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06/21/05 Tuesday: 11:45 am -- Good news from the vet! Rudy's back wound was all superficial and the dead chunk was removed easily. His other wounds were cleaned up while he was under. He did lose 19 teeth (dogs have 42). He is just beginning to come out of anethesia. The vet will keep him on IV all day and I can get him tonight.

7pm -- Rudy was awake when I picked him up from the vet. They gave me a surgical scrub to use once a day on his back and butt wounds (then rinse), and two kinds of ointment. One I put on for 2 days, then switch to the other ointment which is a drying agent until he goes back to the vet next Tuesday. He still will be taking his pain med, 2 kinds of antibiotics, and thyroid pills twice a day. My husband carried the little guy to our van and put Rudy in his crate. When we got home, he carried Rudy out to the backyard for me to potty him. He peed a tiny bit and pooped (first poop in 4 days). At 9pm, I took him out again and this time he walked on-leash. He took a big pee, then walked back inside to his crate and snuggled down for a good night's sleep!

06/22/05 Wednesday: Rudy didn't eat much of his breakfast, but by noon his appetite was coming back and he finished off what he left this morning. I still walk him out on leash, and he has found his personal "potty spot" on the portion of my yeard that is fenced off for new Shelties to be away from the rest of my dogs. I discovered he did not know how to potty on the concrete in the quarantine dog pen -- he prefers grass! Now I'm the one who sits patiently in the dog pen (with the door open), and waits for him to potty. I sit down and sideways to be the least possible threat to him, and give him back the Calming Signals he gives me. (This is what we use with Shelties that are afraid or unsocialized, and the same method I used on my Lucy Blue.) Rudy would come into the pen and walk around, but not right up to me. I didn't look at him or call him -- being pushy with a Sheltie will always drive the dog away from you. Then it takes 3 times as long to earn a dog's trust. I have to wait until he decides to trust me enough to come to me -- lots of patience is the key. At 9:30pm (last call), I walked him out and back in on-leash as usual. When we entered the house, I unclipped his leash. He had graduated from bolting into when I walked him to the front door of his crate, to walking nicely to his crate, to being let off -eash just inside the door. Now he calmly strolls to it knowing nothing bad is going to happen to him. He did something different in the middle of his walk to his crate. He decided to explore! My husb and I kept very quiet and did not stare at him or talk to him. My Shelties and visiting Shelties were all laying around the Great Room -- all tired from a busy day of playing. Perfect for Rudy to explore! He even went to the middle of the room and plopped down!! I got the Cheeze Whiz, and he followed me to the dining room and the kitchen! Tomorrow, I will begin Clicker Training with him! Rudy's basic training begins! Check out our Guidelines to Help Unsocialized Shelties -- this is the program I will begin with Rudy now that he is feeling much better. This little boy has made an amazing come-back in such a short time!!!

06/28/05 Tuesday: Rudy had his check up this morning, and he is doing very well considering how sick and injured he was when he came into rescue. He has been coughing since his surgery, and I suspected he was developing kennel cough. Bummer -- the vet verified that he does have kennel cough -- not unexpected after being in Animal Control. He is still not well enough to receive his vaccinations. The vet refilled his antibiotic and put some ointment on his back. Rudy goes for another vet visit July 13th.

Rudy's character is starting to come out now, and he sure is a cutie. He wasn't fond of the ointment on his back, so when we got home, he trotted over to the hall wall (which is white), and proceeded to walk along the wall and rub the gunk off of his back. Then he turned to me with the cutest smile I have ever seen!

Rudy does like the clicker now and he is giving me lots of eye contact for those clicks. I know he understands it's the clicker that is the reason he is getting the treats and not just the treats. When I stopped, he touched the clicker then looked at me -- not at the treats in my other hand! He wanted that clicker to click again! He did this twice, so I know he knows what the clicker means!

I had carried him into the van, into the vet, then back to the van -- I knew he was not ready to walk on a leash in a scary situation yet. When I got him home, I let him walk from the van into the house -- he was nervous, but I talked to him all the way and he walked glued to my leg right into the house!!!! He also had a choke chain on just in case he decided to panic on me.

Last night, he decided he no longer wanted to be in the Great Room all by himself at night -- he wanted to be with the rest of the pack. He kept giving lonely little woofs after the lights were out. So I hauled a smaller crate up from the basement and put it by my bed -- he was happy as a clam. :) He won't be a happy camper tonight -- since I know for sure he has kennel cough, he will have to go back to his crate in the Great Room. I just hope my guys don't come down with it now.