Those Big Brown Eyes- Raven, March 26, 2001-March 29, 2012

In the 1950's, I read an article in The Readers Digest, titled "A Warm Heart and A Cold Nose". What could this be about? I thought. Well, to any of us dog lovers, we now know exactly; "Man's Best Friend",of course, woman's too. There has never been a time in my life without a dog or two, mostly small cause of the kids. My ego promised that someday I would have a big dog, a "Man's Dog". My wish came true in 2009, when I married Harley, my daughter's mother-in-law, another great story. Harley owned two standard Poodles, Raven & Cooper. Raven was the biggest a standard could be, while Cooper was on the smaller side of standard. When Raven and I first looked eyeball to eyeball, I knew who owned who. I was going to be happy to serve him. Take him outside to walk and pee, call him to dinner, sneak him a human cookie from my secret stash, when Mother was not around. He had to lick my plate, even before I was done my meal. Throwing balls or toys around for Raven to fetch was his favorite past-time; my arm got so sore. You know the list. I enjoyed the most was "Man Time"; we sat and talked to each other as I gently rubbed his ears with the heel of my hand or scratched his chest, that place no dog can get to. We were eyeball to eyeball, sharing love and respect and just being guys. The best of friends we were. We even fought wars together and had celebrations to our victories. Victory was to allude us all in this last great battle. Our spirits and our hearts were no match for the dreaded desease. Shortly after 1PM on March 29th, Harley, Cooper, Max and I allowed our vet to gently release Raven's great heart, his great spirit and close "Those Big Brown Eyes" - forever. The sting is too great; the emptiness is too vast and the loneliness is too horrific. And we are too aware that way too many of you have had or will have this same great loss. God please help us...

And, the Beat Goes On

Raven continues to be an enigma. We did get his results back from the biopsy only to confirm the original diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma. We were surprised and not. Our only barometer is his behavior and we could see he wasn't feeling well. The last two weeks have continued to be an up and down roller coaster. He's added an addition to our woes; poor appetite. We fight on with blind faith. I've had to put my chef's hat on and be really creative around meal time. His meals are nothing less than gourmet. I am so thankful for the years of treating dogs and cats with acupuncture at the end stages of life. Cancer is a defiant, brutal mystery. I did gather a wealth of knowledge from the animal owners as to the many challenges and solutions for the purpose of providing comfort as their pets ventured into the period of transition. What inspirations they were to watch as they cared for their beloved best friends! Last Saturday we were pretty sure that Raven was giving up and his time was short and so we were both in tears, not the first time, as we drove him to a homeopathic doctor who specializes in animals. After our visit we were again encouraged to "battle on" with a new plan that may deliver some quality to his life. The last three days have been over the top. Raven's attitude, his energy and his functions are very good. We're basking in the results of homeopathy as we turn blue. Today is the only day that counts. He is with us and we rejoice in his great spirit as we give thanks. Just another day... we pray-beg...