Goodbye MacDuff

 This evening we had to say goodbye to our beloved companion, MacDuff.  He was a courageous fellow, but he had come to the end of his road. He was 13 1/2 this September, and he lived longer than either of my previous Scotties.

We had been treating him at home for some health issues; our vet was very good and dedicated to work with us.  MacDuff had basically gone blind over the past year, and he had arthritis in his hips and some liver problems.  But late last week he took a bad turn for the worse; vomiting, diarrhea, and labored breathing.  In addition, we discovered a lump at the base of his throat, which the vet said almost certainly indicated lymphoma.  Some further tests would have confirmed that diagnosis, but at his age, it would not have made a difference.  He was not a candidate for surgery, and we would not subject him to treatments that would have briefly prolonged his life, but not given him a better quality of life.

One Happy Dog

I want to say "Thanks" to all of you for the sweet comments I received on the article I wrote about my friend Judy and her therapy dog, McDuff.  That meant a lot to me, and it meant a lot to Judy, as well.  She is such a nice person.

The reason Judy and I got acquainted was, of course, our mutual love for Scotties; and our dogs even had the same names.  I thought I'd share a few funny pictures of my MacDuff, just in case you could use a laugh today.  :)

MacDuff on the Blue Ridge Parkway - 2011

A Book Review and A New Friend

Hi everyone.  What kind of week are you having?  My week is going to be busy; I still have a lot to do before next Friday (graduation day), but I want to keep up with my blog, even if I just write a few things over the next week and a half.

Writing this blog has been such a good thing for me; it has challenged and motivated me to learn new things, and it's definitely broadened my horizons.  One of the best things I've experienced is meeting so many nice people with similar interests, and I've even gotten to meet a few of you in person.

The most recent example of that is my new friend, Judy McFadden.  Meeting Judy was definitely one of those serendipitous occasions that happen to us from time to time in life.

Those of you who read my blog regularly know that we have a Scottish Terrorist Terrier named MacDuff, whose picture is on my sidebar.  MacDuff is the third Scottie I've had in my lifetime and the second one for my husband and I.  Some time back, I started a board on my Pinterest account called "Love Scotties."  I honestly can't remember where I saw this book now, but I came across it online back in the winter and pinned it to my board.  The book is called, "Life With McDuff -- Lessons Learned from a Therapy Dog."