Thursday, September 29, 2016

Adjustments.

And so we start learning how to deal with a lively dog that needs to be kept calm and quiet for two months. 

The surgeon suggests a 'character' like Sophie will get depressed if left somewhere too quiet.  When the surgeon operated on her own dog she kept him in the living room. Sophie is set up in a large cage inside the front door. We take away the upper part of the cage and leave her inside the high sided bottom half. A pen is erected around it. This enables her to sit up and see what her brother is doing while being kept in one place. Bob lies in front of the roofless cage and guards. 

It is an 'interesting' night. The discomfort/shock/inactivity are clearly upsetting. Angus sits by her and watches the US Presidential debate in full. He then reads a book on Belgian Foreign Policy in the 1920's. Finally, at three, she falls asleep for two hours. When I wake she's somehow managed to get out of the half cage and into the pen. 



At first light Bob is taken on a lengthy walk. He's so much happier now his sister has returned. Donkeys, horses and cows are communed with.

There was a glass phone box on the village green by the church. One of those things that would only accept France Telecom pre-paid cards. ( When was the last time anyone bought one of those ? ) This morning the phone box goes. Removed in the space of twenty minutes by a crew of zealous, early rising, workers. In its place a pile of fine gravel. The phone box was part of Bobs daily christening routine between the fire hydrant and the box hedge around the war memorial. I explain to him change happens. He sighs and christens the new gravel.

Angus is now going to catch up with his sleep. Later today he will telephone the Volkswagen garage to find out what has happened to the 'Loonj'. Nothing has been heard of it since last Friday. 0/10 for their after sales service.






19 comments:

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

I remember when we brought Apple home after her knee surgery, she collapsed in the entry hall refusing to go anywhere else. She was clearly upset, which naturally upset us all. I sat beside her on the floor all day. Funnily enough, however, when I began to get Edward's dinner ready later that afternoon she made it into the kitchen with her usual enthusiasm only slightly diminished, and ate every bite. The first day was most certainly the hardest for everybody. She got into a new routine very soon. I'm sure Sophie will do the same. Thinking of you. xx

Bella Roxy & Macdui said...

Shaping up to a long two months. Just sayin'.

booahboo said...

I personally haven't slept thru a whole night undisturbed for maybe weeks. Yesterday night he was up every hour... today.. i am a woozy mess.

But... we tried music from youtube for dogs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsumMhfK6U8

Some nights... we have a 3 hour sleep... it helps. Hope the music will calm your girl a little.
Frankincense helps to calm him too.

She will get into a routine and she will get better. Hang in there all of you.

Angus said...

Or another way of looking at it - two months per leg .

Angus said...

You can be sure Sophie's appetite remains undiminished !

Angus said...

This is how diaper changing fathers feel.

WFT Nobby said...

How in earth did Sophie escape the cage?
I hope the Belgian Foreign Policy book was more interesting than it sounds!

Angus said...

Works as well for humans as Metacalm does for dogs !

Taste of France said...

Good luck with the diva. Good luck TO the diva.
The book on Belgian foreign policy must have been short. (Have to get in a dig--husband is Belgian.) Did you read "King Leopold's Ghost"? Many Belgians were very upset by it, though the book had more detractors than readers.
They removed the phone booth in our village recently as well. I noticed that a local character had it installed in his yard. Speaking of which, a man in Japan put a phone booth in his yard to speak to his wife, who was lost in the tsunami. Other people who lost relatives now come to talk to the dead. The podcast This American Life featured it. Prepare to cry. Episode 597: One Last Thing Before I Go.
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/597/one-last-thing-before-i-go#play

Coppa's girl said...

Sophie clearly doesn't like to be confined. This dieting has clearly left her peckish, so she could have decided to go in search of a little snack - surely you have sausages somewhere?

Angus said...

Thank you for the link. Sad but charming. 'The Font' has started up the astrophysics course with the Pasadena crowd. One of the papers this week was this interesting article which gives an insight into time. Academic thinking is now moving to the view that we may roam more freely through existence than we thought . Dry but worth reading the last 3 paras as a ressuring take on life and the universe :http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2016/09/26/the-arrow-of-time-its-all-in-our-heads/#.V-y7vSh953i

Angus said...

Sophie is a free spirit !

Anonymous said...

I've used a product called Nutracalm (by Nutravet) which might be helpful to Sophie. I quote 'it aids relaxation for dogs and cats in stressful situations'. Unfortunately, it's not for human consumption.
Hope you have as good a day as can be.

Poppy Q said...

Good luck with your unpatient patient. It must be a hard prospect the thought of keeping her still and quiet for so long.

Charlotte said...

Is Sophie still on pain pills?
Hope each day will be better than the day before for all of you.

rottrover said...

I just listened to this podcast yesterday. Very moving.

Fi from Four Paws and Whiskers said...

http://www.adaptil.com/fr/Quelles-sont-les-causes-de-stress-ou-mal-etre-chez-le-chien/Chenils-Pensions
Here's a French link for adaptil.... You should be able to get it

Anonymous said...

Thinking of you and thanking heaven that Sophie is not needing the "cone of shame"....imagine the ruckus?
Pam in NH

VirginiaC said...

Sophie the escape artist...but we already knew that.
It's good that she can survey everything going on in the household.
She'd also like to keep the Font company in the kitchen once in a while.
Did you ever find her Doo Doo?