The day before Reading was hit with more than eighteen-inches of snow, Syrus was acting a little strange. He seemed to be favoring one of his hind legs, at the time I simply thought he must have slept on it improperly and it fell asleep.

After his morning outing, he came into the house walking on three-legs. The hind leg he was favoring was now tucked up under him and he was not using it to walk. I was not fond of the idea of taking Syrus to the Vet, the reason being I was not happy with the level of care he received at this particular office. While in work, my wife spoke with a friend of hers and got a recommendation for another animal hospital.

Later that evening my wife called the Veterinarian and made an appointment for them to see Syrus and take a look at his leg. My wife and I were under the impression Syrus must have pulled a muscle and the technician on the phone agreed with this assessment.

The following evening we were scheduled to take Syrus over to the Vet’s office but had to reschedule due to a tremendous amount of snow and made plans to visit the office the following Monday. As the appointment grew nearer, Syrus was getting better. Over the course of a few days he began using his hind leg part of the time, and before long was running around as if nothing was wrong.

When Monday rolled around, Syrus was running and playing as normal but wouldn’t sit on his hind leg. He would sort of drop down onto his butt then lean heavily in on direction, almost as if he was lounging rather than sitting. This was unlike him, so we took him in to the see the Vet as planned.

After a miserable experience with out previous Veterinarian, I didn’t have high hopes for the visit going all that well. The same stigma that follows Syrus’ breed apparently wasn’t halted at the door of his previous Veterinarian, so my wife and I expected the same sort of smug attitude with this new care-giver.

Amazingly, we were completely wrong. From the moment we walked into the waiting room, the receptionist was kind and praised Syrus the instant she laid eyes on him. Before long a second receptionist was leaning over the counter to pet and praise Syrus. A few minutes later we were making our way back into the exam rooms. The whole way back our technician was playful with Syrus and made not only him, but my wife and I, very comfortable.

When we got into the exam room, the technician was on the floor patting and praising Syrus. After a little play and a quick pre-exam, she had all the information needed to present to the doctor. A few minutes later the Veterinarian entered the room and once again I was surprised by how kind he was. Before the exam, he was down on the floor scratching and patting Syrus to make him comfortable.

Before leaving the office, the technician informed us that Syrus had a bit of a temperature. This information, paired with the problem with Syrus’ leg lead the doctor to suspect he may have Lyme Disease. Before the blood test was to be performed, the Veterinarian checked out our pups leg to ensure that he had full range of motion and wasn’t favoring one leg over the other. It turns out that Syrus’ had a slight problem with his range of motion in his one hind leg and was putting more weight on his good leg.

After the exam, the doctor left us and called on the technician to draw some blood and test for Lyme Disease. Despite Syrus’ playful nature, he remained still enough to allow the technicians to draw the required amount of blood. While taking her sample, the technician made mention that Syrus couldn’t have scored any higher for his ability to give blood. Our pooch didn’t even seem to notice that there was a needle in his leg.

After the blood was drawn, the technicians left us to wait while they tested the sample for Lyme. Syrus seemed bummed out that his new friends left him and he was moping around the exam room and whining quietly. After about ten minutes we were joined once again by the doctor.

We were informed that Syrus’ tested positive for Lyme Disease and that it was definitely the cause for his limp. It would seem that one of the symptoms of Lyme is a lame leg in addition to running a fever. The doctor gave us an antibiotic for treat the Lyme, pain medication to make Syrus more comfortable and reduce his fever, and a specimen cup for me to somehow collect a urine sample to be tested for full kidney function.

After paying for treatment, my wife and I headed home. With Syrus sleeping in the back seat, we got to talking about our visit. We agreed that this Animal Hospital was the one for us and our previous care-giver was no longer going to see Syrus. Everyone from the receptionist, to the technicians, to the veterinarian, was kind and made sure that Syrus was comfortable and happy.

We have a follow up appointment scheduled to check the progress of the antibiotics and see how Syrus is doing. After our first visit I no longer have doubts about it being a miserable experience and look forward to checking on Syrus’ progress.

If you ever find yourself in the Reading Area and need to have you animal checked out, I would highly recommend giving Willow Creek Animal Hospital a try. We were thrilled with the level of service provided to us and our pooch.

Post from: Walt in PA

Syrus gets a new Veterinarian

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2. My Clingy Pit Bull

While this is all going on, we generally let Syrus out into the yard one last time before we settle down for the night. At some point during the routine, Syrus is let in and he becomes a shadow at our feet. He knows that bed time is near and that he can’t enter the bedroom without our permission. So, he follows us around knowing that one of us will eventually make our way to bed mere minutes ahead of the other.

After getting green light to enter the bedroom, Syrus bolts for the bed. He will jump up onto the bed and lay down near the foot. He will stay there, eyes and ears alert until the other one of us comes to bed. Once that happens, he usually picks a spot on top of the covers, at the foot, to go to sleep.

I’ve said before that I have a very clingy Pit Bull. Even at the foot of the bed, Syrus isn’t happy unless he is laying against my wife, or me. Throughout the night, Syrus creeps up towards the head of the bed. On occasion, I’ve woken up to him adjusting himself in his sleep while nuzzling up firmly against my back. Depending on how irritable I am from being woken up by a tossing and turning dog, I’ll either let him be or wake him up to be sent back down to the foot of the bed.

A few weeks ago I had a similar experience, although when I awoke, all I could do was laugh. After having gone to bed with Syrus planted firmly against the back of my legs, I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of snoring. The snoring isn’t unusual, but it was a little louder than usual.

In my sleep I seemingly rolled onto my left side and had my left arm out in front of me, at a ninety-degree angle. My right arm was on my right side. With my eyes half open, in a not completely coherent state, I felt something on my arm. I felt hair, which was far too short and wiry to belong to my wife. As I began to realize that it must be Syrus laying on my arm, my attention was drawn back to the snoring.

The surprisingly loud snoring had me thinking about waking Syrus up. From time to time he sleeps on his back with all four paws up in the air. In this position he tends to make a racket for such a small animal. Just as I was about to shake off the thought and go back to sleep, I felt warm air on my neck.

Still in a not-completely-coherent state, I wasn’t able to put everything together. I closed my eyes the rest of the way and tried to go back to sleep when it hit me. My eyes popped open and I moved my head so that I could focus on what was going on.

Not three inches in front of my face, clear as a bell, was the head of my sleeping Pit Bull. In the night he must have creeped up towards the head of the bed and made it further than usual without waking someone up. He found my arm sticking out and thought it would make for a good pillow.

Here I am, in the middle of the night, jarred from my slumber to find my dog sleeping next to me with his head on my bicep. We are face to face, mere inches apart, so it is no wonder why the snoring seemed louder than usual.

Dumbfounded, I pulled my arm out from under Syrus’ head. As I did, I jarred him from his peaceful sleep. For a brief moment we both did nothing but look at the other with a dumbfounded look on our faces (Pit Bulls make some hysterical facial expressions). As if to break the tension, Syrus gave me a quick lick on the chin before noisily rolling over and nuzzling up against my wife. I took Syrus’ lead and rolled over to go back to sleep. As I laid there thinking about the events that unfolded just a minute ago, all I go do was laugh before drifting away.

Under normal circumstances, I would have sent Syrus back to the foot of the bed. Because all I could manage to do was laugh, and he didn’t seem to be bothering my wife, I let him be. I find it amazing how our dog always has this urge to be with us. It is as if just being close isn’t enough, he wants to be right there in the thick of things. Even during odd jobs around the house, he would rather follow you around to watch what you were doing rather than find a nice warm spot to curl up and sleep.

While the cuddly, always need to be around you, personality of Syrus is really cool at times, we definitely need to nix it when it comes to bed time. I don’t mind him sleeping at the foot of the bed but I’m not fond of him encroaching on personal space while my wife and I sleep.

Post from: Walt in PA

Woke up to Syrus using my arm for a pillow

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1. My Clingy Pit Bull

Pit Bulls are a very special breed of dog. They get a very bad rap, which in many cases they do not deserve. This post is not meant to change your opinion on the breed, but to point out a personality quirk of my own dog Syrus.

When my wife and I adopted Syrus, we began doing a lot of research on the breed. One of the many things we learned was that Pit Bulls are very loyal to their owners. In fact, I read one opinion piece that I found rather striking. It went on to say that the Pit Bull breed isn’t the type that will pull you from a burning building, instead it will curl up on your lap and stay with you until the bitter end.

It is this personality trait in my dog that is both awesome and annoying at times. You see, Syrus can be extremely clingy. Have you ever had a child climb up in your lap, wrap their arms around your neck and hold on? Its nice right, getting that loving hug from a child. Now have you ever had that same child not know when enough is enough and not let go. The embrace has gone on too long and you just want space, which the child isn’t willing to give.

Syrus can be very much the same way. My wife and I set boundaries for our dog. He is only allowed to freely climb up on one piece of furniture within the living room, and that is an old chair that neither of us use. He may come up on the sofa, but only if invited. Any other time he tries to come on up, we tell him “off” and we do not back down just because he looks cute.

On those occasions where we let him up onto the sofa with us, or sit on the floor, Syrus likes to climb into your lap. At roughly fifty-pounds, he isn’t what I would consider a lap dog. Sitting next to you is not good enough for him and he feels the need to be sitting on you. Next thing he will do, if you allow it, is he will place his head on your shoulder or place it against your face.

Sounds kind of sweet right? It is at first, but it doesn’t take long to get old. Because he is primarily American Pit Bull Terrier, he has a relatively small body size with a lot of muscle structure. The muscles are what make him so heavy and solid. While fifty-pounds may not seem like much, when it drops into your lap in the form of a relatively small frame, it isn’t very comfortable.

The amazing thing is that if you don’t move Syrus from your lap, he will just stay there. It is pure unconditional love from an animal that seems as though he wants nothing more than to just cuddle up with his owners.

The photo at the head of this post was taken on November 7th, 2009. I came home from a long day at work and was checking my blackberry while sitting on the sofa. Syrus was sitting at my feet staring at me, as if waiting for me to tell him to come on up. I told him it was okay and in no time he was on my lap. I reached out and snapped the photo with my phone, which is a pretty good example of how he likes to sit with my wife and I.

Post from: Walt in PA

My Clingy Pit Bull

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Instead of forcing a review, I fired up the camera and went with a Shooting The Breeze format. I decided to simply shoot from the hip and talk about whatever came to mind. The topic that came to mind, and wound up lasting twenty minutes, was more on my pup Syrus.

Post from: Walt in PA

Shooting The Breeze: More Dog Talk

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Today I went to visit my Mother for Mothers Day and decided to bring Syrus along to meet my nieces and nephews. While visiting I was able to see first hand the difference between a dog with zero obedience training and Syrus with four weeks worth. The difference was incredible and I can’t express how proud I was of Syrus when he responded to practically every command I gave him during our visit.

Post from: Walt in PA

Shooting The Breeze: Dog Training Progression

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Another dog training week has come and gone, but this time the weather was actually pleasant! After an orientation with snow flurries, a week of rain and mud, and a thunderstorm which canceled a class, I was loosing hope in actually having a nice night to train the pup. After a ridiculously hot April day reaching 91 degrees, temperatures dropped towards the evening and made for a nice night.

Week three of training started off like any other week, I arrived early with Syrus and we took a walk to allow him to take in all of the smells in the grass. As time passed, more dogs arrived and Syrus was hardly vocal at all and seemed to be getting used to being around other dogs.

We worked on longer heeling patterns as well as Sit, Down, and Stay. Syrus did very well with everything except heeling while walking. I am struggling with getting him to pay attention to me and not sniffing the grass as we walk along. This makes it extremely difficult to change direction as we walk without him hitting the end of the leash and being forced to move back into the heel position.

Post from: Walt in PA

Shooting The Breeze: Dog Training Week 3

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At 6:00 PM my wife and I packed up the car and headed out to class. As we drove down the highway, the skies to the west (where we were headed) were dark gray with random beams of sunshine punching through. Those beams of sunshine quickly disappeared as we got closer to class.

When we arrived, the skies were gray but the temperature wasn’t bad. I got out of the car and took Syrus for a little walk around the field to get warmed up. Before long the wind began to pick up and the temperature dropped. I threw on a sweatshirt over my t-shirt and continued right along.

A few minutes later a few random raindrops began to fall, the wind picked up, and the temperature dropped a little more. I headed back to my car and put on my jacket to keep relatively dry and warm. After class got underway, the rain steadily increased.

About a half hour into our one hour session, lightning began to illuminate the sky and thunder spooked the dogs. Syrus was so shook up that he refused to take food or listen to any commands given. Seeing all of the dogs reactions, the instructor told us to go home and that we would simply make up a half hour next week.

So far classes have looked like this:

• Orientation (Tuesday) – Snow Flurries & Windy
• Week 1 Class (Tuesday) – Rainy and cold
• Week 2 Class (Tuesday) – Thunderstorm, class ended early

Post from: Walt in PA

Shooting The Breeze: Dog Training Week 2

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Just a few minutes before writing this post, I walked through my front door with Syrus. Our first Dog Training class was complete and I couldn’t be happier with the little guy. We had a couple of stressful moments but in the end it exceeded my expectations.

Just like kid on his first day if high school, I had a couple of butterflies in my stomach as we approached zero-hour. After the reaction Syrus gave other dogs during his first vet visit, I didn’t have high hopes for him behaving during class.

An hour before class was to start, I packed up our stuff and my wife and I headed out to class. We got there about a half-hour early so that Syrus could get comfortable with the field and do all his sniffing and investigating before class started. We were one of the first people to arrive so we have a large portion of the field to walk Syrus in.

As more people showed up, things began getting a little closer and Syrus was becoming more vocal and excited with the other dogs. On a few occasions he thrashed his body around and made a horrible howling/barking/screaming sort of noise but was easy to get under control.

When the trainer arrived we all needed to get closer together so that we could hear him speak. Before getting into the group, Syrus seemed to have an issue with this very large dog that was being walked near us. This dogs name was Thor and he looked to be some sort of Saint Bernard mix (read: 100+ pounds heavier than Syrus).

When it was time to get together, Syrus and Thor were about 8 feet apart. This immediately sent Syrus into one of his barking/shreaking frenzies. Out of courtesy, I pulled Syrus aside and set myself apart from the group. I moved far enough away that Syrus was no longer reactive (~20 feet). The trainer thanked me for being courteous but asked that I move back to where I was initially. He explained that Syrus was part of the group and that he would have to get used to being in such close quarters with another animal.

When the class got underway, Syrus paid little attention to Thor and was hardly vocal at all. He would occasionally whine and throw out a random bark but was otherwise very relaxed. We worked on learning the heel position and getting the dog to move into it. We also did a little work on walking with our dogs and getting them to pay attention to where we stopped and having them move into the heel position from there.

After the class was complete the trainer complimented us on all of our dogs. He went on to say that the first class went better than he expected. All of the dogs responded very well to treats and there wasn’t a single incident where a dog acted out and became difficult to control.

While waiting for the trainer after class, I spoke briefly with his assistant. She complimented me on Syrus’ attention. It seems that while my eyes were on the Trainer, while he talked, Syrus repeatedly looked up at me for direction. I didn’t realize he was doing it and was thrilled to hear about it.

With week one in the books, and some homework to work on, I’m excited to get started with week two. I’m sure Syrus will become more relaxed as we progress and things will get even easier as we go.

Post from: Walt in PA

First Dog Traininig Class in the Books

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This post comes a little later than usual. After a long day of yard work yesterday, and an unexpected visit, I just didn’t feel like writing up something before calling it a night. The topic I wanted to touch on was Dog Training Classes.

I’m not sure if I mentioned it before, but Syrus is scheduled to attend his very first formal obedience training class tonight. This class consists of about 10 other dogs and two instructors. They are essentially training us how to train our dogs.

At orientation day last week (without dogs), we were informed that it is an hour long session that is held outdoors (rain or shine). Classes run for 8 weeks and are supposed to teach us how to train our dogs to follow standard commands, such as, Sit, Stay, Down, Heel, and how to properly walk on a leash.

I spoke with my designated instructor last night (there are about 10 spread between 5 groups). He seems like a very capable guy with impressive dogs (pair of Golden Retrievers). After informing him of Syrus’ potential dog aggressive streak, he did not seem concerned at all.

I’ll have my wife bring along her camera as well as my Flip Mino and try and put together an update of the first class tomorrow. Wish us luck!

Post from: Walt in PA

Training Starts Tonight

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It seems that this toy didn’t stand a chance against a dog that is hard on toys. On Saturday night I looked over at Syrus and saw him on the floor with a small ball in his mouth. Upon closer inspection I found it to be the same ball that was inside the Kong Wubba Toy.

A very short distance from where he was laying I found the mutilated Kong Wubba. Its a shame because I thought that this toy was a winner, guess I’ll have to go back to looking for something a little more durable. He sure did love it while it lasted though.

Post from: Walt in PA

R.I.P. Kong Wubba

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