BarkingProse

Before I came to Asherpark I spent a lot of time hungry. You can see my ribs in my mug shot from the slammer. It didn’t take me long at Asherpark to put on a few pounds.

Next thing I knew mom said I had to watch my weight. I was willing to do that. I wanted to watch it go up and up. But mom said no fat dogs. Period.

I can’t blame her. She has to lift me in and out of the car and a few extra pounds makes it that much harder.

I was living the good life, eating all the stuff that Ash and Tess enjoy. Then the scratching started. Slowly at first and then like I was possessed.

Lick, scratch, whimper, scratch, moan. That was my life for three months. Mom took me to see      Dr. Brad right away. First he looked for signs of fleas. He didn’t see any fleas but he did find a tapeworm segment. Home I went with worm pills. That took care of the hitchhiker that followed me from my former home.

Next I got flea treatments, allergy pills, special baths. Nothing seemed to help. The scratching continued. After eliminating everything else, Dr. Brad was convinced I had developed a food allergy. Just my luck.

Mom spent hours reading about dog food allergies. Then she spent a couple of hours reading all the ingredients in processed dog food. She got a book with recipes for allergic dogs. Finally mom decided what to do. She bought me a sack of grain free kibbles made with duck and potato. She also got me grain free treats.

Usually mom would change my food slowly over a couple of days, but this time she just swapped it out the same day. It was a miracle. Within in twenty four hours my scratching just stopped. Stopped completely! Who knew? Me, Jack, a worn out old mutt who used to eat whatever he could find, now had a special grain free food.

I’m so much more comfortable now and I don’t keep everybody awake at night with my scratching. The taste of the new food is fine. The treats are soft and easy on my old teeth. Life is good!

I’ve been at Asherpark now for over a year. During that time I’ve always had a babysitter. Usually Ash has to stay home with me because I get so worried when the people leave.

The first year I couldn’t rest when mom left me and Ash in the car. Ash would just fall asleep, but I cried and barked and watched for mom to come back.

Over time I got a little better. I only barked if mom had to take Ash with her and I was alone in the car. Then I was a barking fool.

A couple of days ago mom decided to take me with her when she went to the dentist. That’s because the people at the dental office know me and always ask about me.

So off we went for a nice long ride. Mom parked the car so I could see where she went. I sat and watched for a while, but then I lay down and went to sleep. Just like Ash!

After her appointment the nice ladies came out to see me. They had to wake me up! Mom was so proud of me. She told everybody that I had graduated. I don’t have to have a babysitter in the car anymore.

When we got home I ran and told Ash. He laughed and gave me a nice body slam. Ash said he didn’t mind being my babysitter, but he was real glad that I have more confidence and can go out alone now.

Mom says the next step is for me to stay in the house alone. I’m not sure about that. Even Tess can’t stay home alone. Only Ash can stay home alone.

Mom said she wants me to stay alone while she walks Ash and Tess to the mailbox. That takes about ten minutes. I think I can manage. Maybe.

Anyway, I feel like I passed a big test. I guess my time at Asherpark has helped me feel more secure about my circumstances. I hardly ever think about the time I spent in the slammer. I think about my nice soft bed and my pack at Asherpark. That’s progress, isn’t it?