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| A beautiful day in Princeton..... |
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Pup-Date July 2008
Kamal is now visiting Princeton a few days a week with his foster mom. Although it can be pretty boring watching her work on the computer all day, he does get to meet new people and go for walks around campus.
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| Here we are at the School of Architecture. Once described [on Orange Key tours] as "arguably the ugliest building on campus" ~ it is now quite dramatic following last year's renovation !!! |
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| Kamal reviews the M.Arch Thesis Projects in SoA's main gallery..... |
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| .... and attends a summer presentation in Betts Auditorium |
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| Kamal loves meeting new people..... |
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| .... and is unperturbed by cats and other pets |
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What an affectionate, laidback, outgoing boy ....
Kamal thrives on people, being petted and fussed over. And he gives the most wonderful kisses !! As much as he wants to meet everyone, he isn't the type of dog that gets hyper, jumps up or pushes himself on you. He has an uncanny sense of who to approach [slowly, with tail gently waggin] or who to ignore/avoid. He shows curiosity/interest when meeting dogs and cats ... as well as the occasional nocturnal toad during our walks ~ but doesn't growl/bark or try to pounce on anything.
Kamal has a condition called 'atopic dermatitis', which we are working to control with weekly medicated baths & medication. He is allergic to a certain grass and weed, as well as those horrible dust mites. Spring & summer will be more difficult for him during the grass/weed growing cycles. There might also be an underlying genetic/autoimmune component that predisposes him to the outbreaks.
He has a heart of gold. All he wants is a forever home ~ a place to call his own where he will receive lots of love & attention "in spite of" his health situation.
** We think Kamal would be happiest where someone is home a good portion of the day ~ or can take him to work [multiple person homes with varied work schedules and/or kids coming home from school, semi-retired or part-time workers for example]. He does not do well with Monday-Friday 8+ hour separations from mom/dad ..... one look at those sad eyes and you know he's been pining away, wondering when you'll be home.
Please won't you give his wonderful boy a chance? He'll return your love ten- thousandfold.
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| big sigh..... probably waiting for either his dinner or a walk [both events cause him to jump/levitate off the ground by at least 3 feet] |
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Initial notes.....
Kamal [pronounced Ka-Maal, and evidently meaning "perfection"] is 6-1/2 yrs old, tri-colored ~ about 18" at the shoulder, about 40 pounds.
His owner traveled extensively/worked long hours and realized that she couldn't continue to keep a pet [he was spending a lot of time with puppy sitter]. We didn't have a foster home available right away, so he was staying at a local kennel from early February to March 30th.
He's VERY sweet ~ loves to give kisses, good with children, other pets. Up-to-date on shots & dental work. Extensive vet exam through sheltie rescue has shown that Kamal didn't receive very good care for the majority of his life. He is sway-backed from poor nutrition when he was a puppy and also has hip dysplasia. If he'd received proper home care & medical treatment all along, he'd be in better shape now ~ but we are going to do all we can to make up for previous owner & vet.
Due to his recurring skin outbreaks [often requiring antibiotics and steroids], we ran a food/environmental allergy panel, which was negative for foods [yeahhh !!], positive for two types of dust mites, a specific grass and weed. He might need seasonal antihistamines for the grass/weed sensitifity. The dust mites situation will mean extra vacuuming and perhaps an air cleaning/hepafilter gizmo [which would be helpful for all members of his family]. We've changed his food to Natural Balance's venison & sweet potato ... removing all wheat/rice/other grains from his diet and using an alternative source of protein as an extra precaution. ** note** his tummy is much happier on this formula compared to the chicken/brown rice based food being used previously.
As far as the hip dysplasia goes ~ he seems to get around without problems ~ not the fastest walker in the bunch, but that makes him easy to walk for all age groups. And when he's excited [dinner time] or being extra silly, he jumps so high that all 4 feet are off the ground !!! He certainly is good about jumping in/out of the bathtub. So for now, we'll assume he's not having problems. As he gets older, he will be more prone to arthritis than a dog without hip dysplasia.
Are you his guardian angel?
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| March 30th ~ ride home from kennel |
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Pictures taken weekend of April 5th
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| Kamal, Sashi & Buddy [background] |
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| Kamal and Buddy |
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| Buddy's not sure about Kamal yet ~ HE'S usually the pushy one |
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| ah Yes, I'd like a double cheeseburgerrr, thank u |
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| I ordered a Cheeseburgerrr ~ what's with the kibble ???? |
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| sigh ... no cheeseburgerrr ~ maybe I'll try this duck |
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| ohhh ... a BONE !!! |
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