Happy New Year

Okay, just an excuse to post...how much do you love the Daily Puppy? Ugh! I fall in love every day!

Last day of the year to donate to your favorite charity or shelter. My favorite animal-related charities:

www.aspca.org
www.reddoorshelter.org (they are a no-kill shelter for cats, dogs and one of the only places that takes care of discarded bunnies that people no longer want after Easter)
www.wshs-dg.org -- West Suburban Humane Society (the place where we adopted the Woodster)
www.pawschicago.org -- one of the only big shelters I actually still like. They do great work.
www.petfinderfoundation.com -- a foundation set-up by Petfinder.com

Almost...

I almost got Woody to play with a toy tonight. Looks like he's mildly intrigued by Mr. Bill.

Recovering

All of us are recovering from Christmas. Somewhere along the way I got the flu. Maxie was lonely (he spent most of the weekend home alone and wouldn't stop meowing when we got home to let us know how unhappy he was with the situation) and Woody was cranky. Yes, cranky. Andrew went to pick him up to take him outside (like he always does) and he snapped at him. Then he peed all over the space between our two outer doors. Totally misbehaved. So unlike him so I think he must have been exhausted from all the traveling and different houses. I think next year we'll leave him at my mom and dad's house. I think he's happiest there when we have to go someplace and it's too much for him to be traveling around here, there and everywhere. I'll post pictures and videos from Christmas soon. He was spoiled rotten. He received many toys that he won't play with (so we'll donate to a shelter) and many treats he will be more than happy to eat.

Christmas Coma

Woody was in a Christmas coma last night. He had the best Christmas. Robby bought him a Doggie Pez and he's been showered with all sorts of treats and toys (we have to work on the playing aspect of things).

I got the Doggie DNA test from Gene and Lisa. So I'm going to swab him and see if he's truly a beagle (I think he is) or a bagle or some other mix.

He's going to Michigan today. Big fun for him. Big weekend for him.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

Holy Cow -- it's been a month since my last post. Time flies. Woody is doing great. His lastest (mis)adventure involved going into my purse (in my office, on the floor) and going through it. He dragged everything out of it and ate paper. He is truly the "dog who ate my homework" dog. We came home to find Andrew's Christmas list he pulled off our coffee table and tore apart.

We did take him to see Santa. Cutest picture ever -- but I'm biased.

He's got big plans for Christmas -- sleeping, eating, belly rubs, sleeping, belly rubs, sleeping and eating. He's so excited -- and he gets to be with both of us for FOUR consecutive days, see both sets of grandparents (who adore him) and be away from that pesky cat for a few days.

Merry Christmas!

Pictures with Santa!

Next weekend -- pictures with Santa Paws or Hannukah Hound (I just love it!). I don't know where I'll take Woody -- maybe we'll go to a couple of places! LOL

http://www.santainchicago.com/petswithsanta/petpics.htm

We also went to Petsmart today. I don't normally take him with me but he wanted to go for a car ride. My mistake...peed all over the doggie snuggie display. I guess that was his commentary on snuggies for dogs! Nothing like scrubbing the floor in Petsmart! Woody takes his hatred of clothing to the extreme!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have a fair amount to catch up on...The 1st Annual Got Woody Day was a rousing success. We didn't have it when originally planned due to me being sick but we had brunch a week later. Woody didn't seem to mind. It was his first encounter with a 2 year old -- Emmett. E loved Woody and Woody seemed to be pretty fond of E. He tolerated everything Emmett did to him -- which was a lot -- and never nipped. Emmett petted him, put his hands near his mouth, fell on him (it was an accident) once, stepped on his tail (again, an accident) and was even curious enough at one point to touch his penis! LOL! It was hilarious. We gave Emmett a stuffed Snoopy, which he immediately started to call "Woody". It was cute.

Then he went to sleepaway camp at my mom and dad's while we were in NC. He was really good -- didn't misbehave and my mom and dad adore him. My mom said my dad loves to take him for his afternoon walk. The two of them just go out together and trot off into the sunset. Too cute. I love it.

My mom said Woody missed us because there was one day there was someone with a black SUV and two people standing outside of it talking and as soon as he saw it he went buh-nan-ahs! She said it was really cute but then she was sad for him because it was clear he missed us.

Then we went to Holland for Thanksgiving. He had a blast. He got to sleep with us -- a total treat. He's a good bed warmer!

Got mad at Maggie. She's going to get rid of her cat and I read her the riot act. If she can't handle one cat then how does she expect to handle kids? Unbelievable. I hope I made her feel bad. I don't care.

I didn't take any pictures over Thanksgiving. I'll have to take a few. All my pictures are old ones -- I think. Not good!

Tomorrow IS GOT WOODY DAY!

Today is, officially, the day I first saw Woody -- on the West Suburban Humane Society website. :) I can't believe it's been a year. Feels like he's always been a part of our family.

I sent a thank you note to WSHS today for bringing him into our lives. He is the bright spot of each and every day. Well, so is Maxie...

So tomorrow we're celebrating Got Woody Day AND Max's sweet 16 -- which happened in July. We'll have Beagle Dogs, Woodychuck Cider, Catcakes and who knows what else?

We'll have this shindig if I can shake the bronchitis/sinus infection I have right now. Good times! Otherwise we'll have to postpone until next weekend and then it'll be brunch.

Happy Birthday Woody!

It's Almost Got Woody Day

It's been awhile. I guess, after the month we had, no news was good news. This Sunday is "Met Woody Day" when we met him at the shelter. On Tuesday it's "Got Woody Day". This Sunday we're having a party -- beagle dogs and Woodychuck Cider. :) It'll be low-key but I promised him (I know...he's a dog) that if he made it through surgery we'd have a party for him. So, this is also a celebration that he made it through surgery and he's doing so well.

He had a bit of a relapse on Sunday -- started to lick the floors and drool profusely. We just gave him some Pepcid and Pepto and it calmed him down. I think that's just likely to happen from now on from time to time.

He had a Happy Halloween. He wore his Halloween scarf and didn't get any treats but got lots of pets and belly rubs -- even better than food, but only marginally.

I'll try to get my act together and post the lessons this crazy little dog has taught me over the past year. It's been plenty!

Nap Time

Today was a good day. Today is Sunday. On Sundays it's "walk wherever you want to" day. So we went to the park. It's the day I don't try to steer him anywhere. He just gets to follow his nose. Happy times! I went for a walk with Jen (7 miles) and came home, tired. I picked Woody up, plopped him on the sofa with me and we slept together, curled up under a blanket, for 2 hours. Good times. He was such a snuggle bunny. It helps he doesn't smell like a D-O-G anymore (we had him groomed on Friday). The attached video was taken by Andrew. He couldn't find a camera. Woody continues to do well. We think he must not have been feeling well this entire time we had him. He has more energy and is more relaxed than he has ever been. He was jealous today because my upstairs neighbor has a new puppy -- Tang Tang. TT is a pug. Sooooooooo cute. Woody saw me playing with him and DID NOT like it. :) I found a pet photographer. Here's the website. I like her photos. Not to posed -- all pretty natural. www.kellyjohnsonphotography.com Check it out. Let me know what you think.

Yay for Woody!

We finally got the pathology report from the vet. No cancer. No sign. Anywhere. YAY! There is sign of heliobactor (the same bacteria that causes ulcers in humans). So he's on antibiotics and good 'ol fashioned pepto.

He's been a stinker today. Lots of cuddles, lots of walks and more energy than he's had in a week or so. Sooooooooo good to see him back to his old self.

Thanks for your prayers. Woody the tap dancing dog is back!

Say a Prayer

Woody has his surgery today. I'm scared. Every time I do something with him I think "Is this the last time I'll do this with him?". Ugh. I hate it. I can't bear to think this is the last morning I might pet his head, hold his big, soft, floppy ears in my hands, or take him for a walk. I have to believe he'll be okay. Short of cancer he will be fine. I have to believe that possibility is remote. I pray it's remote.

Surgery on Monday

Poor guy is home, seems to be doing fairly well and is going to have surgery on Monday. We need to figure out what is making him so sick. This is breaking my heart.

Sick Again

Poor little guy has been sick again all this week. He seems to be doing a little better now but it was pretty bad on Wednesday. :(

Fingers crossed we don't have any other incidents over the weekend.

Woody, the Tap Dancing Dog

Chow time in the Atkinson-Pepoy house. This is the dance Woody does every time it's time for him to eat. I love it. He's focused. Concentrating. Watching Andrew's every move.

Ha! What a dog!

Labor Day

Wow...I can't believe we've had Woody for 10 months. Seems like a lifetime and it seems like yesterday. I can't believe how much I love him. I seriously could hang out with him all day, every day. One look into those deep brown eyes makes me forget even my worst day -- even if it's only for a minute.

I know pets help relieve stress but I guess I never realized how much until Woody. I knew Maxie and Kafka did but dogs are different. They really need you. They need you in a way nobody else needs you. They can communicate with you but it's all verbal cues -- I imagine it's like having a baby for life (but don't get me wrong -- i realize it's easier than having a baby for life).

It's nice to know, no matter how much crap I have to deal with in any given day that I can come home and at least one living being is excited to see me. He doesn't care what my day was like -- he only wants to make it better. And he does...

Okay, for a health update: Woody is doing well. He's still on 3 medications but he hasn't been sick in 2 weeks and he hasn't been licking the floors or carpets. We're weaning him onto some new food. So far, so good...

In a nutshell

The past few days, in a nutshell...Taken from an e-mail update I sent to Audrey. I was too tired to write so I bullet pointed everything. :)

Woke up on Sunday and Woody was breathing funny -- or at least I thought he was. So we took him to AERC and they did another chest x-ray. Things looked fine -- but they told us until we had him evaluated to make sure he didn't move too much and watch him carefully.

We scheduled our appointment for today. I asked Andrew if he needed me there, because I had 3 big meetings at work today -- A Republican (Minority Whip) came to our offices, we're being profiled by the WSJ for Thursday publication and I have a big presentation tomorrow. He said "I guess if I have to be an adult I could go on my own but I'd prefer not to". Okay, you can only imagine how furious I was and, quite honestly, still am. So I decided to stay home. We also heard from our regular vet and he wanted to see Woody today as well.

Went to see the cardiologist this morning. Lovely man. Kind man. Told us what he'd be lookinig for and what modifications we'd have to make for Woody. Took him for his ultrasound. Came back. Woody is an anamoly. He has a stage 4/6 murmur but is only kicking back 10% of blood flow -- as opposed to the 50-70% he was expecting to see. He was surprised based on his diagnosis on Friday night.

Pissed off at Animal 911...

Really pissed off at Animal 911...

So he told us no modifications were needed and Woody should live, at least from a cardiovascular perspective, a long and happy life. We need to get chest x-rays once a year and just watch him for signs of any significant cardiac change.
He never had fluid around his heart and lungs -- no sign of congestive heart failure.

Really, really pissed off at Animal 911...

He doesn't know how things got so bad for us at Animal 911 and apologized. Said he was glad we didn't make any rash decisions.

Took Woody to see Dr. Swiatkowski.

He was really upset by the events of Friday night. Was going to call and find out what happened.

Thinks Woody might have IBD or an ulcer. We'll treat conservatively until we rule things out.

Woody is acting absolutely normally.

Woody is HOME!

Yay!

He's home, resting and has an appointment on Monday.

Animal 911

Hate having to post this information...but if I truly want to keep a log of Woody I have to include the good with the bad. Or vice versa. Woody has been sick all week. We thought he was getting better until last night when he seemed to get decidedly worse.

We took him over to Animal 911 and found out that he has severe cardiac issues (a heart murmur rated 4 on a scale of 6) and some fluid around his heart and lungs. They also believed he had torqued his stomach due to vomiting. Fortunately this wasn't the case and he responded to medication. Initially we were told we'd have to decide to have him operated on or put him to sleep. His chances of surviving the surgery, due to his heart issues, were slim to none. Before we left, we had to sign a DNR on him. Ick.

He rested comfortably through the night. He was doing well this morning and we're about to call again. We might be able to bring him home. He needs to follow up with an internist or a cardiologist. With the severity of his heart issues, with meds, he could live 2 months or 2 years. Either way we want him to have the best life ever.

Say prayers for Woody. :)

Still Sick

Poor Woody is still sick. We don't know what he got into. We thought it was the walk, then the cookie but clearly it was something else. He's on medication now. He's eating plain rice. We walked a little last night. He was slow but he sniffed a lot.

All About Me

No Woody today -- Completing Lori's ABC's of Me!

Age: 41
Bed Size: Queen
Chore You Hate: Cleaning the toilet
Dogs or Cats: Both -- Woody and Maxie
Essential Start Your Day Item: Coffee
Favorite Color: Blue
Gold or Silver: Silver
Height: 5'7" 3/4 -- Hey, I'm going to be as tall as I can be.
Instruments You've Played: Flute
Job Title: Project Manager/Administration
Kid(s): One: Andrew - ha!
Loud or Quiet: Quiet
Married? How Long? Yep, 15 years
Nicknames: Pumpkin, Sweet Babboo
Overnight Hospital Stay: Yes, when I had knee surgery.
Pet Peeve: It's hard to pick just one...People who walk right by you (assuming you know them) and don't say hello.
Quote From A Movie: (Paraprasing) "What's up with that wierdsmobile?"
Right or Left Handed: Right
Siblings: Brother, older -- Robby
Time You Wake Up: Around 6:00 am
Underwear: Every day
Vegetable you Hate: Cauliflower
Ways You Run Late: When I'm waiting for someone else and they're late.
X-Rays You've Had: Dental.
Yummy Food You Make: Make? Hmmm...chocolate chip cookies, bruschetta, lasagna and tortilla casserole
Zoo Favorite: Monkey

Marathon Man

Holy Cow! Woody walked all the way around the park today (almost 1.5 miles) without stopping to be stubborn. I didn't have to pick him up or redirect him once! Now, that being said, it did take us over an hour to walk around the park with all the stopping to sniff, pee, sniff, pee, sniff, sniff, be petted, sniff, and pee. Now he's totally exhausted. He can barely move. I don't know what got into him this morning. He just kept going and going.

Woody the Wood Cleaner

He was at it again -- licked all our baseboards, rugs and carpet yesterday. I think it made him sick -- either that or the rawhides. He threw up three times last night and has been really lethargic today -- won't walk. It's also 100 degrees outside so he's not too excited about being outside. I feel bad for him. He just looks like he doesn't feel well.

On the bright side, my baseboards look fabulous...

Nothing to say

It's been a pretty quiet week for the Woodster. He had another Cujo moment and actually made some contact with Andrew's cheek. I was asleep so I didn't see it. Andrew was MAD. I think he was more scared than anything. Otherwise it's been pretty quiet. He continues to chew his rawhide/toy/thing. He spent hours on it last night. It is very funny to watch him.

Woody in Action...Sort Of...

Chew It!

Holy Cow! We've found it. We've found something Woody likes to chew and keeps him busy while we're gone so he doesn't go looking for trouble. We went to dinner on Friday night in Andersonville and went to a little pet boutique while we were there. I found some sort of chew braid that looked like he might like it and bought two of them. We brought them home and gave him one. At first he didn't seem to know what to do with it. He gnawed at it for a bit but then walked away. The success story is that Andrew went out yesterday and when he came home Woody didn't run to greet him. When Andrew went looking for him he found him in our room, happily chewing away at his new treat/toy. No more shredded address books! Hooray!

Not much to say

Just that he's the cutest dog ever! ;) I love his floppy ears and stocky little body.

Excuse me, did you miss me?

That dog. Our dog. My dog. Or is he? I actually believe that little booger would like to live with my mom and dad. They spoil him rotten with attention. When I came to pick him up today he was like "oh, hey...you're back". He couldn't have cared less if he tried -- which he didn't. And there I was, all weekend, missing him and worrying about him and calling about him. Harumph. Jealousy is an evil monster. :) It does make me happy to know he's so well cared for when we're gone. Stinker.

Stoshy

Stoshy is going off to college this morning. I'm going to miss him more than I can express in writing.

Cujo, pt 2

Well, it happened again the other night. Not nearly as bad as last week. I think Woody is just sleep-aggressive. Any issues we've ever had with him are related to sleeping. I wonder what happened to him to make him so protective of his sleep. I can't bear to think about it.

Andrew talked to our vet about it yesterday. He thinks we should make Andrew's coming to bed a happy event. Tear apart part of a treat and throw it his way and then make him get up to get the rest of the treat. We'll give it a go. Dr. S said he was probably being protective of me but since he growled at me last week too I kind of doubt that's the case.

On a happier note, Woody got groomed yesterday. He's silky smooth! :) He smells good too!

Woody's Second Job

His first job, and what he's best at, is being cute. :)

However his second job, and what he's getting increasingly good at, is shredding/eating paper. It started with him shredding any toilet paper he could get his mouth on.

It progressed to him digging into my bag and eating a $5 bill. We know it was a $5 bill because we found the leftovers -- maybe he should have started with a $1 bill -- maybe not as filling?

Now he trolls around Andrew's office and any eats/shreds any paper he finds on the floor. He's particularly fond of Andrew's address book. What cracks me up is that Andrew doesn't learn his lesson -- he still keeps all of it on the floor. It's like he doesn't believe Woody will do it again. OF COURSE HE WILL! IT'S FUN! :)

I read dogs do it because they're bored. I think Woody does it because it's fun for him. He doesn't like to play with toys -- paper is his toy. The photo above is this morning's "crime scene".

Sad Day

Okay, this post isn't about Woody. It's about Stosh dog. Michele called me today. Looks like Stosh is going to go off to college within the week. Heartbreaking. What can I say about him? He's a kindred soul to Woody. Had a horrendous early life -- Michele found him on I-94 in Indiana protecting his friend, a lab, who had been struck by a car. He had emotional issues (who wouldn't) that make Woody's occasional outbursts look tame. But Andy and Michele took him in and showed him what it meant to trust, to love and to enjoy life. Then, when we moved in next door, I was fortunate enough to be able to spend part of my day, every day, with him. He made me happy when I was sad. Made me laugh when I wanted to cry. He knew when giving him a belly rub would make me feel just as good as it made him feel. And he asked for nothing in return -- except to be loved and accepted.

I had a lot of firsts with Stosh. The first dog I got to dog-sit. The first dog I took to see Santa. The first dog, and only dog, to do a "triathlon" for me. The first doggie birthday, or "Got Stosh Day" I attended.

I've missed him a lot since Andy and Michele moved. I missed walking him. I missed his wet snout nudging my hand to pet him or walk him. I missed seeing him immediately after his summer "puppy cut". I missed cuddling with him on the floor. I just missed him.

I knew he was slowing down. Michele gave me updates and I could see he wasn't his old self when I went to visit. Michele told me a few weeks ago this day was coming soon but I chose to deny it. Couldn't deal with it. How rude when Stosh never put off my pain, my sadness. We're going to Bartlett on Wednesday night to see him. I told Michele I'd be there for them when they make the decision. It's an awful decision. But Stosh has lived 15 long years and he's suffering. It's time to tell him we love him and say good-bye.

On Your Mark...

Dogs mark. Sometimes they even mark inside (which we're none too happy about). Today we were watching Woody as he walked around the house and licked everything. I mean EVERYTHING. He licked my calf. He licked the kitchen floor. He licked the leg on the coffee table. He licked the leg on Andrew's drafting table. Then we watched him as he went up and down the hall and licked the perimeter of the house...then the perimeter of the area rugs. We finally distracted him because I was worried about him licking lord knows what in the corners. I mean, I'm clean but who knows what has built up in the space between the carpet and the walls? I was slightly freaked out so I called Audrey and asked her if Ringo, their cockapoo, ever did it. She said he does it all the time. How bizarro! Blech!

My dog Cujo

We had the oddest experience with Woody the other night. Andrew woke me up at 2:00 am to tell me Woody was growling. He was on the floor on Andrew's side of the bed. His whole face looked different, he was growling and when he saw me he barked. We were so frightened we picked Maxie up and put him in the bathroom -- we were afraid Woody would lunge at him.

I asked Andrew to call Animal 911 -- I wasn't sure if he was sick. While Andrew was on the phone I went back into the room to find him up, wagging his tail and completely back to "normal".

We are going to take him to the vet. Could have been a seizure. Could be a behavior issue. :( Poor little guy. I feel so badly for him. I've been giving him lots of cuddles.

Of Dog and Skunks

I'm at war with skunks. Woody has had two close calls with them lately. The latest was two nights ago. I was throwing some garbage away out back and Woody joined me (he loves to supervise my work) and I heard a rustle in the bush. I turned around and saw a skunk scurry underneath our deck. I yelled at Andrew to close the door and I scooped Woody into my arms (sounds very dramatic, doesn't it?) and ran out the back gate, down the alley to the front door. If Woody had been more curious we could have had quite a situation on our hands.

So I've purchased Critter Ridder which is black pepper and capsacin and sprinkled it out back. We'll see what happens.

Have I mentioned how much I HATE skunks???

Everybody Loves....Woody!

I may be biased (aren't all parents?) but I think Woody is the cutest dog EVER. I looked at him last night as we were making dinner and I said to Andrew "Can you believe our luck that we adopted the cutest dog on the planet?" -- what luck!

Woody has quite a reputation. Everyone who meets him loves him...with the exception of Andrew's sister, Maggie. She's not a fan of dogs in general so it's not a surprise. My brother has held him like a baby (and he doesn't hold babies). People in our neighborhood know him by name and one woman last week said "Woody is my FAVORITE neighborhood dog" and her husband asked her "in the WHOLE neighborhood?" and she said an emphatic "yes". Kids run up to him to hug him and rub his ears. Our upstairs neighbor says he "loves that face". Our cleaning lady loves him and another neighbor, who uses the same cleaning lady, said "if he ever goes missing I'd check Galena's house --she adores him". We'd better watch out. This dog could get quite an ego.

Andrew's aunt, uncle and cousin are visiting for the night tonight. I have a feeling there will be three more people in the Woody fan club. I'm not worried -- there's plenty of room!

The "other" man in my life

Sorry, Andrew. I have a new man in my life. His name is Woody. Tonight, while making dinner, I was making faces at Woody and he was staring back at me and Andrew said "you never look at me like that...you've NEVER looked at me like that". To which I replied "nope". I love this dog. I love him so much I can't stand it. I want to make the rest of his life as healthy and happy as it can be to make up for all those years of being mistreated. So nope, I never look at Andrew like that because he didn't spend most of his life in a cage and wasn't given up by his first real family (although maybe they might wanted to have given him up from time to time)and I can't believe that this 30 lbs of fur, floppy ears and fun is all mine (well, 50% mine -- but all mine in my head!). So I don't mind that he tries to kill me at least 10 times a day by being underfoot and that most of my clothes need to be completely rolled before I can leave the house. It's worth it. It's totally worth it.

To Poop or not to Poop, that is the question

Woody may be the most high-maintenance dog when it comes to pooping. First of all, when it comes to walking, he's like Goldilocks. The temperature, apparently, has to be "just right". Not too hot, not too cold, not too wet -- judging from last night and this morning, apparently sunny, breezy and 70 degrees is optimal walking weather.

Secondly, the quality of the grass -- it can't be too high, too bare or too wet. He simply won't go if the grass is wet -- or covered with snow. He'd rather debase himself and poop on the sidewalk than have his precious tushy touch snow.

So, I think we probably need to move to San Diego -- I believe that would be the optimal weather for him. He may have started his life out in a cage but in his head he's been a Rockefeller his entire life. What a prince!

Fight against fur

In my Beagles for Dummies book (yes, I do consider myself a dummy when it comes to dogs) it says Beagles shed...a lot. This is an understatement. I just took my furminator comb outside with Woody and he now has a sibling of equal size. WHERE does a dog that small get so much fur? He does it to vex me because he knows I can't stand dog/cat hair in the house. I swear, I could take him outside now, 10 minutes later, and I'd have 3 beagles.

The photo above is his "shelter shot". It's the photo posted on the West Suburban Humane Society website when I first saw him. Love at first site!

My first post

This blog is about my dog Woody. He's a Beagle/Bagle. He's approximately 8 years old and a former lab dog. He was tattooed and debarked. If that's not bad enough, since he was stuck in a cage for so long he ground down his teeth. IN SPITE of his troubled past he is a happy, healthy and well-adjusted dog. He LOVES people. He doesn't love other dogs. He tolerates them but mostly he's just scared of them. He peacefully co-exists with our 16 year old cat, Max. Max would be his BFF but Woody won't let him get close enough.