Sassy's Tripawd Journey

So we didn’t get to have a true party last week.  They did get a cupcake on their birthday but we had the party today because the kids were here to help celebrate.  So here is Jazz & Snicker’s 4th birthday party

Snickers

Birthday cake & cupcakes

Cupcake for the dogs (each one got 1)

Bosch (blury but gone in one bite)

Jazz (savoring hers.  Snickers nose photobomb)

Snickers took hers to the pillow

Snickers with her present

Jazz with her present (first one opened)

Snickers again

And yes Bosch got a present too

Four years ago today my heart broke into a million pieces.  I didn’t know how I would go on.  I sat and cried every day. I carried on here in her honor.  Without our journey we wouldn’t have met some of the greatest friends, “our family”.   This past May I continued the journey and met some of them in Virginia.    I am so glad that we got to meet.

Sassy, I miss you every day.  I know one day we will see each other again.  When we do it will be a joyous reunion.  Thank you for bringing Snickers and Jasmine to help heal my heart.  It doesn’t mean I don’t still have you in it but my heart has healed.  It took time.  I still miss you and love you.

Those of you who don’t know Sassy crossed the Bridge the same day as Karma’s Brendol.  Sassy and Brendol are great friends like Karma and I are.  I know that in my heart.

So I wanted to share a picture.  My friend made me this shirt.  I posted a picture of a shirt I liked and she kind of designed this one from that.

Brendol

Hard to believe 4 years ago today these 2 silly goof balls were born.    They have brought so much laughter and joy to our family in the past few years.   So today to help celebrate their birthdays Snickers went and gave some love.  We had a therapy visit with the assisted living in Omaha.  We even had one lady who doesn’t talk that much singing.   She sang happy birthday to Snickers.  🙂

I will try to post some pictures as I told Snickers she would get ice cream tonight.  I will stop on my way home after going out to eat with a friend.  But here are a few that I will share for now.

Snickers

Jasmine

Bosch, Jasmine & Snickers

Snickers sleeping on bosch’s bed (how can that be comfortable with her head on floor?)

Jasmine

Snickers on bottom

Jasmine

Snickers

xoxoxoxo

Michelle

My dearest sweet Sassy Sugar Bear.  This was the 3rd birthday you spent at the Bridge and going on your 4th Angelversary.  It was a really quiet night.  Took Bosch for his adjustment and just spent time thinking of you.  I hope you welcomed Nitro with open arms the day before and had a great big party.

Love you my girl

xoxoxo

From Sassy 7th Birthday party & her last one

I will preface this by saying this is something that I always wanted to do with Sassy.  She would have made the perfect Therapy dog.  We just never got to do it (I didn’t know how to go about it then she was diagnosed with Osteoscaroma).

So after almost 1 year of classes and passing our test before my vacation to VA to the Tripawds party & beyond 🙂  we started our first in training visit on the 17th of June.  What that consists of is 10 one hour visits with a certified therapy dog team.  We went to an assisted living home.  Our first thing is we met and did a meet & greet with the other teams so the dogs knew each other.  That part went awesome.  Snickers sat and let the other teams walk up to her and then sniffed each other.

We then went inside to the floor we would be working.  There were two IT teams (in training),  Snickers and I and Brix and his dad.   The 2 certified teams were Becky & Flicker (a black lab mix) and Mich & Stevie Nicks (a Golden retriever).  Mich & Stevie were our training buddies.  It went well we split the hall we took one end and the other 2 teams took the other end then we switched.    Snickers only had one hick up and got a little nervous.  One lady had a talking animal of some type and made noises.  It startled her.  We went out into the hall.  I petted Snickers and talked to her in a calming manner and petted her.  Told her how proud I was of her.  She settled down and we went back into the room and finished the visit.

Other than that one small bleep on the visit she did excellent.  Mich commented “excellent visit” and how impressed she was.  We only did 1 hour.  The other 3 teams went to another floor to do visits but I felt it being Snickers first visit that we don’t push it.

I know Sassy was with us.  I felt it and she helped guide Snickers.   We have 9 more visits to go and we will be a certified team.

hugs

Michelle & Angel Sassy & Snickers

Snickers

Wow, Where in the world do I start.   I just have no words it was beyond amazing.  The beginning of the journey to the party of the century.  Friday I left and flew to Atlanta then boarded the plane to Richmond where I was to meet Paula, Linda & Lisa.  Well found out Paula & Linda were delayed.  Got into Richmond and met Lisa we hit it off  and chatted while we drove to the house where we met Sam (Mikey’s mom).  Amazing Lady just like we had known each other forever.

We went and got Paula & Linda and headed back.  Jet lag and being tired from no sleep and up early left me exhausted so I missed the pre-party at Sally’s where there was a huge surprise for all of us.  Jim, Rene & Wyatt Ray showed up.  Yes, after saying they couldn’t make it they sure pulled a fast one on all of us.  But we don’t mind.  We loved every minute of them being with us.  Later that night Alison, Tina, Clare & Karma (and her furbabies Aissa, Addy & Maggie May joined us.)

Saturday morning came and we just lounged around and had breakfast.  The it was time for the party of the century.  It was so amazing.  Very emotional.  Ok, yes I was a basket case and cried a lot the whole weekend.   Just no words for why or not but I guess just feeling the love and missing my girl.  But I got to meet Sally Yes the SALLY the major cheerleader of the forums.  It was epic.   The party was beyond all imaginable.  Both days of it.  The hardest part of the whole weekend was the until we see each other again.  (I never say good bye it’s too final).  I know I will see these great people again.  I met friends for a lifetime even across the world.  Tina & Clare it was a joy to meet both of you.  I wish we all could have spent a lot more time but we will see each other again.

Once the party was over I continued on to Kure Beach with Karma and the girls and then onto her house until Saturday.  Where I once again had to say until we see each other again.  And more tears LOL.  ( I kept saying I was such a sap) .  I know I said the only thing that would have made it better was if Sassy was there but she was.  Just like our other Angels and babies who couldn’t be with us because of traveling so far away.

So I will post a few pictures here as I posted a lot in the forum so please see this forum  http://tripawds.com/forums/tripawd-parties/photos-from-2017-virginia-tripawds-party/     for a lot of pictures by everyone.

Alison, Clare, Linda & Sam

Alison, Sam, Me & Clare

Jim, Rene & Wyatt Ray

The house we stayed at with Aissa on the steps

Tribute Table

Sally & I

Kure Beach, North Carolina  (dog friendly beach)

First time at the Ocean

Sunrise at the beach

Clouds on the way home.  With a rainbow

Clouds

Atlanta

Addy our navigaor

Atlanta aquarium.   This place was awesome

Beluga whales

Had an awesome time party and all.

xoxxoxo

We passed our test today.  One step onto becoming a certified therapy dog team.  She did awesome.  Me (I was nervous as heck).  Cried after we finished.  I just couldn’t believe it.  After almost a year of classes to be 110% we did it.   I just wish Sassy would have been able to do this she would have been go great at it.  But I guess she can continue on with us this way.

So for now until we get our completed visits done here is our picture. 

I can’t believe 11 years ago Bosch was born.  He is such a big part of our pack.  I just wanted to share that he had a good day today (although I was in the office).  He got a steak and got to be outside for awhile tonight.  We will have a party this weekend since my brother has my niece and nephew for the weekend.

Bosch & Snickers

Bosch, Jasmine & Snickers

This is one of my favorites of Bosch I just took the other day

The Big steak was Bosch’s and he ate it so fast

Well, I know the last post I made was about Happy Hannah.  So a little catch up time on us.  I know our Guardian Angel has been working over time up there on the Bridge.

I don’t remember if I wrote about Snickers and her cyst on her back (I think I did) we had that removed.  Then about a couple of months ago I found another one.  I took her in and had it checked out.  Only a cyst (Thank God).  But going through this journey you just never know.  I took her to our holistic vet Dr Jen ( I did a write up about her and a talk she did on foods and cancer pets when Sassy was alive).  Anyway we discussed different things and came up with the fact that she thought that Snickers was producing too much oil and causing her body to produce these cysts. Our plan to start out was give more baths (with a special soap where she tends to have these cysts), change foods (as she thought the Lamb & Lentil was too fatty for Snickers) and if needed add a herb.

Well we have done the first two.  Although I suppose I do need to give her another bath hahaha how do you keep them clean all the time.  We changed foods to Lotus Turkey.  (Expensive if need be will change the other two but right now just Snickers).  It is a baked food and Turkey is leaner.  Good news that is seeming to work so we haven’t had to add the herb supplement.

So other news with Snickers we are nearing our completing of our Therapy dog training getting ready to test then it will be onto the 10 one hour visits with a certified team 🙂  This is something I always wanted to do with Sassy but never got to.

Jasmine has been good no major problems knock on wood.  She continues about every 6 months with a chiro appointment & follow up with Dr. Jen after her leg.  No problems remain and she is running and playing like a normal dog.  Amazing after fighting for almost a year of her limping.

Bosch… He had his Senior Well visit check up 2 weeks ago.  Everything came back great 100% healthy.  Not one item out of normal.   Then wham on Friday of last week I found a lump.   So I call and couldn’t get him in until yesterday.  I prepare myself for the worse especially after this journey.  Well good news is its just a fatty lump.  Where it is under the armpit she said because its muscular in that area it appears bigger and harder than it was.  We did do an aspirate (needle biopsy).   Following Dr Sue the cancer vet saying “Why wait aspirate”.

By the way I don’t know if EverPup has anything to do with anything but these 3 have been getting it since I brought the two girls home.  It has some aptogens in it and is from Dr Dressinger & Dr Sue.  I gave Sassy the Apocaps when we were on our journey and I swear they helped her.

The best thing of all in 4 weeks I will be in Virginia for the Tripawds.  I can’t wait to meet everyone.  It will be a huge blast.  🙂

Bosch

Snickers & I at Bass Pro Dog Days

Jasmine

Snickers

And my Girl Sassy 🙂

Three years ago today a very special lady on this site, one of our biggest cheerleaders lost her heart & soul.  Those of us who know Sally knows she would give the shirt off her back to anyone one of us to cheer us up and make us feel good.  I know this isn’t a great memory to share but I think I needed to make sure to remember Hannah (not that I ever forgot her) on this day.  Sally doesn’t do blogs but you can read a lot of Happy Hannah’s journey here   http://tripawds.com/forums/treatment-and-recovery/six-days-after-rear-leg-amp-and-getting-worse-very-scared-made-horrible-decision/

We are thinking of you today Sally.  Hugs and lots of love we can’t wait to meet you in person.  It’s getting closer.  I know Sassy & Hannah have already met up it’s time for us.