:Questions and the Travelin’ Man
Posted: July 2, 2008 Filed under: DRambles on Black Mountain | Tags: Debby Rothman 5 CommentsSusan and I have exchanged lots of posts, along with a phone call, in the past few days. I prefer to keep the following, sent on Sunday in the forefront of my mind.
Susan wrote…You’d never think from looking at them that there was anything amiss,
now would you?
The news from yesterday’s vet appointment wasn’t surprising:
upper left jaw.
We will try to keep him as comfortable as possible for as long as possible.At least it looks like he’s gonna make it to his 6-month anniversary
here, which is on Friday.
On Thursday I will take him in for some alternative energy therapy that
the vet thinks will help him with the transition.
a time.
During our phone conversation Sunday morning, I tried to ‘ask the questions’. The questions that would help guide Susan’s decisions with her own answers. To arrive at the right questions is simply an ability I have, including the Big Question. In Champ’s case, the Big Question was ‘if Champ could be back to how he was last Wednesday before the tentative diagnosis, would you and he want that?’ The answer to that guides the next questions. Susan said other than sneezing when he ate, he was fine. The sneezing, while annoying to both of them, wasn’t that big of a deal.
To me, then it was clear that the dental extractions and tumor removal were causing his extreme discomfort, never mind the pain of getting the anti-inflammatory, pain-killer and antibiotic through his sore mouth and into his system. And if Susan and Champ could get him back to last Wednesday’s status quo, then he very well could have quality time left. It is very, very hard emotionally to cause further pain giving medication. The words from a song come to mind. “You’ve got to be cruel to be kind.” One might ask if meds were needed. In this case, there’s no question in my mind. Yes! I’m fairly conservative when it comes to drugs, but the body often heals faster with some assistance from western medicine. Take advantage of drugs if appropriate!
In the early dawn this morning, two things were floating around in my mind. What has really changed for Champ with the knowledge of the neoplasm… My ability to ask The Questions – will it come back to haunt me.
A year ago last Christmas holiday, I received a phone call from Faye at 2:30 in the morning. When the caller ID on the phone lite up, I knew something was very, very wrong. It was too early for Allie’s puppies to come into this world. Faye was at the emergency clinic with a comatose Allie. I asked Faye if they had her hooked to fluids. She replied not yet, I need to sign for treatment. Hang up the phone now! Go sign the forms! Call me back when that’s done! And so the night and into the next morning it went. I was clinical. I asked the questions. I was there for Faye. I boxed away my own emotions. Inside my heart was dying. Not only was Allie in very grave danger, but her puppies, her Manny puppies were most likely dead. I was looking forward to those puppies, to sharing the trials, tribulations and triumphs of those puppies with Faye. I kept that all to myself. My emotions weren’t going to help Faye. She needed a rock, not a puddle.
A day or three later it occurred to me that my approach had previously gotten me into big trouble, was one of the building blocks – or would that be wrecking crane – of a long-ago relationship with another dog person. My ability to be clinical, to ask the right questions for decision making, to be a rock was misinterpreted. I was accused of being uncaring, cold.
It is the ability to accept each other for who we are that ultimately decides who our friends are.
Allie survived an emergency ovariohysterectomy. Her uterus contained two dead, rotting puppies. I’d asked the right questions. Faye made the right decisions. I hope my questions continue to guide Susan down the path she’s travelin’ right now with our Travelin’ Man.
:Weekend update
Posted: June 29, 2008 Filed under: FFT Lhasa Apsos 5 CommentsThe title of this entry comes from watching the first ever Saturday Night Live, aired in 1975…back when a smoke was a smoke and groovin’ was groovin’. The guest host was George Carlin. The powers-that-be at Saturday Night Live aired it last night as a tribute, a memorial to him. The format was interesting, particularly for a long-time SNL fan. The physical stage was almost theater in the round. Between each skit Carlin did a bit of stand-up. Some of it was sorta creepy in light of history, what’s taken place in our world since 1975. The Not Ready For Prime Time Players…wow! How fun it was to see them. Jane Curtin. Dan Akroyd. John Belushi. Gilda Radner. Loranne Newman. Garrett Morris. And, of course, Chevy Chase anchoring Weekend Update.
A few weeks ago I made a conscious decision to be home this summer. Kick back. Relax. Enjoy the blue skies, the fresh mountain breeze. This time of year is payback, spectacular payback for enduring the winter, along with mud season while the rest of you are enjoying spring.
Thursday afternoon Kathy and I shared tuna sandwiches and a wee bit of wine on the banks of Bear Creek. Literally on the bank. My grooming shop is located in a building that sits next to Bear Creek. We planned to sit at the picnic table by the creek, but found a woman with a group of kids having lunch and fishing. At least there were fishing poles and a tackle box next to the cooler. The kids were wading in the creek, which triggered Kathy’s memory about wading in creeks. Back when a smoke was a smoke… The table occupied, we settled in on a bench, poured a wee bit of wine and promptly were invaded by a swarm – literally hundreds – of small moths. After trying to ignore them for several minutes, certain they would take their swarm elsewhere, we retreated downstream. As we carried our lunch and wine past the young woman sitting at the picnic table, she said, “that’s the way to have a picnic lunch. I’m here with chai tea and four boys.” I told her she needed a glass of wine more than we did!
Friday afternoon I met Athena for a late lunch at the Creekside Cellars. We waited close to 45 minutes for a table by the creek. It was a spectacular day. The wait was well worth it. It doesn’t hurt that you’re able to take a glass of wine out front while waiting! They provide several tables, a bench or two on the shaded front patio where hanging baskets of flowers invite you to linger.
Saturday, while Ginny, Tammy and Vickie were at the Buckhorn Valley Kennel Club shows, I gardened, had lunch with Rick and Nate and a long phone conversation with Julie. It had been a while since we’d had time for lesurely talk. I’m not big on phone calls. It’s hard to find time, quiet time, enough to enjoy a phone call. It’s next to impossible at the shop with the noise, the business, the constant ‘deadlines’. My car is a place of solitude, nevermind lack of good cell-phone reception and not being able to walk and chew gun at the same time. By the time evening rolls around, this Early Morning Girl is brain-dead; the last thing I want is to talk on the phone. Julie and I talked over coffee. It was morning, after all. By the time we ended, we could have opened that long-distance bottle of wine and toasted. After all, It’s Five O’clock Somewhere!
Rose surely knows this and may marvel in my naivity, but New York state has five wine regions. Thursday, Kathy shared a booklet titled Uncork New York! A long-time friend Kathy met while teaching lives in the middle of the Finger Lakes area, one of the wine regions. With all mention of wine on the blog (wonder what happens if you do a search on ‘wine’ within this blog!!), Kathy wondered if we drink anything else. Sure! T and Ts, a favorite of mine. I corrupted Vickie after introducing her to T & T with lemon rather than lime. Ginny’s favorite cocktail is a Long Island ice tea. The thing about wine…it’s tasty. It’s easy to transport and serve when we all get together. It’s fun to learn about. The labels can be fun. It’s fun to share. It’s become a tradition.
Saturday, Vickie’s Dante (BISS Ch. FFT Kisses of Fire) won Best of Breed and made the cut in the group. Ginny’s Ethan (FFT Midnight Flamenco Dancer) was Winners Dog and Best of Winners for another point. By default, Jill (FFT She Tsabo Do U Know Jill – littersister to U Don’t Know Jack) was Best Lhasa Apso Puppy. Jill turned 6 months old the day before. This was her first show. After showing Wyatt (who started puppy coat blow big time) three weeks ago and Silly Jillian yesterday, Tammy’s probably ready to shoot me! Jill gaited on her two hind legs, trying to climb Tammy’s leg and ruining her panty hose. Today Tammy is wearing slacks in the ring! Now, my purpose for Jill’s weekend was training, expose her to the sights, sounds and confusion of a dog show. That she kept her tail up is a Victory! in my book.
Sorry for this siderail, but I just have to share this. Maybe I’ve become more intolerant as time goes by. Someone came up to Tammy and told her Jill’s trying to climb her legs was a show of dominance. Say what??!!!? Jill is a six-month old puppy at her first dog show! She’s been trained for pieces of the skills required in the show ring, but her puppy brain hasn’t put those together. She doesn’t have the life-experience yet to put these pieces together. Look at her in the above photo. She shows great self-assurance. She self-stacks with confidence. If Tammy had listened to this woman spouting ‘dominance’ and given Jill ‘a lesson in who’s alfpa’…well, at best it be totally inappropriate…at worst, it destroys spirit.
Good luck at today’s show. A repeat of yesterday would be perfect! With perhaps a pinch of Jill keeping four feet on the ground as criteria for her own personal best!
And, then, of course, there’s Champ. I haven’t yet heard from Susan this morning, but late yesterday she sent several encouraging emails about Champ. I would like to share some of her observations. While reading, remember this dog had surgery on Thursday.
…He’s sitting in his usual place at the side of my chair.
I’m feeling better about at least having some more time with him…..
…Gee golly whizz…
Here’s what I mean. I just finished sending the email to you and I
turned around and looked, and Champ wasn’t in his crate where he’s been
hanging out since he had dinner. I looked out the front door, and he’s
out there looking for a place to pee (found it) and probably to
poop…..Just like always….
…I’m confuzzled today to report that he is doing so “well”. My reality
check reminds me that he wasn’t doing poorly at all even when I took him
to the vet and ended up with this possible diagnosis. I took him
because he “seemed” to be worrying something in his mouth. Gee, that
and his sneezing after meals, were just things I noticed…not that he
was “ailing”. Then he started feeling crappy because of the surgery.
Now he is feeling better after the surgery and we will have to see where
he levels out. I still don’t have a clear pathology. The first report
came back from the lab saying it was inconclusive….maybe amelanotic
melanoma, maybe squamous cell carcinoma, maybe nothing but
inflammation…..They will look more closely and get back to us again
next week. Of course there is that little glimmer of hope in me (that I
am denying might be denial)….Maybe, just maybe, everyone who looked at
it was wrong and it will in fact succumb to antibiotics????? Well,
it’s still a possibility …. at least until the lab finishes and gives
us a more accurate report.
Recently groomed, coiffed in what Susan calls his “best hair cut yet”, she sent these photos and note…
He has the cutest little face and body.
I love seeing all his tiny little features and the twists of his old body.
:Miss…are those puppies free?
Posted: June 28, 2008 Filed under: FFT Lhasa Apsos 1 CommentA small photo essay on last Saturday’s Reunion
Scout, littermate to Moonshadow and Pete…
Whisper, a Gompa puppy…
Kids…of different species…
A house in the park’s neighborhood…
:Time…there’s enough time.
Posted: June 26, 2008 Filed under: Apso Aficionados, DRambles on Black Mountain 12 CommentsAsteya. A yogic principle shared by Athena last night during yoga class. Athena is my friend, first and foremost. I met her years and years ago, back when Mountain Pet Grooming was still in the yellow house. She is the reason I can still groom. All those years ago, she opened my mind, showing me the possibilities of….ummm…body awareness.
Asteya is the yogic principle that teaches us to be at peace with ourselves, out family and community, to be grateful for our things, our time and our health. There’s enough time. It may not be all the time *I* want, but there’s enough time. I can tell you, that’s a lesson I need to master. Not to actually make more time, but simply to realize there’s enough time.
So, here’s the sequence of photos I mentioned sharing yesterday, if only I had enough time. 🙂 Magoo is the Apso. He is blind. He was found wandering a country road outside of Pueblo, both eyes missing and turned over to ApsoRescueColorado. He remained with Vickie until he was placed in his forever home. Prior to placement, Vickie wrote Lessons From A Blind Dog which was published in her local newspaper. That piece touched hearts. One thing led to the next. Magoo found a home.
His confidence, self-assurance was evident as he approached our gathering Saturday. He walked in front of his owner. Look at him approach Christi..
..accepting a scratch on his cheek.
Just a point of canine body language. Notice his head and Christi’s hand in the above photo. He is ‘up’ in posture, enjoying her touch. In the photo below, her hand has moved to the top of his neck. He has moved his head downward, in a gesture of slight avoidance.
I hadn’t realized this body language until just now, but what the heck. I have time!! to comment. Dogs prefer to be petted from underneath. There’s an interesting series of photos in Pat McConnell’s The Other End of the Leash. All photos are taken from behind. The first photo shows a couple of chimpanzees, sitting side by side, expressing affection with an arm around each other. The second photo is the same, only the species changed to human beings. The third photo shows a young man and his dog, with the young man’s arm around the dog, over the dog’s back. The creatures in the top two photos are obviously at ease with the gesture. The dog, however, is obviously not comfortable with the gesture. To a dog, a front leg over another’s shoulder is a display of social status. I see the gesture between my dogs, always meant to remind the ‘lesser’ dog exactly where s/he stands. It’s not a mean gesture, it’s simply a reminder. Sorta like when I used to give Nate the ol’ “mom’s eye”…..watch it!!
:Tote bag on a Wednesday morning
Posted: June 25, 2008 Filed under: Apso Aficionados 3 CommentsOkay. Okay. So, I’m trying something slightly different this morning. I want to sit here and write. But I can’t. I’ve got to get to work. I’ve got lots of dogs on my books. I’ve got a private yoga class with Athena at 5:30. I don’t want to be late. Yet, the words are waiting, ready to spill out. If I write about last Saturday’s Rescue (and FFT) reunion, I’ll be late. I just know it! There’s a beautiful sequence of Christi greeting blind Magoo. I didn’t consciously realize I’d taken those photos, but there they were. I’ve photos of Moonie and Pete’s litterbrother, Scout.
Words! Stay back! Stay right there. I will let you out another day! I must get to work. I must get to work. I must feed the dogs. I must take the trash up to the top of the drive. Stay back words! I must get to work.
Instead of letting the words out, I’ve chosen to share two things. These things utilize the senders’ words rather than opening the door to my words…which often lead me down the path of Too Late For My Own Good.
Kathy recently purchased a tote bag and sent this photo along with her thanks…
Vickie & Debby,
The bag is great! I will take it to knitting group tomorrow. People
always stop to visit and I can share about the program/website.
Thanks!
Kathy
Last weekend, Susan’s Raji made an emergency trip to the vet. The short story (stay back words!) is Raji is no longer allowed her favorite treats, which leaves Susan with the following dilemma:
The dogs have learned to look forward very eagerly to their “chewies”
after they’ve had breakfast and gone out to pee and poop. Now the
doctor says Raji can’t have them, and I have no idea how to give them to
three dogs but not to her. I can think of two possible scenarios:
close her into my bedroom and give the other three their chewies?
and/or find something else that will keep them all somewhat satisfied
but that doesn’t risk her throat. Any ideas? Poor Rinchen is sitting
in front of the bureau where the chewies are kept chuffing at me very
disapprovingly…..I just don’t know how to explain unfairnesses to
them…..Katy Widger says she gives her kids raw chicken necks in the
mornings….which sounds like a good idea, except I don’t altogether
love the idea of chicken drippings all over the rugs and floor…..I’ve
been giving them an extra hand-fed batch of kibble to make up for the
calories, but those get gobbled down and just don’t satisfy their urge
to chew and chew and chew….
Let’s put our collective head together and come up with some suggestions for Susan. The immediate thing that comes to my mind is marrow bones for all. 3″ long marrow bones. All my dogs get marrow bones, although the poor show dogs’ bones are pre-chomped-on in order to save beard hair. Beauty must suffer, as my grandmother told me during those perm sessions! Both Eli and Yangsom chew on raw marrow bones in the house. No drippings! I don’t think you’ll get chicken drippings from raw chicken necks either. Cooked bones – No! No! – possibly so, but not raw bones. At least, that’s my experience.
Kunza at FleetFire Timbers 