Thankfully, Megan is nearly completely over the infections that she had (sinus and both ears). Stevie is ecstatic to haver back to almost her old self. In speaking with Megan this evening, she said that Stevie's spay scar and suture marks are healing so well that once they're completely healed, you won't even be able to tell she had any surgery. Stevie just says, "What surgery?"

Tomorrow I will go for a visit -- it's been too long! -- and we will once again meet Katherine and Greg Harlan at the Petsmart in Megan's neighborhood. Katherine and Greg are bringing me a little black and tan female to foster. Dog help me. I just hope Newton (my IMPS rescue boy pinhead) will be nice to her.

It will be a field trip for Megan and Stevie, too. Katherine wants to see how she's grown (Stevie, not Megan) and get a puppy fix. Can't say that I blame her.

More tomorrow, and with luck, new pictures to post.
G

Thankfully -- all the way around -- Megan is feeling much better today. She has been working on teaching Stevie new toy names. The latest is "bluebell", a blue ball with a bell inside it (duh). Stevie already knows "L-u-c-y" and goes nuts when Megan even just says it. She knows Phil, too, but Lucy is her favorite so far. It's just another happy day in puppydom!
G

Megan is still miserably sick , and Stevie still doesn't care. She spends great amounts of time moving her toys back and forth and then bringing them one by one up onto the bed in hopes that Megan will relent and play "fetch". Megan has given in as often as she can and still get some rest. Everyone will be glad when she is better.
G

Remember the orange "devil ball" with feet and little horns? It's name is "Lucy" and old "Mr. Bluefoot" (blue rubber ball with feet and a dinosaur tail) is now named "Phil". Don't ask me why. I thought maybe "Lucy" was short for lucifer (because of the horns), but Megan said no, she hadn't even though of that.

In any case, Stevie has somehow learned the difference between the two. We suspect it has more to do with the texture and shape of the balls (Lucy is a little softer than Phil and has no tail), and possibly they smell different, rather than having anything to do with eyesight. It is, however, still pretty uncanny for a blind puppy.

Megan will throw both toys and say, "Go get Lucy! Bring me Lucy!" and Stevie will, 9 times out of 10, find the orange ball with the horns and bring it back to her.

Heaven help us if her eyesight does improve, whether naturally or through surgery. If she's this good without much vision, who knows what we're in for with it...

G

My phone rang at about 6:20 p.m.

"Do your dogs stalk things?" It's my sister with another Stevie-related question.

I think for a moment.

Me: "Stalk things?"

Megan: "Yeah. You know..."

Me: "Well, yeah, I guess they do. Why? What now?" (Realizing even as I ask that whatever it is, it's undoubtedly all my fault.)

Seems Megan -- who is still sick, btw -- completely gave up trying not to play "fetch" with Stevie today. (Remember the vet's post-spay instructions to "restrict activity for 3 - 5 days"...) I think Stevie was getting her feelings hurt or thought she did something wrong that Megan wouldn't play with her. She kept bringing her toys to throw. Now if Megan asks, "Are you ready?" but doesn't throw it right away, Stevie will begin to "stalk" Megan, slowly creeping towards her. Megan said it's so damned funny to see that she sometimes doesn't throw the toy on purpose, just so she can watch her do it again.

Ain't puppy love -- and puppies -- grand?

G