White Shepherd Stories

Brothers

Spirit & Quest

When I woke up on Friday, I raised my head to check on Spirit.  I saw big ears and a pretty face looking at me.  I put my head back down to wake up a little more and then it occurred to me that it was not Spirit's face I had seen.  I looked again and discovered it was Quest.  He never takes Spirit's bed, so I got up to investigate.  He was laying on Spirit's bed, sharing it with him..  I motioned him to stay and got my camera.  The picture above is of these wonderful brothers who just cared for each other so very much.  

Quest had begun sleeping with Spirit this last week.  I feared that I knew what that meant and sadly I was right.  The end was approaching.  

Quest and Spirit had a magnificent friendship and they have always looked out for each other.  They did not share a bed though, until this last week.  Quest stayed by Spirit's side so much more than usual and he only played with the young guys for brief periods of time.  It seemed that almost all of his attention was directed at Spirit.  I could see that Spirit appreciated it.  

On the weekend of April 9 & 10 we had gone  to a dog show.  It was Journey's first show. We all go to events together.  That is one of the best things about having a little motor home. Everyone can enjoy their own level of envolvement.   Spirit loved the motor home. He had his own seat, which is a plywood platform with legs on the front end.  It covers the passenger seat, the space in front of the seat and even extends the width of the seat.  I cover it with folded blankets and though it belonged to Spirit he willingly shared it with Quest.  He even began sharing with Pirate during the last year.  

 

"Quesy get off of me"

Spirit enjoyed the agility trials and the shows.  I would take him for several walks during the day and he enjoyed walking around at the various fair grounds where we sometimes camped over the weekend.  He liked to watch agility trials.  If the afternoons got long he could enjoy a kong stuffed with peanut butter and Charlie Bears.  He had water and comfortable beds where he could nap.  I usually parked where he had a view of dogs walking past his window. 

On Sunday I was packing up to head home and I discovered a growth on the underside of Spirit's tail. It was about marble size and the reason I saw it is because it had ruptured and was bleeding.  I was very worried and planned to take him in to see the vet on Monday.

We all love Dr. Moore.  I am especially sad that he is going to be moving to Chicago.  He will be working at the University of Illinois, pursuing the line of  veterinary medicine that he is most interested in.  He will be leaving this summer.  I am glad for him, in that he will be   doing what he loves, but I am sure feeling sorry for us.  He is a wonderful vet.  

When we arrived at the hospital Spirit walked comfortably into the waiting room and greeted the staff.  He strolled back to the scale and stepped on, standing very still while they got his weight..  At age 14 he knows what to do.  Then we went back into the exam room to wait for Dr. Moore. Spirit listened carefully.  He knew Dr. Moore's step and when the door opened his ears lay back in welcome.

Dr. Moore sits on the floor with my dogs.  He does a lot of ear rubbing and they just seem to love listening to him talk.  He has known Spirit and Quest since we moved to Washington in 2006.  We have all come to trust him and truly appreciate his kindness and his skills.  He knows Spirit well and not long ago I asked him to please help me determine when it was time to let Spirit go.  I wanted to be certain I did not try to keep him going just for me.  Most of all I did not want him to suffer when the quality of his life was no longer there.  

When Dr. Moore found a lump, at a previous visit, we discussed the options.  We could biopsy it, and if it was cancer he could remove it.  Or he could just remove it without bothering with the biopsy, since removing it would be the course of action either way. The problem was that Spirit was 14 years old and we both felt that surgery was not an option, nor would the follow up treatment for cancer be an option for a dog his age.  I just could not put him through that at this time in his life.  Even if he got through it, he would most likely have spent the last period of his life recovering from surgery.  He had enough of that.

Dr. Moore believes that many tests are run on animals mainly for the vets curiosity.  If the test results are not going to change the treatment then there is probably no reason to run them.  Most  forms of testicular cancer are very slow growing and both Dr. Moore and his associate felt that even if the lump was cancer it would most likely not be what would end his life.   We decided at that time that Spirit would not be put through any more surgery. He has had so many problems in his life.  He had total hip replacements on both sides. One failed after over five years and had to be done again.  Then he had three ruptured disks in his back repaired.   Twice he had to have fox tails removed from his poor, sweet nose.  He just had way too much for one guy and we decided to rule out any more.  I did not want his last days spent recuperating from surgery.

Dr. Moore listed the options.  We could biopsy the growth and/or remove it.  We could x-ray and see how big it was and if the fibrous tissue extended to the prostate as he thought it might.  He suspected that the growth had been there a while and just erupted, which is when I noticed it.  The fibrous tissue ran fairly deep, nearly to the perineum area. Removal would not be easy and there would be a possibility that he would not have been able to control his bowels after surgery.  

We opted to treat him with hydrotherapy twice a day and give him antibiotics.  It was our hope that the antibiotics would heal the site and he would have more good time.   Dr. Moore cleaned the wound and bandaged it .  He topped it lightly with a blue athletic wrap. This gave Spirit the look of a jumping horse with his tail wrapped.   Kind of sporty and Spirit did not seem to mind it at all.

The wound on his tail dried and seemed to get smaller, but the underlying area did not improve - it got larger.  Then Dr. Moore discovered the mass in his prostate.  He still did not seem in pain other than his arthritis, for which he took regular pain medication.  Dr. Moore began re-wrapping his tail and I commented that I had only been able to find beige athletic wrap.  When he came back in the exam room he brought three rolls of wrap, bright blue, purple and pale blue.  He sat them next to Spirit so he could choose.  Spirit reached out and clearly chose the bright blue.  After wrapping  his tail, Dr. Moore gave us the remainder of the bright blue roll to take home.  (Now that is a great vet!)   He also gave us Spirit's treat which he will never eat until we get home..  He touches it with his nose and then pokes my pocket to tell me to put it there for later.   

A week passed and we went back to see Dr. Moore yesterday, on Saturday.  The mass in his prostate was larger and painful.... the question I had not yet asked was answered in Dr. Moore's expression.

Spirit was bright and alert.  He had opinions on everything and he expressed them without any encouragement.  This was the only way he would want to live.  I knew I could not let him endure any more or watch him go downhill.   With his head in my arms he rested peacefully until he was gone.   I love this dog with every fiber of my being.  If I could have saved him for a year or two there is nothing I would not have tried to accomplish it. But it was just not possible and I knew he was ready.   

Quest taking care of Spirit.

Spirit's pretty blue bandage.

I held him for a while after he was gone and kept talking to him, just in case he could hear me.   Because I had not thought I would be leaving him, I had the other guys in the car. Dr. Moore suggested letting them say goodbye.  I have heard of that, but had not really formed an opinion of whether I wanted to do that.  I didn't feel certain that it would benefit them.  I listened to his opinion.  He said from what he had seen, it did truly benefit the other dogs.  Spirit was covered with a nice blanket up to his neck.  He looked like he was peacefully sleeping.  I brought Quest in and he gently touched his brothers nose and his eyes.  He walked around Spirit and sniffed him through the blanket.  He then walked to my side and leaned on me.  I put him back in the car and brought Pirate in.  He did about the same as Quest.  I guess I feared they would freak out or exhibit a lot of stress.  They did not. They were calm and very serious.  When I brought Journey in he lowered down in his typical submissive greeting position - to the alpha male.  He gave Spirit's nose a tiny kiss and then he was ready to leave.  

Quest was sitting in the passenger seat when I got in the car.  The alpha seat.   He placed his foot on my arm and I drove us home.  The tears have not stopped much since. I know it was the right thing to do and I am so glad he is no longer in pain.  I hope there will be a time when I am not.  Right now I can hardly imagine life without him.  We were partners and soul mates.  We understood each other without words.  If he saw me crying he would have kissed me until he made me laugh.   

Quest and Pirate are a little subdued and actually, Journey was a little subdued also, last night.  Today he is being Journey again, acting as a puppy should and Pirate is joining in.  It will take a little longer for Quest and me.   We will get better.  We have each other and we had a great teacher who taught us all the wisdom he knew and showed us what is really worthwhile in life.  We will always, always miss our great Spirit.

Spirit is My First White Shepherd

Spirit was an exceptional agility dog.  He didn't turn in Border Collie-time runs, but he was accurate and smooth.  He read my directions and did what he needed to do even if what I told him was wrong.    Once I got lost on a course and was looking for obstacle #10. Anyone who has ever gotten lost on a course in competition knows what an awful feeling of panic it is when you have no idea which way to go and a running dog is counting on you for direction.   I finally spotted our next obstacle and with out giving it a thought I called out "10".  Spirit  gave me a "look", made one of his smooth turns and went over the dog walk, which was obstacle #10.  The Judge was standing near me and she just shook her head in amazement.  She said "now I have seen everything - you just call out the numbers for him?"

In the older days of agility you could tie your dog to the corral fence while you walked the course.  Spirit never took his eyes off of me while I was walking the course.   It was a while before I realized he was memorizing the course.  It was very helpful because when I was stressed I sometimes forgot the way.  He never did.  I used to think he was reading my mind when he headed for an obstacle before I told him.   I actually do believe he reads my mind sometimes though.  

Spirit is not a tall Shepherd.  He measures 24" at the withers.  He was an amazing jumper though.  When he was a young dog, kind of new to agility, he took a wrong turn and found himself on the opposite side of the tunnel from where he needed to be.  He just handily jumped the tunnel to get there.   That put him a little out of line for the wing jump.  It did not phase him.  The wing jump bar was  24".  He was lined up for the wing of the jump which was a picket fence that measured at least 12" above the jump bar.  He just jumped that instead.   Then he saw my expression and realized he had done something wrong, so as a makeup gesture, he jumped back and forth over it again.  That made me smile, so he felt good.  He did not know he was disqualified.  As a finale he jumped the course ribbon instead of going out the exit.   Later, a man that was sitting near us told me that his wife had made him come to the agility trial.  He had wanted to stay home and watch a game.  He said watching that run of Spirit's made it all worth while.  He told us that the ribbon Spirit jumped was 42" high.  

Spirit competed in agility in several venues until he was seven.  He was in "excellent" class in AKC when he began experiencing lameness occasionally.  We found out he needed a total hip replacement.  That was done in 2003.  He did well with that until 2004 when the other hip started to cause him to be lame some times.  He had another hip replacement on the other side.  He made a wonderful recovery and probably could still have performed but I just did not want to risk him.  I let him do lessons and he enjoyed that for several more years.  I made certain he jumped at a lower level.   He gradually started leaving out certain obstacles that were a little more difficult for him.   He always wanted to be included though.and to this day he does tunnels and teeters if he gets a chance.  He will do hoopers too, but he thinks they are boring.

We used to go to the beach every morning before I had to go to work.  There was a wonderful bunch of dogs there and Spirit could not wait to get there to run and play.  He had his favorites, but got along fine with all of them.  He was the alpha dog.  He just walked onto the beach and they knew it.  He never had a fight or tried to bully.  He was just "the man".  It was an interesting interaction to witness.  If there was a strange dog on the beach that he was not sure of, he took that opportunity to take a swim.  He made sure it did not look as if he was avoiding it, just happened to want to take a swim.  

Sometimes there were seals, dolphins or Pilot Whales in the surf.  Spirit looked for them and would find a high spot on the beach so he could see them better.  It was interesting to watch their curiosity in each other.  The dolphins and the seals were especially interested in the dogs.  

Diva & Spirit

Our Standard Poodle, Diva went to the beach with us and Spirit took responsibility for her well being.  Her eyesight was not too good and  neither was her hearing.  He would make a point of checking on her every few minutes.  If she had strayed or gotten disoriented he rushed to her side and carefully shouldered her back to where we were.  She counted on him.   If we walked at night he stayed next to her as her guide, unless she was on leash.  

We have been together fourteen years now.  I bought Spirit from a man I worked with.  I was not looking for a dog.  My old Shepherd Chaos, a golden sable, was about 13 years old.  I probably would not have gotten another dog until after he was gone, if I had not found Spirit.  Spirit was from a litter of nine snow-white babies.  He was not the biggest, nor necessarily the prettiest, but he had enough personality for several dogs and he was already the alpha.  He led the puppy pack.   He was the first to do everything!  I got to keep my two favorites over a weekend and by Sunday evening it was an easy choice. Spirit was mine.  .

I have had quite a few dogs and I have loved them all, but I was 'in love" with Spirit. Maybe you have had a dog you felt that way about.  He was just special and he knew it. He was so competent and perfectly willing to take on the responsibilities of his world.  He was a little bossy, and somewhat demanding, but somehow you just did not mind because he could handle things so well.  He always had my back.  We made up for the things each other was lacking.  If one of us needed their courage bolstered, the other was there to do that.   I know how unbelievable this sounds and if you have never experienced this kind of relationship with a dog, you will probably think I imagine it.  But if you have been lucky enough to have had a dog like this you will know exactly what I mean .... and if you have met Spirit and got to know him even a little, you will know without a doubt.  

Busy Noses

We started a new class today.  It is called Nose Sport.  It was so much fun.  Our new instructor is very nice and so knowledgeable.  She works with everyone so well. 

Pirate, Quest and Spirit had taken K9 Nose work classes before and they loved it.  Then we found out that the Essential Oil, Birch, that the organization uses as one of the search odors is dangerous for dogs.  We notified one of the founders of the organization, that we were concerned about having our dogs breathe it, or come in contact with this oil and the only answer we got was that "like chocolate, a little would not hurt".  After checking with five different veterinarians we could find no acceptable reason to subject our dogs to this unnecessary danger when there are so many other safe choices.   So we are now in our own class and the odor we are using is vanilla.  Everyone is happy with it and the dogs are doing great!   We will not be able to compete in trials, but the safety and health of our dogs is more important  to our group than competition.  So we will be using safe odors that are approved by our veterinarians until or unless what we consider better thinking prevails with the K9 Nose work organization.  

Today was our first class.  I took Journey in first, as he had never tried it.  He was so cute.  He sat beside my chair so straight and tall.  He was very interested.  When it was his turn to search the boxes for the first time, he took it very seriously.  The boxes were spread out around the room and he quickly found the box with the small metal tin which contained vanilla scent.  We had a "party" of praise and treats and then he got to try it again.  He is thoroughly convinced that he is just as amazing as I told him he was.  

As other dogs took their turns, I switched dogs and brought Pirate in.  He is sort of an expert, as he has been doing this for quite a while.  He has never used vanilla though and I was wondering how easy it would be to switch him to a different odor.  I let him sniff the odor and he then went to the boxes and found the right one almost immediately.  

Quest was just as good.  He was actually a little less distracted and the second box he went to was the one with the vanilla.  

Spirit just could not be left out, and although he needs a little help going up the entry stairs, once he was inside he headed for the boxes immediately.  After sniffing two boxes, he found the odor.  He may be elderly, but there is nothing wrong with his nose.  It is wonderful to see him working again and so interested in performing.  He was very proud of himself each time he was successful.   He only did two searches today, but possibly he will do more as he works up to it.  

This is a wonderful sport and I especially like it because the dogs are the only ones who know how to do it.  Humans make the rules, but the dogs are the only ones who really know what they are doing.  There is no way we could do it.  This is truly their game!