Another check point on the road of life...

Good mood: awwww

It dawned on me today that it's been a while since I have written.  I could make all sorts of excuses as to why; heavy work load, new ventures, illness and, within the last week, it would all be true.  It's not that Caesar hasn't done anything recently; he has.  On one of his latest ventures, he broke into my sewing room, climbed on the table (while I was sewing) and knocked everything flying.  Later that day, I went out and returned to find that he'd been in there again doing the same thing.  Except this time, he had knocked everything all over the floor.  This included 300 buttons which I then needed to pick up one-by-one.

Mad mood: Arghhhh

The truth is; I've been attempting to reach a mini-target that I had set myself; to reach the end of my book "Saving Caesar."  It's all OK writing a book but reading it is something different.  Some days, I will find that I like one way of saying something and others, I find that I want to say it completely differently.  Some days, I'm in a humorous mood and others, I'm feeling nostalgic and sentimental.  Sometimes, my mood depends on Caesars;  one day I might want to write him as a lost soul in need of guidance and other times as a nightmarish nuisance sent by some unseen power to test everything I thought I knew about my own levels of patience and sanity.  This makes proof reading your own writing equally hard as the shifts in mood and attitude stand out from time to time.

Also, it's fun to write something and record all of your memories and experiences on a page but to read it again and again is not so fun.

Tonight, I read the last chapter - the final chapter of my first draft.  I have made notes for myself to improve the book and there is certainly a lot to do before I attempt to take my writing any further.  But, as I closed the word document for the first time in weeks, something occurred to me.  In a sense, I don't mind if this book never makes it beyond my computer.  I'd be sad of course because it would mean that this hard work and time would never be witnessed by anyone other than me.  However, I would always have a record for myself and for my family of this special dog and how he turned our lives and our house upside down.  I think, at the end of the day, that's probably more important.

What I've learnt in 2013...

Life with Caesar has been a roller-coaster from the day we adopted him.  He teaches me something new every day but I decided to summarise with the top 10 things I've learnt from him this year:

At number 10:
You can't beat a bed time cuddle...
Although we had never intended to let Caesar in the bedroom, let alone on the bed!  I must say, I've slept much better since discovering how therapeutic it can be to cuddle a toasty warm and very soft dog.  This has become more evident recently when I've spent an increased amount of time in bed due to feeling under the weather.  Caesar has been my constant companion, hot water bottle and teddy bear!  I don't think he minds...

At number 9:
Weigh up the means and the outcome...
It occurred to me the other day that Caesar goes on the furniture.  He sometimes sleeps in our bed and, although he's not supposed to, I frequently find him sitting on the settee.  Does this bother me?  Not as much as I had anticipated.  When we first got Caesar, we insisted that he would not be allowed on any furniture and then spent the next six to eight months fighting him off the furniture! What was he doing on the furniture?  Lying down....   In the end, I thought to myself...why does it matter?  And since then, it's been much easier to control.  Caesar rarely wants to get on the furniture and, when he does, he will get down when told.  My life is much easier for not having to chase him off the furniture.

Is that a smile now that you're on the sofa?

At number 8:
He can do it at home, but don't assume he'll do it elsewhere...
Caesar is very receptive to training and will sell his soul for a tasty morsel...in the house.  However, take him outside of the house and things are a little different.  This year I have lost far too many points at dog training by assuming that Caesar will be able to apply his learning in the house to other scenarios....it rarely happens.  And, it NEVER happens at crucial moments like in the park when there's another dog...

Well behaved inside but outside it's a different story!

At number 7:
Never leave Christmas presents in the dining room...
...and definitely not ones of the chocolate variety.  As a side note to this; plastic crates are not secure enough...

Just waiting to get the presents from under the tree!  

At number 6:
Never play-fight with a dog who has just drank a lot of water...
Damien and my carpet learnt this earlier this month when, after jumping around in the front room for a while, Caesar had a huge wee all over my rug!

At number 5:
A decent walk is good for the soul...
Sometimes, when things get tough, you can't necessarily be bothered to put on your wellies and go walking somewhere.  But, once you get out in the ankle deep sludge, fresh air and long grass, it's amazing how quickly anxieties fade away.  Caesar and I have been on some lovely walks this year, sometimes with a friend or two, sometimes on our own.  Whatever the weather, whatever the place, a good walk can clear the mind!

At number 4:
Baby gates are a waste of money (as dog defense mechanisms)...

Enough said.

At Number 3:
He will come back...
No matter how bad Caesar can be if he gets away...so far, he has always come back.  While we were on holiday in the Lake District this year, he opened the caravan door and left...  Damien found him sitting where my car had been (I'd gone to the garage).  And, during a walk one day, I fell over and the lead slipped from my hand.  He didn't leave me, just ran circle around me!  ....There was no one else around though...

At number 2:
Never say never 
This year, Caesar has broken into my high-security kitchen, defeating my 'award winning doorknob' which I believed to be Caesar proof.  This, only weeks after I had posted about how pleased I was that the kitchen was now penetrable.  On a positive note though, I was able to let him off the lead with a group of dogs - something I thought I'd never see!

At number 1:
With time, patience and hard work, anything is achievable!
It has been a year of huge successes.  Here are just a few:
- First off lead dog walk with other dogs.
- Lots of new commands learnt
- Record time of undamaged belongings
- Able to live with another dog
- Crate trained (finally)!
-  First holiday - and he didn't trash the caravan, terrorise other campers or run away!

And, of course, 2013 has seen the launch of Caesar's blog:  Saving Caesar.  Thanks for reading everyone and I hope to see you all in 2014 for more 'Antics of a Rescue Dog!'

If you'd like to post some things that you've learnt from your dog, I'd love to hear them!  Leave a comment.

Inconveniently ill

My eyes are drooping as I type this.  I had hoped that I would come in, order a takeaway, eat said takeaway and go to bed.  Instead, I came in, dithered over take away, couldn't find a phone to call takeaway, changed mind about takeaway, ordered an online takeaway and now I'm in the process of waiting for an hour for said takeaway to arrive.  By which time, I'll either have died of hunger or fallen asleep in my chair.  In the meantime, I decided to write a blog explaining why I'll be falling asleep in my chair and here it is:

Last night was hectic.  As a rule, I don't live a particularly hectic life.  I, like Caesar, like my set routine and anything out of the ordinary stresses me.  I do love a good meal out now and again but the thought of returning home later than usual is highly inconvenient as it means that I have to miss parts of my routine.  Then the question is; which parts?  What do I sacrifice?  Last night was the date of the monthly writing club that I have begun to attend.  It was my second meeting so I still felt the butterflies in my stomach as I considered reading my writing out loud.  The previous time, I had lost my balance and felt faint as I'd tried to read.  Anyhow, I rushed to my parents after work to print the chapter of the book which I was to present.  Then, not having time to go home, I rushed straight to the club.  I didn't get home until after 9.  The door was locked.

Correctly assuming that Damien was at the gym, I hunted for my key and unlocked the door, bracing myself for a cuddle and kiss from Caesar.  It didn't come.  The house was silent and there was no sign of him in the living room.  I searched upstairs and found him snuggled up on my bed - not unusual and with the cold I thought nothing more of it.  Later, he pottered downstairs and tried to climb on my knee, I gave him a quick cuddle but he jumped off a few moments later.  Then, he began hiccup-retching and licking his lips manically.  I've seen this before, it usually means that he's going to be sick.  I patted his back and waited but nothing happened.  This went on for almost an hour.  

Eventually, I resorted to the font of all knowledge - the internet.  By this point it was late and I sat in bed by the glow of my iPad.  I kept coming up with the same answer GDV - Gastric torsion.  I'd never heard of it.  The more I looked, the more I panicked.  Until, eventually, I decided to ring the 24hr helpline offered to me by my pet insurance.  The nurse at the other end of the phone (after slyly confirming that this was not a pre-existing condition with questions like 'have you currently got a vets appointment booked? - What is it regarding?') confirmed my worst fears.  "That sounds like it could be a gastric twist," she said.  By this point I was out of bed and already pulling off my pyjamas and throwing on my clothes.  Caesar, who didn't want to move, lay breathing heavily on the bed.  I could feel my hand shaking as she instructed me not to 'panic' - clearly not someone who has met me before.  If I do one thing well, it's panicking!  I can send myself into a panicky frenzy over just about anything.  In the Summer of 2005, I convinced myself I had Bird Flu just because I panicked so much about getting it.  I can panic about anything.  In fact, I now try to avoid the news as much as possible due to the fact that it has this horrendous effect on me.  

The overly calm nurse instructed me to call my vets as soon as possible and follow the procedure for the out of hours clinic.  "Follow your vet's advice," she told me.  I wasn't planning on ignoring it.

As the line connected to the vet, I began to talk hurriedly.  "He has a swollen stomach, he's shaking, he's licking his lips and doing hiccuppy type gagging noises," I told her.
"He's feeling sick," she confirmed.  This I was pretty sure of.  Before she continued, Caesar contributed to the conversation with a giant belch.  "That's good," she said.  'It might be good for you, you're not sitting next to him' I thought. 

Caesar didn't want to move; just lie on the bed.

The vet quickly explained that a gastric twist means that air is stuck in the dogs abdomen and this can be fatal.  She told me that, had this been the case, I would have seen his condition deteriorating rapidly, usually over 15-20 minutes.  She also assured me that I'd been right to call and explained that she could look Caesar over if I would like but, as he had burped and then pumped another twice since the phone conversation, she was fairly sure he was just feeling sick.  At the worst, she thought he may have a blockage.  "Keep an eye on him tonight," she offered, "then bring him in in the morning."  I kept to my word.  Throughout the night, I watched him carefully and observed his breathing and temperature.

This morning, the alarm called me from my disturbed sleep at 6:45 and Caesar bounded out of bed, tail wagging and went to wait for his breakfast.  I dropped Caesar at my parents' just to ensure that he wasn't ill while I was at work.  He had a whale of a time.  This morning, he bounded around the house excitably, this afternoon he jumped on my dad's friend's knee and knocked his coffee from his hand.  He had the time of his life all day!  I, on the other hand, struggled through twelve hours at work almost having to hold my eyes open with matchsticks!  

"Yes, he's been great all day - you sound a bit tired..."

Has your dog ever taken ill suddenly?  Was it serious or, like Caesar, did it pass by the next day?  

Caesar's gifts to me...

Over the past 18 months Caesar has given me many a gift.  The gift of an excuse to buy a new handbag each time he tears one of mine to pieces, a few little gifts left around the house when we brought him home (of the smelly variety) and, on the odd occasion, the gift of tidying up the kitchen by eating all of its contents.  But these are minor gifts.  What we have earned and learned through owning him has been so much greater.

Some say that you make your own luck.  I suppose in many ways that's true.  I can't deny that I have a bit of an appetite for drama. However, things do have a way of happening to me with the worst possible timing.  Luckily, I've been able to turn things on their head and use them as fuel for my book/blog.  After all, if I didn't have a horrendously mischievous dog,  then I'd have nothing to talk or write about so I see Caesar as a gift; the gift of conversation.  The gift of a good story.

I also see him as a challenge.  I love challenges; even though I love, equally, to complain about them.  I enjoy the pang of anticipation when you think of something new to try or when you see even the smallest bit of progress.  I love knowing that, or at least thinking that, I've made a difference.  

The dog of a thousand faces...

Pull a face.  It could be any face.  A scary face, a sad face, a goofy face.  I'm going to trust that you did that.  I'll be disappointed if you didn't!  We have so many possible expressions and yet the vast majority of us use so very few of them.  Have you ever come across someone who uses lots of expressions though?  If you have, you know how hard it is not to laugh at how expressive some peoples faces can be!  Caesar is one of those people...well dogs.

When I first met him, I was terrified of him.  He had this massively determined look about him that made you think that he would pounce on you at any minute.  But, since then, a lot of time has passed and now I see nothing (most of the time) but a very cute and very loving little ginger dog.  However, ask ninety-nine percent of the people who come to the door and they will tell you otherwise!  Ask anyone who walks past the house and sees him sitting on the window sill when we leave for work and they will tell you how much of a scary looking guard dog he can be.

So, this has inspired me to make a collage.  The many faces of Caesar:

I heart Flexi

Dear Mr. Flexi lead inventor,
I salute you and your outstanding contribution to dog owners everywhere.  I cannot deny the feelings of jealousy that consume me when I think of how much money you must have made from your, let's face it, relatively simple, yet extraordinarily effective idea.  Why, without your 8m Flexi Maxi, I would be doomed to being dragged around on a mere 2 meter piece of lead; hardly enough to get a good wrench going.  Yes, its all thanks to you that I can fly forward a good few metres every time Caesar reaches the limit of his 8m of freedom.  I'll admit, there is still room for improvement and who can forget when Caesar's second hand Felxi lead shattered into a million pieces in the park after a particularly bad pull.  I don't think Damien (who was walking Caesar at the time) will, nor will the people whom he went careering towards!  And yes, some people will complain about getting 'washing lined' or otherwise entangled in one of these leads, myself included.  However, for dog owners who cannot trust their dog not to pursue anything that moves, there is no better contraption than your 8 metres of extendable wire even if it does get stuck sometimes.  So, thank you Mr Flexi lead inventor, whoever you are, for bringing me peace of mind, security and a bit of an achey shoulder.
Yours sincerely,
Owner of a 8 metre Flexi lead and a very badly behaved dog

Bracing for impact!

Note: I am not advocating nor advertising Flexi leads.  And, those who wish to use, should do so with caution, care and awareness of their limitations and the potential hazards linked with using one.  As the post acknowledges, somewhat ironically, and I hoped lightheartedly, there are drawbacks to using this type of lead.  If you, like me, choose to use a Flexi lead, I would not advocate using a it in a busy place and definitely not by a road. If in doubt, seek advice from a qualified dog trainer first.