Our Dogs
These were three dogs, until recently. Two have recently passed on, and only Stella remains. In honor of their memory, we continue to post their stories.
Buster (1998 - October 16, 2010)
Buster was our little boy. :) Well, he wasn't very little! We think he was our oldest. We think he was a Pitbull mixed with something like an American Bulldog or Mastiff, as he was much larger than your typical pitbull. He was had a much thinker tail and had more jowls than most pits. He had a beautiful brindle coat. He was fought. He was found in a ditch, left for dead, and he has several broken teeth. My wife, Julie, first got him when she volunteered at an animal shelter back in 2001. She had to give him up for a while due to landlords complaining, but she got him back later.
Buster was very sad when he lost his buddy, Duke, a Sheltie, who passed away in January, 2004, a few months before Julie and I met. After that, he was a basket case, and developed separation anxiety when left alone. He was a handful for a while, including when Julie and I first dated and in the first year of our marriage. Eventually, he settled down, and he became a GREAT dog. We had to have a tumor removed from his groin in 2008, and he developed arthritis but he survived those problems, at least initially.
Buster was taken from us rather suddenly in October, 2010. He got to the point where we often had to coax him to walk, but suddenly, he lost the ability to walk on October 11, 2010. The rest of the week, he tried so hard to walk but his hind legs wouldn't support him. He also couldn't relieve himself on his own. We had to use a catheter and scoop his poop out of him manually. Finally, on October 16th, after a terrible week, it was clear he wasn't going to improve, and once his belly got distended, we had to have him put to sleep. That was one of the toughest weeks of my life, and I can say that even after losing both parents in recent years.
I know Pitbulls are still very controversial, but Buster was VERY loyal, loving, and got along with every animal in the house. He barked at people he doesn't trust (he was a very good judge of character), but he was harmless. When I first met Buster, he didn't stop kissing me all night. It was love at first sight, for both of us. He had a great personality, loved kids and was very gentle around them. He was a special dog, and he can't be replaced.
McKenzie (1999? - July 1, 2010)
McKenzie was kind of a wedding gift. We got her six days after we got married in December, 2004. She is a large Shetland Sheepdog, also called a Sheltie. We love her, but, unlike most Shelties, she's not a herder, not agile, and isn't too bright. She is cute, though. :) She was found in a field during hunting season. She's always reacts to loud popping noises, so you can imagine how she is during fireworks season. In her last two years, she lost nearly all of her hearing, so fireworks and loud noises were no longer a problem. Her most favorite thing to do is to roughhouse.
McKenzie got sick over a few months with kidney and liver problems, losing 12 pounds in her last two months. She finally had to be put to sleep July 1, 2010.
Stella
Stella is our newest, and now only remaining dog. We picked her up in June, 2006. Stella is very happy go lucky. She is also deaf. We didn't know she was deaf when we found her in the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter. We believe Stella is older, although we aren't sure how old. We believe she's a Lab American Eskimo mix. Her coat is Lab-like, but white, and she's smaller than a lab and larger than an American Eskimo.
Stella is a scavenger. She will sniff and sniff and look for any food. She's also one to steal another dog's food. She can get hyper, too, ("Feed me, feed me!!!") although she's usually a calming influence for the other two dogs.
