Hank Come out!

I just took Hank out to play in the snow and run around a little bit. HE clearly wanted out of the house to see what was going on! So, I took him outside, and besides eating snow, he was doing VERY well, so I let him off his leash to run on the sidewalk behind our house. NO ONE was out, so he was set! Hank came running towards me when I called, and then a guy came walking down the stairs, so hank made a beeline for him. Luckily it was Cash’s dad, and he knows Hank so was totally fine with him. Darren said that Cash was waiting for him to come home so they could play, and then his wife opened the front door and Cash came running towards Hank. They ran up and down the sidewalk, it was SO CUTE, but then Cash started heading towards his mom…and Hank followed…right into their house! CRAP! So, the wife went inside, and I called for Hank, they called for Cash, and luckily he came right back out, but oh man is Hank not shy! They ran around a bit more, peed a little, and now they’re both happy to be back inside where it’s WARM!

Where's Dad?

It's creepy when I watch commercials for Marley and Me. I'm really convinced that Hank played the role of Marley in the movie, and then ran off to Ellensburg and now he lives with us.

Tonight I picked up Hank from Day Camp. The girl at camp mentioned that Hank never eats his food, so we don't have to bring food for him. Which means, sometimes, he'll go for 14 hours without eating, but he's 90 pounds, he'll survive, I'm sure.

We came home, he ate dinner, we sat on the couch to watch TV and wait for Jeremiah to get home from a Christmas Party. About 6:30 Hank heard something outside and was CONVINCED it was Jeremiah. He started pacing around the sliding glass door looking, and then went towards the front door to get "in position" to JUMP on Jeremiah when he came in. Only problem...Jeremiah isn't home. I finally opened the front door so he could go outside, because CLEARLY something was freaking him out. He paced back and forth, whimpering, and looking VERY intently. It was pretty cute. I finally started to shut the front door and let him stay outside (dude, it's going to snow this weekend!) and he kept looking for Jeremiah, so I called him inside, and he planted himself in front of the window, and is still waiting. Jeremiah should be home from his Christmas party about 8...

We got Chex Mix!

The good news is, The Bailey's gave us Chex Mix for Christmas! It's one of my favorite holiday treats, and I love it! However...the bad news...Hank found it first...


Today, Jeremiah and I went to this really fun wine event up in Woodinville. We were gone for about 4 hours. We knew Hank wouldn't be that happy with us, but we didn't realize that we had FOOD taunting him under the tree. The gifts that are for Hank, we have hiding upstairs on a table so he can't get to them, but oops! We came home about 2:30 this afternoon, and after unloading the wine, I parked the car up on the street, and came into the house to see that Hank had carried the tub of treats from under the Christmas tree into the living room by the TV so he could snack, and watch. The bucket has some great looking bite marks on it, and not much food was eaten, so that's a "good" sign.

Obviously someone didn't get enough exercise today, whoops! So, for future reference...if you give us FOOD for a gift, please let us know so that we don't leave it near Hank where he can attack it! But thanks for the Chex Mix Georga, it's delicious!

Another Exciting Weekend for Hank

On Saturday it was time to head back to Marymoor. The fences in the water are finally down, so he can jump until his heart's content. We went last weekend as well, because I thought it would be done, but it was the next day, at least the water levels were higher so he didn't hurt himself. He swam a TON.

Michelle had mentioned that she and Joe wanted to take Lucy (their boxer) to the dog park figuring that if she was going to swim, it would be because she followed Hank into the water. Well, she didn't, and she's pretty funny with other dogs. While Hank has a one track mind for tennis balls and the water, she was all over every dog in that park that might play with her. On more than one occasion was Joe missing, only to reappear moments later with Lucy on her leash "in time out." But the dogs had a GREAT time and both slept the rest of the afternoon...

And then we went to Joe & Michelle's for dinner last night. We brought Hank with which was really fun, and kind of a zoo. Lucy was VERY excited to show off her house and big back yard to Hank. They played and ran around, and Lucy peed on the floor while we ate dinner (yeah, her parent's weren't very happy) and then while I kicked everyone's butt at Trivial Pursuit DVD Pop Culture, the puppies finally fell asleep...

I'm a much better puppy parent than this...

My brother Jake sent me this e-mail yesterday...

I got this from another teacher at work, and she thought it was hilarious. I started to think about my own sister who embarasses her "beloved" dog. It must get lost in translation....but this is pretty funny.

Only one large lab named Hank allowed!

Tonight when I went to pick up Hank from Day Camp, they will still all in the play room mozing around. So I walked over to the window to see Hank, and a kid was there with his REALLY big black lab. I was trying to get Hank's attention, and tapping on the window being annoying as possible, but to no avail. And then the sister of the boy next to me said something about Hank. And I turned over to them, uhhh...is your dog named Hank? Sure enough...well so is mine! So, I went into to get Hank out of day camp, and when we came out, the other Hank and his family were still checking out the dogs in day camp. So, we let the two large lab's named Hank sniff each other out. The black lab Hank is about 100 pounds and is 3 years old. It was just too random.

Speaking of random...tonight I was making linguine & clam sauce for dinner and I pulled a noodle out of the pot to check it for done-ness. I was flinging it around to cool it off, then I took a bite and it was still pretty crunchy. So, Hank was sitting on the floor snuggling with Jeremiah, and I started to swing the noodle a little and moved it down to give to Hank as a treat. Well, more trick than treat evidently...Hank JUMPED up, started barking, growing and clubbed Jeremiah in the face. He FREAKED at the noodle. So please, when you see Hank (my Hank) next, no flying noodles at him!

Hank the Neutered Stud

Did I ever tell you the story about the guy who walked into the Pets Hotel and left his phone number for us to see if we would be interested in studding Hank? Yeah, my dog's hot.

Anyway, last night we took Hank with us to dinner at our friend Brooke & Gabe's house. Their dog Nala is a white German Shepherd and she's about 4 years old. She is a very pretty dog, and it was our first time meeting her. Brooke barely had the front door open before Nala was nosing right out of it, and Hank ran STRAIGHT into the house and was around the corner before Gabe even got out of the kitchen. It was pretty cute.

Hank and Nala ran after each other, napped and played ALL night long, they had so much fun! I'm always a little apprehensive when Hanks meets a new dog. He's always pretty good, but we've had a couple of nipping dogs, and sometimes he can get snippy, so I'm just a little nervous to bring him into someone else's home...but they did GREAT, and had so much fun together, it was adorable!

Watch out for the Big Angry COATS!

Yesterday it was so nice out, we decided to take Hank on a walk in downtown Issaquah. Besides going to the Brewhouse, we don't go downtown much. So, we put Hank in the car and parked downtown to do a big loop of the shops and the train depot. As we were walking up the street, a woman started to walk towards us. She made a comment about how cute Hank is, and then he started to FREAK out! He was hiding behind us, and looked like he wanted to ESCAPE. I couldn't figure it out. There were shops along the street, including a women's clothing shop. And outside there were a rack of Coats. But, not just any coats, big fur coats with animal fur on them. The woman walked up to pet Hank, and as he kept hiding, we all realized that he was afraid of the coats! The looked like large animals to him, and it scared him.

Although slightly traumatizing for our dog he made it through the rest of the walk relatively unscathed...

If it's not one thing, it's your Vet

So, today Hank went to Day Camp like usual on Monday's. About 9 AM, I realized I had a missed call on my iPhone, and saw it was from Day camp. This isn't going to be good...but maybe he just barfed or something...

So, I listen to the message, and Rob the PetsHotel manager had called. Evidently between the time I dropped off Hank at 7:40 this morning, and 9 AM when day camp started, he had gotten a cut on his toe and it was bleeding. So, before they could take him to day camp, they had to take him over to the vet clinic to check it out. When I called back, they hadn't been able to get him into the vet yet, so he was still in his kennel, but the bleeding stopped and he seemed just fine. Rob called me a little after 10. They went over to the vet, and checked out his toe. The Vet ended up shaving the hair off around his toe so she could look at it. It was really just a nick, like he hit something when he was in his kennel this morning, and it was fine. We have to keep an eye on it, but he's OK.

When I picked him up tonight, Rob and I talked, and he said he did great at day camp, and that unless it gets pussy or bleeds much, we're OK, and he's just fine.

I also asked Rob if he takes any other dog over to the Vet (across the store) more than Hank. He laughed politely and then I know he lied to me when he said yes.

What a Year!

Last year on this weekend, Jeremiah saw a picture of a yellow lab on the Humane Society website. On Saturday morning, my dad and I went down to the Humane Society to check him out. He was HUGE yellow lab, and no way he was only 1 1/2, he looked old and sick. But, come to find out, he'd been picked up on the side of the road in Ellensburg, and must have run away from home or got lost. He needed to gain about 10 pounds. He needed to get his micro chip and get neutered. After realizing there's never going to be such a great dog out there for us, we adopted Hank.

Jeremiah and I came home from work early on Tuesday, and went over to the Humane Society to pick up Hank. He was sick and drowsy still from the surgery, and being sick. But, he was OUR DOG. I just can't believe it's already been a year! It seems like we've had him forever, and that we've always had him. He's such a great dog, even when he does fling poo and jump on the bed at 5:30 in the morning to play!

If we wanted an animal that throws poop...

...we would have gotten a Monkey!

So yeah...we went to the Mercer Island dog park with Hank on Saturday like we often do. We stopped at Starbucks for coffee on the way. Lattes in hand, the dog on the leash, and the chuck it under my arm, we were set. Then, as we're ALMOST up to the park entrance, Hank decides it's time to poop. No big deal I guess. So, Jeremiah takes my coffee, I'm holding Hank's Leash, and trying to scoop the poop. And then...a woman & her dog (& her stroller) leave the off leash area. Hank goes BOLTING for the other dog. I fall onto my knees, Hank in his excitement kicks up some of the poop, and it flings onto Jeremiah's jeans. It was a debacle, it was great. Luckily my mother in law was there to catch this all...

Ahh yes, why have kids when the dog flings his poop for you?

Sleeping on the Job...

This weekend Jeremiah and I went to Portland. It's my dad's birthday next weekend, so we went down to meet up with him, and my brother Jeremy. We had a great weekend, drank lots of beer and had enjoyed all that Portland has to offer!

I went over to pick up Hank this afternoon from his weekend at day camp. He usually sleeps a LOT when he gets home from a weekend at day camp, and today is not unlike that. However, when I was waiting for them to get Hank from day camp, one of the girls at the front desk mentioned, that today during day camp, Hank came over, curled up next to her on the floor, and fell asleep...how cute is that! Then, a golden retriever, came up to Hank, curled up on the floor, and laid his head on Hank's butt. She was very sad to not have a camera, but it sure sounds cute! Hank got an exit bath today, and a new bandanna to go along with it.

He's home now, laying on the floor next to me sleeping. He keeps mozing between us, me up stairs watching TV and Jeremiah downstairs watching sports. He's so dang cute! And the pawgress report came too...

Oh what a Beautiful Morning...

My friend Kelleen and I have had a heck of a time getting together lately. So this morning we were able to connect with our dogs and head over to St. Edwards State Park. I was pretty sure St. Edwards was only used for beer festivals since that's the only time I've ever been. But there are a RIDICULOUS amount of trails out there, and it leads right down to Lake Washington. So, since Kelleen takes her dog Gracie there often, we decided to go check it out. It's an on-leash dog park, but the trails are great, and we have good dogs, so it was an off leash trail for us.

You go STRAIGHT down the side of the "hill" and then you hit the water, which Hank loved. Since Marymoor has had the stupid salmon spawning going on, Hank hasn't swam in months. And then we hiked back UP a different trail. It was an AWESOME hike today, and Hank and Gracie (and Kelleen & I) had a BLAST! It is a beautiful fall Saturday in the Puget Sound. Sunshine, blue skies, 40 degrees...it's great! Lattes in hand, we were good to go. The dogs ran up and down and up and down, and wow was it fun!

Now that Hank is all exhausted, it's time for the annual vet exam this afternoon. I can't believe we've had him for a year already! What a great dog!

Hank loved Gracie, and hopefully the wagging tail bruises on Kelleen's leg heal soon enough...

What A Happy Puppy!

First let me apologize for not posting in a few weeks. It's been kind of a zoo lately, but Hank is doing GREAT, he's keeping busy at day camp, and had a fun weekend with Rudy, and then Uncle Jeremy & Aunt Cassie. BUT, the highlight of September was this weekend...

Last weekend Jeremiah and I went to the Fremont Oktoberfest with our good friends Mike & Grace. They mentioned that they were heading down to their beach house this weekend and invited us to come along and bring Hank. So, Friday after work, we loaded up the car, and all of Hank's stuff, and headed down to Shelton, WA for the weekend. Mike & Grace have a great beach house on south Hood Canal that's so much fun to relax, read, drink, hangout in the hot tub and RELAX. We love it there, and haven't been in a year we realized! The cool thing for Hank about their house is they have a BIG back yard that goes up to the Canal. So, Hank did a ton of running around, barking, sniffing things out, and then sleeping. Having four people around to play with is more fun than two! Every time he was up, someone was taking him out to throw the ball around. He was so happy, and loved every minute of it. He's now recuperating, and will be VERY excited at day camp tomorrow when he gets a BATH. I think Hank has a new favorite place, he kept asking when he could go back...

Stand up Straight!

Hank is not a small dog by any description. We learned that especially with Lucy here visiting a few weeks ago. But, since he's so TALL, we notice that he struggles to bend over and eat his food sometimes. Jeremiah decided a while ago that he wanted to build Hank a food dish. So, with some extra vacation time at hand, he took Thursday and Friday off this past week and built Hank something closer to his size. Hank LOVES it, and isn't straining over as much to eat. Now we'll just have to build a travel one for treks to the grandparents...

What a Sad Puppy...

My dad and Rudy were here visiting this weekend. We had a great time, and Hank and Rudy are the BEST of friends. In fact, on Friday night/Saturday morning, I got next to no sleep, because Hank was up all night, he was DESPERATE to see Rudy and play with her. Ridiculous...

So, they had fun running around, barking at people and dogs, and Hank wouldn't let Rudy sniff out ANYTHING without checking it out himself, it was very cute. So, now Rudy has left and Hank's been laying around all day moping, he's just so sad that Rudy left...

Hank's other girlfriend

Sorry Rudy, but 6 hours away is too far to live to maintain the kind of relationship that Hank's looking for. Sure, you're coming up next weekend and everything will be GREAT, you'll pick up right where you left off, but a new girl has showed up in town and is VERY interested in Hank. But, probably more in a big-brother way, seeing as how Lucy is only 10 pounds and 10 weeks old. But man alive is she a cute puppy!

Last night our friends Michelle & Joe came over for dinner with their new puppy Lucy. She's SO cute! She's a boxer that they just got two weeks ago. She loves Hank and he's this huge jungle gym who only barks at her every once in a while. Hank and Lucy had a great time playing and running around the house last night. They had lots of Kongs and treats and goodies. It was kind of ridiculous and we're sure that Lucy learned some bad manners last night (especially when Jeremiah picked her up, sat her on his lap and let her lick his plate AT the table...) Here's a couple of pictures so you can get an idea of the evening...

Thanks Moss Adams!

Last week at work we had a big event, and Moss Adams was giving out these screaming monkeys. The fly and SCREAM, it's pretty annoying. HOWEVER, Hank goes CRAZY for them, and it's so dang funny to watch!

Enjoy...

The Best Part of Waking up...

I slept like crap last night. So, this morning when my alarm went off, I hit it a couple of times. After the second time, Hank got up and started to stretch, scratch, sneeze and get ready for his jump up onto the bed. So, he jumps UP on the bed, and since I was supposed to get up, I turned over to greet him. OH WAS I GREETED...

He jumps up, then puts his foot on my stomach, and proceeds to cough, barfing up dog food ON MY NECK! So, I screamed, because I didn't want him to do it again. Luckily Jeremiah's on vacation this week, so was home to help me out. Jeremiah jumped up and grabbed some tissues out of the bathroom to pick off the barfed up dog food off my body and the sheets. I'm so glad I'm a night shower'er, so I could get back in this morning and scrub the dog barf off of me...

With Jeremiah home today, hopefully Hank will be calm and settle his stomach down, and NEVER do that again...

Lazy Sunday

Today, we slept in, then read the paper, then I went back upstairs and watched TV, and that was pretty much the routine for the day. No laundry, no chores, just being LAZY. It's a beautiful thing.

Muddy Paws

So, now that I know Hank barks all day while I'm gone, I tried to zip out of work as soon as possible this afternoon. I got home at 5, and Hank and I went up to the Issaquah Highlands because they have a small off leash dog park. I have only been during the "rainy season" so it's really muddy. But, I figured it's the summer, and is probably Okay. We get there, he runs off, and it seems to be pretty okay. Then, after a while of running around, he gets tired and then lays down. It's really weird lately that when we're at dog parks (not Marymoor) that after about 15-20 minutes, Hank will get tired and lay down to rest. I think at Marymoor he stays better hydrated so he doesn't get as tired maybe? I"m not really sure.

Anyway, at the Bark Park (yup, that's what it's called...) today he gets tired and lays down...in...the...MUD. What a wiener. So, we came home, hosed him off, and after he went running upstairs, I realized I didn't quite get it all...but that's what carpet cleaner is for I guess!

Well, I guess we can blame it on his mom...

So, Hank is a great dog. Today, we took him on a fun hike around our neighborhood, and we were ALL pooped when we got back home. Jeremiah left for Phoenix today, and I had a few errands to run. So, after Jeremiah left, I went to go do errands a few minutes later. I was gone for an hour and a half. That's it. And, when I came home, I could hear Hank barking...CRAP...

So, I got out of the car and came across the street. The neighbor lady was out with her mom (or some old lady anyway) and I asked if he'd been barking the whole time I was gone. She's really nice, and said she thinks he has separation anxiety, and just likes to let everyone know he's around. She also said she likes him, so she's really fine with it.

BUT, I'm not fine with it, ARG! I don't always hear him when I come home, and I figure he doesn't really bark while we're at work, just when we leave him at odd hours, like going out to dinner or something.

So, now I"m not sure what to do. More day camp to run off the energy? Probably would help, but most likely it'll be more dog training with Diane to figure out why he barks, and what to do about it. Hank, he's so great when we're here, but man he really IS a mama's boy!

Mmmm....SOY!

So, last week when I was at Costco, I noticed that they had edamame packets in the frozen food section. Edamame is my new favorite snack, so I thought it'd be perfect for when I'm hungry and instead of grazing, get some protein. So, I get the edamame, delicious.

I nuke them (3 minutes and you have a delicious meal!) tonight, and remember that last time I ate them, Hank was VERY interested...so, he sniffs it out and then I give him a soy bean. He LOVES it. So, he sits there and drools, while I eat. Then, I give him another one, and realize that he really likes the edamame pod and to suck the soy bean out of it. It's his new favorite treat. Oh boy!

So, no more edamame tonight, and now he's watching out the window waiting for Jeremiah to come home...

He likes me, he really likes me!

It's no question I have the world's greatest dog. My birthday was yesterday, but I had to go to Stupid Dallas for a sales rally. But, I got home on time last night, which was nice. However, on Monday night, Jeremiah picked up Hank from Day Camp and they headed home for the evening. Evidently every time a car drove by, Hank jumped off the couch to check it out (this isn't typical). AND THEN, at one point, he finally went over and sat on the floor at the top of the stairs, waiting for me. What a GREAT DOG!

So, when I got home yesterday, Jeremiah let him out on the patio, and he paced and whimpered, and scratched at the gate wanting out, and then finally "stood up" on the gate and kissed my chin. WHAT A GREAT DOG!

And, I'm just so glad that I don't have this dog...

Weekly Update

Well, I realized lately that I've been BUSY with going to Idaho, and then my brother Jake in town for the week and my mom here for the weekend. Hank's doing great! He had a blast with Uncle Jake this week getting to hangout, go for fun walks and runs. AND, Uncle Jake and his friend Kelly took Hank to Marymoor in the week for a fun mid-week activity. We loved having Jake here to help out with Hank and run around and play with him. It was a busy work week for both Jeremiah and I, so a built in dog-sitter was AWESOME. If only our place was bigger and we could get him to live here...

The girliest dog I knew

I talked to Jeremiah this afternoon when I was out doing stuff (like NOT having an annual exam, even though I had the paper blanket over my lap ready to go...). Jeremiah said that Tom, the Partner he works with a lot and who is moving to Detroit for work, had to leave early today.

Evidently Tom's wife called looking for him today. They have two dogs. Now, let's back track. They have two small animals who they dress up, and treat like children, it's ridiculous. ANYWAY, Lucy and Bernie are the kids. Today, as the kids were playing away, Lucy choked on a bone (we're guessing raw-hide) and passed away. Yeah, that's what I thought. How weird! Lucy is three (Hank's just over 2) and is a great little puppy (although pretty dang girly). It's so sad to hear that Bernie's sister is gone and that something so simple could take her life. Yuck.

Tom and Christa sent pictures and a note tonight. I guess they were on a family vacation last week so she had lots of time to play and swim, I thought this picture was pretty cute of her.

I know Hank didn't get to meet her, I think he would have scared the CRAP out of her. Although Tom did ask if they could get together so Hank could put Bernie in his place. Blech. It's a good thing we have an agreement with Hank that he never gets to die.

Uncle Erik! AND Uncle Jake! WOW!

There's nothing to exciting to report about Hank, he's been at day camp a couple of days this week, and he's doing great. We had a fun 4th of July laying around and going swimming. He's doing great.

Over the weekend, our friend Erik who's a youth pastor in Egypt (yup, the country) came to visit. He stayed till Tuesday, so on Monday, Hank got to stay home from work with Uncle Erik. When I got ready to head up stairs to bed on Monday night, I called for Hank, and he turned around and jumped up on the couch with Erik. It's nice to know we're still loved...

And then on Saturday, my brother Jake is coming for a week! I'm very excited to see him and hangout with him this week, although I'll be in Idaho till Sunday night meeting my new family. But, Hank gets to spend the WHOLE WEEK with Uncle Jakey, he's so excited!

The 5 Year Plan

Today is our fifth wedding anniversary. We're going out for dinner tonight, and to a friend's winery thing. When we got married, we knew that there would immediately be the "when will we see babies" comment. My cousin Tracey said when they got married, they told everyone they were on a 5 year plan, and she said it worked pretty well.

Ours has worked pretty well too. Now that we have Hank, we figure out 5 year plan is complete! We even did it in just over 4 years too! Mission accomplished. Hooray! There have been a few minor squablings lately, especially when a certain mother in laws best friend is going to be a grandma soon, but thanks to a newly married brother in law, we now have somewhere to shift the pressure (thanks Jaimie!). Hank has been the BEST addition to our family, and we are so grateful to have him. Even though he slept on the bed last night and was jumping around at 4:30 this morning to play, we love him to death, and can't imagine life without him.

The 5 year plan is complete! Hooray!

Well that was odd...

Today has been a BEAUTIFUL day! It wasn't supposed to get this nice till Thursday or Friday, but it came early this week, hooray! So, after work today I raced home and Hank was VERY excited to see me (as usual, and like most people). So, we went outside to pee, and then I changed and we played a little, and then I decided to head up to Robinswood Park so Hank could run around. It wasn't hot enough to warrant a trip to Marymoor and a wet dog for the evening. So, off to Robinswood we went. He ran and ran and ran, it was great. The problem with Robinswood is that it's covered with bark, so Hank gets it in his mouth when he's getting the ball. So, I have to nudge him towards the water dish they have so that he'll drink and clean out his mouth. He usually gets it after a few times, but sometimes it takes some coaxing. Tonight was no different.

We'd been at the dog park for about 20 minutes, and it doesn't take Hank very long to get tired at Robinswood, because all he does is run straight for a while. I love it there. But tonight, he comes walking back with the ball, and walks over to the gate and plops down like he's going to take a nap. Sure it was kind of warm out, and he was running, but still, this is odd for Hank. So, I go over to get the ball, and he jumps up and runs after it again. Then we do the ball throwing a few more times, and then I was talking to another puppy parent, and he did it again! So, I walked over and we decided to go home. As we were walking out to the car, he walked over in the grass and DID IT AGAIN. At this point it freaked me out. Why can't my dog get all the way to the car without a break? What's wrong with him!?!?! So, I thought, well, maybe it's a sliver in his foot. But we got in the car, and he didn't immediately sit down. So, that got the best of me and I called the vet while I was pulling out of the parking lot. They said that it could just be he's dehydrated and to keep an eye on him, and if he's still this way tomorrow, to give them a call again.

So, we got home, and came upstairs. He hasn't been very enthusiastic about his food lately either. AND he's on an allergy pill for a month that we haven't seen signs of fatigue, but maybe they're there...so, he ate some, and we tried some different food, and some people food, and tried to push the water. He'll still get up and go, but he just doesn't seem to want to go far. If he was 10, I would just be sad. But he's 2 so I'm just a little worried...ugh. Hopefully a good night's sleep for both of us will help!

Keeping the Romance Alive

Last weekend my dad and his dog Rudy came to visit. Hank LOVES Rudy, and they always seems to pick up right where they left off the last time they saw each other, which is great for us. Rudy continues to want to sniff at Hank all the time and inappropriately, but Hank still likes hanging out with her. On Saturday morning we all went to Marymoor where Rudy barked while Hank swam. On Sunday we all went to a beer festival and the dogs stayed home alone, they needed some "alone time" together. We came home and besides that Rudy was still smoking a cigarette they seemed to have done just fine.

My little brother Jeremy and his girlfriend Cassie came up as well. So the three of us took the two dogs to the park. Sunday was a beautiful day and the park was pretty empty by 5pm when we went. So, Hank swam a bunch, and then all of a sudden...Rudy was swimming too! It was nuts, she did great, and we couldn't believe it! As soon as we started cheering for her though, she was done and came back over.

They spent the evening sleeping on the floor while we all kind of passed out around the house from the heat and the beer. Rudy left on Monday and Hank had to go to Day Camp for two days while I went off to Denver, so they said their goodbyes until next time...

He's just too cute!

I had to go to Denver for work last night, and Jeremiah is in San Francisco until tomorrow. SO, Hank got to stay at day camp last night, which he likes. Well, he's exhausted when he gets home, so I take that as a "good" sign. They gave him an exit bath today, but no nail trim, they're OK. They put on a cute PetsHotel bandanna so they knew he was clean, and he looks SO cute in it, I hate to take it off. But, he's going to day camp tomorrow, and for some reason, I think the other dogs might laugh at him. BEST DOG EVER. That's Hank.

More to come soon (with photos) from his romantic weekend with Rudy...

Hank's war wound

It's been a busy couple of weeks around the Case Household, which has not left much time for Hank stories, or for good Hank adventures. BUT, Jeremiah and I went sailing for 4 days up in the San Juan's and while we were gone, Hank stayed at the Pets Hotel that he loves so much. He ran and played at daycamp. However, on our trip, when we docked in Roche Harbor, we had cell phone service, so I checked my messages. Low and behold, Rob from the PetsHotel had called...Hank got into a "snafu" with another dog and they took him over to the vet to check him out and he's on an antibiotic to make sure there's no infection, but he's just fine and back to normal, NO WORRIES...

Yeah right.

So, I called to check. Evidently another dog in day camp and Hank went at it, and the other dog Max, got his mouth around Hank's head. YIKES! I'm envisioning war wounds, giant e-collars and more.

But the part that was more frustrating for me is that Max is an Akita, which is what Ronin our next door neighbor dog is. Ronin, the dog that we've been training with to get them to like each other, so that we can all be out on our patios this summer enjoying the beautiful weather, when ever it finally chooses to arrive. So, that was frustrating, and the girls at the PetsHotel said Hank's "breed-ist" now, which is funnier having seen THIS SHOW on Wednesday night.

In any event, Hank has enjoyed having a few days to lay around the house and recoup with Jeremiah, watching TV, oh yeah, and taking a dump on the carpet this morning when Jeremiah left for 5 minutes. Oops. Here's a picture of his war wound you can check out for yourself!

I swear it's bigger in person and in a few different spots on his head, and behind his ear. Whatever, it was traumatic to ME!

A new dog park?

yeah not so much...

I heard a couple of weeks ago that there was a new dog park opening up in Sammamish (the town up the hill from us) and figured we should go check it out. So on Monday with the day off, Jeremiah, Hank & I ventured up to the ever curious Sammamish Plateau to lovely Beaver Lake Park. So, I googled the park before we left and it looked pretty easy to get to. So, we drove up the hill, found a Starbucks, and then off to the dog park...

...we found the Beaver Lake Lodge, and pulled into the parking lot. We drove around the lot to see if we could find the dog park within view, and then walk up. Nope, no dog park in view, but let's get out and walk. So we walked down to the lake, and saw a bunch of guys fishing. We noticed that the lake is HUGE and thought maybe we just need to drive around the corner...we drove, for about 45 minutes AROUND the lake. Finally we figured we must have missed it, and my directions that I had seen made it seem so EASY to find, they didn't even need to be specific. Never has a neighborhood been so SNOBBY!

So, we go back by the lodge, we keep going, and it seems the park continues past the way when we entered, we decided to take the first turn back towards the main road to home, and saw ANOTHER entrance to the park. We found baseball fields, and some people with dogs in the parking lot, and a VERY FULL PARKING LOT. And then we finally found the damn park. It was SO NOT WORTH IT! Ridiculous! Its a big dog run, with a little trail behind it. Now granted, if I lived right around the corner from this park, it would be a very handy place to take Hank and run off some energy. I noticed some dads had their dog in the "park" and were watching the baseball games near by. Hank liked it, but got bored pretty quick. We didn't even think to bring his ball and chuck it with since we were so convinced that we would never find the place. So, he ran around and was happy, and we continue to dislike Sammamish...

Hank's Memorial Day Weekend Adventures

Hank is having QUITE the weekend with us home. Jeremiah was home sick on Friday, so it's been four days of non stop family time, and he's LOVING it. ON Saturday morning I took Hank over to Robinswood park to let him run around. He had a good time, and even got out run by a little English bulldog. There was a bulldog meet up group at Robinswood, so it was Hank and a lot of short dogs, which was fun.

Saturday afternoon our dog trainer Diane came over to visit us and Ronin the next door neighbor dog. When Ronin first moved to the neighborhood he was having some trouble adjusting to life in Issaquah. Ronin's from Texas and is used to a big yard. And, like us, he continues to be mesmerized by Hank. So, Diane did some dog training with him, and had done some with Hank as well. She did a meet and greet on Saturday, where we just tried to get them to both be on the patio without barking and trying to attack each other Anyway, it was a GREAT training, and now we have to practice every day for 5-10 minutes with both dogs on the patio. It's a great excuse for us to get to know the neighbors better, they're a really nice couple (also from Texas) who just moved up a couple months ago.

On Sunday, we had a pretty lazy day. I wanted to go to the Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale (still, nothing good, it's so weird...) so left the boys to bond over the Indy 500 & NASCAR. With Hank's Kasey Kahne collar on, he was able to help push Kasey towards first and he won the race. Jeremiah's still excited about it. But, right before I Then left, Hank got all excited, and Jeremiah was folding laundry. Hank had been following me around the house, so Jeremiah had clothes on the floor in the living room. Hank decided to go over by Jeremiah, and setup camp on the floor right on Jeremiah's pile of shirts...adorable.

After I returned from shopping, I had flowers to plant! So, Hank helped a bit, but mostly just waited till I was done to enjoy the flowers along with me while we sat on the patio. Too cute...

Oedipus Complex

So, the last two weeks at work have been CRAZY for me. And then last weekend we were in Yakima and Hank was at Daycare for the weekend. So, yesterday when I got home from work, Hank had been at day camp, and Jeremiah picked him up. Hank always comes barreling down the stairs to greet me when I come in through the garage. And Jeremiah said he'd been sleeping the whole time since he got home. And as soon as I got home, he was WIRED, all over the place running around and just wanted to be by me.

The today, Jeremiah stayed home sick from work, so they had father-puppy bonding time all day. He was pretty lazy according to Jeremiah, and then when I got home this afternoon he was RIGHT NEXT TO ME. It was pretty cute, and kind of annoying since I was trying to put stuff down and get situated to be home for the evening. Mostly he was just cute though. We went on a walk, he just ate dinner and now he's passed out on the floor while we watch Letterman.

But, he's the best dog in the world, even if he IS a mama's boy...

Be Careful, it makes your pee smell...

What a great dog Hank is! This weekend we were in Yakima at my little brother's basketball tournament. Hank was at day camp for the weekend which was probably a good thing with the HOT weather in Seattle. We got home last night, and the house was pretty stuffy. So, we opened the windows and started the fans. Hank spent the majority of the evening laying on the floor in front of the fan.

We put the fan in front of him upstairs in the bedroom, so that he'd sleep OK. He seemed to do okay, but about 3 AM I woke up and he was over by my side of the bed, off of his bed. So we turned off the fan and he slept till Jeremiah got up. No early morning wake up jump which is odd.

He was pretty lazy this morning, but after a day of rest, he was ready for a long walk this afternoon. We took a good excursion, saw a few dogs, sniffed a lot, and enjoyed the muggy air outside...

After an entertaining Kong and some asparagus, he's passed out for the night, ready to go back to day camp tomorrow!

What a BEAUTIFUL day!

And Hank's at Day Camp...

We're going to Yakima for the weekend, so Hank's at day camp and will stay the weekend (it's a Pets Hotel). But it's the most beautiful day we've had since we got Hank. It's going to be almost 90, and a trek to Marymoor would be a blast. But, we'll survive and Hank will be in a nice air conditioned building for the weekend having fun playing with his friends.

Hank LOVES him some grass...

Tonight after work I took Hank on a good walk, and now that it's spring and really green around here, he's sniffing everything out. It was a good walk and the mom with her German shepherd actually let us walk by her without pitching a fit. Although the dog DID growl at us. Maybe she's getting the hint that she's the mean dog mom in the neighborhood...

Anyway, as the walk continued Hank started to eat grass again! I noticed it right away and was able to call him off and stop it, but good grief, what's with his new hobby? Seriously, I've never even smoked it let alone eat it!

Please don't barf...

Today Hank and I went up to Marymoor to run him ragged for a while. It's over cast and cool out, but a good dog park day. So, we went up to the park, he ran all over the place, and swam a TON.

As we were in the grassy area playing with the ball, he was doing OK. But then he started to eat the grass! I had read somewhere when we first got him, or around that time, that it's OK if dog's eat grass, as long as they barf it up. So, I called Jeremiah quickly and he read that it's sometimes a digestive aid, and sometimes they just need the nutrients. So, we're staying in tonight to keep an eye on him. I came across this post about why dog's eat grass, and it's kind of funny, in that British sort of way.

In any event, he's been fine this afternoon, and no barfing. But, we sure aren't taking our chances...

Testicular Fortitude

Sorry, but I just heard that phrase on Top Chef the greatest TV show that I discovered about an hour ago. My brother Jake tonight said I should check it out. I've been hesitant to ever watch Top Chef because I knew I'd love it. Jeremiah's out of town, and the only thing on our DVR is Ask This Old House and Deadliest Catch. So, Top Chef it is!

Back to my dog...so, Hank ate all his dinner tonight, and I decided to give him a Kong. The beautify of the Kong is that Hank recently discovered that if he picks up the Kong and then THROWS it down on the ground, he has a better chance of getting that damn biscuit out, instead of just sticking his tongue in the Kong. It's our favorite thing to watch, and I'm just grateful that we aren't in an apartment or they would think that every evening we used our pogo stick while watching TV...

This is an older video, but it gives you an idea of the passion that goes into getting the goods out of his KONG!



Top Chef started out with a beer pairing, and is now doing tail gating food...good grief, I'm in love...

It's like a heard of elephants!

Since Jeremiah's in Denver this week, and I have a busy work week, Hank is at day camp on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It's AWESOME! He's so tired at the end of the day, he ate his dinner and is curled up on the couch with me now. He's so great. We were up stairs on the bed when we first got home, I changed clothes and then was watching something on TV for a few minutes. Hank KNOWS the sound of the TV going off, either means bed time (if the lights are all off) or time to go downstairs where the fun and food are. So, as I'm laying next to Hank, he hears the TV turn off, and JUMPS right over the top of me to get out of the room and downstairs to the fun.

I thought I might break a rib.

In other news, Hank hasn't realized that daddy's gone this week. He is always a very snugly dog and wants to be close, but he doesn't realize that he gets to sleep ON the bed because there's a WHOLE SIDE just for him. So, it's been less than exemplary sleeping conditions the past couple of days...

What are you talking about?

Yup, he's pretty much the CUTEST ever. Last week was pretty busy at work for me, and then on Saturday we went sailing with Mike & Grace. Hank got a special weekend Day Camp experience, which was great for us. We picked up Hank about 8:30 on Saturday night, and the Pets Hotel gal said she had just given Hank a Kong, I asked if it was to shut him up, since he's always so LOUD and hates being in the kennel. Her response was "yeah, pretty much." Hey, more power to her, that boy is LOUD, I always know he's there when I go to pick him up though! So, we brought him home Saturday night and he was very happy to see us, no surprise.

On Sunday we slept in and then took Hank to Robinswood since we had a few errands to run on Sunday afternoon. So, we go to the park, and he ran around for about 20 minutes, then was panting and slowing walking towards the ball. So, that was a nice short jaunt. Jeremiah hung out with him for about an hour while I went to InSpa, and then we left on our errands. We were gone for about 3 hours. When we came back, we figured Hank was just sleeping away the afternoon. We took him out, came back in and were out on the patio, since it was SO nice on Sunday. James, our neighbor, came out and said that Hank was barking for about the last hour. ACK! Not again! James and Jennifer are really nice about Hank, since their dog Ronin is infatuated with Hank, they are always very polite and kind to him. But, I always feel bad that Hank barks. This is only the 2nd time they've mentioned it. James mentioned maybe it's the garage door. But, he works from home so must go out throughout the day, and no barking. Jeremiah and I talked about it, and we think maybe it's when we're gone at odd times and gone together. It's not very often that we leave him together, or outside of the day time when we're at work. Ack, how frustrating! So, my dog trainer Diane mentioned that leaving the radio on, classical or talk radio is a good cover and might help. I guess it's time to start letting him listen to Rush while we're at work...

No Baby Mama Here

My friend Heather was over a couple of weeks ago for dinner, and asked if Hank was practice for a baby, since when many couples get a dog, they then decide they want a real human in their life. And my reaction was NO WAY, he is great birth control! Since Hank's been sick lately he has been up early in the morning and requiring more attention than his usually mellow self does. With 4 AM walks and accidents on the carpet, yeah, this is all I need, you can keep the baby.

Happy Birthday Hank!

On Saturday, April 26th, Hank turned 2! Which means, we've had him for 6 months now, and man is our life so much more exciting with him in it! Hank's best friend Rudy came to visit him this weekend, and they really picked up right where they left off at New Years. In fact on Friday night when dad arrived, they ran around and played, but we ended up leaving them and going out for dinner, and they did JUST FINE!

We had an action packed birthday weekend for Hank. On Friday when Rudy arrived we went to the Vet to get Hank's ankle checked out, and the Vet was AMAZED at how great it looked. I kind of think she didn't think her idea would work based on her reaction. He's on another 10 days of antibiotics just to ensure that the rest of the gunk in his ankle is killed, but they said he's great, and can start going to Marymoor again. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

So, Saturday morning we went to Marymoor and ran all over the place. Hank was so happy to swim, and Rudy even got her feet wet a bit. After Marymoor everyone napped in the afternoon, and then we had dinner and birthday dessert! Hank and Rudy had Kong's while we had dinner, and then the best part..."pupcakes." They are too cute as you can see. We sang Happy Birthday to Hank and Rudy & Hank both devoured their cakes, it was so cute. Then more treats and snuggling.

This morning Hank and Rudy have continued to wrestle and play together, which is so fun to watch. Hank has that usual "end my life now" face going on while Rudy is pining away after him, it's too funny. But they enjoy playing together. We're going to head over to Robinswood Park here shortly to let them run around and then dad & I are going to the Mariner game while Jeremiah watches the dogs and Talladega, oh boy.

Stir Crazy!

Jeremiah's mom is in town for the weekend. Friday night she stayed with his brother and wife, and last night she stayed with us. Last night all 5 of us went out to dinner at Palisades in Magnolia for a DELICIOUS meal, great view, and next to Sig Hansen from Deadliest Catch. Oh yeah, and Nate McMillan was there too.

ANYWAY, we came home about 10, and Hank was very excited to see us. He ran all over the place, including out the back door and out to pee, which was fine. Then we heard the doorbell...It was James, our next door neighbor with a beautiful Akita, Ronin, who is OBSESSED with Hank. Anyway, James said his wife had heard Hank BARKING and howling for about the last hour...GREAT! James works from home, so we confirmed that he doesn't usually do this (right?) and apologized. James said he popped over to make sure that we were okay, since it was so unusual. He could see Hank and thought everything was fine, but did come over to give us a heads up.

Since Hank's been sick, he hasn't been to day camp in 3 weeks, and we haven't been exercising him as rigorously because of the ankle and everything. Today we're off to Robinswood with Grandma Paula, oh boy! Hopefully day camp helps, we'll get him in a couple of times this week which should help. Poor Hank is getting BORED.

Lookin' good Mr. Hank!

Well, the new antibiotics seem to be working for Hank, along with the "milking it out" regiment. I've had a chaotic work week, so Jeremiah's had to do the majority of the milking, but his ankle looks a LOT better already! We wanted to wait a couple of days to make sure the antibiotics were working for him, and they are doing fine, but now he is BORED and ready to start going to Day Camp again! He'll get in a couple of times next week, PLUS, Rudy is coming to visit him next weekend, and he's VERY excited for some time to reconnect with his girlfriend.

Lovely, I know. The swelling seems to be significantly smaller, and hair is growing back, which is a good sign. He has his energy back and we are just waiting to hear that he can start going to Marymoor again, YAY!

You know it's a good sign...

...when your Vet doesn't have a clue what it is...

That's right folks, Hank had his 2 week check up tonight! YAY, finally time to figure out what this was all about and where to go from here. Over the past few days Hank's ankle has been swollen still, and isn't "draining" as much. Good for the carpets, bad for the dog. So, at our check up tonight, the doctor came out and said she doesn't really know what it is. She said it's abscess like, but not just a solid knot that they can just cut it out. OH, and because it's in the WORST POSSIBLE SPOT on his body, they can't really go in and investigate because he doesn't have much extra skin to help cover it up. SO...

Time to try a new antibiotic! Yup, good times. The Vet actually said she has no clue "what the hell it is." She said if Hank was 10 and this was really hurting him, she'd know what it is, and it wouldn't be good. But even as she poked at it tonight, he wasn't bothered by it at all, which has been our case as well. So, she asked us to do a few things:

1. put a heat pack on his ankle for 10 minutes each day, and then "milk" the gunk, out of his ankle manually. Jeremiah was really looking for a new bonding experience with Hank, and I am SURE this will only bring them closer together.

2. try a NEW course of antibiotics, 2 pills once a day. No problem. We have been doing 2 twice a day, so this will be cinch!

3. try and figure this out on our own. Clearly she's the one with the med school degree, but then again, what's a WSU education REALLY going to get you in life? Trust me, I work with a few of these people...

Alright, so we're going to try the draining and the meds. We'll go back in 10 days (April 24th) and move forward from there. She did say if it's still the same, then they'll have to go in and open it up to check it out. She said she doesn't know what it is, the closest thing she's seen to it before was a dog that got a seed stuck in his ankle that just got it all irritated. The thing with the knot on his ankle is that part of it is soft and can be pushed around, and part of it is hard scar tissue that will (hopefully) go away in time. We sure hope this new course of antibiotics works for him, AND we hope that the forced draining each day will help too.

The good news is that he's doing really well and the Vet said he can start going to Day Camp again, HOORAY! He can NOT go to Marymoor yet, he needs to stay out of the water till we get his ankle figured out. But, at least we can get him some exercise, praise the Lord! Hank's been pretty excited the past few days when we get home from work with lots of energy to run off, so hopefully the weather drys up and we can take him to Robinswood and on good walks around the neighborhood.

One Day at a Time

The weekend went pretty well with Hank finally (except for the ripped open tub of treats incident). He slept through the night last night, HOORAY! He went out at 8:30 with Jeremiah and then slept till this morning, and didn't race down to the door like he has been doing. AND, I was gone all day at work, and he didn't have an accident, HOORAY!

He did however have his chair all messed up and the magazine basket knocked over, BUT, not stinky urine smell! I got home tonight about 5 and he was JUMPING up and down, it was ridiculous, he wanted OUT and had to GO! Hank had a lot of energy tonight, I think he's getting better. He ran all over the house after we went out initially. And he drug me down the hill on his walk. But as soon as we got to the secret off leash area, he ran and ran, which was GREAT. I sure wish we had a dog park in the neighborhood for days like this. Walking just wasn't going to cut it today, he needed to RUN!

Yesterday after church we took Hank to a NEW dog park. He loves going to Marymoor, but with his ankle we just haven't been able to take him, especially with the water, he'll do ANYTHING to get in the water. So, we found Robinswood Park in Bellevue. They have a nice off leash area that is fenced in and is really just a big corral, which is GREAT for running around. There's enough dogs that they chase each other and we didn't even need the tennis balls much. This is a great cold-day alternative and not quite healthy enough for the river park. Plus, it's closer and there's no parking fee. Hooray!

Hank is currently laying on the floor with Jeremiah watching Ask This Old House. A family favorite.

Master of the Universe

Hank's had a pretty good week this week. He finished his pain medication on Monday, so he's sleeping a little longer through the night, and he's holding his pee a little longer. He's still had about an accident a day while we're gone, but part of that has just been that we can't be around all the time.

Today however...Jeremiah & I had some plans to go to Bellevue, do some shopping, get some errands done, and be gone for about 3-4 hours. We took Hank out before we left and all seemed okay. It is a BEAUTIFUL day today, mid-70's it would have been a PERFECT day for Marymoor. Man, I can't wait to go again!

Last night, I was cleaning up Hank's dog treat jar on the kitchen counter, and put some treats from his "stash" in the garage in there. I was too lazy to take the Tupperware sealed tub back downstairs, so it sat by the door last night. Hank had noticed what it was, but did OK with it, and I noticed it before we left, but didn't grab it on my way out the door.

4 hours later...Jeremiah came home and I ran to Safeway. I come in the door, and Jeremiah says "before you come up, nothing is broken, it'll be OK" So, I'm thinking that Hank had a big accident or knocked the pillows off the couch or something.

OH NO. He drug the treat tub from over by the front door to the couch area, GOT IT OPEN, ripped open the chicken strip bag, ripped open the dog biscuit bag, ON THE CARPET and proceeded to eat about half the bag of dog biscuits. The good news however is that they were breath fresh biscuits! So, there was a nice big mess to pick up and vacuum up crumbs. BUT, at least we know Hank kept himself entertained. OH, and he took a pee on the carpet upstairs by our bedroom (but not in our room thank goodness!)

Tonight we had my friend Heather over who just moved back from North Carolina. She's allergic to dogs, but did OK with Hank till I closed the window tonight and she was forced to inhale dog scent at her feet. Like most people who meet Hank for the first time, they can't believe how HUGE he is. AND what a sweet guy he is. If only she'd been here at 4 today...

Dontcha wish your dog was hot like mine?

Evidently my time in Vegas has left me wishing I HAD gone to see Audrina at the Pussycat Dolls. BUT, I didn't. However, upon return, my brother Jake informed me of a Snapfish (online picture) competition for your pets.

Who has a cuter dog than me? That's right, no one. So, I took my most recent favorite picture and posted it. Beginning April 7th, you have a week to vote for YOUR favorite Yellow lab as well! Let the world know what an adorable dog I have! And don't forget...he's sick and could use the sympathy votes these days...

Click HERE to vote

He's going to make it!

What a weekend! Hank is doing pretty well, better than Tuesday anyway! Friday afternoon I came home at lunch to take Hank out on a break. He was doing much better and I was able to go back to work for the afternoon. On Saturday morning Hank woke up about 7 and jumped up on the bed. We took him out about 11 pm to pee Friday night, so figured he'd be OK for another hour or so till we got up. About 7:30, Jeremiah starts to TALK. If you know me, you know that 7:30 on a Saturday morning is NOT going to be a good time to start a big conversation with me. But evidently, our pride and joy had an ACCIDENT on our bed. He peed through the comforter, sheets, mattress pad, and onto the mattress...GOOD MORNING! Welcome to the weekend...

So, we spent Saturday doing laundry, and spraying up urine spots on the carpet behind Hank. He's had all 5 of his pain pills, and we're hoping that he'll be OK now. But, it's very possible that it's the antibiotics that he's on for 2 weeks...so another week and a half. Oh boy! Jeremiah and I just finished the schedule for the week so that he's only home alone a long day tomorrow
(9 hours, a typical day is about 10).

We had our friends Mike & Grace over last night. Grace is REALLY excited that Hank has completed his basic manners class, because now he can go on long runs with her, and we're all excited for that! But, he was pretty lazy last night, which is nice when there's people over. Mike's mom Debi was in town from DC for the week, and she was VERY excited to meet Hank. She even brought him some cookies, a cute latte cookie and a carrot cookie. Both of which he DEVOURED! HE loves his Auntie Debi!

Today he did more sleeping, he didn't pee on our bed, but he did have a wet spot on his bed, so hopefully we got that all cleaned up. I'm just hoping that the pain pills being done with will help him to stop peeing so much, but it's probably the Antibiotics. April 15th can't get here soon enough!

His leg is still draining a bit, but he seems to be doing alright and last night he even slept without his ecollar on!

Hank the Magician...

The fun never ends in casa de Case! Today, we had to leave Hank home alone while we were at work. Jeremiah was in the Seattle office this morning, and then was going to stop by home around noon, to take Hank out for a potty break, then off to Boeing.

So, Jeremiah calls me around 11:30 to say he's home, AND, well...new adventures. Hank is still wearing the cone, he was laying on the floor looking out the window towards the street. Oh yeah...and he had magically ripped out the tube that was helping his ankle DRAIN. Great! We were going to pay the vet good money (yeah, not really an assumption when you're 99% sure) to take OUT the tube and the stitches on Saturday, but Hank just went ahead and took care of that for us. He's clearly Jeremiah's.

So, I called the nurse at the vet's office, poor Megan HAS to hate me, I've called every day since Tuesday. But, that's her fault for offering. Anyway, at first she thought we'd be OK, then as we discussed a little more, she decided to ask the Vet, and he said yeah, come on in.

So, I leave work, run home, grab Jeremiah & Hank (yes it IS a two person job, especially with that damn cone on his head!) and go to the vet. They were kind of amazed that he had the eCollar (cone thing) on his head AND still got the tube out. Yup, our dog does have para-normal powers. So, they took out the stitches, and gave us some cleaning solution. $15 later and we're on the road...

Jeremiah was able to work from home this afternoon (I am SO glad he's been able to do this,(he'd like me to add that he's AMAZING) my week was nuts since I was sick on Monday-thanks Rio). Tomorrow WILL be crazy, since Jeremiah actually has to show his face in the office at least once or twice this week. I'll take a LONG lunch and come home to check on Hank. We have to keep an eye on him to make sure he's not licking at the now-open wound. It's lovely by the way...

Oh yeah, speaking of his magical powers....

1. he's decided to stop controlling his urinary tract, oh boy. Again, Jeremiah is THE BEST for taking him out at 4 AM today...

2. We stopped at Subway on the way back home. We left him in the BACK of the car. We have a Honda CRV, so he's usually pretty safe. We go inside, grab sandwiches and are back out within MAYBE 5 minutes...I turn around to walk out the door, and Hank is standing between the two front seats WITH THE CONE ON! We're beyond speculating how he does this...Jeremiah decided to go with this scenario:

Hank got bored of us, opened up the back trunk, got out, walked around, opened the back door, jumped in, locked the door and waited. It's actually a legit options since he HAS opened the door from our garage, broke out of a gate, and broken free from a kennel if you recall from our first week of ownership...

Anyway, Hank's a magician, there's no caging him, and hopefully he doesn't gnaw off his leg tomorrow while we're at work...

Someone stole Hank!

Dad sent this to me tonight...he does look a little happier than he has over the past 24 hours...

The morning after...

Hank's doing OK this morning. He's still pretty lazy, which is what the nurse said. He does keep laying ON his leg with the drain in it, which is a pain. Hopefully when I head to work here in a bit, he'll jump up in his chair and look out the window. The way it faces, he shouldn't be on his leg while we're gone. Jeremiah will come work from home this afternoon to be with him. Hank's not really eating either. I just made him some rice and he's just not in the mood for food...

I also posted a few more pictures (including some of the wound) on the Picasa page, check it out here if you want to look:

http://picasaweb.google.com/HankandElizabeth/HankSSurgery

This is your dog on drugs. Any questions?

Ummm...yes.

So, I take Hank to Marymoor every weekend for his run around the park and time to swim. About 3 weeks ago, I noticed that Hank had a knot on his back ankle, and I figured he bumped it when we were at the park. He wasn't nursing it, and he wasn't limping, so I figured it was a little swollen but would go away in a while. Two weeks later, we're off to Vegas. I noticed before we left that it was still swollen. The knot wasn't something we thought about much because it wasn't bothering him, so only if we were snuggling on the couch would I notice it sometimes.

When we dropped Hank off at the Pets Hotel before we left, I did mention the knot, and asked them to keep an eye on it, and said we'd take him to the vet when we get back. Jeremiah picked him up on Thursday, no problems. I took Hank to Day Camp this morning. The first thing Rob (the manager) asked me was how his ankle was. I said it was fine and I was going to call the vet this week to get it checked out.

So, about 10:30 this morning...I have a voicemail from Rob. Hank's knot has finally broken open, it's bleeding and oozing. The beauty of having your day camp/kennel/vet all in the same building is that when Rob called, he asked if I wanted HIM to take Hank over to the vet, across the store. SURE, that'd be great. They'll bandage him up, he'll be back at Day camp after lunch. Thanks so much, you guys are THE BEST! I call Jeremiah to give him a heads up. That's great, what a handy place for Hank to be!

The vet calls me...yeah, it's abscessed, and needs to be drained and looked at. They're pretty sure that Hank isn't going sit still through it, so they need to put him under. They also noticed as they examined him, that he's starting to get an ear infection, and they need to clean out his ears (which did smell pretty bad I noticed on Sunday), sure, go ahead. Oh yeah, and he had broken a tooth that was becoming abscessed (Hank's new favorite thing to do evidently) and they need to pull it. Since he's already going under, they could do it now. Ummm...sure go ahead.

So, I'm starting to freak out. I call Jeremiah, let him know what's going on. Oh yeah, I forgot. The Vet put me on with the nurse to talk about more logistics. Megan is going to be with Hank today as his nurse and take GREAT care of him. She explains in a little more detail what's going on. Oh yeah...for all 3 things (ankle, tooth, ears) it's going to cost over $1300. If they JUST do the ankle today it's going to be just over $1000. Yeah, just get it all done. Luckily we wo...lost big in Vegas so no problem. Megan says she'll call between 4 and 5 once they're out of surgery to let us know how it's going and when we can come pick him up.

I called about 4:45, because I couldn't take it any more! They just got out of surgery and he did great. He's not really awake yet, he's still pretty groggy. The doctor needs to keep some dressing on him for a little bit longer so he can analyze it and then make his antibiotic suggestions for us. We can come get him in an hour. YAY! As I'm driving home, the doctor calls and says that he's doing OK, and that because he's still so out so out of it, he'll be tough to maneuver. He needs to stay a little longer, they close at 7, can we come about 6:45? No problem, we'll be there.

We go to pick up Hank. We pay the bill. We've been talking a lot lately about getting pet insurance, so I asked the front desk nurse what would have been covered if we'd had insurance. We would have gotten the $200 dental cleaning, the $35 vet visit, and 15% of the surgery bill paid for. So, about $400 would have been paid for. And an annual premium? About $400. So, I think that answers that, we're good, no thanks. We paid (and can no longer afford to feed Hank) and gave them the leash. The nurse Megan came out to walk us through everything. He's got 2 antibiotics, an ear cleaner, and ear drops we have to give him twice daily. OH BOY. The next two weeks are going to be a PAIN IN THE ASS, but Hank's worth it.

The nurse walks us through everything. They put a drain in his ankle, so he'll be leaking for a few days. We need to keep it that way so that he can get all the gunk out. They'll take the drain tube out on Saturday at noon. Hooray! He's wearing an eCollar so that he doesn't pick at his stitches. The one he's wearing isn't quite long enough so that he CAN get to his stitches if he really wants to. So far, he's OK. We have to keep the eCollar on for the next TWO WEEKS, uh huh.

The ears. Yup, the pup has a yeast infection! I didn't think boys could even get those. They cleaned out his ears, we have a daily cleanser and some antibiotic drops to put in there twice a day. This DOES explain why he's been rubbing his head against the wall in the morning when he gets up with Jeremiah.

And, they pulled his tooth. They put a couple of sutchers in there, and they'll dissolve in a week or so, but it may bleed a little in the next few days. For now, we have to keep everything clean. We can wipe up his ooze, don't feed him much tonight, and keep him lazy and rested.

He's on so many drugs tonight, he's just fine. I took him on a quick potty break which was pretty entertaining. He's still getting use to the eCollar so he kept walking into plants to sniff them, but would get caught on them with his stupid cone head. Pretty cute. Luckily we didn't run into any other dogs, that'll have to wait a day or two. Now he's passed out watching the Mariners, just waiting for us to put some ear drops in and let him go to bed.

Easter Greetings

I'm getting caught up on e-mail from being in VEGAS last week. Hank seems to have forgiven us. I had this e-mail from Jeremiah's aunt in my inbox and it made me laugh. AND think of my dad's dog Rudy.

How Much for that Doggy in the Window?

Well, I'm still in Vegas. BUT, Jeremiah went home this morning and picked up Hank at the Pets Hotel. He had a good time, and the other day, someone was watching day camp, and Hank in action. They came inside to the pets hotel and asked what kind of dog he was (uhhh, seriously?) and if he was available breeding. Sorry, we left his nuts at the Humane Society...

BUT, still, a pretty cool compliment!

Watch it!

Jeremiah is going to barbecue tonight but it's 8:20 and he's just turning on the grill. He asked Hank to come outside, so Hank was anxiously standing at the sliding glass door ready to go. Jeremiah opened the door, and BOOM! He bounced off the screen. We both laughed pretty hard, then Jeremiah quickly opened the screen, and it took Hank a minute to decide if it was OK to go out. Somehow we're nerdy parents and that story was too funny not to share...

Today I am a Man

Or something like that.

Today was a big day here at the Case house. Hank graduated from his Basic Manner class. He did a great job, although he didn't really have a trick, we're still working on Shake. He'll get there, but man does he love his treats! We got free dog training at the Humane Society when we got Hank back in October. The woman who ran the class is friends with the dog trainer who did a couple of private lessons with Hank around the holidays. Hank really liked Gayle, she has lots of energy and did a great job. If only we practiced more with Hank throughout the week, I knew he could do better outside the classroom. But, we'll keep on keeping on.

Now, we're spoiling him this evening because we're about to abandon him at the Pets Hotel for 4 nights while we're in Vegas for the week with my dad and brothers. Yay for vacation!

He usually barks a lot at the Pets Hotel, he does NOT like to be in a kennel, but he loves being there and loves day camp. I hope it goes well, mostly for the employees sake, he's not a quiet dog when he doesn't want to be...

Happy Spring!

It's the first day of Spring, and Hank is more excited than most...

Goodnight, sleep tight!

Yesterday I did some shopping after dropping off mom at the airport. I had planned to take Hank to Marymoor again in the afternoon so he could run around and be tired today while he was home alone all day. Well, when I got home, it was pouring down rain, so we scrapped that idea. So, this afternoon it was still blue skies and sunshine when I was getting ready to leave work. Jeremiah had a work event tonight, so Hank and I went up to Marymoor. Monday evening, and St. Patrick's Day proved to be a nice quiet evening at the park. Lot's of puppy's and pound dogs, which was cute.

Hank barked a lot at the park today. We are working on "no barking, sit" and then I pick up the ball. then the barking starts again... so "no barking, sit" and then I THROW the ball. When I have the ball in my chuck-it, he knows to sit and be quiet. He's doing really great once I have the ball. But when he drops the ball and starts barking, he takes forever to stop barking and sit. If he does one, I pick it up. But he runs into me, and 90 lbs at full force HURTS sometimes!

Now Hank's passed out on the couch dreaming of day camp tomorrow!

...and snoring...

Hank's weekend with Grandma!

This weekend my mom came to visit us, but mostly to see her grandpuppy. Hank was very spoiled all weekend! Friday he got to go to the airport to pick up Grandma, and then she (of course) brought him a present, a new fun squeaky toy! he really likes it, and even went to find it on Saturday morning while we were reading the paper.

Saturday we went to Marymoor to show off Hank's belly flop maneuvers, THEN we went to Hank's Basic Manner's class. Grandma said Hank was the best in class, but we think she's biased. Hank got LOTS of attention this weekend, and then go tot watch Nascar today with Jeremiah, I think he's still upset that he's not at Marymoor again today, but it started to rain and I'm tired! This week he goes to day camp twice, and then next Sunday he goes to the Pets Hotel for 4 nights while we're in Vegas! He may never forgive us from that...

More beach pictures...

Just in case you haven't seen enough, I figured out how to do a slide show! So, there's a whole slide show of pictures from our trip to the beach last weekend. It's on the right side below that really cute picture of Hank's face, yup, right there, just scroll down...you got it!

As you can see it was a BEAUTIFUL weekend, and the sunset on Friday night was kind of trippy!

Hank's first Vacation

This weekend we took our first real vacation (where we paid to stay somewhere, sorry Grandma!) with Hank. We went to fabulous Moclips, WA on the Central Washington Coast. We stayed at the wonderful Hi Tide Resort. A co-worker of mine had suggested it, she takes her 100 lb lab-Rottweiler mix there on vacation. It's right next to the beach, it's really quiet and at the north end of "town" it's great. The perfect relaxing weekend. Well, once we got there...

We left town about 11 on Friday, and headed on our way to the coast. We had directions, we were set. We get to Aberdeen (see town slogan: Come as you Are--thanks Kurt) and stop for lunch at McDonald's. Hank goes out to pee, we pee, we sit in the car and eat up to get back on the road. While we're eating, Jeremiah's phone rings, but it's a number he doesn't know, so we ignore it. Just as the voicemail sound goes off, my phone rings with the same number, so I pick up. It's our alarm system company! Our alarm has gone off, someone is breaking in through our back (well, probably front to you) door. My thought is that it's the house cleaner. So, I look, and I don't have her phone number with me. OF COURSE! So, what do I do? Call my FANTASTIC department admin, Mike's the best. And not just because he reads this blog more than my own family does. He's the greatest. So, I call Mike, HELP! I know her number is in our database somewhere. Mike gets me the number. I call, Janine picks up, and sure enough, it was her. She panicked, locked the door and left! At this point, the cops are on their way over to the house, so we call back and let them know that it's OK, we know what's going on. They cancel the cops and reset the alarm. My poor cleaning lady was so freaked out! She thought we knew she was coming, and I thought she'd send me a note first. Such is life and missed communication. When she finally comes to clean, I"m leaving her a bottle of wine.

So, on with our trip. We drive "20 miles to THE stop sign." We pass the town of Humptulips where we actually saw a street sign that said "Humptulips Dyke Road." People, I can't make this stuff up! We finally get to Pacific Beach and just 2 miles up to Moclips. It's great. A totally rundown town, wiener dogs crossing the HIGHWAY at their leisure. It's a great town!

There is nothing to do but eat, drink, lay around, read, and walk and play on the beach. Hank had SO MUCH FUN! He ran and ran and ran. He slept, and got wet, slept on the bed with us (so not so relaxing for us) and we had a blast! Hank did great, even he was freaked out by the obnoxious yippee dog that would check him out from the patio. We saw a bald eagle on our final morning, it was beautiful. The weekend was perfect. Exactly what I needed. I got caught up on my magazines, watched Con Air Saturday night (who knew that movie would get me all teary-eyed?!?!?) it was great. We took the trek down to Ocean Shores (clearly the nick name of Open-Sores is for a reason!) and bought a kite, it was so much fun! It was supposed to rain all weekend, but was gorgeous. EXCEPT for the moment when we went outside to play with Hank and the kite. What a great weekend! It was hard to come home. Except that with Hank sleeping on the bed, I was excited to lay on my bed and watch TV all afternoon and nap. Now, it's time to get caught up on my DVR...

I'm glad Hank's a boy...

Anyone who knows me (including all the managers at my current job) knows that I treat EVERYONE in my life like I treat my younger brothers. I adore them, think the world of them, and it's clear more and more with each passing day that God gave me brothers, not sisters, for a reason. Hank is a great BOY dog. He chases after balls ALL the time. He could NOT care less about dogs who want to play with him at the dog park, he has a one track mind for balls. He's the best.

So, I wasn't sure how to get this story into my dog blog but here we go...Today, I was driving from Seattle up to a presentation in Woodinville. I was coming through the arboretum (lots of birds, lots of trees by UW) and thought I saw a blue heron (pretty common in the area) it was BIG. Then I looked again and it was a BALD EAGLE. I love when this happens, how cool is it that bald eagles are in my back yard? AWESOME! It looked like maybe there was something in it's mouth, but I was going 60 mph and focusing on one of the worst highways in America. And then...all of a sudden, the bird got it's period on my car. That's right, you heard me. Now, there's been an odd amount of "a bird crapped on me" stories at my office lately. But I swear this takes the cake! Over, Lori having a bird poop ON her on Valentine's Day! I'm driving along, enjoying the majesty of living in Western Washington, and the damn bird gets it's period on my windshield...how gross is that? So gross, I called Cindi in my office to tell her, and then called my youngest brother Jeremy. I figured he was probably at home playing xbox or watching Entourage, but I was really hoping that I would wake him to the sound of "an American Bald Eagle just got it's period on my car!". But, he was walking out of class, so had to have his reaction in the hallway. The conversation turned to "do eagle's have periods?" I'm sure COCC has an avian menstruation cycle course...Jeremy promised to look into it.

Anyway, I'm glad my dog is a BOY and that he had his nuts chopped off before we brought him home. He's the best dog EVER. I took him to Marymoor today for about 45 minutes, and he's passed out next to me on the couch.

Hank is in for the treat of lifetime this weekend. We're going to take him to Moclips down on the beach for the weekend. It's all-Hank running, all the time! He is going to have a BLAST! Can't wait! Until then, just enjoy this Superbad inspired post.