So before she could even touch it, I snatched it up and read it in less than 48 hours because I was fairly rapt. So rapt, in fact, that I ran out and ordered the second in the series, The Girl Who Played with Fire. And read that one in less than 48 hours.
Alas, Stieg Larsson had intended this to be a 10 book series but there are only 3 and the third has yet to be released. He wrote the books for fun in the evening after his work at his day job as a magazine editor. The characters are introduced in Dragon Tattoo and are the central figures of the subsequent books. Larsson, who was in his 50's I believe, died suddenly of a heart attack while writing the fourth book which sadly isn't surprising if he lived anything like his characters who all seem to subsist on coffee, junk food and cigarettes.
My mom wasn't as impressed by Dragon Tattoo as I was but I would highly recommend the books. They are easy reading but they do engage your mind and these definitely aren't your standard issue murder mysteries. There is a large cult following for Larsson's books now and it's a shame he wasn't around for all the awards and accolades they have generated.
On a completely different note, I took the Polar Bear back to the behaviorist last weekend and forked it out again so we could evaluate where we're at and see if anything needs tweaked. It was nice to hear an objective, expert opinion exclaiming how far he has come and how significantly better he is since she last saw him in February. His improvement is so gradual to me that I sometimes wonder if we are improving at all but she was impressed. Much as I'd like to take credit for it, my role comes a distant third to the effects of the Prozac as well as his inherent curiosity, intelligence and ability to conquer his fears. Even when he is terrified, he often can't help himself and will still approach a stranger if they are not threatening and bear treats.
He was far less stressed with Dr. Sung this time and we agreed to keep him on Prozac for the time being. I will also start to tape record the noises that evoke a strong reaction in him which seem to be tool noises i.e. metal on metal, clanging, hammering etc. which I think also explains his golf club phobia. Clearly whoever hurt him was associated with tools and he is very wary when someone walks around with tool sized objects in their hands. I will play the sounds at low levels and give him tasty treats so we start to ds and cc him.
She also believes that his random aggression towards other dogs is him being protective of me which wasn't hard to guess. We came up with a plan for that as well in which I will walk him around the outside of a fenced dog park with the fence between him and the other dogs and practice the same ds and cc with him.
My last major complaint is that both of our quality of lives have been impacted by his not being able to walk or exercise in the daylight. She suggested trying him on Clonazepam as an anti-anxiety measure. We started at a really low dose - 2 pills - when a dog his size can actually work up to 10. I tried it at home just to observe him before taking him out somewhere. And thank god for that. It knocked him out completely. I felt horrible. He staggered around the house, unable to stay on his feet for long, stumbling into things, lower eyelids dragging on the floor and to top it all off, it made him even jumpier than before.
I was horrified and sent Dr. Sung an email immediately. Needless to say, he is far more sensitive to meds than we thought which I have heard is true for Maremmas in general. She said try him on a half a pill which I did and there were no appreciable effects other than he still seemed to be edgier than usual so I refuse to use that stuff any more. So if anyone is feeling anxious....just kidding!
Although the Prozac has undeniably been a huge help in all this, I am hesitant to use drugs to decrease his anxiety as I don't want a doped up dog. I want a dog who learns to cope with his fears without being sedated so I nixed the idea of trying any others. Otherwise, PB is happy and well and will undoubtedly be thrilled to know I have to have knee surgery tomorrow and thus will be at home with him for the next few weeks.
Last but not least, the end of summer is upon us and that means that I finally get to look at my beautiful lilies which smell wonderfully sweet and somehow grew out of my planters without my planting them there. All summer I have been looking at their ugly green stalks wondering if I should yank them out and plant flowers but the wait was worth it. Here's a photo of them adorning my deck:
They don't last very long but they are beautiful while they're here. And to my great amusement, the pollen is bright, bright yellow so whenever the Polar Bear walks past them, he turns bright, bright yellow. It looks as though I have taken a highlighter to him and it garners all sorts of funny looks when I take him out in public!
So in summary, read the book, don't take the Clonazepam and hold out for the blossoms.
3 comments:
Too funny, I'm reading this book right now. :)
The ones you gave me at breakfast last time are next on the list though.
I have the second one when you're ready!
Good luck with the knee op!
Great to hear about the progress he's making.
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