We're Under Construction!

Hopefully, everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day weekend and thinking about our US troops here and overseas! Photoshop Sage (welcome back!) really enjoyed thanking our troops and military dogs in person, as well as showing off her Ray Ban shades (which she thought looked so much cooler than Doggles...no offense)!

It's been HOT here in Texas recently so Sage has been spending lots of time indoors. She finished her antibiotics this week and all the swelling in her leg is finally gone (thank goodness)! She went on her first walk since the Izzy bite on Saturday and had a blast!

Speaking of hot and outside...I've been on the market for an outdoor dog bed for quite some time for Sage because she is weird about where she lays down while she is outside. Usually when she's out, I lay a towel down for her to sleep on, which she gratefully uses. Well, I pulled the trigger and purchased a Coolaroo dog bed, and Sage loves it! It's off the ground, provides good airflow underneath that is supposed to keep your dog cool, and it was perfect when Sage was injured since she was having a hard time getting up! If you're in the market for one, I recommend it (no, I'm not a spokesperson for Coolaroo dog beds)!

Ok, finally what you've been waiting for...what in the world is under construction?!

Well, the old dog house in the backyard was on it's last leg so plans were drawn up for new and improved living quarters for our canine family members. And well, things quickly got out of hand...

We figured an insulated and air conditioned dog house was the only way to go.

My husband has been working hard all weekend trying to finish, and it is definitely coming along! I'm very impressed at his mad building skills. Now, from this picture above you might be under the impression that Sage has been a loyal and encouraging helper throughout this whole process...but you couldn't be more wrong! As John was doing this...

 

Sage was doing this...

...and I...well, I have been listening to Brad Paisley's new album (again, I'm not a paid spokesperson) and messing around on my newly downloaded photography editing program...(can't you tell...?)

So the moral of this story is...my husband is a stud and Sage and I are not! 

I'll keep you posted on the dog house construction...I think he'll finish this evening!

This Is What Destruction Looks Like

I LOVE this photo.  Did you notice the small traces of stuffing still attached to Sage's mouth or the paw still trapping the demolished toy? This picture makes me laugh every time I see it! It's such a dog picture.

Anyways, when I walked downstairs to check on Sagey, this is what I found...I especially like the look on Sage's face as she casually glances over her shoulder as if to say, "um yes, I did that! so what?"

Destruction is hard work apparently.

Attention All Dog Owners!

When your dog starts the car trip here, you should know that they will probably end up here...

Unless confined in a kennel.

This is what I learned today.

(preview for next blog post...)

Shadow Dog: Just Pictures

We thought these were fun!

Feeling Better

Hi friends! Sage wanted me to let you know that she is feeling TONS better! The antibiotics and steroids have been working wonders. The swelling has decreased significantly and is almost completely gone. We are so thankful for her quick recovery!

Thanks for thinking of us! I'll supplement with a picture post!

Sweet Sage...and Satan's Apprentice

The neosporin is back...but this time it's worse!! Sage spent the weekend in and out of the Animal Emergency Clinic after a run-in with Satan's Apprentice.

It all happened Friday night, when a ferocious beast came out of the devil's lair and bit Sage on the back leg and on the front arm. (Yes, dogs have 2 arms and 2 legs...not 4 legs.) What kind of beast would do such a thing to Sage? Well, the criminal has been apprehended!

It's none other than my dad's bloodhound Izzy!!

Here's what really happened...

I brought Sage over to my parents house for a play date on Friday. Everything was going well until *someone (that person will remain anonymous) came outside holding a cracker. For a normal dog, this would be nothing that would cause alarm, however, Izzy is food aggressive (a problem that should be addressed immediately). When that *someone came outside, Izzy went crazy and attacked Sage!

When I got back to the house, that *someone told me about the accident and I checked Sage for bite marks, however I found none and Sage seemed in good spirits. However, later that evening I found blood on a towel where Sage was resting. I found a small hole on her knee cap and I quickly poured some rubbing alcohol on it to kill any bacteria that could cause infection.

After that everything seemed fine...Sage was happy and everything seemed fine. Until the next morning when Sage didn't want to get out of bed. Everything she tried to do seemed impossible. It was hard to get up and it was hard to walk! Sage was NOT herself. She was lethargic and depressed.  Not to mention that her leg was pretty swollen.

So this leads us to our first trip to the emergency room...where Sage got some steroids, antibiotics, and a sweet hair cut.

I watched her very closely and made sure she got her meds every 8 hours (which meant setting my alarm for 1 am)...and sleeping close-by...

In the morning, Sage was a completely different dog! She was no longer sluggish or depressed. I could tell she was feeling a lot better, however, the swelling was significantly worse.

Sage was on bed rest for the remainder of the day while I watched her progress closely.

By the end of the day (yesterday) I still had not seen a decrease in swelling, but more of an increase. So we made our trek to the emergency room again to make sure everything was ok.

The vet suggested that they should either put a drain in the wound to make sure *everything (I will try and spare you from all the yucky details) came out OR I could try and get *everything to drain myself. I decided to give it a try to spare Sage from anesthesia and a minor surgery. We've been doing warm compresses three times a day and *everything has been draining nicely!

Sage is doing great and feeling lots better! We will keep you posed on her progress!

Poor Sage!

Well, I Guess We Can Check Modeling Off The List...

So the other day, I took Sage and her brother Hawk on a walk. (No this post will not be in the form of a poem...) It was a beautiful morning and I just let Sage walk herself as I normally do! Sage is NOT the kind of dog that just trots calmly beside you as you leisurely stroll along the walking trail. Quite the contrary! I would say Sage runs 6x as far as I walk on any given "walk." This works great for me and it frees me up to take my camera along in case there are any strange happenings along the way.

Well, near the end of the walk Sage disappeared for a moment which may seem a little strange...however this is what our walk usually looks like...can you spot Sage?

So, this was not unusual, however when I whistled and called her name I didn't hear any rustling in the grass or splashing of water indicating that she was near and this was very unusual. I managed to stay pretty calm and finally Sage emerged from the tall grass. As she came closer I noticed that her tongue was completely red with blood!

(Now you see why I always...or almost always...have a camera handy!) When Sage was close enough to me to see her face, I noticed that there were two pretty deep cuts on the outside of her snout. One was a circular puncture wound while the other was a half-circle slice that went almost all the way through her lip. Both were pretty deep.

Once we got home I cleaned both wounds with betadine and caked on the neosporin. Both were tough tasks since Sage thought I was cleaning her ears (the one grooming procedure where she is totally uncooperative) and since the cuts are in tongue-reach!

Later that day I took Sage to the vet to make sure no stitches were needed, and although stitches would have helped close the wound, Sage's snout, as well as her whiskers, would have needed to be shaved. The vet told me the choice was mine and that if I chose not to go with the stitches, Sage would probably have some "cosmetic defects." Unfortunately for Sage's modeling career, I declined.

After a week, the half-circle slice healed up very nicely and is barely visible. However, as you can see, the puncture wound is giving us some trouble...but her hair is growing back so I'll be interested to see if her battle wound sticks around.

That's all for now!! Oh ya, and I still have no idea how she sliced up her face!?

(preview for Sage's next blog post...shadow dog!)