Update

First off, I have not missed anymore doses--woohoo! I think I'm in a good groove now, got a system that's working so I don't forget! lol Alki is also on rimadyl twice a day right now too (hadn't played fetch in about a week and then went out full force and she must've pulled something again).

wednesday 02.09.11: uneventful, I think this was the day we played fetch and she hurt herself. same thing she's had in the past. first occurrence was exactly a year ago. rimadyl for a week cleared her up, then some months later it happened again, same as this time--she hadn't played in a while and then went too hard. The first time it happened was when we went home for xmas last year. I think she may have run too hard with the pet sitter or something.

thursday 02.10.11: another uneventful day; took it easy, no fetch for a few days!

friday 02.11.11: worked in the am, did some more house stuff (unpacking, etc), pretty uneventful.

saturday 2.12.11: saturday was NUTS. fixed the fence so dogs were all able to run off leash in back yard finally together (yay!) and while we were out in the am, the 2 neighbor dogs, that I have only heard twice & never seem to be outside (maybe dont live there long term?? no idea), of course came out while we were out and were barking and running the fence, etc. I wasnt expecting them to be out so didnt have any treats or toys on me, so had to grab Alki and just bring her in. Brock was doing his usual whine-bark thing, staying away from the insanity, and Royal was being a total nerd, thinking it was the best game ever, and was racing back and forth along the fence right behind Alki...........@__@ I was afraid she might redirect onto him but thankfully she didnt and I got her, Tony grabbed Royal, and everything was fine. Alki's hackles were up, she was just trying as hard as she could to get to the dogs and sniff them. She and one of the dogs found a decent sized knot hole in the wood and sniffed nose-to-nose for a few long moments. I was concerned one of the dogs might be able to bite the other through or under the fence, but there isnt any holes big enough for that. None of the dogs seemed interested in biting anyway. I was slightly (very slightly) surprised at Alki's reaction, she'd done great at our other houses, but I dunno, the neighbor dogs were pretty loud and big, a lot different than the little chihuahuas in CA. The new yard is also larger, and I didnt have any toys like I always did in CA, and I know that makes all the difference for her so yeah. The neighbors got their dogs very quickly as well (very nice! what a change from our 2 CA neighbors @__@) and by the time I grabbed the chuck-it to bring back out with Alki, they were inside. I really want to play fetch with her while they are out to get her used to them. Only took a short time (like 2 fetch sessions) at our last 2 houses with yappy ourdoor dogs next door before she completely ignored them. So we just played fetch briefly anyway.

After that insanity she was really on edge--she reacted (barked a bunch) when the coffee pot gurgled.........So I crated her for a bit. I was gone for a few hrs after that, came home, played fetch with her for a bit again (just keeping sessions short), and then our friends came over with their 2 corgis that our dogs know well and love. I was very careful with Alki, just in case she would be nervous since they havent been around each other much (the dogs or our friends) in a year, but everything was totally like normal.

I was in the shower when they arrived, so I kept Royal & Alki crated in the bedroom with music turned on loud, a fan on high right in front of their crates, and canned food stuffed kongs for each and she remained quite calm when she heard them arrive, just some excited whiny/bark stuff. So then I let her & Royal out, everyone greeted really quick, then I put her in a room behind a baby gate for more greeting through that. It started to rain right when they got to our house so the dogs only ran in the yard together for a few mins, but they all did great out there. We hope to get them all together again soon when they can really go crazy out there together. :) Zeke is pretty loud and physical when he plays, and in a small space with 5 dogs it gets a little intense soI just kept Alki behind a baby gate when they got wild. And after things calmed down Alki got to snuggle on the couch with us. She was a total schmooze for Darryl, it was pretty hilarious.

sunday 2.13.11: busy day, gone for most of it. played fetch briefly with Alki in the afternoon. uneventful overall as far as she goes. :) So, no side effects so far--phew!