Charlie's Big Week

Last week, Charlie's Aunt Karen (Sophie's mom) came to visit. I know it was bittersweet for her, having lost Sophie this spring and Charlie being so much like Sophie, but I also know it was fun!

Charlie says hello
Whenever possible, we took Charlie, and he had a blast. We went to brewpubs...

Lunch at Hedge House
... and to waterfalls:

Multnomah Falls
We went up Mt. Hood...

At Timberline Lodge
... and out to the gorge to buy salmon from the Indians:

Only steelhead today
Charlie met new dogs...


... and new people:



By the end of each day, he was pooped...

Headed home
... but by the next day, he was ready to go again!

"Let's go!"
Hope you had a good week too!

 

Ups and Downs

I'm sad to report that Charlie's sister Sophie is starting to have some days where she doesn't feel as well as before. At first Karen thought maybe she'd gotten into something, but Sophie's recheck at Purdue showed that the chemo doesn't seem to be helping. Sigh...

At the park.
Still, Sophie seems to be mostly feeling well. She went to the park Friday and chased a squirrel off-trail and into the woods, causing Karen to have to yell like crazy to get her to come back.

Hoping for squirrels.
So please send some fresh Power of the Paw to Karen and Sophie. Let's hope they get a lot more good days together -- days where Sophie feels like doing all those things that would get her in trouble if she wasn't being spoiled rotten! :)

 

What a Dog!

Direct from Karen:
"Sophie is doing GREAT today. She is eating well, the swelling is out of her feet, and she was jumping (not supposed to) when I came home. She then ran around the house with a toy in her mouth (not supposed to). Anyway, here are some pics from last night when she came home. The others are from the snow storm day 2-3 weeks ago. Sure doesn't look sick!"

Good thing Karen is a vet -- that Sophie does like to push the boundaries (just like someone else I know)!

Just home from surgery and already teasing Steeler!

Steeler's happy that Sophie's home, too.

Sophie a few weeks ago

 

Sometimes Life is Just Too Sad

Charlie's sister Sophie is headed home. Her mom Karen says she seems to feel pretty well, but the pathology results indicate "histiosarcoma" -- a rare, aggressive, fast-moving form of cancer with very poor prognosis -- just terrible news.

We're all in shock that a dog so seemingly young and healthy could become so sick so quickly. But you know how that goes; many of you have been through similar experiences yourselves.


For what it's worth, Sophie is about to embark on a life of being spoiled and pampered -- doing what she wants, when she wants, being constantly fussed over and played with, and always being offered the "good" treats.

 

Sophie Update 3 - They're Eating Out of Her Paw

Sophie's doing well post-surgery. Her two favorite things are attention and food, and she's getting plenty of both.

In this morning's call (they update Karen twice a day), the vet student responsible for Sophie kept saying "I LOVE that dog! I just LOVE that dog!" And she followed on with "But she can get a really sad look on her face... No one can pass her cage without stopping to pet her and talk to her. And she loves it."

She'll go home when they can wean her over to oral medications, but if she keeps this cuteness up, one wonders how hard they'll try. ;)

Sophie, with "the look"

Sophie Update

As with most things in life, there's good news and not-so-good news. Sophie is feeling better and spending the weekend in the hospital at Purdue. Surgery is scheduled for Monday @11am EST.

Sophie's not only made friends, but has everyone there wrapped around her paw. When Karen took her out for a break yesterday after her exam & tests, even the front desk receptionist knew and greeted her. Sophie, of course, wiggled and squinted in response.

Sophie (at 7 wks) and squirrel
The test and exam results yesterday were not so good - Sophie's spleen doesn't look normal and there's a nodule on her liver. Since she's a middle-aged golden, realistically that makes them think cancer, possibly a hemangiosarcoma. On the other hand, it could still all be benign. They just can't know yet.

Sophie in front, Charlie behind.
On the good side, Sophie's wolfing down her food again, her blood count is up to 3/4 of normal (it was down to 1/2), she's feeling better, and (of course) everyone loves her. She has a whole team of great doctors caring for her. And she has the power of the paw!!

Sophie (l), Karen, and Charlie (r)
Thanks for all your thoughts and well-wishes! Karen and Sophie and we here all appreciate them -- more than you can know.

 

Paw Power for Sister Sophie, Please

As you can see in the photos below, Charlie's sister Sophie in Indiana is very much like him in looks and behavior. For example, she sits on her friends, uses her stuffy as a pillow, and inhales her dinner.

Sophie (top) and Steeler (bottom)
So when she ceased wolfing down her food and didn't want to play "chase the lamb and take it from Steeler", her Mom Karen thought something might be amiss. And something was. Karen's a vet, so she drew blood and found Sophie very anemic; then she x-rayed her and found nodules in/on her spleen. They've probable ruptured and are bleeding, hence the anemia.

Sophie & peanut butter jar
So as I write this, Sophie and her mom are on the way to Purdue's Veterinary Teaching Hospital, where Sophie can have the best level of care -- not unlike that which people get... transfusions, expert surgery with a dedicated anesthesiologist, an ICU with 24x7 staffing... the works.

Sophie, with Steeler's lamb
Hopefully the nodules are benign and Sophie can just have her spleen removed and put this behind her. But to make sure... please keep Sophie in your thoughts and send some power of the paw her way.

 

And Now for Something Completely Different

Meet Sophie, Charlie's sister. His real sister, as in littermate.

Sophie on her air vent
I've just returned from a trip though Indiana with my siblings, seeing the old homesteads and visiting the old haunts. While there, I got to spend a few days with Sophie and with her mom, our good friend Karen. And I got to meet Stephanie, the woman who bred Charlie & Sophie's litter, raised them for the first 8 weeks or so, and still has their mom Abby.

Sophie (right) and her best friend Steeler
Upon meeting Sophie, the resemblance to Charlie was striking. Because just like Charlie, Sophie squints and smiles (while wagging vigoously) when she's really happy to see someone.

They have the same look to their face and similar smiles. Both have below-the-ears unruly flyaway (but I mean that in a good way) ear hair. They both paw. A lot. Both are constantly hungry, not bothering to chew in their haste to wolf down food. And both carefully cultivate a serious mournful stare which they milk for all it's worth.

Sophie, working it
Unlike Charlie, however, Sophie is a licky dog, and she loves to give dog kisses. Also unlike Charlie, she doesn't drool, and she's not bitey. Until you rev her up... then, watch out... yep, just like Charlie.

Sophie on her deck
Like Charlie, Sophie is completely "glued" to her mom (and vice-versa) and follows her everywhere. I tried to convince her to come home with me, but I don't think she was even tempted.

 

Happy Birthday and Thanks, Aunt Karen!

It all began 10/26/2004 with email from our good friend, Karen, in Indiana: "Look! I am going to call about this litter. I don't know how old they are now, but there are 4F and 4M. They said the father was the same color as the mother (whose name is Abby). :-)"

Many years ago Karen, a vet in Indiana, had saved the life of our golden retriever, Lindsey. Karen had loved Lindsey's "you are my slave, give me what I want" personality so much that Lindsey made a litter just for her. We had each kept a puppy, but after long and wonderful lives, they had both passed on, and it was time for another.

                        Charlie (Bailey) on top of the pile

So we'd previously enjoyed having golden siblings, and when Karen sent her email, you could just feel where things were headed. She liked the looks of the new litter and selected a puppy (Sophie) herself. We asked her to pick out a Lindsey-like one for us, too. There was one puppy (called Bailey at the time) that stood out to her: "Wasn't it cute that Bailey was always on the top of the pile?"

From there things progressed pretty quickly: "I told the puppy people that you have dibs on Bailey". The puppy people's response was: "We won't have to mark his nails, his personality says it all; he tried another escape after we raised the board." And as they grew: "Bailey, aka. Charlie Jr. is starting to 'pounce' when he plays...very cute. He is the first to eat and the last to sleep. Get ready... ;-) "

So Karen is the reason we have Charlie. And on her special day, all of us here want to wish her a very Happy Birthday and say a big
Thanks! Karen's Sophie (L) with brother Charlie (R)