Angus At The Swimming Hole

It's time for some more Angus pictures. These are from his second rehab swim the other day.

"Stop messing with me old man. Put down the camera and let's go swimming!"

Trooper hated swimming. Chrisi loved it but only if there was something to retrieve waiting at the other end. But Angus? He just loves to swim.

He'll head out, swim around for a minute then come back. He scans the pond for a bit...

"What's that!?"  

And head back out. If you look closely you'll see a duck he sighted. He figured it needed some personal attention. Hey, maybe he wants to play amiright? It let him get to within a few feet before taking off in a hurricane of wings, splashing feet and angry quacks.

He ended up chasing him all the way across the pond. He kept looking back at me as if to say "Hey, this is where you shoot that thing ain't it? C'mon pal, give me a little help here." Angus is that tiny black speck you can just see way out there. It a makes my heart sing every time does that.

Angus really enjoys his swimming. We're trying to get him out to the pond every day for a session. It helps a lot. The cold water gives him relief and the act of swimming builds up his muscles and stretches everything out. It also lets his muscles and connective tissue 'remember' their proper paths. It's low impact and excellent exercise, especially when rehabbing. He comes out of the water running and walking better each time.

Time. We're back at that point. All we can do is provide him with the environment he needs and wait for the rehab to take it's course. The results are encouraging and we're praying this is the last time. All we want at this point is for him to be pain free and as close to normal as possible. The antibiotic courses are done so now it's all down to exercise and time. Patience. I am learning some.
Six

We're Home

Got to Vegas about 1000, which was supposed to be the time for the pick up. We got moved to 1100 so the surgeon could make a final check on his cutest patient. Paid the bill and noted the surgeon didn't charge us for his time. I thought that was fair and reasonable. One could argue that this was simply a continuation of the first repair surgery and we certainly paid the doc enough for that. Still, in this day and age it was gratifying to see him step up that way. My wallet certainly appreciated it.

1100 rolled around and the discharge nurse went over the doctor's instructions. Same one as last time and she recognized us so that went pretty quick. Then they brought Angus out. To say he was happy to see us is a vast understatement. Especially Momma. He went into immediate Whole Body Happy Wiggle mode. He was actually walking very well and we could really see the difference in his leg with the plate gone. It was so good to see him again. We really missed the little stinker.

He pulled us out the door and took a long and well deserved potty break in the gravel beside the truck. We loaded him up in the back seat with Lu and we were off home with prescriptions for antibiotics, inflammation and pain and 3 happy passengers. The trip home was uneventful and pretty easy. He slept most of the way.

Shaved again. I hope this is the last we'll be seeing of his leg skin. If you look real close you'll see that the stitches are....pink. The nurse says it's so they'll stand out against his black skin and fur but I think it's a Gyno conspiracy. Baby Girl thought they were stylish so there's that. 21 stitches total.

After he expressed his happiness at seeing us and being rescued from the Dungeon of Not Home he made sure to punish us. Angus is a sensitive dog. Not to mention badly spoiled. He'll probably hang his head and sad eye us for a few days just to make absolutely sure we understand how badly we disappointed him before he forgives us.

"Is Daddy looking? Does he look miserable and apologetic yet? Good!"

The leg looks straight to my eye and matches the other one pretty well now. The new incision is right over the old one so at least he'll only have one scar. And the surgeon did have to open it up all the way again to get the plate out.

Oh right. The Cone of Shame. We don't make him wear it when he's in direct and constant supervision of either of us but it's always there just in case. And don't think for a second that he doesn't know it. "I'll be good, I promise!"

After a few minutes at home he settled down and seems to have forgiven us. We're just so happy and grateful to have him back safe and whole. As I write this he's up on our bed, snuggled up with Momma and deep in the sleep of the truly content. It's good to be a family again. Welcome home Little Man.

Thank you all again for your well wishes and prayers. They worked. Once again. But this time I'm going to forgo teasing Murphy and tweaking his nose. We've had enough excitement with this one as it is. I'll just say that at this moment things are good and the future seems bright and leave it at that. That dude just has absolutely no sense of humor.

Six

Angus Surgery

Got up at the crack of dawn and headed down to Las Vegas. We arrived there at 0700 local. Checked in and had to watch as the nurse led Angus away. For the second time. The nurse at the desk indicated that we might be able to take him home today and promised to call as soon as Angus went in for the operation.

Went to breakfast as we skipped a meal this morning. No way we were going to eat in front of Angus since he was on a no food order as of midnight last night. We decided to just hang around until we knew. About 0930 the nurse called to let us know he was about to go in. She figured about an hour and a half or so. Lu and I walked around a little and said a prayer.

The surgeon called us back around 1130. The operation went well and he was happy. He got the plate off without too many issues and was able to get all the screws as well (He was initially uncertain about the lateral ones that held the split bone together). We talked for a few minutes and he reassured us that Angus had come through well. He did have to open the leg up the length of the old incision but indicated that shouldn't be an issue. He talked about cleaning it all up and flushing the bone and site of the infection. I specifically asked him about the leg bone and he said it looked fine. I asked about picking Angus up but he wanted to keep him overnight.

Lu and I had discussed and prepared for an overnight stay but we agreed. We both wanted to be home. It seemed right somehow. We'll get up early again tomorrow and go back down to bring our little man home. We said a thank you prayer and hopefully we'll get some sleep tonight. Neither of us got much last night.

Thank you all for your encouragement and prayers. They mean the world to us. I'll do another post tomorrow when we get home and a picture or two. Lu and I are still on pins and needles to get Angus home where we can love and care for him. Today Lu reminded me of something I hadn't thought of. We brought Trooper home in January of 1996. Chrisi came home about a year later. Since that day in January 1996 we have only been without a dog in the house twice. The first time was last year when Angus went down for his initial surgery for the break. The second time is today.

The house seems so lonely and empty without him. I can't wait to see him tomorrow.
Six

Canine Broken Leg Care - Update

Dann gently reminded me that I have been entirely remiss on the Angus updates. This will probably be the next to last post on this topic, providing we experience no unexpected complications. We are right at 5 months from the date of the accident.

The short answer to how he's doing is this:

If you look closely at that second picture you'll see three legs off the ground with the right front leg, the one he broke, firmly on the ground. No pain, no favoring, just joyful running fun.

Angus still at times favors that leg but overall he walks and runs on it without any difficulties. It seems that when we push him, and rehab is all about safely pushing him physically, he gets a bit sore. In reading and researching the issue of broken legs in active dogs it seems apparent to us that one year is the generally accepted time frame for a complete recovery. When the Surgeon released Angus back to full duty what he was in effect telling us was that the leg was healed to the point that serious strength building running, swimming and walking could be done without fear of a re-break. He only limps after a hard exercise session.

What we've done is watch him closely and carefully plan his rehab so we can allow him to push his limits with the least amount of pain possible. What that means is that we intersperse short leash walks and pool swims with free runs, long walks and open water swims. The former keep him loose, limber and toned while the latter allow him to experience the muscle building exercise he must have if he's going to recover completely and get back to one hundred percent.

There is simply no way to rehab from such a badly broken leg without some lingering pain as the wound completes the healing process and the muscles rebuild to their pre-injury state. It's our job to know his limits, allow him to push those limits and watch him for signs that those limits have been reached so we can allow his muscles the rest time they need to rebuild and bring him back the where he was before the accident.

We're now at the point in his rehab where the improvement we're seeing is slower than at the beginning. That's actually a very good thing as it means that he's getting ever closer to full recovery. The closer we get the less daily improvement he'll experience. His right shoulder now feels almost like the other. The leg has regained most of it's muscle mass. We even put the frame back on the bed last Sunday.

We are content with his progress. He runs and plays hard every day and when he's getting that off leash freedom shows zero signs of ever having had a broken leg. It's after the fun is over and the long hike is nearing it's end that he'll show a slight favoring of the leg. We're continuing the massages (and man, does he ever love his leg massage time!) and give him a Rimadyl occasionally when he seems to be in greater discomfort.

When I discussed Angus' long term prognosis with his surgeon he assured me that he'd make a complete recovery, even for a Field Trial Lab. At the time I was a little apprehensive and doubtful. No longer. I am absolutely confident Angus will make a complete recovery. He's already so close right now that I can almost forget that horrible day ever occurred.

Absent some catastrophic happenstance I don't want to even consider we will continue down the path we're currently on. In my mind we have another 7 months before the final result will be known but I no longer stay up late at night worried.

Angus is Angus again and all is right in our little world. That makes me happier than I can adequately convey.

Thank you again for all your prayers, knowledge, experiences and support. We love you all. Now, I'm going to go and play frisbee with my dog and isn't that just the best thing we could have ever hoped for 5 long months ago.

Six

Canine Broken Leg Care - Rehab

Rehab is going well. Angus is still favoring the leg a little but he walks and runs readily on it. Sometimes he runs on it when we'd really rather he didn't but he's a young Lab. What you gonna do?

When we started the rehab process the thing that struck me initially was that the dog's basic adaptability was working against us. You've all seen the videos and stories about the three legged (and occasionally even two) dogs who manage to get by just fine. They don't seem to understand or even remember that they once had four wheel drive. Or care seemingly. We had experienced a bit of that with Angus. He'd been going three legged for long enough that it was natural for him. He adjusted his gait and his life to the tripod system and was perfectly happy with that. No issues here, let's go! One of the things we had to do in the beginning was to remind him, re-teach him really, that he did indeed have four legs and he should be using all of them. We started with slow walks. He continued to do the bunny hop while standing on all fours. When it was time to go again it was hippity hop and off we go. We started having Lu walk just in front of him and slowed the pace way down. That made Angus pull to get even with her and the slow pace made him walk instead of hopping out ahead. It worked and pretty soon he was on four about as often as three. We also put up a small pool. We are space limited in the back yard behind the covered porch which was where we wanted the pool to go. It's an el cheapo 12 foot round above ground pool just over three feet deep. Plenty for canine rehab or lounging on a hot Summer day. It also reinforces the instinctive use of the leg while providing low impact exercise. We swim Angus for 30 minutes every day.

Sometimes I can simply hold onto his ribs and let him swim in place

But usually he requires some motivation

The water is still awful cold so when it's her turn Lu suits up in her triathlon wet suit

Angus has a huge play drive and needs little convincing to jump in and swim around but we have developed a few games to keep his interest up. Teasing works well. "Get the ball Angus!" He'll chase it around and around.

Or his personal favorite, a good game of "I've got it you can't have it" AKA Keepaway.

We figured out that all he needs is the hint of a game of tug-o-war and he'll happily swim circles forever. In a small pool you have to be inventive and keep his interest piqued.

We even found a fun way to start the sessions. Ready?

Go! Trust me, that is a very happy dog. He now runs out and sits by the pool whining whenever he sees one of us getting on the swim gear. When I bend down to get him he runs up and snuggles immediately into my arms eager for the launch. You can almost hear him thinking WHEEEE!!

When I was convinced we'd been able to rewire his brain back to the instinctive use of the leg it was time to progress. First up was back to some trail walking. We're still limiting Angus both to distance and control. He stays on the retractable leash for now. Those leashes are a blessing when doing rehab walks with a young energetic dog like Angus. He gets enough freedom to make him happy and enough distance to get a good workout but we also have the ability to keep him close enough to anticipate trouble and keep him out of it.

Standing tall and proud on four good legs. How wonderful a picture is that?

The idea has been to reintroduce Angus to his old haunts and habits as rehab progresses. It motivates him, normalizes his life and makes him use the leg in controlled conditions. That's important with a dog. You can't just tell him he has to take it easy and follow this strict rehab regimen. You have to guide, show and convince him. That leg still hurts but if you approach it correctly he'll learn to trust what you're telling him. That it's Ok to go ahead and use it. To that end we went to the pond. Not the lake where the accident occurred but a small pond near the house. Angus loves the place. It was also Chrisi's favorite spot and we have since christened it Chrisi's Pond. Did I mention that it has resident ducks living there?

You can see in this picture that in the beginning Angus was still favoring that leg. I think it was still subconscious. He'd learned that the leg was no longer available and had adjusted to that reality. That, as much as anything else, was what we were fighting.

But throw in something that took his mind off the injury, like say, oh I don't know maybe some ducks? Now he's concentrating on exterior influences and not the leg.

The pond also allowed us a place for Angus to have long uninterrupted swims. I teased him with rocks tossed around where he was swimming. He'd chase one and when he didn't find it he'd look back to me and I'd throw another. It' goes against his retriever training where this type of thing is verbotten but we're concentrating on rehab. The rest can wait. Of course the ducks also did their part. You can see the two he was chasing just above his head in this photo.

Again, walking on the bottom in shallow water on all fours. Not a care in the world. "Did I do good daddy?" Yeah pal, you did great.

When I was rehabbing from my Achilles surgery the one and only thing that really gave me pain relief was massages. To this day Lu still massages that leg and foot area and probably will have to the rest of my life. I figured if it worked for me it'd work for Angus and I was right. He loves his massage time.

He'll come immediately and lay down as soon as he figures out what's coming. I rub him from shoulder to paw, being careful not to put too much pressure on the leg repair. That plate is still quite noticeable.

This is also the time for stretching. The ligaments and tendons in that leg have all shortened up and gotten stiff. He needs to have the ankle stretched back every day. He doesn't seem to mind and I'm careful not to make it painful. A little further each day.

A happy dog at the end of another good day. He was incredibly happy when he got his couch back.

Angus is doing very well, so well that I'm even starting to be confident of a total recovery. He gets stronger literally every day. Between the walks, swims and massages his rehab is taking him back to the dog he once was and that we despaired of ever getting back. Lu and I are indebted to both of his doctors for the fine work they did and to God for giving him back to us. Seeing him curled up on his couch after another day doing his work and generally having fun has been a balm to my soul. I figure his rehab will take anywhere from 6 months to a year before I can call him 100 percent recovered but I am now convinced that, barring the unforeseen, that day is coming. We're still barely 12 weeks into this process. We have a lot of work yet to do but the heavy lifting is done and that makes me unbelievably happy. I'll do updates as the months go by but for now the Canine Broken Leg Care posts have come to an end and a wonderful end it is.

Thank you again for all your prayers, support and treats. The journey would have been so much harder without all of you. Lu and I are grateful. If you happened to stumble upon this post and would like to talk or ask questions about your own dog's recovery I invite you to drop me a line. Lu and I are always happy to do what we can to help, even if it's just to provide a sympathetic ear and a encouraging voice.

For now I'm going to say my prayers of thanks and go love my dog. We'll see you all down the trail.

Six

Canine Broken Leg Care - Daddy I'm BORED!

When your dog is hobbled with a cast and orders to limit activity boredom will set in. Especially if he's young. Double that if he's a Lab. Triple that if he's a young Lab. Yes, Angus is a young Lab.

Angus was limited to no more than 3 gentle walks of 5 minutes maximum duration. That only leaves 1425 minutes in the day to fill. The first week that wasn't a huge problem. He was still in some pain and on lots of medications that tended to make him sleepy and a bit lethargic. After that first week he started feeling better, adjusted to the cast and gradually started getting some of his old energy back. Don't get me wrong here, it was gratifying and a relief to see but it did add a degree of difficulty to his care. Notably, how to entertain a 1 1/2 year old Lab with a broken leg and no good way to burn off his natural psychotic energy levels. There are a few things we did that helped.

Toys are a must and Angus has a conveniently placed toy box jammed to the brim. Care must be taken though, lest play times get out of hand. Lu and I ended up spending a lot of time on the floor engaged in gentle toy related play. That way we could keep him close and exercise maximum control of the situation.

Soft plushy toys are an Angus Achilles heel. He can't resist them. So the Gorilla was sacrificed to the cause because he'd lay down and tear at it trying to get all the stuffy goodness out. Weird dog but never look a gift horse in the mouth. Or a stuffed gorilla. How cute is that face?

One of his duck trainers was also sacrificed. He spent a lot of time chewing on it. To the point that it is now sans feet, butt and the head has been chewed into a rough plastic mess. We monitored to make sure he didn't swallow anything but frankly his system is so robust he could have eaten the thing in it's entirety and passed it back out without missing a beat. Still, something to watch. Hey, at this point it was anything to keep him occupied.

There are of course better chewing materials if you can interest him. Angus is a good chewer but for some inexplicable reason (I suspect Murphy's fine hand was at work here) he pretty much stopped chewing his rawhides during is convalescence. We made sure to keep at least one available at all times and he did chew occasionally.

Treats and rewarding desired behavior worked well for us. Care had to be taken lest his weight got out of hand but we doled them out as judiciously as we could. Oh, and Angus says thanks again to Alemaster for the Bonz. He loves them!

We had a good talk with our Vet. he recommended Benadryl. Apparently it has much the same effect on dogs as it does on us. Notably it takes the edge off and allows for more sleeping. We normally eschew purposely drugging a dog simply to keep them more calm but healing such a serious injury and the attendant surgery requires rest and sleep in abundance so we held our noses and kept the end goal in mind. .

Leash walks of no more than 5 minutes was the requirement but there's a lot of variety possible within those strictures. We changed the walk locations often and let him dither and check all the p-mail spots along the way. We took him to his favorite trails and walkie places. We encouraged human contact so he could make new friends. A funny thing happened along the way. Angus has become the neighborhood celebrity. People saw us walking him in his cast and couldn't resist asking about him. They'd drive by and honk and wave. They'd walk by or see us walking and stop to greet him and ask about his progress. It's been fun and helped Angus to while away his time and keep his walks interesting enough to be satisfying. Hey, he's cute, upbeat, friendly and walking happily on a bum leg with a cast. How irresistibly attractive can a dog be?

I'm of two minds about his future at this point. The Doc says full recovery with all that entails but I'm still a bit queasy about where to take his training after recovery. I may continue his hunt and field trial training where we left off but I may also decide to bag it and just go with basic obedience and chase the ball type stuff. Frankly, the main hang up may well be mine. I'm uncertain I am capable of sending him out into the field where holes, rocks, ditches and pitfalls will abound. At least not without gut wrenching fear. We're just going to have to see.

After 8 weeks we're finally out of the cast phase and on to rehab. I'll be posting about how we're handling that and a few thoughts on mind sets later but to hold you over here's an Angus picture and a large hint.

Thanks again for all the help, knowledge and support. Angus is getting better each and every day. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel and from here it looks glorious.

Six

Canine Broken Leg Care Part I

Back a few years ago, when Trooper was diagnosed with Diabetes, I blogged about our daily routine and the things we did to care for him. My hope was that someone in similar circumstances might see it and come away with both some hope and ideas on how to cope and care for the dog. I'm going to do a little of the same now with Angus. I'm going to title each such post Canine Broken Leg Care (Part I, II, etc.). Maybe what we do isn't going to be unique or even interesting but Angus isn't the first, last or only dog to be so afflicted and maybe someone will find something in these posts they can use. I invite anyone who has firsthand knowledge or experience to leave tips and ideas in comments. If you have something you'd like to go on the blog please drop me an e-mail and I'll incorporate it into a post.

One of the first things we did was to try and anticipate issues. Pain management, feeding, cast care and safety were our first priorities.

We have a section of floor that is a pretty slick vinyl type flooring. With Angus having a cast (It's actually a covered splint but cast is easier to visualize and for all intents and purposes that's what it is) that goes from shoulder to toes so slip and trip hazards had to be addressed. We got some heavy throw rugs and taped them both together and to the floor. We used duct tape because, well, there's nothing it can't do. We trimmed the rugs around the spaces to fit. This should address both trip and slip problems. We also went around the house and picked up anything off the floor we thought would cause an issue. It's a lot like child proofing. Toys and rawhides go in the toy box and stay there until needed.

Angus sleeps with us. He's also jumpy and I mean that in two senses of the word. He reacts to sudden noises by jumping to his feet and if he's on anything, like the bed, by jumping down and running to investigate. One of the things that the Doc said that stuck with me is that Angus has no idea the extent of his injury or what he shouldn't do. That's up to us to address. I had visions of him taking a header off the bed in the middle of the night while Lu and I were sleeping and knew we had to do something. It's 2 1/2 feet from the bed to the floor. Yeah, that's potentially bad. So we took off the bed frame and box springs and put the mattress on the floor. Angus has shown signs that if reacted to quickly enough he will wait to be lifted down. I think part of that is that we've insisted he not jump down from anything since he was a puppy. He still does it from time to time but generally he's pretty obedient. But changing the potential from almost three feet to 10 inches lessens the possibility of another tragedy significantly. We added a foam doggy mattress at the foot for additional insurance. Plus Lu is already a light sleeper so throw in her natural Momma Sense with heightened awareness and we both sleep better. This will be our sleep area for the next few months (though I have since moved the box springs into storage).

The Doc wanted us to put a plastic bag on the cast when we went outside but I was again concerned about the potential for a slip. I came up with something else. I cut the foot out of a couple of my socks. they slip over the cast easily but hold very securely and provide nice protection and a little warmth. The cast is open at the very tip so we can check his toes for circulation.

Unfortunately it started raining the night we brought him home so I came up with an alternative to the plastic bag idea. I put a baggie on his cast

And then slipped a sock on over it. Genius right?

Yeah, it didn't work. The sock slipped around too much and eventually came off. The baggy/sock combination was too slick. I still think this can work with a little ingenuity but lacking that I went the redneck solution route instead. I turned a sock inside out, put my fist inside it and duct taped the end. I then turned it back right side out, worked out any creases and slipped it on. It works surprisingly well and goes on and off easily while still being secure. We're not going swimming so I don't need absolute waterproofing I just need it to be water resistant and this design accomplishes that well. The sock got wet but the cast stayed dry. I then change him back to a regular dry sock when we come inside. If the rain keeps up I'll go back and work out the bugs in my baggie design but this is an entirely acceptable alternative. Hey, I have plenty of socks and lots of duct tape.

His cast also makes it difficult for Angus to reach the floor with his mouth while standing. He'll eat treats and lick plates while laying down but not food or water. I was going to build a simple raised tray to hold his food and water bowls but Lu had a better idea. We bought a canine travel bag many years ago. It's a plastic and vinyl box that holds food and treats in the base but has a tray at the top with two bowls. It stands about a foot off the floor, the perfect height.

Angus can now easily reach his food and water without straining himself. Many of you out there with skills could do much better and I am wide open to suggestions but for now this will do nicely.

As for food it's important that Angus keep up his intake while not eating so much as to add on excess pounds. That's going to be a real issue I can already tell. We started him on rice with a little chicken flavoring but that can't last. We're transitioning him to his normal food though we're monitoring his portions and treats very closely. His weight is good at the moment but we're going to be obsessive about it really for the rest of his life. He can't get chunky (and he tends toward that anyway), especially right now.

Medication is also critical. It's important to keep Angus on an even keel. Too much and he gets sick and lethargic. Too little and he's in pain and can't eat or sleep. YoYoing may be the worst of all. Going from too much to too little and back over and over again causes too much stress on his body. Keeping him on a strict medication schedule and monitoring him for changes and signs is very important. We give him one Tramadol at 10AM, 2PM and 10PM. We give him one Rimadyl at 10AM and 10PM. Right now that seems to be ideal but we're watching him closely. Doc also wants us to give him 50 mg of Benadryl occasionally to keep him calm and relaxed. Apparently it has the same effects on dogs that it does on humans. I saw what a rigorously regular medication schedule did for Trooper so I tend to be obsessive about it.

Normalcy. This is a tough one. We've gone back to his old schedule and routine as much as possible but there are changes and we're all going to have to adapt. Still, incorporating as much of his old routine as possible seems to help his mental state. For instance. The Doc says we can give him 5 minutes of walking 2-3 times per day. Light and easy walking. On leash, no running or jumping and yes that is a fight with Angus. As far as he's concerned just cut the cast off and let's go! Still, there was something we could do. He used to go walkies every night at 6:30 PM. Regular as clockwork. When done he got a nice chewie treat and it was time to settle in for the night. Bed usually followed shortly thereafter. We are continuing that routine to the extent possible. At 6:30 we get ready, grab coats and a leash and head out. Angus gets excited and it feels just like it always did to him. We walk around the yard and maybe to the next door neighbor's driveway. 5 minutes and it's back inside for his chewie treat and settling in. It doesn't seem to matter how long or far we go just that we go. He and Lu head for the bed about 8:00 or so. Lu reads and Angus cuddles. It's normal and usual for him. It feels right. Medicine and a pee break at 10:00 and we're done for the night. Even now, so soon after the surgery, Angus shows every sign of settling into a comfortable routine and that is a large step toward normalizing his life which reduces his stress levels and makes controlling his Run and Play urges easier.

That's where we are right now. I'll post regularly on his progress and any issues and solutions we come up with. If you're reading this because you're looking for information to help your own pet out and stumbled in I hope you find what I've written useful. Please check comments and send me a message if you have any questions. Again, please comment or e-mail if you have any suggestions, tips or knowledge to share. 

For my regular readers and those of you who have so graciously left us prayers, suggestions, kindness and words of wisdom please check back here on Sunday for a special Thank You from Angus, Lu and me. It'll be little enough but it will be a heartfelt expression of our love and gratitude.

Six