Thursday, September 15, 2011

My Mom is Finally Giving an Update!!!

First things first!! I finally got my very own diploma!!  It is an official document from the American Kennel Club stating that I met all of the requirements necessary to titled a "Companion Dog".  I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for this to come.  Now I just hope my mom finds a great frame to put it in so it can hang proudly in my room!  I enjoyed being able to take my diploma over to Gramma and Granddad's house and hear how proud of me they are.  Granddad even said that maybe he and Gramma would get a cool frame for it.  As long as one of the two-leggeds who's allowed to visit stores takes care of it, I will be a happy dog!

Now on to the not so fun stories.  I have been feeling a little under the weather lately.  I had a couple of days where I was really having a hard time breathing.  I went for about a week with very little energy, and was pretty happy sleeping all day.  Both my mom and grandparents felt that I was really acting different.  So mom made me constantly sit with her.  I couldn't seem to stop panting, and when I was breathing mom said it was really loud breathing.  So mom made me an appointment to see a v-e-t.  I am not sure why my mom spells that word, but that's what we call it a v-e-t.  I really don't like going to the v-e-t because when you're a dog and they take your temperature, do you know where they put the thermometer?  Well, I'm sure you can use your imagination, so it never starts out well.  Dr. spears checked me out, listened to my heart, looked at my teeth and told my mom that she couldn't pinpoint anything going on with me.  So she said they were going to do a dogogram.  I was like what the heck is a dogogram, but I was feeling pretty puny so I went with the vet techs and the vet to a back room.  I would tell you what all happens in that back room, but well...it's top secret, and I don't want to lose my membership in the cool dog club.  Well my v-e-t uses all the coolest technology so Dr. Spears pulled up my dogogram on the tv in the exam room.  It was pretty awesome to see that I'm as cool looking on the inside as I am on the outside.
Dr. Spears explained to my mom that I appeared to have stuff in my lungs.  She mentioned the possibility that I might have canine asthma.  Fancy words if you ask me, but no one did...I decided ot just chill out and relax while the doc went and got some meds I would take for a week or so, that would hopefully put a little spring back in my step.
I knew I'd be back to my old self soon.  As much as I hate going to the v-e-t, I was grateful my mom made the appointment for me, and that I was going to get some relief.  I had to take some prednisone and some meds to help me breathe a little better.  It took about 4 days but then I started to get some pep in my step.  It worked out well that I got a little under the weather during my fall break from dog school. 

My 2 week fall break went by very quickly!!  But, I have to say that I was so excited to go back to school this past Saturday.  I am taking an advanced Rally class on Saturday morning and then Beginner Agility on Wednesday nights again.  I told mom that we should snap a photo of me on my first day of an "advanced" class.  So here it is:



You can see that I was so much more genuinely excited about going to dog school than my mom.  After school was out and I hopped up into my car seat, mom took a picture of me after school.  I have so many new things to learn for this class at school, but I am up for the challenge.

I went to my Agility class last night, and it was so different being an "experienced" dog in class this time around.  It was so weird to go over the dog walk when it was so low to the ground.  On the first class last time, I wouldn't go on the dog walk at all.   This time, I did everything that was set out on the course.  The teacher didn't have the teeter-totter out for this class.  I am ready to conquer it though!  It was fun to see many of my dog friends (Zoe, Tyson, Haley) that were for a class before mine, or in my class again.  I think this next 10 weeks is going to be so fun in agility!! I have a better understanding of what I should do!!

I will work really hard with my mom to keep my blog updated.  She's back working now with her own students at TU, so she has lots of papers to grade and her own paperwork to do.  I know a pretty lame excuse, but I am trying to be an understanding dog :)

Thanks for checking in on me!