Lupe was born on December 14th, 2010 in the little town of Vale, SD (population 136 in the 2010 census). Vale is less than a mile S of the Belle Fourche River, and about 10 miles N of Bear Butte, which is a few miles NE of the much better known town of Sturgis, SD, home of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in early August every year.
SPHP knows next to nothing about Lupe’s family, except that Lupe did have some brothers and sisters in the same litter. As a tiny puppy, Lupe and her mother and siblings all lived outside in the cold South Dakota winter. SPHP has no idea if they had a dog house, or some other kind of shelter provided for them. They did have some outside cats as companions, and perhaps because of this, Lupe has always been friendly to all cats.
Lupe’s 5th birthday started out crisp and clear. There wasn’t any snow, but the grass in the back yard was all frosty. Lupe still had stitches where her left rear leg and abdomen meet, but she felt pretty good. During the day, Lupe and SPHP periodically played some squeaker ball in the back yard.
Lupe gets an early start playing some squeaker ball on the frosty grass in her back yard.Squeaker ball!
In the afternoon, SPHP went to the grocery store to buy some things for Lupe’s birthday party. The store was absolutely packed with people. School was cancelled for the next day due to a snow storm in the forecast, even though not a flake had fallen yet, and wouldn’t until afternoon the next day. SPHP finally got home, and baked Lupe a birthday cake.
The lines at Safeway had been so long, there wasn’t even time for SPHP to frost Lupe’s birthday cake before it was time to head out to Lupe’s Grandma’s house. Every birthday since she has been born, Lupe’s birthday party has been at Grandma’s. SPHP frosted Lupe’s birthday cake there, and the party was ready to begin!
Grandma had made chili and cornbread for dinner. Lupe, Lanis, SPHP and Grandma all had chili. Lupe likes to let her chili cool some before she eats it, but she had at least a couple of helpings. After dinner, Lanis, SPHP and Grandma sang “Happy Birthday” to Lupe, being sure to include the part about “and many more!”
The Birthday Dingo arrives at Grandma’s house expecting great things!Grandma’s 3-legged cat, Butterfly, and Lanis were on hand for Lupe’s party!
After hearing “Happy Birthday” sung to her, Lupe was ready to go outside. Lupe and SPHP took their traditional walk up to the cul-de-sac at the end of the road. Near the cul-de-sac is the Most Beautiful Christmas tree in the neighborhood. Lupe and SPHP paused to admire it, before returning to Grandma’s house.
Lupe and SPHP took their usual walk up to the cul-de-sac at the end of the road to see the most beautiful Christmas tree. Lupe is at the base of the tree.
When Lupe and SPHP got back to Grandma’s house, it was time for birthday cake and ice cream! Dingoes love birthday cake and ice cream! SPHP and Grandma even drank a whole bottle of wine, too. Lupe had plenty of cake and ice cream, but she didn’t get any wine. Lupe’s favorite presents this year were a new blue squeaker ball from Grandma, and a rawhide chew stick from SPHP.
Lupe with her birthday cake (with sprinkles!) and her two favorite new presents, the blue squeaker ball from Grandma and rawhide chew stick from SPHP. Lupe’s cake didn’t have any candles, because Carolina Dogs don’t do candles.That’s one beautiful Birthday Dingo! Happy 5th Birthday, Lupe and ever so many more!
Since The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe blog didn’t get started until February, 2015, its time to share some photos from Lupe’s previous birthdays, too!
LUPE’S 4th BIRTHDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014:
Lanis was at Lupe’s 4th birthday, too!A new Kong squeaker ball was Lupe’s favorite new toy in 2014!
This squeaker ball lasted about 10 months before it finally quit squeaking. Lupe chased it hundreds of times.
LUPE’S 3rd BIRTHDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2013:
Lupe and Grandma on Lupe’s 3rd birthday.
LUPE’S 2nd BIRTHDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2012:
Lupe and Grandma on Lupe’s 2nd birthday.Birthday loot!
LUPE’S VERY 1st BIRTHDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011:
Lupe visits the dog park on her 1st birthday.1 year old Lupe at the dog park.Carolina Dogs can, too, climb trees! Comin’ for ya Squirrel!!!Kinda, cold and wet here at the dog park! Hope my 1st birthday gets better than this!Birthday Dingo Lupe arrives at Grandma’s house for her 1st ever birthday party.Chewing something good!The Birthday Girl on her first ever birthday.Party Pooper Puppy after her 1st big Birthday Bash!
For pet emergencies in the Black Hills of South Dakota region, Lupe recommends the Emergency Veterinarian Hospital at the Animal Clinic of Rapid City. The Emergency Veterinarian Hospital has a veterinarian and an assistant on duty 24/7, even on weekends and holidays. Pets in Rapid City and the Black Hills region are fortunate to have such professionally qualified and caring help available at any time. Lupe thanks lead emergency veterinarian Dr. Erin Brown for helping her late on the Saturday night of 6-27-15 following a bad injury that needed immediate attention!
About Dr. Erin Brown – Lead Emergency Veterinarian
Dr. Brown grew up all over South Dakota, but has always considered the Black Hills home. She received both her undergraduate and veterinary degrees from Iowa State University (Go Cyclones!) Her interests include emergency medicine, internal medicine and toxicology. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, gardening and spending time with her family. Her dog, cat, and rat also like to keep her busy!
Lupe and Dr. Erin Brown, Lupe’s angel of mercy when injured. Thank you SOOO much, Dr. Brown!
After climbing Peak 6820 and Crooks Tower(7,137 ft.) on Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 135 on 6-27-15, Lupe was seriously injured in Trebor Draw. The entire front of her left front leg was sliced wide open when she ran straight into a 5-strand barbed wire fence that had fallen over across her path. Fortunately, the barbed wire had only nicked the muscle beneath the skin. The jagged wound with Lupe’s fur hanging loose and the muscle exposed looked terrible, but Lupe could still walk, even run.
Lupe on South Rapid Creek Road (USFS No. 231) with a nasty gash from a fallen barbed wire fence in nearby Trebor Gulch. The heroic dingo partly walked and was partly carried by SPHP to Black Fox campground to find help.
Still, the wound was horrifying to look at and extremely worrisome. SPHP carried Lupe as much as possible, but it was a couple miles to Black Fox Campground where there were people who could help her. Lupe got at least half of the way there under her own power. At Black Fox, kind people helped with some emergency first aid. A man named Jim gave Lupe and SPHP a ride in his pickup truck to the G6, which was still many miles away.
Lupe needed to see a veterinarian right away. SPHP called the offices of both of the veterinarians who have seen Lupe before. It was late on a Saturday evening and their offices were closed, but a recording gave SPHP the phone number for the Emergency Veterinarian Hospital at the Animal Clinic of Rapid City. SPHP called the number and was very happy when someone answered the phone. Yes, they were open. Lead emergency veterinarian Dr. Erin Brown was on duty. SPHP could bring Lupe in right away!
It was close to 10:00 PM by the time Lupe and SPHP arrived at the Emergency Veterinarian Hospital to see the puppy doctor. SPHP had to fill out a few forms. An assistant explained that Dr. Brown was with another emergency patient, but said Dr. Brown would soon be available. The assistant looked at Lupe and recorded some routine information.
It wasn’t long before Dr. Brown came into the examination room to see Lupe. She was very kind and sympathetic to the wounded dingo. Lupe seemed to trust her. (Even before meeting Dr. Brown, SPHP had assured Lupe that the puppy doctor loves all puppies and would help her get better.) Dr. Brown examined Lupe. Of course, she was going to need a bunch of stitches.
Dr. Brown left the examination room for a few minutes. She returned with a written medical treatment plan for SPHP to authorize. All the treatment options were itemized, complete with exact pricing. Dr. Brown calmly and clearly explained all the treatment options, what the risks were, etc. She answered all of SPHP’s questions. Within just a few minutes, SPHP had decided and authorized Lupe’s treatment.
Soon Lupe was being anesthetized in preparation for stitches. An hour after disappearing into the operating room, Lupe was conscious and back with SPHP again. The huge gaping wound on Lupe’s left front leg was now all carefully stitched up. She looked like FrankenPuppy. A plastic drain tube to help prevent serious infection stuck out of both sides of her leg. Dr. Brown said she had to trim some of the edges of the wound where the tissue had already died. (At least 3 hours elapsed from the time Lupe was injured before she got to the hospital.)
Lupe was going to be, OK, though. Dr. Brown explained to SPHP what to do. She said Lupe should wear a protective cone to prevent her from licking the wound. In 3-5 days, one of Lupe’s regular vets should remove the drain. The stitches could come out in a couple of weeks. Lupe got painkillers and antibiotics. Lupe and SPHP thanked Dr. Brown and went home. It was around midnight.
Wounded dingo the morning after when it still really hurt. Thank you Dr. Erin Brown for your skillful and timely help late on a Saturday night!FrankenPuppyHeroic dingo Lupe struggles to survive! Somehow Dr. Brown forgot to mention treats and vanilla ice cream as a pain killer and antibiotic delivery system, but SPHP took care of it. Lupe was certain treats had to be part of any decent “treat”ment plan.
American Dingoes are good at having adventures and lots of fun. They are not quite as good at following doctor’s orders. SPHP still had an old plastic cone for Lupe’s head to keep her from licking the wound. Lupe despised it. SPHP relented and just kept a very close eye on her. Lupe was much happier and really pretty good about not licking the wound. “No licking!” was the order of the day every time she did think about it. Lupe liked her painkiller medicine, but refused the antibiotic. Being July, it was really hot out though. Lupe had no objections to the antibiotic as long as vanilla ice cream was used as a delivery system.
Lupe went in to see her regular vet on July 1st to get the drain out. The vet said one stitch had come loose. The vet reprimanded SPHP for letting Lupe get away without having the protective cone on. The drain came out just fine. There was no sign of infection. After visiting the vet, Lupe had to wear the cone, like-it-or-not.NOT! was the dingo’s answer. She kept running into things and getting her neck twisted. She pawed at the cone trying to get it off. She laid on the floor staring into space looking totally bored and forlorn. She didn’t want to eat. Every time her spirit brightened, she ran into something else and got her head snapped around. Depression set in again.
The old cone wasn’t up to this abuse. It was made of a kind of brittle clear plastic. By the morning of July 3rd, two chunks of the old cone had cracked and broken off. Some of the remaining plastic came to a big sharp point. It looked vaguely dangerous to be wearing that thing, but the sharp end was at least pointed away from Lupe.
That evening, on the way to her grandma’s house, Lupe tried to stick her head out the partially open window of the G6. The cone snapped in half. It was useless. Lupe was thrilled. At grandma’s house she ran around playing squeaker ball. Late in the evening, on the way home again, SPHP saw that Lupe’s wound had partially opened up again. Several stitches had broken loose, not from licking, but from racing around with joy at the demise of the evil cone.
So late at night on July 3rd, SPHP took Lupe back to the Emergency Veterinarian Hospital again. SPHP bought another, bigger and better protective cone for her. Dr. Brown wasn’t on duty, but another vet was. SPHP didn’t even meet this vet, but Lupe got her wound stapled back together. Done in minutes, at no charge! The new, improved protective cone went right on. And that was the last of the problems.
Stapled up again.Cone-On the Luparian didn’t get to go to Little Devil’s Tower on 7-10-15. She had to stay home to continue healing up.
Lupe didn’t like the new improved protective head cone any better than the last one. It was better built, though, and could stand up to dingo abuse. It took a while, but eventually Lupe resigned herself to it. Her wound started healing fast. Her stitches and staples came out on July 14th. The hated cone came off a day later. The Carolina Dog was free once more! Even so, for the rest of the month SPHP tried to just keep her quiet to let the healing process really take hold.
July, 2015 was a pretty frustrating and dull month for Lupe. About the only real outing she got to go on was Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 136 on Xochitl’s birthday. Even then, Lupe did not get to go on any long trek. She just waded in the creek at Cascade Falls. On a really hot day, she did enjoy it. The rest of the month was spent doing some pretty dull stuff or just laying around waiting to get better.
Xochitl & Lupe at Cascade on Xochi’s birthday.Out of boredom in July, 2015, Lupe takes up supervising required fence repairs.
All done! That was dull!Bored dingo takes up flower gardening.I can’t even chew my rawhide stick with this thing on. There is nothing to do!Will it ever end?
Thanks to Dr. Erin Brown at the Emergency Veterinarian Hospital, Lupe IS better – much, much better. So much better, that Lupe went to see Dr. Brown again yesterday evening. This time she just went to show Dr. Brown that she is all healed up, and to thank Dr. Brown for being there at Lupe’s time of great need – so late on a Saturday night!
Lupe returned to the Emergency Veterinarian Hospital on 8-5-15 to say thank you to Dr. Erin Brown. While there, Lupe strikes up a deal with Dr. Brown and they shake on it. Dr. Brown agrees to provide a treat. Lupe agrees to eat it.Dr. Brown, SPHP put this contraption around my head and wouldn’t take it off for practically forever! I got out of one, but I couldn’t break the other one. That’s puppy abuse isn’t it?Lupe and Dr. Erin Brown, Lupe’s angel of mercy when injured. Thank you SOOO much, Dr. Brown!
Now that Lupe well again, she is destined for lots more dingo adventures in August, 2015! Within just a day or two, she is setting off on her action-packed great Summer of 2015 Dingo Vacation! In September, she will return with tales from the American West. In the meantime, she has new posts scheduled to keep coming all through August about her adventures on her 2013 Dingo Vacation to the Beartooths and Canadian Rockies.
The reader may recall from an earlier post entitled “How to Choose the Perfect Puppy” that I had discouraged my spouse in January, 2011 from even getting a puppy with a rather long list of objections. However, as related in a subsequent post “My Perfect Puppy – The Arrival of Lupe”, I was over-ruled and on February 11, 2011 became the unwilling new co-owner of Lupe, who converted me over in a single evening from not wanting a puppy at all to being delighted at becoming Lupe’s new best friend.
Despite this joyful near instant conversion to Lupe’s side, there was merit to many of the objections I originally presented to getting a puppy. Having Lupe around made for all sorts of interesting new developments, some unforeseen and many others much as I had predicted. My spouse had read a number of books about dogs prior to getting Lupe and worked quite diligently toward training her. I, however, was not much interested in books and training and discipline. I preferred to just have fun with the puppy.
Which do you prefer? Discipline and training, or having fun? Lupe took to my methods like a duck to water, and my spouse’s diligent training efforts suffered because of it. Of course, some of the puppy problems were unavoidable. It took a little while to house-break Lupe, our old cat fled to the basement and lived self-exiled in needless fear, and we had vet and other expenses associated with having a dog. However, some problems were made worse, much worse, by my endless frolicking and rough-housing with Lupe. I was teaching Lupe bad habits. She loved them.
Lupe chewed. She chewed holes in shoes and socks. I egged her on by using old socks for games of tug-of-war with her. As a result, anytime I carelessly left a sock on the floor, it was doomed to destruction at the enthusiastic jaws of the puppy. Many a time I wound up trying to catch Lupe, who had just discovered a perfectly good new and unprotected sock, before she could chew a hole in it.
Lupe thought this was the best game in the world. She raced with a mouthful of sock up and down the stairs, dashing in and out of various rooms, and leading me on a merry chase. When I got too close, she usually disappeared under the bed where she promptly chewed a big hole in her latest victim before I could rescue it. My brother-in-law could scarcely contain his mirth when one day I took off a shoe to unexpectedly reveal four toes sticking out of a huge hole at the end my sock. It was about the best pair of socks I had left.
Lupe and her favorite nemesis, Mr. Woof, the pink puppy of Peace & Love.
Lupe ate my feather-filled slippers and feathers were everywhere. Lupe chewed my hands while we engaged in mock battles. She grew so strong I had to get gloves, and then she shredded and devoured the gloves. One day when Lupe was bored, I found her chewing a big chunk out of the drywall in the living room. Lupe chewed holes in pillows which then leaked even more feathers. Nightly she enjoyed ripping the stuffing out of the comforter on the bed and chewing holes in the blankets. I awoke some mornings to find she had eaten embarrassing holes in my pajamas while I slept. With great gusto, Lupe chomped and destroyed the dog toys my spouse got for her.
Chewing wasn’t all that Lupe did, though. Dingoes are high-strung and loud. Lupe right away understood the concept of territory. She barked at anything that came anywhere near the house. She barked at other dogs. She barked at squirrels. She ran full speed barking underneath birds flying over the yard. She barked at our good neighbors, even though they gave her treats. She learned to eagerly await the arrival of the mail lady, and barked in such a frenzy it seemed certain she was going to burst through the front window and go after her.
Lupe had certain fetishes that set her off too. She was deeply suspicious of drapes and attacked them whenever someone attempted to open or close them. She attacked shovels, rakes, the lawn mower and the garden hose. It became impossible to get anything done in the yard when Lupe was around.
Most of the stuff Lupe destroyed was old anyway. No one got hurt, though my hands regularly got roughed up a bit. Through it all, I laughed and had fun playing with Lupe. I followed her path of destruction, picking up after her when needed. I looked on it all as just normal puppy stuff. There was no doubt though that Lupe was guilty as charged. She did most of the stuff I had predicted. What I hadn’t predicted was that I would also be equally guilty right along with her. I was her accomplice and sidekick. Together we led a life of puppy crime and had a great time doing it.
No doubt Lupe would be a better mannered doggie today, if my spouse had been free to discipline and train her without my constant bad influence. Nevertheless, I’m glad it all happened the way it did. I’m pretty certain Lupe is too.
Who me? I’m innocent! What do you think I am, your sock’s keeper?
