Playing Single Dad with the Pups

There have been a few random things that highlight that I’m a “single dad” to Bailey and Zilla over these last few months.  First and foremost, trying to cut their hair or brush them really is a two person job, which means creative and extreme measures with just me.  Picture a small room, a wrestling move to pin them, and doing what I can in a short amount of time before they decide they’re sick of me.

wet dog on the couch? Sure…welcome to single doggy-parenthood

But we had our first major “uh-oh” moment last Wednesday when Bailey shattered a nail–inside her paw–and couldn’t walk.  A desperate phone call to the vet, an effort to get a leash on Zee and carry Bailey to the car, and we were off.

Why was Zee tagging along?  Because he has never been left at the house totally alone, and since Ellie isn’t running around to keep him occupied, I was genuinely afraid of what he might get into when I was gone.  Plus, the ladies love Zee and he is an awesome wing man for me.

Total Wing Man–this pup is a lady magnet, it’s all in the ears

what more can I say–he got a ton of biscuits while hanging out at the vet

So, Bailey was quickly rushed off for a minor paw surgery that stopped the massive bleeding and got things cleaned up.  It was a tricky one because of where the nail broke, but she has an awesome vet who as usual, made magic happen.  Bailey doesn’t usually handle things being on her paws (like snow, mud, boots) but she knew that the bandage was there to help her and she left it alone for the time frame I was told to leave it on without even needing the doggy cone of death to prevent her from licking it.

an awesome bandage and a plastic boot so it didn’t get wet–she had an awesome shuffle going on for a few days around the house

looking to chase a bunny with only 3 healthy paws

My walls, and my legs, both appreciate the fact I didn’t need the doggy cone of death; but I still had a pretty pathetic looking pup for a few days.

the only upside of the bandage? I could finally see her in the middle of the night with the white paw

So in the midst of the field trip back from the vet, Zee decided he either wanted to learn how to drive a manual transmission, or prevent me from driving one.

because this is the logical way to try to nap

Never a dull moment around the Hanley house—learning how this whole thing works, one minor catastrophe at a time.  On the upside?  Bailey survived just fine, and is almost back to her usual antics.

Cheers,

-th