Day 6: Billy Snowwalker

Maggie worked the nightshift with Billy last night, and said that there was not that much that happened. Just like Maggie to always take the easy job. She did have to stay up until midnight to give him a pain pill while I just snoozed up a storm. Everyone got even more sleep than the night before, and that is just what the doctor ordered.

Since Maggie put him to bed, I woke up with him, and this morning started off well yet again! Billy is doing so much better than either of us would have expected after what we experienced the first night we had him home.

For breakfast, the three of us “shared” a plate of bacon that was supplied by the hotel. Billy and I each had 3 pieces and Maggie got to lick the plate. We were all very satisfied with this! After breakfast, Maggie left me and a sleeping Billy to get to a meeting she had scheduled. Immediately after the door closed behind her, Billy began to walk around and act like he had to go outside. No problem, we went out and came back in…a small treat followed. About 30 minutes later he was back at the door, and again we went through the same routine. It was not until after about 7 trips outside within 4 hours that I realized that I had been duped. I always new that Billy was gifted at getting what he wanted by using his cuteness, giving pitiful looks, sucking in so his ribs stick out, or closing his eyes and pretending to be blind while walking into various objects – but this time he just plain outsmarted me. I will get him back, when we go back to our apartment, by giving him one or two pieces of food in a five gallon bucket filled with water…that ought to make him pray for thumbs!

One good thing about Billy’s excessive trickery was that it tired him out. He has been motoring around outside in the snow utilizing his three wheel drive all day, and he looks like he feels pretty comfortable doing it. We took a nap together, and he even gently sat down on his surgery site without yelping (this is the first time that has happened). I am not sure if that was just luck or if he is beginning to feel that much less pain there, but I am hesitant to let him try it again as I simply cannot take hearing the sound he has made during past attempts to sit on it.

Maggie will be home soon…she will tell how the rest of the day goes!

When I got home it was so great to see how excited Billy was – tail wagging, butt wiggling…he’s getting noticeably happier every day. But was he happy to see me, or did he just smell the Mexican food I’d brought home? Bryan wanted carne asada, and I thought that sounded pretty good, so I got it too. Billy was planning to eat dog food, but when he smelled ours, he had a sudden change of heart – he wanted carne asada, too. Well I wasn’t about to give mine up (I’m the one who picked it up, after all), so Bryan swapped meals with Billy. We all enjoyed our dinner together on the floor.

Fun and games aside, Billy just plopped down on his sore side and let out a bloodcurdling doggy scream, the worst I’ve heard so far. He had learned how to lay on his good side so well that he forgot how to not lay on his bad side. It shook him so much that he began to quiver, so I had to cuddle him to sleep.

By the way, we did re-attach Billy’s chin with tape. See…