Home Again

We were able to pick Radar up at 9:30 am this morning from the boarder. He was so happy! He has a habit of bounding like Tigger when he's excited, but this morning he just made a beeline for me. I was informed that he was a good boy, but inclined to be attention-seeking, manifested through barking. Not only was he the Loud One, he was also the Energetic One. It seems he got a lot of balls thrown for him. And we got zero reports of him being snappy at any of the other dogs, so I guess that's a good thing.

He sat in my lap on the drive home (my husband was driving), and was pretty calm, until we pulled up to the driveway. That sent Radar into another fit of excitement. It seems like he was sitting calmly only in anticipation for the destination, and once he saw we were actually going home and not somewhere else (like the vet), he let himself be truly happy. :)

Results

Well, the vet said that Radar probably has seasonal allergies, since he stopped chewing his bum a week or two ago, after chewing it almost daily for three months. I have to also say, though, Radar was pretty well behaved in the waiting room, other then crying for 5 or 10 minutes. He only barked at two dogs, which is sort of ironic because they were the feeblest dogs of all the ones around. Both were quite large, but one had a seeping stomach wound, and the other was grizzled and grey around the muzzle and missing an eye. He was cordial to two smaller dogs and a seriously massive mix of standard poodle and border collie. He even politely touched noses with and sniffed a cat!!

Of course, as soon as we got into the exam room, he turned timid. Those exam rooms must smell like terrified dog! As the doctor examined him, he cowered into me, leaning as close as he could. After he had calmed down some, interestingly, neither the doctor or the tech assistant had (much) trouble flipping his ear flap and both examining and cleaning/inserting medicine for yet another right side ear infection.

Right after the vet, I took Radar to the boarders. He cried some more once he was taken and left in the back. I could hear him from the front, and it nearly broke my heart! I'm sure he'll be fine (he'll have his own private doggy door which I hope he knows how to use), and besides, we'll only be gone 3 days. He'll be fine, right?

Boarding Guilt

I know I haven't written in about a week. Mostly, I've been feeling kind of guilty. My husband and I are going away for a mini-vacation, a three night stay at a b&b near a state park south of us. That means we have to board Radar. We have to drop him off today, even though we're not leaving until tomorrow, because we can't drop him off on Thanksgiving. We also have to be back by nine on the nose Sunday morning to pick him up, or we can't get him until Monday evening, since we'll be at work all day. I can only hope that he doesn't feel completely abandoned, and has mostly forgotten about the (at least) two previous owners who gave him away. The anticipation is obviously more traumatic for me then him!

Oh, yeah, and he has to go to the vet this afternoon. My husband wants to know why Radar's been chewing his bum so much he made a scab. Interestingly, I made the appointment last week, knowing I had today off, and his bum is pretty much healed with minimal new chewing. I'll still take him though, and at least have his ears checked out. We've been trying really hard over the past few months to make sure they're staying clean and infection free. :)

Holes

I think I've mentioned that Radar is into chewing holes in towels. Fortunately, that is the ONLY thing (beside the corners of his bed) that he has chewed. Still, it's kind of annoying. There's a towel as a cushion in his crate, and if I forget to take it out when I let him out, that's where he can be found when it's a little too quiet around the house: chewing more holes. Two of his designated "Radar Towels" now look like Swiss cheese. Usually we can snag the hole innards from him, but I don't want to know how many he's swallowed. I just have to assume they're all coming out fine, though, as his usual toilet when we walk has not been affected.

Bath Time

I gave Radar a bath this weekend, and it was not completely horrible. :) We don't have a hose on the shower head, so I filled up a monster sized drink container (ah, memories of summer and sun tea), and used that. I think it worked better then if we had the shower hose, because he flinched every time I turned on the water for a refill. The other success: he only succeeded in jumping out of the tub once, and luckily, he wasn't even wet yet.

The upside: a clean dog with super soft fur.

The downside: it took him forever to dry, and I even used the hair dryer a little bit. (Surprising, he didn't totally panic, though I only used the light setting, and only went around his tail/hip region. I'll use it more next time.)

No Veggies

Radar could not survive on a diet of vegetables only. As food-minded as he is, you would think he would eat anything that a person gave him that smelled remotely like food. He is not keen on carrots, though. I tried that one about a week after we got him. Tonight we gave him a fresh green bean, which he stared at and sniffed for several minutes, trying to decide if we were joking when we told him to eat it. He finally, reluctantly, picked it up and took it to the living room. It's still there.

However, he does like pumpkin. I think that is technically a fruit, though. The deer came through and ate our jack-o-lantern over the course of three evenings, breaking it up into manageable pieces, and Radar tried to eat the leftover chunks during the day.

Hunger Pains

If Radar was one of the Seven Deadly Sins, he would be Gluttony, hands down. Even after he has eaten a large meal, he snuffles around looking for more. I've caught him trying to eat a leaf just to prove he should get more food. How much should a 30 lb dog eat a day? I'm guessing we're already feeding him more than he needs: almost 2 cups of kibble a day. He's definitely put on some weight since we've had him.

The point is, Radar is already trying to play us against each other, much like a modified, "If Mom says no, ask Dad." The other morning, I got up a little earlier then usual, fed Radar, then went about my morning routine. About a half hour later, my husband got up and said he was going to feed Radar, who was apparently acting as he does when he knows it's mealtime, that is, standing in the kitchen doorway looking forlorn and hungry. The little bugger thought he could get two breakfasts!