The little white dog I brought home the week before Thanksgiving has settled in nicely. She is very much loved by me and all my assistants and everybody who meets her. Lambkin only wants to be right at my side in the house, and loves it when I'm able to take her for a walk. She loves walking and running, and would do so for many hours a day if she had the chance. As it is, she goes on four walks a day. If it's not raining, my assistants and I, and several neighbors walk her a minimum of 1.5 hours per day. At first I was trying to do most of it, but it takes me half an hour to put on sweater, scarf, jacket, and get her leash on... Not great for early mornings when she really has to GO. In addition I was having a lot of pain in my arm from driving my chair too much. We tried for four weeks to get her to use one of those pet pee patches of fake grass, but she refused it. So then we had to figure out a schedule and keep her on it.
I do take her out once a day myself, and I just love it! We tool around the neighborhood with me on my powerchair, driving the chair with one hand, and holding Lambkin's leash in my right hand. At my side I carry a fantastic pooper scooper, which works great! It is called a Scooper Genie. It has a telescoping part that you can extend and retract to make it longer or shorter and has a place where you insert the bag. After the dog has pooped, you find a trash can, lean it over the can, and push the button.
She no longer chases the cats, and when she barks too much Marigold will go up to her and swat her on the nose! Just like Cesar Millan always points out that cats are no fools! Likewise the cats mostly no longer go running in front of Lambkin. And as I had envisioned that day I brought her home, she and Marigold who have similar personalities; gentle, sweet, loving... both will get on the couch near one another, and today when I woke up both Lambkin and Marigold were on the bed with me. Magic has yet to join us. A week ago, we noticed that Marigold was reclaiming my bedroom which she likes because it's quiet, cozy and soft. I was so happy to see this, as I want all my girls to be happy.
Each one has her own way of showing affection to me. Marigold rubs her head on my head or arm when I'm on the couch, Magic wants to be in my lap 24/7, and Lambkin stays as close as she can get, and loves giving kisses.
Three weeks ago, we took Lambkin to a dog park in Walnut Creek, where we met my assistant's husband who brought their young dog, and who has met Lambkin before and now the two are great buddies. With the exception of one minor snapping incident which occurred when we first arrived there, Lambkin has done amazing at these dog parks! Off leash she is just amazing; she loves meeting other dogs, even much bigger males, whereas on-leash she growls sometimes. She is great about always coming back to us after dashing off to meet another dog, or go after somebody else's ball, or even just running for the sheer joy of letting loose. She'll come dashing back to us, and then go tearing off again. She has a wonderful way of loping through the grass that makes me wish I had a video camera. She'll get up on the benches to give kisses to elderly people. We all love the dog park at Pt. Isabel, it is in a beautiful locale so it's super nice for the people too.
We had some concerns for a while when she was having bowel trouble. After feeding her chicken and rice for a few days, she got better, but after resuming her regular food, she got loose stools again. this happened several times, and on a hunch, I looked at the ingredients in her food, and was horrified when I saw that corn meal gluten was the second-most thing in this "premium natural" dry dog food. I now feed her food that has no corn or corn meal gluten, or soy or other typical fillers. She has had no more issues with her bowels.
My three assistants got together to give me the gift of having Lambkin go to a professional groomer. I was so happy! The only thing I did not like was she left too much hair on her face, as I love looking at her face and eyes. We will find a way.
It is SO hard to believe that Modesto Animal Services was going to euthanize her, but after learning of the dismal outlook for dogs in Sacramento county, I am SO HAPPY that Lambkin was saved by Animal Savers! She just brings me so much joy!
Stay Tuned!
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