Tuesday, May 31, 2011

the things we miss already

Frisbees.  Chasing them until we can't breath.  Tongue hanging on the ground.
Stealing the ball from whomever actually retrieved it.
Rope bones.
Toy hoarding.
Running up and down the steps.
Playing with Allie.
Following me around.
Eating all the scraps of vegetable that flew (unintentionally or otherwise) off my cutting board.
Begging for dinner.
Head cocks at the word "treats", "ball", "toy", or "breakfast".
Crunching frozen poop in the backyard (yuck!).
Digging in the trash for vegetable pieces.
Chewing through pockets for Gu wrappers.
Nosing into bike bags to steal Cerasport packs, and then acting innocent (until the pink paws were noticed).
Curling up in the little dogs' bed at Mom's.
Scarfing up horse feed that dropped on the ground or sat in a bucket.

My dog is sick.  Technically, he's our dog, but he's always liked me better.  He's only 8, a border collie mix we got from a rescue agency some 7 years ago tomorrow.  Last Tuesday, the biopsy came back positive for locally metastatic adenocarcinoma in the lymph node with the primary tumor likely to be in the nasal cavity.  We are not pursuing radiation therapy.  So, in reality, my dog is dying.  I didn't ask the vet how long he expects him to live.  I didn't want to know.

His nickname this week is fisheyes.  The tumor is pushing out under his nose.  He can't see much.  But I am focusing on the positives.  The pieces of him we still get to enjoy for some amount of time longer.

Cuddles
Eating (anything soft, warm, and not wrapping up a pill)
Walking in a perfectly straight line on the sidewalk, veering to the grass only for business.
Tricks for treats.
Peeing on the onions.
Belly rubs and goodnight snuggles.
Wags.  Any time he hears our "dog talk" voices.
Strawberries.  Corn cobs.  Watermelon.

So cuddle your dogs tonight.  Hug them and throw them a frisbee.

3 comments:

  1. I'll let the boys know tonight that a good friend is very sick. You can bet Gideon and his fisheyes will make it into their prayers for days to come. Enjoy the remaining time with the Gidster and let us know if there is anything we can send your way from SLC, aside from hugs and prayers.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Dave (and your posse) - you're the sweetest.

    ReplyDelete