Fun With Finn!

After the tragic loss of my grandson CJ's dog "Bart", all he could talk about was getting a NEW dog. His mother, Jessica searched on Craig's list for one that would be a good fit for our family. She wanted one that was not too big, not too small, one that loved children and was okay with not being the only dog in the house...and one that wasn't going to cost a whole lot of money. At last, the search is over. She and CJ and I went to go pick up "Finn" yesterday, while Molly was gone to Valley Fair with her youth group.

We surprised Molly with him last night when we went to pick her up at church. He's about 2 1/2 years old, and is a purebred Papillon. "Papillon" is the French word for butterfly, and these dogs are so named because with their ears erect, their faces have the look of one. They told us that he's actually on the large side of the scale for the breed, but that's okay. He's about the same size as Bart was...which makes him quite huggable for a 4 year old boy.

Jessica was able to adopt him for FREE and his previous owners even threw in his bed, crate, toys...and a "Coach" collar. The couple that had him had two little girls, ages 5 and 3 and had just added a baby boy to the mix 4 weeks ago. They decided that with the new baby and all, they just didn't have time for Finn anymore, and they were pretty excited that his new owner was a rough and tumble 4 year old boy that would love to play and wrestle with him.

So far, Finn seems to be a pretty good dog, and I have heard that as a breed they are very smart, good with children and are known to be "eager to please." We shall see. The thing that I do not like, is that he seems to have taken a liking to my bed. I am NOT really a dog person, I mean, I can tolerate them living in my house, I just don't want them in my bed! The worst thing was, he decided to jump up there right after his bath last night! Eeewwww, wet dog smell, not my favorite "oderant". I stripped the bed and washed everything. He's going to have to learn not to do that again, if him and I are going to get along. I'd just close my bedroom door...but it's hard to lock a curtain.

(Finn, laying at his master's feet)

Bart The Wonder Dog just ran out of Lives

Back in January, I posted about my daughter's Corgi, Bart, miraculously surviving being hit by a car on the road. After that accident, we had kept him tied up in the yard for quite some time. But after it got nice out, and people were going in and out of the back door quite frequently, Bart would sneak out from time to time. It seemed like he had learned his lesson about chasing cars...so we kind of let him run around the yard with his buddy, our Chocolate lab/Springer mix, Jake.

That was all well and good for a while, with just one problem. You see, Welsh Corgis were originally bred to herd cows. Bart was a bit confused, and had recently taken to herding CARS instead. It was like he never wanted anyone to leave, and instead of just barking when someone came, he would bark when anyone left as well. And if he was outside when anyone was coming or going, he would run as fast as he could in circles around their vehicle. Well, on Tuesday, Ray had just come home from town, and Bart was running around the truck, as usual...but this time, unfortunately, he didn't get out of the way of the wheel. Ray felt sickened as he realized he'd just run over our grandson's dog, but Bart was still very much alive. He was limping, and not moving very well, but he wasn't bleeding or anything. We were hoping it was just the one paw. Later on that night though, he started looking worse and worse, and his breathing became very labored. Jessica gave him some pain meds that he had left over from his other accident, and sat with him in her lap. Bart's injuries were apparently much more serious than any of us realized, because within an hour or so, Bart breathed his last breath...right there on Jessica's lap.

In all honesty, I can't say as I've always been fond of Bart. Yes, he was a cute little thing, but he could be rather annoying at times. When they arrived in December, he wasn't completely house trained. And then, he was just getting pretty good at that when the first accident happened. Either it was brain damage, or the drugs he was on, but we basically had to start all over in that department, and he was once again, pottty trained. He also had some other weird little quirks...he hated the vacuum cleaner and would attack it whenever we used it, not just that, but pretty much anything used for cleaning, the broom, spray bottles, mops whatever. Anyway, he was finally starting to be a pretty good dog again, just a short time ago. My grandson CJ and my daughters, Jessica and Molly loved him very much, and Ray and I were just beginning to at least tolerate him living with us.

We had a "funeral" for Bart after Molly got home from school on Wednesday. Molly dressed in a black dress and read the eulogy she had prepared. Everyone said their goodbyes to him, including his 4 year old master, CJ. He seems to be taking it very well, even though he didn't believe that Bart was dead at first. Can you blame him? He'd been told just a few months ago that his dog was dead, (we all thought he was until Ray went out to get him), and then he was all of a sudden NOT dead again. Yesterday, CJ told me that maybe he would name his next dog "SpongeBob". We'll see. RIP Bart.

Update on Bart, the WonderDog

(Bart and CJ last Halloween)

Actually, we're all kind of wondering why he's alive. But he is. After having been hit by a car on Sunday night. The only thing I can think of is that being a Corgi, he is so low to the ground that the only thing that probably hit him was the tire. That may have helped.

We took him to the vet yesterday, and since we didn't call first, they said they could see him at that time, but it would be on an "emergency basis". I asked what that meant, and was told it was an extra $50. Or, we could schedule an appointment for later on that day, and save $50. We chose to do that, so we didn't get the little guy in until 3:40 in the afternoon. I called Molly's school and told them to have her ready at about 3:10 so we could pick her up on the way...otherwise she'd get home on the bus while we were in town. The only thing I didn't think about, was that we'd told her we'd come and get her if it came to having to put him to sleep. Ooops. For a few minutes, she was pretty sure she was being picked up to say goodbye to Bart.

Anyway, they checked him over and said he seemed okay, just by their exam, and the fact that his bodily functions were in tact but they don't have an x-ray machine at that office, so we had to take him to their other facility, which is in a larger city to the south of us. The office visit would be continued over there, (so we wouldn't have to pay that again), if we took him directly over there. So that's what we did.

By the time he got there, he'd been in pain for quite some time, and was absolutely physically exhausted. They stood him up on the exam table, and he was falling asleep standing there. Seriously, he slowly lowered his head until his nose was resting on the table, (which isn't all that far when your legs are only 2 inches long), if it wasn't so sad, it would have been quite comical.
They took the X-rays and determined that everything looked fine for the most part. The vet said his inability to move at first was probably from spinal cord shock. Earlier yesterday, he was actually walking pretty well, but leaned a little to one side and seemed dizzy. The doc said he had most likely hit his head, and had a concussion too, which would cause that. It does make sense, and we had already diagnosed him with cord shock and concussion...but not being veterinarians...we couldn't have known we were right. We also didn't have an X-ray machine to rule out anything worse. They gave him a shot of pain medicine, and also sent home some oral pain meds and some antibiotics.

The grand total for the exam, the x-rays and the drugs was almost $300. But what do you do? He is a purebred Corgi, and Jess paid $500 for him originally. So far, we haven't heard a sound out of him since the accident, which is an improvement.

Today, he seems much better, if a bit dazed and confused from his pain medication. He goes out to the kitchen, takes a drink...and then wanders into the bathroom and stares at the wall, like he's lost. Nothing like having a dog on drugs. Oh well, this too shall pass. Thanks for the prayers!

Say A Little Prayer for Bart, Please?

I can't believe I'm asking this, not being much of a "dog person", but Bart is my 4 year old grandson, CJ's dog. That's not the reason he needs prayer, even though in this picture, he looks like he might be being hugged to death. My daughter Jessica, her son CJ and their dog Bart have been staying with us, ever since the first part of December, when Jess was discharged from the Air Force. Bart is a Welsh Corgi.

Bart and our dog, Jake had been doing fine just being let out in the yard without being tied up, since we moved out in the country where we live on about 20 acres. However, Bart has recently decided that he owns the road too, and has started chasing cars when he goes outside. I think you can figure out where this story is going now.

Yes, he got hit by a car last night. A lady came to the door crying, saying she'd hit our dog. We assumed the dog was dead, and I think the lady did too. Ray went outside to check it out, and saw the little dog lying on his back with his feet straight up in the air, but then he got a little closer...and Bart rolled over and looked up at him. Ray said it kinda freaked him out! The thing is, that's what Bart does when he's scared or just doesn't want to come when he's called. The little stinker rolls over and plays dead.

So Ray brings him in the house, he's not dead...he's not even bleeding, but he's not really moving or making any noise at all. And it's a Sunday night. We called around to some pet hospitals and all of them needed money up front to even take a look at him. Unfortunately, money is something pretty scarce around here at the moment. We decided to monitor him overnight and take him in to the vet in the morning...if he made it through the night.

He has made it through the night. In fact, at about 5am, our dog Jake was barking from upstairs in Molly's room. He needed to go outside, so I went upstairs, which woke Jessica up. She had Bart's bed in their room overnight. I asked her if he was still alive, she looked down in his box asked, "Where is he?" He'd somehow made it across the hall to the TV room and was lying in a corner with his head behind the futon. He had also gone to the bathroom on the floor...but I guess that wasn't his fault. At least it's a bare floor, and not carpet up there. And we now know that he is able to get around. We just don't know if he actually walked or dragged himself there.

As of nine o'clock this morning, Jessica, CJ and Bart are all still asleep. We plan on taking him in this morning, but if his injuries are extensive, we'll have to have him put to sleep. Molly wants us to come and pick her up from school if it comes down to that. She's taking this whole thing harder than anyone else. I don't think CJ really understands it. He thinks that if the dog dies, we can just go to the "Bart store" and get a new Bart. I hate this, myself. I've never especially cared for Bart, but don't really like to watch an animal suffer either. Not to mention, the expense for Jessica in taking him to the vet, possibly to find out that he needs to be put down anyway.

I guess I'd better go wake them up and see what the situation is, I'll update later.

Update: We decided to take Bart outside, just to see what would happen. Jess carried him out and gently set him down. He not ony stood up, but did his business and then trotted around after Jake a little bit. He's walking a little crookedly, but he's walking. We stil plan on taking him to the vet, but right now Jessica's car won't start...and mine hasn't worked in a couple of weeks. She does have roadside assistance, so right now we're waiting for them to come and give her a jump.

And now, as I type this, Bart just got out of his bed, (which he's been lying in all morning), and came in to visit me, walking around my feet under the computer desk. He does look like he's walking straighter. Ray thinks maybe the blow caused shock to his spinal cord or something, and it's just taking awhile for him to get everything back in working order. Hopefully, that's all it is. And Jess just came in now, after her car was jumped. It's running, so as soon as it warms up a bit, we're off to the vet.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Our New "Draft Doggy"

At least he's good for something.

Holy Tricks and Treats, Batman!!

This is my 4 yo grandson, CJ all dressed up for Trick-or Treating with his trusty sidekick, the "dog-wonder", Bart. They didn't actually take the dog along, because with that costume on, Bart's legs aren't long enough to reach the ground. They are pretty cute though.

Here's a couple more:

Batman doesn't look too happy here. Perhaps because his trusty sidekick isn't with him?

Batman Park

My daughter Jessica, is in the USAF and stationed at Ellsworth AFB near Rapid City, SD. Rocky is one of the guys from her unit that spent 5 months in Iraq with her, and one of her very best friends. She and Rocky love to pretend they are tourists once in a while, and go to all the local attractions in the Black Hills area, like Reptile Gardens, Bear Country, The Roo Ranch, Mt. Rushmore, Dinosaur Park, Crazy Horse etc. Last Friday, my grandson, CJ called me on the phone and said he was going to the park "to-mar" with Mama and Rocky. Jess asked him, "Which park are we going to ?" To which CJ replied, "Batman Park". Apparently, "Badlands" and "Batman" sound very much alike to some 3 1/2 year old boys.

Here are a few pictures they took there. It looks like they had a great time, and saw some beautiful scenery. Jess had these posted on her MySpace in an album called: The Goodlands.

I talked to them again on Sunday and asked if CJ had been looking for Batman there. Jessica said he was a little disappointed that Batman was not there, and also kept asking where the slide was. CJ loves slides, and expects to see one when he goes to a "park". I don't suppose they found any swings or monkey bars there either. Here is a picture of the four of them: Rocky, holding "Bart" and Jess holding CJ. Maybe next weekend they'll tour Spiderman Park???