A Farewell to Gretchen Rose...

This day was a long time coming … we made the decision to help Gretchen cross over Rainbow Bridge on Tuesday, April 28, 2009.

Gretchen came to us very much by accident. I wanted to get involved with Miniature Schnauzer rescue and contacted a few people to get started. I heard from one lady who told me there was a Schnauzer at the Kansas City Animal Control shelter and no one was adopting her because she had some cataracts. The lady said that she needed someone to go and get her out of the shelter before her “final” day. So my mom went to get her on November 13, 2002. That night, she cowered in the back bedroom, shaking. She wouldn’t eat or drink anything. She just shook. Poor thing was terrified! And she was a mess. The fleas had gotten to her so badly that she had chewed on herself and was tinted a rusty color on her entire back side. Her eyes were fogged over from the cataracts as well.

When I called the rescue lady back to let her know we have the dog and inquired as to what the next step was, she basically said she was glad she was out of the shelter but there was nothing she could do for us, she just wanted her out but she wasn’t going to go into rescue because blind dogs do not get adopted. So here we were, with dog number six … and three of those six were still puppies!

By the next day, Gretchen was barking when I came home, happy to have someone there to love on her. From that day forward, she made her mark on all of us in the house … some more so and in different ways than others. The other dogs seemed to accept her and she, for the most part, accepted all of the dogs – with the exception of Sophi, my Airedale. Every single time Gretchen sensed Sophi near her, she would growl at her. Sophi would just walk on by and ignore it … until the day Gretchen had unknowingly backed her into a corner. She growled at Sophi and snapped at her … and Sophi did what she instinctively felt and that was to bite back. Gretchen ended up with a nice big tear in her mouth and stitches along her cheek. One month in and we had a nice vet bill for Gretchen!

A few weeks later, I woke to find my male (and thankfully neutered) Miniature Schnauzer, Max, and Gretchen “stuck” together … apparently the scar on her belly was NOT from a spay!!! The animal shelter quickly rectified that situation. And about a year or so later, my brother Scott, who Gretchen simply adored, was brushing her beard before he went to school and Gretchen snapped at him. This made him even more determined to get the beard combed out, to which she disagreed even more so and drew some blood, which only elevated the problem even higher and made him even MORE determined … to which Gretchen won. A broken thumb and some stitches later and we learned that Gretchen will no longer have a long Schnauzer beard but will go short … for all of our sakes.

Over the course of six plus years – Gretchen has given us her unconditional love. She was always the most excited to greet us when we came home and she was most definitely the loudest as well. Her love and trust in us never ever waivered. She came to us at approximately 8 to 10 years of age, completely blind from juvenile cataracts and we later discovered she had collapsing discs in her back – the lower 1/3 of her back was bone on bone and she also had a heart murmur. With the help of my wonderful vets, they kept Gretchen as pain free as they could with acupuncture and diet. She was a trooper … through the years, she began to develop the onset of dementia and would often forget that she had been out just one minute before and beg to go out again. But the one thing Gretchen loved and craved was to be around her people – despite her bad back – she would follow us around for hours … and she was always ready for a pat on the head or a back scratch or belly rub.

The choice to help her cross over Rainbow Bridge was not an easy one to make. She still ate with gusto and she still loved her personal attention … but her body just couldn’t keep up with all of the love her heart wanted to take and to give. And so the decision was made … and she fought it through the very end … her heart of such strength and such love … who knows what her life was like before us. We speculate it wasn’t the best … but we strived to provide her with all of the best in the very short time that she was with us. The best lesson Gretchen taught us was to love one another unconditionally, to accept people willingly and love them deeply. She did all of this. Any time any of my friends met my dogs – they all would say, “I like this one” … as she never barked at people, but always went to them as if they were an old friend from long ago. Through it all, she never lost her faith in people. She was the best unexpected gift and I pray that she is free from the aches and pains that she had to endure …

Farewell Gretchen Rose – you are missed greatly and you are loved deeply …

I'm feeling pretty good ...

Over the past six months or so, I've been going to a Traditional Chinese Medicine vet, she is very cool! Dr. Pat gives me herbs and she adjusts my back and sticks needles in me. Now, I can't say that I really enjoy my visits with her, but I know I feel a whole loads better when she is done with me. I don' t hurt anymore, and that is very important to me.

You see, I have collapsing discs and the lower 1/3 of my back is bone on bone basically - so it was getting really painful for me for awhile. I couldn't even walk it hurt. But since Dr. Pat was introduced into my life, well, I feel like myself again! I bark more, I roll in the grass more, I run down the hill again, and I am remembering how much I don't like Sophi. See, there for awhile, I hurt too much to even care if Sophi was in the room, but I'm starting to growl at her again too.

My world feels really good right now. I have a mom that adores and loves me and I can't be happier! But, I do wish that Samson and Oliver wouldn't try to share my bed ... I was there first!

Gretch

Grrrr...

Oliver is such a butthead! The other day I was sitting at the top of the stairs, waiting for my mom to come up when this THING comes barreling down the hall and body slams me. I had to tell him off. I don't know who he thinks he is. Doesn't he know I don't like him!? I can't see when he is coming or what angle he is approaching me so I don't like him playing around me. He just throws my world all off kilter.

I only like Oliver when he sleeps.

Gretchen

This is getting ABSURD!

Let me just go on the record now and forever stating that I HATE FIREWORKS! I hate the whole last week of June through the first week or two of July. This is madness! SHEER MADNESS! Because I'm blind I really do have to be careful for my ears because that is how I navigate to get around. These darn thunder crackers and screamers and whatever else really just needs to stop. The sound is so loud on my ears and I have no idea how close they are to me. It is really quite terrifying. And by my doggie calculations, Independence Day is over with - so why are things still being blown up? WHY?! Whenever I hear one go off I hit the ground and shake and have a keen ear out for my mom so I can run to her at the first sign of safety. I hate this. I really just hate this... Will someone please just MAKE IT STOP!

Gretchen

Everybody hurts, sometimes...

It went from bad to really horribly bad last week. I got sick, well, not sick because I had perfect blood work, but I hurt so bad that finally, the pain got to me and I couldn't hide it any more. I couldn't walk, I couldn't pee and I could poop. And even eating began to hurt more and more. So, my mom took me to the vet and I was able to pooh but I didn't stop hurting and I didn't know how to tell my mom I was hurting.

When I didn't get better my mom took me back to the vet and did some X-rays. Well, my back is messed up, really bad. The bottom third is basically compressed and there are no spaces between my discs. One of the discs slipped and that is why I couldn't pooh, it hurt me too much.

So they gave me prednisone and I do feel a whole lot better. Now my mom takes me to the chiropractor once a week for adjustments. The chiropractor found out also that I have TMJ and that is why I can't chew my nummy bones for dinner anymore. And my back is really in bad shape. But, they are gonna help me so I don't feel this constant pain anymore. I'm glad because I hurt a lot and it would be nice to not have to hurt anymore.

The chiropractor said that I've been like this for so long, long before I came to live with my nice mommy now. She said it is *VERY* possible that my problems stem from being abused. I don't want to think about my past so I can honestly say I don't remember.

The main thing is that my mommy is doing a lot to help make me feel better and I love her more and more for that every day!

It wasn't this day...

It wasn't this day that I got Sophi. But you know what, when we were going to go outside, she walked past me and just stepped right over me, like I wasn't even there - well! I made sure to let her know I was there. I gave her a good growl before Mom got there to tell me to hush.

I mean it, one of these days...

But for now, it is bed time and I love sleeping! I did that all day today!

Gretchen

Sophi

One of these days I'm going to get Sophi. I don't like her. She is big and dumb. She is always getting yelled at and if not by me then by mom. Tonight, she got a package of chicken out and ate it! Can you imagine? And that was to be MY dinner! I make sure to let Sophi know I don't like her, I growl every time I sense her near me. Just cause I can't see doesn't mean that I don't know where she is. I always know!

Well, that is it, just one of these days...
Gretchen