Tank’s Tale!

Wow, been away for a while…

{ June 30, 2008 @ 3:57 pm } · { Tank }
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Well, lets see, Tank got hit by a car in February, while I was in Calgary. He broke his left femur, and had a pin inserted.

He was pretty mellow while he had the pin in, and of course we were complete softees, totally spoiling him. How could you NOT spoil this brat, though.

Anyway, now, the pin is out! And a much smaller scar…

So he’s got lot’s of lost time to make up for. I’m needing to take him on two or three good walks every day. Just to tire him out. His left leg lost a ton of muscle mass, so he does have a lot to make up, but when he does, he will be a force to contend with. We’ve just had some training help (yes, training for us, not the dog) and some great pointers. One I had never thought or heard of was having the little ones spit (not a big goober) in his food…just for the scent. A little message to him that the kids are a step above him in the heirarchy.

The Beast!

{ October 17, 2007 @ 11:38 am } · { Tank }
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Okay, it has been quite a while. To be specific, its been 24.2 lbs. That’s right, as of 10-12-2007, the beast was 41.1 lbs. at just about 5 months old. He’s going to top my expectations. He is definitely the mellowest of the bunch, but I need to start taking more time to play with him. I think he’s feeling neglected and lonely. He’s out running with the kiddies right now, he loves that. He tries to get them to chase him around. Anyway, I’ll try to be more specific in a few days, work has been real crazy lately, which is real good, I guess. I hope some bonuses come through…

Also, I’ll try to get an updated pic up somewhere, haven’t been taking as many as I should lately. Been real busy…

Some updated pix of the hors…I mean Dog!

{ July 30, 2007 @ 8:00 am } · { Tank }
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Well, as I said the other day, Tank was 16.9 lbs as of 7/27/2007. He is definitely the biggest of the litter. He wasn’t when we picked him out, but he is passing all his brothers by a few inches in height and length, and at least 3 pounds. It is quite crazy. Here’s a couple pictures just to show how much the bugger grew in a month…

Tanks Getting Big!

I also am loading a video of the kids dancing, that has Tank wandering around just to show an actual reference for the growth.

video

Anyway, just had to update things. Enjoy!

He’s getting BIG!

{ July 28, 2007 @ 10:27 pm } · { Tank, Vet }
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Went to the vet yesterday, the 27th, and found out he’s almost doubled in size!! 16.9 pounds, and feeling every ounce of it. He was a trooper again, although this time he wasn’t sleeping the whole time. He sniffed the entire area within reach of his leash at least 300 times while we waited the 15 minutes for the vet. He was sniffing at the doors to the exam rooms the most, especially when he heard the dogs inside barking. Anyway, I’ll get some new photos soon, just to show how big he’s gotten. I went away for 3 days last week, and noticed a difference when I got back, so I’m sure when I go for the week next week, it will be a HUGE difference.

The New Title

{ July 13, 2007 @ 10:04 pm } · { Tank, Vet }
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I figured since this thing turned into the story of Tank, I figured I may as well name it a little more appropriately. Tank’s Tale. I like it.

So, the bite. He is fully recovered. The vet gave him some amoxicillin, and after the 10 days, his swollen spot has completely disappeared. No hernia there, which the doctor did not think there was anyway, she just wanted us to keep an eye out.

He’s biting a bit more than I would like, but he is still just a little baby. I guess we have to be patient, and keep correcting him. He is getting real lanky. I’ll have to update some photos, but he is definitely getting taller. Also, his ears are getting lots more spots, and the ones that were there are getting bigger. Gotta love the little bugger. He’s still just as cute!

First Visit to the Vet

{ June 29, 2007 @ 8:26 pm } · { Tank, Vet }
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Tank is quite the little trooper. We went for the first visit to the vet today. He was incredibly calm. In fact he napped on my lap pretty much the whole time except when they had to poke and prod him.

So the story is: He weighs 9 lbs 5 oz. He has hookworms, which he was given a dewormer for. His side where he got bitten is infected, and the vet gave him antibiotics for that, but she said there’s a possibility (very remote) that he has a hernia under the swelling. If the know doesn’t go away by the time the antibiotics are gone, then we have to get some X-rays done. AND he has an umbilical hernia which should go away, but again we need to keep an eye on him.

Oh yeah! We got the first month Advantage treatment for free, so that is a definite plus. He has been riddled since he got bit, and we were afraid to give him a bath. So, we’ll all be relieved when the stuff kicks in and the fleas die!

Overall, Tank got a pretty good report. Could have been better, but the vet seemed pretty pleased with him, and didn’t really seem too worried. Everyone in the office was great, and we’ll definitely be bringing him there for the forseeable future. The Plantation Animal Hospital in Clayton, NC gets high marks from both Tank and our family!

I’m a Geek for this Dog!

{ June 29, 2007 @ 10:04 am } · { Tank }
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I know, its terrible, but I can’t help myself. He’s just so darn cute!!!

I mean, look at the tongue!! Its just terrible. I’m almost worse with him than I am with the kids! Well, not quite, but its close. Anyway, I’m taking him to the vet this evening. His bite got worse, it swelled up and started draining a bit yesterday. He’s still just as active, and seems ok, but I want him to get checked out, and start a relationship with a vet anyway. So, I’ll probably post an update later tonight or tomorrow about how that goes. I just had to take the picture of the tongue and get it up here, I couldn’t help myself.

Crooked Little Vein

{ June 24, 2007 @ 9:16 pm } · { Books! Books! Books! }
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Nothing to do with Tank, but he is one of my favorite writers…

Well, I was trying to put a widget on here that was counting down the days to the release of a new book. It’s Crooked Little Vein, by Warren Ellis. He’s a comic writer, and one of my favorites. I think this may be his first novel, but I am sure it will be just as twisted and fun and crazy as his comics. I’m looking forward to it. Keep an eye out for it and give it a try.

Tank Got Bitten

{ June 24, 2007 @ 7:24 pm } · { Tank }
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Tank’s dad, Peanut, is a bit nasty. He’s always been the sweetest dog, especially to the kids, but this evening, when I took Tank out to do his thang, Peanut was out in our yard. He was chewing on a stick, but when Tank went to say hi to his dad, Peanut started to chew on Tank. He has a small puncture in his side, but we’ve been keeping peroxide on it, and I’m sure if we keep it clean he’ll be just fine. I will be changing the way I deal with Peanut from now on. I won’t be quite so friendly, and I will be shooing him out of the yard when I see him out there. It’s a shame, because he is a really sweet dog, but I don’t see any other way to keep Tank safe. And we definitely will not be letting him out on his own. Tank will be on the leash from now on, unless I know the neighbors aren’t home.

Using the Leash

{ June 23, 2007 @ 12:01 pm } · { Leash, Tank }
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The first time we put his collar on, Tank wasn’t too happy, and scratched for 5 minutes straight, so we took it off. We kept putting it on for a few minutes every once in a while for a couple days. When we thought he was OK with the collar, I took him out on the leash. That was completely worthless. All he did was put as much tension on the leash as he could take, and then park it. Our neighbor mentioned putting the leash on the collar in the house and letting Tank drag it around the floor. So we tried that for a day, and again, Tank’s adaptability blew me away. When I came home from work the next day, after only one day, he was great on the leash. He still would try to pull towards the neighbors yard, but after a few tries, and a lot of “no”s from me, he would follow me. This little guy is a champ. I’m definitely getting more into it as things progress, Tank is going to be a good little dog!

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