Oh My Dog!

“I hope to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am.”
– Unknown

I had a post all ready to go about a very humorous clicker training incident, but I have to set that aside, maybe save it for tomorrow. Because… Emmett is officially into his sixth CANCER FREE month!! We got the call from his oncologist that the biopsy of the tiny bump came back as benign (some type of cyst), though the pathology report indicated it was fully excised anyway. His lung x-ray still showed the little nodes we were worried about before, but they haven’t changed in shape or size indicating that it’s NOT cancer! NOT CANCER!!!!!!

New to the blog? Interested in reading the full saga?

First, we discovered the lump.
Then he had surgery.
We got the first cancerous result.
We thought we’d need to amputate.
We prepared ourselves, but at the appointment, we were hooked up with a specialist who could save his leg.
Emmett’s surgical results were wonderful, better than we could’ve hoped.
Then his 3-month follow-up results were fantastic!!!

And then we had his six-month check up, and he’s still cancer free! There really aren’t words to describe how happy and grateful I am. Truly, no words.

Now if you’ll excuse me… I need to go weep for joy then take a little nap. It has been one stressful, sleepless week around here.

For Christmas this year, I was so lucky to receive several dog-related books. While I haven’t had time to really dig in, I took one of the books with me to the cabin. It was an amazing book: Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

The general idea behind Alexandra Horowitz’s book is that, in order to have an enriched relationship with our dogs, we need to take into consideration how they see the world. To us, a chair is a chair. To a dog, a chair might mean sitting, it might mean forbidden, but it definitely doesn’t mean “chair.” The science, combined with anecdotal evidence, makes for an enlightening read. Plus, I now look at Emmett and Lucas a little differently. Horowitz does an incredible job breaking down how dogs use their senses and how they might think and reason.

The best concept I took away from the book, though, was the idea of a smell walk. Because smell is so vitally important to our dogs, sometimes a brisk walk around the neighborhood just doesn’t do it for them. Instead, take a long, slow walk, letting them smell each and everything little thing that strikes their interest. As soon as the foot of snow melts, the paw-burning salt is washed away, and the temperature goes above zero… we will definitely be taking a smell walk!

*Disclaimer: The link to the book above and the widget on the left-side toolbar link to my Amazon page.

This month marks Emmett’s sixth month after his tumor was removed. Six months from when we thought he’d lose his leg. Six months from our consultation nightmares to the specialist who ultimately saved Emmett’s leg.

We are so incredibly lucky we found an oncology center with consultants from Purdue University, which has one of the best vet schools in the country. Emmett was due for his 6-month check tomorrow, which includes lymph node checks, x-rays, and a very thorough leg exam. Today, though, they called and asked if we could bring him today because there’s an impending snow storm and the radiologist might not be able to make it from Purdue to Indy tomorrow. So John left work and took him.

Which just killed me. I trust John so wholeheartedly, of course, but it just killed me that I couldn’t be there with Emmett, to rub his silky-soft ears, tickle his belly, wrap my arms around his big barrel chest. (Not because he needs the reassurance, of course. Oh no, Emmett adores the vet’s office. He gets showered with treats and attention, so what’s not to love? The hugs and pats are all for me, so I can feel better. Sad, but true.)

This whole Emmett cancer situation… I keep trying to articulate what it’s like, what we’re going through. But, man. There are no words. He’s my baby, my love bug, my best friend. Both Emmett and Lucas have expanded my world exponentially. Through them, I’m connected to this incredible dog-loving community. We’ve met an entire army of kind, incredible, warm-hearted animal advocates, bully-breed lovers, rescue organizations, and all of our AAT friends.

They constantly amaze me with their freedom, their moment-to-moment excitement. They bring us so much happiness and joy. For that, we owe it to them to make sure their lives are safe, happy, enriched, and healthy. Healthy. As in, no cancer.

So now we’re just dealing with what comes. Our three-month round of tests came back clear: no lumps or bumps, clear lungs, clean lymph nodes. We’ll get the results of this round of tests in 5 to 7 days (ugh……). Though the oncologist did biopsy a new little lump on his leg, his first glance at the lung x-rays indicated that they’re still clear. So we’ll see.

I will, of course, keep you posted.

Lucas hides from Otto

“If you can’t decide between a shepherd, a setter, or a poodle, get them all… adopt a mutt.”

– ASPCA

In closing out 2009 (I know, I’m a week late…) I decided to mention just two highlights:

* 2009 started with Emmett passing his therapy dog test! We jumped into therapy work and have found his niche: loud, boisterous, excitable kiddos!

*Lucas, my darling “problem” dog, passed his CGC test. This was an extremely proud moment. A tear may have been shed.

I have to say though, I am really, truly glad to say goodbye to 2009. It was a rough year for several reasons, though we did wrap up the year on an extremely high note when Emmett’s last round of tests and x-rays showed him cancer free. So for all its rough spots, 2009 came through in the end!

Maybe because it’s the start of a new decade, but I’m confident that 2010 is going to be a big, huge year! We were so lucky to start the year off with the boys at a cabin nestled in the woods. It was cozy and quiet, and even though it was about 6 degrees out, the boys had a wonderful time. Partly because they had a whole stack of new toys.

And partly because they had lots of different furniture to recline on.

Lucas got to continue his regular guarding routine out the cabin’s front window.

But he also got to expand his guarding repertoire to include a loft! Above the living room!

Of course, Emmett could not have cared less about guarding or the loft (re: brand new toys).

It was so wonderful, quiet, relaxing, and fun. Despite the cold, we did venture outdoors for short bursts.

But mostly it was so wonderful to ring in the new year, snuggled up with our pups!

Squishy Face

We just returned from a blissful week at a cabin in the woods. It was wonderful to have time with just us and the dogs to relax and snuggle. We planned to hike, but it ended up being far, far too cold, which ended up being great because we nestled by the fire and played with lots of new dog toys. Pictures and details to come.

Having been away from home for a week – with no internet connection!!! – I have a lot of catching up to do. First, though, I wanted to share the most delightful poem. We attended a wedding celebration last weekend, and this poem was read by the bride and groom who just got their first puppy. I always get a little gushy over newlyweds’ glowing, smiling faces, but this poem especially brought tears to my eyes. Enjoy!

Falling in love is like owning a dog
an epithalamion by Taylor Mali
www.taylormali.com

First of all, it’s a big responsibility,
especially in a city like New York.
So think long and hard before deciding on love.
On the other hand, love gives you a sense of security:
when you’re walking down the street late at night
and you have a leash on love
ain’t no one going to mess with you.
Because crooks and muggers think love is unpredictable.
Who knows what love could do in its own defense?

On cold winter nights, love is warm.
It lies between you and lives and breathes
and makes funny noises.
Love wakes you up all hours of the night with its needs.
It needs to be fed so it will grow and stay healthy.

Love doesn’t like being left alone for long.
But come home and love is always happy to see you.
It may break a few things accidentally in its passion for life,
but you can never be mad at love for long.

Is love good all the time? No! No!
Love can be bad. Bad, love, bad! Very bad love.

Love makes messes.
Love leaves you little surprises here and there.
Love needs lots of cleaning up after.
Sometimes you just want to get love fixed.
Sometimes you want to roll up a piece of newspaper
and swat love on the nose,
not so much to cause pain,
just to let love know Don’t you ever do that again!

Sometimes love just wants to go for a nice long walk.
Because love loves exercise.
It runs you around the block and leaves you panting.
It pulls you in several different directions at once,
or winds around and around you
until you’re all wound up and can’t move.

But love makes you meet people wherever you go.
People who have nothing in common but love
stop and talk to each other on the street.

Throw things away and love will bring them back,
again, and again, and again.
But most of all, love needs love, lots of it.
And in return, love loves you and never stops.

(BTW – If you liked this poem as much as I did, please check out the poet’s site, www.taylormali.com. There are a ton of great resources and other work on there. In particular, The the impotence of proofreading is hilarious and so heartwarming for a grammar nerd like me!)