Note from my house sitter.

Hi! This is The Mom. As Buddy told you I recently spent a week in lovely Mexico with Gman and gaggle of friends...ahhh, paradise.

It was my first time leaving the disabled dog alone, so as you can imagine I was a little nervous. Ok, I'll be honest - I freaked out!!! What if Buddy goes on a hunger strike? What if Maxim eats...well...anything (blanket, pillows, couch, TV). What if they get sick and no one notices? The stairs, too many stairs!! What if he leaves the stove on? Gasp, gasp, gasp.

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The dog sitter did amazing though, the boys are happy, healthy, and a little chunkier than when we left (how many treats did they get a day, I wonder?). Buddy has learned a new trick. While we were gone I put all treats/bones/toys on the window ledge for easy access for dog sitter. Buddy will now go and stand with his nose to the wall, chirp the most pitiful little chirps, and "stare" up at the treats. Some might call this begging, I just call it adorable. Of course, we will be nipping this little trick in the bud soon. But for now I just bask in the joy that my blind dog can position himself exactly where the tasty treats are, even though there is a 4 foot upwards distance between them and him.

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Our sitter was excellent, he texted me updates every day so I wouldn't worry (actually, probably so I wouldn't call him constantly - but whatever, it worked). The texts usually included some kind of "both tails are wagging" comment, which warmed my heart every time. I think the boys miss him now, we might have to arrange play dates ;)

Here is the letter from our sitter:

Hope you guys had a great time! Everything was and is fine here. I put the pillow on the stairs so Buddy wouldn't try to climb up. Buddy said he likes it better down there so he can hear more stuff. We had a loooong talk about it.

Hope the dogs seem normal, everything was cool the entire time! They ate, played, wagged and bathroomed outside the entire time. It was fun! See yall soon.

Dog Sitter

Awww! YAY! My boys get an A+! Bravo guys, I am so proud of you. And yes, Buddy, you can stay downstairs now instead of being locked in the bedroom. You earned it.

Til tomorrow-A

I'm baaaack.

Hi frends! Is me, da Buddy Dawg. I is back now. Mom gotted very busee wif da work stuffs, den she wented to Meksikow and leaved me here wif da big dawg. Mom sed littul dawgs liyk me is not 'posed to use da internez wifout adult supurvishuns - so I kud not updated my bloggy. She sed her liyf is bak to normul now so I cud update lots (wif supervishuns of korse). I will haf to reed all my frends bloggy's too, cuz I haz lots of katched up works to do-mebbe dat is wut I wud does wen Gman watches dat futbol stuffs tomorrow.

So, I haz lots to telled you about all da new stuffs I is tryed to lern - but for today I wud just liyk to showed you some pikshures.... Cuz I wud getted so lownly wifout mom arownd I did cuddled my big dawg lots. He even letted me shared his bed - as you cud see him gived me da biggest part of da bed. Him sed dat I is a bed hawg - but I is not feeled liyk a hawg, I feeled nice and comfy. He gotted sik of me takin dis much of da bed and did steeled my bed insted. Did not fitted so gud, see?

Well, dat is enuf for today, sorry iz so short (liyk me!!) but I iz promise tomorrow wud be much more katched up stuff kay?

Hugs & Kisses - Buddy Dawg

Top 5 things to know before your dog goes blind...

1. Be very wary when a blind dog goes on a hunger strike. This problem is probably caused by depression. But coming up with creative ways to entice the appetite will inevitably create a monster.

My monster varies between demanding much higher quality foods than pure kibble, he has a refined pallet now.....and neurosis. There must be at least 3 and no more than 5 pieces of kibbles scattered around the bowl. Failure to comply causes secondary hunger strike.

2. If your dog is currently sighted, decide now what you want your house to look like. If you like change, redecorate weekly. Hell, if you have time redecorate daily. Trust me, they don't consult you prior to going blind-and moving anything can be disastrous. This includes placing items on your lap. Blind dogs often take a leap of faith (the couch was there, it will be there again) and land on a laptop, or worse-spaghetti.

3. Three is the new number. Multiply everything by it. If it used to take 5 minutes to do the deed outside, it will now take 15. If your walk around the block used to take 15 minutes, plan for 45. If the walk from the bedroom to the basement used to take 3 minutes....well, it's sometimes better if you just don't time it.

4. Get a thick skin. Petsmart and the likes are your best friends. Take your dog frequently to work leash skills and socialization-two very important skills. Plus...it's fun to see the faces as you randomly announce commands such as "right, left, slowly, backup, army crawl" as you walk down the aisles.

Just because your dog has no eyes doesn't mean he/she is diseased. I know that. But the designer dog moms at Petsmart doesn't realize that, and will think your dog carries leprosy or worse....the swine flu. What comes out of their mouths will astonish you, so have a list of quick-witted comebacks. .... If you don't think of a comeback until after she leaves, write it down! It will come in handy later. If you never think of a comeback, well....pie in the face might work too.

5. Don't think that you must give all pets equal attention. Not only will your arms become extremely sore from overpetting and fetching with the "normal" dog-but once your blind dog is acclimated, your sighted one will still demand constant attention, as this is the new normal for him/her. This is known as the "Love Whore" syndrome. (See photo below) LWS can be the most difficult of all to work around, as having a 75 lbs dog under foot as you do mundane tasks such as shower, brush your teeth, or do sit-ups is an extreme obstacle.

Most important things to know about owning a blind dog....no one will appreciate you more than a dog who fully trusts you to make their life better. Nothing is more rewarding than knowing your dog trusts you to make his dark world safe and fill it with light. A kiss and cuddle from a blind dog on a bad day is quite possibly the most wonderful feeling. The first time your blind dog exhibits true independence again after losing his/her sight is quite possibly more rewarding than anything else you have ever done. A blind dog will not judge you for your faults, and appreciates you overlooking theirs....they weren't aware they had faults in the first place!

Buddy's mom-A