It started last week, I think it was Thursday. I thought we were prepared, but apparently we were not. How bad can it be, right? It's temporary, no big deal.
Thank goodness I don't plan to keep Rigby intact! Going through one season with her is going to be more than enough for me.
I planned ahead, I bought her doggy diapers and the disposable pads to use in them back in July, one pair of pink, one pair of purple, we were all set, or so I thought!
But diapers don't seem to stay on Rigby very well at all. I've tried them tight, loose, further up her belly, nothing seems right. So I went to Joann Fabric and bought Velcro to add to the Velcro that the panties came with originally, hoping that would keep them fitted to Rigby better, but even with the extra inches of Velcro they just don't seem to stay on.
Maybe it's her tail, maybe it's too short to support those diapers and keep them in place. It's not like she has a full tail like a Lab or a Golden. But other Weims go through this every day and they seem to manage to keep their panties on.
Then someone suggested to try little boys underpants, it works for their dog. I've purchased 4 different sizes, Superhero design and Avengers design, and they don't work either! I tried cutting a hole for her tail, that didn't do the trick.
When she does have her diaper on Rigby is not happy! She usually lays on the couch and stares at me with that "why are you doing this to me" look. Then she tries to take the panties off or runs through the house and her tail comes out of the little hole that keeps everything in place. It's a constant game of Fix the Diaper or Put the Tail in the Diaper Hole.
As her season has progressed Rocky has become more and more amorous towards Rigby and this also causes difficulty in having them out together. He tries to listen when told to leave her alone, but it's very tough for him. If they engage in play the panties, of course, fall off and, once again, the diaper needs to be reapplied.
Poor Rigby, again less freedom for her and more crate time. We're doing our best to keep her busy, but thank goodness we're already one week through this three-week cycle.
This morning Rigby was in her crate while Dan was out and I was back working in my office. Somehow Rigby managed to get into the dogs' toy box that is kept behind her crate. She dumped the box and the toys were scattered over the floor and she was somehow able to pull a fleece tug toy partially into her crate. I'm sure working out how to do all she managed to do through the crate wires kept her occupied for a while and was like a good puzzle.
To keep Rigby happy we've been freezing a Kong with peanut butter in it and she enjoys that treat. We're taking more and more walks, because the best thing about this is that once she is outside she's allowed to do whatever she likes -- at least she isn't on limited activity like she was with her leg injury.
Our favorite activity to beat Rigby's boredom has been our trips to the fairgrounds parking field. We pack the car with a long line, a chair, water, toys and treats. Rigby and I take a long walk and then we intersperse play and relaxation in the shade of some trees. She's on a 40-foot line and I try to give her as much freedom as I can. We enjoy the time together outside, it gives her great exercise and we throw in a bit of training, too.
Tomorrow morning we'll be going tracking, another favorite endeavor for both of us. I'm so glad that the tracking group has allowed us to continue our participation through her season, as Rigby and I both need to be out and about and having some fun.
I'm already looking forward to and planning for Rigby's spay surgery, probably in January, after the rush of the holidays are over and the Christmas tree is down and there aren't any decorations to get caught up in the cone that I know she'll be wearing. I'm hoping that once we get past the spay surgery and her healing that we won't have any down time for medical reasons for a long, long time!
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