Atos Diary December 2001
Well, with all the problems with my last vet, my owners have decided to look for a new one. I can visit him for wound control after the operation. I must say a nice guy. Very clear in explaining everything. Only his first comment that he made wasn’t to good; I’m getting to fat. Of all things! You don’t tell someone that! My weight is around the 34 kilos and because of my paw I have to watch my weight. Because I can’t move enough I have to partially eat salads. Is this Weight Watchers? Am I a rabbit? Other wise the wound looked good. And a small month after the operation I have to go back to the animal clinic’s surgeon. He saw that I at least didn’t have any pain anymore. Sometime in the future I could take classes again. It would always be a weak spot, so I mustn’t do anything wild. The advice was, stay on the lead for at least two more weeks and don’t play with other dogs. So at least there was some positive news.

At the mean time I’m bored. When I’m walked it is still for at the most seven minutes and I haven’t seen another dog in ages. I’m also hardly ever played with, so I’m getting frustrated. But I’m getting creative in asking attention. The shoe rack in the hall for instance is a lot of fun. You take a shoe out very softly (there is enough choice) and take it to your kennel and then you wait till someone notices. If this doesn’t work you chew. It is sure to work. You can also do this with Barbie’s, coloring pencils, pens, pieces of paper, bills and magazines.

So now they try everything so that I have a bit of fun. So now we play find games. My owners hide my toys and they want me to find them again. Of course I know were they hide them, but I take as long as possible other wise it’s no fun for them. Last time they came with something new: a treat ball! That is a ball with an adjustable hole that you can fill with dog treats. The idea is that if you roll the ball a curtain way you get a treat. This is fun! The only thing is that I rather throw with it instead of rolling it. And the biggest fun is that I can make the hole bigger with my teeth and get lots of treats in one go. What good fun, isn’t it? There goes my weight.