Another Amazing Tripawds Three Legged Dog Blog
The idea is that Cora will be able to get more places if she can ride in style. That it will be less stress for her and I. I’m not sure it’s going to work like I hoped but I guess we will see.
PS- Cora now has her own faebook page. The cats are jealous. Floyd says he doesn’t want a stupid facebook page.
Life with Cora is interesting. A few nights ago, all the critters were telling me it had been at least a month since I fed them. Even the fish get into that act, banging against the surface of the water until they’ve been fed. Sometimes they trick me into feeding them twice. Yes, I’m admitting to getting outsmarted by goldfish. I am a forgetful and distracted human and most animals are capable of more than we expect.
Cora often proves this in odd ways. It was just not a good night for her. She didn’t seem to be getting around well. She was frustrated. She is a vocal girl and was voicing her angst. I tried to do a bit of training with her, but didn’t get far so we switched to playing until Floyd took over. While I was playing with Floyd, Cora thwumped down the hall way and forced herself past the vacuum and baby gate and got into the cat room. She navigated the obstacles in there, complaining the whole time that they were in her way, and arrived at one of dogs’ forbidden pleasures –the litter box. She was not happy when I pulled her away. It’s amazing how determined a blind, tripawed puppy can be when kitty-Roca awaits.
As I’m pulling her away, I realize that Floyd has joined us in the cat room. There is a reason I call it the cat room. Access is not granted to litter-box eating dogs. Or cat herding dogs. Or cat food stealing dogs. In my experience, this means that *no* dogs are welcome. I attempt to explain this as I urge Floyd towards the door and drag the resisting Cora (gently) by her halter. The cats were highly entertained.
Floyd has succeeded in breaking into the cat-room many times before. He has torn down baby gates, climbed through small holes. He has jumped over, pulled open and pushed through various earlier obstructions. I now know any method of preventing Floyd admittance into the fantastic, feline space is only temporary. But this time, the situation was about to get serious, in Floyd’s opinion. As we all enter the hallway, Floyd bumps the dreaded and dangerous vacuum. I had placed the vacuum there a week or so ago, because it was close at hand and I needed something to bra
ce the baby gate. Floyd, smart and determined, is terrified of the vacuum. I didn’t think about this when I placed it by the cat room, but I had soon realized I had posted a very effective keep out sign.
Blind Cora, had not see the sign, which created the party in the cat room. Floyd may have braved the vacuum on the way in to join the fun, but our bumbling in the hallway caused a crisis. The vacuum had moved. Unfortunately on of Floyd’s primary strategies when frightened is to attack and he launched an assault on my vacuum. He’s destroyed a vacuum in the past. I know, I need to work on this vacuum prejudice, but there have always been bigger Floyd issues to deal with. I had released Cora and come to the rescue of my stalwart vacuum and I got Floyd in the living room. I then realize Cora is back in the cat room. I reversed direction to get Cora, walking past Floyd’s enemy. He once again launches an attack on the beleaguered vacuum. I had used up my distraction treats and my patience so I ushered Floyd outside. As I got Cora out, Floyd began to bark hysterically at the door. I hurriedly set up the baby gate so it’s fully blocking the door to the cat room and rush to get Floyd in, so he wouldn’t disturb the neighbors. Cora began to push with all her might against the secured baby gate. Her feet slipped wildly on the floor as Floyd makes a final charge at the vacuum. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Soon they were both sound asleep. The commotion of a few minutes ago had been replaced by snores. The truth is I wanted to cry. I wondered, again, if I could actually cope with all the addition of Cora brings. All that happened, but then the whole thing began to seem rather comical. I chose to share my life with these creatures deemed “unadoptable”. That means it’s going to be a hard journey, but it certainly won’t be boring.
I wrote this earlier this week and wasn’t able to post it (silly computer). It’s been a hard few days here and I’ll write more about that later. But for now, I will say it was good to reflect on that moment, where I was able to see the absurdity and find some peace.
Blind, temperamental, tripod looking for a good home? Not anymore! Today it became official, that Cora is joining the family. Cora had a rough start to her life. As happens all too often, she was part of an unwanted litter and found herself in the shelter. The shelter isn’t a good place for any pup, and Cora was born blind and with a club foot. Lucky for her, the Motley Zoo Rescue group took her in, so she’d have a chance at life. The best thing to do for her mobility was amputation. So on January 4th she became a “tripaw’ and got spayed at the ripe old age of three months. She had a wonderful foster family, that took care of her before and after the surgery.
A week and half after that surgery she came home to the critter cabin. Ok, she was a “foster” but everyone but the human writing this, knew she was here to stay. The first few days were hard. She had to learn to navigate a new house without the benefit of site and while she’s still sore from her operation. She also had to learn to get along with Floyd, which isn’t an easy thing. Floyd has a story too and his story will be told beside hers. At 2.5 years old, he’s still figuring out that life is safe, and he won’t ever be abused or on his own again. He didn’t quite know what to make of Cora, but Cora (who has been called a Darned Independent Woman) is letting Floyd know she has a place here.
Cora has also met the cat. Fezz wanders all around Cora, and then Cora sniffs and sniffs and then gets ready to pounce… in a blind, wobbly new-tripod way. Fezz,in typical cat fashion, has moseyed quietly off leaving Cora to pounce on nothing.
Cora knows many of the important things already. She knows where the water and food dish are. She knows where the door to go out is. She’s actually asked to go out, so she’s well on her way to mastering potty training. She’s learned that a leash is something useful. She knows there’s a human to give her treats and I hope, she’s beginning to think I might actually be trustworthy. Now that Cora is settling in, there is much to discover and learn. Today began with running and then she walked both up and down her outside ramp. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?