I picked Sydney up yesterday from Theravet in Webster, NY, where her owners had boarded her, and where she goes for therapy. The staff was wonderful and clearly adored Sydney. Sydney ran around a fenced-in paddock in her wheelchair - she loved it! It was wonderful to see this disabled dog enjoying the sun and open field. The boarding manager, Theresa, said of all the dogs she has worked with, Sydney has taught her the most about life - in spite of her disability, she remains enthusiastic about the simply joys in life. It is humbling to watch Sydney run around with such joy in her wheelchair, and see her pause every once in a while, put her nose up in the air to sniff, squinting in the sun, as if savoring the experience. I have a feeling I am going to learn a lot from Sydney this summer.
It occurs to me that I should write a little bit about Sydney and what's behind her paralysis. Sydney is about 5 or 6 years old, I am told, and before now, she lived with a family that had had her since she was a puppy. From the little I have been told, it sounds like Sydney sustained a back injury at a young age. No one knew about the injury, and it apparently healed and gave her very little, if any, trouble, until more recently. The staff at Theravet told me she started dragging her back feet sometime last year, and then one day when her owners came home, they found her unable to move her back legs at all. This led to the discovery of the early injury. In January 2011, Sydney had back surgery to correct the problem. This surgery, like many back and neck surgeries, left her temporarily paralyzed. She started therapy at Theravet soon after the surgery, made great progress, and was eventually sent home. Her owners were unable to do as much therapy with her at home as she needed, which is essential to a full recovery, so she stopped making progress and in fact regressed quite drastically. This is where she is now. She has some movement in her back legs and her tail, and she is no longer incontinent (although that can still be tricky), but she still cannot stand up or walk at all. We have quite a ways to go, but she has certainly come a long way already.
Back to yesterday, when I picked Sydney up- Sydney came with all kinds of things: 2 beds (one with her name on it), bowls, shampoo, nail clippers, a de-shedding brush, a harness, a leash, her wheelchair, the sling that goes under her hips, and a couple sets of booties. Sydney stretched out in the back seat on the way home, and I left the windows open to keep her cool.
It was not easy getting her up the stairs and settled. It was even harder getting her back down the stairs to go to the bathroom and for a walk. But we managed to take her for two decent-sized walks. She seemed intent on sniffing out all her new surroundings, garnered quite a bit of attention from passersby, and made many new friends who wanted to know what had happened to her. Talk about a conversation-starter! Sydney is quite a sight, trucking down the sidewalk in her wheelchair, and most people seem genuinely moved by the whole thing.
I think it has been quite a transition for Sydney, moving from her home to Theravet and now to our home. We set up a corner with towels and both of her beds, which she seemed to really enjoy. We move one of the beds back and forth from her little den area to the living room so she can lay on it there too. She is eating like a champ, of course. She is a lab, after all! But I am anxious for her to feel really comfortable and at home. I'm sure she will, it always takes a little time for foster dogs to adjust to their new home, but the whole thing just makes me sad. Here she has to leave her family, the only family she has known, is sent to Theravet where she got comfortable, and is then sent off to a stranger's home. Yesterday afternoon and last night I laid down next to her by her bed and read my book, just to let her know I was there. I hope she feels loved.
She slept well last night, but she had an accident in her den area this morning. Poor girl! I got up around 7:15 or 7:30 when I heard her moving around a little, and was getting her ready to go outside, when all of a sudden she was going, both peeing and pooping. I felt awful. I don't know why that happened - I don't know if I just need to get up earlier, or maybe it was just because she is in a new place and her schedule is thrown off, I don't know. I cleaned her up and then took her out to go to the bathroom again and to go for a walk..... That sentence makes it sound so simple, getting her outside to go to the bathroom and for a walk. It is not simple. It is an endeavor, each time, for both Sydney and me. Getting her outside entails getting her limp little legs through the holes in her sling thing while she is essentially sitting or lying on the ground, velcro-ing and clipping that on and adjusting so it is on correctly, putting on her harness (goes around her chest) and her leash, lifting up her rear end with the handles on the sling - at which point she starts walking quickly and forcefully with her front legs so you are holding on for dear life so as not to drop her limp hips and legs, and running after her until you can get her to slow down - then getting her little booties strapped on, placing her near the door, taking the wheelchair downstairs, coming back up, and then the most complicated part: holding her rear end in the sling as she goes down the stairs with her front legs. This also includes holding onto the leash that is attached to her harness - with the leash you can tell her to slow down and you can steer her. But it takes concentration and great care and effort, for both she and I, to get her down the stairs. Once down both the indoor and outdoor stairs, I lift up her rear end with the sling and put her legs into correct positions in the wheelchair, and while holding her up, lift the wheelchair up and strap it around her chest. And THEN we are ready to go! Peeing and pooping is not the easiest thing in the wheelchair. This morning, when I got her downstairs after her early morning accident, she peed while in the wheelchair - that did not go so well. Everything in the vicinity was soaked! But when we got home I threw everything in the wash while she rested and then we tried again around noon, with great success. She even pulled up her little legs while in the wheelchair to pee, as if she was squatting! I was so excited! The staff at Theravet had told me she had started doing that, and it was great to see.
Peter and I took her on a good long walk this afternoon. Her little feet and legs moved erratically and one at a time at first, but as the walk went on, she started moving them both at the same time in circular motions, as if she was walking. It was great! And she wagged her little tail. I got excited every time I saw her move her legs, feet, or tail. I can't wait for the day she takes her first steps. It is so hard to see her try to move around when she is not in her wheelchair. She is in her wheelchair in the apartment too, but when she wants to lay down, we take her out of it, and then she sometimes wants to readjust herself or if she hears something outside and wants to see what it is, she tries to move around, and her little limp hips and legs sort of drag behind her off to the side. We try to minimize this movement, but we let her readjust herself in her bed, of course. It's just very hard to watch, though. It makes my heart hurt. But like I tell Sydney, we are going to have her walking again. It's just a matter of time.
She has yet to meet our dog, Shiloh, a 3 1/2 year old yellow lab. Shiloh is going to love her, although I'm interested to see what she makes of Sydney's wheelchair. I imagine it will be somewhat like encountering something that's half-dog, half-robot, in Shiloh's eyes! Shi is a great foster sister, though, and I'm looking forward to introducing them. I will be sure to post about their first meeting!
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