a memorable memorial day!

memorial day weekend turned out to be so much better than we expected! all shep's vets were on holiday out of town, and we SO did not want to be making any trips to the animal emergency room. well, he surprised us by having just the GREATEST weekend ever...rolling in the grass, eating holiday treats, and snoozing in the sunshine. we have been getting good wishes and prayers from all his friends from the two shepherd message boards we post on, from pat and harold at hy hopes farm (where he did his initial detox from shelter life), and from so many others who have lost dogs to this dreaded disease. we cherish every single day we have with him!

and so we begin one day at a time...

...our grand old man, the shepster, has been diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma, a basically untreatable malignant tumor of the spleen, that is quite common in german shepherd dogs. dr. lisa says he'll have good days, and he'll have bad days, but not too many more of them. because of his age and his mobility issues we've opted for hospice treatment only...lots of love, belly rubs and binzos (milkbones). on his good days (like the day we took this picture), it's hard to believe there's anything wrong, but we do notice a decline in his energy level. we love you shep-a-doodle and we'll take good care of you and help you (if you need us to), when it's time to go...