Except that we don't really know when his birthday is. When we adopted him last April, we asked and essentially got a shrug. When we asked how old he was, we got an approximation. Old vet records that we got didn't help, so we made stuff up.
Back of the envelope math said that he was 11. We think that he is slightly older than Couper, who had turned 10 the October before. So, 11 it was.
As for the date, we think he was born before April in actuality. Frankie's New Mommy seems to recall seeing him during a Spring Break visit when he was a puppy. So really, he was likely born no later than January. But then you have to pick a random date in January, and nothing other than New Year's Day stands out (and that already is a holiday). Plus it could fall on an NFL Playoff day and that would confuse everything.
So, without anything actual to go on, we figured let's assign his adoption date as his birthday. Kind of his rebirth. That way we could celebrate the abstract with the concrete. So, April 14th it is. (Yes, I know today is not April 14th...that is my fault).
So, how is Frankie doing a year later? Well, he has lost a lot of weight. No longer does his tummy drag on the ground. He also has a good looking dog shape when looking from above. It is amazing how easy it is to put someone else on a diet! His coat is also better. We put a drop or two of olive oil in his food every night and it seems to have really helped.
With weight loss, he breathes better and snores less. He also moves better. He still doesn't play, but when he goes outside and poops, he will pounce back to the door to get his yummie. Which of course leads to his real exercise; whenever it is time for yummies or meals, he jumps up and down on his mat like it was a trampoline. If said yummie is not forthcoming, he woofs and lets you know about it. If his dinner is ready and we are doing something unnecessary, like say, making our dinner, he follows us around and lets us know about it. We grill a lot and he has figured out that when I come in with food, it is just about time for him to get his dinner. So when I go outside, he runs to the door to make sure I am bringing something in. When it is finally (!!!) time for him to get breakfast/dinner, he jumps up and down like a jumping bean again. Because he is puppy #3, he gets his dish last, which means while we are bending down do put Couper's and Godiva's on the floor, he is practically knocking us in the butt. His enthusiasm doesn't stop there. At first we bought him a regular bowl like Couper and Godiva were using. However, he would eat his dinner in literally 10 seconds. Gulp, gulp, gulp, done. So, we found one of those complicated bowls with the bumps and sections so that he would slow down. It has worked, though he still finishes before Couper and way before Godiva.
Now all this leads us to worry at times that we are starving him. But it isn't like he is skin and bones, just way better than what he was. When we take him to the vet we will know more (and he will probably tell us he is still overweight - that's just what vets do).
But the point to all this is that Frankie had a birthday (??). We celebrated his 12th (?) birthday, but really it was his first birthday celebration. Having been here a year, he has seen birthday celebrations for Couper and Godiva, so he should know the birthday drill: Special dinner, yummies, presents, songs, and a puppy parade...you know, just like every other day, but it is his birthday.
So how did Frankie do? He was kind of nonplussed. Couper and Godiva saw presents and reacted the way they always do, like Frankie at mealtime. Frankie, maybe having seen their present frenzy before and realizing it does not immediately lead to eating (though there are food items in the bags) went to lie down. So, even putting a bag in his bed led to a scene like below:
Couper: My present!!!
Frankie: OK. OK. OK.
But in the end everyone got to enjoy a fun birthday party:
So happy 12th (?) (1st???) birthday (??) Frankie!
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