Inexperienced Vets

Okay, I just need to get it out and I figured most of you would understand:) Dakota has been through his "terrible twos" and is even more attentive and alerting to me now. I tell you, this is one dog that knows he was born for a purpose and he takes it seriously. So far I have had 3 very bad days where he keeps alerting and nothing will stop him. Sunday was one, so out of curiousity I thought I would take him for a walk. He wouldn't even let me go a block. He guided me back toward home and nipped me when I ignored him and was chatting with some kids. I am fine with that. There obviously is something very wrong on those days and he is bound and determined that I be safe in bed. He has made me feel so safe and secure, and I feel very blessed. God may have messed up my brain, but he has brought me Dakota to help.

Monday. I am exhausted after these bad days and I had to take Dakota in for his last boosters. I can take him into stores no problem, but he acts up at the vet. I realized  that it is because the other doctor gave him treats, which also explains why Dakota has been trying to climb up on counters that look like the examining counter . Had a new doctor today, female, who constantly told me that all of Dakota's behaviours were "puppy" things and that he wasn't alerting at all. I really didn't need to hear this, from a professional, the day after I sat and listened to him alert for 6 hours straight! Her response was that he wanted attention. Can we say NOT!

 When I got home I called the vet and was just in tears, nearing hysterics. Later on  I talked to the owner about another matter and addressed this issue as well. I told him that this doctor needs a lesson in tact, diplomacy, respecting severely disabled people, and understanding alert dogs. Boy did that ever feel good :) We have agreed that I will take Dakota to the first doctor that works at the clinic, whom I really like.

 In the meanwhile, I have enjoyed going out almost daily with Dakota. He has been well tolerated at the Dollar Store, pet store, pharmacy, and the bank, even by a lady who doesn't like dogs and whom Dakota thought he would show how cute he was by trying to climb over the low counter :) We are working on that bad habit. Since he has gotten his vest, people have been very respectful of him, asking to pet him, keeping their distance, and just loving how well behaved he is when he does behave (95% of the time). He now weighs 34 pounds and the vet estimates he will be close to 60 when he is done growing. Since he is such a big breed, I will have to wait until he is a year old and his growth plates are done growing to put him in a mobility harness.

I think spring has sprung

The weather the last few days has been absolutely beautiful. I am hoping that this is the beginning of spring and that the cold weather is gone for this year. I don't do as well in the cold and find it very difficult to walk, not only from the pain, but also because I lose my footing very easily. Dakota should be in his harness for next winter and that should help give me some added stability.

Dakota and I have been taking advantage of the nice weather and have had several short outings. We are really working on manners right now because he is going through his "terrible two's" and thinks that everyone should love and pet him. Of course, I think that he knows he is special, which isn't helping his ego trip any :) He has learned to jump up on counters so he can see the person behind it - big no, no so we have been addressing that. People have been very accommodating. He has been well tolerated in all the stores we have been in and now that he has his vest, people are being quite courteous and asking if they can pet him. Right now he is on a no petting rule until he gets used to people not gushing over him.

It is hard to believe that he is only 4 months old. His training is going very well and he knows all the basic commands. Yesterday we started on him taking the stairs one at a time and now he makes sure he watches my feet before he proceeds to the next step. We have started the "brace" command, just so he knows it. I can't actually put much weight on him until his growth plates are set, but at least he will know what to do when the time comes. He seems to love helping me and we will start on teaching him to open doors, etc. probably in the next few months.

Dakota has become more pronounced in his alerts and I now introduce him as a medical alert dog. He is very good at knowing where I am at and what I need. I have had him tug me by the pants to get me to come home, guide me along a railing so I can hold onto it and quite a few other things. He alerts pretty much daily, which I hoped for given the severity of my sleep disorder. It does get annoying on my really bad days though because he won't stop alerting and there isn't anything I can do to make it better. Annoying or not, I am glad I have him and wouldn't give him up for the world. He really has changed my life for the better.

Socks and lace

I find when I am tired I tend to start projects. And more projects. And more. Finishing them is a different story, but I have been doing well in that area. Eventually of course, but they get done. I just hate having too many things on the needles. Socks are a bit of an urgency right now because when I left "he who shall not be named" a year and a half ago, he decided to keep one each of 10 pairs of socks. So I have 10 singles sitting here and don't know what to do with them and I was left with 3 complete pairs. Sort of a hit below the belt, since he knew I only wear hand knit socks .  Oh, and most of my sock yarn was gone as well.

So I am building up my sock stash again, slowly but surely. I just finished the Giles wavy socks and have cast on for two pairs of plain vanilla socks. I will wear the Giles socks to see if I like the adaptations I made and may tinker with it again.

Lace is my other passion. I have yet to reknit the Faroese shawl I lost  to the sock thief. I just haven't found the right yarn calling to me but my fingers were itching to get some lace on the needles. I found some beautiful knit doilies and I decided to knit Alita first, found here. It is keeping my itching fingers busy and turning out beautifully.

Our first trip

Well, I just typed up a whole post and it disappeared on me. Teach me to save my posts while I am typing them .

 Dakota and I had a very exciting day today. We went into stores for the first time and I must say, he was very well behaved. Someone even commented that he is a well behaved dog :) We made a quick trip into the pharmacy and the Dollar Store. He followed commands well and didn't get distracted by much except people. I am finding that I have to be firm and tell people not to pet him because he is working (despite the badges he has on his vest). Then we went to the bank and he started alerting me because I was tired, and kept it up when we visited the pet store in between the treats he was getting from the owner. He was happy to have me back home and in my chair.

He is now alerting to three things - my hypoglycemia, possibly dangerous fatigue levels, and really dangerous ones when I have taken my sleep medication. For the hypoglycemia, he sits on my chest between me and my knitting and whines. He doesn't stop until about 10 minutes after I have eaten something. For fatigue, if I am up, he whines until I am seated and then lays on my end table with his head resting on me so he can monitor me. He will whine and herd me until I sit. When I take my sleep medication, he whines and barks short barks until I get into bed. It is really interesting how he can differentiate these three things so early. He is only 3 1/2 months old and I know he has a lot more in him. I am excited to see exactly what he is capable of.

I have been exhausted for the past bit and my fibromyalgia is flaring up with the weather changes. I am quickly becoming dependent on Dakota to tell me how I am. I live in such a muddled brain fog, it is often very difficult for me to gauge what I am capable of doing and for how long. Dakota is making me feel not only safer, but somehow vindicated in the way I feel. When I can't think straight, it is hard for me to explain to others how tired I am and sometimes I wondered if it truly was all in my head. Dakota is bringing the way I feel out, so other people get an idea of when I really am not well. He truly has been a blessing to me and I look forward to working with him for many years to come.

Dakota showing off his new vest

By George, I think he has got it!!

Okay, so it doesn't take much for me to get excited these days. A word to the wise - don't let it go too long between puppies. I feel like I have been through the wringer this past month and I KNOW I have a good pup! Dakota is so smart, but just couldn't seem to get the hang of potty training. I coaxed, cajoled, crate trained him, all to no avail. Now I have trained dogs for 40 years and never had one that didn't respond to praise well enough to change his/her behaviour.

Out of desperation I tried food. Well I sure found the way to Dakota's heart is through his stomach in a hurry! He has had a good week and today actually only had two accidents. He has figured out how to tell me he needs out and has been great waiting about two hours before the next pee trip.

We had our second vet visit today and Dakota couldn't wait to get into the examination room.  Forget the deworming and the shots - that man had treats!!!! It is no wonder he weighs in at 26.4 pounds at three months! The vet said not to worry. He is a good, mid of the road weight so I guess we can wait a while before we start laying off the treats. Somehow I think Dakota might have something to say about that if given the chance.

Temperament wise, he is doing well. He is learning fast and I will be starting his special task training soon. He loves to hold things in his mouth, which will work to my benefit when training him to open doors, etc. I am aiming at having him in a mobility harness around 6 months, but that one I will play by ear.

Now come on. You have to love this face!

What the heck is this white stuff???

Just taking a break after chasing the furry teddy bears. Mom calls them cats, but I know different!

The Tortures of a Sleep Disorder

I am in a mood today and just decided I might as well get it out. I sympathize with everyone that has a sleep disorder. If you are chronically tired, please insist on having a sleep study done. It might be something simpler like sleep apnea which is easier to treat, but life threatening if left untreated.

Unfortunately the disorder I have is rare and all they can do is put me on medication to try and stabilize my brain chemicals and to help me get to sleep. My disorder, after seven tests, has come back as "difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep". Hmmm. That means that although I think I am sleeping, my brain does its own funky thing and refuses to stay in the sleep stages or even go into some of the critical ones. Basically I suffer from chronic sleep deprivation and REM (dream) deprivation. Lots of fun - NOT!

I accomplish in a day what most people get done in two hours. I have to have a drug forced nap during the day just to survive. We believe that as a result of the sleep disorder, I also have fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Well duh! If the sleep is not refreshing, then I am bound to be tired all the time.

So my doctor's orders are to reevaluate what I can do and to pretty much stay on bedrest (or in my case, recliner rest) so I don't exhaust myself more. But how does a Type A personality accomplish this???? I needed to do something, to feel useful, to feel fulfilled. So I picked up my knitting again and knit as much as I can. Sometimes projects seem to drag on, sometimes I can get them done quickly depending on how tired I am.

The past 12 years have been a road of self discovery. I spin, as well as machine knit and have fallen in love with natural fibres. Wool is my all time favourite because of its wonderful properties, along with cotton, linen, and the list goes on. I have also realized that I am an artist and my apartment reflects that :) I love to create, I love to design and I love the feel of the fabric in my hands. And just as not every one of us will go to an art gallery and all like the same painting, or like it but for different reasons, not everyone is going to like what I make for them. So I make very little for others. The one thing that has gone over well with everyone is crochet on the double dishcloths and I will make these. Other things are done by special request only and then the recipient is involved in choosing the yarn, pattern, etc.

Just as art gallery work doesn't suit everyone, neither does the art of knitting. I have learned that it is an art, to take pride in it, and not to undervalue myself just because it is "hand made". It is a gift that keeps on giving, and should be treasured as such.

Time Flies When you are training a puppy

It has been so long since I have had such a young pup, I forgot how much time they take. Phew!

Dakota is doing well, learning commands etc. but we have hit a brick wall with the house breaking. He is getting there slowly, but his stubborn streak is showing through :) Why do they call it house breaking anyway? It is more like owner breaking if you ask me :)

His character is showing through now and I can tell that I am going to have to be very dominant with him. I have dealt with dominant dogs before, so I am not worried about that. He is quite the character and is in learning mode. Reminds me of a toddler, pushing the buttons to see what he can get away with :)

In the meantime I seemed to be stalled on my projects. I have a sweater that is 20 rows away from being done but I so hate the sewing up that I think I am procrastinating finishing it. My way around that is I promised it to a friend for her birthday in March, so I will have to get my butt moving.

I did finish a crochet on the double towel (for me at last) and a cloth. I love this technique and it makes wonderful towels and cloths. I am trying to stock up on cloths for gift giving, since everyone likes them so much. I am still working on my Berroco Jenny Tailored Sweater and will have pictures shortly. I am just starting the sleeves and I can't figure out how to get a good picture of what looks like a mess on the needles :)