UPDATE Day 42 Patrick Henry July 22nd, 2012

Hey Everyone....  I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I was able to get on and update you guys.  It's been kinda busy around here and Mom hasn't let me get to the computer much.  She has been busy with my Grandma and her heart doctor appointments and stuff.  Grandma and Grandpa live a ways away so they have stayed with us quite a bit...  so it's been super busy here.  My uncles dog has been staying with my Mom and my Gma and Gpa have 3 dogs so it has been to crowded for me to get on the computer... if Mom let's me on here she says she has to let them all on and that's far to much internet time hehehe...  We have had 10 dogs here, not to mention my 2 cat siblings...  Our good friend Nikki.. she came to Mom's rescue and she took my brothers Roger and Doug to go stay with her for a little while.  I guess they go visit there ever so often... Nikki likes to foster and doesn't have any right now so she gets her "fix" by borrowing one or two of Mom's dogs... 

Oh... Grandma has to go to the hospital and get something called a cardioversion on Tuesday morning so everyone say a little prayer and send positive thoughts...  I don't think I would want anyone to shock my heart, but Gma says she wouldn't want to have worms in hers either so I think we are even  hehehe

So I've been feeling really good since my heartworm treatment.  Mom says I hardly missed a beat.  I had to have 3 more days of dewormer too... yuck... I'll be glad when I don't have anymore worms in here... gross.  I still have that big ole lump in my throat.  Mom keeps feeling it and I know she worries about it.  I'm going on Thursday to get neutered and my doctors will check out my lump then.  I'm not sure I like this idea of this whole neuter thing but mom assures me that I will still be a stud muffin.  Speaking of stuff muffin... I have this girl (a sheltie) Maci who has a big ole crush on me.. she thinks I'm a pretty handsome dude.  Her and her brothers and sister send me cards and letters, it's really REALLY cool.  

So check me out... I'm almost 100% all healed up...

I just have one tiny spot left on my nose.. but it doesn't even have a scab anymore... it's just a little dark place.  Mom and the doctor say I'm not going to get hair back on most of my wounds but that's okay I guess... my Mom says they are my badges of honor and bravery... I think that sounds pretty cool.  A lot of the ladies think scars are sexy  *wink wink

Oh, guess what...  I learned to play fetch....  Mom doesn't let me get too crazy cause she says I'm not allowed to bounce and run yet but she tosses my rope toy from Aunt Judy and Uncle Gary into the kitchen and I trot in there to get it.  I even bring it back to her most of the time but sometimes I think it's funny when she has to chase me to get it back.  

I'm still practicing my Spanish every day and working on mastering more commands.  I'm really really good and sit and shake and I'm doing pretty good on down and off... Mom says off a lot cause I think she likes it when I try and get in her lap every time she sits down.  

I also wanted to tell you guys that I been helping a lot of other dogs and I even helped some cats too.  Mom said I got more money then I needed for my vet care so she said I can use her paypal and donate to help some other dogs who need help like I did.  It's been pretty cool to be able to help so many others.  

 So I love to help mom in the kitchen... I'm not sure mom is 100% convinced I am much help but I'm workin on it.  The other night she was cooking fried potatoes and she dropped a piece of raw potato.  I love me some raw potatoes.  Mom says I'm weird... what do you guys think?  do you like raw potatoes?  Mom also let me have some cantaloupe and even though she loves cantaloupe she still says I'm weird lol


Well I guess I should get off here, it's super hot here today over 103.  Supposed to be 109 a couple days this week, can you believe it?  I can't imagine what would have happened to me if I was still so sick and hurt and out in this heat.  Anyway, the central air is MY thing.. and it's a great time for a nap...  I will make sure to be better about updates... 


I can't wait to update you all Monday evening.. I get to go meet a trainer to be evaluated... Mom thinks I could be a service dog someday and wants to see what the professionals think.  I'll let you guys know how it went... and remember.. send positive thoughts and prayers for my Grandma for Tuesday.  Oh and holy cow don't forget to send good vibes my way for that who neuter thing on Thursday....  YIKES!!!!!


Much love and hugs,
Patrick Henry

 

WOO HOO it's Christmas in July - UPDATE July 8 - Day 28

HEEEEEYYYYYY Everyone... it's me again....  Check me out sayin HEY.... hehehehe

Okay, so oh my gosh...  I can't believe how great my week was last week.  My mom got a call from my hospital friends and they said I had not one but TWO big boxes that came for me in the mail at the clinic.  Can you believe that????  I couldn't imagine what was in them but I was super excited.  Anyway, my Dad's truck had some dumb old belt break on it and it wasn't running right.... I didn't even know trucks wore belts... sheesh...  anyway, so Dad took Mom's Jeep to work all week so me and mom and all of us were stuck at home all week until Dad's truck got fixed....  I know I know you guys are probably thinkin who cares about your Dad's truck Patrick Henry... but I only told you guys that cause I had to wait ALL week to be able to go get my boxes from the hospital.  Mom took me and my foster brother Doug over first thing Saturday morning so we could get them... and lookie here... this is my friend Jamie from the clinic and me, sittin with my big ole boxes...  Aren't we cute???  And can you believe the size of those presents???? Mom was so jealous, she said she hoped there was something in there for her...  now that's just plain silly....

 

Mom made me wait til we got back home to open em up...  I think that was just plain rude...  That's okay though I guess.  We got to see Dr. Bendur while we were there too.  Doug has this little spot thingy by his eye that mom was havin checked out... don't worry it's okay, he just got a splinter or something in it but Dr. B, gave it a squeeze and fixed it all up, now Doug has to have some medicine in his eye a couple times a day but he doesn't mind.  Mom had Dr. B look at me too, see I have this lump next to my throat... I've had it almost since the beginning, we think it's just a lymph node that is swollen because of how much infection I had... but Mom got scared that it's getting bigger.  If you look just up from Jamie's right hand in the picture above you can see how puffy it is.  Dr. B wasn't scheduled to see me but he took a quick look at it.  Mom talked to Dr. Worthley oh the phone about it Friday and when I go Wednesday for my next heartworm shots she is going to check it out as well.  They say it's probably just my lymph node doing it's job but if it doesn't go down they may need to remove it.  When I see them Wednesday they will decide if they want to poke it with a needle and get a sample or something... YIKES...  anyway, Mom wants people to send positive thoughts and prayers again that it's not anything serious.  Mom talked to Aunt Susan about it too... and she reassured Mom that if it was serious that my other lymph nodes would be swollen too....  But Mom still worries.

My face is feeling so much better, hardly even sore anymore.  My arms and legs have totally healed up.  Mom got a couple of pictures of my arms to show you guys.

  and here is a pretty good picture of my handsome mug...

 Okay, enough with the medical stuff, let's get to the fun stuff.  Okay so oh my gosh... those boxes I got in the mail at the hospital... HOLY COW!!!!!!  Wait til you see all the stuff I got.  Mom says I have some angels watching over me in a place called Ohio....  Mom even says I can call them Aunt Judy and Uncle Gary.... I like that...  I didn't know I had family in Ohio too...  I even have some awesome canine cousins there, their names are Maci, Bozley, Dakota and Buffy.  We don't look anything alike though.. Maci, Bozley and Dakota are Shelties and Buffy is a Golden Retriever.  They are really smart like me, each one of them wrote me a really cool letter and sent me their picture.  Mom is going to try and post their letters on My Facebook Page so everyone can see them.  Anyway, they totally hooked me up with a bunch of stuff... lookie

Look at all of the treats and toys and see the letters my "cousins" sent me, they sure are a good looking bunch aren't they???  I guess Maci, that pretty girl on the right, she kinda has a crush on me....  blush blush....  Oh and those Right Bites thingys are so yummy... and Aunt Judy sent me a whole case of them... can you believe that... a whole case, she said to share them with my friends at the hospital and with our other doggie friends and Mom already shared them with our friends next door Tom and Sheila... they adopted a dog from my mom a few years ago.. her name is Georgia, she helps her Dad Tom cause he is in a wheel chair after a horrible accident.   They are super nice people and Georgia really loves her treats.  

I'm not used to having toys so I'm not sure what to do with them but Mom keeps giving them to me...  That Doug... my foster brother, he is always stealing them... Mom gets after him.. it's kinda funny.  I told her it was okay if Doug had one of his own, so she let him pick one out.  Wyatt.. my great dane foster brother, he picked one out to... Doug keeps sneaking over taking his too...  that Doug is a hoot.  Mom got some nice pictures of me with some of my toys.

And did ya notice the blankie on my dog bed???  I got that in the mail too... can you believe that?????  My friend Tracee made it for me... she even put my name on it so that dang Doug KNOWS it's ALL mine hehehehe  See that.. see my name, how cool is that and the blankie is huge and super soft, Mom tells me it's something called fleece.  I think every dog should have a fleece blankie with their name on it.  Oh and Tracee even made me a braided rope toy that matches, I am such a lucky boy.  I can't believe I have made so many friends.  Just a little over a month ago, I was all alone, in pain and no one cared.  I don't know how I got so lucky but I sure am happy about it.  I wish every dog could feel as special as I do right now.  Man, wouldn't the world be a wonderful place then???  


Oh, ya know what else I got in the mail...  those super good looking, super smart Barnhart doggie "cousins" of mine all mailed me really cool cards...  Mom put them up on top of the entertainment center in the living room so we can see them every day.

 

Well I should probably stop typing for now.  I need to go out for a potty break...  and I bet Mom is thinking it's time for a cookie... Oh how I hope Mom is thinking it's time for a cookie....  oh I almost forgot to tell you, when me and Doug went with mom to get my presents... she weighed us at the hospital.  She said Doug is going to have to cut back on the cookies.. he is 81 pounds now.. Mom says her and Doug need to go on a diet... hehehehe  I weighed in at a whopping 59.7 pounds which means I have gained over 7 pounds since coming home with Mom...  Dr. B says I am at a really good weight now... hope that doesn't mean Mom cuts back on the cookies though...  that would not be a good idea AT ALL...  

okay well gotta go now y'all, I hear mom rattling the "cookie" sack...  TTFN (tah tah for now)

Much Love and Hugs,

Patrick Henry 

 

 

UPDATE: Patrick Henry Day 22

Hi again everyone, it's Patrick Henry again.  I haven't been online the last several days.  My mom has been helping my Grandma get moved back from Texas and get to her doctor appointments for her heart.  She's doing pretty good.  They put Grandma on some medicine to try and make her heart beat right and if it doesn't they will have to shock her to make it go right... can you believe that???? Anyway, everyone please say a prayer  and send healing thoughts for my Grandma that the medicine works so she doesn't have to get that.... ouch.

Now back to me.... I'm doing great.  I just love life and my wounds are so much better.  My arms and legs are all healed and lookie at my face... can you believe how good I look... man, I'm a pretty handsome fella....

It's pretty cool here at my mom's house.  My foster brother Doug has become my buddy, we try to play and bounce around the living room but mom always tells us to quit.  She says I can't bounce around just yet because of my stupid heartworms.  We sneak sometimes and play bow before mom can get after us.  hehehehe  Here is a picture of me stickin my tongue out cause I managed to get squeezed in closer to mom then Doug... nah nah nah nah boo boo

That's my oldest brother Wyatt sacked out on the doggie futon behind Doug.  He's kinda grumpy but mom says it's cause he is the old man of the house.  He is a Great Dane... I think he is just a dane cause I don't see what's so great about him....  he grumbles at me sometimes, but not as much as when I first got here....  He's almost 9... mom says that's perdy old for a dane. 

I'm almost all done with my antibiotics now.  I have to take the last one tonight....  I'm gonna miss those, mom always puts them in something called a pill pocket.. those are yummy.  I still get to have one of them every morning cause I still have to take my prednisone for my heartworms.  Oh and we get to have a "cookie" when we go to bed at night.  Mom says she is really proud of me cause when she says it's time for bed or that she has to leave so we need to go to our room, I just go right back to our bedroom and get in my kennel.  I don't mind going in there cause mom always gives me my medicine or a cookie when I go there... so I just run right in there and sit for my treat.  It was super funny the other day... Doug, my brother... he is something called a Catahoula Leopard Dog... have you ever heard of such a thing???? me neither but that's what mom says he is.  He is the only other dog here that has to go to go in a crate cause he chews on stuff....  Anywho...  it was time for bed and we all went running into our bedroom and that silly Doug... his kennel door was closed to he ran right into my kennel... well I wasn't takin any chances on not getting my cookie so I just went right in there too... Mom was laughing so hard.  I guess Doug wasn't takin any chances on the cookie thing either so he just sat there next to me until mom opened his kennel door.  He's pretty funny.  Mom told me about when she got him... she drove all the way from Kansas City to Georgia to get him... he was only a baby and someone left him in a cat crate... who puts a dog in a cat crate???  and then left him at the edge of the woods at a rest stop.  Someone heard him crying and called the sheriff and he ended up at a kill shelter... Mom saw his face and I guess just like me she knew she had to help him.  She said the shelter named him Doug and how could you not save a dog named Doug heheheehe.. she's silly.  Here is a picture of me and Doug chillin in the living room.

Mom says she can't wait to take me back and see what I weigh now.. she says there is nothin wrong with my appetite.  Mom lets me have extra, she said she wants to fatten me up before I have to get my heartworm shots. 

Guess what...  my Mom here talked to my Mom in Pennsylvania for a long time today on the phone.  She can't wait to meet me.  I'm going to have brothers and sisters there too.  One of my sisters is a senior coonhound, she has congestive heart failure but my PA Mom is gettin her all fixed up... please say a little prayer and send healing thoughts for her too.  My mom in PA works mostly from home but when she has to go out around town for work I'm going to get to go with her.  She used to have a work buddy dog but he passed away and I love car rides so I am just the right man for the job.  Mom says I will probably get to go meet my forever family the first part of August.  You know how much mom loves to take pics of me so she is gonna make me take a couple cameras with me so everyone can take pictures on my trip.  woo hoo *hint of sarcasm...  hehehehe

Well it's almost 10pm and that's close to bedtime so I better get off here.... don't want to miss out on my cookie cause I'm  playin around on the computer.  I'll catch up to everyone again really soon.

Love and Hugs,
Patrick Henry

PS...  don't forget to check my facebook page for more pictures and stuff...  My Facebook Page  And please hit the "LIKE" button so I know you have been there.