3 Months Already?!

[Tracey & Spike]

It's hard to believe that Spike is already over 3 months old. We've had him since Feb 8. Two months yesterday. Wow. Time flies! It's still hard to believe that I get to go home every night to that cutie. So much has changed in such a short period of time. He's growing sooooo fast! I've had to let out his collar twice already. That's when his growth really hits me.

We've been through and graduated puppy kindergarten. Spike did amazing! We are teaching him new tricks as much as possible. He already knows sit, down, stay, stand, shake a paw (both front paws), high five (both front paws), roll over and my favorite.. Walmart (roll back.. get it?! haha) Right now we are working on walking through my legs. Weave pole style. He did really well on the agility equipment in class. It's fun. After we finish Grade 1 I'm going to look into doing basic agility classes with him. We both LOVED it. Great bonding and even better laughs. My original goal of blogging after each kindergarten class was shot to heck because...

Spike's given us our first health scare. Because of it I felt too ashamed and guilty to post.

I think I should rename Spike to Hoover (Vacuum). If it's around it's in his mouth. Leaves, twigs, woodchips etc. It's to the point now that he knows we've seen him pick something up and automatically comes over to let us open his mouth to take the offending object out. Drop it? Nah. He much prefers our fingers. Something to work on when it's covered in Grade 1 training.

We had a great winter with more snow than we've had in years. It's was amazing. Both Spike and I love it. Yes I know I'm nuts. I love the snow.. can't help it! Anyways we were out for a walk after our first big thaw. Spike was walking along and grabbed a chunk of clean white snow to eat. Mmmm tasty. It was gone before I could do anything. And it was snow.. it melts on contact. Little did I know that the chunk of snow contained tiny pieces of speaker type wire. Didn't realize anything until he got sick. Really lethargic. Not eating. Poop issues. Throwing up etc. Off to the vet we went. Tested him for everything you can name. The Vet warned us that there was a small chance it could be some deadly poodle related disease that causes his organs not to grow. The chances of getting a dog with this condition are slim but with our luck I went into full panic mode. Xrays were done and low and behold. We found it.

So after antibotics, a can of fiber rich dog food (don't judge.. this can came from the vet...) and switching him over to Wellness Puppy Wet we are back to normal. He's down to one serving of soft food in the morning and back on kibble (Acana) for the rest of his day. I'm going to wean him off of the wet food. Something I swore up and down he would never get (we all know they like it more). However I did whatever I had to do to help him get well again. He is. All is good now. He's gained three more pounds since this massive scare AND he's had his final puppy shots :) Hopefully the health issues are gone for a good loooooooong while.

I'm still suffering from such terrible guilt. Deep down I know that it's just an accident. Something that happens. But still. Spike is mine to protect. I don't ever want to see him sick and in pain.

On a more positive note we almost made it through an entire day yesterday with NO accidents in the house. Almost... soooo close. One day victory shall be mine. I swear my neighbours are going to have me committed. I throw an outright party in our backyard each and every time he does his deed. I am concerned about Spring though. Grass is new to him. He's used to snow. Last night he went all around our yard looking for ANY bit of snow he could find so he could do his thing. He just isn't comfortable on the grass. It's cute to watch but he'll have to learn to go on the grass FAST! A two inch square patch was all he could find last night. And mark it he did.

I truly cherish each day with him. It's amazing watching him see things for the first time. Birds, leaves, his shadow. Oh his shadow. Now THAT was a funny experience. Almost as funny when he discovered his tail :)

Each day brings something new. I look forward to it.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Glad he got through his wire diet ok. Just goes to show, no matter how close you watch, accidents do happen.

  I have visions of you buying snow cones and sprinkling them in your backyard for his potty! Hope he takes to the grass, instead! 

[Tracey & Spike]

Thanks everyone :) Yeah the health scare was not fun at all. But I'm sure most dog owners go through something at one time or another. Everything seems to be fine now. It's so heart wrenching when something isn't right. They can't talk so they can't tell you what's wrong. It's all a guessing game.

[jenn D]

Such a sweetie. Sorry you had to deal with such craziness before.

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Tracey, so glad Spike is ok and doing so well now!  What a scare! I am so impressed with all his training and the things he can do!  Congrats to both of you, we all know the commitment it takes to train these babies!  Don't be embarrassed about what you say to Spike when you take him out, we STILL do it and Libby is three!   LOL

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

He is darling.  I am glad he is healthy now.  Good luck on the housebreaking.  It sounds like he is making progress.

[Robin and Libby Louise]

He is adorable!  So sorry for your scare.  I know how you felt when the vet mentioned some rare disease - I had a Siberian Husky years ago.  About a month after I took him home I got a call from the local vet (I was living in a very small town in Canada and working in a ski lodge when I got him), telling me that he was concerned that some pups from Patrick's litter had a congenital birth defect to their windpipes and I should be on the lookout for lethargy, poor appetite, etc.  Which he seemed to develop overnight.  I was in a panic until I discovered that Patrick had somehow gotten into the supply of styrofoam cups and was eating them, which seemed to curb his appetite, and also he was going out with a group of guests and following them on the cross country trails every morning, leading to his exhaustion!  Anyway, he lived to be almost 14.  Sorry for the long story but I did feel your pain!  So glad Spike is ok!