An injury

We're not sure how it happened, but a couple of weeks ago, Tai had this cut or scrape on his lip. We can't figure out if it is from sniffing along the ground or from sticking his face into long grass or shrubs. At first it was quite raw and open. Slowly it has turned more white-ish as it heals. I hope the hair grows back in so that it isn't a permanent mark. It doesn't seem to bother him much, although he does lick it more now than usual. Luckily, it doesn't interfere with his play. He still loves to play tug-of-war and to chase after his toys.

Tai gets new clothes

We recently attended a pet expo in Bangkok. Our friend there had a booth to sell all manner of clothes and doggy goodies. She delighted in giving Tai a variety of shirts and hats. Yes, hats. I don't like hats on dogs. In fact, I don't like clothes on dogs. I do admit that a shirt can help Tai stay warm in winter, but beyond that I'm not a doggy fashion aficionado.

Here's Tai in his schoolboy hat. Or is he pretending to be Sherlocke Holmes?

Tai at the beach

After more than two years, we were able to make a getaway to the beach. Believe me, this vacation was long overdue. When we lived in Bangkok, we used to get away quite often. But now that we are 7 hours from the nearest beach... well, that kinda speaks for itself.

Click on photos to see full size.

This was actually Tai's first real beach experience. In the past, we had someone we could leave him with. Our favorite holiday spot at the time didn't allow pets. But now that we have no one to puppy-sit for us, we had to do extra research into hotels/resorts that accept these special members of the family.

We certainly hit on a wonderful place. In fact, the Villa Bali Resort had everything we needed and wanted... 1. they accept pets; 2. they have a pool; 3. they have easy beach access (right across the road); and 4. they have free WiFi. (Tai didn't care for this last one. He's not a slave to internet and email like someone who shall remain nameless.)

We spent each day in the shade of large trees on the long, wide beach or under an umbrella by the pool. This is low season, so the entire town area is very much deserted. Just a few tourists. In fact, the four-lane road that separates the resort from the beach was incredibly quiet, even in the middle of the day. It felt like we had the whole beach entirely to ourselves. Just the way I like it.

Tai thoroughly enjoyed playing on the beach and in the sea. His injured foot didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. He played himself to exhaustion, then enjoyed a nap, and started all over again. The only thing that seemed to bother him was the taste of seawater, but he quickly learned to cope with that.

We were delighted that Tai ate his suppers heartily every evening, just like at home. I mention this because in the past whenever we took him away on vacations, he would go for days without touching his food. Not this time. This time, he ate like a little pig!!




Check out this video of us thoroughly enjoying the beach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a88AgTgf2J8

Here's the link for the resort: http://www.villa-bali.net/

New Signs at Boston-T

We had a new sign made for Boston-T Cafe and had the old one mounted on wheels so that we could have a sign at eye level. We're pleased with the results.

Click the photo to see it full size.

And here's a pic looking in to the restaurant from the street.

On the mend

We're glad to report that Tai is quickly getting back to normal. After 24 hours of pretty much staying put and sleeping, he ate his supper as usual and was happy to go out for a short walk before bed, just far enough to 'take care of business'. Naturally, his foot is still tender, and likely will be for a week or more.

And now after 48 hours, he's a lot more like himself. He's getting pretty good at hopping around on only one back leg. He went to the vet again today to have his foot cleaned and the bandage changed. What a trooper, sat through it all without a fuss. He was playing with a young girl this evening in our restaurant and, try as he might, just couldn't keep that foot off the ground all the time. Play clearly took priority over favoring a sore foot. That's our boy!

Tai has surgery

Tai is recovering from minor surgery to have a pad on one of his back feet stitched closed. We don't how the injury happened, but he came limping into the house yesterday with the inner tissue of his foot pad oozing out of a gaping cut. So off we went to see the vet.

He was given an injection to put him out, but it didn't take. Neither did the second shot. The third one finally knocked him out. When we picked him up a few hours later, he was only fractionally awake but was trying desperately to walk or crawl, though his limbs wouldn't cooperate. Talk about acting like a zombie.

He slept on the bed during the night so we could keep a close watch on him. Fortunately he slept well all night, moving around only a little. In the morning, he was still pretty dopey. I guess it will take time for all that anesthetic to work its way out of his system. And during the day, he did hobble around a bit, even peed and pooped. He must still be quite uncomfortable, though, because he has been growling at the customers who come into the restaurant. I would too if my foot were really sore.

Hopefully this all passes quickly.

Our Active Sleeper

I was just sitting here watching Tai having a nap in the afternoon. He is the most 'active' sleeper I know. His eyes are open, his tongue is out (normal when he's sleeping), and his feet and mouth are going at a furious pace. I'd love to know what he's dreaming. Could be about playing with his favorite toys, or about visiting with the neighborhood dogs. No wonder he looks exhausted when he wakes up!!