My dog Biscuit 2002? - 2012, Aug 6th

I have wanted to write a blog about my dog Biscuit, but it has been very difficult to do.

Back in 2003, we had just bought a new house and we thought that we needed a new dog to go with it.  We were not really looking, but the family happened to be out at the local Petsmart and they were hosting an adoption event.  PAWS http://www.paws.org/ was one of the organization there.  John spotted Biscuit away from the rest of the puppies and dogs, sitting in her crate.  She was very shy and just looked a bit nervous.  John decided that was the one he wanted.  So she became part of the family.

Biscuit was a mix - her papers called her a "Tri-colored Beagle", but she was also something else (probably pit-bull).

Biscuit was a very protective dog.  She had been abused my a man and this made her my protector.  There was a pecking order in our house - First me, then her, John, Clint, then Nancy (she didn't like a second female trying for her spot.)

 Clint took this picture in 2005 and I then turned it into a painting.  

Which was purchased by a vet's office from Raleigh.

To me she was so sweet and lovable, but to others she was not so nice.  She did not like children or other dogs of any kind.  When we would take her for a walk people would want to pet her because she was so cute, but then she would bare her teeth and they would think differently.  We figured she was probably about a year old when we got her.  So, we really don't know what happened as a pup.

In 2006, the family went to Kenya for 6 months.  During that time my sister, Kim, from PA, took Biscuit to live with her and her family.  Biscuit loved it there and actually became friends with their dog Buddy. 

(This picture was just before she went to live in PA)

In 2008, we bought our river house.  Biscuit was most happy, running along the river, staring down deer, and      

just being able to be off the leash and be free.

She also loved the snow!

She was also a bit of a nut case.

You could always tell when she was happy by the smile on her face.

And she always had a way of breaking your heart with her puppy dog eyes when she wanted something.

In 2010, we had a temporary visitor, Mercy.  Mercy was the neighborhood cat that lived with us for the last six months of his life.  Biscuit really did not know what to think of Mercy.  Biscuit would growl and bark at Mercy, and Mercy would just purr and rub up against Biscuit.  Mercy was completely deaf and didn't know Biscuit was growling.  Finally, Biscuit just gave up and accepted this intruder.

In 2011, we started to build our new house on the river property.  Biscuit oversaw all of the workmen and checked on every detail - every day.   Since we were living on the property, we would take a daily walk to the construction site and she could do her inspecting.  

She was happy when her new dog-house was finally finished! 

It was about this time that she started having digestion issues.  She was a pure junk-yard dog and would pretty much eat anything she found in the woods.  The vet said that was typical of Beagles and not to worry.  Plus, she was over weight so we took her off her regular dog food and started more of a special diet.  Over the months she continued to get worse.  By August, 2012, she was losing so much weight. 

On September 2nd John took her to an emergency vet (of course this was over Labor Day weekend, so everything was closed.)  They did an x-ray and found a mass that appeared to be in her small intestines.  They gave her a shot and sent her home, telling us to take her to our family vet on Tuesday.

  Well, by Monday morning so was so week and wasn't even keeping water down.  The emergency vet told us we should take her to the North Carolina Vet School, in Raleigh.  When we got there they looked at the x-rays and decided she needed to have an ultrasound.  The ultrasound showed that the mass needed to be removed right away.   We were able to go in and say goodbye before she went into surgery.  She was so sad.  But, we thought that this would finally give her some relief.  

The doctors called after a 5 hour surgery and told us that they had to remove most of her small intestine because it was all tumorous.  There was more that needed to come out, but they couldn't do it, because that is a major source of blood.  But, they said she was strong and doing fine.

They called back at 1am and then again at 4am to say that she was doing worse.  Her incision had come apart because tumorous cells don't act like regular cells and there is really nothing to attach to.  They heavily sedated her so she wouldn't be in pain.

At that point the doctor said there wasn't any thing else they could do for her.  They could operate again, but  they knew it wouldn't work.  Plus, she probably would not live very long with all the tumors that she had.

This was one of the hardest decisions that I have ever made in my life.  But, I couldn't let her suffer anymore, even though I am so selfish and wanted her for myself.

You will always be in our hearts.  I miss you.