update on boo-boo...

Sadie has a mass on her heart. They just took a needle biopsy of it a little while ago and we'll know what kind of tumor we're dealing with. I hope it is not a hemangiosarcoma because that will be lethal. Even treatment wouldn't prolong her life by much if the story Smooch sent me is typical. They should call me in a couple of hours...probably before I leave work. I don't know what to hope for--pray for the path of least suffering I suppose. I really hate this...really, really, really hate it.

Not too long ago we found a hotbed of cheap fleece toys for Sadie and piled them in the "junk drawer" in the kitchen. It is a lower drawer, so we started calling Sadie to it and saying "you want a toy?" She learned quickly, dipped her little noggin into the toys and picked one out. Up the stairs she'd trot and mangle the toy all over the bed, frantically pulling out every last piece of stuffing. I used to worry about her doing this because of the possibility of swallowing pieces, but she is only interested in dismantling. She has a method: she chews a hole open with her molars, then at the first sight of stuffing, she goes nuts pulling and spitting it out. When she gets to the squeaker she's quite content with herself. What is left is a flat piece of material, wet and slobbery stuffing everywhere and a squeaker that no longer squeaks. I have to say the fervor with which she does this makes it one of the most entertaining things I have ever seen an animal do. The last time the drawer was opened for her she started taking out ALL the toys. "Sorry Sadie, only one at a time." She's a stinker, she is.

Sadie has always been very particular about how she goes about things. We have been so lucky to have had her--even with all her little quirks, demanding to be treated as a person and not a dog, getting the unlimited tongue baths, burying her bones in the couch and stuffing the pillows down in the cracks to secure the hiding place, prancing on the floor when she's excited to see you, playing hide-and-go-seek with daddy, stealing my underwear from the laundry and leaving it strewn all over the backyard, yowling at the top of her lungs when she hears a siren go by, "fake" barking to lure Pickles away from her treat so she can steal it, adoring every human who has two hands to pet her, sticking her head out the window and sniffing the air as much as possible while her jowls catch the air and puff out--her ears snapping like little velvety flags, running into her leash harness like a poodle jumping through a hoop, honking like a goose because she is yanking on her leash when she first heads out the door, running around the house with her butt in a hunch because she's so excited, following her nose and refusing to mind until the fifth (or more) command has been given and the insatiable desire for food... She is really a hilarious dog who has taught me A LOT about dog ownership--she made me work for it and it was worth every minute. I hope we have a little more time together.

Ugh, I had to put Baxter to sleep last year on December 10. I am afraid I'm looking at going through that again. I will update later today; then surgery tomorrow.