Patton had been writing his diary for many years, and I know he would not approve of his platform getting dusty and forgotten. So, let me introduce you to the crazy duo who will be taking over his diary.
Meet Piper. She’s a 5-year old Rhodesian Ridgeback. She’s the perpetual “baby” and don’t let anyone tell you differently.
Piper
Next up is Mina. She’s a 1.5-year old Rhodesian Ridgeback. Mina is Piper’s half sister (they have the same sire). She is by far the most entertaining of the two. She is always up for some fun!
Mina
We are currently in a little heat wave here in East Tennessee. The girls have been spending time enjoying the water features available at daycare. They have splash pads, fountains and plenty of wading pools!
Well friends, it’s official, it sucks getting old. As of this writing I am around 13.5 years old – pretty old for a large dog. Overall, I have been a very healthy pup, very few issues or illness. However, earlier this year my age started catching up to me.
It started out simple enough with a slight limp on my right hind leg. Mom figured arthritis and she was correct, but that was only the start. Turns out I probably had a partial tear in my CCL as well. Even with medication, my limp wasn’t improving, in fact, it go worse. That lead to mom doing tons of research on CCL injuries. Of course lots of information was about surgical options. Mom really didn’t want to go that route due to my age and the recovery time involved.
She finally came across “conservative management” options. This was all about supplements, braces, limiting actives, etc. This sounded like a good option. Thus, I got a brace for my injured leg. I wore it some and it did seem to help but getting it adjusted for a perfect fit was difficult.
Modeling my braceGiving mom the “stink eye” because I have to wear this brace.
After about 3 months, I was getting around good. Still had a little bit of a limp, but it wasn’t to too bad. Unfortunately my other leg had been taking a lot of extra abuse to compensate for the injury to the first leg. This lead to me blowing out my other knee! Now I was really in a pickle!
Mom bumped up my medications (she had been weaning me off of some) and kept adding to my supplements. It took about a month, but I’m able to walk again – but I still have a noticeable limp. Mom says if we can keep making improvements and avoid any additional injuries to my hind legs… well, I might just be almost as good as “new” in another 6-12 months. I know that sounds like a long time, but it will be worth it! Right now, I am enjoying being pampered.
It’s getting to be my favorite time of year. When the days are cool or even down right chilly, those days are the best. Something in that brisk air makes me feel frisky and young again. And we all know that I am not exactly a young dog anymore. I do have a birthday coming up. I turn 13 on November 22nd. Wonder if mom will fix me a special treat? I deserve it you know, because I am the best boy ever!
Yesterday was a really windy day and those winds took most of the remaining leaves from the trees. Let me show you the view from our evening walk. Mom calls this particular spot “the peaceful spot”. She thinks it one of the prettiest places on the property.
The rest of the hounds are doing fine. Piper just finished up her intermediate obedience classes. Mom wants to practice some before scheduling a Canine Good Citizen test. She thinks that a little extra time will help Piper pass the test.
Pixie is busy as usual. She’s on critter patrol constantly and seems determined to dig up every area that mom plants grass in 😕.
And Ugg, well Ugg is just Ugg. Grumpy and jealous are the words that best describes him😂.
Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving, even if it isn’t like a normal Thanksgiving.
This winter has been a crazy one. Rain, Sleet, Snow and Sun all combined. And it seems to change at the drop of the hat! We’ve had several “decent” snowfalls this season, at least for east Tennessee. Here’s a photo from one of those snows last month. We had 6-8 inches out of that little overnight storm.
This past weekend was a nice one. Saturday was in the lower 60s and sunny. Yesterday was close to 70 degrees!
And want to guess what the weather was like today?? Highs in the low 30s with freezing rain & light snow/sleet. Not very funny Mother Nature!
Patton's Diary 