My Dogs

After reading back on some of the things I've written it seems like the only thing I'm pretty good at is bitching. Granted there is a lot to bitch about with this group of characters I've been surrounded with so today I'm switching gears and going to write about something I love which are my dogs. I don't think I've ever had a period in my life when I didn't have dogs except for college and maybe the first year or so after I graduated. There was Pooh, a Chihuahua, when I was born but I don't remember him. Next we had Marty (the first of many many Westies) we got when I was 3 and she was the mother of Duffy who was born when I was 5. Those were my "growing up" dogs because Marty lived to be 13 and Duffy was 17 when dad killed him. OK he really didn't kill him but poor ol Duffers had gone outside without my dad noticing and when he came back in and closed the garage, the door caught Duffy in the middle of his back and broke it killing him right away. That was in the day before the sensors that made the door go back up if something crossed it. A couple of years before Duffy died my parents got Sheona for Wendy's birthday and they had her for many years and when I came home from college she was there.

As I said right after college when I lived in my little apartment in Denver and worked for Frontier I didn't have a dog. After I met and moved in with Walt, Klancy came into my life. Klancy was Walt's dog and he was 1/2 shepard and 1/2 sheepdog and 100 percent wonderful. He was the sweetest dog I had ever met and loved him very much and he was very smart too. After we moved to Fort Collins we found another shepard, sheepdog (sheepshep) in Windsor and we got the first dog I called "mine", Cory. Cory and Klancy got along great and the two of them were a great pair. Cory was so faithful to me and I adored her.

Klancy was getting pretty old for a big dog, I think he was 11 or 12 and his hips were getting bad causing him to fall and it was a struggle for him to get up. It was right about this same time when I noticed a rough lump on Cory's leg and took her into the vet to see what was the problem. They took a biopsy and found she had a very rare form of melanoma which was unusual for dogs to have and the vets recommended I go to Colorado State University's vet hospital for treatment. Luckily I lived in Fort Collins where the hospital was so it wasn't a hardship for me to take her there. They told me her cancer was terminal but there was a new treatment from New York they could offer to do if I wanted. The only hitch is they wanted to do an autopsy when she died whether it be a month from then or 4 years which I agreed. I also had to leave her for a weekend once a month for them to observe and I also said that would be alright. By Feb. 94 Klancy was falling and we would find him sprawled out on his belly with his legs off to the side and because his hips were so bad he couldn't get up. Who knew how many hours this poor dog was like that so Walt took him in to have him put to sleep. At the time I didn't understand really what it was to put a dog to sleep because I never had to go through that before. I got home from work and Walt told me he just dropped him off at the vet and left him because he couldn't see Klancy convulse, shake and lose all bowel and urinary control. After Klancy was gone, I think it affected Cory a lot and her tumors started to spread and grow on her leg and under her belly. We were house sitting my parents house and when I came home from lunch one day her tumors had broken and there was blood everywhere. I called the Dr. who was treating her cancer and we agreed to meet at the hospital to have her put down. The Dr. and tech met us outside and took us through a side door to a room set up with dim lighting and a pad where we took time to calm her down before she got the shot. They asked me if I wanted to be with her and I told her what Walt told me about the process. They assured me it was nothing like that so I decided to be with her even though Walt had to leave the room. It was so peaceful and nice for her and I was so touched when the Dr. started to cry with me as well. I was so thankful I was with Cory and couldn't understand why Walt couldn't be with Klancy and why he didn't ask me to be there either. It still makes me sad to think about poor sweet Klancy being left alone for his last minutes. It was only two weeks from the day after losing Klancy that Cory went to join him. It was a very sad and dreary winter and I cried a lot.

That summer we got a full breed Sheepdog, Roscoe, even though he didn't have papers, in Denver. He was a funny dog and very hyper and he loved to bounce around. My mom would scratch his behind and he just wiggled and wiggled around loving her long nails. He was a good dog but he was really Walt's dog. The next summer my friend Chris told us one of her co-workers Golden Retrievers had puppies and wanted to know if we wanted to "go look" at them. Well, as expected I found a sweet heart of a puppy there and put a deposit down on Mason who got his name from the people I bought him from because that was their last name. Mason was so smart he didn't really need much training. I always said he was an old soul even when he was a puppy because he was so mellow and sweet.

By the end of 1997 it was the beginning of the end for Walt and me (another blog) even though we didn't officially split until Nov. 98. When the split finally did come it was clear the dogs were going to be separated along with the two of us. I knew Walt was going to take Roscoe and I was taking Mason just like he was going to take the wing back chair and I was taking the couch. After I moved into my own house I knew Mason was grieving his loss of Roscoe because he was just so down. Here he was in a new house with just me, it must have been really hard on him but thank God for Mason because if it weren't for him I don't think I would have been able to get through this split without him. Some of the best times I had with Mason were when we would go to my parent's house and go swimming. I would take a tennis ball and throw it out in the water and he would jump in and swim out time and time again to get it. I'd jump in the water and the two of us would just swim around playing ball. It really was like living in the lazy hazy days of summer.

Little did I know during that this was going to be the beginning of the worst time of my life which I know I'll cover later.

Fast forward to Mar. 2000 when my mom went into the hospital for her heart surgery and she had me take care of her Westie, Murphy. I had taken care of Murphy many times before when my parents would go to La Jolla for the winter and absolutely loved her and she and Mason were great buddies. On Mar. 29, both Murphy and I became orphans when mom died just ten months after dad passed away. There was no question that Murphy was going to live with Mason and me and I know she had a great life with us. That summer I would sit on my deck and watch Murphy and Mason run from one side of the yard to the other to look out the fence to see the goings on in the street. It wasn't long before I had my little Westie paths in my yard and realized I'd never have grass grow there ever again. The three of us would have our little routines starting in the morning when I would have them jump up on the bed for our morning snuggles. Mason would sleep on the floor and Murphy had her own bed so the morning times were special. I didn't live too far from a park so the three of us would go on our evening walks mostly in the summer and I would take them to the ranch sometimes.

Then came New Years Eve, 00-01 when I met Kal at a party in Denver. To say we hit it off quickly is an understatement but the biggest hurdle was that Kal and the dogs had to get along, not only get along they all had to thrive. If Kal wasn't coming up to Fort Collins I was loading up the dogs into my truck to drive down to Albuquerque. I usually stopped in Pueblo, Las Vegas and this gas stop in Budaghers, NM to let the dogs out to go "pee pee caa caa." We'd get here but unfortunately the house Kal was renting had a horrible back yard and the poor dogs hated to go outside there. When I went back to Fort Collins I usually would hit Denver at rush hour. It was so cute when the dogs looked out the window in the back of the truck at the people sitting stuck in traffic. I know they were responsible for a lot of smiles those people might not have had at that moment.

Well, the three of them did hit it off and when it was clear I was going to move to Albuquerque I decided to leave the dogs with Kal while I packed up my house. Murphy was at mom's when we went through her things and she really was visibly upset about everything getting packed up and I didn't want her to go through that again. It was easier for me to not have them there but it sure was lonely at night. While the dogs were with Kal he had a doggie door put in the rental house and set about cleaning up the yard as best as he could.

I got moved into the rental and we started looking for a house to buy. One of the many criteria we needed in a house was a yard for the dogs. We found the house on Coe and put in an offer that was accepted. We closed on the house the first week of Sept. 01 and took Murphy and Mason on the AIDS Walk with us on Sept. 8. Someone was there with a little Westie and told us there was an ad in the paper for Westie puppies for sale in Tome. Well, the terrierists hit Albuquerque 2 days before New York and Washington when we bought Maggie on 9-9-01. Maggie was a little puppy and had the biggest ears on her. Of course Mason was a perfect gentleman with letting Maggie grab on to his ears becoming living earrings. Murphy wasn't too sure of her but was never mean to her and after awhile the girls were playing with each other and our little family became five.

When we moved into the house we had the doggie door installed and a fenced grass yard for the babies. I am so glad we didn't remodel the kitchen for a couple of years because Maggie took it upon herself to be the personal destruction dog. She chewed up the cabinets and ripped up the vinyl floor in the laundry room. The three of them quickly became a team and poor old Mason had to deal with them. They would cuddle up in Masons legs and sleep that way. We had our portrait taken with Murphy, Mason and Maggie that also became our Christmas card and is hanging in the family room.

Murphy had been diagnosed with a form of cancer in early 02 but it really didn't seem to slow her down. When we decided to to the AIDS walk that fall we thought we could take turns carrying Murphy but she wouldn't have it and walked the whole 5K. The only real things we saw about her illness was she wasn't eating very much and was starting to get pretty thin. Then there was that night in Dec. when we were getting ready for bed and couldn't find Murphers. We looked all around the house and went out front thinking she might have slipped out when we turned of the Christmas lights but couldn't find her anywhere. I was frantic and running all over the place when I decided to go out and really check out the dog yard. It was cold and drizzling outside and I looked down by the wheel barrel and saw her two little hind legs sticking out from behind it. I picked her up and she was dirty, wet, shaking and wheezing. I brought her in and dried her off and tried to put her to bed. She was up most of the night not doing well and I was awake most of the night listening to her. The next morning she couldn't even stand up on her own so we called the vet and they got us in right away. It was pretty clear to us that Murphy went out under the wheel barrel to die. I don't think she wanted us to see her go and this was her way to spare us. I didn't want her to suffer anymore and knew it was time to let her go so while I held her in my arms I had the vets give her the shot to put her to sleep. Like Cory many years ago it was so peaceful for her and I was so glad I was with her. Not only was it hard to lose Murphy but I felt another piece of mom being torn away from me. While I had Murphy, I still had my mom in a way. I would always refer to her as my mom's dog and we had that special bond.

I couldn't believe it but in the next day's paper was an ad for Westie puppies from the same place we got Maggie. I didn't want to get another puppy so soon after losing Murphy, it had only been one day for crying out loud but decided to go "look" at the puppies. They had two girls left and brought one out first. She was cute but a little shy and I thought to myself we could leave and not feel badly about not getting one. Then they brought out the other little girl. This little puppy was the cutest thing I had ever seen with her fluffy hair and her ears still weren't up. To say we had a mutual admiration for each other would be an understatement my heart just melted when I held her. So off we went home with little Miss Molly, by golly in arm. Kal kept telling me that there was a part of my mom in Molly and that she in fact picked me, which I guess is right.

We got Molly home and she fit in quickly. Maggie was glad to have someone to play with and Mason being Mason put up with her. We got Molly into school quickly and being the proud papas that we are took the video camera to all the school functions. Of course Molly was the best in class but I have to admit that I didn't keep up with her schooling because not only did Miss Molly pick me out she was training me as well. Before I knew it, Mollers took on the role of "alpha dog" which she wore well. She let us know that she was "over" sleeping in the kennel and was ready to sleep on the bed and quickly let us know that she was letting us sleep on the bed with her. She is the only dog I know that loves to burrow to the bottom of the bed and sleep under the covers even in the middle of summer.

I love Molly with my heart but she has this separation anxiety issue with me. When I drove up to the cabin with just the dogs I couldn't even stop to go to the bathroom without her wailing in the truck. It is the same thing at the groomers. For the first few time I took her to get groomed they suggested I might give her some doggie downers to calm her down. Then there is the mailman, good lord I swear she can hear his truck two blocks away and she just sits there staring at the mail slot whining. I have had to put up a barricade so she can't grab the mail when it comes through the slot or else it gets shredded better then my paper shredder.

I have to say though I have never had a dog that loves me as much as Molly does and the feeling is mutual. I have and do love all the dogs I have had in my life but there is something about Molly that's different. Maybe it is the way she has to be with me all the time or at least in lines sight or how she snuggles on my lap but I absolutely adore her. She has the best personality too and I swear she knows how to talk when she does the "wouh wouh wouh". She can jump like I have never seen with all four legs off the floor at least a foot high, especially when it is treat time at 5:30. Mollers watches TV too and whenever a dog, not a cat, is on the screen she flies off the couch to run up to the TV to jump and bark at the dog on the screen. When she hurt her back and had to be on pain killers I just hated seeing her drugged up. She would sleep through the night and was calm as can be. I missed my jumping barking bed hogging Mollers.

By 2008, 'ol Masaroonie was starting to feel his age. Golden Retrievers hips tend to get bad when they get older and because Mason was such a big dog it was getting to him. We had him on Rymadel to loosen up his hips a bit but had to help him out by putting rug runners on the hard wood floors because he would slip on them and fall. Bless his heart though he loved his meals and treats and even though he was a little overweight I didn't deny him his goodies. One of the dogs most favorite things was to go to our neighbor Margaret's house (auntie Margaret) for treats. Margaret lives three doors down and when we let them out all three of them would tear over there. We would sit around the table and auntie Margaret would open up a bag of treats and divey them out between the puppies.

One day in Jan. we got the call to come over to auntie Margaret's house and let the dogs out like we had done so many times except this time about half the way over, Mason fell and he fell hard. He was down and when we got to him he was gasping for air. We got him up slowly, walked him home and called the vet who told us they could take him in right away. They could tell from looking at him and checking him over that his larynx was collapsing. We were informed there were no pills to help and the only thing that could help him was surgery. Even if we went that route they told us sometimes dogs forget how to swallow and have been known to chock themselves to death. Mason was at the point too that by doing nothing he could die a very painful death by not breathing and I knew I couldn't do that to him. Our vets are so wonderful, they gave Mason a sedative to relax him so his breathing will be easier and they told us we could take him home to spend his last day around familiar surroundings and they would come over after work to put him to sleep. I couldn't leave his side all day, it just broke my heart to think of losing my best friend.

Mason was with me always by my side through my breakup and moving into our own house. He comforted me through my dad's bout with cancer and his passing away and then again ten months later with losing my mom. There were so many times when I would just sit on the kitchen floor wailing away with Mason sitting next to me letting me hold him. I'm so glad the last years of Mason's life were so happy living here with Kal, Maggie and Molly. Before the vets got to the house we gave Mason a whole bags of treats which he loved. They arrived and we put the girls in the bedroom and once again I lay next to Mason as he went to join Murphy and Cory in a very quiet peaceful passing. I'm sitting here crying thinking about my wonderful boy. I miss him so much.

After losing Mason I really didn't want to get another dog at least right away so we just concentrated on Maggie and Molly until September came along. Kal saw an ad in the paper from the same breeder we got our other two Westies about a little girl needing a lap to curl up on. Kal was working but I went down to Tome to "look" at her like so many other puppies in the past. I was good and took a critical look at her and told the woman to hold her at least a day and I'd let her know by the next day. After talking to Kal that night I called and told her I'd be there the next day to pick up Masey. Yes we already had a name for her. We named her after Mason and as it has turned out we think there is some of my big fella in this little piece of work.

So I picked up Masey in the morning and met Kal at lunch with her and we all went to the park. Of course he fell in love with her too and all the girls got along. Molly and Masey had a ball playing together and still do to this day. I feel bad for Maggers that she gets left out of their romping but I think since she is getting a little older the wild play isn't as much fun for her. Just like the other two, Masey didn't have much kennel time and before we knew it she was sleeping on the bed with us, or should I say me. Unlike Molly, Masey sleeps on my side toward the bottom of the bed and she stays there all night long for the most part.

As it has turned out we are so happy we got little Masers. Not only is she as cute as can be, we wonder how a heart as big as hers can fit into that little body. She has an amazing capability to go with either of us when she realizes one of us is alone unlike Miss Mollers who has to be with me all the time. She learned how to "sit pretty" by herself and we will look at her sitting up and can't help but scoop her up in our arms. Now she has taken to keeping one of our socks with her all the time. She will hunt for her sockers and come in the room with it in her mouth. Masey doesn't rip it apart she just wants to have it either in her mouth or under her chin.

All in all I have been very lucky with my puppies through the years. Each and every one of them has or had their own personalities and have always offered their unconditional love. I couldn't imagine my life without dogs and have been blessed that these wonderful creatures came into my life. Kal said something the other night that really warmed my heart. We were talking about the dogs and how sweet they are and he told me they were so sweet because they learned it from me and that dogs learn their behaviors from their surroundings and the people there. Thanks sweetie.

Whew, done for now :)