Buster: Good things are happenin'.

I'm happy to report that I'm continuin' to get better. I'm eatin' good, enjoyin' the outdoors, and haven't gotten sick in nearly a week. It's hard to believe that almost four months ago I was strugglin' just to make it through surgery. I'm real lucky to be here. Well, actually, it's more than luck. I'm alive and well because of prayin' friends, our veterinarians here in town, the surgeon and student vets at Virginia Tech Vet Hospital and, most importantly, God. In Maw and Paw's eyes, I'm their Miracle Dog.

I'll tell ya who else is happy and thankful today: Kenny the 16-year-old beagle and his owner! I can't imagine the harrowin' ordeal Kenny went through when that bad stranger stole Mr. Fannin's truck with him in it. Here's the full scoop in the Charleston Daily Mail.

Yup, life has been real good lately - and busy, too - so Maw has had fun documentin' what all we've been up to. Here are some pictures and even a video.

One beautiful October afternoon when Maw and I were walkin' she noticed my shadow and thought it looked purdy cool. I think my shadow looks like a wolf!

On another day when maw was cleanin' she stacked our dog beds in a big pile. Well, that looked right comfy to me, so I climbed on up and you can see how much I liked it. Talk about cushy!

Speakin' of gettin' comfy, here's a picture of Hobbit fast asleep on Paw's lap. I think he stayed in that position for nearly two hours!

Below are a couple of pictures of Gus gettin' his laser treatments. He's had three sessions this week and he says he feels a lot better. I can tell 'cause he looks like he's walkin' better, too. He said the laser light felt nice and warm. In fact, he was so comfortable with the procedure he nearly took a cat dog nap!

And then there's the Abster. While we old guys are always lookin' for the best place to sleep, Abby's usually somewhere causin' trouble. As you can see from the picture below, she was quite busy this mornin'. If you think she looks bad, you should see the yard!

Abby Grace may play hard, but that also means she sleeps hard!

So those are a few snapshots of our lives over the past week. I think I'll turn in for the night. I hear tomorrow might bring us the first snow of the season and I can't wait!

Love,

Buster xoxo

Gus: Thinking of the shelter dogs.

My mom told me today that October is Adopt A Shelter Dog Month. I think it's important to remind people that there are lots of dogs who need homes. I was one of those dogs twelve years ago. I don't remember much about how I ended up in the shelter 'cause I was just a pup. What I do remember is the smell of chocolate, sugar, brightly colored wrappers and lots of human feet. I'm pretty sure that was before I went to the shelter, 'cause when Mom told me the story of how she found me it all made sense.

Mom stopped by 7-11 to pick up a newspaper. It wasn't the usual 7-11 that she went to. For some reason, and now we know why, Mom went to a different store that day after work. She walked in to find a little tri-colored puppy (me!) cruising the candy aisle sniffing all the goodies. There were plenty of people walking around in the store, but nobody paid much attention to me. The store clerk said she thought someone in a black truck dropped me in the parking lot. She'd tried to keep me out of the store, but I kept sneaking back in. Well, you know Mom, she couldn't leave me there. Dad and she were headed for vacation the next morning, so she took me to the animal shelter where she was a volunteer and asked them to keep a special eye on me. Two weeks later she was told I was adopted. Turns out that was a mistake. It was three months before Mom realized I was still at the shelter. She came to get me immediately. I was so happy to get out of there. I know the workers and volunteers tried to help, but there were so many of us animals that they couldn't give us much individual attention.

I remember the shelter being loud. There were lots of barking dogs and banging food bowls. Every now and then someone who worked there would say, "Hey, buddy," as he cleaned my run or fed me. I also remember that it wasn't very comfortable. The towel provided me wasn't much protection from the cold, hard floor. Looking back on my stay at the shelter, I think I know why I have a few nervous tics today. I guess when you have bad experiences as a puppy, you can't help but carry those feelings the rest of your life.

The good news is that my life today is much, much better. In fact, it's almost heaven! I sleep on Mom and Dad's bed, play with my own toys, and get lots of big hugs and kisses.

I love to lie on Mom and Dad's bed with my red Kong, Sebastian Bunny and Molly Meerkat.

My prayer is that all shelter dogs could find a family like mine who will make them feel safe, warm, and loved. If only every home could have a dog and every dog could have a home.

Love,
Gus

***My mom is trying to get the word out about Adopt A Shelter Dog Month, so she wrote about it in the Daily Mail's blog Cap West's Pet City.

Abby: Citronella Cinderella

About a month ago Mommy decided she had to do something about my barking. She said it's excessive and loud. I say it is necessary. Like I wrote in my August 8th entry, I have a job to do and to get that job done I need to bark.

As the only little girl of the house I believe my purpose is to keep the other boys in line, especially Buster. Mommy and Daddy say it's not. We have a difference of opinion. Anyhoo, after much consideration Mommy ordered something called the Gentle Spray Citronella Anti-Bark Collar. I have to tell ya, I wasn't too keen on this idea. I mean, me, Mommy and Daddy's Little Princess, wearing an ugly black collar with a box on it? And on top of that, what little girl wants to smell like bug repellent?

I thought wearing the collar would be a lot worse than what it is. It actually isn't too bad. I learned really quick that if I bark while I'm wearing it, then a funny smell is sprayed just under my chin. I picked up on that connection real fast. Bark = funny smell. I'm pretty smart. So smart I figured a way around it. Being the boss doggy I need a way to communicate to my brothers when they are irritating me. Yes, I am the boss. Buster thinks he is and no matter how often I try to correct him he just ignores me. Talk about infuriating! Basically, that's what usually gets me barking. But, like I said, I've learned that I can communicate with him in quieter ways. I can stare at him and growl just enough so the spray collar won't detect it. Or I can initiate a standoff with him. He usually gives up first and just walks away. I think he's slowly getting the message.

I'm happy to say that the citronella collar was a success. So much so that I almost never have to wear it anymore. I think my mommy and daddy are pleased. And that makes me happy.

Goodnight,
Abby, aka Little Princess

***Oh, by the way, my mommy wrote her version of this experience on the Daily Mail's pet blog, Cap West's Pet City.

Gus: Phew!

I went to the vet yesterday and it turns out my biggest problem right now is an ear infection. We were so worried it would be something worse. Dr. Sarah said my labored breathing might be caused by the pain in my ear. She listened to my lungs and said they sounded just fine. Phew!

It's a pretty bad infection, though, so now I have to take antibiotics and prednisone for a couple of weeks. Mom also has to put ointment in my ear twice a day. Dr. Sarah said when my ear is cleared up we'll talk about doing laser treatments on my arthritic joints. As a matter of fact, she said that if my ear doesn't heal soon that she'll do a laser treatment on it. Pretty cool, huh?

We're very thankful that Dr. Sarah didn't find anything seriously wrong with my health. Mom, however, is feeling pretty bad that she hadn't noticed my sore ear before yesterday. She checked my left ear just the other day and commented on how clean it was, like always. I've never had ear trouble. So because my left ear was okay she just assumed the right ear was fine, too. I tried to tell her not to worry about it. She didn't know and I didn't have anyway of telling her. Like I said, it's just an ear infection and I'll be okay.

Oh, there was one bad thing about my vet visit and that was getting my ear washed out. I HATED that! They actually had to muzzle me. Mom was surprised because I have never been aggressive toward anyone. Never ever. I LOVE humans. But when your ear hurts like mine did and people are messing with it, well, you'd be pretty upset, too! I understand why they had to do it and my ear does feel better now, so I guess it was worth it. I have an appointment to go back on Friday for another cleaning. Ugh! Maybe my ear will be completely healed by then and I won't have to go through that again. That's worth a prayer, I think.

Love,
Gussie xoxo

Gus: Feeling my age.

I'm having some trouble getting around these days. I guess that's to be expected when you're 12 1/2 in dog years. It's getting hard to climb the stairs, go down the stairs, walk across smooth surfaces, lie down, get up ... well, you get the idea.

Mom and Dad are doing all they can to help me out. To make me feel more secure they guide me on the steps and put down carpet treads so I won't slip. They ordered new orthopedic beds because my arthritic joints ache and I can never seem to get comfortable. (The beds are for Buster, too, because he also has arthritis.) The elevated doggy bowls make dinnertime easier because I don't have to lower my head to eat.

I've been taking medicine for a while now and it still works, but not quite like it used to. That's why we might try something new - a laser treatment that Dr. Sarah now offers at her veterinary clinic. Mom is going to investigate the procedure to see if it's right for me. It requires about 20 minutes or so three times a week for two weeks, then only once a week for a while, I think. It's not supposed to hurt and should help take away some of my joint pain. My consultation with Dr. Sarah is Monday afternoon. Mom said she's going to first talk to her about my breathing. It's pretty labored. We're not sure why. Could be from the pain of my arthritis. Could be a lung problem. I don't know. I do know that my Mom and Dad are doing everything they can think of to make me comfortable. I get to sleep on their bed anytime I want. They let me walk outside in the front yard off leash when they are gardening, washing their cars or checking the mail. Best of all, they pet me, rub me, hug me and tell me they love me all day long. I do feel loved, that's for sure.

Wish me luck on my appointment Monday.

Love,
Gus xoxo

Here I am on Mom and Dad's bed dreaming sweet dreams.