Tags
Dog, dogs, Emergency, family, Fusaro Photography, Lori Fusaro, Nijo, rainbow bridge, Vet
Man have I had a day. It started out with minimal sleep. Dragon (the schnauzer) threw up in my bed night before last and I was too tired last night to fully re-make everything. I did get most of it together but skipped the duvet cover. It’s just a pain in the bum to get that duvet cover put back together. As you can imagine my bed is often a battle ground where you take whatever covers you can get. I didn’t think one little duvet would make much difference but it did. Somehow Dragon and Bongo (Vizsla) managed to plop themselves down in such a way that it was nearly impossible for me to negotiate covers. I also had a lot on my mind so it was a restless night.
I had to get up early, but for a good reason! Riggins adorable photographer, Lori Fusaro, was having a video piece done on her by the AP and had asked my friend and me to be a part of the project. Riggins and I got all dressed up to have our pictures taken and be interviewed about how much we adore Lori. Riggins good friend Sadie (long-haired dachshund mix) and her mom Missy (my friend) came over in the morning and we were on our way. It was a guaranteed fun time! I’ve written about Lori before and tried to retell my story to the journalist on why I originally reached out to Lori without sounding crazy. I think I sounded crazy. Oh well. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck …
Nijo & Mckenzie – Mar 2014
Riggins had a blast running around getting treats from his buddy Lori, posing like a champ, showing his friend Sadie how great it is to be off leash, and scouting out every left over food item from the Easter picnics that happened in the park the day before. Missy and I were super happy to be part of the story about Lori. She has captured such great memories for me of my Riggins/Wendy family! Not to mention she is a really swell gal! (You can read more about her here, and here)
Nijo – April 2014
I got home to a whirlwind of activity. Bongo was going home, I had a meet and greet with a dog and her mommy and I had Nijo (golden retriever) coming to be dropped of for an 8 day vacation. I’ve watched Nijo a couple of times most recently last Monday. His mommy was hosting a Passover dinner and was worried Nijo would eat all the food out from under her guests. He would have! So Nijo came and spent the night with Riggins and me. Today when Nijo’s mom got here I met her in the driveway and she said Nijo was too hot to move. I saw that something was definitely wrong. I got him out of the car and we put cool water on his paws and tummy. He was able to get up and start walking to my back door but then collapsed. It was time to take him to the emergency vet. As fast as I could I got all the dogs in the house settled, grabbed my shoes, and hoisted Nijo into my car. His mom sat in the back as I drove them to the emergency room. The vet techs came out to carry him on a stretcher into the clinic. That’s the last time I saw Nijo. He passed away about a 1/2 hour later. The vet immediately gave him fluids but while trying to take an EKG watched his heart stop multiple times. They tried doggie CPR but poor Nijo’s body just couldn’t take anymore.
Nijo – Jan 2014
Nijo was a cancer survivor. A month or so ago he came to visit and had just had his 1 year cancer free check up. Everyone was very happy for him. I teased him that he took more pills than I did, which is quite an accomplishment! Nijo was about 11 years old but wanted more than anything to be active. I took him on short walk/hikes that he loved! He always wanted to go for longer than I was willing to chance with him. Like all my other Goldens he loved chilling out on the kitchen floor where it is cooler and that was where he napped and sometimes even slept. He was a sloppy eater but would eat anything and everything and an even sloppier
Sweet Nijo
drinker. I would have to remove the little mat I have under the dogs water bowl when he was with me and replace it with a giant towel that had to be switched out daily. Like all my dogs I loved Nijo and I’m very shocked and sad that he is gone.
Nijo was a super loved boy and I know his family will miss him but were lucky to have such a sweetie with them for the time that they did.
Me Myself & Riggins 