A Good Week for Luna

Luna got her stitches out yesterday so she is back to her "normal" self.  She still has a goofy haircut which will probably take most of the summer to grow back in.  Oh well.

Luna's "desk" is right next to mine.  She always stays close to me no matter where I go.

Because she had to wear the "cone of shame" to keep her from chewing on her stitches, she was constantly trying to get the cone off by rubbing up against furniture and doors.  It became a problem when she was knocking items over as she violently smacked the cone against bookshelves, dressers, and doors.  We thought crating her would solve that problem, but it didn't.  One night we woke up to her screaming bloody murder in the crate.  Apparently, she had gotten herself stuck in the corner because of the cone.  She could have easily backed up and turned around, but because she freaked herself out she could only think to scream for help.

Luna normally sleeps on the job.

So leaving her loose in the house wasn't an option and neither was crating her.  The only solution was for me to take her to work every day this week.  She really enjoyed the extra attention she received from all my co-workers, the extra cookies, and the surprise visits from volunteers who stopped by the office.  She's in for a real shock when I start leaving her at home next week.

Just waiting for the work day to end.

Luna will headbutt anyone she can so they will pet her.

Invisible Fences Suck!

I apologize for focusing this blog post on my dislike of invisible fences, but I feel it is necessary after recent events.  If any readers use invisible fences, please understand that this is my opinion.

Luna cuddling with her penguin toy.

Invisible fences suck!  They use punishment techniques to train the dog, do not guarantee the dog is securely contained, and provide a false sense of security to the owner.  If a dog is determined to get out of the yard, they're going to do.  Some dogs might get spooked enough to escape or may see something on the other side of the line that is worth getting a small shock.

Luna after she received her stitches.

The following are just a few experiences I've encountered in regards to the effectiveness of invisible fences.

Loose Lab
When I was a kid, I remember coming across a young Labrador Retriever loose on the street.  He was very friendly so I caught him easily and was relieved to see he still had his collar and tags on.  When I tried to return him to his house, the dog would not cross the yard because he still wore the shock collar and would have received a shock if he got too close.  I ended up sending a friend to the door to get the owner.  Apparently, something had inspired the dog to cross the line and he learned to keep away from the yard or else he would get shocked.

Lab wearing his invisible fence collar.

Duncan
One of my neighbors growing up had a German Shepherd that lived to escape their yard and attack neighboring dogs, kids, and sometimes adults.  The family tried everything to contain the dog including adding the invisible fence to the already six foot high solid wood fence.  No improvement.  The dog was determined to get out and she did so without regard to the shock she received.

Collar that the dog wears which delivers the shock.

Kirby
Another neighbor I had growing up decided an invisible fence was the best option to get her hyper Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier to stay on the property.  Unfortunately, Kirby experienced a shock so severe when he ran through the fence that he was terrified to walk across the yard.  The family ended up removing the fence and carrying him across the yard for months before he got over his fear.

Flags show where the boundaries are and indicate that the dog is in training.

Sadie
I've been working with a family friend's dog for the last few months who has a history of bolting out any open door and taking off.  Despite my insistence that an invisible fence would not help at keeping the dog from running off, they decided to invest in the fence to act as a "last line of defense".  It didn't work.  One day, Sadie escaped through the front door and took off down the street at full speed without even recognizing the quick shock.  Luckily, she was caught before anything bad happened, but she did make it well into town, into a restaurant, and into several back yards before she finally stopped to greet another dog.

I'm not a fan of invisible fences and do not recommend their use to anyone.  These fences do not guarantee to protect and contain even the friendliest dogs that respect their boundaries.  The environment is unpredictable, so why depend on something so unreliable to keep your dog safe?  If you are interested in reading more about why invisible fences don't work check out this article.

Pain in the Butt

Luna has been doing well recovering from her wounds.  Two of the three are healing on their own and are looking better each day.  We've been cleaning them at least twice a day and using a triple antibiotic cream.  The third wound (and worse one) was stitched up by the vet on Thursday.  While Luna was under anesthesia, they gave her a dental and clipped her nails (a little too close to the quick).  So in addition to her butt hurting she felt sore on her feet and mouth.  Poor girl.

Luna with a sore butt.

One of Luna's wounds before stitches.

This wound has healed on its own.

This one has been healing well on it's own.

This wound required stitches.

Owchie!

When we brought Luna home from the vet's office she looked as if she had been drinking all day.  She was pretty wobbly, very unfocused, and relied on solid structures to keep her standing.  One of her nails started bleeding on our way home so I stopped her before entering the house.  While I was doctoring her foot, Luna leaned against the side of the house to the point where I thought she was just going to slide down to the ground.  I couldn't help laughing and told Luna the same thing I've told many of my friends after a night of drinking.  "Your job is to keep this wall from running away.  You hold on nice and tight and don't let it go anywhere."  Poor baby.

Luna makes sure the house doesn't go anywhere.  Notice that she is not supporting herself with her left front paw.

After a day resting at home, she was more alert, but her butt was definitely hurting.  It took her a long time to decide that she was going to lie down.  When she did, she circled her bed multiple times and whimpered.  It didn't help that she preferred to lie down on the side that had the stitches.  I know this was an effect of her spinal injury.  She has always favored spinning clockwise since her accident.

Moving around the crate is hard with the cone of shame on your head.

Feeling pretty groggy from the anesthesia.

We took her over to Mike's parent's house on Friday so she could be pampered while we were out for the evening.  Amber was very polite with Luna and did not bother her too much.  Luna mostly stayed in the kitchen and ate some leftover rice as a treat.  She's always so good to help clean up in the kitchen.

Luna models her latest accessory.

She continues to perk up and her wounds look better each day.  In two weeks the stitches will come out.  Then it's just a matter of growing back those patches of fur.

We're Back!...let the drama return...

May was a whirlwind of a month with finals for graduate school, work, and of course our wedding and honeymoon.  It is nice to be home and focusing on returning our home to a state of normalcy.

For the most part, Luna's daily routine has been boring at best.  She spent most days in the crate since we were running so many errands as we prepared for the wedding.  She did great tolerating these dull days and we fully intended to spoil her when we returned from the honeymoon with outings, runs in local parks, and maybe even a trip down to the shore.

Unfortunately, Luna's vacation with friends while we were away did not go as smoothly as we had planned.  While on a walk, Luna was attacked by a German Shepherd who was "contained" by an invisible fence.  Because of her instinct to run in a fight or flight situation, she received three puncture wounds on her sides and buttocks.  She never once tried to defend herself.  Instead, our friend who was caring for Luna had to kick at the dog to get it to back off.  Thankfully, she was wearing jeans which protected her legs from the dog's teeth so she only suffered a few scratches.

Luna spent the rest of the week recovering at my parents' house and has stayed in good spirits despite her tender wounds.  Tomorrow she will undergo surgery for stitches for two of her wounds.  Poor baby.  While she's under she will get a dental, nails clipped and other treatments for a full make-over.  She's going to be a hurtin' cowboy tomorrow evening.

I'll discuss the whole dog attack situation in another post since there is so much to talk about.  In the mean time, Mike, Luna, and I are working to settle back into our regular routine.  Hopefully, her wounds will heal quickly with the stitches so she can start enjoying her summer.

Thoughts on Puppies

I found out that the greyhound adoption group that we got Luna from took in three greyhound puppies over the weekend.  Thankfully, all three were adopted the second they stepped off the trailer.  Otherwise, Mike might have been tempted.  He loves following the updates on greyhound puppy, Maddie (NeverSayNeverGreyhounds).

Anyway, everyone on the Facebook page was talking about how much they wish they had a greyhound puppy until one person posted the following poem:

Puppies,

Lovely to look at,

A joy to hold,

But when it comes to greyhounds,

I'll take mine old.

I think that sums up my feelings on puppies in general.  Who doesn't love a puppy's face and silly antics?  I just love them more when they go home with someone else.

(They're awful cute though.)

No Such Thing as "Spring Break"

Well it's about time I got back on here to do a post.  I hope I didn't upset anyone by not posting for so long. Not to worry, you haven't missed much in regards to Luna's adventures because her life has become pretty dull at the moment.

I know that I keep saying how busy Mike and I are right now, but things have really kicked into high gear.  As we approach summer, my work schedule goes from busy to insane.  Already this month I have coordinated two events with only one week in between to recover and reset.  (Both were very successful and well received by all who attended.)  Grad school is demanding more attention with end-of-semester projects due in the next few weeks and finals scheduled shortly afterwards.  The other big project taking up taking up our time (and our brain cells) is our upcoming wedding.  That's right.  Mike and I will be tying the knot at the end of next month!

Go Team Awesome!

Somewhere in the middle of all of this chaos is Luna.  She has been such a good girl to tolerate our inconsistent schedules, shortened walks, and utter exhaustion at the end of the day when she wants to play.  However, she has definitely been stir crazy over the last few weeks, especially since the change to warmer weather.  The other day she was so pleased to be outside that she started doing her usual zoomies around the yard.  I cringed when I saw her step on an exposed root thinking that it must have hurt at least a little.  She showed no sign of pain, but I later discovered a small trail of blood around the house due to her cut paw.  Thanks, pup.

Bandaged up and forced to WALK.

It looks so pretty again in the neighborhood.

Spring has sprung around the lake.

Luna Inspired Poetry

When I was little I wanted to be a poetry writer.  For several years, I did pretty well at writing many different poems.  During one of my free moments last week I decided to take a stab at writing some poetry based on Luna.  Here is what I came up with.

Luna

Loving

Unusual gait

Notorious snacker

Attention hog

Napping Dog

Fur warmed by sunbeam

With a sigh I close my eyes

Inner peace is found

Anticipation

An open field calls

Heart pounding and eyes sparkling

Deep breath and I run

Luna is a wealth of inspiration.  I will have to find time to write a few more poems.