When Rebekah first called us to ask if we'd consider watching her dog, this is what she said about Shiloh::
- 9-year-old black lab
- has hip dysplasia
- torn ACL
- loves to go on walks but only for a little while because of her hips
- completely house broken
- loves to snuggle
Ok. We thought about it for a few days then agreed to watching her. We had a few stipulations, like Rebekah has to pay for her food, any vet appointments, etc...But yes, we'll watch your dog for 3 months.
Day 1::
Shiloh isn't a black lab. At least, not a pure bred. She's maybe part black lab but also German shepherd and bassett hound. Talk about a weird combo.
She wanted nothing to do with any of us. Now, that's to be expected since she had no clue who we were. Then Rebekah tells us Shiloh doesn't have a dog bed so just let her sleep in her kennel. OK. Sure. All night we heard Shiloh whining, crying and clawing at her kennel. She hated it. Sleepless night #1
Day 2::
The next day was Sunday. I asked Rebekah if Shiloh ever had a dog bed. Yes, but it was thrown away because she peed all over it. Excusemewhatnow? She peed...on her bed?? Oh yes, she can't hold her urine at night. Oh, and she drinks a TON of water so make sure you remove the water dish about 3 hours before bedtime. Oh, and she has special medicine for her hips.
I went out and bought her a dog bed for our room. I figured she'd sleep better if she was near us. Poor thing had to be scared to death at night. So she slept in her bed on the floor by our bed. Every time she moved her collar would rattle. Sleepless night #2.
Day 3::
Then it was Monday. When Shiloh got up off her bed I noticed some wet spots. No big deal. I had bought a bed that had a waterproof cover. I just threw the cover in the wash. No big deal. Shiloh went to her perch in the living room (on the floor where she doesn't have to move). A few minutes later she moved. There was a wet spot. Are you freaking kidding me? I no more than cleaned up that urine there were several other wet spots on the carpet. By now I had had it. Out came the puppy pads. Every time Shiloh laid down (which was often), I stuck a pad under her butt. We went through several pads just that one day.
So we called Rebekah. What was this about being housebroken? Because my carpet is full of pee. Rebekah assured us she just must be nervous and we need to take her outside more often. Nope, that wasn't the problem. I took that dog outside every hour.
Eventually Rebekah took the dog to the vet. Now Shiloh is also on medicine for her bladder. It seems to be helping. At least now she only has accidents at night, which isn't the biggest of deals. The bed cover is washable.
Truly this dog is like taking care of an old person. She has medicine she has to take at certain times a day. She needs some exercise, but not too much lest she pop her hip out of place. And she needs a special bed to keep her pee from the floor.
There's a reason we don't have a dog.
