My Life with Dogs

Prologue

Today I live with two beautiful Pekingese dogs, Sir Rudy and Lady Penelope, and both of them belong to me. But this story is about Squeak, and the rescue that I started for Pekingese in 2013 and how I totally fell in love with all of them. Unfortunately, I still needed to find them their “forever” homes.  However, they were all very special to me in their own ways.  And each of them had their own personalities -- as you will soon discover.

In this story, you will learn about all of the dogs in my life.  First there was Squeak – my constant companion for almost 14 years; Oliver – who helped to raise Squeak; Susie – with her separation anxiety; Tasha – the little dog that helped mend a huge hole in my heart; MeiMei – my first rescue; Pi – the tiny Peke with the big attitude; Sadie – who really would love to have a little girl to love; and Mufasa – my big beautiful male Pekingese who took neediness to an all new level. 

A little forewarning regarding one specific chapter – the chapter entitled “Squeak – the Beginning of the End” is very sad.  For the most part, the majority of chapters in this story will be amusing – or at least that is what I am striving for.  But to write this story and not discuss what happened at the end of Squeak's life would definitely not be fair to her.  The work on that chapter took quite some time. Every time I would begin to work on it, I would remember – and remembering brought tears to my eyes. The loss of Squeak, my best friend, was eight years ago, but I remember it as having happened yesterday – and as I continued to type, the tears began to flow – once again. 

On a happier note, as you read through my story of my dogs, you will also get to meet many of my human friends -- Kai, who has helped me immensely in setting up this story and who was also the recipient of my first rescue; Jeri – to whom I quickly learned not to tell her what I wished for because she would ensure that it would happen; Yolanda – who put me in touch with the AZPeke Group once again, Zoe – who has been so supportive of what I am doing; Heather and her little girls, Heidi and Nevaeh, who came to visit and gave the dogs a reason to get excited, Cathy and her husband Mark who always adored Squeak and even took care of her when I had to go out of town, and so many others who have definitely been instrumental in supporting my efforts.

In the meantime, I would like you to meet the wonderful four-footed friends that have done a lot to shape my life.  You will be reading all about these dogs in the chapters to come.

Chapter 01 - Squeak's Arrival

In October of 1999, I moved from Augusta, Maine to Phoenix, Arizona.  Having lived all of my life in Maine and suffering through the miserable winters that Mainers typically endure, as well as the wet, soggy, and muddy season called spring, (and we can’t forget the season of the Black Fly), Arizona was a much-welcomed relief.  In 2006, I moved from Phoenix to Tucson, and to this day, I still enjoy my life in Tucson, Arizona – regardless of the heat.  When I arrived in Phoenix, I was fortunate to be able to share a home with my mom.

In the middle of December 1999, I bought myself a Christmas present – something I had always wanted – a little tiny Pekingese.  She was about six weeks old when I brought her home and so small that she could fit in the palm of my hand.  She came with an AKC registration form so that I could register her.  When I did register her, AKC also sent me her pedigree which was not as strong as I had hoped that it would be.  Regardless, she became the love of my life, my constant companion, and the best little friend that anyone could ask for.

As I placed her on the back seat of my car for the ride home, she began to bark.  It was the cutest sound I had ever heard.  I turned around to look at her and I said “You sound just like a little squeak toy.  Oh, my goodness – what a great name for you! I am going to call you Squeak.”  Her registered name was Pollyanna, but we always called her Squeak.

My first exposure to a rescue dog

Many months prior to my arrival in Phoenix, my mother had adopted a rescue dog – a Pug.  He was an older Pug – perhaps 7 or 8 years old – and quite laid back with a very calm demeanor.  She named him Oliver and we called him Ollie for short. 

If it had not been for Ollie, I do not believe that Squeak would have become the dog that totally fulfilled my life.  He trained Squeak for me or perhaps it was just that Squeak developed an attachment for Ollie and followed him everywhere.  Getting Squeak housebroken was truly a piece of cake – for the most part - thanks to Ollie.  And while Squeak went through all the stages that puppies go through, that period in time was not as difficult as it could have been. 

The “chew” stage

The first six months with Squeak were all about learning – both for her and for me.  One day I happened to be standing behind Squeak as she was leaving her mark on a new pair of high heels (translate that as little tiny teeth marks).  Having done my homework about training a dog (or at least making the attempt to learn), I had an empty soda can with some pennies inside.  I rattled that can and Squeak jumped and ran – but later that same day she was back at the shoes.  Again, I came up behind her and this time I dropped a small, soft, light-weight decorator pillow on top of her.  And again, she jumped and ran. 

I wish I could say that those two episodes were enough to ensure that she would never chew on shoes again – but of course that didn’t happen.  It took many more soda can and pillow events before she finally realized that shoes were off limits.  What I can say is that once Squeak learned that lesson, it stayed with her throughout her life.

The Dishwasher

Squeak was absolutely fascinated by the dishwasher and the various items that went into it.  I think one of the reasons that she was so fascinated was because every time the dishwasher got loaded and run (almost always at night), she and Ollie got fed right after that.  Another reason for the fascination was that her nose was in perfect operating condition – she could smell food from a mile away.  And we did not always rinse the dishes prior to putting them into the dishwasher.  As a result, many of the dishes were an absolute magnet for Squeak.  One day we went into the kitchen and discovered that she was inside the dishwasher, happily licking her way through the overabundance of dishes that still had a bit of food sticking to them.

Susie the Pug moves in   

My mom was as much of a Pug lover as I am a Pekingese lover.  And, while she already had Oliver, she wanted another Pug that was perhaps younger.  So, she went shopping for another Pug and found Susie -- a real cutie.  Susie was very fascinated with the tribe that she had been dropped into. One trick that Susie learned to do very quickly was to grab Squeak’s tail and spin her around on the rug.  It was very entertaining to watch and Squeak did not seem to mind.

Unfortunately, the true nature of that little dog did not come out until about a month after she joined our household.  She was a very friendly pup, about two years old, and a great match for Squeak.  However, unbeknown to us, she suffered from separation anxiety. 

For my first Christmas in Arizona, I bought my mom a beautiful blue Canadian Rocker with a matching ottoman.  She really liked it.  And with me now living there, it gave us one more much needed comfortable chair in the living room. 

On Christmas Day, Tom (my brother), Mother, and I went out for Christmas dinner.  When we got home we discovered just how busy Suzie had been while we were gone.  She had chewed her way through the cushions on the new chair and through the padding on the ottoman.  Needless to say, I truly was not amused – and I’m sure that Mother felt the same way.

Eating – treats and meals

Whenever there was any mention of food of any kind, we could be guaranteed that all three dogs would show up ready for whatever was being offered.  For some reason, Squeak was always the leader of the pack – first in line for food – first in line for treats – first in line for anything that would go into her tummy.  One benefit we enjoyed was the fact that there were never any food anxieties of any kind.  The dogs all got along beautifully.  If one of the dogs left something in their dish, one of the others would eat it and there was never any squabbling.

Chapter 02 – Life with Squeak Begins

Over the next several years, Squeak grew into a beautiful Pekingese, and she was always very well behaved.  Whenever we had company, she would always come out to greet them, expecting to be patted for a minute or two. Once that had been accomplished, she would then find a place to lie down.  I always told everyone that Squeak truly believed that the company was visiting our home, not to see us, but rather to see Squeak. She was a very social diva.

My mom always believed that the sun rose and set on those dogs.  During my time in Phoenix, I’m not sure who Squeak belonged to – she was as much my mom’s dog as she was mine.  Once I moved to Tucson and I was the only one around, she became incredibly attached to me.  As the saying goes, it was like she was 'attached at the hip.'

Squeak loved to hide under furniture and I wasn’t always quick enough with the camera.  This one particular day however, I had my camera in my hand.  Of course, I do not know how she got under the bureau (the opening was not very big), but eventually she did come out.  In the meantime, there she was, under the bureau, and the only thing anyone could see of her were her eyes and her little black, button nose. Once she came out from under the bureau, she was ready to play any game, fetch any toy, and even settle down for some good old fashioned loving.

The one thing that Squeak could get really cranky about was her toys.  They totally belonged to her, regardless of who it belonged to or who was visiting. 

The care giver, Cindy, that we hired to provide Hospice care for Mom, became great friends with my Mom, and she often came to visit.  On one particular visit, Cindy brought her little boy with her and I think he was around two years old.  As little boys generally are, he was very curious about the toys that Squeak had and he wanted to play with them too.  Murphy’s Law being what it is, the little boy picked up Squeak’s favorite toy. 

We all turned to look at Squeak and we could see how antsy she was getting – especially since the little boy really did not want to share.  Squeak began to edge forward, with a low growl in her throat, and I immediately scooped Squeak up and put her in another room.  I really did not want to see any bloodshed, especially the blood of the adorable little boy.  As I always say, better safe than sorry.

A New Home bought for Squeak

I bought my new home in August of 2009 and I told everyone that I had bought it for Squeak because it had a very large backyard – and that I was simply fortunate that it came with a house for me.  However, I do believe that the house was the beginning of the end for Squeak.  More about this in Chapter 3.

My friend Cathy absolutely adored Squeak.  And I’m pretty sure Squeak felt the same way about her.  Mark (her husband) would actually get down on the floor and play with Squeak – which Squeak really enjoyed. 

The second month that I lived in my new home, I went to Maine for a week.  Of course, I could not take Squeak with me, so Cathy and Mark came over every morning and every evening to feed her and spend time playing with her.  They were the very best dog sitters I could have had. 

In the last couple of years, Squeak began telling me what she liked and what she didn’t like.  For example, she really did not like me leaving her to go to work.  Many times, when I was headed out the door, I would find her sitting in front it, as if to say “No, you cannot leave.”  She knew my schedule and almost every day I would find her laying there.  Of course, she eventually moved when I began to walk toward the door.  But I always felt so bad that I could not stay home with her.

My friend Heather and her little girls, Nevaeh and Heidi, came over to visit us many times. I had met Heather at work and she had quickly become a good friend. With my own family still living in Maine, they became the daughter and granddaughters that I missed. Several times, Heather brought her Mom with her, and we became friends as well. Squeak and I always looked forward to their visits.

Our First Christmas in our New Home

The first Christmas that Squeak and I spent in our new home, I decided to send Christmas cards that had my little companion’s picture all over the card.  The the picture that was on the front of the card was of Squeak sporting a Santa hat – and then inside the card I put all of the pictures that did not come out as well – the Santa hat had not stayed on, she was looking away from the camera, or the Santa hat had slid down in front of her face.  But regardless, she was always the very best Christmas present under my tree – that year, and all of the years that she was my pal.

Chapter 03 - The Beginning of the end

After living in our new home for about three months, I began to notice that Squeak was doing a lot of scratching, licking and biting.  Assuming that she had some type of an allergy, I took her to the vet.  After looking her over, he suggested that I take her to a dermatologist.  I took her to the dermatologist, but it was not a productive meeting. 

Ultimately, I found another vet – one that ran both food and environmental tests on her.  It was determined that she was allergic to chicken, a diagnosis that ultimately proved to be wrong. 

I began to give Squeak allergy shots and when we were at the end of the first bottle, she literally blew up.  She swelled up, was scratching and licking herself about 99% of the time, and was truly miserable.

The regular vet that I used is part of a 24-hour emergency service.  I seem to recall that it was right around New Year’s Eve of 2011, give or take a day or two.  I called the vet and they agreed to see Squeak immediately. 

They gave Squeak a shot to help with the itching and they told me that there really was nothing more they could do for her – that I should again go to a dermatologist. 

Squeak and I returned to the same dermatologist that I had tried earlier.  This time the visit was totally successful.  They did a skin culture on her, and the lab was able to determine that she had MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).  Over the next few years we were never able to completely cure it.  We would give her the medication, it would go away for a while, and then it would come back with a vengeance.

Squeak – the end

On March 1, 2013, Squeak unexplicabily stopped eating.  She had shown a lack of appetite before, but had generally recovered on her own.

Unfortunately this time, after about four days, I decided to take her back to the vet.  They examined her but could find nothing wrong.  They put her on an appetite stimulant – but it did no good. 

On March 6 she was still not eating – so we went back to the vet.  They decided to keep her overnight and when they released her the next day they said she was doing better. 

Of course, seeing her in her own environment at home vs. being kept in a crate in the hospital are two totally different scenes.  On March 8, I took Squeak back to the vet and they did an ultrasound, more blood work, and X-rays – all of which necessitated that she stay overnight again.  But once again, nothing definitive showed up. 

When I picked her up on Saturday morning, the vet recommended that I have a more thorough ultrasound done – that another ultrasound might pick up something that had been missed.  I took Squeak over to the office where that procedure would be done, but they told me I would have to wait until Monday.  They had no technicians available to do what was needed.

By Sunday, March 10, Squeak was so bad that she could not walk.  Since March 1 she had not eaten even though I had fixed every type of food that I could think of for her, and that I thought she would like – from the baby food meat, to pureed liver.  Nothing seemed to interest her.  I tried force feeding her – but that was even less than successful.

That afternoon I called the vet office and talked to them.  They strongly recommended that I consider laying her down.  The pain she was dealing with must have been enormous and you could see it in her eyes.  I finally agreed – but it was truly not an easy decision. 

I walked in to the office at 4:30 carrying Squeak and they were waiting for me and had everything set up.  The exam room where I was to take her had a nice soft blanket on the table.  I laid Squeak down on the table and everyone gave me a few minutes alone with her.  That wonderful little person that had been a part of my life for so long – how could I let her go? 

Even worse – how could I be the instrument of letting her go?  I was wracked with so many emotions that I honestly did not think I could go through with it. 

But … looking at that adorable little face, at the black eyes that had lost their sparkle, at that beautiful body that no longer supported her, and knowing how much pain she was in, I knew that the choice had truly been taken away from me.

The technician finally came back in the room and when I could compose myself again, she told me that they needed to get Squeak ready – in other words, they had to get the IV needle in place. 

They carried Squeak very gently out of the room and were back in what seemed like seconds.  The veterinarian (Dr. Morgan) sat next to me and I held Squeak’s little head in my hand.  Dr. Morgan explained the procedure to me – that Squeak would be given a sedative first and then she would be given the final medication that would forever take my little girl from me.  As the medicine went into her veins that would finally make her pain-free, I continued to hold her little head in my hand.  When the sedative was given to her, her head began to lay heavy on my hand.  When the second medication was given to her, I knew that the life had immediately gone out of her.  I sat there and cried for what seemed like hours but in reality, was probably just a few minutes. 

And knowing that I was taking up the staff’s time when they needed to be doing other things, I finally faced them, and made the arrangements that needed to be made.  Squeak was to be cremated and her ashes returned to me. Then Dr Morgan and the tech both hugged me and I walked out alone.

Alone

For the first time in almost 14 years my little girl was not with me.  I went home empty handed which was devastating all by itself.  When I got home, I went out on the patio and just sat there and cried.  The number of emotions – and the strength of them – going through me was immense.  From guilt to anger, from depression to prayer, I felt them all.  And I was totally helpless to do anything that evening.

The Next Few Days

On Wednesday (March 13th) the urn that I had ordered for Squeak’s remains arrived.  It was made of dark wood, had a small plaque that had Squeak’s name and dates, and had a place for a picture of Squeak. 

I also received two sympathy cards from the animal hospital.  One was from the tech who normally worked with Dr Vagnetti (my regular vet).  The other card was from Dr Vagnetti, Dr Morgan, and many other staff members.   Naturally, the cards caused the tears to flow once again, but I was truly touched by their compassion.

On Thursday I received the call from the animal hospital that they had received Squeak’s ashes.  On Friday I took the urn to the animal hospital and one of the technicians very kindly took care of transferring the ashes into the urn.  They also gave me a round pottery disk that had been made for me – it had Squeak’s name and paw print on it.  Almost all of the technicians knew both me and Squeak, as we had been going there for a very long time.  

Today the urn and the pottery disk sit on my hutch and every time I walk by them, I pat the urn and say “Hi” to my special little girl.