tyler999

So there is no doubt I love my dog. But I am the first to admit that she is independent. Perhaps because she spent the first year or so of her life as a stray, she isn’t he most affectionate dog in the world. She is very sweet, but can sometimes be aloof too. That is just part of the husky way, I guess. She loves being petted, smiles all the time and enjoys playing. If I pat the sofa she will hop up next to me (most of the time). 50% of nights she will sleep in my room, splitting the night between my bed and the foot of the bed, usually changing every couple hours. As we all know, huskies don’t usually stay in one place long. (I know most dog trainers prescribe not letting the dog sleep in the bed with you, but I’m willing to eat the consequences- it is worth it for me.) However, Okami isn’t the type to just walk up and lay on you, or lick your face, or paw at you or things like that. When she sleeps on the bed with me she usually has her back to me and head down near my feet. None of this really bothers me. I know she likes me, and to be totally honest, I sort of enjoy that she has her own mind and doesn’t listen to me ALL the time. This is why I refer to her as my roommate. ;p About once a year I get what is called a complex migraine. Basically, I start to see light spots, feel dizzy, nauseous, and get very painful head pain. They usually last about 5 hours or so. If I catch it early, I can usually go someplace dark, relax and breathe, and ward it off- or at least relegate it to a light 30 minute headache. Yesterday at work I felt a migraine coming on, and rather than explain it and leave work early, I tried to fight through it. That was a mistake. By the time I got home I was hurting. I tried to eat but ended up vomiting. After that I decided to just go to bed to try to sleep through it. I laid down at about 7:30pm (I normally have to force myself to go to bed at midnight.) As I lay there, clutching my head, Okami hopped into bed with me. I noticed something was different because she was lying right next to me, facing me. She did not leave my side for 12 hours. She got up two or three times throughout the night to stretch and walk around, and then got back in bed. She did not wake me up in the morning to go out like she normally does, but waited till I got up, feeling 100% better. Her food and water were untouched. I won’t belabor the point because I don’t have eloquent enough words, but will simply say that this is why I will roll with that dog till the wheels fall off.

I work pretty much 9-6, Monday through Friday. I leave Okami at home and currently am not in a position to get back during the day to walk her. I leave her to roam the place (minus the bedroom) while I am gone and she doesn't seem to have much problem with it. I'm sure she would like to get out more, but she doesn't destroy anything, go to the bathroom inside, etc. Normally when I get home she just walks up to me with a "Hey! You are home! Cool," attitude.

And the number of a backup vet. When I realized that Okami was going to need stitches I called her vet and found out they, and most every other vet in the area, were closed on Sunday. It took me an additional 15 minutes to find an animal hospital that was open. In this case it didn't make much difference, but in a real life-threatening emergency that could make all the difference in the world.

Fortunately it didn't really seem to phase her at all. She seemed more upset by being sedated and stitched than the attack. I don't think it will have any adverse effects socializing-wise.

Apparently, a dog at the park overheard the woman telling me how beautiful my husky was and that she should be on tv, and jealously decided to take matters into his own teeth. I had Okami on the leash and was at the fence talking to someone when the dog came up behind us. When Okami turned to growl at him (she hadn't liked him since he had attacked another dog 10 minutes earlier) he jacked her. I got them separated quickly and Okami seemed fine, till I noticed she was bleeding. I grabbed my first aid kit and cleaned the wound out, but quickly realized it was pretty bad. Okami barely seemed to notice, but I put her in the car and went to the emergency vet nearest me that is open on Sunday. They had to shave around the area and give her stitches. It looks pretty nasty but should heal up fine. Just a public service announcement: I don't believe the dog that attacked her was a BAD dog- I don't like labeling things like that. But he should have been on a leash. Moreover. the owner apologized right after and by the time I realized she was bleeding I immediately headed out to the vet without talking to him- so I'm not going to go into a tirade against him. But from now on I will pay A LOT more attention to the dogs that get into fights, and making sure they stay away. Tyler

He's a great looking dog. Good to see some more huskies in Atlanta.

And the reason I was thinking about this is because a mutual friend apparently sent her this picture a few days ago, not knowing we hadn't spoken since that night.

Nope. This was unmistakable. She wasn't a fan.

She figured that one out on her own too. Not really sure how, but like I always say, "Don't look a gift husky in the mouth... especially if there is whisky in it."

Yeah- she knows she is hot stuff. But she's sweet, smart, and serves as an early warning system against women of low character. (And she knows the difference between Jack Daniels and Bulleit Bourbon and will bring me the respective bottle on command. ;p )

I had heard about things like this, but it was a very interesting thing to experience it first-hand. There is a girl I had been seeing briefly. On our third date she came over to my place. Now, in her defense, it was a nasty night and she had to run a few yards from her car to my place in the rain, so maybe she was out of sorts... but when I let her in, Okami came over to greet her, attempting to jump up on her (I know, I'm working on it) and the girl literally turned away, pulling her arms close and giving a look of disgust- as if my dog was some unclean thing. It was amazing; in the matter of one second, before my very eyes, this girl suddenly became unattractive and my desire to see her ever again was gone. Magic. That was the last time we got together. Don't force me to choose between the dog and you. I wont miss you. ;-)

You don't really need a dog first aid kit- just a good quality HUMAN first aid kit with a few animal-specific additions.

I'd be very interested in knowing how you made the bandages if you wouldn't mind sharing. Tyler

It was pretty much a scene from a movie, with me going from asleep to practically standing on my bed, going, "WHAZAMA WHAS PHABT?" Her aplomb after the fact was the most hilarious.

Recently, I took Okami to the dog park. It was early and we were the only ones there. As we played, Okami sprung down onto her front paws, then immediately popped back up and lifted her front, left paw. I could tell something had happened and started over. She limped away from me and I let her go. After about 30 seconds of limping she started licking her paw. I went to her and saw that the dew claw was hanging out at an off angle and there blood coming from it. Because her paws were dirty from the mud created by the previous night's rain, I couldn't get a good look at it. Using a rag I keep in the car and water from the fountain, I cleaned off her paw and saw that the dew claw had cracked about halfway up. Fortunately I keep a first aid kit in my car at all times. I cleaned the claw off with an anti-septic wipe and then taped it down before calling the vet. The vet suggested they cut the nail off where it was broken, and thought I felt relatively confident it would be ok as it was, I decided to take their advice. This was far from a serious situation, and I doubt there would have been any danger if I hadn't taken the steps I had before getting Okami to the vet. However it was the first time I have ever seen my dog hurt (other than the bloody gash on her side when I found her) and I can tell you is that it felt really good to know that I had both the knowledge and tools to do SOMETHING to help my dog in the interim. They say that a quarter of non-natural dog deaths could have been avoided if someone had immediately rendered first aid rather than waiting till the dog got to the vet. For myself, I can't imagine a worse scenario than watching the animal you love hurt and in pain while you are helpless to do anything about it. To that end I would HIGHLY suggest everyone attend a dog first aid course. You can usually find one at your local humane society. If you can't find a dog first aid course, take a regular first aid course and then supplement it with some dog-specific first aid reading. The similarities between rendering aid to dogs and humans are stronger than the differences.