Yesterday and Today

Yesterday
I was stressed.  Yesterday I was strung out.  My to-do list felt like a hundred miles long.  I got up early to get started early, but by noon I hadn't even got a quarter of the way through.  I looked at my list to determine the most important, and decided that I could get those few items done.  First, though, it was time for lunch.

To help me relax, I decided to take my lunch outside.  The dogs needed some time to play, and I needed the brief time in the sun.  Merlin was a bit cranky, but what else is new?  Out we went!

And that's when it happened.  Something that really didn't help my nerves.  Tommy went near Merlin's kennel, and what I didn't realize was that there was still some food in Merlin's kennel.  Merlin ran over to his kennel, and even though Tommy tried to get out of the situation Merlin attacked him.

The good thing about being a trainer is that I know how to break up a fight (actually that was learned from growing up with so many dogs, but that's another story).  I separated the dogs, and assessed the situation.  It was bad.  Ok, so it could have been worse.  Merlin was still cranky so I focused on Tommy.

Tommy's ear was bleeding, and he wasn't putting weight on his paw.  I got some antiseptic and went to work.  The ear actually wasn't too bad...just a scratch that probably won't even leave a scar.  I thought the paw would be just a simple thing too, but he still wouldn't let me touch it.  It obviously hurt a lot.  Then I got a glimpse of it, of what was causing him so much pain.  Merlin had left a deep puncture in between the pads of Tommy's paw.  I called Hans to please come home from lunch.  I need emotional support.  By this point I was running an hour late for the day.

Hans came home, and was a huge help.  He helped me bandage Tommy, and he helped me assess Merlin...who was still really cranky and who initially had to be muzzled (by the time we got to cleaning him, though, he was appreciative).  I hadn't seen anything bad on Merlin at first, but upon closer inspection I realized what Tommy had done.  Tommy had savaged Merlin's ear.  If the bite had been a few centimeters over, I would have taken Merlin in for stitches, but as it was all I could do was clean it up and let it heal.  Now, I'm keeping it clean and applying disinfectant just to be on the safe side.

So, all that made me fall far behind for the day.  My appointments ran late, and I was an hour late for dinner with friends.  Stressed is not the word to describe what I was going through.

Today
Of course, today was Bark in the Park, so my stress carried over to today.  I felt unprepared and disorganized.  Hans, being the great husband that he is, had helped to gather everything together so I wouldn't have to worry about that.  As fantastic as that was, though, it left me feeling like I didn't have a clue. 

Still, though, we got to the site on time and set up and were ready to go.  Just to make sure Cody was good and tired I threw his frisbee a few times.  I didn't want to got too long because he's had such a rough time with his paws lately.  He did great, but when he came back I saw that his healing pad had been rubbed raw again.  "CRAP" is the thought that went through my mind.  Luckily, though, Hans had thought to pack a mini first aid kit, and the vendor next to me (now known as My Hero) found some Hydrogen Peroxide.  Now we were really ready.

  The event went wonderfully!!!  I met some great people, saw some old clients, and just had a good ole time.

There were two highlights of the day though.  First, our former foster dog, Boomer (now Abbey) was there.  She is doing wonderfully with her new owner.  She's not the same scared, timid dog who first came to live with us.  In the few short weeks since she was adopted she has put on some much needed weight and has become a happy dog.  Hans and I were tickled to see her excitement over seeing Cody, and we were even happier she recognized us.

Second, Greg McQuade from Channel 6 news (CBS) was the M.C. there.  We first met him when Cody was in Annie, and we saw him again last February at Pet Expo.  He stopped by to visit, and suggested I email him regarding an event that's coming up on the 23rd (I'll talk about that later) AND that it might be nice to have Cody and me back on the program (maybe for the holidays).  HURRAY!!!!!  That was a great end to a fantastic day!

Actually, I lie.  The best end to the day is that both dogs are tired and happy...and snuggly.  We all came home and took naps, and it was very cute.

The first nap.  Hans took this one when I wasn't looking (obviously).  Also, a dog's ear makes for great shade.  The too-short Elizabethan Collar is so Tommy won't lick his paw.

The second nap.  We have officially started allowing Tommy on the couch...mainly so we can capture moments like this.  Aren't Tommy and Cody adorable together?