Pupdate: Lefty's Progress So Far

Wow! Lefty aka Pirate aka Cap'n Jack aka Jack aka Jacky aka Wacky Jacky is doing GREAT. And yes, we are nuts for nicknames around here. Y'all should know that by now. This crazy little bugger...ya can't keep a Boston down! I know that much. Jacky is no exception. Despite having one eye and a broken hip, he is still totally bonkers. I'm sure it's mostly because he's on crate rest, although we do make sure he gets gentle playtime breaks throughout the day. We've also realized he's still a puppy. He's got bright, white, sharp teeth and boatloads of energy. He's completely fearless and doesn't know any speed except full steam ahead. Unfortunately for him, that means his play breaks are cut short before he further hurts himself.

Having said that, I can't deprive the little guy altogether! I'm a sucker and a pushover when it comes to his scruffy little Energizer bunny butt. His favorite thing in life so far is his rope toy. I got him a mini rope that's not long enough to whack himself in the eye if he kill shakes it. He's obsessed. THROW THE ROPE THROW THE ROPE THROW THE ROPE! WHERE'S THE ROPE WHERE'S THE ROPE WHERE'S THE ROPE? I GOT THE ROPE I GOT THE ROPE I GOT THE ROPE! That's pretty much the bulk of Jacky's brain activity. I love it. He just cracks me up. He'd run on that broken leg all day long if I let him. Don't worry, not gonna happen.

The plastic e-collar is pretty much a mechanism of death and destruction. The vet said he can't wear a comfy cone because it would be too easy for him to smash it out of the way and rub his eye against stuff. Consequently, he's stuck in the hard plastic cone of shame. I hate cones. They make everything so much harder on the dog. Too bad, because as PPR's Allie pointed out, wearing a cone is much better than ripping open that eye socket. So don't feel too bad that Jack has to wear the cone. It's keeping him safe. Plus, his eye is looking awesome! It's not swollen or red anymore. Honestly, dogs are made up of Wolverine DNA, I swear. Their healing rate is unbelievable. Paws crossed his FHO recovery is no exception!

Poor Lefty has had quite a time trying to figure out how to fetch despite being confined to an e-collar. At first he just shoveled everything around like a bulldozer. Now he's decided that brute force is the best option. He smashes down on top of his target in an effort to squish the cone to the side so he can just reach whatever he's trying to get (usually the rope). This has resulted in a couple of barrel rolls / near headstands that have about scared the peewally out of me. It's terrifying, heartbreaking, and hilarious all at the same time. Watching him eat is a whole other thing. I had to hand feed him at first. Now he slams his head straight down so the cone completely surrounds the food bowl. He looks like a crash-landed satellite.

Wearing a cone plus only having one eye has really put the ultimate kibosh on Jacky's peripheral vision. He clips corners, crashes into furniture as he walks by, and slams into our legs. The other dogs are terrified of it (he chases them around like a maniac and smashes into them when he tries to get close enough for a good sniff). It slices and bruises our legs when he runs into us (constantly). So, a couple rescue friends suggested I wrap the edges in duct tape. In keeping with his Pirate nickname, I bought skull and crossbones tape and decked out his cone with it. Now Jack's the most stylin' pirate on the block. Probably in the whole city!

I am clean, regal, and SCRUFFY!

Cap'n Jack got a bath today. Boy, did he need it! Not only does he look like a pirate, but he smelled like one too. He was very well behaved in the tub. I could tell he actually enjoyed it. The poor dude just stood there, shut his eyes, and leaned into my hands as I shampooed him. He even let me *very carefully* wipe all the dried blood and dirt away from his face and eyes. He needed that so badly. I took his cone off so I could clean around his neck and ears really well. Gosh he's so much cuter without the cone! I let him keep it off for a few (closely supervised) minutes until he dried. He was SO excited to roll around in the towels and dry off. I'm not sure I've ever seen a dog peacefully enjoy a bath so much. It warmed and broke my heart at the same time. Judging by his behavior and by the color of the tub water, I'd say it had been a very long time since Jacky last had a bath. Bonus: now that he's clean, he's extra mega scrufftacular!

Lefty / Pirate / Cap'n Jack / Jack / Jacky / Wacky Jacky is a really great little dog. We love him to pieces. He is so affectionate, happy go lucky, and goofy. While he's certainly feeling happier and is on the road to recovery, he still has a very long way to go. Please consider donating to help PPR with his medical bills (see link below). Happy New Year, Lefty! I promise it will be SO MUCH BETTER for you than this past year.

http://www.perfectpetsrescue.org/donations-and-how-you-can-help.html

Meet Lefty, the Feisty One-Eyed Scruff Munchkin!

I'm super excited to announce that we are back in the foster circuit, hurray! My finals are over, we had our break, and now we're ready to roll again. Our first foster of the [almost] new year: Lefty aka Pirate! Lefty is a Boston Terrier mix...maybe some Scotty? Some Cairn Terrier? Corgi? Who knows. He's scruffy, spunky, sweet, and spectacularly adorable. He's small, 17.5 pounds, heartworm negative and probably 2-4 years old.

Post Eye Removal

Poor Lefty came into DeKalb Animal Services yesterday with a severe eye trauma and a busted leg. You can see how awful the eye was in his shelter photo. Eyes usually pop out of their sockets like that as a result of impact. That combined with the broken leg leads us to believe Lefty was hit by a car. Fortunately for Lefty, Perfect Pets Rescue came to his aid immediately. He went straight to a local vet for evaluation and had an emergency enucleation after the eye ruptured last night. Even though this sounds and looks drastic, Lefty is MUCH more comfortable without that awful eye. Ruptures are incredibly painful, as the eyeball actually bursts from all the built up pressure caused by the trauma. He is far better off without it. The socket is swollen now, but with warm compresses applied every few hours it will return to normal. Lefty will adapt to having one eye before too long.

Resting on the way home

On top of dealing with an eye removal, poor Lefty has to go back to the vet on Friday for a femoral head ostectomy and neuter surgery. They'll take his eye stitches out then, too. Needless to say, this little scruffy munchkin is having one hell of a week. But at least he gets to rest and recoup in a comfy, warm, [relatively] quiet place! We are thrilled to have him. After our family Boston, Buster, passed earlier this week, helping a fellow Boston in need soothes my heart. This little guy is super special. He's doing great so far. I even got him to pee despite the rain we're having today. He let me wipe him down with Nature's Miracle wipes (to reduce odor and clean some gunk off him a little) and takes all his pills like a real champ. He's spending most of his time resting quietly in a crate with a big fluffy blanket.


Lefty has THE CUTEST little wiggle waggle walk! He's actually not limping much at all, despite the busted leg/hip. I just love his tail, his mug, his fabulous bulldog underbite, and his funky personality. I'll continue to post updates on him to let everyone know how he does on Friday. Once he's recovered from everything, he'll go on transport to PPR in New York where he'll await his forever home.


While he's not available for adoption yet, be sure to follow Perfect Pets Rescue on Facebook and watch for Lefty to pop up on their website. I know the holidays just passed and wallets are thinner than normal, but PPR could really use all the help they can get footing Lefty's extensive medical bills. Lefty would love for PPR to be able to help others like him and he really doesn't want to have to get a job! To donate to PPR, please click here: http://www.perfectpetsrescue.org/donations-and-how-you-can-help.html

He's got a cool tail...

...and a classic Boston profile!

...a long Corgi body...

For the Love of Buster

I've got a bit of sadness to share. One of my family dogs, Buster, crossed the rainbow bridge on Christmas Eve. Buster was a nine year old Boston Terrier who belonged chiefly to my younger brother, Max. We had three Bostons growing up: Bandit, Birdie, and Buster. I've already told you all about my Bandit in an earlier post. Birdie is my sister's, although nowadays she's more my mom's since my sister went to college. Anyhow, Birdie and Buster were always very close. She's doing ok, but of course she knows. It helps that my sister brought her dog home for Christmas the day after Buster passed, so Birdie's had a positive distraction.

While we of course love(d) all three dogs, Buster was the sweetest, funniest, most wonderful of the bunch. Everybody loved Buster. He had the smushiest face of everyone, which earned him the nickname "Smush" among others (Smush, Squish, Busty, Bubba, Butt, Buttweed, etc.). Even though I know it's way TMI, I will explain the origin of the Buttweed nickname. **For those of you who'd prefer the mystery, please skip to the next paragraph** Ya see, Buster had a special talent for dingleberries. Translation: he needed his booty wiped every single time he went potty. What's more is that he oftentimes had grass sticking out of his butt afterward. Extra special. Hence, Buttweed. Anyhow, that's the end of the nickname story. Sorry for that, but when a dog passes you've just got to share everything about them with everyone. Even the not so shareable stuff. Never thought I'd be telling the masses about Buster's buttweeds!

Ok, for those of you re-joining us here, let's continue talking about how awesome Buster was. He was so snorty and so squishy. He had a big old head and comparatively tiny ears. He had bones made of rubber and would spend hours on end lying in the sun with his back legs stretched out behind him like a frog. He loved tug o' war. One of his favorite things was to hold onto the rope/tug toy and let my brother swing him around in circles. In their younger years, he and Birdie were best tug buddies. They played for years until Birdie lost her front teeth. Buster never quit. He lived for tug.

Buster was the gentlest dog...we got him when my brother was five years old and he'd let Max do anything to him without protest. I don't think I ever heard that dog growl at anyone. He was just so incredibly mellow and laid back. I've never met another dog quite like him: half clown, half cauliflower.

About four months ago, my family found out that Buster was in congestive heart failure. They did everything they could for him until he was no longer comfortable. Buster spent his last few days in the GA mountains with his family. He was on vacation in a cozy cabin with those who loved him most. On the way home, it became clear he was ready to go. My mom and Max took him to the vet the next day and said their goodbyes. They buried him in the backyard on Christmas morning. My mom says they're planning to plant a tree over his grave. I wasn't there, but I know he's behind his favorite avocado tree lying in the sunshine forever. He would have liked that. It's so strange to think of him being gone; he never outgrew his puppiness.

We love you, Buster. Keep Bandit company for us.

Birdie (left) and Buster (right)