July 16, 2022:

Ace arrived in GRRoW earlier this year with congenital megaesophagus (ME). In order for water and his meals to go down his esophagus,  Ace needed the use of a bailey chair. Unfortunately with or without treatment there is alway a concern for potential complications. Sadly, Ace did develop aspiration pneumonia and even though we quickly sought emergency medical care, he did pass over the rainbow bridge on July 1st 2022.  
In his short time, with us Ace’s lovable and happy personality touched many. He will be greatly missed.

June 4, 2022:

Hi! I’m Ace! I’m almost housetrained. I love to play with my stuffies, or my ball, and I love my people! I am a higher energy dog that need someone who can take me on daily walks, and who is able to let me go run outside in a backyard, or takes me on even longer walks. I am good with cats and other dogs, but would do best with a dog who wants to play as rough as I do. I’ve been around kids, but not recently. I do play pretty rough sometimes, and I do have a bad habit of standing up and putting my paws on things (since this is how I eat), so older kids would be a better fit for me. And aren’t I so handsome? Why am I not adopted yet? Because I have a condition called ME, or megaesophagus, which is where my throat will expand when I eat instead of pushing the food into my belly. I eat in something called a bailey chair where I have to stand up for eating and drinking. One foster who watched me said my ME “isn’t that bad, just a little inconvenience. I would absolutely love to talk to you more, should you have any questions!

April 30, 2022:

A weekend in the life of Ace! Ace Log, day 77. 

Saturday. 0600: I woke up to go to the bathroom, but today was a day the human stays home, so we went back to bed for a little while. Little did I know, I was going to need that rest for the rest of the days adventures! 

0900: After playing with my foster sister, Gem, outside we had some breakfast! Because I’m such a good boy, I put myself in my high chair to eat and drink. I do sometimes want out earlier than I should, so I have to be convinced to stay in the chair for a bit longer. My foster mom gives me treats she calls ice cubes that taste a lot like water, but are so fun to play with, and keep me in my chair longer. Sometimes it freezes to my beard and makes more fun to play! 

1200: I played so much today, so foster made sure that I got a nap. I don’t always know when I need one, so she makes sure to tell me. I sometimes protest just a little with going into the crate, but usually I get a few puff treats (a baby food that dissolves quickly) to go in, so I’ll go in pretty easy. Boy, did I need that nap! I passed out, super quick! 

145 pm: We went on a car ride! I love car rides! We ended up going to this strange place I’ve never been! I met another foster family, with two GRRoW dogs, Paisley and Sydney! Paisley is a puppy like me and we wrestled and played while Sydney coached us. Secretly, I think she was rooting for Paisley to win only because she knows her better. But, that’s okay. We also went on a long walk! I hear I’m going to stay with Paisley and Sydney for a bit here coming up, so that’s exciting! I love having a dog I can play with around, although I’m also okay on my own. My foster sister only likes to play when she’s ready, and she’s not as young as me. 

3pm: After playing, we went back in the car. Did I tell you how much I love car rides?! They are THE BEST. I sit and just enjoy the ride. We stopped at a place with lots of plants and I got to meet a few people. Everyone was so nice! And they said how good of a boy I was! I even got to meet a thing someone called a bunny? It was in a basket, and the human held it and I got to sniff the bunny! I was so very gentle! 

4pm: Now I’m home and Pooped! I think I’m going to be resting most of the day, but man, that was a fun adventure. 

Ace-A-Roo out!

April 4, 2022:

I’ve had quite an adventure since our last update, so I’ll try and keep it quick. First off, I went to the vet, and drank some funny liquid, and then they took pictures. The vet said they were able to confirm I have megaesophagus, but the good news is, I pass liquid within about 5 minutes to my stomach. My foster mom says as long as we play before breakfast and dinner, so I can get all my wiggles out, I do much better. I am able to get myself in my chair, but also, I can escape if I want to. As a way to distract me, my foster mom gives me ice cubes, because they are super fun to play with, and I spend more time in my chair allowing the food and water to pass. Now, I need to say, sometimes I burp, but in some cultures this is actually a good sign. In my case, a couple of big burps shows that my food and water was able to move on down, and I feel much better! So take it as a compliment!

I am an excellent car rider, and I usually just sit or lay down and wait for more information. Recently, I went on a week long vacation to the other side of the state, while my foster mom had to go out of state, and I got to meet new people! During this adventure, I had some new discoveries, that might be important to know when I first come to live with you. If you take me outside to the same space that’s a bit of a smaller area, I am able to go potty every time I go outside. I don’t like to poop right away, so sometimes you have to get me to run around for a few minutes, and give it a bit of time. If we go to an area where I have more freedom, sometimes I get super distracted and worry more about playing than going potty! I’m still learning how to tell humans I need to potty, but my foster mom says if she keeps me to the space of the house she is in, she usually can tell when I am about to go. We’re getting better, but not quite there. Not sure if it’s because I eat and drink a little different, but I’m trying my best!

I can eat and drink water, like a normal dog, I just have to do it standing up. I use the Bailey chair, and I prefer that, because it sets me up for success. My foster mom gives me the ice cubes like I mentioned before, but she also will give me one or two throughout the day as this thing called a treat when I’m a real good boy. She asks me to “sit” and I show her how good I am at it. I’ve also noticed I get more when were active outside more, but if I have too many, I need to be in my chair. One or two every so often is great. This doesn’t work for food though!

One super cool thing that I’m getting real good at is going into my crate at night! When I start to get tired, and we go outside to go potty, I come back in and I know it’s bedtime, so I go into my crate, but sometimes I like to tease my foster mom and keep her on her toes. I only tease a little. My foster mom also said I do better with naps after playing, but I just get too excited to make myself do it, so she tells me when I’m needing a nap.

Most days, we wake up at 0500 or 0600 to go potty, play a little, and have my breakfast! I go potty again, and then I am pretty tired, and lay down for a bit. If its a day my foster mom goes to work, I go into my crate, and take a nice nap for the day. If its the weekend, I lay down for a few more hours, and then we go on various adventures. During work days, when foster mom comes home, we potty, play for as much time as we can, then eat dinner. We go potty again, and then relax a bit. I like to chew bones, but if I start pulling it apart, I need to stop with that bone, because I may regurgitate it. Before bed, we play a little more, potty again, and then head to bed. All in all, I can be a medium energy dog, with some bursts, but if you have a ball for me to chase, you can wear me out pretty quick. I love fetch!

While yes, there is a little more work to feed me, and water me, ultimately, I’m your typical puppy who can entertain himself if given the proper toys, but also would be a great adventurer. I could go for hours if you let me, but also, I know that sometimes I start to get cranky. I am excellent with the cats in the house, but I’m sad the old lady doesn’t want to be my friend. My resident dog is so super calm, that she doesn’t always want to play with me. I would love a play buddy if possible, but it is not necessary. I tend to be more alpha, so a dog that could model “knowing my place” and keep me in line would be ideal. I’ve been around baby humans, and I think I would be fine around them now, but you need to know that I’m a puppy and sometimes play with my mouth and underestimate how strong I can be if I’m not careful. Usually this happens accidentally with pulling a toy in tug but I just want people to know that I’m the goodest boy and I’m trying real hard. It’s just so fun to play!

See my handsome bandana! I look so dapper!

February 23, 2022:

Hi GRRoW!

Ace here, thought I would give you an update on what I’ve learned over the last two weeks as a GRRoW dog! I’m really a smart boy, so I’m learning so much, but I’m only 5 months old as of 2/20, so I still have lots of learning and growing to do.

First off, can I tell you how much I LOVE food?! If only I could eat it whenever, and wherever, because I ‘m very food motivated. But unfortunately, if I get into my foster sisters (cat or dog) food, then I tend to regurgitate. My foster mom has worked with me on finding the best mix so I don’t regurgitate, because she says that it could make me sick and I could aspirate, whatever that means. She’s a nurse, so she should know. I just trust her.

Speaking of, I trust basically everyone I’ve met. I bark when they first come into my space, but I love everyone after first getting the seal of approval! Including the cats, although they don’t like me as much. They are such curious tiny fluff balls, but they tell me when they don’t want me close, and I try very hard to respect that.

I’m doing pretty good in my Bailey Chair (read high chair). If foster mom is getting my breakfast ready, I can put myself in the chair, no questions asked! Asking me to stay in it after I’m done eating is not as helpful. I love having my food soaked in water, and then eating “knox blocks”, which the human tells me is water that is made into “jello”. Sometimes she flavors it with beef broth, but I like it just plain, too! I’m still learning that I need to be calm after eating, and I’m also still learning that I can’t eat snow, or else I regurgitate too.

After being in foster for two weeks, I’m getting better at going potty outside, but I still sometimes go inside. My foster mom thinks it’s because I get too distracted by eating snow, so I don’t go when we’re outside, so she’s having me try a muzzle outside so I don’t get sick. While I’m not entirely a fan of this, it has helped me tremendously.

I go into my crate at night and usually only protest for a minute or two. I am a toddler after all. I do sleep throughout the night, and will bark to wake up my foster mom to let her know I need to go potty. Usually I go to bed between 9 and 10 pm, but I start to slow down around 8 pm. I usually need to wake up to go potty by 5 am, but after some playing I can settle back down for a morning nap. When my foster mom goes to work, I usually entertain myself in my crate with a few of my favorite toys, and nap. I am so excited when she comes home from work early to let me out, since I’m still learning.

I’m still learning, and my foster mom is working hard to help make me the best of pups, but we’ve been focusing on how to best manage my mega esophagus. In two weeks, I’ve been able to gain 2 pounds! And I hear I’m going to the vet this week. But I do like car rides! I’ll keep working hard at learning and growing into the best boy I can be!

Pawsitively Pawesome!

-Ace-A-Roo

February 12, 2022:

My name is Ace is and I am 4.5 month old Goldendoodle with megaesophagus. What this means is my esophagus opens up wide when I eat or drink anything, so I have to sit in a Bailey Chair (read “doggy high chair”) to eat, and use gravity to help move food into my stomach. My foster mom is working to best get to know my best diet, but I’m already gaining so much energy and have springs for back legs! I’ve met two cats, and am super curious about them, but they tell me when they are uncomfortable and so I step back and give them their space. I also have another dog that I am learning how to play with, cuddle with, and follow commands. She knows so many tricks! I can sit, but I hope that I can learn some of hers, especially since she’s learning to use the talking buttons. Sometimes she doesn’t like to play, so I play with my toys all by myself. I especially love squeakers and stuffies! I’m great at fetch, and I bring the ball back, so were learning how to “drop it”, which I will let the human have, even if I want to play with it. Previously, I’ve been around kids, but I do like to jump, and since I eat standing up, I think it’s totally okay to put my paws on the counter, so I’m trying to learn to not. I think as I figure out my diet and get more nutrients, I will grow to be a big boy, with lots of energy for periods of the day, but I can also be super calm. I LOVE sleeping in the bed, and am a total bed “dog” (aka hog). Although, I’m learning how to sleep in the crate, so I can have my own space.

February 5, 2022:

Ace is new in foster care. More information will follow.