Sick Puppy

Bruin is sick.  Yesterday after work, he wasn’t acting completely normal…kind of skiddish and wasn’t very interested in his dinner which has never once happened before.  He ate it after a few minutes, and then really started to act strange.  He was shaky and just wanted to sit or lay around…very different from his usual crazy behavior in the evening.

I thought fresh air might help...

He ended up losing his dinner, so I made him some “chickie rice” for today.  By the time the Closer came on last night he was playing and growling at me like usual, so I thought he was better.

This morning, he had what we’ll call a bathroom issue – but it was outside and he didn’t bark to go out any earlier than usual, so I didn’t think too much of it.  I fed him his beloved chickie rice, and put him back in bed with the boyfriend. 

I usually come home at lunch to let him out, and today was no different.  Except that I knew something was wrong the second I opened the basement door.  We keep Bruin upstairs in the kitchen – with toys, his favorite bed and blankets – and I could tell there had been a bathroom issue or two.

Not to be gross, but it was everywhere.  On the walls, on all of his toys and blankets.  I called my boss to let her know I wouldn’t be coming back and got to work cleaning it up.  It took three complete floor washings for me to even begin to think I was making progress.

I made enough chickie rice to last the little guy a week…and fed him some for dinner a bit ago…but he’s still not acting quite right.  He’s tired and not himself.  I don’t want to just assume that he’s ok and needs to get it out of his system, so the vet is going to see us at 8:20pm.  The first time I called, the bitch, I mean receptionist told me there was no way I could get him in until tomorrow night.  WHAT?  He’s sick NOW.  So I called back 10 minutes later, got someone else on the phone, and what do you know?  We are in.

I hope he’s ok.  I worry about him like he’s my baby.  I wish he could tell me what hurts.  Poor Bruin.

UPDATE:  We’re back from the vet, and Bruin has an intestinal virus and is on meds.  He should be better in a few days…fingers crossed!

Bruin’s First Swim!

We took Bruin to Brad’s parents house today.  I wanted to lay out since it was so gorgeous out.  But, the day quickly became all about Bruin – as took it usually does.  He went for his first swim.  Brad took him out about 10 feet from the steps, I stood on the steps, and the little guy swam over to me…four times!  It was so cute.  He wasn’t a fan of it so much, but it did cool him down. 

He woke us up at 6:20 a.m. this morning (I think it was payback for going out last night), so after his adventurous afternoon, he’s completely wiped out!

Bruin’s 1st Birthday

Today is Bruin’s first birthday. It’s hard to believe he’s already one. We got him Labor Day weekend when he was 12 weeks old. Now, nine months later, he’s pretty much taken over our lives. So, on Sunday, we threw the little guy a birthday party.

Invitations were printed and mailed, the house was cleaned top to bottom, and after about six separate trips to Giant Eagle, two visits to the beer distributor and a frantic call to a friend to see if she could pick up the cupcakes, we had about 20 people celebrate with us.

You should have seen some of the looks I got from people I work with when I told them we had this elaborate party for him. Am I a crazy, over-the-top dog owner? Maybe. But, I really don’t care. Bruin is the sweetest, cutest, most well-behaved little boston terrier. He deserved a birthday party. He’s basically been the perfect dog since day one.

We invited family, friends and neighbors, and pretty much everyone who was invited came. There were more people at our house yesterday for Bruin than at my birthday and Brad’s last year…combined. The food was great. Brad’s dad made his famous huge burgers, and my pasta salad turned out pretty well. (It’s nice to know I can make noodles, chop veggies and mix them all together .) Coco’s cupcakes – in Vanilla Vanilla, Chocolate Chocolate, the Audrey, the Ellsworth and Cabernet – were completely fabulous. And, there was good wine. What more could a puppy ask for?

I know the pet business is booming. 10 years ago, people bought their dog toys and food at the grocery store and were limited to what the store carried. Now, there are specialty stores that cater to every dog’s potential need. Dogs go on vacation. They go to spas. They eat organic food. Well, I’m happy (and I’ll admit, proud) to report that we, and our friends and family, our doing our part to uphold the trend.

Everyone brought presents. Some brought multiple presents. My sister went crazy over her only nephew’s first birthday and bought him nine new toys. It’s not like he was toy-deprived before. But, his collection at least tripled on Sunday. We need to get him a new toy box.

My parents live out of state and couldn’t make it (my mom called Sunday morning with “tears in her eyes” at the thought of missing it), but they sent gifts. I have never seen a dog so genuinely interested in opening gifts before. He got excited over every bag, every card and every gift. When one bag was empty, he patiently waited for me to get the next one. I really need to invest in a video camera.

He didn’t just get toys though. Brad’s grandma got him a hooded, terry cloth bath towel. The hood is a puppy’s face. It is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen, and I’m really looking forward to giving Bruin a bath just to see him in it (and of course take probably 40 pictures). He got two new doggie mats, a cute tote bag, more treats than his digestive system will ever be able to handle, and gift cards. Yep, Bruin gets to go shopping!

Then there was his birthday cake – made especially for dogs and decorated in blue and white. I stuck a sparkly “1” candle in it, and we sang. He loved every second of it. Especially the part when mommy let him eat some of it.

All in all, it was a huge success. I had fun. Brad had fun. Bruin had fun. I think everyone else did too. I woke up this morning (and tried not to think about everything I needed to clean up before leaving for work) and the first email I saw on my BlackBerry was from Les who asked, “Do I tell people I am hung over from a dog’s birthday party or do I keep that to myself?”

Tonight, his “real” birthday, will not be forgotten either. We have the pupcake Coco’s gave us…I think I’ll stick the candle back in it, and we’ll sing to him again. Why not? You only turn one once.