The Winston Wagon » Daily Chat

No excuses people!

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:24:41 +0000

Everywhere I go it seems like people are amazed by my fortitude. They just can’t seem to believe how well I soldier on with my wheelchair. I hear, “Look at him go!” all the time. Why shouldn’t I go? Why should I stop loving the things that I love to do. Going out and meeting people and living life is the best. So what if I have a chair? So what if I can’t walk on all four legs anymore? Big deal! Some dogs don’t live to be my age. Some dogs are perfectly healthy and aren’t allowed to do what I do. I am not going to stop. There are no excuses to let something as simple as not being able to walk keep me down. Remember that for yourself. It might be a bad relationship, a crummy job, being broke, unlucky in love, or not fitting into the right pants or dress size that you would like that hinders you. Stop making excuses! Live life! Don’t feel that the situation that you are in is permanent. Look at me. We thought that I would never be able to go for a walk again. My wheels have helped me tremendously. My wish for you is that you find something that will help you overcome your obstacle. The answer isn’t always obvious but it is always there.

Take care everyone,

Winston

Just checkin’ in on the boys

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:13:22 +0000

Family troubles

admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:03:53 +0000

Taking in the scenery

I have not talked to anyone about this yet, but my buddy Ben has been terribly sick the last few weeks. He’s had a nasty cough that isn’t going away. In an old dog, that is never good. Usually, it means our heart and/or lungs aren’t fairing all that well. In a 11 yr. old dog (almost 12), it doesn’t look good. My mom has taken him to the vet and they don’t see anything that would make them believe that he’s got the dreaded C-word. For this, I am relieved. However, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t have it either. X-rays sometimes don’t get the whole story. His heart looks alright though. This is good news. From what the vet can tell, Benny has pneumonia or bronchitis. Still, this is better news than cancer but still worrisome. He’s on medication for it and hopefully will get better soon. I miss him terribly on our walks. He’s good company. For right now, we are just praying that he gets back on all four feet and can run around and play. Send some positive energy our way. We can use it!

As always my friends, take care of yourselves.

Love, Winston

Vulcan mind meld and other basset powers

admin — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:21:03 +0000

Do you ever think you had superhero powers? I do. I can make things happen with just the tone of my howl. It’s amazing how people respond. When I am upset, I do the ” low and mournful” variety. When I am happy, I do the “neverending-because-this-is-too-much-fun” variety. I admit that I use these superhero powers to my advantage. I can make my mom stop watch she’s doing and sit on the floor with me and sub my ears or I can annoy her to no end when I want to go for a walk. I can also make my buddy Ben give up his bone when I get on a roll. It’s a gift that I was just born with and have perfected it over the years and now I am reaping the rewards. Some people would call me a stubborn, spoiled brat. I just call it making the best of a situation.

Make the best of your life. Don’t let anything hold you back. I certainly don’t. Being in a chair can be annoying at times but I don’t let that stop my voice from being heard.

Take care of yourselves.

Love, Winston.

Me outside our cabin in Maine

We’re back from vacation

admin — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:03:51 +0000

We had such a great time in Maine. Their state motto doesn’t lie. It truly is how life should be. We finally had time together as a family for more than an hour at a time. Mom and Dad both work and they just had a baby in January so life for them has been busy. Taking care of me and an infant has put a little stress on them both so I think a little time away did them a world of good.

What we mostly did was lots of nothing. I am at my happiest when everyone is in the same room just hangin’ out. I don’t like a lot of walking about or going in and out of the house. I always think that I am going to be left behind so that makes me nervous. Mom and dad just played games, talked, ate, and spent some quality time with me and the kid. The kid loved it and so did I .

I did miss Benny though. I was completely bummed out for the first couple of days. I didn’t really do much of anything. This is when my mom took my for a walk in the center of town in Damariscotta. What a nice bunch of people that lived there! Well, I think that I caused a disturbance though. The folks there had never seen a dog with wheels before. People stared at me in there cars. Shopkeepers pointed from there windows. Pedestrians did double-takes as we strolled by. Several people actually came up to me and wanted to pet me. It was awesome. I felt like Elvis Presley. We met tons of people during our two week stay. Maine is chock full of animal lovers. Did I mention that people yelled to me from their cars saying that they loved my wheels? Isn’t that the coolest?

I forgot to mention the best part of my trip. We were on a walk in the town and my mom and I were approached by two very nice ladies from the town’s nursing home. They liked me so much that we got invited to come visit the residents there. We had a blast. I loved getting the attention from everyone and the residents perked right up when they saw me. It made me feel so good. I wanted to get some pictures to post on here from our visit but I had to get consent first. Oh well! Mom thought it would be bet if we just enjoyed the people’s company and not bother them with legal stuff. She’s right. This trip got me thinking though about becoming a therapy dog for nursing homes around here. I would love it and and my mom would too!

I do have some awesome pics to put up. Mom has to unpack the camera first though. They will be on tonight.

Take care of yourselves.

Love, Winston

Just being me

admin — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:03:46 +0000

Trying to get some rest please!

Uh oh…Ben’s in trouble.

admin — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:46:38 +0000

I swear guy dog is like a goat. He is so bad about eating socks and underwear or anything that has a human scent on it. My mom got a phonecall from Nana. Nana said that Benny has eaten the toes off of three socks and destroyed a pair of bloomers. Can you believe that guy? He gives us all a bad name. We’ve talked about his goat issues. He says he gets terribly bored so he finds something to chew on to amuse himself. He can also open doors too. My mom gets frustrated with him because here she is taking all of these precautions and then boom….another sock bites the dust. Walking helps because it wears him out. After a good exercise session, Ben can do only one thing and that is sleep. Thank God!

Ok kids. We’re off to get some lobster. None for me though. I get to go with my family and sniff around the dock. It’s lots of fun.

Take care of yourselves.

Love, Winston

I shouldn’t have eaten that…

admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:42:25 +0000

Be careful what you feed your dog or what your dog has the ability to eat when you are not looking. I ate a piece of pizza when my family wasn’t on their guard and woah! Am I paying for that little slice of heaven or what!?! My stomach has been grumbling and grumbling all day. I do not feel well at all.
So please be mindful of what you leave out. Dogs just can’t help themselves to the good stuff.

Take care of yourselves.

Love, Winston

I miss my buddy.

admin — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:22:07 +0000

My family and I are going to hit the great state of Maine for two weeks. We’ve gone every year as a family and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it. The only thing is that my buddy Ben couldn’t come. He isn’t a camper. The quiet life isn’t exactly his thing. He is more of an explorer and likes to announce his arrival and the arrival of others within a one hundred foot radius of him and anyone he knows. Thereforre, Benny is staying at Nana’s house then it’s off to Uncle John’s for the remainder of the trip. It’s better this way. Ben is an older dog. He used to be able to take change much better as a puppy but now that he is eleven, it gets harder for him. There was no way that he was going to be left in a kennel. I really don’t think he would have made it. He goes on a hunger strike whenever he gets stressed. Being with family has helped with that when vacation time comes. I do miss him though. I’ve been a little mopey around the house and have lost my appetite a little too. Once we get to Maine, things will get a little better. In the meantime, my mom is going to take my mind of missing my pal by taking me on a nice long walk. Walking sure takes a load off my mind. It’s nature’s antidepressant.

Take care of yourselves.

Love, Winston

We’re off to Maine

admin — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:31:21 +0000

Ok, this is really quick. Mom is running around like a mad woman trying to get ready for vacation. We go to Maine every year and preparing for it is nuts. Look for a few posts in my absence. It will be hard for me to blog every day, but I’ll try. Check out my archives of videos to those that are new to the site. People like my wheelchair videos the best.

Take care of yourselves. I’ll be thinking of you on my trip.

Love, Winston