Dingo.org - Blue Roo's Page

Shadowdog
11 Mar 1994

Ol' Potato Dog

Last Updated 2005.03.31

Roo was added to our family when I was lucky enough to find him at the Oregon Humane Society on March 11th, 2001. Since no one seemed to know much about him, I've made his adoption date his birthday. I'm not even sure how old he is, but my best guess is from 6 to 8 years old. He has a problem with his rear right leg which I'll get x-rayed when he goes in to get fixed next week. A friendly disposition and obvious intelligence makes him an exceptional find...especially when he was transferred to the Humane Society from Multnomah Animal Control and they apparently didn't know anything about him either. So, shots and observation are on the schedule for a while...along with training and discipline, but he's a wonderful dog. One other thing...they had nicknamed him "Potato Dog" at the Humane Society due to his rotund appearance. I'd have to call him a Sweet Potato!

2001.03.11 Got me a new family member today. His name is 'Blue Roo' or 'Roo' for short. I found him at the Oregon Humane Society yesterday. The paperwork says he's 6 years old, but I'm guessing he's older, maybe 8. Either that or he's had a hard life. He was quite dirty but what a happy dog! He smiles a lot, and his tail wags constantly.

I took Shadowdog in to meet him. They had their initial sniffs amicably enough and Roo just couldn't get enough sniffs of Shadowdog's face. That ended quickly when Shadowdog grabbed Roo's nose and shook it quite hard. (Shadowdog HATES getting his face sniffed...he even bit MY nose when I teased him like that...of course, that only happened once.)

After their brief altercation, Shadowdog merely showed teeth and rumbled whenever Roo got too close to his face, but they seemed ok other than that. They were together about an hour and I was satisfied they weren't going to kill each other. I made arrangements to pick up Roo a little later and took Shadowdog home. Then went back to pick up my new boy.

Roo has a distinct limp in his right leg. He can't sit on his haunches, but instead sits on his hip. He will steady himself with the right leg, but puts little if any weight on it. I'll have to get that looked at.

2001.03.31 After a couple weeks, Roo's adjusted quite well. He and Shadowdog actually play together, something Gizmo would rarely do. They sit together and spend all day being friendly. It's nice to see.

Roo got neutered yesterday and I had his hips x-rayed at the same time. Apparently he has advanced arthritis in his right hip. The joint looks almost non-existent, and it must cause him considerable pain. Doc said that we could do a complete hip replacement which would cost about $4000 dollars, but that wouldn't necessarily work, due to the deterioration of the bone. The other option would be to remove the scar tissue and cut off the end of the bone which would allow for more range of motion and would alleviate a lot of the pain, and be more likely to work. Roo has such a good disposition despite the pain he must be experiencing...I'll have to do something.

I'm going to start saving money for the operation. Doc said it will cost between $500 and $800, but I would guess more like $1000 (with meds and all). It might take awhile, but he's worth it. Certainly can't have him living the rest of his life in pain. Even though I didn't raise him from a pup, he's now part of the family and needs to be looked after.

Here are the X-Rays. Click on them to see a larger version.

Roo's Hip X-Ray Roo's Leg X-Ray

2001.05.10 Had an interesting surprise waiting for me when I got home this afternoon. Seems Roo decided to do a little redecorating on one of my windows. He's been experiencing separation anxiety when I leave for work each morning. He climbed into a rocker I had near a window and thoroughly chomped the miniblinds. There were about 10 slats missing entirely and to add insult to injury, he also bit all the way through the support at the bottom. (sigh) I couldn't get mad at him, with his charming smile and wagging tail, so I took down the terminated blind and visited Home Depot for a new one. One thing is for sure, I'm not putting the chair close to the window again!

Snoozing Roo
Here's how Roo likes to sleep. Strange...

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2001.03.11	Got me a new family member today. His name is 'Blue Roo' or 'Roo' for short. I found him at the Oregon Humane Society yesterday. The paperwork says he's 6 years old, but I'm guessing he's older, maybe 8. Either that or he's had a hard life. He was quite dirty but what a happy dog! He smiles a lot, and his tail wags constantly. I took Shadowdog in to meet him. They had their initial sniffs amicably enough and Roo just couldn't get enough sniffs of Shadowdog's face. That ended quickly when Shadowdog grabbed Roo's nose and shook it quite hard. (Shadowdog HATES getting his face sniffed...he even bit MY nose when I teased him like that...of course, that only happened once.) After their brief altercation, Shadowdog merely showed teeth and rumbled whenever Roo got too close to his face, but they seemed ok other than that. They were together about an hour and I was satisfied they weren't going to kill each other. I made arrangements to pick up Roo a little later and took Shadowdog home. Then went back to pick up my new boy. Roo has a distinct limp in his right leg. He can't sit on his haunches, but instead sits on his hip. He will steady himself with the right leg, but puts little if any weight on it. I'll have to get that looked at.
2001.03.31	After a couple weeks, Roo's adjusted quite well. He and Shadowdog actually play together, something Gizmo would rarely do. They sit together and spend all day being friendly. It's nice to see. Roo got neutered yesterday and I had his hips x-rayed at the same time. Apparently he has advanced arthritis in his right hip. The joint looks almost non-existent, and it must cause him considerable pain. Doc said that we could do a complete hip replacement which would cost about $4000 dollars, but that wouldn't necessarily work, due to the deterioration of the bone. The other option would be to remove the scar tissue and cut off the end of the bone which would allow for more range of motion and would alleviate a lot of the pain, and be more likely to work. Roo has such a good disposition despite the pain he must be experiencing...I'll have to do something. I'm going to start saving money for the operation. Doc said it will cost between $500 and $800, but I would guess more like $1000 (with meds and all). It might take awhile, but he's worth it. Certainly can't have him living the rest of his life in pain. Even though I didn't raise him from a pup, he's now part of the family and needs to be looked after. Here are the X-Rays. Click on them to see a larger version.
	Roo's Hip X-Ray Roo's Leg X-Ray
2001.05.10	Had an interesting surprise waiting for me when I got home this afternoon. Seems Roo decided to do a little redecorating on one of my windows. He's been experiencing separation anxiety when I leave for work each morning. He climbed into a rocker I had near a window and thoroughly chomped the miniblinds. There were about 10 slats missing entirely and to add insult to injury, he also bit all the way through the support at the bottom. (sigh) I couldn't get mad at him, with his charming smile and wagging tail, so I took down the terminated blind and visited Home Depot for a new one. One thing is for sure, I'm not putting the chair close to the window again!
	Here's how Roo likes to sleep. Strange...