The Dog Ate my Resolution

I'm not much one to make resolutions. Really, why make something that only makes you feel like a failure in the end? I've not had much luck with New Years resolutions ever. I've made all the normal ones - eat healthier, exercise more, write more letters - all of which I've kept for maybe 2 days at the most. But Seka has gotten out of practice walking on her leash, so this year my resolution was to walk her at least three times a week and quit taking the easy way out by running her in the backyard.

But much like humans, I think she knew of my plans and between her corn and her lucky foot, Seka has other plans for my resolution.

Yes, Seka has a lucky foot, where she has only three toes. Her lucky foot is the result of an old track injury that was undiagnosed (torn ligament) and untreated for four months. After we got her and she got comfortable with us (oh, say 2 days) she started not using her back left foot. Long story short - we took her to 4 vets, and the greyhound specialist at Auburn University - the vet amputated her toe and now she runs like the wind in the backyard (at least one lap a day).

Now when it gets really cold or there's any sudden change of weather, the missing space between her toes gets pretty arthritic and she goes right back into the old tri-pod trot. Since the new year, the three-legged dog walk has been pretty much par for the course around here.

We went to the vet, got some Metacam and it helps some. Upon closer inspection, it looks like she might be developing a corn on her lucky foot too (and that's the last thing we need). But she's a drama queen about that foot in general. My father was an amputee and he said he had phantom pain sometimes. I wonder if dogs have that?

Needless to say, my New Years resolution to practice our leash walking has been put on the back burner until we get this settled. Until then, we're still eating left over holiday cookies, fudge, and having an evening drink from entertaining liquor cabinet. I guess the GreytBlackDog will do her New Years resolution on a fiscal year basis in 2008, and not a calendar year.

PS: We're still foster-less. Not as many of the dogs were cat tolerant as we thought so we're still on the waiting list. Seka is ready and waiting for a new friend. Check out our new batch of babies we hauled in on Saturday.