Elliot's Fence

It is almost a month since I contracted for Elliot’s fence; for a place where he can run, and I can work on training him.

In the meantime, Elliot has his kennel, where he plays ball briefly, chews on a bone or some toy if I am with him, or lies waiting for me to take him out if left alone. He also has the back yard, which he is trashing: pulling out plants, eating others, and digging holes.

In the hot weather, his running around and digging has churned up the earth so there is a large ground cover of fine dirt. This dust does not bode well for Elliot’s eye, where, due to the surgery the vet advised, the lower lid does not adhere close enough to the eyeball.

It is not a problem and does not bother him,” he said. But dust can irritate it.”

“He’s living in dust,” I replied.

I try to walk him every day, but due to his lack of training, and a collar that doesn’t work, it is almost impossible on our hill, and somewhat difficult elsewhere. I try to find a different location every day: a park, a golf course, a quiet neighborhood, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Lately, the fence construction has made it difficult to get my car in and out of the property, so we haven’t walked that much.

I walked Sarah up and down our almost empty cul-de-sac when I trained her, but now there are more homes and dogs making it difficult. I can cover the same area inside my front fence once it is complete. The only question is: When will it be complete?

And, Darker Clouds

Following the vet’s recommendation, I dropped Elliot off for x-rays the day
after his diagnosis. Although I know x-rays can’t hurt, I am always worried about sedation. I returned home and sat near the phone waiting for the call to tell me I could pick him up. By 3:00 I called them. Relief! I could pick him up at 5:00.

When I arrived, the Vet went over the x-rays with me, showed me what was wrong, explained how the joints and bones should look, using models to demonstrate.
Then he explained what was required.

I told him I was willing to do everything necessary to save this dog and offer him a good life. In other words, I would pay for all expenses.

“I adopted him,” I said “And, I owe him.

What was necessary was surgery. The first step was the elbows, and he
proposed a doctor in Marin County for that surgery.

“I can do the hips,” he said.

Before leaving, I made an appointment for Friday to take out the eye stitches and told the Vet that Elliot’s eyes continuously seeped gook. He examined Elliot’s eyes, told me both eyes had conjunctivitis, and gave me some ointment. Ellliot’s problems seemed to be compounding.

Then he handed me the x-rays and told me to make an appointment with the
Marin vet and bring them with me.

The next morning I called Marin. It would be two weeks before I could get
an appointment. That allowed for a long time of worry and stress.

Settling In

Elliot scoped out his new home and checked out my husband, Bill, who was immediately drawn to the gentle giant.

Once their relationship was established, I took Elliot out to familiarize him with the neighborhood, first giving him his initial lesson in allowing me to enter and leave the house before him. He understood the commands “sit” and “come” and was a quick learner. He was anxious to please.

It was Bill who noticed the dog was favoring his right rear leg.

“They didn’t mention any leg problem at the shelter,” I said. “Everything seemed fine. He’s had all his shots, no heartworm, and the eye stitches are due out in a week.”

“His eye is red,” said Bill

“I asked whether it needed any medication and they said ‘no.’ If he continues limping, I will take him to the vet.”

That night Elliot did not eat dinner. And, although I imagined it was because everything was so new, I was a bit worried. His ribs stuck out. He was too thin.

However, he settled on the living room floor, where he remained, after managing to snag one of my bedroom slippers to chew. I did my best to remove any chewable items I could find, including pillows on the sofa.

I took him out again before going to bed, then spent the night wondering whether he had found anything else to chew and whether I would wake up to find he had done his business on the rug. It had been a long time since I had to deal with puppy problems. Now it looked like there might be health problems too. I would find out soon enough.