Inside the Little Plastic Castle

The warnings were dire, but so far we've only had 4-5 inches on the ground. The snow is very heavy and wet and it's barely freezing. That's good news on the street, where it rapidly melts. It's sad news in the backyard, where thick snow brought down three branches on our oldest pine tree, which blocked the street behind our house. Thank heavens for neighbors with chainsaws.

Earlier in the day, MyGuy and Bella went exploring on the bike path. It's a tunnel of white: snow covers the path itself, all the vegetation on the sides, and weighs down the branches of the trees and bushes. Since our black mutt Bella is certain there's something exciting just ahead, her leash is stretching forward into the future.

( click for pic )

Because we have 30 trees in our city lot, we have lots of leaves in our yard. I just admire them, but MyGuy has to rake 'em for the city to compost.

Bella feels a calling to supervise this important work. The pile starts at least 8 ft wide by 20 ft long by 1 ft high. Over the space of an hour, MyGuy packs it into containers. Bella stays put as the pile recedes.

We acknowledge her leadership.

( Three leafy photos with one fixed dog )

One hundred seventy-seven days ago, Bella was in the vet ER suffering through a ton of tests. She was eventually diagnosed with primary immune mediated hemolytic anemia. She's taken several paper bags worth of meds, including cortisone and cyclosporine. We hit on hotdogs as the premier treat to get her to swallow her meds, after trying almond butter, peanut butter, and canned chicken. We tapered off the cortisone last month and today we learned her latest blood work is so good we can halve her cyclosporine.

So much good news!

• The hair is starting to grow back on her belly. That belly is big again since she's up to 51 pounds (only four more to go).
• She has energy and enthusiasm and she's ready for spring.
• Almost all the warts have gone, with some dried up holdouts generating copious dandruff (of course it's also blowing-her-coat season).
• She continues to be an excellent role model for me by conserving energy when she needs to. Now she's feeling up to visiting with dog park users (both canine and human).
• She's digging toys out of her basket and squeaking.
• She's doing zoomies around the living room.

Eighty days ago MyGuy carried Bella in to the vet ER. Eight days later he carried her back home with a large grocery bag of toxic drugs. She’s had three outpatient hospital visits plus two local-vet blood draws.

While the survival rate for immune mediated hemolytic anemia varies from 20% to 80%, we’re confident she’s getting excellent care and she’s showing many signs of improvement: ( medical details no gore )

I can’t put into words how much I appreciate your kind thoughts and well wishes.

[ETA enabled comments]

Our dogs awaken MyGuy according to their natures. ( three techniques and pics )

First she took her customary backyard excursion. She generally launches at full speed from the back door to race the fence line twice, then stake out the larger trees for squirrels, and then eliminate.

Today she sped out the door and screeched to a halt 3 meters away. She peed and pooped as quickly as possible and ran back in.

She then eagerly accepted her leash and was ready to go out the front door. She was so disappointed when the temperature out there was still that cold.

Because back door and front door are different, you see.

Bella has burrowed her way into our hearts. Last week the Underdog Rescue placed Bella in our care. We've enjoyed every moment of our time with her.

She's a remarkably lovely dog. She's a young adult, though we don't know her exact age. She herded all the children in her first Madison placement , so we suspect she's got some Border collie in the mix. Her fur looks black from a distance but up close it's a deep brown; so maybe there's some chocolate lab heritage. We're thrilled with how easy* she is:

• She greets everyone with a wiggle and a kiss, genuinely pleased to meet new people and dogs.


• Her fur is as soft as a rabbit's coat, and she's so soothing to pet.


• She enjoys playing, walking, and sleeping equally.


• When she sleeps, she emits comforting snores, snuffles, and wheezes.


• She came to us already potty- and crate-trained


• She already knows "sit," "no," "come," and "drop it." In less than 10 days she's well on her way to "down," "hupup," and "off."