Saying Goodbye...

I know it's been a while since my last post, but I just didn't have the heart to update. We suffered two great losses, and I just couldn't bring myself to write about it. The most recent loss was of my beautiful girl, Abby. I won't go into details, but at 12 1/2 years old, she just couldn't stand or walk. Those of you reading my blog last October know that she wasn't doing well, and we almost lost her then. But she rallied, and the same thing happened the week of Thanksgiving. This time, nothing helped her, she started to refuse to eat and the medications, acupuncture and laser therapy stopped working. So we had to let our sweet, perfect girl go. I knew at her age we could lose her soon, but I still wasn't ready. So I'm sorry for not updating, but I'm sure those who have lost their best friend will understand our heartbreak.

Another Abby pupdate...sad news

You may have noticed that we haven't been updating the blog much in the past week or so.  I had shared the news on this post about my Abby.  The laser therapy and acupuncture were working, along with a variety of medications.  They gave my sweet girl a few good weeks, but this past week they have stopped helping.  We are working with her veterinarians, trying to find something to help her, but at 12 years old there isn't much left to try.  So please just keep our girl in your thoughts and prayers, and hug your seniors close.

Abby pupdate...

This weekend was our Abby's 12th birthday, and I want to thank everyone for all the birthday wishes!  Abby had some real trouble walking this weekend, and at her age, this caused me some real moments of panic and endless worry.  But her veterinarian put her on some anti-inflammatory medications, along with her usual pain meds.

On Saturday she went for laser therapy, which requires the dogs wear goggles.



And she seemed to have some improvement on Sunday.  Since her veterinarian was at a dog event, they had me bring Abby, and she gave Abby acupuncture at the event.  Abby, who is the best dog in the world, was perfect for the demonstration.  Her vet was amazed, she told me dogs usually have to be bribed with canned dog food to remain still for the treatment, but Abby just stayed still the entire 30 minutes.

If you look closely, you can see the needles!

I think her happy face after the acupuncture says it all!  

She seems to be feeling better, so we are going to continue with the laser therapy and acupuncture.  We want to keep our sweet girl as happy as we can, because at 12 years old, every day is a gift.

And this sweet, beautiful girl deserves only the best! 

Today is a special day...

Today my is my Abby's 12th birthday!  I don't know how 12 years have passed by so quickly, every day with my girl has been a gift.

Abby, last night

I wanted to do so much, to celebrate this big day.  But unfortunately Abby is having a bad couple days.  She is having back and leg pain, and is having a bit of trouble walking.  So today she went for laser therapy, and her vet put her on an anti-inflammatory.  She is going to have another laser treatment tomorrow morning, and possibly some acupuncture in the afternoon.

Abby, in 2016

Words cannot express what this girl means to me, but you can read more about her on the links below.  I'm so worried, I hope we can get her back to feeling better.

Abby part 1
Abby part 2
Abby part 3
Abby part 4

I'm her person...part 4

Dogs, because of their close relationship with us, have been widely studied by humans.  Many profess to be experts in canine behavior, but I do not claim to be an expert in any way, shape or form.  While I am not an authority, I am fascinated by my collies and how they develop their unique personalities.  I’ve watched as our litters grow and change, and I’ve seen each puppy develop his or her own distinct likes and dislikes.   While I agree there is a definite impact on how a dog is raised and trained, some of their behaviors are just the result of their own individual characters.

Abby at Sunnybank

Abby is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever known, and her son Ryder, is just like her.  She is so calm and gentle that fearful dogs and puppies, who shy away from other dogs, tend to gravitate to her side.  She is friendly with most people she meets, and always hopeful they will give her some attention.  But while she seems happy to meet them, she only has a few “favorite” people in her life.  There is a marked difference in the way she greets my mother, sister and daughter, and you can see that these are people that matter to her.  And there is an even greater difference in how she responds to me, as she has chosen me as her “person.” 

My daughter was her handler at dog shows, and most evenings she feeds the dogs too.  So she has been a big part of Abby’s life.  Abby definitely loves her, but she has some odd quirks when it comes to her relationship with my daughter.  Abby will sit on the couch with me, content and happy to be by my side.  But if my daughter comes and sits down on the other side of Abby, she will get up and leave the room.  Abby will not sit next to my daughter on the couch, and she will not sleep on her bed.  And when Abby, now a senior, decides she wants to play, she will find a toy and stand in front of me with her tail gently wagging an invitation.  My daughter finds it funny, and always asks Abby, “what did I ever do to you?”

Abby has her preferences in toys, and she will play with any of them when the mood strikes, but she has one favorite toy.   She won this toy at a dog show years ago, and she loved it so much that we saved the toy just for her.  No one else is allowed to play with it, in case it gets damaged.  We have tried to find others, as back ups, but they stopped making it. 

May 2012

Abby also has a particular affinity for stinky things.  I realize this isn’t unusual, and many dogs like malodorous things, because what smells awful to us may be highly pleasant to them.  But Abby carries this enjoyment to an unusual degree.   We live near the beach, and she doesn’t roll on things she finds there on our walks.  She doesn’t try to roll on the occasional dead animal we pass on the road.  She prefers to rub herself all over people who have body odor.  Fortunately they don’t realize why she is winding herself around them, rubbing back and forth, they always exclaim that “she must really like them,” and “what a friendly dog!”  We just smile, and thank them for indulging her silly behavior.

We had a couple close calls over the years, the first when she had to have an emergency spay.  Then last year she developed an intestinal obstruction, and became critically ill, almost overnight.  Fortunately we didn't  hesitate and rushed her right to the animal hospital, it was a very scary experience.  Abby has done so many things for me.  She was my first champion, dam of my first two litters, and she is one of my best friends.  Abby is everything a collie should be, and has the beauty to match.

Abby - Winter 2016

For Abby's full story:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

How can 10 years have passed already?

It's still National Walk Your Dog Week, but more importantly, today is also my Abby's 10th birthday.

It seems just like yesterday that Abby and her sister, CC, were born!

Where have the years gone?

I am not prepared for you to be a senior already.  You are the one who loves me best, my shadow, my devoted friend, my heart and my first champion.  Without Abby, there would be no Ryder, Kori or Scarlett.  There would be no Maizie or Sophie either.  Happy birthday Abby, may you live a very long, happy life!

How can 10 years have passed already?

It's still National Walk Your Dog Week, but more importantly, today is also my Abby's 10th birthday.

It seems just like yesterday that Abby and her sister, CC, were born!

Where have the years gone?

I am not prepared for you to be a senior already.  You are the one who loves me best, my shadow, my devoted friend, my heart and my first champion.  Without Abby, there would be no Ryder, Kori or Scarlett.  There would be no Maizie or Sophie either.  Happy birthday Abby, may you live a very long, happy life!