3/8/12

We wanted to give you our Dog story, a part of our long dog history. It comes from our hearts and our love of our dogs. I have had dogs all of my life, most of them rescued. This story starts with our angel, Rachel, a rescued Schipperke. There is another story about how we got Rachel, but that will be another time and place. This story is more about “Miss Cammie Sue”.

In 2000 we had Rachel, our beloved Schipperke, Max a Corgi X (the smartest dog I ever had), and Big Ben, a lab X. Big Ben had followed us home from a walk. We put up “found dog” signs that were promptly torn down. Our country Vet, an old timer here thought he was a ranch hanger on dog (dogs born on the ranches that they let stay, but won’t especially want). Ben took a long time to fully train (3 ½ years), Max treated him like his pet and would try to drag him in the house. Ben had never been in a car, garage or house. He was scared to death of men. We worked with him each night until he finally could be socialized. He is the gentlest dog we ever had.

My story starts on a very cold morning end of 2000.  I spotted a stray dog all chewed up and crawling toward our front yard as I said goodbye to my husband. A little Scotty dog looking like it was starving. I called our Vet and they suggested I put food in a crate so the hungry dog would crawl in the crate and I could transport it to the office. “It” turned out to be a pregnant female whose immediate wounds healed quickly. My plan was to get her through her pregnancy and then find homes for the pups and mom. On 1/11/2001, “Sissy” as we called her had 3 pups. Two survived and the following day I thought I would lose all three of them they were so sick. Took them all to the vet and with medications and time they all recovered. The two pups, a grey female we named Cammie Sue and a male called Buster, were adorable. After several weeks I noticed Sissy ignored the female and lavished all her attention on the male pup. Sissy then began attacking Cammie Sue, dragging her from a hiding place and biting her stomach hard enough to have Cammie screaming. I went out and picked up the pup…..she put her paws around my neck and went straight into my heart. When Tom came home I told him if Cammie goes I go with her! I vowed to care for this little puppy, so straggly for as long as she lived.

We soon found a home for Sissy. Max became Cammie’s nursemaid and Ben became Busters. Several weeks later Buster went to our daughter’s family, but visited frequently. When they came to visit the pups would go to all their hiding places and play in the fountain on the back porch and do their puppy things.

Rachel was the head of our little pack. She was ruthless in training both pups in pack etiquette. She could be really strict and they gave her a wide birth. In 2003 things changed dramatically. Our old country Vet retired. Sometime later we needed to have Rachel checked out as she wasn’t herself. We went to a Vet we had met who practiced in the valley. He gave us the news Rachel had liver cancer. He told us he would keep her pain free until the end. We were in shock.

Rachel had been having diarrhea and stomach upsets so we had her sleeping in the kitchen for easier clean-up before we went to this new Vet. Cammie Sue wanted to sleep with Rachel. Cammie soon became Rachel’s chief caregiver. Rachel’s eyesight was failing fast so Cammie soon became her eyes, groomer and constant companion. Cammie was very shy of people. We thought it might have come from her early experiences with her mother. Anyway, when it came to taking care of Rachel she was different. Cammie also knew if someone had Cancer. If a person came to visit, even a stranger and they had Cancer Cammie Sue was not her usual shy self. Cammie Sue would go up to the person with Cancer and put her head on their lap. We thought she would make an excellent service dog if I could get her through the training as she would panic in strange or new experiences.

Rachel became very sick very fast at the end. I wanted her to not suffer, but I couldn’t bring myself to put her down while her foxlike ears were standing up. I told Tom and the Vet Rachel would tell me when the time was right. The last day, Rachel went out and walked all around the yard, all her favorite places, she stopped taking food and her diarrhea was worse. She came in the backdoor walked to her bed, looked in my direction and lowered her ears. I called Tom and the Vet and said it was time, telling them Rachel had lowered her ears. I then drove her to the valley. She never moved out of her bed or raised her sweet head even though I picked her up bed and all and placed her in the car. I took lots of blankets, my tape deck and her favorite music with me. She was almost gone. While Tom held on to Rachel, I told the Vet how much Rachel loved this music and I wanted it playing while she died. She was gone in a short time with her favorite music playing. We were the last family of the day. The Vet had tears in his eyes, and said to us it was the most beautiful pet death he had administered.

We took Rachel home to bury her in the backyard. Our tradition is to let the other animals see their pack member before we dig the grave. Cammie Sue came running up and whining. She licked Rachel all over her body crying all the time. She then put her nostrils over Rachel’s nostrils and tried to blow Life into her beloved Mother Figure. This went on for 20 minutes while we tried to distract Cammie Sue. Talking with other dog people, we have found no one who had heard of this behavior between dogs. Finally we dug the grave and buried our girl. That night we tried to bring Cammie Sue back upstairs to sleep with the rest of the pack. She wasn’t having it and cried most of the night. She looked for Rachel for a long time. This went on for several weeks.

Fast forward to New Year’s Day 2009. Cammie Sue didn’t appear to see very well. The next morning we rushed Cammie Sue first to the current Vet, and then on to the Special Eye clinic he sent us to. After all day tests they told us Cammie Sue had gone blind –  Sard – Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration. There is No cure and it often comes on rapidly. Little Cammie Sue, my baby, was only 8 years old. Tom and I thought what will we do? When we arrived home, Cammie tried to climb the stairs to her favorite viewing spot out the window and tumbled down the stairs crying. I was a mess whereas Tom took charge and began training her.

Needless to say it was a long process of all three of us learning. Tom taught her “right” “left” “stop” “slow” “no street” “step up”. We call Tom Cammie’s -“SEP” or Seeing Eye Person. What a love affair……Tom gets up 3, 4, or 5 a.m., or whenever Cammie wants out (she seems to love the dark backyard where everyone and everything is as blind as she is). Tom goes right back to sleep; I don’t so I don’t join in this rendezvous! Cammie now has a deep connection to her SEP. It is darling. She trusts him with her sight and keeping her safe even from her playful self.

We have a great Dog Park in Ventura, CA. We took all three dogs there before Cammie lost her sight. She knows the park well. When we get there she walks with us to the area free of trees and runs back and forth between us knowing she is safe and free to run. Ben is our ‘greeter’ – he has to greet every dog. Max was social too. They both would run take off to check out the park, but if an aggressive dog would approach Cammie Sue both dogs would suddenly appear and would guard her, one in the front and one in the back. We were astounded at how the communicated.

Our beloved “Max” (the smartest dog I have ever loved) at age 15 was really slowing down. He had a stroke-like neurological thing happen in the summer of 2011. He just began slowing down and became very confused; medication helped some.  He was also going blind. He could barely walk. Cammie became his constant companion and guide. He would go outside and then couldn’t seem to know where he was and not be able to get back in the house. We would have to find him constantly – he would get in the bathroom and we would find him wedged in behind the toilet screaming for help.

I was outside looking for Max one day and couldn’t believe my eyes: Cammie Sue was herding and guiding Max up to the back porch to come in the garage leading into the house. We observed our Blessed Little Blind Girl leading her blind, confused, former Nanny, “Mr. Max” right back into the house.

In his last days, Max would fall on Ben or on Cammie Sue or lay on top of Cammie Sue to sleep.  Arthritic Ben would growl and warn Max off of him, but Cammie Sue never complained or moved away. Cammie Sue just stayed there supporting Max. Her caregiving skills, even though blind herself, were and are astounding.

When Max died on November 17th of this year, Cammie Sue, strangely enough, pretty much ignored Max and his burial. Ben seemed to take it hard. As young dogs and best buddies – “The Boys” as we called them had a special game came called: Jousting – they would each go to opposite sides of the backyard and run full speed at each other and play a version of chicken. They would enviably hit each other’s chest and knock each other down. They would hurt one another slightly, but it never stopped ‘the game’ until they became older. Max appeared to consider Ben a foot soldier of his…..it is good to see Ben now developing more of a separate personality, but we so miss Mr. Max. This is our dog story and we wanted to share it with you.

— Tom & Jane from Fillmore, CA

I woke up in the morning, and after Barbara kissed me Good Morning and wished me Happy Birthday, I went out to start feeding the horses and the ponies.  I first checked on our beautiful little Shetland, Goshen, because he had just returned from the veterinary hospital and I wanted to see if he was okay.  He was down but as soon as I opened the gate to his stall he struggled to his feet and I led him out into the pasture.  I rushed inside to get Barbara and Bridget, and when we went over to see Goshen we realized that he was fading fast and that this was to be his last day with us.  We spent the whole day with him because when he did pass on, we didn’t want him to be alone.  He went down twice during the day, but each time, after a great struggle, he managed to stand again.  When he went down for the third time, we didn’t believe he would be able to rise again, for he was moaning in pain.  But he was a proud and noble pony, strong and willful, and determined and brave.  And he didn’t want to die on his belly, but on his feet.  So he mustered all his strength and somehow rose to his feet again and stayed up for the rest of the day.  He walked with us, one last time, around the field and meadow in which he lived his whole life, and stopped in his favorite place under a spreading shade tree.  And there he stood and nuzzled us with his soft face, while we caressed him and hugged him and kissed him and brushed him and told him how much we loved him and cherished him and how his presence with us enriched our lives.

And it was here, later in the day, that the vet put him to sleep, ending his pain and his suffering, and the beautiful sixteen-year life he shared with us.

And it was in this spot, under a bright full moon, that he was laid to rest.

— Jed from Mays landing, NJ

I buried my dog,Sasha, on Thursday. She was a great companion, a 10 lb. chihuahua. She gave us several litters of puppies, and still lived 17 years. She was loving and playful, went with me to work for many years. In the last couple years, she could no longer jump up into my truck, but came outside and waited to be lifted onto the seat. She gradually lost power in her hind legs, and used the ramp I had built to get to the back door of the house. I found her where she liked to bask in the sun. She went in her sleep.

— Russell from Catharpin, VA

Today is a very sad day in our house. Curtis, who has been our little mainstay pup for the last 18 years passed away last night after having a stroke. Our border terrier, Teddy Ray woke us barking at midnight to let us know something was wrong. You with pets know the heartbreak of loosing a member of the family. The special bond between them and us can only be measured in their unconditional love and the joy they put in our hearts. While he was living on borrowed time, he still ruled the roost. Their will be quite a void in our family that cannot be filled. We always joked if ever a dog should be cloned it should be Curtis. As I have always said, there can be no Heaven for me without my dogs.

— Tom from Falls Church, VA

This a story of 1 very special rescue boarder collie named Tippy. Just like Pepsi Tippy would bolt out the door and this dog was a runner he could run for hrs we would get a call from a person 5 miles away 20 min after he got out, now at this point I must say Tippy was abused in some way because when a storm came or Quantico would be practicing or the quarry would be blasting Tippy could chew thru a metal crate we called him Hudinnie his poor little face would be so bloody. It was so sad he was such a smat would fetch balls frisbie,or kids even tossed him big rocks and ran baclk with them. And this whole time my son Dougie fell in love with Tippy he slept in his room and follow him any where Doug went. Tippy was really a mental wreck he would do anything he could to escape when the bombs blasted or thunder even the sound of crickets drove Tippy crazy, one night during a bad storm we forgot to close the doggie door and Tippy got out. The whole family took off in different cars looking for him. He ran like always but this time right for the highway and was hit by a car. We found him on side of the road on the way to emergency vet he died in Dougies arms. We miss him so much.

– Doug from Stafford, VA

An “unwanted” dog — part yellow lab, part Shar Pei, part ?? — was left one evening tied to the gate of my friend’s animal sanctuary for special needs (“unadoptable”) animals… it’s a wonderful place, but it was a Friday night and my friend had no place for this dog in her no-kill, no-cage sanctuary and no way to have her checked out at the vet before the weekend.  I offered to take her home “for the weekend”… a weekend that lasted more than 5 years.  I named her “LoLo” … short for “Lokahi”, which is Hawaiian for “harmony.”   She was about 7 at the time, and fit in well with my other dogs and my cats and she adored my beloved mother, with whom I lived.  LoLo was my “clown dog” who made me laugh all the time and was so full of joy and love.  I needed the laughter; for those years, I was full-time caregiver for my mother, as I watched dementia and old age take her.  She ultimately no longer even knew who I was.  In late June 2010, LoLo was diagnosed with cancer.  She wasn’t expected to live more than a month.  But she had other plans, and stayed.  Then, on the morning of August 1, 2010, I found my mother in her bed, having passed away in her sleep.  I had prayed fervently for years that she might go that way… still, it was the worst loss of my life.  Throughout the dark months of grief that followed, nothing and no one were as great a comfort to me as my LoLo.  Somehow, some way, with the help of prayer and a wonderful vet, my girl remained alive for well over a year after Mom died.  She was happy and did not suffer.  But ultimately, cancer began to take a toll and on October 1, 2011, I had to make the awful decision to have a vet come to the house to help her leave her body.  It had come to the point that LoLo was at high risk for, and possibly very close to, drowning in fluid in her lungs.  While I still feel agonized over the decision… I still see her smiling face and loving, trusting eyes … I know in my heart there was no choice… that I could not let my darling girl suffer.  I miss her so much every day, even as I still so miss my mother.  \’m so thankful for my other two dogs and three cats and love them very much.  But there was no one like my LoLo.  I feel sure she’s with Mom now … and all the other precious animals I’ve loved and lost over the years.  Thank God I believe we’ll all be together again one day.

— Juli from S. Daytona, FL