Getting Ready to Meet the New Family Member

Here we are, it's October already. I haven't posted any updates since just after we moved in July. That is a long time! Funny, looking at the blog now, this will be our 100th post. Pretty neat. 100 posts in just over 1 year.

Louie's favorite sleep spot in our bathroom

As you may know from previous entries, we are expecting. Expecting what? A baby! In October... oh wait, it is October now. I've been saying that for so long now, we're due in October. Now I can say, we're due in 8 days! Wow. Louie still has no idea. He knows we got new furniture in the extra room in the house. He knows that the new giant dog bed we put in there for him mistakenly has some sort of cage around it so he can't get in, and he knows that I walk slower than I used to. He is a very observant dog, that Louie.

Snorp on the other hand seems to get that something is up. He is a very sensitive and intuitive dog. He watched us move things into the baby's room. He watched as Paul assembled the crib and other furniture. He's found his favorite spot to sleep is on the floor next to the crib. I don't know if that's just because he is enjoying his own private room or if he is waiting for something to appear there. He is more gentle and loving towards me than ever. I have a hunch that he has a hunch that something is happening, but he doesn't know what.

Louie enjoying the dog bed on the porch

I've put a lot of thought about what it will be like having a newborn with two big dogs in the house. I know they will be curious and excited with a new being in the home. I have a handle on how to introduce our seeing dog, Snorp, but I'm struggling with Louie a little more. Louie does not understand the 'personal bubble' as Snorp does. Snorp can sit across the room and evaluate the situation with his eyes. He also works great with non verbal commands. I can reach my arm out and put my hand up, palm out and he will stop in his tracks. This will keep him away and let the baby continue resting. Louie is different. He wouldn't see my hand until he bumped into it.

Louie is also pretty excitable with kids. He loves them. He wants to get right up there and snuggle and lick faces. They taste all salty and like milk! When he met a friends 3 month old, it was typical Louie. He licked her face and wagged his tail like crazy. When we told him he'd had enough he still wanted to sit right next to us and be as close to his new friend as possible. When I am tired and just learning how to juggle a newborn and a million other things, I'll have to be careful not to trip over the big dog that is under my feet. Again, Louie won't get out of the way because he sees me coming. That will be my job.

Louie and his cat Halford on our bed

I know like so much of life that this will be a learn as I go experience. I have read a lot. I have worked with Louie a lot and I have put a lot of thought into it. After all, Louie is a certified Canine Good Citizen. I know he is trainable. We have already set some limits and he knows very well basic commands. Now I just have to take the time to use them, staying calm and happy. I also cannot forget that Uncle Louie was here first, and he'll still need my attention and love too.

After this dog training comes the task of training a baby human. I do have pretty good experience with puppies, but I have a feeling this may be a little more challenging. Once they are old enough to crawl around and grab things one of the first important lessons will be how to treat and respect a dog and a cat. With all parties on board we can live in a peaceful and safe household.

Any of our readers have tips or suggestion on this issue? Read any good articles? Please share them here in the comments section or on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/lifewithblindlouie.

Moving to a New House!

Louie enjoying his sunny new porch in the morning.

So, we're moving. Not far away by any means. We're moving right next door actually. We'll still be next door to my parents and Budde the Puppy, who's not such a little puppy anymore. We're moving to a house with two bedrooms, instead of the one bedroom we've been in. We are making room for the baby that should be arriving sometime in October.

The Dogs love the new yard and huge back porch. We let Louie come over and check the place out before any furniture was there. That is something I haven't really done before. Usually, I prefer it if he stays away until we have furniture arranged where it will be staying so he can really map out his new surroundings. This time it was a little harder to keep him away since we were walking back and forth between the new house and our old house and he was following right along of course.

Louie trying out the new couch as a possible sleeping home base.

Louie seemed to really enjoy checking out the empty house. He softly bumped into some walls and followed right along with me while I showed him around. Then it was time to start moving boxes. I was going to put him inside at my dads house so he would be out of the way, but Louie decided that he'd put himself on time out. We had moved the dog bed's first and we set them, temporarily, on the back porch. Louie found his dog bed and made that his home base. As we moved things he enjoyed his dog bed in a new location.

Louie is slow moving in the new house when he first wakes up. This is a good thing. Sleep for him hits some kind of reset button. In the old house he had only 3 places where he would sleep: on our bed with us, on the living room dog bed or on a chair in the living room. The house was very small. Now there is much more room to fall asleep, and much more space to get lost in (but there is still not enough room on our bed Louie, scoot over!) The fist night in the new house, Louie fell asleep with me on my bed. When Paul came to bed and had Louie move from his spot, we took the time to show Louie we weren't in the old house anymore. We helped him jump down and get his bearings. When he was finally settled he chose a spot on the carpeted floor at the foot of the bed. Our dog Snorp was sleeping just a few feet away. That was perfect.

All three dogs, fast asleep in the new backyard.

When I woke up the next morning, Louie was no longer at the foot of the bed. Where did he go? I checked the living room, the kitchen, the hallway and the still empty baby-to-be's room. Nothing. Finally, I went to use the bathroom and there he was. We have two bathrooms in this new house and one is in the master bedroom. Louie and I have never experienced such luxury. The strange thing is, this bathroom is carpeted. Weird, I think. I have never lived anywhere with a carpeted bathroom. I think this dates the house and shows it has not been remodeled in about forty years. It is pretty awesome looking overall, but the bathroom carpet seems wrong. I guess Louie thought so too. I don't think he realized he was sleeping in the bathroom because he was still in the room with us and there was still the same carpet. Louie was fast asleep on the bathmat.

Louie likes throw rugs and dog beds because it's an easy marker to where he is in the room. I'm sure he thought of the bathmat as his new dog bed in our room. I think it really confused him when I started to brush my teeth right near where he was laying! What!

All in all, this has been fun. It has been tough for me in that I can't move things like I usually would due to my 'condition'. I'm 7 months pregnant already! But this has made me realize and appreciate that my husband is such a good guy and a hard worker. I packed some, and unpacked, but he moved just about everything. Louie, not so much. He just 'watched'.

Interview Magoo, Love is Blind Photo Contest First Runner Up

 Here is an interview with Magoo's owner, Julie. Magoo was the first runner up on the Love is Blind Photo Contest on the Life with Blind Louie Facebook Page.


How did you hear about Life with Blind Louie?
"I heard of Life with Blind Louie from the Blind Dog Support group. Other members had already liked Blind Louie's Facebook page, and shared. Being a new owner to a blind dog, I like to hear of others experiences and seeing that their dogs are still out there being dogs."

Dad, Magoo and Gus.

When did you have the pleasure of meeting Magoo?
My mom and dad adopted Magoo from a MI shelter. I did see Magoo but not on a daily basis. He was already losing his sight when they adopted him, but he was still a very feisty fellow. After my dad passed and my mom started traveling more, she brought up re-homing Magoo. I didn't want him going to just anyone so she agreed to let him come here for me to look for a new home. I knew in the back of my mind he wasn't going anywhere. My dad adored this dog and I just couldn't let him leave our family.

When did you guys start to notice Magoo was going blind?
Bringing Magoo home I could see that he was not seeing. We went to a specialist where we were told it was PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy). At this point, Magoo was not seeing anything. Again it being new I had lots of questions and did a lot of reading up on it. I can't say I felt pity for him. I was watching a dog that still was having fun everyday. He is feisty and loves to wrestle, play with his flirt pole and fetch. The biggest adjustment was doing these things a little differently. Loud jingle ball really made playing fetch easier. Little scented oil on the flirt pole helped. We learned to walk together and teaching him his words. "careful", easy" and then just brushing up on general commands. Magoo does extremely well getting around. Our first visit to my vet and the vet tech was surprised he couldn't see. He walked around that place like he owned it. It was more of me and him getting in sync.

Magoo and his sister, Sassy

Do you have any other pets in the house? Kids?
Magoo lives with Buddy(pit bull) Sassy(toy poodle) his side kick. They love to play and to cuddle together. I also had to teach Sassy to look out for him, so keep her from getting run over. He tends to follow Sassy around outside a lot, which is not always a good thing. She is always into mischief. Sassy and Magoo also like playing tug together. This I have to watch closely because of the size difference. Magoo also lives with 2 cats. The cats are not fond of him as he gets to close and excited and they get scared. That is still a work in progress.

Does Magoo get around pretty well without being able to see?
Magoo continues to amaze me daily. He gets around like any sighted dog and just continues to live his life like any normal dog.

I know from my experience with Louie, that it is very difficult sometimes dealing with medical problems and their cost. Both financial and emotional.
Taking Magoo I knew there could be high medical costs, it was worth it knowing that I was still taking care of my dads dog. Can't put a price on love.

Somebody LOVES tug!

When I would see dogs needing homes that were blind, I always felt bad but didn't think I could give a blind dog everything they needed. This was the biggest lesson Magoo taught me. You just give them everything every other dog wants, a home, unconditional love and Magoo says lots of toys. : )

I love that! I would have never thought I could care for a blind dog either, and then there was Louie. He surprised me in so many ways. I had no idea how well a blind dog can carry on with life. Sight is more of a luxury now when I look at a dog, not a necessity by any means.

This is why I wanted to write about my life with Blind Louie. I wanted people to know that there are good dogs out there, great dogs, that just can't see. I wanted people to know that these dogs were keepers, they are worth our time and energy. If your dog is diagnosed with a vision problem, it is not the end of the world. There are ways to help them and help yourself and there are a lot of other people dealing with the same thing to help with tips and tricks and support. That is why I'm glad to write about Louie and why I'm glad I found web resources like www.blinddogsupport.com.

Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. We all love Magoo too! Also, little known fact: Blind Louie's nickname has been 'Mr. Louie Magooie' since he was diagnosed with his glaucoma and I realized why he was bumping into everything. I was a big Mr. Magoo fan growing up.

Can you say spoiled!? Look at all his toys!

Interview with Contest Winner: Misfit the Blind Dog

Here is an interview I did with Misfit the Blind Dog's mama, Dana. Misfit's parents, Dana and Morgan have had Misfit since he was a little puppy. Misfit is similar to Louie in many ways. Louie has never had all of his sight and went blind at a very young age. Dana is pretty sure Misfit was born blind. They are both dogs that were never dependent on sight, therefore, never let their blindness hold them back. Even the look of Misfit's eyes reminds me of Blind Louie. Right down to the difference in size, shape and shade between the left and the right eyes. I wish we could meet Misfit outside of the internet, but here we are in the Pacific Northwest and Misfit is all the way in Maryland. Please be sure to find Misfit on Facebook for more photos: www.facebook.com/MisfitTheBlindDog and while you're at it, make sure you've liked the Life with Blind Louie page too! www.facebook.com/LifewithBlindLouie,

Hi Dana, Thanks for taking the time to tell us a little bit about your story.  How did you hear about Life with Blind Louie?
"We were contacted on Misfit’s Facebook page by Louie to enter his “Love Is Blind” photo contest."

When and how did you meet your dog?
"It was actually a very unexpected and unplanned introduction. Morgan was looking to adopt a dog, and her sister’s boyfriend’s dobies had just had a litter of puppies. Morgan’s sister knew she was looking for a dog, and offered her one of the puppies. The mother of the puppies killed two of her blind pups (6 others were sighted puppies and found homes as well) When Morgan picked out the blue Doberman she had no idea he was blind."

When and how did your dog’s eye problems come about? What were some early signs and observations?
"Well, Morgan first noticed he was blind as soon as she had him in her car to take him home. He started bobbling his head as though he could not focus on anything, so this started some suspicion. Then when she got him home, he would walk timidly and as though he had no idea where he was. When he started to walk a little more freely she noticed him running into anything in his path. Also, his eyes were oddly colored…a very pale bright blue and he had no pupils. At the time we thought it was just a “puppyism” because he was only 7 weeks old (she got him this early because Morgan’s sister feared the mom may turn on him as well) The first day Morgan picked him up was October 13th, 2012. Needless to say, Dana was not fully in the picture at this time. Within 1 month she became completely involved."

Have you had to do any surgery's or treatments?
We have not done any treatments as of now. The blindness does not interfere with his everyday life. He still plays with toys and other dogs, runs around the yard and cuddles as though he is a sighted dog. Unless you either look at his eyes or are told, you cannot tell he is blind. We have decided to take him to an ophthalmologist, which is an eye doctor for dogs. We are hoping they will be able to tell us what caused the blindness and what complications/treatments may come about."

Do you have any other pets in the house? Kids?
"We do have another pet! We have an American Short Hair kitty cat. His name is Willis and Misfit can track him down in an instant. He uses the bell on Willis’ collar to find him! It’s amazing how easily he can chase him even though he can’t see him. They never harm each other, they just get on each other’s nerves (or more like Misfit gets on Willis’ nerves)."

How did Misfit deal with vision loss?
"Since he was born with his blindness he adapted amazingly well, almost too well. He is such a picture of inspiration and perseverance. He does not fear things; he walks into all new experiences with such trust in himself and us as his guide humans."
 
How does Misfit get around without being able to see?
"Very well, perfect. He can hear us walk and can follow us by the sound of our footsteps. The only time he has problems is in crowded and fairly unknown places, such as the dog park. There are people there that move around and change places on him so he cannot have the placement of obstacles memorized since it does changes, so every now and then he will run into people full force."

Can you tell us one story of a time you were really impressed with your dog’s navigation ability?
"There are so many times he has navigated so well that we were amazed. It is almost impossible to pin point one. But to give you one instance, he used to live at a house with a pellet stove. Morgan did all she could to teach him that he could not go near it for fear of him burning himself. One day she did not have it barricaded off, but still as soon as he walked up onto the tile the pellet stove was on, he immediately turned around and walked away. Also, sometimes when he is running around the yard he will get so close to running into something, but as soon as he gets about 2 centimeters away from it, he stops, backs up and chooses another path."

Are the risks and struggles involved in having a blind dog, both emotional and financial, worth enduring? What are some things that make it worth it?
"There is nothing that could cause us to not want to take care of him. I believe we love him so much that we would sell the clothes of our back to make his life comfortable. What makes us so passionate about him and him so worthy of love is the small things he does during a day. Such as the first time he discovers that he can stick his head out of a car window, or the first time he encounters snow and wants to eat it or even getting in the pool for the first time. Being able to be there for every single one of his “firsts” is what makes him worth every struggle there is."

Tell us about your site and where we can contact you and follow your story?
Our site is on Facebook. The link is www.facebook.com/misfittheblinddog. You can follow his daily adventures and help us spread the word that disabled animals are just as loving and lovable as “normal” animals on his Facebook. In order to contact us you can personal message us on his Facebook or send us an e-mail at misfittheblinddog@gmail.com. We also currently have a fundraising project going on. We are raising money for the Blind Dog Rescue Alliance. Our current goal is $200. If you would like to donate you can send a donation of $3-$5 to misfittheblinddog@gmail.com on PayPal or go to http://www.gofundme.com/misfitsmasterpiece. For each donation we will be sending a “pawtographed” photograph of Misfit to the person who donated.

Love is Blind Photo Contest Winners!

We had a very successful photo contest on the Life with Blind Louie Facebook page and boy did we have fun! I was introduced to many amazing dogs, all thanks to the internet. Over the next week or so, I will be doing a series of interviews with the winners of the contest:

First is Mistfit the Blind Dog!

Winner of the Love Is Blind Photo Contest.

Check out Misfits Facebook page! Click HERE

 

First Runner Up: Wiebus! from the Netherlands.

He's famous. Check out his website. I can't read it, but the photos sure are great.

Second runner up: Magoo!

and the always adorable
Third runner up: Vinny!

Check back for the interviews!

Sick Snorp Update

A happy car dog

I'm happy to report that Snorp has made a seemingly full recovery from his unfortunate poisoning incident. It was slow going for a while but he's back to his good old wagging self.

My husband and I decided that Snorp could use a vacation. Well, actually it may have been a bit more selfish. We did have ourselves in mind as well. We decided to take 3 days off of work and head out to the Washington coast, Snorp included. We came to the conclusion to leave Louie with my parents and their dog Budde. I know Louie will be happier and have more fun in a familiar place than he will on a long car ride that includes a ferry. Louie didn't know he was missing out on anything. He was blissfully unaware that Snorp, Paul and I were having the time of our lives without him.

Snorp escapes the waves.

Snorp really enjoyed the alone time with his favorite humans. He was such a good boy in the car and at all our stops along the way while on the leash. When we arrived at our destination, a small cabin in La Push Washington, Snorp enjoyed smelling and marking every tree a pine needle, tail wagging. We walked the few feet to the beach and watched the waves beat against the sandy shore. Snorp was so excited, but cautious. There was no way he was going to let a single tiny wave catch him. Even if we threw his favorite stick out on to the wet sand. It was pretty cute.

After a long few weeks of Snorp recovering from his ER stay it was good to see him so happy and active. I was really worried that we would never see that Snorp again. He was so sick that he couldn't walk when we took him home from the hospital. It was another day before we saw his tail wag and another two days before he licked my hand in the morning to wake me up like he usually does. It was a full five days before he could easily take the 4 steps up on to my parents porch, but slowly and surely he has recovered. We are lucky.

A happy beach dog.

What's Wrong with Snorp!

Snorp and his favorite kid friend, Ethan March 2013

Alright. The topic of my blog usually revolves around my lovely Blind Louie. Today we are going to talk about Louie's stepbrother, his best dog friend and seeing eye dog. Snorp.

Snorp is an amazing dog. He was my husbands dog before we met. Now he is our dog. I love him as much as I love Louie. Read all about how we met Snorp by clicking this link to an older post in our blog: Read More About Snorp

Wednesday night, we had the scare of a lifetime. I want to share this story because I know I have a lot of readers who have dogs, and who love their dogs like they were family. I also bet that like me, a lot of you don't know about some dangers lurking right in your own back yard.

On Wednesday, I got home from work about 6pm. Snorp and Louie were inside and greeted me enthusiastically at the door like most days. I gave them both a good petting. I asked my husband Paul if he had already fed the dogs. He had. So I let them outside to go to the bathroom. A little while later they found their was next door to my parents house. My brother was there and he let the dogs in to see their puppy, Budde. Snorp found a spot on the floor to nap. About a half hour went by when Snorp stood. My brother, Hunter, looked at him to see if he needed to go out and noticed his back legs were flexed and rigid. He thought Snorp may be sick to his stomach so he walked him outside and observed. Snorp didn't try to find the grass. He just stood on wobbly legs and looked concerned.

Hunter brought Snorp back home where Paul and I were inside. When Snorp walked in, we knew something wasn't right. It was 8pm. By 8:30 there was no denying we had an emergency on our hands. Snorp could barely stand, every muscle in his body was contracted without his control. He began to drool and pant and he looked terrified. We thought maybe he had been buzzed by the electric fence we have way out back by the pig pen. This was different. Was he having a seizure? It looked a lot like that. Then I said, "Do you think he could have been poisoned." No. He's not throwing up and he doesn't have diarrhea.

I called the Animal Emergency Clinic and explained the symptoms as Paul loaded Snorp into the car. It was so hard for him to walk by now. We drove the 20 minutes the the ER and it was getting progressively worse. The nurses and doctors began to ask us questions. "Do you have Slug Bait in your garden?" No. "Does anyone in your family takes drugs for ADHD?" No. "Do you have rat poison with strychnine out?" No. "Do you have a compost pile in your yard". No, but I think our neighbors do and Snorp goes over there to visit their dogs often. What? Compost? Compost is poisonous to dogs?

Compost Poisoning in Dogs

Yes! Compost can be poisonous to dogs. I had no idea. It can be deadly. Snorp's temperature was already 105 when we arrived and he was convulsing violently. It was impossible to put and IV in for fluids so they had to sedate him first. After 4 shots of heavy tranquilizers and Paul and I holding him still, they go the IV inserted into his back leg. The vet said that he had to be sedated for a very long time. They had to monitor his temp and heart rate and keep him hydrated. If we would not have brought him in so quickly he would have certainly died. He would have continued to tremor until he cooked from the inside. Horrifying.

Snorp stayed at the ER overnight. We got back home at about 11:30pm and we were distraught. We were told we needed to pick him up at 7:30am to transfer him to our regular vet at 8 for daytime monitoring. He would not be ready to go home by morning. So we woke early and picked him up. He could not walk at all anymore. We lifted him by placing 2 towels under his belly and using them like slings to lift him. It was really hard seeing him like that.

After the long task of getting him settled at the new hospital and going over his chart with our regular vets he was hooked back up to fluids. They have him charcoal on food to help absorb any poison and sedated him. We got a call that afternoon that he would be ready to go home by time we got off of work that day. Almost 24 hours in the hospital.

This day, Thursday May 30th was something my husband and I had been looking forward to for months. It was my 20 week ultrasound appointment and we would hopefully find out if we were having a boy or a girl. So quickly it turned from a happy day to a day of worry. It was comforting to get the call that we could take Snorp home just a few minutes before walking into my doctors appointment. It made it much easier to focus on the amazing task at hand knowing we'd be seeing Snorp again just after.

When we picked Snorp up we were given some more charcoal fluid to mix with his next meal and told that he would still be stiff and sore for a few days. It is now Saturday and Snorp is still having a hard time getting around. It seems like every muscle is sore. I bet is it after having a Charley horse in your whole body for hours and hours. Poor boy. But we are lucky he is alive, and he is happy to be home.

The next morning, Friday, when he woke up from about 12 straight hours of sleep he wagged his tail gently for the first time since this all started and he licked my hand gently. Snorp was back, I think he's going to be okay.

So, I didn't know all the things that can make a dog sick. I knew the obvious, rat poison and antifreeze. But compost? Horse poop? Snail Bait? The more we know the better parents we can be and we have to share with each other when something like this happens. So we went and told all our neighbors with dogs and now I'm telling all of my readers.

Thanks for reading. Oh, it's a boy. :)

"Love is Blind" Photo Contest Details

We're having a photo contest on the Life with Blind Louie Facebook Page. Here are some detail on how you can enter: 

First, if you haven't already, Like the Life with Blind Louie Facebook Page. (You must be logged into Facebook to do this)

Now send us a private Facebook message with the photo you'd like to submit.
Please include any info you'd like me to post along with your photo ie. Dogs name, owners name, website (if any) you're promoting. Please include a short story about how you found your dog and how your photos works with our theme.

Theme: Love is Blind
The interpritation of the theme is left up to you so get creative!

I will be posting a few entry's a day for my fans to see. I will annouce the final deadline later, it depends on how many submittions I get and how quickly they come in. I will then narrow the photos down to a few and will open a poll for fans to vote on their favorite photo.

The winner will get some Life with Blind Louie swag and an interview that will be posted on the Life with Blind Louie blog.

The runners up will all be featured in the "Love is Blind" photo album on the Life with Blind Louie Facebook Page and also featured in a blog post about the photo contest.

Any questions? Email me: lifewithblindlouie@gmail.com
or go to our Facebook page, Click Here or go to www.facebook.com/lifewithblindlouie

Spring Has Sprung

Giving Louie a hug on a sun-shiny day

Spring has officially sprung in the northwest. Thank goodness. We get a few days here every year that remind us all why we live here in the first place. The other days are to trick visitors into thinking they shouldn't move here. Have guests from out of town for a visit and it will surely rain the entire time they're here, but there are always tiny reminders of the beautiful area we live in.

Somedays, like today, I can see Mt. Baker huge in the sky. If I'm on the right hill I can see the whole Fraser Valley to the North. Blue sky, mountains, rivers, lakes, streams, creeks and ocean. There is nowhere else in the world I'd rather be. Louie especially loves it when the sun comes out.

The forecast for this weekend looks great. Everyday in the 70's. We don't get that here everyday, not even in the summer. To see the 70's the first week of May is pretty special and you can tell people here are excited. Louie included. Before the sun is even out people are out in their shorts, tank tops and sandles. It might be raining now, but they have faith in the weatherman that something better is on its way.

Louie has been lying in the driveway on the hot black pavement in the direct sunlight again. I have to go and force him to wake up and move inside or into the shade on the porch after a few minutes. I know from past experience that he will not make this call for himself when he gets overheated. We discovered that when he was very young.

It was hot at our cabin on Reflection Lake in eastern Washington. Louie was less than a year old. We were playing down by the water, Louie was swimming in a shallow spot while I sat on the dock with my feet in. Louie got out and lay down on the dock while I threw my fishing pole in the water a few times. It was only about 11am but it was already about 80 degrees. I woke Louie up to follow me up to the fire pit to start breakfast after about a half an hour. Louie followed me up and then lay down right next to the fire in the dirt. When I turned around and saw that I told him to scoot over right away. He was almost in the fire! He was slow to respond. He stood up and looked at me dazed. Just then as he stood there, he started peeing. He was not squatting, he did not lift his leg. This was very weird. "Louie just peed his pants?" I thought.

I started to panic. I felt his nose and it was dry and hot. Louie started to sway and stumble before falling down. Oh, crap! This is really bad. I was a 30 minute drive from a paved rode and another 30 to a hospital or town that might have a vets office. That would be an hour ride in a hot dusty car for a dog that was already obviously overheating. I picked Louie up in my arms and carried him down to the lake. I set him in the shallow water on the shore in a shady spot. As he woke up I encouraged him to drink. He lapped at the water lazily as he lay in the shallow water.

Louie in Reflection Lake, 2009

I sat with him on the shore for a while. He fell asleep on and off. I kept talking to him, telling him he was a good boy. His panting slowed to more of a normal breath. I grabbed a beach towel nearby and soaked it in the lake water before bringing Louie back up the hill and into the cabin where it was shady and cool. I covered him with the wet towel until that started to warm up and I removed it. I set a bowl of water next to him. I watched him sleep. I didn't get much fun in the sun that day at all.

After a few hours, Louie seemed more normal. It wasn't until the sun started going down that he wanted to go back outside. I was glad, because I wouldn't have let him go out earlier anyway. It was cool outside and there was a little breeze. I watched Louie and felt like we have survived something very scary, but he was okay.

I'm glad survival mode kicked in and I kept a level head. I would have been easy to panic. I love this dog. I was happy I hadn't skipped over the emergency care chapters in my dog training books. They all included parts on heat stroke. If it wasn't for that, I might not have known what was happening or what I should do.

I have always watched Louie carefully on sunny days since then. His love for the heat and his skill at finding the sunny spot even though he can't see has me instructing him to move every few minutes and it also means that on some really hot days he just stays inside until the sun starts going down.

Don't Rain On Me

Today is a rainy spring day. It's Saturday. This rain comes after an almost full week of glorious sunshine. The weekdays were gorgeous, I enjoyed the sun through my office windows while at work. Today, my day off, the weekend it rains. That's is the joke here in the Pacific Northwest: it only rains on the weekends, and often on weekdays too. If you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes. That's another phrase heard again and again. Today if you wait, it would still be raining. Louie doesn't know if it's a weekday or a weekend. He only knows there are days I leave in the morning and some days I stay with him. He also knows there's no way in hell you're going to get him to go outside when it's raining.

You'd think Louie was from some warm climate, some tropical paradise where everyday was at least 80 degrees. Then he was suddenly ripped from his home while snoozing on the beach and teleported to Alaska in the dead of winter and left outside to fend for himself. He hates the cold and the rain. But he's Pacific Northwest born and raised. Shouldn't he be used to it by now?

Louie cannot see water. He cannot see the rain falling from the sky but he knows, yes he does.

In the morning when I wake up, it's like I have a blind furry weatherman lying on my bed. If it is wet outside, Louie will not get up. He will not get up when Snorp asks to go out. He will not get up when the cats jump on him and he will not get up when I am getting ready to leave. How does he know? I think he can smell it. He can hear it. He can taste it. If you close your eyes and think about it, you can feel dampness in the air. In the spring time it's like a clean, fresh smell. You can hear the sound of the rain on the roof, or when it's windy, against the window pane. You don't need eyes to guess what the weather is like outside. You also don't need to get your ass out of bed apparently either.

So Louie's day consisted of sleeping in as long as possible. Running out the front door and up the set of steps to his grandparents house to have breakfast. Then napping on their new fluffy dog bed they got for Budde the puppy. Louie is happy to help break that new bed in. After a nap he ran outside to the closest corner of grass to pee, so fast and hard that is splashed up onto his front feet. Louie then ran back to his house for phase two of the rainy day nap. He lays down near the front door. Listening to the rain. If I open the door for him and ask him if he wants to go outside, he just turns his head and 'looks' at me: "You're kidding right?"

Nip & Tuck: Budde's 5 Months Old

Good sit and stay with Blind Louie.

4/13/13
Budde the Puppy is five months old!
Budde is officially five months old and he is crazy. Goodbye docile puppy that sleeps 20 hours a day. Hello crazy, rabid, clumsy giant-pawed creature that's running full speed through the mud to jump up on me as I'm about to leave for work in my favorite white with black polka dot dress. No stopping Budde now.

Poor Snorp is taking the brunt of it. It seems like Budde has confused Snorp for a moving couch or maybe a horse that he should be riding on, because he won't stop jumping up on him. Snorp tries diligently to knock him down again and again, it looks exhausting. Snorp runs, and there is Budde, running with only his back two feet as his front are up on Snorp. Wheel barrow!

Budde's 5month Birthday, he shows of his lay down and stay skills.

And then there's the humping. That's right, I'll admit it. We have a humper on our hands, dang it. If Snorp is too tired to fight him off, Budde will stand with his front paws on Snorp's shoulders and start rocking his hips back and forth. It's still innocent, he's not, (ahem) aroused or anything. He's not even facing the right direction. It's actually pretty hilarious, BUT DON'T LAUGH! You're just encouraging him, this is BAD puppy behavior.

The look on Budde's face when he starts humping Snorp is priceless. He tilts his head back, nose in the air. His eyes relax and close partially. He just gets this smug, satisfied look on his face. He looks relaxed and proud of himself... and then we knock him down. Oh, Budde. Bad dog. (snicker).

That brings us around to the next part of the story. Budde went in for surgery Monday April 15th. Neuter time! I took him in on my way to work. I dropped him, unsuspectingly, off at the vet. The surgery went so well I was able to pick him up before 3:00 that same day. I was standing in the lobby at the receptionists desk paying for the procedure and waiting for the nurse to bring him out. From down the hall I heard a knocking sound and somebody said "Wow, watch out for that tail!". It was Budde. Running down the hall like a drunken sailor, slamming his wagging tail into the wall as he went. He was so happy to see me. It was like nothing had happened, except he was a little wobbly on his feet.

The 'tiny' puppy snuggles with his Papa after surgery

We hopped in the car to head home. I was going to surprise my dad by bringing him home early, he didn't think I would be back until after 6:00. I opened the door quietly. My dad was sitting in his armchair facing away from the door I entered in. I let Budde go first. Dad didn't know we were there until Budde was right at his feet asking to get on his lap. My dad was so excited!

I left them for a little while, when I came back a few hours later to check on them, Budde was in his favorite spot. My dad said about his groggy, drugged up puppy "I wish he would just stay like this for a while." As he held him and kissed his head. I told him to cherish it because when he woke up all hell would brake loose. and it did. But I'll save that story for another time.

Finally the Big News

There has been a void on the Louie blog. Posts have had more time in between. I have been snapping fewer photographs and sleeping a lot more instead. There is some big news in Blind Louie land and our family farm. We will soon be adding to our happy gaggle of animals. This time it won't be another pig, or a chicken or even a puppy. This time we're going to have a baby!

Louie doesn't know yet. I've told him, but he doesn't understand. He just tilts his head from side to side, 'staring' at me. "Louie, are you going to be a big brother? You going to have a new baby in the house?" He eagerly wags his tail. What a good boy. He has no idea that our world and routine is about to be turned upside down.

My husband Paul and I knew we wanted to be parents 'someday'. If you always say someday, then someday may never come. Sometimes you just have to let go and see what happens. Like when I brought Louie home. I knew I wanted to get a puppy someday, but my house wasn't perfect, I worked a lot, I had crappy roommates. But then my friend's wonderful dogs had puppies and I knew they all needed a responsible home. I had love to give, attention and responsibility. I couldn't help them all but I picked one out and took them home. I put a lot of hard work and care into raising Louie and it was worth every second. Even when I'm cleaning dog diarrhea off the carpet, I love him.

I think that is what it will mean to be a mom. I will have love, I am caring and I am
responsible enough to take this on. This time, going into this I also have an amazing partner. I was a single mom for the first three years of Louie's life. I did it, it was hard but I did it. Now I will have a baby, it will be twice as hard and complicated as raising a puppy but now I have someone to share the responsibility with. Someone truly amazing. Paul is much more patient than me, much more gentle. His sense of humor keeps me laughing even through life's difficult moments. This is what we will need to live a happy, healthy life.

So this blog has taken a backseat to my new blog, a humorous pregnancy blog I've created to document this crazy journey (My Uterus is Magic). Now that I've told everyone that we are expecting, it will easier to write for Life with Blind Louie too. A lot of what I'm thinking about is how a blind dog and a baby will learn to live together. Louie is very trainable, a day old baby, not so much. Life with Blind Louie will be a place I can brainstorm training ideas, and then after the baby is here, a place where I can share stories. I know Louie will continue to amaze us with his adaptability and is intelligence, his kindness and his clumsiness. Stick around, things will get interesting.

Check out my new blog at www.myuterusismagic.blogspot.com !!

We Made Sausage, and Louie 'Helped'

We made sausage and Budde the Puppy is 17 Weeks Old.
We, however, did not make sausage out of Budde the puppy. Phew, good thing because we like having him around. Today we made sausage with the lovely pigs that gave their lives to be food for many families. They lived happy, healthy, simple lives. I love  making sausage with my husband Paul, he is a pro for sure. After losing a small part for our little cast iron sausage stuffer, we borrowed the big stuffer from Paul's work instead. Quite a amazing peice of machinery. A hand crank device who's technology has stayed about the same since the early 1900's. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

As always, Louie was getting in the way while we were in the kitchen. I tell him to get out and sit and he does. He somehow slowly sneaks back in after a while, we are working away and don't even notice until we are tripping over him. He sure loves the smell of raw meat, what dog doesn't right? He has no idea of spatial boundaries like some dogs. While Snorp lays on the floor in the dining area, carefully watching us to see if we drop anything that we need him to clean up for us, Louie stands inches away for the sausage stuffer. He knows not to grab anything, but he still will be as close as he can get just listening.

We made breakfast sausage. Just pork, spices and lamb casing. No filler or weird preservatives you can't pronounce. It feels good to make things for your family from scratch. Yesterday I roasted and peeled eggplant and made some killer babaganoush. Louie wasn't nearly as interested in the roasted eggplant. I guess raw pork is more apitizing for a blind dog, who would have thought?

When my dad came over with Budde, things got a little rowdy for a minute. Budde smelled those same delicious smells that Louie was already savoring, but had no social filter, manners or self control. He did not watch and wait across the room like Snorp, nor did he sit close but patiently nearby. He wanted to climb into the bin with the sausage. This was stopped before it happened and then we got to practice good manners. Oh, Budde. You are a puppy afterall.

Little Budde sat close by watching the sausage fall out of the stuffer into the bin, smelling the smells. He showed tremendous self control. It must be hard for the little guy to sit so close and not take a bite. My new job became puppy wrangler and I just kept the dogs away from the food and took a few cute pictures. I let the dogs sit close just for long enough to snap a few shots and then I asked them to move out into the dining room to sit a safer distance away from all the action.



Now we have a freezer full of breakfast links. Next time we'll make bratwurst and maybe we'll put up the baby gate to keep our furry little helpers out of the kitchen. Louie is cute, but it's hard not to trip over a 100lb dog who's trying to follow your every move but can't see a thing. He doesn't exactly know how to get out of the way.

Budde the Puppy is 4 Months Old

Budde, smashing my legs.

Budde is already 4 months old! I say it every week but, sheesh, time is flying and he is growing fast. Saturday we went to the vet for some shots. My dad stayed home with Louie and my mom and I took Budde and Shotgun the cat in for their shots. My mom drove and Shotgun got the VIC (very important cat) Crate. Shotgun rode shotgun. Me and Budde got the backseat all to ourselves.

Budde and I have only been in a car together once. It was the day we brought him home. I drove and my dad held him. He was tiny and nervous and slept most of the drive. Budde is not my dog, he's my neighbor and my dad's dog. That means he's never taken a ride in my car. I've never walked him on a leash, and we've never been to a park together. This was our first outing together.

Budde seemed to like riding in the car. He was completely unaware that he was crushing my legs while he decided to sit on my lap. He climbed around until he was comfortable. He squirmed and changed positions. He tried to climb out the window. I decided he is still learning his car riding etiquette. I tried to encourage good behavior on the ride into town. This involved lots of correction. I didn't mind. Budde is so cute.

VIC? or Cat Trap?

Shotgun on the other hand, was not a happy camper. She did not enjoy the VIC Crate. I told her it was only for very important cats, but she did not listen. She meowed and howled from the crate on the floor by the front seat. I don't think it helped things that she was also stuck in a car with 'that puppy'. She is not a Budde fan, that is for sure.

Budde got a little whiny on the ride to the vets. It's not a short drive, about 20 or 25 minutes in the car can be an eternity for a puppy. Between the Shotgun kitty and Budde there was quite the serenade. No need for the radio to be on. When we got there, Budde was more than happy to hop out of the car. He enjoyed all the new smells. My mom carried the crate with Shotgun inside to get checked in as Budde checked out the grass out front. It was a too person job, that crate was heavy and Budde isn't a flawless leash walker yet, so I was glad I could be there to help out.

Budde did pretty good on the leash. He seemed happy to follow along. That was the case until I opened the door and walked inside to the clinic's waiting area. There were dogs and people and cats OH MY! He struggled and pulled back. I walked back and circled around him and walked forward again. Everytime I did this we made a little progress until we got to the scale. After I got him in the right spot I asked him to sit, and he did. About 3 people in the office said "Awww, what a good boy.". How sweet it is to see such a young guy behaving so well. Good dog Budde.

Relaxed, dozing off on the way home from the vet.

Shotgun had gained almost 4 pounds since my dad rescued her, that is a ton of weight in cat pounds. She was so sick and skinny when we brought her home, she has really come a long way.

Budde is already 38 pounds, no wonder my legs were sore from him standing on me in the car. He was such a good boy when he got his shots, she didn't even notice, he was too busy being happy and trying to get treats. The ride home was much more peaceful. Budde was tired from all the excitment and probably from the vaccines too. He snuggled up next to me and fell right to sleep. I don't get Budde quiet time very often. He doesn't sleep at our house and anytime I come over it's an exciting event. It was nice to have some puppy snuggle time and just get to pet him with out all the wiggling.

Cute Louie in the Sunshine

When we got home, Louie was outside waiting for us with Snorp. Louie was enjoying the sunshine we were having and I snapped this cute picture of him

Budde the Puppy is 15 Weeks Old

This puppy is becoming a little dog! Growing and growing. Budde is a good dog, we are happy to have him in the family. We're having success in training this little guy, he knows how to sit and to speak. New this week is the combo pack. If you ask him to sit, he will bark once and sit down. If you ask him to speak he will bark once and sit down. I think he's not sure which is which and the words do sound the same. It's like he's just covering all his bases to make sure he's pleasing us. However, it would be nice of him to sit without yelling at us every time. It looks like we have some work to do.




If you read our last post, Louie and I have taken the 50 sits a day challenge. We will practice 50 sits everyday for seven days. When we are practicing in the same space a Budde, there is a lot of barking going on. Every time I say sit, Louie sits and Budde speaks and sometimes sits. Maybe with all this sitting practice Budde will get the idea from Louie's example of the silent sits.

The best this this week is the ongoing Snorp and Budde wrestling tournament. Snorp always lets Budde think he's winning. Snorp will roll over onto his back and pretend to struggle as Budde tires himself out. Then Snorp will quickly flip back over and snatch away whatever toy is in the mix and run from Budde.

Louie is getting along better with Budde everyday, although Louie is still not his biggest fan. Louie is no longer very jumpy around Budde and they sleep together nicely. All in all we're raising a very happy dog family, and everyone is getting along okay with the cats too.

Sit, Sit and Sit Again



A good example of a studious sit.

Louie is a dog. Blind or not. He sometimes has bad manners. Sometimes he's too pushy, too whiny. Sometimes he doesn't listen well. When I ask him to do something he decides not to listen for whatever reason. That is frustrating at times because we've worked together so much. We've trained together since he was a tiny unruly puppy. When I ask him to get out of the kitchen and he doesn't move immediately, I am annoyed. I expect more from him.

Let's think of something we do everyday. Something people ask us to do and we do without even thinking, like say, talking. Someone says hello to us and we respond "Hello.", "Hi", "How are you?". What if we were removed from that entirely, for years. Like, stranded on a desert island for twenty years. If a random person suddenly appeared before you and said hello, I think you might just stand and stare, or maybe even panic and attack! Now, this is a very far off comparison, but what I am getting at is: if you don't use it, you lose it. Like our math teacher's always said.

If I don't practice with Louie EVERYDAY Louie will not understand me as well as he did the day before. If several days go by without working together, he will understand me even less. Instead of getting frustrated with your dogs lack of response to your command, practice with them, and make it fun while you're at it.

2 for 1 Special! Say sit once and have two dogs sit.

I must admit, I've fallen off the wagon. Louie and I aren't training together everyday. He has taken a backseat to something else that has come up in our lives. I still love him, we still snuggle on the bed together and I've never forgotten to feed him, he will not let me forget of course. But still I find myself thinking, how can I help Louie and I have a better relationship and live happier and healthier lives together?

I came across a post on the The Dog Guy's Facebook page. That page is run by Michael Nichols, the instructor that taught the Canine Good Citizen class Louie and I took at Tails-a-Wagging in Bellingham. The post suggest practicing 50 sits a day, everyday. While this might not be the most fun and exciting thing you've ever engaged in, it is incredibly helpful in keeping the dog and owner ready for whatever. Think of this as your primer. Your breakfast.

It also might sound like a lot of work. Fifty sits!? FIVE-ZERO?! Like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6....FIFTY! So quit your whining and get to work, self! You'll spend more time thinking about how it will take too long then it would take you to do it. Especially if you split it up into 3 rounds of 16 or 17 sits instead. Just watch the video of Michael and Rudy showing off there speed sitting skills, and the video is sped up too so it takes even less time to watch it.

So I will take the 50 sit a day challenge. Louie and I (and hopefully Snorp and Budde) will try 50 sits a day for seven days. I will report back to you on observations. How can this simple and boring thing improve our daily lives? We shall see.

Watch Micheal's video below and check out his awesome rott, Rudy.
Find more about The Dog Guy on Facebook, or on www.dogguy.net

Budde the Puppy is 14 Weeks Old

We got a new computer! I haven't had a chance to write anything in over a week since our laptop bit it big time. I've thought of a million ideas and subjects and hilarious little quips to write about, and they have all just come and gone. Ha! I also had a really tough time getting any decent photos of Budde this weekend. He's one crazy mofo. Jumping, flailing about like a Tasmanian devil. Or at least like the Warner Brothers cartoon adaptation of the Tasmanian Devil. He runs and jumps and spits and bites and barks and snarls and and and... he just doesn't stop! Until he drops to the floor with a big sigh and falls asleep. Do not disturb the sleeping puppy or the process will begin again.

Louie is getting more tolerant of this mayhem everyday. He seems to understand the puppy's movements better all the time and Budde seems to understand he needs to be more gentle for Louie. So Snorp is taking the brunt of it. He gets all the fake fights and wrestle time. If Budde is bored I will sacrifice Snorp and 'throw him to the dogs' and shut the door, leaving Budde outside with Snorp to babysit so Louie and I can have a break. So mean.

Budde the Puppy, on the move!

The biggest, most noticeable change in Budde this week is, it seems that he has finally found his voice. He barks to ask to go outside, he barks when he wants back in, he barks at the cat, he barks when his dish is empty, he barks when he wants a toy he can't reach. All this barking can be really annoying. It's important for Budde to know how to speak, but he also needs to learn the proper etiquette. When is it good for him to bark and when is he being just plain rude?

This is why I like teaching the command 'speak'. If you teach them speak and the understand that word and what it means, then you can tell them not to speak or to stop speaking. Easy. Well, kind of. It still takes a lot of work, patients, practice.

Budde is also learning that he can listen to what is going on outside. He's trying his paw at investigative reporting. He hears me outside with the dogs and he starts barking at the back door. 'Look! Look! Dad Dad Dad!!! Something's out there, I think it's the big dogs! Look! Look!'

I can hear my dad inside telling Budde to 'Leave it' and 'No speak'. He'll quiet down in a second or two. But good for him, little Budde. He knows now that there is a world outside that exists, even when he is not there. A big step for a little guy.

Snorp winces after a loud bark from Budde. (see top left corner for Meatloaf the Kitty sneaking up on the boys)