My latest guest star: Tibor the Border Collie (or "How I Became a Seeing-Eye Human")

Glad you're finding new reserves of zen

No It's a sad situation for all of the dogs but I'd go for the maximum number of happy doggie outcomes and that'd mean a high intake of young/healthy dogs that can be quickly rehomed, making room for more of the same in the system.

 

Yeah, I kind of feel the same, then I look at Tibor and feel guilty for having the thought. There's a reason I can do fostering but I can't be a "picker" (the person who goes into the shelters and chooses who gets to be saved). I can't deal with the decision.

 

Yeah, that'd be really tough. I do understand why they choose the sad cases even if I don't think it's the best or even kindest strategy.

 

Some friend

I am so glad you are beginning to feel a little bit better. Hope you will soon be back to your normal self

 

Rescues do fall by the wayside if it just isn't practicable to rehome their dogs, I know it is sad, really it is.

However, this isn't helpful, and you are doing an amazing job with Sir Tibor. I hope it helps by reducing your expectations, and just keep each other safe and healthy.

I have fostered a couple of street dogs from Cyprus, both young dogs with tragic histories, but their resilience amazed me, in some ways far better than UK dogs who have been almost been handicapped by humans.

 

Tibi is being very brave today. He's taken up his moaning spot right near the door to the street but has not moaned, just looks slightly pitiful. I feel camaraderie with him, like we are both stuck in this tiny apartment together and we agree wholeheartedly that we'd rather be elsewhere...but can't. So strange that I think we may have started down the path to bonding a bit because of the seizures yesterday, but there you are.

Or maybe because we're both feeling like trapped invalids / cellmates and experiencing some kind of variation on Stockholm syndrome?

"Three inches of wood door away from freedom... I'd give up my Kong for opposable thumbs. Sigh."



"Oh, I am so bored, so very boooorrrred!"

 

Love the second photo of him

 

I wasn't post serious surgery, or post any surgery for that matter, and my dog had all his senses intact. But when I stopped the battle of the wills and let him sniff to his heart's content, we both enjoyed our walks a whole lot more. And I also slip him morsels from my plate. I.e. broke all the rules! Heck, given what you're going through, I think you can break as many rules as you want! Look after yourself, and be kind to yourself. Sending you the very best of wishes to heal quickly.

Just a thought: instead of kongs, perhaps you can scatter Tibi's kibble and he'll get great satisfaction from all that sniffing out his food?

 

Normally a good idea, but Tibi's nose quite literally does not work. I have to make noise with his bowl or with the Kong by whacking it one the floor, or he won't find it, even if he is standing right over it. Plus he won't eat dry kibble or dry training treats.

Yeah, I'm trying to chill out about it, but frankly it's one of my own pet peeves. I just can't stand when dogs wee on everything and stop every two feet. I guess part of it was being spoiled with Brogan for so many years. He had a wee command and a sniff command, but otherwise his job was to match me step for step so his back (with his SD harness handle) was always under my left hand... and he was VERY good at it.

But Tibi and I had a pretty good day of it today - three walks and he did well on two of them. The last one was kind of a disaster, but you can't win 'em all!

 

@Emily_BabbelHund Poor old Tibi I'm not surprised he is confused. Please be gentle on yourself Emily, you have been through a lot so don't forget you xxx It's a pitty we all aren't nearer we could start up a Nurse rota to take care of YOU for a change xx

 

I certainly appreciate the thought, even if not too practical at the moment!

 

Just take it easy. love from US all here. My dogs would worship you

 

And my dog.. xx

 

So a little update on our Tibi and my seeing-eye-human career.

First of all, the good news: Tibi hasn't had another seizure. He also seems happier, more relaxed and yesterday even a little playful. I definitely see his little stump of a tail wagging more often. Of course, "playful" for Tibi seems to take the form of trying to jump on me and enthusiastically hump my leg, but hey - I'll take it considering how flat his demeanour usually is. I tried to encourage the general leaping about and gently discourage the actual leg-humping.

Also on Thursday evening we took a long-ish walk along the Danube with my friend (NOT the rescue group friend) and her Chihuahua, Miss Fine ("Feen-ah"). My friend, with her usual bluntness, said, "I don't know why you complain about him, you're managing his walk really well."

I realised she actually was more or less right - that Tibi in fact WAS walking much better and that I was guiding him better. It's been a decent amount of time since I've accidentally let him bonk his head on a bicycle tire or forgotten to warn him about an upcoming step. He still wees his heart out (and some walks are better than others) but overall he's getting the concept of "Go potty" (=wee/sniff to your heart's content) and "Let's go" (=we're walking and NOT weeing now). He's also getting better with cars coming close to him and hearing other dogs without being so leash-aggressive. He waits (more or less) calmly at crossing lights instead of panicking and wrapping himself around my legs.

So you could say that having that walk with my friend was a good eye-opener to me that despite my feeling discouraged, we ARE making progress.

On the not so good news, on Wednesday night, over the space of 10pm and 5am, he vomited twice, purged out a river of liquid poo four times and finally, in the ultimate "Can I just open the front door and tell everyone you decided to move to Moldavia?" moment, simply stood in the middle of the living room, squatted and wee-ed an absolute lake of urine. It was not the high point in our already-strained relationship.

I probably took more joy than I should have in not allowing him any food the next day. You know, to let his digestive system rest. Which I found with Brogan was always the best post-river-of-poo-night strategy. But again, I may have felt a little to much schadenfreude in the whole, "Ha, ha, you don't get to eat today" situation.

Which, by the way, Tibi didn't seem to mind in the slightest. I think he must have still been feeling rather punky as he didn't even ask for food as he normally does. Yesterday I started feeding him small amounts every couple hours again. I tried using the Kong as I thought it would make the small amounts of food more entertaining for him, but he is TOTALLY off the Kong and still today only wants to eat out of my hand. He has a great appetite again, is happy and has energy, but that Kong is still persona non grata. Very weird! Maybe the love affair is over?

Tomorrow it's finally supposed to be cooler, so today it's work, work, work (catching up still from my "surgery holiday") but maybe tomorrow we can get out of town and commune with nature a bit. It may do the both of us some good!

 

I apologise, but I had a chortle at this point in your narrative.

Chortle aside, the vomit/poo/wee trifecta really sucks. You have my utmost respect for not turning him into a nice little Border-Collie-skin rug.

Glad the walking is going well though, as confirmed by independent observers.

 

Urrgghh!
Not nice.
Not maybe too great in your stillpostsurgerystate either.

On the plus side, independent observers can give you that bit of insight and bit of a pep.
Poor you. Poor Tibi.

Here's to a better weekend x

 

Darn it, now you've given me the idea!

 

Hehe me too!

 

I hate a brown tide but he does sound and ill dog. Good job he's got you

 

Aw poor Tibi and very poor you, yukkkk How are you feeling Emily? xx