9/3/99: Moochie is starting to feel and act her age. Sometimes she is happy and peppy and at others she acts as if she doesn't know me. I've heard about older dogs suffering from memory loss and it leading to apathy towards their owners, unfortunately, I think this is happening to Mooch.
Also, Mooch is losing her coordination. The poor girl completely lost it when she tried to jump in the car today. I opened the door for Mooch and when she tried to jump up on the seat (maybe a foot off the ground) she only made it half way. She kept scrambling up the seat and eventually pulled herself up. She had NEVER done this before!!! Maybe it was just the heat, it was near 90 degrees today, but I think she is just losing muscle tone. I'll have to watch her the next couple of times, and I may need to start helping her.
Other than her old age, Moochie is still the greatest dog in the world!!!! She just chills out on the couch while I work at my computer, never making a fuss, never feeling jealous, just lounging around. When she needs to pee she comes over and lets me know and every once in a while, she'll come over and put her head on the armrest of my chair, as if to say, "HI."
6/25/99: NO TICK!! Mooch had and ear infection from sleeping in front on my fan. Her ear is still tender to the touch but it is a lot better that it was.
Mooch was great at the vet. No matter where she goes she always seems to be able to charm the humans and the other animals didn't phase her one bit. She sat nice and quiet, didn't have any accidents, and didn't bite the vet. I was really nervous about the latter because she doesn't like strangers touching her face. Anyway Mooch will soon be back to her OLD self.
6/1/99: Mooch has some kind of problem with her outer ear, I suspect it might be a tick, yet I can't find it so it's off to the vet! I don't know how Mooch will act since I've never actually taken her to the vet before. I hope she doesn't FREAK out.
5/4/99: Mooch hates me right now--I just gave her a bath. She doesn't put up a fuss once the bath starts, but getting her to come when I have the hose is another story. This time was a relatively uneventful bath, she still hates me because I got her wet, but she was well behaved while I washed her. One time, I scrubbed her squeaky clean, rinsed her off, and then she ran to a bare spot in the lawn, flopped on her back and rubbed about two inches of dirt and mud into her freshly scrubbed fur.
4/30/99: I can't believe a whole month has gone by again. I need to give more frequent updates. Anywho, Moochie has been in doggie nirvana. The weather has been great and it's that time a year when I send hours in my garden, so Moochie has been spending lots of time outside. She loves it!!! She is getting old so she doesn't do a lot of running around, but she loves just sitting in the sun and having all the people who pass by fawn all over her. I live two blocks from the Douglass Campus of Rutger's University so there are always students passing by, most of whom can't resist stopping and petting Moochie for a bit. Moochie plays coy alot, but she LOVES the attention.
3/30/99: This has been a strange month for the Mooch. We have had VERY windy weather and Moochie hates the wind. She is absolutely scared shitless when it's blustery. She won't sleep and just hides under a table and stares at the door. I'm not exactly sure what about the wind scares her. At first I thought it was the windchimes in my garden. However, when we are outside and it is windy, she freaks, hides under a large outdoors rocker, and stares at the door. Go fiqure. Other than that, Moochie has been great!
2/27/99: Mooch has been a great dog this past month. I can't believe she has been living here for 3 years!!! I'm also amazed at the progress she has made. She still has her occasional moments of fear and an almost daily nightmare. However, the nightmares are much less violent then in the past. She used to growl, bark, and shake violently when she had a nightmare. Now I'm not sure if they are nightmares or just dreams because she huffs and puffs, her little paws move as if she is running, and I'm not always sure she is growling.
Other good signs are that she has now taken over the entire couch and she follows me around my apartment. The couch I'll give her, because she keeps it nice and warm. The following me around gets to be a pain in the ass occasionally. I live in a studio apartment that is one big room, split into a living room and kitchen, and a bathroom. You can basically see the entire apartment no matter where you go, but the little bugger just seems to want to be RIGHT next to me at times. Sometimes this is because it's a very windy day out and for some reason she is scared shitless of the wind chimes I have outside in my garden. That I'll grant her, but sometimes she is just a pain in the butt!!! However, I'd much rather have Moochie the pain than Moochie the frightened, abused dog.
1/29/99: Mooch has been the most incredible dog over the last couple weeks. No farting! No pooping or peeing in my apartment! She's been an angel!!!
I've started working at home and I really feel that Mooch likes having me around. She has been resting her head in my lap when we watch TV and she has been curling up under my chair when I'm at my computer. Who'da ever thunk it! This is the same dog who would sit across the room from me and walk away when I would try to pet her. I'm happy for me but I'm ecstatic that she's learning she can trust me.
1/9/99: Moochie is doing much better. I just have to remember that she is getting up there in years and I have to stop giving her people food. Oh, she is still farting every now and then, but thankfully the squirts are gone.
Today we had 5" of snow in the lovely City of New Brunswick. Moochie loved it!!!!! Well, loved it for about 5 min. then she wanted in the house. Some husky she turned out ot be! Actually, in her defense, it was a very fine powdery snow and it was also extremely windy. No one wants to be out in weather like that. And I will say, she had a ball for those 5 minutes!!!
12/21/98: I am very concerned about Moochie's health. She has had the shits on and off for a week now. I've been trying to keep track of the people food I give her because I think she may be getting too old to digest it.
Also, Moochie has been farting up a storm!!!!! I have honestly never heard a dog fart until a week ago. I've always heard that dogs can rip some good ones, especially bulldogs, but I never had the pleasure (actually displeasure) of hearing or SMELLING one. Mooch has some REAL toxic fumes eminating from her posterior. I know this sounds really sad, because obviously the gas is caused by her upset bowels, but the first time I heard Mooch cut a real juicy 'BWAPTH' I nearly pissed my pants laughing. Luckily we were alone because no one would have believed such a sound could come out of a dog.
The sound is one thing, the ODOR is another. When you can hear them, you can duck for cover, it's the SBD's (Silent but Deadly) that will burn your nostrils. I spent 45 mins. one day looking for poop because I was positive Mooch had taken a dump in my apartment, then I realized that the pungent odor was originated from the little buggers butt!!!
11/30/98: Moochie has been great lately!! She is feeling much better, she may have had a cold, but she is doing great now!!! Some dogs like the heat, Mooch loves the cold. (I guess that's from the husky in her). Every chance she gets she is outside having a ball running around and prancing through the leaves. I love seeing this dog have fun.
Mooch had her share of turkey on Thanksgiving. NO BONES!!! Just the sucky dry meat from an over-cooked turkey. (Nothing worse then spending Thanksgiving eating turkey cooked by someone who lives on take-out chinese food.
11/16/98: Mooch hasn't been feeling well as of late. In fact she pooped on my rug while I was at work this past Saturday. Just for the record, Moochie NEVER poops in the house, so I'm just a bit concerned.
Aside from the house pooping, Mooch has been having a grand ol' time. With the weather cooling, I've been able to take her to work with me. Moochie absolutely adores riding in my car. However, lately she has been a pain in the butt. She has started sitting right next to me for some unknown reason. Sure, I'm really loving the fact that she wants to be close to me, but while driving you do need to occasionally use the mirrors. It's a bit distressing when, instead of an on-coming car, you see a big, tan, panting head!
