She Earned Her Wings

Dahlia has had a rough few weeks, healthwise. She hurt her back two weeks ago, her seizures were returning, and she began having problems with her remaining eye. Today, the remaining eye blew out (glaucoma) and she gave me "The Look".

I opened the blinds, put her on her favorite recliner with her blanket, and called the vet. This morning, I held her in my arms, comforted her, told her how much I've loved her being in my life, and let her pass over to the other side.

As so many of you know, this is one of the hardest tasks of dog ownership, the price of admission for having them share your life. I'm a better person for having owned her or, actually, being owned by her. :)

We've had many adventures together, many tribulations, and had the honor of making so many wonderful dog loving friends. Tonight will be a long evening to endure, but her best bud is spending the night here, as my therapy dog. Do me a favor and hug your puppers tight for me tonight, as I can't hug mine.

Thanks to everyone for the kind words of consolation, gifts, and a special thanks to the ones who talked me through this hard time. She's buried where a good dog should be-In my heart.

Thanks to Dogster Shane for this lovely poem tribute:

"On faerie wings our Diva flies
through cotton clouds and azure skies
her eyes are bright, her body strong
she dips and soars to heaven's song
a spirit this strong will never die"

Ouch, ouch, ouch...........

Her Nibs is kind of laid out these days. Friday I came home to a limping, crying dog who couldn't move around very well. At the vet's office, they said she had a stiff neck, poor rear end awareness, and pain in her back. Their best guess is a pinched nerve or a slipped disc or both. Only an MRI can tell, but not always. If it is this, she would require surgery with 4-6 months recovery time. For a dog that is 8-10 years old, it's not a good option.

She is on Tramadol and is on restricted activity. Yesterday morning, our little world was collapsing, as I was afraid I would have to put her down this week. But you can't keep a Good Diva down. She seems better, albeit still stiff & sore, and I attribute that to better pain management, ala More drugs.

How this happened is a mystery. It may be from her leaping off the couch, but who knows? She has always been cursed with a long back and stubby legs, but believes herself to be ten foot tall and bulletproof. The living room looks like a Gulag-the furniture is blocked off, to prevent her from jumping on (and off) it, and I keep the drapes & blinds closed when I'm gone to keep her from getting too excited about the outside world.

Yeah, that works really well......She still goes out & gives the neighbors H3ll for existing in her universe, which is a good sign. She's also a real stinker about taking her drugs today, another good sign. Hopefully, she's decided she needs to hang out a while longer, to keep me on my toes. Little Dog, I'll become a ballerina if you consent to do that!

I love all our dog friends who support us and let me rant like a maniac when afraid. As we all know, Dog People are the best!

Diet???????

May I put out a public protest over humans who don't think their dogs should have a little "junk in the trunk"? The human has decided that my time being laid up made me a bit, harumph, chubby. Kibble has been cut in half and supplemented with green beans to fill me up. I'd turn my nose up, but they ARE cooked in broth........

Meanwhile, she has the audacity to eat meat and cheese in front of me! Call your Senators, Congressmen, The Prez....whoever you can think of, and ask them to intervene on my behalf! This must qualify as animal cruelty, I'm sure of it!

Life With a Permanent Wink, and Busted!!

The human is worthless. She has not updated my page in eons, leaving my legion of fans without news about me. Revenge may be extracted.........

Life with a permanent wink is surprisingly easy. I am led mainly by my nose, sometimes by my hearing, and rarely by my "eye". The male dogs think I am a tremendous flirt, and I let them think they are all that. ;) Lucy, my bodyguard, has this annoying habit of poking my blind side with her nose, and running off. I have been turned loose in the greenbelt, where the lack of an orb was no issue, but a face-plant in a ditch did lay me up for a while.

The human promises to help out more with my fan page.

*Human interjects: "Did you tell them that the almighty Cujo of a guard dog was caught asleep on the job? That I got the door open before you came tearing up to it? How you were sooo embarrassed that you started howling? Busted!!!!".....*

*Blushes* Doggone human! I WILL find a way to embarrass her at the park tonight. I have my ways..........

Life With a Permanent Wink

Dahlia had her right eye removed yesterday due to glaucoma. She sailed through the surgery fine, no upsets, and, so far, no problems.

Step One of her new life: She couldn't jump into the car, thanks to the cone. I had to lift her in, and she HATES being picked up.

Step Two: Suddenly there seems to be more obstacles & corners in the house than there were this morning. I hear a "chonk" sound, followed by whining. She is frustrated and upset that her human doesn't free her from this plastic indignity around her neck.

Step Three: Her harness is no more. I had to cut it off her because I couldn't get it over the cone and it was annoying the carp out of both of us!

Step Four: She now makes large turns to get through the sliding glass door. She was used to skimming through the smallest crack, but the cone 'o shame keeps catching the door. The large Sago Palm by the door now looms as a potential eye catcher!

Step Five: We BOTH have a lot to learn from this. How to navigate, not to pamper her fears, and how to work on getting her life back to being as close to normal as we can. I will be letting her run loose in the greenbelt when she's healed-that is her favorite activity in the world. I will not let this hold her back from enjoying the rest of her life.

Many thanks to our friends in the Dogster community for all the support, good wishes, and prayers that were sent our way. This is where this site shines: getting someone through a tough patch.

Glaucoma Chronicles Begin

Today, the DM will post for Her Nibs. Thursday night, she had a glaucoma blowout in her right eye. Normal pressure is 25, it was up to 81 when we went to the vet. The left eye was at 51. They gave her IV meds to lower it and sent us to an eye specialist.

The right eye appears to be blind now. It's cloudy and she can't see my finger when I put it close to it. She is now on a regime of meds, eye drops, and one of the drops has to be put in six times a day right now. Monday, we go back to the specialist to check the pressures, and discuss if the right eye has to be removed immediately or if it can wait a bit.

She was quite the trooper. She hates going to the vet, but tolerated tonometers in her eye without too much battle. She is much perkier today, looooves the liverwurst encrusted pills, and is starting to have a bit of her old Diva attitude about the eye drops.

My wallet is much emptier now, and the forthcoming surgery cost will be brutal. However, my life will remain full, as I still have my little buddy with me, and the pain doesn't seem to be so intense. I am already plotting how to make life easier for the remaining eye. We will have to go back to walks with a harness and I am thinking about putting more solar lights outside to help her navigate her potty patrol. Hug your puppers, kiss their eyes, and wish us luck.

New Year's Resolutions, 2011

A New Year is about to hit us, and the typist says I should make some resolutions & stick to them. While I feel I am perfect just the way I am, I'll give it a shot:

1. Tolerate the small, hairless Bi-peds. Not MY choice, but the human seems to think I need improvement in this area.

2. Hold the couch & recliner captive during naptimes.

3. Make Mr. Dyson earn his keep by shedding profusely.

4. Turn my head the precise instant DM snaps that ONE perfect picture.

5. Continue to hunt turkeys, squirrels, etc. and ignore DM's order to Come! They COULD take over the world, but not on MY watch.

6. Give Lucy, my Belgian buddy, the infamous stink-eye, as I love the power trip it gives me.

7. Alert the human whenever a knock or doorbell ring occurs on the TV. (You never know when it might be the real deal.)

8. Howl every time the cell phone rings for more than a nano-second. That little thing takes time away from me, and that just won't do!

9. Look pathetic whenever the humans eat, drooling profusely, and walk past them with the most prolific *sigh*.

10. Live life to the fullest! (IE: Doing whatever it is that I feel like doing) The human can come along for the ride.

*DM interjects: "This sounds like what you did THIS year!" *

Well, you said to make resolutions I should stick with, so that is it! Happy New Year to my Dogster Family!

Me? Dog of the Day?

Yay! What a great surprise to start the day! Thanks HQ!

I guess I'd better get ready for my press conference...*DM interjects: "No, there will not be a press conference."

"What??? How about Leno, Letterman, or even Larry King?"

"Nope, the outside world doesn't care. Only your Dogster family cares."

"Will I finally get my Tiara?"

"No, little Diva, it doesn't work that way. You did get some zealies, though"

"Can I eat them?"

"No, you can't even touch them."

"Crud. Do I at least get a steak for dinner?"

"No, that's too rich for your tummy."

"What's the point, then?"

"Your Majesty, you get to lie in repose on your throne all day in air-conditioned splendor while your mom works hard to pay for your kibble. When I get home, we'll go to the park for a good romp, and if you're a good girl, I'll give you some hot dog pieces later on. In case you didn't know, you are Dog of the Day EVERY day around here!"

Thanks to everyone for all the good wishes and gifts. We love our Dogster family!

Sunday is Funday!

DM has caught up on her sleep and got me out last night! *does the Happy Dance* I got to hang out with Lucy & Marley and got my WWF on!

Lucy & Marley kept doing the Stand-Off game--they freeze at a distance, Lucy slowly steps towards Marley, and everyone waits to see who blinks & charges first. Well, this game is not about ME! So I put a stop to it. As they focus on one another, I would charge down the middle space and break it up, causing myself to be the new target! DM made some crack about the old lady of the group yelling "Get off my lawn!". I have no idea what she means. Humans are really weird sometimes..........

Today was another non-alarm clock day, so we got in a walk this morning. Yay! She needs to stay home and do that more often. (No, you are NOT off the hook for this afternoon's walk!)

I'd like everyone to take a moment to thank all our solders for protecting our country, and to send out a big mental hug to their families who share in the sacrifice. Happy Memorial Day!

Mice, Drool, and Census takers

It's been quite the week. DM found a drowned mouse in my outside bowl one day and wouldn't let me have it.

We went to an SPCA event and met our first Neapolitan Mastiff. We did the polite "inspection" sniff, and I walked away covered in drool! DM was quite tickled to meet one (Don't even think about it, human!!!!) Then we met a Bloodhound, another fav of the human, and he slimed me as well. Sometimes it's rough being so short.

Today some stranger had the nerve to knock on our door and I gave him Holy H3LL for disturbing my beauty rest. DM called him a Census Taker-says he counts things. Really.........how many kibble bits are in my bag, bean counter? She says I'm cranky until I get my walk, so off we go!