Goodbye Josie

Yesterday we had to let sweet Josie go. She had gone downhill rapidly over the last week, wouldn't play with her friends or chew her toys, and seemed to be in increasing amounts of pain. She had begun having occasional incidents of bladder incontinence, and was reluctant to stand up. I decided to finish her life on a good note, before the bad days began to outnumber the good.

We began Josie's perfect day with breakfast, and then headed to the beach for a slow amble through the sand. She enjoyed sniffing the piles of seaweed left by the tide. We stopped at In-N-Out for lunch, Josie had a cheese burger and fries. Her sensitive stomach had always meant she wasn't allowed to have new foods or special treats, but on her perfect day it didn't bother her at all.

Our next stop was the Wise Tails pet boutique, where Josie happily explored and visited with the proprietor. They had quite a few products I had never seen before. Josie enjoyed the crunchy dried cod skins. After that we visited a local park for more ambling and sniffing.

Josie rode happily in the back seat of my car from place to place, smiling contentedly, or snoozing peacefully. She was always happiest when she was close to me. Josie had always been nervous at the vet, but on her perfect day there were so many treats and so much love that she didn't even notice where she was. She fell asleep with her nose in a bowl of treats, while I scratched that special spot on her neck.

Josie was only with use for three months, but she was a big part of our lives. She loved going to daycare with me. When she arrived, she was at least 15-lbs underweight and used to spending all of her time alone and inactive. We never expected her to be with us for so long, at the time it seemed like she had at least two paws in the grave. She dragged her back feet terribly, didn't really engage with people, and seemed perpetually confused.

While she was here, I switched Josie to a higher-calorie diet and got her up to a healthy weight. She developed enough muscle in front to compensate for her degenerating back end and barely dragged her feet. I was delighted the first time I returned from a break at work and she came running to greet me. She got regular baths and the occasional fancy spa treatment to keep her clean and fluffy in spite of her incontinence.

Josie joined Brisbane and I at an agility trial and lurecoursing event. She wasn't particularly interested in participating, but she thoroughly enjoyed the chaos of the trial environment. On days we didn't go to work or have some other outing, she was restless and full of energy. These were the days she ate her meals out of puzzle toys. Nothing made her happier than having her leash snapped on and the front gate opened so we could go on an adventure.

Because Josie still dragged her feet at least some of the time, we walked exclusively on non-paved surfaces. The dog beach was a favorite destination because she could roam off-leash, sniffing at her own pace and greeting new friends. She didn't reliably come when called, but she mostly stuck close, and I could outrun her when she occasionally decided to charge down the beach after horses. At first she followed wherever I went, over difficult rocks and into the water. As her cognition got better, she eventually began picking her way around and finding the easiest path.

As Josie's mind healed, her body deteriorated. Hikes that we finished together in February ended with me carrying her by mid-March. She lost interest in her rawhides and bully sticks, once prized shoplifting targets. Puzzle toys ceased to fascinate her with their hidden treats. I didn't want her last days to be filled with pain. She was a treasure, a dog for whom I had no training goals and no plans other than to love her and fill her life with wonderful things.

Josie spent three months being spoiled rotten, and the end of her life was filled with peace and contentment.

Product Review: Neo-Paws Summer Reinforced Energy Orthopaedic Shoes

Neo-Paws Summer Reinforced Energy Orthopaedic Shoes are protective dog boots designed for active dogs in hot weather. These are used for police and military dogs, search and rescue, agility, hiking, and anything involving water.

Photo by Erin Koski

These are unlike any dog boots I have seen before, and they are sure to perform better as well. Neo-Paws makes a number of different types of boots, and these are their top-of-the-line summer model. Made from breathable fabric, the boots dry quickly and help keep the dog from overheating. They are reinforced with leather in the most vulnerable parts of the uppers, and have reinforced toe caps as well. These shoes are made from the same materials as human running shoes.

Neo-Paws boots go on a little differently from other boots I've tried. Most have a zipper, velcro strap, or both. The Neo-Paws have a long, skinny strip of velcro that acts almost like a shoelace. The result is a custom fit for every dog. These boots can be fitted to avoid the carpal pads, to keep pressure off a sore spot, and to conform to the exact shape of the dog's foot and leg. Other dog shoes don't have this option, if the strap is too low or too high it can put pressure on the dewclaw, cause sores, or just slip off easily.



Brisbane tears up his carpal pads whenever he plays ball on grass. He likes to catch the ball and then skid to an abrupt stop, shredding the pads on the backs of his front legs in the process. I ended up buying him some skid boots to protect his legs from the grass, because his Ruffwear boots and Epiks wouldn't stay on. These are the first boots I've seen that look like they would protect that part of his legs and maybe stay on through his crazed ball-catching antics.

I actually bought these at a thrift store for $5 in brand new condition. They are a size XL, and I was hoping to use them for Josie because she drags both back feet and also one of her front paws. Unfortunately they are too big, so I passed them along to a coworker for her dog Guinness. He paces a lot, and his front pads can't handle the wear and tear. After reading the instructions on how to put them on just right, the Neo-Paws stayed on just fine.

The trick is to pull the inside of the flap up and tight against the dog's leg, and then pull the outside flap down and around the first flap. After that the velcro can be wrapped however works best for the individual dog.

Guiness didn't do any damage to his feet while wearing the Neo-Paws boots. Of course, he was also much less active in them. Something about wearing shoes makes a lot of dogs mopey.



Pros: Custom fitting with unique velcro wrap design, Tall boot design protects more of the leg. Breathable mesh dries quickly. Sold in pairs to allow for different sizes to be ordered for front and back feet.

Cons: These are only sold in pairs, so they are among the most expensive dog shoes out there. Putting them on is slightly more complicated than boots of a simpler design.

Bottom Line: These are pretty amazing, and I will probably get Brisbane a pair for his front feet instead of replacing his holey skid boots.

Those Other Dogs.

While everything really is all about Brisbane, I actually have a second dog and often have a foster or two, or three. My house also contains three cats, over a dozen small birds, several box turtles, a leopard tortoise, and an extraordinarily tolerant husband. The unloved second dog is Ru, a poorly-bred chihuahua we brought home as a souvenir from a family reunion.

He was approximately four months old at the time, and has topped out at a whopping 6.5 pounds. Owning Ru has also been an education, but mostly about the differences between chihuahuas and 'real dogs'. Prior to acquiring the little rodent, I had truly believed that a chihuahua would act like a normal dog if it was treated as a normal dog. I was wrong. Ru is motivated by heat more than anything else in the world, and appears to be at least partially reptilian. He learns slower than super-intelligent Brisbane, which makes training him less rewarding for me. I blame the ADHD for that. Ru also has a terrible work ethic, and is only willing to play/train on his own schedule. He doesn't understand human body language at all, and at four years old still isn't quite totally housetrained.

Due to his tendency toward hypothermia and our coastal location, Ru is dressed pretty much all the time. His back is about twice as long as it would be if he had been bred by someone who knew or cared how a chihuahua should be shaped. When we brought him home in July, the pet stores didn't have dog sweaters in stock and I ended up making him sweaters out of fuzzy slipper socks. During sweater season I rapidly discovered that his length and general tinyness made him difficult to fit.

Most store-bought sweaters are either too big around the neck and chest, or too short in the back to fit His Tinyness properly. Fortunately, I enjoy sewing. I also learned how to knit for the sole purpose of making him sweaters.

It's worth mentioning that I really wanted another dog at the point in which Ru pranced into our lives. I was planning to get another cattledog or mix thereof, and I desperately wanted it to be a girl so she could wear pink and dress up and generally be a fashionista. I had discovered the world of dog clothes shortly before losing my cocker spaniel, Oakley, and Brisbane had (and continues to) steadfastly refused to wear anything resembling 'clothing'. As he is already a chihuahua, and was neutered shortly after coming home with us, we decided that Ru couldn't possibly be emasculated any more than he already was. That is how he became our girl dog. He doesn't seem to mind the nail polish and jewelry, and he prances ridiculously when he is wearing a pretty dress. I cheerfully challenge gender norms and proudly state that boys can wear dresses too!

This past December did bring a genuinely female dog into my life, but not one small enough to wear adorable dresses and sweaters. Josie is a German Shepherd Dog, 12-14 years old, with severe spinal degeneration and bowel incontinence. She is a hospice foster and is here for the rest of her life. We can't be sure whether she has Degenerative Myelopathy, Wobbler's Syndrome/Cervical Vertebrate Instability, or some other type of spinal problem. We do know that she has bowel incontinence, can't move her tail, drags her back feet, and has recently begun dragging a front foot as well. An exact diagnosis would involve extensive imaging and tell us if surgery would fix her issues, but we don't feel she would be a good surgical candidate so we are content to let her live out her life. Josie does see a veterinarian regularly, and has been prescribed Gabapentin to help keep her as mobile as possible. She has given me a chance to experience the world of senior dogs again, and I am enjoying the lack of training goals and chance to fill her life with joy with very few limitations.