Oliver started limping a little the other day. This morning he was limping really bad. Break your heart, pitiful, bad. The last time he started limping around, I wasn't sure what was going on, but this time I'm pretty sure he has re-injured his leg. I'm going to try to get him in to see the vet on Wednesday, and hopefully they can fix the problem.
It's funny, Oliver was my first "baby". Mike got him for me on my 21st birthday, and he was such a spoiled little thing. When we started trying to get pregnant he and Sophie were the recipients of my mommy energy. But Sophie has always been more partial to Mike, and Oliver happily basked in the attention. (he had no qualms about wearing doggie sweaters or coats) And when Hannah was born, he moved down a notch on the totem pole. And since David's birth he has moved down again. In the last 6-9 months we have really had some behavior issues with him. We have tried really hard to pay plenty of attention to both Oliver and Sophie, but it's hard and honestly, they don't get the same kind of attention that they once did. And his behavior doesn't help things. He is a good dog, and a smart dog, and it makes it so much more frustrating when he gets overly aggressive and defiant. We got a shock collar for him as a last resort a few weeks before David was born (he bit me). (and seriously if you have anything awful to say about me getting a shock collar- save it. I do not want to hear it, you can just sit there and be smug and think I'm a terrible person) I NEVER thought that I would EVER get a shock collar, but I have two small children, and I must consider their safety and I really did not want to give him away, so the shock collar was the right choice for us. (we carefully researched different kinds and have had pretty good results. He doesn't even wear it most of the time, because the behavior resolved itself after a couple of zaps, I know, I know it sounds awful, but it was better than giving him away) So I have my little dog who has authority issues and now he is gimping around and it is just so sad. I feel doggy guilt. He spent most of the day in the crate, it is the only way I can make him rest. When he is out of the crate he is running (albeit with a major limp) around and I know that will not help anything. So my little guy will probably spend a great deal of time in his crate over the next couple of days, but I will give him extra snuggles at night. Even though he can be a hand-full, he's still my cuddle pup.
