Dawson

My sweet beagle Dawson died earlier tonight. He took a turn for the worse this afternoon. My friend Cherry and I had been managing his condition very carefully, given his back problem and his cancer. For weeks now, our focus had been on him being happy and not in pain. There were a number of ups and downs during this process, but we did pretty good. For example, just the other day, Dawson was digging a hole in the backyard, burying a bone! Today, however, he took a turn for the worse. It was time to help him out and to let him go.

I miss him terribly.

Lucky dog

Regarding Dawson, my beagle with cancer, this past week started off pretty rough but has gotten much better.

I thought that Monday was going to be his last day. His walking had deteriorated over the weekend to the point where he was barely able to get up. And he was barely eating anything. So I asked his vet (my friend and neighbor Julie) to come over to look at him, assuming it was time to let him go. She diagnosed his difficulty walking as a problem with his spine, not something related to his cancer. She increased his pain medicine and on Tuesday evening, put him on a steroid, prednisone.

On Wednesday morning, he ate. And since then, he hasn't missed a meal. And he's getting around much better. And, very importantly, he seems very happy.

So, while he still has cancer, the cancer is not yet getting the better of him.

And something else happened this week that has been wonderful. While I'm at work during the daytime, Dawson stays at my friend Cherry's house. I drop him off on my way to work and pick him up on my way home. Cherry is the person who had Dawson for his first ten or so years. I adopted him when Cherry got very sick 3-4 years ago. I am extremely grateful to Cherry for her help and for being so good to Dawson. Yesterday, for example, he seemed quite full when I picked him up. Cherry had fed him a huge bowl of food -- and a hot dog!

Here's a photo of Dawson taken this morning on this first sunny day all week. Dawson is flanked by Bose (left) and Oliver.

Dawson's cancer

My beagle, Dawson, has cancer. I haven't written about this on my blog until now.

I found out about Dawson's condition several weeks ago. He looked like he'd lost some weight, was moving around a little slower and was experiencing some back pain. I asked his vet (who is my friend and neighbor, Julie) to come over and take a look at him, and she suggested some medical tests.

The back pain turned out to be severe arthritis, but an x-ray and ultrasound revealed tumors outside of his heart and also within his spleen. I don't recall the technical name of the cancer, but it's a kind that comes on very quickly. And unfortunately, kills very quickly.

I was told that Dawson has a couple of days to a couple of months left.

There are no treatment options for his cancer, and even if there were, I don't think I'd put him through that, especially given his age. He's somewhere between 12-14.

I asked my vet what to do. Her advice: Give him whatever he wants. Make him comfortable. And appreciate each day with him.

That's what I've been trying to do. I've taken him on more walks than we've gone on all year. He gets lots of yummy treats. I take him with me on errands, as he loves to ride in the car, especially in this cool fall weather we're having.

And with my renewed passion for photography, he's become my favorite photography subject of late. Fortunately for him and his eyes, I've been doing a lot of no-flash photography.

Dawson's spirits seem pretty good. He seems to be enjoying life. I worry that he may be in discomfort from time to time, but I'm told that this type of cancer shouldn't cause him to be in pain. Instead, he'll just continue to slow down until he reaches a point where he has almost no energy. That will be when it's time to help him out.

This experience with Dawson is reminding me to truly enjoy and appreciate life, one day at a time. That's certainly what I'm trying to do, for both Dawson and myself.

Dawson and the RFT

Special thanks to Nick at the Riverfront Times for the following tweet. On behalf of Dawson, we are both very honored!

Dawson at Blueberry Hill

Read more about my photo here.

Neighborhood watch, part 2

Bose joins Dawson this time for watch duty. More photo details here.

Neighborhood watch

Taken last night. Click here for the description/context.

Reunion

Here's my friend Cherry visiting with my dog Dawson, from yesterday. I think of Cherry as Dawson's mom, as she was his owner until several years ago when her situation at the time could not allow her to keep Dawson. Cherry had found Dawson in the 1990s as a young beagle wandering the streets of North County during an ice storm.

I could tell that Dawson was very happy to see Cherry, and I think this photo does a decent job of capturing the fondness between the two.



To capture warmer tones that seemed so appropriate for this setting, I went without the flash and with a higher ISO of 1600. A little grain is noticeable at larger sizes.

I really need to clean my patio door...

From left, Bose, Dawson and Oliver

Three tomatoes and three dogs!

In my backyard is an upside-down tomato planter growing some beautifully-tasting "sun gold" tomatoes. My neighbor Joan had picked out the tomato plant after reading of how deliciously-sweet the tomatoes are. And she was right! Well, today I noticed a beautiful cluster of three not-yet-ripe tomatoes, and I knew I wanted to get a photograph of them. Well, I did better than that -- I got three photographs of them, each starring one my dogs. Click on the photos below and read more about them on my Flickr photo site.

Five hundred!

Congrats to Ellen Ellick and the St. Louis Senior Dog Project for finding homes for 500 dogs in 2008! As Ellen points out on her blog:

They came from everywhere -- shelters, owners, puppymills, the streets, and even a few from a research facility. Some came to us in good shape, ready to slide easily into new homes. Others needed a lot of work before they were ready. We hope they're all happy now.

I've adopted twice from the St. Louis Senior Dog Project. There was Maddie, who I adopted in 2003 and who passed away in 2006, and Dawson, who I adopted two weeks after Maddie's passing and who continues to be a lot of fun!

Below is one of my favorite photos of Maddie. She's on the left and is with Brandy (who I also lost in 2006). For some reason I had woken up at 5 AM (very early for me!) to find Maddie and Brandy on the same dog bed. I don't think either of them realized that they were sharing the bed until I turned the light on. Camera in hand, I was thrilled to capture the stunned look on Maddie's face!

Dog walks

Trying to do more dog walks. The dogs love them and the exercise (for them and me) is great! Here are some photos from a couple of dog walks over the weekend:

I really need to clean my patio door...

From left, Scooter, Oliver, Bose and Dawson.

Congrats to Uno from Dawson

My beagle Dawson offers his congratulations to Uno, the first beagle to ever win best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club! And to make it even more special, Uno comes from nearby Belleville, Illinois.

Santa and the dogs

From PetSmart, earlier today. Upper photo (left-to-right): Dawson, who I adopted from St. Louis Senior Dog Project in April 2006; Bose, a deaf Corgi I'm fostering for Pet's Second Chance Welsh Corgi Rescue; Oliver, who I rescued in January from the streets of North City during the Mattie search; and Scooter, who I've had since 1998. Lower photo (left-to-right): Rusty, who my friend Carolyn & I rescued from St. Louis Animal Control during the summer (again as part of the Mattie search) and who my friend Mark is fostering; and Andy and Chilly, Mark's permanent dogs who he's had for one year and five years, respectively. Related gallery of photos here.

Thanksgiving morning dog walk

It was a cloudy and cold Thanksgiving morning -- especially compared to last year's sunny and mild Thanksgiving morning.

Dawson the beagle

Here's a blog posting about my dog Dawson from Ellen Ellick, founder of the St. Louis Senior Dog Project, the not-for-profit rescue group I adopted Dawson from last year.

Dawson is shown below with Cherry, who cared for him for his first eight years and with whom I have become dear friends.
More photos of Dawson in the blog posting.

Please consider the St. Louis Senior Dog Project for your next dog. They have nothing but the best intentions -- for both the dogs they've rescued and the people wanting a loving pet. Since their volunteers foster care for the dogs in their homes, they'll be able to tell you -- with fairly high confidence -- how a particular dog will work out in your household, with your family members, with your schedule of being home vs. not being home, and so on.

As Ellen mentions in her blog, I've adopted two dogs (Dawson and Maddie) from them. And I won't hesitate to adopt from them again in the future.

Happy Anniversary, Dawson!

April 22 was the one-year anniversary with Dawson!! He's a great dog. Very similar personality as Scooter and tolerates the youthful energy of Oliver.

Introducing Oliver

My newest dog, with his siblings Dawson and Scooter.

What a beagle!

THIS IS TOM'S BEAGLE DAWSON POSTING TO TOM'S BLOG FOR TOM AND THIS IS WHAT I THINK IS THE STORY OF THE YEAR AND IT WAS IN PARADE MAGAZINE AND HERE IT IS AND ENJOY IT AND THIS IS DAWSON.

Best Friend
A Wet-Nosed Hero

Kevin Weaver, 34, was in the throes of a diabetic seizure, lying unconscious on his kitchen floor in Ocoee, Fla., when his beagle, Belle, located his cell-phone and chomped down on the keypad, triggering a 911 call. Emergency dispatchers heard only barking, but it was enough for them to send help. When Weaver awoke in the hospital, Belle was there by his side, having hitched a ride in the ambulance. “I would have died,” Kevin said. “She’s my best friend. That’s for sure.”