Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Review

Gorgeous visuals and plentiful content make up the premiere kart-racing experience

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch

“Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” comes packed with fun game modes, vehicle parts to unlock, scores to beat and an overall delightful experience, given a new breath of life on the Switch.

Having missed out on the Wii-U altogether, I knew I wanted “Mario Kart 8’s” updated version for my new Switch and fortunately this purchase was entirely justified. “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” includes a bevy of courses to choose from, an online mode, the ability to play with friends in a split second and more, all making it the complete package.



Story
Simply put, “Mario Kart” has never had a story to tell. “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” is no exception.

Gameplay
Kart racing in “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” is the same it has always been for the series; the gameplay is however excellently polished and refined. There is simply no better way to play “Mario Kart” or any kart-racer for that matter.

With a roster of 40 characters to use in addition to the opportunity to pick which vehicle, wheels and glider you wish to use, “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” has no shortage of personalization. Each vehicles and its customization comes with their own statistics, viewable before beginning a race. This leads to a multi-layered experience; maybe you wish to focus on handling but are willing to sacrifice speed or vice versa.


Each course comes with its own gimmicks and plenty of items to grab, features any “Mario Kart” fan is already more than a little familiar with. A new feature for this Switch version of the game allows the use of two items, similar to that of “Mario Kart Double Dash” from the GameCube.

“Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” can be played docked and on the TV, in handheld mode or in tabletop mode. As easy as handing a Joy-Con to one friend and using one for yourself, a local multiplayer game can be played instantly, making for convenient fun with friends. This proves the Switch to be the perfect home for “Mario Kart 8.”

Graphics
From the gecko, “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” impressed me, both with its vivid graphics and smooth frame rate. The welcoming 60 frames per second and a 1080p resolution make it quite the beautiful game to behold. “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” will hold the frame rate when docked and while in handheld mode for one to two players; however, playing handheld will go down to 720p, which is still not bad by any means.

Character, vehicle and course design each come filled to the brim with classic Nintendo charm. Gorgeous backgrounds and iconic character models and delightful animations complement the overall charm of “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.”

Sound
The soundtrack is an instant sell. I can happily tell you that there is an innumerable amount of catchy tracks akin to the likes of Nintendo’s charming style, each able to keep you humming them from morning to night.

Content
Whether you are competitive with your friends and family or online players, “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” has more than a few reasons to put the cartridge back on a daily basis. Fortunately, if you are competitive with yourself, the game has you covered as well.

There is, for starters, 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, Mirror Mode and 200cc. Getting harder with each subsequent cc, the difficulty modes in “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” quickly go from simple fun to a true challenge.. There are a staggering 48 courses, each worth shooting for three stars in. The same challenge can be redone over and over again with each cc with the ultimate goal of three stars across all cups on each of the difficulties.

It was nice to see the DLC cups and characters all included in this game, making it an even more complete package than the already content-heavy Wii-U version.

If that alone doesn’t keep you playing for hours on end, there is also Time Trials. Here, you can do individual runs on each course and try beat online scores, as well as your own.

A new and improved battle mode can be played as well when you wish to take a break from the traditional race.

To top it all off, “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” comes with an online mode, allowing you to compete with anybody in any mode you like.

Conclusion
I ultimately had a blast with “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.” It brought out my competitive side, both with my friends and players worldwide but also myself; I, at the time of writing, still have yet to get three stars in all of the cups across all five cc’s. Whether it is fulfilling that goal or getting the most wins online, this is a joyous game that keeps you coming back. With a wide array of characters, especially new faces like Link from “The Legend of Zelda,” there is always reason to go back and play with someone. The same can be said even more so for the large amount of vehicle customization. With a crisp 60 fps and visually charming graphics, “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” is truly the pinnacle of its genre and the perfect game to spark a competition anytime, anywhere.

Do you think “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” is the best in the series? What’s your favorite vehicle loadout? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Celeste Review

A challenging and rewarding platformer with heart and an important message 

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch

“Celeste” is truly one of a kind thanks to tight and responsive, challenging gameplay and a surprisingly heartfelt story.

After everybody in the gaming industry’s praise for “Celeste” caught on to me, I eventually spread the good word to others. “Celeste” is a fantastic platformer with impressively challenging but rewarding gameplay. More importantly however is the plot that brings together deep themes like anxiety and inner demons, brilliantly crafting an unforgettable narrative to complement the wondrous level design.


Story
2D platformers rarely prioritize their stories in the same vein as their gameplay mechanics. “Celeste” is a game that takes the stereotype of the genre and flips it on its head, particularly for indie games of the modern day. The plot is realistic, approachable and incredibly heartfelt.

You take the role of Madeline with one objective: climb Celeste Mountain. The journey’s goal is to get Madeline away from life’s everyday struggles and moreover to come to peace with the physical manifestation of her inner self. The themes of “Celeste” range from poetic to surreal, delightful to downright depressing. Ideas like depression, anxiety and self-consciousness are approached and appropriately implemented in a beautiful manner. “Celeste” tells one of the most delightful and emotional stories I have ever come across in a game of this genre and nature. It kept me hooked for the entirety of the journey and left with an emotional bang, one that will not soon be forgotten.

Gameplay

Similar to the likes of “Super Meat Boy,” “Celeste” is a purposefully difficult 2D platformer, one that will put your skills to the test from the beginning.

The abilities to jump, dash or cling to walls and surfaces are your movements, each simple on paper but used to full effect in the cleverly designed levels. I had a great time weighing out my options of traversal in each level, trying to map out how I could possibly make it from point A to B and so fourth. The incredibly challenging platforming makes “Celeste” a puzzle game in many ways, each level acting as its own test of both thought and might.

Like “Super Meat Boy,” you will die a whole lot in “Celeste.” The challenge cannot be questioned with progressively difficult obstacles everywhere, moving platforms, gimmicks and more, making each level its own triumph. There is an undeniable sense of accomplishment I felt with each successful dash, jump and level transition. Games that are difficult but fair and make you feel pride in completion are a special beast and “Celeste” is a prime example of how do this right.

Welcoming to players either afraid of the instant difficulty spike or simply looking to enjoy the gameplay without losing their minds is an assist mode.

Graphics
“Celeste” doesn’t try to look overly stylish; the game’s art direction is a simple 2D pixelated one. “Celeste” does however look quite good with what the developers went for. The graphics and style fit the game perfectly. Characters have charming animations when shown during dialogue, despite being limited to facial expressions and minor motion. These simple visuals add to the overall charm.

One thing that is very appealing to the eye is the lack of a HUD. You simple watch Madeline’s hair color change to indicate whether or not you still have a jump or dash in you. I think that this complements the overall sleek appearance of “Celeste.”
Sound
“Celeste’s” soundtrack fits every moment in the game. Whether things are moving rapidly or the story is unfolding in an emotional manner, the music always complements the action on screen.

Jumping, dashing and falling to your death all sound brilliantly nostalgic.

“Celeste” features a cute, gibberish-like sound for the characters when they speak. Each character has their own and the decision to do something fresh like this rather than true voice acting fits the game’s overall style and tone perfectly and is quite charming.

Content
Over 100 strawberries can be found in “Celeste,” each creating their own challenge. These optional collectibles are the benefit of exploring the road less taken in the many levels of “Celeste.” This can easily provide players with incentive to consume the wonderful precision platforming once they beat the game.

B-side levels are another reason to keep “Celeste” installed. Existing as even harder levels to the already challenging game you just beat, the B-side levels opens the door to even more fun for those who are up to the test. They can be unlocked through finding hidden cassette tapes, yet another collectible spread out in “Celeste.”

Perfect for speed-runners, “Celeste” is a game practically built for the community to challenge themselves with beating this tough-as-nails platformer the fastest.

Thanks to the wide array of collectibles and plentiful bonus missions, “Celeste” is a surprisingly content-heavy experience for an indie game of this nature. It is fortunately very worth your time. 
Conclusion
Exciting execution of challenging but rewarding platforming levels couples with a beautiful story to make “Celeste” an instant classic. It would already be every bit worth your time with the clever level design and addictive precision platforming but Matt Thorson took it a step further to immerse you with emotion. Anxiety, inner demons and self-growth come together to tell you a heartfelt and genuine story like no other. “Celeste” is ultimately a special game with something to say and is every bit worth your time.

How did you feel about “Celeste’s” approach to real, emotional themes? How many deaths did you have by the end of the game? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Cuphead Review

Cartoons of the 30’s are revived in a gorgeous test of patience, skill and charm.

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

Reviewed on Xbox One

“Cuphead” is a visual masterpiece with some of the most challenging gameplay its genre has to offer, coupled with utmost charm.

This indie game proves to be a an incredibly worthwhile experience thanks to its unique art direction alone. A series of increasingly difficult boss fights make the shoot em' up an exhilarating time. This is all backed up by a feeling of pure satisfaction upon each level completion. Mastering the difficult challenges and admiring the visuals and music all complement each other’s addition to the overall joy that is “Cuphead.”

Story

The titular Cuphead and his brother, Mugman, are big-time gamblers. After becoming so obsessed, Cuphead takes a huge risk. Should they win, the entirety of the casino’s money would be theirs’. However losing would result in them giving up their souls to the Devil himself. From there, Cuphead and Mugman must gather soul contracts for the Devil to get out of this deadly deal.

The plot “Cuphead” presents is delightfully charming. This story is however rarely focused on what with a lack of actual story moments save for the soul contracts resulting from boss completions. This doesn’t matter much though thanks to the simplicity of it all and the gameplay, sound and visuals taking significant priority.

Gameplay
“Cuphead” has a control system with the abilities to move backwards and forward, jump, shoot nonstop, dash and shoot a charged up blast. Gameplay sees fast movement with the fire button being held down at all times, spraying unlimited ammo at the grand foes.

The main draw of “Cuphead” is its consistently challenging and fresh boss fights. “Cuphead” is more or less a boss rush but what makes it so good is that each boss fight comes with many special abilities, quirks and more.

Each of the boss fights offer significant challenges. “Cuphead” is the kind of game made with an intentional difficulty in mind. I admittedly failed dozens of times, even in the earlier boss fights. These failures do ultimately lead to a feeling of true satisfaction once conquered. I cannot deny the fairness in most of the fights either; “Cuphead” may be absurdly challenging but the game is designed well, so well that failing a boss fight is rarely the game’s fault for cheapness. I eventually discovered the patterns and the reasons I continuously failed and then finally succeeded to get the aforementioned feeling of satisfaction. However, the failures lead to extremely satisfying successes. This is a genuinely addictive gameplay loop, though definitely not so welcoming to casual players afraid of high difficulty spikes.

Besides the core boss fights of “Cuphead,” there are also some run and gun levels. These are a fun change of pace at times but never as exciting as the main levels. With no special bosses or any other particularly intriguing aspects of these levels, they rarely stuck with me or even gave me an incentive to complete them, especially knowing there are truly exhilarating challenges right around the corner.

During the game’s boss fights, there is no sign of progression until you fail. Of course, with the difficulty of “Cuphead,” there are no checkpoints during the boss fights; however, after dying, you will see how far you got.

Multiplayer in “Cuphead” is limited to local co-op. A second player can hop in, playing as Mugman. Unfortunately, I found this cooperative gameplay to be a bit overwhelming with the extra player and significantly higher amount of bullets on screen. Positively, it was a fun time collaborating and joking about the many failures. Local co-op isn’t necessarily easier, contrary to the idea that double the fire would take the bosses out in half the time.

Graphics
Ever since its debut at E3 2014, “Cuphead” wowed viewers with an art direction inspired by cartoons of the 1930’s like those out of Walt Disney Studios or Fleischer Studios.

Studio MDHR nails boss design in the visual department as much as with the gameplay. “Cuphead” is filled with so many unique, charming designs for each of the bosses in everything from their projectiles and attack patterns to their multiple forms and transitions. There is a great deal of heart put into all of them.

Cuphead and Mugman both have unforgettable designs as well. The two of them are both perfect adorable video game mascots, as well as easily suitable for a cartoon of yesteryear.

The artistically gorgeous visuals and atstyle of “Cuphead” prove it to be a wondrous work of art.

Sound
In the same vein of the graphics, the music of “Cuphead” is immensely satisfying to listen to. The music sticks with you thanks to the incredibly catchy tunes, perfect for the time period it represents.

In the audio department, I also found myself satisfied with the voices, despite them being few and far between. The opening phrases from the announcer such as “this match will get redhot,” and "a brawl is surely brewing," were executed in a charming manner and were fun additions to the tone of the game overall, despite being such a miniscule aspect of it.

Content
After completion, “Cuphead” doesn’t offer a whole lot to do. This is quite unfortunate due to the addictive nature and pure charm of the entire game; I couldn’t help but want more. Of course, with the extreme difficulty, I can’t imagine “Cuphead” will be completed too quickly by many, so I suppose you’ll get a bang for your buck. Here’s to the hopes of DLC in the future.

Conclusion
Ultimately, the new indie developers of Studio MDHR have executed a passion project with an equal amount of heart and charm. Once I got into the action, even after the countless failures, it was hard to put the controller down thanks to the addictive challenging yet satisfying loop of “Cuphead.” A love letter to 1930s-era cartoons, artists of that time and the gaming industry as a whole, “Cuphead” looks and sounds simply delightful. Coupled with the exhilarating boss fights and shoot em up gameplay. “Cuphead” is a testament to the amount of heart and dedication developers can put into their games to make a worthwhile and entertaining experience like no other.

Do you think “Cuphead” does well balancing style and substance? Did you find its difficulty to be fair or unforgiving? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus Review

Nonstop action coupled with a powerful story

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

Reviewed on Xbox One

“Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus” is a glorified sequel, upping the ante with an intriguing and absurdly powerful character-driven story in addition to fine-tuned, high octane gunplay.

Picking up just months after the events of 2014’s “Wolfenstein: The New Order,” the sequel comes packed with memorable characters and brutal moments alike. Thanks to intense gunplay and an enthralling story with realistic themes, “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus” is a fantastic shooter and follow up to to an already great predecessor.

Story
Taking place in alternate history of America, “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus” sees the Nazis to be the winners of World War 2. William Joseph "B.J." Blazkowicz teams up with many new faces, as well as returning characters from the last game, all to spark a new American Revolution, finally overthrowing the technologically advanced Third Reich.

Blazkowicz is a brave, bold American hero with plentiful determination. As the main protagonist, I quite enjoy him for his admirable traits and actions but also his realism. Even the macho hero he is, Blazkowicz struggles both mentally and physically, always fearing his death to be around every corner.

Anya, the love interest of Blazkowicz returns and this time she is pregnant with twins. Even Anya has her moments of valor as well, despite being both pregnant and in the shadows of her husband.

Reminiscent of “Wolfenstein: The New Order,” the choice of Wyatt or Fergus is asked, leading to alternate story moments. Other characters like Max Hass and Bombate return; however, they ultimately fail to bring much to the table.

The sequel’s newcomers like the ridiculous conspiracy theorist Super Spesh and Grace, an incredibly driven rebel leader help shape both the dynamic plot and character interactions and relationships of “Wolfenstein 2: The New Order.”

Antagonists in “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus” fortunately standout for all their evil glory and won’t soon be forgotten. Rip Blazkowicz, the father of B.J. was both violent and racist in the most extreme manners towards his family, justifying him as a frightening and effective side antagonist. The main threat is the returning Frau Engel. She is truly bone-chilling. Every unnerving laugh at all of the pain she caused to others made Engel blatantly sadistic. The Aryan leader is evil in every sense of the world and the performance and writing of Engel make her an unforgettable villain.

Gameplay

“Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus” has rapid, violent gunplay with plenty of Nazis to put those weapons to full effect. Gunplay is fantastic in both how it feels to aim down the sights and pull the trigger, as well as the execution and impact of your bullets. I never found the shooting to be anything less than exhilarating.

The gun variety isn’t overwhelming but it is still packed with enough unique styles to keep things interesting.

There is a welcoming and oftentimes efficient new ability to dual wield any weapons. Running around with two shotguns is truly an unmatched feeling of superiority. Unfortunately, switching or even selecting my left-handed or second gun can be quite the hassle. It felt shaky trying to switch during combat. The select screen not pausing or even slowing down made things harder as well, leaving me better off with just one gun in the end.

Health, armor and ammo are spread out in the levels of “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus,” frequently available for pickup before and after larger encounters. Seeing my health hit 20 and my favorite guns’ ammo run low made these pickups very important.

“Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus” does slow the pace down at times to allow stealth. Optional it may be, I found these moments to be exciting and a fresh change of pace, yet still ever-so nerve-wrecking. Throwing hatchets, stabbing from behind or picking enemies off with silence headshots all come with equal satisfaction to that of unloading bullets.

The sheer difficulty cannot go unmentioned. I played “Bring em’ on” which was about two difficulties above the easiest yet still died a whole lot. I don’t wish to put this game down for its intense challenge because it is quite fun to conquer the madness but this may not be welcoming to many. The action does however happen so quickly that you may not even know what hit you and without a killcam, it is oftentimes near impossible to know where you went wrong.

Beneficially, “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus” comes with the option to manually save. Whether I was looking for new strategies or just no trying to start from an awfully distant automatic checkpoint, this manual save option helped me a great deal.

Graphics

Visually, “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus” is a true marvel. With realistic facial expressions and actions in general, the game looks really good, only further pushing the impact of the story at hand.

The locations vary in both intentionally beautiful and dark and bleak, each feeling raw and telling their own stories.

Sound

Like the graphics, the production value is quite good in “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus” in the sound department. The characters are all voice acted exceptionally well. Blazkowicz and Engel especially stood out and rightfully so as they are the main protagonist and antagonist respectively.

The action scenes included some adrenaline-fueled music, perfect for the overall tone. Of course, the mundane, emotional and less wild moments in “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus” have their own fitting music as well, equally of good quality.

What I found to be out of place was the credits’ music. The song choice was way too over the top, even too hardcore of a metal song for “Doom.”

 
ContentOnce the credits roll in a linear single player game, the fear is always the lack of incentive to play more. I was pleased with the post-game content available in “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus,” making it worth playing after the credits concluded. It isn’t overly complex or content-heavy but it is nice to see more to do besides the main story.

The wide array of collectibles could easily provide for some time wasting for the collector and trophy/achievement hunter in us all.

Of course Fergus and Wyatt are interchangeable, leading to another playthrough inviting you to see things differently.

I am happy to say my save file is only completed 35 percent, after clocking in just over 20 hours, assuring me at least a few more hours to happily kill Nazis.

Conclusion

After killing hundreds of Nazis and marking my territory as both an American hero and killing machine, I can confidently say I had a blast with “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus.” The characters, especially B.J. Blazkowicz and Frau Irene Engel, are unforgettable and complement a compelling and dynamic story, one that appropriately tackles everything from hate groups, freedom fighting and heroism to alternate history, mechanized warfare and more. The intense challenge and glorious, brutal gunplay of “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus” make for an extremely exciting time

Was “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus” better than “Wolfenstein: The New Order?” Did you find it to be too difficult? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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If a Dog Was Your Teacher...

Posted at the Lessons Taught By Life page on Facebook. It echoed so much of my Lessons In Life From Dogs series for the April Challenge in 2014 that I simply had to share.

The secret, not just to happiness but to fulfillment and serenity? Be more dog.

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Canine Pica; My Dog Eats Socks, Rocks and Blocks!

     

What is Pica?

Your dog stops eating, they vomit or look cramped and uncomfortable.  They may pooping too much, they may not be pooping at all.

Your dog could have something stuck in their intestines.  Dogs, particularly puppies, are notorious for eating just about anything they find.  If a dog eats non-food items habitually the dog has pica.

  

The cause of pica is somewhat mysterious.  In some cases, it is caused by mineral or vitamin deficiencies; other dogs develop pica because they are bored or anxious, some just seem to eat what they find.  Pica may become habitual, just like finger nail biting in in humans.  This behavior is an abnormal manifestation of normal dog behavior.  For most of history dogs lived mainly outdoor lives and they foraged and hunted for a substantial portion of their food.  If a dog found a dead squirrel, it ate that squirrel.  Our modern homes have a dearth of dead squirrels, but a sock left on the family room floor sure looks a lot like squirrel to a bored dog.

It is very important when you have a new dog, particularly a puppy, that you supervise them closely, make sure they have a variety of appropriate chew toys, and redirect them in a firm but cheerful manner when they put inappropriate things in their mouths.  (Sounds a lot like having a toddler, doesn’t it?)

Yes, this is work.  But a sock lodged in the intestines can cost thousands.  A friend of mine lost her small dog to zinc poisoning when that dog ate a penny. Supervise, use gates, especially for kids’ rooms and pick up your shoes and socks. If your dog's experiments with eating the wrong things become a habit you will need to make the following changes.

What can you do if your dog has a pica problem?  Do all of these!

1.     Veterinarian support.  Check for physical causes of pica, particularly nutritional issues,    parasites, poisoning and digestive abnormalities.
2.    Management!  Close doors, put up gates, use toy boxes, sweep the yard for rocks and other    items your dog may eat.  If they can’t get to it, they can’t eat it.
3.     Supervise!  Also have a dog safe area where your dog can relax when you can’t supervise.
4.    Exercise!  Exercise will make your dog tired and calmer.  A tired dog is not restlessly  wandering your home looking for things to do.  Lots of tug, fetch and play!
5.     Dog Daycare.  Can’t exercise your dog enough, dog daycare can be a lifesaver, literally.
6.    Use a head harness (gentle leader brand, snoot loop or halti) if your dog grabs things off the    ground on their walks.  Be sure to teach your dog to wear a head harness slowly, don’t just jam  the harness on their head and think it will go well.  This link may help.
7.   Toy variety.  You might think rubber bones are amazing, but your dog might want a tuff root or  ruff root, a  deer antler, a cow hoof a nylabone for tough chewers, or a bumper made out of  firehose.   
1.  If they eat fabric then plush toys may not be a good idea. Some dogs also swallow rawhide whole.  If you do get rawhide, be sure it is reconstituted or compressed rawhide
2.  Supervise when introducing new toys to be sure your dog does not demolish and ingest them.
3. Go crazy, get them EVERY kind of toy you can think of.  Rotate your toys.
   
8.   Stuff hollow bones, kongs, and other toys.  FREEZE these to make them last longer and make  your dog chew more.  Chewing is a naturally calming activity for dogs, probably one of the  reason anxious dogs are often chewers.
9.    Use NO CHEW Sprays.  Some I have had luck with are Bitter Apple, Phooey and Yuck.      Bring your dog to a pet superstore with a paper towel torn in several pieces.  Conduct an  experiment.  Douse pieces of the paper towel in various sprays and see which one your dog  really really hates.  Some people have had luck using essential oil sprays in lemon or  eucalyptus.
10.   Over the counter tryptophan supplements can help your dog.  There should be a variety  available at pet shops and on the internet.  Your veterinarian can also provide prescription  tryptophan supplements.
11.   Teach your dog LEAVE IT and a DROP IT.  Not a "He does it sometimes if he feels like it,"  behavior, but good, solid cues your dog listens to.  You may need a dog trainer for this work.
12.   Try something new and fun for you and your dog.  Hike, swim, jog, fly-ball, agility, herding,    tracking, scent work, barn hunt, lure coursing.  These will get you two out having fun and you  and your dog will both be happier, healthier and more likely to make great choices.
13.    As a last-ditch effort, if none of the above allow your dog to live safely, then Prozac or an      antidepressant may be appropriate.  That is a matter to discuss with your veterinarian.

Claudia Black-Kalinsky, CPDT-Ka

Train This Dog
Savannah, Ga
www.trainthisdog.com
https://plus.google.com/+TrainThisDogSavannah
Facebook

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The Chihuahua Who Became Chucho

The name his rescuer gave him was Everest, because she found him in Montaña, a neighborhood in here in Curaçao, which translates to "Mountain"... Personally, I might have gone with Kilimanjaro, or even Blanc (you know, for Mont), but—well, naming is the rescuer's prerogative. Either way, this first name wasn't going to last, because a couple of months later, when a fabulous woman adopted him—only temporarily, as it turned out, but I'm getting ahead of myself here—she decided that, him being a (sort of) Chihuahua and all, he needed a more Mexican name. One of the most common appellatives in Mexico is Jesús (pronounced heh-SOOS), and every Jesús I know gets called, for unfathomable reasons, Chucho for short.

So Everest became Chucho.

Chucho (even before being called Everest) came to us on October 5th, 2016, and it was thanks to Facebook. I belong to several animal rescue groups (surprise, surprise), and on this particular fine afternoon a post popped up on my timeline from a fellow member asking for advice. She'd found this tiny dog on the side of the road, walking in tight, tight circles and acting disoriented. She didn't know what to do. I was probably the third person to reply, and echoed exactly what the other two people had said: Take him to the vet. ASAP. And I added that I'd be happy to do it myself, if she wanted. People not intimately familiar with rescue have no way of gauging what the veterinary 'damage' will be, so sometimes they hesitate to take an animal to the vet out of fear they won't be able to afford the bill. Plus, not everyone can drop their lives at a moment's notice in order to rush a strange dog to the ER. In this particular case, the rescuer said in her post that she knew next to nothing about dogs, that she'd always been more of a cat person; I felt she had done enough by picking up the dog to begin with, so it seemed only reasonable to step in and offer help.

At the home of his rescuer while they waited for me. All he wanted was to sleep. No water, no food, just... sleep. Yep, not a good sign.

I arrived at her door about a half hour later, after a few wrong turns but not nearly as many as I expected; it was Election Day here, and a voting location had been set up just a block from her house, so the crowd and the lines of parked cars were hard to miss. She helped me load the dog—who really was tiny; he'd looked rather larger in the photo she posted—into the car, and I promised to call as soon as I had some sort of diagnostic. I did warn her that, from the behavior she'd described—the walking in circles, the disorientation, the lack of appetite or energy—the prognosis would probably not be very good. "There's a chance he'll need to be put down," I told her, as kindly as I could. She nodded, reached a hand in through the open window to pet the tiny head again. "I understand."


But it was not to be; Everest would live. The vet that afternoon couldn't find any obvious injury or clear signs of disease that warranted ending his life. "Let's keep him in observation for 24 hours," she suggested—which, of course, meant I had to bring him home. That hadn't been the plan, especially since my pack at home is notoriously averse to newcomers (canine or human). But Everest's rescuer worked full-time, and had a small daughter; no way she was going to stay up all night to monitor the dog. We had no right to ask her to, even.

So Everest came home with me.

Chucho (aka Everest), on his first night with us, curled tight in the smallest dog basket I have. (And he still manages to make it look huge. He was so, so small...)

After an uneventful night (which I spent on the couch next to him, just in case), he began experimenting with leaving the basket. He didn't seem able to walk in anything other than circles, which was worrying (to put it mildly). I carried him out to the backyard and let him wander, hoping that in the open space he'd finally find his bearings... But no luck. He basically walked, always in tight circles, until he exhausted himself and laid down, where he stood.

Yeah. Not good.

For a good seven days, we—I mean the vets and I—were convinced the kindest thing would be to put him down. Sure, he had no obvious injuries or any signs of neural disease (such as, say, distemper), but—the circles. The disorientation. He had to be freakin' hand-fed. He wouldn't even drink water on his own for the first two or three days, and when he did it was basically by taking a swim in the water container.

But... how does one give up on this face?

So I got in touch with my dog network—behaviorists, vets, owners of multiple Chihuahuas, the most experienced rescuers, anyone I could think of, really—and told them about Chucho. The idea, initially, was to gather input from multiple, and independent, sources in order to work up the courage to put him down. This video was filmed on Oct. 13, eight days after Chucho was rescued, and the original, unedited version was meant for a behaviorist friend who lives in Germany and had asked to see him 'in action', so to speak.

Who was going to adopt this dog? Who has the time, or the inclination, to hand-feed a tiny Chihuahua twice a day, to give him even water by hand, too? No one, that's who. And, if you're any good at reading dog body language, you can see that this disorientation was causing him stress, too. Was he in pain? Was he suffering? All we could do was guess, but at the time this video was made, and shared with people equipped to judge, the consensus was that this was not a happy dog, or—more practically speaking—an adoptable one, either. Best to let him go.

But Chucho had other ideas. On the same day the video was filmed, I brought him to the vet for a check-up—and he surprised us all by walking more or less in a straight line in the examination room. We had thought he might be blind, but after multiple tests (the vet stood in his way, put obstacles in his path, changed items of furniture around) we were convinced that he could see perfectly well. We were still no closer to figuring out why the walking-in-circles or the disorientation (painfully evident in the video), but it was clear that a) he wasn't blind, and b) he was improving. No way to know how much he'd improve, or whether he'd ever be completely normal, but it was only logical to give him the chance to recover as much, and as far, as he could.

We all breathed a sigh of relief.

And then, two days later, this happened.

Did he sense, somehow, that we were on the verge of making the decision to let him go? Did that last visit to the vet work some kind of all-is-well spell? Could it have been blue-harness magic? He seemed to like that harness. Bottom line, your guess is as good as mine. The point, however, is that as of that day, he improved by leaps and bounds. Three days later (the day after video #2), he was eating from a normal dog bowl. Unassisted. And there was no more of that walking-in-circles spooky crap. When I called him, he turned toward me (instead of toward the wall, or the sofa, or the kenepa tree), and actually came to me—in a straight line.

And so we began to look for a home for him in earnest. Yes, he'd probably need special care all his life, but—well, a dog that can eat and drink without physical assistance has a much better chance of being adopted versus one that can't.

So it was. After a halfway stop at a pseudo-foster (who had every intention of keeping him), he met the (human) love of his life and now lives in the Netherlands. He is feisty and doesn't allow his miniature size to limit him in any way. He shows no signs of reverting to his circle-walking days, except when stressed; he did it a little bit after his castration surgery, but once the anesthetic wore off completely, he was back to his normal, straight-line self.

Chucho in the Netherlands, at his forever home. Yes, on the bed, heel graag ;)

All we need is love. A flurry of miracles that converge on a single point, and—tah-dah! The rescuer—who wasn't a rescuer at all, just a normal, non-dog-loving person who saw a dog in distress and simply couldn't drive on, couldn't turn a blind eye. The vets who saw him—who could very easily have recommended euthanasia on the first day. The foster-slash-adopter who gave him a chance. And the adopter in the Netherlands, who gave him a home to belong to, and a life worth living.

I love this story. Chucho, you make me believe in miracles.

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