One of my favorite quotes is “Whoever said diamonds are a girl’s best friend never owned a dog”.  And so it is in the Schach household.  Our Boxers are a part of my very being.   I feel their thrill when the neighborhood squirrels invade their kingdom.  I experience their excitement when the schoolchildren walk past their window.  I feel their joy upon seeing a loved family member.  And likewise, I feel their pain.

Boxers have their share of breed specific health problems…and cancer is one of them.  “Boxer Bumps” are what we call them.  Luckily for us, Muffy and Lexi have not had any problems, but Brody has.  In his short five years, he has had a benign juvenile fatty tumor removed from his leg and a mast cell tumor removed from his side.  Luckily, it was was a Grade 1.  Needless to say, I am very vigilant in checking him, and the girls, regularly.

Almost three weeks ago I found a small spot on his side.  At first, I thought it was a deer tick, but it wasn’t.  It looked like a small blood blister.  I called the vet, and made an appointment for that very afternoon to have her look at it.  You can imagine my despair when, upon inspection, she thought it was a hemangiosarcoma.  Arrangements were made to have it removed the next morning.  The incision was wide and deep in the hope of removing it completely.  It was sent off to be biopsied, and the waiting game began.

One week passed…with no results.  The days of the second week moved by slowly…as time often does when waiting for news.  Of course, we all know it is the waiting and the not knowing which is so stressful.  This morning, we went to have stitches removed.  And in dramatic fashion,  the biopsy results were faxed as we were waiting.  Dr. Ruth (no, not THAT Dr. Ruth) was the first to see them.  My husband and I heard her say from the back room, “I can’t find the determination.  Ann (Dr. Remmers), you removed the mass on Brody, didn’t you?”  At that point, both Dr. Ann and Dr. Rita rushed past our open door.  All three returned…all three gestured thumbs up!

Dr. Remmers spoke first.  It was NOT a hemangiosarcoma.  It was NOT malignant.  It was benign, and the margins were completely clear.  It was just an innocuous little skin tumor.  With two quick snips, the sutures were removed.  By the power of puppy saliva, (Kia was an excellent little nurse), the incision was healing nicely, and the hair was already growing back.

Kia was thrilled when Uncle Brody returned home.

“What did the ‘dockers’ have to say, Uncle Brody? Was it good news?”

“Yes it was, little Kia!”

And so life goes on for our gentle giant.  He, and I, thank all of you for the prayers…

Jack’s and Kia’s Totally Awesome Dog Show Day

Yesterday,  I took Jack and Kia to the Cedar Valley Boxer Club Specialty in Amana, Iowa.  It was their first trip to a dog show, and they just went to socialize.  I will have to admit, they didn’t meet a person or a dog they didn’t like.  Jack was especially drawn to the little Fox Terrier girls in the ex-pen next to us.  Their owner actually carried one over to him so he could meet her up close.   Little Kia, on the other hand, was mesmerized by the English Setters behind us.  After cheering on their future handler, Amy, to a Winners Dog victory, and a select rosette in the Best of Breed ring, they were able to get one-on-one attention from her, while I snapped a few pictures.  This was their first true training session, and the Puppy Twins are works in progress.  But after a few tries…some not so good…

Kia ended up with a pose which was somewhat passable.  Obviously, with work, it will get better.

But she has to learn not to kiss her handler!

Jack is definitely a rock star. He takes to stacking naturally.  Here is his first try:

We have to work on holding the tail straight up instead of straight out.

But that, too, will come with practice.  And let it not be said, he is not a charmer.  Just look at his expressions…

Couldn’t you just grab that face in both hands and give him a great big smooch?  The Baby Twins begin their show career in October, once they turn 6 months old. Of course, you will be with them every step around the ring…I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

Thank you for indulging me with today’s “Purely Puppy Post”.  So many of you have emailed me asking about Brody, plus you have been wanting to see Jack and Kia pictures.   I’ll be back on Sunday with another card for The Paper Players.  Let me leave you with another one of my favorite dog quotes:  “No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, the love of a dog makes you a millionaire.”  Isn’t that the truth.   Until next time…

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