Winning Duncan Over

I plan on adding a post here shortly with more of the details of what caused Duncan’s passing. However, in the meantime I thought I would post something a little more uplifting. This is Hannah, my “Sissy.” She’s my parents’ dog. Hannah is also a rescue and was dumped in the “overnight pen” when my parents lived in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Who knows why, because she is the sweetest, loving little girl. She was kind enough to humor my Mom the day before my wedding and pose for some pictures in a veil. Cookies for the banana!

Duncan’s song.  I’ve been known to belt this song out with the radio as I’m driving down the road, replacing the lyrics with “Sweet Duncan Hines!”  Of course, I’ll think of him every time I hear the song.

The time has come. I lost my Sweet Duncan Hines today. Somehow he got a VERY bad maggot infestation around his rear end. It was absolutely horrible. The Vet said we could try keeping him at the Emergency Vet over the weekend to give him IV fluids and observe him, but it was so bad that he wasn’t very confident that we could bring him around considering his age and everything else, so we let him go. The Vet Tech that was helping us said it wasn’t my fault, but I’m still feeling guilt ridden that I should have noticed the problem sooner or done something different to get him to let me groom him.  Then I would have been more likely to have… anyway.

Duncan was suffering so much that he was not even fighting being touched and worked on. He just laid there. No jerking or jumping away or snapping when someone tried to move his body or anything-totally not himself. The upside I guess, is that I was able to shower kisses on his little face and nose as he left, and hug him just like I always wanted to do after he was gone. Well, not just like I wanted, but I got to wrap my arms around him just the same.

While I am very sad, this is tempered with joy as well. I told Duncan when I let him go that I was so proud of him and how much he had grown. He came so very far, and I am so overjoyed that he grew from the cowering trembling Sheltie I met at Petco to the happy dog you’ve seen in the pictures here. I am so pleased that he went from turning his back on me when I petted him, to seeking it out and asking to be petted.  I am so happy that he could learn to enjoy that.

Winning Duncan Over will continue. In time, I would love to begin fostering Shelties who need help like my Duncan did and try and rehabilitate them so they are more likely to find a new home. I will chronicle their stories here just like Duncan Hines’ and Little Debbie’s.

I’m getting married a week from tomorrow and my new husband and I need to get into a bigger home. Hopefully then I can join the fosters and rescuers of the Kansas City Sheltie Rescue, and Duncan’s Legacy will continue.

Here’s Duncan in his Kilt ready to march in the Snake Satruday Parade with the Kansas City Sheltie Rescue!

He did great again this year!  He was so excited to see all the other Shelties again and marched like a regualr pro!

To all my friends at Kansas City Sheltie Rescue: I am not avoiding you by not coming to the Adopt-A-Pet days. I really really want to come. But I know if I do that I’m in serious danger of giving in to my Multiple Sheltie Cravings. I want another Sheltie again! Remember, Little Debbie snuggled her way into being adopted by curling up in my lap at Pecto. I can’t resist! I’d love to get a Blue Merle. Maybe a puppy. But I just can’t right now! I’ve got to make myself wait until after the wedding and then get into a bigger house! Oh but I want one now!

I was thinking about Little Debbie tonight and particularly missing her. I miss her being at my feet. I miss her following me around the house. I miss her when the dogs come in from the back yard and there are only two there, not three. I miss laying on the bed with her and petting her and rubbing her long nose and her little belly. I miss her jumping up and putting her front paws on my lap and quietly pawing at me to pet her when I’m sitting here at the computer.

I hadn’t opened the box with her ashes in it yet. I’d really been saving it till this spring when I can spread them in my iris garden. But I decided to open it and sat down with the box and spent a few minutes remembering her.

I opened the envelope with the crematory order and the rainbow bridge poem in it and read through everything again that I had already read. I haven’t really been keeping track of the time… When I looked at the cremation certificate, it said December 15th. I guess I was thinking about her so much and missing her so much because I somehow knew that it had been a month.

It seems like longer for some reason. I’ve never had to let a pet go that had not been with me for many, many years. I had her such a short time-just two. She was so happy and joyful and playful. Such a sweet little girl. And she loved me so much.

This is so very amazing! I just spent 45 minutes brushing Duncan! Seriously!

If you remember, Duncan absolutely HATES being brushed. He jumps away from the brush, snaps at the brush (air bites) and sometimes snaps at me too. It’s a terrible struggle, and he just has not let me do it. The last time he was at the groomers was absolutely horrible. (Sorry Brenda!) His undercoat is getting terrible and he looked like a raggamuffin. So awhile back I asked my Vet about a mild sedative to try and see if that would help with brushing him and for during thunderstorms. I tried it last night and it seemed to have little to no impact on him. He was still up and moving around the house like normal after two hours. I didn’t even try brushing him. So I talked to my Vet today when I picked up Debbie’s ashes I asked him about this and he told me I could double the dosage and try that.

So I gave him the double dose tonight and it still did not seem to have any more impact. But I decided to try anyway. I leashed Duncan and took him in the bedroom and shut the door so it was nice and quiet for us. I took his brush and a bag of soft dog treats. We sat down on the bed together and I started out just giving him a few treats, which he loved. Then I started brushing.
I kept to his head and ears and under his chin at first because if I ever go straight for his body he flips out. It was horrible as usual at first. He snapped at and bit the brush several times and even jumped at me and snapped the air too. I firmly, but quietly told him No, each time and took a few deep breaths and continued. Once he let me do a few strokes without reacting at all I gave him some small bits of the treats. That got his attention. So I filled my left hand with a bunch of small bits and gave him one for every few strokes that he remained calm. We kept doing this for a few minutes and then I started to move on to his neck, and eventually his back. I kept refilling my left hand and he kept taking the treats as I brushed his back, getting all that nasty undercoat that was peaking through out. He even let me move down to rear-end! He’s usually so sensitive about anyone touching him anywhere near his hind-quarters, but as long as I gave him bits of the treats every few strokes or so he remained completely calm and let me brust him. By the time I decided to stop he was half way in my lap licking my left hand for the treats and I had a pile of Sheltie fuzz sitting next to me! He looked so much better already, with his reddish coat showing nicely instead of messy undercoat.

I did not try to work on his skirt at all, or on his belly. I want to make sure he remains calm for the easy part and that he has a good experience before I move on to the hard parts. Those will be more scary and more difficult for him to allow me to do.

I’m not sure how much affect the sedative had or did not have on him. I think I’ll go back to just the regular dosage and try this again in a day or two and see how that goes. If that continues to go well, I’ll work on weaning him off the sedative at all and see if he can handle it with just the yummy treats. Who knows, maybe I’ll be lucky enough to get him to actually enjoy being brushed. But for now, we had a very positive experience that I can hopefully build on. I am so excited!

I was looking through pictures tonight at found this old one that Barbra must have taken at Petco one Saturday. It was Duncan’s “birthday.” I’d had Debbie for about 6 months at this point. She’s so cute and pretty sitting in my lap with that great big smile. Happy to be close to her Momma.

Ok, everyone vote for Debbie for the Sheltie of the Month Contest! She deserves it!!! http://kcsheltierescue.org/Photo_Gallery/displayimage.php?album=5&pos=21

Thank you everyone so much for all the cards and posts and comments. It definitely helps me to be able to talk about Debbie with you all and to get your well wishes and thoughts. I really appreciate everyone sharing with me in this.

It’s still really strange not having her around here. When I let the dogs in the house from the back yard I look for her, expecting her to be trailing in behind the others. It’s strange to leave for work in the morning and not having her bark at me as I go out the front door telling me she wants me to stay. And strange when I come home at night not to have her dance and prance around me until I let her jump up to lean on my leg while I kiss her hello. It’s strange to watch TV without her either snuggled down on the couch or putting her front paws on the arm of my chair to get me to pet her. I feel like I’m missing a step when I feed the dogs in the morning and when I put them to bed at night. It still feels very unreal.

I’m expecting the phone call from my Vet any day now to tell me her cremains have come back from Rolling Acres and are ready for me to pick up. I’m really not sure what I’m going to do with her ashes. For Duncan, I would spread his ashes at the park we walk at. He just loves walking at the park and it would be a very appropriate place for me to take him at the end. But I’m not sure that would be right for Debbie. She just loved being with me. (You can only say that about a dog and not sound conceited.) I could spread her ashes here at home in the back yard, but I plan to move into a bigger house within the next few years, so I’m not sure that feels right either. On the other hand, I don’t feel like I personally need to have her ashes sitting on the mantle in an urn. I’ve never had this problem before. I’ve always known exactly where my pets’ final resting places should be.

Anyway, thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers. They truly help me.