I feel bad having just returned to the forums and already asking for advice. 😛 However, who better to ask then you fantastic people. So soon, I will be having back surgery. I don't know the exact date yet (bah humbag our medical system is @%@# up), but will on Wednesday unless some other snafu happens.

I don't know all the details of the surgery but I have a general idea of what to expect. I won't be able to bend, twist or life more than 5 to 10lbs. What I have been stressing out the most about is Cora. If you don't know Cora's story, she is blind, missing her right front leg and brain damage causes a variety of other issues like weakness on the left side. She's a tough cookie but she does need a lot of extra help in life. And I'm not going to be able to do it. In fact, it's already really hard to manage in my current condition.

So, I started reaching out to folks and trying to find someone who could take her in for a while. I've gotten a whole lot of "nos" and one pet sitting organization that might maybe have an option. It doesn't sound super promising and it would definitely be expensive. And it won't be anyone she knows or a place she's been before. She has stayed somewhere once before and it was rough and they aren't comfortable having her back for a longer stay. 

I have people who have offered to help her here. I'm mixed. I love the idea of her being here with me and not putting a blind dog through the stress of going to a strange place, but I am concerned about the logistics. Sometimes I help her in and out of the house. She can and will do it on her own at time, but there are also times when she won't or can't. One of the biggest challenges is when she first wakes up in the morning. She really has to pee but it seems to take her about 5 minutes to get her wits about her. So, if I don't help her after letting her out of her kennel, she is likely to pee on the floor. Similarly, at night, if she has fallen asleep before I send her out to pee, she just doesn't want to and won't.  She is asleep dang it and why am I waking her up and making her go outside. Doorways are hard. Imagine being blind, being wobbly because of brain damage and missing your front leg. Now you have to aim for the opening and go in a straight line or correct when you hit the door or frame. It's just tough. Once again, I often help guide her at that point.And then there's the floyd factor. Today when she was about to come in from outside, Floyd saw a car stop at our driveway and started barking like mad, at the door, Cora wanted to go through. So, Cora got all flustered and once again, I needed to help her in. I also give her pills 3 times a day and I was noticing I bend when I do that. I also hold her a bit if she's being wiggly.

So, realistically if people are going to be helping with Cora, they will have to stop at my house probably 3 to 4 different times to let her out? That's a lot and the offers I've gotten are sort of piecemeal. So, I started thinking that maybe I could convert half the porch (it is huge and has a roof) to a kennel for her. So, if there's a gap when people can't come, she could just be outside. She loves being outside and now that spring is here it shouldn't be too cold. I figure I'd put a piece of plywood across the south side which is the direction the wind comes from. And I was thinking that fake grass carpet kind of stuff for the bottom so it's not slippery but would protect the wood of the porch. It's also won't be slippery. Before I would be willing to leave her out over night, I'd ask a wildlife biologist if he thinks a covered porch that's mostly closed in is cougar safe. My take (I'm also a biologist but not as learned as him) is that it is. Especially since I have floyd the barker in the house.

So am I nuts? Am I missing obvious stuff?