Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2006. We took Mattie to a fall festival and as you can see he posed in front of a corn maze. Mattie loved all the fall festival activities and really got into the spirit of them! It was always wonderful to see the world through Mattie's eyes, because we never focused on the same things. Which meant he opened up another dimension to me.
Quote of the day: The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. ~ Bertrand Russell
I have noticed pretty soon after getting Sunny that his neck is lumpy. Literally behind his ears and along his neck there are times you can feel something similar to a goose egg. Since I know Sunny has been examined by my vet and multiple other vets, I really did not think much of it. I deduced in my own mind that these goose eggs were just neck muscles. Typical of a border collie.
However, last week I bumped into my neighbor. She greeted Sunny and was petting him. She then said to me.... "you know he has lumps behind his ears that are most likely tumors." If that wasn't bad enough she then said.... "well you know dogs get cancer." She said it so casually, I literally just looked at her. It would be bad to tell any dog owner this, but definitely one who lost a child to cancer. So I just chalked her comments up to insensitivity at the time.
Yet as Bertrand Russell's quote points out, sometimes no matter how solid or wise you feel about something, you can grow doubts. For a week, what my neighbor said was weighing on my mind. So on Saturday, I called my vet and made an appointment for this morning.
Sunny saw the vet today and she handled my concerns very well. She confirmed my initial thoughts..... Sunny has LARGE neck muscles. She said his lymph nodes are fine and these bumps are not tumors! Now logically I knew this too, but given what I went through with Mattie, I wasn't about to wait around and see. I can't wait to see my neighbor again and educate her!
What I did learn today is that Sunny has gained five pounds in a month. So he is now going on a more limited diet. It is hard to imagine how he is gaining weight with all the exercise he does on a daily basis. But the vet and I talked about limiting treats. This won't be easy since Sunny LOVES, LOVES, LOVES food. But I need to do what is in his best interest, and we will find a way to make this work.
Sunny and I walked over six miles today. In between I did a lot of computer work. He was very patient during my work times, but was super grateful when I took breaks. Prior to Sunny I wouldn't have taken breaks, I would have just continued sitting and working. Yet I can't go on a Sunny walk without hearing from multiple people that I have a beautiful dog. Sunny is physically beautiful, but also it is his temperament that is beautiful. I could see that temperament shining through the photos of him on the internet when adopting him. Mind you I never met Sunny before adopting him. Which is probably not the best way to adopt a dog, but it is the way many rescue groups work these days. One man, who I did not know, waved at me today while walking and said..... I wish I was going for a walk with you! I understood his comment, because what he was saying is it looked like Sunny and I were having fun together.
1 comment:
Vicki,
I love Sunny, from the great name you gave to him, to his amazing temperment. Most of all, I love him because he makes you happy.
I love hearing about him and so glad you were proactive to already have followed up on the comment. Even when we are sure of something, it is a good idea to get the additional peace of mind. I think your walking is marvelous, I know how you like to walk and now you have Sunny to lead. Wish I lived closer, Inam not a good alone Walker - need a companion!
No blog comment is complete without mentioning Mattie's picture. I never saw his smile in person but believe me, I think of Mattie and I see the beautiful smile he gave the world!!!!
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