Dog II

(aka It's Blue Devil, aka Blue)

March 4, 2005 - February 5, 2013

Dog II was a gentleman & a warrior.

An auto-immune disease attacked Dog II's salivary glands.  We weren't able to stop the process with medication, & he was too frail, with too much compromised tissue, to hope for a positive surgical outcome.

Thank you, to so many people who tried their very best to help him:
Bonnie -- for giving blood, sweat, & tears.  She helped me take DII to the vet many times for wound cleaning while I couldn't drive following hand surgery.  She took in precious Jiggler as a foster (psst... he is in need of a home; please see postscript) when I ceased to have the resources to care for both him and DII, & she has playdates & sleepovers so Amby can blow off steam & visit his great big brother.  She has been a constant source of support & compassion.
Karen --  for being a saint.  She did all of the housework, tons of the laundry, & put in hours & hours of Amby-sitting & DII vigil.  She sewed all kinds of custom floppy socks & paw incapacitators for DII to help prevent him scratching his poor ruined face.  She shed buckets of tears with me and calmed me down when he started to bleed, or breathe funny, or yelp during wound cleaning.
Barbara -- for being an Iron Dame.  She provided wisdom, resolve, & advice.  She fielded my numberless phone calls & e-mails, all with a grace & level-headedness that amazes me.
Tam -- for paying the bills, keeping DII in sous vide chicken thighs, & mercifully knowing when to say enough was enough.
The doctors -- Grewal, Orcutt, Huber, Ullman, Hanwell, Glerum, Rivara, Banz, Smith, & Ort.  And all their staff members, the techs & the nurses & the admins.
The moral support -- via email/phone/text/Instagram/Twitter, even snail mail.  Cindi, Nak4, Michelle, Chynes, Morty, Caitlin, Chris, Rally, Marilyn, Irina, Susi, & all the kind-hearted people and hounds of the 'net.
Dick -- for introducing me to mindfulness/meditation.  Good enough for the USMC, good enough for me.

So, please give your dog(s) an extra snuggle from Ambrose, Jiggler, & me.  We ruv you.
Hugs hugs hugs,
Lucy

"Enough photos! Scratch my jaw! Moar! MOAR!"            -Dog II

P.S.  Jiggler is an amazing dog who needs an amazing home.  He has a history of seizures, but hasn't had any since October 26th 2011, which is, like, FOREVER in dogtime.  His medical care (including prescription medication) is paid for by GFFL out of the BEST Fund, which is totally dope.  He will be eight years old next month, but he has macular degeneration & bad cataracts.  He will be completely blind soon, & needs to be in a quiet, stable home with 1-2 other calm dogs, + a stay-at-home mom or dad, & preferably without stairs or small children.  It's important he receive his meds & meals punctually, which as of right now is every 12 hours.  It would be best of all if this awesome forever home was in the San Francisco Bay Area because Jiggler loves-loves-LOVES his neurologist, Dr. Jurney at AIMSS in SF, whom he credits with keeping him seizure-free.
Jiggler is GREAT BIG HUGE (93 lbs!), loves fresh fruit & vegetable snacks, & is a total champ at keeping folks company in the kitchen.  He can't control his body temperature very well, so he often needs a jacket or a blanket or a person (person is his favorite) to help keep him warm.  He wants to be in your lap.  On your couch.  In your car.  Under your electric blanket.
His last mom, Julia, was so sad she was unable to keep him, but they had to move to a new base with stricter dog rules.  Now I am so sad to be unable to keep him, but my living situation is changing dramatically, & he needs more stability than I can provide.  Fortunately, Jiggler's heart is so GREAT BIG HUGE just like the rest of him that there is a special place there for all of his moms, past, present, & future.  He is a sweet ray of sunshine in the shape of a dog, & I will miss him terribly.  Ambrose will too.  It has been a pleasure & a privilege to have him in our lives for the last year and a half.
If you have room for this big goofy polar bear of love & silliness, please contact Greyhound Friends for Life's Barbara at bajudson[at]gmail[dot]com or Bonnie at rescuehounds[at]sbcglobal[dot]net.
Oh, and he snores like a lumberjack.  Just sayin'.  It's actually adorable.