Losing Sight

The title of this post might sound metaphorical, but it is literal. Over the past week or two, we have been noticing Ellie's strange reactions to her ball when we bounce it off the floor. She loses it very easily and gets confused as to where it went, even if it's right next to her. As time passed [and the condition potentially worsened] we realized that she is going blind.

On Friday, I made a vet appointment for the following Tuesday (tomorrow) but on Saturday I was so worried (if it's glaucoma then it needs to be treated right away) so I immediately got out the phone book and called 7-8 nearby vet clinics until I found one who was willing to let us come in at closing time.

I'm amazed by the veterinary community due to my experiences this weekend. The veterinarian gladly stayed after hours to help us out, called the animal eye specialist who was willing to see us that day and the eye clinic was closed so it was just us and the vet!

He determined that she either has brain inflammation/tumors or SARDS (retinal degeneration). Her eyes look perfect, she is only 6 years old and this is not an age-related condition.

We got steroids to reduce inflammation, but her vision has not changed the last few days, so it is most likely SARDS (we will schedule another test this week).

Ellie is handling things just fine, but it's me who is heartbroken. She has a hard time finding her ball when we throw it, she can't catch treats anymore, it startles her when we pat her head, she trips over things, and we will never again get to throw the ball in the field and see her sprint at a million miles an hour chasing after it.

Here is a video that we took to potentially show the vets:

Sunny Weekend Exploring

This weekend the sun was finally out so we got to have lots of fun! Chris works on Saturdays, so Ellie and I set out on our long walk without him that day.

I had yet to really explore my new neighborhood so we decided to hit the trails and take paths that we'd never been on without any real direction. Those are always the best kinds of walks. :) We ended up walking about 5.4 miles that day!

Sunday, the weather was even nicer, and Chris said that he wanted to show me this really neat park that is nearby. The North Creek Park is a huge expansive wetlands area that is just right down the street from where we live in suburbia and I never even knew about it!

The whole area is a wide open field of water that ranges from 2-5 feet deep, and you walk through it on floating wooden docks! So cool!

Our total walk was a little over 6 miles. We were so tired when we got back that all three of us took naps! Quite the long day!

Also, I managed to capture a video of Ellie after Chris picked a piece of grass and started whistling with it:

Ellie's Adoption Story

Disclaimer: This post is my entry into the BlogPaws Blog Carnival Contest sponsored by BISSELL Homecare, Inc. I'm hoping to win it for my favorite shelter! 
 
I love telling the story of how I met Ellie because it was such an exciting time in my life.

I have been a dog-lover my entire life, and have never lived without a dog until I went off to college. Even then, I made frequent trips home to visit the family dogs. I was fortunate to move in with my sister and her dog during my Junior year, but knew that when I was close to graduating that I'd get a dog of my own.

Ellie quickly adjusted to her new home

The time finally came and I was ready to adopt a dog and I quickly learned that it was really difficult to find the type of dog I was looking for. After volunteering at a shelter for about 6 months and seeing dogs come and go (with whom I completely fell in love) I had no idea how hard it would be to find the dog that I would dedicate the next 10+ years of my life to.

I was on Petfinder.com daily, looking at dogs within a 50 mile radius.
My criteria:

• Female
• Young (around 3 years or younger) but not too young (preferably past the puppy stage)
• Short hair
• Medium build

One morning while I was interning, I was checking Petfinder which had become part of my morning routine, and I saw her. "Keiki" was what the shelter called her, and they included a YouTube video of someone petting her. In the video, she rolled over on the grass and let the person rub her belly. I was instantly in love!

Unfortunately, the shelter didn't open until 2pm so I had to wait a few hours before I could go there and snatch her up before anyone else could. I begged my boss to allow me to leave early that day and thankfully he allowed it.

When I got to the shelter, my heart was pounding. I was so nervous and excited to meet this dog, and hoped that no one else had adopted her already.

Well as you can see, the rest is history as she is here with me today, my little Ellie (I really couldn't put up with the name Keiki, and she had only been given the name a few days prior so I knew it would be fine to change it).

I delightedly shared my success story on Petfinder's forums a few weeks later along with a photo which has somehow made it onto their official Twitter background! How cool is that?!

Ellie is part of @Petfinder's Twitter background!

Furry 5K Walk

This past weekend, Ellie and I enjoyed a beautiful sunny Sunday at Seward Park in Seattle for the Furry 5K walk/run to benefit the Seattle Animal Shelter.

We were both overwhelmed with the number of dogs and people who showed up - hundreds! And the dogs were all shapes and sizes. It's always so much fun to see such doggy diversity.

Love big Danes!

Waiting to walk

In going through my pictures, I also realized that we went hiking on Saturday too! I went with a big group of girls and there were very few people on the trail which meant Ellie got to be off leash. She LOVED it. She kept sprinting ahead and then running back to make sure we were keeping up.

Ellie in front of the half-frozen Heather Lake

Lots of physical outdoor activities for us this weekend!

Wordless Wednesday: I'm tired of puppy-sitting.

Ellie had a fun day playing with her new puppy friend

"enough already."

Wordless Wednesday: Ball stuck inside another ball

Ellie's rubber ball has a hole chewed in it just large enough for me to have stuffed her tennis ball inside. She was very confused.

Hiking season is back!

Today we finally went on our first hike of the year and I am so excited about getting back outside and exploring again. I had forgotten about how much I love it!

We went to Rattlesnake Ledge which is only 4 miles round trip, and it's pretty easy.

The sun was out in Seattle so I got a little excited, but on the 30-mile drive there, I drove through heavy rain showers, then sun, then grey skies, so I had no idea what to expect.

Unfortunately, when I got there, I noticed some snow on the ground. Uh oh! Despite the cold and getting hit with snowballs (as it melted off the trees) it was a good hike and we had a great time! We didn't linger long at the top because the view was obstructed by clouds, it was cold, and there was a good 3-4 inches of snow.

Meeting up

Doggy friends (left to right) Shadow, Daisy, and Jack

What's up with this snow?!

Jack checking out the nice view from the top

I'm looking forward to many more hikes this year!

UPDATE: Added photo of me and Ellie at the top! :)

Ellie: A Sprinter, Not A Marathoner

I have recently taken up running as a new form of exercise, just to see if I could do it. In the past, I had falsely believed that I could not run due to bad knees, but after a couple weeks of running, I have proven myself wrong!

After getting some decent shoes, I decided that I would take my running off the treadmill and outside because I figured Ellie would enjoy joining me.

Boy was I wrong.

We ran about 3 miles total, and after the first 5-6 blocks, she was lagging behind me, and continued to lag behind me the entire rest of the way. My little pupper is so out of shape!

I have seen her sprint SO fast at the dog park chasing after other dogs or balls before, but I guess it's just that. She's a sprinter, not a marathoner.

After we got home, Ellie crashed out right by the front door (she didn't have the energy to bring herself to her bed) and slept for 3-4 hours. Looks like we'll be going on more runs so I can whip my Whippet [mix] back into shape!

Wordless Wednesday: Mom's Work Is Boring

I poke her elbow with my nose to get attention.

Urban Hike

The sun is finally out in Seattle! I was debating on whether or not to go for a hike with Ellie, but didn't feel like driving very far so I chose to just take her for a walk. While we were out, I decided that this walk would go a little further and that I would explore the city a little bit.

We hiked 4.5 miles! And I use the word 'hike' because we climbed up Queen Anne hill so we gained at least 300-400 feet in elevation. There are some beautiful views up there!

Right after climbing the big hill

View of the Space Needle

Ellie poses in front of the Space Needle

I felt very accomplished because I got Ellie to pant, and now she is crashed out on the floor.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today is a good day for many reasons. I made Guinness chocolate cupcakes with Bailey's Irish cream frosting to share with my co-workers.

March Madness has begun and there is even an iPhone app that lets you watch live games!

I think Ellie is enjoying the day as well... ;)

More attention!

Wordless Wednesday - Beeps Stress Me Out

Ellie: Sometimes the TV box beeps. It makes me scared. Sometimes it beeps a lot in a row and it REALLY stresses me out.

I climb onto mom's lap

I start to pant when I get stressed.

Mom says she is going to trade in the TV box for a new one that doesn't beep.

MIA, Hanging with Goldie

Sorry we have not been blogging or commenting lately, friends! Me and mom vow to try to spend more time keeping up with blogs now.

Me and mom have been going through lots of changes lately. I'm a very confused doggy and am not really sure what's going on, but things are different.

The good news is that my best friend Goldie stayed with us for a couple days. It was SO fun having a buddy over all the time, we played sooo much.

Me and Goldie snoozing

Mom liked it that we kept each other company, but she was also a little bit glad to give Goldie back. Goldie gets up in the middle of the night and jingles her collar lots which kept waking up mom (and I have to deal with mom's crankiness!)

Me checking out the new view

Sharing a chair with mom

I go to work with mom. A lot of times I get bored and poke her elbow with my nose for attention. Sometimes she will scoot her chair out enough so that I can try and climb up onto her desk. This time, I just wanted to sit in the chair with her.

Enjoying Fall Sun

Remember that walk I told you about yesterday? Well we went on it again today, but this time my friend Benny came with!

It was sunny and nice outside. I got to meet a dog named Izzy, and later these two Yorkies chased us down the street barking. I really wanted to say hi to them but mom made me keep walking.

Time for me to sprawl out on the floor for a nap!

Me and Benny walking

Bridges and Leaves

Me and mom have been bad bloggers lately. Her, because she gets caught up in other stuff and doesn't write in our blog, and me because, well, because mom gets caught up in other stuff and doesn't let me on the computer!!

Anyway, last week we had a lot of sunny days, so mom and Goldie's mom (remember my friend Goldie?) decided to take us doggies on a looooong walk during the middle of work. We are so lucky because we got to do it 3 days in a row!! Mom said it was 4 miles long, I dunno what that means, but it was long!

It was fun spending time with my best friend Goldie and I go to sniff a lot and see a couple of squirrels (SQUIRREL!).

Mom is making me upload these pictures.

I'm just cute.

I'm loving this picture that I captured of Ellie last night. Her paws were crossed and then her head laid over them. She does the most unique poses that just brighten up my life! :)

Adopt A Shelter Dog Month!

October is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month! As much as I would love to add another furry four-legger to my home, my boyfriend would kill me so instead, I'm going to celebrate by sharing my adoption story of how Ellie came into my life.
I'll [try to] keep it short and sweet. ;)

Early Spring 2009, I was desperate for my own furry companion. I was on Petfinder daily, finding a few dogs that sounded sort-of okay, but not sure I wanted to settle.

Then one morning, on my daily Petfinder scouring routine, I saw a new dog called Keiki. She was the perfect size and temperament, and it even included a video of someone rubbing her belly. I was in love!

Fortunately, my boss allowed me to leave work early (at that time, I was an intern) and my sister allowed me to take her car (we carpooled) to drive 25 miles to the shelter.

The shelter didn't open until 2pm, and if I recall correctly, my boss said I could leave AT 2 which means I wouldn't get there until after it opened. But I have an amazing boyfriend who got his boss to let him leave so that he could arrive at the shelter right as it opened and place "dibs" on the dog.

Of course, when I saw her in person, she was everything I knew she would be; albeit a little crazy and antsy from being locked up in a cage. I remember noticing that her nails were miles long! Yikes!

Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take her home that day because they had to send her to the vet to be spayed and vaccinated. I had to wait TWO WHOLE DAYS to bring her home, so needless to say, I didn't get much sleep those two days, but I did have time to stock up on all the necessary supplies!

Ellie's first picture! The car ride home from the shelter :)

And a year and a half later, me and my pup are living happily ever after (minus the separation anxiety). :)

Meditation

Sometimes I need to take a minute to myself and think about life. I like to imagine that I'm on a sunny beach with thousands of tennis balls and all of life's troubles just wash away.

Cannon Beach - part 2

Must finish up with more pictures from our weekend trip! It was awesome-- Ellie got lots of ball time. I bought lots of salt water taffy and fudge. We went in and out of the shops and it was so nice to see such a pet friendly town; there were doggy water bowls outside of almost every store!

On Saturday, I unexpectedly ran into Carol from FIDO Friendly (who I also met at BlogPaws) on the beach! She was so nice to send a picture that she took of Ellie:

Ellie in action - Thanks Carol for the picture!

And the rest of the pictures from the trip:

Jon and me :)

The beach - it's beautiful!

Ellie plays with baby!

All tuckered out in the blankie I made her