2nd Bridge Anniversary

Hi Tasha, it sure feels like it has been a lot longer than two years since we lost you. You left a big hole in all of our lives. Just wanted to tell you that we think of you every day and miss you. I still say, "Time to take the dogs for a walk!" and then remember that you are not here. Lobo has a lot less energy since you left us. Partly because he is getting old, and partly because he isn't showing off for you and competing with you now. I thought of finding another dog to be Lobo's new chum but he isn't easy to get along with and I think only you were able to do that.
We hope you are doing well at the bridge and with Max and Rosie and Fuzzy & Peaches & Lucky. We love you.
Mom

Hi Tasha!

I hope you had a nice birthday at the bridge with Rosie, Max, Fuzzy, Peaches and Lucky. And that my troubles didn't put a damper on your celebrations. We thought I might be joining you earlier this week. You must have thought, "Oh no! Not that big pest Lobo!" I will be joining you some day, but hopefully not real soon.
I just thought I would tell you how much Mom and I miss you. The 2nd anniversary of the day we lost you is coming up soon. I am seeing the same vet that got you through your cancer all those years ago. He is a good guy.
Have you seen Kitcat? She is such a crazy little kitty. You would just love her. She turned two today so you probably won't meet her in person for quite a while yet. I just know you and her would have gotten along real well. Squirrel is a good kitty too and still misses her sister Lucky whose 2nd anniversary of her passing is coming up real soon too. We lost both of you in the same month.
So anyway, Mom, Squirrel & I wanted to say that we love you and think about you every day. Kitcat just knows of you and if you were here, she would be cleaning out your ears too.
Love,
Lobo

Hey Tasha!

I hope you are having a nice Christmas with Lucky, Peaches, Max & Rosie. Lobo misses you like crazy as do I. Just last week a neighbour asked about you. She had no idea that you had been gone for a year and a half. I guess that shows how good you were in not barking too much while I was at work.
Love, Mom

Hi little Tasha,

Just wanted to let you know that we did not forget your bridge anniversary. We were thinking of you and still missing you. But we do that every day. Lobo has not been the same since we lost you. I wish you could have met Kitcat. You would have loved her. I'm glad you were there for when Lucky arrived suddenly only weeks after I had to let you go.
Love,
Mom

Today was the Day, written by Mom

I brought Tasha in to the vet just now. She is such an angel that she made it so easy for me. She was not stressed at all by the whole thing. She never minded going to the vet and always loved any attention! To help make me feel like I was doing the right thing, she could not get up from where she was laying in the back of the truck. So I kind of crawled in there dragged and carried her out. Then, I let her sniff the grass and the bushes around the clinic to her heart's content. When she decided to start walking towards the clinic, she fell and could not get up. I helped her up. Then, once in the clinic, on the slippery floor, she fell again and stayed down. An employee came and figured out who we were and showed us where to go. I had to help her up again then she walked into the room and settled on a blanket they had put on the floor. Silly me, I was worried about the germs she may have licked up from the floor on the way in. How stupid is that? The young woman told me the doctor would be in in a few minutes. I had brought some really good cheese with me and fed her little pieces. She looked like her usual happy self, only she didn't get up. Normally she would have been all over me for more of that cheese. The vet eventually came in and briefly assessed the situation. I could tell that he didn't give a shit as to who we were or what was going on. It was probably his last hour before his weekend. But that didn't matter. We just needed his services. Tasha loved everyone so she liked him too. He told us we would have 5 minutes before he came back with a sedative. He then asked if I had been through this before. I said, "Yes, with a cat." I would have said more and told him about Peaches, but I could already tell that he didn't give a damn. For him, it was just business. So, I petted Tasha, gave her more cheese, cried and talked to her some more. He came back and gave her the needle to sedate her. She didn't feel it. He said he would be back soon with the real deal. She did get really relaxed after it so I quickly gave her the rest of the cheese before she lost interest in it. Then the vet came back in with the same young woman from reception. They hoisted her onto the table. She was completely relaxed and okay with everything. Smiling the whole time! Not wagging her tail because that was paralyzed from her condition. But she would have if she could have! They shaved a bit of fur off of her right front leg. I was petting her the whole time. She didn't mind in the least what they were doing to her. Then they put in the IV. They expected that to be a bit uncomfortable for her but she sailed through that no problem. I was petting her and never felt her flinch a bit. Then, I saw them getting the real stuff ready to go. Here is where it was different from when I brought Peaches in. With Peaches, they gave me a big heads up. With Tasha, they just did it. Luckily, I knew what was going on and just kept petting her. She didn't twitch, flinch, complain, nothing. She for sure passed as peacefully as can be possible. The vet guy then said I could take my time with her body and then leave when I was ready. I didn't need much time because I believe that Tasha's soul was gone from her body. So, I paid the bill and left. All the way home I could swear that I heard her panting in the back of the truck, like usual. I kept looking back there and then realized that I was just imagining things.
What a sweet and gentle dog Tasha was. She was so sweet that she even made her passing easier for me by just being Tasha

Dear Tasha,

I'm am so sorry about what is happening to you. It breaks my heart to see you this way. Just a short while ago you were running and playing very well for a fifteen year old dog. As little as a few weeks ago, we were still going on some nice walks in the woods. I knew you had degenerative myelopathy. I figured it out myself about 2 months ago. The vet confirmed this 2 weeks ago. I just did not expect you to get so bad so fast. I'm not ready to lose you. But I never would be. Tonight I know that I will have to be taking you on your final trip to the vet real soon. We have been through a lot together. Losing Rosie. Losing my father. Losing Max. Losing Fuzzy. My divorce. Your cancer. Losing my mother. And losing Peaches. We survived all of that together. And you are so good with the little wildcat sisters. I have seen you gently kissing them and them kissing you back.
I love you girl. You are a very good dog.
Mom

Happy New Year!

I have had a really nice year. We did have a cold snap for a couple of weeks in December, but Mom fed us extra and had us sleep in the house at night.
I am getting old but earning special treatment. Mom picks me up to help me into our truck and even helps me out if I want. She sneaks me extra food and treats when Lobo isn't looking.
Things are going well for all of us on this first day of 2009.
Hope all of you are as fortunate as we are.

Big Bully

Lobo is grumpy today because he sprained his foot again. So, when Mom called us in for breakfast and I tried to run past him up the the stairs, he hipchecked me into the side of the house and I fell with two of my legs wedged between the house and the stairs and my other two legs tangled in the steps. I couldn't move! When I didn't come running in the house right away, Mom looked out and saw me completely helpless! She ran out in her house coat and lifted me out of there. I got an extra treat when I got in the house. Lobo is a big bully.

Mom was pleased with us today!

I am proud of my doggies.
Tasha got lost today. Her and Lobo were working over a stump trying to get at a ground squirrel. I just kept walking for about 5 minutes. After that I stopped and waited. Eventually, Lobo came running, but no Tasha. That is normal as she usually takes her time. Lobo and I waited. The stump was about 1/4 kilometer away. After waiting a long time I figured we would just go and get her or run into her as she tries to find us. On my way there, at one point, Lobo started trying to pull me in a different direction. I wondered what he was up to but figured I would go find Tasha before I let him loose to chase more squirrels. So I went all the way back to the stump. Well, she wasn't there. And I was sure we should have met up with her on the way. So, I thought I would ask Lobo to find her. He was just like those tracking dogs on TV. Head down, pulling me, sniffing what looked like was each of her paw steps. (So he was right the first time he tried to pull me in a certain direction.) Anyhow, through his nose, I got to see all the little detours she took and why I hadn't seen her go by. At one point he kind of lost her trail but I kind of knew she was making her way back to the truck. So I helped him find the track again. As we got near the truck, through her round about way, I didn't see her. So I thought he was wrong after all. Well, she was in the back of the truck (out of sight a bit) waiting for us. So Lobo really did understand what I wanted and for sure tracked her like a real tracking dog. And Tasha was smart to return to the truck after losing us. It was fun. I never got worried or angry because I had a lot of time before I had to be at work and the weather was perfect for being out in the woods.

Vet Visit

Lobo and I had our yearly checkup yesterday. We also got our rabies shots. The vet looked me over and said that for a dog my age I was in perfect condition. My eyes are cloudy, but that is normal for a 14 year old dog and not a problem. My ears, teeth and gums are perfect. My heart and lungs are perfect. My bum is perfect. My joints are incredibly perfect. He was amazed. Then, he looked back at my records and showed Mom (for the first time) the report that had come back from my cancerous lump from 3 1/2 years ago. That report said that it was a severely aggressive form of blah, blah, blah, and the prognosis was poor. There was an over 90% chance or recurrence within 3-6 months. He had told her back then that it might come back, but had not given her those numbers. Today, the vet even kissed me! On the lips! So,I pranced out of there like a princess! Especially since Lobo's checkup didn't go so well. Same thing happened last year. Last year I had a perfect checkup while he had a broken canine and had to have surgery. This year, the vet found some spear grass stuck in his ear and he will have to go under to have it removed. Na,na,na,na,na!