Golden Lady of Shoreline

After a session with the Veterinary Internal Medicine specialist and an ultrasound, the news is not good, her condition is grave. She has 3 tumors on her liver and at least one on her spleen. She physically deteriorates every day. It's actually quite shocking. It breaks my heart to watch her refuse food, throw up her water plus stomach bile and waste away. After the almost 3 months of watching Devo waste away from cancer, I made a promise to myself and all of my furture dogs: I'll never let you suffer, because of my own breaking heart. As hard as it is to let Lady go, I just can't allow her to continue suffering from this sudden internal trauma. Thursday afternoon will be the last and kindest mercy for my girl. 

We’ll be spending quality time with Lady the next couple of days. Feeding her cooked chicken, ice cubes and anything else she wants. There will be plenty of cuddling, petting and cooing over her. She sticks very close to me; her eyes following my every move. Many tears have been shed with many more to come. She sure made an impression on everyone she ever met. Like my brother said “she brought so much happiness to our family in such a short time”. I won’t be posting anything for awhile. I’m sure you’ll all understand. I’ll put together a photo slide show and eventually a video tribute to Lady, and post it sometime in the future.

Lady, day one of our life together
May 27th, 2008

Today she is comfortable and protected in the arms of her loving family. This is my first adopted senior Golden. I always knew that her time with us was abbreviated, but no matter how much I expected it, it's a blow to the gut of epic proportion.

Lady not feeling well....

Lady is 11 or 12 years old

It’s been a couple of weeks now that Lady has just not been herself. We've been together almost 3 years. You really get to know the energy and personality of your adopted senior dog after just a few months. One thing that Lady has always had is spunk! You can see it in her eyes, the way she carries herself and how she affectionately greets every human she comes in contact with. Recently when I was sick with the flu, she seemed to be unusually reserved. It was obvious that Lady was not use to me spending days in bed and shuffling around with no energy, so I didn't give it much thought. Shortly after I began to recover, she started to turn away from her food. THIS was very unusual, but I thought at first that she had tired quickly of her new food (extremely high quality, but had a slight fishy smell). We quickly went back to her favorite venison and sweet potato, but her inattention continued.

Trip to the vet: X-rays and blood test, nothing jumps out to indicate infection. Valley fever test was negative. However, the x-ray indicated that Lady has an enlarged liver. Explains why she has lost interest in eating. Monday we will go to an internal medicine vet who will examine Lady with an ultrasound system. Hope to know more then.

Here is the best on-line reference that I have found on this subject:

Canine liver disease

If you know of a better one and/or a naturopathic resource that you trust, please send it on.

Now that I think about it, the last few weeks her belly has been a little “tighter” than normal when I give her the belly rubs she loves so much. Lady still eats a little, several times a day. She is happy and as enthusiastic as she can be about going for walks. She loves me feeding her chicken and applesauce by hand (hey, who wouldn't). Her energy level is way down, but she still displays her happy tail.

I’ll post again after Monday’s appointment.

New Zealand rocks (when it shouldn't)

Prayers and crossed paws for our Kiwi friends in New Zealand. What an awful thing to happen. We Pacific Northwest dwellers know all too well that quakes can strike any time with a furry beyond human comprehension. Our hearts are heavy from your losses.

An unusual collaboration - generations collide with wonderful results

Logan grows up!

It's been about 10 months since we last saw Logan. He is a VERY handsome boy with TONS of energy. Not sure I've ever seen such an energetic Golden Retriever. Here are pictures of the Lady/Logan reunion. Capturing still pictures of Logan was quite a challenge. Most of the time he was a blur. Once Lady gets the lay of the land at Logan's house, she proceeds to steal his toys and chew his bones. Pretty funny really.

Dude, you wear me out ... zzzzzzzzzzzz

Traveling with Mrs. Magoo - SEA to PHX

Sorry for the long absence, but we've been very busy driving through the wild west and getting settled here in Phoenix. Lady is darn glad to be out of the car and in familiar surroundings. The first day out of Seattle was a little treacherous, as we just missed a pretty good storm. I90-Snoqualmie Pass and the Blue Mountains of Oregon were freshly blessed with plenty of snow. Our route took us to Caldwell, ID for the first night. We didn't  get any pictures the first day out. We were just too worn out.

We stayed at dog friendly hotels during our trip; LaQuinta in Caldwell and The historic Hotel Nevada in Ely. Lady does her Magoo dance in every hotel room before she settles in. It's almost indescribable, but I will do my best. Many dogs circle a spot to lay down, but Lady brings a unique performance art to this ritual. Starts with pawing the floor then arching her back with her nose extended towards the floor, pawing and turning in a clockwise direction all the while bouncing up and down (but never leaving the floor). This continues for several revolutions until:
A. She plops down with a groan, staying in that spot for an hour or 30 seconds, we never know.
B. She sees someone watching her, then she stops (this is why I have no video)!
C. For some reason that spot isn't acceptable, so she wanders over for loves or off to her water bowl.
That's why one of her many nicknames is Mrs. Magoo. Andi calls it her VooDoo dance, which is pretty descriptive in itself.

Caldwell to Ely....Day two dawned clear and very cold. We traveled to Twin Falls then south on US93 through some of the most desolate country in the U.S. It's been 8 years since the first time I've travel this highway. The road itself has been (surprisingly) repaved. It was great! We pick up our photo tale at the Idaho-Nevada border:

Sunrise

My paws are freezing!!

The first quick stop was on a farm road in southern Idaho to stretch our legs. There is not much between Twin Falls and Vegas. Wells, NV is a  small crossroads town on US93 and I80. This was our second stop. Boy, this place has seen better days (pictures below).

Old downtown Wells, NV - only the building to the right is occupied.

I'll bet this was one very cool sign in it's day.

This handsome brick building is completely abandoned.

On to Ely. It is the only town of any substance in the Great Basin of northeast Nevada. Mining founded the town and is still part of their economy. Nevada built a maximum security prison there and that has given a renewed life to this town. It is a very fun and interesting town. Influence today more by Salt Lake City than Las Vegas! SLC TV stations and many Utah plates.

Ely, NV wiki facts

Oh boy, a hike

Just a few of the gravel piles

View from the foothills, west across the valley

Needing a stop between Wells and Ely, I passed a dirt road that ran up to the foothills where there were large piles of gravel scattered like a giant child had been playing with his pail and shovel. A U turn on US93 in Nevada was easy, because as far as the eye could see....no vehicles!! The pictures above are from that stop. It was chilly, but the sun was welcome and bright. Lady had a great time exploring.

Built in 1929, it was the tallest building in Nevada

Rooms were nice, a little noisy compared with
modern standards, but no big deal

Very cool mural - click to enlarge

The wonderful, quirky, friendly Hotel Nevada in Ely. We had a blast. Lady is allowed everywhere in the hotel and casino except the eating areas. She hung out with me while I sat at the bar playing video poker, having a beer and chatting with the locals. She single handedly sucked every ounce of affection out of every human she encountered, then went back for more. This time of year the bar and casino are very local oriented. A more friendly group I have never encountered. There is a plaque in the lobby that says (my version, can't take pictures in a casino): "Dogs are welcome here because we've never had a dog get drunk and trash a room or insult the help". The public areas are a little smokey, but other than that, HIGHLY recommended.

As the sun came up and the moon set on the beginning of the third day, Lady was still recovering from her big night in the casino! Never thought I would ever write those words. Mr. Fuzzy Bone is always a comforting pillow. Ely to Phoenix......

Rest stop, junction of US93 and NV318
There was some critter squawking in the bushes 

In Vegas we stopped for a stretch and to get something to eat. Had a lousy, expensive breakfast at Marie Calendars, gassed up and headed for Phoenix. Stayed on US93, the bridge over the Colorado river is done. Divided highway now from Boulder City all the way to Kingman. Wow, what a difference.

Lake Mead just before Hoover Dam and the new bridge.

Our next stretch stop was in a tiny town in Arizona call Wikieup. Finally the sun was warm enough to know you were in the southwest. The little roadside business was certainly colorful, but like so many gaudy things these days, disappointing. They sold bumper stickers proudly proclaiming that Wikieup has more assholes per capita than anywhere else in the world. Really, I'm not making this up. I declined to purchase one.

Uhhh, well, OK

Geez Dad, are we almost there?

One final stop in one of the nicest formal rest areas you have ever seen. It is located just south of Wickenburg, AZ along the Hassayampa River. It is a perfect Sonoran Desert setting, welcoming all to the beauty of this special place.

Three days, 1500 miles - thank god for XM radio. More pictures soon of Lady in the desert.
Cheers.....

Ducking out for awhile

Lady and I will be quite busy traveling the next few days. Wanted to leave you all with a link to Lady's recent picture gallery and an expression of gratitude for all of our followers, friends and occasional visitors. As this blog approaches 200 posts, I never would have imagined blogging could be so much fun, challenging and rewarding.
Thanks for tuning in.

Lady's photo session

Why some emails go unanswered

It's not often I ponder a situation in life and the next thing I know....POP....A well thought out, perfectly legitimate explanation appears before my eyes in the form of a round little cartoon character, acting out my life.

Spooky huh?!    The Explanation


We have some regular visitors to this blog from Otis, OR that may know right where this is! Taken in June of 2003, I applied some kind of enhancement to this photo, now it looks like a painting! I'll be darn if I can remember what software or technique, but I love the result. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Tierra Del Mar, OR
About 4 miles north of Pacific City

Couldn't be a Friday post without a picture of Lady. Below: from the December session. Michael spent some time in Adobe Lightroom fine tuning about 2 dozen shots. Here is one of them.

Elton John Schnoodle

In case you missed this on The Clampets blog
This little guy could give most of the American Idol hopefuls a run for their money. He'll be headlining a show with Yoko Ono soon.

Dog Gifs from Photobucket

Just something fun for today:

Wordless Wednesday

Psssst: I love my squirrel

Our friend Luke....

The minute I saw The Luke on his blog, I was drawn to his handsome, senior Golden Lukeness. He reminded me so much of my heart dog Devo. I followed his adventures and marveled even more at the similarities. News of his death from cancer fills my heart with indescribable sadness. Our collective sympathies go out to his family and all who loved him. We will miss you very much Luke. We are so happy you found the best furever home and lived the Golden life until the end. See you at the bridge my friend.

We will forever be part of Team Luke