Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

We had to put Pax to sleep last night. My wife could not witness it. He was a great dog–fourteen years old. This did not make it any easier. He had a full life as a big dog. With much difficulty we got him into my car. I had to wait in the waiting room about fifteen minutes. Pax was in such bad pain. He could hardly move. He had two ripped knees and just got worse with his medication. He would not stop panting. I talked to him softly, stroked him lightly while we were waiting.

Finally we got into the room and he lay on the stainless steel. I did not stop stroking him lightly and talking to him. He lay there and I kept softly stroking him on ___ and talking softly to him. It was his last few minutes. The vet explained to me what was going to happen, shaved one of his legs and gave him his injection. I talked to him softly and lightly patted him as he went from one realm into another.

I burst into tears uncontrollably when he became still. I knew him for twelve of his fourteen years. He had such dignity. In the end no matter how difficult it was for him to exit into our yard and navigate the steps, he still went out into the yard to pee.

We did this for him not us. Now he can run freely, with no pain. Maybe, one time we will meet in heaven. He was a great dog. I loved him but I had to let him go. He is now in a better place.

Tags: a great dog, big dog, burst into tears, dog fourteen years old, dog had such dignity, Doggy heaven, dogs, had a full life, his last few minutes, I saw Pax slip from one realm into another, in a better place, Maybe I Will see him in heaven, my wife, Pax, Pax and his last minutes, Pax was now pain free, pets, putting my dog to sleep, vet
Posted in animals, death, God, life, local, marriage, pets, relationships, time | 1 Comment »

Pax the elder of our pack of four dogs is getting old.  Both knees are torn and we started giving him pain meds.  It was just too painful for him to get around.  We were thrilled when we started giving him a second pain pill (in the morning) and he became more active.  No dog lives forever.  He is thirteen — old for a big dog (he must be eighty pounds) now.  His rear muscles have atrophied.  The vet said to make him as comfortable as possible.  He has been around forever.  He is the father of two of our dogs.  He is feisty.  Sometimes he will come into my room just to get one pat on the head and then he leaves.  He is one confident dog.  He literally prances up and down at the end of the day for after the last “out” for all the four dogs he will get some kind of treat.  And he knows that and gets all excited.  Now it is a slice of bread with some peanut butter dabbed on it to hide the pain pill.  He has always loved bread.

Tags: big dog, both knees torn, dogs, dogs get treats, four dogs, Pax, Pax loves bread, pets, slice of bread with peanut butter, the elder dog, vet
Posted in animals, death, health, local, pets, relationships | No Comments »

It was a reprieve for Pax.  Last week one day he just lay there almost motionless.  My dog would not eat or drink anything.  He just lay there.  I thought it was the beginning of the end.  He is a big dog, thirteen years old.  Really big dogs don’t live as long as smaller dogs.  I thought his time was up.  His malaise lasted only one day.  All of a sudden he perked up, drank water and ate again.  It was not his time.  I will try to not take his life for granted any longer.  I don’t know how much time he has but I will make an effort to treasure his remaining days.

Tags: big dog, dogs, Don't take his life for granted, it was not his time, Pax, Pax's malaise, pets, treasure remaining days
Posted in death, local, pets, relationships, time, wisdom | No Comments »

Pax is the bemused elder, a Rottweiler mix almost twelve years old.  The other three dogs are approximately five.  He is the dad of two of our dogs and Mom is our golden retriever.  He kind of looks at me with this odd look almost cockeyed.  He is the only one left from the three dogs we had when I entered this marriage nine years ago.  He no longer moves too quickly on his arthritic legs.  I have stepped on him too often although he has never bitten me for doing this.  He is now cautious when I walk nearby.  My nickname for him is “Woof”:  he is the most vocal of our four dogs.  He does his business in the yard quickly and indicate to us very (???) with a quick bark or two that he wants in the house.  He likes to run in the far right corner of our yard and barks at anyone who has the temerity to pass by.  He is one intimidating dog but he really is a sweetheart.  He is the only dog who is really my wife’s although he does listen to me.  He is the one dog I really do not want to get out:  he is plain scary looking.  He weighs about ninety pounds.

Tags: arthritic, big dog, dogs, four dogs, golden retriever, my wife, Pax, pets, rottweiler mix, woof
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My wife said Pax, our Rottweiler mix, was lying in the same spot for at least three hours. I tried to get a rise out of him but he would not move: his eyes just followed me. We did not understand it. We thought that, maybe, he had a stroke. I feared for his life.

He had a biscuit that lay right next to his mouth untouched. I was afraid I would wake up next morning and he would still be in the same spot dead. In the middle of the night I awoke and noted he had moved. I cheered. He was still alive. He was now walking very gingerly on one rear leg.

He has arthritis and is twelve years old. I thought he just got “old” all of a sudden. I remembered the vet once told me he could be given aspirin for pain. I called the vet’s office and they said for a dog his size (he weighed ninety pounds) I could give him an aspirin and an half twice a day.

He responded to the aspirin right away. He perked up almost immediately. Now he would run into the kitchen for the dogs’ nightly biscuit. He once ran into the furthest reaches of the yard to bark at someone from his favorite spot. His recovery was remarkable. Both of us were thrilled.

I have known Pax my whole marriage–over nine years. He is one intimidating dog. I remember in the beginning he once followed me into the bathroom and I asked my fiancee, “What is he doing now?”

I realized now he is only on loan to me and I needed to appreciate him more now. No dog lives forever.

Tags: appreciate him more now, arthritis, aspirin, big dog, called the vet, dogs, dogs' nightly biscuit, he is only on loan to me, my wife, Pax, pets, rottweiler mix
Posted in death, knowledge&learning, local, love, pets, relationships, time, wisdom | No Comments »

Tilla likes to make us laugh.  He hopped on the head of the bed while my wife was in the bathroom.  And we looked at him calling his name and his tail went thump, thump, thump.  He would not move.  We do have a king sized bed and my wife slept to the right side of him because there was more room there and I slept to the left side of him cheek to cheek with my right hand draped around him.  He is an eighty pound dog.  You would think he knows enough to sleep at our feet on the bed but this was not about sleeping.  This was about making us laugh.

Tags: big dog, dog makes us laugh, dogs, king sized bed, my wife, pets, tail thump, Tilla
Posted in animals, humor, local, love, marriage, pets, relationships, time | No Comments »

Coco is a long haired eighty pound dog completely black with a splash of white on her throat.  She is a real lady.  When she wants a belly rub, she will raise her leg slowly and demurely to indicate it.  She will sit there crossing her front legs real lady-like.  At the moment she is the only one outside.  She likes her privacy.  She is out cradling her bone.  No one is going to get it.  She knows our bedroom routine and almost every night is found lying on one side of the bed.  She is extremely gentle although when she gets excited she will “mouth” you although she has never bitten anyone.  She is one sweet dog.  Sweetie, her Mom, always defers to her (and her brother Tilla).  Her Mom does not have one aggressive bone in her body.  Her Mom is a golden retriever so Coco’s gentle nature is not that surprising although Coco can be quite insistent when she wants to go out–a quality her Mom would never have.

Tags: belly-rub, big dog, Coco, dog bone, dogs, golden retriever, pets, sweet dog, Sweetie, Tilla
Posted in animals, local, pets, relationships, time | No Comments »

Pax is a Rottweiler mix, one scary ninety pound dog.  He is twelve and most of the time has this bemused expression in his face.  Tilla, his son, loves to tease him.  He will have a bone in his mouth and run alongside him cheek to cheek eliciting warning barks from him.  Tilla know how far to tease him.  I really got mad at Pax the other day.  I bought our favorite crusty rye bread and broke off a piece.  I was not paying close attention for a second or two, temporarily laid it on the ground and Pax swiped it.  I was going to grab it out of his mouth but my other dissuaded me from doing that.  I was pissed.  He did it again.  He is a great bagel thief too.  Don’t lay one nearby:  he will grab it so quickly you will never see him do it.  He is getting a little crotchety.  He has his favorite spot in the yard–in one corner and will bark at anyone who has the temerity to pass nearby.  He is not really mean.  He just looks the part.  He is one dog I never want to get loose.

Tags: bagels, big dog, dog bone, dog loves bread, dogs, pack of dogs, Pax, pets, rottweiler mix, rye bread, Tilla
Posted in animals, humor, local, pets, relationships, time | No Comments »

Both of us two nights ago entered our bedroom and there was our eighty pound dog Tilla on the head of the bed right in the middle ears pert waiting for us.  He would not move.  I slept to the right of him and my wife to the left of him cheek to cheek.  Both of us slept on our side.  I never know what Tilla is going to do next.  Thank God the bed was a king sized one!

Tags: big dog, dog sleeps in bed, dogs, pets, Tilla
Posted in humor, local, marriage, pets, relationships, time | No Comments »

I renamed Pax the oldest dog we have:  his new name is now “Big Woof” or “Woof” for short.  He is the most vocal of our four dogs.  He is always barking at us.  His one kid “Tilla” is always trying to get a rise out of him and teases him, running at his heels.  Big Woof is an affectionate though quite scary Rottweiler mix, all ninety-three pounds of him.  He usually gets his way for I can’t stand his loud barking right in my ears.  He always comes to me when he wants something for I always give him his way.  He is really my wife’s dog and he spends nights asleep at her feet.  He seems to like his new name.

Tags: "Big Woof", big dog, dog bark, dogs, my wife, Pax, pets, rottweiler mix, Tilla, woof
Posted in humor, local, pets | No Comments »

Thank God for my pets.  Somehow I believe it is no accident my second wife also loves animals.  I never had pets growing up.  I love all of my pets.  All eight cats and all four dogs.  It is a menagerie.  And it is true I can’t go on vacation so easily but that is a small price to pay.

There is Tilla one of the pups we kept of our golden retriever (we kept two) who is a paradox extremely aggressive but timid at the same time.  For example, if you throw four scraps to our four dogs, he usually will get three if you don’t stop him.

He actually let my daughter pet him the last time she was over (that was a first).  He still runs in the other direction when my son approaches him.  And he is good with pets.

Coco is the other pup of Sweetie and extremely affectionate although she can be pretty insistent when she wants to go out.  She will sit at our feet front legs crossed sometimes–a real lady.  She gets along with everyone.

My eight cats are all different (the one unfixed female, now fixed) had two litters–one and three.  Pumpkin the only surviving cat from the first litter is one quiet, laid back cat who seems to get along with all the other seven.

The other three from the second litter of Jasmine’s are Cheyenne, China, and other whose name temporarily escapes me.  Both Cheyenne and China are long haired.  The mother is shorted (???) haired, small and dainty but able to take well care of herself.

Cheyenne is one beautiful although somewhat wild cat.  He usually does not let me pet him.  If I get too close, he gives me the eye as if to ask me “how dare you approach me?”

China is one exotically black and white colored cat who is one cool character.  He is extremely laid back and nothing seems to faze him.  I always have trouble remembering the sexes of our cats.

Cool Hand Luke a black female cat I brought into this marriage who hangs out in our bedroom and is appropriately named.  I have another completely black cat “Slinky”.

It is hard to tell the two apart although if you pet them you can tell the difference immediately.  “Slinky” is somewhat timid and extremely affectionate.

Tiger is the third cat from the second litter of Jasmine also appropriately named who sorts (???) blends in with every one.

Buttons is the other tiger looking cat who decided to adopt our family.  He showed up at our doorsteps and my wife started feeding him and when he got his shots, she let him come in.

He knew a good thing when he came in:  he did not go out for months again.  He is the newest member of our menagerie.  He does, at times, terrorize the other cats.

He also terrorized the vet and her staff during his exam:  It took them ten minutes to catch him in the exam room when he squirmed out of the grasp of the vet and three people were chasing him around the room (the vet called for backup).

He scratched the hell out of the vet in the process.  He is still a (???) somewhat wild although he has calmed somewhat after he got fixed.  That pretty much takes care of our cats.

Pax, the father of the pups, is the only pet of ours not mentioned by name.  He is the biggest and oldest dog close to an hundred pounds, an Rottweiler mix.

He suffered from bad ear infections and only at the vet where they put a muzzle on him would he allow anyone to go near to clean them.  It took me awhile before I lost my fear of him.  The veterinary helper called him a “baby.”  He is one dog I never want to get out he is one scary looking dog.

There is also Sweetie our golden retriever who is aptly named.  She will stand there forever letting you pet her.  She is one happy-go-lucky dog who always likes to have something in her mouth.  She was traumatized by her original owner who would lock her up for hours.  That is how we got her and that is the last of our menagerie.

Tags: Add new tag, big dog, Buttons, cats, Cheyenne, China, Coco, Cool Hand Luke, dogs, ear infection, eight cats, four dogs, God, golden retriever, happy-go-lucky dog, Jasmine, menagerie, my daughter, my son, my wife, Pax, pets, Pumpkin, quiet laid back cat, rottweiler mix, Slinky, Sweetie, thank God, Tiger, Tilla, veterinarian
Posted in humor, local, nature, pets, relationships, time | No Comments »