Here are some pictures of Riley and my parents' dog, Chloe, at the beach today.  It was only in the 50's but we still thought going to the beach was a good idea.

I took Riley to get her nails trimmed at the vet today (they were like daggers!).  At first she hid under the chairs and didn't want to go to the back with the tech.  I had to walk her to the door to the back and she was fine after that.  They weighed her and she now weighs 49 pounds.  She weighed 51.6 pounds a couple weeks ago when I took her to the veterinary surgeon.  I guess her no treat diet has been working!  She was never overweight but the less weight she has on her, the better for her hips.  She's also been able to play fetch short distances in the house and has gotten to run around and play with my parents' dog, Chloe.  I have only taken her for a walk a few times since she's been off crate rest because it's been so cold and wet out.  Once the weather gets better she'll get to go on more walks.  The exercise is good for her hips and her waistline!

Riley turned 11 months old on Thursday.  I can't believe she's almost a year old.  She (surprisingly) seems to be calming down a little bit.  She hasn't had to bother my parents' poor, geriatric dog too much lately.  Only once or twice a day as opposed to at least 4 or 5 times a day.  She used to bother the poor dog until she would give in and start playing with her and now if the other dog, Chloe, won't play with her after a minute or two she just leaves her alone.  She still wants to play fetch 24/7, but seriously, am I expecting a miracle here?

I was going to say that Riley hasn't gotten in to as much stuff as she used to but then I remembered when she grabbed a quesadilla out of the trash can after dinner.  Ah, thinking back over the year I remember all the mischief she's gotten into.  Digging countless holes in the yard and hiding things out there.  Hiding things behind the curtains and hiding things down in the couch cushions.  Eating a Zoloft when she was 4 months old.  Turning on the faucet in the bathtub and in the shower.  Ah, the memories.  Riley's reputation precedes her.

Riley got to see her Aunt Baddy today and was so happy.  She has been a little calmer these last few days than the first day when she was off crate rest.  She's gotten back into the swing of things and the routine at home.  She even got to go to class on Thursday night and see her boyfriend, Kapua.  She did well at class despite having been in her crate for two weeks.  She still knew all her commands and wasn't too incredibly wild.

Riley has been off of crate rest for all of 6 hours and has been living it up. She's been outside running around, inside running around, all over the place. She's been playing with my parents' dog, Chloe, nonstop. We even had to put her in her crate for 2 hours to calm her down. I don't think this is what they mean by "limit exercise." Her hips must be feeling really good!!

We got another few inches of snow today, which is rare for Southeast Virginia. Poor Riley has been dying to go out and run around in it but she's still on crate rest. This is her last day on crate rest!! Thank God...I don't think I could survive one more day. Riley's definitely not a fan of crate rest or hip dysplasia. Things will be back to their crazy, loud selves tomorrow and I'm sure I'll be ready for crate rest again by noon. I'm going to give Riley her sedatives tomorrow too to kind of ease her back into the routine of things then I'll take her off of them on Friday. Riley gets to go to class again tomorrow night (if it doesn't snow any more) and I'm sure she'll be really excited about that. Sorry I have no pictures to post today, all that's going on is that Riley is in her crate and that's not too exciting.

Actually, I heard back from her breeder again today and she said she knows I could never give Riley up but if I ever want a free puppy to keep Riley company, she'd have one for me. I don't think I can survive puppyhood again!!

I e-mailed Riley's breeder last week to let her know about Riley's problems with her hips and knees. I got an e-mail back today. She said this was Riley's parents' second litter together and the first problem between the cross. She also said that she thought it was wonderful that I was going to keep Riley and take care of her. If I ever change my mind she can change Riley out for a new pup.

Aww, I don't know how I could ever change Riley out for a new puppy. First of all, I wouldn't want to go through puppyhood again. Once in my lifetime is good enough for me! Riley follows me around the house. Any time I move in the house, Riley moves right with me. If I get out of her sight she has to come find me or else she gets a little upset about not being able to see me and know where I am. Plus, I've put in all this time to train Riley. There's no way I could exchange her.

Well, we finally got the steps finished. It took us about 7 hours total spread out over 3 days. I think the finished product looks pretty good. Riley loves them. She can actually fit on them.

Here's a picture of the new steps:

Here's the old steps that were too narrow for her:

And here's a picture of Riley on the steps:

While Riley has been in "jail" (AKA her crate...) I have been helping my dad build her a set of steps to get up onto my high bed with. She has a cheap plastic set of steps that she uses right now but they're too narrow for her and I think the weight limit for them is supposed to be 40 or 50 pounds and Riley weighs 51. It's just a matter of time before they give out!


Excuse the ridiculous outfit but it's cold out there in our garage! I'll update again once we finish them. We still have to carpet the steps and attach them and I'm going to paint them when it gets warmer out.