Happy First Birthday!

Happy First Birthday to our precious little boy, Fry! We love you very much and are so glad you came into our lives. :-)

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And Heaven Smiled

When Heaven welcomed my angel, Spyder, I thought my heart would surely break and I honestly wasn’t sure I would ever be able to share my life with another dog again. But it soon became clear that coming home every day to a dogless house was just too unbearable. After all, it had been 15 years since Steve and I had been without at least one dog in our lives. And when I read the sad story on Petfinder about a puppy Super Dog Rescue was fostering, I knew in my heart that I had to go meet this little guy, known as “Mike”. Apparently “Mike” had been pulled from a home where he had been neglected and nearly starved, only to end up at a high-kill shelter and scheduled for the gas chamber. Fortunately, Super Dog rescued him hours before he was to suffer a horrific fate and placed him into a foster home where he was put up for adoption. Although I knew it was awfully soon after losing my precious Spyder to be considering adopting another dog, I also knew that saving this homeless abandoned pup would be honoring his memory. After all, Spyder himself had been abandoned at the animal shelter as a baby and was scheduled for euthanasia the day after I adopted him, and I believe he would want me to give a loving home like he had to this little guy too.  

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From the moment I saw him, I knew “Mike” (now known as Frylie - PHOTOS) was going to be our new dog. At seven months old, this little pointer mix was nothing less than a cuddly, wiggly bundle of pure puppy-love. His first action upon meeting us was planting a big puppy kiss right on my cheek and snuggling up on the foster mom’s couch with his head on my knee. After completing the interview and visit with the foster home and rescue coordinator, we promptly filled out the adoption paperwork and made arrangements to pick Frylie up the following evening, November 4. 

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The first couple of weeks after bringing the new baby home were spent puppy-proofing the house and reinforcing the fence around our back yard, since right now at 41 pounds Fry is a bit smaller than Spyder and we wanted to make certain he was secure and unable to slip underneath the boards. Since Spyder and Zoe were 11 and 13 respectively when they passed, I had forgotten how much puppies can get into! We also brought down Zoe’s old crate to give Fry his own private “room” – although at night he sleeps in the bed with us, of course. He got his own collar – Zoe and Spyder have their collars with their urns and no one else will ever wear those – and plenty of new puppy toys, and has a new water- and windproof winter jacket on the way. As he is quite the avid chewer, we ended up having to get a Kuranda bed which thus far has been a lifesaver, as he will quickly decimate any other bed, blanket, towel or pillow he can get his teeth into. So far, though, he has not been able to penetrate the Kuranda’s defenses. He is very playful and loves to run, chase the cat laser toy and play with his flying disks (although not always reliable about bringing them back...).

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Having been born in the spring of this year, Fry had never seen snow, so when we got a couple of inches of the white stuff, he put on quite the performance – jumping around like a madman – and totally destroyed the snowman Steve built for him within seconds. See video of that HERE.  

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Getting to know Fry over the past month, I’m discovering that he is extremely smart and very clever. He loves dog toys that double as puzzles and make him think, such as the food dispensing cubes. He adapts readily to new situations, is comfortable with loud noises, gets along surprisingly well with our two cats, and learns commands quite quickly – even if he does occasionally flex his adolescence and challenge our resolve to insist he obey! He is a total love bug as well, always eager for a tummy rub, and enjoys going for walks, running around the yard, investigating every little thing, and sleeping on the couch next to me.

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My heart will never heal completely from the loss of Spyder, but Fry’s puppy kisses definitely ease the pain. And I believe that giving this little guy with the sad background a loving home is a fitting tribute and the perfect way to honor Spyder’s memory.

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Forever in My Heart

Just after midnight I said goodbye to my best little buddy, my guardian, my sidekick for the past nearly 11 years.



On February 10, 2000, I felt an inexplicable and unrelenting need to go to the local animal shelter, somehow knowing there was a dog there waiting for me. After nearly three hours of visiting what I thought was all the dogs, I still hadn't found THE one, so made one more pass through the kennels. That is when I saw him. Huddled at the back of Kennel D30 where he had lived for the previous month and a half, an adorable 5-month-old Pointer mix had given up hope of finding his forever home. I went in to visit him and one look into those eyes and I knew he was the one who had beckoned me. It was closing time, so Steve and I told the ladies up front that we wanted to adopt the dog in D30, but knowing they were closing, we would come back in the morning to pick him up. But they told us they would stay late to process the paperwork, since that puppy would not be there the next day, as his time was up and he was scheduled for euthanasia. We filled out the paperwork, naming our new dog Spyder, and brought our sweet boy home, where we've shared almost 11 wonderful years with him.



Spyder has been my best friend and protector, always by my side, with a boundless joy and  enthusiasm for life unmatched by anyone. He's traveled to mountain bike races in multiple states with me, where he earned respect from mountain bikers everywhere as an "Awesome Trail Dog" who could easily keep up with the best. He's gone hiking with me on trails all across the state, played at the beach, delighted the neighborhood kids at Halloween wearing his leopard costume, and made me laugh even when depression threatened to drain the life out of me. In fact, I don't think I rescued him at all - I believe HE rescued ME all those years ago.



Five weeks ago tonight, he was given the presumptive diagnosis of osteosarcoma - bone cancer - in his left shoulder. Despite that, he had been doing reasonably well on his medications, remaining his usual happy and active self, and was even getting along pretty normally tonight up until about 11:40 p.m., when he suddenly became weak and unable to stand, with staggering, panting and labored breathing. After an urgent call to the veterinary emergency hospital, Steve gathered Spyder up in his arms and we rushed him to the doctor. By the time we arrived just after midnight, Spyder had already become limp, cool and pale, with shallow respirations and almost imperceptible heartbeat. Dr. Sherrod told us he was at the end of his life, and he in fact passed away before a decision could even be made about euthanasia. Spyder died the same way he lived - on his own terms - and was active and happy up until the very end. The probable diagnosis was a stroke or heart attack caused by a blood clot from the cancer tumor. He will be cremated, and we were given a clay imprint of his paw as a memorial.



My heart is breaking at the loss of my sweet boy, even though I know he had a wonderful life most dogs only dream of, and there will never be another like him. He was one of a kind, my special little man, and he made my life complete. I miss you, Spyder, and will always love you. Rest in Peace little one. Until we meet again at the Rainbow Bridge. Your Pawprints are Forever on my Heart.

Update on Spyder

Although the tumor on his left shoulder appears perhaps to be enlarging somewhat, Spyder remains in excellent spirits and his appetite has even improved over the past couple of days. He ate well last night and this morning, and his diarrhea had largely diminished over the past day or so (although it did return this evening, for which we started him on another prescription food additive powder that hopefully will resolve the problem soon). He still enjoys his twice daily short walks very much and is, as always, eager for a tummy rub, and continues to enjoy lying out in the yard on nice days.

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I do notice some ever so slight decrease in muscle mass in his left front leg, but his mobility remains good and he exhibits no pain so he appears to be on the appropriate dosage of medications.

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I continue to worry about my little man, of course, but am glad that he at least seems to be comfortable and happy right now.

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Spyder's New Bed

If It Isn't One Thing...

Apparently it was the canned dog food that was upsetting Spyder's stomach. He ate only dry kibble with a little bit of cooked chicken mixed in late last night and dry food only this morning and seems to be feeling much better and more like his old self again. I, on the other hand, haven't fared quite so well. The persistent headache I've been fighting for the past several days finally blossomed into a full-blown migraine early this morning and is now accompanied by a painful earache, so I spent the majority of the day in bed - surrounded, of course, by both cats and Spyder who, I must admit, have been very good and attentive caretakers other than making it difficult to get up and take my headache meds since between the three of them they pin the covers down on all sides of me...

Another Spyder Update

Spyder woke us up early this morning, asking to go outside where he had a small amount of diarrhea. Other than that, though, he seemed to feel fine and was acting completely normally so we headed off to work. By the time we arrived home this afternoon, however, things had taken a downturn. Spyder's diarrhea had gotten much worse, and he was "reverse sneezing" a lot, followed by a single episode of vomiting. I immediately called the vet, who suspected it was the canned dog food he had had for dinner last night that triggered this latest abdominal issue. So he is now on an overnight fast to clear his tummy, and we will try him on some bland chicken and dry kibble in the morning. As of now, he hasn't had any more diarrhea or vomiting, although he continues to "reverse sneeze" which does worry me some. The vet thinks, and Steve agrees, that that is probably just related to his tummy being upset and most likely nothing to really be concerned about at this time, but as he is my little furbaby, I'm having a hard time not worrying. While he is not in particularly acute distress, he certainly is not his usual self right now, so I elected to forego tonight's match to stay home and look after him. Hopefully now that his gastric upset seems to have settled down some, he will be able to get some rest, and the overnight fast and resumption of a bland diet in the morning will resolve the tummy issue completely.