CEDRIC aka RICKY
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| Cedric is currently in Texas awaiting some blood work and transport. His last owner left him behind, in a rural area, to fend for himself when he moved..nice, huh?
A local boarding/training facility owner with GSD experience found him roaming and is currently caring for him. While we already know that he loves people, she will be testing him with other dogs soon. She calls him Cedric. Our Hereford volunteer will be picking him up and keeping him at her home while we search for a Phoenix area foster. Unfortunately, given that she has three of her own dogs and travels frequently for business, he can only stay with her for a short time as an intermediate stop over. Thus we must have a foster home BEFORE we pick him up and transport from Texas.
What we know:
UPDATE APRIL 19th: Cedric has been tested with various dogs, male & female and was calm and accepting of all, even in a group. We're running out of time as he's ready for his transport. Again, we do not know if he has ever been around children and he has higher than average drive and activity levels, best with an experienced handler who can keep him busy. Cedric is scheduled for his transport to Arizona the weekend of April 30th..please watch for updates UPDATE MAY 1st: "Ricky" as we call him, is now with our southern Arizona staff volunteer and adjusting beautifully. He will spend a week or two where he is before being placed with his Phoenix foster. Shorlty after his arrival in Phoenix he will have a full medical work up. It appears that he has not had any real basic obedience training yet is responsive to his handler and soft corrections. He is currently learning simple commands and basic house manners. He has a working dog temperament and as such will require an owner familiar with such dogs..he is in constant motion. He is very loving and affectionate but needs to be busy. As we learn more about him, we will have a better idea as to where and how to channel his beautiful drives. He is neutered, fully vaccinated, microchipped and crate trained. he's not all that bad on lead either. Please check back for new photos and info on this very handsome dude. Please Note: In keeping with our policy of living with all available dogs for a period of time and getting to really know them before being placed, Ricky is not yet ready for adoption. Following transport to Phoenix, his medical check and learning how to be a house dog (our suspicions that he was primarily an outside guy have been confirmed) he goes into training. He is already enrolled with K9U International which should start in about 4 weeks. We will continue to post the progress of this very special boy. UPDATE: Seems that we might have job one done; as with most previously outside male dogs, marking in the house is common. Having followed our instructions, his foster Mom reports that he has NOT done so for the last 7 days! Yahoo. Here's Ric with his guest ranch friends...the weimaraner is a male.
The rest of her report was glowing. He has spent considerable time in the house and is adjusting really well. He spent some time with his foster family on a guest ranch around a bunch of other dogs, insidoors, and was totally dog neutral. Most of the dogs were females but we don't think it will be much different as long as another male does not show dominance or aggression, which as in the case of any self respecting GSD, Ric will stand his ground. He has also permitted inspection and handling of his entire body, without protest.
RIC'S SOFTER SIDE: UPDATE:
UPDATE MAY 21st: Here's today's foster report followed by photos of Ric's Saturday travels: "Hi Steff- Have I mentioned exactly how much we love this boy....? And I do mean "we", Jim is quite enamored by him too ;-) I took him in town this morning to walk with a friend of mine and her two poodles (female). We walked on a city maintained trail that gets a lot of usage, especially on the weekend. We met/passed numerous dogs, joggers, bikers, etc. and Ric is good with it all. After the hike we went back to her place to drop her dogs off before going to breakfast. When there, Ric met the "large and in charge" feline of the house. Although Ric was on leash, he wasn't all that excited about her. He first looked at the cat and said....ok, just another furry thing....and proceeded to take a drink of water from a bowl that was about two feet from the cat. Then he eased over to sniff the cat. He was curious and had the wide swooping tail action going on. Once he got real close, the cat gave him a "thump" on the nose (without claws). He jerked back a bit and said ok....then drank some more water. He was still a little curious about the cat but wasn't excited about the situation. We went to a diner for breakfast. They have a patio that they allow people to bring dogs onto. He met lots of people and was well behaved the whole time. Here are some phone photos from today's adventure..."
UPDATE MAY 28th: Ric arrived in Phoenix this morning. Thanks to his transporter and 1st foster Bridget. She and her husband Jim, our heroes, gave him a great start. Bridget graciously spent the night here to help get him acclimated and assist with handling the new 3-dog pack. The 3 (staff) humans with 3 dogs worked well. We spent several hours with slow intros to his new roommates on neutral territory before starting the process all over again in the house and yard. Ric had a very full and active day; and with each new challenge, nothing seemed to phase him. Bella has met her match in the busy department as they both ran like the wind, taking turns chasing each other. And while Monty, the king of his castle, desperately tried to get up over Ric's shoulder in a show of dominance (no aggression), Ric deftly avoided him, secure in the knowledge that he's much younger and faster. By Sunday morning, he and Monty were best buds and all walked shoulder to shoulder. Given the high temperatures, walks, ball retrievals, non-stop running, etc., you would think they were all ready to take a break...nope..batteries re-charged, it was time for yet another new adventure; Cedric's very 1st swimming lesson. The link below illustrates that, in short order, Ric said, "I got this". Next swim will be sans vest. click FOR "RIC'S 1st DAY IN TOWN "
After settling in with his new pack and foster, and his medical work-up, he will begin basic obedience class. He clearly has not had any basic training at all, has just learned to sit as well as "leave it", and we're already working on heel as weather permits. UPDATE 5/31: By day 2 Ric was swimming without a vest, jumping in from the side of the pool, and found his way right to the steps. Talk about a quick study! His vet visit is scheduled for June 7th. Once again, Cedric is a working dog; he is not a good choice for a first time GSD owner or a novice handler. He will not be placed with very young children, particularly toddlers. He is also too active for a home in which no one is home all day. Thanks :-) UPDATE 6/8: Ric had his vet visit this week; a full physical exam, complete blood panel and fecal check both in-house and sent to lab. The results of all were excellent. He was negative for Tick & Valley Fever and no parasites seen. He is now a full time indoor guy, left loose at night without incident. We are awaiting the schedule from his trainer. Once his basic training has been completed he will be ready to roll. UPDATE JUNE 22: Ric has had his 2nd basic obedience class and is progressing well. Since no one has ever really taught him much, he has what we call, a "puppy brain". Things that require impulse control such as down & stay take time and consistency to master.
CEDRIC spends July 4th weekend with foster family pool fun and fearless enthusiasm
UPDATE JULY 27th: Ric completed his basic obedience course a couple of weeks ago and progressed as expected. He will be making a trip with all of his canine friends to his foster Mom's home up North soon to take a break from the heat. When he returns he will have 2 or 3 refresher classes after which he will be ready for forever. We've learned a lot from living with him in a home setting; while he started out as a working dog for the border patrol, he really is not all that over the top drivey; he IS however, very active and, again, likes to be very busy...he's no couch potato. It's a safe bet he will be even more so when the weather is cool. In essence, he does not need to have a job, per se, but must have a home in which his need for doing something is met. Other than that, he's somewhat of a mush pot, very affectionate and aside from his toys, craves human attention. Cedric is a balanced boy, calm in the house...a real sweetheart. Please check back for photos of his new experience playing in the woods. NO FUN IN THE WOODS UPDATE September: Ric was up north at his foster Mom's summer home and annual family reunion. Got a call Friday at about 4:30p...Cedric was running and tried to jump over a log...became impaled on it by a protruding limb. He had just under 3 hours of surgery Friday and spent the night at the emergency vet. Wound, muscle damage significant...his muscles were sewn back together..lots of debris. At this time there does not seem to be any orthopedic or arterial damage. Due to pain control issues, he will not let anyone near him other than "his own people" We will not know what, if any, residual deficits there might be with respect to function until after he's healed. Right now, given the nature of his wound(s) the risk of infection is high and for which he is being closely monitored. As of Saturday afternoon, he was back at the house resting comfortably in his crate on lots of medications. Cedric will be stopping at the hospital on the way home Monday or Tuesday for a wound check and to remove the drains. His recovery will take many weeks...we will know more once he's back in town. Should it become necessary after healing, we will be taking him for rehab with Jeff Flocker, of Canine Rehabilitation of the Southwest to ensure he regains full range of motion of the affected area. If you would like and are able to help with Cedric's medical needs, please click on the PayPal button below or visit: HOW TO DONATE UPDATE SEPTEMBER 30th: Cedric and our staff have, literally, been in crisis for the past week. Following his return home, he was so fractious that he ripped open his sutures requiring a second emergency surgery and redo of his pectoral muscle repair, an incision revision, and insertion of a new and different type of drain which is hidden & wrapped on his neck. The greatest challenge has been pain and fear which has kept him in defense drive..an Iinstictive state in which he feels his very survival is at stake, resulting in defensive aggression. Needless to say, this requires full anesthesia in order to handle him for `any procedure. Clearly, his pain tolerance is low thus he is heavily medicated. Even sedated, he will not let anyone near his body. Having to wear his E-collar at all times really upsets him but is an absolute must in order to protect the surgical site. The photo below shows that, following his 2nd surgery, the hospital left the drain tubing exposed in such a way as to make it very easy for Cedric to put his leg (or mouth) thru and rip it out; he had already pulled his original drain out up in Payson. We said, "no way" and back he went to the O.R. (and a 3rd general anesthesia) to secure the hosing.
We finally found the right combination of meds to keep him quiet...hope it lasts He did have a drain malfunction last night...the bulb broke, lost suction & stopped draining...his leg swelled up and since it was at night, we had to take him to the emergency clinic. They said he would be OK til morning. We arranged to pick up a replacement part 1st thing this morning and his sleep deprived and devoted foster Mom, Darlene, was able to successfully get it hooked up again right away. We are pushing toward the $10,000 mark for Cedric's total expenses and we're not near the finish line. Our hope is to have an uneventful two weeks of initial healing after which he can move about more freely. Keeping this busy boy quiet is no easy task. Time will tell... Update Late Oct 2nd: Ric was scheduled to have his drain removed tomorrow, Monday. The results of one of his cultures, however, just indicated a bacteria present that is resistant to his current antibiotic. So his medication will be changing and his next trip to the O.R. postponed until Wednesday.
OCTOBER 6th: Our boy had his drain removed yesterday, this time with a shorter acting anesthesia from which he recovered faster yet pretty much slept for the remainder of the day. The incision is clean and swelling is down. The small wound from his drain looks a little funky and is being watched closely for infection. He had finally reached the point at which he let Darlene handle him and touch his body so we were worried that he would take many steps backward from a psychological standpoint. But today the procedure appears not to have had any negative impact on his behavior. Next week he will have one more "assault" in the operating room to remove his staples. UPDATE OCTOBER 14th: The staples are out and Ric is moving about. For now, he only has a slight limp but does register a big "ouch" if he moves the wrong way. Of course he will not be happy until the cone is off his head for good at which point we will have to slow him down. We have a call into his surgeon to see just how much we should let him do (she was off for his last vet trip) and will post what we learn. He has lost quite a bit of weight throughout his ordeal but will enjoy pigging out while catching up
We are so very grateful for the support of Ric's sponsorship team without whom we could not provide all that he needs now and down the road to his full recovery....THANK YOU!! UPDATE 10/21: There's a tiny portion at the end of Ric's incision (it was extended during his 2nd surgery) that has not completely closed yet. As soon as it does, Cedric will begin his physical therapy which will include an under water treadmill. He is ambulating very well yet slightly favors his other forelimb for weight bearing. In fact, he really wants to run...soon, Ric, soon. Today he's getting his 1st post accident bath! We are confident that following his PT, he will regain full range of motion...stay tuned... UPDATE 10/22: Ric is now scheduled to begin his PT on November 3rd. UPDATE NOVEMBER 4th: Ric had his first AND LAST physical therapy session yesterday and did so well that he does not have to return for any additional PT! We have been given a number of at-home exercises to do with him to help break up scar tissue and increase extension with the affected forelimb. His injured forelimb is, understandably, only slightly weaker than his uninjured side, however, he is expected to have full range of motion relatively soon. He is now bearing full weight with no limp and despite being out of shape, handled the full length of the pool many times like a champ. Even better, he is back to his friendly loving hyperactive self; he let Jeff handle him (with kisses) and palpate the wound itself..an indication that he is no longer in pain. The challenge now is to keep him on a gradual return to full out running; the running part does not pose a problem..it's the sudden stops we have to avoid for now. Swimming was highly recommended so we're hoping that a nearby friend with a heated pool will let him have a few sessions. Cedric has actually regained the weight lost from being less active and looks great. A couple of visits to boot camp for a socialization refresher and Ric is ready to roll. Our THANKS to all who helped and cared...you are the BEST! The photos below; squatting to walk thru a tunnel, handling the cavaletti, swimming and retrieving the entire, length of the pool quite a few times and smiling the whole time:
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