Saying Goodbye to Sariah

We met with the oncologist this morning, and we have a diagnosis. It's not good. Sariah has disseminated Histiocytic Sarcoma which is an aggressive form of cancer and is affecting her spleen and liver. With chemo she would have a 30% chance of surviving only six months. The cancer usually returns while the dog is healing from chemo. There was no guarantee she would survive the chemo. The doctor said our pup was suffering, and we didn't want her to suffer anymore. She has been declining rapidly this past week. So, tonight, after prayerful consideration, we tearfully said good-bye to our sweet puppy. She passed peacefully surrounded by our love witch each of us petting her gently.

Our girls have been troopers. It's finals week for the semester and not a good time to lose a beloved family pet. We knew we didn't want to wait once we found out. Not only the suffering but the waiting for the inevitable would be worse.

We decided to save pups ashes in a beautiful box. After spending nearly $4,000 on all the testing, we didn't want to spend more, but the thought of leaving her there was awful. At least with our little box we would be able to keep her with us for a little longer. I never thought I'd be like that, but I needed to know this wasn't "it" when we left the hospital. I think the girls felt better about having her ashes also.

We drove to In-N-Out for dinner, and the sky was beautiful. Jenna said it was Sariah in Heaven saying hello to us and letting us know she was okay.

The breeder has been outstanding in her support, and willing to answer all our questions. When she found out what was going to happen, she cried. She has offered us a puppy from their next litter which she knew wouldn't replace Sariah, but she wanted to do something. It was very nice of her. The pups aren't due until March. We'll see how we feel then. For now we will mourn our sweet pup as we walk in the door and experience the absence we feel expecting our pup to come to greet us.

Pets

Some photos of our regal pup...Her favorite activities are sleeping and playing with us. She especially loves her trail partner and can't get enough of him.

And one of Jenna's hammy...because hammy is cute and growing too.

New Pets

Jenna wanted a hamster so badly that she didn't wait for Christmas. Kelly took her to the pet store armed with her own money, and they purchased a new hamster, cage, food, bedding and all the rest of the trimmings.  The hamster is really, really cute.  No name for the cutie pie, fluff ball yet, but she's working on it.

Jenna had so much fun picking out her hamster and is so in love with it that she couldn't stand for her best friend not to have the same experience. She combined Christmas and birthday presents into one, and she took Sarah hamster shopping. Jenna bought Sarah a hamster and a cage along with some starter bedding.  It was cute to watch Sarah's face as she realized Jenna brought her along to choose a hamster and a cage for herself.  The girls took the new hammy friends to Sarah's house to get her all set up.  Jenna had a blast surprising her friend, and the surprise was a whopping success.

Soccer and a Doggie

In an effort to keep soccer pictures interesting (as opposed to the same old girl in the same old green shirt and socks), I have made a list of random soccer facts. We're a new soccer family, so all facts help in the learning curve.

1) You might get a coach who encourages the girls to pick a "unique" name. And then the banner people will be challenged to create an image to go with the name.

2) You can make new friends on a soccer team.

3) You will discover skills you didn't know you had, for example, being a naturally gifted defensive player. Then you have to get used to the coach not letting you be a forward like you dreamed about because you defend the goal better than anyone else.

4) Soccer hair can be pretty even when you're sweaty and red faced.

More random facts to come in the next couple of weeks. In other news, we have a dog. This will come as a shock to some of my family (Aunt Kathy), but we have joined the ranks of dog owner. We have "adopted" my friend's purebred Shitzu (I finally get to partially swear every time someone asks me what kind of dog it is), and the girls are in heaven. Here is a picture of Heather with Winston when he was a puppy in 2007. I cannot remember the name of the other puppy, but he was darned cute, and Jenna was darned cute too, so I posted the sisters' picture.

Winston was having to be separated from my friend's grandson because the grandson would be a little naughty when Winston was around (grandson is 12 months old). Winston would then nip, and the whole thing wasn't good. The separation was hard on Winston because he's such a people dog, and our friends decided they needed to find a home for him until next summer when grandson would be moving out. We have left next summer open in case our friends want Winston to come back and live with them, but for now, Winston is a Peterson. Can I just say that Peterson dogs are spoiled? You'll see. I'm sure there will be pictures and blog posts.

Saying Good-Bye to Linny

Just a few days ago, I snapped this photo of Linny while taking shots for the Ides of March post. He was talking to me and trying to get to my feet knowing me being out meant something yummy for him. I gave his head a few little scratches and got him some red pepper. Most days Linny rummages around in the grass or garden munching on yummies. When we open the back door he will start talking to us with his little squeaks from where ever he is and scurry over our way to see what yummy treat we have for him. It has been nice to have him outdoors this last year knowing he can roam, but we have been aware of the dangers (hawks, cats, possums). He has been the smartest of all our guineas, but last night, we lost our little friend. I think it was the wind making so much noise rattling the bushes that must have caused him to not hear the possum. I heard Linny for a second and recognized distress, but I couldn't find him. It was three in the morning, and I could hear the bigger critter, but the bushes were so thick. I tried rattling with a broom and calling him, but I knew what had happened. I was so sad.

This morning we told the girls after we found him and confirmed for sure that he was gone. They were pretty sad also. Our guinea pig days are over. It was a fun adventure while it lasted. I am pretty sure we'll be hearing about the next pet soon. The word "dog" was mentioned several times today.