Zap's Third Day at Home

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

Zap is getting used to the family routine.

I am waking him up 10 minute later each day to go outside, because I don't enjoy waking up at 5:00 a.m. He is doing well. He hesitates before going outside in the dark, but will go if I go. He is getting braver and will run around the corner where he can't see me.

In the morning he seems like a little race horse, because he races back and forth across the back yard before he does his business.

He seemed upset yesterday morning, because I changed the routine. Instead of walking him after I dropped the girls off, we went back inside for a few minutes, before I had to take him to the Vet for a well-dog check up.

I think that they don't have a lot of greyhounds in their practice because all of the vets and techs came out to feel his muscles. They were joking that it looked like he was on steroids.

I was very proud of his behavior at the vet because even through there were other dogs there and they were barking, he stood at attention next to me, rather than trying to get into a fight.

After the vet visit, I took him on his walk and he was content.

He doesn't like to eat too early in the morning and I am a bit worried about him because the vet has said that he lost a few pounds. I've discovered the he likes his food mixed with water in a ration of 2 cups of food for every cup of water. The water has to be pretty warm and he seems to do a better job eating when I nuke the water, then stir up the food for a long time.

He had to get used to me leaving him, so I left him alone with Jeff while I got his tags made and went shopping. Jeff said that he whimpered a little, then settled down. I brought him home a new purple hippo and he got really excited, so much so that he jumped on my living room couches for the first time and then was startled when I screeched at him to get off my couches.

In the afternoon, we went on our 1:00 p.m walk. He is very interested in our Postal Carrier, a very nice woman. She drives a truck and the first day he was shy about going near the truck. On Friday he finally got enough courage to go near the truck for petting. She oohed and aahed over him and then gave him a dog cookie and he was very happy.

He seems to be calming down a lot more. Towards the afternoon, he started laying down in whatever room I am, rather than standing at attention and waiting for some sort of command.

He is also getting better with the cats. The first few days he had to be restrained by his collar when he saw one of them. Now I can do it with a verbal command. I was folding laundry yesterday and Lily was marching back and forth in Maddie's room and he never got up from his sleeping position, though he knew she was there.

In the afternoon, at the time I take him to the park to pick up Emma, I took him on a walk instead. (She had a dance to go to.) He started walking but then he realized he was tired. We stopped the walk and he came home and planted himself on the landing. Uncle Marc was there, but he seemed more interested in sleeping than meeting new people. He did the same thing when the Grandparents came over. (All his activity finally caught up with him.)

Eventually we got him outside to go to the bathroom and when he came in, he settled himself down on the futon. I was feeling guilty because I knew that I had to leave him alone for three hours to go see Maddie's play (a Mystery Dinner theater) but he didn't seem to care. We shut the door and he slept while we were gone.

He was happy when we came home and didn't seem upset that we left him.

He does really well at settling down for the night. We put his doggie posturepedic bed in the corner of our room and he did a great job of going to sleep, even though the girls were watching TV.

I need to remember to take off his collar at night. He got a second tag yesterday with his name and our address, so it jingles with Hemopet tags in the middle of the night.

[MarleysGh0st]

Another good report!

But since getting stuck in a time loop might inhibit his progress, you really ought to update the subject line.

[hermillion]

I'm enjoying Zap's story. He sounds like he's settling in well, and I'm sure he'll be a valued family member.

You might check Petsmart (or similar) for little rubber tag wraps. They stretch around the edge of the tags, and prevent jingling.

herjosie likes looking at Zap's pictures. (she asked me to say that)

[AnnieCamaro]

herjosie likes looking at Zap's pictures. (she asked me to say that)

Paws off, Josie. I saw him first!

/:P\

[DevilKitty100]

I'm enjoying Zap's story. He sounds like he's settling in well, and I'm sure he'll be a valued family member.

You might check Petsmart (or similar) for little rubber tag wraps. They stretch around the edge of the tags, and prevent jingling.

herjosie likes looking at Zap's pictures. (she asked me to say that)

Sounds like Zap is a real sweetheart. I've enjoyed the reading about his journey.

On the jingly tags, I like them. Kind of like why they put cowbells on on cows. You can hear them before you see them. My little Thackie loves to burrow and hide so it gives me the advantage of locating him when maybe he's not so interested in being located. It proved very helpful once when Thack made the great escape and took off on PeeWee's Great Adventure. I could hear him in the high grass in the field by our house but would never have been able to see him otherwise.

Also like the jingly on OzDog even though he's bigger. Since he's black sometimes it's difficult to see him in the backyard at night, but I can always hear him.

[herjosie]

herjosie likes looking at Zap's pictures. (she asked me to say that)

Paws off, Josie. I saw him first!

/:P\

i dont have my paws on anything miss annie except the computer keys. i think mr zap is a handsom doggie just like i think you are beautiful and i like looking at doggies. when the dog show is on tv i sit up on the arm of the couch so i can see them better. mommie says i wuold have to stand up on something to see you better and lizbit better and mr zap better. but shes wrong becuase i can stand up on my back legs like for ballet and opera dancing and that wuold be fine.

i like how you put your smiley face doggie in your mssages.

[AnnieCamaro]

i dont have my paws on anything miss annie except the computer keys. i think mr zap is a handsom doggie just like i think you are beautiful and i like looking at doggies. when the dog show is on tv i sit up on the arm of the couch so i can see them better. mommie says i wuold have to stand up on something to see you better and lizbit better and mr zap better. but shes wrong becuase i can stand up on my back legs like for ballet and opera dancing and that wuold be fine.

i like how you put your smiley face doggie in your mssages.

I was teasing, Josie. I didn't mean to scare you or make you feel bad. I'm very sorry if I did. You and I agree that Zap is very handsome, and we're both happy that he has become a Suchard boy.

You wouldn't have to stand on anything to see me. I'm hard to miss. Besides, if we want to bump noses when you don't feel like standing on your back legs, I can get down on the floor. That's where I spend most of my time, anyway, so we're really the same size when it counts.

You can use my doggie smilies in your posts any time you want. I just use the two-footer emoticons and add ears. I invented that myself.

/:P\

[Beebs52]

Beebs says to say hi to Zap. And for him to take walks in Beebs's stead, and some runs.
Zap is a cutie.

[silvercamaro]

Speaking of dogs (and I do apologize for barging into Zap's thread with this,) I think I have created a rack monster.

I ordered a not-inexpensive orthopedic dog bed for Annie, and it arrived yesterday. After I put it on the floor of the living room, Lizbit stood on it for 10 seconds, and Annie refused to touch it. She seemed largely annoyed that this giant slab was taking up floor space, thus reducing the amount of bare carpet where she might want to lay down.

When it was time to go to sleep last night, Annie tried to snuggle into her usual spot next to me. Lizbit was a butthead and kept wiggling over into Annie's place, so Annie left, exasperated. She laid down on the carpet, and I could hear her getting up and trying to settle down again comfortably over and over. I drifted off to sleep thinking that I had wasted my money. I awoke during the night, freezing. Lizbit was at my feet, keeping exactly two of my toes warm.

As I woke up this morning, Annie was sound asleep on the new bed, which is long and wide enough to let her stretch out completely without so much as having to drape her stiff leg over the side. When she awoke, she didn't want to get up, not even to eat her breakfast. I finally relented and put her bowl next to her on the bed before Lizbit ate both breakfasts. Since I'm now in my office, Annie has at last arisen and moved to the now-decrepit and smaller bed that had been used by Tigger for years.

I am getting eyelid messages that Annie thinks I should buy another giant slab for this room. I'm sending messages back that I won't.

[ulysses5019]

herjosie likes looking at Zap's pictures. (she asked me to say that)

Paws off, Josie. I saw him first!

/:P\

i dont have my paws on anything miss annie except the computer keys. i think mr zap is a handsom doggie just like i think you are beautiful and i like looking at doggies. when the dog show is on tv i sit up on the arm of the couch so i can see them better. mommie says i wuold have to stand up on something to see you better and lizbit better and mr zap better. but shes wrong becuase i can stand up on my back legs like for ballet and opera dancing and that wuold be fine.

i like how you put your smiley face doggie in your mssages.

Are you gonna sneak into a movie theater and watch that chihuahua movie?

[peacock2121]

I am looking forward to tomorrows report!

[kayrharris]

I am looking forward to tomorrows report!

Me too!

[peacock2121]

Speaking of dogs (and I do apologize for barging into Zap's thread with this,) I think I have created a rack monster.

I ordered a not-inexpensive orthopedic dog bed for Annie, and it arrived yesterday. After I put it on the floor of the living room, Lizbit stood on it for 10 seconds, and Annie refused to touch it. She seemed largely annoyed that this giant slab was taking up floor space, thus reducing the amount of bare carpet where she might want to lay down.

When it was time to go to sleep last night, Annie tried to snuggle into her usual spot next to me. Lizbit was a butthead and kept wiggling over into Annie's place, so Annie left, exasperated. She laid down on the carpet, and I could hear her getting up and trying to settle down again comfortably over and over. I drifted off to sleep thinking that I had wasted my money. I awoke during the night, freezing. Lizbit was at my feet, keeping exactly two of my toes warm.

As I woke up this morning, Annie was sound asleep on the new bed, which is long and wide enough to let her stretch out completely without so much as having to drape her stiff leg over the side. When she awoke, she didn't want to get up, not even to eat her breakfast. I finally relented and put her bowl next to her on the bed before Lizbit ate both breakfasts. Since I'm now in my office, Annie has at last arisen and moved to the now-decrepit and smaller bed that had been used by Tigger for years.

I am getting eyelid messages that Annie thinks I should buy another giant slab for this room. I'm sending messages back that I won't.

I'll take bets on who wins this eyelid message tag.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

Another good report!

But since getting stuck in a time loop might inhibit his progress, you really ought to update the subject line.

Ok, I did.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

Speaking of dogs (and I do apologize for barging into Zap's thread with this,) I think I have created a rack monster.

I ordered a not-inexpensive orthopedic dog bed for Annie, and it arrived yesterday. After I put it on the floor of the living room, Lizbit stood on it for 10 seconds, and Annie refused to touch it. She seemed largely annoyed that this giant slab was taking up floor space, thus reducing the amount of bare carpet where she might want to lay down.

When it was time to go to sleep last night, Annie tried to snuggle into her usual spot next to me. Lizbit was a butthead and kept wiggling over into Annie's place, so Annie left, exasperated. She laid down on the carpet, and I could hear her getting up and trying to settle down again comfortably over and over. I drifted off to sleep thinking that I had wasted my money. I awoke during the night, freezing. Lizbit was at my feet, keeping exactly two of my toes warm.

As I woke up this morning, Annie was sound asleep on the new bed, which is long and wide enough to let her stretch out completely without so much as having to drape her stiff leg over the side. When she awoke, she didn't want to get up, not even to eat her breakfast. I finally relented and put her bowl next to her on the bed before Lizbit ate both breakfasts. Since I'm now in my office, Annie has at last arisen and moved to the now-decrepit and smaller bed that had been used by Tigger for years.

I am getting eyelid messages that Annie thinks I should buy another giant slab for this room. I'm sending messages back that I won't.

I am glad that the bed worked out. Zap wasn't interested in his until I put a bright green fluffy towel on it.

[silvercamaro]

I am getting eyelid messages that Annie thinks I should buy another giant slab for this room. I'm sending messages back that I won't.

I'll take bets on who wins this eyelid message tag.

I will win. I love my dogs, and I'm perfectly willing to spoil them in many ways, but I'm still the Alpha.

[peacock2121]

I am getting eyelid messages that Annie thinks I should buy another giant slab for this room. I'm sending messages back that I won't.

I'll take bets on who wins this eyelid message tag.

I will win. I love my dogs, and I'm perfectly willing to spoil them in many ways, but I'm still the Alpha.

LOL

okay


whatever you say.