Happy Gotcha Day Tinker

This Tuesday, April 29, will be four years since our wonder boy came into our lives. Tinker the little dynamo, the little engine that does, is Mr. Happy Go Lucky. As you've read on this blog many times, he's always happy, always upbeat, even when he's going through a tough/rough stretch.

Happy 4th Gotcha day to the boy with the spotted feet and sweet tummy. We love you Tinker. :)

Happy Gotcha Day Virginia

In April of 2000, I surprised Caron for her birthday by taking her to SOSBeagles headquartered in Bordentown, NJ. I had been looking for a young female beagle for some time. I did searches in Yahoo and came up with some sources, but no luck (including Petfinder. That's when I stumbled across Beagles-on-the-Web (which ironically Caron now runs).

BotW had many links including rescue groups, which I really didn't know anything about at the time. Included was the link to SOS. Among the dogs listed was a picture of a sweet little tri-color female (only about 20 pounds then) who had both ears back and diamond shaped markings on her back. It said her name was Virginia. It was love at first. It seemed like her eyes were saying, "come and get me Daddy".

I immediately filled out an application and sent it off. I followed up with several phone calls over the next couple of weeks to be sure Virginia was still there. Finally, on April 20, 2000, Caron, my brother, and I drove to Bordentown on Caron's birthday.

She had no idea where we were going and still wasn't sure once we had pulled into the place. That is... until she heard the barking and arooing! She has trouble remembering anything after that.

We met two other dogs (Sadie and Pebbles, both of whom were later adopted) in addition to Virginia, but she "had me at hello". Caron said, "are we really going to do this?" And the rest is history.

Today was Virginia's 8th "gotcha day" and we couldn't have asked for more in a dog. We could do without the separation anxiety, but she's golden when it comes to everything else. She is as sweet as can be, smart as a whip, and a great big sister to Tinker.

Free at Last

Tinker's 4 weeks of crate rest are up and now he can slowly start working his way back to having his freedom. He'll be either in his ex-pen or loose (under supervision) for the next 3 weeks as he builds his muscle strength and stamina back up. If all goes as planned, he'll then be back to his usual routine (minus jumping up on the futon or jumping up and down while waiting for his food), and not be restricted other than the norm (i.e. no stairs).

Tink was a great patient while in the crate. He rarely complained and went right back in after eating or doing his outdoor business. A few nights ago we let him start sharing the bed again with Virginia at night, and we're sure we saw him smile. She's the straw that stirs the drink and he missed cuddling with her.

Thanks to everyone who sent their well wishes!

Holding Our Breath

If you saw this week's (3/9) photo you would have seen a picture of Tinker chilling in his crate. That's because our little dude is on 2-3 weeks of crate rest due to soreness in his back.

Tinker was acting a little odd last Monday and it continued into Tuesday morning. Based on what occurred 3 years ago, we wasted no time in calling up AERA to make an appointment with his neurologist, Dr. Massicotte.

After examining him thoroughly, Dr. Massicotte felt there were indications of soreness and discomfort in an area below where he had his surgery in 2005.


So back into the crate our little boy has gone. He's also getting a tapering dose of prednisone for the next 3 weeks. We go back for a follow up a week from Tuesday. We'll be thinking positive thoughts until then.

Time Certainly Flies

This past Saturday, March 1, was the 3rd anniversary of Tinker's return home following his disk surgery (Feb 23, 2005). It's hard to believe it has been 3 years since the whole nightmare occurred, but it is not hard to believe the progress Tinker has made since that day, because of his incredible spirit.

He never ceases to amaze us. He has walked unassisted since October, 2005. We actually have to discourage him from doing some things, such as jumping up and down while waiting for his food. It's incredible how high he can leap considering he had a back injury.















We have become Tinker's personal elevator service since we don't allow him to do stairs- in an attempt to lessen the risk of a future injury. He's allowed up on the futon, but not the couch or our bed, which are both considerably higher. And we monitor his rough housing with other dogs, since he basically loses his mind in play!

Most of all, we just let the boy be the boy. And make no mistake, it took some time for us to let go of our reservations and fears and let him be himself. It is very easy to be overprotective after such a devastating injury, but there's no stopping this 21 lb. bundle of Joy.

Tinker's Pals Needing Homes

Not every dog or dog owner is as lucky as Tinker and the two of us. There are other Beagles with the same or similar injuries that are looking for homes. Two of those dogs who are currently part of a Special Needs feature on Beagles on the Web, Trixie and Miss Haley, use carts to get around. Both of these dogs need loving, caring homes where they can just be themselves.

Just click on their pictures to view their Petfinder listings, and if you are interested in adopting or helping out one of these precious pups, please contact the appropriate rescue by phone or email.

Tinker says thanks! :)

Trixie











Miss Haley

Our Own Puppy Bowl

This weekend the Giants made Super Bowl magic and puppies made Puppy Bowl magic. But on Friday night and Saturday morning, we had our very own Puppy Bowl magic.

A few weeks ago, C found a Beagle/Shephard mix in a high-kill shelter in Georgia. A friend said she would adopt little Mary if no other adopters were found. Soon Mary was renamed Pandora, aka Pandy, and was on her way to Project Zero in South Carolina for a week. Then a transport took Pandy to a short term foster in southeastern Pennsylvania.

On Friday night, Pandy was transferred to me at my office and home we went. Unfortunately the weather was miserable on Friday so Pandy could not meet Tinker and Virginia outside. So inside we went and it wasn't long before Pandy became Pandemonium.

Endless puppy energy, chewing on everything she could get her teeth on and into, including our hands. Tinker was instantly in love. After dinner, he and Pandy wrestled for 2 hours straight. Finally, we put Pandy in her crate so wethey could get some rest. Virginia, meanwhile, was in no way, shape, or form happy to have a ball of energy bouncing around her.

Pandy slept through the night, without incident. The next day she wanted to wrestle Tinker again, but Tink, who will be 8 in a little over a week, just wanted to rest up. Pandy tried to entice Virginia, but after a small skirmish (the 2 girls barking in each other's faces), it was no dice. So Pandy just amused herself- rolling, biting, romping, rollicking until her new Mommy came to pick her up (needless to say it was love at first sight).

We waved bye-bye to Pandy and things went back to normal...after a very long nap.

Endless Summer

... If only that were the case. Tinker and Virginia certainly wouldn't mind an endless summer, especially if it meant getting to go to the beach every day. The dynamic duo had a terrific time on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, a very dog-friendly area.

As usual, Tinker spent most of his time on full alert, sniffing for any other dogs in the vicinity. When he'd see a new dog, he completely lost his mind- screeching, barking, begging to play with them. Now keep in mind that 90% of the dogs down there are off-leash, but Beagles should NEVER be off-leash. (Yes, I know there are people that may disagree, but once they pick up a scent, Beagles have their own built-in getaway car.)

Virginia, meanwhile, loves to find a spot and plop down with a "snoof"- exhaling away the sand from her nose as she lands. She does pop up when Tinker "sounds the alarm" that another dog is nearby, and then she begins to unleash her deep, throaty protective bark. This began, on vacations pre-Tinker, back in Cape Cod in 2000-2001. We had never seen her react like that before. But she is our beach blanket security guard and she does a fine job. When the "threat" passes we tell her to "stand down".

Both dogs love bananas, and we generally share pieces with them as we eat them. A bite for us, a piece for each of them, and so on. Well on vacation, my brother, sister, and Dad were all there, meaning lots more banana for the Beags. In fact, their "granddogpa" is referred to as "Bananaman" and they recognize exactly who we're referring to when we use that phrase.



During nighttime TV watching Virginia enjoyed her time curling up on one of the couches, while Tinker hunkered down along the side of the couch on a crate pad. Occasionally we would put their bed behind the couch and one or both dogs would curl up inside.

As you may recall, to decrease the chances of him blowing another disc, we don't allow Tinker to go up and down the stairs; so we carry him. Thankfully, he's only about 21.5 pounds and is built kind of like a cat, but it still can get tiresome hoofing it up and down the stairs while carrying him to take him out. It's especially tough in the large houses of the Outer Banks where we spend most of our time on the 3rd floor. But this house had an elevator...woo hoo...good stuff.

The elevator had a sliding inner fan door and each level had an outer door, which is built like an ordinary interior door. Each and every time Tinker went into the elevator, he would tip his head from side to side (like Nipper, the RCA dog), as he stared at the door, wondering what that noise was on the other side. Of course none of us thought to film it. Maybe next year.

Down the Shore

Those of us who live in New Jersey use the phrase "going down the shore" to refer to beach visits. Well Virginia and Tinker are headed to the North Carolina shore for a week of fun on the beach. This is Virginia's 6th trip (2 to Cape Code plus 4 in NC) and Tinker's 2nd. They'll tell you all about when they get home. :)

Gotcha

April is a very big month in our household for a number of reasons. Two of them are 7- and 8-years old. April 20 was Virginia's 7th Gotcha Day and today, April 29, is Tinker's 3rd Gotcha Day. For those of you unfamiliar with the phrase, "Gotcha Day", it is the anniversary of when you adopt your rescue dog.Virginia was a birthday present for Caron back in 2000. It’s really hard to top a present once you’ve gotten, "the best birthday present ever". Tinker came along in 2004 when we were looking for a pal who would help Virginia with her separation anxiety. Tinker's zaniness has been the perfect complement to Virginia's laid back (except when left alone) style.

He is the Yin to her Yang.

Virginia was very timid when we first got her, especially with other dogs.She was shy with people, but quicker to warm up to them than she was with her own species.

Tinker, on the other hand, was Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky right from the start.If he were a person (which is not to say there aren't times when we could swear he is), he would be the type to go up to anyone, introduce himself, ask how the wife and kids are, and say, "Damn glad to meet you!".

Virginia is a model citizen in the car. She chews a treat-filled marrow bone, and then nods off for the duration of the ride. Tinker chews his treat-filled marrow bone for about 2 seconds, then will squeak, whine, squeal, and chirp like a bird. You might say he's not fond of being in the car. He gets all excited about the prospect of getting in the car, but the actual being in the car is not so hot.

On the other hand, Virginia does not like being left alone in the house. She will bark, sometimes constantly, until we get home. Her separation anxiety hasn't gotten worse with time, but hasn't gotten a whole lot better either. She will go for stretches where she is not bad if we are out for the same time period on a regular basis (she’ll get used to a 9-5 work routine), but then she'll stress if we go out at another time.

Tinker is perfectly fine if left alone.It's a rare occasion where one would be left without the other.If we leave for a short period of time, Tinker is not crated, but the stairs are gated off since he is not allowed to do them since his back injury. For longer periods of time, Tinker is crated and the gates are left down so Virginia can have free reign.

The first rule of the household for Tinker, without question, is whatever Virginia is doing, he wants to be doing, too. Tinker follows her around, sometimes being the bratty little brother (endlessly licking her mouth, ears, face, nose, etc.), but mostly he just wants to be near her. When we first got Tink, both dogs slept in their own doggy beds. But Tinker began to crawl into Virginia’s bed to snuggle with her. Eventually we bought them a bed that's probably big enough for a Golden Retriever. And even though there is plenty of room in the bed, there are many winter nights when we have to move Tinker, because he has basically laid down right on top of her (Mr. No Personal Space).

Having a second dog definitely took some getting used to. It's not simply a matter of doing everything times two. I was even concerned that Virginia would be receiving less attention (we definitely project our own feelings on dogs sometimes) with another dog around. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Now it’s difficult to remember the time before Tinker came along.Now we have two times the entertainment, fun, nuttiness, and general Beagle kookiness. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Anniversary Waltz

Today marks a very special day in the life of one Tinker the Beagle/JRT aka Dude. It's the 2nd anniversary of the surgery that would help restore Tinker's ability to walk. He continues to amaze us not only with with his recovery, but his spirit and playful nature.

Every morning starts out the same way. Virginia decides it's time to get up, and Tinker follows. He first runs to one side of our bed for some loving. As you pet him he curls into an elongated letter "C". He will eventually run to the other side of the bed for equal time. If you're not paying attention, he'll make sure you are by standing on his back legs and grabbing the top of the bed with his front paws in attempt to hoist himself up (which we don't allow). Meantime, she hops up on the bed for a minute or two of early morning hugs.

Then it's time for morning calisthenics. She stretches then he stretches. She shakes out then he does the same. He worships the ground she sneezes on. Then they dance and prance and squeak to let us know it's time to go downstairs and begin the day.

Once the gate in our doorway is removed, Virginia will run down the stairs and one of us will carry Tinker down. While Virginia will hang out on the couch, futon, or on the floor by the glass sliders, Tink will settle down in a dog bed, on a crate pad, or with Virginia in the window.

Once he gets antsy - slang for he really has to go - he'll begin to lick Virginia's ears, nose, eyes, etc., to the point of annoyance. Not necessarily Virginia's, but it makes us nuts after a while.

After both dogs have gone for a walk and done their business, breakfast is prepared. Tinker, as you may have seen in the post titled "The Hunger" below, appears to lose his mind while he waits. Actually his focus is never stronger. He cannot be dissuaded, assuaged, or distracted (where's a thesaurus when you need one?) from his focus on whomever is readying his food.

Once breakfast is over, the dynamic duo settles down for some serious treat eating (rubber saucers, marrow bones, kongs). The remainder of the day is made up of trips outside, sleeping, and eating. The post-dinner scenario looks pretty much the same way. The final snack of the evening is indeed quite a treat. If I haven't been followed into the kitchen already, it won't take long for both Beags to get there once they hear the lid come off the cookie jar (which has a Beagle on it of course). Tinker will knock down anything that gets in his way to be first in line. Then the fun begins.

VA and Tink each get an Old Mother Hubbard mini-bone treat. Virginia gently and politely takes hers from you, but you had better use an open hand with Tinker or you may lose a finger. Also, if you aren't quick enough in dispensing of said treat, Tinker will hop up and down on his right front foot, which will at some point end up on top of your foot, and will swat at you with his left front paw. It is never not funny.

The night ends with Virginia zooming up the stairs and flying into bed, while one of us carries Tinker up the stairs. He quickly joins VA, sometimes getting in some final ear licks of the day and sometimes laying practically right on top of her because he is our "no personal space" boy- before they both snuggle down for the night, . We wouldn't have it any other way :)

2004










2005










2006











2007

They Say It's Your Birthday...

...so Happy Birthday to you!!! Happy 7th birthday to our little dude, Tinker. They grow up so fast..sniff sniff. Tinker will be celebrating his birthday by sharing some peanut butter with his big sister, Virginia. That will be preceded and followed with several naps - in his dog bed, on the floor by the window, on the crate pads, and anywhere else he deems fit.

Of course no day would be complete without 2-3 rounds of licking the inside of Virginia's ears, the bridge of her nose, and her eyelids.

Cleared For Take-off

We've had two follow up visits with Tinker's neurologist, Dr. Massicotte; the latest was this past Tuesday. In the visit prior to that, Dr. M had felt that Tinker's back was doing much better, but she still wanted us to take things slowly with him. We were to come back in 3 weeks during which time Tinker should stay in his ex-pen so that he still gets adequate rest.


Tinker doesn't really mind being in the ex-pen , and Virginia likes going in there with him. Of course, she prefers that the door stays open. We began to increase the distance of his walks, though we were still not to push it too much. I was taking Tinker for a walk one night when he slipped on some uneven ground and start to fall on his butt. His position was similar to how he bends when he needs to move his bowels, so at first I didn't think much of it. (Because he doesn't have the strength to squat like a dog normally would, he has to be supported. This is done by pulling his leash upward and holding his tail up.) Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. Before I could grab him he fell on his backside with his back right leg twisted underneath him. As I grabbed him he immediately contracted the leg and it started violently spasming. I carried him inside quickly and we got on the phone to our regular vet, non-regular vets, and AERC.

Virginia remains calm

None of our usual vets were in, friends' vets were on vacation, and we really didn't want to go to the emergency room unless it continued to be a problem. All of the specialists were gone for the day. I held him on my lap for 30-45 minutes as the spasm continued. We speculated that he hyperextended something, but we couldn't know for sure. When the spasm finally stopped it was as if nothing had happened. In fact, he suddenly jumped as we prepared dinner. Everything was fine for the remainder of the week and we hoped it was just a minor thing. Needless to say we were anxious for our follow up visit with Dr. Massicotte.

So now onto this past Tuesday... Before she examined Tinker, Dr. M had an idea of what had happened. First the good news. Tinker's back checked out very well. :) Now the not so bad news- but we still prefer it weren't the case. Dr. M explained what we had seen was actually a pain response. In this case it was a minor tear to his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). This was determined through examination and would really need an MRI for confirmation (Having partially torn my own ACL I was all too well aware of this). Because of Tinker's spinal injury he can't show discomfort in the way a "normal" dog would show. Whereas another dog might limp or walk differently, Tinker's reaction is an uncontrollable spasm that can last for minutes or longer. According to Dr. M., he would have the same reaction if he had broken a nail or cut his foot and there was pain.

The prescription? - rest. Here we go again. Only thing is Mr. T is going on vacation with us this weekend. We'll just have to make sure The Dude takes it easy, because there's no way he's staying home. :)

Summer Bummer

Tinker gets 2 weeks behind bars

Well, things took a bit of an odd turn this past Monday. If you have been following Tinker's recovery you know that he has been doing very well. Everything seemed as cool as the other side of the pillow. Then 3 weeks ago on Friday, July 7 Tinker had a bad day (see the post "A Not So Peaceful Uneasy Feeling" below). What was first thought to be a stomach ache began to look like signs of a back issue instead. For the next week, Tink's energy level wasn't as high as usual and he wasn't trying to jump up on the futon to be next to Virginia.

We had scheduled an appointment with Tinker's surgeon, Dr. Christoper Hunt, at the AERC, but canceled when he seemed fine a few days later. The following Sunday, 7/16, I finally felt Tink was at 100%. Actually more like 125%. He was back to his version of normal, full of energy, going up on the futon, loving life. We still wondered though if we should take him for a check-up with his neurologist Dr. Christine Massicotte. A trip to Valley Vet for Tink's hydrotherapy appointment convinced us to do so.



Tinker's PT tech, Tracy, didn't want to put him in the hydrotherapy tank since it appeared that something might have occurred with his back. She didn't want to take a chance on further injuring him, plus of course they have to be careful of their own liability. So we scheduled an appointment with Dr. Massicotte for this past Monday. After examining him, Dr. Massicotte concluded that something was indeed going on with a disc toward Tinker's hind end. It was below the area where he had a disk rupture and had surgery a year and a half ago, but it was still very much a concern to her.



It was stunning to hear her words since we suspected maybe Tink had twisted something in a leg or hip or just had some temporary blip that caused him not to feel well. Dr. Massicotte shot those theories down with a resounding "no". The answer for now: 2 weeks of complete crate rest. No going for walks. No playing with Virginia. No fun. :(

After a few deep breaths and realizing we were NOT back to square one, we realized that the next 2 weeks would not be easy, but we would get through it. For one thing, Tinker's attitude is still tremendous. Yes, he would rather be out of the crate, but for the most part he's been great. The first night was pretty sleepless since he "wanted to go over the wall", but since then he's been a model patient. Which, of course, was no surprise to us.

We have almost made it up to 1 week of "incarceration" and we always remind Tinker how many days are left to go. Of course we're really reassuring ourselves, but...We have an appt. with Dr. Massicotte for August 7 for a re-evaluation and we will go from there. No matter the issue, Tinker is still one awesome Dude :)

A Not So Peaceful, Uneasy Feeling

I'm paraphrasing the Eagles song here because a week ago Friday, July 6, we had a bit of a scare with Tinker. Early in the day Tinker and Virginia had their every 5th week round of acupuncture and B-12 therapy. It went as it usually does - we struggle to keep them still so their needles will stay in and they lose their minds when they get their post-treatment snacks. They always manage to get extras from the staff, of course. .

Later that afternoon, C was at her Dad's house when Tinker started showing signs of being off his game. He laid down under the dining room table- it didn't seem to be because he was looking for a cool spot. This was a behavior he never exhibited before. Tinker repeated this (laying under the table) that evening while we were eating dinner at home. Tink has looked for "safe spots" during a thunderstorms, but this was something different. He began to get restless and began methodically moving around the room, laying down for 30 seconds, getting up and moving somewhere else. The behavior continued to repeat itself and had us scratching our heads. Finally, Tinker jumped up on the futon next to Virginia and nodded off.

He slept for about 30 minutes, but his restlessness had not gone away. During this time we remembered that he had snagged a piece of a chicken bone during his morning walk. We began to wonder if he had an obstruction of some kind that was making him uncomfortable. Ironically, just 2 days earlier we had been discussing what had transpired when he was injured in February, 2005 and how we would handle things differently. Specifically, we would make sure to get Tinker to the emergency hospital a lot faster if we saw something out of kilter with him. We took one look at each other and realized this was one of those times. We packed up the Beags and headed down to the AERC to have Tinker checked out.

When we arrived, our little Dude's behavior was noticeably different then when we had been there before. That first night in 2005 when Tinker had showed signs of an injury, when we got to the AERC he was walking around, exploring, being his usual "Hey, how ya doin'?" self. That wasn't the case this time. He didn't want to walk to the examining room and he trembled as the ER vet checked him out. Tinker NEVER shows fear at the vet's. Both of us were tense as we feared this was more than his stomach acting up. Virginia was tense too, and whined and whistled through her nose to prove it.

Dr. Coogan decided to take an Xray and we waited impatiently out in the reception area for 20-25 minutes. While disc issues can't generally be detected on an Xray, they would make sure to to include his spine in the Xray. Thankfully the Xray showed no obstruction. The Dr. gave Tinker a shot of Pepcid and gave us Sucralfate to give him at home to help coat his stomach.

We gave Tinker the Sucralfate on Saturday and Sunday, but by then we started to surmise that whatever was bothering him was not emanating from his stomach. Tinker loves to jump up and down, especially while food is being prepared, and also loves to jump up on the futon. We discourage this as much as possible, but sometimes you can't stop him. He was not displaying any desire to go on the futon and he was pretty sedentary, for him at least, while waiting for his food.

We decided that we would make an appointment with Dr. Hunt, the orthopedist who had performed Tinker's surgery at the AERC. By Tuesday afternoon, Tinker had shown marked improvement so we decided to cancel the appointment and would see how the remainder of the went. One of the biggest problems facing Dr. Hunt would be that he had not seen Tinker for over a year. So, he had not seen his progress to the point of full recovery, and really had no frame of reference. So how do you know when the patient has taken a step back as opposed to just doing really great (which is how Tinker would appear to anyone who had not seen him on a daily basis).

Friday afternoon came around and it was time for Tinker's underwater treadmill therapy. Tink's on about a 5 week "maintenance" schedule now. Tinker's rehab PT Tracy decided that Tinker should not go in the tank after hearing what had occurred. She felt the best course of action was to see Dr. Massicotte, Tink's neurologist. So we made an appointment for first thing Monday.

Over the weekend, though, Tinker went from 90% to 120% recovered. We had our boy back. He was back to his silly self, running around like a horse, losing his mind over dinner, leaping on the futon, and rough-housing with his sister. We still feel something occurred, though. What, we just don't know. We've speculated that maybe Tinker twisted or pulled a muscle, a joint, etc., or perhaps there was some scar tissue inhibiting him that then broke loose.

Needless to say, we are relieved that he is much better, but we have rescheduled our appointment with Dr. Massicotte for a week from tomorrow.

Tinker would like to send his love to everyone and thank you for your continued good wishes. Keep those cards and letters coming!

Oh, and Virginia would like to know if you have any spare food laying around. She hasn't eaten in the past 5 minutes.

A Day to Celebrate

Tomorrow is the 4th of July - a day to celebrate our country's independence. It's also another day for us to celebrate Tinker's independence from walking aids. We continue to marvel at "The Dude's" progress. Yes, there has still been additional progress. For one thing, Tinker has visibly added more muscle. At 21.6 pounds, he's a lean, mean loving machine.

A good example of the difference a year can make occured when we went to a local 4th of July parade this past Saturday (7/1). We had gone to the same parade a year ago. Only last year Tinker was in his cart. This time around Tinker walked around, sat around, jumped around...
















One of our highlights of this year's parade was seeing Zoey the Beagle again. We had originally met Zoey and her humans at last year's parade. And, Zoey's people were all smiles when they saw the progress that Tinker has made. And, Tinker wasn't the only one with a big change. Zoey was just a 5-month-old pup last year and is now a full grown Beagle girl.
















This time, Tinker got the chance to romp around with Zoey, which was a treat for everyone. Virginia likes to watch - "You guys go ahead, I have stuff to sniff".






A meeting of the minds

It was very hot this past Saturday, but neither we nor the Beags seemed to mind. The warm weather this year, especially the milder weather in February and March, has really contributed to a very apparent improvement in Tinker's gait. With milder weather, we were able to take him out more often for longer walks, rather than just a quick in/out to do his business. It's also been very helpful in making sure that Tinker completely empties his bladder. Rather than when we just express him, he does most of the work himself in emptying his bladder. He's even begun to try to lift a leg at times, often balancing against the side of a tree. Tinker likes to create what's known in the business as "piddle art". :) It's the fine art of peeing as you walk, leaving a nice trail that is not only a work of art, but is also self drying! His routine tends to be: walk, pee, lick his legs (he tends to spray the back of his front legs)...walk, pee, lick his legs, repeat...

Though we don't allow Tinker to jump up on the couch or our bed we still let him go up on the futon, which is much lower to the ground. He likes nothing more than to snuggle up with Virginia on their cushy crate pads atop the futon. He usually gets a running start and then pushes off of the dog bed we have in front of the futon. His approach kind of resembles Spiderman swinging thru the air.



Tinker still walks on an underwater treadmill and goes for acupuncture every 5 weeks. We figure by this time next year he'll be climbing trees. ;)

Baby Ducks on Parade

We took Virginia and Tinker for a walk this morning when, much to our pleasant surprise, we spotted a Momma duck with her newborns. Too cute. Here they are marching around.

The Hunger

Not a day goes by that we don't marvel at what Tinker has accomplished. People pay us compliments for taking such good care of him, etc., but we both know that this was all Tinker's doing. If not for his spirit and determination, he would not be where he is today. Every time I walk him, I am struck by the difference between his current healthy physical condition and my memory of how he was at this time last year.

We took some videos yesterday to show his progress. The first video will make you think he never eats...LOL! Virginia and Tinker complement each other very well. Virginia loves the car, Tinker hates it. Virginia doesn't like her humans not being home, Tinker is okay with it. And, Virginia is completely calm during food preperation, whereas Tinker LOSES HIS MIND. While the fact that he is able to jump is remarkable, it is also frightening and we discourage him from doing it as we don't want a repeat of his injury.

The second video demonstrates Tinker's gait from a side angle. It is short and the quality is not terrific- unfortunately he walks into shadow. We'll shoot and post a better one when the warmer weather returns...






GAIT

To Hell and Back

1 year ago today, February 18, 2005, our world was turned upside down when Tinker ruptured the disk in his back. 1 year later, February 18, 2006, we sit in utter amazement at the wonderous recovery of this little guy. He walks, he runs, he romps, he plays.

To celebrate his recovery, Tinker and Virginia shared a tablespoon of peanut butter. Their joy reflects our own.

Happy Birthday Tinker!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR, NOW, 6 YEAR OLD SUPER DUDE!!!!!!

Take Me To The River

After 9 1/2 months of physical therapy, we finally took a video today of Tinker's underwater treadmill work. His therapist Tracy, whose voice you can hear on the video, used to stand in the tank with Tinker to assist/keep him moving. Now Tinker goes it solo. Enjoy! :)

There's Air Under Those Feet!

Hi everyone. Hope you are all enjoying the holidays and we hope you have a very happy and healthy New Year!

We recently found a movie hosting site - so now you can see a short clip (we'll get a clearer one up there) of Tinker running across the living room and jumping up on the futon. Who would have thought that he would be a) running and b) jumping and c) both together. We love that little feller! :)

A Little Bit of Bragging

Beagle World is a popular Beagle internet message board. Its' webmaster, Joe (who owns Murphy of "Murphy's World" - another Beagle who has recovered from a disk rupture), put together a calendar this year and our Beags were lucky enough to be included. Calendars can be purchased at http://www.cafepress.com/beagleworld.12600584

and here are our pups :)

The Little Engine That Could

Photo courtesy of www.smile4katie.com/

4 months have gone by since our last update and we apologize for the long delay. We recently experienced the death of a very close family member- another unhappy milestone in a very challenging year. We know that many people have an interest in Tinker's recovery, and your support has been wonderful.

The last 4 months have been amazing as Tinker continues to progress. He has pretty much been given free rein in the house. He's not allowed to do steps, but he walks around at will when he is on the middle or upper floors. We have a metal gate in the living room to keep him from using the stairs to the first floor. We also have a wooden gate that we use to prevent him from going upstairs during the day or downstairs at night. We quickly learned that we have to keep him crated when we go out (which he doesn't mind), because Virginia's separation anxiety leads her to knock the gates down if we leave them up. I got a shocking surprise one day when I came home and opened the front door and not one, but two dogs, were there to greet me! "Hmmm", I thought, "What's wrong with this picture?!" (Tinker also managed to go up the stairs one day - which prompted us to immediately block the stairs at all times).

Tinker not only walks in the house, he jumps and runs as well. Yes, you read that right. We would rather he did neither, especially jumping (this usually occurs while he does his happy dance as his food is being prepared), but it is quite an amazing sight to see. He's back to trying to rile Virginia up by dancing around and bumping her, and sometimes he will jump on the futon to follow her (we cringe every time he does it). Recently he has even been doing some mini zoomies. He kind of looks like a miniature horse galloping around, looking like he's going 90 mph- but sideways!

We have also started to take Tinker on walks outside without additional support for his legs, in order to work on his balance and coordination. No rear harness, no cart, just the good old fashioned way - and he's doing remarkably well. His right leg is still noticeably weaker than his left, but he has begun to raise it off the floor, while in a seated position, in an attempt to scratch his right ear. We know one day he will accomplish this. He can already use his left leg to scratch his left ear. We have also noticed in the past month that his tail position is slightly higher- it had basically been at "half mast" since his injury. It is gratifying to see that subtle improvements still occur- maybe not as dramatically as in the first 6 months, but nevertheless he's still improving. We've eased up on the frequency of his physical therapy, but he still goes to hydrotherapy once a week and acupuncture once a month. And Virginia still accompanies him to his sessions and cheers him on (and appreciates the treats at the end of each session).

Most importantly, Tinker just keeps on smiling....our sweet, funny, goofy little boy who has enriched our lives. There's never a dull moment when he's around - and we are all so glad he's around - even Virginia :)

Improvements and New Digs

It's hard to believe, but today marks 19 weeks since Tinker's surgery, and he continues to improve every day. Our initial fears for his well being have been soothed by watching his progress. In addition to weekly acupuncture, he is still going 3 times a week for underwater hydrotherapy, and he is up to a speed of .8 miles per minute for 20 minutes. He doesn't love the water- most Beagles aren't big swimmers like Labs- but he is a trouper, and he tries very hard. It is very rewarding to see how far he has come. After surgery, the muscle mass in his hind end had noticeably atrophied. But, over the past 4 months he has really rebuilt the muscle in his hind end and legs, plus all the hair on his back has grown back in- so he looks really healthy! Despite the fact that his walk is still spastic, we are thrilled that he is walking at all. In the past month he has definitely been "up" more, and we are very, very proud of our little boy.



Since his initial recovery time spent in the porta-crib, he has graduated to an "ex pen" in the living room. He loves his new freedom, and sometimes Virginia will join him for a marathon bone chewing session or to just curl up and keep him company.

Surgeon Follow-Up

On Tuesday, June 21, we took Tinker to his follow-up appointment with Dr. Hunt, his surgeon. This was the first time that Dr. Hunt had seen Tinker in nearly 2 months. When we were there last, Tinker was in his cart for the entire exam. This time we brought him in wearing his sling and took it off in the exam room so he could walk freely. What a difference time and hard work make. We could see the smile creep across Dr. Hunt's face as he entered the exam room. He and his assistant, (Meaghan, Tinker's favorite person at the AERA), were ecstatic to see Tinker's progress.



As you can see in the picture above, over the last month -and especially the past 2 weeks- Tinker has been up on his feet much more. (Also notice how the fur on his back has now completely grown back in.) We have not put gates up yet, but we block off the stairs and allow Tinker to walk around our downstairs while we watch. He's still somewhat awkward in his walk, and his left leg is stronger and more coordinated that the right, but he remains on his feet. His bulked-up front and back legs and hind quarters have really made a difference. We will need to start working on his coordination.

Neurology Check

Today we took Tinker to see Dr. Christiane Massicotte, the new Neurologist/Neurosurgeon at the AERA. We've been seeking answers for such things as, "Is there more we can do to help Tink's progress?", "Should we allow Tinker to move freely about the house (not near the stairs of course)?", "What should we do when his 12 weeks of hydrotherapy are over?” etc... We also wanted to know if there was a reason why Tinker has been urinating less on his own, and why it had been becoming harder for us to express him.

Dr. Massicotte was absolutely wonderful. She patiently answered all of our questions, gave suggestions, and was very accommodating. She feels that Tinker is making good progress and she said that the most significant neurological recovery occurs during the first 6 months after surgery. After that, it is much more gradual and changes are more subtle. We are going to start letting Tinker slowly have the run of the downstairs part of the house (we will be purchasing gates to block off the stairs) so that he gets more of an opportunity to be on his feet. Dr. Massicotte said we may want to consider continuing with the hydrotherapy after the initial 12 week period (maybe it's time to fill up the tub, or maybe they'll let us register for a pass for him at our complex's pool ). She also recommended that we get boots for Tinker's back legs so that when walking outside, we don't have to hold up his back feet up when we are on the sidewalk. This will allow him to walk or drag his feet without getting cut up and enable him to feel the sensation of the ground.

She tested Tinker's reflexes and deep pain sensation and had us take him outside so that she could watch him try to walk in a straight path with no assistance. Tinker was kind of up and down and swayed a bit, but she was quite encouraged by what she saw. Up until today we had thought that dogs did one of two things in recovery, regular walking or 'spinal walking'. (Spinal walking looks like a dog is a little drunk -- it comes from trying to process the thought of walking. It basically bypasses the brain and relies on muscle memory.) As it turns out, Tinker actually is doing a combination of both. There have been studies that suggested that if there is no deep pain sensation, it was spinal walking, and if there is deep pain sensation, then it was regular walking. However, Dr. Massicotte did extensive studies at Penn, and she found that there are many cases, and Tinker is one of them, where the dog does a combination of spinal walking and regular walking.

As for his sudden change in the bladder functions- having difficulty going on his own, Dr. Massicotte put Tinker on a low dose of Valium. It is used to relax the tone of the bladder a little and to try to encourage him to go more on his own. Usually it is not prescribed for more than a few weeks. If it takes longer, maybe we'll start taking it.

All in all, it was a very rewarding day. We got good answers and were reassured that we are going about things the right way for our Little Dude.

Halfway There

We are now about 7 weeks into the 12 week rehabilitation process. Tinker is now walking 14 minutes at .4 MPH on the underwater treadmill. He had been up to 20 minutes at .2 MPH, when they decided to increase the speed and start back at 10 minutes.

Tink's been having a blast in his cart; he absolutely loves the freedom it gives him. We still keep a harness and leash on him, but he can move much more freely than with the sling. The sling has also become a bit of a problem. It's been rubbing the insides of his legs to the point where they have gotten quite pink. We've been using Gold Bond powder to help keep the area dry and it has improved. C spoke with a rep from Doggon' Wheels, the sling manufacturer. They had us take pictures of Tinker in the sling to determine if it was the right fit--they felt it was. Back to the drawing board- we may need to find a sling with a different design.

Tinker's also been doing some climbing. It's good and it's bad. It's good that he's on his back feet, climbing up the crib and it's bad that he's climbing up the crib! He also goes absolutely nuts waiting for his food. Crying, barking, squealing, and JUMPING. Yes, jumping and pushing off all four feet. He throws himself around the crib as if it was a professional wrestling ring. We're really worried he's going to hurt himself.

Since he has been doing all this activity in a short amount of time, we have set up an appointment for tomorrow with Dr. Christiane Massicotte, the new neurologist at the AERA. We have concerns about the next steps, pun intended. We know he can't be in the crib forever. We also want to know what she thinks of his progress towards regaining the ability to walk. Additionally, we would like to know if she feels he will eventually regain the ability to completely empty his bladder on his own. For some reason Tinker has been urinating on his own less often. We've been expressing him every 3 or 4 hours, and it seems to be getting more difficult. This could be because his bladder has become more toned.

We're looking forward to speaking with her since we have not consulted with a neurologist other than the initial second opinion on the MRI from Dr. Glass of Red Bank Hospital. One thing is for sure, Tinker will be glad to go there, and Virginia will whine until we leave. :)

Happy Gotcha Day Tinker!!!!!!!

One year ago today, April 29, our "Little Dude", Tinker, came into our lives. We knew we had to get a buddy for Virginia to try to help her with her separation anxiety. We needed to find a dog who was the same age as Virginia or a little younger. We wanted to get a male since the people we spoke to with multiple Beagles felt that mixed sex got along better than same sex (um, the Beagles not the people). We also wanted to find a dog who was a little higher in energy and could get Virginia to play.



We found all that waiting in Wayne, PA in the dogpersonna of one Tinker the Beagle/JRT.



We were just about out of time. C was working and I was starting a new job on Monday, May 3. It was already Thursday, April 29 when we started our trek down the back roads of PA to meet Tink at the home of a BREW volunteer. We arrived to find a bunch of crazed Beagles (wait, that's redundant). There was another foster in addition to Tinker, plus the 3 who lived there. With Virginia, that made 6 beagles running and romping in and out of the house and in and out of the doggie door. Okay, 5 1/2...Virginia mainly stood there a little overwhelmed. She did scare herself and us when she zoomied off the deck and onto the pool cover. She looked like she was walking on Jell-O with roller skates as she made her way back to the side.

Tinker was having a great time, licking the other foster's ears and romping around the yard. As we sat there watching him, we thought "this dog is the one". Oddly, BREW was concerned that Tinker might have trouble finding an adopter because he didn't look like the average beagle (he's a mix, duh!) and because of his parrot mouth (curvature of his mouth - basically the bottom part of the mouth is smaller than the top). BREW felt his personality would win people over. Well, it certainly did and on top of that, our boy is a looker :)

We brought him home that evening, and he moved quickly into our hearts.



I never thought I could love a dog as much as Virginia, but he's right there. It sounds funny to say you are proud of a dog, but we've told him that. We know it was in the cards for him to find us and us to find him, and to get each other through his injury and rehab. If only most people could be as friendly, warm, and courageous as Tinker the Wonder Dog. :)



Happy Gotcha Day, Tinker!
Love,

Mom, Dad, and Virginia

Run, Don't Walk

Yesterday we took Tinker to see his surgeon, Dr. Hunt, for his 9-week post-surgical checkup. His assistant, Meaghan (who wrote a very sweet note in our guestbook for this blog) came out to the waiting area to get us. As soon as Meaghan called, "Tinker", our little boy revved up his cart and tore like a bat out of hell over to her. They were both so happy to see each other. Tinker loves everyone, but he definitely makes a special connection to certain people; the people he knows have been there for him. Having worked with Tinker before and after (and possibly during) the surgery, Meaghan could see firsthand just how much progress he had made. It brought a huge smile to her face. Tinker's appearance also brought a smile to several of the other vet techs who peeked through the exam room window to see Tinker- his own little fan club. One said his name and he immediately looked up at the glass and started doing "tippy head", his RCA dog imitation.



Dr. Hunt's expression upon seeing Tinker told us more than his words did. While he is quite succinct in what he says, we could see on his face just how truly happy he was that his patient was up on all fours. We have another follow-up in 2 months. Dr. Hunt said (in his Aussie accent), "I expect him to walk in here then".

We have had to temper our own expectations a little. Tinker has progressed so quickly that we tend to forget sometimes that he will not be able to use the stairs again and he shouldn't be climbing down or jumping off of things, like the couch. He also won't go for very long walks like he used to...but all of that is all right :) He won't walk completely normally again, but then his walk was a little funky when we adopted him. All we want is for him to be able to stand on all fours, unassisted, harness and leash on, out taking a stroll with us and his big sister.

And, who knows, maybe one day he'll run too. :)

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

A new driver is on the road and his name is Tinker. Tinker's cart arrived from Eddie's Wheels last week and the little guy is zipping around like Mario Andretti. Dr. DeLucia, his rehab vet, needed to make some adjustments to the cart so we had to wait a few days. He once again commented that "this dog is going to walk". Tinker adapted to the cart in about 2 seconds. It's well constructed and very lightweight aluminum that weighs all of maybe 5 lbs. His legs go through the openings in the firm seat, which is a figure 8 covered with spongey neoprene. A "door" swings over the top of him and locks into place; kind of like the safety feature on amusement park rides. There is also a webbed strap that locks in place across his chest in front to help keep him in place and to keep the cart steady while he walks.



Some dogs will let the cart do the walking for them, but not Tinker. As he speedily walks along with his front feet, most of the time he puts both of his back feet down to walk. The only problem is that sometimes his front legs are moving so fast that he makes the back wheels go fast, and then he can barely get his back feet down. He'll have to work on the mechanics.



He's having an absolute blast. We went to a nearby park this past Sunday and took him on a newly-created path that surrounds the lake. Everyone from bikers to joggers to parents with their kids in strollers were "wowed" by our Little Dude. Most had never seen a dog cart before. Except for the occasional wheel getting stuck on something and pulling up a ton of leaves, Tinker moved along smoothly.

Having him in the cart also takes some of the burden off of us, because walking him with the sling is very tiring and a little painful to the back and elbow of the beleaguered human. Of course our boy is well worth it.

Splish Splash I Was Taking a Bath...

It's been nearly 2 weeks since our last entry, and things are going very well. It's 7 weeks to the day since his surgery and we're happy to see continuing progress. After a slow start in hydrotherapy, Tinker has taken to it like- well- a fish to water. His time has increased every week and he is now up to 16 minutes at .2 mph, 3 times a week.



Tinker is also still getting the 10 minutes of laser treatment prior to the hydrotherapy. It's really doing a great job of helping to heal his incision. You can hardly even see the scar.

At first Tinker would actually try to move his back feet, but wouldn't move his front feet. I guess he figured he could keep his balance that way. Gradually, encouraged by C or I holding a treat at the front of the tank, Tinker began walking with his front feet and slowly, but surely, picking up and putting down his back feet. It's wonderful to see. Tracy stands in the tank with him and "plays goalie"- she makes sure he stays in a straight line and doesn't stop walking.


Tinker has also been getting exercise and walking practice with the help of a sling. It goes up his back legs and connects slightly above the base of his tail. We hold his back legs up while he does the work with his front. A slip leash goes around his ne