I got this photo of Trooper yesterday afternoon on the porch at Widget’s House, while I was over there taking photos of Emmy Lou and Zephyr. We kept getting requests for updates on this boy, and I’ve been delinquent in posting something … so here he is!
Notice it looks like nature took a perfectly good Labrador body (well, um, figuratively speaking on that "perfectly good" bit) and parked a hound dog head on it. Love those ears! Would you call him a "Labound"? Or maybe a "Houndador?"
Trooper’s right hip has healed just fine from the femoral head ostectomy surgery he underwent last month. You can see a slight scar from the staples they used to close the incision site. He continues to hold that leg up a tad, just like he is in the photo, because I think he was so conditioned to not being able to use the leg that he hasn’t re-learned how to use it again. So when he runs — and let me assure you, he loves to run across the yard at an incredible clip — he just pulls it up off the ground and flies across on three legs.
It is incredibly difficult to photograph or videotape a dark dog on white snow, especially in motion, but once the snow melts, I’ll videotape him in action running so you can see how fast he is.
His twisted front leg, despite it’s odd shape, doesn’t seem to bother him one bit, and so we are comfortable right now not pursuing the much more complicated and extensive surgery on that leg.
Trooper always looks serious for the camera, but he is a clown at heart … yet when the camera comes out, this goofball from Louisiana adopts this rather dour look. In reality he is a funny character, springy and bouncy and very vocal. His crate was on the east side in Widget’s House, which allowed him to see the kitchen area — so whenever any of us were there fixing up food or medications, he would stare at us and bay and bay from his crate. Having had enough of the crooning coonhound, last week Gloria switched his crate to the west side so he couldn’t see the kitchen area … and the baying stopped. Out of sight, out of bay.
Rolling Dog Farm Blog 
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