sweet

Monday, July 14, 2014

A Girl's Best Friend

This post is dedicated to Otter, Kate's dog!
First, I have to give the back story on why we are so grateful that Otter was here to meet his little sister. For those of you who don't know, Otter got very ill a few months before Kate's due date. After going through a series of tests, an ultrasound showed a golf ball-sized tumor in his chest near a lymph-node. Given his symptoms and that he had a cancerous tumor removed from his back paw about a year before, we concluded that it was likely that the cancer had spread and it would be the end of his life. We were devastated. Otter is such a big part of our lives and we really wanted him to meet our baby.

Otter has a very strong will and over time, he got better. He started eating again, and not just halibut or chicken that I cooked him, but dog food. He was also walking better than ever (for quite awhile it was hard to get him to complete his evening walk without him stopping for a long break). We haven't taken him back to the vet, but, it seems that if he does indeed have a tumor, it was not what was making him sick. For now, we are just enjoying every day and the walks in the park that we get to take with him. He will be 11 next month (that's 77 in dog years!).

So, Otter was here to meet Kate and that presented the next challenge: How would he react? Otter has enjoyed several years of being top dog and in his old age, he likes a calm, quiet environment and his spot on the couch!
Our first few weeks home with Kate were definitely an adjustment for Otter.  Every time she would cry, he would come frantically running. We couldn't tell if he was concerned or annoyed, but we have made sure to not give him access to her. We keep Kate elevated away from his nose and mouth. Now, as more time has passed and he has seen us caring for her, Otter has started to be protective as well. He now lays at my feet or close by when I feed her and  if we are not close to her when she starts crying, he comes to get us to make sure we tend to her.  
Guard Dog.
Otter has also been sharing some of his favorite activities and spots with his sister, including lounging on the bed...
and showing her his favorite park, Palisades Park, that runs along Ocean Blvd. above PCH.
 

In one really sweet moment, Steve set up a family portrait backdrop in our bedroom and as he was testing shots, the dog who usually hates having a camera pointed in his direction, insisted on being included. 
One big upside for Otter of having a sister is that he now gets to ride shot-gun on family car trips (girls in the back, guys in the front!). Because he is such a brute and gets excited for open windows in the car, we can't put the two of them in the backseat together, so it was either up front or in the cargo area...
He's still top dog around here!

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