So yesterday, I showed a reluctant Zach how to go up the first flight of stairs from the main to the second floor. This didn't take much time, and only 3 or 4 trials.
Shortly afterwards, I had to duck into the kitchen for a minute. I came back out, and there was only Duster. I checked the back hall, his crate, no Zach. Then a movement caught my eye. There was the little gaffer, on the landing looking down at me. He seemed awfully proud of himself. Hmmmm....now I'm not sure teaching him stairs was a good idea.
Yesterday was also our first full day of no accidents inside. I have an idea for a portable bell that they could step on to alert us that they want to go outside. It's a mechanical contraption using the far end of a fishing pole, a bit of wood, a hinge and some string. I have a friend, though, that could probably do something much more unobtrusive that I could stick to the wall. I'll have to e-mail him.
Oh, and it's pouring today. Zach's 'wet look' is too funny:
So, it's been almost two weeks since the new pup joined our family.
I took him to the vet the next day (Monday), by which time we were noticing that he would occasionally cry when trying to get up. Given the rough-housing with the Lab two days earlier, we hoped it was the result of that, and not something else. He weighed in at 39 lbs. On the vet's advice, he got anti-inflammatories for 5 days. I signed him up for his own health-care plan via VetInsurance the very next day. Rather than add him to our existing policy, I got him his own so we could cover his hips, just in case.
I went to the drugstore and picked up glucosamine/chondroitin and MSM and started both dogs on the three weeks of double-dosing. We kept the little one on lead and as quiet as we could for the rest of the week. I also dug up the physio exercises we had been given when our Saint had had his knee surgery. They were for rebuilding muscles in the leg and hips, and increasing mobility, so I knew the pup would benefit. Friday evening was his last dose of meds, and we held our breath, hoping we would not see a deterioration over the next several days.
Our concerns proved to be totally unfounded. He has been off the meds for a full week now, more than ample time for any residual effect to have gone, and there has been no deterioration. We have continued to supervise their playtime together, and they were left alone, outside, together, for most of the day today, but I stayed within earshot. They mostly sleep with some play periods interspersed. I'll be heading into the office, so they'll be alone most of the day outside tomorrow. The little guy will also move to two meals a day tomorrow as well.
The little one has already visibly grown. I noticed today that his legs are longer then when he first arrived. And, despite what I've been reading about Bernese owners needing patience when training, he has proven to be a quick study. He has already mastered 'wait' for his meals, won't try to get Duster's food when it is put down just before his, has learned 'shake', is working on 'high five' and 'down'/'couche.' Danielle used the process we learned in our puppy book to teach him 'no' and he mastered it in three or four days. He's getting better at emptying his after-dinner treat-filled Kong, and no longer bucks about going into his crate.
I began taking them for walks together and by the third morning, everyone knew what was expected of them. The little guy sleeps inside in his crate, and likely will always sleep inside. With only 21 months left to go before we are full-time in the country, it's not a big deal.
And, reluctant DS has not for a moment regretted changing her mind.
I was finally able to return to work for one week before my two weeks of vacation time. My sleep is now reliable again and all the tests finally came back negative.
This year, we decided to have no large projects planned. Because it's been raining all summer, we take advantage of another 'no interest no payments for 14 months' deal at HD and pick up the last things we will need to renovate the upstairs bath: a toilet and some plumbing and DWV piping and elbows etc. I find some 'Top 'n Bond' that will cover and smooth my unsatisfactory new step. There's also the drywall to put up on the wall where we changed the window, and a myriad of other small things we can do inside to keep busy.
We depart the Friday morning, as there is no work for DS. We stop for groceries on our way and arrive around suppertime in the midst of some drizzle to find the lake within inches of passing over the bridge at the falls. We unpack, and try to unwind.
The next morning dawns cloudy, but it clears by about noon. This will prove to be the pattern for most of our holidays. We go for a paddle to take advantage of the new perspective on the lake, a little bigger, with no rocks or vegetation to be seen breaking the surface. Then, the dam comes down. I do it in three stages because of the volume of water being held back.
Over all, we had one full day and two half-days of rain during our entire 16 days. We got the best two weeks of weather of the entire summer. We each worked in the mornings on whatever project we wanted to undertake, and after lunch, enjoyed the sunshine. DS continued tidying the garage and worked on some hobby projects. She also built the steps for our laundry stoop. It was a small job that took her two hours, but it's one that makes a big difference. With my short legs, I had been having a heck of a time climbing up to put the laundry out, and so dreaded the task. Now we just waltz up. We did laundry nearly every day, and used the dryer only twice. It was wonderful.
I chose to thin and trim the brush along the lake-bank from the gate to the house. This involved working from both the driveway side and the lake side - from my kayak! I only dropped my clippers once, and managed to retrieve them using a bungee cord and a branch I had just cut. Considering that I had essentially been getting no strength-building exercise at all for a year, it was a good workout for me. I was able to get back into being physical fairly gradually and it felt good.
DS did get the drywall done, and I did some more stripping of the desk. Mostly, though, we relaxed. We decided that we would no longer plan big jobs for our vacation time, but rather, take care of small jobs instead. Now that I think about it, though, we really only have one more summer vacation at the cottage, and that's next year. After that, there's my year off, then one more summer when hopefully I'll be living at the cottage pretty much full time.
On the Wednesday of the first week, a friend called from the village and said "it's a beach day, come on over!" We were there from early afternoon to mid-evening and the crowd got bigger and bigger. Someone picked up steaks on their way in from town, we all chipped in and had a nice communal meal. They have a picnic table that seats about 12, and we were able to accommodate 16 people with a little creativity.
We had learned that another friend's daughter had acquired a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy and he happened to be at the BBQ. This is a breed that DS and I have loved for quite some time, since we first saw a pup more than 5 years ago. Me being me, I had researched them and learned about their health issues. We had then decided that it would be too much heartbreak. But, one moved into our neighbourhood two years ago, and another a year later, and a third...we came to the conclusion that when we got our second dog, once I had fully retired, it would be a Bernese, and a girl. But you know what they say: life's what happens while you're busy making other plans.
Back to the BBQ. As I said, we've seen many Berners over the years, but none with that completely adorable face that we loved on that first one we had seen. Until the BBQ. He was just such a little doll. Quiet, but friendly. There were four dogs there all day, and he just did his thing. It was such a warm day he really only wanted to sleep in the shade. He came to life after the sun went down, but even then, was nothing like our other friends' Lab puppy, even though they are the same age. I couldn't help but scoop him up into my lap a couple times, and he let himself be, but didn't want to stay. Of course our guy got jealous.
The pup had been brought over by his 'grandmother' and when his 'mom' arrived, I told her if ever she thought of giving him up, to call us. See, a little voice inside of me said this was a distinct possibility. On what basis, I'm not sure. DS sort of gave me a stern look when I said it, but I just smiled.
Wednesday of the second week, the Lab pup's moms called and asked if we would puppy-sit while then went camping for a couple nights. No problem. From Wednesday evening to Thursday at noon, it was non-stop activity at our place. After that, the Lab pup was totally tuckered out and things really settled down. We had fun, and it wasn't that difficult. Her moms returned Friday and stayed over 'til Saturday as they wanted to try camping with the pup to see how things would go. It was a mild night so the timing was perfect.
We all enjoyed a huge breakfast then DS left mid-morning for a family reunion an hour's drive away, and would not return until suppertime. Our friends insisted on doing the dishes from the night before while I went off to finish clearing brush from overtop of the old Mill's underground foundation. When I got back around noon, they were just finishing up the dishes and told me the phone had rung but they had not answered. I checked the message and learned that the Bernese puppy's mom had decided to give him up if we would take him.
See, the owner was a mid-20's young lady who is quite social. Pup was spending most of his time in her garage, alone, and she felt terrible about this. Since we had expressed interest, she had begun to think about letting him go. Not to mention she had a trip to China scheduled in the coming months. I had all day to think about it and pretty much knew DS's start position would be no. She's a person who has difficulty making a decision most of the time, but on some things she has a pretty much set-in-stone point of view. I've also learned that trying to persuade her, convince her or bully her only makes her more resistant to changing her mind. I had my work cut out for me.
So, the discussion over supper was pretty much what I expected, and after dinner she phoned the girls and said "No." I was surprised at my reaction, though. I was really quite disappointed. Needless to say, the discussion continued that evening and the next morning. By late morning, DS had changed her mind. I was certain that the owner would have already offered the pup to the next in line, a friend of hers. DS made the call, and the pup was still available. We picked him up just before noon. Named Madden, but pronounced 'maiden', we knew his name would change.
He was just one big ball of fluff. The owner told us he had been playing with an adult Lab the day before and she now thought he had a sore neck, as he had had difficulty eating that morning. It was clear he was having some movement issues and we wondered if we had agreed to take a pup with issues. Neither one of us considered leaving him there, though. My point of view was that if he needed medical care, she was not going to be able to provide it to him, and we could, and I was prepared to foot whatever bills that entailed.
Having decided we would take the dog, DS had tried to reach her boss to see if there was work the next day, but had not been able to. We had decided to delay departure until the next day. We spent a couple hours getting the two dogs acquainted and slowly packing up. Then DS reached her boss and there was work. Since work has been slow, and we had just spent some unplanned cash on the puppy, and we knew there would be more to come, we decided we had to leave.
Poor little guy. His world was turning upside down pretty quickly. We finished packing and left by 4:30 PM. He travelled with DS and Duster with me. I guess everyone had left Montreal for the weekend, because we hit traffic like we'd never seen before on the way home. Between that, construction, and more frequent stops for the pup, we arrived shortly after midnight, and what with unpacking the truck and getting the dogs settled, I didn't get to bed until 2:00 AM
Meanwhile, pup still did not have a name, despite our each spending much of the drive thinking about it and suggesting various options via walkie-talkie. The next evening, Zach was suggested, for Zachary Richard, the singer/songwriter responsible for the name of our lake and this blog.
So, without further ado, here is the not-so-little guy:
A real sweetie, eh?
