10:09pm: Finally! An update!!!
I apologize for not updating lately. Things have been pretty crazy with the little critter and with work. Work-wise, we moved the lab I work in to a different building, so there was lots of packing and then unpacking and organizing. I also leave to go on a research cruise on Sunday, so I've been getting stuff ready for that.
The pup was a little too loud in my old apartment, I think, and got herself kicked out, so we are currently living with my boss/advisor, who has been so completely wonderful and tolerant during this whole ordeal, as Maggie is a herding dog and likes to chase, and she has great fun chasing her new Italian Greyhound housemates, who are "senior" dogs and much prefer not to be chased. She was a little pill at first, which her puppy class trainer was saying could be due to the move, but the past day or so she's come around and has started to behave herself again. I bought her a Gentle Leader in order to try to stop her from bothering them. I give a quick tug on the leash attached to the Gentle Leader, which turns her head toward me, while saying "leave it." This momentarily gets her attention away from the other dog(s), and I give her a treat. She's caught on pretty quickly, and now she's starting to not even need the head collar. Hopefully a few more days will cement it more into her brain.
Maggie also learned to fetch, with the yellow bouncy squeaky ball she loves so much. I'm quite excited about this, as now I can sit in one place and let her exercise herself. Excellent.
And now, for the obligatory photos...
The most recent of the photos I have uploaded of Maggie, this one is right after going on a walk, which is why she's panting. She's become a very good loose-leash walker, as long as other dogs aren't around. Have been trying the Gentle Leader a bit for that, too.
Maggie chewing on State of Fear, a book that completely skews the scientific facts concerning global warming. Too bad Michael Crichton knew that no lay reader was going to go back through and really check his references to see if he interpreted them correctly.
From May 5...she had her first trip to the groomer. She was so pretty and fluffy when she came home.
That's all for now...but hopefully I'll get the chance to post again soon.
7:37pm: Another video post.
Went to the vet on Tuesday and got Maggie checked out, and he said that she indeed does NOT have parvo, but might have some other gastrointestinal upset, so he gave her another antibiotic. Since very early Tuesday AM, she's been doing fine, though, and has actually gotten used to taking her anti-vomiting medicine by syringe and doesn't squirm nearly as much. I'm so proud of her.
Because we got the parvo OK, we went to the her first puppy class, which was a lot of fun. There was only one other puppy there this week, although the trainer said that usually a lot of people miss the first week. She did get to play with the other pup, who was a husky/german shepherd mix, so he got a little rough at times and I think Maggie was a little intimidated, but she still loved getting to play with another dog. I'm looking forward to next week--I think that learning commands around other dogs will be really good for her, since she seems to lose focus easily/has very selective hearing.
Anyway, I don't have any new photos, but thought I'd post an old video of Maggie chasing her tail.
12:27pm: Lunchtime update
I just got a call from the vet Maggie and I saw at the emergency clinic, and he said that the parvo test they had sent out to a lab came back negative! I'm so happy! However, I'm still going to take Maggie into the (regular) vet today just to get her checked out. I'd rather be safe than sorry with my little pup.
7:18pm: Maggie seems to be feeling better.
So Maggie, my "sick" little puppy, sure did have a lot of energy today. She was barking at a Diet Coke can that I had on my coffee table this afternoon, so I decided to give it to her to see what she would do...the results were pretty funny, in my opinion.
I called the vet today, who I guess had looked at the results of the parvo test that the emergency vet sent out to get analyzed, and said that with her current symptoms, she probably doesn't have parvo, although I should still keep a close eye on her. As of now, there's still no vomiting, which is a very good sign. And, as you can see from the video, she hasn't lost a lot of her energy. So, things are looking optimistic today. If I'm lucky, I'll just bring her in on Friday for her scheduled shots and get her looked over then.
1:49pm: Poor little thing
Maggie might have parvo :(:( I took her to the emergency vet this morning after I woke up at 6 AM and discovered she had one of the symptoms (won't get into gross details). They did a test and she was positive, but the vet stressed that he had seen false positives before and that the best thing for me to do right now is to take her home and watch her and make sure that she doesn't start vomiting, which she has not at this point. If she does, he gave me a prescription to fill and give to her, and I can always take her back since it's a 24-hour clinic. I'm very happy to have it near me. For now, I'm glad that she's okay and that if she does indeed have parvo I noticed the early symptoms so I can take her back in if she gets any worse, and I should be able to help prevent her from getting dehydrated.
On a more upbeat side, I thought I'd post some pictures from a few days ago when Maggie stole my shoes. My advisor/boss plays with Maggie and lets her chew on shoelaces, so I'm not sure if Maggie's shoe fetish is an extension of that, or of something that she picked up as a puppy at the breeder's. Maybe a little bit of both. :) At least she hasn't destroyed any shoes yet.
Yes, she put my shoe in her crate, along with the rest of her toys.
7:29pm: Maggie had a bath today.
Maggie has been getting dirty lately, as most puppies do, so I needed to give her a bath today...took a few photos and a video because it was so cute.
We went to the farmer's market this morning, where we met several dogs, including an adult Sheltie and a teacup Yorkie puppy named Nickel (short for Nicholas) who Maggie played and played with...they were having a great time. Nickel's owner said they would be back next Saturday, so hopefully Maggie will get to play with him again.
I also went to a dog show for a while in the afternoon while Maggie napped (dogs not participating in the show aren't allowed at shows, generally) and I met one of, if not THE top-ranked Sheltie in the country, Zak. Such a beautiful and friendly dog. So that was cool, and got me thinking more about maybe getting into breeding in the (distant) future.
6:20pm: Squeak!
Today I've decided to post some video of Maggie playing with one of her squeaky toys, which she adores. Once she figures out where the squeaker is, she really gets excited. It's pretty cute.
6:06pm: Update already!
Dad mentioned that he hasn't seen any updates lately, so I thought I should add one just for him. Here's some video of Maggie playing outside last week:
6:27pm: Too cute!
In order to keep Maggie entertained during the day, my advisor decided to put Maggie in a box of paper for recycling that the puppy had been chewing on. She then got really excited about the paper, too, and had a great time playing, as you can see in this video. I had to run and get my camera because this was just too cute.
Also on today's agenda was some fun outside time to keep the pup happy. She did some digging, as well as chewing on a large tree-like plant:
6:33pm: First weekday
Maggie came to work with me today, since she's too little to stay at home by herself all day and needs to be let out frequently. She was generally a good girl, although she did go wandering a bit. She loves taking breaks throughout the day to play outside. And I figure if I work from 8 AM to 6 PM without a lunch break, with her around, I should have worked about 8 hours. :)
Maggie slyly looking around the corner in my office.
10:04pm: Maggie's first full day in Florida
Decided to hang around my apartment today and work on stuff at home so that Maggie could get used to her new environment. (There were also tornado watches out.) Got some cute pictures. I feel like I've been taking tons of pictures, but at the same time I don't feel too crazy because they're really not puppies for too long. Or at least that's how I rationalize it. :)
5:18pm: The trip to Florida
Maggie and I said goodbye to Iowa this morning and flew back to Florida. She was very well behaved and slept for most of the plane ride. She met lots of kids on the plane and in the airport and responded very well to them.
Some video from the airport:
We also went to a friend's party when we got home, where I and the other party guests discovered that Maggie likes to spend time in small spaces. Particularly, she liked to sit under Jennifer's grill, and fell asleep on top of a cookie sheet that had been placed there.
1:46pm: Maggie's first day with her new family
Mom, Dad, and I picked Maggie up early in the morning and got to meet her litter brother and her mother, as well as a few of the other dogs she's bred and a few puppies from another litter. Mom thought I should get this really tiny girl, as she has a thing for the smallest puppy in each litter (why she chose Billie, I think), but I loved Maggie when I met her and decided to stick with my original plan. I took her to the vet, and she seems to be in good health, although the vet did say she could stand to gain some weight. I don't think fattening her up with treats will be a problem.
Some photos for the enjoyment of the readers:
A photo of Maggie in her carrier during the ride home.
Maggie all tired out after getting back to Dad's house and playing for a bit.
Falling asleep on Dad's couch. She loves to sleep on her back.
8:40am: Billie video
While I'm waiting to go get Maggie, thought I would post some old video (c. 2005) of my first Sheltie, Billie. She's almost 15 years old in the video. What a sweetie.
worried
mischievous
bouncy
nostalgic