Early Winter Fun Con't

Eros, with a piece of plastic drainage tube around his face, with Cole and Blaze in the background,

Eros, and Cole,


This is a great action shot, Cole is chasing Eros around the yard to try and grab the plastic tube, dogs love this game!


Eros,


Sara, with Cole in the background,

Early Winter Fun, Con't

Cole,

Cole, barking at Arlo, with Blaze in the background,


Cole and Blaze, best buddies,


Tess and Sara, they prefer to watch the fun from the sidelines!


Arlo.

Eros - Wild Puppy in Training

Eros has been training in the sport of Schutzhund since he was 5 months old. I try to train regularly, but with my super busy life, we are a little behind where we should be . Eros is almost ready for his BH test, the Begleithunde. Roughly translated as the "traffic steady companion dog". This test is the preliminary test required for the dog to move on to SchH titles. The dog must pass both an obedience routine and a temperament test. We are planning to enter a trial in the spring.


Who knew a plastic drainage tube would make such a great dog toy?

What a cutie. :-)


In the spring of this year..... He has filled out considerably since then....


Eros is always happy...

Arlo & Me......

Recently, I needed to do a project for school that consisted of writing a "kids' book" about an animal disease, complete with illustrations. I decided to write the book about Arlo's disease, as I had already done extensive research on the topic. Also, being so important to me, it would seem effortless writing about my dog, whom I love so much. I discovered early on that I cannot draw to save my life! Having quite a nice design for my book, complete with fancy paper and cute accents, I didn't want to "ruin" it by adding substandard drawings..... So, I decided to take digital photos to compliment the text of the book. Once I replaced the almost dead batteries in the camera that caused the camera to consistently malfunction, I actually had a good time setting up and taking all the photos. Arlo was such a good sport, doing what I asked of him, sometimes repeatedly to get just "the right shot". I asked him to do some pretty silly things, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well some of the photos turned out. I'm lucky he already has such a great work ethic....... he'll work for food or a toy.....
So, getting him to do things for me was quite easy.... once he understood what behaviour got him the reward, he was more than willing to do it... even repeatedly. I know that all of my extensive training with him to date helped in the set up of the photos, and I am thankful for that. I'll have to post some photos of the book once I'm finished.....



Good boy, Arlo, good boy. :-) XOXOXOXOXO

Inspiration

It's funny sometimes how a simple quote can inspire you. Quotes will mean different things to different people depending on what is going on in their lives........
When your world seems to be crashing down around you, and you can't do anything to stop it, and you worry what could possibly go wrong next, here's a little phrase that may inspire you;

"Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it's the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.'"

~ Anonymous

Eros - Summer Training

Eros demonstrating his calm, full grip on the sleeve..... He is so-o-o-o-o cute!



Taking off for the escape.........



Bark and Hold in the blind......check out the lip!



Taking the bite from club helper Graham.
Many thanks to clubmate Tracy for taking these shots!

Arlo - Diagnosis: Cholangiohepatitis

Arlo: A deer fly landed on his ear and he flicked it off just as I snapped the shot. It's still a great shot, I love the expression on his face.....

On June 26th, 2007, Arlo had surgery at a specialist clinic in Toronto with the hopes of finding one or two liver shunts that could be repaired. What they found instead, was multiple, acquired liver shunts. These type of liver shunts are different than congenital shunts, in that they appear as a result of some primary liver disease or damage. They are most often associated with end stage liver disease. More biopsies of his liver were taken during surgery with the hopes of determining the cause of the shunting. The biopsy results confirmed a diagnosis of Cholangiohepatitis.


The following was taken from this website: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_feline_cholangiohepatitis.html

What is “cholangiohepatitis?”

The word cholangiohepatitis breaks down into “chol” (bile), “angio” (vessel), hepat (liver) and “it is”(inflammation). Putting this all together means inflammation of the liver and bile ducts.

You have probably heard of bile ducts but may not really be sure what bile is all about. Bile is a greenish material the liver makes, transports to the gall bladder via small bile ducts. The gall bladder is a small greenish sac about the size of a superball where bile is stored. When the appropriate hormonal signals are present, the gall bladder contracts and squirts bile into the small intestine via one very large duct called the “common bile duct.”

Bile has several functions. It emulsifies the fat in our diets so that we can absorb it into our bodies. It also serves as a medium to dump toxins that the liver has removed from our bodies and processed so they cannot be reabsorbed.

This is a fine system but problems can occur when the bacteria that live in the small intestine venture up the bile duct and invade the liver, which is normally sterile (free of bacteria). Inflammation results and the liver can fail.

To this day, Arlo does not know he is sick. No one would ever guess that he has such advanced liver disease. He appears healthy, happy, strong, vibrant, and full of life. He is 3 1/2 years old. We will never know what caused the damage to his liver. We do not know how much time he has left. Some dogs with liver disease defy the odds and lives years beyond what could have been expected. Arlo's disease can only be managed medically, no other options exist for dogs with this condition. This involves strict attention to diet, and multiple supplements and medications to support the liver. Regular checks of his blood, urine, and abdomen are required to monitor the progression of his disease. I still work him in the sport of schutzhund, although under a modified training regime. He is a high drive, working German shepherd, and needs something to do to keep him happy.

Many, many thanks go out to the amazing staff and Doctors at the Morningside Animal Clinic for their great care, compassion, and love of the German shepherd dog. I wouldn't trust anyone else with my shepherds!