Duppy's Update

Here's one of the pelicans taking off by running on the water!

The past week or so we've just been hanging out with my Grammy at Harbor Chase Rehabilitation Hospital while she gets her legs back under her. Everybody here loves me, and whenever they see Doug coming they always look for me. I had a spa treatment and grooming two days ago so I'm especially foofy now, and everyone loves that. We've been here about three weeks and Doug hasn't taken me to the beach even one time. Down here in Venice they have lots of pelicans and cranes, but since we haven't been to the beach I haven't had to chase them off like I did in Virginia Beach. We don't have to go to the beach to see birds here because Grammy and Duffy LIVE in a bird sanctuary!! I'll tell Doug to post some pictures - I know he's been meaning to take some!

For every step forward poor Grammy makes she seems to take one back. When she fell and broke her hip she also tore open her elbow, which needed to be stitched up. Unfortunately, it became very infected and it took until today to get the infection under control. A couple of days ago she got tangled up with a device in the bathroom, and cut her wrist up pretty badly so she's all bandaged up. The rehab nurses are trying to get her going, but it's a very slow process, and Doug is just glad that she's not spending her days on her back in the hospital bed. She goes to physical therapy in the morning and occupational therapy in the afternoon. Right now she's in her wheelchair watching TLC. She loves that I come to spend lots of time with her every day, and I hop right up on bed so she can feed me tidbits and pet me!

Even though we haven't made trips to the beach, we have been eating out at least once a day and I love that! Before I became a service animal I had to wait for Doug in the truck, but now that's all changed. Doug gets lots of email about our experiences, and our blog has had almost 6,000 hits from twenty countries in just eleven weeks - the latest being Equatorial Guinea, India and Latvia! Jeez! Doug says it's my fan club since I seem to be the one most people want to write to. Can't blame them as I'm pretty darn cute!

See what I mean? Cute or what?

Doug and Grammy both enjoy reading historical literature, and Doug is reading one of Gram's books entitled Mayflower, written by Nathaniel Philbrick, about the real story behind the colonization of the Plymouth Plantation. Reading the book has caused Doug to go on a huge search for information about the European Hundred Years' War, Thirty Years' War and the Seven Years' War, which all preceded the Pilgrims' emigration to the New World. While the part of the story about Squanto and the Indians saving the Pilgrims' bacon when they first arrive in North America is true, the rest of the story was a shock for Doug.

He thought the Pilgrams were peace-loving people, but that was not really the case because in the book it said every man in church worshiped with a musket at hand. Within a handful of years the colonists and Indians found themselves in conflict that erupted King Philip's War and the Great Swamp Fight which was absolutely shocking to Doug. Seventy-five percent of the New England towns were attacked, which had homes, barns and mills set on fire, and many people killed or captured to become Indian slaves! It turns out that America's first best-selling book was the story of Mary Rowlandson's capture and experiences as an Indian slave! Doug is doing lots a research as he reads, and is looking for a copy of Rowlandson's book.

We hope that before long Grammy will be back on her feet and we will be down the road to Pensacola for Thanksgiving, but that may be too optimistic for her current circumstances. Doug said he will posting some pictures soon, so stop by in a day or two to see them!

Love,
Duppy