Never was there a sweeter, more gentle dog. I will love you forever, my sweet girl. XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
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One year ago today we signed the contract to make Maeve our very own fluffmuffin. It has been a year of sweet snuggles, quirky surprises, funny stories, more quirky surprises, lots of love, additional quirky surprises, some solid squirrel protection and enough dog hair to choke a horse...and we couldn't be happier! So we celebrated with the best kind of car ride possible...the kind that results in ice cream (well, frozen custard, actually). Enjoy! Maeve does not like rain. So much so that she will hold her business until the drops stop falling from the sky. She will ask to go out and stand by the door wagging her tail, but once the door is open and she takes a few steps out, she will stop, turn around and head to "her couch," giving us a look like, "Are you crazy? Water is falling from the sky..." So, on our first snowy day--really snowy, and really cold, we wondered...will she go out? Or will she hold it? Until spring??? Well, no worries! She loves the snow, and the cold. She pretty much treats it like a warm spring day... Maggie...well...she likes some snow, but the bitter cold brings her running back inside pretty fast. The only problem with Maeve liking the snow is finding her when she's out in it.
I hope all your Christmas dreams came true... Thinking of Teddy at Christmas It's Christmas night, and I'll be alright, but there's something that I'm missing. It's not a toy, but a golden boy, whose nose I was used to kissing. The gifts were great; there were at least forty-eight, and I'm sure some came a quite a cost, but wouldn't it be nice, no matter what the price, if we could get back someone that we've lost? He comes back in my dreams, or so it seems; I've only slept for six nights, maybe seven, and when I wake up I still miss my pup. I can't wait to kiss him in heaven. Tomorrow there is a CT scan at Ohio State...but, today, we celebrate!!!
One day last week, my mom handed me an article she had clipped from the Columbus Dispatch with a recipe for a concoction that removes skunk odor from dogs should there be an unfortunate meeting between dog and skunk. I took it, thinking, "That's a good thing to have, but I probably won't need it because my dogs have never encountered a skunk." After last night, my response would now be, "That's great! I'm going to commit it to memory, and I will always have these ingredients on hand."
Does that mean someone got a skunk bath last night? Yes, indeed. Little Maggie woke me at about 4:30 in the morning, crying to go out, so out she went. Teddy came along, too. Maggie led the way, and as I observed from the corner of our enclosed back porch, I was surrounded by intense skunk stink. I thought someone had struck a skunk along Clark State Road, which is not unusual. Then I noticed Maggie shaking her head vigorously as she headed toward the back of the yard. I thought that was weird, but then I was distracted by watching Teddy, who didn't act as if a strange animal had visited the yard. He just quietly went about business and returned. As Teddy came in and I went back in the house to wait for Maggie, it occurred to me that the head shaking and the skunk smell could be related. (Yes, it took me a while, but it was 4:30 in the morning...) Oh, yeah...I picked Maggie up in a towel because the grass was wet from rain, and then it was beyond abundantly clear that she was wearing a dose of skunk squirt. Oh, where did I put that article? Well, I couldn't find the clipping right away, so I found the article online. Thank goodness. The recipe works, pretty much instantly. So here it is: 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda, and 1 or 2 teaspoons of liquid soap. Don't worry if you don't have a full bottle of hydrogen peroxide...just use what you have and hope that your big dog was spared the spray. If you have been that close to a dog covered in skunk spray, you will probably smell skunk for the next several days because that smell is so deeply embedded in your nostrils you can't get away from it, and that smell has wafted through the house as you carried the dog to the sink or bath, but your dog will smell fresh and clean. After I coated Maggie with the magic potion, I shampooed her. The only lasting effects of the incident for Maggie are a fear of her doggie ramp off the deck where the incident happened and the nickname "Little Skunkface." Every time Art and I are in the car and we pass an area where skunk smell lingers after a driver has hit an unsuspecting skunk, Art tells me that if our dogs ever get sprayed, he won't be able to wash them because the smell makes him physically ill. Ah, my delicate little flower....So, I knew I would be the one scrubbing Maggie down with the magic potion. But I didn't want Art to miss out on our first skunking experience, so I woke him. He was a rock star of support, gathering ingredients and searching the backyard for the offender (twice!). I've always dreaded my dogs encountering a skunk, but now that I have the recipe for the magic potion, I know it will be okay. I am now going to the store to restock on hydrogen peroxide, and I vow to never be without the three ingredients. Here's Maggie ready for her touch up bath--there's some lingering stink around her snout, which is kind of difficult to apply the magic potion to, as I don't want to get in her eyes, nose or mouth. Teddy, as usual, is ready to assist: Teddy had his oncology consultation on Tuesday, and we learned two things. The first relates to his cancer, and that is that myxosarcoma probably is better than hemangiosarcoma, but it is still likely to spread, so he will start cheomotherapy next Tuesday. Teddy's oncologist, Dr. Vicario, related that there is only one study of this kind of cancer occurring in the spleen of dogs, and it included only 6 dogs, none of which were given chemotherapy. Teddy's case differs from the dogs' in the study because he will be given cheomotherapy, and his mitotic index (go ahead and Google it; my time is precious...) was considerably lower than that of the dogs in the study. So, we still have hope... but you can never trust cancer.
The second thing we learned is that golden retrievers are irresistible. I kind of already knew that, but Dr. Vicario confirmed it when he asked why anyone who knows how prone the breed is to cancer would have one...and answered his own question by stating the he, a veterinary oncologist, owns a golden retriever. They are beautiful, loving, gentle thieves of the heart. We also learned that Teddy's surgeon at Ohio State, Dr. Bertrand, had a golden retriever that had to be put to sleep just after Teddy's operation for medical problems not related to cancer, and it was just a year and a half old. That broke our hearts and made us realize that we are lucky to have a dog who has lived long enough to have cancer. With all of this attention on Teddy, we can't forget about our little Maggie. She was diagnosed with Cushing's disease (again, go Google....) just about a month ago, and she has been undergoing lots of testing and monitoring to confirm the diagnosis and regulate her medication. So, she has her issues, too! We're doing all we can for both of them, and they both seem happy and comfortable. Or, Happy Hallowiener ... OK, I admit it...it's more like Unhappy Hallowiener.
I know! And things have been really busy. Since the last post, there was Thanksgiving, and an open house. Congrats to Charlie C. on winning the drawing for a free mini portrait, and to Nancy K. for winning a pair of paw print earrings. Whaaat? Free stuff? Yeah. If you like that idea, be sure to get added to my mailing list so if I have an open house next year, you can come and enter the drawing for stuff. Then after that it was my birthday, and then it was Christmas, and then we had a nice celebration for my dad's birthday in January. 85! And there were lots of portraits to be done in between. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some photos to show you what's been going on.... Have you seen my tennis ball? The yellow one...I feel like stripping the rest of the fuzz off of it, then biting it 'til it busts almost in half. I started the process a few days ago and lost interest, but today's the day I'm gonna finish it off. I'm just in that kind of mood... "The yellow tennis ball? I just saw Maggie with that..." Maggie has it? That's funny!! What would Maggie do with a tennis ball? Tennis balls are retriever things...it's in our blood, the whole retrieving thing...carrying stuff with our soft mouths. Tearing the fuzz off is my own twist on the habit, but definitely still a 'triever thing. Maggie's a dachshund, and a mini one at that. She would probably need a mini tennis ball to even get it in her mouth, but she would probably just look at it, anyway. OH MY GIANT POODLE! Maggie has my tennis ball! And what is she doing to it?? She's pulling the fuzz off of it, then nibbling the rubber part into tiny bits! Not fair! She doesn't RESPECT THE BALL...Where's the tradition in a dachshund destroying a tennis ball?? It's painful to watch, yet I cannot look away..... Finally! ...but now there's only a half left, and what's left is all spitty and wet, and not in a good way... Never mind. I'm over it... "Teddy...I scraped up your tennis ball. You're not going to l like it. Sorry, buddy. I'll get you a new one at the store. Here...have a piece of cheese...better?" I'm okay. Cheese makes everything better, but could you keep Maggie away from my sock monkey? |
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All images and designs are copyrighted and the property of Dana Keating Marziale and may not be used or reproduced without express written permission. Copyright 2011