistic that his remaining hind leg will function as needed and not let him down!  He’s been having some pretty good wrestling sessions with Oscar, as well as some pretty serious games of Keep Away From Oscar when he picks up a much-coveted toy!

Today was a full day for both boys.  First stop, Gunny had to go back for yet ANOTHER vet visit.  What the vet originally suspected was Staph infection had not gotten any better and had, in fact, started to spread.  Turns out our very sensitive boy appears to have allergic dermatitis, with all this extra Yard Time really aggravating it.  So, we left the vet hospital with a topical steroid spray, some medicated shampoo, and instructions to finish out the antibiotics and to “up” the amount of Benadryl he has already been taking.  Poor guy, I can’t wait for him to get off of all this junk he has had to take!

Everyone at the vet was thrilled to see him and made a huge fuss, much to Oscar’s chagrin.  Oscar is quite familiar with being the Center of Attention, and although he did get a fair amount of attention, Gunny was clearly in the spotlight.  But Oscar is a good sport and held no grudges.

After the vet, we headed up to see Oscar’s former trainer and Gunny’s soon-to-be trainer at Petsmart in Mooresville.  Since Oscar won’t be able to attend Gunny’s classes, I wanted to show off how well the boys are getting on together.  I was looking forward to walking into the store in Dog Whisperer Mode with “my” 2 Pitbulls heeling at my side like they do so often at home.  Yea, right!  Gunny was SO excited about his first outing, there was no “heeling”….there was “hey, wow, look, COME ON, wow, look, COME ON, look, WHAT IS TAKING YOU TWO SO LONG????” which made Oscar say “Um, if the new kid doesn’t have to listen, are you really SURE that *I* need to???”.  Needless to say, I more slid or skied in behind my 125 pounds of Pitbull as I steered them towards the training area, as opposed to impressing anyone with my skills!  But hey, we ended up in the right department, didn’t take anyone out, and I never let go, so that was good in my book.  Always find the positives.  Both boys were very well behaved for all the love and attention from the trainers and staff, and happily sat around or napped while I chatted with our trainer for awhile.  They walked (relatively) calmly out of the training area when it was time to leave, and Gunny did a very good job while touring the store.  Everyone’s hearts did stop for about 2 seconds as I left and this older gentleman’s 4-ish pound, shaved yet poofed up, decorated with bows, dog (??) bounded away from him (gotta be hard to control that much dog, right?? heehee) and bounced right up to Oscar and Gunny.  Neither Gunny nor Oscar seemed to have any idea what this creature was, and the look on their faces was PRICELESS, but they did get a bit guarded.  However, when I told them “boys, friend” they relaxed.  Told them “leave it” as the dog (???) was jumping up in their faces trying to lick them.  When the man finally reeled in his rogue little attack dog, I gave both “my” boys a good pat and told them how brilliant they were.  Our trainer had observed the whole thing and was calling encouragement from across the store “Good boys Oscar and Gunny, good boys!!” 

Our last stop was lunch with a friend.  Oscar is her buddy, even though she admits to knowing nothing about dogs. She has been holding him for me in the past, when people approached to meet Oscar.  It makes me laugh to know that her general response is “This is Oscar.  Yes, he is  Pitbull.  He is a fantastic dog…he even listens to ME and I don’t have any clue what I am doing!”  Then she often goes on to recite his resume, including his works as a Therapy Dog.  She’s a very good PR manager! Today she met Gunny for the first time. She came to my car to help me with the boys, and her buddy Oscar walked calmly to the table with her and laid down in the shade beside her chair.  He pretty much stayed there for a good 2 hours while we played “catch up”.  Gunny tried very hard to follow Oscar’s lead, and he laid beside me for at least 75% of the time…he couldn’t quite pull it off when the waitress came and went though…he REALLY wanted to convince her that she should like dogs!  About 50% of the time, the boys would position themselves side by side and I was so praying for some random photographer to come by an get a picture…shoppers would come and go from place to place, look over and just beam with big smiles…these 2 big dogs were just so relaxed, so happy to be near each other, just enjoying a nice day while the humans did whatever it is that humans do.  Several people came up and asked to pet them, commenting on how well behaved they were and how friendly.  Gunny got several laughs when I would get up to go inside for some reason, he’d yowl and scream like someone was killing him…you could EASILY hear him inside the restaurant.  I was mortified and the staff was laughing as I entered the building.  They told me he sounded just like a baby.  Great!  Got to put some work in before he can pull off the “separation” component on the Therapy Dog evaluations, should he ever go for that!

6-14-08:  Gunny had two very special visitors yesterday.  A reporter and a photographer from The Charlotte Observer came by the house in order to put together a story about our guy’s journey!  I’ll let you know when it is supposed to run in the paper once they give me those details.  Both the reporter and the photographer were really impressed with The Little Man and what a great guy he is…of course he was a big ham, as were Oscar and Linc The Cat.  Mille and Tobbles kept a low profile, and they may be sorry, as the reporter asked for spelling confirmation of Linc and Oscar’s names.  Who knows, maybe they’ll get some print too! 

I finally made a serious effort to contact the paper after we had a date for the Meet and Greet.  I figured that having the community turn out to see Gunny might just convince the paper to come.  But once they heard his story up to this point, they were already on board and arranging to come out sooner.  I thought they’d just show up at The Wine Vault and run the story later, but I was wrong.   Turns out that  they want to run the story BEFORE the Meet and Greet so that they can spread the word about Gunny and get more fans to come out!  They mentioned hoping to raise more money for Gunny and the other NMAR dogs.  I think that is really great of them to do.  Again, people are really impressing me as I go through this experience with our boy.

I’ve never dealt with a newspaper before, and had no clue about this interview experience, but I tell you, it was really thorough. The whole experience took about an hour and forty-five minutes!  The reporter wanted to hear more and more about Gunny, and his life here at the house, and the rescue’s program, and my background.  Like I said, very thorough!  The reporter took a ton of pictures in a ton of settings, and even videotaped Gunny at play, Gunny with me, and a mini-interview with the reporter.  No idea how they will use that.  The reporter is trying to get quotes from everyone from the vets to the guests at Oscar’s Bday Party!  I kid you not!  So, to those of you who kept saying “somebody needs to call the paper!”, you were right and it’s all taken care of!  I had no luck thus far with the TV news programs.  Not any reply of any kind.  Kind of disappointing.  Maybe if the story runs early enough in The Observer, we can email it to the news stations???  And if several people do it, they might take note, huh?  Worth a shot.

6-12-08: Better day for Gunny.  Less pain medicine and no signs of discomfort.  I guess I can say less drooling, although there is a good bit.  But no more blood and the “yucky colored spit” is about 90% gone.  The rehab walks continue, consistently without needing breaks.

I am continuing to be humbled and amazed by the community support Gunny is receiving.  We have gotten gift cards--with zero hesitation--from 2 out of 3 local grocery stores that I have approached.  That will cover the cost of a cake for Gunny’s Meet and Greet.  In addition, I just got off the phone with the assistant manager of the Mooresville Petsmart, where one of my very favorite dog trainers now works.  She was invaluable with Oscar as he completed all of his obedience and clicker training and prepared for his Therapy Dogs evaluations.  This manager agreed to donate a block of training classes with this trainer for Gunny!  So, Gunny will be able to get started in 2 weeks!  I can’t wait for her to meet him…she is already working through her experiences with other dogs who have been missing a limb and preparing to teach me accommodations for Gunny with basic positioning in standard obedience.  As it has been with everyone,  Gunny’s story has so impressed her, and she can’t wait to help him in any way she can.

Wow, people can do great and kind things, can’t they?

6-11-08: Poor guy had a rough time last evening.  The drooling got MUCH worse with much more “yuck” in it, and continued throughout the day today.  There are towels strategically placed all over this house in all the potential “settling down spots”, because as soon as he rests his chin, there goes the mess.  He also seemed really uncomfortable yesterday evening, so I gave him extra pain medicine which made a world of difference.  I continued that for today as well, and he had a very good day.  A drool-y day, but a good day.  He was able to eat his standard amounts, albeit a little slowly.  He did take longer than I would have liked to get around to drinking, but he seems to have mastered that now as well.  Until he was willing to drink, I tried the ice cube route, and he has become a big fan of those now. 

6-10-08:  Gunny had his second surgery today.  I dropped him off early this morning and he was back in my car by late afternoon.  He’s a little bit groggy, and a little bit drool-y, but doing well.  His surgeon said that they made a big hole for drainage in his affected salivary gland, and stitched the opening back so that it would hopefully STAY open now.  The worry is that the body could scar over the opening and we would be back where we started.  So, lots of good thought and prayers for success on this one please. It is a very rare occurrence/rare surgery and the outcome of this procedure is 2 out 3 seem to stay open.  In the case where this procedure fails, there is another procedure, but it is much more invasive and risky and doesn’t sound like something I’d want to put Gunny through.  So, let’s all just agree that we won’t have to consider it at all, ever!!!

Thankfully, as soon as they opened him up, the drainage started and everything was on its way back to normal size.  It was as they expected, big pockets of “old spit” in there, not a pretty color, but not full of infection or any foreign materials.  So that was good news.  Now the poor guy is like a person who’s been to the oral surgeon….he’ll cough and sputter a little and I have to come running with paper towels to wipe his mouth.  There is still a little blood coming out, but that is to be expected, per the vet.  Amazingly, he is allowed to have a little of his regular dry dog food tonight, and go back to a full serving tomorrow morning if all stays down.  The vet said that eating will stimulate salivation, which will actually flush all of the “yuck” out even faster.  So, eating is to be encouraged!   Gunny will be on pain medicine again, but just for a few days.  He will also be taking antibiotics, which would have been for just a few days as well, EXCEPT….they believe that a reddened area on his chest is Staph infection.  So, he’ll need to take the antibiotics for 2 weeks.  Poor guy is having a hard time catching a break with all of this medical stuff!

There are no follow-up visits needed, unless I feel like “stopping by” to visit…apparently there is a new vet in the practice who has only been out of school for a year and she is having the chance to learn SO much just from Gunny’s case.  Everyone at the practice is so invested in seeing how he comes along, and would be happy to have him stop by every so often to be “monitored“.  For today’s surgery, there was even an intern from Mississippi visiting and he was able to “scrub in” and watch this rare procedure/occurrence.  And the vet with a year’s experience was able to be the “2^nd set of hands” for both the amputation and today’s surgery, so she got a bird’s eye view as the surgeon took great care of little Gunny.  I told them today that Gunny is his own little Teaching Hospital packaged in a little Pitbull body!!! : )

Every time he has to go in, at least one staff member will comment “wow, this guy is just amazing”.  Boy, that doesn’t even come close.  This little guy is beyond words.

6-6-08:  BAD NEWS!!  Gunny needs more surgery.  He will be going in on Tuesday morning to have work done on his out of control salivary gland.  It is absolutely ENORMOUS and is affecting how he swallows, manages his food and water in his mouth, and controls his saliva.  Basically he has something the size of 1.5 tennis balls trying to fit under his tongue, which isn’t possible, so gravity also drops it down into his neck or throat…not 100% sure where it goes except that it is a noticeable bulge not only under his tongue but also in his neck area when you look at him.  You’ll remember that this is a traumatic injury resulting from being grabbed around the throat by all the other dogs as he was repeatedly attacked.  Their jaws crushed his neck and throat enough that the ducts leading to his salivary glands were damaged, and thus the saliva can’t move through the glands and ducts the way it should.

The kicker is that we had planned to have this addressed when Gunny was under anesthesia for his amputation, but for some reason, the swelling went away before the day of that surgery.  No one really know why, and gave credit to the pre-surgery antibiotics he was on.  Unfortunately, the swelling returned after  the antibiotics were completed, and even though he was started back on them, we have had no positive results.  So, now surgery is the only option. 

The vet says that he is not in pain per say, but is probably so amazingly irritated and uncomfortable in trying to cope with something so large “wedged” where it shouldn’t be.  What continues to make this dog so amazing is that he shows no outward signs of being bothered.  He just takes it all in stride, giving no one any indication that this is making his life difficult.  His ability to maintain a happy, positive attitude is humbling.  Heck, he didn’t even act sad or mad or depressed when he was dragging around a rotting, dead hind leg!  I can’t speak for anyone else, but I know that *I* sure have a lot to learn about positive attitudes from this dog!!!

So, lots of thoughts and prayers for Gunny on Tuesday please.  And as always, help with the vet bills is greatly appreciated.  Gunny has had a bunch of added “extras” come up on top of the vet’s original surgery estimate.  The rescue has really been feeling the cost of vet care lately with all of the involved, intensive cases that have come through.  Thank you for all of your support, in any way you choose to show it!  ALL of it is very much appreciated!

I hope that a lot of you will be able to make it to Gunny’s Meet and Greet on Tuesday, June 24^th.  There should be details up shortly about all the specifics. 

6-4-08:  Today was the first day Gunny was allowed to go on a walk.  This morning, we kept it to 5 minutes, even though we were allowed to try for 15 minutes.  That went well, so this afternoon I went a little bit longer, planning on 10 minutes.  Poor guy…at about 7 minutes, he pulled me over into the shade of a tree, into somebody’s garden and just SAT in the middle of a big clump of daylilies!  I’m sure the heat didn’t help, but I think his leg was tired.

He still has to be on a leash for yard time, so that he doesn’t blow out his remaining knee.  The vet says at least 2 weeks of walks before he can be loose in the yard.  Gunny wants to play with Oscar REALLY badly, and will lay down in front of him and just bark and bark, this Big Boy bark.  I’m allowed to let them wrestle if Gunny is on a leash and if he isn’t doing a lot of slamming or twisting.  Mainly, Gunny is a grab and chew kind of guy.  I am watching him carefully, as his grabs and chews are pretty animated and Oscar isn’t quite sure what to do about it, but I think Gunny is just trying to figure it all out.  There is noting but happy wags and a good look in his eye.  He didn’t know much about toys when he got here and it was really funny to watch him work through it….like a young puppy discovering it all.  I am getting the same feeling about how he plays with Oscar. Like he just wants somebody to wrestle with him but isn’t sure how to go about asking….thus the LOUD barking.  Then when Oscar tries to pretend grab and chewy, Gunny goes beyond that.  I am hoping that Gunny will learn from Oscar to lighten up a little.  The latest wrestling match lasted just a few minutes until I got their toys instead.  Even after all that barking and animation, both boys are laying here beside me, about 12” between them, toys scattered around them.  Last night, Gunny was doing the Big Boy Bark at Millie The Face-Washing Cat, who just stared at him, and then earlier this evening, he did the same thing to Linc The Cat.  This barking was complete with Gunny in a “play stance”, butt up in the air/chin on the floor, both times.  See, like I said, he just doesn’t get it and is trying to figure it out.  I get the feeling there wasn’t a lot of “playing” in his world, so he’s learning on the fly.  Thus, the reason he’s trying to get cats to wrestle with him!

We are still having trouble with those salivary glands getting bigger as a result to the damage that was done when Gunny‘s throat was crushed. The bad news is that it is looking more likely that Gunny will need to have MORE surgery to try to fix this.  The jury is still not in on that yet…none of us want him to endure any surgery unless it is absolutely necessary and unless it has a really high potential for success!

6-1-08: Happy 3^rd Birthday to Oscar!  As is the case every year, Oscar had a birthday party for His Pack, their  humans, and a few more affiliated human friends.  This year the planning was all but nonexistent, as I had to wait and see if I thought it was doable with Gunny in the mix.  I didn’t want to upset him, and wasn’t sure he was up for such a big event just yet.  But, so as not to disappoint good ol’ Oscar, I decided that with good management skills, I could work this out.  That was one of the main reasons for getting Gunny together with some of The Pack members yesterday…so that he wouldn’t be so overwhelmed today.

So, with my plan in place, I was ready to go.  But as with all plans, unexpected things arise.  After the first two groups of humans and first set of dogs arrived…Gunny inside with the humans, dogs outside in the fence to play with Oscar…we got a surprise.  The missing Pack Member arrived, even though she usually doesn’t attend dog parties due to issues with another female in the group.  Her human’s plan was for her to hang out inside with the humans and the cats, but she had forgotten about Gunny.  So, Gunny is loose in the house, snuggling up to his newest Aunt and Uncle, when he hears the front door open and someone call out “hello!!!!”.  Off he goes to greet them and meets a new, loose, dog, who is as surprised to see him as he is to see her.  Remember, these guys share houses the ways humans share clothes, so Oscar’s house is an extension of “her territory”.  It goes well, regardless…cautious but well.  Next scene, a big ol’ jogging baby stroller comes pushing through the front door, with a one year old child inside and an unfamiliar human driving.  This didn’t slow Gunny down for a second.  He wanted to see what it, and the very small human, were all about.  Even when the baby’s dog started to get a little territorial, Gunny was fine, just stepped back and gave them room.  As humans and dogs continued to arrive, Gunny and Sandi (the Missing pack Member) hung out in the house with the humans, and Gunny really seemed to enjoy the time with the very teeny person who kept pointing at him and saying “Dog!!”.  Once or twice, Sandi, who is the oldest member of our pack and who had to put Oscar in his place as a  puppy, let out a grumble/bark or two to let Gunny know that whatever he was doing was not appreciated.  He took the reprimands in stride, and went off to find a human to love on him. 

When all the humans migrated to the outside to play with the dogs. Gunny went to his crate and Sandi to Oscar’s crate.  After awhile, Gunny’s lonely cries made The Group decide that we could try Gunny, on a leash, at the actual dog party.  So, cautiously, we did just that.  He was a star, very willing to be friends with the other dogs but also willing to be submissive and back off when told to do so.  He continues to take his cues from me and has started to seek out one of the other humans of The Pack as a source of comfort as well.  Unfortunately this is the owner of the High Energy Boy that I mentioned yesterday, which wasn’t received too well.  At times, this guy was a bit of a grump, trying to be assertive, and we had to back him off several times, but even with that, Gunny showed no thoughts of wanting to challenge anyone.  In fact, if any of the other dogs got vocal, Gunny tried very hard to blend into the woodwork and call zero attention to himself.  It was the only time I saw him show any bit of trepidation.  That was actually very hard to see, because it made it very easy to imagine what his life must have been like before, and the things he tried to do, in vain, to stay safe around other dogs.  I guess the Up Side to this is that now, the humans that surround him keep him safe and reassure him if things get frightening.  Not only do we not allow him to be hurt, but we aren’t the ones setting him up to be hurt, the way humans from his past obviously did.  It must take a little getting used to for him.

So, it was a big day for Gunny.  He wore a birthday hat and ate the (dog safe) cupcakes and icing that I made for The Pack.  He saw balloons and signs and listened to music.  He watched the other dogs get in and out of the Kiddie Pool, though he was not willing to try himself.  And actually, I’m glad he wasn’t interested because I wouldn’t have let him in….too slippery. He hung out with a bunch of new humans and one brand new dog.  He impressed the heck out of everyone.  There continues to be talk of how “somebody” should get him on Oprah.  People speculated on all the ways to get his story out there for the world to hear.  Others commented on how inconceivable it was that he was so friendly and trusting after all he had been through.  Many ran their hands over his scars and touched his incision and looked under his tongue, and were sad.  But Gunny wasn’t sad, don’t worry, those days are behind him, God willing.  Gunny really bonded with one of his newest Uncles, and spent a ton of time with him, laying right at his feet.  Every so often I’d hear a comment about how amazing Gunny was or how much this guy liked Gunny.  But then I heard something very cool….something I had hoped I would hear from many people as Gunny’s story gets told.  I heard this friend say, to no one in particular, just to the World At Large, “This dog inspires me…I’m serious, I am so inspired…he has made me think and now things just look different in my life.”  Wow.  Pretty cool, huh?

Be patient for pictures.  There were several cameras in attendance, so there will be some gathering and compiling I am sure.  But hopefully soon there will be some party pictures to share.

Happy Birthday Oscar!!! I couldn’t do it without you buddy!! 

5-31-08:  Today, I decided that Gunny was ready to have some additional interaction with dogs.  He is doing so well and looking so good, I wanted to continue to introduce him to new dogs now, as opposed to waiting until he is off of “restrictions”.  I didn’t want so much time to go by where the only dog he would be around would be Oscar.  The more socializing, the better in my book….as long as it is done CORRECTLY!  So, the obvious answer would *appear* to be to start with Oscar’s Neighborhood Pack.  There are several of us who have all become very good friends after moving into the neighborhood, and who dogsit for each other, have frequent playdates, etc.  All of these dogs share houses and humans without any problem.  We refer to all of our dogs collectively as The Pack, or as Your Cousins when speaking directly to our dog.  : )

The downside to this is that these dogs have known each other a LONG time, with Oscar coming into the pack as a submissive 3 month old pup, and the other dogs, as all dogs do, having personality quirks of their own.  With as bonded as all these guys already are as a group, accepting a new adult dog is not a guaranteed success.  So, we set it up as best we could, with Oscar loose in the fenced yard as a buffer/distraction, and Gunny on his leash as always, and the “new“ dog on a leash as well.  First, the owner of Oscar’s Best Wrestling Pal brought him over.  This dog is a high energy, dominant male, but things went well.  Gunny obviously picked up on those traits in this fellow, because he was very low key.  He actually hung back a little, and when he felt unsure, he would come lean on me or stand behind me or Oscar.  Even when the other guy growled a few times, sort of asserting his dominance and possibly his displeasure with not being the center of attention, Gunny just backed off.  Gunny didn’t show any inkling of reacting aggressively…he was trying very hard to come off as submissive.  Next, we sent High Energy Boy home and two more dogs came by, both females this time.  One, a little more timid by nature, and the other very sociable but also a dominant personality.  Gunny met each girl separately, and started out a little reserved but interested.  The girls were fine with getting to know him, and within about a minute, Gunny was trying SO hard to get them to play with him! It was adorable…no fear no aggression, just “woohoo, will you be my FRIEND??!?!”  Truth be told, I think he has a crush on the Lab mix, though she was playing hard to get. She even showed him her teeth at one point when he was getting on her nerves, and he wasn’t offended.  After a few minutes, the heat seemed to get to them, and Gunny and the girls laid down on the patio in the shade, all within a foot of each other.  They were as relaxed and stretched out as they could get.  One neighbor commented “Yup, I think they are feeling OK with Gunny joining The Pack…everybody seems good with this.”  We have one more female Pack Member to introduce when we have time, but I honestly expect that one to be a breeze. 

You know, I have heard and read so much about using another dog to get through to a new dog that has baggage or an involved history…using one dog’s particular outlook or energy to influence the new dog.  There is no question that Gunny already had a fantastic mind and heart, but I really believe that in these times where things had the potential to be stressful to Gunny---feeding times, favorite toys, new dogs---having Oscar around to model the desired behavior has done more than any human ever could.  Oscar is confident yet calm, and very obedient to what a human is asking.  Oscar looks to me for direction, and trusts that I have it under control.  Gunny has quickly learned that he can do that do.  But Oscar was the bridge that made it happen so quickly.  Way to go Oscar! 

5-29-08: I borrowed the camera from Aunt Beth and got some more “after” pictures of Gunny as he continues to look better and better.  Maybe Aunt Kayla can add them to the Smilebox she made for him, or use them when she is able to put together his “official” video.  We want to put together something that will include the good, the bad, and the ugly and tell his whole story.  Currently, the more “advanced” computer at the rescue is ka-putt, so the video-making is on hold.  (please note the request on the home page for anyone’s old but useable computer in return for a tax break!) But look for today’s photos somewhere, hopefully soon.  Millie The Dog-Washing Cat even posed on the kitchen table above one of Gunny’s blankets, so you can meet more of The Foster Family and see more Family Portraits.

Kona came over today for another playdate with Oscar.  Gunny did more visiting through the fence, and there was tail-wagging right from the start this time. I halfway considered introducing them, but then realized that Gunny just can’t stand up---literally---to Kona’s boisterous antics.  Gunny really makes a person forget that he is still recovering.  He is such a little Marine who just pushes on and stays strong.  He just can’t be around rowdy friends right now and risk hurting the surgery site or even blowing out his remaining hind leg, and it is my job not to get sucked in by how well he acts for me.

For any of you Gunny fans out there, we could still use your support.  As Gunny’s care continues, I am working hard to keep him from being bored and from fixating on his leg.  A lot of  that involves borrowing toys from his very patient and kind Foster Brother Oscar, but there are only so many to go around.  It also involves food bribes for medicine and crate time.  So, if you’d like to send Gunny a care package of toys and treats, please email us and we will get you a mailing address for your package or you can arrange to stop by the facility and drop it off for Gunny.  Gunny is an equal-opportunity toy tester…he loves Kongs and Nylabones just as much as squeaky toys and Jolly Balls.  Treats to dogs are like chocolate to women…there is no wrong kind!  Except for rawhides, they can be dangerous to dogs, so we don’t feed those. 

Thank you so much for all of the support you have provided to Gunny and the rescue…although I have said it before, it can’t be said too much…you guys have been amazing.  Unfortunately, the rescue got kicked in the teeth today with a MASSIVE vet bill for an INSANE amount of medical hardships lately, Gunny included.  If you know of anyone who might want to pitch in a dollar or two in honor of Gunny, it would allow the rescue to do more “amazing saves” like they did with this special soul and the other dogs who needed all that vet care.  I’m sure it’s mentioned other places on the site, but if you happen to be an/happen to know an animal-loving Bank of America employee, NMAR is an approved charity, and any amount you donate will be matched 100% by BOA.  How fantastic is it that The Bank does that?  That just blows me away….good for them!

Thanks everyone…I didn’t mean for today’s update to sound like a begging platform!  It just happened to be what’s going on around here today, so I wanted to share the Whole Story.

5-28-08:  Gunny is having a little trouble with the new pain medicine schedule.  He is starting to show some signs of nerve-related pain that the higher levels of medicine were apparently addressing.  We had an option to try a different medicine, that is actually a human medicine which targets nerve issues, but the vet ultimately decided to go back to a larger amount of his current pain medicine.  We will go with the new dosage, which is still much less than what he had immediately after surgery, for another week.  Then the following week we will cut it back to the schedule and dosage we were trying when the nerve pain became apparent.  If at any time this doesn’t address his needs, he will go in for another vet visit, with a related prescription call in to a human pharmacy.  Hopefully that won’t be necessary, so good thought for Gunny please!

Otherwise, he is doing well.  He is getting very tired of being on restricted activity, and he and Oscar continue to attempt to play in the “don’t let Mom hear” approach!  I feel very badly breaking up their fun, but with too much motion, Gunny can still basically rip apart all of the muscles that are meshing together INSIDE of the remaining portion of his leg.  Avoiding that is WAY worth disappointing him a little bit re: playtime!

5-26-08:  Gunny had a busy Memorial Day Weekend.  More visits from various neighbors, plus his Aunt Laurel came to see how much he has changed.  Laurel was the catalyst in Operation Save Poor Gunny…she was the one who received the original email from the pound and who contacted me to see if NMAR could help in any way.  She was also the first one to meet Gunny, which led to her going out on a limb and saying, “I am telling you, this dog deserves a shot and we can pull this off.”  As I told her yesterday when she was leaving, “good call Laurel!!”.  She was so excited to see all of the progress he has made and to watch him with Oscar and His Band of Goofy Felines.  They are a funny bunch.

Today Kona came over for a playdate with Oscar.  Please take a minute and read about Kona on the Adoption page, under Adopt-A-Bull.  He is a very special, absolutely FANTASTIC dog who has lost out on a family of his own multiple times, through no fault of his own.  Anyway, he came over for one of his weekly visits, and while he was out in the fence with Oscar, I brought Gunny around on the outside of the fence to see what he thought.  The only dog he has seen, aside from those in the vet’s lobby, is Oscar.  Kona has a very different approach to life than Oscar.  Kona is wide-open.  He is sort of like a runaway elephant or a freight train…a very joyful freight train.  When he saw me at the fence with Gunny, he came BARRELING over, just so very excited to meet a new friend, all wiggles and wags.  Gunny was nervous, there was no wagging…I think he was very glad that the fence was there to save him from being steam-rolled!  But after Gunny figured out that Kona’s intentions were good, and that Oscar and I approved of this overgrown puppy, he got on board with the whole event.  Just like when he met Oscar…lots of sniffing and snorting through the fence slats, and serious tail wagging.

Oscar and Gunny like to lay beside me while I work on the computer.  Last night, they were about 6 inches apart, and Gunny gave a really good stretch and ended up with his nose leaning on Oscar’s back.  It was one of those times I wished I had a camera within arm’s reach!  Kind of like tonight when Gunny sat beside my chair while Oscar rolled around on his back right under Gunny’s watchful eye.  Oscar really wanted to play and took both of his front paws and put them on Gunny face, very gently, and sort of batted him around a little bit, egging him on with little play noises.  Gunny fell right into it, “talking” back to Oscar, wagging his tail, and bumping Oscar’s paws with his snout.  Even if things look like they might get a little too active for what Gunny is allowed, all I do is quietly remind Oscar “take it easy buddy, you can’t be rough with him” and Oscar just KNOWS.  It really is incredible the way he will do the smallest thing, and Gunny seems to understand that he needs to calm down.  It’s been really amazing to watch these guys.

5-24-08: Gunny is still doing great. Aunt Beth and Aunt Kayla came over today to take some pictures of his progress, as well as to get some Group Photos with the now-famous Oscar, and Linc The Cat.  Hope you like them. 

Nothing too major happening, which is great.  He had a booster shot today, and of course didn’t even acknowledge that there was a needle involved.  He is taking slightly less pain medicine and is handling it well.  He may be off of it completely in just a matter of days, depending on how he does.  The lump under his neck is almost gone, again, and the one under his tongue is smaller but still noticeable.  Family life continues to go smoothly with lots of interaction between all of the critters involved.  Millie is getting much closer to starting the face licking with Gunny, but it has been a random lick here and there, not a full-out bath yet.  Linc The Cat has started to introduce Gunny to the many varieties of the “Hey, I‘ve got your tail“ game that he plays with Oscar…a tail wags and Linc The Cat launches himself onto the tail and holds it in his front paws while he gnaws on it.  Or, he pounces repeatedly on the tail of the sleeping dog as it twitches throughout a dream. He has also been known to dive off furniture, grab Oscar’s tail while Oscar is standing nearby, and proceed to slide down the tail like a fireman on a fire pole.  Oscar is, of course, fine with all of this but I’m monitoring Gunny and letting him get used to the antics slowly.  Linc The Cat has gotten overly excited before and chomped down pretty hard on Oscar’s tail, which I think would be an unfair challenge to ol’ Gunny….for now anyway.