Rest well my gentle giant

It has been a very long time since I updated Caesar's diary. So much has happened in our lives. Sadly, a very unexpected event happened back in August of 2008, Caesar had an (unknown at the time) hereditary condition that caused his entire spinal column to "slip" paralyzing him and causing extreme pain. (A similar condition happens to dachshunds)

It hit out of the blue, one day he was fine and happy, the next he was in agony and while the vets X-rayed and gave him massive doses of morphine and prednisone the fact was that he was paralyzed and crying constantly in extreme pain. With tears in my eyes I asked my vet what she would do if it were her own dog. Euthanize him or risk taking him to the Veterinary University of St.Louis to see if they could do anything. Since even the tiniest bump or movement caused him to scream in agony we both decided to give him peace.

The veterinarian said to me "I can tell he loves you so much, look at the way he just keeps tracking you with his eyes". It broke my heart. For some odd reason I was Caesar's whole world and he loved me as I had never been loved by another dog. Max was a partner and best friend, but Caesar seemed to worship me.

It was far harder to hold my gentle giants head in my lap as they gave him the medication that would ease his suffering that it was the day I helped Max pass over. I think maybe because it was the suddenness of it, the cruel pain he was in, and worse the way he stared at me, through me, the whole time as if he was fighting to keep staying at my side no matter what.

Caesar is now pain free and over the Rainbow Bridge, where he waits along with my heart dog, Max, and all the other beloved animals who have been in my life.

Rest easy big guy, I know your time on this earth was far to short, but maybe an Angel in heaven needed a Service Dog and you were called home to help because they knew how big and loyal your heart was. We'll see each other again my friend.

What have they done to me?!?

Well, my owner finally went and did it. Kept good on her promise that she once said to me when I was a young pup full of mischief and constantly harassing Max, the older dog to play. She said "one day Caesar, this will all come back around to you. Karma, my friend."

She was right. We have a new family member, a brand new, young, female Rottie pup that is named "Bella"... I could think of many other names I would have named this constant ball of energy, mischief and never ending source of bothering me... But I am far to polite to say those names here. ;)

Bella must think that I exist only to be here personal toy, at any hour of the day. (Well, Ok, it's not too bad. They do crate her at night, and for a two hour nap during the day). For a young dog Bella can tire me out quicker than anything. She loves to climb on my back, eat my ears, and do her vampire bat imitation...This is where she pounces on me cat-like from the shadows and literally hangs by her little needle sharp puppy teeth on the flews of my throat. Good thing I am very thick skinned and have alot of loose skin on my neck!

For the first couple of days, I wanted nothing to do with "Little Miss Mischief" but after awhile I relented. Especially as Bella always wants to literally sleep curled up against my big strong body. I gotta admit, there is something kind of sweet about that.

I have a whole new respect for Max, the "Padrone" who is now on the other side of Rainbow Bridge.... If I was even one tenth as annoying to him, as this pup can be, I am lucky he didn't bite my head off!

I guess, deep down, I don't really mind the little one too much. She does like to look up to me (Both literally and figuratively). It is kinda neat teaching her things, fun things, like how to chase a squirrel out of the back yard, the joys of rolling in the grass (with all four feet waving about madly) and of course the love of fuzzy yellow tennis balls. She picked up on that pretty quick! Thing is though, for all her times she teases me, and wants to relentlessly play, the cute little thing will come over with her own tennis ball and then plunk it down in front of me. Literally sharing her toys with me. She lays down then with her head on her front feet and her eyes get all big and kindly as she nudges the ball towards me, as if she is saying, "Yeah I know I can be a pain in the butt sister. So here, I'll share with you."

Ten minutes later she is back hanging on my neck, doing her vampire bat impression. Whaddya gonna do?

I'm all grown up!

Yes, I am all grown up now and have passed all my Service/Assistance Dog training and tests with flying color. I sure am a big boy, at nearly 116 lbs, in fact Mom keeps me on a diet, but I am also a big "muscle puppy".

I am exhuberant, playful and really enjoy being at my special person's side. In fact I get rather worried or anxious if I can't be with her, but this is a positive trait for a service dog. We want that intense bonding.

So here I am a BIG boy with still the playful joy of a pup...Think of me as the 400 lbs gorilla, sometimes I have to watch myself because I get so happy and playful I accidently step on the little dog Monty, or bump the grand Padrone, Max a bit to roughly as I charge down the hall and out to the back yard to chase squirrels or tennis balls.

What is really funny is I still do my "melting act" whenever I get love, and imagine myself to be a 'small little 10 lb puppy' that can be picked up and cuddled. So when I get love I meeeelllllt down onto the floor like melted ice cream and make the cutest little eyes, or else I want to climb on someones lap and be cuddled. Of course I am to big for that, but I don't realise that.
I mean, afterall, they pick up the rat terrier and cuddle him, why not me?

Mom says I am a good boy, and very dedicated but not the sharpest crayon in the box (although she always says it good naturedly) saying that I have a body full of muscles and muscles in my brain too. Think of me as the bodybuilder 'goon' of the dog world. I love to run on the treadmill for exercise and I enjoy going for about 3 miles a day on it, and then having a good game of fetch afterwards!

My human looks so funny trying to throw tennis balls as fast as she can for both Max and I. Ping! Ping! Ping! Go the tennis balls off the tree, off the house, down the roof and occasionally off my thick skull. I am good natured and fun loving and I think it's funny when a tennis ball accidently bounces off me...In fact I have gotten very good at catching them when they do that.

I have a few chew treats, but my human has a hard time finding any good strong chew toy that I cannot tear apart in 3 seconds flat. We have found only two, the Gallileo bone by Nylabone, and the Tuff Chews by Nylabone. Kongs are good too, but they don't interest me unless they are stuffed with treats and then I just LICK them to death and don't really chew them... (but either does ol' Max either)

I told Mom to get some updated pictures of me posted here on this internet, so hopefully she does.

Take care for now, and may you always have tennis balls in your life!
Love,
Ceaser

Guardian Angel

Well HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
Yeah, it's a tiny bit late. But since "The DogFather" has been feeling a bit under the weather, we can excuse the late diary entry. I don't mind.
First as you can see by my latest pictures, I have GROWN... I am sure a big guy now! In fact, (Shhhh,) I am taller than Max! Yep, he's 26" tall and I am nearly 27" even though I weigh less than him, his collars are too tight for me . Well my careful owner keeps me on a very careful "diet" to make sure I grow nice and slowly and don't over tax my bones and system.
Now enough of that. I finally earned my CGC! This is the AKC's "Good Citizen Certificate" a temperment test that shows I am a "Good Boy" and not the neighborhood nuisance (but you already knew that, didn't you?) I certainly wouldn't be a Service Dog if I was not a well tempermented stable dog!
We (My person and I) are now beginning to do what I consider "REAL" Service Dog work...Enough of this "obedience junk" that I have done over and over and over for a year! Ugh!! I know how to "Sit" and "Down" and "Heel" and do it while in motion, and in a house and with a mouse, Sam I am....
Now I get to go on field trips and do FUN things, like go to McDonalds, go Fishing, go to stores and places where my person goes..THIS is what I wanted to do all along! Be there for HER! Be her "Guardian Angel".... It seems to be a never ending source of amusement to her that I can be this SERIOUS "all business" dog when I have my service dog vest and harness on, but yet at home be a "normal" all rowdy goofy boy, bark at the squirrels chase the cat, get in trouble dog....What? You thought Assistance Dogs were well behaved 24/7??? Nah?! Only when we're on Duty Sir!/Ma'am! Just like the Police or the Military. We have a job to do that we take very seriously, then when we are OFF DUTY, we know how to PLAY and PLAY HARD! :)
And MY favorite toy to play with?? Well the "DogFather" Max turned me onto it....Those little yellow fuzzy things...Tennis balls! Man, who thought they could be So darn FUN! I tell ya! They are a HOOT! My person, she tosses them off the roof, off the wall, bounces them off the fence....She's pretty creative! Bounced one off a squirrel once, that was a riot! I almost caught them both!
She calls me her "Guardian Angel" with a part-time wings and a halo. I guess that's a good description of me. My person's husband is in the Military, and I kinda like to think I am like him...I have a job to do. My job is to take care of my person. I take that job VERY seriously because she depends on me. Otherwise she wouldn't have need for a "part time guardian angel" would she? When I'm off-duty...Tennis balls....BEWARE!
For now...This is Caesar, over and out.

update on Incredible Melting Caesar...

Just as an Update...Caesar is nearly 11 months old now (IS 11 months old now) and he still does the melting thing, and it is still as humorous to watch as the first time he does it.... He does on occasion take short cuts with it.
Sometimes he does.... "The Partial Melt" (This also occasionally happens when he is bored with training classes or is being a typical adolescent teenaged puppy and is BORED with Service dog training classes)...
Often just one END of him will begin to melt....As though a tire leaking air...Sssssssssssssssss..... and the whole class will start chuckling or biting their lip as we watch one end of Caesar being to list like a ship out in rough waters, dangling and listing dangerously to one side then sliding down, down, down...(Maybe the front end....Butt end still up....) down ,down....Eyes, still looking at me.... Plunk. Or it may be the other end. Butt end slowly, coming down....down..... splat. Then the familiar plink, plink of the eyes....."what? What did I do?"
Of course if you go to "straighten him up" and set him back in his correct position and he's REALLY bored or tired or feeling like a teenager that day, he may get hit with the whole (I have lost ALL my bones!) and then just PLOP! on the floor.... "I've fallen, and I can't get up! Oh no! Just leave me, and go on, I'll understand, really I will!" He really is a ham! Funny though, when he REALLY wants to do something, or if something FUN is involved just how FAST those "bones" can "regrow" back again .
Caesar is currently in Phase 2 (intermediate) of his training now, and about to go into the more "specialized" work of his Service Dog training now that he has his solid basics down (of good obedience- Downs, Heels, Sits, stays, variations of...Etc.) Now he will begin to learn things like "bracing", "blocking", "assisted lifts" and other things like that. He still is very young yet for a Service dog, and the real trick/danger with them, is NOT to overload them with so much information that they "burn out". Their training has to be fun, but you cannot stress them out either. You can't FORCE a dog to be a Service dog...They either WANT to do it, or they don't. This is why many "wash out" of the programs. And the most important thing of all you cannot teach is that "bond" that comes along with the dog and their "partner". which is something we are also working on together....
Until next time, the "teen aged melting dog" will continue to melt, I am sure!

The Incredible Melting Caesar

You may have noticed one of my nicknames is "The incredible Melting Caesar"... Well there is a reason for this, it is one of my little tricks I do, and still continue to do this to this day when I get loved upon, or sometimes when I am naughty and trying to look really, really, really.....small. and innocent but most of all....Cute. .... I will let my Partner and Mom tell the story as she tells it best!...........................
When Caesar first came here, Karen (His breeder) told me he could be a ‘talkative’ fellow, and I guess the ‘shock’ of traveling by plane and coming to a new house, with no “younger’ dogs must have quelled that talking streak in him, so I asked her about it. She said, “Well when he was young, I used to cuddle him and call him “My little dirty, birdie, Ferdie”, in a cuddly baby voice and he would talk and whine and get all excited… I know, I have now probably ruined Karen’s tough as nails reputation right there LOL!
So being that I wanted to encourage him to talk to me, I tried substituting “My widdle, Caezar, wheezer, beezer…” (Which he seemed to like just fine). But what is really funny is upon uttering these words, and kissing his head, the whole puppy simply became instantly boneless, as though some curse had befallen him. Of course you must also gently rub and massage the “kissy spots” on the sides of his cheeks.
First the front end simply slid down, with his butt in still in the air, as though he valiantly tried to stand with just his legs and last 5 segments of his spine working, but then even that was quickly taken over by the ‘evil melting disease’ and the whole dog would simply fall and literally MELT (Not fall, not ‘flump’ but MELLLLLLT) down and then onto his side as graceful as flowing liquid. There he would end up on his back, with his front two feet ticked ‘just so’, the back two feet frogged out to the side (after all, they had no bones in them) and then even his eyes became huge and liquid like, as though he was simply the most adorable baby that ever existed. He blinks his big eyes at you as if to say “Aren’t I just the most handsome, cutest, little baby you have simply EVER, laid eyes on? I am the incredible Melting pup, and I melt because I love you so.” And at the same time he makes this high-pitched, quiet little ‘talking whine’ as though following your every words. (If you have EVER seen that cat on Shrek 2, then you have SEEN these "liquid, limpid brown "innocent sweet eyes" that Caesar does!!)
I have yet to meet man or woman who was immune to this display of the “Incredible Melting Puppy” Even full-grown men have been brought down to the level of “Oh what a purty widdle boy!”
But, at almost 5 months old, he has gotten older and wiser, and this “special power, of cuteness” can also be used when caught chasing the kitty or busted for any other mischief.
“Caesar! Phooey!!! DROP that squirrel and let him go, NOW!!!!!” yells Alpha mom.
“Wha??? Me?” Melt, melt, and melt, until all that is left is a puddle of licorice black pudding with two brown limpid pools of eyes, blinking innocently at you. “What did I do??” ::::::he says as he exudes cuteness and innocence:::::
I can only imagine what this may look like when he has grown to his full size of over 110 lbs, and people see this “huge, scary, rottweiler” with his magical powers to melt on the spot, or melt the heart of unsuspecting victims!
Max of course, thinks this is the largest load of ‘hooey’ he has ever seen and tells me often with his famous ‘harrumph!’ and a roll of his eyes.


(© 2004, J.D. Ellis)