Man's Best Friend

 

Our family Golden Retriever, Bella, allowed me to take a selfie of the two of us. I don't know how I managed to get her to sit still long enough to take the picture, but she seems ready to ham it up in front of the camera. 

Bella is two years old and keeps our black Lab, Augie, on his toes at all times. We call Bella "The Brain" and Augie is "The Brawn". She is the instigator of all trouble in the house and Augie gladly does her bidding.

The smart one, on the left.

The saying, "A house is not a home without a Golden Retriever" is so true.

Bella (left) and Augie (right)

The Hounds Get The Better of Fritz

 

Bella The Brain (left) and Augie The Brawn (right) cook up their plan for The Great Escape.

Dogs often come across as silly and goofy and you never know what they are going to do to amuse you. Today, Bella the Brain and Augie the Brawn devised a cunning plan for their escape in the parking lot of Sunset Foods grocery store. They got the better of Fritz and Mrs. Fritz, who were bailed out of a potential disaster by the timely intervention of some bystanders in the parking lot.

Our story starts innocently enough, with Mrs. Fritz and me taking the royal hounds for a perambulation in the local forest preserve. We returned to our SUV after the walk and bundled the hounds into the back seat of the vehicle. There is a cargo area behind the back seat and this will come into play later in the story. We removed the harnesses and leashes from the hounds’ torsos for safety reasons once they are back in the vehicle. Dogs can get their leashes caught on some part of the seat and choke, so we remove the equipment once they are in the car. 

You can probably see where this is leading.

So we are now in the car and I’m pointing the vehicle in the direction of home when Mrs. Fritz says to me, “ what do you want for dinner tonight?”

“What do we have at home?” I inquire.

“Chicken” she replies.

“What kind of chicken?” Says I.

“Frozen chicken” says Mrs. Fritz.

Well that doesn’t sound like a very good plan so I propose that we stop at the nearby Sunset Foods grocery store. The spouse agrees so off we go to the grocery store. In my concentration on the road while driving, I fail to notice the mischievous little wink that The Brain makes to The Brawn. There’s trouble on the horizon.

We pull into the parking lot and I volunteer to go inside to do the grocery shopping while Mrs. Fritz minds the hounds. It doesn’t occur to me to wonder whether or not she is up to the task of matching wits with The Brain. So I go into the store to buy the groceries while Mrs Fritz remains in the car checking her email on her smart phone.

The Brain makes a knowing nod of her head to The Brawn and the plans for The Great Escape are set in motion. I buy the groceries and return to the SUV with the grocery bags in the shopping cart. Escape plan Wack-A-Mole has just been launched. The Brain motions the Brawn to climb over the back seat and take up an ambush position in the cargo area. Their plan is cunningly simple. When Fritz opens the rear hatch door to put the groceries in the cargo hold, The Brawn will lunge towards Fritz whilst he is holding a grocery bag. The Brain will then jump over the back seat and escape out the hatch while I’m trying to grab The Brawn’s  collar with my free hand (with grocery bag in the other hand). 

The Wack-A-Mole plan seemingly works to perfection as Fritz has to decide whether to hold onto the shopping bag and one hound while the other jumps out the door; or drop the grocery bag and attempt to grab both dogs before they can effect their escape. Alas, it looks like the Great Escape will be foiled before it gets off the ground because Fritz didn’t pick up a shopping bag until he opened the rear hatch door. Thus Fritz has both hands available to apprehend the hounds.

I’m admittedly surprised to see the massive body of The Brawn in my face as I lift the hatch door. The Brain’s timing is a second slow and I’m able to grab both dog collars. Escape plan foiled? No. I call out for help and Mrs. Fritz bounds out of the front seat of the SUV at record speed and she grabs the collar of The Brawn while I’ve got The Brain on ice.

Then I make my big mistake. I try to push The Brawn over the seat back to put him in the back seat, but a momentary second is all that The Brain needs to escape my grasp and jump to freedom. Mrs. Fritz  compounds my mistake by making one of her own: she turns around to head off the cute puppy known as The Brain thereby leaving a gaping hole in our defensive line. The Brawn overpowered me and leaped from the cargo area and on to the pavement. Then it’s a foot race and the humans are no match for the canines. 

Suddenly it’s pandemonium in the parking lot of Sunset Foods as The Brain and The Brawn split off in different directions. The Brawn makes like Usain Bolt and he is off to the races. The Brain however, now makes a mistake as her Golden Retriever instincts take over and she makes a beeline to the nearest human that is not Mr or Mrs Fritz, and cuddles up between the legs of a bystander, seeking a belly rub. Apprended! Or so it seems.

I race over to the Bystander who says, “what an adorable dog” and I say “Thank You” , grab The Brain by the  collar and usher her back to our vehicle. I open the side passenger door and cram The Brain into the back seat. Then I scan the parking lot for signs of Mrs. Fritz or The Brawn. Another Bystander somehow nabbed The Brawn and Mrs. Fritz is screaming, “Augie’s slipped out of his collar. Help!”

Now the beautifully choreographed Wack-A-Mole plan becomes apparent to the humans. Now that I’m distracted by The Brawn’s attempt to slip from the grasp of Mrs. Fritz and the Bystander, The Brain climbs over the back seat. I’ve forgotten to close the back hatch lid. The Brain bounds out the rear door and is back in the parking lot. 

You think that you have one hound under control while the other hound is slipping from your grasp. You nab the first one and now the second one re-escapes. Wack-A-Mole.

I make one final lunge for The Brain and my luck turns for the better as I’m able to grab her by the collar. Mrs. Fritz is still frantic about The Brawn not having his collar on anymore. I’ve got The Brain in my left hand and with my right hand I grasp The Brawn’s leash and fling it towards Mrs. Fritz. This time I remember to close the back hatch door and push The Brain into the back seat of the Paddy Wagon.

Now that one dog is back in the car, two people can get The Brawn under control and herd him back into the car. The hounds admit defeat and settle into the back seat of our SUV. With things seemingly under control again, I gingerly reopen the back hatch door, no hounds in the cargo area this time, and I put the grocery bags in and shut the door again. 

Mission accomplished! However, it was a near run thing as The Brain's plan Wack-A-Mole nearly succeeded. A long time ago I recall one of my friends telling me that all dogs live for one of two things: food or the chance to escape.

The Great Escape caper came to a close and we drove home. I was so undone that I had to make a stop at Starbucks and get a comfort Mocha Frappicino to calm my nerves.

New Family Member: Pippa!

Pippa (the dog, not the girl) is joining our family.

The Higher Power works in mysterious ways, and so it is that we are now about to introduce the newest member to our family: Pippa, the Golden Retreiver, shown above with Lady Emma Cuddlestone-Smythe. Back in November 2011, we had two Goldens, Katie and Dave, and both died within a month of each other. 

Then virtually out of the blue, we received a phone call from a Golden Retriever rescue service that they had Tiberius (Ti) available for adoption. So in January 2012, we added Ti to our family. We knew that we wanted to have a second dog so that Ti could have a companion. He really likes to be around other dogs.

We had explored getting a puppy, but that kind of fell through (along with the deposit, ouch!). Then another adoption opportunity was not the right fit for our situation. Then once again, out of the blue, we received a call the other day from the rescue service. They had a female, named Pippa, who was available for adoption. We visited Pippa this afternoon, and it was clear that she and Ti were getting along very well (um, she's spayed, so um, uh, you know, they liked to play together) so it looked like a good match for our family.

At one point, Lady Emma fell down and Pippa dashed over to her to make sure that she was OK, and if we had had any doubts, they all went away in an instant.

So next weekend, we will be a two-dog house once again, with Tiberius and Pippa holding court and making us all very happy and grateful to have them in our lives.

His Name is Tye

Lady Emma Cuddleston-Smythe and Tye

OK, we have had Tye in our home for a day now and our family consensus is that we will keep his name at Tye, which is short for Tiberius. He just didn't seem to be an "Archie" to us. It always seems to work that way with pets and their names, the name just kind of seems right and at the time you instinctively know that it is the right name for that particular pet. Hence forever more, Tye will be Tye.

The foster owner dropped him off at our house yesterday morning so that we could meet him and see if we liked him (we had no doubts about that). Tye was a little shy at first and reluctant to enter the doorway to our house. He kept his tail firmly lodged between his legs, showing us that he was a little uncomfortable or uncertain. We gave him tons of hugs and pets and gradually he warmed up to us. At one point, Lady Emma was sitting on the floor and he walked up to her and sat in her lap.

I just kept petting his head, telling him what a good boy he was and then Tye did that "velcro thing" that only Goldens seem to do. He practically attached himself to my leg and would not move. I could see that a dog smile was coming to his face and we were all sure that this would work out. By now, his tail was in full wag mode.

Tye really came to life when we took him out to the back yard and played fetch and retrieve or keepaway with him. He likes to play, as one would expect of a 2-year old dog. He also likes his walks and we did a lot of that yesterday. Later in the evening, I walked with Tye on my regular dog walking route and it really felt good to walk with a dog again. He is very curious, likes to roam from side to side in a figure 8 fashion during his walks. I am sure that gradually he will adjust to my style of walking (more of staying on my left "heel" side rather than roaming back and forth).

We had him sleep at the foot of our bed last night, and to my surprise, when I woke up this morning, he was sleeping "on" the bed. I guess that we will have to get used to that.

Lady Emma enjoys playing with Tye and clearly he adores her as much as she does him. I truly believe that we are blessed to have this wonderful hound come into our lives.

Well, it is off to the forest preserve for another walk and then a trip to Petco to get some supplies and order an identification tag.

Meet The Newest Member of our Family

Meet Archie, the newest member of our family.

We are truly blessed to have this opportunity to adopt this handsome looking Golden Retriever, named Ti (for Tiberius). This literally came out of the blue from a Golden rescue service, from which we obtained Dave six years ago. We tentatively plan to change his name to Archie.

Archie is a two -year old male and loves to be around other dogs and people, so that will fit in well with our plans to eventually get a second hound in our home later in the year. Archie is very active, as one might expect of a two-year old, and he loves to go on long walks. That's a good thing because both Mrs. Fritz and I like to get our exercise via dog walks.

Archie's owner died several months ago and the owner's spouse couldn't keep him, so he was given up for adoption to our rescue service. They placed Archie in a foster home, along with a German Shepherd. This did not work out very well as the German Shepherd was too aggressive. So Archie was moved to a second foster home, where the foster family already had two Labradors. We are told that all three hounds got along famously. Archie loves to be with other dogs.

Archie was probably a bit traumatized by all of these changes in his life. We were told that he used to carry around one of his former owner's shoes in his mouth, after the owner died. We plan to give him lots of love, tons of play time, and many long walks and hopefully he will know that his journey is over and that he is finally at "home". We sort of feel that the Higher Power intervened to bring this happy go lucky dog into our home. We are all very excited here in Hesse Seewald. Life works in mysterious ways sometimes. For that we are grateful.

Good Bye, Dave

Dave - picture taken one week ago.

Today we finally had to put Dave down. Anne called me at work this morning and told me that he was limping badly with both front legs and feared that he might have fractured his leg, due to weakness of the bone from his bone cancer. A trip to the vet confirmed that we both agreed that it was Dave's time.

I regret that I could not be with Dave at the end, but with the amount of pain that he was probably having, it wasn't fair to Dave to prolong the inevitable any longer. We did the right thing. God bless you Dave- I will miss you every day.

Dave enjoying last winter's mega-snow storm with 24 inches of snow - January 2011.

So in the span of one month, we have had to put down both of our dogs. Don't feel sad, I am grateful for having Dave in our lives. We adopted him six years ago from a Golden Retriever rescue organization called "As Good As Gold" and we feel most fortunate that his previous owners were willing to give up Dave and let him be a part of our family. Rejoice in Dave's life, don't be sad. He had a lot of fun in life and he absolutely adored my wife Anne, following her everywhere she went. Farewell Big Guy.

Good Old Dave - A Farewell

David J. Dog, or as we like to call him, just "Dave"

A month ago we had two hounds in our home, old Katie (age 15) and the younger pup Dave (age 11). As you may recall, we had to put Katie down less than 4 weeks ago. There was some comfort in the fact that we had Dave to keep us company. But Life had other plans for Dave - we discovered that he has bone cancer in his front left leg. So in the span of one month, we face losing both of our beloved hounds.

Dave had developed a limp during the summer and the initial diagnosis was arthritis in his knees. Anti-inflammatories seemed to be working and the limping subsided. Then, about a week before Katie passed away, Dave's limp returned, even more pronounced. Another vet visit and the same diagnosis. However, Dave did not improve. So Anne took him back to the vet one more time this past monday, and new x-rays revealed the presence of tumors in his legs.

We were told that either the leg would have to be amputated, or if the cancer had spread to his torso, then he would have to be put down. On wednesday, a visit to a Vet Oncologist gave us a prognosis of 1 to 3 months if we did nothing, maybe 6 to 9 months if Dave had radiation therapy, and several other "in between" options.

I can't see Dave having a very good life with only three legs, and we don't want to take "heroic measures" to prolong his life. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy might add several months to his life, but at a prohibitive financial cost. So now we are monitoring him, administering pain killers, and sort of figuring out when to put Dave down. The greatest concern is that the bone cancer weakens his leg bone and it could easily fracture if there is too much activity. That would result in putting him down immediately if he breaks his leg.

For now, Dave seems rather happy and cheerful and he is able to walk around the house without too much strain. It seems too early to put him down now. I don't want to wait too long, nor do I want to have it done before it is necessary. We will probably try one round of chemotherapy and see how that affects him. If he could handle it, then we would do this for several more weeks. If the chemo makes him too sick, then that would be the end of that.

We hope that Dave will be with us at least through Christmas and we are gradually entering the 'acceptance' phase of the grief cycle. We expected Katie's demise, but we really did not see this curve ball coming. That is what makes it so shocking and painful. The oncologist said that Dave is in pain, but that Goldens want to please their humans so much that they will hang on longer than most breeds.

As long as Dave is bright eyed and bushy tailed, we will cherish his remaining days. He is such a good fellow. These are sad times, but we are taking great joy from Dave's presence each and every day. Day by day until the time is right. I guess that we will know when that is.

*****

Tomorrow's posting will undoubtedly be more upbeat and less of a downer. We shall persevere. Coincidentally, we had scheduled a visit to a Golden Retreiver breeder this weekend to find a replacement for Katie. The plan for now is to hold off on a new dog until Spring.

Update: November 8, 2011
Katie passed away today around 4pm central standard time. The vet said that her muscle mass had deteriorated severely and that she was dehydrated. Clearly, it was Katie's time. My wife and daughter were there to make their final good byes and our hound was cremated along with her favorite toy.

I want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and kind comments about Katie. It is very much appreciated. Our daughter is having a hard time accepting things, but she seemed to have a better handle on things before she went to bed. We decided that we would hold an Irish Wake for Miss Katie this coming weekend. I also plan to visit the Rainbow Bridge web site that several of you have suggested. This will help too.

I imagine that Katie outlived all of her litter mates, probably because of all the walks that she took. I can picture her brothers and sisters, and her mother, Scout, waiting for Katie and wagging their tails in anticipation of seeing their sister at long last. She is in a better place - of that I am sure.

This weekend, we plan to visit the neighbor's down the street and introduce ourselves to their new Golden Retriever puppy. Seems like a good idea.

Finally, I want to thank Katie for being a terrific good luck charm last night. Without her, the Chicago Bears would not have defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the football game. :)

Good bye Katie.

Update: November 8, 2011

Katie passed away today around 4pm central standard time. The vet said that her muscle mass had deteriorated severely and that she was dehydrated. Clearly, it was Katie's time. My wife and daughter were there to make their final good byes and our hound was cremated along with her favorite toy.

I want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and kind comments about Katie. It is very much appreciated. Our daughter is having a hard time accepting things, but she seemed to have a better handle on things before she went to bed. We decided that we would hold an Irish Wake for Miss Katie this coming weekend. I also plan to visit the Rainbow Bridge web site that several of you have suggested. This will help too.

I imagine that Katie outlived all of her litter mates, probably because of all the walks that she took. I can picture her brothers and sisters, and her mother, Scout, waiting for Katie and wagging their tails in anticipation of seeing their sister at long last. She is in a better place - of that I am sure.

This weekend, we plan to visit the neighbor's down the street and introduce ourselves to their new Golden Retriever puppy. Seems like a good idea.

Finally, I want to thank Katie for being a terrific good luck charm last night. Without her, the Chicago Bears would not have defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the football game. :)

The Royal Hounds

Der Alte Fritz's Hund - Dave

Frederick had his whippets, and not to be outdone, Der Alte Fritz has his Golden Retreivers. We have two of them: Katie (age 12) and Dave (age 6?), the latter of whom is featured in the picture above. We adopted Dave two years ago from a rescue agency that works specifically with Golden Retrievers. We like Goldens because they are so gentle with children and are loveable and fun to be around. We also thought that old Katie would like to have some company, however, that was not really the case. I think that Katie resents having another dog around the castle.

We thought about giving Dave a new name after we adopted him, but somehow, his name seems to fit him just right. We also call him "Big Guy", The Wooly Mammoth, and Aslan (think about it for a minute). The Prinzessin, Lady Emma Cuddlestone-Smythe has taken to Dave and considers him to be "her dog". The big galoot likes to take a tennis ball or Kong toy and place it under the couch. Then he will see if he can paw it out from under said couch. When he can't, or won't, he wimpers up a storm and Himself is forced to fish the toy or ball from out under the couch. After watching The Big Guy do this several times in a row, I realized that he was teaching ME to play fetch. Hurrumph!


Der Jung Hund (Dave - left) and Der Alte Hund (Katie -right)

We have had Katie since 1996, so she will be 13 this summer. We bought her as a puppy and somehow survived puppyhood and its attendant house breaking, teething, and gnawing of furniture. We have an early 19th century French pine farm table in our kitchen that Katie decided to "antique" or "distress" a little more with some judicious gnawing of the table leg. Katie puts up with Dave, but at times I think that she doesn't like him. She is definitely the smarter of the two.

It is fun watching the sibling rivalry that my dogs have. Katie will steal Dave's dog toys and vice versa, while Dave will take over Katie's dog bed in the laundry room. They are like children at times, but they are fun to have around the house.