He is still here 

It has been two years today since Jake was brought to our house to stay for a short visit. We were looking after him because his foster family was away on a family holiday. He was only supposed to stay for thirty days and then we decided, since he had to have surgery on his knee that we would nurse him through that. His surgery was in July and we officially adopted him on September 25 2014. Jake has fit into our family so well. He loves our other dog Darby and our guinea pig, Snoopy. Jake still continues to be the laziest dog on the planet but we love him for it. Here are some photos I dug up from when Jake first came to us two years ago and now. 

Then

Now

It is hard to imagine what life would be like without Jake. He is an amazing companion and loyal furry friend. We love him very much:)

Happy one year since Jake came into our lives!!!

On March 7th it was the one year anniversary since Jake came to stay with us for a month.... turns out he has stayed a little longer! Jake has been an amazing addition to our family and we couldn't see ourselves with only one dog anymore. We have decided that Jake's birthday would be March 7th so this year he has turned five. We have officially adopted Jake and his gotcha day is September 25th.  

This past December it was the first Christmas with Jake and he was spoiled. He has enjoyed meeting Aunts and Uncles, Grandmas and Cousins over the past few months too. Some of Jake's favourite things: 

• Cuddles
• Walks on the beach
• Sleeping
• Eating
• Sleeping
• Eating

Can you guess what else..... MORE eating and sleeping!

Since we met Jake he has gone through about eight Oscars and Lolas. If you've forgotten who Oscar and Lola are they're the blue and pink toys Jake always has in his mouth. He likes to chew on them, lick them and take them outside to the bathroom with him. We recently found out that they aren't making them anymore! Oh no. 

In the last year Jake has made lots of friends, is very healthy and very happy. Jake is looking forward to the summer and days at the beach. He is also looking forward to Easter because he is determined to catch the Easter Bunny.

Jake

A little over one month has past since Jake had his surgery.  His recovery has been fantastic.  We have had to put some safety barriers in place and block off stairs, close doors and for the first few weeks Jake was kept very close by in small quarters.  Lisa was kind enough to give us a very large roll of what they call grip line. It is that rubber stuff you put under your rugs so they don't move. We put it in our kitchen and other places so he could walk without slipping. He is much better now and is really good about listening when we tell him he can't jump up.  We carry him up and down the stairs. We only have one step outside of our front door so potty time has been real easy.  He will not need another cartrophen injection until about August 8th.  Walks have been short at about 10-15 minutes on flat ground.  Today we took him up the hill a bit and we could tell it was just about enough.  It will take time for him to build up muscle again. His weight is excellent and maintaining a health weight will be very important for Jake. In the morning he has Honest Kitchen (Fish) and in the evenings Fromm (Fish).  He is getting some Krill Oil which is very healthy.  We do not want him to be heavy because it is too hard on his knees and we really want to avoid surgery on the other hind leg.  He will be a loving pet but agility is not in his future.  Just lots of love and he is very much a cuddle bug. Because he can't jump up I have decided that I would make a big fort in our basement and he can sleep in there with me.  It summer and this is lots of fun.  Jake likes it too! Thank you to everyone who keeps reading my blog.

Guard dog

"Give me my food"

"Where did it go?"

Too CUTE

                                     

My fort for the summer

                                                       Swaddled up just like a baby.

Jake in my fort

Darby decided to join us

Jake

This has been a very busy week.  On Monday and Tuesday Jake had his last walks on the beach for a while.  Tuesday night Dr. Sukhiani phoned my mom to go over Jake's surgery on Wednesday.  Wednesday morning we took him into Vancouver Island Veterinary Surgery.  This was at 9:30.  He had his surgery and we picked him up at about 3:00 p.m.  Dr. Sukhiani and Tara (his assistant) went over Jake's post-operative care. When we brought Jake home he was very drowsy and he did not like his crate ride home.  The first night was rough and he cried and kept my mom up.  Once she put her hand on his head inside his pen he would stop.  He just want to be sure that someone was with him.

He has a pain patch and we also give him antibiotics and pain medicine.  This will continue over the next few weeks.  He will also have to have a Cartrophen injection which will help with his recovery.

Today he ate twice and went outside to do his business without the aide of someone holding him up.  He does not really like to be in his crate but this afternoon my mom held him for about 2 hours and gently stretched his leg and gave him some ice. We have not seen any swelling but it is coming.  He did like his cuddle time!  We don't want to get into the habit of picking him up or he will spend the next 18 weeks being in our arms.

I thought for a change of scenery I would get out my Littlest Pet Shop tent and he seemed to like that.

I am sure each day will get better and better.  I will try to post on a regular basis.

Thank you to all of Jake's well wishers......

Jake in my tent

Jake and Oscar

Lazy Boy

Escape artist

Jake

These past few weeks have been really busy.  Jake is having lots of fun playing outside in the sun and going to the beach. Jake is booked to have his knee surgery with Dr. Sukhiani this Wednesday, June 18, 2014.  Jake's recover period is approximately 18 weeks which will bring us to October 22nd.  In preparation for this we have made some changes in our home and my mom will be moving into the basement bedroom to be with Jake at night for about the next two months.  He will be restricted to 5 and 10 minute "pee breaks" and will not be allowed to be very mobile until about week 6 where he can increase his time to 15-20 minutes walking gently in the backyard.  He will require daily physio which we will be giving him 3 to 4 times a day.  I have set up a "spa" area so Jake can have some quiet time and a calm space to recover.  Jake has two spots to be, one crate upstairs for daytime and a smaller crate downstairs where he will be sleeping.  His sleeping area has easy access to the backyard where we can carry him out.  After Wednesday we have to take him every week for a shot to help his recovery and then after one month every month for 4 months.  The more we can do for Jake now the better his prognosis will be.  It will be a quiet summer at our house with few outings but we have all agreed that we want to give Jake the best care possible after his surgery. We have purchased some "no slip" boots for Jake to wear so he does not slip on our hardwood floors.

Because Jake lives with an "only child" he has no choice but to do what he is told so last weekend he helped me organize my closet. You see Jake with Winnie the Pooh ears but his are much more fuzzy! Here are some photos.

Please say a little paw prayer for our friend this Wednesday.  It is going to be really hard to see him down and out but I know that this will make the quality of his life so much better and together with my mom and dad we can all work to make his recover as pain free as possible.

Thank you to all of you who have donated to his surgery. Donations can still be made to Angels if you like. I know that the surgery is about $2,700 and donations are still being accepted. 

Darby in his new harness

Jake with Winnie the Pooh ears on

Jake playing peek-a-boo

Jake and my Stuffies

Jake showing off his new

socks:)

Jake

This has been a very busy past few weeks.  We found a beautiful garden complete with waterfall "Charlie's Garden" at Royal Roads University.  It is a wonderful walk and very beautiful.  We have been told to be careful about spear grass which grows in the lower part of Royal Roads.  It is important for all dog owners to make sure they check the areas they walk their dogs.  If you are new to an area sometimes you can ask your local vet or at a pet store. Spear grass is very dangerous for dogs and can cause considerable pain.

This past weekend we took Jake to the Pet Expo at Pearkes Arena. He met lots of people and really took a fancy to a fellow cocker named Mylee.  They are both very quiet and just kinda hung out. 

We would to thank everyone who came by the Angels booth and donated money to help pay for Jakes surgery.  We hope to have his surgery in the next month and every amount helps. Emma has been collecting bottle money and our neighbour works at a large facility in Bamfield and he has been collected bags of bottles and cans. Thank you Jack!

Jake

These past few weeks have been great.  Jake is looking better all the time.  We have him on fish oil and a joint supplement to help with his sore knee.  He has met lots of new friends.... including girls and has made himself quite at home.  He has now officially taken over his masters bed.  I have been busy training Jake to sit and wait for his food and lie down and stay.  We are trying to work at "roll over" but his does need work!!!