House-Arrest

Bugger. Bugger. Bugger.

Tilly and I are nearing the end of our first week of six weeks of incarceration.

The x-rays she had at the end of last week led to some very disturbing news. Early indications would suggest that Tilly has Elbow Dysplasia (ED). I can't believe it. Of course, I wouldn't wish her to have any problems, but of all the problems she could have, this has to be one of the worst. Tilly thrives on activity, long walks and high-octane games. And here we are, starting six weeks of house-rest, with the prospect of ongoing lameness problems and limited exercise for the rest of her life. God, I hope they're wrong. I also hope that all the things I've read only apply to the most severe cases. There must be some good news stories out there, but I can't find many.

She's almost the opposite of your 'typical' sufferer of ED in that she's not a big dog, and without putting too fine a point on it, she's some way from being a pedigree.

She's coping quite well with being stuck in the house and resting, all things considered. Apart from the two or three hours a day we would have spent walking, we're also not allowed to play the active games we'd usually fill the rest of the time doing. Consequently, we now spend a lot of time looking at each other in bewilderment.

I'm sure Tilly must think that I've suffered a debilitating accident or something, now that I appear unable to throw a ball more than two feet, or indeed muster the energy to leave the house. She now spends most of her time looking a little sullen, looking hopeful, destroying toys, bullying me, or eating.

The latter activity worries me in itself. We'll need someone to come and grease the front door frame in six weeks time to squeeze us both out. Obesity problem in the UK? You bet.

It's not all bad - I've got an excuse to enforce more 'smooching time', and Tilly occasionally forgets herself and 'comes over all affectionate'. The very grainy picture above, taken in the dark with a camera phone, was an attempt at capturing the 'temptress' look she likes to give from the other side of the room if she feels that attention is lacking.

On another note, Saturday is Princes 'official birthday'. I've never known his real birthday, so the day I got him became his official birthday. Nine years ago I was getting awfully excited - only a few days before I could go and pick up 'the funny looking little dog' we'd met at the rescue centre. My little boy. My love.

Checking In......

Blimey, it's been a while. I may not have posted, or commented on anyones blog for a while, but I can assure you that I've been keeping up to date - just lying low.......

Unfortunately, I've been prompted to post by a couple of sad things I've come across over the past few days. I will, however, move onto more positive things later in the post, so please don't despair!

Firstly, I'd like to draw attention to Jenna, whose Mom recently commented on my previous post. Jenna has been diagnosed with Lymphoma but thankfully seems to be getting along quite well with her chemo protocol. I'm sure you'll join me in sending collective love and support....

Jenna

Secondly, I was utterly horrified to read that Kerrio, and the family over at Blogs From the Dogs, have lost yet another member. Quite how they are keeping going after the year they've had is beyond me. Their grief must be beyond comprehension. My heart goes out to them.

Cleo

Now, on to good news. Lots of my favourite bloggers have new members of the family - Joker now has Dave to mentor and Emily has a whole tribe of new and new(ish) canine companions! Ben has arrived to keep Bridget and Teresa company and Herbie's doing well whilst hiding from the fireworks.

Tilly's a little angel, albeit one with a sore leg again. Another trip to the vets is lined up for this afternoon, although hopefully she'll be better soon. The battery in my camera is flat, so I can't download a recent photograph to post - I'll try and add one later.

Finally, some fairly old 'news', but still exciting nontheless - my brother and his girlfriend have a dog!! Yes, they took the plunge a few months ago, and Scrappy is now a fully fledged member of the extended family. Scrappy is a six year old rescue dog, and I'm full of admiration for them taking on an 'older' dog - rather than doing as most adopters do (myself included) and aiming straight for the younger dogs. Like Tilly, Scrappy is of 'dubious' parentage, and has a lovely nature.

The two of them were getting on well before Tilly hurt her leg, but more introductions will be needed before we let them loose around the Christmas dinner table......

Happy Scrappy!