Done with the medicine

Today, Otis took his last dose of ivermectin. He had been taking 1.5 ml of it every day in order to get rid of his mange. The bottle has a handy lid with a hole on top where the syringe plugs into. To get the right dose, you just plug the empty syringe on the top, turn the bottle and syringe over, and pull out the plunger. Very neat and very exact. We tried giving one of our previous rescue dogs ivermectin that we had mixed ourselves. It was much messier and a lot of it ended up going to waste. I liked the new bottle better.

Otis was very good about taking his medicine. The ivermectin is very sour and very bitter tasting. He started to wise up about it after a couple weeks. Once I had squirted it into his mouth, he would shake his head in an attempt to get rid of the foul tasting liquid. I started squirting the medicine on top of a piece of thick whole wheat bread and gave that to Otis. He liked that much better and would eat the whole piece no problem.

But now he's done and his coat looks much, much better. The holes are starting to fill in. He's going to be a beautiful boy very soon!

reunion!!!

(in the photo: lily, calvin, amos, penny, otis)
yesterday, we went to piedmont park with the dogs and met up with the families who adopted our previous rescues. it was AWESOME to see penny and lily again! each of them is in the perfect home for her and it made my heart so happy to see them not just doing well, but thriving and loving life as dogs without cares! they both have such amazing families who love them so completely. it was one of the best days i think i have ever had - just seeing all the dogs running around and playing and being happy dogs. it reminded me again of why we have taken in the dogs we have.

each of them was a dog someone, maybe even everyone, had given up on. no one wanted to deal with them anymore - not because of anything the dogs had done, but simply because sometimes people view animals as disposable. they were unwanted, unloved, uncared for. and they were all hopeless. their forever families, however, were able to look beyond the mange, injuries, scars and fears to see the precious gem underneath. watching penny and lily, and even otis, yesterday, it was hard to remember any of them as the skinny, malnourished, scared dogs we took in months ago. the love their families lavish on them is immediately evident in their demeanors and in the joy they have in just living.

i am so blessed to have been able to play a small part in bringing these dogs to the people who love them unreservedly!! and i will always be grateful for the time i had with them and the love and joy each of them brought to my life and to our home.

Otis at the Dog Park

We all went to the dog park today -- Otis, Amos, Calvin and I. Otis has learned that riding in the car is a very good thing and usually ends up in him going to Lenora Park.

When he's around other dogs at the dog park, Otis acts very differently from our other two dogs. Calvin doesn't care to play with other dogs. He just wants to hang out with me and maybe play fetch. Amos likes to run around and sniff the ground, the fence, and other dogs but doesn't really want to play. Otis is very interested in being everyone's friend -- both dogs and people. He will go up to other dogs with his tail wagging, cautious but friendly, ready to make friends. He seems very interested in making sure the other dogs like him. Once he's sure they like him, he moves on to the next one. He will also stop by any people for a quick pet or scractch on the head. Then it's off to run to the other end of the dog park to see if there's other friends he can make.

Good dog, Otis!

I haven't posted here about Otis yet, though I've been meaning to for some time.

Otis has been a lot of fun to live with. He's such a people-loving dog and his enthusiasm is infectious. I've been impressed by how quickly he's learned some simple commands -- sit and down -- and how he obeys directions when we ask him to come here or go outside.

He had some health issues, namely some worms (treated weeks ago) and a little bit of mange, but in the last few weeks I see his skin is getting a lot better. His treatment of ivermectin and antibiotics will last a few more weeks. After that, I think he'll be the healthiest dog around!

We need to work on his tendency to jump up on people when he greets them, but other than that he's very close to ready for his new home.