August 25...Sunday...got a quick call this morning that Pounce was "picked up" in the first series. We have "only" two more chances for an HRCH Finished title in September (16th & 17th). Either way...she will be retired. The good news is that Gigi's special diet seems to be very promising...no diarrhea. She is more relaxed (something new for her). The next step is to maintain the same feeding routine for another month. Then we will slowly begin doing simple/easy training setups. Pounce will be retired and kept in shape with easy, fun "stuff". Much of this will depend on my health and age issues.
August 26...Monday...high of 79°F...with a hint of fall. This summer, my son put in a huge garden with a variety of tomatoes plus green beans and cucumbers. Canning is going full steam ahead (pun intended).
August 27-31...Tuesday-Friday...Pounce will be home in a few weeks and Gigi continues to do well with her
new food. Summer is winding down with the heat vs. pacemaker issue becoming less of a conflict.

"I'm beginning to learn that 95% OB is not enough...and 85% is much worse......but 75%

                      is pretty good." 
                KwickLabs  Sept., 2006

Copyright ©kwickLabsii.com All rights reserved

August 9...Wednesday...upper 70's and pleasant....a day off was needed.
August 10...Thursday...80°F....Gigi's special diet food from Chewy arrived today - Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EN Gastroenteric Dry Dog Food. It took awhile to have it shipped as there was a prescription required. The need for prescriptions from a Vet is becoming a more rigid process. Gigi is now on a food/diet transition which will take about ten days...no rush. 
August 11-12...Friday/Saturday...The plan is to loose weight, adjust to the demands of my recent pacemaker addition and begin training Gigi next spring. Pounce will be retired and training Gigi with groups will be necessary. I will be 83 years old and this attempt may prove to be interesting (or not). The following link is motivating. Gigi has a great deal of potential, but weak on skills (not her fault). Hopefully, the new food for Gigi solves her intestinal issues.

The following is a diet transition for a dog with a sensitive stomach.
         Day 1-3: 25% new diet and 75% old diet.completed
         Day 4-6: 50% new diet and 50% old diet. completed
         Day 7-9: 75% new diet and 25% old diet. completed
         Day 10:  100% new diet under way

 

August 1...Tuesday...high of 84°F...cleaned out back of van (almost) ...preparing for Illinois driver's license renewal (test). Today, the month long approach to correcting Gigi's digestive issues has come to the end...not much improvement. With the OK from my Vet, she will be transitioned to a different dog food - Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EN-Gastroenteric Dry Dog Food (from Chewy).
August 2...Wednesday...high of 88°F...worked on van in the morning (early).
August 3-6...Thursday-Sunday'..highs in the 80's...van cleaning finished...began to Dremel Gigi' nails. The first paw is always the most difficult. Then she "kind of" gives in a bit and gradually resigns. The new food for Gigi requires vet approval and the "red tape" process is very slow. It has been almost a week and no new food has been shipped????? update news - maybe by Tuesday the 8th????
                            note: wife's birthday the 5th

August 7...Monday...high of 75°F...With this nice "temp", mowing the lawn seems likely. In about six weeks Pounce will be back. Then...both of us will be retired. It is about time to create the September journal banner - featuring Pounce.
August 8...Tuesday...pleasant...spent the morning successfully renewing my Illinois driver's license. It will be valid for two more years. My left eye is very good, but my right is not. This afternoon late, I decided to go back in time to review what I use to be able to do when I was much younger. I did not remember how much more was done "back then". As you get older "slacker mode" slowly engages.
I cannot do this anymore. However, it is important to be able to recollect and relive good times. 

study

August 13/14...Sunday/Monday...the weather is mellowing as we approach fall. There was rain most of Monday. In the past, this meant less training with a focus on hunting. However, there will be no hunting this year. My pacemaker transition issues and health adjustments must be clarified. In the moment, I refreshed old memories with photos taken back when hunting was a regular thing.

August 15...Tuesday...followed by days with high's in the 70's. Gigi's new diet seems to be working. If it isn't one thing it is another. After reading many "links" dealing with "which dog food", everyone is an expert. My own course of action choice is to cease reading and wondering. 
August 16...Wednesday...mild weather...on another note, our old  refrigerator needed replacement. A new one was delivered and installed. When it was turned on, the freezer/ice maker area was making a steady ticking noise. Evidently, it takes 24 hours for the ice maker to stabilize.
August 17...Thursday...Today, I am 83 years old. Gigi is on day seven of her diet transition.
August 18-22...Friday-Tuesday...Well, the new "fridge" did not "stabilize" and a another one was delivered. When the cardboard was removed, the newest one had a big dent in it. The delivery man said, "Do you want this one?        So we are back to square one with water leaking out of the first one that will need replacing. It is now five days and still no "new" refrigerator.  When I was much younger, about every few days the ice truck delivered ice for our ice box. There were no refrigerators...once upon a time. Cooling never quit working or needed repairing. Another "deliver and replace" event happened again. There was a change to stainless steel and we like it.
August 23...Wednesday...100°F and in a few days this will be forgotten. Gigi's diet seems to be working!!!
August 24...Thursday...99°F...Friday the 25th...just as hot!!! Recently changing has become necessary. I have never been 83 years old before. How to do so requires a plan.
August 26...Saturday...a very much needed "cool down"...just in time!!! Pounce was in to run two HRC Finished hunt tests this weekend. Because of my health issues, the decision to have a pro trainer work with her had me wondering if this would work. This afternoon, I got a phone call from trainer/handler
Joe Scarpy that Pounce has one more HRCH Finished pass. That makes two. She is entered on Sunday
and will run two more In a few weeks. Then, Pounce and I will both be retired.

"Memories"