Let me introduce you to my 10 month-old female Australian Cattle Dog. Her name is Riley. She came from a breeder out in Bruington, VA. She was born on March 18, 2009. I got her when she was 7 weeks old. She is my best friend and the biggest stinker I know.
Some of her favorite things to do are to dig in the yard, chew sticks, steal socks out of the hamper, chew a good bone, play with my parents’ 12 year-old Dachshund mix–Chloe, swipe things off the counter when nobody’s looking, bark at strangers in front of our house, play Frisbee, fetch anything and everything, ride in the car, go to obedience class, eat anything anyone will give her, snuggle with her Mommy and follow her Mommy around all throughout the house. There’s not much she doesn’t like, just the vacuum cleaner and she’s a little scared of big dogs. She also has recently developed a dislike of going to the vet.
Despite some of her favorite mischievious activities, Riley passed her Canine Good Citizen test when she was 7 months old. She goes to “Canine University” every Thursday night where she likes to visit with her best friend, a male Rottweiler mix named Kapua. Riley knows her obedience commands like nobody’s business and listens well for the most part. She will be taking her Therapy Dogs International test once she turns a year old.
Riley was diagnosed on Friday with Canine Hip Dysplasia in her left hip and a partially torn ligament in her left knee. We have an appointment with the veterinary surgeon on Thursday morning. Most likely she will have to have a surgery called a Triple Pelvic Osteotomy (TPO) since she’s still growing and doesn’t have any evidence of arthritis in that hip yet. Her right hip is fine. I’m not sure what they’ll be doing about the partially torn ligament. She is on Rimadyl (for pain and swelling), Acepromazine (a sedative to keep an active dog down–but really, who can keep a good Cattle Dog down?!?), and Dasuquin (a glucosamin/chondroitin supplement to help out those joints) and is managing for now. We’ll see what they tell us on Thursday.
Anyway, welcome to the life and times of a young Cattle Dog!
Adventures of a Cattle Dog 