Susan Abel Sullivan, author
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A Goober by Any Other Name Would Still be Just a Big Galoot

2/15/2014

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PictureOur big galoot Bo...or should we rename him Goober?













Do dogs really care what we name them?

Absolutely not.  They'll answer to anything as long as we're consistent. 

Bo was a difficult dog to name.  Originally we called him Beauregard, then shortened it to Bo, then added another Bo (Bobo) so that it wouldn't rhyme with "no,"--trust me, you do not want to name a pet anything that rhymes with no because you then have to come up with some other correctional word or sound and it's easy to forget in the heat of the moment. The poor dog does something it shouldn't and instead of hearing "no," they hear what sounds like their own name. Very confusing.

But several months after settling on the name Bo, it became evident that his true name--meaning the name that's in his soul--is Goober. 

This truth was never more evident than when Bo went in for his surgical recheck and staple removal yesterday.  The vet tech who cared for him during his six-day stay affectionaly called him Goober.  And he'd perk up at that.  After she left the exam room I told Bo, "Even B. knows your true name."

And that's when I had an epiphany.  The hubs and I need to change Bo's name.  The situation reminds me of T.S. Eliot's poem, "The Naming of Cats."  It's a difficult matter according to Eliot because a cat has three different names. There's their everyday name, their particular and peculiar name that belongs to no more than one cat, and then their secret name that only the cat ever knows. 

So I took the name Goober for a test drive yesterday.  "Hey, Goober!" I said to Bo enthusiastically.  His face lit up and he wagged his tail.  Then when I said, "Hey, Bo," it was like the sun had gone behind some clouds.  Hmmm...even the dog likes the name Goober better than Bo.

So Goober it is.  It'll probably take longer for the humans to adjust than for Bo/Goober.  Because the dog knows his true name.








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My Dog Has a Zipper on his Belly

2/8/2014

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PictureIs this a zipper or a stapled incision?













Bo finally came home from the hospital yesterday. The vet tech said she wished they could put zippers in all the dogs who eat weird stuff and then get obstructed so that the vet could just unzip their guts, reach in, and remove the offending item.

And ironically, Bo's stapled incision looks like a zipper. 

He's doing pretty well considering he had one surgery to remove a foreign object from his stomach AND large intestine, and another to remove the drain inserted into his intestine during the first surgery. He's rather subdued, which is to be expected after having major surgery and being on pain meds.  Hell, I felt pretty damn bad a week after my bilateral hip replacement surgery, so I can certainly empathize. 

But he's happy to be back home with me, the hubs, and his canine pal, Moxie.  Three of our five cats--Ernie, Sabrina, and Zoe--are also glad he's back.  It's been a regular reunion around here at Casa Sullivan.

I want to thank everyone who has supported "Buy Books for Bo," from buying books to sharing the message through social media and good old fashioned conversation.  If you haven't had a chance to yet, there's still time to tweet and share Bo's story on Facebook by posting a link to this blog or by joining the "Buy Books for Bo" event page on Facebook and "sharing" it on your profile.

If you're new to Bo's saga, check out my two previous posts.





Picture
Reunited and it feels so good...
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Buy Books for Bo: an Update

2/6/2014

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PictureMe and Bo at Christmas




























Bo has been in the animal hospital since last Saturday for two surgeries: one to remove a stomach/intestinal blockage and another to remove the drain inserted into his intestine during the first surgery. 

He's doing well, happy and alert, and will hopefully get to come home tonight. Bo might be the most challenging dog we've ever had due to his OCD/Pica issues (see my previous post for more details on his mental disorder), but he's also the most affectionate dog I've ever had. 

Bo is seventy-five pounds of cuddle bunny. His favorite thing to do when he's not eating the wood hot tub or a collectible that a cat knocked off a shelf onto the floor is to sit in the hubs' lap.  When the hubs comes home from work, Bo wags his entire body.  He adores his canine pal, Moxie--it was love at first sight for the two of them.

Bo's medical care costs are now at $3400 and still climbing.  So if you'd like to help us help Bo, please buy books.  Specifically, MY books. 

I have two novels and two short story
collections available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com, Kobo, and many  other online retailers (plus Books-A-Million brick & mortar locations as a POD: print on demand).  Novels are in print AND eBook; collections are eBook only.  My second novel, The Weredog Whisperer is part of a series, but can be read as a stand alone novel. 

If you've bought/read all of my books, please consider "sharing" the link to this page on your social media sites and verbally with friends and co-workers who like dogs and/or books.  I've set up a fundraising event on Facebook--Buy Books for Bo--that is open to the public. 

I also have several copies of Weredog Whisperer and a few Haunted Housewives if you'd like to buy a personalized, signed copy/copies from me.  $15 + shipping for one book; $25 + shipping for any two books.  Media Mail is $3 or I can ship up to 2 books in one Priority Mail padded flat rate envelope for $6.  I accept PayPal. Or cash, if you're local. Cash is good. LOL

Thanks for everyone's support!



































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Buy Books for Bo: a canine medical fundraiser for dog and book lovers!

2/3/2014

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PictureBo, our dog with Pica*





























Bo came VERY close to rupturing his intestines and dying this weekend. 

He has Pica, a mental disorder characterized by the consumption of non-nutritive items and objects, such as chalk, sand, and clay.  It's commonly found in dogs, and can include other objects such as wood, plastic, paper, metal, leather, fabric--essentially anything that isn't food.

Bo has torn apart our wood privacy fence and eaten it. Ditto for the huge wooden hot tub outside.  He eats tennis balls, toys, our couch, two upholstered chairs, paper, collectibles, leather, cardboard, his bed, shoes, pool equipment, pool floats, concrete, and a dead cat he found in the yard. 

We found him in our yard two years ago and took him in.  No one claimed him so we kept him.  He's been the most challenging dog I've ever had.  The hubs and I have to be CONSTANTLY diligent about not leaving things where he can take and eat them.  But it's virtually impossible to keep Bo from eating weird shit that he shouldn't.

Right now he's on the third day of his stay at the animal hospital for a stomach/intestinal blockage.  One of the things he wasn't supposed to eat got lodged in his GI Tract.  The vet removed it, but unfortunately his intestines were damaged and couldn't be re-sectioned due to their proximity to his pancreas.  If he continues to progress as well as he has, he'll have a 2nd surgery tomorrow to remove the drain from his abdomen.  The cost for his medical treatment has already reached $2500 and is expected to rise to $3K or more. 

If you'd like to help us defray Bo's medical expenses, please buy my books.  I have two novels in print and eBook, and two short story collections in eBook.  If you don't read, consider giving a book as a gift.  Ditto if you've read all of my work. 

 All of our dogs and cats are rescued strays or shelter adoptees.  We try to do our part in reducing the number of homeless animals, but it's often a thankless job.  My dad used to say, "No good deed goes unpunished." Well, we felt sorry for little Bo when he wandered into our yard two years ago without a collar and his bones showing under his skin.  He was six months old.  My guess is that he ate the wrong thing too many times and someone turned him out.  Believe me, it's been tempting to take him to the shelter many a time.

But we didn't and now we're paying the price for helping a poor dog with a serious mental problem.

So, if you'd like to help us help Bo, please buy my books. Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com, Kobo, and Books-A-Million.  You can also check my publisher's website for other online ebook retailers. www.worldweaverpress.com

Thank you!!

And Bo thanks you!    Woof!

Later...I wanted to add that while Bo has been the most challenging dog I've ever had in my life, he's also the most affectionate dog I've ever had. 

 He's seventy-five pounds of cuddle-puppy and still climbs onto my husband's lap in his recliner as if he were still a 37# pup.  He loves to give big slobbery dog kisses and gets so excited when my husband comes home from work that I think Bo's tail is wagging his body instead of the other way around.  He absolutely adores our other dog, Moxie.  As Forrest Gump would say, they are like peas and carrots.  It was love at first sight for those two. 




















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