Good News!

Sam is going back to the adoption center this weekend! Yay! I updated The Book of Sam to go with him – just in case. Maybe I should add a page for that, although I’m not sure I can upload a word document.

His veterinarian pronounced his back is much improved. He’s a Dachshund mix, so he’s always going to have risks associated with that long back. Apparently the ideal life for a Dachshund is to live in a crate and never move, but that’s not Sam’s life. It should not be any dog’s life.

Despite the fact he’s not really supposed to run I simply limit his opportunities to run. We walk when we’re out and he only runs at times with his foster sister – not often.

Instead of crating him so he can never jump there are doggie height steps near the couch and he uses them in preference to jumping up! Now he only jumps while he is playing with his foster sister. There is more than one reason chairs are pushed under the table to keep him from jumping on them.

Since weight is an issue his dog food is measured carefully. He’s not obese, he’s just not supposed to gain any more. Fair enough.

He’s not supposed to play tug of war, so he only plays with his 12 pound foster sibling who can’t stress his back. I won’t play tug with him. He’s bummed about that. I will roll a ball, but not throw it because throwing a ball means running for it. Rolling means trotting after it.

We modify rather than eliminate. Since his life is modified rather than totally restricted he almost never has a reverse sneeze attack anymore. When he arrived those attacks were so bad I took him to the vet to see if he was sick. Now he’s relaxing into life, rather than being stressed out by it.

I started putting his heavy (reversed) prong collar on and clipping the lead to the regular collar to see if I can fake him out so he still walks loose lead with no pulling. It’s a process.  He sees cats ❤ or dogs ❤ ❤ and wants to go play – immediately! If it is just Sam, McKinley and me there is no pulling. Blinders? I think not.

He has quirks, as we all do. I can’t leave anything that smells like food or is food on the table and walk to the kitchen because it will be gone in a heartbeat even though I’m only feet away. That speaks to a lot of hunger in his past as well as “You were finished with that, right?” One time he made off with part of a whey protein food bar. No food comes into this house that is dog toxic so it didn’t hurt him, he just lost his dinner kibble. I now pick up any plate or food item and take it with me if I need to get up. 😀

Another quirk is that he wants a last walk before I go to bed. Even if it is midnight. Or later. It can be very short, but without it there is no peace. Thankfully, the complex is well lit at night. I fell asleep on the couch and he figured I was going to sleep for the night and got me up to take his last walk. No rest for the wicked and the good do not need any!

Keep your fingers crossed for Mr. Sam this Saturday. Maybe his new family will find him! That would be awesome!

Sam is looking for his furever home