dr doom update.

for starters, i am still fuming a month later after taking the doctor boy to uw madison vet school in search of new hips. i was told that only madison and ohio state vet schools do screwed down replacement joints. since he is a young dog, this was the needed procedure.
well, the assholes turned him down for the surgery because, get this, he is TOO YOUNG. yeah, giant wtf on that.
dont think they even listened to what was said at the intake. they do not have a grasp of how this is impacting his quality of life. to be honest, we didnt so much either until we decided to stop treating his pain when it was obvious, and to put him on regular pain meds. he is almost a different dog. his cranky disposition w his siblings and other dogs has improved greatly.

their communication since then has been a lot of bs, too. no reconsideration of the decision even tho i gave them info that they didnt grasp the first time.
on to ohio state.

but the other thing is that transfer of custody to my daughter is pretty well done. i was really worried about her ability to handle the dog, and keep up with him. but she has really stepped up to the plate.
i have to confess that it is much more peaceful around here without his explosive energy. he was always riling up the pack and hounding me to play. which i couldnt give into because he ended up hurting.

he has gone for training a couple times to a really good kennel, and she has done a great job of learning from the training sessions and following through with the handling recommendations.
he is a natural therapy/service dog that boy. daughter had set an alarm on her phone and taken a nap. when the alarm went off, he woke up from his nap, went over, and nudged her in the face until she woke up. since she uses the alarm mostly for her med schedule (she has epilepsy), this is such a win.
she also suffers from depression, mostly brought on by years of unexplained medical issues, she really needs this amazingly loving boy there to hang on to. he is a natural at empathy. you cannot cry in this dog's presence without being smothered in love.

she also has to walk him, whereas at my house he has a fenced in yard. this is great for both of them. and no siblings to bug him, or put him on guard over food and toys. we just dont leave toys laying around here, but there they are all his.

so, it is a win/win for her and for him.

me, i miss him something awful. he has kept me afloat through a tough year and a half here. i am grateful he was here for that. i am doing better, and the end is in sight for my travails.
suddenly it is so lonely here, tho. my son is also off on an adventure, so it is pretty much me and the chickens and the other 3 dogs.
big old doofus sized hole in my life.
i can visit him if i want, but i dont want to make my daughter feel guilty. she needs him more than i, and i am very happy to have such a gift to give her.

time to shed the tears and move on.
which is why i am writing this post.

love you all. so glad you are here.