Dog-Gone Crazy

We haven't had a chance to blog for the past few days because we've been pretty overwhelmed with our new special needs pup, Duncan. What we didn't know when we adopted him from the shelter is that he has an extreme case of separation anxiety, and possibly some seizure activity going on at the same time.

Our nanny-cam cameras had been out of commission for the past several months, but last week I was able to download new software to get them up and running again. Late Friday afternoon, we headed out to do some errands for work and turned them on. When we came home, we were horrified to see that our sweet, little mutt howled for 2 hours straight, and ran through the house as if it were on fire the entire time we were gone.

We had some issues with Prinnie exhibiting some anxiety over us leaving (pacing for hours), but nothing to the extreme of this little guy. We called the neighbors to ask if they had heard him, and apologize for the noise if they had. One said she had heard a dog barking for about 20 minutes, and she was half tempted to come over to make sure we were ok. The second didn't hear anything (thank god) this time.

On Saturday, we set up a test to see if Duncan would react the same way. We put on the cameras, pulled out of the garage, and turned off the car in front of our house to listen. We sat there for over 20 minutes, of which he never once stopped barking. The difference was that we had crated him this time. When we came home to watch the video, we saw a dog in dire straits frantically doing everything he could to get out, all the while screeching to the top of his lungs.

In addition to the behaviors when we leave, he is lifting his leg to nearly everything in the house. Supposedly another classic sign of both marking new territory and separation anxiety. We went to PetsMart yesterday and got another gate (making 2 now) so that we can keep him in whatever room we are in to watch him 24/7.

Duncan also is a klutz . He walks into things, falls often, and has the balance of me in tights on a balance beam (not good!). He stares off frequently, and a few nights ago, I was holding him on my lap and noticed him "shaking" for quite a while. We think he seriously has some brain damage, and may be having peti mal seizures. Can they do neurological testing on dogs??

We called the vet today, and they suggested that since his case of anxiety is so severe, he might well need to be on anxiety medications - puppy prozac of sorts. We agreed, knowing that we want to do everything in our power to give this little charmer a forever home and all the love we can, without getting to the end of our ropes and giving up on him.

Shar and I were laughing yesterday because it seems that we keep getting these "special needs" dogs. I said "what aren't we learning about them that we are supposed to?", begging the question as to why we choose dogs that need a great deal of work. We both believe that every creature is worth the effort - we just prefer 4-legged ones over two!!

Testing the New Kid

Any reservation I had about having a third dog is gone. Absolutely gone. Duncan has been a true little joy, and is adapting so, so well. Digby is doing great and Prinnie is a bit jealous, but now has shown everyone that SHE is the queen, and has made sure Duncan knows who's boss. That's a story for later.

The poor little guy came to us, though, with Pop Neison eyebrows. For those of you who don't know, imagine Andy Rooney as a dog, and that's about what Duncan's eyebrows looked like. We loved Pop Neison, but those funky eyebrows......they had to go. A few seconds with the dog clippers was all it took! Bye-Bye Pop Neison eyebrows.

Today was yard work day. It was 88 degrees - what happened to winter??? - hot, sunny and the neighborhood was bustling with lawn mowers, edgers, and good old fashioned neighborhood socializing. Have I said we just love this neighborhood? We had the kids on leads outside with us most of the day so they could enjoy the smells and sunshine.

Anyhow, we made our first attempt of leaving Duncan in the house alone with Digby and Prinnie today. First, we pulled out of the garage, and Shar snuck back in through the gate to peer into the window. Other than barking and running back and forth (and Prinnie's sly eye catching "mommy" checking up on them), all seemed normal. We decided to drive around the block, and do the same thing. Yep, they were still being themselves, and our shoes and furniture were in one piece. Next, we drove to (where else) Starbucks and stopped briefly at the drug store.

When we pulled up to our house, Shar snuck into the gate again to see if they would be laying around awaiting our return. Two of them were barking (they probably heard the car, although we had not opened the garage door yet) and the third was no where in sight. The house didn't look bad, so we pulled all the way in. We were greeted with lots of "lovins" and three happy pooches. Our trial run was a success. Each of the kids were unscathed and the house was just as we left it!

Prinnie's self-appointed new job is to help teach Duncan about "parking it" as we prepare their meals. Here are some pictures of her parking it on Duncan's spot next to him, as if to say "See, this is where we wait". He responded back by falling alseep. Too cute!

Duncan...Day 1

Our new little addition is settling in to his new digs, siblings and pack leaders. More importantly, Digby and Prinnie are adapting really well to another seeker of our attention. Last night's bed time was a little rough at the start because we kenneled Duncan to make sure that he wouldn't get into trouble. He didn't like that, and we think he was allowed to sleep with whomever his former family was. Once he got the message that we were all snuggled into bed, Digby and Prinnie included, he was ok.

This morning, he wanted to get up on Duncan-time, which we quickly responded with a "quiet" command. But I must say, it was absolutely adorable watching all 3 dogs tear out of the bedroom, down the hall, down the stairs and right out the back door all at once. They each ran to a pee spot, did their business and rushed back in all in a pack demanding breakfast. Duncan still needs to learn "park it" and "stay", but he's getting it slowly.

Later, he and Digby played chase for a minute, and then Prinnie chimed in with her own version of "chase", which entails barking her little head off, while trying to rustle her prey to the ground. This was exactly what she would do to "chase the kitty", so we fed right in to her passion and told her to "chase the doggie". She obliged!

We just ordered pizza for dinner tonight, and our routine is typically to have the dogs sit, stay and wait when the door bell rings. I can't say it always works, but surprisingly, Duncan tried to figure it out. The only problem we have found is that he doesn't like treats. We've tried about 6 different kinds, and he takes them, and immediately drops them for his brother or sister to scarf up. No wonder he's so skinny! Maybe I should take some lessons!!!

All in all, a good day. AS I said in the beginning, the most important thing is that Prinnie and Digby are happy and that the new addition doesn't squelch their personalities.

Meet Duncan

Well, SHE DID IT AGAIN!!!!!!! She found her ring yesterday, and brought home a new family member today!!!!!

We welcome in our newest (and very unexpected) member of our family; 3 1/2 year old terrier mix, Duncan. How he came to us is nothing short of history repeating itself! Shar had gone to the local animal shelter to get Digby and Prinnie their licenses for 2009. While there (and FAR out of my reach, since I was innocently at work), she wandered in to the puppy trailer, kitty trailer and big dog kennels.

For those of you who don't know, we lived in Tucson for 6 years prior to settling in California. While there, we "saved" an unknown number of dogs from their certain death and found most of them homes over time. We did, however, end up with a few of our own, which prompted a sincere heart-to-heart discussion about how Shar needed to be banned from the shelter, and eventually the ban grew to include the road that led to the shelter.

Anyhow, back to Duncan...she saw a pup that she swore was a miniature version of our dear Dugan. Of course, she called me and told me about the little dog, and we both agreed that although it would be wonderful to have a dog that was similar to our Dugan, no one could ever replace her. After about 30 minutes, my curiosity got the best of me, and I went on to the shelter's web site to see this little one. I wasn't sure if I found her or not, but I did see a dog that could be her, except this one was a boy. Cute and scruffy, but what caught my eye was that this dog had been at the shelter the limited amount of days and would most likely be "put down" within the next day. Neither of us could stand the thought of that.

When I came home from work, we checked the web site again. He was still there. So Shar headed back to the shelter with Prinnie, Digby and a neighbor to visit the little guy and see how the three would interact. He was friendly, curious and sweet. Prinnie and Digby were indifferent once they got past the initial sniff the butt tests. Shar put a deposit on him and came home. Within a few hours, an Animal Control Officer came to the house to do a "home visit" to make sure that if the little guy were to be adopted, he would be going to a good home with a secure, fenced yard. Seconds later, the officer was gone. We had passed.

This morning, I headed to work, and Shar headed back to the shelter. About 2 hours later, she was on her way home with a stinky little sweetheart that we named Duncan. He is actually really cute and mommy's little shadow! Prinnie and Digby were very territorial at first (to be expected) so their introductions were outside for a while. We were determined to stick with our routine, allowing Digby and Prinnie as much consistency as possible. Shar bribed them all with treats, which was a winner in getting them all to sit inches from one another within seconds.

Duncan knows some basic commands, but we will certainly be heading back to PetsMart to "school". He is timid tonight, and has gotten the message that he won't be the pack leader. He seems ok with that.

Duncan had his first vet appointment late this afternoon, and other than a little cold, he appears to be in perfect health. Now that he has had all his shots, he can be registered. BY MAIL!!!!!!! Shar has successfully managed to be banned from all California shelters. Oh, the funny part?? This dog doesn't look a bit like our Dugan!