My very first blog award

This is from Ruby Isabella. I'm going to copy her translation and what it means so please don't accuse me of being a copy cat (hee hee). Anyway....no more bad jokes.....here's the meaning of it.

"This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships!" In other clearer words, "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

I'm pasing it along to these new friends I've made recently.

The 4 Musketeers
Amber Mae

I'd pass it along to more but I am still making friends and some have already received it.

Xmas is coming up soon and I hope everyone gets lots of bones and chewy treats. Have you all made your lists for Santa? I'm just about done and Stella has asked me to help her. She doesn't know how to spell very well. If I don't get my girl to let me on the computer again, I hope you all have a very wonderful holiday.

Xmas is coming

Oooo, look at all the pretty presents under the tree. Hope Stella and I get some. We've tried to be so good all year. Do you see our faces how we are trying to convince our boy and girl that we need some new treats and toys?

I'm worried

My girl has not taken me to work in 2 weeks. I'm starting to get worried. If I continue to be absent, maybe they'll fire me. I keep hearing about how bad the economy is and unemployment being record high. Doesn't she realize that this is not the time for me to have a long period of unexcused absences? I begged her to take me this morning but she said that my paws were too muddy. Seriously, is that any reason to leave a poor pup at home? Other than the library on Saturday, I have not been for a CAR RIDE in forever. I can't control the weather!!!! It's not my fault that the weather has been so awful and I can't keep my paws clean. And on top of that, I'm stuck with Stella all day. ALL DAY!!!! I hope her stupidity is not contagious.

Just in case the paper towel tube didn't convince anyone of Stella's stupidity, this story will. My girl and boy had to go to the store. While they were gone, Stella got a bag of screws and bolts off the counter. She said the plastic was yummy. I don't think she actually ate more than one or two of the screws and fortunately, they are really, really small ones so she should be fine but the plastic bag is now in her tummy. That dog can eat anything and not get a tummy ache too.

So please, is there anyone who can convince my girl to take me to work tomorrow? I really need to go. I'm trying to use my special dog hypnotic stare on her but it doesn't seem to working. Am I doing something wrong?

Robots and NFL heroes

I had a good visit at the library yesterday. We had a heavy snowfall in the morning so my girl and I didn't expect too many kids to come in but we were actually busier than last month. I've gotten a lot more used to kids than I was when my girl first brought me home. They used to make me nervous but spending time with them (and getting lots of treats) has made me realize that they aren't so bad. Most of them are actually more gentle when they pet me than some of the older folks in the nursing home who don't have as much control of their arms and hands anymore. Our first visitor was a little boy who read to me a book about robots. I was really impressed by the big words he was able to read. Our next visitor was a little boy who read to me about some football champions. This I knew a little about because my boy loves football, much the same way as I love CAR RIDES. In 2 years, I've seen a few games on the television.

Our third visitor of the morning was an 11 year old girl. She has been really resistant to reading and was nervous reading out loud to me and my girl. My girl came up with a great idea in that she went and sat in the other side of the room (its really big). It almost worked but then someone came in and started talking to her mom. I think she started to feel a little too much pressure and was done. Hopefully she'll come back and read to me next month. Isn't it sad when you want to be able to do something well but are too shy and worried about looking dumb to be able to try. I bet Stella feels that way sometimes. She can be awfully stupid.

A big thank you to the wonderful librarians who made me a cute card and gave me a big of treats (my girl says I have to be nice and share them with stupid Stella). Queenie, the other volunteer dog also got some. I don't know if she deserved them since she always barks at me. My girl says to be nice because Queenie was volunteering at the library first and maybe she feels threatened and thinks I am trying to steal the kids away. Maybe she's right but it isn't very nice to bark in another dogs face when they are trying to be nice and sniff noses. Maybe she's just jealous of how much prettier I am.

Hopefully my girl will take me to work this week instead of leaving me home. I won't be going to the nursing home this month since my girl is busy with the holidays and stuff. If she doesn't take me to work, it will be a long, boring month for me just hanging out with Stella. And in case you don't believe me how silly she is, take a look at this picture. Stella gets confused and thinks that a cardboard tube from an empty roll of paper towels is a baby. She carries it around and growls at me if I get near her. Like I would want to steal it and look dumb like her.

Zzzzzzz

It's cold out. Not much to do. Stella and I have been mostly hanging out in the house. She's always trying to snuggle with me. I think its that short coat of hers. She needs a nice fluffy (and pretty) coat like mine to keep her warm. She's always trying to find spots where the sun is shining in and laying in the sunbeam too. Maybe I can find a home in Florida for her? Anyone need a new dog? She's mostly good, just a little crazy and goofy. Aww, I guess she better stay here. My girl does seem to like her too. After all she does for me, I wouldn't want to make her sad.

Catch up

First off, hello to my new friends! It's really cool to get to know other dogs from all over the world. I'm looking forward to reading your blogs and getting to know you better.

I never finished telling about my big night at the Hamilton County Humane Society Fundraiser. (It's so hard to get the computer away from my people....)The evening was so great. I wish I could have a copy of the presentation to put on here. My girl and I were in another room waiting for the time to make our entrance so we didn't get to see all of it but my boy said there wasn't a dry eye in the place. And in that place, there were lots and lots of people. It was packed!!! The presentation focused on what the HS does here and why they rely so much on support from the community. They are so awesome because euthanasia is a very, very last resort for them. There were 7 of us dogs there and a bunch of cats with our owners representing the successful adoptions the shelter has had. Some of the dogs and cats had started out with very sad lives. One dog had scars down her back from where her previous owner had poured hot motor oil on her. Another one had been thrown from the 4th floor of a construction site. He had a broken pelvis and broken legs. Sparky had an abscessed eye caused by a skull fracture. Angel was a pit bull who was abandoned by her owner because she wouldn't listen to him. Too bad he didn't realize that she is completely deaf. As I've said on here before, I was left at the shelter when I was 10 years old....I wish I knew why. But the presentation ended on a happy note. All of us have been adopted by wonderful owners thanks to a shelter that fixed our hurts inside and out and didn't put us on a time limit to find our right family. After all us had come out on the stage, the audience all stood and up and gave us a huge ovation. What a happy night. I hope the shelter made lots of money so that they can continue helping all the the poor, broken, unloved puppies and kitties out there find happy homes like we have.

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving yesterday. Stella and I celebrated ours today with yummy leftovers. I can't wait to see what we will have for our xmas meal.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering why I haven't put any pictures of the fundraiser....you'll have to ask my boy why he didn't take any.

Going to bed...

I'm off to bed but I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm home from the Humane Society fundraiser. What a night! It was awesome. I'm a little worn out from it all right now but I'll post about it tomorrow.

Yawn......

Update...

I went to see Dr. Lucroy Monday. He said the tumor is continuing to remain the same. He also took xrays to make sure there wasn't anything else growing or spreading that we would need to be concerned about. The xray technician wasn't there to look over them but Dr. Lucroy said he didn't see anything to worry about and that if the other person did, he would let us know. So far we haven't heard anything more so I guess no news is good news. He also said I was looking well and that unles my boy and girl notice any changes in my breathing or if my snoring gets worse, he wouldn't need to see me again for 2-3 months. My girl said she didn't think my snoring could get any worse. I feel bad about it but I am such a deep sleeper. It happens once you turn 12.

I went to work with my girl today and would you believe someone showed up with a puppy? People are so fickle. All of a sudden everyone stopped paying attention to me to go on and on with some dumb little pup. The silly thing has these long ears the drag the ground and the shortest legs ever. I don't know what was so cute about it. It doesn't even know how to trick the people into getting treats. I know all kinds of things like catching a frisbee or using mind control tricks with my eyes. At least it didn't stay long and then everyone was ready to love me again. hmmph.

Well, tomorrow is the big day. I went to the groomer yesterday and I do look lovely. So soft and fluffy. I bet I'll steal the show. I just need to decide whether or not to wear my cool red therapy dog vest.

The life of a volunteer dog...

I've been a little busy this week. I went to work with my girl on Monday. I was due for my annual check up and some vaccinations so she called Dr. Lee at BRAC to make us appointment. Turned out he had an opening after we got off work. I had on my new Therapy Dog vest which everyone thought was really cool and made me feel so special. It's red which is my color and I think I look pretty doggone good in it. I wasn't sure what I thought of it when I first put it on but I got so much praise after that I decided that if the therapy dog stuff doesn't work out for me, I may have to be a model.

Anyway, everything checked out fine with the vet. My ears are a little dry and irratated but no infection. That's good. I had one before and it wasn't fun. No parasites are living in my tummy either. I'm sure all the chemo I've had probably zapped any that were in there. We are now just waiting for Dr. Lee to mail us back the form TDI requires to license me as a Therapy Dog and I am good for the next year.

We went to the nursing home on Wednesday too. It was a cold, rainy day which seemed to make most of the residents there want to nap. We didn't get to visit with too many people but I did get a few pettings. I met a new man there. He'd had dogs his whole life and I could just tell that he enjoyed scratching a dog behind the ears.

That's it for this week. I'm going to be super busy next week.....got the Humane Society Fundraiser next Thursday. I sure wish everyone could come out and see me. I'm going to the groomer the day before so I know I will look lovely. Hopefully my girl will take pictures for me to share. I also will be seeing Dr. Lucroy. Cross your fingers for me. I feel like this dumb ol' lump in my neck has been getting harder. I can live with that, I just don't want it getting bigger.

My weekend

Saturday was a really fun day. Other than Queenie, who is a little dog that barks a lot, I liked the library. It wasn't very busy. Some of the kids parents canceled their appointment because of being sick (too much Halloween candy, I wonder) and it was also Fall Break for the schools. The kids that were there were all really well behaved. Some were too shy to read but they still petted me. I liked a lot of the moms too. They really know how to give a good scratch behind the ears. In between visits, my girl tossed the ball for me so we weren't ever bored. I am looking forward to going back next month.

After the library, we went to a training class. There was a big Golden Retriever there named Charlie. He is like all other Goldies, very happy and friendly. We got along well. The class was to show us the things we will need to know when we start visiting the VA hospital. It seems to involve getting lots of treats and chasing the ball. I think I can live with that. I assume it will also involve CAR RIDES. I'm really enjoying this Therapy Dog work.

On Sunday, we spent a lot of time outside. Can you believe the sun was shining and the temperature was over 70'? In November!!! We had a little cook out too. I put a picture of me and that silly Stella on here. Just so you know, I never have any Stella pictures on here because she never stays still long enough for anyone to take one. This time she was worn out from chasing the ball. As you can see, I have my eye on the ball, ready to go after it some more.

I think this month will be busy. We have the Tinsel and Tales party coming up and the rehearsal before it. Also 2 nursing home trips, Turkey Day (yum!), another visit to Dr. Lucroy and I think I am also due to go see Dr. Lee. Whew!

I also turned 12 last month. My girl was a little late on remembering my birthday but she made up for it by giving me some really delicious treats. I'm not much worried about having a birthday even if I am getting older. Everyone tells me I don't at all look my age.

Big weekend

On Saturday, I will have my first trip to the library where kids will read stories to me. I don't know what to expect but my girl assures me that I will be great at it. It actually sounds a little relaxing. That's a good thing because later in the afternoon, we will be going to a training for volunteering at the VA hospital. What a lot of steps are involved in that. My girl got a big envelope with the application and volunteer manual in the mail the other day. She has to go and get TB tested 2 times in two weeks plus this training thing that is more for me to see if I can do all that is needed. I think it will involve helping with patients who are in physical therapy. My girl said that one thing involves having a ball rolled for me to go get. How easy! Well, at least for me. I guess if you have been injured, rolling a ball could be difficult.

Sad news for this week too. On the way to work the other morning, someone hit the back of my girl's car. MY CAR!!!!! Now its gone away and she is driving this other car that I don't like as much. It is really hard for me to get in and out of it. My girl promised me that we would have our car back soon though. I hope so. My girl wasn't hurt so don't worry about that. We are both happy that I didn't go to work with her that day either. How stressful that would have been!

That's all for now. Its been a quiet week for me. I'll be back to tell everyone how Saturday goes for me.

Hey Bonnie!

I found a really big bug outside. I wanted to keep it as a pet but my girl said to let it go. Oh well.

Check up

I went to see Dr. Lucroy this morning. He measured the tumor and said that it might be just a tiny bit bigger and also feels firmer. He said that he isn't worried about it though because I seem to be doing good otherwise. He does want to see me again in another month just be sure that the tumor is still stable. That's what he says anyway. I think its because he will miss me if I stop going in to see him.

I was supposed to go to the nursing home yesterday. My girl kinda forgot though. On the days that we are supposed to go, she takes me to work with her and then we go straight from there to the place. We have gotten off schedule with vacations and then with me having tummy troubles.... Also yesterday morning it was pouring down rain so I stayed home and we just forgot about it. I feel bad but since my girl is the one who is in charge of my schedule, I'll blame her.

I'm at work today. My girl has humiliated me by making me wear one of the t-shirts that they gave out to everyone not long ago. Everyone says I look cute but I don't believe them. How can a blue t-shirt look better than my own soft shiny fur?

3 dogs, 2 girls and a 62 impala

What a fun adventure I had Sunday! Me, my girl, her friend Alysha, Stella and Alysha's dog Ellie piled into Alysha's big ol' Impala and went to the pumpkin patch. I love that CAR! It was big and roomy and I could see all around me. Can you see the happy look on my face? That's Ellie that you can see beside me. Stella is hiding on the floor. She still isn't sure about things that move fast.

We drove out in the country to the greatest pumpkin patch. We dogs helped the girls pick out the best pumpkins to take home. And they got yummy, hot cinnamon donuts for us all to share. All us dogs were on our best behavior so we would be sure to get some. After we left the pumpkin place, we headed over to see my girl's mom. She had cheese and pears to share with us. My girl and Alysha had planned a picnic too. We were having so much fun with my girl's mom and Bon-it that we decided to stay and have the picnic in the back yard. After that we all piled back in the CAR and headed home. Stella and I were so worn out by our exciting day that we went straight to bed.

I wish everyday could be so fun.

Me, for a good cause!

I mentioned it before that I will be part of the Humane Society's holiday fundraiser on November 20th. I think all my girl's and my boy's family should come see me too. I promise to be on my best behavior and looking so soft and fluffy and beautiful. And best of all, the money goes to a good cause. The Humane Society does so much to find happy homes for all the poor abandoned puppies and kitties. So come see me on stage and eat some good food!

All the info for the event is in my previous post. If you want to go, let my girl know and she can RSVP for you.

Holiday Event for a good cause!

Tinsel & Tails Holiday Petacular 2008

Thursday, November 20th

Tinsel and Tails Holiday Petacular is a family friendly event where you can share an evening with your family, friends and co-workers filled with music, an excellent dinner catered by Oak Hill Mansion and a heart-warming presentation featuring some of our most amazing pet adoption and survival stories of the year.

Silent auction items will include everything from autographed sports memorabilia, gift certificates for upscale dining, spa packages, golf packages, pet gifts, jewelry, and more.

The silent auction begins and hors d’oeuvres will be served from 5:30pm to 7pm followed by the presentation and dinner. A cash bar
will be available.


Tickets are $65 per person or $120 per couple.
Tables seating eight are $450.
To reserve a seat or table, please contact Rebecca Stevens at hamiltonhumane@yahoo.com or call 317-219-3324.

Big Fire and lots of sticks

What a fun Friday night! My girl and boy made a big fire out in the yard. I don't care so much about that but they stayed outside and sat around it. My boy's family came over too so I sure got lots of pettings. The most exciting part though was all the sticks that were around. I don't know if I have mentioned this but one of my favorite things besides CAR RIDES and cat food, is sticks. I love when my boy and girl throw sticks for me. I love chewing on sticks. Sticks are awesome (do you see in the photo that I have a really yummy one?). The only problem with the fire is that they kept sticking the sticks into the fire. I'm sure you all know that fires are hot. Too hot to go sticking your paws in to get sticks out. But I think I was able to get several chewed on before they could go burning them. Humans are really funny too. They had special sticks that they wouldn't let me have. These sticks were also the yummiest. They kept sticking these fluffy white things on them and then sticking them in the fire. Then they would eat them. The fluffy white things were okay but the residue they left on the sticks was delicious. But after all I do for them, my people wouldn't share them with me. They get weird like that.

The night did get chilly later and the fire ended up feeling good on my fluffy coat. I hope we all hang out together like that again soon. Even Stella was good. She entertained those little kid things that came with my boy's family so that I could concentrate on sticks and being petted. We were one big happy pack. I would have put a picture on here of Stella too so that you could see her having fun but that dog won't ever stay still long enough. All the pictures were just a black blur. Oh well, its my blog about me, not her.

Back to normal

My vacation wasn't quite what I expected. In fact I was a little stressed. Staying at a house you haven't been to is a bit of an adjustment. I started getting worried that maybe it was a trick. you know how sometimes humans say things to get you to do something you wouldn't do otherwise. Like they say "Let's go for a CAR RIDE" and get you all excited but its not really just a CAR RIDE, its a trip to the vet and you are going to get poked with lots of needles and stuff? So I started thinking that maybe it wasn't a vacation. Maybe this was my new home. But would my girl do that to me? I didn't want to believe it but I never thought my old family would send me to a new home either. All the stress started to get to me and I was having some problems. First a little constipation and then once it started it wouldn't stop. Of course, I had just had chemo before that so I was already a little sensitive in my tummy. I kept getting in trouble over what to eat and what not to eat too. Apparently, just because there is a bowl of food on the floor, doesn't mean you aren't allowed to eat it. There were two bowls, one with good food and one with icky stuff. Every time I tried to eat the good stuff, I would get yelled at and told it was the cat's food. Why, I ask, does a worthless ball of fluff get the good stuff, when I a noble, beautiful, hard working canine am reduced to eating bland chunks of mystery stuff? Hmmph. Cats.....

I'm back at home now. My tummy has settled down and I just stayed around the house and relaxed all last week. Now I'm feeling all better and ready to get back to work and CAR RIDES! The Library Lady emailed my girl and wants us to start working November 1st. I'm a bit nervous about these little kid things. You never know what they are going to do. My girl says not to worry though because these will be good ones that will just lay beside me and read a story. My girl reads stories all the time and she is so quiet and still when she does it so maybe it won't be too bad. We also have the nursing home to visit next week. We didn't make it last week because of my tummy troubles. My girl was afraid I might have another accident. Sheesh, I will never get to live that down, will I? Its not my fault that I'm a little sensitive. Maybe if I wasn't being given drugs all the time, I wouldn't have problems.

Oh, before I go for now, I have one other thing. Stella had a blast on vacation! She finally decided that just because Bon-it is big and has an even bigger bark, she is still lots of fun. While I was stuck living with someone's cat for a week and tied up in the yard, she was running around loose and playing lots of games with Bon-it and this is almost too much....she got to go for lots of CAR RIDES. In the BIG TRUCK too. I'm happy that she had so much fun but I am a little jealous. I think everyone likes her better now. Poor me.

Vacation!

I'm looking forward to being on vacation. What a busy week. I stayed home from work today to take a break. We had a good visit at the nursing home last night. My tummy has been reacting much better to the chemo this time so no worries about any accidents.

I visited with a very sweet woman yesterday. She seemed very happy for the company. She told us about the Boxers her family had when her son was a little boy (he's 52 now). Their names were Duke and Baron. She was a dear and asked for us to come back and see her next time we are there. I also got to see a couple of my other friends too. We always get there at nap time so some people are still sleeping. We just tiptoe past them and let them get their rest. Being an older girl myself, I know how they deserve it.

I'm heading to my girl's family this afternoon. I'm even getting a break from that silly Stella. She'll be at my girl's parents and I'll be with her brother. I'll miss my girl and my boy but I think I will still have a good time. My girl's brother just got home from someplace called Iraq and hasn't started working yet. He and I will be hanging out all day being buddies. And then when his wife comes home, I'll get tons of love from her. It will be nice to be an only dog. There will be a cat there but I don't pay much attention to those little meow-y fluff balls. Oh, did I mention that my girl said they are great cooks? I can't hardly wait.

Have a good week.

All done!

I had my final chemo treatment today. They said the tumor is stable and shouldn't bother me. I go back in a month for a check up to be sure that I'm all better.

This picture is of me at work with my girl trying to convince her that I need another treat from the goody bag I got as a reward for being a good chemo patient. Its got some really yummy treats. I just hope no one expects me to share with that silly Stella. She is such a pig that she'll probably eat them all in 2 seconds. She stole my treat right out from under my nose the other morning. My girl made sure that I got hers though so I felt much better. Stella's plan to get them all backfired. She swallowed mine so quickly that she had to later ask me what it even was and had to watch me eat hers like the lady dog I am.

I've got a busy week. There were some friends of my boy staying with us over the weekend. Today was chemo day, tomorrow I am going to the nursing home to visit my friends there and then Thursday my girl will take me to to her family's house to stay for a week while she and my boy take a trip somewhere. Whew! I sure will be ready for a rest.

Now if I could just get another one of those yummy treats to keep my strength up......

All better

Good news, the medicine has been working and I haven't had any more accidents. I can go visit without being embarrassed. I got some blood work today and everything is looking nice and normal with it. Now I just need to go to the groomer and get all cleaned up and trimmed. Hopefully my girl will make an appointment for me to go soon. She and my boy are having friends in town for the weekend and I need to look pretty for them.

Feeling better

My girl got some medicine for me and I've been feeling a lot better. I did have one other accident in the house during the night but not since. I was so worried that I would be in trouble for going on the carpet. I was just trying to get as far away from the bedroom as I could so the smell wouldn't wake them up. I have to admit that with this chemo, my poop sure is stinky. I want to get far away from it too.

I have to get better soon because my boy and girl will be going on vacation soon. No one will let me come visit if I'm having accidents. My girl said that she might change my food to something really bland and boring to help keep my tummy calm. I'm sure if I bat my eyes and look pretty, I'll still get some treats.

I think I will be staying with my girl's brother and his wife Michelle. I love Michelle. She is so sweet and gentle, just like me! I like my girl's brother a lot too but I think he prefers Stella over me. They like to play rough together and chase around the house where I prefer just to snuggle and maybe catch a ball. My girl's brother just got home from Iraq where he has been for the past year. Everyone is so happy to have him back home.

I was going to stay with my girl's mom but she said three dogs is just too many for a week. I agree. Stella and Bon-it wear me out. They both just want to play and run around all the time and try to steal my turn for pettings and CAR RIDES. This way I'll be an only dog and maybe Michelle and I will take lots of quiet little walks together. I wonder if she'll let me sleep on the bed too. Maybe at least a sofa.

YAWN....I think its time for a nap. Stella woke us all up too early this morning.

Humiliation!

I am so embarrassed. Yesterday was my day to visit all the nice people in the nursing home. There were so many people to visit with and they all told me how pretty I am. I was feeling a little antsy though and just not into staying for long. My girl just thought I was being curious and wanting to check everything out. I might have been but I had more serious thoughts on my mind. My tummy was just starting to feel kinda icky....you know that feeling when you just really need to find a nice green patch of lawn.....I was trying so hard to hold it in though because a very nice woman wanted me to come in her room to visit.......I don't know if I should even say this.....I'm just so embarrassed........I just had to go sooooo bad......and well.......

I pooped. Right there in the hallway. I just couldn't help it.

I felt so much better after though and was ready to go visit some more. There was one guy who saw it all happen. I didn't think I would want to see him after that but he was so nice about it. He told me it happens, especially in a place like that. The activity director who works with us when we go there, she thought it was really funny. She said that the maintenance guy is really lazy and she enjoyed seeing him upset to have to work.

Yesterday just wasn't my day at all. When I got home Stella was happy to see me until we went outside. We had a little misunderstanding that turned into a big fight. It wasn't exactly a fair fight either since I didn't feel good. Good thing my girl heard us and came to the rescue. Stella had to have a time out for it.

My tummy has still been upset and I've had some more icky poop so my girl said she'd call Dr. Lucroy to see if everything is okay with me. I had an accident in the house over the weekend too (I'm such a bad dog lately) that my girl thought she saw blood in so she is a little worried about me. I guess its just the chemo. Good thing I only have to have one more treatment.

And the worst thing about all this is that my girl is making me stay home and relax instead of going for CAR RIDES!

Whew! I'm tired.

What a day yesterday! I went to work with my girl and visited with everyone there and then after work, I went to my second job at the nursing home. I met lots of people and got lots of petting. A couple of people told us about their dogs that they used to have. We spent about an hour there but it seemed so much longer. Two levels with lots of hallways to go up and down. I definitely enjoyed it and look forward to going back next week. I just hope I don't have to go in that weird box thing again....I think my girl called it an elevator. I didn't like it one bit. It's scary and I don't get scared easily.

My girl was surprised that I went straight to bed when we got home. We both forget that I'm eleven and that I get tired a little quicker than when I was a pup.

Oh, one other thing. My chemo that I was supposed to have today had to be rescheduled to next week. Something about a hurricane or something in a place called Florida has delayed shipment of the medication. I suppose it is okay because it gave me a chance to stay home and rest and keep Stella company.

My boy and his dog

This is a picture of me and Guinness helping with the gardening last summer. My boy has been really sad this week because it was year ago that Guinness left us. My boy really misses him and worries that he made the wrong decision in ending Guinnie's life. Guinness was 13 and was starting to get some icky arthritis that was making him hurt and slow down from his ball chasing. My boy had been concerned about this and working with the vets to try to make Guinnie feel better. After coming home from a weekend trip, my girl and boy returned home to find Guinness in really bad shape. He seemed to be really suffering and in a lot of pain. They rushed him to an emergency vet who did some tests on poor Guinnie and discovered that he had cancer. It was down around his tummy and had spread bad. After consulting with Dr. Webb, My boy had to make a really hard decision. Even though he really worries that he might have given up to soon, none of us think he did. Guinness had a really good last day with my boy and girl. Stella and I went to visit my girl's parents so that Guinness would have all the attention to himself. The weather was perfect for playing in the yard with a ball. Guinness was so obsessed with chasing balls. Sometimes he'd get really nutty and try to stuff a couple in his mouth and then chase another to try to get it stuffed in there too. They also had a picnic outside with yummy grilled cheese sandwiches.

Our friend Alysha who works at the Broad Ripple Clinic arranged for Dr. Lee to come to the house to give Guinnie his last shot. I'm really glad I wasn't there. Everyone was so heartbroken. I hope that I'll always be as loved as Guinnie had been his whole life. I know Guinnie also really loved his boy and trusted him to keep him free from any pain and suffering. I know I can trust my boy and girl to do the same for me and Stella.

What a weekend!

What a fun weekend. My boy and girl went away for a few days so Stella and I went to stay at my girl's parents. We always have such a good time there playing with Bon-it (the dog that lives there). And gosh, do we eat good! Because of my sensitive tummy (from the chemo), my girl and boy don't give me much treats. Forget the dry stuff when we are there though! I dislike it so much that I have to scoot the food bowl off the rug and then I try to cover the bowl with the rug to hide it. It seems to fool my girl's mom when I do that because then she gives me good food. I'd try to tell you all I had but like she said, it would be easier to list what we didn't.I didn't even get sick from all of it!

We all went for lots of CAR RIDES too. I prefer to be without the other dogs. They don't seem to get that there is work involved. While I'm trying to control traffic and keep all those cars in line, Stella and Bon-it just like to go from window to window and get in my way. One time we ended up in a big field. Bon-it and Stella just wanted to run around and play but I decided to stay in the car. I was hoping maybe we could just leave them there for a little bit so I could get some work done.

Bon-it is the funniest, happiest go lucky dog. So opposite of Stella who's always nervous about everything and everyone. Bon-it just wants to play and love, play and love. Even though she is huge (70+ pounds), she is still pretty young. She had a really serious accident last summer when she got hit by a car. Would you believe the woman driving didn't stop? Poor Bon-it was trapped underneath the car. The woman went a block dragging her until some people got her to finally stop. The car then had to be jacked up to get Bon-it out from underneath it. She was against the exhaust and had horrible burns that went into the muscle. The vet had to wire her hip back together too. She's all healed now but the fur the will never grow back where the burns were. Its just black scar tissue. She's a pretty blond too. Such a shame. It hasn't affected her personality at all though. She still loves everyone and everything. Especially chasing Stella and playing with Miley, the dog next door and her best friend.

Even though we had a great time, we were so excited to see our girl and boy (and to take a CAR RIDE!). Its good to be home. I get to go to work in the morning too!

New gig!

My girl finally got in touch with a woman at a nursing that she has leaving messages with back and forth for a couple of weeks. She said they are excited to have me come visit because their residents love dogs. My girl has to go in and fill out an application for us and get a TB test first. She's going to try to do that tomorrow and then we'll be able to get started. I think I'll be going once a week. We'll be going after work so once we start I'll have a long day but think of all the petting I will get! Have I mentioned how much I like older people? Don't tell but I think they are better than little kids.

UPDATE:
I start next Wednesday at the nursing home.

I'm a celebrity!

Okay, I'm not really a celebrity but because of my girl's email to the humane society, we've been asked to be part of their holiday fundraiser in November. How exciting is that? They will be sharing amazing adoptions and survival stories during the dinner. Its at a fancy reception hall, the kind that dogs don't usually get to go inside. My girl said there will be a silent auction and hors d'oeuvres followed by dinner. Hope they will share them with me. I bet it will be yummy!

Humane Society

Yesterday my girl emailed the Humane Society she had adopted me from to tell them about the new life I have since being adopted by her and my boy. She said they see so many sad things everyday (kinda like she does at her job) that maybe they'd like to hear a good story. This is the response she just received:

Thank you so much for updating us on Dominique’s new life. It is people like you who really make a difference in these animals’ lives. We love to hear these kinds of stories, it makes our job a little easier knowing there are people in the world who really do care. Thank you for giving Domi a loving home and a second chance at life.

I really am lucky that I was adopted by such wonderful people. While I don't fault people who do want a purebreed (after all, I am and quite proud of it), I do want to encourage people to check their local shelters first and also breed rescues. Its a good way to get a really good dog for much less and to save a life at the same time. And if you do go to a breeder, make sure its a reputable one who really cares, not a puppy mill that's all about making money.

Oh wow, my girl just received another response from a different person at the Humane Society as I was writing this. And they remember me! Here it is:

Thanks so much for your update on Domi - I remember her well (not to mention the fact that we somehow had her down as a male). It is very heartwarming to hear back about how our dogs have done - and we do consider them ours, as most of the staff spends more time with them than we do our own dogs. She is truly a miracle and was placed with you for a purpose. Thanks again for the update!

That's a great response! It makes me feel good even if they did think I was a boy. I don't know why since I'm so pretty. My boy and girl get a chuckle out of it as they say I am a bit prissy. Hmmph, they should try keeping white paws clean.

I'm at work today and I should go see if anyone needs to pet me.

Bad Dog

Well, my girl is at work but I'm not. I'm stuck hanging out at home with Stella. There was a big storm last night with lots of thunder. My girl and boy just don't seem to understand the importance of me getting that thunder and putting it where it should be. Its a really hard job because that thunder is so hard to see. It just moves so quickly too. It gets me so worked up that I can't help but bark at it. And I guess I barked quite a bit last night. Stella even got up and tried to help me. My girl was a little bit grumpy with me this morning. I kinda forgot that she was sleeping in the midst of all that. When they finally let me out this morning I got even more worked up because I was finally out there where the thunder actually is. I got soaked running around the yard. My girl was just little upset with me. I made her late for work and she said she was not taking a soaking wet dog in the car and since I was a bad girl I didn't deserve to go anyway.

Its been a long day here at home too because in my excitement, I kinda forgot to go potty. It's supposed to storm again tonight. I'll have to try hard to just ignore all that noisy thunder and go to sleep. I don't want to get fired for missing too many days at work when I haven't even got to start yet.

New job!

What exciting news today! My girl works at a non-profit agency that works with families in crisis situations and also assists Child Protection Services. They help lots of kids that are being abused or have parents involved with drugs and lots of other sad things. I'm not going to talk about any of it specifically because of all sorts of privacy laws....and well, this blog is about me, not her job. But anyway, one of the supervisors there had this big epiphany that hey, I am a therapy dog. What do you do when you are therapy dog? You go to places like nursing homes, hospitals, places that can be stressful and you help people there to unwind and feel a little less stressed. Where my girl works can be very stressful. So, she spoke with the director and they decided to offer me a full time position. They will even keep a personal file on me!

My girl said that I can start tomorrow. She warned me that even though they have said I can go everyday, she may not always take me with her. The other dog in my house, Stella, really hates to be left home alone. I guess it wouldn't be fair to her if I get to do something cool everyday but she doesn't. I'm really excited to have a job. One of the things about Border Collies is that we are workaholics and can get depressed when we don't have something to occupy us. It will be so neat to not be there as a visitor but as worker! My girl makes me stay on my blanket beside her usually when I am there but she's promised that I will get to visit more and maybe even get to see the office next door!

I'm off to bed now. I want to get lots of rest for my big day! I hope I don't snore too much tonight so my girl can get lots of sleep too.

Chemo

I had my 4th chemo treatment this morning. They said that the tumor is now exactly half the size that it was when we started the treatments. And Dr. Lucroy said it's "squishy". That's a good thing, by the way. So just 2 more treatments and then hopefully it will be gone.

For those of you who might be curious, the drug that they are using on me is Carboplatin. Its one of the mildest chemo drugs as far as side effects. If the tumor hadn't shown any shrinkage, we would have had to use a stronger one. Fortunately, its working.

I'm at work with my girl now. I love all the people in the office. They always have time to pet me and sometimes I go out with some of them for little walks. I've also gotten to munch on some animal crackers. Yummy! I've been showing off my therapy dog tag too. Some people wish I could come to work everyday. Petting a soft, furry dog is very healthy. Do you know that studies have shown that petting me can lower your blood pressure? I would go to work with my girl just to be guaranteed of 2 car rides a day.

I still need to write about becoming a therapy dog but that will have to wait until later.

cancer

Last year in November, my people took me to the vet to get my yearly check up and vaccinations and to have my ear looked at for a little infection. Dr. Lee is my vet at Broad Ripple Animal Clinic. He's really nice. My girl happened to mention to him that I had a little lump on my side. Dr. Lee said it was probably nothing to be too worried about but he'd do a biopsy to be sure. What a surprise we were all in for in the next couple of weeks.

When we went back the next week to make sure that my ear infection was cleared up, Dr. Lee also had the biopsy results. My little lump was cancerous. Upon examining me a little more, they also noticed a lump in my neck. My people took me to see Dr. Webb at Stop 11 Animal Hospital who did my surgery to remove the tumor on my side. Dr. Lee was willing to do it however my people needed someone they could afford (and trusted as much as Dr. Lee). Dr. Webb had been Guinness' vet so they knew he'd take good care of me too. Dr. Webb also attempted to remove the lump on my neck and to do a biopsy of it. He thought it might have been just a swollen gland or something. Once he got in there though, he was in for a shock. I had a huge mass (the size of a racquetball!) wrapped around my arteries. I started to hemorrhage so he got enough to test and stitched me back up.

I wasn't in too good of shape for a little while. The incision on my side healed up nicely but I couldn't leave the one on my neck alone. It just bothered me so much. My people wrapped up my feet to keep my claws from scratching it open but lucky for me, they couldn't stick one of those big, cumbersome Elizabethan collars on me. Well, maybe it wasn't so lucky. Since I wouldn't keep my feet wrapped and wouldn't stop scratching at my neck, I got an infection. I wasn't feeling so hot. And on top of that, when we went back to see Dr. Webb, he had the test results. He was a little shocked. It turned out that I have thyroid cancer. Dr. Webb said that in all his years of being a vet, he'd seen it many times in cats but never in a dog.

Dr. Webb had to refer us to see an oncologist. I've been going to see Dr. Lucroy for a few months now. He really knows his stuff! He told my people that thyroid cancer is very rare in dogs. So rare that they aren't really sure how the best way to treat it is. I guess with people and cats, a radioactive iodine (or something like that) treatment works best. For some reason however, it doesn't work on dogs. Our options were to try chemotherapy or radiation. With the radiation treatment, I'd have to go somewhere else like Columbus, OH or Chicago and my people would have to leave me there for maybe a week at a time. We decided to try the chemo since my people would be completely lost without me at home to keep an eye on Stella.

This Friday will be my fourth treatment. Everyone always asks my people questions like if my hair will fall out or does it make me sick? Chemo with dogs is different than with humans. First off, its given at a much lower dosage. I am treated every three weeks, with a blood check every ten days in between. I haven't lost any hair and if I did, that would be a cause for concern. Dr. Lucroy said that it usually takes at least four treatments to see results but I won't receive more than six. After six treatments, it can start affecting my liver and heart. The blood work is to check how I'm responding. After the first treatment, my white blood cell count dropped and I had to be put on a super antibiotic just in case I picked up any bugs. With a lowered immune system, I could get sick easier. They lowered the next chemo dosage and I haven't had any problems since then. One of the side affects that could happen after a treatment is vomiting or diarrhea. My girl takes me to work with her after I've been to see Dr. Lucroy so that she can keep an eye on me to make sure I'm handling it all okay. I never have any problems but I'm glad she lets me go to work with her. I love visiting people and I think they love me too. And I get to go for lots of CAR RIDES!!!!!

So, that's the story on my cancer and its treatment. I have my next visit Friday so I'll update how that went. I still have to write about how I became a therapy dog too.

My first job as a therapy dog.

We heard back from the library today. They have a program in the children's department called Waggin' Tales. One Saturday a month I'll get to go listen to kids read stories. I love the attention and by reading to a dog who listens but doesn't criticize or correct, they build confidence. I can't wait to get started. Too bad it won't be until October. They have another dog there too. Her name is Queenie. I hope we can be friends and she can give me tips on how to be the best therapy dog I can.

My shelter story....

One year and seven months ago, life was looking very bleak for me. I was in this strange place in a little kennel surrounded by other dogs. None of them were very happy. Some said they were picked up off the street and locked up, others said they had cruel owners that yelled at them all the time. Some like me had had a good life with a nice family when one day, their people dropped them off and were never seen again. Christmas was getting near so lots of people were coming in and taking some of the dogs home. I was too depressed to really care although the smart ones made sure to look as cute and friendly as they possibly could. There was one happy go lucky guy who wagged his tale so hard, he ended up breaking it and then having to have it amputated. The sympathy he got from that sure got him into a new home quick.

One day a girl showed up in a red jacket. She walked slowly through making sure to give everyone a little love. Then she stopped when she got to me. I raised my head for a moment but expected her to move on. She wasn't my person and that was the only one I wanted to see. She disappeared but soon came back with one of the shelter workers. They took me in a small room and tossed the ball a few times for me. My heart wasn't into it but it felt good to get to move a little bit after being cramped in that kennel for so long. And then a moment later, back into it I went. Later on someone came and wrote "HOLD" on my info sheet. What does that mean I wondered.

The next day, the girl in the red coat came back for me. The car ride was nice but I was feeling so awful that I didn't care. My eye was very irritated and full of green discharge and I was developing a cough and breathing problems. My new person and the boy she lived with were very concerned. There were 2 other dogs in the home, Guinness and Stella and they filled me in that this was my new home and that it was a very nice place. There were always balls to play with and bones to gnaw on and the people loved each other and them very much.

The next day I went to the vet who checked my eye out first and got the big piece of plastic out of it and then she gave my new owners some medicine for the respiratory infection I had. I was slowly on the way to being a healthier but still broken hearted Border Collie.

Time eventually moved on and my old family started to fade from my memory. I adore my new family although Guinness left us last summer after becoming ill. I feel sorry for my boy as he really misses him which I can understand after spending 10 years with my first family. I have a huge yard to run around in now though, we go for lots of car rides and walks and that crazy Stella is always good for a laugh. Other than my cancer, which I will leave for another time, life is pretty good and I have a new job being a therapy dog.