Rushed to the Hospital

Yesterday, after our morning walk, we were playing in the yard when I noticed something on Kodi's right front foot. When he got closer, I asked my husband what that looked like and he said "blood".

I called Kodi over and gave him the 'paws up' command. He put both feet on my lap and it was obvious, the toenail on his left front dew claw was injured. There was a lot of blood and the toenail was sticking straight out of the side of his foot.

He hadn't yelped or limped or shown any sign of injury, but there it was. Apparently he got it caught either on his airline cable, in the yard or on my husband's jacket when they were rough housing.

We took him in the house, got our ID and everything we needed to rush him to the Veterinary Hospital.

When we got there, they said dew claw toenail injuries are common and happen often. They took him in the back and brought him back a few minutes later. He had a light blue bandage on his left front foot and they informed me he had partially torn his toenail off. They removed it and wrapped it to keep it clean. They prescribed antibiotics.

My sweet puppy wanted a lot of attention and cuddling when we got home. Walking out to the yard to go 'potty' he wouldn't walk more than a foot in front of me and kept stopping and turning back to make sure I was coming. I had to go out into the yard with him to get him to go 'potty'.

Later, in the evening, he got up on the recliner with me, laying his body on top of mine, resting his wrapped paw in my hand and his head on my shoulder and chest. He proceeded to slip peacefully into a deep sleep, where he stayed for some time.

We've taken a couple of walks, as the Vet indicated he could still go for walks and we shouldn't restrict his activity. He's limping a bit, but seems more uncomfortable than in pain.

We are staying close together, aware of where each other is, how we are feeling and what one another needs. He's so much more than 'just a pet'.

Those Darn Squirrels!

Walks with Kodi are something to be experienced. I've noticed more things in my environment during my walks with him, than I think I ever had before.

I find myself looking up into the branches of the trees around us where I've seen a variety of critters, mostly squirrels and birds.

When we're walking and I see him looking up, I'll stop, so he can investigate and I find myself looking up with him, trying to see what he's seeing, trying to see it through his eyes.

He has the same love for Butterflies that Echo had, though he has no interest in caterpillars, which fascinated her. She was interested in squirrels but not in chasing them, mostly watching them, but Kodi wants to chase them and get close to them. He is fascinated by birds flying over head.

This tree he's standing against is an old tree, that hangs down over the sidewalk, like a canopy. It is in the block before our house, so we walk under it often. There are squirrels that seem to almost tease him, staying close to or on the ground, until he's near, then shooting up into the tree, just out of reach as he nears.

Every walk with Kodi is a wonderment, a relaxing venture into appreciation of nature, taking the time to see, hear and smell the world around me.

Kodi playing in the Autumn Leaves

Kodi's first Autumn

Leaves Crunching Under Husky Paws

Oh the joy of walking my handsome Husky on cool Autumn mornings! Pure BLISS!

Recently I was afforded the chance to take some pictures on one of our morning walks, as my husband walked with us. Some friends asked for pictures of Kodi in the Autumn leaves, they thought it would make for beautiful pictures... I have to agree.

Kodi and I have been enjoying two walks a day, once in the early morning before the sun burns off the fog and once in the evening as the sun is setting.

One of the most pleasant parts of our walks is when we walk through this area shown in the picture. The trees are just beautiful and the fallen leaves make the most incredible crunching sound under Kodi's feet.

Kodi enjoys the walks so much it's hard to get him to come home... I tend to find ways of lengthening our walks, so we can enjoy the fresh crisp cool Autumn air longer. He loves seeing the squirrels and birds and loves the smells of Autumn.

I find myself really moved by his joyous wonder, the look on his face when he sees something for the first time, when he watches geese fly overhead, or sees a butterfly flitting nearby. This is Kodi's first Autumn and he seems to really enjoy the changes happening around us.

His Assistance Dog Training is coming along well. He's picking things up for me without commands, stays close to me in an effort to assist me and we've tried "tug door" as a new command in our training.

"Tug door" went fairly well for a first try. Kodi understood that the rope and knot I put on the door handle was for him to take in his mouth, he even gently pulled on it, but when he felt the resistance of the door, he dropped the knot. Inside the house, we practiced with the knot on the bedroom door, a door that swings more freely. He did tug that door and at one point, nearly closed it. It's a great start.

Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love the smells, sights and feeling of the season. I love that it signals the beginning of the holiday season. I love that I, once again, have an incredible Husky companion to share it with.

Life is Good!