Two Weeks Down

I have been trying to post this for a few days...technical difficulties were not helping.

Two weeks have passed now since Patton's last surgery. He had his staples removed on Feb 9th. Once again he did great. As long as someone is paying attention to him, do what you want. Our other dog had to be muzzled just for exams, not this one..."love me and I will do what you want". It amazes me that he is still so willing to go to the doctors after everything he has been through. He sees it as another chance to see lots of people (and dogs) who will make a fuss over him. The ham. No wonder our nickname for him is "Lovesponge". He seems to never get enough and he gives back just as much as he gets.

We tried letting him sleep upstairs the other night since his staples were removed and he no longer needs to wear an e-collar. He was so excited to get upstairs that he took off for the steps before I could help him. He managed to get up about 5 steps before his back legs gave out. Much to my dismay, he began falling back down the steps. By this time, I was right behind him and was able to gently(though not gracefully) help him slide back down the steps. When he finally settled at the bottom of the steps he looked at me like "What the heck just happened?". I got him back on his feet and he made a bee line for his cage. After some coaxing and the use of his leash, I managed to get him out of the cage and to the foot of the steps. As he looked at me questioningly("Are you nuts, lady?"), my oldest son and I got him upstairs. Patton was thrilled. He has not been upstairs since the beginning of December.

The next morning concerned me, getting him down the stairs would be another issue. I had put the gate up across the upstairs just in case he had grand ideas of heading down on his own. I also brought up his leash and sling to help me get him down a little more gracefully. In the morning, as I got out of the shower, woke my boys and let Patton out of my room. He picked up right where he left off in December. Finding the boys dirty laundry(he is particular to socks) and bringing them to me. He was in doggy heaven. Once he had completed his "job", we headed downstairs. I was glad I had him on the leash and used the sling. His back legs are quite weak after the surgeries and I think he would have tumbled down the stairs if I didn't have his back end. I know he was happy to sleep with us upstairs but last night when it was time for bed I called him to come up with me and he headed straight for his cage. No amount of coaxing could budge him. He wouldn't let me use his leash, he wanted no part of going up those stairs again and that is ok. He has no problem with 2-3 steps but a flight of stairs is like asking someone to climb Mt. Everest.

So even though he is doing well and recovering quickly, his adventure upstairs shows me just how far we need to go yet. We have begun the short walks again. Just to the corner and back, 5 minutes. Slowly we will build him back up to where he was before his last surgery, about 25 minutes. Hopefully, by the time we go camping in early June he will be ready for a few mile hike.