A new baby girl

Jasmine is our new baby girl, an 8-month-old puppy yellow lab, border collie mix. A "doggy duty" friend of ours works with somebody who asked him to come get his dog or he was going to shoot her with an arrow. She was an abused puppy. When we first got her, it was crazy at first, because she was in heat and Chubs and Bear were all over her (as they are not fixed). This was a totally new experience for me and it was crazy!! We got her fixed and then we kept the girls separated from the boys for a few days, she was with me at all times for about a week. At first, she was quite skittish and frightened. I once got out a broom and started to sweep and she totally freaked out (as if I was going to hit her with it). We laid the broom on the floor, and she would not cross it even with prompting. She is now settling in. She is very playful and cute and really enjoys the "boys" and our little pack. It is nice to have another girl around (we do have a girl cat too). It is a joy to watch her transform into just enjoying being a dog and being herself (which is a great lesson for me). Thank you Jasmine.

Grade IV splenic laceration (not mine but close)

Gary in hospital (with his full beard for werewolf Halloween costume).

Friday last, Gary and I were walking 8 dogs at the Gunnison Bluffs. It is about a 2-mile hike to the Gunnison River. We had 2 pit bulls with us. While we were at the river, we were sitting on the riverbank, snacking on oranges and the dogs were all playing in the tall grass around us. The 2 pit bulls were playing, wrestling, and rolling and just plowed hard into Gary's left back. At the time, he said "ow, my kidney." He was in pain for about 5 minutes but then was fine, and we hiked the 2 miles back to the car. That evening, he took 4 dogs for a bike ride. Then about 1:30 the next morning, he woke up with pain in his left side and radiating up into his left shoulder. He was able to sleep fitfully the rest of the night. The next day at about noon, he doubled over in severe pain. The pain took him to his knees, pain scale that he called 12 out of 10. I promptly took him to the emergency room. Fortunately it was a very unbusy day. They wheeled him right in. Within 5 minutes, he was on pain medication and within 10 minutes, they wheeled him to the CAT scanner. The pain medicine took over immediately and fortunately brought his pain down to a 2. I watched the transformation of the pain medication on his face. The diagnosis was a grade IV splenic laceration (out of 5). They watched him in the critical care unit for a day because at first his blood levels were dropping, then started to come back up, and then stabilized. He was watched for 2 days in the hospital. Fortunately he did not require surgery. Losing a spleen is not a good thing as it makes one more prone to infections. So he is back home now slowly recovering and still in a lot of pain. So I am on doggy duty, household duty, meal duty, driving duty, and still trying to work full-time (not working out too well so far).

Gary has had a lifetime of major medical happenings. It was a freak happening for sure. He wanted to change the story from 2 pit bulls being the culprits, because pit bulls already have a bad name. One of the pit bulls is a shelter dog, and Gary has been working with him to train him. He is a good dog with potential but is still young and is a powerhouse who doesn't realize his own strength.