Huey's New Adventure

First day in his foster home

Picked Huey up at the Abby Shelter. He was up front waiting for me, tail wagging and butt wiggling. He'd been freshly bathed that morning so he smelled good, but the baths do tend to make him more itchy.

Huey had already met my dog Ella the day before so she didn't seem too suprised when I brought this lumbering goofball through the door. Huey had a good sniff around and one little pee (he was forgiven!). Later that day my cat ventured out from beneath the bed to check out the new beast. Huey's tail wagged vigourously as he and my cat, Sukha, touched noses. Success! Huey was very curious but showed no signs of aggression towards Sukha.

Before bedtime I showed Huey his bed, a nice soft fleece on top of a cushy dog bed in the living room. "Go lie down" I requested and he happily obliged. Sometime in the night I was woken by a gentle nudging. Huey needed to go outside for a business trip. So the guy is housetrained and cat friendly! Day one is marked as a big success.

After one week in foster care

I keep checking Huey's fur for new growth. It will take time I remind myself as the Prednisone can take a long time to work. He's still super itchy and it breaks my heart to see him suffer. The vet tech at Bakerview said that it was OK to give him half a Benadryl so I hope that this will ease the itchiness somewhat. I've also started him on Salmon Oil. Despite Huey's constant scratching though, he is such a happy boy! Considering what was likely a miserable existence in his former life followed by a six month stint at the SPCA, my one bedroom apartment must seem like five star accommodation for dear old Huey boy. Plus he has his girlfriend Ella to keep him company, lots of cuddles and a warm bed to sleep in every night. And Ella couldn't be happier to have this new constant companion. My little separation anxiety prone lab/whippet used to run to the door and try to stop me from leaving for work in the morning; now she hardly looks up when I pick up my keys and put on my coat.

The week has not gone by without incident though. One day I came home and found an avocado pit by the door and the skin in the living room. Huey had managed to pull it off the kitchen counter. This should have been my fair warning as the next day he managed to pull the ceramic jar of dog cookies off from the back of the counter. I came home to find a broken mess on the floor, cookies gone. Thank God, no one cut themselves on the shards. The cookies thankfully contained no lamb or beef but with Huey's restricted diet, not good. Sunday night I reorganized my kitchen. All the pet food is now on the top shelf in my pantry, my cat has an even higher perch to eat her dinner on and my kitchen counters are now bare of food and food containers.

Other than being a food hoover, I keep expecting Huey to do something bad. He is a rescue I tell myself, he must have some bad behaviours. But after a week, he just keeps getting cuter and sweeter. No accidents, no furniture chewing, no chasing the cat, no fights or spat with my dog or any other dog we encounter on our walks. Will he turn into a monster after two weeks I ask myself? He has started to pick up on Ella's ball playing abilities. This morning in the park they were taking turns with fetching and blocking the soccer ball. Huey never barks, but he has started making this hilarious yippy vocalization when Ella won't give him the ball. It's so cute. Not to mention the happy sighs and comforted groans when he sleeps and the joyful whimper when I come through the door at the end of the day.

I Am His

I've been told by other rescuers that rescue dogs are on their best behaviour for the first two weeks in their new home. It's been 13 days for Huey and I can certainly see his true colours starting to emerge. Not that these aforementioned colours are of a different hue -- he's still dear, sweet, Huey -- they are rather crisper and brighter. Yes, Huey is becoming more confident and gregarious. He holds his tail a little higher and he has started to challenge me on my directions. "Out" (of the kitchen) bears repeating over and over and his recall, although still excellent, now sometimes takes a second request. And he's picked up Ella's bad habit of jumping out the driver's door of the car when we get to the park. That'll have to stop. Huey has also started barking. Not the cute, yippy playful barks, but a low, "woof" warning bark. Once last night when he was startled in the hall of my apartment building by another resident, and this morning on our 6 a.m. walk in the park. One of the regulars, Bill and Rusty came out of the darkness and Huey gave them a little "who's there" bark. I have no hesitation in taking Ella and Huey for walks in the park in the darkness of the rainy evenings. I feel somewhat comforted having the two dogs and feel that Huey has bonded with me and now knows that I'm his and he will protect me.

His scratching has decreased dramatically but he's still chewing his feet and the top of his legs. I've fashioned a T-shirt for him that I put on him during quiet time so he's less inclined to scratch, chew and lick. Huey looks to be putting on weight and is likely building muscle with all his chasing Ella in the park.

I have a feeling that Huey will be with me for while. Christmas is not a good time for people to be adopting. If that's the case I'll keep him with me until I find him a good home. As long as no one in my strata complains, I'm hopeful that his size will be overlooked. I'll just have to ensure that he doesn't get startled again and bark at residents.

Huey's Relapse

It slapped me harder than a recent arctic cold wind. That unmistakable, ripe, sour, odious fragrance met me at the door when I came home from work last Friday. Huey had had a relapse. If the smell was any indication, he must've been scratching all day. That night he kept me awake as well, not so much for the noise but concern about what was happening to my dear sweet Huey. Benadryl did nothing. I could only hold him and comfort him as he would wriggle, shake and rub in frustration. Friday had been his first day without his Prednisone. After two weeks on 25 mg a day, Huey was reduced to a dose every other day. Could this one day without have caused the setback? The more I thought about it, I realized that the cat food and dog biscuits he had gorged himself on the week prior were more likely the cause. That weekend, he slowly improved but he'd scratched off much of the new growth and more. Sunday, he reluctantly got into the tub and acquiesced to a cool and soothing oatmeal bath. By Monday he was better, but his ears were now giving off a bouquet similar to athlete's feet. Despite the snowstorm and not quite impassable roads, I got Huey to the vet. She too was concerned that the new baldness pattern on his toes could be Demodex, but the scraping came back negative. Huey was prescribed drops for his ears and advised to stay on his daily dose of Prednisone for another week. I hope that his setback was due to the accidental food and now that that I had Huey-proofed my kitchen no more food accidents like this would occur.

By Wednesday Huey was scratching even less than before his relapse and with the fresh snow and his constant playmate, Ella, he was ecstatic on our twice daily walks. Huey and Ella spend countless hours searching for balls lost in the snow. And both being black, I can't lose them in the darkness. Huey is due to have his Prednisone dosage reduced tomorrow, so time will tell how he'll react.

Huey's forever home

Yesterday I bought Huey a collar, along with a color coordinating dog bone shaped name tag. This can only mean one thing. Yup, Huey is mine. This lovely boy will never ever again be left alone tied up in a yard. He’ll never be without a warm bed, love, play, good food and attention. This perfect boy has been through so much and he still has a ways to go before he gets back to full health, but I can’t imagine anyone else caring for Huey. He had deeply bonded with me and Ella. Having Huey and Ella together is easier than having Ella on her own. Huey is a calming and soothing influence on Ella and Ella keeps Huey happy no matter how itchy or scratchy his day is going.

Mr. Stinky Poo didn’t even resist his bath time last night. How perfect can a dog be! I led him to the tub with a small bowl of his new food (kangaroo and apple), placed it in the tub and he jumped in after it. Perhaps he’s realizing how well the oatmeal bath soothes his inflamed skin. And I certainly enjoy the smell of a clean dog afterwards.

The skin is still a struggle. Slowly he is improving but on a day to day basis it’s hard to recognize. Only when I look at the pictures of him from his first week with me do I realize that now the fur has grown in around his eyes and that his large, leggy, skinny frame is filling out. But there are always setbacks. In the park last night, when he didn’t come right away when I called, I ran back to find him rummaging through a bag of ill-placed garbage. What he ate who knows, but if it contained wheat or dairy or beef, I’ll likely know within a few days. The cat food is another challenge. When I’m home he won’t make any attempts to get to Sukha’s food perched high on chair on the dining room buffet. But when I’m gone? This stealthy boy will never cease if there is food to be acquired. I try to only leave just enough food for Sukha for the day when I’m at work. And as she’s an old girl, jumping up isn’t easy for her, so I’ve got fewer options. I’ll have to put her and her food in the bedroom for now when I’m at work. It means the dogs can’t sleep in my cozy bed, but Sukha will be content and Huey won’t have access to her food, as even just a whiff of cat food could cause a reaction.