Avery Has Passed

Avery Passed peacefully in my arms on 8/5/2019. Just a few months short of his 13 birthday. We moved to La Pine last year and he enjoyed our one acre and all the deer and squirrels. He missed Nixie and I wish we had gotton another dog for him, but with my cancer I worried about adding the work of another dog to my life. We went camping several times in our motorhome and Avery enjoyed that too. He is very missed. My heart is broken and will be for along time. I still look for him in the house. I loved him very much.

Nixie my sweet girly girly

Our last Christmas together 12/2015, soon after Nixie became ill, she and I faced this end together, me holding her sweet head in my hands, waiting for her heart to stop beating, the worst feeling ever. She was 12 years old, which was a miracle in its self. She really enjoyed her last years, going camping and going to our house in the mountains. A few weeks before she passed she ran in snow deeper than her head, she was a trooper and I loved her dearly and will miss her always. Avery look for her for weeks, and he was sick for weeks too, now he is doing Ok being the only dog, but he will always miss her too.

Avery has a very good nose!

Today as we walked on the trail near our house Avery was stuck to me and looked worried, he did this a few months ago too, and we did run into a unfriendly man about a mile up the trail. I listened to him today and watched him, sure enough,  a women came walking by us about 20 minutes into our walk, then Avery was happy and ran wild. I would trust this dog with my life, but not much chicken sandwich..:-)
This is Avery as a puppy with his gator, he loved that toy. He still plays like a puppy!
I woke with a swollen left lymph node Thursday before last, the doctor is treating it as a saliva gland infection, but the antibiotics don't seem to be working, I have two more days and then will have to get a biopsy on it. Its always something now, something I haven't ever heard of  in my life. Living with autoimmune disease is a real pain, they say you can go into remission, I am still waiting for that day.
I joked with Lance that Alcatraz once got me a pair of diamond earrings for Mothers day, but Nixie and Avery never get me anything, well today they got me a really pretty dog paw charm for my bracelet. I think Traz had something to do with it, he loved me know matter where he was and he still does! Avery is sleeping on my hope chest here in the window, gazing longingly at this glorious summer day. Life is good

I wonder where I would be today if it were not for the dogs

So many times over these past years of being ill I thought, "I would just stay in bed if it were not for the dogs" Shortly after being diagnosed with shingles in my right eye, the doctors decided that the antiviral medicine was not working, and ordered me to have IV infusions of antivirals, this meant going to the hospital at 6 AM, 2 PM and 10 PM every day for 14 days, I was exhausted and all I wanted to do in-between the infusions was sleep, but with the help of the dogs and their routine, I managed to go to work in the morning and take them for walks. I needed to work and walk, as I am a creature of habit too, and I don't like not doing my normal daily routine. During these infusions I learned a lot of things I could have done without, how busy the emergency room is on a Friday night, and how many people have to sit in an infusion center in the afternoon, getting all different treatments, some don't get to stop like I did, I was one of the lucky ones. Today I look back and wonder how I survived all of the trips to doctors and the repeated shots in my eye, but I always come back to the wonderful distraction of the dogs. They truly take my pain away and make life feel simple and relaxed.

Nixie turned 10 years old last week....! She is our first GSD to make it to 10, we celebrated in a big way! Our first GSD (sasha) had hip dysplasia and we had to have her but down right before her 10th birthday. Our second (Shadow) had cancer in her spine at 6 1/2. Traz nearly made it to 10 also, but died by our bed, they think of cancer of the spleen. Nixie was always sick, allergies and other things, and look at her now, healthy and Im thinking she'll live to be 15...!
Both Nixie and Avery have been a lot of help to me in the past few years that I have been ill. They keep me company, they lay with me when Im sick and play when I am able to, they really don't demand anything of me. I sure couldn't be making it through this without them.
Today is my first day on another TNF medicine , I have tried Enbrel, Humira and now this one is called Simponi. Nothing has helped this horrible inflammation in my joints so far, but Im very hopeful this will. The Rheumatologist labeled me as having Rheumatoid Arthritis, but that's just a label, she really doesn't have any idea what's wrong with me at this point.
I truly thought once I adjusted to my right eye being gone I would recover and be myself again, that never has happened. I remain on Steriods to this day and I don't recognize myself in the mirror, I think that is by far the worse part of this whole time of my life, the weight gain. I can handle the painful joints, but this body has got to change. Nixie is willing to walk a lot farther than we do, so starting tomorrow we're going to push ourselves!

April 21st 2014...Where has the time gone?

I have a ton of catching up to do here and Im ready to do it. Lot's and Lot's of dog pictures and interesting life events coming soon.

Long time no see....

There is some what of a pun intended there, I havent blogged in such a long time, but also I no longer see with two eyes. I ended up having surgery to remove my right eye this past feb. I now have a hand painted eye , which looks and feels so much better than that old infected one. Life is finally returning to a new normal for me. Nixie and Avery are doing wonderful, both still go to work with us every day and we all still enjoy our walks to the park. I am so thankful for this one good eye, to still be able to see the world is wonderful.