April 13, 2008
The Poodle News Network has been pretty quite for a long time due to surgeries on 3 of the major players. Shirley had 2 total knee joint replacements, the right one in July and the left one in December. Carlos had two lipoma surgeries on his right leg and armpit, July and December, and is now NOT limping after running. Compay the puppy, had two surgeries on his left shoulder in November, the first to remove a torn cartilage on his shoulder that developed at 6 months of age, and the second because he tore open the wound right after the stitches came out. So we 3 have spent most of the winter recovering and strengthening from the various surgeries and are all learning not to limp.
After doing the doggie rehab, Compay returned to the tracking fields this spring and was drawn into the OTCGL test today. Compay drew the first TD track so there was no waiting around for the last tract as Carlos had to do. The weather was very cold, 32 degrees with light snow and a very wet field, but they don’t call poodles “puddle dogs” for nothing. The big black guy just happily splashed through all the standing water in a grassy field and 4 corners later, pounced on his glove for his American TD.
Compay will continue to train now without the limp and will be returning to his handler’s first love of agility this year.
Reporting for the Poodle News Network of East Lansing,
Shirley
