A VERY SAD DAY...

For those of you who have been touched by Farley, my australian shepherd, please say a prayer for him. Last Thursday, we had two lumps removed from him. Yesterday I noticed a new one forming. And today we got the results back from the vet on the first two lumps. They are Hemangiosarcoma. It is the type of cancer that starts in the spleen. The vet is not expecting him to live more than a month or so. He started limping on his back leg a couple weeks ago. It is because there is a tumor in the leg as well.

But as I write this, he is happily chewing on a tennis ball. He greeted me at the door with his aussie stub of a tail wagging. He wanders around looking for someone who will just throw the ball one more time. None of us will. He turned 10 years old just a couple weeks ago. Not much of a birthday present for any of us.

He is one incredible dog. I have been lucky to have him in my life. I have been blessed to have him as my agility and obedience partner. I can't imagine life without his furry face, his obnoxious howl, and his spirit and energy that kept me on my toes. I have many great memories of times we shared together and all his crazy antics, and that is what will keep me going. Looking at him, if the staples weren't shining from his incisions, and he didn't have that stupid cone on his head, it would just be any other day. He doesn't look or act any different from normal. I guess that is what is such a surprise to all of us.

Please pray that he won't suffer. And that we will know when the time is right to let him go.