Adopted Dogs · Happy Endings · Rainbow Bridge Memorials
Isabelle (Izzy) (10-168) has arrived! Isabelle, who is 11, is a beautiful pure-bred Golden. What a gentle cuddle-bug she is. Izzy was turned into RAGOM by her owner, who had to move from a house into an apartment; the apartment complex would not allow dogs who weigh more than 20 pounds.
Isabelle has been to the vet and all is well except for the fact that she has Lyme disease. This is easily treated, and she already on her 28-day course of pills. She downs these like a champ with the pills rolled up in a piece of lunchmeat. In addition, she needs to lose some weight which, with the right food and exercise (just like us humans), will easily happen.
Fun facts about Izzy:
• Isabelle is completely housetrained and, after only one day, made herself right at home. She now has free range of our house, and has found a few favorite spots for snoozing.
• Izzy loves to play ball and will play and play until she’s tired; she rests and then in a few minutes is ready to play ball again.
• Isabelle would happily be petted for hours; she’s quite the cuddler.
• Izzy thinks walks are the greatest thing in the world; she’s always ready to go. She walks well on a leash.
• Isabelle would prefer being an only dog. She tolerates our resident RAGOM dog, but likes to be the center of attention.
• She rarely barks. In fact the only time we’ve heard her bark was when she wanted to play ball.
• Izzy sticks with her “peeps”; she loves her humans and will not need a fenced yard. All in all, Isabelle is a GREAT dog and EASY to have around.
We’ve been fortunate to have Isabelle for a couple of weeks now. She has adapted easily to our household. One of the important things we’ve learned about her is that Isabelle loves children. One of our friends has a four year old who Izzy was so happy to see and “kiss.” Isabelle just stuck by the child’s side (perhaps Izzy thought she had some treats for her.) In addition, Isabelle has no interest in our elderly cat. She has looked at him and totally ignored the cat — that is, until the cat was interested in Isabelle’s food. Then, Izzy let the cat know that it was HER food (she barked at him.)
All in all, Izzy is a joy to have in our home.
Isabelle has been with us for a month, and we have sad news and good news to share. The sad news is that further lab work at the vet revealed that Isabelle has cancer — high-grade malignant lymphoma. All that can be done is to make her comfortable and give her the best quality of life possible. And that’s the good news. Izzy is responding well to medication that’s reducing the inflammation and pain. Her mobility is better. We’ve figured out her food issues so now she’s eating with great enthusiasm. She’s almost more of a chow hound than our resident RAGOM dog, Mr. Bogart. Almost.
The best news is that Isabelle’s spirit is as bright as ever. She still loves to play ball in the back yard, even if she moves rather slowly and gets tired after a few tosses. She loves hanging out with people and follows us all over the house. She’s even more tolerant of Mr. Bogart. We don’t know how much time Isabelle has left — many months, we hope — but we’re determined to make every day of her hospice care truly golden.
| We're very sad to report that Isabelle passed away peacefully in her sleep early Monday morning, July 18. Izzy was 11 years old and, as noted earlier, had been diagnosed with lymphoma. As she crossed the Rainbow Bridge, we know Isabelle was greeted by our Max and Keesha -- both RAGOM dogs. Isabelle was only with us for six weeks, but every moment was a delight and her Golden spirit, and smile, never faded. |