Bosco Dog Blog

I'm sorry to have to write about my last week of life because it was literally hell on earth. I know Joan did not mean it to be, but it was and she knows it now. Hopefully, she'll never do that to me again. You all might be smarter than I am knowing that I was heading to a kennel because Joan got me that innoculation shot for kennel cough - but I did not know.

It all started last Thursday. It started off great - Joan woke up and did work on her computer for a couple hours. Then she got on her ski clothes and we went to the golf course to ski with Eileen. We had a blast and I was running around like my usual self. Then we went home. Still fine - I relaxed on my bed. Then Joan got some of my stuff and we got in the car and drove to this place they call a kennel. She took off my collar and leash to put on another type of leash. I was very scared of the man there and immediately started shaking and of course, my tail was between my legs. Joan walked back to the kennels with me and then the man told her to go back "because it was easier." She told me later that she was peeking through the door anyway. They put me in this very small cage (I'm used to the living and dining room as my "cage".) I was *very* scared because I did not know what was happening to me. I did not see Joan again for a while. I thought maybe I would never see her.

The first day I wouldn't eat anything and I was shaking and panting.

The second day I threw up any food I ate and I was shaking and panting.

The third day I stopped shaking and starting eating some food.

Joan called everyday to see how I was (she told me). She was very worried about me because I wasn't eating. They took me on some walks but it was just so scary in there. There were tons of dogs and they all barked a lot (I don't bark very much). And I was in a small cage where I could lay down or stand up. I could also go through a small door into a large run outside but I'm also scared of going through small doors. They kept telling Joan I was doing better.

Then FINALLY yesterday Joan's sister, Eileen, picked me up. At first I did not know who she was either. I was expecting Joan. As soon as I smelled her, I realized who she was and was really happy! Please take me away ....and she did. When we got off the freeway to Joan's house, I knew where we were going and started to get excited. When Eileen let me in the house, I immediately searched around looking for Joan but she wasn't here. So I waited.

Then Joan showed up a few hours later and I was SOOOO happy to see her. She said that I looked skinny and she and Eileen had a discussion of how skinny I was and smelly (kennel smell laced with powder - perhaps flea powder?).

Later last night, Joan brought me into the bathroom and I went willingly. I even jumped into the bathtub all by myself. I was looking forward to a good bath to get rid of the smell on me, too. After Joan washed me, I curled up and slept. Joan put a towel around me because I was still a little damp. I have been absolutely exhausted!

This morning Joan took me to the golf course for a good run. We met Eileen there. I was on the slower side - I'm still really exhausted. Then on the way back home, Joan stopped at the vet to weigh me because she wanted to know if I really was skinny or if she was just imagining it.

I weighed 42.6 lbs. ! I lost 10% of my body weight in one week! Before I left I was 46.6 lbs. Joan was aghast and when we got home, she immediately gave me another scoop of food. And then I immediately went to bed. I'm very, very exhausted. Even when Eileen was putting on her shoes (at which time I usually jump in hopes of a walk), I just laid on my bed watching her.

I think Joan knows now that the kennel was not a good idea. She needs to find a way to have me stay at home. I hope she manages it because I HATED being at that place.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 02:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You are probably familiar with the notion that one year in a dog's life = 7 years of human life. (That's why we grow up so quick from puppy into adolescent in one year.) If this is true, I have a couple thoughts for all of you who are dog owners. As an aside, I'm about the same age as Joan now.

If one year = 7 years, then one day = 7 days (one week). So imagine, my ONE day is comparable to your entire week. Imagine if you were kept in the house for an entire week and never went outside, or worse, barely had a visitor. That's what it is like if you don't take us for a walk a couple times a day or play with us in the house. It's like the most boring week of your life. And for us, it is the most boring day of our life. I mean we only have 10-12 years to be alive - we'd like to make the most of it, just as you all would like for yourselves.

SO, please take us for walks and come home and visit with us and play with us and talk to us! And if that doesn't seem like something you want to do, then don't get a dog!!!

I just felt like speaking up for my fellow dog-kind today. At least I've got a computer I can use to talk with all of you when Joan is at work.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I live in America and I think I should be covered by freedom of speech (barking). Let me tell you a story. Last week, Joan and I were walking along a trail near our house. Joan was really nice to take me out AND to go on the trail because we had a lot of snow so it was not the easiest walking for her. This trail is only about 10 feet down from the main paved walking and biking paths and it is on a cliff over the Mississippi. As we walked along, we saw a dog coming toward us off-leash (I was on my leash, of course!). This dog approaches cautiously and it was an Australian Shepherd and I like them a lot, so we sniffed and then continued on our respective walks.

A little later, we saw another dog and human coming toward us. All of a sudden, this dog (a white standard poodle) came running at me. I freaked and started barking furiously at him. I mean, I'm at a disadvantage being on a leash and all and I felt VERY vulnerable! So I used my right to BARK and I did. I even showed some teeth! I caught Joan a little off-guard but she understood exactly why I did what I did. Then the poodle's man said to Joan, "Your dog has a problem."

I heard Joan say "My dog's problem is that your dog is off leash and lunged at her."

He said, "My dog gets along with everyone; your dog has the problem."

Joan said, "You don't know dogs very well if you think an off leash dog and a leashed dog will always get along. Putting a leash on a dog puts them in a submissive role and makes them feel vulnerable."

Anyway, we kept on our way while THAT man and poodle went their way. How can he get mad at us when we were minding our own business and minding the LAW. Meanwhile, he was NOT minding the law and also did not have control of his dog!!! Plus, I used my right to bark - FREEDOM OF SPEECH. I might not be courteous or seem nice but I can bark if I want to!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 01:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

No wonder Joan has been in the kitchen so much! She had a party. I could tell something was going on because she was moving all the chairs in different places and then she started putting some nice looking food on the table in the dining room. Much more accessible to me, I thought, than the countertop! But she wouldn't let me get any of it.

But we did get to go to the golf course and she skiied and I ran around. (Now, I realize this was a ploy of hers to get me to be calm at the party.) Ploy it may be, I was happy to run around.

Then the people started coming - first Eileen and Martha and Ann - I know all of them and was very happy to see them. I really wanted to jump on them but was trying my hardest to control myself. Martha noticed. If I don't jump, then my body just becomes a wiggling mass because all my happiness has to come out in some way, so I wiggle. But then lots more people came - many who I have never met. But I could tell that some of them are dog people - they have their own dogs, so I was just fine.

Ray let me lick his hand and so did Pat. Jayson dropped some food on the ground and I got to eat that. Ann wasn't looking and I took a lick of her food - then she saw me. Oops. Walker sat with me on the floor and petted me a lot! Most of the time I was walking around because Joan was walking around and not in one place.

The toughest time for me was when they were all opening presents and were crowded in one area. And then Pat and Lori sat on my bed! Can you believe it? So I didn't have a place to sit. And then the people moved the chairs in a way that blocked me from getting back into the circle, near Joan. But then Jim saw and he moved the chair so I could get in.

At the end of the night, they did a crazy thing to me. It was just Walker, Valerie, Eileen and Ann left. I could hear Valerie talking about testing your dog's intelligence but I was also napping so I wasn't listening too hard to her. The next thing I know, Joan has some treats in her hand. For the first one, she put it under a kitchen towel. At first, I was thinking, "where is the treat?" But then I smelled it under the towel. I looked at Joan because I wasn't sure if I should go ahead and mess with the towel to get the treat. She didn't say anything to me, so I went ahead and put my foot on the towel and used my nose to push under the towel and get the treat. Easy enough.

Then Joan put the second treat under a plastic tupperware. I saw the treat and pushed it with my nose and the plastic moved. Again, I looked at Joan to see if she was going to help and she did not. So I kept pushing it with my nose and it just kept moving on the wood floor - almost under the couch. Then they were talking about how the test might be different on carpet vs. wood floor. Eileen moved the treat and plastic thing to my bed and then I pushed it against a piece of furniture, overturned the plastic container and got my treat! They all clapped for me. Maybe they had had too much to drink because those are not really difficult tasks. Anyway, they all said I was smart - I already knew that. ;-)

After a while everyone left and Joan turned the dishwasher on and we went upstairs to bed. It was pretty late!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday morning Joan tricked me on our morning walk and took me to the Vet. I entered the building and there was a cat on the couch. I said hi to him by sniffing his nose. He was a good guy and liked me. Then Joan made me sit on a black pad and said I was 46.6 lbs. I've noticed that Joan has been giving me more food lately - maybe she thinks I'm too skinny. I love food, so I willingly take it! The vet says I'm in good shape but Joan thinks I could fatten up a bit.
Anyway, then we went into a room - that's when I get scared. I can hear the sounds of people outside the room and I was wondering what they were going to do to me. Sometimes they put me on that slippery metal table and poke me with things or look in my ears...or worse. This time, the woman and man came in. The woman came over to me, hiding in the corner. I started shaking. The man then came over and covered my eyes with his hand and then I felt something in my nose and a whif of something and then again, in the second nostril. How weird! Then they let me go - yeah. That wasn't that bad! Joan says it is something called a vaccine for bordatella or kennel cough. Ok - whatever she says, I'll do it. I know that she has also given me a rabies vaccine and says that those awful squirrels in my backyard might have that disease...and that the raccoon that visited us probably had it too! She says that I'm protected in some way now.

The day got better because after we came out of the room, the woman gave me lots of treats and then the other woman out there gave me some more! I used to soooo scared of the Vet that I would not even eat treats there, but now I'm okay with it because they are usually nice to me. There was another dog - black lab - that came in while I was eating treats. Heeehee, he had to go into one of those rooms, too! And he didn't get any treats - maybe he did later I don't know because we were already out of there and walking down Lake Street for a continuation of my morning walk.

It's getting warmer now. That means it's not -7 anymore like on Tuesday when my feet were frozen and I had to limp a little because something froze on my foot. Now it's more like 15 or 20 - I don't want to sit outside for too long, but I'm okay going on walks in this weather.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 01:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love snow because it seems to me, when there is a lot of it, it is like water. I use the same swimming techniques for running through deep snow. But, we don't have deep thick snow yet! But we did get enough...enough for Joan to put on those long feet extenders (she calls them skis) and take me to the golf course tonight. It was FANTASTIC. I ran around like a maniac - or maybe just like a really excited pup! At one time, Joan was almost going as fast as me, as she went down a big hill. It was fun to run alongside Joan like that. I also saw another dog there and played with him for a while but then its human called it and they went a different way. When we got home, Joan gave me lots of food. Now, I'm soooo tired that I'm going to take a nap.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 05:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)