Day 3220

I cleaned up poop in the middle of the night again. Luckily, Dash made it off the bed, but he couldn't make it to the back door. Several people have suggested that I try diapers. Unfortunately, diapers seldom work on a dog with severe mobility problems. Dash can barely stand up as it is. We've tried doggie diapers and while wearing them, he can't seem to move his rear legs at all. Puppy training pads don't work either. Dash has always moved around at night. If you place a pad under him when you go to bed, he will be somewhere else when you wake up. Puppy pads worked great for Dot. I've still got several cartons of them at the storage warehouse. I've just got to realize that Dash is a different dog. It's not his fault. Old age catches up with all of us eventually.

It was damp and overcast today, but there was very little rain. I'll take what I can get. When I was walking Dash this morning, I noticed that the little circus in the park was getting ready for a show. You've got to admire these guys. They couldn't have picked a worse time to come to Dallas, but they refuse to give up. I almost feel like going to a show to help them out, but I've never liked circuses all that much. Hopefully, the weather will stay dry this evening. They've worked really hard to rebuild.

I found out on Facebook that another friend is in the hospital. This happens way too often. My generation is falling apart. I guess younger people still find out about weddings and engagements on social media. Older people find out about their friend's knee replacements, back problems, and cancer. The page for my high school class has kind of turned into an online obituary. All this decline and decay makes me nervous, but I still feel healthy. I hope I've got a few good years left.

I have no idea how long Dash has left. He's hung in there a lot longer than I expected. I think the pain pills are helping. He still stumbles and falls, but he seems more confident now. For a dog who can barely move, he sure loves his walks. Dash is facing old age with a lot of dignity. He accepts his many frailties and does the best he can. He and Dot have been an inspiration. When I wake up with a stiff neck or a sore back I keep thinking "if these dogs can do it, so can I."

Neither of us set the world on fire today. My to-do list has shrunk to breakfast, dinner, and walking Dash. I did a little house cleaning this afternoon, but I also took a long nap with Dash. Hey, I deserved a nap. I felt like I was up half the night cleaning up after Dash.

I think it's supposed to rain again tomorrow. I wonder how long this can go on? I think we have doubled our annual rainfall in less than two months. We'll see how it goes. I've taken the trash out to the curb and am ready for bed. If it's nasty tomorrow morning, I'll just stay home and make pancakes. I can always go out for breakfast when things dry off.

Little Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1697

I got to go out for breakfast this morning. It was nice to get away for a while and breakfast was delicious, but by the time I got home, Dot had already peed on the floor. I think her incontinence is actually getting worse instead of better. Maybe it was just the heat. It was over 103 today and the hotter it gets, the more water Dot drinks. I wish there was an easy solution to this, but there doesn't appear to be. Diapers immobilize Dot's weak rear legs. Waterproof pads are all made in China now and are so flimsy they are virtually worthless.

The only good pads we have are three old ones we purchased over fifteen years ago when our first Dalmatian began to get old and feeble. They don't make these things like they used to. The FedEx man delivered a new larger waterproof pad today that was meant to be used in the back of a station wagon or SUV. It was large enough and very waterproof. It was not absorbent though. If a dog peed on this thing, the pee would just roll to the edge and soak whatever was underneath. It's frustrating. I can envision exactly what I need for Dot to sleep on, but nobody seems to make it. We'll investigate the estrogen therapy this weekend. Both Janet and I are a little wary of the Incurin drug, but it might be the only option we've got.

It was good that I got out for breakfast this morning, because the rest of the day was spent working on a new website and doing laundry. The website is coming along nicely and I can probably have it ready to launch sometime next week. I'm not to optimistic about the laundry though. I may be doing laundry forever. I sure hope the washing machine and the air conditioner don't break. They are the most essential machines in the house right now.

When I was walking Dash this morning, I spotted some Jimson Weed. What on earth is Jimson Weed doing in a popular public park full of kids and dogs? The large white flowers are pretty but the stuff is highly poisonous. I made a note not to go near this plant again. If the dogs ate it, it could kill them.

It's hot enough now that the standing water on the roof is starting to evaporate fairly quickly. When I went to clean up the remaining water this afternoon, I discovered that falling pecan shells had stained the water a deep brown. It's hard to keep a pretty white roof when the water that's standing on it is already stained a dark brown. It's looks like we're going to have a good pecan crop this Fall. There would be enough for dozens of pecan pies, if the squirrels didn't get the nuts first. These pesky squirrels apparently can't wait for the nuts to ripen and mature. They're eating immature nuts right now and making a huge mess on the roof in the process. I wish the squirrels would eat the Jimson Weed instead.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1694

It has become clear that instead of training our dogs, they have trained us instead. Both dogs are so stubborn that it is almost impossible to get them to adapt to different sleeping arrangements. Since we are going to have to live with Dot's incontinence for the next month or so, it is important to come up with a plan to keep our sanity. Doggie diapers didn't work. Neither has sleeping on the floor. Dot and Dash are convinced that the big king sized bed in the bedroom is theirs and they just allow us to sleep with them. It has become easier to turn the bed into a waterproof fortress each night than deal with the other alternatives.

I prepared the bed well last night and we remembered to set the alarm for 2:30 AM, so we had a relatively trouble free evening. It takes forever to get everything ready. There's the long ramp at the end of the bed so Dot won't try to hop up and hurt herself. There's the fail-safe rubber sheet on top of the people's bedding, but under all the dog blankets. There are strategically placed pee pads for Dot to sleep on and Dash's favorite blanket at the foot of the bed, so he won't try to steal Dot's place in the middle of the night. Occasionally, this Rube Goldberg arrangement actually works.

I used to think that Dot woke up and moved about when she wanted to go outside and pee. I've been watching her behavior during the day and it has become clear that she only get's up after she's peed on something. She isn't trying to give me a warning signal. She's just trying to get out of the wet spot. I need to remember that dogs live in the moment. Dot has no idea why all this is happening to her.

I had quite a bit of website work to complete today. It was good to be busy, because without the work, I'd probably go stark raving mad. I've already got a long list of errands to do on Saturday when I can finally get out of the house again.

Actually, I'll be getting out of the house on Thursday, but I'll be taking Dot with me. We got the green light from the cancer center doctors to resume Dot's physical therapy. Hopefully, some gentle workouts in the underwater treadmill will help her regain some of the muscle tone she's lost in her rear legs. Dot is certainly doing her part to get stronger. She doesn't stumble as much now, and we are able to walk a little further each morning. As hard as it seems now, we are definitely making progress.

When I got my website revisions done today, I decided to relearn how to operate one of my cameras remotely using WiFi. I've had to learn this three times already, because I never use the feature. In theory, it seems really cool to be able to control every aspect of the camera remotely using my iPhone, but in practice I still prefer looking through the viewfinder. Maybe I'll use this fancy feature some day, but it won't be tomorrow. I'm sure when I find a reason to control my camera using my phone, I'll have to look up the instructions all over again.

It's raining now and both dogs are huddled under my desk. Life has almost returned to normal.

Morgan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day