As mentioned here in March, our dear friend Sadie had surgery to remove her spleen due to what her veterinarians strongly suspected was hemangiosarcoma. An old foe we know all too well, this disease is both common and deadly; HOWEVER, once the good doctors removed her spleen, they discovered the tumor was of an uncommon but altogether benign variety!
Since that time, Sadie the Sunshine Girl has been wiggling and dancing her way back to robust good health. Everyone shared a huge sigh of relief knowing this sweet girl gets to experience yet another spring with her beloved human mom Lisa and canine sister Charlie (or Chuck the Pug as we like to call her).
Sadie doing one of the things she does best.
Thanks to all of you for the thoughts and prayers, as we get the joy of sharing an unexpectedly happy ending. WOOF!!
There are many regular folks performing heroic acts every day to help dogs at home and around the country. One of our favorite is Tinah Utsman at the TRU Dog Network. Please take a few moments to read this article and join-up with her efforts through her email list or on Facebook. She's the real deal!
Prayer request for our dear friend and neighbor Sadie as she recovers from hemangiosarcoma surgery. While progress is ongoing in the fight against this formidable foe, the reality remains that it's a life-threatening disease with limited treatment options. Sadie-girl had the good fortune of surgery before a major rupture could occur, and now we look forward to what we hope is an ample supply of Bonus Time. WOOF!
Although preliminary in nature, findings from a recent study show exciting promise for the treatment of our old foe canine hemangiosarcoma. Mr. Man summarizes the information here.
Please feel free to share, as this is good stuff!!
It's hard to believe we said goodbye to two old friends this year, but as the holidays approach we plan to remember all the fun we had...and express gratitude for the time spent together.
A few weeks before Shiva's passing, she visited the school with us for some patriotic fun. Thankfully we snapped a couple photos that captured her in her element...basking in the adoration of young people at the Independence Day parade. What made the moment extra special was spending it with two of her favorite girls in the whole world.
The Red Dog with Olivia, Kennedy & friends.
Another with Olivia & co.
We meant to post these when we had a chance in the days following the event, but life - and ultimately death - intervened. Whatever the case, we had fun, the Red Dog was there, and the memories are forever.
We've had a rough year here at Red Dog Central Command, so Shiva's Mom and I decided to make a quick getaway (thanks to Aunt Dian) to Folly Beach over the weekend for some much needed R&R. As long-time readers may remember, this was not our first trip to Folly. In fact, the initial visit was so much fun we commemorated it in a series of videos entitled "Red Dog's Folly" and "Follypalooza." That trip also was where we discovered our crazy Cattle Dog mix Joey's aversion to sea foam. Thankfully, this time he decided being a beach dog might not be such a bad thing after all. To that end, we are happy to provide you with evidence that Joey is no longer frightened of the foam:
Sadly, this trip also was the first made without this blog's namesake and constant travel companion, Shiva the Red Dog, who left us in July. Furthermore, the first Folly trip was our sweet Katy's last beach trip before her eventual decline and demise a little over a year-and-a-half ago. This made for a bittersweet reunion with the lovely island, one that Shiva's Mom and I did our best to enjoy in spite of some painful reminders of those we have lost and left behind. Fortunately for us, we were accompanied by the little ones (Shiva's favorite "things" in all the world), who did their best to keep us occupied and happy.
Shiva's favorite little girls in one of her favorite places in all the world.
As if to reward us for living life in spite of our sadness - and just in the way Shiva would want us to - we were blessed to capture the following while taking a final picture of the beach the morning of our departure:
A blessing.
We like to think this is the Red Dog's way of touching us one more time, providing us with a beautiful and tangible reminder that she's with us every day, an ever-faithful companion lighting the way on our journey through life.
After a long, glorious walk in the sun, our sixteen year-old Bailey the Beagle finally ran out of gas and joined Shiva and Katy across the Rainbow Bridge. There, she reunited with her human "grandmother" Mrs. Gann to begin enjoying an eternity of unlimited Buddy's Bar-B-Q.
Although sad that we had to say goodbye, Shiva's Mom and I will be eternally grateful that we were able to spend the last few years of her life with this sweet girl. From the moment she miraculously fit-in with our established pack, to her final moments in our arms with the wonderful Dr. Bea there to help, Bailey made our lives better. We're lucky to have known her. Sweet dreams, little girl. We miss you!
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