There has been so much sadness associated with Sara, Tyler, and Gunny, that it brings me great joy to write the update for today.

Sara is resting comfortably in her crate, which she proudly claims as "her property". She is content to rest, never complaining about not being able to run. She seems to know she needs a "timeout" right now, which sure makes recovering from heartworms much easier. Originally, we had to reach into her crate to coax her out. Now when she has to go "potty", she'll come out on her own or with very little effort on our part. Sara loves going outside on a lead, and she looks for her "friend" from down the block (a mixed mutt but cute and playful). Sara is giving kisses more often, and she loves hugs (even though she won't initiate the contact). Oh, and she won't protect her pups anymore.... if they run into her crate, she'll push them back out and laugh. Good girl!

Tyler is a pup that is very full of himself. He has not had a single accident in his crate, which shows he really is paper-trained already. In fact when we open his crate door, he gets a silly look, runs out into the kitchen (we put newspaper down on the floor because he isn't allowed outside unless on a lead), and once he finds the newspaper.... that's when he immediately drops, does his business, then trots back to us, smiling the whole time. If he doesn't see his big buddy (Stormy) around, he goes back into his crate and barks a few times as if to say "See, I'm a good boy!"

And that brings us to Gunny. I've written so often about how poor Gunny hasn't changed. Not today.... Of the three, Gunny has shown the greatest improvement over the past week! The moment the isolation pen is opened, he runs up the stairs, and hunts all over until he finds his big buddy (Stormy). He romps. He plays. He barks. He lets us pet him, although he doesn't initiate contact..... but he doesn't run and hide, either. for Gunny, that's a major change! Oh, and Karen actually picked him up yesterday, without him going into a panic attack! He had a silly grin on his face the whole time.... Until recently, only I could pick him up without him freaking out.

I'm scheduling Gunny for heartworm treatment in a few weeks (it'll take that long before I'll be able to spend another $450 for treatment and shots, and even then I'm not sure where I'll find it.... but I will). In the meantime, the antibiotics and aspirin are doing him a world of good. So what changed him? I don't know.... We aren't going to question it, but we'll surely accept it !!!