Kilo

As Kilo approaches the age of 14, I know he realizes what a lucky boxer he is to have lived so long! Too many of our boxer babies are taken from us too soon and Kilo seems ready to enjoy and take advantage of every day he has! He is certainly starting to slow down and he sleeps much more nowadays. But, he still loves to jump off the sofa to greet foster mom when she gets home from work and when the other pups get all riled up about some strange noise in the neighborhood, well he sure has to check it out also! He also knows when it's dinner time and hangs out in the kitchen to make sure her gets his fair share! His exploring time is growing less - he doesn't seem to feel the need to check out the dining room when there's a comfy couch and warm fire in the living room. But, every once in a while his curiosity comes out! Just the other night I was awoken around 2am hearing Kilo scratching at the door to open it and get into the other end of the house. I hopped out of bed and found him chilling in the study - just checking things out and making sure it hadn't changed! But, it's certainly less frequent. The neighborhood girls who let him out during the day always used to say he'd play hide n' seek when they would come by - they'd have to search and would usually find him upstairs in the spare bedroom - even though he had to get through 2 closed doors to get there! Lately though, they find him right there on the sofa. Kilo's still a happy guy and loves to wag his nub and get pets. He had a recent vet visit and although he is losing weight and fur, the vet thought he seemed in relatively good health. He's been suffering from recurrent urinary tract infections and ear infections but the vet felt it was more his immune system just not working as well than anything in particular wrong with him. We continue to monitor his health but as long as Kilo is happy and not in pain, we will enjoy having him as part of our home. Kilo is truly a wonderful example of what fostering a senior dog can do. This is a dog whose owners almost 2 years ago dropped him at a shelter for being "too old" at the age of 12. It couldn't have been easy for Kilo to adjust to a new home and new foster fur siblings, particularly since he's blind but he just adjusted and made do with the change and as far as I can tell he's had a happy extra few years!

Sir Kilo the Explorer continues to be a wonderful dog. His age is beginning to show as it is getting more difficult to keep weight on him and he has some age spots and thinning hair in spots. But, he just had his annual vet visit and the vet said he's in wonderful health for a boy his age. He's got a healthy heart and lungs as far as she could tell! He does have gum disease and if he was younger would have surgery to pull a few teeth and clean him up but it doesn't appear to affect him day-to-day. He eats kibble with no complaint, although we usually add a bit of water to soften it up. He has a great appetite and always looks forward to dinner! He doesn't appreciate that he's the 3rd in the house to be fed and he always tries to wait by the bowl that's first in line, in case we decide to change our minds on the order. But, he's perfectly happy when we lead him back to his end of the kitchen. Kilo still loves to explore and find out what's behind closed doors - his mind is certainly not showing its age yet! I am still amazed that he rarely has accidents and always asks to go out when we're home. Kilo has truly showed me the benefits and joys of fostering a senior dog!

Kilo did the cutest thing the other day. It's something my other dogs do every day but this was the first time I have ever seen Kilo do it. He stood up from a nap, walked right over to the toy box, sniffed out an old marrow bone and took it to a corner to have a good chew. I have seen him pick up toys on occasion if he happens by them but I've never seen him actually intentionally go to get something. Normally if I am giving him a yummy treat (usually a greenie - he's got stinky breath!), I have to wave it under his nose and make sure he is paying attention to where I leave it for him. Kilo had another adorable moment when a neighbor stopped by to drop something off. My other dogs ran to the door to watch her walk back down the driveway and Kilo stood right between them, also "watching" her go! I think he just likes to go along with the crowd and try to be a part of all the fun as best he can. Kilo is such an easy keeper - he sleeps most of the time, lets you know when he has to go out and never gets into mischief (unless you consider sneaking onto the bed mischief!). He's such a wonderful dog who deserves a great family to live out his golden years with!

Sir Kilo the Explorer has made a new discovery - our bed! We do not allow Kilo on the bed and he has never made an issue of that and has happily slept on his comfy doggy blankets on the floor. But, it didn't take long for Kilo to discover the ottoman we put next to the bed when one of our dogs injured their leg. Kilo had to explore it and soon figured out it was a gateway to what he apparently thinks is heaven. We are still trying to let him know it's not for him but even though the ottoman is moved now, every time I forget to close the door to the bedroom, I find him snoring away on the bed! Once he's up there, it's tough to get him off - he is completely content to sleep the day away up there - no need for potty breaks!! Kilo is just a wonderful dog. He has the most pleasant disposition and he loves everyone. He loves company, so it would be best for his forever home to be home more often than not and/or to have a canine companion. We brought him over to my neighbor's house to test him around cats and he didn't even notice them in the room. They sure noticed him and hissed and backed away but he paid them no attention! He's so sweet and easy-going, he'd be great in a family with kids, cats, dogs, anything goes for this guy!

We have decided to rename Kilo "Sir Kilo the Explorer." He just wants to know everything and be everywhere! We were gating him in the kitchen for awhile until he somehow figured out how to open our sliding pocket doors. The first night we got home from work and found him upstairs, we figured it might have been a fluke and we had accidentally left the door open a crack. So the next day, I verified the doors were shut all the way before I left, but we came home and found him upstairs again! He wasn't destructive at all - he just doesn't like to be cooped up! Obviously we don't want him going upstairs (or downstairs!!) on his own, so we decided to let him hang out in the living room with our other dog who doesn't get crated during the day. Since then, he's been just fine! I think he just likes to have the company. We had a similar issue at night - we used to gate him in the living room, because he tends to pace around a bit at night, and sometimes wakes me up when he bumps into things. But, he decided he didn't like that gate and wanted to be with us, so he figured out exactly how to knock the gate down! Now, he sleeps in the bedroom on his doggie bed. He sleeps much better through the night now that he knows his way around, so it has worked out for everyone! He gets to have company, and we get to sleep!! Kilo is a wonderful companion - he's very easy-going, and so easy to love. Every time you touch him, his little nub starts to wag. My 5 y/o niece thought it would be fun to play "bongos" on his back, and he just wagged away - he loved the attention! I had her stop, and then start again to see what happened - as soon as she took her hands away, he stopped wagging, and as soon as she started up again, he did too. He's tolerant of everyone - young kids, older folks, playful puppies. Our 18-month old boxer Kenny tried very hard to get him to play this morning - biting at his legs, jumping all over him. Kilo made a small effort to play, but mainly just sat there and tolerated the antics of our adolescent boxer. He's such a wonderful dog and deserves a wonderful forever home!

Kilo is having a great time hanging out at his foster home. He's such a sweet old gentleman with such a strong sense of curiosity. You would think he'd be a bit hesitant moving around the house given that he can't see, but he just needs to check out everything! If there's a table, he wants to know what's behind it, a chair - what's under it! He's always taking the most difficult route through the living room to get to his favorite napping spot. Instead of going right through the empty part in the middle where there isn't any furniture, he prefers to go along the wall and under a folding table set up on the side of an armchair. Well, we've learned not to keep any drinks on that table, because you never know when he's going to climb right through it, knocking over whatever is on top in the process. When we're outside, he has to stick his head into every bush to check out what's in there and prefers to be "in the weeds" instead of in the open grassy area. We went to the eye specialist who said that although he can't tell what the cause was or how long he's been blind, he doesn't appear to be in any pain and wouldn't recommend any treatment. He just suggested an annual visit to have his pressure checked to make sure he hasn't developed glaucoma, which he sees as unlikely. He also said a regular vet could do that, so there is not really anything extra he needs for his eyes. So, we learned what we needed to overall - he doesn't need any additional treatment, and there's no reason to think they will get any worse.Kilo is a great guy to have around - he's an excellent cuddler and is very easy-going. He had no problem with getting a bath or having his nails clipped. He helped me babysit for my 5 y/o niece and loved getting attention from her. We haven't cat-tested him yet, but since he doesn't move very fast, I wouldn't foresee an issue. He's very mellow and just loves to be pet, to chew on the occasional bone, and sleep in a comfy spot!

Kilo has been with us for 2 weeks now and he's settled in very well. He is a wonderful house guest! He gets along just fine with our 2 other dogs, doesn't bark (except when we tried to crate him), has not had any accidents, and hasn't gotten into anything. He spent a few days wandering through the rooms and figuring out where everything is, and now he gets around very well. He likes to hang out in the backyard, but he much prefers to be wherever it's cool - so he loves laying right in front of the air conditioning unit! Kilo is in great shape for a 12 y/o boxer - he moves fairly slowly but that's mainly because he's cautious. He doesn't seem to have many aches or pains or stiffness. As far as I can tell, the only thing wrong with him is he can't see! He'll be going to see an eye specialist next weekend to verify his eyes aren't causing him any pain. In the meantime, we're learning how to be good "seeing eye people." It's not difficult at all - our learning curve has mainly been to remember to leave the basement door shut, and when leading him outside, make sure he goes down the ramp and not over the side! Other than that, we try not to move furniture around much or leave big items in unexpected places. I thought it might be more difficult to have a blind dog in the house, but it's really not at all! He's very self-sufficient and a wonderful dog to have around!

Kilo was sprung from the shelter yesterday and transported to his new foster home. Thanks transporters! He was brought to the shelter by his prior owners because they didn't have the time for him anymore. Kilo was lucky enough to get here just in time to celebrate our annual picnic. I planned to just let him relax in his crate figuring that a senior like him would be more comfortable there than with the crowds, but he was very unhappy in the crate. So, he met the 2 resident dogs much more quickly than expected! After introductions, Kilo was comfortable chilling with whoever felt like holding the other end of his leash. He loved just sitting near everyone and didn't make a peep. I tried to crate him for bedtime and again, he just barked incessantly. Since we had overnight guests, I figured it was best to just let him out. I pointed him to the dog bed in our bedroom and that was that! He was nice and calm and quiet after that. He doesn't really need a crate, so I don't think I'll push it. No accidents so far, so I think he's house-trained.He does like to play - it surprised me so much to see him play-bowing to the other dogs today. He even made an effort to set his place in the pack, but I nipped that in the bud - too early and too much going on this weekend! He hasn't tried again since then and he's just been cool and calm.Kilo is blind, doesn't hear very well, and is not neutered. Due to his age, the vet does not think it is safe to fix him at this point in his life. But, that doesn't stop him at all from being a great cuddler and a fabulous house guest. Kilo doesn't ask for much - someone to show him around, a comfy dog bed, 2 (soft) meals a day! Are you the right one to provide him a forever home to live out his golden years?