Autumn Leaves

 Our beloved Jack joined Alex and Cleo in the arms of the angels yesterday, Tuesday 11/29/22 about 9:45am.  Lap of Love sent a very nice Veterinarian to administer the euthanasia.  It was quiet and serene (punctuated by fits of our sobbing, of course).  Sue Ann reported a change in the light, a 'brightening and goldness' that accompanied his passing.

This morning, I stepped over him in the dark, as he often slept on a blanket by my side of the bed.  I reached down to touch his wooly noggin, only to find the fresh hole in my heart.  It was like a phantom touch on a newly amputated limb.

I went up on the ridge, where he and I used to ascend every other morning or so.  Looking back on San Leandro, the last of the red and gold trees below were going brown.  We saw our hermit friend Martin, and he said: "I'm glad you're alright!", as I hadn't been up there in a while.  "Mostly" I said.  He didn't ask about Jack, so I didn't offer.  I'm going to try to get up that ridge every day, or almost every day during the week to get back in shape, and hopefully clear the gunk out of my head and heart.

Like the old standard Autumn Leaves, I'll always think of Jack when the leaves and the light turns gold.

 We have scheduled Jack's date with the Angels, an in-home euthanasia service called Lap of Love for Tuesday 11.29.22.  This is hard.

All of Thanksgiving weekend, through our anniversary (the day after Thanksgiving), we've been celebrating with Jack, and grieving.  Sue Ann has been pretty blue.  

We went out to Albany Beach on Friday, and told a few of the folks from Oodles of Poodles and Poodles at Play.  A  few surprised us by coming out, and bringing some of Jacks few friends!

Susan brought Walter, Helene brought Sonia, Pam brought Saffron (honorary poodle).  Randi and Silvie, Elizabeth and Abby.  We had a sweet low-key party for Jack on the beach and a walk out the Bulb road.  Saffron was hilariously teasing all the bigger dogs into chasing her.  She's so fast and maneuverable, they never catch her.  Here she is with Jack and his first friend Walter.

As always, I should have taken more pictures, but I seldom do.  You can see how Jack's left eye has been affected by a small tumor on his eyelid.  He now has pancreatitis, Addison's disease, and several little cancers like that on his eyelid.  

 Our hikes together have gotten fewer, slower and farther between.  Jack has been diagnosed with pancreatitis, and it manifests as a squeaky digestive system early in the morning.  When he has these attacks, he doesn't seem to feel bad, or have pain, which surprises me.  He won't be interested in food, which is perfect, as the treatment for an attack is to fast.  Often he'll recover enough to eat a midday meal.

We have a Poodles @Play hike today, and he's squeaky.  I'm not sure he should go on a hike, yet I know I SHOULD get some exercise myself.  So it may be the day to hike without my best partner.

Thought maybe I'd throw some pictures from past hikes in as well.

Sue Ann took this great pic on a walk at Lake Chabot 2019

In Morgan Territory.  Maybe heaven's gates aren't pearly, or made of gold.  Maybe there's an old rusty green gate, wired up with a rock for a closure spring, to keep the cows from wandering out.

From the beach at Half Moon Bay, 2019

Songs, jingles and other nonsense

 It's been a long time since I've been on this blog, and it's been a joy to read back on it.  I'm out of town, in Austin with my brother's family, and SA and Jack are in San Leandro without me for a week and I'm missing them.  

But it gives me a chance to write down some of the silly stuff I sing with Jack when we're out on the trails sometimes:

 'Camptown Races' yields the Good Boy Song:

All the poodles sing this song  Roo Rah!  Roo Rah!

All the poodles sing this song, all along the trail.

Singin' his Good Boy Song, singin' his Good Boy Song

With a nick nack, the wacky (handsome, goofy, etc) Jack

Walkin' with the poodle all the day.

If you're Happy and you Know It gets us the Pack Song:

We like water on our hikes with our Jack

We like water on our hikes with our Jack

With some water and a snack, there's no need in looking back

With some water and a snack in our pack (with our Jack). 

Or...

With a snack and some water you can hike on like you ought'er

With some water and a snack in our pack! 

One of Jack's trail companions is a Pit mix named Lola who now lives here in Austin.  Mike and I would get together for hikes near his Oakland Hills home as he was quitting smoking, losing weight and we were both trying to get in better shape.  But I haven't seen him and Lola in a year and a half, at least since the start of the Pandemic.  

I visited them at their new home in Austin yesterday with my brother and sister in law.  Lola recognised me immediately, and we had much joy in seeing each other.  I had my pack with me, which she kept returning to and sniffing it over, like is was a reminder of her good times in the woods of the Oakland Hills.

Dental

Just the mundane stuff that goes with owning a poodle... One of the breed's weaknesses is a tendency to accumulate tartar.  They really do need to have their teeth brushed, and an occasional dental.
Vets do (I believe) a deeper cleaning, getting below the gumline, because they anesthetize the dog.  That also gives us a chance to check out and Xray any troubled teeth.  Jack came with a broken off canine, as you'll see in the photos, so it was a good excuse to see the health of that tooth.  It's expensive, but it saves you and the dog a lot of grief in the long run.
So bloodwork has to be done, and Dr Doe reports that Jack's liver enzymes are a little high.  He suspects that might be due to the increased Prednisone he asked us to put Jack on before and after the dental.
His 'lytes were fine: Na:145, K: 4.6.
Nice to have pearly white choppers now!

I've been chasing a new career, that's been taking me out of the house, calling on bars, taphouses and restaurants selling beer for Hermitage Brewing Company.  The brewer there is an old friend of mine from the homebrewing days.
Unfortunately, it's meant we've needed to work around giving Jack the time he needs, and getting him out of the house.
We went out with the Poodles at Play group yesterday, and Jack was lovin' life again!
He jumped around, and ran around with the other dogs more than he's done in a long time.
He takes a while to get to know new dogs, but these guys are like his buddies now, and feels pretty comfortable around them.  I think this group has done him a lot of good.
Morgan Territory is probably the most remote of the parks in the East Bay.  It's 10 miles up a one lane paved road, that gets pretty scary at points.
But in the spring it's amazing.  It's so green it hurts the eyes, and wildflowers grow in carpets.
Seems the manzanita trees like it there too!

Just a note that we found a great new source of Percortin, and you should too, if you're living with an Addison's dog.
http://www.petrescuerx.com/index.cfm/product/312_133/percorten-v.cfm

PetRescueRx is a not-for-profit company that donates it's profit to rescue organizations, of which Addisons Dogs is one.  The price on Percortin is about the same as PetMeds after you go through all the price matching, coupons, etc.  The service is prompt.  It's still expensive, but you feel a little better about where the profitability is going.
Jack in his "Go Giants" bandana...