The Dreaded Word: Cancer

We had been gone 9 months, and we received a phone call that Sadie was sick. She had not been acting like herself lately, and it was discovered that she was suffering from bladder stones. Surgery was scheduled and my husband and I waited to hear the latest news. When the call came in, we were not prepared for what we would be told. A mass had been discovered in Sadie’s throat when inserting the anesthesia tube. The veterinarian removed the mass and had it immediately sent to the lab. As terrible as the bladder stones were, this mass could be much worse. Her surgery would prove to be a blessing in disguise.
A couple of days later we received very bad news: Sadie’s tonsil tumor was squamous cell carcinoma. She was given only 6 months to live, and we were told that even if we tried to treat her cancer, the chances were very bleak, as it was one of the most aggressive types of cancer. She would have a better quality of life if we did nothing. I’m not the type to just “do nothing” but in this case we were given no hope for survival. To hear this news was devastating emotionally. Yet, my husband and I believe in the power of prayer and knew that if God had orchestrated Sadie’s path to be with us, then He was big enough to heal her. We knew He cared about even the smallest of His creatures. And so we asked all our friends to pray for Sadie. And they did.
Our course of action with the veterinarian was to monitor her condition, getting blood work and X-rays on a regular basis. We were taking one day at a time, believing and knowing that nothing was too hard for God.
This occurred in March 2003, and we already had plans to visit home in July. We weren’t quite sure what to do. Would leaving her again harm her? Or would seeing us cheer her up? We would take one step at a time and see how things panned out. Sadie was never good about recovering quickly from surgery, but after a while she returned to her usual self, behaving like a puppy. As the days turned into months, Sadie was not exhibiting symptoms of the cancer. Her X-rays were clear and her blood work normal. We decided to make the trip home, after all. It had been 13 months since we last saw our little girl and just like the first time we saw her . . . . we had butterflies again!

Moving Overseas . . . Without our Sadie

Life was good with Sadie. She was the best little dog anyone could ever ask for, and in the truest sense, she made us very happy (and vice-versa). She was just right for us. In early 2003, however, we made a decision that would forever shape our lives. After ten years in the same position, we decided that the time was right for a transition. The irony of it all is that we were at our happiest, most fulfilling season in our lives. Yet for us, we knew this was God’s will. This transition would include a long-term plan at our workplace in our hometown, but for the short-term it required us moving overseas to finish graduate school for 3 years. Because it is a volatile region and our schedules would keep us so busy, we knew it was not in Sadie’s best interest to live with us. Our biggest concern was her ability to handle the stress of the flight, as she was unbearable in foreign environments with people she did not know. We didn’t want her to stress out under the seat, but if she acted up there in the cabin area, she almost certainly would not be able to stay calm by herself in the cargo hold. We also were cautious about sedation, as she never handled it well. This broke our hearts, yet we knew it was the right thing to do. We knew she would be well cared for in my in-laws’ home. They loved her so much, and Sadie was wild about them, too. She frequently stayed the night at their house and it was already her 2nd home. I’ve often thought how interesting it was that her first 2 homes mirrored our situation.

Leaving her was harder than I could ever say. Thankfully, we had a webcam and could see her often. She even knew what “webcam” meant! I’ll be honest and say that it really bothered me to see her, knowing I could not hold her and take care of her. Nearly every time I saw her, it would break my heart all over again. We were grateful that Sadie did not react adversely to this major transition. Being that we traveled often, she probably thought this was just another long trip. My in-laws took excellent care of her and she loved every minute of it. Hard as it was to live without her, we knew she was well cared for, and that in the not too distant future, we’d be together again.

A New Life for Sadie

With our decision to keep Sadie, we wanted to make sure she felt loved and secure in her new home. Being that we traveled frequently due to our work, we knew it would be important that Sadie also have a good relationship with our families. In fact, just a couple of weeks after we got Sadie, we were scheduled to go on a use it or lose it vacation. We worked out a system between our 2 families where they would share custody of her while we were away. It worked like a charm. She really brought needed comfort and healing to my parents who were still grieving Misty’s loss. When we returned home after a couple of weeks, she was just as excited as ever to welcome us back! This was some special dog!

Sadie loved car rides and ice cream cones. She loved playing with my husband’s hand, her favorite toy! She loved late-night snacks. She loved dancing on the floor. She loved running around the house like a wild horse after she got bathed. She also loved getting as dirty as possible right after haviing a bath! Did she like baths? About half the time. She loved her soccer ball toys and candy cane toy. But more than anything in the world, she loved my husband. And my, how he loved her. She hated seeing him leave every morning! She’d bark and throw a fit and beg him to play with her before he left each day. It was quite the routine. Then, she would sit for hours if I let her on the arm of our loveseat, looking out the window, counting the seconds ‘til she saw him again. They had a bond that I cannot fully articulate. But you dog lovers don’t need words to understand what I’m saying.

The first December we had her, we thought she might enjoy a little trip with us. The mountains are a few hours away, and we were in the habit of breaking away to a cabin now and then. Finding a pet-friendly cabin was not the easiest thing in the world, but the one we found was just right for her. My how she was excited to go on a trip with us! She bounced around like a little puppy and “strut her stuff” around proudly! She knew she was loved, and that trip gave her a big emotional boost. “Going to the cabin” would prove to be an annual event. She even knew what the phrase meant.

Another thing Sadie loved was our 1967 Camaro convertible we acquired in the summer of 2000. My husband and I drove out of state to pick it up, but when we pulled in the driveway and brought her out, she claimed the car for herself! She loved that car and the many rides we took in it, the breeze blowing in our faces.

Sadie’s new life was certainly good. As good as the adoption was for her, I think it was an even better deal for the rest of us.

This Dog’s Not Going Anywhere . . . She’s Too Sweet!

Later that afternoon we took Sadie out for a car ride. Her previous owner had told me how much Sadie loved a drive and advised me if she ever got down, drive her around for a while. Well, Sadie was just fine, but we wanted her to meet some of the family. We stopped by my mother-in-law’s office. Since no clients were present at the time, we brought Sadie in to meet my husband’s mother and sister. Sadie immediately set off to sniffing out the building. My mother-in-law introduced herself to Sadie by giving her a piece of flour tortilla. You should have seen Sadie go wild! Laughter filled the building because Sadie was there. She was doing just fine and showed no signs of emotional scarring. It was nigh-impossible to think her previous owners were going to put her to sleep! What craziness!
We wanted Sadie to have a check-up, so we took her to Misty’s vet. This vet believed in Misty when none of the other vets did. He called her his miracle dog. We didn’t want Sadie to see anyone else. We brought the medical records, and they showed Sadie’s long history of allergies. Since she was a pup, she was given allergy shots on a regular basis and she desperately needed one right then. But overall, Sadie’s health was good. One thing we found out quick: she didn’t like visits to the vet! Her eyes bulged even more with all the prodding and picking!
The next day I introduced her to my side of the family. I could tell they were holding back tears due to her resemblance of Misty. I remember Sadie calmly sitting on my lap as my mother greeted her. She was so at ease and trusting of me.
After having her for 48 hours, the time had come for us to leave her alone in the house. Misty had never been left alone in our home, save once, when I was involved in a car accident. We knew Sadie was trained, and we just had to trust her while we were at church service. I was a bit nervous, but those fears were calmed when we returned home that evening. We were given the sweetest greeting. Sadie came into the foyer with her little “baby” toy in her mouth. She was so excited to see us. She plopped on the carpet and wanted us to rub her belly. I cannot convey just how excited she was that we were home. My husband and I were touched that she would already love us after such a short time. My husband made an emphatic statement, “This dog is not going anywhere. She’s too sweet!” When I checked the caller ID that evening, I noticed that her first owner had called, but did not leave a message. She never called again. And that was that. It was firm: Sadie was not going anywhere!

Pet Detective Work

The next day thankfully was our day off, so we were able to spend the entire day with Sadie. While the first night went better than expected, the next morning Sadie kept on barking at my husband. My husband is a dog-lover. There’s just something about him that dogs love and he bonds with them very easily. Sadie’s persistence in barking at him left us a bit bewildered. Since we were cautious and slow in our movement when approaching her, we had yet to “play” with her. But eventually my husband made the move to play with her and Sadie went wild! Her barking wasn’t trying to keep him away, she was begging for a playmate! And boy, could she go wild! He got down on the floor and played with her and there was no doubt: she liked him!

I spent part of the day doing some investigative work on Sadie’s history. I was determined to find out more about her. I was not convinced she was a Lhasa because her eyes were so big. I wanted to find out more about the spot Sadie had chewed on her mane. I mentioned in a previous post that I was told it was 2 or 3 inches, but the reality was more like 8! The only shards of evidence I possessed from Sadie’s past were 2 invoices: 1 vaccination receipt from the last owner and 1 boarding receipt from another owner. The latter receipt was from a veterinarian’s clinic in a town about an hour away. I attempted to phone the owner listed on the vet receipt I had in hand, but got the answering machine. I left word that I had Sadie and was hoping to find out more of her history. Then, I decided to call the clinic, not knowing if they would give me any info at all. Happened that I spoke with a woman who knew Sadie quite well, and most of her life at that! I soon realized that Sadie had quite the spunky reputation! The lady immediately knew who Sadie was, and when I pressed to know more of her history remarked, “Sadie’s one of those dogs who never lost her ‘puppy’!” She said Sadie was known around the office as very hyper when it came to shots and grooming. She also revealed a bit of Sadie’s history: Sadie was originally the puppy of a young couple. When the couple had a baby, it was emotionally stressful for Sadie. Since she was already close with the husband’s mother, she went to live with her. So she had the best of both worlds, a home where she was the queen without losing contact with her first parents. About the spot on Sadie’s back: it was because Sadie needed allergy medication! There was so much to learn about this complex little creature! I had been so curious about Sadie’s eyes that I just had to ask. The woman assured me she was a Lhasa, but said anytime Sadie was excited, her eyes bulged! The woman agreed to fax me all of Sadie’s medical records that day. I was thrilled!

The fax came in and was a complete record of Sadie’s medical history from a pup ‘til 6 months before. In a previous post I spoke of Sadie’s whirlwind life from March – August 1999. But I knew nothing of her original owners. And here in my hands were her medical records with her owners’ names listed. Eureka! I would start at the beginning and my plan was to hunt down every owner to find out as much as possible! I made the call to Sadie’s first owners and I spoke with a very nice lady. She was very concerned about Sadie’s well-being and I could tell she loved her. She told me that “Sadie was all we ever wanted in a dog.” After the birth of their first child, they were concerned because Sadie was depressed now that she was no longer the center of attention. They agreed the best thing for her would be to live with her mother-in-law, just as the vet’s office had told me. For the sake of clarity, we’ll call her grandma. Apparently Sadie had lived a very happy life and was a well cared for family dog. But then tragedy struck the family: Grandma’s daughter in Florida became very ill. Grandma had to make many trips back and forth to Florida, and sometimes Sadie would go. But the situation became so serious that Sadie could no longer go to FL with Grandma and since Grandpa was a truck driver, Sadie was boarded for long periods of time. Sadie was not the kind of dog that liked boarding. This upset her psyche. So, Grandma decided that the best thing for Sadie would be to live with her aged friend. Their agreement was such that if it didn’t work out, Sadie would be returned to Grandma. The woman with whom I was speaking had a quiver in her voice when she told me she had told Grandma that she didn’t want to know all the details, because she wouldn’t be able to handle it if anything happened to Sadie. I hoped I wasn’t stirring up any negative emotions, but she reassured me she was so glad to hear Sadie was in a good home. She even offered to send me Sadie’s AKC registration.

My husband & I were both sad that Sadie had lived through at least 5 bad experiences in just a few short months. He asked if I would stop making calls, now that I had found the original owner. He didn’t want to know about any of the negative things that had happened. And I agreed.

I now knew how many homes Sadie had lived in: 1) original couple 2) 1st owner’s mother 3) aged friend 4) niece of aged friend 5) camping buddy of niece 6) co-worker of camping buddy 7) co-worker of #6 8) us! That’s a lot of homes for a 6 year old dog! But I was reassured that the majority of her life was spent in a loving environment. Hopefully, she would forget about the 5 negative experiences soon, if we had anything to do with it!

House Rules . . . . Yeah, Right!

When we brought Sadie into the house she seemed to adjust quite well. We were expecting at least a little culture shock, but Sadie handled the transition like a champ. We did not observe any negative behavior whatsoever, just a little dog trying to find her way around, peering at us with those big eyes in wonder. We were in no way thinking of our home as a permanent solution; just a good place to stay for a few days while we found her the perfect family.

We had already decided that we would not allow her to beg for food nor jump on the bed. You see, Misty was actually trained to beg by my older sister; whelping, whining and carrying on quite the show with each and every meal. Misty also had her own way of playing on the bed, digging feverishly, throwing off the pillows, until she reached the sheets. She had quite the predictable nightly routine. While irresistibly cute, we didn’t think we’d be able to handle similar behavior coming from another animal.

Sadie smelled the house out, and we put her little mat and bowls in the kitchen. I prepared dinner and without even waiting for the prayer to be finished . . . Sadie was already begging! Rather than whine and howl like Misty, Sadie’s begging consisted of jumping up on her hind legs and waving at us! I had never seen a dog do that and immediately my husband and I burst into laughter! “What is this?” we thought, “she’s already so comfortable with us!” Sadie persisted asking for food throughout the meal by waving and also tapping us on the thighs. She was capturing our hearts by the minute. (I know we weren’t exactly strict, but hey…it’s our house!).

Later in the evening Sadie made her way to our room and jumped right up on the bed! We had been warned to move very slowly around her, so as not to startle her. When I approached her, rather than fear me, she rolled over so that I could rub her belly! Once more, my husband & I just looked at one another. He remarked how unusual it was that she already trusted us. It was as if she was unfazed by being uprooted from her former home mere hours before. Now she was asking for more attention. Later on . . . wouldn’t you know it? The playful routine Misty used to enjoy, Sadie repeated. It was uncanny that 2 dogs could behave so similarly.

The two things we vowed we wouldn’t allow were nixed within a few short hours! We were so relieved that Sadie felt safe, we really didn’t care.

Our First Car Ride

August 9, 1999: The day to meet Sadie had come! My husband and I were on our way to the meeting point to pick up this needy little one. We talked about what we knew of Sadie and wondered about her. In the course of conversations with Sadie’s owners over the weekend, they had revealed they’d only had Sadie for about 6 weeks. Her “mommy” had gotten her from a co-worker whose husband had not been nice to Sadie. We’re unsure of everything that occurred in that home, but that she had somehow been abused was clear. She had only lasted in that home for a couple of weeks, and the woman begged her co-worker to take Sadie because she feared her husband. That woman had acquired Sadie from a camping buddy, and Sadie’s stay in that home only lasted a couple of weeks, as well. The camping buddy’s aunt had given Sadie to her. This aunt was apparently an aged friend of the original owner, but she couldn't handle her. So the web that would be Sadie’s recent history was tangled, and it would take a bit of detective work to understand the situation fully. We would be Sadie’s 6th home in a very short time span! All her owners chief complaint was Sadie’s behavior: depression, biting her back, withdrawal, bowl aggression, and wetting the carpet. I was confident, though, that given the right home Sadie could overcome these issues! And I was determined to find her the right home. I remember feeling so nervous that I had butterflies in my stomach. When I mentioned this to my husband, he confessed that he, too, felt the same way. “What would she be like? Would she like us? Would she favor Misty, and if so, could I handle it?” So many questions were running through my mind. It was not our intention to give her a permanent home; once we rescued her we had every intention of finding her another good home. But first things first! Her life must be spared!

We arrived at the meeting spot a few moments before Sadie’s owners. Incidentally, the youth camp I was at the day Misty died I was in this town. In another twist of irony, little did we realize that Sadie had been born and spent her first weeks in her breeder’s home just under 5 minutes away! We would not find this out for 9 years. So, needless to say, this town holds a special place in my heart.

The butterflies continued with each moment we waited. Sadie’s current “mommy” told me to be on the lookout for a white car with 2 red-headed children in the back. When I saw 2 little red heads, I knew it must be them. But then….I saw this cute dog walking around in the back freely and felt so sorry for the life she was living.

We got out of the car to meet this new furry friend. She was over 10 pounds heavier than Misty (Misty was ¼ poodle), but still in many ways they favored. It only took one look into her big eyes to feel compassion for her. Speaking of eyes….they were big…very big for a Lhasa! So big that I at first was convinced she was Pekingnese. I even asked the owners about this saying, “Are you sure she’s a Lhasa?” Now, I think Pekingnese are adorable, I just wasn’t familiar with the breed. She looked cautiously at me and my husband, and was extremely gentle. We both thought that she was probably thinking, “Here I go again! How long will this last?” When her owner kissed her face and hugged her to say good-bye, I just felt in my heart that there was something special about this dog. This was no out-of-control animal. This was an animal in search of herself. In search of people to love her for who she was. And let her be herself. She put up no fight when we took her. I’m sure she had gotten used to the transfer-of-ownership routine by now. It was apparent she was sad. She needed to know she was loved and would never be abandoned again.

We had no air-bags, so she rode between my husband and I in the front seat. At one unforgettable moment of the ride, she laid down her head and sighed deeply. I remember my husband nudging me and whispering, “depressed.” We both couldn’t help but get misty-eyed for this little one. Eventually she would put her head on my lap, which surprised me. For a little dog to have endured what she had over the last few months, that she would trust me felt amazing. The butterflies still remained as we got closer to home. What would the evening hold? How would she adapt to yet another home?