Mr. Wiggles. Interesting how this fellow squirmed into my life. Over a one year period, my life had changed drastically. I was divorced from my first husband, had fostered a dog, was addicted to running, practicing massage and teaching canine massage to fellow dog lovers. I had a full time office position for the County Parks and Recreation department and was attempting to start a pet sitting business with a friend.
Winter arrived and snow covered the December sidewalks making running difficult. I injured my knee from the uneven surfaces. I spent the rest of December and Early January Cross Country skiing. Halle and Langston would go on my CC days and run right through my freshly laid tracks. It is difficult to ski over dog pawed snow, but it was worth watching the dogs run along side me.
One evening after work, I had plans to photograph a Parks event. First, I had to run by the pet store to pick up food and supplies. As I was browsing the isles, the owner of the store approached me. We had been acquaintances since I adopted Langston. She wanted me to see a puppy in the back room. She was hoping I could help him with massage. I walked back into the storage room and there sat a chocolate colored Doberman, with an upside down front left paw. The owner asked if I would be willing to take him home over the weekend and massage his leg daily and apply heat compresses. They would supply me with a collar, leash, dog food and toys for the weekend. Sure. I was actually going home to my Mom's house over the weekend and would attempt a whirlpool bath as well, to help ease the tension in the paw. The pet store owner informed me that the vet's diagnosis was grim. If the paw did not straighten, then amputation was going to be necessary for this dog.
So, I left the pet story and told them I would be back before closing to pick up the pup. I left to photograph the parks event, finished up my work, then went back and picked up the pup. What a handful! He had non stop energy and could not get enough attention. I figured this was from being kept in the store room the last few days at the pet store. I later realized, this was just his personality. I got home and introduced him to my dogs. They were friendly and accepting Cadet upon meeting him. They had spent the spring with a foster dog. I assume they figured this was a temporary situation as well.
The pup received three 1/2 hour massages a day on his arm, shoulder, neck and back. I would finish the massage by a 1/2 hour heat therapy session. The whirlpool bath to help reduce tension did not happen. He was frightened to death by the water. The weekend progressed and massage and care continued. Monday evening after work, I brought the pup and his belongings back to the store. Unfortunately, my attempts didn't help the deformed limb. Like anyone caring for an animal over a three day period, I had grown a small attachment for this little fellow. So, when the pet store owner approached and asked if I would be willing to take this pup in to my home, it was hard to say no. They offered to help with vaccinations, supply a bag of dog food, his AKC papers, collar and leash. I would just have to take him to the vet and continue treatments.
This was a very difficult decision for me. Halle, Langston and I had a great relationship. Adding a third dog in the mix could be harmful. I never even considered keeping the dog I fostered in the spring, because they seemed uncomfortable with her living in our house. So, I bit my lip and made my decision. I would take him and hoped I had not made a mistake. So the pup, Cadet, crawled back in my car and went home.
Cadet was an easy name choice. It was actually the name I picked out for Langston. However, my ex had convinced my to change his name to Langston. Langston was named after poet Langston Hughes. So since Cadet's name was chosen for a previous friend, I added SpaceCadet on to create his full name. The women I worked with at Parks and Rec didn't think he was a Cadet and tried to convince me to change his name to Louis, after Louis Doberman. Louis Doberman is the man who created the Doberman breed. So, I compromised and filled out the AKC papers as SpaceCadet Louis.
SpaceCadet was a difficult pup to walk. He was extremely skinny because he had to remain on a senior diet to slow down his growing. His front paw was flipped upside down, so he would drag the paw along as we walked creating a bloody abrasion. I bought dog booties to protect his paws. He would put very little pressure on the front leg and hold it up if he wasn't moving. I took Cadet to my vet and she suggested a bone specialist in Anderson, Indiana. Off we drove to Anderson. The specialist took x-rays of the leg, and decided for a cast for the first round of treatment. She was hoping because of fast growth, his tendons were stressed causing the foot to flip. However, if the foot was not fixed in two weeks when the cast was removed, he would have to have the leg amputated.
When the cast was removed, we were lucky to see that his leg was healed. All I had to do was continue to feed a senior diet for a couple more weeks. Cadet was healed and capable of running, jumping and being a puppy. I decided to go hiking with a friend. I had my three pups loaded up in my vehicle and her pups in her car. Off we went. All of a sudden, chaos erupted in the back of my Tracker. I looked in my mirror and noticed Halle sitting quietly, Langston hanging out by an open window and Cadet, ugh where is Cadet. I looked out my rear view mirror and there stood Cadet. Standing on the side of the road. The same side of the road with the open window and innocent Langston. I brought the car to a screeching stop, jumped out and ran up to my buddy. He was scratched and frightened. I scooped him up and my friend had noticed the commotion and came to help. She and I looked over Cadet over and realized that all was well. I don't have 100% proof that Langston pushed him out that window, but I strongly believe that is the case. Langston has never been very happy with the placement of Cadet in our home. They have grown to tolerate one another, but it has taken time.
These are all stories about Cadet's intro in my life, but who is SpaceCadet Louis. Cadet is a unique dog. When he was young, all you had to do was touch his head to satisfy him. He is a bit more demanding as an adult. He never gets enough attention and can be a bit overwhelming. Most people are told to not get in a dogs face. When you are around Cadet, that rule is broken. He always gets in your face. He also wiggles his whole body when he is happy (which is often). When he was a puppy, he would wiggle all the time. He would even wiggle while he ate, so the kibble would rattle all over the bowl. We started to tell him to wiggle and he eventually began to wiggle on command. My mom gave him the nickname Mr. Wiggles because of his adorable body wiggle.
Cadet has been a challenge. He has busted my lip and knocked me down many times, nearly broke my glasses and nose with his head and has annoyed many friends. His place in our pack has also been a challenge. He and Langston have a rocky relationship. They play fetch and wrestle, but it often ends in a fight or argument. Cadet tends to push Langston's buttons. However, Cadet and Halle are dear friends. They run and explore the property together like the best of buddies. Getting Cadet, hurt Langston and Halle's play relationship. I realize that Cadet may not have been the right dynamic for my pack, but he did bring energy and joy overall to Langston, Halle and I. It hasn't always been easy, but we have all had a lot of fun learning to live together as a pack.
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