I love everyone at Greater Annapolis Veterinary Hospital. AP has been taking me there since I was a little guy. I love going in the door and up to the counter where Ms. Denise gives me treats. All the people are always nice to me and I get lots of attention so I don't mind going there. I even don't mind when Tom trims my nails or sticks me with a needle although I do fight him sometimes on clipping my front paws. AP told me they made me Pet of the Month which is a very big honor. She said they even put up my story and picture on their website - how cool is that? http://www.gavh.com/pet-of-the-month/
AP here:
Since Tonka came from a shelter we don't exactly have an actual birth date for him so the vet techs at GAVH gave him December 7th. That is also Pearl harbor Day so it does make it easy to remember. This year his birthday happened to fall on a an underwater treadmill therapy day which meant getting into "water" one of Tonka's last favorite things. It actually meant the "w" word twice because once we are home from treadmill he then gets an actual bath. I felt bad that he was going to have to get wet twice on his birthday but the treadmill is helping him so I did not want to cancel.
What I didn't know is that it was also going to be raining for his birthday so he was going to have a very wet day.
We started the day with a walk in the rain and it was not coming down too hard when we first went out. We made it all the way to the park and the sky opened up and we had to take shelter under the jungle gym.
Hate the Rain
Can I Come Out Yet
Later in the day we went to the Canine Fitness Center and he walked on the Underwater Treadmill. Diana and Chris gave him some extra birthday attention which made him happy. He has been doing really well on the treadmill and is up to (2) five minute sessions with a 2 minute rest in between.
Once we were home the boy had a bath and relaxed while I blew him dry. Of course Tonka is always relaxed and can fall asleep during anything.
After he was all dry he got brushed..
Sweet Boy
Then his girlfriend Nala showed up to hang out with him.
AP here:
Last year we missed the Christmas parade in Middleburg VA. Tonka was just starting with his neurological problem and could not walk very well. This year with his Eddies Wheels cart we were ready to go.
Appalachian Great Pyrenees Rescue (Tonka's rescue) participates in the parade every year and typically there are anywhere from 80 to 100 dogs that show up. These are all rescues and it is truly a wonderful sight to see.
The parade is very well known and a large crowd always gathers in the small town so parking is at a premium and if you are going to go you should get there early.
I got the boy up early and he was very excited to be going to the parade. His girlfriends Bertha and Sylvia were going to be there so he wanted to look extra handsome. I put on his jingle bell collar and his Sparkle Christmas Collar that Bertha got him a few years ago.
Ready to go
We packed up his wheels and headed out on the 2 hour drive to Middleburg.
Fortunately we grabbed a parking spot semi close to our staging area at the Sporting Library. As we crossed the first street and ran straight into Mommy Vicky the Director for AGPR. Tonka took off towards her at the sound of her voice (he loves Mommy V). We got stopped a few times by kids (Tonka's Favorite things) before finally getting to the library. His Aunt Nancy was there with his girlfriend Bertha and buddy Oliver. I put down his Mutt Matt and took him out of his wheels to rest till the parade.
Tonka and Aunt Nancy having a conversation
He got to hang out with Bertha
Bertha
and Sylvia
Sylvia
As more dogs and people showed up I got him back in his wheels to take him to see everyone and to go potty.
We met some Corgis
and some pipers with the bagpipe corp.
he got some loving from some kids
and then he rested again
Everyone was there and it was almost time for the parade
We lined up
And off we went
We had over 100 dogs this year and it was such a good time. On the way back to the truck the Tonka boy was a tried but happy boy. We passed some other tired pups as well.
AP here:
Mornings here start anywhere from 3 to 5 am and Tonka's new favorite thing to do is to lay out in the screened in porch for a few hours. He is loving the cold weather and I think he likes listening to the neighborhood wake up. His friends Duke and Riley have fences that meet ours and he can hear them in the morning when they come out. Next up is breakfast so I get him up and into his wheels so he can stand and eat. He has two raised combination food/water bowls that he can access without having to bend down too far. One is inside the house and the other is in the screened in porch. I fed him on the porch today and while he was eating I ran upstairs to get a sweatshirt. Tonka's routine has always been eat and then go potty so that is what we stick to. I try to keep him on a schedule so that we do not have accidents in the house. Now normally after he eats I go with him out in the yard and make him go (I'll leave those details out) but his morning he went out to the yard on his own. I came back with the sweatshirt expecting him to be waiting at the doorway but he wasn't there.
Waiting
I started to walk out into the yard and I noticed that he had gone to the bathroom on the concrete step just outside the doorway. He was out in the yard so the only thing I can think is that he finished eating and knew he had to go and tried to make it out to the yard. This is another HUGE DEAL! If he can regain bowel and bladder function then our days will be much less complicated.
AP here:
Well Tonka followers today was a historic day in the Journey of Tonka. His neurological condition that left him unable to walk also left him unable to go to the bathroom on his own. He has relied on me to empty his bladder for him every 4 hours for the past couple of months. Today we were at the park and he was rolling around in his wheels and chewing on tree branches with his girlfriend Nala when his buddy Spencer came running up.
Sticks R Good
Spencer
Tonka and Spencer love to play together so he was very happy to "see" him. Spencer's little brother Charlie was also running around like a crazy boy barking and carrying on.
Charlie
Spencer said hello and then went over and lifted his leg and peed on the fence. Tonka's response was to start sniffing the fence and then he started peeing ON HIS OWN! Everything I have read research wise said if he was going to regain the ability to go on his own it would probably happen while sniffing where another dog had marked. Hopefully this is the first of many hapPEE occasions!
AP here:
If you have a big dog then you know that not all dog beds are created equal and you know that the average retailer considers 80lbs to be the top end of things marked XL. Years ago when my female Pyrenees Myatuk started to get stiff in her hind limbs I purchased a Big Dog Bed from bigdogbeds.com. They understand Big and Giant breeds and know that all beds are not created equal. The beds are top quality and the one I chose was made with Max Comfort Bio Medic memory foam so it was nice and comfortable for her.
Myatuk
That bed is now eight years old and still in great shape and has become Tonka's favorite since he became disabled. It sits outside in the screened in porch and he loves to lay out there with the sounds and the smells from the breeze.
Tonka Snoozing
Hanging on my Big Dog Bed
Since he seems to enjoy it so much I decided to get him another one for in the house so I called Woody at BigDogBeds.com and told him what I wanted. Woody is a great guy, very thorough and interested in getting the right match for your dog.
We discussed Tonka and his current issues including the fact that he is incontinent and sometimes dribbles a bit. I ended up getting essentially the same bed as the last one but with a different cover made of Crypton® Waterproof
Fabric. I also got a cover for the older bed made of the same stuff. This way both are waterproof and can be wiped clean quick and easy.The bed came vacumn packed so that the box was not huge and took no time at all to spring out to full size once unpacked. So if you are looking for a truly Big Dog Bed for a Big Dog you should talk to Woody.
AP here:
Two years ago my little cousins life was cut tragically short by a senseless act of violence. He was a remarkable young man. an artist and an actor, a young man who knew what he wanted and was not afraid to be different from the mainstream. The fact that he was such a smart and caring individual made it possible for two other families to keep there loved one around because at age seventeen he was an organ donor.
There is a line from a song by Baz Luhrman that goes "The real
troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday"
How true this is, as we cannot plan for the horrible things that sometimes happen in life. There is never a guarantee for any of us for tomorrow. So it crossed my mind today that we need to take the time to let the people in their lives know just what they mean to us. I know that I kiss Tonka on his head everyday and tell him that I love him but I don't always tell the humans in my life how much I appreciate them. Tonka on the other hand always lets everyone know how much he loves them and I need to take a page from his book.
In honor of Kevin I have set out this week to let the people in my life know that they are loved.
Since I never got to "see" Sandy but everyone kept talking about her. I was excited when AP said we were going back to the beach to see what she had done there. So last Sunday we loaded up my wheels and Aunt Carol and headed out.
When we got there there were leaves and sticks and prickly pine cones everywhere. AP and Aunt carol put me on the porch and started raking up all the stuff. They filled 9 big bags with stuff.
AP made the mistake of letting me off the porch once there was a little path and I headed off down to find my friend Wally. He wasn't home and AP had to come retrieve me, she wasnt happy that I took off.
all cleaned up
Then we headed into town to see what Sandy had been up to there.
Halloween is one of my favoritist holidays cuz the kids come to me.....
AP and CM dress up and hand out candy to the kids and I get to say hi to them as they come by. This year AP put my Big Dog Bed out front and I greeted everyone as they walked up the driveway.
AP said someone named Sandy was coming and we sat out back in the screened in porch to greet her. No one showed up but it got real windy and just kept raining all day. I really don't like rain but I love wind cuz it brings lots of good smells from far away. I got bored after awhile and started trying to chew the towel on my bed so AP got a tuggy toy for me to play with.
Got It
Let Go
Mine
Kill IT
Nibble IT
Done
I wanted to stay outside all day but AP made me go in the house for the afternoon. She said the wind was really picking up and it was getting really cold.
We went in and I hung out on my awesome new racing flame blanket that my friends Cheif, Ranger, Beanie and Luna sent me. They have a friend that makes them and thought I should have this pattern cuz I have been racing around in my wheels. You can see more patterns at Just Beautiful Treasures on Facebook.
Cool Tie Blankie
Beanie
Ranger and Chief (he has wheels like me)
Luna
It rained and rained and rained so we stayed inside and AP slept downstairs with me. I don't know what happened with Sandy but I had a good day!