Dudley

Finally!!! Dudley and I were able to go out to my favorite spot to get a good walk and dog socializing in. I used to go there with my GSD often but wasn’t able to go there because of avoiding a person who is a bully and we have bad blood between us from a workplace altercation. I discovered that she had been asked to not go out there anymore and was so relieved! It is a gorgeous half circle piece of land that has the river on one side and is fenced on the other. The Natural Gas facility is completely fenced in so there is a nice area of flat grass to walk. It is right where the Yaquina river flows into the Yaquina Bay so there is tons of birds, etc to look at.

It’s been a bit of a challenge this winter since the weather has been the usual coastal rain, rain, rain, wind, rain. Dudley is a bit out of shape so walking on the flat grass is good for him. There are a few benches we can stop and sit at when he gets tired. And the locals bring their dogs out there all of the time so Dudley can get his dog time as well. My mom is finally in recovery from her heart valve replacement and is able to do physical exercise! We will be doing walks out there with her as well.

We will be learning which groups of people/dogs to avoid. This morning was the first time Dudley has had to give a warning growl to a dog that was mounting him and growling at him. The owner kept saying “he has never done this before” and smacked her dog (not hard) saying “I can’t believe you would do that to a disabled dog”. Ironically, one of the people I ran into yesterday when we were out there is a good friend from my old job. He knows all of the local dogs and her dog’s name was mentioned in a little scuffle between other dogs. It was totally fine and Dudley recovered his dignity but I got the vibe that this group of women were not good at reading dog language. One lady was over against the fence because she “didn’t have her stick”…Needless to say, I will be avoiding the times that they go out there. I saw which cars they were driving since they arrived after us and will keep an eye out or just be prepared to go the opposite direction if I don’t want to deal with them 😉

There are certain groups who have been walking their dogs out there for a while and act like it is their playground. There are also a lot of really awesome people who walk their dogs out there! I’m pretty good at reading the human body language as well as the dog body language, so I will just sort out who we want to walk with!

I love the Ruffwear line of dog accessories. Dudley hates a harness but I have the Flagline harness that was gifted to us from the Tripawds Foundation for emergencies. If we go on hikes, I make sure that I have it tucked into my bag for any type of lifting situation. I recently bought this amazing leash for Dudley that gave us a new line of communication through the leash. Dudley has always been stubborn ( I verified that with the rescue he was with for the last 2 years before I adopted him) and he will lock his front legs and make you pull him forward. This new leash has a bungee extension built into it and it has been a game changer for us! Instead of the pulling motion being focused on his collar, there is a little tension in the leash. He seems to respond to that bit of tension easier and is more receptive to moving forward when he doesn’t want to. He is pitbull/boxer as well as a rear amputee so his chest and front legs are super strong. When he does the “Dudley Dig In”, it is epic!

I bought the longer leash, it is 7 feet with a stretch to 11 feet. I basically use the leash for walking in the woods and run it through my hands to either shorten it up or feed more leash, depending on how he’s walking. Dudley is either a fast walker or a dawdler. He is very into sniffing ferns up and down and smelling individual blades of grass so the leash lets him go at his own pace. I love that the handle has a buckle to quickly unclasp if you want to tether him to something and also has the hands free option. Long leads tend to be a bit of a problem for Mr. Dudley since as soon as he steps on the leash, he freezes. I think he has had some sort of prior experience of getting stuck while stepping on his leash and he remembers that, quite vividly.

The last few times he has ridden in the back seat of the car, he has not been on the floor boards behind the passenger seat! I have a really nice car seat hammock style cover that we’ve used and he realizes that it isn’t so bad. I usually throw in a blanket and pillow to make it seem more like his beloved dog bed and he’s been happy. I just have to make sure that his entry side has the hammock piece down for easier jumping into the back of the car. We are working things out as we go along! The weather has still been crappy out here but we are looking forward to less rain and more adventures, especially as we get closer to summer time. He has a good buddy who lives right next to the beach who we will be spending more time with. I will post pictures when we do hang out, they are so adorable! Jiro is a Shiba Inu around the same age and they totally look like a fox and a deer when they hang out.

Roamer™ Bungee Dog Leash

Life has been pretty fickle and throwing massive curveballs at me lately. My 76 year old mom had a heart valve replacement procedure 2 weeks ago and is experiencing some pretty extreme post operative delirium. I’ve been dealing with that side of things and then the weather has been complete crap the past 3 weeks for dog walks. On the plus side, I’ve been waiting until Dudley gets up and goes to the door to go out or if I get the leash and he just rolls back on the bed, we call it good. If he really needs to go out, he will let me know. His new furhaven bed is working out for him. I actually stacked it on top of his old futon bed and he is absolutely happy with it. No worries about his leg getting caught up and he has the cushion and the firmness underneath…and I didn’t have to find a new place for the expensive bed.

We had a moment last week when I had to drag him off the bed…and out the door. We were going over to my sister’s house to do laundry and hang out but once he got over there, he was so happy!!! He’s getting better with car rides, still not enjoying them but they aren’t the end of the world. He is still a butt about ignoring me when he’s running up the driveway to my neighbor’s house. He did that last night and it actually was what I needed, to just sit with my neighbors and chat for an hour so that was ok. We will be dog sitting for them next month for 2 or 3 weeks so I’m glad he feels like it is his second home.

So I currently have a wonderful dog bed from my previous bed for Dudley that he is using. It is a Futon style dog bed that is filled with 10 lbs of wool and it is on the firm side. My old GSD loved it and he would stretch out on it in his full GSD/Malamute hairy glory. Dudley is more of a curl up and snuggle type of dog. He loves soft blankets and pillows. Dudley has been a bit of a grump these past few weeks, not sure if it is due to the crappy weather or his dislike of the bed. I have a pressure sensitive heating pad on half of the bed that he loves but I am looking at some of the FurHaven beds for the future. Dudley seems to have no problem getting caught up in pillows or blankets right now and he absolutely loves his sleeping space. I’m almost wondering if I should just get a mattress topper for the current bed and cut it to size.

I’m also questioning whether it is better to have a heated source for him to sleep on or if I should invest in the cooling mattress that FurHaven has. We have had to make the decision to limit his acupuncture sessions to a “tune up” every few months as my 18 year old cat really benefits from the acupuncture and I have to budget my expenses. Alice Cat is a true gem and has been with me for the past 13 years so I really want to give her everything in her senior years. Dudley is young and we can have more time to deal with arthritis issues etc. He just turned 5 and hopefully has another 9 years with us!!! Alice Cat is happy with a pillow to sleep on and a heating pad for when she needs it. She really is the most chill little cat and even though she is content to sleep most of the day and night…she is a happy little girl <3

Oh Dudley…This winter has been a bit up and down with getting outside. He has a love affair going with his bed, blankies and heating pad right now. I have witnessed him stretch his neck out as far as possible while remaining on his bed to reach a piece of kibble. We do get out for walks on the weekends but sometimes he just wants to go down the road into the woods and do his business and get back home. I get so worried about his back leg losing strength but when we do our real walks, he is a trooper. I pay attention to when he starts to look like he’s slowing down and turn him around to finish our walk.

As we head into spring out here at the Oregon coast, there will be more opportunities for adventures, even if it is raining. He does love the cold winter weather and the wind. I don’t know what magical little layer of fur that he has hidden under his regular coat, but he seems to do just fine when it is 32 degrees out. Fortunately, I get cold and force him to go home at some point! I just get worried that I’m not doing enough for him physically. I do see his body adjusting to being an amputee of one year now. His shoulders and neck have bulked up since he’s been with me and his back leg seems to have muscle definition. He definitely is the King of Sloth though 🙂