I am speechless...upset

[wolfdogs]

Im starting to feel like a whinner... complainer, thats just not me... so fyI:

yall remember a while back (some of you) about me posting about the possibility of our 11 year old female golden retriever having cancer?... we went through xrays after follow up xrays.. then to the special Hope Center for a 900.00 procedure that included an aspiration of the "suspect tumor"..which... showed a very slow to no moving cancer cell, and no lymph nodes where enlarged..all good news...

well, before todays crap news, lets review the wolfdog den:

so far, in 2009: the first week in Feb, my wife takes her 90 year old mother to the doctor for a cortisone injection in her knee..because she's had two already this year, by law, he had to give her something else. on the way home they stop to do some minor shopping, her mother collapes in the parking lot... cant move, paralyzed.. 90 years old.. 9-11 was called... wife freaking out follows ambulance to hospital where she stays with her mother till later hours... her mom had an allergic reaction the the injection.

the next day, my wife takes Shelby to the Hope center for the procedure, on way out after its over, ..she's walking down the steps..with shelby on a leash... another person rounds the corner with a dog...who lunges at my wife, Shelby ...on the left side ...crosses in front of mary and goes for the dog...the leash catching my wifes legs and sends her down the steps only to break her ankle in two places......

the next day my dad, in NC..collapses and ends up in the hospital...... i get my wifes mother to come over and stay with her on Sunday-Monday so that i can go see my dad, the doctor giving him non much time to live. i get back monday night.

wed morning i get a cell phone call at 6:23am from my sister,.....my dad just passed.....

this last weekend, i attended the memorial services for my dad in NC... he will be buried at Arlington Cemetery with full military ceremony on April 10....

so today.............

we took Shelby for her checkup xray ....on the suspected tumor... the tumor went from being stable for 7 weeks in size, to substantial increase in size, and now another one has popped up on the same lung.... there is nothing that can be done... she's been given 2 to 4 months to live .........depending on how she reacts to predizone... i know vets can be exactly right all the time...just like doctors... but im super pissed about this ......... and very upset.. this dog means the world to me........

they say the good Lord never gives you more burdens than you can carry....... well.. my shoulders are starting to ache right now........

that is all.

[Dave M]

Ken, I haven't been around this site much lately so this is the first 've heard of any of this. Let me first say I'm teribbly sorry to hear about your father. Losing a parent is one of the hardest thing anyone has to go through. All of the heartache and stress that you've been put through in just a few short weeks has to take its toll. Just know you're not alone, you've got a lot of friends here. I hope Mary makes a quick recovery and I wish the best for Shelby. Again, I'm sorry to hear about your dad. If you need anything, just say the word.

[Christopherrr]

You sir, have the broadest shoulders...when life keeps stacking em', just ask for broader shoulders.

Stay strong Ken...

[DJ Taso]

When my wife and I married, she was faced with the realization that I am allergic to cats. Her poor kitties were put in the basement, and only receive attention when her daughter, with us half time, is home...I can't handle the dander on clothes or any other fabric so my wife must change clothes and/or take a shower depending on how much time she spends with them. Well this last weekend, because of a number of issues, she decided to find them new homes and she is devastated. ...however, she wants to give them a better life then what they have with us.

Three years ago, I lost my male German Shepherd when he dug up landscape fabric in my back yard and ingested it. I left in the morning after playing catch and hanging out with him to him being dead in my back yard and my female GSD freaking out in the evening. It was a horrible experience.

So, with the heartache of losing a pet, why do we have pets when we lose them in one way or another? Because they provide companionship and serve a purpose in our life. It sounds like Shelby did her job and loved her family. You gave her a good life and she loved you in return...sounds like success to me. Love on her, say goodbye to her, and put her down when she is in pain. Each pet is different and holds a special memory...can't take that away from you!

With people and pets, our time is finite in this world...we just need to make the most of the time we have!

Having so much hit at once is definitely a hardship, keep your faith and your memories...lots of people thinking about you.

Right on, Mark...right on..

Hang in there Ken. Give her as much love as you can before she makes the trip. She wont forget you!

[markd79ta]

When my wife and I married, she was faced with the realization that I am allergic to cats. Her poor kitties were put in the basement, and only receive attention when her daughter, with us half time, is home...I can't handle the dander on clothes or any other fabric so my wife must change clothes and/or take a shower depending on how much time she spends with them. Well this last weekend, because of a number of issues, she decided to find them new homes and she is devastated. ...however, she wants to give them a better life then what they have with us.

Three years ago, I lost my male German Shepherd when he dug up landscape fabric in my back yard and ingested it. I left in the morning after playing catch and hanging out with him to him being dead in my back yard and my female GSD freaking out in the evening. It was a horrible experience.

So, with the heartache of losing a pet, why do we have pets when we lose them in one way or another? Because they provide companionship and serve a purpose in our life. It sounds like Shelby did her job and loved her family. You gave her a good life and she loved you in return...sounds like success to me. Love on her, say goodbye to her, and put her down when she is in pain. Each pet is different and holds a special memory...can't take that away from you!

With people and pets, our time is finite in this world...we just need to make the most of the time we have!

Having so much hit at once is definitely a hardship, keep your faith and your memories...lots of people thinking about you.

[wolfdogs]

thanks yall.

at this point, mary and i are going to hold the pack at 3 after Shelby goes to the bridge............. 4 has been overwhelming sometimes... we need a break... then we will consider another rescue for sure. has to be a male though, the way Keona is.

[Wild Willy]

I was going to say the same thing, that there will most likely be another dog that gets rescued, and gets a loving home-

You did your part, loved and cared for her, and she knows it. Make her comfortable, and let her know she is part of a family pack- Sorry for the loss, I know just how it feels to loose a close canine friend- my one hope is that we will all meet up again 'on the other side'

Hang in there, Ken- don't let this world get you down- all this bad stuff is temporary, and there will be better times coming-

[Steel2686]

On an even brighter note, this makes room for another rescue dog to be part of your pack. You now have an opportunity to give another rescue that might not make it a chance to have a great life in a great pack.

This is a great point. Losing Shelby is a very tough thing being what she has meant to you and Mary. However, we all know you will carry on her legacy with another rescue. You're shouldering a lot right now and it's a very rough stretch, but I know you'll pull out of it even stronger than you were before, and that's saying something.

[FroSSty]

Hang in there. Those are some tough hurdles but you gotta make lemonade.

[Rhode Island Red]

I remember when Mary was still new to GRREAT and you just only had Reno and Keona, and then outta the blue Shelby came into the picture and made a spot in your home. I'm glad for Shelby that after being abandoned by her previous home, was able to find a spot of happiness and contentness that was all but taken away until you and Mary intervened. If more people were here like you and Mary, many adult dogs would find a home. You may not be able to control the when or the where his life may end, but you and Mary have made that ones path,just that much brighter. As I say to everyone, I have yet to meet an immortal.

On a side note , my Sister's Sammoyed past last week at 13 years.

[Joshu]

That's a pretty unreal stretch you've had there, Ken. Keep the faith, and never give up.

[raroZ28]

Ken, think about it like this. She had a great life being part of your pack. She doesn't know what's happening to her, so she feels nothing. All she knows is she has a great life, and she lived it as long as she was supposed to.

On an even brighter note, this makes room for another rescue dog to be part of your pack. You now have an opportunity to give another rescue that might not make it a chance to have a great life in a great pack.

As bad as it sucks, there is a bright side, even if it's hard to see through the pain of losing a loved one.

[Gary94Formula]

Ken - Stay strong man... It will make you stronger in the end...

[Al 96 Ram Air T/A]

they say the good Lord never gives you more burdens than you can carry....... well.. my shoulders are starting to ache right now........

That's why we are here...pass some of it on to us...my shoulders are willing and able to get you through this.

Stay strong brother...too many are depending on your strength.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger. You should feel like Hercules by now.

I am so sorry about Shelby. She is such a beautiful dog.

We inherited a dog from my wife's mother when she passed away. It was a white looking weenie dog that had been abused as a puppy before she got her. She was the most skittish dog I had ever seen. Not too long after we got her she got this mass growing on her right thigh. It was cancers and the bad type. It mastitized into her lung and she was having breathing problems. We had to put her to sleep. 6 months after that my dog got hip dysplasia. I had to walk him with a sling to hold his hind end up. He got to where he couldn't control his bodily functions. We had to put him to sleep. Oh and before all of this the cat we inherited from her mother passed away at about 18 years old. We came home to find her dead in the back yard. We thought something was wrong because she wouldn't eat breakfast that day was very unusual for her. You continue on but it tough.