Am I in the Jungle???

Nobody seems to remember that I am a CITY boy.  Tonight, I had to face yet another challenge - I was out for my last stroll, and  heard this blood-curdling screech/howl.  I was sure it was a lion.  Or maybe a bear.  Oh, no, the FM says casually - it's just a coyote. 

JUST A COYOTE?  Are they kidding me?  It's probably 400 pounds with fangs dripping blood.  And they wonder why I keep eating leaves!  I'm trying to poison myself before the wild beasts around here get me.  I don't care about the 6 foot fences all over the place - what if the coyote has wings?  Has anybody out there ever see a coyote?  I'm going to put National Geographic on overnight....I'll watch until my eyes fall out - maybe they'll have a feature on Magee-eating coyotes.

(Yup - he may have a cold, but it hasn't impacted his vivid imagination.  He did hear a coyote.  He did survive - oh gee, what a surprise.  I told him if his eyes fall out he won't be able to go back to the clinic to see his friends, so he's decided that he'll go to bed instead.)

Well, I'm Still Alive

By some miracle, I survived the horrors of yesterday's outdoor abandonment.  Lucky for the foster parents - otherwise they might have been in jail! 

They insisted that I have another quiet day while I recover from the worst cold ever to attack a person.  I'm feeling a touch better today, and I did have a little bit of excitement when Ace, one of the dogs who lives here, came home.  He'd been visiting his Rottie friends for the last three weeks and helping out on his Uncle Billy's farm, doing all sorts of manly things and hanging out in the Man Cave.  It sounds SO cool.  I hope I get to go there one day soon - I can join the guys and hang around and drink and burp and stuff.   I did have to let out some ferocious-sounding woofs, just to let Ace know that there's another MAN in residence.  PLEASE everybody - promise not to tell that I am missing the family jewels! 

My eyes continue to get better and better, and my face is less and less swollen every day.  I'm starting to look handsome, I think.   Now that the swelling and infection and inflammation (whatever that i) are going away, I am seeing better every day too.   Today I noticed immediately that there were some new blue buckets around outside and I ran over right away to investigate.   I also feasted on some leaves when the FM wasn't looking, and they upset my stomach so I had a little surprise for her in my crate.  I'm very sneaky and can grab a leaf in a heartbeat - all she has to do is look away for an instant and I snag one!  They're so scrumptious. 

I don't get worried when I have  tummy upset because I know all my stuff will be clean and sparkly no matter what I do to contaminate it.  I've never seen anybody with such an obsession for cleanliness.  Who has two whole laundry rooms in one house, with washing machines that run all day every day (and sometimes at night too).  Geez - I no sooner get my bedding smelling just right and she's whipping it out of there and into the wash.  When I have my new family and get an allowance, I'm going to save my money and invest it in soap companies! 

Here I am, looking more handsome than ever, glistening in the sunshine...

Get Me Outta Here!

So, Magoo and Timmy the Tank - you FORGOT to tell me that they're nuts?????  All this talk about loving me and taking care of me and fixing my eyes and making me better, huh?  You won't believe what they did to me today.  I should have known it wouldn't be anything good when I had to put a coat on even though it was sunny and nice out.  So, I headed out for what I thought was a late morning walk and we strolled down to my field. 

I'm sneezing and coughing (and probably feverish and near death but they refuse to believe that) so I don't get to roam around the property any more.  It's out the door, up the path, down the driveway and into my field.  And what did I hear?  The clank of the gate closing behind me!!!!  Now, the FM always comes into the field with me, so she can supervise me and protect me from things like buzzards and chipmunks and deer and ice and wind and all those horrible things a person encounters out here in horse country.   Not today - she pushed closed that gate and walked away.  Far away.  And left me for dead.

I screamed and screeched to let the vultures know that I wasn't dead yet (even though I'm horribly sick and, as I mentioned previously, near death from my cold).  I howled and paced and wore myself to a frazzle, and still they left me there.  Five minutes, ten minutes, and finally they left me out there alone and starving and terrified and dehydrated for at least 93 hours. 

I've been abandoned here in the untamed jungles of New Jersey to fend for myself.  I heard lots of talk about fresh air and sunshine and stretching my legs (like I'm not tall enough already????) - I was scorched by the blazing sun and all my hair was blown off by the wind.  They're horrible and they're cruel and they're insane.

Finally, they let me come back into the house, and I crashed into a exhausted heap on my bed  I didn't even have the strength to gnaw on my bones.   My cold has probably turned into pneumonia and bronchitis and maybe even smallpox by now.  I'm sure of it.   Tomorrow I'm going to Google Bullmastiff Rescue and maybe somebody will come to get me. 

(Editorial note from the FM - Magee is just fine.  He did NOT die of exposure or starvation, and he was only outside for about an hour and 15 minutes and he doesn't have smallpox nor is he sunburned or bald.  He's such a drama queen.  He had three big meals and lots of snacks and several good naps.  He's a very good boy for all his various medications and ointments and drops, and he waits patiently while I clean his face several times a day and then put vaseline on his nose.  With just a few days of real eye meds instead of OTC stuff, there is a dramatic change in his appearance as well as his vision.  Take a look at his picture from today - his eyes are open and his face isn't nearly as swollen!)

 

I think we're making progress!  

Off to bed now so I can get some more beauty rest and maybe I'll feel better in the morning.  My cold really has me feeling droopy and miserable, but the FM insists that it's not fatal and I'll feel better soon.  Clearly, she's never had one herself.......but maybe I'll survive.

AhChooooooo, sniffle, snuffle,

Magee the Sick

(and abused)

(Send Help!)

Whew - Feeling Better Today!

What a siege - I thought I'd never feel right again, but I guess all that rain overnight washed away the heebie-jeebies because I felt quite a bit better when I got up this morning.  I felt even better after the FM gave me a pain pill.  That spruced me right up and I ate a nice big breakfast afterwards.

So, I guess I have some busy days ahead of me - mostly because I seem to need some sort of medication or treatment every 17 seconds!  A person can barely catch a nap around here.  But, it's all making me feel better.

I get my antibiotics (and the probiotics to compensate for the antibiotics) twice a day.  Some allergy pills in my meals just because the FM thinks maybe I have a little bit of an allergy to go along with my skin infection.  Then some fish oil capsules, and some digestive enzymes, and a bunch of other nutritional stuff - all of that goes in my food, and I get a BIG bowl of food three times a day!   Then I get Vaseline on my dry, crusty nose about a thousand times a day.  My ears are checked and I heard her say that I have to have them flushed weekly for a while until they're all sparkly and clean.  Then an antibiotic wipe (with aloe of course) scours around my face several times a day to keep the bacteria down.  I get eye ointment in the morning and one drop of cyclosporine in each eye in the evening.  Between going out and getting treated, I hardly have enough time to chew on my bones and eat all my snacks!  But somehow I manage. 

The FM noticed that my eyes are already looking a LOT better since I have the prescription meds on board -  when I was outside this afternoon, I saw a leaf blowing across the snow and I chased it.  She was so happy.  She wasn't so happy when I ate it though!  I think she had visions of another stomach upset but I'm tough.  I could probably eat a whole tree if I felt like it. 

When the weather cleared up a little I continued my mission - reading all the notes Magoo and Timmy left behind for me.   I'm looking forward to maybe taking a trip to the Post Office next week to meet my new friends there - it sounds like a lot of fun!

I'm still a little tired from my stay at the hospital, so I'm going to head off to bed.  Happy Dreams, Everybody!

Love, Magee.

Groan and Double Groan

I don't think I'm cut out for this vet stuff.  I think I was better off when I was an orphan out in the snowstorm starving and freezing to death.   They send me off with all sorts of stories about getting my eyes done and what happens?  I come home with the same swollen face and ugly, sore eyes - but I'm missing two VITAL parts!  What were they thinking?  The FM brought me to a place where they don't know one end of a person from the other!  I am beside myself - now I'm not only a swollen, infected mess - I'm not even manly anymore.  If I had the strength, I think I'd kill myself.

So, OK, maybe it wasn't all that horrible.  I got to meet lots of new people and they all loved me and told me how handsome I am in spite of all my skin problems.   I don't think they could ALL be wrong, do you? Plus, they cleaned out my ears (good news is that there isn't any infection there - just some inflammation and lots of dirt and other crud) and gave me two special eye medicines so that my eyes will feel better soon and once that happens, and all the swelling goes down, I'll be able to have them fixed so I'm not in pain any more.  I guess that's good news.

I''m horribly embarrassed though.   The FM took me for a walk before we left for home, but all I wanted was to get in the car, so she finally gave up.  Bad decision.  A few minutes into our hour long ride, I started to cry - I was having an EMERGENCY.  But there was nowhere to pull off - we were on a narrow, windy road with cars behind us.  EEEEKKKK!  I couldn't wait.  I had a terrible accident in the back of the car.  And then as we were racing down the road at MACH I to get to a spot where we could pull over, it happened again.   I don't think in my whole life I've ever been so ashamed.  The FM said it was OK and that I couldn't help it, but then I had to stand there on the side of the road while she tried to clean things up a bit, and I know everybody driving by knew what happened.   I think I must be a really bad dog.  I was so upset that a few minutes after we got back in the car and hit the highway, I threw up.   I thought we were going straight back to the shelter, but miraculously, we drove into our own driveway and I got to go out in my field for a few minutes, and then I came in and had a sponge bath (no showers for a few days because of my surgery) and a little drink, and I got to rest in my crate. 

Just now I had a little tiny bit of dinner - a couple of bites - and another little drink, and I'm going to head off to bed.  Tomorrow HAS to be a better day.  One more like this, and I'm jumping!

The FM said not to worry - everything will be just fine in the morning.  I bet she's really glad she got the car with no carpeting so that she could just wash everything down!   I promised her that I wouldn't be such a bad dog ever again, and she just kissed me and gave me a hug and said she was glad to have me back home, so I guess everything really will be OK. 

Vet Update

Magee is spending the night at the clinic because he was neutered late today and is still sleepy.  He didn't get his much anticipated facelift and eye job because his face is just too swollen for the vet to work on.  He'll come home and continue with his regimen of antibiotics and cleaning, and we hope to have it under control soon. 

Poor guy - I'm so anxious for him to get his surgery so he's more comfortable, but I certainly understand why the vet wasn't inclined to do anything further with him today.  By all reports, he was the MOST excellent patient, happily interacting with everyone, despite being poked and prodded and thoroughly examined. 

It's hard to tell his age because it's tough to get a good look at his teeth, with all the swelling.  Based on his energy and activity level, I was guessing 3, but Dr. Leal said he's at least 4.  Oh well.  Once he has his eye lift, he'll look like a puppy!

He'll post himself tomorrow, when he's back home and feeling up to it.  He's very dramatic, so I'll probably have to make him chicken soup and wrap him up in a robe......

And the Winner is.....

ALEX HINTON

But wait - I'm getting ahead of myself. 

Today started out to be pretty normal.  I'm feeling more and more comfortable here every day, and I'm starting to explore the outside a little bit (though I still won't go out alone) and  I was even RUNNING.  Then I decided to have a Sno-Cone - it was scrumptious!

 

I also checked out a couple of different fields today, and woofed at several shadows (they looked pretty dangerous to me) .  After yesterday's semi-drama with the Nylabone Edible, the FM decided to give me something small to occupy me while she worked on organizing a raffle to help one of my fellow foster dogs, a poor guy down in North Carolina.  He's even worse off than I am - I feel SO bad for him.  The FM was busy all afternoon working on raising money for him, and it seems like it was a BIG success.  How do I know this?  Because she asked ME to be a stand-in for Gus and select the winning raffle ticket!!!!  Can you believe it?  Me!  It all happened so fast that nobody was prepared, and it was too difficult to get things coordinated with Gus's FM (plus he was really tired today after his adventure at Petsmart, and he went to bed early) so I got to do it.

Look at me - a study in concentration and earnestness.  I couldn't believe the FM had such faith in me - I hoped I was ready for the task.  After I had my dinner, I spent a lot of time planning just how to make a fair choice at the appointed drawing time - 10 PM. 

The FM made the tickets and then sprinkled them with garlic powder and some Parmesan cheese (yum!) and I got right to work.  I examined every ticket very carefully, and then I picked one.  When the FM took it from me, she realized that it was one of hers!  Uh -oh - looks like a fix!  She only bought tickets because Gus was supposed to draw.  But I fooled her!  She wanted me to try again, so I snuffled around and lifted my lip and she saw a little bit of yellow sticking out.   I had already pulled two tickets and was saving the right one to surprise her! 

Here it is - a little soggy and scrunched, but clearly Alex's ticket!!!!

I know she's going to LOVE the quilt.  I hope she lets Winnie share it.  Then Winnie will be really, really grateful and send me more love notes, and leave comments on my blog.  I hope to meet her really soon.  

Tomorrow I'm going to the vet to have my eyes done (me and Joan Rivers) and have my really stinky ears cleaned (the FM has been working on them, but they're really painful, so she'll leave the rest to the vets), and get my skin assessed.  I'm looking forward to making even more new friends at the clinic.  I know they'll love me.  Magoo and Timmy the Tank had nothing but good things to say about everybody at the vet hospital.  They were so lucky to get such good care and find families of their own.  I hope I'm that lucky too. 

I might not be up for posting tomorrow, but the FM will send a little note to let everybody know that I'm doing OK!  I hope there are lots of mirrors around when I get home so I can admire myself!  I bet Winnie will find the new me irresistible!

Love, Magee

Guess What I Have?!?!?!

Can you see that???? 

Not only do I have 4 bones, and a toy (that I don't much care about) and a soft fuzzy,  and a thick blanket - I have a MATTRESS!   It's in there - all four inches of it, soft as a cloud.  I don't think I've ever been so comfortable in =my whole life.  I race right back in there to check on it every time I come back from being outside.  I was so excited this morning that I squished past mu FM when she was setting things up and threw myself down on the mattress before the other layers were in there.   She looked pretty funny, all squashed up against the side.  I think I thought maybe it was funnier than she did though......

Because it was a holiday my FD was home from work too, so he spent the whole morning getting rid of all the new snow - he wanted me to have safe pathways all around the yard and down the driveway to my own special field (that's where I like to poop - I'm very neat).  Even though it snowed, I was able to check out some more of Magoo's notes, and I think I found a few from Tiny Tim too, though the return address says "Tank" so I'm a little confused.  Oh well, it's nice to "see" that the boys who were here before me have found great new homes, and it was really generous of them to leave some notes behind so that I'd know how to behave and what to expect.

It's so cool to have all the food I want, and all the snacks, and all the fresh water a person can drink.  Wow!  And today I even got ginormous Nylabone edible turkey flavored bone.  The FM was horrified that I took it to heart and "edibled" it all up in about 45 minutes.   I have to have something to do in my crate, right?   My eyes are feeling better thanks to the drops that my Aunt Amanda suggested, and then I have new antibiotics from my Aunt Frieda out on LI - I think my skin is already looking better!   I see that I have some friends on my blog now, and I even get comments.  How cool is htat?  From a cast-away to a celebrity in the blink of a sore, crusty eye.  Pretty soon, I hope they're bright and clear so that I can see all my new friends and relatives. 

Here I am out enjoying the fresh snow.  In case you're wondering, I DO NOT go outside by myself, especially in the snow.  Do they think I'm nuts?  I did that once, and wound up in a parking lot in a blizzard with my evil twin brother.   I do, however, realize that it's nice and safe here so I venture further and further away, and once I got so far away that I started to run and the FM had to chase me.  I almost got away - it was pretty cool.  I love to play tag, and everything is fenced here, so I'm safe.  I have to go to bed now - I've had a really busy day, and even met some more new friends tonight.  I'm exhausted.  Enjoy my pictures!  Love, Magee

Studying the York rake so I'm ready for the spring clean-up

Dad said maybe I can drive the tractor over the weekend!

Checking my mail........

Look at me - I'm a different guy already!!!!!  Maybe I'm part Pointer!  Or ballet dancer!

The Importance of P-Mail and Other Observations on Life

This is all new to me but I'm trying really hard to live up to my new name (Magee) and follow the instructions left by my predecessor (Magoo).   A few weeks ago, my brother "Jim" and I (they called me Morrison at the shelter) were abandoned in the middle of a blizzard outside of a shopping center on Staten Island - we were nearly frozen to death when some nice ladies picked us up and brought us to their vet to stay overnight until we could go to the shelter the next morning.  From there we moved to a boarding kennel for a few weeks.  Everybody along the way thought we were best buddies, but Jim was just pretending to be nice to me because he knew somebody would stop to help me, as pathetic as I am.  I can't see very well, I don't hear well, and I have sores all over my face and body.  I think I might even be a leper or leopard or leotard or something like that.....I know I'm really ugly and people don't want to touch me, and I smell horrible.  I can't help it, and I'm so ashamed. 

The nice kennel owner noticed that once we were safe, Jim was really nasty to me and that I had bite marks on my face and legs.  He wouldn't let me share his blanket, and he stole my food.  So, he separated us, and when I went on yet another car trip yesterday, I was relieved to find that I not only had a room of my own at my new house but a big crate with lots of blankets, my own bowls and - the best thing - BONES of all sizes and flavors.   That all came at a terrible price though - I had to have BATHS!  Three to be exact.  With three different kinds of anti-bacterial shampoos, then I got conditioner and a hot oil treatment!  So after all of that, I smell really nice, and I think I'm cool!  Or maybe I'm hot!  Or maybe both - I'm not sure.  I am sure that I feel a whole lot better though, and things are looking up.

Even though I tried to put up a brave face, I was really pretty scared at first.  I was all by myself in a new place, and I didn't know where anything was.  I cried a lot, and it was really embarrassing, but nobody laughed at me, and everybody was really nice and took me for a walk every time I cried - and I got to wear a coat!   I was a really good boy and didn't have any accidents and haven't had any today either, so my foster mom promised that tomorrow I'll get a nice big mattress for my crate.  I'm not sure what that is, but I didn't think it could be any nicer than the big squishy blankets I have in there now, but she said it is, so I'll believe her. 

Today, when I woke up and was still here in this nice place and it wasn't a dream, I relaxed a little bit and could concentrate on reading my "p-mail".   Magoo is the GREATEST!  He left little notes all over the place, and every time I go out I find another one.  He told me how if I go exactly the same way every time I go out, I won't be lost, and it works!  He told me that I'd be able to go out whenever I needed to, and that I'd have as much food and clean water as I want, and that I can have toys and bones, and blankets and coats, and anything else I need.  He wardned me about the monser dog named Reflection who appears at night in the sliding glass door - I was prepared, and gave him a good woof when I saw him last night.  Thanks for the warning, Magoo! 

He also said that I should trust my foster parents (that's a little scary) and let them take care of me because they'll make me feel better.  I guess he hasn't lied about anything so far, so I decided that I'd try to take that step, even when it involved eye drops - ugh.  I noticed that my eyes feel better when I have the drops, so I'm good with that now.  And I get to go on the couch, and pose for pictures, and snuggle and do all the things a guy like me should be doing.  I'm beginning to hope that I'm going to get better and that a real life with a family that loves me is something I can look forward to.  Magoo says if I just believe, and try really hard to be good, that somebody somewhere will fall in love with me.


He said the hardest thing is being patient.  Us kids in foster care are so anxious to have our own families, but Magoo said we can't do that until we're all healed and looking sleek and sparkly.  I hope I get well soon.  I'm seeing my vet bright and early Wednesday morning and I'm going to have a face lift and eye job - I can hardly wait!