Sunday 22 January 2017

HAPPY (BELATED) PUPPY DAY!

Hello, Dear Readers!

Apologies for the long delayed nature of this long promised post. I don't have the spoons to spin it into any kind of coherent (let alone amusing) narrative right now, but suffice it to say that the arrival of the puppy heralded a great deal of anxiety, stress, sleep-loss and drama, and I've been lucky if I've managed to scrape together even an hour on my computer on any day for nearly a fortnight. Attempting a blogpost probably would have finished me off.

Much of this stress and drama is connected to the puppy's health. He managed to eat half a puppy collar - complete with spiky plastic clasp - while at the breeders and didn't vomit it out until he'd been with me, and miserably ill, for three days. It was nearly four times the size of his tiny stomach, and as a result it did a lot of damage inside him. Getting it out in one piece was kind of a miracle. It could have been much worse. But it was still pretty bad. He's been in and out of the vets for x-rays and other treatment and had to be admitted for nearly 48 hours due to dangerous levels of dehydration.

But he's on the mend now, and since he's actually dozed off in daylight hours (for more than five minutes!) I thought I'd better hurriedly put this together while I had the chance - or else you might not get it at all. Like any new parent, I'm currently getting up around every two hours in the night (toilet training: it is Hell) and I might doze off at any second.

So, let me introduce you to Ruskin:











I went with Ruskin because I thought it looked like it fitted him, and I'd just re-read Diana Wynne Jones' The Year of the Griffin (thanks for reminding me, Phoenix!) which features a small, gingery character of that name. I've actually been *calling* him Finn about half of the time, but he doesn't seem to mind too much.

Now that he's doing better I'm hoping to start work on my WIP again, which I'm excited about - although I'm trying not to be too excited, since puppies laugh at the best laid plans of men, and often piddle on them for good measure. Wish me good luck with that, muffins! I'm pretty sure I won't be posting again for a while - unless something really interesting happens, of course, and I just HAVE to post - but I promise I will be back with you as soon as I can.

Pray for toilet training success, everyone!

6 comments:

Friendly Neighbourhood Bookseller said...

Aw, look at that fifth one ... he loves his Mama! Good luck with the WiP, we're all waiting for it!

Zoë Marriott said...

Thanks, FNB :)

Phoenixgirl said...

Awww, he's adorable! So glad to hear he's doing better - that must have been scary. (And I'm honored to have helped with the name! :-D)

Zoë Marriott said...

Too right it was, Phoenix. Especially when he kept on getting sicker after he'd brought the collar back up - I thought he might have a pierce bowel or something. Google can be an enemy at times, let me tell you :)

Sarah said...

Awww Ruskin is adorable!! I'm sorry to hear he's been so poorly but glad that he's on the mend now. I hope the breeder is paying the vets bills since it's all their fault though!!

Zoë Marriott said...

Sarah: Well, I'm hoping the four weeks free insurance will cover the costs, but if not I'll definitely ask her to contribute. And thanks :) His Kennel name is Angel, and he looks it - but really he should be called Diablo. What a little terror!

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