Tango Made A Big Breakthrough - Updated

[ninahartland]

Oh dear s/chick. You'll have to gather all your Tango and Pepper threads together one day and edit them into book form.

I can almost smell the cows and see your knee splat in a cow pat ;) Tango has come out the other end a wonderful dog and as you say, Pepper is amazing.

When I finish reading your posts, I find I have just the biggest smile on my face :D :p

Yep, me too MM ;)

You're brilliant with your stories S/chick, you make us feel like we're there too!

[spottychick]

Oh sorry! I missed your two responses - that "view new posts" gizmo isn't always accurate I think

I'm glad these posts make you smile - that's why I write them - I just get so thrilled with it all LOL Dogs are fabulous and I just love how much you get back from them when you just show them even a bit of love and security.

ETA I am actually preparing a doggie site at the moment which will have a little feature of Tango's Blog or something. I might move the posts from here to there.

Edited August 18, 2010 by spottychick

[spottychick]

Hi just popping in to update this thread about Tango

It's the one year anniversary of when I picked him up from the airport. YAY! :D

And he has come such a long way he's barely recognisable as the same dog.

Today was too hot for an off-lead walk (snakes!!) but we went for a walk and I thought about this time last year as I put on his harness and had to loosen it yet again because he's put on so much weight.

I watched him playing with Dylan - they play chasey round the backyard now - and sniffing peppers face and pushing into her to cuddle and thought OMG he is so different now.

He is a very relaxed old fella these days and his greatest joy is to go walking off lead or sit chewing on a bone (which he gets frequently now). He smiles a lot and grabs toys and runs around the backyard tossing his head etc all the time. He is just the happiest dog you could meet.

Anyway. Just wanted to celebrate his "birthday" (ie birth of his new life) with a quick post.

[Loving my Oldies]

That is definitely worth a celebration, Spottychick and a truly wonderful rebirthing.

Someone on DOL calls it "Gotcha Day".

My latest foster goes to her new home today too, so I guess you can call it her rebirthing day as well. Thank god she rehomed quickly - any longer and the Moocher Tribe might have increased.

What a wonderful little tribe you now have, SC. Sometimes it seemed impossible that there would be a breakthrough and now look at what you have achieved. Loved the bit where you had to loosen Tango's harness. :D

[spottychick]

Thanks MM - yes that's it - Gotcha Day!! I remember seeing that somewhere.

Its odd too I was just thinking how the day I picked up Tango it was in the 40s here and the heat lasted well into the night - yet this year we're having such cold weather and last night was all foggy and freezing.

I really admire all the work people do with fostering dogs and finding them great new homes. I don't think I could do it (looks at foster failure number 1 Mr Dylan) LOL.

I had the three of them on my bed this morning, all with their noses in my face waking me up. THen Tango leaps off and stands at the end of the bed barking his head off at me. He's become such a flamin NAG!!!! Who woulda thought....

his confidence would ever develop so much. Pepper can take a lot of the credit!

ANway - yes HAPPY GOTCHA DAY TANGO!!!!

So glad I gotcha! :D

[Loving my Oldies]

Sniff, sniff - little tearies here SC.

I opened a new folder for my 2011 documents and looked at the ones in 2010 and came across the "diet" you'd sent that you started Tango off on.

Copied here for your reminiscences - LOL:

he's getting close to a "normal" diet (for my dallys anyway) now I keep an eye on things but he is now getting fed so well the vet reckons he's better fed than she is LOL

He still gets rice but it's brown rice cooked in a pressure cooker with miso, a range of veggies, tumeric, herbs and sometimes a bit of chicken for flavour. He also gets a variety of food including tinned Nature's Gift chicken and rice/oats, a smaller amount of minced chicken (compared to Pepper), eggs (soft boiled), yoghurt/keffir, chicken necks/wings/carcasses, cottage/ricotta cheese and the odd treat of cheddar cheese, rye bread/ryvita and even some all natural dried fish treats (tiny bits) - for training and to reward him when I put stuff in his eye etc.

I make up the bulk of his meals with the rice/veggie mix and add freshly pulped carrot/cabbage etc and lots of water plus some ACV then add some protein picked from the above choices and yoghurt to help with digestion. He also gets flax or some kind of good oil in his meal and sometimes a couple of fish oil capsules straight from my hand (he loves them and regards them as a treat!!)

I've built up the amount of protein he gets slowly and kept a watch on how well he is going with weeing - I look for a good strong stream LOL - and so far he is doing that still - but if I get worried I give him a bowl of water laced with something yummy (eg a bit of milk), as someone in the dally thread suggested, to make sure he's flushing out well.

So he's doing pretty darn well in the food department

The muscles are possibly developing because he's walked at least once a day whereas before he was walked ...er .... NEVER.

I have to also tell you that he's become more and more playful - almost every day now he starts barking at me and grabs something to run outside with so Pepper and I have to chase him. He's very good tho, if he grabs something he shouldn't I just have to gently say 'no' and he drops it immediately and looks around frantically for something he CAN have hee hee It's very cute to watch Then he tears around the yard hurling the toy or whatever in the air and catching it. He is also fine playing "tug-a-war" and doesn't growl at me or snap etc when I grab the other end. But he is not good with Pepper if she grabs it!!! Oh and he's very strong! I tried to move him in my direction when I had hold of the other end of an old slipper and I simply couldn't budge him!!!

[harley]

I am so glad your pack are doing well!!

[dogfan]

I have only just read this thread and yay for Tango! ;) Hope he continues to do well