DUKE IS FREE!

We took Duke back to UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Athens last week, and the vets said he is progressing nicely! He's off of crate rest, and boy, is he a happy dog! They expect him to make a full recovery, and it normally takes up to six months for a dog to recover fully after such back surgery.

Well, he doesn't know that, and still tries to jump up and down, so we have to watch him carefully--it's like having a baby in the house. He has a hard time holding himself up on our hardwood floors, kinda like Bambi on the ice-covered pond. But he's getting there, seems to feel good, and for that, we are very thankful.

Here are some photos:

These were taken while we were at the hospital, and as you can see, Duke isn't thrilled. It's like he's saying, "No! Don't leave me in this place again! I wanna go home!" He behaved well, however, and we were soon on our way.

My hubby Clark built a ramp on our deck so Duke would have an easier time going outside. The ramp has other good uses as well: for decrepit ol' me, who has trouble with stairs, and also when Clark wants to bring the BBQ grill up on the deck. Here are photos of Clark's masterpiece:

So, there you have it. Duke is well on his way to recovery (and we must watch him at all times), but we wouldn't have it any other way.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em!