Stanley’s Road to Recovery – Simple Pleasures

 It’s official, Stanley has pep in his step!  After a few weeks of a regular food routine, some special probiotics for his stomach and a quiet place to sleep Stanley is ready to explore the world.  So for the last 3 day we’ve been able to go for much longer walks then we were doing in the past.  Today he walked from Monkland Village to Montreal West and he wasn’t even tired when we arrived. He is completely passed out right now though, snoring his little face off.  Getting him out for longer walks mean getting to meet more people on the street and he is always met with fascination and sometimes a little laughter. 

 

If Stanley got a dollar for every time someone says “What a face” he could afford to buy his own fancy dog food.  He is looking better everyday, however, the size of his face still puts the rest of his body to shame and he could really benefit from a nice coat of fur.  It will come in good time.
 
We had a couple of exciting firsts this week, starting with the first time I saw Stanley run.  It really came out of nowhere, we were walking along at a normal pace and he just got excited and starting running.  It was awesome to see him having the energy to pick up the pace and be spontaneous. He seems so much happier these days.  The next exciting first was Stanley finally taking an interest in toys.  In the last few weeks he was looking at toys, slightly curious but never really bothered with them.  Earlier this week I handed him a blue rubber bone and he immediately scooped it up in his mouth and it disappeared into his giant squishy face.  He also figured out how to hold on to it and chew on it.  I’ve always held a very strict no toys, treats, etc on the couch but since it was a first I made an exception.  Which brings us to his last first, first week of crate training!  Now that he’s learning to be home alone in his “house” he’ll be enjoying his meals, treats & toys in his crate to make it a more inviting environment.  Lucky for me he LOVES food so running into the crate is no problem for him.  He’s doing fantastic in the crate, he doesn’t appear to bark when home alone and when I come home he’s usually asleep.  He’s even pretty calm coming out of the crate and he’s learning quickly that sitting calmly when I get home is a great way to get out of the crate faster. 
 

When I run into people on the street and they ask about Stanley they always say very nice things to me about how nice it is that I’m taking care of him and how lucky he is.  It is true that he’s lucky to have someone looking after him but I’m not sure they realize how much of a pleasure it is for me to have him around.  In a time when I am still very much missing my dog Tyson, he has been a great comfort and distraction.  My obsession with his health, diet & training has kept my mind off of feeling sad and his little mannerism remind me in different ways of Tyson which also reminds me that there is a little Tyson in every dog.  I rescued Tyson when I was 19 years old, he was being neglected and he was only 6 month old.  Taking him home that day was an impulsive decision, I wouldn’t recommend any 19 year old pick up a dog without really thinking about it but in my case it worked out.  I became the dog owner I needed to be to give Tyson a great life and it literally changed my path in life.  So when I walk into my living room expecting to see Tyson, forgetting he is gone there is a moment where my heart sinks but then I see Stanley, wagging his little tail, lounging in the living room I’m reminded that the best way I can remember Tyson is to help give other dogs the second chance that he had.  Tyson was a really happy dog, he loved everything and everyone, it’s true of lots of dogs and it’s true of Stanley.