Riesling has been healing amazingly well and it’s becoming much harder (thankfully) to see her scars. We’ve come a long way from 60 staples, exploratory surgery and one broken rib, back to a healthy and active pup.

Thank God.

I have been taking periodic photos and it’s obvious how well she has healed in the five short weeks since mid-May.

on May 24, 6 days after the attack

on June 2, 15 days after the attack

this evening, June 23, 36 days after the attack

She just came back from a short stint at Camp Bow Wow and everything went just fine. We’ll probably head back to the dog park sometime this week to see how she handles other dogs around us.  I imagine it will be a harder adjustment for me than for her.

I spent the morning at Urban Ministries in Durham weeding their outdoor family area while Eric picked up a bunch of new plants, fruits and sunflowers at the farmer’s market in Raleigh. As soon as I got home, I was put to work helping Eric clean all the windows in the house, both indoor and out.

Now Eric is planting and I am trying to do laundry…

… if only a certain someone would move.

For those of you who keep up with me on Twitter and Facebook, you already know that our pup, Riesling, was attacked at the dog park on Monday afternoon.

After surgery to treat two large belly wounds and a broken rib followed by overnight care, she came home on Tuesday night and has been steadily feeling better. It’s been a crazy few days and I am still trying to wrap my head around the entire situation. The whole attack  lasted under 30 seconds but it felt much, much longer.

I took Riesling to have her drainage tubes removed yesterday and the vet who performed her surgery was happily surprised to see her wagging and active. He said that it was simply amazing that this is the same dog. She always manages to win people over, it’s not only her ears that make her charming.

At this point I think the worst part is the required recovery accessory.

We have one half of the living room set up with sheets and blankets all over the floor until her wounds heal up enough for her to climb stairs to the bedroom. We’ve also been sleeping downstairs with her on our futon mattress so the whole pack is together. She gets her surgical staples out next Thursday, so hopefully by then things will get back to normal.

My right hand was part of the carnage and I have about 10 puncture (bite) wounds in my thumb alone. Luckily, no stitches and the x-rays were negative but I did need a tetanus shot.

Thankfully, the woman who owned the dog that attacked Riesling is going to be paying us back for all the medical costs of Riesling’s surgery and post-op care, and it looks like both of us will make a full recovery.

This is a little late because I had some trouble figuring out how to edit movie files in Vista (thanks Microsoft). Anyway, I was finally able to splice together a few clips of Riesling’s adventure at the dog park on January 20th when Durham received a rare 3 inches of cold powdery white stuff.

Film footage courtesy of my brand new (orange!) Flip camcorder.

We woke up this morning to a winter wonderland! Eric quickly checked the weather hotline and learned that he had a snow day, which means he gets to stay home with me to watch Obama’s inauguration!

I put some cinnamon rolls in the oven and Eric took some photos… :)

After breakfast we took Riesling out for a good romp in the snow…

It took a while for all the little snowballs to melt off her beard and legs, but it was totally worth it. You can see more of our snowy photos on Flickr.

Hello!

Between Eric being sick over Christmas and me currently on the tail end of a sinus infection, nothing much has been done around these parts. We don’t even have that many photos from Christmas to share.

Trust, however, that despite all the driving and stuffy noses, we had a lovely visit on Long Island and came home with a ton of good loot.

One major highlight was Pam and Ziggy’s reaction to the pastel pet portrait I completed for them in November. We also had two chances to visit with Eric’s grandmother and sample her fantastic cooking, which is always a bonus.

And, of course, Riesling spent a lot of time being snuggled. :)

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a good start to the New Year!

We’re all a bit tired from our trip up to NY, but Riesling is definitely the worst off: At this point she’s wishing for an early dinner and and an early bedtime for Christmas Eve. If she gets a new squirrel that would be fine too.

Merry Christmas everyone!

I have been painting a few hours a day when I’ve been home because I have five commissioned dog portraits to complete before we leave on Christmas holiday. I am effectively doubling the amount of commissioned work I’ve completed, ever, this month! Here is what my studio looks like at the moment…

I have three paintings about 60% done and two more to start. And yes, I am very much enjoying all of the painting time.

How’s that for a look? Leandra has been back in FL visiting her sick grandmother, and Riesling has sorely missed her. Lots of moping, checking every car that drove by just in case… and quite a few of these looks. Poor girl.

We’re enjoying Thanksgiving in FL, and last night we went to watch the sunset at Emerson State Park in Palmetto, Florida.

Riesling came with us and had a lovely time sniffing everything on the beach and getting her nose full of sand. :)