Today is the day Sunny Bunny became an angel. She did so well for 9 months but about 3 weeks ago, she stopped eating. She was in renal failure and once again we tried to bring her back. She had sub-q fluids, appetite stimulants, pain patches and other pain meds. We offered her every kind of dog food, cat food, people food we could think of but she wouldn't eat. We had to do forced feedings to keep her going and then this morning I looked at her and thought, no, stop, it's enough. With heavy heart I made an appointment with the vet and helped her on her way. She was such a sweet, cuddly, happy dog.

Sunny had a previous owner, a senior gentleman who clearly loved and treasured her. He passed away several years ago and she found her way to us. She truly was one of the Spoiled Royals.

I hope she found him again and I hope she told him about her Ohio home and all her fur siblings. I hope they laughed and smiled together and I hope she told him that even though he left her, she found a wonderful home where once again she was loved and treasured.

Thank you for sharing her with us, we are giving her back now. Goodbye sweet princess, Mama loves you.

Our Gentle Alpha is Gone

August 6, 2012
I knew when I woke up that I couldn't put it off any longer. Our Lhasa Apso mix Tucker was in pain. In addition to his arthritis, Friday's visit to the vet showed fluid on one side of his heart. Age and a tumor were not being kind to him.  Saturday the vet called to say he was also in renal failure. Damn, damn, damn!

We have a lot of dogs, yet each one is special, each is loved. For years Tucker was our gentle alpha. He ruled his pack with kindness and heart. It took me years to figure out he was the alpha in our pack because the others followed him so readily. Tucker never barked or nipped, he just set the tone with his attitude. The others all knew he was in charge and happily followed his lead.

In his younger years he loved to chase the chipmonks in our yard and I used to send monthly emails to his foster mom Andrea about his antics. I think she loved him almost as much as we did. That was the thing about Tucker, everyone who met him fell in love with him because he was such a good dog. Yeah, I know all dogs are good (and they are) but Tucker was special.

Years ago I had a little Yorkie mix who started having some kind of seizures in the last year of her life. She would come out of the seizures disoriented and shaking until one day, in the middle of a seizure, Tucker laid down beside her and wrapped his body around her. When she woke up, she was cuddled in Tucker's center. She stayed there until she quietly came back to herself. Loved, protected, safe. A year or so after losing Taffy, Mason came here as a foster dog. He came straight out of a mill and was at a loss to do the simplest things.

Mason was afraid to walk through a door way, he didn't know how to go up and down steps, he was afraid of Jim and me. It was Tucker who showed him how to walk through a door, go up and down steps and that it was okay to trust Jim and me. Tucker was an amazing dog and the real reason this was such a good foster home.  We really did very little, Tuck showed the fosters the ropes and vouched for Jim & me. He let the fosters know that we could be trusted and that in this house voices did not shout, hands did not hurt, dogs did not fend for themselves.

We loved him, he loved us, that was all that was needed. Until August 6, 2012. On that day Tucker needed help so he could leave us. He was in pain, he was old, he was not going to get better, there was no magic pill that would restore his health and his youth.  It's easy to explain how much he was loved, hard to explain how much I hated to let him go. God Speed Tucker, Mom loves you.

Little Dogs, Big Losses

The week before Christmas, we lost Max. He went into renal failure and in spite of 4 days on an IV trying to kick start his kidneys, we knew we had no choice except to let him go. He was old and fluids and heroics wouldn't change that fact. I don't have the words to explain how much I miss him. We have other dogs, but there was only one Max. He was a little dog, but it feels like a big loss. 

Earlier this week I was storming heaven with prayers that our Sunny Bunny was not going to be next. She doesn't eat well - hasn't for about a year now. Part of it is probably related to her kidney issues which can cause nausea. Part may be related to her heart issues and I suspect a big part may have to do with her simply being a picky eater.

Regardless of the reason, her not eating is sure to give me a case of the crazies.  I know a healthy dog can not starve itself to death if it has access to food but I also believe an unhealthy dog can.

She has heart issues, kidney issues, calcium in her left eye, disintegrating disks and yes, she's older, about 13 or 14 yrs old.  I'm okay when she skips one meal, still good when she skips two. The third skipped meal alerts the crazies to get ready and the 4th skipped meal generates a full blown case.

We try a smorgashboard of canned dog food, dry dog food, kibble with or without gravy (beef, turkey or chicken), combinations of all of the above. We go through chicken and rice, baked chicken, rotisserie chicken - anything we can think of to get her to eat. Sometimes she does and sometimes she doesn't.

Why, you ask, do we bother. Look at that face sound asleep on the day bed above. Even in her sleep you can see her sunny disposition. I know that one day we won't be able to get her to eat, we won't be able to bring her BUN or Creatin numbers down to a safer level or her disk pain will be so excrutiating that the Tramadol won't touch it.  I know that day could be next week or next month or maybe next year.  I know it's coming. But thank God, I know it's not today.

Memories of Max

Max came into our life in May of  2011. He was a mess, hair matted to the skin, toe nails long and twisted, blind with a severe case of dry eye, terrible teeth, arthritic joints, bad hips, yep, just a mess. And yet there was just something about him. Max made us smile. I wish I'd known him when he was younger, my guess is he was quite a corker.

He was old, cranky and hilarious. The first time he went to our vet they took him in the back for a blood draw. I heard him screaming. Yes, screaming, loudly, continuously. After a few minutes our vet came back in the room and said "Do you see me?" "Of course," I said. "Well, I'm not anywhere near Max, neither is anyone else," she said, and then I started to laugh because poor Max was still screaming his head off. He did not like being separated from the one person he knew and he wasn't shy about sharing his feelings. Yep, that was our Max.

Max was blind, we aren't sure if he could distinguish night from day but we are sure he was one very smart dog. He learned the layout of our home, then he mastered our yard. He understood the word "careful" and knew we were warning him of a potential danger and he would slow down and proceed with caution. Still, none of that stopped him. He RAN to the fence to bark at the neighbor's dog, he followed me around the yard and always, always cocked his head when he heard my voice. What a little joy he was.

Seven months, such a short amount of time and yet I am thankful for every day. This sweet old dog found a place in our home, our pack and our hearts. He left us today and he will be missed. We will miss his valient heart, his love of life, and his quirky ways. Max was a great little dog and he is going to be a great little angel. Goodbye sweet boy, mama loves you.

Tucker. . . .

We adopted Tucker in December of 2003. Wow, 8 years. Where did the time go? Back then our vet guessed Tucker was between 4 and 8 yrs which would make him between 12 and 16 yrs old now. He's aging and it's sad to watch. He no longer chases the chipmunks up the rain spout or trees a squirrel. His eyes are clouded with cataracts, it's clear he doesn't always hear what we say and yes, he sometimes gets confused and we must gently lead him to where he needs to go.

Tucker has been the guide dog, teacher, and alpha to our many fosters. He taught Mason to go up and down steps, he taught manners to a Yorkie pup name Brutus, trust to Myla the Pomeranian, gentleness to Gaylin and somehow managed to convey to all the dogs that passed through that they were safe.

He was such a gentle alpha that it took a few years for me to figure out he was the leader of our pack. Tucker didn't bark or bite he was simply respected by all of the dogs in his pack. When Nikki, Tom's little  2 1/2 lb Yorkie mix, came barreling in one day and attacked each dog Tucker stood his ground. When Nikki ploughed into Tuck's side and bounced off, Tucker gave her a head butt that sent her flying. She learned quickly, in this house dogs don't fight. When Taffy had episodes her last year of life, Tucker would gently curl around her and let her know she was safe until she came back to us.

His joints are not as flexible, he moves slower, he is less the alpha and more the patriarch in our pack now. We give him glucosamine, Missing Link and Omega 3 supplements  in hopes of keeping him healthy and comfortable. What can I say? He's a great dog and we know his time with us is limited so we enjoy each day with him.

No, he doesn't chase the chipmunks like he once did, but he has his days. Sometimes he'll wake from a nap, go outside to potty and forget that he is getting old. He'll walk around the yard and survey all he can see. He'll go from plant to plant and hike his leg. He'll stop at the grist mill in the garden and dig for the chipmunk whose family has lived there for many years. On occasion he is still spry and perky, he lets us know he still has a lot of life to live. He's a great dog and I'm so glad he's ours.

Someone left him in a cage outside a vet's office on one of the coldest nights of the year. At least they cared enough to dump him where he would be found quickly, put into a good rescue and placed in a loving forever home. Whoever you are, thank you. Tucker has been a joy to us since the day he moved in. He is home, he is loved, he is ours and in typical Tucker fashion he forgives you. So do I. . . . .

Max - old, blind, ouchy hips, missing teeth - loved a lot

 Max was found wandering and lost in a town south of us. He was matted from head to tail, his teeth were in terrible shape, the whites of his eyes were blood red and he had a hard time getting up from a sitting or laying position.

A rescue friend sent an email and we contacted the people who had found him and said, sure, we'll take him. Off to the vet  for an exam, dental (he lost 9 teeth) and trying to solve his eye problems. Finally a trip to the opthamalogist at Medvet where he was prescribed 4 different eye meds fixed him up. No more eye pain and the whites are white again. He's feeling better.

We are working on his stiff hips but let's face it, he's somewhere between 15 and 18 so there's only so much we can do. We add Missing Link to his meals and hope that will help his joints. Time will tell.

He has learned our yard, can come in the doggie door, he handles steps amazingly well and he can use the ramp to go both up and down when the mood hits him. He has mapped our house in his head and is quite comfortable as a Spoiled Royal. (See photo above) We don't know what happened and how he got lost with no one looking for him. Don't know why he wasn't vetted, why his eyes were allowed to get so bad and how an owner could let him matt to the skin but we do know that is all behind him. He is now an official Spoiled Royal. So glad you are here Maxxy!

The Pug Puppy Everyone Loves and the Rescue Who Saved Him. . .

This is Scooter/Sir Digby/Pugsley/Cuddles/T.Rex - the adorable pug with lots of names and a heart of pure gold. He is being held by Mike, one of the Pilots and Paws pilots. Mike picked Scooter up in Tennesee from an owner who was unable to help him.

We picked the puppy up at the airport and brought him home until we could do a transport the following weekend.  While he was here, we started calling him Pugsley - the name just seemed to fit for us.

He has a few medical problems. His left eye is larger than his right eye and his left eyelid will not close all the way when he blinks. His front legs go outward at the joint almost like flippers.We took him to an opthamologist while he was here - for now we are treating his eye with drops to keep it lubricated. The specialist said one possibility is surgery to extend his eyelid so it will cover his eye when he blinks. At some point in time, that eye will probably be removed.

As you can see in the video, Pugsley has the heart of a lion.  He knows no fear, loves the other dogs and does not seem to know there is anything wrong with his front legs. He was here for two weeks and he stole our hearts. He is now in New England where he will see an orthopedic specialist as well as another opthamologist. His treatment is going to be very expensive and a small rescue with a huge heart called Just a Touch Rescue has taken him under their umbrella. JATR takes the injured, damaged, ignored dogs and works miracles for them.  It's a tiny little rescue group with a home base in Rhode Island and foster homes through out the New England states. They never ask if a dog is worth the effort because to this group, all dogs are worth the effort - all dogs are valuable and deserve to live as good a life as they can provide.  This is a rescue worth your hard earned dollars, this is a rescue that cares more about the dogs than the politics, this is a rescue worthy of a dog like Pugsley.

An additional note on Pugsley. . . . There is a youngster in his foster home who decided to take over the care of this adorable little puppy. Pugsley has teeth, lots of sharp little puppy teeth and he is doing what all puppies do, he's teething.  His new foster buddy has named him T. Rex. LOL If you knew this little dog, you'd agree, T. Rex fits him perfectly.

If you are looking for a reputable rescue to support, one who would move mountains to save a little puppy from dying in a shelter because of his medical condition, please consider Just A Touch Rescue.  Scooter/Sir Digby/Pugsley/Cuddles/T.Rex would appreciate it.

You can go to the JATR website, click on the paypal donate button on the right side: http://www.justatouchrescue.com/ to make a donation or you can send a donation to their post office box at this address: Just A Touch Rescue, P.O. Box 610, Albion, RI 02801.