Setting The Grooming Scene

It has come to my attention that there is a serious lack of knowledge about positive reinforcement and force free training among groomers. As groomers we feel pressured to make wiggling animals look good in a small amount of time. Due to these time constraints there is often little to no time set aside to train the animals in our care how to properly behave during the grooming process. Many groomers will instead resort to yelling or forceful restraint. Neither of these actions teaches the dog what behavior we want from them or give them a positive experience.

Many of these behavioral issues can be prevented by putting in extra effort with training at the beginning of your relationship with your client and their pet. Which means further down the road you will save time, energy and your blood pressure because the dog will be well behaved for his grooms. To help you I will be covering several aspects of grooming and training in the next several blogs.

We will start with setting the scene! Most groomers, including myself, get into a habit of just going to work. We often fail to see what our client, both two legged and four legged, see when entering our salon. This goes for mobiles as well. I try to start by thinking about the perception of my four-legged client, because it’s his reaction that will setup how he behaves for the groom. When you walk into your grooming space try to consider some of the following; how does it smell? How does it sound? How does it make you feel? How do dogs react when walking into your salon? As well as anything else you think a four-legged client might notice.

Smell is important because dogs have a better sense of smell than humans. If dogs smell anal glands, urine and similar odors they may become instantly frightened. This is because when dogs are afraid they may express their glands or pee. If the dog walking into your salon is engulfed with those smells it will assume your salon is a scary place! Make sure to clean these bodily fluids with an enzymatic cleaner made specifically for those odors and rinse tubs regularly with vinegar. Air purifiers and deodorizers will help with this as well.

What do you hear when you are in your salon? Are there dogs barking or crying? People griping? Squeaky washers or beeping electronics? Once again, dogs have extremely sensitive hearing. Any high pitched or loud noises can cause a dog to be nervous or it could hurt their ears. Find a way to fix or muffle any noises like that. When drying dogs put cotton in their ears or use a Happy Hoodie to muffle the noise.

Another big issue can be barking dogs. Dogs bark for many reasons, but most commonly in the salon they are nervous, bored or lonely. While these dogs are stressed themselves they are causing everyone else, dogs and humans alike, to become agitated. The most common method of trying to quiet the dog is putting a towel over the kennel or express grooming (grooming straight through). Neither of these is creating a positive environment for the dog or encouraging them to enjoy their visit. If putting a towel over the kennel quiets the dog I would encourage walking by and popping a treat into the kennel to reward this behavior.  You can also, after a few minutes of quiet, take them out for a cuddle. This is training the dog to see being quiet as rewarding and gives them positive associations with being in the grooming salon.If a towel doesn't work then try keeping a portable crate next to your grooming table with a soft bed inside. Some dogs are not used to being kenneled and alone. So letting them be with you often helps them to calm down. When the dog settles into the bed drop some treats into the crate near his face. Then ignore him. Make him think that relaxing makes treats fall from the sky!

There are two more options to try if none of the previous training methods helped. If you have a receptionist she can hold and cuddle the dog till the owner arrives. You can also try tethering the dog near your table and dropping treats for quiet behavior. But keep a VERY close eye on tethered dogs because they can escape very quickly.

Now, how does your salon make you feel? Is it cluttered and messy? Do you feel stressed and overcrowded? If you can’t objectively look at your salon then ask a trusted friend to give you their impression. The feeling when you first walk into your salon is how you will feel all day. It can also be how your client feels and anything they feel will transfer down the leash to their best friend. If the client sees a dirty smelly salon then they will feel nervous and uncomfortable about leaving Rover with you. So while creating the ideal environment for pets you will also be creating a calming experience for the owner.  If the owner walks in to a quiet, nice smelling, clean salon they will feel safer about leaving their baby. This will make their pet feel more comfortable as well.

Once your client walks in and has a moment to absorb the atmosphere try to greet them by name and with a smile. Your greeting to dog and owner is very important. My greeting is always a Hello to the owner then my attention straight to the dog. How you greet the dog will depend on their behavior when you see them. Are they wagging their tail calmly? Jumping around like a wound up spring? Hiding behind mom? Scrambling for the door?If the dog is hyper then try to greet calmly. If you encourage the excitement they may continue this through the groom or possibly pee out of excitement. Pet them gently while talking in a soothing voice.

For a calm dog wagging its tail you must judge how quickly the tail is wagging. A slow deliberate wag is often a sign of aggression or caution. Try to let the dog approach you. Sit on the floor while calmly talking to the dog and saying its name. With the owner’s permission throw some treats near the dog’s feet. If he won’t eat them this can be a sign that he’s anxious. Spend several minutes coaxing the dog to you. If he still won’t approach have the owner step outside to see if his behavior changes. If it does not change then take this client on cautiously and be prepared for misbehavior. Now, if the dog’s tail was wagging rapidly then this is normally a sign of friendliness.

A dog hiding behind its mom should be approached in a similar way to the aggressive dog. I find “baby talking” will often make nervous dogs feel more open to you since their owners probably do it at home. By letting the dog approach you while showing her how amazing you are (treats, baby talk and possibly cuddles!) she will feel like it was her choice. If you simply snatch the dog away from its owner it will be more likely to be afraid of you. After all, would you feel safe if you were kidnapped??

If the dog is open and friendly make sure to give it lots of attention. This is behavior we want to encourage! What you are doing with these steps is building a relationship with the dog. Have you noticed how a dog will run from someone it doesn't know but will forgive its owner time and again for mishaps? We want to begin establishing that close relationship with our four-legged client. Your first appointment is the best time for this. After the dog approaches you can continue the affection while you discuss services with the owner. This gives you several more minutes of bonding time before you have to take them away from the owner.
Be aware that even though the dog may be bonding to you it’s first priority will still, most likely, be the owner. So if they start to get stressed about the owner leaving, then temporarily distract the dog till the owner disappears. Give them another minute of cuddles then take them to the kennel area.  

How you put the dog in the kennel is also important. If the dog will be on a bottom kennel say “kennel” as you lead them in with a treat or coaxing. If they still won’t go in try sitting on or near the entrance then coaxing them inside. I have even crawled into a kennel with double doors to lead the dog in because they felt safer following me. If the dog still refuses to enter the kennel you may have to try tethering or leaving them with the receptionist. But before you leave the kennel try putting some treats in the entrance for them to eat (assuming they are eating the treats and you have owner permission). That way they have a positive association with the kennel before leaving it. We want to eventually work them into wanting to be in the kennel. For dogs placed in the kennels higher up make sure to give them treats and pet them before leaving. 

Aruakai

During Christmas 2013, we found a kitten under my Mom's house. 

His very first picture!

There might as well have been a sign on him that said he was mine because I have always been a sucker for orange male kittens. And tell me you wouldn't have been a sucker for that face too! 

It took a while for him to figure out we weren't big scary monsters out to eat him. But once he did we couldn't keep him away!

His first big catch! (not real, but don't tell him)

Aruakai's name, as far as we know, is completely made up. My teenage brother came up with the name and pronounced it Ah-roo-ah-k-i.

His second car ride. Does this count as back seat driving?

Aruakai discovering Venom.

As you can see Aruakai has no fear. He befriends all of our animals. Each day he takes time to visit everyone in the home. He particularly loves Reno, Vota and the guinea pigs. Reno and him spend many hours wrestling and chasing each other. Aruakai loves to play with Reno's long hair!

This is Aruakai at approximately 3 1/2 months old. He's getting so big! His eyes have now changed from blue to a green orange color.

He loves to be cuddled and has one of the loudest purrs I have ever heard. I love him to pieces and I'm so glad we got to take him home!

Please check back as I will be updating this later with more photos as he grows. :) 

Poundcake, Yellowcake and Cupcake.

During what people were calling the "invasion of scorpions" my Mother was having lots of trouble with them. She was calling me up almost everyday to tell me how she had killed another. I know to most people this does not open a bleeding heart, but it does for me! 

I decided to try to save them and my siblings aided the effort by capturing the scorpions and holding them till I could get them. Sadly we were only able to save 3. Who were then named Yellowcake, Cupcake and Poundcake.

These guys can thankfully be housed together. They're so tiny that we were able to make them hides out of paper towel rolls as seen above. Their full size ranges around 2" and they have a lifespan of 2-6 years. They're fun to watch crawling around at night and they're housed next to their "big brother" Spongecake.

Spongecake

I don't know why, but I've always wanted to have a scorpion. I wanted one even more when I decided on the name my future scorpion would have. So after some searching I finally found one! 

This lovely chap's name is Spongecake. Why? Because scorpions are the exact opposite of spongecake. ;) 

Scorpions are nocturnal. So if you really want to see them moving around you have to watch them at night. Spongecake is a black emperor scorpion so he's hard to see in his terrarium. But the handheld blacklight we bought helps us see him perfectly at anytime. It really is fun to see them all lit up! 

Venom

I was really excited to find and acquire my first ball python morph. Morphs are basically snakes that are not the normal color. This boy is a Spider python. When trying to think of a name for him it came to me like an epiphany. We try to name all our snakes grandiose names, so I was running through spider names to fit his morph when it came to me. "Venom" was a character (often villain) from the Spiderman series and toxic snakes are called venomous. It was perfect!

Venom has a similar personality to Cobra. He's very curious and doesn't shy away from any attention. He's never tried to strike at anyone, but he does make them nervous because he likes to get in their face. Which I find hilarious.

Another unique feature to this morph (though not all snakes in this morph) is called "Spider wobbles." It doesn't effect the health of the pythons at all. But it causes them to put on a hilarious show sometimes. Venom often slithers upside down or ties himself into a loose knot. (Hopefully I can get a cool video or photos to post later!)

Venom is 4 1/2 feet long and currently our biggest snake. :) 

Reno

If you haven't figured out by now, I am a complete animal nut. I spend nearly all of my "spare" time doing something that involves animals. One night while researching the breed I'd been wanting to own for most of my life I stumbled upon a dog for sale. To be honest, I'd stumbled upon many of them. But this one was different. The look in his eye showed depth and soul. I immediately contacted the breeder to find out more about him and set a date for a road trip to meet him.

I promised my husband if he wasn't the dog I expected him to be that I wouldn't take him. I had big plans for him, including training him as a future service dog for myself. He had to meet a lot of personality requirements and we weren't positive he would.

As we stood talking to the owners in the middle of a crowded Petsmart a little girl ran over. She grabbed Reno's cheeks putting her nose to his and squealing loudly. I watched to see what his reaction would be as the girl's father came running towards her. Reno looked at her then licked the tip of her nose making her giggle with glee. And I was in love...

Reno has been everything in a dog I could ever ask for. He's playful, obedient, loving, fun and ready for anything. He's great with all of my other critters to the point  that he alerts me when they're upset about something. He's been my first show dog and I've enjoyed watching him in the ring as well as handling him myself. He currently has his RN, RA, RE, and CD (obedience titles). And I hope to eventually add more to that.

Reno finished his International Championship with a group 2nd! The judge told me it was a very close call for 1st! He's AKC major pointed with a reserve to a 5pt major and several BOS. We'll be starting his UKC show career this year to see how he does there. 

Strawberry

Strawberry belonged to a friend of mine. But not too long after she got Strawberry she developed an allergy to guinea pigs. This seems to be something that happens quite frequently and is very unfortunate when you have become attached to your pet.

I offered to take Strawberry, since guinea pigs do better in pairs and Tetris was alone. Not to mention I already knew Strawberry to be a very sweet cavy.

Strawberry started getting a bit chubby not long after I got her. I thought at first it was due to an abundance of food and maybe too many treats. My husband began to tease that maybe she was pregnant. But my argument was that was clearly impossible because both Tetris and Strawberry were girls!

I will admit to at the time not being an expert on sexing (identifying gender) guinea pigs. I had however, previously owned a male and female guinea pig when I was younger. That male left no doubt as to what gender he was and you knew without even picking him up! If you've ever seen a male rat he was similar in appearance to that. I did not realize that not all males are this obvious.

But as Strawberry's belly began to grow I began to question Tetris a little more.

Christmas morning 2012, we awoke to a beautiful snowy day. I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom when I heard the guinea pigs making an odd purring noise I hadn't heard before. My husband laughed and jokingly said "maybe she had babies!" I laughed it off but as I was coming back out of the bathroom I heard my husband say "Hey babe! She really did have babies!"

To be continued here...

TetriBerry and Galactica

 

I can tell you that newborn guinea pigs are one of the most precious sights in the world. Sadly though, they only stay small for about 3 weeks and then they are already about half the size of their parents.

 At first I was determined to not keep the babies. But it was difficult to say goodbye to my first baby guinea pigs. We also were going to have to separate Tetris and Strawberry, who would then be lonely. But fate stepped in by making one baby a boy and one a girl! By keeping the babies we could pair them off without leaving them lonely.

Galactica is the boy. His original name was "Strawtis" but, in honor of his father who was named Tetris, we decided to call him Galactica. I'm also a bit of a nerd about my love for old school games. Galactica is super sweet and enjoys being held. He likes to visit with the cats as well.

Tetriberry, who's name just stuck, is our girl. She's very shy and doesn't enjoy being held like the rest of her family. She will however, come visit you for a treat!

Tetris

It seems more often than not that when I'm contemplating acquiring another critter that one suddenly appears. You're probably laughing, but it's true. I will admit to occasionally perusing craigslist animal photos, but I have yet to acquire an animal that way. 

For several months I had been considering getting a guinea pig. To the point of holding them frequently at work. But each time I managed to talk myself out of it and within no time the one I had my eye on would find a home. 

One day as I was finishing up and about to leave the grooming salon an employee from the store popped in and said "Anyone want a baby guinea pig?" Come to find out someone who had bought a guinea pig a month before found out it was pregnant. There were 5 babies in all and she'd brought them back to the store for us to find them homes. Apparently the guinea pig crew had been up there all day and only one was left. How was I not made aware of this? 

I agreed to see the baby, but didn't confirm that I was taking it. However, when I saw the cute little mohawk on it's butt I was in love.

I didn't really have time to inform my husband of this decision because he was on his way to pick me up from work. So when he arrived to pick me up I carried the guinea pig out to the truck in my smock pocket. He was completely concealed other than his slight wiggling. 

I sat down and buckled in. My husband looked down at the bulge in my pocket then questioningly back at me. His gaze fell back to my pocket just in time to see the next wiggle. His mouth fell open . "Surprise!" I said as I pulled the guinea pig from my pocket.

I decided to name my new guinea pig Tetris. I was told Tetris was a girl, but later found out he was a boy!

Cobra

Cobra came to us from a combination of want and fate. One of the animals I had long planned to get when moving out of home was a snake. But more than me, my husband wanted one.

Even though we both wanted a snake we hadn't decided to get one yet. That's when fate stepped in. I was still working at the corp petstore and they happened to get a python in that wasn't selling. Because he was at the store so long he was handled frequently by the employees and we all began to fall in love with him. He was very active for a ball python and very curious. 

Cobra, being held by my husband, when we first got him. He was 8" long.

My husband happened to come in one day while an employee was carrying him around. He held him and decided that Cobra is what he wanted for Christmas! 

The night we got Cobra we were attending church with my Mother. We wanted to bring him out to her house to meet the family. But since it was cold and we were heading straight to her church my husband decided to sneak him in. So during the entire service Cobra stayed snuggled in my husband's hoodie. After the service we took him out for a few friends to see. 

Cobra today at 30" in length

It's a bit hard to see in the photo but he has grown a lot since we first got him. Cobra introduced us to the wonderful world of ball pythons.  He's still very curious and likes to investigate things. But is a bit shy about having his head touched. He's been a fun snake that everyone has enjoyed seeing grow up. 

Princess Fluffy (Arachnophobe warning)

Being the animal lover that I am it was a must that the person I marry be one too. Or at the very least be tolerant of all animals. Thankfully I met a man, who even though he hadn't lived with many animals, was up for anything. So as an engagement present to each other we decided on a Tarantula. 

Me holding Princess Fluffy the day we got her

We chose to get a rosy-haired because of their very docile nature and they're great for beginning Tarantula owners.

My husband holding Princess Fluffy

A lot of people ask about how we came up with the name. I don't like the ideas people have about spiders being bad. In fact, I rarely kill house spiders. So I wanted to name her Fluffy. My husband (fiance at the time) wanted to name her Princess, because it's sweet and girly. So we decided to combine the names for the ultimate in humor, girly and cuteness. Princess Fluffy. 

Princess Fluffy is true to the Rosy nature. She is very sweet and calm. We once had 6 children with hands lined up sitting on the floor while Princess Fluffy walked across their hands to the end. It took the 6th boy almost her entire walk to get brave enough to jump in. But then he couldn't stop talking about how he'd held the "giant" tarantula.

Please be aware that tarantulas are actually very fragile creatures and being dropped from as little as 8" can kill them. Please only hold and allow your 8-legged friend to be held under very controlled conditions.

Puff (The Magic Dragon)

I'm about to tell you something very important. Do not work in a petstore if you don't want to end up with a zoo! I have a hard time resisting cute faces as it is, but when you get to see the personalities it's even more difficult to say no. 

Puff won me over with his charm, which is not a lie. When a new set of baby bearded dragons arrived in the store I went to have a look. As I was watching them one tiny beardie ran upto the window, stood on his back legs and put his front ones on the window. Then he just stood there starring at me. I could have said no, but each time I walked passed that day he did the same thing. Eventually I took him out and held him, within a few minutes he was on his was home with me. 

This was a cardboard box I put with him the first night I had him. You can see his legs were barely wider than the cardboard. Did I mention he's a bit of a snob?

Puff planking!

It's important when choosing a pet to know how to care for them. Even though this sounds like a split second decision, I had always wanted a bearded dragon and was already educated on their needs. Bearded dragons are adorable when they're very tiny but they can get up to 2 feet long and require a large cage. They require a heat source and UV light. They need fresh vegetables as well as live insects. Out of all the animals we have my husband and I agree that our bearded dragon is the most costly. Keeping all this in mind they also have a lifespan of 8-14 years. So make sure when choosing one of these guys that you're ready for a long commitment.

Boomer

I first met Boomer at a grooming salon I worked in. He came in for a haircut (sans mohawk) and his Mom loved it so much that she began to request me as his groomer. I groomed him for about a year when one day a man, who I had never seen, came in with him. I asked where Mom was and the man informed me that she had passed away. I was extremely upset about this, but before I could ask any questions he said that Boomer was here for a "final groom." Apparently, he was going to find him a new home right away.

I had fallen in love with Boomer, as I do many of my clients, and volunteered to take him. And that is how he became a member of our home. I've had Boomer for about 4 years now and we believe him to be about 10-11 years old. He's supposedly a shih tzu mix, but I'd venture that he's full blood. He is full of personality and let's you know exactly what he wants. He's also extremely smart. Boomer's favorite thing in the whole world is food, second to that is his Daddy. 

His least favorite thing? Taking a bath....

But don't let him fool you because he's spoilt rotten.

(Yes, my little sister is holding his head while he sleeps.)

Vota

Vota passed away in June 2014. We will miss you Vota :( 

I got Vota, who is named after a band I love, in 2009. The owner believed him to be about 6 years old at the time. Which would make him approximately 11 years old now. Chinchillas are long lived and can live for over 20 years. 

They are very fascinating animals and my favorite thing to do is just watch him. He has a lot of cute mannerisms. He holds his food in his hands while he eats, he's very curious and makes lots of crazy sounds at night. The first night he made the noises I jumped out of bed in a panic! I thought some crazed animal had snuck into the house.

Vota's temperament tends to be on the shy side. But he has moments where he'll come over to be petted or investigate something interesting. We tend to let him choose if he wants to interact or not.

Chinchilla fast facts:

• Chinchilla fur is so dense that external parasites (such as fleas) cannot live on them because they will suffocate.

• They cannot sweat

• They take dust bathes to stay clean!

Monyah

Once, during one our many missions to save puppy mill dogs, we rescued a pregnant poodle. On October 21st, 2002 she gave birth to 3 adorable puppies, 2 girls and 1 boy. It was apparent from birth that the puppies were not full blood, although the puppy mill owner claimed they were. Their hair was completely straight and since the other breed he had were malteses, we assumed that's what the father was. 

When it came time to find forever homes for the puppies I held back one of the girls for last. Her personality was very quirky and I couldn't help but love her. However, my Mom insisted that we find her a good home.

It was near Christmas and my Mom had a friend take us out to look at the festive lights. She thought it would be easier for me if people came to look at the puppy while I wasn't home. About an hour later I got the call that she had found a home. I was honestly devastated. I couldn't believe she was gone and I'll admit it, I even cried.

On Christmas day as we unwrapped gifts I hoped that my Mom had made up the story about finding the puppy a home. I imagined that any second they'd walk into the room and place her in my arms. But when all the gifts had been opened I gave up hope.

We soon donned our winter gear in preparation to leave for dinner. At that moment my Uncle came inside from a smoke break carrying several wrapped packages. "I guess I missed these before!" he said as he checked names on the packages. Passing a few out, he then turned to me and said "I think you should open yours first." By this time I was unsuspecting and when the package wiggled I nearly dropped it! 

Carefully opening the package I found inside my puppy! She popped out and began to lick my face. I was ecstatic! 

Monyah's name comes from the french word monnaie and is pronounced "Moan-yay." I liked the sound of the name, but not the meaning which is "money." So I made up a name that sounded similar.

Monyah has a lot of quirks for a 4 pound dog. She's the queen of the house and let's the other dogs know it. It doesn't matter to her that she is the smallest, she is still the boss! She's a complete Momma's girl. The only person she listens to or wants to be around is me.  

Monyah has several catlike qualities about her. She loves to rub all over the furniture and plays tricks on her brothers. She even makes a whining noise that sounds very similar to a "meow." 

Monyah and I Christmas 2010

My little girl is 11 years old now, but she's still as active as ever! She brings lots of personality into our home and lots of love. I don't know what I'd do without her.

Priscilla Diane

I wanted to start my blog with introductions to all of my critters or maybe even one about me. But in the end I decided to start by introducing you to the most important animal that has yet to cross my path.

Priscilla Diane.

Priscilla Diane was born 14 days after my little brother on Jan 27th, 1997.  I was 8 years old at the time and as any child that age I was in love with the fuzzy puppy. She was my playmate and cuddle bug. But as she got older, and showed no sign of potty training, she spent more time outside. It's sadly the case with many dog owners. The puppy loses the cuteness, accidents get bigger and they get put outside.

About a year later a set of tragedies would change things. Our other two dogs suddenly died, from what we believe was poisoning. It happened so fast my Mom barely got them in her arms before they took their last breath. Prissy (aka Priscilla) seemed fine, though mournful. My Mother thought the other dogs must have eaten whatever it was before she could get to it since she was the smallest.

But after my father left for the work the next morning, she stopped breathing. My mom left her in our dog run on the side of the house because there was nothing she could do with 3 children around. I spent the entire day mourning the loss of my 3 dogs. I kept thinking how we had no pets left and how awful that was. 

Towards late afternoon my Mom took us into the backyard to play, doing her best to distract us. But all I could do was stare at the stockade fence where our dogs used to play. Suddenly my little brother who could barely walk wondered over to the gate shouting "doggy!" This brought on a new river of tears. How could I explain to my brother there were no more doggies? My mom went to retrieve him as he repeated "doggy" over and over. When she reached the gate and began to scoop him up we heard a yelp. We both froze. She looked at me and I at her. I quickly scooped up my brother as my Mother opened the gate. 

As the gate opened we watched a delirious toy poodle crawl on her belly out of the gate. We both started crying again, but this time with joy! Prissy was far from okay, but she was ALIVE! 

Prissy made a full recovery and we became inseparable. I took on the job of training her when I was only 9 yrs old. I read every training book I could get my hands on. Within a couple of years Prissy knew sit, down, come, stay, wait, shake, shake with the other paw, high five, over (jump over something), up (jump on something), twirl, spin, dance (twirl on hind legs), out (go out of this room), outside, Potty(on command!), heel, bed, kennel, roll over, leave it and several more! By the way, she was strictly taught by me with no help from my parents. 

We became such a team that people would buy her presents on my Birthday or for Christmas. Sometimes she got more than me! But I was fine with that. She was my girl after all. 

At times I believe she could read my mind. Before I would even ask her to do something she was already in motion to do it. She followed me no matter where I went, even if it meant leaving the soft couch to lay on the hard floor by a desk. 

When I turned 13 years old it was with great excitement I groomed her for the first time. The ever patient girl she was let me make mistake after mistake on her. I experimented with haircuts, tools, even colored her several times with kool-aid. She became such an expert at being groomed she'd often fall asleep standing up as I finished her. She gave me the love of grooming.

Another thing I loved about her was the way she played "Lassie." If she wanted or needed something she knew how to tell you! One night me and my brother were in the kitchen talking. She ran in very excitedly and began dancing around, then howled. My brother and I laughed while watching her. "Did Timmy fall down the well??" We asked her. She danced some more, ran to the doorway and back. A perfect imitation of Lassie! We began to follow her as she repeated her dance, ran in a certain direction and then back. We followed her all the way to my room where she gave a triumphant howl as she nosed the bed. We burst out laughing as we realized the clear message here was "It's bedtime!"

It's hard to explain to people the bond we shared. Only people who have had a "heart dog" (as we dog lovers call them) truly understand what it feels like to have a dog be a part of your heart. When Prissy was about 9 1/2 years old tragedy struck again. I remember the morning so clearly.

Prissy would often leave the bed when my Mom got up, in hopes of sharing some breakfast with her. I could hear her walking down the hall and something in my heart cinched. I knew deep down in my soul I was close to losing her. Trying to deny it I went back to sleep, hoping it was simply a fear. After all, she was walking around wasn't she? When I awoke again about an hour later she was in my bed. I stood up and put her on the floor, which I never did as she could easily get down herself. As soon as I placed her on the floor she began to have a seizure. Already feeling the hysteria coming over me I screamed to my Mother to come quick because Prissy was dying. My Mother, not understanding, tried to convince it was only a seizure. Lots of dogs have seizures and it's not life threatening, she said. But I knew. I don't know how, but in my heart I knew this was not just a seizure.

I could not force myself in to the vehicle to go with my Mom to the vet. I couldn't watch her like this and I knew if she was seeing me freak out she'd be even more upset. I was unable to keep myself calm. I kept the phone with me at all times and kept my Mom on the phone as much as possible. My Mother drove to 2 different vets who could not figure out what was going on. Finally, the 3rd vet decided to perform exploratory surgery and discovered she had pancreas cancer that had spread to her spleen. All of this was causing her blood sugar to drop, which is why she was having seizures.

During the surgery they removed her spleen. When it was over they told us they didn't think she'd live longer than 4 months due to the spread of the cancer. And that was if they could find a way to stabilize her blood sugar so that she could even come home. Obviously, the discussion of euthanasia was brought up. But after extensive discussion with the vet by me and my Mother we decided she was not suffering. The vet said they could keep her on an IV that would stabilize her blood sugar while starting medications. They could then remove the IV fluids, test her sugar to see if it dropped and administer fluids if it did. Prissy was with the vet for a week while they tried every medication at their disposal. We made visits as often as we could. When we weren't there family and friends took turns stopping in to see and love on her. The staff at the hospital constantly complimented her behavior, she seemed unafraid and willing to let them do their work. During the week she was in the hospital I neither slept nor ate. All I could do was sit and think of life without a piece of my heart. She was too young and this was happening so fast! Just a week before she was wrestling with our cat and acting like a puppy. How could this be?

Every day ticked by unmercifully slow as I contemplated more and more the thought of letting her go. But every time I saw her happy wagging tail and dance in the ICU I couldn't bring myself do it. The devil that is cancer is so cunning and well-disguised. If it hadn't been for the IV in her leg you would never know she was sick. She ate with gusto while I petted her and told her I missed her being at home. She was happy to see everyone as always. Why did it have to be like this?

About 7 days later we got a call from the Veterinarian saying one of the medications finally worked. Her blood sugar was staying at a good level and she could come home. But she reaffirmed the fact that she had a serious form of cancer that was incurable. 

I must reiterate that Prissy's comfort was always at the forefront of our minds. We discussed at length with the vet if she was in pain or suffering in any way. The vet said no.

Thus began the final leg of our journey together. Because  Prissy's pancreas  was not working correctly she had to be on a special home cooked diet. No dog food for her! The vet recommended cooked chicken and easily digestible vegetables. She was also to have twice daily medications that we were told she could never be taken off of. The medications stabilized her blood sugar keeping at bay the seizures. 

Bringing her home was bittersweet. Knowing that I would have time to spend with her and to say goodbye, but knowing that it would be so short. However, Prissy was not going to let her last months be full of depressing thoughts. She immediately went straight back to her old self, if not better. 

Because of the stitches from her surgery she had to wear a cone (Elizabethan collar). Which she quickly discovered had many advantages. If a treat were thrown on the floor she could prevent other dogs from getting it by simply sticking her head, and thus the cone, over it. She also figured out that she could catch food in it, then tilt her head forward and back to slide it right into her mouth. 

Once the cone was removed she went back to her routine of wrestling the cat and keeping the other pooches in line. You would have been hard pressed to convince her that she was ill. To her, the world had suddenly gotten better! If she was spoiled before I have no idea what term you would use for the treatment she received after her diagnoses. She was granted anything she even seemed inclined to want and she no longer ate dog food. Every morning she rushed to the kitchen to await her food preparations and her evening meal was always prepared before my own.

After a couple of months on this special diet I noticed that her cataracts (which had been getting bad) were completely gone and so were her tear stains. We were also able to completely wean her off of all medications without her experiencing another seizure. 

It was difficult sometimes to see her so full of life but to know her time was ticking away quickly. I do thank God for that extra time and the ability to say goodbye to her. I had lots of time to come to peace with her leaving me. 

Even with the seriousness of her condition and the grim diagnoses, Prissy lived 16 months after her surgery. The vet said it was the longest they'd seen a dog live with pancreas cancer in that stage. She was happy and full of life up to the very end when she passed quietly in her sleep.

She was truly a once in a lifetime dog for so many reasons.  She taught me how dogs who misbehave just need a chance and guidance. They need love, just like we do. She helped me learn to groom and train dogs. I also learned a lot of dog behavior from her. She was always the one our other dogs listened to, but she never had to bite or even growl to make them do so. She was my best friend for 10 years. She helped me deal with all my growing pains and was there for all my tears. She held my heart and when she passed took a piece with her.