Time is such a funny thing...some days it feels like he has been gone for so long, while other days it seems like he should still be sitting in his spot on the couch when I walk in the room. Hard to believe it was less than a year ago when I found myself hoping and praying that he would make it to see his 15th birthday. And of course, he did...he did it for me.
I've been working on some special Pongo projects on and off over the summer. One of them was a hard cover press printed book. It turned out lovely, so I thought I would share some of the pages here...
First, a big thank you for all of the thoughts and kind words about Pongo's passing. I haven't been able to respond to everyone (I honestly just haven't had the heart, nor the words), but please know that I appreciate all of you.
Obviously I've know for a while that the time was coming, but I don't think anything could have prepared me for how difficult this would be. It just seems so wrong to wake up and not see his face every morning.
Pongo was my original spotty. He was with me through so many life changing moments - college, graduation, my first real job, an apartment fire, a few heartbreaks, my move to Florida, etc., etc. Aside from my parents, he's been the only living reminder here of my life back in Indy. Of course, I still have so many wonderful memories, but I can't help but to feel like such an important chapter of my life has suddenly ended.
Peyton and Indy seem to be doing just fine...they probably knew what was happening before I did. I find it very ironic that Pongo passed on the date I officially named as Peyton's birthday. A part of me wonders if it was a gentle little reminder that he was and would always be the very first. And of course, I will think of him every time I write down that date on Peyton's trial entries. :)
I know in my heart that he is in a better place and free from the old, tired body that slowed him down over the past few years. I can picture him running on an endless beach and stopping to mark on every single chair in sight. Despite my objections, he loved to do that...although I was mortified the one time someone was actually sitting in one of those chairs...oops! I also hope that he has an endless supply of bread, pizza, and toilet paper (just a few of his favorites)...without ever feeling full nor hungry.
One of these days I'll be able do a proper tribute to my special boy. But in the meantime, thank you again for thinking of us.
He didn't give me the chance to make that painful decision I've been agonizing over for so long. I should have known...that was just the kind of friend that he always was to me. I will be forever grateful.
Goodbye my dear Pongo, our house of spots will never be the same without you.
Wow, can you believe it's March already?! These past few months have been so busy that I haven't had much time for updates, but I thought I'd share some random spotty happenings.
On Monday night I decided to drop in one of our classes out at the club. Usually I run Peyton in one of advanced classes on Tuesday or Thursday after I teach, but since this session I'm teaching 2 classes each night, it makes for a really long evening if I stay. Not to mention that Peyton requires a little more energy than I usually have at that time!
The Monday class started off okay, but then we got stuck on a little sequence that really shouldn't have been that hard, but for whatever reason, we just couldn't make it work. Because no post is complete without a picture, I've included a little course map below. (Not really to scale, but should give you a good idea).
Basically what I wanted to do was send to 2 and then recall over 3 to the weaves. Peyton, however, was convinced that we were doing the jump after the tire and the only way he was reading the turn was if I ran right up to 2, decelerated, and then moved to 3. But that option put me behind and I was determined to make the other option work. Not such a brilliant idea, but that's obviously a weak spot for us so I wanted to work on it.
On attempt #??, I ran a little deeper to 2 and thought for sure I was going to make it well past 3, but Peyton cut me off thinking we were going to the a-frame and I tripped over him and crashed so hard I think my head rattled. Not graceful. At all. Ouch. :)
Ok, so maybe this was a good reminder that repeating something over and over and over isn't a good option for us. Lesson learned. Poor Peyton was trying so hard though...he really is good for putting up with me.
On other spotty notes, Indy is feeling much better and is back to her bratty self after a period of being "off" (and extra cranky, I might add). I thought initially that she was sore in her lower back area, but after a few adjustments, she still wasn't right. Turns out she had a bladder infection! She really didn't have any of the usual symptoms so I was surprised. I'll need to keep an eye on her and maybe even have x-rays done to check for stones, but for now she seems to be feeling great.
Pongo is doing about the same. He is still getting around okay, but every day seems to be a little more of a struggle. :(
I just ordered "Get on the Ball 2" and a peanut therapy ball - I've been wanting to do some more conditioning work and thought like this would be a good option. Any of my friends do ball work with their pups? I'm thinking it will be entertaining, at least!
And finally, I thought I would do one last push for Johann's shelter (as part of her Holiday Giveaway). If you would like to make a little donation, you can click on the widget below or go here: www.firstgiving.com/johannthedog. Thanks!
This update is long overdue, but thinking about it (let alone writing about it) has been really hard.
A few weeks before Christmas Pongo had a really bad day filled with multiple seizures. With the help of my vet, we got the seizures under control, but came to the conclusion that Pongo most likely has a brain tumor. Not shocking considering he had been having problems with his hind end and balance for several months, but still not easy to swallow. The next few days were extremely difficult - no seizures, but Pongo was behaving in a way that made us question whether or not he had suffered brain damage. He seemed super happy and was walking all over the place, but the look in his eyes...it was like the lights were on, but no one was home. Kinda like "I see dead people and it's really, really cool! I could hardly stand to look at him without breaking down. That was not my Pongo.
Of course the timing was bad...I knew it wouldn't be easy, but right before the holidays? I had a few conversations with my vet about timing and when he might be available to come over and whether or not with the help of meds, Pongo could/would make it through Christmas. It was not a fun week. And then all of a sudden Pongo started improving...the lights slowly started to come back on.
So we made it through the New Year and now it's nearly February and Pongo continues to do pretty well. He's on prednisone which I think is likely keeping any swelling in his brain down. He's still happy to eat and is always first in line when it's dinner time. And aside from a few slips here and there, he's able to get around pretty good on his own. Overall, I think he's hanging in there, but I have a feeling that it might not be for too much longer.
I find myself watching him a lot and wondering if there's something I'm missing. Signs that he might be in pain, or not mentally well. I don't see them now, but I'm so afraid of not knowing when the time is right to say goodbye. Everyone tells me that I will know, but will I really? What if I hadn't waited a few days last month. Then he would be gone by now and I would probably still be wondering if I had made the right decision.
I know that at 15+ years, he's lived a long and happy life for a dog. And I'm certainly very grateful for that, but it's still hard to think about. For now, we're just taking it one day at a time.
So that's my long Pongo update...thank you to everyone who has asked about him and have been sending good thoughts! Here's a picture I took a days few before Christmas (after he started improving)...still my sweet spotty boy.
You probably know by now that at 60 degrees, I usually have a sweatshirt on and tend to complain a little about being chilly. At 50 degrees, I'm probably wearing a hat, possibly gloves, and the moaning and groaning begins. And at 40 degrees, the serious grumbling sets in. Below 40, I start to think about hibernating! It has been insanely cold (for Florida) this week, and the past few days have been miserable. Hello Florida...it's not supposed to be so COLD here!
We cancelled two days of agility classes this week and the only time I ventured out was for Karen's advanced handling class...I considered staying home, but couldn't pass up a class with Karen. I even took Indy, and while I was miserable, she had a lot of fun, and did pretty well considering she hasn't been in a class like that for ages! Poor Peyton stayed home - I was pretty sure it would be too cold for him. Indy has a little more coat and isn't as much of a weenie like Peyton (or me, for that matter).
I've been reminded countless times about how back in Indy, I'd be up before the sun in the middle of winter driving through snow and ice, and sub zero temperatures to go work at the barn where I kept my horse. I vaguely remember those miserable days, but I'm convinced that any tolerance I had for cold weather is now long gone.
I've also been reminded how cold weather makes me want to eat lots of warm chocolate chip cookies. I don't bake, but thankfully Nestle has other more convenient options. In attempt to rationalize the cookie overindulging, I've decided that it's quite efficient to make cookies and then leave the oven door open after they are done (turned off, of course) to use the leftover heat to help warm up the kitchen. That's smart baking, right? :)
I'm very behind on editing personal photos, but I thought I'd share one of Pongo from Thanksgiving. It reminds me of SUN and WARMTH...hopefully, two things we'll see back here in Florida soon.
Peyton thinks that Christmas is the MOST FUN THING EVER. And he thinks that every present is HIS. I think these pictures say it all...
Seriously, could his eyes get any bigger? I think he must go into this PRESENTS-PRESENTS-PRESENTS-ALL MINE-ALL MINE-ALL MINE sort of trance. Such a happy spotty boy.
But nothing made me happier than to see Pongo enjoy some Christmas fun this year! He doesn't care for toys much, but he sure did enjoy shredding some paper and gave us lots of smiles...
That last picture especially just makes my heart melt. I haven't been able to talk about it much, but Pongo has had some difficulties this month and I honestly wasn't sure if we were going to have another Christmas together. I'll give an update soon, but to say the least, these past few days have been extra special.
If you're wondering where the third spotty is...well, apparently Indy has decided that she is not a fan of Christmas. Or maybe she just isn't a fan of Peyton's idea of Christmas. I think she finds his over-exuberance annoying and spent most of the past few days as far away from him as possible. Every once in a while she would give him her best evil snarky spotty face. What can I say, she's a grinch. :)
We want to thank everyone who has voted for Peyton in Johann's Howling Holiday Giveaway! He's currently in 4th place with 114 votes and while I don't think we'll catch up to the 1st place pup (with 604 votes - he must be popular!), we think 3rd place might be doable. :)
I usually don't enter these types of contests because I'm not a big fan of all of the nagging and desperate pleas for votes, but for some reason I thought this would be fun, and now Peyton's competitive side has kicked in!
So rather than nag and whine and beg and plead, I thought it would be nice to offer a little incentive for Peyton's supporters - so we'll be giving away a bag of some of the spotties' favorite all natural soft pumpkin treats. Very yummy! And the bag is even personalized with a picture of your favorite spotted troublemaker.
All you have to do is go to the Howling Holiday website and click on the stars for Peyton. (I think it helps if you click on his picture when you're done.) After you've voted, just leave me a comment here with his current number of votes and at the end of this week, we'll randomly select a winner. You can vote once per day - super easy!
Pongo and Indy have also been getting into the holiday spirit - Pongo just wants cookies and Indy would like everyone to know that she's *much* cuter than any spotted boy in a dumb santa hat!
I'm so very thankful that Pongo and I were able to celebrate another Thanksgiving together this year. He was one very happy spotty boy - not only did he get some turkey, but he also got a trip to the beach! I've got lots of pictures to share, but I couldn't resist posting this one first - it might just be my favorite Pongo picture ever...
In preparation for the Pet Extravaganza this weekend, I decided to take some test shots with my new backdrop. Fortunately for me, I have three very willing (read: bribable) spotty dogs who are always happy (read: somewhat tolerant) to be models.
Let's start with Indy - the *happiest* model ever, she says "I-love-modeling-yes-I-do-woo-woo-woo"...
But don't you dare look at her the wrong way, or accidentally imply that she might be looking a wee bit "fluffy" lately or you might get this...
If looks could kill...yup, that's my Indy girl. I would never say that she's *moody* cause well, I would like to wake up in the morning.
Pongo, on the other hand, is my old pro. He's a little past his modeling prime, but I can always count on him to deliver at least one good shot.
And Peyton...well, he's what I would call my aspiring model. He tries just a little too hard. He wants to be "cool". He wants to be "different". Normal ears do not apply here...I guess he's trying to make up for the fact he can't sport a mohawk.
Hmmm, does this remind you of a geeky high-school yearbook photo? Now all he needs is a pair of glasses with tape in the middle. :)
If you would like to see some more (slightly less geeky) shots of Peyton, be sure to check out my photography blog at simplyspottedblog.com.
Today we celebrated Pongo's 15th birthday! First we took a little trip to Wendy's for a hamburger and then we headed to Dairy Queen for some ice cream! Needless to say, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to celebrate this special day. Although the past few weeks have been a reminder that we really need to celebrate *every* day.
Pongo agrees...and he thinks we should celebrate tomorrow with pizza. :)
Ice cream definitely makes Pongo smile...
I think this might be the canine equivalent of brain freeze!
Ok maybe not, but he is *walking*! Yesterday morning he surprised me when I took him out and he took off across my backyard. He did it with such purpose and determination, as if to say "I've had enough of you hauling me around!" :)
When I brought him back inside, he proceeded to walk in circles around the room - he was so cute and acted very much like a toddler just learning how to walk. I think he was quite proud of himself!
Of course, I still have to keep close eye on him as his balance isn't that great and he gets tired pretty easily, but I'm hoping that he'll continue to improve so that he can get back to enjoying some of his favorite activities - supervising the kitchen and his evening walks!
Here's a little video from today - there are lots of smiles at our house...thank you everyone for the good thoughts and prayers for my spotty boy!
Our SOTC agility trial is this weekend in Palmetto and the story of the day has been rain, rain, and more rain. Seriously, a LOT of rain - so much that a good portion of both rings were under water and we ended up switching to just one ring after our Excellent standard run. I had to come home to take care of Pongo, but I heard that they just now running the final class, Excellent JWW. Yikes!
We started off the day with Novice FAST. I had a nice little plan in mind, but scraped it once I saw that a good part of the course was under water. I wasn't really impressed with any of the options we had to get points, so I decided instead to just use this run as a little warm up. Peyton was a little on the high-side, but not too bad...
Next was Open JWW - this was a tricky course to begin with, but add a little water to the mix and yuck. He actually handled the opening very well, but put on the breaks when I sent him to the jump after the weaves. Not sure, but I think he might have questioned my reasoning for sending him into a lake (did I mention he's *not* a fan of water?). Then as I tried to get ahead, I sent him to an off-course jump. Bad handler! Had I been a little more patient after the tunnel, I think I could have salvaged this run for a Q, but he took another off-course. Oh well, I was pretty happy he got his feet wet, literally. :)
Our last run of the day was Excellent Standard - this ring was in much better shape, but at this point I think Peyton was a tad bit stressed. Actually, it wasn't a bad run - it just felt very disconnected. I think we ended up with just one refusal at the weaves. On a good note, he held all of his contacts! Too bad that's a sign that he's not running as happy as usual. :)
As for Pongo, he's been doing about the same. He can stand on his own as long as I get all of his feet placed where they need to be and he can walk with a little bit of assistance. He seems like he feels okay, although I think he's pretty frustrated that his legs aren't cooperating. We had a little incident today though and I hope it's not going to be a big set back. I left the trial in between our JWW and Standard runs to go home and check on him and found him sprawled out on the tile in "his" room, struggling to get up. Apparently he was feeling rather ambitious and escaped his pool area - even though I put all of my dining room chairs around it thinking it would keep him in. I just feel terrible! :(
Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. Overall, I'm really pretty happy with Peyton's runs, but it does bother me to see him stressing. I know a lot of it has to do with his trial inexperience, but I'm sure my stressing over Pongo isn't helping. Tomorrow I'm hoping that I won't have to be gone too long and will be definitely be putting Pongo in Peyton's crate so I don't have to worry about my little escape artist!
On a sour note, it's raining *again* and we're supposed to have more rain tomorrow, so we might have to find some flippers before our runs! :)
Pongo is home! He ended up spending the day at the vet's office so they could work on getting his sodium levels back down within normal range. Because he's shown no improvement movement-wise, they started him on a treatment plan for vestibular disease...they're still not exactly sure that's the issue, but for now it seems like a good possibility. We'll see...
Tomorrow Pongo is heading back in for an acupuncture treatment with Dr. Funk. I've had good luck with acupuncture, so I'm hoping it might be able to help him. While none of my spotties have had acupuncture before, I did have a horse back in Indiana that had treatments done on occasion, also with good results.
Pongo is currently resting in...a swimming pool! I've had one sitting in my garage for years unused (the spotties are not fans) so I'm glad to finally have a use for it. I'm hoping that it helps keep him comfortable and secure.
Peyton is obsessing over Pongo at the moment. Normally, he won't give Pongo the time of day (he thinks he's bor-ing), but he's been trying to sniff and lick him all over since we got home. Poor Pongo is less than amused...I finally had to put Peyton in my room so he'd leave him alone. And Indy - well, she's just annoyed that no one is paying attention to her.
Speaking of Indy and Peyton - they also got to see the vet today. My primary vet, Dr. Funk, stopped by to do their annual heartworm tests and also adjusted both of them (chiropractic - not attitude - in case you were wondering). They both actually did pretty good. Peyton has a love-hate relationship with Dr. Funk...he really likes him, but is less than enthusiastic about getting worked on. Today he tried his best to convince Dr. Funk with lots of big toothy smiles that he was in perfect health. :) And Indy, well let's just say she didn't bark as much as usual.
Pongo would like to thank all of his friends for the good wishes...they really mean a lot! He'd also like to thank Dr. Capuano and the staff at Sarasota Animal Hospital for taking such good care of him.
It's been a rough couple of days for my original spotty dog. Yesterday morning he woke up and couldn't walk without collapsing. His hind legs were going in every direction. It was a very bad day - his hind end has been weak for quite some time now, but he's never had this much difficulty moving. We had to carry him outdoors and even with support, he couldn't stand on his own. Overwhelmed by feelings of sadness, I spent the day trying to come to terms with the possibility that the time had come to say goodbye to one of my best friends.
This morning I woke up with hope. Pongo seemed a little better and could stand on all fours without my support. He couldn't walk, but he could stand. And he was trying soooo hard to get around. I couldn't leave him without him trying to follow. I also noticed a bit of a head tilt today, and a quick online search led me to the possibility of a vestibular disorder, which happens to have a very good recovery rate.
I took him to the vet and they started with a CBC and chest x-rays to rule out a tumor. The x-rays looked good, but his sodium level was abnormally high. They recommended keeping him overnight so that he could receive fluids to hopefully bring his sodium level down. I guess there is a slight chance that levels that high could cause neurological problems, and/or be a symptom of something else happening. As much as I didn't want to leave him, I agreed - so they'll do more blood work and a urinalysis in the morning. If everything comes back good, I think they'll assume it's most likely vestibular and we'll go from there.
One of my vets was kind enough to call me at 10 pm tonight to let me know that he was resting and seemed to be comfortable. That's my one comfort with leaving him - Pongo is such a good boy and he is always happy to stay with whoever will feed him. :) Of course, I still miss him.
The reality is the Pongo will be 15 in one week from today...I know that our time is limited and I realize that I am so blessed to have had almost 14 wonderful years with him. But when I look into his eyes I see that there *is* life left. And while I refuse to subject him to any treatments that will lessen his quality of life, if there is any chance that he can recover, than I feel like I owe it to him to give him that chance.
Even though his legs are failing him, he still manages to smile...that's my special boy.
Peyton and I are headed to West Palm Beach tomorrow for a two day night trial. I'm trying to be excited, but I'm still so exhausted from my Indy trip! I am looking forward to our first time running in excellent - I'm not expecting any Q's at this point, just some fun runs with my spotty boy!
I would like to get the one Q we need to get out of novice jumpers...I'm really not in a big hurry to move up, but at the same time I'm just not a fan of novice courses - especially jumpers. I'm sure that attitude isn't helping much!
Here's a few pictures of my non-traveling spotties. Apparently Indy isn't too happy about being left home...I guess I'm going to have to find a NADAC trial to take her to. As for Pongo - well, as long as there is food and a couch available, he's a happy spotty! :)
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