California Corgi

Five days! Five vomitous days! Five terrible, vomitous days that began after 2 days of diarrhea! Our poor pup’s been on some combination of rice and medication for over a week now!

Welcome to the joys of puppyhood.

It turns out, puppies will eat anything. Add to that the incontrovertible fact that corgis, also, will eat anything, I guess it was inevitable that I should see my pup eat a cash register receipt, a little piece of red cellophane from a Christmas cracker, a cigarette filter from the sidewalk, dirt in the back yard, horse poop on the hiking trail, and pretty much anything else he can fit in his mouth.

The diarrhea started ten days ago, on Wednesday. We switched him to a bland diet and thought we would wait it out.

By Friday he was puking up bile, so we rushed him to the vet that evening. “Dietary Indiscretion” was the diagnosis. After a stomach X-Ray revealed nothing, we left with a prescription for Famotidine (Pepcid) and Carafate (another medication to soothe the stomach).

The vomiting didn’t stop, and within 2 days had progressed from consisting of mere bile to including the complete contents of his undigested and apparently un-masticated meals. The washing machine was working overtime, processing all his crate blankets, and I was getting increasingly concerned.

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The “Get your toy” command is not a classic like sit, down and stay, and I added it to my roster of early tricks on a whim.

A friend of mine who has a Border Terrier recounted to me how he had taught his dog to tell his toys from one another. I thought that would be a fun thing for Dargo to learn, and I started on it when Dargo was about 3 months. I did not anticipate how important it would become to help me manage my corgi as he grew.

Corgis were bred to think and work independently. Dargo is true to his breed, and has a strong, willful streak and a desire to be the boss. When things get out of whack, he’s sure to let me know, but that doesn’t mean he gets to be, or wants to be, CEO of the home.

Ultimately, I think he sees himself as a pro-active middle-manager. Sometimes he’s very rude about it, and it warrants a time out. But most of the time, he just needs what I call a “redirect”.

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” Maybe its much too early in the game,
But I thought I’d ask you just the same.
What are you doing New Year’s…
…New Year’s Eve?”

- Ella Fitzgerald

Dargo’s been a wonderful addition to our daily life. I actually enjoy waking up at 6am, because I know I’m going to get two to three solid hours with him before I head to the office.

Later, as the workday draws to a close, I sometimes catch myself doing 80mph on the highway beause I’m so excited about getting some playtime with Dargo in the evening.

But of course, all this doggie-time means other things get neglected, things like … say… husbands. At least one husband. My parents noticed this when they visited us for the holidays, and they pulled me aside and asked “Why don’t you and Sean go out tonight? Go out to dinner, go see a movie. We’ll look after Dargo.”

It seemed like a great idea. So headed on New Year’s Eve, all dolled up and debonair, for a movie & dinner. With our phones on vibrate, we settled into our seats for a two-hour cinematic rollercoaster.

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