Oh My Dogness!

I'm a Diary Pick of the Day! Woo-hoo! Thanks, Dogster Dudes!I'm honored and humbled.

Three Barks for Chiropractors!

Time will tell, but after yesterday's adjustment, today I felt a lot better. We went for a walk - a REAL WALK, not "sniff-and-stroll" - for twice the distance as usual and I kept my tail up the whole time. Well, almost. It did sag just a little at the very end, but the improvement was pretty impressive. Mom is always super-happy when expensive treatments actually work.

Today I think she's going to leave me alone. I saw her putting peanut butter in the Kong toy and loading my kibble into my "shell game." Only problem is that I finish all my treats before she gets to the car. She has to get a little more creative to make the fun last longer.

A Real Adjustment

Today I went to the chiropractor. I didn't like it. At all. My mom keeps thinking up these ways to torture me. Because I'm a shih tzu (almost) I should hold my tail up over my back, but sometimes I don't. So Mom thought I might have a problem with my back. Ergo, the visit to the chiropractor. She poked and prodded and pressed and pinched every joint in my skeletal system. Sometimes it really hurt. There was a spot on my back that was very uncomfortable and I really protested when she worked on that area. I also didn't like it when she worked on my elbow joints where I have bone chips. She did say that she thought that I seemed to be a younger dog than Mom was told, so we both thought that was very good news. I have to go back for a follow-up in three weeks to see if there were any benefits to my adjustment. Then maybe I'll need to go back about twice a year. The vet also thought it would be a good idea for me to do my swim therapy again from time to time. Boy, I didn't know it was such hard work being a dog.

Ow.

I may have mentioned that I have a problem with impulse control. I know what "Wait!" means, I just have a really hard time doing it. I also have pretty poor depth perception and NO FEAR. Today Mom opened the back of the van just to get something out, and, not wanting to be left behind, I tried to jump in. It was too high for me and I fell back and hit my head on the pavement. I hit so hard that Mom actually heard the crack. She had made a grab for me, but had her hands full of stuff and wasn't quick enough. I was a bit dazed for a few seconds but shook it off. Mom's afraid I might have a concussion so she's been watching me like a hawk. She gave me a Tramadol for my headache, and I'll probably have a big goose-egg. She told me, "Now I know how you got your broken jaw and missing teeth!"

Aaah...At Last!

I had an itch attack on Sunday. I went crazy wild, biting, scratching, chewing - I was frantic from the itch and chewed hotspots on my legs. Mom couldn't catch or hold me as I ran and struggled to find relief. She only had one Predisone which she gave me, but it takes time to work and the ointment that usually helps didn't. So she got out the aloe and oatmeal shampoo and gave me a bath. I had to soak for 10 minutes while she massaged me and talked soothingly to me. I instantly felt better and by the time the bath was over the Prednisone was beginning to work. Mom couldn't call the vet until Tuesday because of Labor Day and then she found out she shouldn't have given me the Pred because I also take Rimadyl - not good for my stomach. So she went in and picked up some antihistamines instead, but so far I haven't had to use them - the aloe and oatmeal bath is still working. This time of year seems to be my itchiest time - must be something related to my allergies. Do any of you guys have trouble in late summer/fall with itch?

My Games

Mom bought me a game to play for when she goes away and leaves me at home. I'd rather go with her, but I LOVE the game! It's a bone-shaped board that has holes in it. The holes have lids that slide off or can be knocked off. When I uncover the holes, guess what! There are treats inside! I've learned to do it so fast that sometimes I'm almost finished before she's out the door! I've noticed that she gets all her stuff ready to go before she puts my game board down and then she says Bye-bye and scoots out the door. She has another toy that she gives me sometimes that I also LOVE! It's a round rubber ball that has pointy things on it and four holes in it. Mom puts PEANUT BUTTER in the holes and lets me lick it out. It takes a very flexible tongue to completely clean out the holes, but I don't give up until even the peanut butter smell is gone.

The other day Mom and I went to PetCo to look for a harness for me. She didn't see the kind she wanted, but she needed poop bags so she went to the counter to pay for them. While she was waiting there, I happened to see some pretty tempting dog biscuits right at eye level. I figured they must be for me, so I picked one out. It was a swell biscuit - about ten inches long - and I stood there patiently holding it while Mom was paying for the poop bags. Then she turned around and looked at me behind her and said to the man, "And I guess we're getting one of those "Big Bites," too." So he came around and aimed his reader at the bar code - I didn't even have to let go of it - and I carried out to the car, very pleased with my selection.

Patch in Paris

You can see my finished book online at the address below. For those of you who followed the blog, it's pretty much the same with a few additions and deletions.

Patch in Paris by Patch Dixon | Make Your Own Book

I'M BACK!!!

I wonder if I have any pup pal readers left, I've been away from Dogster so long. Mom finally got my book printed so she says she'll have more time to type my diary entries now. Yesterday we went to the Dog Days of Summer at the lake, which is a fundraiser for dogs who need homes. There were contests like "Best-tail-or-body Wag," and "Bark 'n' Howl." There was a doggy fashion show and a training-your-dog demo. That one turned out to be a definite benefit for me because Mom decided when we got home to teach me to TURN AROUND. You know what that means - TREATS! We also visited the Meet-and-Greet greyhounds for old times' sake. There was one guy who looked a lot like Tanner. Greyhounds are the only other dogs I like, 'cause Tanner was my BFF.

We had a weird night last night. Mom couldn't sleep and kept getting up and down and I was really restless, too and moved from place to place on the bed. Finally, Mom suggested that I get down off the bed. Well, I thought, as long as I can't sleep, I may as well make the most of my time, so I went into the tv room and guess what I found? A big bowl of salt-and-pepper potato chips - my favorite! Guess what Mom found when she got up? AN EMPTY BOWL! BOL!!! She kept waiting for me to throw up today, but I fooled her. I ate 'em and I'm keepin' 'em down!

"Voeux" from Paris!

Happy Easter to all my pup pals from Paris! Thanks to all of you who have sent good wishes and gifts! Mom says she's not going to have time to keep up my Dogster page AND my Dog Blog, so I hope you keep up with my experiences on www.patchinparisdogblog.blogspot.com. She said she would try to put some new pictures on my Dogster page though. All those weight-loss pictures are history. Keep things going in the states while I'm abroad.
Love you all,
Patch

Dog Blog

For anydog who's interested I've set up my DogBlog, although there's not going to be much on it for awhile. But if you wanna check it out, go to www.patchinparisdogblog.blogspot.com and you will recognize my happy face. You also can see on the map where I'll be living. AdHV (That's BOL in French for all you non-French barkers.)