Cora just had another first. Her and I just had a huge game of tug-of-war. She's been trying to do that for a while but just couldn't seem to hold on. Today that wasn't a problem. She grabbed hold and shook and let me shake the blanket and we played for a good long time.

I've been wanting to update for a while but it just feels so like so much has gone on I don't even know what to say. Cora is still a very special girl, with big challenges. Now that she's almost 9 months old and full of rowdy energy her mobility problems show more. She wants to run so badly and does in short bursts when I'm there to hold the leash but she can't go in a straight line or see where she's going and I can't support her or keep up so it gets... interesting. She loves going on walks but she seems to depend on me to provide some support and balance. She went through a stage where she was biting and she bit me pretty dang hard once. So, a lot of the focus has been on behavior and her and I communicating better. Now that we've made a lot of progress with that, she will have her first rehab session on Saturday. Last time I took her to see a rehab practitioner, he asked the vet in that office to take a look at her. That vet then spent a good 20 minutes telling me that Cora was hopeless, a huge risk to herself and other people, was severely brain damaged and should be euthanized. My regular vet's assessment wasn't as brutal but she feared Cora would live a short life with slow deterioration. Oh how far we've come!

Some of Cora's struggles and accomplishments.

Cora used to struggle with eating. She had a hard time getting the food in her mouth. She was hungry and desparate and frustrated and I used to help by hand feeding her and frequently got bitten. NOW Cora rushes to her food and gobbles most of it down quite quickly. She can find and grab a treat on the floor. She can take a treat from my hand and if she does accidently get my hand, she immediately lets go and causes no damage

Cora didn't like to be touched. Now Cora comes to me to be petted. She and I have learned to communicate. She knows "head" "back" "leg" "halter" "sniff" and that these words are associated with touch. She wants to be petted at times and will come to me for attention. She recently made friends with my just turned 16 year old niece. She loved the attention and pats my niece gave her.

Cora goes up and down the ramp. She just recently started coming up completely on her own after having wandering through my woodsy, maze-like yard. She was so proud when she found her way all the way to the door. If I'm bringing her in and say "ramp" she immediately knows what I'm asking her to do.

Cora likes walks and recently walked 1.5 miles!!!! She doesn't always cooperate on walks. Right now she really likes to play and bite things and a walk can turn into me being very frustrated as I try to get her moving again. She is a ninja dog and can find my pants legs, shoes and shoelaces with remarkably accuracy given she can't see them. Sometimes on our walks she wants to run. She is so much more confident and has started being comfortable meeting some dogs on our walks. Cora can also walk up or down a short flight of step with help. She understands the commands "step up", "step down", and "careful" and we use these words regularly while walking. She is also learning "turn".

Cora is not itching as much and having fewer phantom pains. She still has bouts where she is upset and bites at her self or acts like she's in pain but they are much much rarer. Gabapentin has been a good med for her and it seems likely she is allergic to chicken. Finally the hair on the back of her legs is growing back. 

Cora just went on a week long camping trip. She dealt with it well. There were other people, dogs, she slept in a tent and was in a completely new environment and she enjoyed more than Floyd. 

If Cora is barking a lot it means she has to poop or she needs to play. So much more like a normal dog than the barking, irritable, overwhelming girl of a few months ago.

And most of all... Cora seems happy most of the time. She is living her life, full of spunk and energy and continuing to learn. 

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