Saaaaage! Our sweetest little Sage.
This week while we’ve been in the Philippines, every once in a while I’ll think about home and remember: oh yeah, WE HAVE A DOG. And her name is Sage. And she is just unreal. Just so unreal.
At least 50x a day I look at her and just dwell on the fact that we literally won the dog rescue lottery when we added her dog highness to our family. She’s the most gentle, affectionate dog – or maybe just living creature in general – that I’ve ever known or experienced or interacted with, ever. Although now that I mention that, I’m having flashbacks of her with her hair standing up on her back, growling at strangers who come up to the front door and soft-biting at their ankles in a moment of weakness, so there’s that one little thing. Just… we’re working on it, okay?
I’m not exaggerating when I say that not a day goes by that Bjork and I don’t say something embarrassingly ridiculous about how perfect of a dog she is for us. You never thought you’d be friends with THOSE people, right?
You’re in luck. We are happy to fill that Dog-Obsessed Friend Quota for you.
If I were to describe how Sage has been in February, I’d tell you that she has been channeling the dog meets kitten meets fawn meets constant snuggler and devoted napper vibes.
There have been some February ups:
- a new toy that keeps her awake and active for at least 30 minutes at a time – THIS IS A BIG DEAL
- huge progress on operation: train Sage to fetch – I think there were like three times in a row that she actually got the ball and returned it to me because #dogwhisperer
- so so so so so many cozy wintertime snuggles, you wouldn’t even believe it
- weekly studio visits, since the studio is DOG FRIENDLY! I would be lying if I said that this was not the final building detail that pushed us into signing the lease
- pink bandana diva status achieved
There have also been some February downs:
- her back leg has been acting up – she’s limping, and she’s struggling to jump up on furniture (uhh, who says that? like, we WANT her to jump on furniture? see above comment about Dog-Obsessed Friend Quota).
- she had an X-ray to investigate the leg issues, but the results are still a bit unclear and we’re going to keep looking into it once we get back home. it’s likely that she has hip dysplasia and we are kinda sad about this.
In general, with the ups and downs and average days in between, Sage is loving life and we are loving life with Sage.
Also: I’m having a moment right now where I think about how weird it is that I am writing this post about my dog’s life. And I’m okay with it. And I’m excited that some of you dog people might weirdly and wonderfully be okay with it, too.
I love you guys so much for loving Sage. We are a dog-loving, food-loving internet tribe of greatness!
Alright. I’m pretty excited to get home to this girl in a few days, but till then, here are a few snaps I dug up from my camera archives of Sage in February!
Three things:
- If you have helpful things to say about hip dysplasia or training dogs to fetch and/or generally be interested in running games outside, I need you to start talking. Sage needs you to start talking.
- We ARE still in the Philippines, and I am sad to report that we’re mourning the loss of a very important member of our little tech family this week: Bjork’s computer. It was stolen from a restaurant here in Cebu on Saturday. There were lots of tears in my heart while, as usual, Bjork stayed cool and calm and balanced. What is that kind of life like, I wonder? Some of us shall never know such things. Anyways, in addition to losing all the video footage we had done for the orphanage over the last seven days (ouch ouch ouch ouch OUCHHHH), we are now half as efficient as we were when we arrived as we only have one computer to work from. I’m not sure what our last few days will look like here (well, yes I do – they will look like a MAD DASH to make up for seven days of video work), so if you don’t hear from us for a few days, know that we’re slowly but surely making our way back home and we’ll be up and running ASAP with a Philippines update and BIG THING post that I’m half terrified and half beyond excited to share.
- To stay up to date with the rest of our trip, peep Snapchat (pinchofyum) and join our Facebook VIP group!
Sage Friends, you’re the best. You knew that, though, right? Happy Monday!
MORE SAGE PICTURES AND POSTS:
Sage In October
Sage In August
Sage In May
You can get treats specific to treat joint problems. Our dog has very bad hip dysplasia as well. We like Zeke’s which we found at Petco, There is also a brand at Target that is a jerky treat that she likes a lot too. They do help a lot.
I second the Zeke’s recommendation. They have soft treats called “Hip Action.” My dogs love them.
Snuggly pups are the best pups! And Sage, she’s adorable.
Sage, Sage, Sage. You’re killin’ me. You’re the sweetest dog ever.
Did you check whether Sage has lumbago? My best friend’s dog had that too and it was easily treatible with some TLC and meds.
Hello! Our dog, Sydney, strugged with some limping and leg issues. She used to jump on furniture all the time, and then one day wound up stopping. We wound up giving her half a glucosamine pill a day, and after a few weeks that seemed to help! If Sage has hip dysplasia, I’m sure a different solution will be better though!
Also, when we were training Sydney to fetch when she was a puppy… we would hold two tennis balls in our hands. She would go get one and then we would wait for her to bring it back to us and drop it before throwing the other one. That way she had an incentive to bring the other one back. That also helped us teach her the command “closer.” 🙂
Sage is so cute! You guys really did win the dog lottery!
Sage just looks so adorable at every angle! She reminds me so much of my childhood beagle mix, she was the sweetest natured dog ever…pretty sure she was probably Sage’s grandmother or something <3 She is going to be SO excited to see you guys!!!
Sage is the cutest Lindsay and sorry for Bjork’s computer!! I hope you guys are able to shoot all your videos fast & hope to hear all about your amazing trip soon!!
Acupuncture! Acupuncture is wonderful for animals, especially pain and related issues. I would say definitely give it a try. Most animals are also surprisingly calm during acupuncture; you’d think needles would freak them out, but the needles are incredibly thin and for the most part the animals tend to be very relaxed during the treatments 🙂 You should Google it when you get a chance!
So many things! First off, I am so so sorry to hear about what happened with Bjork’s computer. I saw that on Snapchat and my heart sank. Mostly because I can imagine how crappy it feels to lose so much of your hard work. Props to Bjork for handling it like a pro!
I’m sure it will feel so good to get home and give Sage a big hug. Somehow that always seems to make everything better.
As far as the hip problem, I think joint supplements might be able to help. And maybe getting her a little ramp so she’s not putting that stress on her back/hips every time she jumps up. That’s just my guess from dealing with my lab’s knee problems.
I hope you have a smooth trip home!
Glucosamine and chondroitin can both help with hip dysplasia. Gentle exercise – no leaping or jumping or really long walks – is good too. Mainly though, depend on what your vet tells you. Each dogs’ case is different but hip dysplasia doesn’t necessarily mean surgery. I hope Sage feels better soon! I’m silly about my dogs too
Hi Lindsay,
Our last dog had hip and knee dysplasia. Several vets wanted to do surgery right away, but we decided to try glucosamine chondroitin (vitamin/supplement you can buy right at the dog store that basically just lubes up the joints) on another vet’s suggestion. Those worked great for us and our dog never had any problems after that and could jump on our furniture till her heart was content. I would give those a whirl before I would look into surgery. Good luck!
Haha – y’all definitely are those people – but hey so am I! My pup (well, he was a pup 3 years ago) had a bad limp – he loved to run with me and he used to run on 3 legs and it used to break my heart – I took him to the docs and they ran all the xrays and what not but never found anything conclusive – well, fast forward 3 years and he is fine! I never gave him anything for it – I hate to admit it, but I got him a stool to climb into my car and limited his running for a bit and as the years went by, his limp dissipated! I hope the same for Sage who is totally adorable BTW – and probably misses yall to pieces too!
I’m so sorry about Sage’s hip issues! A friend’s dog has hip dysplasia and it got severe enough that he was planning to put her down within a year or two. As a last resort, he stopped letting her go upstairs and she is doing SO much better now. Little to no pain and she can back to her old self! I’m not sure how easy that would be to do in your house, but it’s worth a shot!
Love the Sage pics and updates! Keep ’em coming!
Sage is a beautiful little dog. Just a thought about her back legs: my son has a pitbull rescue named Kaya. She also had trouble with her back legs, and after many trips back and forth to the vet, one of the doctors finally ordered an MRI. They found she had a tumor on her spine, which was removed immediately. Thankfully, it was benign, and Kaya has made a full recovery. But because we thought at first that her issues were her hips, I thought I should share this info with you. Wishing all of you good health, happiness, and love.
Sage is so precious – dogs are the best family members! So sorry to hear about her health issues. Massage, acupressure, acupuncture and swimming can really help with hip dysplasia.
Glucosamine pills for the hips!! It will help them move more freely.
And for fetch!! Choose a toy that doesn’t roll–one you can ideally slide across a non-carpet floor. Dab peanut butter on the top and stick a treat to it. Wave it in front of his nose and then kind of run backwards with it until he’s running, and scoot it out in front of him. This will make them think of running after it when you yell fetch. Have more treats in your hand to try and get them to bring it back to you.
Lindsay, Sage is precious! Her eyes say all there is to be said about her. I sure hope a remedy can be found to help with her hip problems…poor gal. ( I wish I had that AH-mazing light in my living room! BTW)
So sorry about the stolen computer….sooo frustrating I’m sure. Safe travels home!
Sage is a s-w-e-e-t-I-e!! What a a lovable dog.
I have no medical help for you just a comment.
My sister-in-law’s rescue beagle (9 yo) just tore two tendons in a rear leg “knee”. We just never thought about dogs having knees. Does not heal itself & surgery is $5000+ with no guarantee. So they’re just trying to limit her activity & monitor with pain meds.
We are dog lovers forever!!
Sage is doggie perfection…but I am so sorry to hear of her hip displasia. Please know there are homeopathic alternatives that can really help. If you’re lucky you might be able to find a vet nearby who specializes in these kinds of remedies. I wish you guys all the best and so sorry to hear about the computer…that’s a loss you didn’t need but it will come out ok, you’ll see. Safe trip home.
Rescue fur babies are the best!!!! I have rescued 3 dogs over the past 20 years and they have all been the most loving dogs. Eko is our latest and she is just a LOVE!!! As for hip dysplasia, have you taken Sage to a Chiropractor yet? After I adjust my kids, Eko jumps up on the table and waits for her adjustment. Chiropractic adjustments are very good for animals as well as humans. Swimming is also very helpful in strengthening the hips in dogs.
We have also had success with the two-ball system for Fetch. As soon as Marky catches ball #1 we have to grab his attention with ball #2 so he will turn around and return to the start location with ball #1 still in his mouth. Then he will Sit, Drop It and Fetch again. This works best with two different balls, both with squeakers intact. Good luck!
I can’t handle all of the cuteness that is Sage! You make me want to be a dog mom so bad.
Bummer to hear about Bjork’s computer! Safe travels back. 🙂
(p.s. been listening to the FBP podcast like cray and love it so much!! Just wanted to share)
Such a cutie. These posts, the good and the bad, make me want to figure out a way to get a dog. So sorry about the computer, that just plain stinks.
Sage is beautiful. We felt the same way about our beloved pet Idaho who we had to say good bye to a few years back. I would love to know Sages’s breed? You are very blessed to have her!
I have the same question as Karen. 🙂