:Lyin’ in the sun

Champ may not be able to “see” that fine sunny day, but he sure does
know how good it feels on his tiny body.  Actually not so long after I
took this he decided it was too hot, and moved up a step and into the
shade of the screened porch.

He’s lookin’ good, feelin’ good, being just contrary enough for me to
know he’s jes’ fine.

He’s still pretty solitary.  Every morning Sammy plants himself in front
of Champ in “let’s play”, and gets tweaked to the max that Champ
“ignores” him.   Duh…..  I obviously have more reading to do, because
I am wondering if they ever get it that he can’t see them????

It doesn’t matter so much.  I have come to a very satisfactory sense
that this dog belongs here even if he doesn’t mix it up so much.  He
seems to have no trouble getting himself to the front of the group when
it’s time to go back inside after a trip away.  There he is, nose
against the door, before I even get near it with my key.  I know, I
know, they’re supposed to let me in first, but….somehow I take great
pleasure in seeing him push his way to the front….and they don’t seem
to mind, so why should I????

I’m in love with Suzanne Clothier.  She is making our lives richer by
the day.  For 4 years now I’ve wondered why Rinchen won’t bring the ball
back to me when I throw it.  Duh…..he likes the game HIS
way….duh???!!!!   Small thing.  If we’re going to play, why not play
his way????   If he’s willing to sit and wait for food, I should be able
to chase him with the ball, right?

‘Nuf said.
I’m so glad your Chris is home again.
Susan

:It’s official! 501(c)3 status for the Gompa Lhasa Apso Preservation Program!

Yippee!! Vickie wrapped it up perfectly:

:Moving on..or what about knees?

While the humans fret about Champ’s encounter with the pit, Champ
himself has forgotten all about it.  He’s a happy little camper again. 
He looks a bit worse for wear, with all those bald spots, but he got up
this morning singing and dancing and wanting to eat, play, chew, nap.

I took him to my regular vet yesterday afternoon for a check-up on his
wounds, and because he was worrying a raw red area around the base of
his tail.  My “regular vet” is actually an office with three women
doctors, and the doctor who saw him yesterday had not seen him before. 
(When he first got here we saw one of them for his check up;  when he
got hurt we went to the emergency vet which is closer to my house.) 
Anyway, she declared his wounds to be healing well and gave us an extra
three days of Clavamox just to be sure.  For his irritated butt, she
checked his anal glands, and they were probably the cause of his
distress — one was full, one was impacted.  For the rashiness she
advised me to use some Gentacin that I had gotten previously for a hot
spot Raji had.  It’s already looking better this morning.

While she was checking him over, she asked me if he limped, and I told
her that I had not noticed, but that everything about him had been a bit
irregular over the past week, so it was hard to tell for sure.  She said
his left rear leg was definitely less developed than the right.  I
mentioned that this breed often presents with luxating patella, and she
checked his back knees.  Sure enough…..two luxating patellas, one of
which she said was “probably almost never in”, and probably the reason
that one of his legs was significantly more muscular than the other.

I’ve never noticed the hop-walk that I’ve seen in dogs who have been
pointed out to me as having luxating patella, so I guess he’s adjusted
or….okay, end of what I know about lp.  Apparently he’s got it.  I
know his son, Vajra walks the walk (looks like he’s skipping when he
walks), so it’s not surprising.

Anyway, Champ is doing is favorite thing:  napping on the couch on the
front porch.  Here are a few pix.

Susan

:Whisper, Echo and Si Ku

Thanks to everyone for the great name suggestions, sent either through the blog or personally. Each and every suggestion has been placed in my Names file for future use…(keeping fingers crossed!) Ken’s suggestion – Skyob Pa Po (guardian) and call him Sky – has been reserved for Chandra and Keeper’s litter (not yet bred). Chandra means lightening, so I love the reference. The boy will be named Keeper to the Past. After all, as Julie mentioned, that’s exactly what I did! His call name, one of several suggested by my sister Kelly, is Si Ku which translates to keeper of treasury vaults. Guan Li Ren translates simply to Keeper, but Si Ku is easier to say! The girls are Whisper to the Past and Echoes to the Past, keeping in rhythm with Keeper to the Past. This morning I took some photos of the puppies. One of the females opened her eyes in the past 24 hours.  

:Susan sent..Champers..

..as he is most often called now, along with this note: I think this is the perfect companion picture to the one of Champ in
Ceese’s front doorway from 2005.

From one door way to another
A Real Champ of a Dog!

At Ceese’s…2005