Day 8 - Friday, January 16, 2009

Lana slept through most of the night, only waking up a few times, and then only to lift her head, look around for a bit, and go back to sleep again.
I had not put her on my bed this time, because she was so groggy, and I didn't want to risk her falling off so she slept in her bed on the floor.

When the alarm went off this morning she hopped out of her bed as if nothing had happened, wagged her tail, and followed me around. I carried her downstairs (she'll still not walk the main staircase), and she was eager to go out, running around outside in the snow and sniffing extensively.

When she came back and spotted Richthofen, our big orange cat, in the hallway she went for him - that's when I knew she was back!

Peed in the kitchen twice too....

She didn't want to eat at first, but when the rotisserie chicken came out of the refrigerator Lana decided the fast was over and went for it - emptied a whole bowl of food and didn't have to vomit.

She still hasn't put on a whole lot of weight, so besides her food she's constantly getting rewards for good behavior - all healthy treats, of course.

Problem is that the chis also expect a treat, when Lana gets one, no matter that they didn't do anything to earn one (after all, she is on the bottom end of the pack), but I guess they think looking cute warrants a reward.

They are so right!

Lana might not have woken up from the anesthesia as quickly as a younger dog would have, but she didn't need 3 days to get back to her old self either, which we thought she would.

When I had to go to work I left her in the room with Tom, and she immediately went to sleep.

I made my daily phone call home around noon, and Tom said Lana was doing very well. He had a long session with her, just sitting next to her, scratching her ears, and reassuring her.

Her incision doesn't seem to be bothering her, and we're relieved we don't have to experience the joys of the canine heat cycle.

I opened the local newspaper during lunch break and there was a picture of Lana staring back at me! The Humane Society puts adoption ads in the paper on a regular basis and this time it was Lana's turn.

I'm wondering if anybody will inquire and that brings up the next problem: what if somebody wants to adopt her soon - will we be able to let go?

I'd sure like to get her housetrained before she leaves so her new parents won't get upset with her.

I have read up on the problem and since I'm off for the next 3 days and can constantly supervise Lana, I'll see if she can learn and make progress.

I've heard that it's hard to get dogs over 5 years of age potty trained, but poodles are the second smartest breed, right?