Nuts - Forever Loved, Loved Forever...

Nuts & Christine

How do you say goodbye, when you think there is one more ray of hope but Nuts said not. Nuts said it was time to go and the day I dreaded came. When all avenues are exhausted and modern medicine has run out of solutions. When Nuts no longer had the strength to fight. How do you deal with the light, hope and fight being gone? Nuts my beautiful guy who took me on a a journey to create dreams and sow ambitions that I could not believe I could have.  I was so fortunate with the connections he created and how he was with me.  He was steadfast, he was loyal, he was my main man and rock.

He was my Lassie, Pongo and Bolt all in one.   He enjoyed the ride with me and we had such brilliant times, and I could not have been prouder to have walked by his side.

Two songs that some him up to me are 'You are my first, my last, my everything' by Barry White and' Nobody does it better' by Carly Simon. And Marc said it was also 'Me and my Shadow' by Frank Sinatra. And that is so true.

No song goes with his passing, the melody of the February song helps to calm me, as we had no fight left and how I wish he did so that we could have another precious day.  I could wish it a thousand times and there I was nothing I could do to stop the ravages of time increasing its relentless and tenacious grip. How I wish my Nuts was forever young and by my side.

How I wish I could say he was 15. How I wish he would be at the door when I return from the EOs and the Worlds, I so wanted to tell him all about Zev's and I adventures. So many wishes but as the February song, one day we will be together again and I never wanted to let him down, but as he lost the strength to fight and I did not know how to help him fight, he was saying it was his time. I guess our time is our time...I just hope he understood when for the thousandth time I told him, how special, loved and perfect he is.

 

Forever Nuts. Forever loved, loved forever.....

12/02/00 to 28/05/14

European Open & FCI Worlds - Here we come :):):)

Doing the Double - Lansdown - Crufts Singles - 2013

Every so often in life that are just what you hoped and worked damm hard for. Almost two weeks ago we got the news that not only Marc and Mister Big had made the team for the EO - Hungary and the FCI World Championship but Me and Zev had too.

The excitement has been immense. With Marc and Big, they have been before to the Worlds both WAO and FCI events and achieved so much, but for me and Zev, it has been a while coming. The first year we tried out, we were no way ready, we had not even run a champ class I don't think it was the year of null points. The second year I had exams on tryout date, the third year we made reserve for the EO and no team was going to the Worlds as it was in too complicated and costly being in South Africa. I was so so frustrated. This year, Zev was 6 and I felt if we did not do it this year then it was unlikely we would. 

The KC press release explains all. It was an incredibly tough weekend with 7 runs in all including a team event. The courses by Italian judge, Paolo Meroni, reminded us of why we find agility so exhilarating - technically demanding and swift for speed, this was indeed agility courses at their best. The squad and team selection process is managed by Mark Laker and his thoughts on team selection can be found at his blog.

The challenge with agility now as the standard and demands of agility are growing all the time, it really means having to put in the grunt work to achieve it. Agility is becoming so much more like other sports, quite rightly with the physio and fitness for both handler and canine partner, the skill sets, the mental toughness or focus required. Some have the good fortune to be naturally talented, like Marc who can just run, he does not have to work at it, I have to do two sessions a week specifically focus on running and running dynamics to achieve what he can just do. That is not to say Marc does not look after his fitness, but it just comes more naturally and with far less effort.  But despite this additional pressure we think ultimately it will be good for agility as a sport and good for us.

It all feels very surreal and totally brilliant so say your representing your country in a sport that really consumes our life in so many positive ways is for me a dream come true. Marc would I dare say is pleased ;)

So here we come :):):) .....this should be one heck of a ride...........

Bear's Agility Journey Commences in earnest :)

Since Christmas I have started to let Bear learn more agility equipment and the main focus has been poles (weaves) see-saw and the RC concept.  As he is so tiny I was a little daunted, but we thought we needed to start and see where this takes us.  The video shows some snippets of the sessions we have had with the dog-walk.

The 'good decision' approach I use has enabled Bear to have a good attitude and interest in his learning as well as enjoy doing stuff with me. He is getting stronger with his game play as I endeavor to balance the food and toy rewards so that they strengthened his 'up for it' attitude and motivation for agility. Ultimately I think dogs have their own preferences and it is up to us to tap in to what that is rather than dictate what we perceive to be rewarding.  Learning is so hooked up with preferences, styles, relevance, motivation and connection. It has been a great and rewarding experience for me teaching a youngster of my own again, after-all there is a 5 year gap between Zev and Bear.

As Bear starts to grow up it will be interesting to see how his character grows and develops, as he now is truly into his growing up in terms of his character and working out what makes his world work for him, as any mammal would do that lives in a group. Experience tells me you don't really know what your partnership may be until you get passed as I call it the 'terrible oneis!', but really it not terrible just highly amusing and interesting watching him work out how his world works :)

Kinda happy....kinda bummed...



Christine & Nuts

Nuts has made it to 14, and the wonderment that we had got to that milestone is tempered by the Vets confirmation that he has lymphoma.

There is no more fight left for us to overcome, there is no tablet, diet or physio that can fix it. My ambivalence to birthdays grows as to me they are a marker of time that is lost, that death is coming sooner. The pleasure that others seem to gain from this annual date event is at times quite lost on me. Or as a friend said to me 'everyday is your dog's birthday', which is a compliment indeed.

Nuts

There is no treatment, that will give Nuts additional time. As always I will continue to ensure on daily basis that we do some of his favourite things.

I cannot believe as I look at him, that at some point this year our journey together will be at an end. We have defied so many odds, perhaps we will manage it again. ..

As I type this posting he lays at my side, as always so close. I reviewed all the blog postings that mention Nuts and they show that he has so brought so much to my life and what adventures we have had together.

The relationships and opportunities we have in life are remarkable and so often taken for granted...sometimes we know straight away when its extra special...I knew with Nuts and I have never lost the marvel of how special our relationship is.

 

So I kinda happy and kinda bummed.........but just so thankful that Nuts is still by my side.

The Grunt Work....

Nuts

It crazy and it hard, when your dog grows old and with Nuts it has been a huge learning curve because he is the first dog, that I have been bless to have a bit longer time with. It is a blessing but it is also a lot of grunt work and sometimes. I worry am I being kind or am I being unfair? But as with most things in life you have to rely on 'your gut' feeling or intuition. I can watch for any physical tell tale signs, to see how he is feeling. I know him that well, from the tiniest crinkle in his ear to a tightening of the lips, to just how 'he seems'. Is his quality of life good enough? I like to think so and certainly hope so.

One of the best inventions I have some across and in many ways its simplicity itself (as brilliant ideas so often are) to help Nuts and me in our quest to maintain his strength in his muscles so that he can enjoy his 'bimbles' around, join in the fun and remain included.  It is the Active Balance Ultimate Wobble Board designed by Maria Johnston of Active Balance-Vetphysio.co.uk

The video shows a little session at the weekend, everyday we to a different exercise programme, the sessions are very short and sweet.

 

In the video you can see his him give his paw it has taken 6 months of physio to get him to be able to do this. I can confess my eyes were 'moist' when that happened. When we first started the cavalletti Nuts could not do it and now he is now stepping though and able to complete the exercise.  Another benefit is being able to take Nuts for short walk, when for many months this could not happen.

Nuts

It is all vital part of rebuilding and hopefully maintaining some co-ordination and awareness of his body. It has improved the messages going from his cerebrum to his muscles as the neurotransmitters learnt a new pathway or make reconnections. Having tuition with Maria really gave me the confidence to carry out the programme.

 

All these little improvements mean so much. In reality sure there is somethings Nuts cannot do, like the stairs. But we have learnt to lift his body so that it is safe for us and him. So I guess that it is why it is the grunt work, but really I guess it is more a labour of love....