Snoopy Doodles!!!

Many of you kind readers have been asking after our little dog Snoopy, to see how his recovery from spinal surgery is going. Thanks for asking! Just in case you missed it, back before Thanksgiving, our sweet little Snoopers slipped a disc, was paralyzed in all 4 legs, and had to have emergency surgery that night. It was really scary. I thought I'd do a Snoopy Update in all-doodle form!

It's been about 10 weeks since his accident/surgery, and he's doing really well. He wakes up full of zip and feeling great. His joy for life and his overall enthusiasm are definitely at 100%. He is as sweet and happy as ever, and I am so grateful for that!

He spends some time in the mornings basking in the sunlight by the back door. He's like a little cat, he always seeks out the warmest spot, and stays there until he is uncomfortably hot and panting like a little maniac. This is his favorite place to hang out before and after breakfast.

At some point in the afternoon, he will spend some time up on the back of the sofa, barking at every moving person/animal/object outside the window. This frenzied behavior brings him great joy, but sometimes we have to tell him to pipe down. He has little staircases that we built for him to climb up and down to the sofa. Of course, when he's feeling frisky, he jumps right over the stairs. Bad dog! :)

When it's time for the dogs to go for their walk, Snoopy starts to go totally nuts. Ever since the surgery, he has this new weird-o move where he flings his butt and back legs up in the air like a bull at a rodeo. ??!! It's cute and crazy! In theory, he is not supposed to "play or jump" for about 5 more weeks, but it's nearly impossible to prevent him from doing either of those things when he's in the mood. He's positively irrepressible!

From now on, he is supposed to always be on leash for dog walks, and he is supposed to wear a harness instead of a collar (so that we don't pull on his neck - that's where his slipped disc was). Luckily, he is just a happy-go-lucky little fella, and just doesn't seem to mind at all. 

He just got permission to start walking again about 3.5 weeks ago... and so we have been slowly increasing the time he's allowed to walk. He's up to about 25 minutes (of slow walking). After that, I pop him in a little baby sling and walk some more ~ so that our "big" dogs Stevie and Dottie get a longer walk.

Why didn't I do a doodle of Snoopy in his baby sling??!!

By the end of the day, we call him "Little Sloppy Legs," because his back legs definitely get tired and wobbly and unsteady. His front legs seem to be pretty much 100%, but the back legs still have a little ways to go. Sometimes, he'll pick his leg up to pee on a bush, and lose his balance, and then try to pass it off like he just changed his mind. It's cute, but also a little sad.

After dinner, by the time Mr. VE&T and I get to the sofa for some Sofa Time (TV, reading, iPad, etc)... Snoopy is pretty much totally pooped out. He spends the whole evening quietly curled up, sacked out, and waiting for bedtime.

For bedtime, part of Snoopy's new reality is that he has to wear PJs, with a leash attached to him and tied around my wrist. Because we really can't let him jump off the bed anymore. Ever again! It's really cute though, because he loves getting his little tshirt put on. I think he likes it because it's extra cozy. 

 Snoopy in his Good Boy Spot

Then, the very best part of the whole entire day. Bedtime!

When we are ready for bed, Snoopy walks up his little doggie staircase, and hangs out at the foot of the bed in his PJs. Then he waits for me to get all tucked in just right, and once I'm ready I tell him "Okay Snoopy, come to your Good Boy Spot!" and he comes happily trotting over to my right armpit, turns around once or twice, curls up, and plops down with his head resting on my arm. The whole thing lasts about 3 seconds, but I wish it could go on forever. It is the cutest thing in the whole entire world! 

Then I put the leash on him and also around my wrist, and we are ready for bed. Almost every night he sleeps straight through the night in his good boy spot, but every once in a while he wants to get up in the middle of the night, and I have to make sure he uses the stairs to get off the bed. All in all, though, these new changes are most definitely worth the effort. I am so super super super grateful to have my little friend alive and well!!!