Progress on the Home Front

Sat Night Marki -

I was finally able to snag Marki and get her in the shower with me. She stood quietly and allowed me to bathe her, even letting me put ear cleaning drops in after the shower. When I held her and dried her while sitting on the bed, she did not resist.  She even allowed me to flip her on her back while I gently towel dried her belly.  I even got to kiss her head!

Marki in the bathtub

Marki on memory foam mat having a shower

Then I let her go...She was no longer wearing her harness or leash. She went into a total "after bath spaz" rubbing on anything she could reach.  Once she did that, she came into my room several times and hid under the bed. This was in improvement because she seldom will enter my room when I'm there. Later she went back to her hiding and escaping mode.

Sat. Night Opal -

Opal was showing some interest in taking a walk with Gizzy, Bubba and I.  I made her a little cougar coat/harness and put it on her and attached it to a leash.  This is what I do with my dogs. She was a little confused but tried to walk along with us once I carried her outside. She did not seem to understand the leash so I shortened it and tucked it inside the coat.  She never strayed from us, even when we had to walk out on the street to avoid ice. We stopped and talked to a neighbor and she quietly sniffed around the area and then sat next to Gizzy and Bubba waiting for me.  She came into the house voluntarily and she wore the coat for a little while because I'd turned off the heat and left the patio doors open for Marki while we were gone.  She is an awesome dog!

Monday - Opal

Today Opal was avoiding me when I tried to put her coat on so I let her out and attached the leash to her collar. I let it drag behind her and she walked about 1/2 block but kept tripping over the leash.  I then took the leash off entirely and she did the same following close behind that she had done the previous time.  We came upon a neighbor and I asked him to take our pictures. His dog even came out to greet us and everyone kept their cool.

I also noticed today while talking to her in an excited, happy voice, her tail was wagging in a complete 360 circle, like a propeller.  That made me laugh and the more I laughed, the more she wagged.   It was a great day!

A new observation tonight. Occasionally Marki refuses to come in for her dinner plate. Everyone always has access to watered down and dry kibble. I have been letting Opal eat Marki's plate when that happens, even though I thought the serving size should be adequate. Immediately after, when she comes in from outside, she goes to her pillow in my room and throws up the undigested serving. It appears almost as if it was never swallowed. Again, this is something she must have done for her puppies. She must have been a very good mommy. I'll pick up the extra plate from now on.