RIP Puppy

I am heartbroken to make this last post.

We lost our precious Tucker January 29, 2014. The mast cell cancer came back and we couldn't beat it this time. He was tough and fought hard through chemo and two more surgeries but the cancer spread and was in his bowel causing severe colitis. His oncologist told me she couldn't control his pain and that it was time. I held him as he breathed his last and told him how good he was and how much we loved him. I know it was the right thing to do, but that doesn't ease the loss.

Right now, six weeks on, our lives still feel desperately empty and the melancholy breaks through into plunging grief unexpectedly. My sister wrote the following to me and I can't say it much better "I know some people do not understand the deep heartache of losing a pet but to some of us they are part of our family. They are our children, companions, best friend, therapist and more. A dog is always glad to see you, eager to listen to you, ready to play, does not judge just gives you unconditional love. There is no time limit on how long it takes to get over a loss. Michelle and John I know the ache will never entirely go away and you will always miss your little man. In your own time and way I wish both of you can let the deep hurt go and remember all the good things Tucker brought into your lives in his short 9 1/2 years, before he went through heavens doggie door."

I know everyone believes this of their beloved pet, but Tucker truly was a special dog. He loved people so much he managed to dig his way into the heart of everyone he met.

I have some amazing friends. My friend Marie asked a friend of hers to make the drawing of my little boy shown at the top of this post. It's a beautiful drawing that captures him perfectly and will be something I treasure forever.

This was the last picture I took of Tucker.

It's 5 days before he died. Catching that squirrel was the

best medicine he could have had, he was so happy.

What's For Dinner?

Michelle says...

Tucker has always eaten Royal Canin dog food since he came home with us. Been a swap here and there within the Royal Canin brand but now he eats their "Medium Breed" and he seems to like it fine and do well with it. But when he had surgery for his MAST cell tumor back in November, the antibiotic he was on gave him really bad diarrhea. That's not fun any time, but when you've got a big, sore incision right next to your pooper it's even worse! The vet gave him a prescription probiotic powder called FortiFlora that you sprinkle on the food and it worked fast to get his tummy back to normal. AND Tucker thought it was the best stuff ever. He loved it. Once the prescription was done he'd look at his dish and then at me with a disappointed expression. But at a dollar a packet,  no way were we getting more. So I did a little research and found a product with the same ingredients at a pretty reasonable price. It's called Intelliflora and comes from a company called PSC Pets. Now, at dinnertime, if we sprinkle it on Tucker's food and leave his dish on the kitchen counter while we finish fixing our own dinner, he dances impatiently back and forth with his eye on the counter and getting in our way as he tries to make sure we don't forget him. His oncologist says it's fine to keep giving it to him, so he's a lucky boy.


PSCPets.com Intelliflora

Tucker says...


I don't know what I get for dinner now, but it's SO delicious. I think it's a special liver dust. Yum! Yum! I can't help myself from eating it up fast as I can.

Long time, no see!

Michelle says ...
Seriously? It's been four years since Tucker posted to his blog? SO much has happened. A cancer scare. New toys. New friends! Treats and treat and treats. And snow last week. Tucker's ghost writer needs to do a better job of keeping him current!

Tucker says...
Hey everybody. I'm okay. I had to have an operation and go to the vet a WHOLE bunch of times but the tests all came back negative (that's good!) saying all the bad tumor is gone and hopefully will never come back.

Blame the breeder? I think not!

Michelle Says...
Recently I was drawn into a situation that affected me intensely through an email sent "accidentally". One evening my inbox contained a message sent to Tucker's breeder (we call her "Grams") and cc'd to a large number of her email contacts. I literally tossed all night thinking about the situation because I know how sweet Tucker's breeder is, how much she loves her dogs and how great all of her dogs are. (That's Jane in the picture, getting a puppy ready for her first time in the show ring.)
Here is just a portion of the poorly spelled and punctuated vileness the message spewed "How can you live with yourself, for that matter how can anyone that breeds and sale dogs for a financial gain sleep at all. All of you should be put to sleep or at the least tarred and feathered. Have you any idea of the pain and suffering that you have caused us, all for a financial profit, shame on you. We have fallen in love with our dogs Roxie and Rusty and the very thought of having to give them up, we can not bare. Actually we do not know what to do, but need to do something or they will kill one another or one of our cats or perhaps injure my 88 year old mother. You knew all of this, prior to us purchasing them."
I know many people are opposed to purebred dogs on the principle that the inbreeding used to keep the breed standards can result in unhealthy animals. However, Tucker's breeder works very hard to breed for health and temperament and her kennel is a homelike doggie heaven and she loves every one of her pups and probably wishes she could keep them all! The bill of sale for her puppies stipulates that if the owner is unhappy or unable to keep the dog at ANY time, she will take it back. And I doubt she makes a profit on her puppies.

The idea that she caused this person's situation is ridiculous. And his childishness at blaming her for his own failure just makes me shake my head. The email writer later said his message was an accidental "reply all" and it was never intended for anyone but the breeder, but I have my doubts. And if it wasn't accidental, the message backfired pretty badly on him. Message after message flew out saying bad owners cause badly behaved dogs, not breeders. Others told him he chose to take two terriers into his home and he clearly didn't deserve them if he couldn't take care of them properly. Here's a more polite sample of the messages "It is obvious you are a person who should not have dogs. Probably not even a cat. When you get a puppy it is your responsibility to train it, socialize it and make it a good canine citizen. I have had Cairns since 1959 and Jane Stump takes a back seat to no one on quality and temperament "
The breeder was devastated by the attack and immediately made arrangements to go across the state to take the dogs back. She had plane tickets to fly across country to deliver a puppy in Florida the evening the email bomb dropped, so she was terribly upset and stressed, but a friend and partner, Susan, drove to get the pups. The owner only relinquished one of the pups, the female, and kept the male. I emailed the man begging him to be sure he gave the remaining pup the chance to be a good pet by going to obedience classes (which are really mostly about training the OWNER, not the dog). I never heard from him, but have heard that they are managing better with only the one dog.
Take away message from all of this? All dogs are hard work. It is not enough to just love them. If you're getting a pet, research the breed. Certain breeds, and that includes cute little terriers with strong wills and masses of energy, are harder to raise than others. Ownership of a dog is a commitment and a privilege due only to those who honor it. If your dog is poorly behaved, look in the mirror. It isn't the dog's fault and it is unlikely that it is the breeder's fault unless you went to a puppy mill, and that's a whole other category of bad.

Tucker says...

Poor Grams. And poor Roxie and Rusty.

Am I fat?

Michelle says...

On our last visit, the vet told us that Tucker could stand to lose about two pounds. She said he's healthy and fit but wouldn't want to see him experiencing joint problems due to carrying more weight than he should. Of course she practically had to refer us to marriage counseling as John and I discussed the cause of Tucker's extra weight. I know one reason. The little guy gets so embedded in a routine. If you do something more than twice in a row at the same time of day, you had best plan on doing it forever if you don't want to listen to him doing his doggie inquiry. It goes something like this.

"Gr?"

"Ignore him and he'll stop"

"Gr?

"Ignore him and he'll stop"

"Grrrrrrrrrrr!"

"Ignore him or he's going to think he can get whatever he wants by pestering"

"ARF!"

"Oh all RIGHT!

This applies to treats, chasing the ball, going for walks, did I mention treats? Actually, that isn't true, he rarely demands treats, he just sits and looks at you like "did you forget the poor widdle puppy?" and I am a softie. But for walks and games he relentlessly does the "grrr" tactic.

Tucker says

I for sure am NOT fat. I hardly eat at all. I only get my morning Charlee Bear treat. Then my cookie after my walk. Then my breakfast kibble. I don't get any human food unless it is fruits or vegetables. OK, if there is cheese involved I am there and I better get a taste but that's it. Then there is my cookie after my afternoon walk. Then there is my dinner kibble. Then there is my Kong toy frozen with water and a little peanut butter at the bottom. And two Charlee Bear treats after mom and dad finish dinner. And my Greenie. Do not EVER mess with the Greenie. Then I get brushed and have my teeth brushed and there HAS to be some incentive to tolerate that indignity, so I get some bits of chicken jerky. Then my two bedtime Charlee Bear treats. And sometimes there are those cornstarch bones, but they screwed around with the formula on those and they run right through me I I probably LOSE weight from eating them!

Michelle says

Good thing those Charlee Bears are only 2 calories apiece!

how embarassing

No posts since 2006? How can that much time have gone by? Tucker is fine and fat and sassy. (Me too.) I haven't been taking pictures much either. There's lots to blog about, we just need to get back in the habit. And remember the formatting previous posts followed.

Snow!

Tucker says...

I woke up the other morning and my yard was gone! Instead of everything that was there when I went to sleep the night before, there was white wet stuff! It didn't smell like anything and it was COLD! I sneezed when I tried to sniff it. After I smelled as much as I could and decided it was safe, I ran around and played like I always do. I rolled on the ground and Mom said I was making a snow angel except for the angel part. I think there is an insult in that, but I'm not sure.

Michelle says...

... more to come

Home Alone

Michelle says...

Tucker's gig at doggie daycare ended when he turned a year old. I'm feeling pretty anxious over the whole thing. He's still very high energy and inquisitive (as in always looking for the next mischief to get into). I don't want him to become one of those dogs that bark continually or chew the house up. I've felt so bad these last few days. It isn't as bad as it seems. My office is very close to our home and I've been going several times a day to check on Tucker and to take him on a walk at lunchtime. I'm just being an emotional "Mom". What scares me the most is that he'll go out his doggie door and get bored in the yard and dig under the fence and get run over by a car. My husband works from home a lot so there are days when Tucker isn't left home for much time at all. But he really enjoyed having that daily playtime with his little cousin doggies and he's pretty baffled by not getting to go anymore. He gets up in the morning and creeps into his carrier, curls up and waits for me to take him in the car. And I have to leave him behind instead.

Tucker says...

I don't know why I don't get to go every day over to see Sadie and Mollie anymore. Maybe I was a bad boy. When Mom leaves me at home mostly I sit on the back of the couch and look out the window and wait for somebody to come back and play with me. Sometimes a squirrel runs through the front yard and I bark at him, but I think he knows I can't get him.