It’s beautiful out. It’s also so good to see Kaiju happy outside on the little lawn area, to and from which we carry him for potty breaks. After finishing his business, he wants to sniff everything and to go after little tree branches to chew on and carry around.

Sigh.

No matter how nice it is outside and no matter how good we feel or he seems to feel, we must restrict him to minimal activities in order for him to have the best chance for a happy life. So we pick him up right after, and go home, where there is no sun coming through (our apartment faces northeast, and surrounded by other buildings).

Both the trainer for the puppy kindergarten and the breeder have been so concerned for Kaiju and supportive for us. It is good to feel we have some support when we, the first time dog owners, feel helpless and frustrated and lost. They both repeatedly told us about keeping him restricted. Nothing I read on the Web ever says anything about encouraging the dog to move around, either.

So, we have to be strong.

Our breeder says:

Kaiju’s healing and long term quality of life are directly proportionate to the supervision and restriction of activity through the next couple of months. Far better to delay gratification of allowing him to choose his course of recovery for a couple of months in order to give him the greatest opportunity for a good quality of life for a 15 + year of life. …… This is an animal, not a human and it does not understand the necessary needs to fulfill the healing process. It is up to you to guide Kaiju through the road of recovery regardless of how good he may “appear” to feel.

Our trainer says:

It sucks when they are sick or injured, and it’s not ideal for training, but you got to do the best you can, and I’d rather see him healthy and happy a bit later than re-injured and frustrated at new dogs that may last for the rest of his life.

Thank you for the reminders. We really appreciate it.

i'll be good and calm