F YOU, Cancer.

Red shows that Greyhound CAN sit at about 3 months old.

The Kidlet pets Red on the morning of his last day.

Blue (Alta-Tollhaus Lapis Lazuli), 9 weeks old, is hiding behind Amanda, 15 years old, while Red, 9 months old, washes the Amanda’s face on Blue’s first day in our home in Dec 2003.
Red explains to Blue, 4 months, who the boss dog is.
Blue, 6 months old, and Red, about a year old, share the Kidlet’s breakfast. She is about 20 months old.

Red, 10, supervised the play of Blue, 9, (center) and Via (Alta-Tollhaus Ombré Viola), 14 months.

Red was found to have an advance case of canine osteosarcoma on Tuesday, Dec 20, 2011, in the right upper arm bone (near the shoulder). Amputation was not feasible. He has had persistent lameness off and on for a few weeks. The weekend before he started being restless at night, yelping in pain for no reason that I could see and clinging to me so we took the first available vet appointment.

His spirit was great. He wanted to play, go for walks, run the fence line barking at the loose dogs who visit more often than I’d like and is always ready to eat. To the end was the first dog to appear when a plastic bag rattles. Until the end he was trying to steal food off the kitchen counter.

The tumor was so large and the bone was so thin that the Kidlet joined me when we took him to the vet to be put him to sleep on Thursday, Dec 22. She wanted a paw print from him, too, which we did after he was gone.

Red had two very good last days.

With the holidays, Red’s cancer and death and Via’s false pregnancy, we did not do much formal organized training the last couple of weeks. We worked on Via being calm in the house with Blue as Red was the peace keeper.

Roxana, my spouse, has started working on sit, down, come, touch and name with Via. The Kidlet continues to play almost daily with the flirt pole and Via and is conditioning Blue to hang out with her in her room.

Blue is very lost without Red. She was basically HIS dog. He was 9 months old when she joined our household at 9 weeks old . He immediately took charge of her. Blue’s new favorite place is to be leaning against some human’s leg. I’ve been playing confidence building games with her but I know that she is grieving.

Via looked for Red at his spot on the couch several times a day for a few days but doesn’t any more. Her play with Blue has become more bossy and frantic and she is less happy in her crate.