Guest Blogger....Asha again!

Its been about a month since my last guest post and I've got lots to say, so mom is letting me write another blog entry. Here's my last one....
here

This last month has been crazy. My mom and dad are still trying to figure me out and I know its been tough for them. I'm blind, deaf AND a puppy! I am really lucky that they love me like they do and they keep telling me that its a good thing I am cute.

First things first, since my last post, I had a couple more seizures. Now I take medicine for epilepsy and its been almost 4 weeks since my last episode. I take a pill twice a day. My mom hides it in treats, sometimes I find it and spit it out, but she makes me sure that I swallow it even if she has to give me two or three more treats!

I am getting bigger and that means its easier for me to get into things. I can get up on the counter now and get just about anything that's up there. One day, my mom left a frying pan in the sink. When she got home, she found it in the living room. I'm pretty strong.

I get bored really easy and I am always looking for something to entertain me. Mom and Dad have gotten me all kinds of toys and food puzzles. Since I am so smart, I've figured them all out and after a about 20 minutes, I am looking for something else to keep me busy. I've found some really fun things like the wood molding along the sliding glass door, the blinds in the front room, the wooden end table and even the carpet. There is an endless supply of stuff to chew on. I've noticed lately there aren't as many things on the counter and there is never anything in the sink anymore.

Bedtime has really been a challenge for all of us. At first, mom and dad brought me all kinds of treats and toys at bedtime to keep me busy, but that's stopped. Mom says that bedtime is time for sleep not playtime. I'm learning that now. We've gone two nights with no toys and I'm getting the message. I still spend a little time looking for my toys because you never know.

I get scared at night. I'll be asleep and then all of a sudden I wake up. I jump up and bark really loud. Next thing I know, my mom or dad is there to touch me and tell me to lay down. I'm usually so upset that I can't do that. We went a lot of nights without sleep. Around midnight or 2 am, I want to go out and go to the bathroom. I go to the bedroom door and bark, that always wakes someone up!

The last few nights, my mom has been sleeping on the bathroom floor with me and I really like that. I wake up and she's there - I don't need to be scared. So I get up and find a different place to lay, then I go right back to sleep. Last night, mom got 8 hours and sleep and let me tell you - she's a lot nicer when she gets rest! I'll have to remember that.

Usually when my mom gets home from work, I am just starting to melt down. So she comes home and I immediately start barking. I can't help it, I know she hates that and doesn't know what to do, but neither do I. Last week we changed our routine. Now, when mom gets home, she takes me, Buster and Maggie for a long walk. That helps me get some of my energy out and gives her a chance to decompress. Then she brings me along with her while she's doing her chores. We go upstairs together. There, we wash her face and change her clothes. Then we go back downstairs and clean up my mess from the day! I lay at her feet while she gets lunches ready for the next day. I bark alot less because I have stuff to do.

We've also been walking every morning. Maggie is losing weight! I can tell when I wrestle with her that she doesn't weigh so much. I love going for walks! I do so well on the leash. Sometimes when we are walking, I smell a person coming the other way and I always want to meet them. Sometimes I get to, sometimes I don't. I get mad when I don't get to meet them and then I misbehave a bit, just to show mom and dad that I'm not happy!

On Sunday night, we started ANOTHER new thing. We walk right before bed time. I think they are trying to exhaust me. And you know what? Its working!! The last two nights, I've gotten up on the couch with mom and taken a nap while we watch TV. Usually, I run around and bark. I know they hate that, but I can't help it!

I feel bad for my mom and dad. They want to do what's best for me, but its tough. No one really has advice for them because no one has a dog like me. They try all different things, some work, some don't work. I'm just 7 months old, so I am still a puppy. Someday I'll be a dog and they'll forget all this crazy stuff, right? From what I hear, Maggie was a challenging puppy and she's turned into a great dog! Except when she has a bone or a treat, she doesn't like anyone to get near it! Especially me! Mom and Dad are working with her on that. But if she gets mad, she always apologizes.

I know its hard to imagine not being able to see or hear. It limits the things that can occupy my attention. My mom, dad, Buster and Maggie are my whole world. I like it best when I am with them. I know they'll figure out exactly what it is that I want. They can't be with me all the time so I need to figure out how to entertain myself without destroying everything we own!We turned a corner this week, now that we are sleeping better, everything seems easier. Mom is more patient and she keeps saying that is what I was sent here to teach her. I'm doing my best :) I promised my mom that things would get more manageable as I got older.

I cannot tell you how much I love my family. And you could never imagine how much they love me. Sometimes I think its a dream, but in a dream, my mom wouldn't make me get off the counter....