Bye-Bye Good Boy

EJ took Duke to the farm this afternoon. When we realized what needed to happen this morning I cried. I didn't think I would cry when it was time to tell Duke goodbye but I did. I was sitting on the floor and Kala crawled up in my lap because she knew something was wrong. Life will be different without Duke-Duke. He could be a little grumpy at times but he was a good ole dog! We will miss little Duke-Duke! Bye-bye good boy!

Poor Duke!

If you have followed our blog or been to our house for any length of time you know our oldest dog Duke has bladder issues among other things. He pants continuously as if he is going to die of thirst if you don't give him more water...so we generally give him more water but all the water makes him peepee allllll the time. He will literally pee 4-5 times on a 20 minute walk and then come in and 30 minutes later pee on the floor! For all this time we thought he was just old and stubborn.
He had his annual appointment Tuesday and our wonderful vet noticed some recent hair loss along with weight gain and said all of these problems could be due to elevated cortisol level so our champion urinator peepee in a cup for them and sure enough he has Cushings disease. We are going to try some oral medications and see if he improves. Hopefully this will all be taken care of before Ensley gets here and Duke can start living a normal life....otherwise he might not make it as a house dog when Ensley arrives.
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Duke's on Vacation

We have been having problems with Duke since we moved into the townhouse. EJ would take him out before he left and he would go #1 and 2. Then when I wake up I take him out again and he would go #1 and/or #2. Then while I would be getting ready he would do one or the other in the house. I would come home and take him out and not an hour after going outside, he would use the bathroom in the house again! We started tying him up outside while I was getting ready but he would still come in the house and use the bathroom. My parents offered to let him stay at their house until we moved out of the townhouse. We were afraid we wouldn't get our $500 pet deposit back if he kept on messing the house. We bought a trolley for him and put it up while we were there this weekend that way they can let him run around in the morning while they are getting ready. Dad said his first day went well, and I hope it will continue. Kala thinks she is queen bee now that Duke is gone. I am not sure how we will handle him at the new house because I sure don't want him messing our new house!!

Speaking of the new house, I am meeting with one of the designers from corporate today to discuss what we expected the front of the house to look like and see if we can come to an agreement on what they will do to fix it. The inside is drywalled and I can't wait to get in it and settle down!!

we have arrived

well, we have officially entered the world of blogging. this is mainly a place where friends and family can keep up with what is going on in our lives. we may occasionally use the blog to vent about life's "hardships" (so please excuse our complaining) but mostly we will just post new and exciting (or not so exciting) things that are going on in our life.

One of the most exciting things that took place this past summer was the addition of a family member. EJ's cocker spaniel, Duke, has come to live with us so he could enjoy freedom in what will probably be the last few years of his life. He has been on a runner in EJ's mom's backyard for the last 8 years because his mom and stepdad moved to a new house at that time. We jokingly say he is in his retirement home now (which really is just a fenced-in backyard with a fabulous dog house that EJ and his stepdad built). He is 11 years old but not a cranky old man yet. He still likes to play and cuddle with us, but he is not too sure of Kala yet. Kala is beginning to welcome him into her yard but she still has a way to go. She is soo afraid that we will pet him more than we pet her, and I think she is secretly scared that she will become an outside dog rather than being able to enjoy the comforts of being an inside dog.

Well, that is the most exciting news I have for now. We are off to take our church directory picture (I know...the excitement continues to multiply.)