Challenges

If anyone would have asked me on Saturday night about 4 weeks of recovery for Min, I would have said, I can't do it, I just can't.  It started with her first step out of the car which was really kind of a dive with me trying to balance her.  Then the gate into the backyard had to be opened and the scariest of all was this:

It's actually one short step up and two real steps.  The rocks in the lower left slope up with not too much of a step.  Either way, Min put on the brakes.  No. Way.  She didn't even want to move her front legs.  I had to lift her by her collar, for pete's sake, to move her front feet and lift up on the sling so her back feet weren't on the ground at all.  Plus she did not want to go straight on and so we moved up the steps in a parallel manner.  Fortunately, I had thought ahead and the storm door was propped open as wide as it could be, although she has never been totally comfortable with that door, so all I had to do was unlock the regular door.  Once that was open she tried to race in.  Are you kidding me is what I wanted to say but I'm pretty sure it would have come out as a sob.

We repeated the whole ordeal later in the evening because I wanted her to potty before we went to bed.  Particularly scary was the diving out the back door like she was trying to get past the stairs as fast as she could.  I really thought she might take me down with her.

I moved her bed from the kitchen to my room, while keeping her next to my side, and we were settled in for the night.  Min was sleeping, I was worrying. Of course, I did fall asleep because I was totally exhausted and then... I woke with a start, saw that it was 1am-ish and wondered what woke me up when I heard Min's tags jingle.  NOT IN HER BED!  STANDING AT THE BACK DOOR!

Moving around without an escort is on the Do Not Allow list.

So we repeated it all once again but this time in the dark.  I think she must have felt like she needed to potty but actually never did.  I'm guessing all the drugs kind of mess with a lot of stuff.  

Yesterday, Sunday, was much better.  I remembered a short training leash that we still have and that helped immensely.

You can see the leash draped over the arm of the chair and it's just 18-inches long.  The sling measures 26-inches long and 8-inches at it's widest.  The straps are adjustable and I left them just as they came out of the package.  So how we have made it work is I slip the sling under Min right up to her back legs, I slip my right arm through both straps and slide it up my arm so as not to end up with a broken wrist, then grab the leash with my right hand.  I have plenty of strength to lift her back end because it is easier to use my legs than just my arms and I can even swing it a bit if I need to position her.  My hand on the leash keeps her head up and going forward.  It works amazingly well and my left hand is free to open the door or whatever.  It also keeps her from diving out the door on the way to the backyard.

So yesterday morning we made it outside fairly calmly.  Min laid down on the grass and I told her to stay.  I went inside to get her food and my coffee.  I heard those tags again.  I looked out and she was at the back of the yard taking care of business.  The taking care of business was reassuring but:

Moving around without an escort is on the Do Not Allow list!!!