My Graham had an accident...

Dear Leslie. It must be so hard for you. Being torn between wanting to assist, comfort and console the Graham Boy every second. And then wanting to help him adjust and develop a little independence. It's a real adjustment, physcially and emotionally for you both!! Right now, I think you're both trying to absorb all that happened. I agree that there is nothing wrong with doing any and everything you need to, to make his day to day activities easier and more comfortable. And after all, you have ALWAYS showered him with love...no change there :)And talking to him in your usual loving way will probably let him know that "everything's ok." They do say dogs are very sensitive to OUR moods and tone of voice! Especially sadness. Just take it a day at a time. You're the best mom, and with your love, Graham's fantastic spirit, and a little healing time, we know he'll be whole and healthy again. All of our love to SUPER GRAHAM!!! You will be in all of our hearts and prayers, every day, as you recover sweet boy.

[ October 26, 2001: Message edited by: tatsxxx11 ]

Leslie ~ forgive us if we appear to be *ganging up* on you and your "tough love" attitude with poor Graham. But I also agree with the others that Graham needs some extra help and compassion for a few days to help him adjust and regain his confidence.

It might help to loan him a blanket or pillow, placed near you when you sit down in the living roon or den. Knowing he has a special place, near you and Hubby, will ease his anxiety when you must get up and move around the house. If you return often, if only to sit for a moment with him, he won't feel neglected or forgotten.

As for the pee and poddy problem ~ you need to solve that ASAP. Alone all day with no place to *go* will have him very upset AND plugged up :eek:! If he can't or won't go when you get home; call his Vet and ask for some suggestions. Until he gains some balance and learns a new technique, he'll need some help and physical support from "Mom" to get things done.

Smokey will hate me for this ~ He has a problem with his *aim* :rolleyes: when he goes *pee*... No matter which leg he hikes up, unless there's a pole or bush in the line of fire, he usually manages to *hose* down :o a front leg. Graham might have a similar problem :( in his predicament. Here's a thought:

Previous dog Shadow (Rainbow Bridge) broke a back toe **ouch** and had to wear a bandage wrap for several weeks. To keep it dry, she had to wear a baggie, held in place with a wrap of tape, whenever she went out in the damp or wet. You should consider a similar protective measure for Graham. Since you probably can't change his leg wrap or cast yourself, you'll need to help him protect it from getting wet from either the rain and snow, or his own *squirt-gun*. A pee-soaked cast will turn *stinkie* before you know it.

Give the little Trouper a {Hugg} and *Kiss* from all of us!

Leslie ~ Some thoughts about your investigation into the circumstances surrounding Graham's fall off the porch ~

First; are you sure that Graham is "allowed" to reside in your apartment? Do the landlord and management company know and approve of his residence there? Be sure there are no hidden clauses in your lease that would allow them to force his or your relocation if they feel threatened by your inquiries about what happened. Do other tenants have dogs?

That said and considered; I'd start with the general manager - not the maintenance department. Ask some pointed questions:
Who entered the apartment? and WHEN?
Did he/they make any report to their superiors about what happened?
Why did they not assist Graham after he "fell", or at least notify someone that the dog needed help?
Why didn't they contact you or Hubby immediately?

It won't surprise me if the "official" story is that all was well, the dog was a happy camper, and was secured in the apartment when the maintenance crew left. I'd take time to interview All the Neighbors - in your building and across the street. Consider talking to the mailman and any other delivery people who might have seen something.

Depending upon what answers you receive; consider notifying the Police, local or county Humane Officer, or the local Animal Cruelty Agency. (Caution: be sure he has any required license tags before you call!) Tell them how long Graham has lived in the apartment, with access to the open porch, without previous incidents of "jumping over the railing". Insist on them recording the incident as a crime that you want them to investigate and then report back to you.

Good luck and let us know what you find out.

And give Graham another round of {Huggs} and *Kisses* :D!

(I'm soooooooooo sorry I'm sooo late!) :o :o

OMG!!! Graham, I'm so so so sorry that you had such an awful accident! :( :( :( :( I really hope that you feel better very soon! I will keep you in my thoughts & prayers! ;) Get well soon, Graham! ;)

Hugs, and Kisses to Leslie, and Graham!

LabLover & Sadie*

Good luck in your investigation.

When the Kill-Boy is sick, I always pamper him and treat him extra nice. Shiloh does, too. She sits by him and gives him kisses and brings him toys. Now I'm not sure if she is sympathetic or just glad that she gets all the food he doesn't eat..... Anyway, it seems (from what you said) that Graham doesn't really like too much sympathy! It also sounds like you are taking great care of him! I am just so glad that his leg is the only injury. It could have been so much worse... Sending the poor pup our love and prayers! Hang in there, Leslie. Keep us posted.

First of all, I would like to tell you all that Graham is doing wonderfully. He is really learning how to "shuffle" that club leg that he has, and he has started lifting it up enough to go up curbs, small fallen branches that are in his path, and he even climbed 2 steps without tripping...he remembered to lift that club up enough to make it up the steps! Dogs are so resiliant, it amazes me. If only I were that way! I am the biggest baby when it comes to pain!

As for the investigation, it's still going on, as expected. I don't think I have any case on my hands because the day that it happened I was at the vet for the entire night with Graham. I did not get home until well after the offices closed, to have someone come and check out the evidence. I am pretty sure I know what happened, but like I said, I may have a hard time proving it. One of the maintanance guys (the ones that are not fond of dogs) came in and Graham stood there barking at them, so since they saw the balc. door already open, they coaxed (hopefully nicelly) him onto the balc then shut the sliding door behind him, locking him out there. Graham, not knowing what this person was planning on doing to "his house" frantically jumped off, in order to meet him at the front door. At that point they started to do the job of fixing my toilet when they perhaps heard noise, or they heard my baby yelp when he landed. They then went to the balc and the dog was not there, so they panicked, threw the balc door open so that it does not look suspicious, grabbed the tools and left. I leave both the screen door and the (heavy) sliding glass door open the same amount...about 14 inches. Just enough for Graham to get through. When I examined the "evidance" the heavy glass sliding door was open almost all the way, and this was before my hubby was home. Graham most certainlly did not slide that heavy glass door open, and leave the screen open the usual amount.

I am going to send a letter to the main coorperate office as soon as I am done compiling my evidence and I get it all into writing. The maintanance guys will still not call me back. For 2 days I left numerous messages and no call backs. That in itself is enough to make them suspects.

And as for the dog policy, actually I picked this apartment because it was the only one I could find which would allow dogs above 25 pounds. There are quite a few dogs here, and we are paying $25 extra per month for Graham to live here with us.

I have a pic for all of you. I assure you that Graham is happier then he looks. He's doing really so much better with this injury :) Thank you SO much, Jackie (JackiesDaisy), the outfit fits perfectly, actually better then the caterpiller costume! And Graham lookes SO handsome! He is thrilled to be wearing something more fitting for his personality, and more comfortable. We both really appreciate it. This pic was taken at my moms house tonight.
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/007/61/ab/It/wl20197.jpg

Goodnight my friends. Sleep tight.

[ October 27, 2001: Message edited by: AdoreMyDogs ]

Graham, you are a Super Dog!!! :D And I mean that sincerely. I felt like it would just take him some time to get adjusted, Leslie, and then he would be ok getting around. So many dogs and cats live their lives on three legs.......but having the extra is probably harder. Bless his sweet heart. I don't think that boy could have a better mama to take care of him and love him. And we know you do!!

Night Graham and Leslie. You sleep well. :)

oh, Leslie, Leslie, Leslie! This is the first chance I've had to sit and catchup from home (I've been careful at work-reviews are do so I'm trying to kiss up :D)
I started to read about Graham but never had a chance to finish or reply. I am SO sorry, I feel so bad that this is so late.
I love, adore and cherish all our PT pooches, but I have to admit, I have a soft spot for Graham! His good nature, his looks, that smile, his adventures. Graham wouldn't hurt a fly. I wonder if he tried to escape from one of those nasty maintenence men. I wish Graham could talk too!
Poor sweet baby...I agree, he'll never complain about those booties again! Oh man! To see him so sad and hurting is so upsetting. :(
I know how you feel. When Cody had his ACL surgery the 1st time, I totally freaked. I was trying to be calm, but when he splattered on the tile floor at the hospital, I upset everyone with a scream. Poor Cody, he has a crazy, emotional owner.
The staff had to console me for 15 min. after they admitted him. I had to have a designated driver. Poor thing, like Graham had never been in a hospital over night, and believe me, I love my boy, but Graham he's not when it comes to socialization.
Anyway, altho the back leg is different, I'm sure from the front, it took Cody a day or 2 to adjust to squatting since he couldn't pee on 1 leg. I gently and carefully supported his bandaged leg. it was hard cause his other knee hadn't been operated on yet, so he had double trouble. But, believe me, they find a way. I was very surprised how Cody compensated. We kept him gated in our den, cause of steps, and I took 2 weeks vacation to care for him, slept on the couch, also massaged, kissed, snuggled, hugged and tried not to cry or pity him cause I too noticed a personality change. The nurse told ne labs are big babies anyway, and I don;'t have to tell you how that set me off!!!!! Here, I was miserable, but proud of him for being a trooper. Two knees and 6 months of lock up, but thankfully our den door leads outside with no steps.
I used the long plastic bag that newspapers come in to cover the cast (with a huge wide rubberband) just when he went out to avoid, as Phred says, the stinkies and lack of aim, and dirt.
My heart still breaks when I remember this episode, but I want to encourage you that Graham will be Okay. Even if the poor lamb has surgery, he's a trooper, and resilant and will bounce back for sure! Graham's not the kind to disappoint you either! He knows his job is to get better and smile again!!!
There's not a doubt in my mind that precious boy will be back at agility in no time!!!!! With all our prayers and love for you and Graham, what other outcome would there be? Hey, the love force is with you both!
And E-x-c-u-s-e me... I am Graham's #1 fan!!!!!!!! ( :D ) Lots of love from the Israel house!

[ October 27, 2001: Message edited by: K9karen ]

How funny :D While i was busy yapping, you posted a fabulous pic of our Super Dog!!! And a uplifting follow-up!!! YAYAYAYAYAY!!
Who loves ya baby??? :eek: Goodnight all..Get a good night's sleep.....xoxoxoxoxox

Soon I bet you'll hear the distinctive candance I will never forget from when I was a very little firl - our Sheba (smartest best dog a girl ever had) got rolled by a truck on the bad corner near our house, and injured a back leg. She had a cast, and was pretty pathetic at first, but then learned to maneuver with it just fine. All around the house we'd hear:

Click, click, click THUMP
Click, click, click THUMP
Click, click, click THUMP

When she finally got the cast off, it was strange, I think we all listened for the THUMP part for a few days!

By the way, from that day on, Sheba was a great example for all children - she'd stop by the side of the road and look both ways, quite deliberately, before she crossed.

Good luck, golden Graham!

I just wanted to say how happy I am that Graham is really ok cept for the cast!! He looks like a real hero in his outfit!! I just love it!!
Keep it up Graham, we are pulling for you!!!

Oh Graham, you're coming around with flying colors, and cape! Now THAT'S an outfit that suits you to a "T"!! :) Graham, SUPER DOG!!!! SUPER HERO!!!!!! What a wonderful way to greet the morning. Our beloved Graham is on the mend! Yippeeee!!!

I liked Graham in his catapiller outfit but this costume is definitely more appropriate for such a strong and handsome boy! He surely is a Super Man and now the rest of the world will know it too!

How anyone could hurt such a great pup is beyond me??? :confused: All I can say is the maintenance man is a poor excuse for a human being! :mad:

Look up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane it's SUPER GRAHAM!!! :D Now Graham that costume fits your personality so much better than the caterpillar getup that your mom had on you before. You are one handsome dude even with that heavy burdensome thingie on your leg. We are all rooting for you to feel better each day and adapt to that contraption quickly and we know you will. You are our hero Graham!! (Bella thinks you are a jock! :D) Can't wait to see you flash that big smile again when this is all over and done with. Leslie, the whole thing just makes me sick. Maybe eventually the truth will come out. I would be living with a pit in my stomach just worrying what had gone on. Good luck on the investigation and thanks for posting this super picture!!

K9Karen, I don't think so!

Leslie, Graham wanted to be SuperDog for Halloween, right. Maybe THAT explains the leap off the balcony? Thanks for the update. We want to know every detail. Karen's idea of using the plastic bags from the newspapers sounds like a great one. Do you have his food and water bowl elevated? This is so helpful for even an arthritic dog, and I would think in Graham's situation it would make eating and drinking less of a challenge.

Graham will make it through this and YOU will too. It's so scary for the both of you, but as each day passes you will develop strategies for making the process of recovery at little easier. And at least it is the weekend so you and your husband can have an opportunity to catch your breath from the whammy of having this happen.
Personally, I wouldn't spend a lot of energy on tracking down the bad guys. It could have been an innocent mistake, and some very poor judgement. When this happened, how it happened, why they didn't call you. Did they know that Graham was injured? All those things are not going to change what happened to Graham. You have already made the decision that can change something. No one comes into the apartment unless you are there and keep the door to the balcony closed. If the maintenance men don't like dogs, you don't want to have them get defensive and have it in for one particular dog, if you get my drift. Asking if anyone knows what happened is okay, but I would try not to make it sound accusatory. And remember, your star witness can't testify.

Hannah says she's got lots of kisses for her hero and Tucker says to tell Graham, "You the Dog!" Now go whip up that very special carrot cake for our boy, okay?

[ October 27, 2001: Message edited by: RachelJ ]