Snuggles

A Requiem for Simba – Summer 2017

That first night at the house, in June 2006, still just a pup of seven months, Simba whined because I made him sleep on a dog bed on the floor.  Initially there are lots of rules for dogs.  No human food, no sitting on the furniture, no mud in the house.  But they wear you down.  Eventually the dog is taking up too much space on the couch and stealing donuts off the counter. 

For years, it was often just the two of us.  Hanging out, watching the game, going on a run, wintertime frisbee in the back yard.  Maybe a trip to the dog park.  I would walk the perimeter, meditating on some problem, while Simba bolted around the place daring others to chase.  He would disappear for a time and then come tearing out of the woods to “check in” with me.  Typical stuff. One moment, indecisive about wearing a harness on a walk, expressed by a growly, Chewbacca-like talk.  The next, full on, tearing up the stairs or eating an ice cube or lighting up a UPS truck. 

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Simba had lost weight over the past several months, and developed an intermittent limp.  Trips to the vet revealed he had cancer and needed to have his spleen removed.  Much like our other dog Nala, who was diagnosed with cancer and had her spleen removed in August 2016! 

We were stunned.  Both dogs victims of what appeared to be the same illness.  In each case, the prognosis was not good.  A few months at most.  However, Nala, under Tracy’s constant care, was still with us and we remained hopeful.

The recovery from surgery for Simba was rough.  It was clear he had lost more weight, was very weak, and not interested in food or meds (we tried everything).  The days blurred together, but after more calls and visits to the vet, we had him home and comfortable on a bed we made on the living room floor.    We stayed near his side, lying on the floor next to him, and hoping things would turn around.  In the back of my mind, though, I was sure we would lose him, even calling the kids so they could brace themselves. 

But then, an epiphany.  “Ice cream” Tracy said.  Surely he would eat some and maybe we could sneak in some pain meds. It worked!  Suddenly he started to rebound.  We began tracking his meds and food closely.  “Pain meds at 7AM, turkey sandwich at 8AM….a turkey sandwich?.”  The kids came home and he was stepping up his game.  Big pawing us, lining up for dinner, excitedly waiting for a raw bone.  He even stole a chicken breast.

I warned myself not to become too optimistic.  But as I prepared to leave for a short work trip out east, I was sure he was going to make a strong comeback.  No need to worry.  We would have this summer together.  Plenty of nights sitting on the deck, sipping a whiskey, listening to the breeze and the crickets.   Me and “bro”, as we often called him.  One more summer.

I said my quick goodbyes at 4AM and left for the airport, knowing I would be home the very next night.  By that evening, something was wrong.  Tracy called.  Simba's leg was swollen and he was in agony.

I talked with Tracy again the next morning.  She’d stayed by his side all night, while he was frozen in pain. She made plans to bring him to the vet with the help of her aunt.  I hoped an x-ray would reveal something we had not thought of.   Maybe some type of leg injury that we could address. 

Shortly after I got to the office, Tracy called again.  “Come home now.”

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It's so strange.  These dogs offer absolute loyalty, friendship and honesty.   Trusting us completely, and we them.  But in the very end, we are left to make the hardest decision.

I made it back to Minneapolis several hours later and raced to the vet.  He was still hanging in there, but his body was shutting down.  After talking it over for some time, our decision was clear.  Of course, we could not ask him to suffer any more.  I said goodbye again, for the final time. 

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These days, Simba comes to mind as I wonder through the house and life.  My mind plays tricks on me.  I look for him at the window as I walk up the drive, or mistake a bark for his signature baritone.  Then, I resign myself to knowing we’ll never hear him again, and I hope it was all enough.    

So, this summer, on one of those warm breezy nights, step out on the deck or porch or front stoop, and raise a glass to your good friend, I know I will.   

Simba is going to a wonderful forever family- Nick, Ellen, and Caroline are going to give him a wonderful home! The best part of all is Nala -and me :) - will get to see Simba as much as we want!! Resident Sue is doing her happy dance that the crazy puppy will be gone, but I know deep down she is happy that he is going to a wonderful home!

Simba continues to do well and is now fully recovered from his kennel cough, diarrhea, and almost recovered from his neuter. He and Nala have bonded and are so happy together; I wish I had a camera to show these two together. Simba definitely is still a feisty puppy and loves to bite and chew and please note, he does have all of his adult teeth now! We are working on some manners and learning not to bite foster mom's toes, neck, hands, etc. He is also trying to charm resident Sue into liking him as well. I think the best any dog will ever get from Sue is that she will tolerate them and that is what Sue does with Simba- tolerates him. Although if he tries to bite her butt or chew on her ears, she makes it quite clear that is unacceptable! Nala bear is so patient with Simba and allows him to chew on her- I give her so much credit as she has matured so much since Simba has come to stay with us, she is not only playmate to Simba, but also plays the role of mother-hen when needed. Simba has a family interested in him and we will find out this weekend if it's a true love match! Stay tuned for updates!

Simba's personality has now emerged. He came into RAGOM not feeling well, so he was quiet and sweet and just slept a lot. Well, everyone please meet crazy man Simba!! He is full of energy and ready to play! He is still on antibiotics for his kennel cough, but otherwise he is rarin' to go! He is still very sweet and loves to cuddle, but for the other 23 hours he and Nala are rough housing, chasing each other all over the backyard...of course it's not relegated to just the backyard, it happens in the kitchen, bedroom, wherever those two are, they are constantly playing. It will be sad for Nala when Simba finds his forever home....Nala has so enjoyed having him around and they are so cute together.

I am working on trying to teach Simba some manners and he would really benefit from obedience classes. He is smart, I taught him 'sit' and he knows his name and usually he responds quickly to 'no'. Potty training is going really well, we have the occasional accident, but he goes the entire work day, baby gated in the kitchen and he has been holding it. I put down puppy pads for him in case he needs to use them, but he has never used them.

Yesterday, with the insane heat, I filled the kiddie pool and Simba and Nala discovered they love to go in and walk around in circles (it looks like they are playing Motorboat, motorboat go so slow, motorboat, motorboat, go so fast.....) and then they jump out and race around the yard and then repeat it several times.

Simba is getting neutered this week and at that time they are going to x-ray his hips to see if he has any hip problems. When he came in, his back legs had very little muscle mass and they were weak. With good nutrition and lots of exercise/play time, he seems to have gained strength in his back end.

Simba is ready to meet his forever family, so if you want a handsome Golden Retriever/Lab mix pup with lots of love and energy, email placement@ragom.org.

Simba went to the vet on Friday and the poor guy was feeling so sick, all he could do was lay there and allow the vet to complete the exam. He even fell asleep. He was way too calm for a 6 month old, so we know he wasn't feeling well. The vet is running some tests and will let us know what was the cause of his feeling so poorly and in the meantime Simba is on an antibiotic, bland prescription food, and a dewormer. The vet also examined his leg that we thought was injured and she believes that he may have a hip problem. He has very poor muscle mass in his hind legs and is underweight, so we are going to work on building up his muscle in his hind quarters with a good protein diet (he gets to eat as much as he wants- I know it's been said before, but wouldn't that be wonderful??) Simba is going in to get neutered on 5/30 and at that time they will x-ray his hips to determine the extent of the problem. I have noticed that he already seems to be stronger in his back legs and can even stand on them for a period of time as he puts his front paws on you as he soaks up some attention and love. I think exercise and a good diet will go a long way to building up his muscle mass.

In the meantime, he has been a delightful addition to the pack! He is so incredibly sweet and I thought that having a 6 month old around was going to be difficult but it has been quite easy. When I am gone, I babygate him in the kitchen and I put down puppy pads, as I am not sure if he is potty-trained or not and so far he has held it until I got home and we have only had one accident and that was early in his arrival and I feel that I didn't let him out after he had consumed a lot of water. He is still a chewer, so I am trying to make sure there are plenty of appropriate toys and chewies for him to have but unfortunately, my resident Nala seems to think everything is hers! (I think she has gained 5 lbs. since he got here- she has gotten into his puppy food and treats- I have learned my lesson and everyone eats in separate rooms now!) At night he sleeps in a crate next to my bed, with Nala's bed next to the crate and he sleeps through the night- he really is very good.

Nala and Simba, the princess and prince, are quite cute together. They like to wrestle around and Nala is always trying to boss Simba around, but he just pretty much ignores her (Nala likes to boss everyone around- always getting into everyone's business) and goes about his business. When they get into a wrestling match, Nala allows Simba to put his entire mouth around her neck and bite at her like a puppy does with its siblings and she just has so much fun with him here.

Simba knows his name and responds well to 'no' (when he is chewing on something he shouldn't be) and seems like a very quick learner. Because of the problem with his back legs, we can only walk him around the block and will slowly build up to longer walks. He pulls a little on the leash, but is learning to walk nice- each walk gets better and better.

If you are interested in a lovely, sweet boy still learning his way in his young life, please email placement@ragom.org.