Pictures

PUBLISHED
SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

I'm sad to report that since the last Update page, two members
of our family have started their journeys to the Rainbow Bridge.

Before we left for our Michigan vacation the end of May, Reno
was showing signs of really slowing down. He became very senile
and his arthritis seemed to be affecting him a lot more. I came
very close to changing my mind about going on the trip, but our
vet assured us he would take good care of Reno and be there to
help him if he needed it. Reno chose to leave for the Bridge the
night before we returned from our trip. I believe he didn't want
us to have to make the decision for him. The vet called us at our
hotel very late the night before we were to return home. He said
Reno had been having seizures throughout the day and was in a
coma. We told him to go ahead and help Reno make that
transition to his new, pain-free life.

************
The loss of little Tucker came as a much bigger shock to us
because there were no long-term symptoms to prepare us. On
July 1 Tucker was just fine. He was out playing in the pool with
his water hose (his favorite game). On July 2 he woke up
coughing quite a bit. Something about that cough really worried
me, but I really can't explain why. I decided in the afternoon to
take him to the emergency clinic (since it was the weekend and
our vet was away on vacation). The emergency vet's first
thought was possible pneumonia. She suggested leaving Tucker in
the hospital so they could put him on antibiotics and take
x-rays. The following day they called saying they found
something on Tucker's lungs and wanted to do a biopsy. The next
morning we received the call telling us our baby was dying of lung
cancer. We decided to try chemotherapy to extend his life. He
received weekly chemo treatments for four weeks but after the
last treatment, he started to deteriorate rapidly. He was able to
give us one last good weekend with him, and on Tuesday, August
2, I had to take him back to the cancer clinic. There was
nothing more that could be done for my "little guy", so we had to
say our final goodbye.

AND THEN THERE WERE NINE

BENJI
AGE - 15

MAX
(DaOdderWeenie)
AGE - 7

JENNIE
AGE - 7

APRIL
AGE - 10

AMBER (DaWeenie)
AGE - 7

RUSTY
AGE - 9

HOLLY
AGE - 11

SARAH
AGE - 11

BAILEY
AGE - 13

THE TRIP TO MICHIGAN

Oh boy, we are going to
Michigan to visit our
Uncle Jeff and his family
and K-9 Officer Chase
and our pal, Sabrina.
***
Ah, we have a problem
here. I don't fit in my
green traveling bag
anymore.

Ok, Max. I'm all
set. This'll work!

Time to hit the
road. Let's Go!

We got to take lots of
walks in Michigan. And
look, they even had a
GUEST spot for us!

K-9 Officer Chase
enjoyed all the
extra back rubs he
was getting from
Mom.

Our 2-week
vacation went by
too fast. Then we
had to go back
home again.

OUR MICHIGAN FAMILY THEN CAME TO
OUR HOUSE TO VISIT US

K-9 Officer Chase
(On Vacation)

Sabrina

Is that a treat you
have there in your
hand?

Just Chillin'

Jennie decides the
sofa is the best
place to avoid being
stepped on by "Big
Foot"

This Florida heat is too much for a
Michigan dog!

What could be better.....
A/C and a nice home-baked treat.
(Thank you Cheryl)

Ahhhhh...A dog could get used to this!

RUSTY AND HIS THUNDERSHIRT

Rusty is terrified of storms and even rain. In fact, he starts
shaking if there is even a darker cloud in the sky. He is our
household barometer. So, we purchased a "Thundershirt" for
him. The jury is still out on this one. It seems to help him a
little bit but he still heads straight to his crate to hide when he
feels a change in the weather. The Thundershirt seems to have
more of an easing effect on April during the times when she is
nervous about an upcoming storm.