A Rottweiler: Survivor, Comedian, My Best Friend

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After this man had spent THOUSANDS of dollars shipping her to the U.S. and all the care after her accident, he knew he couldn't give her the proper care and happy, safe home life this beautiful, good-natured dog deserved. With tears in his eyes, he begged me to take her. ME. Not the other hospital staff, but me, personally because he knew me well from the animal hospital and that I adored her. I told him I would but I would SPAY HER and then find her a loving home because I already had two other large dogs at home. He agreed even though he planned to breed her since she was of full German Rottweiler lines. Why? Because she meant more to him than the money he could make from breeding her. (Perfect example of a genuine, caring pet owner.)
I took her home and within 4 hours, she officially adopted me, my 2 other dogs and my home. I couldn't believe how well behaved, potty trained and the unbelievable disposition she had within 1 minute of entering my home. Keep in mind that she was cage-bound for months in our hospital due to her long recovery process. Before even being shown where the back door to the outside was for potty time, she went to it and scratched at it to go out. I opened the sliding glass door and she went right passed the pool deck to the grass to pee.
After about 3 hours with her in my home, I knew in my heart she belonged; this was meant to be. She knew it the whole time. ;)
She befriended my 130 pound German Shepherd-Rottweiler mixed dog, Brittany, (nicknamed "The Pony-dog") and my 70 pound Australian Shepherd, Taylor within minutes of introduction. It was almost as if they all knew this was part of their life plan. It was sweet but a bit creepy at the same time!

I divorced in 2000 after 10 years of marriage. Since my Australian Shepherd, Taylor, was always a bit more "attached" to my husband, I allowed him to take her with him when he moved out. It broke my heart to lose her but I thought, "what if she had to choose" and though I know she loved me and would miss me, she would choose him if she had to decide. I knew Taylor couldn't spare my ex-husband, Stonci couldn't spare losing Brittany, and Britt and Stonci couldn't spare losing me so it all made sense. I have missed her daily, of course. She was one of the smartest dogs I have ever known.
I remarried to a wonderful man in February of 2004 who became quite attached to Brittany and Stonci. In fact, my husband was really the only male Brittany ever warmed up to. It all worked out and everyone was happy.

In 2005, our sweet Brittany became ill. I had to take her to the specialist here in Tampa to have a biopsy. It turned out that she had cancer at the age of 8 ½ years old. ("Giant breeds" don't have a long life span) but it was still heartbreaking. Stonci and Britt used to rough house play BIG TIME! But, when Brittany became ill and slowed down, Stonci somehow knew as dogs incredibly seem to do. She no longer antagonized rough play but instead, lay by her side wherever she was. Britt used to lay on the bathroom floor and though Stonci never did, when the Pony was quite ill, Stonci would lay right outside the bathroom door.
After a few months when she started showing significant signs of illness and becoming weaker and uncomfortable, we had to set her free. And we did...marking one of the hardest days of my life.


For the first time ever, Stonci became incredibly depressed. She didn't eat for almost 3 days. She was grieving right along with us. For a few days after Brittany was put to sleep, Stonci slept on the bathroom floor.

Pets in Heaven photo credit: QUIETIS-ANGEL, Photobucket

W e are sure Stonci knew what happened to the Pony-dog and after she finally snapped out of her grief, she slowly started to be the comedic, happy-go-lucky dog again. And the funny but not so funny part is when I brought Brittany's ashes (remains) home the following week. Stonci would not stop sniffing the bag and finally just grabbed it in her mouth and ran away with it!! It became a chase around the house. I wouldn't have had a problem with her sniffing or simply "being" with the bag before I placed it in Britt's urn, but I was afraid she'd puncture it with her teeth and The Pony-Dog would be trailed all over the house! She eventually jumped back up onto the couch, placed the bag between her front paws and "oafed" me. ("Oafing" was her way of playing with us. In other words, she doesn't bark, but SAYS, "OAF!" with her chin to the ceiling as if she is making an official statement.) This is exactly what she was doing in the photo!

About 6 months after losing the Pony-dog, I ended up bringing home a 7 week old German Shepherd puppy that was brought into my animal hospital as a stray. My boss insisted I take her home because Britt had been gone for a while and Stonci had been without another dog for long enough. We named her Lindsey. She took to Stonci right away but Stonci was still the boss.

There was no toy Stonci could not bite in half or into pieces regardless if it claimed to be "indestructible." The product makers never met Stonci. Even a wolf-size Kong toy is no match for her. However, knowing how strong and powerful Stonci is, we never imagined she could be capable of killing a coffee table.

BEFORE:

While wrestling with Lindsey on the couch, Stonci decided to somehow throw Lindsey but ended up going with her. It sounded as if a car crashed through the living room wall.

AFTER:

The two of them crashed on top of the table and the rest was history. Not a scratch or reaction from either of them. My husband on the other hand...yep. He reacted. Our 3 day old coffee table was no longer thanks to a $200 canine wrestling match.

We had to move across the country for my husband's job. We took Stonci with us in the car travel from Tampa, Florida all the way to Oregon. (We flew Lindsey on a plane.) She was the perfectly behaved dog and certainly loved the scenery. She loved all the attention at the rest stops and hotels from others, too. My husband and I literally LOL'ed when Stonci (aka "Rottens") stuck her head out the window and the wind blew her jowls out. The more we laughed, the more she did it. That's just how she rolled!!


If she tackles you on the living room floor, pins you down with her paws and licks you to no end. DON'T LAUGH if you want her to stop. The more you laugh, the more she'll get you. Ah, forget it. Playing dead won't work. She'll get you either way and love every minute of it. (And you will, too.)

A bout a year later, we had to move again. This time from Oregon to Indiana. At the time, I was about 7 months pregnant and we had our other dog, Lindsey with us for the trip instead of flying her. Stonci kept Lindsey in line for the most part so it wasn't as difficult as we thought it might be. I learned a lot about traveling with pets throughout all of our recent travels.
Stonci used to follow me around the house often, as dogs do, but as she grew a bit older, she didn't do it as much. However, several hours before I went into labor, Stonci knew before I did. She was my shadow that day. She took each step down the stairs with me and stuck to me like glue. She even sniffed at my belly more than usual. I finally asked her, "Do you know something I don't?" Apparently, she did. I went into labor that night. After I gave birth to my baby, Stonci decided she had a new job. Protecting and guarding this new little person in our pack. She never invaded her space. Not once did she ever lick the baby or touch her. She only sniffed her, watched her and lay next to her when she slept.

I wrote this Feb. 6, 2008 when we were still living in Indiana. It will explain what happened next.
Our House Bear May Be In Trouble!

You may know our "house bear" better by one of her well-known names...Stonci (or "Rottens.") Well, our sweet Stonci Bear hasn't been feelin' too well for the past few months. She turned 10 on Christmas Eve and yeah, she's had a few problems with arthritis but nothing her doggie Rx couldn't cure.

She even started this weird front leg licking habit ever since I was about 3 months pregnant and has continued to date. The Dr. (not "Doc" since I'm not in Tampa right now) said that is out of nervous habit. But, there is definitely something else going on with the House Bear.

We had bloodwork taken and if that doesn't show anything, we'll have to start with x-rays and go from there.

We're not naïve but we're trying to stay positive. She's the house bear! This girl has been with me for 10 years and her and I have experienced so much together, including the loss of our sweet Pony, Brittany a couple years ago.

So, please, if you all could keep our girl in your thoughts and prayers, we would appreciate it so much. It just sucks so much to even think about losing my sweet Stonci Bear after all that has happened in my life within such a short period of time. Guess maybe I'm just feelin' sorry for myself. But, I'm really not. I promise I will, as I did with Brittany, do the best thing for Stonci...not for me and my selfishness. I'm just so sad I could simply crumble.

Please God...don't take her from us yet, unless Britt really wants her that bad.

We were hoping Stonci would hang in there and still be well enough to move back to Tampa with us. But, she was going down hill too fast. We knew the trip would be too much for her. This was even harder on me because I had just lost my mother months before. When the dreaded time came to set our girl free, about a week before our move, we brought her into the vets office where everyone on the staff loved her. (How could you not?) We went into a beautiful room with a blanket spread out on the floor. The vet, technician, my husband, and myself all sat on the blanket around this wonderful soul. We had Mariah, our 6 month old baby in her car seat in the corner of the room. Out of nowhere, Stonci stood up from the blanket, walked over to Mariah and stared at her for about 10 seconds. She then stepped forward, kissed her on the cheek, stepped back and stared for a few more seconds and then rejoined us on the blanket.
It was very obvious she was saying good-bye to her. I'm not sure what she was thinking or "saying" to her, but I think it was something along the lines of, "I'm sorry I have to leave you. You may not see me but I will still be watching over you always. Be a good girl."
When she rejoined us, she lay down on the blanket as if to say, "Ok. I'm ready to go Home now." She kissed all of us (including the vet) and she peacefully slipped away to sleep in our arms. As she fell asleep, we told her how much she has meant to us, thanked her for sharing her life with us and told her Brittany is waiting for her.

This is especially nice for all of us who have dogs or have ever lost a special one.




In my veterinary practice, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt Shane might learn something from the experience. The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why." Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The four-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply,

Speak kindly.

Leave the rest to God.

I received this as a "forwarded email" from my dad. I'm not aware of the original writer of it, therefore, I'm unable to give proper credit. But, it was quite moving to me and I just wanted to share it as a long-time veterinary tech and pet owner. Being an obvious animal lover, caregiver, and rescuer myself, and having recently lost my sweet Brittany the Pony-Dog due to cancer and my Stonci-Bear, this kinda hit home for me. It's never an easy situation to get through for any of us. All we can really do is appreciate the love that a sweet soul brought to us and know that we'll be greeted by them when it is our turn to leave this physical life. We WILL be with them again forever. And for now, they are forever within our hearts and our memory.

"You CAN Heal Your Sick Pet At Home, Without Going To The Vet...
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By Dr. Andrew Jones
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J ust this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....