Growing and Growing

It's always a pleasure to watch a puppy mature into a dog (I prefer dogs and that's why I'm good at training puppies). Since I only walk Bruno once a week that observation becomes much more dramatic. In just the last seven days I'm sure he's undergone quite a growth spurt: Bella had better watch out!

He's also become much more confident and comfortable in his skin on walks, partly no doubt because his owners have been taking advantage of off-leash hours in Fort Greene Park. And he's shown improvement in working through his separation anxiety; he no longer seems to be chewing on his feet when alone.

Still, this is a dog who, even more than a typical puppy, needs his people around; as evidenced by his excitement at my arrival and his extreme reluctance to stay behind when I leave. Luckily his student owners have a schedule such that he need never be alone for too long, and he's maturing very, very nicely.

Bruno will be away for the summer and back in the fall. I can't wait to see what he looks and acts like then!

Bruno

Bruno is a 9-month old Boston Terrier I recently picked up. He lives across the street from Bella, so she's helping to teach him about the world (may whatever gods that be take heed!). But his owners have done a fantastic job on their own, and, in all seriousness, Bella's not such a bad big sister at all.

The two dogs play together fantastically (pictures to follow) and unlike with bigger dogs, Bella actually displays a fair amount of courtesy in dealing with Bruno. (She's about twice as big as him right now!)

Bruno is already nearly completely house-trained and has great leash behavior. In fact the only real issue I see with him is with his confidence outdoors; he can be a bit afraid of the world. I expect this to clear up pretty quickly though, in fact it's a mystery to me why every dog I spend time with builds their confidence quickly and regularly - even Bella the terrorizer was a bit scared at first. Unlike say, checking aggression (as with Igwe), or preventing scrounging (see Maggie) I have no idea how to do it. My best guess is simply that I like my dogs so much that I project it, and they absorb my own confidence in them.

PS: Bruno's owners have their own (very useful!) blog: Slices of the City

Update on Stanley

Here's Stan-o on Tuesday, shortly after his surgery. He's a bit thinner in the face these days but we all know he'll get those beautiful folds back in no time!

It's both delightful and troubling to see him getting his energy back this week. Delightful because, of course, his happy-stray-bowling-ball attitude is so endearing; but troubling since he really needs to rest so he heals properly, permanently and quickly. Hearing him (try to) bark is also heartbreaking.

So he's been on a sedative this week, which (barely) keeps him low-key, but it's still important not to get him worked up since he's liable to respond to a smile with a leap. Today I kept him out of the rain as much as possible and we had a deep cuddle session on the couch. It was nice, but I'm looking forward to the return of spring and a bulldog able to take advantage of it.

Stanley

This is Stanley. He's actually one of the newest members of my extended pack*, although it doesn't feel that way anymore. Watching him grow from a bite-sized little puppy-monster to an explosive, loving, slobbery 50 pound, full fledged adult English bulldog over the past 13 months has been quite the learning experience - for both of us.

Stanley has tons of energy for his breed and he's very cued in emotionally to his environment. He loves to cuddle with people (he's quite kissy!) and play with other dogs. He brakes for sticks and is an excellent on-the-leash bottle soccer player!

But the reason Stanley's my first post is that he's currently recovering from major surgery - the third(!) of his young life. In the first two instances, he had "cherry eye," where a gland in the bottom of each of his eyes (fortunately at different times) popped out. In this case (over the past weekend) he had corrective surgery to remove some of the soft tissue in his palate and throat. The surgery is recommended for most bulldogs, as their oddly shaped snout can lead to serious breathing problems, especially later in life. It's a very grave issue, and I spoke with one dog-lover not too long ago who actually endured the agony of watching his dog choke to death on a very hot day, on the way to the hospital. One cannot even imagine what the dog went through before he passed away - but I am very glad that Stanley is getting this out of the way now!

So far, the recovery is going quite well considering how invasive the procedure is. After a couple days of a very restricted diet he's starting to get back into his routine, and emotionally he seems to be bouncing right back. It does take quite a while for the tissue to heal, and sadly he won't be able to be with other dogs for a bit, or play his favorite games. But this all happens while Stanley's immune system is at its strongest, and he's in a very nurturing environment. Expect big things from this one - he makes quite a splash!



*--although I refer to the aggregate total of all my dogs as my "extended pack," the whole pack is never together. I never walk more dogs than I can handle in a worst case scenario. Which never means more than 4, is more commonly 2 or 3, and for some dogs is only 1.