Quad cart for GSD - Page 9

wow..impressive...great job Shelley

Every time I think This is it. No improvement for 2-3 days. He's gone as far as he's going to. It is what it is and what its going to be... he does something to blow me away, oft-times all by himself when I'm out of his sight, watching through the window.

Last night he walked & half-ran with me for about 100', with a few gradual turns, then stood on his own (unsupported) for a bit of brushing, despite near 100 degree heat. After a brief rest he literally dragged me to the back door and managed the 2 steps into the kitchen on his own, only dragging one hind foot a bit on the sill as he stepped up. The left side is better than his right, right turns can result in significant loss of balance that may or may not be recovered, so we are working on those. Left turns are pretty good now, and his balance is even better moving straight (sort of) forward. He realizes it now when he is losing his balance, BEFORE keeling over, and can usually correct himself within a few steps as not to fall. The a-little-too-long Bermuda grass means he has to pick his feet up more than if it were short, but it makes for a soft landing when his efforts aren't so successful as he'd planned.

Those two or three days when there's no change do hit the pit of the stomach like a cannon ball, I know, Shelley, but those are basically just 'rest periods' for the 'wiring', as it were.  When the point arrives when there's been no improvement for a full week, you'll know you're seeing the plateau approach; after a two week static period is when you will need to resign yourself to having whatever he has at that point.

Happily, he's not there yet!  A half-run is marvelous!!

I think a half run is absolutely amazing, and it must have made your heart swell to see it.

Hope his progress continues, you've done a fantastic job.

He does some of his best stuff when he's on his own, no input or support from moi.
This view, yesterday evening, made me very happy. He half-ran all the way from the back fence to the porch door, turned when he realized it was closed, to go back out and lay on the grass. Later on after a brief rest, he went out and got a toy from over by the little storage building, brought it over by the door to have handy when I came out for his evening "walking lesson." All this in 100 degree heat. That's Xena, "his" Chihuahua, peeking out from behind the gazebo support behind T. 

He can sit now too, almost correct. Notice the cart in the foreground on the porch. He doesn't need it now, but I'm hanging on to it for awhile in case he takes a few steps backwards.

Walking lessons on a hot July evening can wear an old boy out. Thank goodness for air conditioning.

Hot damn, Shelley, from these pictures no one would ever suspect that a short time prior, he couldn't even stand, let alone walk!  He just keeps getting better and better...yay, T!

10 wks ago he couldn't lift his head off Doc Black's exam table. Pretty amazing to see him walking around. I wasn't ever sure I'd see my boy on his feet again, unsupported, as recently as 4 weeks ago. I thank God every day for giving me my beloved dog back, even for awhile. T's own prayers, however, lean more towards divine intervention helping him chase cats off the fence and getting back on the bed on his own again. ;-) If he keeps improving at this rate, as soon as he can sit and bark reliably without losing his balance, carry his tug 10-20' without tripping or wobbling too much, I'll take him to visit Uncle Patrick or Cousin Joel or one of our other benevolent helper friends for a good old-fashioned mercy bite.
Nothing gives an old sport or K9 dog a reason to live better than a guy with a sleeve yelling and waving a stick around, even if the guy has to "deliver" the sleeve.