Goodbye Cubby. We love you so!!

 Cubby and Barry were with us for a little over a month, from a neglect situation in Iowa. All was going very well, until they were neutered last week. Something happened during Cubby's surgery that exacerbated breaks in his jaw and spine that we were all unaware were there. The past week has been tortuous, as we tried to manage his pain, and immobilize him so that his spine could heal. After the last three nights without sleep, trying to give him comfort and find a comfortable position with no success, we made the difficult decision to let him go. There was no good solution - let him go and feel like I didn't try hard enough, or watch him suffer with no way to help him. Usually I am much more philosophical about letting a dog go, but Cubby was different for some reason. Perhaps it was because he was so young (6), and I let my guard down and fell in love with him because I thought he'd be with us for a really long time. Whatever the reason, I am crushed. Thanks for the love and support both during his struggle and now. I know that a lot of you were pulling for him, and I genuinely appreciate your care for us and for Cubby. He is free from pain now, and that's the best I could do for him.

Kibble!

Amidst all the sadness at our house due to Cubby's predicament, we have welcomed Kibble with joy into the safety of the Haven. She is a miniature pinscher, aged 16, and is quite the princess! Kibble doesn't see very well, and is getting oriented slowly. She loves attention and treats, and, to tell the truth, is a bit needy. :) Hopefully as she gains a little confidence she will enjoy living here with Lola at Hundenruhe!

Prayers Requested

Cubby is fighting for recovery. He came to us (unbeknown to us) with two breaks in his jaw, a chip in his cervical vertebrae, and disc issues in his lumbar vertebrae. Dr. Jeff has trussed him up in this jazzy cast (cleverly incorporating a plastic cup), and we are treating him with steroids and pain meds. Cubby is in a lot of pain when he moves, so we are keeping him as still as possible. He must be hand-fed and watered and held up to eliminate. If the treatment works, we are looking at several weeks of recovery. If not, well, you can guess. Please add your prayers to mine that the steroids will reduce his inflammation and allow him to recover from the breaks.

Pupdates and Plans

It has been a strange week here at the Haven. I have been home for Spring Break, but all of the outdoor projects that I hoped to accomplish have been put on hold because we had a late spring blizzard! The sun is shining today, though it isn't too warm, so hopefully some of it will melt off today.
I have been busy doing other things, mostly caring for Cubby, who is still recovering from his neuter/dental surgery. The pupdate from Dr. Jeff is that his bones are so tiny that it would be rather risky to try drilling the holes necessary to wire/pin his jaw. So, we are managing his pain with meds, and observing him carefully to make sure he can still eat/drink. I made a huge crockpot full of chicken and rice stew (which we've all been enjoying) and he seems to be able to slurp that up just fine. At this point, I am more concerned with his instability. When another dog brushes past him, he tips over and has a lot of trouble getting up. I will call Dr. Jeff today to see what he thinks.
Tomorrow another dog joins us via IMPS Min Pin Rescue. I will be meeting Sandy in Appleton to pick up 16 year old Dittle, who was displaced when her owner moved to an apartment that doesn't allow dogs. I am going to keep my mouth shut regarding how I feel about that, but I'm sure that you all can guess! Anyway, we are happy to welcome little Dittle, whose new name will be Miss Kibble. Pictures to follow after tomorrow!
Finally, we are going to do a renovation of the dog room, weather permitting, over the weekend of May 13-16. The plans include removing everything from the dog room (hence the need for good weather!), installing cupboards over the dog crates, cleaning and disinfecting all of the crates, putting together new shelving units, laying a new subfloor, and installing a new sheet-vinyl floor, all the while keeping 18 dogs out from underfoot. Lots of work, but the results will be worth it. There's always plenty of work to be done here - poo to pick up, gravel to haul, paths to make, fence to repair. If you'd like to help, give Jodee a call at 920-946-6936.

People Can Be So Cruel and Careless

This makes me so mad! Bad news. Our little Cubby was neutered with his big brother Barry today, and it was discovered during his dental that his jaw is broken. It has been broken for months, so it happened in his previous home and was left untreated. The poor little guy has been in unbelievable pain for months. His jaw will require costly surgery to pin and rebuild it - any contributions to the vet fund will be received with deep gratitude.

Houdini!!

She looks so innocent, doesn't she? Little did we know what chaos she could cause...
Lola is our new resident Houdini! She made it out of the compound three times yesterday, and four times today. For a blind dog, she sure can find the tiniest hole in the fenceline and wriggle through it. Once Barry found out that she could do that, he started following her so that he could go on adventures, too. Poor Dan - he had to try to watch her to find out how she was getting out. Once he identified one of the holes and blocked it, Lola found another! Ai yi yi!! So after school today, I found myself hauling 500 lbs of gravel, moving a dozen or so bricks, and devised an ingenious solution to the gap where the gate meets the fence. Whew! I'm pooped! Tomorrow is another day...and another patrol of the fenceline by Ms Houdini...er...Lola.