Stinky

Last week, Caine was sprayed by a skunk! He is (obviously) a very curious dog and had his face where it shouldn't have been. He must have been close to the skunk because he got hit directly in the left eye. He was foaming and dripping when he came in the back door. His poor eye was beat red!

He was bathed with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap. Tomato paste is a myth!

The whole house stunk for about 2 days, and when you kiss his face, you can still smell the skunk. I did another dose of the mix today and that has helped.

Caine has been doing a great job. Summer is over and the weather is now cooler. He has been for walks each day and gets to run at the park. He is still goofy as ever, and still being spoon fed. He eats fast though..it only takes him about 30 seconds to eat!

Thank you for following Caine's story.

Bathtub Faucet Drinking

Mom and I took the dogs for a long walk this morning before it got too unbearably hot and muggy outside. We walked in the house and Caine went straight to his fountain. Apparently, the water was not coming out fast enough or it wasn't cold enough. Caine walked away from his water fountain and went straight to the bathroom. He jumped in the tub and stared at me as if to say "Can you please turn on the faucet for me?" It was the cutest thing!

He drank from the cold faucet for a few minutes and let the water rise around his ankles. I am so impressed that he thought about trying the bathtub for a cold drink. This just proves that dogs are forward thinkers and problem solvers.

Dog Beach

Over the weekend, Caine went to the Montrose Dog Beach in Chicago. He was a bit skeptical of the waves and water initially, but soon found his way in. He played fetch and did the doggy paddle off the sand bar. He schmoozed with other fun pups and met huge Great Danes and tiny chihuahuas. He dug holes in the sand and raced labs into the water. He became more confident swimming as the days went on and eventually had no problems (as long as I walked beside him as he swam!).

He was also drinking from Lake Michigan. He would gulp water down. I know he had lots to drink because he couldn't wait to pee when we got out of the car.

If he ever lost sight of me while playing on the beach, I'd just call his name, and you could see him stop and listen until he realized which direction my voice was coming from. He's such a love.

He will be in Modern Dog Magazine's fall issue, to be released shortly.

He is still an inspiration to me!

Summer 2010

Caine has been enjoying his summer. He has been playing with his friend Roxie and Tauri and hanging out in his wading pool. We have noticed that he breathes heavy, but, to be honest, I can't remember how he breathed last summer! I do think he is feeling the heat a bit more though. He makes sure to drink plenty of water; whether it be from the pool, the bowl outside, the hose, or his fountain inside. It has been in the 90's with high humidity today and he definitely was not as spunky during his walk. (Neither was I!)

Attached are some pictures of Caine in his pool with Roxie. The picture where his mouth is open looks scary, but he's just goofing off! The picture of him on the floor is after his walk this evening.

Memorial Day Sunday

This afternoon, Caine came with to visit my aunt Joy. This was the first time he met Sid, her new 3 legged dog. They met in the backyard. Caine and Sid sniffed noses, and then Caine went straight for the pond. Sid was more interested in the bread I was tossing to the fish. This video is of Caine and Sid in the back yard 'fishing'.

Caine has never had the opportunity to play with fish and a pond like this, and it's very cute!

Vote for Caine at http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/photocontest/dogs/10/05/30/caine !

Getting Warmer

The weather over the past couple of weeks has been very warm in Chicago. We are starting to see how the weather is affecting Caine. It has been well into the 80's here, and he has been hot! I took him for a walk the other morning and when he came home, he first visited the water fountain and then went into his wading pool for a few minutes. He walks around the pool and attempts to drink water from it. I'm sure he is getting some of it. He also walks to the faucet of the hose and I turn it on for him. When he came inside, he went downstairs and laid on the cold floor. He may be crazy, but he's no idiot! He is only allowed to be outside for a few minutes during the hottest part of the day, and the air conditioning has been on for him (and us!)

Boxers are naturally more sensitive to hot weather. This, of course, works against Caine. On the other hand, he is not full boxer, so that is helping him. I came across a collar that he can wear that supposedly helps keep dogs cooler. (http://www.koolcollarstore.com/ ) You add ice to it, and as the ice melts, and the water will run down his chest. Since dogs cannot sweat, this acts as a sort of pseduo-sweating. The dogs chest is a very vascular area, so it helps to cool his body. In addition to that, he also has a cooling vest. The only issue with the cooling vest is that he keeps messing with it!

I have the summer issue of Modern Dog, and Caine is not in that one. Hopefully he will be in the fall issue!

4 Months and Counting

On May 1, it had been exactly 4 months since Caine's horrific accident. I am happy to say that for the first time this spring, he was able to play in his wading pool out back and get some well deserved sunshine. He sniffed noses with the neighbor dogs and played Tag with Roxie.

A few weeks ago we took him to the vet to be weighed and he was at 68 lbs. He looks good, so we are going to try to keep him at this weight for his own benefit. He may have lost some weight because he cannot eat table scraps anymore!

Caine was in the June issue of Dog Fancy, page 8. We are so happy that his story is being told. He will be in Modern Dog Magazine soon I was told.

My aunt has adopted a bull mastiff with three legs. He is a gentle giant (80 lbs!),and as soon as he is feeling comfortable we are going to have him and Caine meet. I know they will just love each other.

Pictures and videos to come. Thank you to everyone who has followed Caine. He is such a love! Please continue to share his story.