A setback

Penny saw Dr. Walker today. She got a new x ray that showed a crack in her tibial crest. This is the location that the patella tendon attaches to, although the tendon attaches to the entire length of the crest and Penny's crack is about a quarter of the way down.

According to Dr. Walker, this is a not an uncommon complication. And, with Penny's weight (!) and her bilateral deterioration, it is not out of the ordinary. She probably didn't injure it by hopping up and down (although we should keep her quiet for another 6 weeks), but because she probably put too much weight too quickly on it.

I can start walking her for a 5 minutes a few times a day, increasing the time with every week. By the time I see Dr. Walker again, Penny should be up to 20-30 minutes. Of course, if she seems sore, I am supposed to back off.

Regarding her weight, she could stand to lose 5 lbs. In healthy dogs, ribs should be able to be felt easily and Penny has a few extra lbs. Once I start walking her frequently, I am sure this weight will melt off. :)

So the Xpen will continue to be a part of the living room decor. And, we won't talk about the other leg until she is comfortable on this one. We'll get another x ray in 6 weeks.

Company in the cage

For those of you who think poor Penny is lonely in her Xpen, I have evidence to the contrary. Graham likes to hang out with her -- he's spent whole nights in the pen with her. When I sleep next to Penny -- not in the pen, but in a little bed next to the pen -- I keep the cage door open so that Graham can come and go as he wishes. Olive, too, likes to hang out and I've even caught Cassie in there. But, the most friendly and frequent visitor is Graham.

One of draws is that the Xpen is set up in front of a gas-powered fireplace. The other is Penny's warm tummy.

Yes, that's a blanket in front of them. At night, she likes to be covered up.

Tuckered out

Having a bake sale in your honor is hard work. Hosting a bake sale is equally hard. Here, Kirstin, Ideal Pet Stop's store manager, and Penny share a bed during a break in sales late Saturday afternoon.

Kirstin had to negotiate for part of the bed. Do you think Penny is telling Kirstin that it's time to get back to work?

Penny at the bake sale

Penny had a great time at the bake sale. Most importantly, she didn't get too excited.

She greeted some visitors, but spent most of her time hanging out on her lovely bed.

The measure of success

We made close to $400 at Penny's bake sale yesterday. Items sold included:

• My cards (I only had 6 and they all sold)


• Rice Crispie treats (both Heather and Kirstin made them)


• Turtle brownies (Heather made)


• Molasses Ginger cookies


• Triple fudge brownies


• Chocolate chip cookies (Kris made)


• Sugar cookies


• Peanut butter cookies (Rox made)


• Book Bracelets (Rox made)


• Dog biscuits (Larry made)


• Lemon bars

I am sure I am forgetting something so let me know if I forgot something. I also made snickerdoodles but I forgot them in the freezer. More for next time!

It was lovely seeing all the support of my friends and the community. I appreciate the people who bought one or two cookies, to those who bought many more. One women, whom I had never seen before, donated $60 and bought cards and bake sale items. Amazing generosity. We will keep selling raffle tickets through next week.

Carina, from Animals First Foundation, put an announcement on her web site and because of that, we got an amazing donation for the raffle of either 3 doggie day care days or a long weekend stay at Happy Hound Hotel. Thank you, Linda!

Other prizes include a gift certificate to a bookstore in Rainer Valley, a necklace/earrings set from a very talented local designer, a pet portrait from me, a gift certificate for dinner, free food and toys for cats and/or dogs.

And, I only had one night where I got 5 hours of sleep. That's great.