What a weird time of year. When I was a kid, it meant a post-Christmas let down of adrenaline. When I was a young person, it meant planning for a knock ’em out New Years Eve. Now I’m old and it just means we’re getting dangerously close to another year older I’m going to be. Boooooo.
It means my doggies get older too. Mr. Woo, the perpetual puppy, appears to have developed arthritis or something in his hip. Seriously? Is he going to get a walker next and yell at kids for treading on his lawn?
Don’t touch my Wootie Stick, got-damn whippersnappers.
He goes to see Dr. Bowra on Monday to see what’s what and how we can fix ‘im up.
This is my brother. You will fix him, or I will fix YOU.
(why does Wootie ALWAYS have his lipstick out in sitting photos??)
I get to use all my saved pennies for a new lens on Wootie’s hip or whatever (you can see him sitting funny on his left there, if you can take your eyes off his, er, “little Woo.”) Which means you’ll just have to put up with crappy photos that aren’t always in focus for a while longer :(
Although it can still catch Ender being BAD!
No wonder nobody likes him! He also does this to ME when he is really excited too – also in the ass. I’ve had him almost a year, and I’m no closer to really liking him than I was when I got him. I think maybe sighthounds are just not the breed type for me. I feel terribly guilty at the thought of rehoming him, like I’ve failed … but he might be happier if he lived with someone who didn’t, you know, loathe him. He drives me bananas. I read all these Italian Greyhound forums where people describe their iggies’ behaviours and they all sound like Ender, and everyone seems to be really amused by these antics, all of which make me want to punch him to death and use his skinny little backbone as a toothpick.
I HATE the peeing. He has to pee every 9 seconds, and pretty much only when I’ve gotten comfortable in a chair somewhere, of course. Which ticks me off, so now he has decided to stop asking and just pee wherever. he wears a belly band all the time and doesn’t care if he pisses in it. And he sleeps all nested in my bed clothes, which means they frequently smell faintly of Ender pee, because no belly band in the world can completely contain the odour (and believe me, I have tried them all. Expensively).
He’s not cuddly because he’s all legs and elbows which are usually kicking me in the face. He is selectively deaf and has the retention abilities of a goldfish. The only time I really like him is when he is running freely somewhere contained (ie where he can’t go yodel at recent immigrants on the road) as he looks so happy and free. Maybe I’ll set him free in a forest somewhere.
Unfortunately he is really fast, so he’d probably just run back home and beat me to the front door.
Dexter’s a fast one too. Fast enough to roll thoroughly in a dead salmon before I could catch him. On Christmas morning. Merry Christmas to me. And to poor Mr. Woo, whom I yelled at initially based purely on instinct and experience when I first whiffed the smell of rotting fish going trotting past me.
Whut?
(He got a bath for Christmas, which he immediately ruined by getting as muddy as he could)
It’s like the dog-owner version of coal in the stocking. Bah dumdog!
Unfairly accused, bad hip and all, Wootie doesn’t let nuthin’ get him down. He’s still a world explorer (ie hunter of strangely-landed thrown hockey balls).
So for Christmas I got a broken Wootie, and a dead-fish Dexter. Oh and non stop photos on Facebook of my parents in sunny Mexico. Best gifts ever, huh?
Fortunately, I have this :)
She is too damn cute. I was trying to strip the bedclothes today (because Eau du Ender Pee) and she was up there tugging the sheets back as I tried to take them off the bed, and growling ferociously in tiny little voice. She makes me laff and laff and laff some more.
Even if she also won’t share her Fae-Stick.
F*ck off.
Anyway, that’s all the photos I managed to get today, thank you lens. I’m back to work tomorrow and as usual, working New Years Day, so I won’t be likely to post again before then … so, Happy New Year friends! New adventures, new stories and hopefully, new in-focus photos ;-)
Looking forward to it! Spring is looking forward – er, sideways, at something else altogether.
ETA: I forgot the worst part … I have to FAST Wootie in case he has to have sedated x-rays. If you never see another post, it’s because he ate me.
Lauren Miller says
Oh no!! Sorry about Wootie’s hip and Ender’s pee problems!! Ender does sound like a typical iggy, lol.. I have friends who have iggies and they say they are impossible to house train! Also, I have a whippet mix and she does the butt biting, to other dogs, though!! Not to me! She’s completely house trained. I’ve heard whippets are easier to deal with! Good luck at the vet!! I hope they can get Wootie fixed up for you!
suzanne says
Happy New Year food lady!
Deb says
His lipstick?! I spit my drink out laughing at that. I always look forward to your posts.
Adrienne says
Major bummer for Mr. Woo. I was trying to think how long I’ve been reading your blog — every entry. Surely it couldn’t have been long enough for Wootie to be getting old??
Iggies are either adorable or exasperating, frequently both. If he annoys the piss out of you, I would call it a bad match and not feel guilty about finding him a home that appreciates such antics. My mom has one. He and I do not get along. If something happened to my mom before he passes (he’s 14 now) he will be at my house only long enough to find him an Iggie-loving home.
Liza says
I love sighthounds, and the first thing I do when someone asks me about them is try to talk them out of it. They are definitely NOT for everyone. And FWIW, I’m not crazy about my friends’ herding dogs. If the match isn’t right, there’s nothing wrong with finding the dog a home that wants him and finds the antics endearing rather than enraging.
Good luck with the Woo, please let us know how he is.
Ellen says
Happy New Year. Wishing you and your K9 family all the best in the coming tear. Love your blog and photos.
Judy says
Hope you have good results at the Vet with your baby! Happy New Year and may things look up with Ender too
Janet says
If you don’t connect with Ender, find him a home that will! We fostered a border collie/whippet mix for nearly 6 months…I loved the brat but knew he was not getting what he needed in a house full of aussies. He is now very happy in his new home. Wishing the best for Mr Woo! And please give Tweedles a giant hug from me – I LOVE him!
suzanne says
one of my shelties has arthritis in one of her hips and her left front elbow which she developed when she was about 5 (now just turned 7). I have her on Deramax (NSAID) for about 2 months, and am then able to control the pain for about 3 months by adding about 1/2 cup of sweet potato to both her meals. Sweet potato has anti-inflammatory properties. the 2-on, 3-off program gives her liver time to rid itself of any of the residuals from the NSAID. the other options are laser treatments and/or acupuncture. Acupuncture here costs $140.00 per treatment so it is well out of my range. We pay about $30.00 per treatment for lasers. Keeping hopes up for Woo! happy New Year to all!
Kate D. says
Thank you so much for the wonderful posts throughout the year, here’s hoping its nothing serious for the Woo, just my opinion but you didn’t fail when it comes to Ender, failing is not doing anything, you care about him to want him in a home that will appreciate his eccentricities, that takes guts and its a very hard thing to do, all the best in the New Year, and I hope you got that coyote !!
Katharine Swan says
Good luck with Wootie’s appointment! Fingers crossed for you (and him)!
Sylv says
I saw your Facebook update about poor Mr. Woo. Our girl had a torn anterior cruciate ligament last summer, and after consulting our regular vet we saw a holistic vet and decided to go the non-surgical route first. Her story is here: http://holistic-vet.blogspot.ca/2014/02/suki-german-shepherd-dog.html
Hoping Wootie will be a good patient for you.
riosmom says
Poor Mr. Woo! I love him because he and Gracie, my Aussie, look similar and have similar attitudes. I see from Sylv’s post that you got a diagnosis – hope you post it here soon for those of us who don’t do Facebook. I agree that rehoming Ender makes sense for him and for you – you just have to find someone who doesn’t read your blog.
I wish you and your canine family all the best in the coming year – health and happiness galore. And I thank you for the years of pleasure I’ve gotten from your blog. Looking forward to another one.
Jeff says
Awww, poor Wootsie-bear! I do hope it’s not too serious, and he gets better soon.
I also LOL’d at the “lipstick” reference. At first I didn’t get it, and was looking at the photo to see if he was doing something weird with his lips. Then I scanned down, and … HELLO!
Morgan says
I love Fae. Since her arrival, I’ve been reading your blog with the single-minded purpose of Fae. Fae. Fae. I want me a Fae!