It is with great sadness that I must report that both Nicki and Bell are no longer alive. 

Nicki got cancer a few years ago and after going thru treatments that didn't seem to work for her I was forced to put her down. I still miss her so much and I can't stop myself from looking longingly at goofy looking black hound dogs. Maybe some day......

Three years later (almost to the day) Bell suddenly would not eat and I took her to the vet. After an x-ray it was determined that she also had cancer. He cancer was stomach cancer that had spread to her liver. It was very advanced and there was nothing that could be done for her and no way to alleviate her pain even long enough to take her home for final good-byes. I had to put her down as well. She was a much better dog than I gave her credit for while I had her. I think the tendency to compare her to Nicki was unfair to her. I miss her very much for the wonderful dog she was on her own. 

After 9 months of moping around and feeling entirely lost I found a new buddy that needed adopting. Her name is Gracie. She did not turn out to be at all what I expected or was told (was told she is an English Setter but she's an English Pointer.....very different) but she is a sweet dog. I will have more information on her and her life with me on my other blog Tigger Time. 

This will be my final post for this blog for the girls. They are gone and I think it makes more sense to post things about Gracie on the other blog of mine so there is only one blog to maintain. Thank you for reading this blog. I hope you enjoyed it. 

If you are interested in my other blog it can be found here. 

https://itstiggertime.blogspot.com/

Meet Snowflake

This is Snowflake. Yes, Snowflake is a goat and she is inside the cab of her owners truck! This is what greeted Kaylee and I one evening when we were leaving one of the local dollar stores. At first I thought it was just a large dog but I'm never one to walk by a dog without taking notice. And there actually was a small dog in the truck as well but to see a GOAT in the cab of a truck??? Well that was a first for me. 

We quickly snapped a picture and I posted it to Face Book when I got home....thinking everyone will get a kick out of this. Well I was floored when some people I know that live in town actually were posting messages about knowing this goat and the man that owns her. Surprise surprise! I've been living a sheltered life!

This picture was taken before the pandemic. (I never thought I'd be explaining anything in relation to when a pandemic started that would change our lives). A few weeks later my family and I were to attend a historic guided walk (in the winter no less) through a section of town near the old gun powder mill...or what's left of it at least. 

Who do you think was in the crowd? Yup, Snowflake! She was with a very old looking (and not to clean looking) farmer type man; just standing there listening to the speaker before we started on the walk. I had my very young granddaughters with me this time and there was no way they were going to see a goat standing in a crowd of people and not take notice of it. That's how I found out her name was Snowflake. We talked with the owner a bit....can't remember his name but then he's not the goat in the crowd so you'll forgive me this time, yes? The girls pet Snowflake (Shay had to be told not to kiss her) and eventually we got the guided walk underway. 

Surprisingly the old man and his goat did not take part in the guided walk. I think Snowflake was just there for the free coffee and donuts. 
 

Belle’s Surgery

Much time has passed and things have gotten better in the doggie department. Or at least the pain of losing Nick has subsided enough to carry on with life with Belle without constantly thinking of Nicki. Belle has gotten over her sister’s death now too. She no longer races thru the house looking for her and in fact doesn’t show much reaction when Nick’s name is mentioned either. This is a good thing. We are all learning to cope.

So don’t think just because that trauma has been put behind us that we are in any way living a peaceful, contented life. No! Belle decided to enliven things up by growing all kinds of fatty tumors. She did have a couple that I had to keep my eye on for a while but it seems that just when I could relax about them, she’d start growing more somewhere else. Luckily for everyone involved none of them were cancerous. But that doesn’t mean they weren’t a problem. They grew to be just that….a problem!

Cyst on Belle's back before surgery 

I first noticed an odd swelling on Belle’s under belly. I kept an eye on it; thought it was an odd place to grow a fatty tumor but hey, that’s Belle. The Vet checked it often and said there was still no worry of cancer. But the damn thing just kept growing and so did others. It got to the point where it actually looked like Belle was sporting a penis. She was to be the first female dog I ever had that was constantly being told by strangers that she was a good BOY! I got to the point where I didn’t even correct people anymore. I just agreed with then that yes, indeed he was a good boy. Lol

Side view of Belle's 'penis' before surgery

Well of course the damn thing got so large it could no longer be just watched. I had to make the decision to have the Vet give Belle a ‘penis-ectomy’! And while she was in for that they also removed a large tumor on her neck and a large (grossly ugly) cyst on her back near her rump. Poor Belle had no idea what was coming when I took her in for the surgery. All she knew was that she had not been fed her breakfast that morning and she was none too pleased about it. You will remember of course that she is the original Chow Hound and as such should never be made to skip a meal….it is forbidden!

She got through her surgery wonderfully (I was worried because she was 9 yrs old and anesthesia scares the hell out of me) and when I went to pick her up I found a very confused and oddly ‘dressed’ dog. The Vet techs had to bandage the various surgical areas; put a cone on her neck so she couldn’t reach any of the stitches (because you know damn well that’s what she would do!) and they added a tee shirt on her to add additional coverage so she couldn’t reach anything.  This is what Belle looked like when I picked her up.

This is what she looked like when I picked her up. She was not a happy camper!

The next couple of weeks were no picnic for me or Belle. She was not only miserable with the cone on her head and stitches that had to have been itching her….but she never (and I do mean NEVER) learned to adjust to the fact she had the cone on her head. I would take it off for her to eat and keep it off for some time every day. But I had to leave it on her when I was at work and when I went to bed at night. And all she did was spend all her time crashing into walls; table legs; couches; chairs and of course ME! She was like a short, hairy, wrecking ball everywhere she went. Everything was constantly being knocked over; swept down from wherever it was; and banged into. She never adjusted like a ‘normal’ dog would have….she just kept crashing into everything for weeks. My legs were bruised front and back from when she came to see me and when she snuck up behind me. My legs were no different than chair legs in that respect. If they were in her way she hit them. I was going nuts!

Hack job of stitching done on the cyst on her back.

Belle needed a drain after surgery too. That meant bleeding all over the house. 

The bandage I applied on her neck.

Belle as a cone head!

And if that wasn’t enough fun on its own it soon became much more fun because the stitches on her back became infected almost immediately. That required more trips to the Vet; more medications; more bandage changing and much much more crashing due to wearing the cone longer. I do have to take some credit here because I became damn near an expert at bandaging her various surgical sites. (I was the one re-bandaging her after her Vet visits before leaving their office because I did a better job than they did. They actually handed me the supplies and watched me do it) She never got at any of her stitches, not once. But I also can’t help feeling that the Vet who performed the surgery was a real hack. The stitches were large; crooked and very sloppy looking. 

It actually looked like something an amateur would do and I started to wonder who exactly had done the stitching on my dog. And I also thought it was odd that they didn’t send her home with an antibiotic of any kind. Most Vets normally would do that to prevent infection before it got started. Well it was no surprise to me when the stitches got infected (in two places) almost immediately and honestly I will never have that Vet perform any surgery on any dog of mine again for that exact reason. Once you show me a hack job I’m not likely to come back. They can handle the yearly exam I suppose but no more surgery from them.

So all this happened last year and Belle is now completely healed. She continues to grow fatty tumors but none of them are cancerous. She is 10 yrs old now, almost 11 actually. I will leave her tumors on her and make sure she’s a happy girl. I think she’s just too old to risk anymore surgery. She acts like a much younger dog and she has just now begun to start growing some white hairs on her face. I find it amazing that a black dog that is almost 11 yrs. old has almost no white hairs on her yet. She is aging better than I am! Of course I do give her alfalfa tablets for stiffness and I have recently added some treats that have Glucosamine and Chondroitin in them as well as turmeric. She continues to have stomach issues that she’s had for years but she still acts like she’s a happy dog so we’re doing ok at this point.

Me, Shay and Belle on a hike at the reservoir in Glastonbury

Cancer Won

(Belle sitting on top of Nick in the car. Last picture taken of the two of them together)

Most of you know by now that Nicki didn't make it. The cancer was at best stalled for a few weeks but when it decided to grow it did so fast and internally. She looked perfectly normal from the outside and for a while she acted normal too. It was as if she had no idea she was sick. 

Belle knew something was wrong. She kept smelling where Nick would pee or poop. I mean excessively smelling the area. I often had to drag her away from it to make her stop. I think Belle either has the ability to smell cancer or she simply knows the difference between some kind of illness and a healthy dog. She would sometimes sniff Nick herself too. Nick didn't care. 

(My sweet Nicki)

So after spending a little over $5000 for cancer 'treatments' for Nick, I lost her anyway. So many people have lived this little scenario it's chilling to think about it. Some of the drugs I was giving to Nick I was ordered to wear rubber gloves when I handled them. I was told the drugs cause cancer in people that don't have it. This makes no sense to me but I was terrified and had made the commitment to go forward so I gave them to her. The left over drugs are still sitting on my counter. I need to take them to the police station to drop them off...they take all leftover drugs and dispose of them. I am still unable to do it. And so they sit there still.

For a long time I waited for Belle to display cancer symptoms. These two have always done the same things. Nothing happened. She has some health issues of her own but she does not have cancer. She also became extremely depressed when Nick was gone. Walking her was an ordeal. She was used to be one of a pair and she kept looking for Nick. She was constantly looking behind us for her and racing thru the house when we got home...like Nick was going to be upstairs waiting for her or something. It was pathetic and heartbreaking to witness. 

(Nicki 'swimming' during a hike. She didn't like to really swim so this was her version of it)

(Belle while on a hike with me)

But as time has passed Belle has recovered from the loss of her sister. She has made other dog friends and seems to enjoy her stupid dog cousin Zack (my son's ridiculas cocker spaniel) when they are together. She either ignores him or on occasion she will do the butt up in the air front end down I want to play game with him and then they chase each other. 

I've taken Belle on vacation (Zack came too) twice to Cape Cod since losing Nick. I would not have been able to bring both dogs if I still had two of them so that's a plus I guess. Belle enjoys going on vacation because she gets new places to pee and sniff and of course she gets walks in new areas too. I will continue to take her on vacation as long as she's with me. Next year we're thinking of going to New Hampshire. I'm sure Belle will like how that smells too.....lots of woods there. 

I've always said I will always have a dog. But as I lose more and more of them over the years it does become harder to let go. I will always have a dog as long as I'm healthy enough to have one, but it's not as easy a statement to make anymore. The loss and the pain stick with me now. 

I'm currently toying with the idea of starting a search for another Irish Setter. My setters in the past have been healthier dogs (or at least no cancers) and they are hard to find these days, which is a good thing for the breed. The harder it is to find one the more likely it is that the breed has not been ruined by hack breeders that don't know what they are doing or are only doing it for the money. It will take a while so the search starts early. 

But I have to admit I am so drawn to hounds when I see them these days. They all remind me of my Nicki. 

Nick

I have been away from both my blogs for quite some time. Every once in awhile I'd feel a little guilty for not posting anything for so long....but then I'd promise myself I'd post again soon and almost immediately, like so many good intentions before it...I'd forget again.

Too many things have been changing my life lately....actually it started last year and has continued into this year. I will catch you up in stages but for right now I will tell you about Nicki because this is the blog I originally started for Nicki and Bell.

                                                       Nick

I have been silent for some time because I was unable to stop thinking of the cancer that had afflicted my favorite dog, Nicki. Then there was a time when I could have written but no longer felt a desire to write. Still I do not really feel a desire to write but I do feel a responsibility to put something up on the blog. And so now that some time has passed I will tell you what has happened.

December 29^th I took Nick to the Vet because I had noticed a swelling on the side of her neck. At first it seemed like just another fatty tumor; both dogs started growing them it seems almost the moment I had been laid off from Bank of America. I had grown somewhat used to them after having them checked by the Vet previously but now this one was different. This one was new and was continuing to grow. I got her in to see the Vet within a few days of calling and when I was putting on her gentle leader I was confused by the fact that it was tight on her. I thought for a moment that perhaps I had picked up the wrong one; maybe I had put on Belle’s leader by mistake. Belle’s always needed to be a bit more snug on her because she likes to get out of it when no one is looking. I grabbed the other gentle leader and tried it on Nick. It was even tighter. Still I did not make the connection fully and I shrugged off the implications and took her to her appointment.

The Vet had barely touched her when she made the announcement that Nick has lymphoma. Shocked at such a sudden statement I asked what it means….she said cancer; Nicki has cancer. I felt those words ricochet through me. 

To say I was in shock is an understatement. I could not think of anything; I felt like my mind had gone blank. The Vet continued talking and I heard all of it but none of it registered. Then I started to cry. I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t care what she thought of me or of my lack of control I simply cried. She stopped talking at that point and I apologized for my lack of control and continued crying all the same.  

Eventually some information got thru to me after I made her repeat herself twice. I had to make a decision of whether to treat her cancer or not and it had to be now. I did not have the luxury of time anymore. This cancer had to be addressed immediately because it grows so fast. I became flustered; I was simply not prepared for all this and I didn’t know what to do. I told her I wanted her treated. There was no way in hell I could make a decision to just put my Nicki down.

Here it was, the day after my 58^th birthday and I was told that my favorite dog has cancer. Happy f-ing birthday, eh?

Police Dogs?

 Nicki was watching when a cop pulled someone over.

She had to get Bell to come and watch with her too.  :)

Happy Birthday Nicki and Belle!!

The girls turned 7 yrs old on April 15th this year.  For their birthday (ok, a day or so later) I baked them some homemade dog biscuits....or dog cookies. 

I used pumpkin; cinnamon and some black strap molasses for flavor. They smell delicious both when baking and afterward. 

Almost look like human cookies don't they?