Good news for our little Alki dog

[jnerges]

Fabulous news. You spotted little friend looks great.

[jcanavera]

Steph, so happy to hear things are going well.

Jack

[Stefrobrts]

I haven't updated for a while. Alki has been doing very well. This week we decided we could no longer put off having her teeth cleaned. She had a major blood test two weeks ago and everything came back fine, so we decided it was time. I hated to do it to her, she's been through so much! Lately her eyesight and her hearing has been failing her a little, and it makes her nervous about what's going on around her sometimes. Also she is a big wimp when it comes to any discomfort. So I think those things combined last night when she came home from the vet, still a little groggy after the teeth cleaning. Things were a little scary to her, and she was unsure and nervous. So she spent the whole night staring at me, like she wanted me to do something about it! I mean, I woke up in the night several times to find her nose to nose staring at me. I don't think she got much sleep, and neither did I! Today things have been much better. She's starting to look like her bright eyed self again. I think it just took longer for the meds to wear off than usual, and she was stressed out. Hopefully we won't have to put her through that again. I mean, I certainly want her to be with us as long as possible, but I don't want to put her through anything like that unless it's absolutely necessary (which it was, this time).

Chester the dalmatian is still hanging in there, but just barely. As long as he can still get up and down and walk outside to go potty we're working around his occasional collapses and other little accidents in the house.

The new pup Barclay is an absolute delight. He is such a doll, cuddly and sweet, and pesky and sneaky too, like all good puppies! He has started showing some interest, and some natural talent, at herding the sheep! I had no idea, but I emailed the breeder and she said some eskimos earn titles in herding. What fun!

Here's a picture of crazy Barclay after a morning of chasing sheep and playing in the pond. You can just see by his look why he's such a joy, and will help cushion the blow of losing the other dogs when their time comes. Even just the time I've spent working with him and training him has taken my mind off of obsessing over Alki and her problems, which I think has been good for all of us.

[juel]

What is that in the picture with Barclay? Did he find big foot or what? Looks like the lower jaw of a humanoid.

[Stefrobrts]

Sad news, today we had to have Chester the Dalmatian put down. He had heart, lung, and artheritis problems, and had a dead leg and lost control of his bowels. We helped him as long as we could, but he had some sort of attack this morning that told us it was time to let him go. We're all very sad. It seems very quiet without him.

Alki is still doing fine, and she has just passed one year since her cancer treatments ended. She has gotten a little hard of hearing, and her vision might be a little dim, but she's happy and playful and just like her old self. The only nice thing about going deaf is she doesn't hear every little thing that goes on in the neighborhood so she doesn't bark as much!

Barclay is a great little guy, full of joy and playfulness. Last weekend I took him to a sheep herding lesson, and he did great and had a great time at it. The teacher had never worked with an eskimo before and she loved him! So we're going to continue that. They were encouraging us to work towards doing competitions with him, but I will be happy if he can just learn to help round up and move the sheep around the farm.

[Mel]

Steph, I'm sorry about Chester. You gave him such a good home.

[azflycaster]

We are saddened by the news of Chester's passing.

[silverhawk]

Stephanie and familly,
I'm so sorry to hear the sad news about Chester. Memories of good times will trump the sad ones every time.
Thank you for letting us know.

[Wayne&Sam]

Sorry to hear about Chester. It's never easy.

[Pudentane]

How nice to have hope that you can have her with you longer. She's a sweetie - I can tell from that picture - best wishes that all will turn out well.

My mother - who wasn't especially fond of dogs once said "the trouble with dogs is that they don't live as long as you do"

[myboyburt]

Through your posts I felt Chester was a friend of mine. Peace and happiness to him as he passes over the Rainbow Bridge.

My husband and I do not have children (by choice). Our feline companions are our family and we love and protect them as if they were our children. Their love and acceptance of us is truly one of the best things I've experienced in my life. I'm sure Chester experienced the same type of love and family. His was a wonderful life.

[Sugarfoot]

Stef, I'm so sorry to hear about Chester. He was a great dog. A wise person once told me the last good thing we can do for our pets is help them over the Rainbow Bridge when it's time.

I'm glad you have Alki and Barclay to help you through this.

[ROBERT CROSS]

So sad to hear the news Stephanie.

I really believe that all our critters are together somewhere, I just want to go there too when it's time.

You just can't Hug 'em and Love 'em enough.

[Stefrobrts]

Thanks for the condolances. Now that he is gone it's easier to see how stressful his condition was on everyone, as well as how bad a shape he was in. But we just couldn't put him down while his eyes were bright and his tail was wagging. So we did what we could for him. I'm glad it's over though, I like the thought of him being free from it all. And it is quiet and peaceful around here for the first time in a long time.

[cameront120]

I'm so sorry to hear this, Stef. My thoughts are with you all. Godspeed Chester.

[Stefrobrts]

Well, I hate to say it, but Alki went in for a checkup today because she was 'going' more often than usual. The urine test showed some 'abnormal cells' so it was sent off to the lab and the vet is conferring with the oncologist. We knew this would happen someday, but I feel like we just got back on a roller coaster...

But Alki is still happy and active as usual, so that's all that matters. Keeping her comfortable is our number one priority as always. After the vet we stopped at her favorite park for a walk and sniff-around

[juel]

This makes me cry. I knew when I saw your thread back up that something might be wrong. I'm so sorry. I know you will do all you can for as long as you can. You are a good friend you the dogs that own you. I've been nursing a sick Jack Russell for 6 weeks that the vet told me I had to keep calm. Now that's a trick. He's on the mend, but still not ever going to be the ball of energy he once was. Why are their lives so short? You are in my thoughts and prayers.

[cameront120]

Here's hoping the tests come back showing everything okay. Give Alki a hug for me.

[guy99]

Originally Posted by juel

This makes me cry. .... Why are their lives so short? ...

"The price of a good dog is a broken heart ... at the end" Kipling

Stef,
Having lost two pack-mates in my adulthood I know how unbearable it is. They are so good and so innocent... The only thing worse would be to live without them.

Guy

[Stefrobrts]

Thanks for the concern. We'll know more when we hear back from the lab. Luckily Alki is feeling fine for now, and we have Barclay, who is just like a little bundle of pure joy romping around the house and causing trouble, so he helps take our mind off it.

It's a little better knowing it is coming, as opposed to the first diagnosis, which really came out of left field. And we knew it would come back sometime. But she's such a good girl, really a one-of-a-kind friend, it's not going to be easy no matter what.