A Dirty Dozing Dog and Smudged Soiled Shoe

A dirty dozing dog and a smudged soiled shoe.

"Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity." ~ Lindley Karstens

I have a pair of old sneakers that are worn through and soil stained with compost and dirt, stiff with repetitive soakings, and ragged with open cracks; yet they are sure and supportive where I need them most and they feel good on my feet. Usually, I pair them with white long pants, white shirt with long sleeves, a garden hat to cover my face and neck, white socks with the ends cut out to cover the hands and wrists before topping off with gloves, and long white tube socks to pull over the bottoms of the pants.

Of course this brings several questions to mind that you might have.... WHY? Why white? Why long sleeves in hot weather? Or WHY on earth would you go out where someone might see you in a giddy-up like that? Or even more likely, WHY haven't you posted a picture of yourself in this outfit? This last question is the easiest to answer... "Because I wouldn't let ANYONE get a picture of me in this outfit, as I know how strange and ridiculous it looks. Only Daisy, my dog would be allowed to take a picture... and since she hasn't a clue about how to work the camera, I am safe.

As to the other questions, I have to go out in this outfit because I MUST dig in the dirt and I MUST garden.. for sanity. Hey! I'm not looking for a knight in shining armor to show up anytime soon, my hair frizzes in the humidity and heat and I get smudges all over my face as well as all over the clothes... so basically, I don't care if I look like a golfer from the 40's. Or you could say, I care more about the flowers for butterflies and caterpillars and the plants for the birds and bees than I care that my neighbors see me as ridiculous. Besides... my garden and beds are way better than theirs are... so ... na-na-na-na-na-na... there! The long sleeves and pants and coverage from head to foot are a bother in hot weather.. but necessary. Since we are at the edge of a wetland forest preserve, we have a major tick population; everything you can do to cover up any entrance point they have is prudent... and this year they seem to be even worse than usual. We have them all.. those with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme's disease and even a new one that carries something they call Tidewater Fever. It isn't as severe a disease but the tick that carries the bug is centered at the Great Dismal Swamp... just five miles or less from us... so.. there you have it. Oh, yes... why WHITE? For a similar reason... since it is a given fact that anytime you work near the preserve, i.e. in the yard or behind the fence, you WILL be exposed to ticks... the white shirts and pants and socks and such are much easier to examine for ticks. The tick shows up against the white background better than dark blue jeans... easier to remove and squash. Of course, with this get-up on, I usually dose my clothes with a thick spray of Deep Woods Off in an effort to limit the number of ticks that take the plunge and hitch a ride on my white shirt. At the end of the day, a close examination gets rid of most of them... then the really, really dirty clothes go in the sink and another search before hitting the washer. Even with all these precautions, you still have to check all the nooks and creases for any strays that might have gotten through the defenses.... they are the most sneaky of bugs. If only there were a bird that consumed them by the millions. (sigh!)

Daisy tries to help garden, she sometimes even digs (until scolded); but she prefers a place to snooze in the shade on the patio or even better, in the air conditioned sunroom. Yes, she gets dirty...her ears hang low and drag in the mulch... and she does rarely get a tick but her Frontline takes care of them. It would be nice if they could formulate a Frontline product for us... once a month application to kill and sterilize those critters; then we could shed those strange togs for more fashionable sleeveless chiffon tops and light weight shorts while gardening... but we would still get "dirty".

(end of post)
Carmi's theme ~ "well-aged" ~ both shoe and dog.
Saturday Photo Hunt ~ "Dirty"

Camera Critters

Daisy Has Taken A Turn For The Worse

Daisy has taken a sudden turn for the worse in her heart disease... it appears she has decompensated and is having shortness of breath and acute heart failure. She spent much of the night standing until I figured a way she could lean on some pillows and on me and she finally fell asleep around 3 AM. Her breathing is still too fast and I am trying to get her into the cardiologist.... God has his eye on the sparrow so I know He has His eyes on Daisy too.

Update: 4PM... Daisy is spending the night at the emergency vet.. the same vet that took care of Max during his long illness. The veterinary cardiologist was not in today and could not see her until Monday, but the internal medicine doctors at the emergency place could do the echocardiogram and the lab tests needed. Her heart is really large.. but there doesn't seem to be any pneumonia, tumors in the lungs or elsewhere and it doesn't look like a slam dunk on Cushings with a pulmonary thrombosis either. Her oxygen level was really low so they put her in an oxygen crate and this had helped her breathing already, before I left. She has a cardiomyopathy type of heart failure, no tumor in the heart and no pericardial fluid. Her heart muscle looks to still be functioning fairly well and they think that with some Lasix and another drug, similar to digoxin but less toxic, she might make it over this episode. Cockers tend to respond well and have a pretty good prognosis... perhaps even two to three more years of quality. The medication starts to work in thirty minutes after dosage and I will call in later to check on her. Hopefully, she will be improved and able to be out of the oxygen by sometime tomorrow and can come home.

The workers there remember Max... "the cranky, goofy dog with the squeaky ball in his mouth"... and Daisy is so totally opposite of him.... sweet, cooperative, lets them draw blood, hold her for an echo and chest x-ray and generally prod and poke at will. I hope she can rest better tonight, but I know she must wonder where her "people" are and if we are ever coming back... she's been through this trauma before... at the kill shelter in South Carolina.

Thanks for the thoughts.... Daisy has carved out an even bigger place in my heart than Max did and if she left now, so suddenly, the hole would be impossible to fill.

Update #2 Sunday: Daisy responded well to her therapy and was able to go off oxygen at 5AM on Saturday. I picked her up a little after noon. They did an EKG and found that she also has 2nd degree heart block... which means that her heart is only contracting with every other electrical complex. If it progresses it could lead to sudden death but it does not usually progress and in this case it kept her heart rate from being as high as her respiratory rate and probably helped her heart failure stay compensated for as long as it did. They could put a pacemaker in but she is quite old and that would be difficult for her. Medication that would help would hurt her heart failure... so, we will watch. She had more energy than I have seen in her for quite a while and for a time I thought I might have to crate her to keep her from bounding around too much. After she figured out that everything was in place and this was indeed her place and that all her people were here... including her grandma... she settled down and took her usual naps, ate well and after being carried upstairs in a basket... she slept like a log.. happy to be back on her tempurpedic mattress pad. She goes back in one week to check progress and titrate her meds. Now, we have 1 dog, 1 cat, two humans on multiple meds..... hope I can keep them straight.

((end of post)

In A Winter Wonderland With A Depressed Dog

Daisy does NOT like snow. (Click picture to enlarge)

“It's snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily. "So it is." "And freezing." "Is it?" "Yes," said Eeyore. "However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately.” ~ A. A. Milne (English Humorist, creator of Winnie-the-Pooh, 1882-1956)

Last night and this morning we have had the fourth snow event in the past two and a half weeks. Three have been minimal, including today.... with less than two inches of snow. The first, however, was deep and long lasting... ten inches in our area. Daisy doesn't mind the dustings and smaller depths, but she absolutely hates the deep stuff. The snow came up to her chest and she always stayed in the foot steps already made in the snow while we were out. It stuck to her fur and between her toes.... no, Daisy is not fond of the white stuff. She prefers to sit in the sunroom and look out at the birds and the kids playing in the street.

I was about to say that the snow had stopped and the sun was trying to come out, but as I look out the window, the clouds returned and still the tiny white fluff flies... just flurries. Still, I see we might be in for a little more on Monday or Tuesday!

(end of post)

Finding Shade In The Shadows

Smiling on the outside, melting on the inside.
Daisy: "Hey! Mom! When can we go in?"
(Click picture to enlarge)

"He that will enjoy the brightness of sunshine, must quit the coolness of the shade." ~ Samuel Johnson

I don't think Daisy will be moving from this shade anytime soon. It was hot and sweltering, humid and with a temperature of almost 97 degrees. The heat index was well over a hundred and we were only outside long enough to fill the bird feeders... but that seems to be too long for a certain cocker spaniel. She did her "business" in record time and wanted back into the cool den with its gently rotating ceiling fan. Here she could cuddle up on the loveseat or in her padded bed and snooze in comfort. But I wasn't finished with the job at hand. So what is a "hot dog" to do? Find the nearest shade of course, even if it is the smallest of trees, only planted a couple of years before...shade is shade. She grins as the shadows dance across her body and her face. I wonder...does Daisy think she can catch these sunbeams? No.. she just wants me to quit with the pictures and fill the feeders ... it is simply too hot to be out...

Did you find yourself a shadow to rest in today or is yours simply following you around being no comfort at all? More shadows are at Harriet's Shadow Shot Sunday.

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In Sunshine And Shadow

"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Miss Daisy: In sunshine and shadow.
(Click picture to enlarge)

"Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you." ~ Maori Proverb

Daisy sits showing off her new haircut as the afternoon sun shines through the high windows in the den; her shadow dog sits right behind her. Most days she doesn't like the sun.. it's hot, she's hot.. but today, she has had a groom and it's fine. This was taken around Christmas and her grandma had just baked her cute little dog biscuits for a treat. Daisy is quite content... a far cry from her days as a dog on death row in South Carolina. She is my sunshine in a shadowy world.

Entry for Camera Critters and Shadow Shot Sunday. Daisy is going to check out Friday's Ark this week as well.

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SPH: Today I Remember

Nyssa and Max saying the last "good-bye".... October 2007

Miss Clover (July 1993 - October 2008)

"Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love."
~ George Eliot

Through the years, a lot of dogs and cats were loved in our home; some came to us from friends, others were rescued from deplorable conditions in a pet shop and many simply found us on the street or on a college campus. We have lost many too... most from old age ailments, but a few from cancer and accidental mishaps. Each loss is traumatic as these creatures are loved as family members and always give more love than we can ever give them back.

Miss Clover and Max are the two most fresh on my mind so I choose to remember them today. Max was one who found me... a stray, in terrible shape, he never was able to overcome all of his inner demons left from mistreatment at the hands of humans and yet he was the most happy-go-lucky guy in his own space and he knew when to sit quietly by and just "be" with his human. He has been gone two years this November... no longer in pain or suffering from his cancer, but always remembered. This was one of the last pictures I took, Max nose to nose with Nyssa... saying their last good-byes. Max's full memorial post can be viewed here.

Miss Clover came to us with her sister, Miss Chloe as kittens. They loved each other, fought with each other and made all of us laugh. Clover had the most amazing eyes that could look into your soul or shoot daggers at the other cats. Though her eyes remained clear and cool... she lost her sight, probably due to some other aging process. Though she seemed to waste away in front of me, she was still up for giving me her usual raspy tongue lashing, even on that last day. I'm glad it was a sunny day, a day she could feel the sun on her back and the grass under her feet. She left us almost a year ago now... October 2008. Miss Clover's memorial post is here.

Both of these friends gave more love than most, both were loved deeply and both are missed terribly. Today, I remember them once again.

(end of post)

PS: I understand that there is technical difficulty at the home of the hunt so we are winging it today.

Daisy Takes Center Stage

May the force be with you.... Yoda
(Click pictures to enlarge)

"Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, filling an emptiness we don't even know we have." ~ Thom Jones

Daisy is concerned that she hasn't had much face time on the blog. We picked out these pictures together... Soon after she arrived here at her "forever" home, we had a significant coastal storm... not really a tropical storm but not the typical winter nor'easter. The winds were up there and it was humid. In between the rain I took her out to do her "business" and she was really not impressed with the wind at all. When she stood with her back to it.. she had a hard time standing still; but the results when she stood facing into the wind was priceless. Her floppy ears flew up and out in the wind and made for this "Yoda" impersonation!

Peek-a-boo... I see you in there.

Daisy likes to have company when she is outside, which is fine... except when it is cold and the wind is penetrating and when she decides to make her tour around the back yard next to the fence... she has to make sure everything is OK! Sometimes I have to go ahead and shut the door... then, soon, there she is at the back door.. her nose stuck up against the glass with this smile on her face... "Let me in now!"

"Are we playing hide and go seek or tag, Mr Rhett?"

Daisy had her first real cocker cut just before Christmas and they did a really good job. She knew she was beautiful. Mr. Rhett, her cat buddy, wasn't impressed. Of course, he is never impressed... by anything. Here he was slowly climbing up on to the loveseat and trying to sneak up on her from behind. Daisy knew this and simply pretended to ignore him. Oh, the games these two play... or try to play.

Daisy wants to see the other dogs that are aboard Friday's Ark. She knows there are always more cats there.... but she loves cats too. See you there.

(end of post)

Halloween Recap (Yes, I Know It's A New Year)

Everyone wants to get into the Halloween spirit....

"Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story." ~ Mason Coole

Daisy helped me hand out the Halloween candy this year and of course she needed a costume. Walmart had a cute ladybug stretchy one... but it was a tad too small. She has filled out since moving in with us and by October, her hair had grown as well and she was a soft, cuddly, sweet buff girl with platinum blonde bangs and two platinum curls at the tip of her stubby tail. So we had to come up with something else. The "hot dog" costume had mustard on it and she prefers mayonnaise and chili... and the witch, vampire and skeleton were too scary for her delicate sensibilities. Daisy didn't look like a cheerleader or a clown, so what to do...?

At least Daisy did... now, the cats? Not so much.

I designed her this wonderful accessory.... a wrist watch or rather a tummy watch in her case. Of course, she had to have a beautiful watch with a bejeweled band and a colorful neck ruffle as well. To our amazement, Daisy not only tolerated her costume, she seemed to love strutting around the house with it on and posed for many, many pictures.

Little "watch dog" is on the job!

We didn't have a large number of kids, but she greeted each one with a tail wag and a smile. Quite a few parents took pictures of their kids with her and she graciously posed for single shots as well. All night she sat quietly by my chair on the front porch waiting for the next group of kids and hoping for a treat..... no, Daisy, no chocolate for you!

Taking time to smell the mums....

Daisy loved the bright mums we had for fall decorations. Last year we got the dark purple mums, this year I went for the orange-gold variety. After they died off I cut them back and planted the rootball in the flower bed. This year they came back even fuller than last and I will be doing the same thing with these beauties in a few days.

..... and just goofing off!

All in all it was a great day and evening... not too hot and not too cool, with a nice breeze. Daisy couldn't help goofing off a bit. "Look Ma! My collar converts into a great sun bonnet!"

(end of post)

Getting To Know You

Mr. Rhett and his (relatively) new friend Miss Daisy.

Inadvertent sleeping buddies........

....awake and sniff noses before taking leave to their separate corners.

"If you can look at a dog and not feel vicarious excitement and affection, you must be a cat." ~ Author Unknown

I need to get caught up.... wow! That is an understatement! We'll have to take it slowly...so much to tell and so many pictures left over to post. But, of course, I have to start with the animals! I found Daisy online at a Richmond canine rescue site. She has been with us now for five months and she is an absolute joy! She is calm with everyone, great with kids, loves baths and she has only barked five or six times in all these months.

While Mom was in the rehab center after her hip replacement, we found that they allowed dogs to visit. So Daisy put on her best pink coat and her big smile and walked right in. Several of the residents called her and she quietly walked up to them and sat down, waiting to be petted. Mom couldn't bend over to her level so Daisy sat on Mom's bed right next to her as she sat in the wheelchair. All the nurses were very impressed, one even asked if she was a certified therapy dog! And my mom absolutely loved her visits! Daisy seems to know when someone needs a little extra loving and she will sit next to them, put her head on their chest and offer her paw. How can one help but hug the curly cutie pie?

As for the cats... Daisy loves them. Unfortunately, the feeling is not mutual. Nicky, Scarlett and Maggie are totally immobilized by fear, Willow hisses and Chloe just gives her a wide berth. Only Mr. Rhett seems to be open to Daisy, but as with all things cat... it is only on his own terms. Daisy tries very hard to get him to play with her. She ignores the squeaky ball toys that Max loved so much, but when Rhett is in the room, she grabs one of his stripped balls and tosses it around, trying to get his attention. Most of the time he just walks around and ignores her when Daisy tries to sniff his nose. These are the best shots showing any degree of inter-species love.

At least she doesn't chase them... actually she DOES chase squirrels.... and barks at them. So my question is... how does she know that small furry thing is a squirrel rather than a cat?

Lastly, I'll get on my little soap box.... if you are considering the addition of a dog (or a cat) to your family... please, please, please check out the rescue groups and shelters first. These animals are so grateful and so loving and truly know how to appreciate life. Daisy came within 30 minutes of being euthanized by carbon monoxide gassing, a barbaric method that should be banned. But more than this, she was alone and unloved... yet with so much love left to give. We feel blessed to have Miss Daisy and she will ALWAYS be loved. Rescued dogs are the absolute BEST!!!

(end of post)

Our Miss Daisy

Miss Daisy, our newest family member... doesn't she look happy?
(Click pictures for larger view)

"I am joy in a wooly coat, come to dance into your life, to make you laugh!" ~ Julie Church

Well, I did it! I resisted for almost a year; waiting patiently for another lost dog to find me. That is how it always works with me... the lost dog shows up on my street or at the playground or on a college campus. But this time, it didn't exactly work that way. This time, my mom decided she wanted a dog... a "little lap" dog... a dog that most certainly would have scooted right through the back fence or have been accidentally tripped over or stepped on by low flying feet. (We all have those at times here in this home.) She talked about a Yorkie or a Miniature Schnauzer, but I think the mixed "pound puppy" is the best! So, I started looking at rescue groups and came across many shocking examples of the dark side of humanity; so-called animal shelters where poor dogs are put in large chambers and gassed with carbon monoxide and owners that turned in their companion pets, knowing full well they would be killed within hours. I will NEVER understand people who think like this.

What a pretty smile you have?

Then I ran across B.A.R.K. (Bandit's Adoption & Rescue of K-9s) and they had two possible candidates. I wanted a dog big enough to make their presence known but not too big, a calm and sweet personality, fine with other animals (cats) and already house trained, not a puppy. So I took the plunge after several days of arguing with myself and... I filled out the application for adoption and asked to see the two dogs... Simon and Daisy. I guess it shouldn't have surprised me since I had to tell them about the animals we have had and almost all had sad stories, but they approved my application in just a few hours and before I knew it, I was set to drive up to Richmond for a visit.

Simon and Daisy were both sweet, friendly, quiet, calm and really perfect. How to chose? It helped that their foster mom already had someone who wanted the one I could not chose. But yet again, my idea of "choosing" a dog didn't work out. Simon and I played a while then he played with the other dogs and children in the area. When I sat down to get to know Daisy, she climbed into my lap, put her head back on my arm and wouldn't leave. Even when I was filling out the paperwork, she just stared up at me and refused to walk away. Her foster said, "I think Daisy has chosen you." And so it was.

Daisy loves belly rubs!

She is the same coloring as my beloved Max but with a docked tail. Daisy was pulled from a South Carolina high-kill gassing "shelter" just 30 minutes before her time was up. The Carolina Cocker Rescue was full so they called the Richmond group and found her foster mom. She said she was matted and had barbed wire embedded in the fur on her chest and that she didn't know how she could have laid down at all. She was thought to be a stray, already spayed, lost perhaps... and yet no one was looking for her. Daisy is about five years old and in spite of all her troubles, she is trusting and lovable and just perfectly sweet. She made the two hour trip back here without a whimper or whine. In fact, she made NO SOUND for a full three days. We were worried that she had had her cords cut as some puppy mill dogs do and were actually relieved to hear her bark at a squirrel who had pilfered some bird feed in the back yard. The squirrels are the only thing she does bark at.

She loves the company of cats, although I think the 16+ pound hairy ragdoll Willow scares her a bit. Mr. Rhett is not bothered at all and they touch noses and share my mom's chair at times (Rhett on the arm and Daisy getting tummy rubs in her lap) She sleeps in her crate at night and on the sofa with me on Sunday afternoons. She loves baths, the puppies next door, my brother and treats, of course. So far, however, no interest in chew bones or toys, but we have time for that.

Sleepy time for a tired little girl.

So, this is Miss Daisy, our newest family member.... and already firmly entrenched in our hearts. The dogs in my life usually find me. This time I found her... but in the end it was her "choice". I'm glad Daisy chose us!

(end of post)

Goodnight, Sweet Prince

Empty collar, silent toys and a hole in my heart.

The Last Battle
If it should be that I grow frail and weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done,
For this -- the last battle -- can't be won.
You will be sad I understand,
But don't let grief then stay your hand,
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.
We have had so many happy years,
You wouldn't want me to suffer so.
When the time comes, please, let me go.
Take me to where to my needs they'll tend,
Only, stay with me till the end
And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do to me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I have been saved.
Don't grieve that it must be you
Who has to decide this thing to do;
We've been so close -- we two -- these years,
Don't let your heart hold any tears.
~ Unknown

I wasn't looking for another dog. After losing two old dogs in a six week span, I wanted time to recover, but three months later, he found me. He was a matted mess of hair, hard to tell which end was which, except for that swishing tail. He had been lost or more likely, dumped and had been on his own for some time. He had the art of begging for food perfected and with a college campus, had quite a few sympathetic sources for his meals. But he limped a little and smelled awful. Nyssa knew, so did the dog... I have the word "sucker" written on my forehead. He followed us to the van on that last trip with the dorm debris and when I offered him a seat, he graciously accepted. The dog was friendly enough, as long as you didn't try to comb out his matted fur or touch his paws. He had a collar, but no tag.

(Clockwise from upper left) Max, the day he "found" me;
After the first trip to the vet; Max with his first toy; Lounging in luxury.

At the vet he had to be sedated to be examined, and for good reason. His nails had grown into his paw pads and they had to be cut out and the infection irrigated. His coat was hopelessly matted and shaved off in large chunks. The wet fur left him with several patches of raw and infected skin and he had heart worms; but he was neutered and most likely dumped by some thoughtless human. After his treatment for the heart worms, he came home...home to his air conditioned dog house, padded lounge chairs and regular meals.. along with the obligatory biscuit treats, head rubs and squeaking toys. "How old is this fellow?" One vet thought he was about five and later on another thought he might be a bit older. It didn't matter. In a matter of two days, he became ours... he became Max. (short for Maxwell)

For a long time, Max had nightmares and would cry and wail and yelp as if some horrible creature were after him. Sometimes there was no trigger, but most often it was a siren in the distance. Had he been in a fire? Could that be how he got lost? Finally, these last three months, his nightmares stopped and sirens no longer made him cry.

Max loved his toys and his chew bones, but most of all he loved his basketball.

Max loved to play fetch, except he never wanted to give you the ball back. He wanted you to take it but would pretend he was fierce and growled if you tried. But if you were quick and grabbed it from his grip, he would jump and prance with joy, waiting for that next toss. I always tired out first, so Max would sit and entertain... growling at his ball, then tossing it up in the air or nudging it with his nose, then running to grab it as it rolled away. Yes, he loved those basketballs.

Max never dug in the yard, he never chewed shoes or tore up plants or chased the cats. Max never met a dog he didn't like, but he was a staunch protector of his humans and always kept himself between us and anyone who invaded his yard. He was a connoisseur of comfort in his heated doghouse with the linoleum floor and covered porch. He had a fan for the summer heat but preferred to be with his kitties in the air conditioned sunroom. Max was an expert at getting what he wanted, even figs.

Max and his ever present basketball.

We had only been together for two and a half years when Max first started getting his large skin nodules; on his chest and sides and back.... all over. They were malignant, high grade, poorly differentiated... lymphoma... of the skin. We were referred to Dr. Brewer and Max started on a long road of chemotherapy. No IV's, just a pill in a big lump of dog food... right up Max's alley. He always did his hoot owl impression all the way there and was quietly happy all the way home. I think he conned the girls out of a lot of doggy biscuits. He took the chemo like a champ, never had a low platelet count and, wonder of wonders, his nodules went away... all of them... within four days of the first treatment. This was his life for almost 16 months... a chemo pill every three or four weeks, then a CBC, then one or two weeks off. He was happy, he was fat, he played and ran and talked to his dog friends next door, he barked at the lawn man and stole figs from the tree... no one would ever suspect he had cancer.

Then in June the nodules started coming back, but they didn't look the same or feel the same. So around the first of July, he had two taken off and they were malignant, but now, a different, second type of cancer. This time they were high grade, poorly differentiated mast cell tumors. It took longer for his incisions to heal but he was as bouncy as ever. Now, Dr. Brewer added another agent, an IV shot for two weeks and then his regular pill and a rest for two weeks. The one remaining nodule finally went away on this new plan, but more slowly than the lymphoma. Max did well in July and August and most of September, but his appetite would sometimes be off and he tired out more quickly playing fetch. He preferred his waterbed inside in the cool sunroom.

The last week of September, Max didn't want his biscuit and I knew something was wrong. We tried to give him Pepcid AC as the mast cell tumors can cause stomach ulcers. It became harder to get him to eat and he simply wanted to lay on the ground and sleep. He started limping and yelping as if his leg hurt. On October 1st, I spent most of the day trying to get him to eat a few bites of food, but this dog who would dance for his supper and inhale it within two minutes just a few weeks before, sat with six different offerings off food and even chunks of steak and just looked at it.

Our last day with Max. Saying good-bye.

Max was to get another round of chemotherapy on October 2nd but I knew it was time. Max loved to eat and he couldn't. He was uncomfortable and couldn't run and play and another tumor nodule had appeared in just the four days. It was time, before he was in so much pain he couldn't move, before he became too weak from not eating.

The staff at Dr. Brewer's office were kind and gentle. They placed an IV in his paw and wrapped it so Max and I could have time together; as much time as I wanted. We sat on the floor on a blanket and I rubbed his head and his ears.... he kept a firm grip on his basketball the whole time. I called them in after a half an hour because my resolve was weakening, though I knew this was the best and kindest thing I could do for Max. I held him close in my arms and told him I was sorry I couldn't fix this and that he was loved so very much and he didn't cry or shake, but just relaxed, fell gently asleep and was gone before his ball fell from his mouth and hit the floor. I sat and held him for a long time afterwards; he was so soft and still and I didn't want to leave him. The tech came and gently gathered his body with the blanket, his pillow toy and his old favorite basketball. Max was cremated with his favorite things and we will scatter his ashes in the woods behind the house along with a few biscuits... his favorite kind.

I was... and still am, a basket case when I see the empty dog house or his leash or carrier or just a picture, the tears come and I can't stop them. He may have been just a dog to some but he was a friend to me. Max made me laugh when I was down, he would sit and nudge his nose under my hand and look up with those big eyes and just seemed to know how you felt. Knowing how neglected and abused he was in his former life, I wanted to give him a life free from care and with abundant love. Four and a half years was just not long enough to make up for all the misery he suffered. He deserved so much more.

Dr. Brewer's office sent a bouquet of lovely flowers, so beautiful and thoughtful. They will miss him too ... the big goofball...Max!

Max (birthdate unkown - 10/2/2007)
A big-hearted, free spirit... gone too soon.

"Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince,
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!"
~ Horatio (William Shakespeare's Hamlet)

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Max: One Year Chemo Update

Max and his beloved basketball.
(Click picture for larger view)

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." ~ Anatole France

I haven't done an update on Max for some time. He is now one year and two months on his oral chemotherapy for cutaneous lymphoma. (Same as human mycosis fungoides) One nodule has popped up, but it has not grown and feels movable and not attached to underlying muscle. It will be removed soon. Max has the cocker skin troubles with small sebaceous adenomas popping up and then resolving and it is grass season when his skin allergies are at their worst, but he eats well and still knows how to sucker people into giving him two meals. That is a lack of communication on our part that he profits from. I have been struggling with his eyes. One cleared up but the other is constantly matted and all the antibiotics in the world don't seem to help. Then this week he has suddenly developed idiopathic facial nerve paralysis on his left side... he's had this twice on the right side before. Bless his heart, his muzzle is droopy and his ear floppy and he is drooling a bit from that side. The hardest thing is that his eye won't blink... so for two weeks it will be extra tears for him. It should resolve as the other episodes did. Max amazes his vets and I am just glad that he still loves his biscuits, chewy rawhides and the ever present basketball.

Max has surpassed my expectations and continues to love life, so we take it one day at a time, one biscuit at a time, one doggy kiss at a time.

Max will be going over to visit his friends at the Carnival of the Dogs hosted by Mickey's Musings and will see if any other puppies are boarding Friday's Ark hosted by the Modulator. (end of post)

Three For The Price Of Two

Mr. Rhett assumes the position to catch some rays..with his tummy.
(Click pictures for larger view)

With the return of Spring, the sunroom has become a favorite place for the cats to lounge and "catch some rays". Later, the heat will prevent this but now it is not too hot, not too cold. So they gather to play with toys from their toy basket and when the catnip overwhelms them, they sleep; or at least rest a bit. Just outside the birds sing and the first bees and butterflies have made an appearance.

Miss Willow is a bit hungover from her catnip frenzy.

On this particular day we had more than one cat showing tummies at the same time. I had opened the big jar of catnip pellets and they had all stuck their heads in to get a whiff of the good stuff. Now we must rest and feel the warmth on our fat bellies and some of us, on our skinny bellies.

WAIT!!! Max, you are NOT a cat!

"In order to keep a true perspective of one's importance, everyone should have a dog that will worship him and a cat that will ignore him." ~ Dereke Bruce

Even Max, wants to get into the act of showing his tummy. What is an old dog to do? He lives with seven cats and sometimes sleeps in the sunroom with them at night. He loves to have their company when the doors and windows are opened so that all that remains between them are the mesh screens. Max hears them meow to him and he whines back or squeaks his basketball. Sometimes a brave kitty will sniff noses with him through the screen door. So, forgive him for inserting himself into the "Cats on Tuesday" tummy pictures we had for today. He gets tired of them getting all the attention.

The cats (and one very furry dog) are gathering today for Cats on Tuesday, hosted by gattina. There will also be cat tummies at Tummy Tuesday over at catstuff.
Max loved being with the cats so much, he wanted to go see the other dogs at Friday's Ark this week.

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