Blog Moved!

This blog has been moved to a new home. Please visit Jordan's new blog here:
http://bossyterrier.blogspot.com/

woof.

a vacation and a Dog Beach

Took Jordan with us to Florida for a family reunion. It was great to get away from cold upstate NY and Florida is one of the few states Jordan has never been to. For the most part is was hot and muggy but we did get away from the family on Saturday morning and managed to find the hip dog beach thanks in large to the internet.

It was amazing. It looked like nothing from the road, a dirt pull off on the side of the road with a small brown sign that said Dog Beach on it (right next to the No Parking at Any Time sign). No one was paying attention to the No Parking sign but we hoped they were paying attention to the other one.

We got suited up and took Jordan out to see the beach. She used to love to swim, but since losing most of her eyesight she hasn't had many opportunities that were safe and controlled enough to make it happen. Anyways, there were tons of dogs coming and going from the entrance so we carried Jordan - which ended up being necessary since the tide was high and the "path" to the beach was completely under water.

So there we were wading our way out to a beach, being greeted by several enthusiastic pups along the way.

Once we turned the corner we were shocked by the sight. White sand, clear blue water, dogs of all sizes and shapes - it was heaven! There were dogs and people and boats everywhere. Apparently driving to this beach really isn't the norm, there must have been 30+ boats anchored right in the shallow water with dogs jumping on and off them.

Much like the path to the beach the beach it self was mostly under water, just a small sandbar that popped out in the middle making the population of humans all gather close.

For Jordan's sake we took the path less traveled and opted for a grassy non-beach spot on the far side of the little bay we were in. A few dogs came over to see us, but none bothered Jordan and Jordan didn't bother them so it worked great. TT and I took turns wading over ot the sandbar to see all the action. There were so many different dogs, it was awesome.
Dogs playing fetch, dogs playing with dogs, dogs swimming with their people. I wish there was someplace like that closer to us.

Jordan seemed completely content being held at the beach. She did do a little bit of swimming, but wasn't really into it. We stayed just long enough to give TT a sunburn and then headed back to the hotel.

Back home in NY!

Jordan and Colten arrived back home in upstate NY last Sunday night!

It was a long 2.5 weeks waiting for them, and an even longer total 6 weeks that they have been gone -- but finally the house is full again. Jordan is understandably disappointed that she is not the only dog again and that she had to abandon 80 degree weather for high 20's with some snow still on the ground... but she otherwise seems to be adjusting just fine.

Both Reggie and Harley went crazy when she got home, we had to mae sure she had a lot of extra space the first few days, but we are slowly getting bac into the normal routine.

Here is a pic of her older sister Reggie Love and her younger brother Harley in the yard:

Reggie Love & Harley Hamburger

1 week check-up, done!

We went back to the Vet Cancer Center today for the first time in a week. It was our one week check-up as well as our final appointment. Future check-ups will be done with a neurologist back home. Everyone stopped by our room to say goodbye, and Jordan insisted on being aloof about the whole process. Here she is with her radiation doctor:


Dr. Lyons & Jordan

We also were very fortunate to cross paths with Honey & her peeps again. Today Honey graduated!
Honey has had an uphill battle against her side-effects, and they will probably be getting worse before they get better, but we are pulling for her!
We hope that eating becomes something fun again and breathing becomes something easy soon...


Honey, Lindsay, Jordan, & Colten

9 nights left in California before Jordan and I get to fly home...

Brains at Rest

Jordan and I have spent the last week at Grandma's.
She is doing really well with her stroke recovery, but she needs 24 hour care so Jordan and I are on duty.
For me that means cooking, cleaning, engaging, and physical help moving around & doing therapy. For Jordan that means keeping Grandma's lap warm and bonding about brain problems. It seems that Jordan got the easier job:

Brains at rest.

While at Grandma's I dug up a pic of Grandma and one of her first dogs. Her twin brothers found Rex abandoned as a puppy and stuck under a nearby wheat elevator. They brought him home and were allowed to keep him:


Going to back to my mother's house in Pasadena for two nights before coming back for a full week of grandparent duty.

Jordan has been dong well, a bit less energy than usual, and she did end up getting on radiation burn in her mouth, but it has not caused any major problems so we are lucky.

Hard to Resist, a note from Colten

With Tristan now out of town I am a single parent to the Flying J and she is milking it for all she can. Last night she gave me the eye from the bed. You know the look... it's her "don't you think I should sleep in the bed tonight look." She was kind enough to let me snap a pic before I agreed to her demands and diaper'd up the pup for the night in the person bed:



She only got me up twice in the night to bring her a bowl of water at 3am and a trip outside at 5am.

And she has been on me all day today with special requests too.
Pet me, hold me, take me to Trader Joes... I thought it would never end - and then, out of the blue I found myself alone on the couch for the first time all day. I called her a couple times, and I could hear her in the kitchen but I had no idea what she was doing nor why she wouldn't come. I finally got up to check on her and found this:



That would be her "I'll wait here until you feed me (and you really should feed me) pose..."
It wasn't a meal time, but how could I resist? One bowl of sloppy prescription wet food coming right up.

I've got 16 more days before I head home, let's hope I eventually get to have the upper hand in this relationship.

Graduation Day!

Jordan completed her 16th and final radiation session today.
She almost caused a postponement when she violated the no-food-before anesthesia rule and cracked open her post-treatment food stash in the car on the way there, but thankfully she was able to still complete her appointment.

Jordan now has a picture on the official Radiation Graduation board:



We are so happy that this chapter in her already rocky medical career is behind us. We still have 1 week for possible side-effects to surface, and 2 weeks before she can fly home, but we'll take it.

Thanks for all the love and support via the web.

xo,
the Jordan Love Team