So I have a question for those who are caring for a rear leg amputee…Do you experience this thing where your dog will magically be pointed in another direction (like heading toward home)? Dudley really takes advantage of being able to do a 180 in less than a second. We go out to do bathroom business at 5 am, on a leash because I just don’t trust him as well as it being 5 am in the wood and he will literally flip around and suddenly be pointed back in the opposite direction.
He also uses the tripawd spin for when he is super happy, he gets the zoomies but he will use that back leg like a corkscrew and just spin in circles where he’s at. It doesn’t happen often but when it does, it is memorable! Some days when I come home from work and he feels like playing but knows that he lives in a small space (28 foot trailer), he will just hop around on his dog bed and spin around.
Whenever I come home, I usually spend about 10 minutes completely focused on him. I let him sniff my hair and give him a good rubdown and itch his neck and ears for him. He has a hound nose and is constantly smelling my hands, face, hair and blasting air out of his nose to get more scents. He also loves to have his stinky blankets tossed over him and do some peek-a-boo type stuff! I have to make sure I pay attention to him first before I greet the cat. They are doing fine and he has adjusted to her but he grumbles if she runs past his bed to come up and sleep with me. He has a low prey drive but his bed is His Precious. He doesn’t snap, just warning growls. They are working things out over time and are actually both respectful of each other! Joey Cat is retired from living in our shop next door and she does just fine sleeping on either the heating pad on my couch or on top of me at night. She ignores him for the most part and will give him a swat on the head if he gets in her space.
Dudley came to us with a martingale collar and I have chosen to stick with this style of collar. As his body adapts to the physical changes of being an amputee and his choice of “flipping the switch” I find that the martingale collar works best for him. His neck has become burly with the body changes and I realized that I needed to find an alternate collar to switch out. I did a google search and found this gem on Etsy.
One of his many names is Studly Dudley so I figured that the Stud Muffin print was perfect for him. I do call him Dudley Muffin, he is neutered so he won’t be much of a stud but he does attract and charm everyone he meets. I’m hoping the collar fits the way I need it to but we shall see once it gets here.
