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Before her time our Keeshond Dashi
has been stricken with bone cancer, fading before our eyes. One never wants to
realize the days we now have before us and how hard it is for us and her. The only
blessing is that we have a few fleeting days before we ease her pain for the last
time.
March 1987 - July 1998
I remember the first time I saw Dashi(affectionately known as Buddy)...a farm woman had brought her to my wife at our
home and when I came home from work she was a loveable, mischievous ball of fur. She
would sleep on the floor in our bedroom but want to come up with us on the bed, we told
her when she could get up and down herself, she could sleep with us. Day in and out
she would try and standing on her hind legs with paws on the edge of the mattress she
would shuffle around the mattress barking as if to look for an easy way up and telling us
how mad she was that she couldn't get up. Finally one day she did, and now a
new ritual began...I would leave early for work before my wife needed to get up, but Buddy
thought otherwise and would bark and bark at her to get up....even if she pulled the
covers over her head, Buddy kept barking. After a few weeks, Buddy
decided it was nice to get a some extra minutes of shut eye herself.
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As Buddy started to grow up and go through her awkward adolescent stage my wife would
teach and train her. Buddy was a very intelligent Keeshond, yet she was very
stubborn as well, but only in the sense that she was a leader. Even as she was just
a few months old she was alert to hawks flying overhead as a danger and would bark and be
alert to their danger. Dashi grew up to be very smart and proud.
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Having no children ourselves, we spent as much attention and time with buddy as we could,
however, we thought it would be a good idea to have a companion and playmate for
her. First we tried a young Samoyed named Star who the owners had to depart with,
but she would have no part of her...she just barked at her until we took her back.
After a bit we found another Keeshond that had been retrieved from an abused home by the
original owner...they had two already in a small home and a third at the time was too
much. We took buddy over to meet her and she seemed to get along pretty good with
Ashley, so we decided to take her and a friendship was born. Both within six months
of age, they had good times together, with Buddy being Alpha always keeping her rank.
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Ashley on Left
Dashi on right
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Bear bottom
Mimi top
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When they were three, we were able to adopt for a short time a beautiful male named Bear.
We knew some good people wanting Kees, soon we decided to breed both Buddy and
Ashley...Buddy had 4 pups and Ashley plopped out 7. The birthing process took its
toll on Buddy and took her a while to recover, while Ashley could have plopped out puppies
year in year out...Anyway, Buddy had one pup 16oz, two 11oz, and one 4oz...The big one we
named Sumo and he was adopted by the family who we got Ashley from. We ended up
keeping one from each liter...a male from Buddy's(Dale), and a female from Ashley's(Mimi).
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Dale
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Now after years of being the one in charge, she lays at my feet right now as I compose
this memoriam. No longer will I feel her warm comforting strength and
affection. Hard as it is, we must let her go before she begins to suffer. She
has given us so much, we hope we are letting her live every day to her fullest, yet
helping her go before she suffers.
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Today, July 8, 1998; We are going to the Vet
today to get more extensive x-rays to verify the cancer at the base of her tail in the
lower of her back. Dashi's x-rays have been sent out for further confirmation, but
alI shows that she has bone cancer in a rare and untreatable area in her body. I
have come inside from digging Buddy's resting place. We will be with her
in the end and place her to rest here at home. She lays at my feet as I enter
her memoriam, she licks my blistered hands from the digging of her final bed as my tears
fall upon her face.
Today, July 28, 1998. Just before
midnight last night we had the vet come out to put Dashi to rest. Her mind was clear
but she had lost the battle with the cancer in her body. Barely able to walk, the
cancer spreading to her esophagus, and the pain beginning to invade through the
medication...it was now time to let her rest. She had not suffered much to this
point, but now the disease had begun to sweep through her body and we knew the time was
now. Dignified to the end, she had many special qualities I will never forget and
will dearly miss. We wrapped her in cloth, I held her in my arms and carried her to
her bed. While lowering her warm body I realized what an intensely emotional part of
my life she was. May your Spirit be dancing this very moment, running free of pain and
drenched in Love.
The many years of joy and happiness Dashi
has brought into our lives will never leave our hearts or minds. May we take the
great sorrow of missing you and direct it toward accomplishing something good in our lives
that we can remember you by. We will miss your grace, dignity and strength, your
boldness and stubbornness, your love and loyalty...May we try to honor and remember you by
incorporating those traits in our lives. We will miss you with our heart and soul
Buddy! May we encounter your presence again where we will reunite the joy &
love we have had all these years...WE LOVE YOU!!!
We will be adding to this site in the near future...
More pics of Dashi and friends...the happy times!, More stories, Links...
Email us at
webjourneys@sprintmail.com with any questions or comments.
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This page was last updated on 07/29/98.
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