The Gift

Earlier this week, OrthoPets called to ask if Jake and I were doing anything today. They were producing a new promotional video for their company and wanted to interview a few patients on camera. Well, it also happens to be my birthday but this year is only #49. The big bash will wait until 2010 so no plans today. And anyway, I’m always up for a good pet-oriented cause when someone asks, especially since the leg brace has really made such an improvement in his mobility. My nephew, Grant, was flying in from Memphis to celebrate with me and Dan. Jake and I went to the airport to pick him up, then drove straight to OrthoPets for the interview. Later that night, the four of us made a great dinner at home. I kept thinking back to when I got Jake’s cancer diagnosis back in April, and how I didn’t think he’d make it to his own birthday in July. Now 5 months later, he’s still in remission and helping me celebrate mine. Best gift I could have. So when someone asks you what you want for your birthday or for Christmas, what do you say? I know my list has evolved this year.

In This Light and On This Evening

Dan and I put up the rest of the Christmas lights today. I’m not sure Jake was thrilled with the clone of him that we bought at Home Depot.

Perfect Symmetry

Another needle stick at Aspenwood today. His numbers are fantastic, though. This is the first time that everything on the chart has been in the normal range. His docs are quite happy. The next treatment cycle will be another dose reduction.

Thank U

Jake likes to share his holiday time. This year, he’s spending Thanksgiving at Paul’s house. He’ll do Christmas with me and Dan. Consequently I don’t have some kooky turkey-themed photo of him. But how about this instead? After our neighbor, Gina, did that great portrait of Jake a couple weeks ago, we stopped by her house to give her a bag of art supplies. She promptly returned that evening with a “thank you” card. This one features me and Jake.

Straight to Number One

Jake went to see Dr. Hedlin at Aspenwood today for another blood draw. We have to monitor the side effects of the chemo one week after each dose. His ALT count (liver enzymes) is the best it’s been in some time. The numbers for white blood cells, neutrophils and lymphocytes are low, however. He might need antibiotics if it doesn’t move up. Dr. Lana at the CSU Animal Cancer Center wants us to wait a week and do one more blood test before we decide.

Counting Down the Days

The Denver Dumb Friends League did a photo contest this year for their Centennial Calendar. It’s a great idea. You submit a photo with an entry fee of $35. Even if you don’t win, you’re helping a great cause. Jake didn’t get his own month but he’s on the inside cover in a collage. Order yours here.

Shake the Disease

Jake is featured as one of the rotating biographies on the home page of the CSU Animal Cancer Center website. Keep refreshing the home page and you’ll eventually see one of two images of him. Or you can go directly to his bio if you click here. Thanks for Dr. Hardy and Bob P. for putting this together.


Jake’s chemo pills arrived by UPS today. This is the third dose of Lomustine (CCNU). One 40mg capsule and two 10mg capsules. He never has any obvious side effects so I don’t mind giving it to him. We’ll do a blood test in one week to see what’s going on inside.

In The Clear

Time for another round of chemo. Jake saw Dr. Hedlin at Aspenwood Animal Hospital on Monday for preliminary bloodwork. The results were great, including the ALT count. His oncologist at the CSU Animal Cancer Center, Dr. Lana, OK’d the next dose of Lomustine (CCNU). The pharmacy at CSU called right away. We’ll look for the UPS man this week.

Your Painted Smile

Denver has spectacular Indian summers. Today was a textbook example. A perfect day for raking leaves and cleaning up the front yard. Jake stayed outside with me, lounging in the sun. I think his leg was pretty sore today because he didn’t move around much. Regardless, he always wants a walk at 4pm no matter how bad it hurts. We took our usual short route around the block and came across this sign.

One of our younger neighbors, Gina, was drawing pet portraits for free. Well, of course we’re going to participate. While she was working on her artwork, Jake stole a piece of banana bread from her table. I suppose that was his “sitting fee”. The finished piece is fantastic. Don’t you love how she even captured his leg brace?

(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman

Jake loves Halloween. Doorbells are a good thing at our house. Even though it takes him a little longer to get up each time with a bum leg, he still greets every single trick-or-treater. Dan and I spent the day putting up spooky decorations. Spiderwebs on the porch. Skulls in the front windows. Bloody rags hanging from the crabapple tree. Fog machines. Strobe lights. Scary sound effects. It was a huge hit with kids and neighbors. Jake and I went with a superhero theme this year. Dan shot some pics of us earlier in the day at an abandoned building near the house. Krypto with a leg brace and a 48-year-old Spidey. Anything works on Halloween.

Same Direction

Jake saw Dr. Laura again for his monthly labwork. Everything is good. Even the ALT is coming back to normal.

Pictures of You

Here’s a fun one taken by Jaime Rowe at the start of the walk. Check out her blog. She takes amazing photos of pets. I think we’re going to book her for a shoot with Jake. I’ve got a few wild ideas that I haven’t been able to do on my own.

Doubleplusgood

I try to limit the number of photos in each post. It’s a great exercise to force myself to pick only the one or two that best represents that day. But I really liked this one of Jake. The lighting at that hour was so different from most of our other shots. Moody atmosphere. Light snow. Mist rising off the water. Black, white, grey. Monochrome except for the pink bandana, highlighting the purpose of the day.

Driving Away From Home (Wicked Weather for Walking)

Dan and I took Jake to the K-9’s Against Cancer walk today. It’s run by the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation. Proceeds go to Susan G Komen for the Cure and CSU Animal Cancer Center. How could you resist that combination when it comes to writing a check? 9News did the weather forecast live from the event. Jake and I went on air with Ashton Altieri. We forgot to tell him that we’d missed him when we were in the 9News Backyard. We brought a check for $320 to the event. Why that amount? Ten bucks for each of the 32 days that Jake has been free of cancer.

Gracias to Dan & Rick at Adrenalin for the artwork on the check! We used to work together at the Denver Nuggets. Thanks to Neil at Sign Language for printing a huge check on short notice. It’s all about the props when you do TV, right?

Denver Parks #25

The actual site of the K-9’s Against Cancer walk. Denver had a record low of 17 degrees today. I took this photo of Jake around 7:30am. And yes, we were all tired. But what a great reason to be up so early on a cold Colorado morning.

Denver Parks #24

Totally random discovery on our way to the K-9’s Against Cancer walk this morning.

Have You Heard the News

Jake’s story ran on 9News tonight. It was surreal to watch it. Hey, what happened to my hair?? The back of my head looks like Jake’s belly. Thanks to Dave Delozier for an amazing story. He’s the guy that got us in to Invesco Field and the 9News Backyard. Jake and I are looking forward to meeting our YAPS pen pal at Children’s Hospital, Will, one of these days!

Mr. Roboto

Jake and his bionic leg from Orthopets. I think it’s pretty cool…very “Mad Max”. He wears it on his walks and he’s adjusted to it quickly, just like we knew he would.

Happy Anniversary

Jake came home from the breeders 8 years ago today, the night before 9/11. He was the last one in his litter to be picked up and didn’t want to leave his mom, Sentara. On the drive home, he was so scared that he barfed up his dinner on me. Good thing he was sitting on a towel. Here’s another old puppy pic I found.

This week, he saw his oncologists at the CSU Animal Cancer Center for restaging. The official diagnosis: RESOLUTION OF TUMORS! They said the leg looked great. His lymph node has decreased in size. The ultrasound showed the growth on his spleen is gone. The chest x-rays are clean. He’ll continue the chemo every 5 – 6 weeks indefinitely but it appears that we’ve beaten the cancer for awhile.

Lawnchairs

The summer before my mom died, I went to see her in Florida. She knew she didn’t have long and she really wanted to buy me something permanent that would always remind me of her. We discussed things like a wristwatch or a piece of furniture. I had always wanted Adirondack chairs for my backyard. They last forever if you take good care of them. We went online to order them together. When I returned to Denver, I got an email that they were backordered and would take several months. Mom passed away soon after. The day I got back from the funeral in Florida, there was a note on the door from the UPS man. The chairs had arrived. It was almost like she delayed it until I was home. Every year, around her birthday on September 8th, I clean them up. I sand them, brush them with cleaner and apply another coat of stain. It takes an entire day and I love doing it. It was such a beautiful fall day, too. Jake stayed with me in the backyard the entire time. Here’s a photo of the two of us enjoying Mom’s chairs.

What's My Age Again?

My nephew, Blake, came out to visit. His favorite band, Blink 182, is playing here this weekend. I bought VIP tickets so we had access to the private entrance and we took a picture in front of the Blink 182 truck. Jake was so happy to see us when we returned. As a puppy, he would always sleep with Blake when he came to Denver. Now that his leg is injured, it’s hard for him to jump on and off the bed. He really prefers to stay on the floor and sleep on his own bed these days. But since this was a special weekend, we boosted him up on the bed to sleep with Blake one more time.

Brace Yourself

Jake is not a candidate for surgery right now because his blood work is off and there would be a higher risk of infection. One option for dogs in that situation, or even older dogs, is to do a brace instead. We found a great company called OrthoPets. It’s based right here in Colorado. They do custom braces and prosthetic limbs. Jake went in for his fitting today. They wrapped his leg in plastic wrap then put on a fiberglass wrap which hardens immediately. They cut it off and will pour a cast. It takes about a week to fabricate the brace. When his tumor was growing, we covered it in colored bandages. Those days are gone thankfully. But now we’ve traded them for a bionic leg. He’s always got to be the center of attention.

Numbers Don't Count (On Me)

More blood tests. Unfortunately, his ALT count (liver enzymes) is still high due to the chemo, and probably the Rimadyl. Dr. Hedlin was out on Monday when we came in for his leg but when she saw him yesterday, she agreed that it’s probably a CCL injury. The oncologists at CSU want to delay his second dose of Lomustine (CCNU) until the numbers improve. He’s not a good candidate for surgery to repair the CCL while his blood work is off. Dr. Hedlin suggested a leg brace in the interim to help provide stability.

Knee Deep in the Blues

Yesterday, I took Jake on his morning walk. He was doing his typical route, stopping to check messages and marking everything. At one point, he fell behind and I called his name to hurry him along. He trotted over to me. In the middle of a yard, he yelped like he stepped on something and started limping. I figured there was just something stuck in his pad but when we got home, I couldn’t find it. He wouldn’t put any weight on it the rest of the day and stuck to his bed. I took him to Aspenwood Animal Hospital when they opened this morning for an exam. They’re pretty sure he tore his ACL. Technically it’s called a CCL (Cranial Cruciate Ligament) in a dog but you get the idea. (And did you know a dog’s knee is called a stifle?) It’s apparently a common injury in Labs his age. They sent us home with more Tramadol for pain and started him on another medication called Rimadyl. Surgery is usually recommended to repair the tear. They also said that when one leg goes, the other follows within a few months. What a drag it is getting old, huh? Hey, but the tumor is completely gone. If I have to choose between an aggressive cancer and a bum leg, I’ll pick #2 any day.

Always Remember to Respect and Honour Your Mother

You don’t see pics of me here much. The rare ones feature me and Jake. So this is a quick break to say hi to my mom, Jean. I always liked this picture of her on the water at Fort Walton Beach, Florida. She’s responsible for my love of all things water-based…oceans, bays, lakes, rivers, seas, bayous, ports, streams. Our skin was so brown in those summers. Did “SPF” even exist back then?

Eight years ago, Dad suddenly called us all home. Mom had reached the final days of her long illness. My plane landed in Florida and I went straight to the house. It was filled with family and friends and boiled shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico. I talked to her for awhile the night I arrived and loved her sharp sense of humor, even through the morphine haze. She soon went to sleep that night and I thought we would continue the conversation in the morning. For the next three days, she slept but we never talked again. I just sat on the bed with my dad, sister and brother, playing games, watching TV, and waiting. On the morning of August 16th, I watched her take her last breath, much like she watched me take my first. Jake came home from the breeders a few weeks later and everything hurt just a tiny bit less.

On vacations now, when I step onto a beach for that first moment, I feel the sand against my feet and I swear I if I turned around just then, I might see her behind me on a lounge chair, auburn hair and olive skin, peering over a book and smiling. If our Mother’s Day post wasn’t enough to make you stop and call YOUR mom, do you think you might go do it now?

Numbers With Wings

Jake started a different chemo drug called Lomustine (CCNU) on July 24th. Although it appears to be working, there are also many possible side effects and regular blood tests are required. We took him to Aspenwood Animal Hospital on July 31st for a follow-up blood test with Dr. Hedlin. Unfortunately, his neutrophils (white blood cells) were low and his ALT count (liver enzymes) was high. We waited a week and retested on August 12th. As you can see in this report, almost everything is back in the normal range with the exception of the ALT. Lomustine can cause chronic irreversible liver failure in dogs so we really want to be careful. He was scheduled to take his second dose tomorrow but the oncologists up at the CSU Animal Cancer Center want to delay it until his numbers get back to normal. We’ll retest again on August 20th.

Lunch Break

Late lunch today so we could try something different. We went downtown to the Pooch Power Hour at Panzano’s. It’s an upscale Italian restaurant located in the Hotel Monaco (another pet-friendly hotel). The promotion runs every Sunday from 2:30 pm – 6:00 pm until further notice. The patio is right on 17th Avenue and I think every table had a least one dog sitting by it. We talked to everyone sitting around us. People are so chatty with complete strangers when there's a dog at their side. We ordered sausage sliders from the outdoor grill and a couple Stella’s on draft. Jake enjoyed his house-made Peanut Butter Pupcakes.

Home and Dry

I closed on my house two years ago today. It was a long, complicated search, like most of them are I suppose. The first day I saw it, I thought the landscaping was perfect. No work needed there. But the interior? Oh, my. You don’t even want to know. It took a lot of time, money and labor to get it turned around but I love it now. I was fortunate to have help from several good friends. When I walk around the house, I see their input in every detail…large and small. It occurred to me today that Jake is the main reason I bought this place instead of a loft or a condo. He spent the day outside with Danny and me, lounging on the grass while we worked in the yard. Later, we cooked brats on the grill in the backyard. Oh, and by the way, I start my new job on Monday. How much better can things be? As Spalding Gray said, a perfect moment.

Promised You a Miracle

OK, something is working. Jake’s leg has improved dramatically. The bump has virtually disappeared and the wound has healed. Look at this posting or this one if you want to see the difference. Is it the Liposomal Clodronate or Lomustine? Antibiotics or anti-inflammatories? Positive thinking or prayer? Ah, does it really matter? It’s all about living in the moment, don’t you think? No more bandages for now. But you might see them pop up again when we need to accessorize. Everything looks good on a white background.

Denver Parks #23

Here’s Jake at the Gates Tennis Center. It’s actually open to the public, something I did not know. It was renovated last year and now features 20 courts. They’re also hosting the Colorado State Open from September 11th – 20th. I’ve driven by this one hundreds of times but never stood here until today. That’s one of the things I enjoy about this process. Stopping the car, getting out and just absorbing the environment for a moment instead of rushing by at 40 mph.

Greatest Hits

Welcome to our 100th post. Last week, someone asked me to name some of my favorite entries. It dawned on me that I rarely look back at them. There will be plenty of moments for reminiscing someday. Right now, it’s all about real time. Back when we started this, I wasn’t sure how long it would last. Now we’ve hit the 3-month anniversary and we’ve packed some really memorable experiences into a short timeframe. So how do I pick one? I always liked the simplicity of our first post. And the origin of the name, That Soft Dog. The recent shoots at the Denver Broncos home field and the 9News Backyard were definitely unique. But I like them all in different ways. If you want a couple more ideas, try this Top 10 list:

Mother’s Day – Jake and his mom, Sentara
Every Day is Halloween – Jake dressed up
Bring on the Dancing Horses – the Mustang at DIA
Coat of Many Colors – Jake at the peak of Nuggets-mania
Who is He (And What Is He to You?) – one of my favorite posts
Blue Monday – Big Blue Bear at the Convention Center
American Boy – Incredibly fun 4th of July weekend in the mountains
Aliens vs. Predator – Dancing Aliens
Red Dirt Girl – Red Rocks
Come See About Me – Jake’s birthday party invitation

Ride a White Horse

Back in May, Jake and I were taking photos around the Children’s Museum and I spotted the sign nearby for Gates Crescent Park. Of course we needed to snag a shot for our collection of Denver Parks. I noted that Invesco Field was in the background across the highway and that it would be fun to try to get Jake on the turf somehow. So here you go. Jake down on the Bronco’s home field. This one was an awesome experience. I’ve been to plenty of games both here and at the old Mile High Stadium but I’ve never had an opportunity to stand on the actual turf. Sometimes Jake helps me do something new, too. Training camp starts today…Go Broncos!

Denver Parks #22

We’ve been so busy with vet appointments and the more complicated photo shoots lately. I just realized it’s been awhile since I’ve taken Jake to a new park. Here’s another one on the sister city world tour, right on the bike path next to Cherry Creek Shopping Center.

Milk Cow Blues

Best piece of outdoor artwork at the Denver Art Museum, hands down. It’s called “Scottish Angus Cow & Calf” by Dan Ostermiller. A lot of people must like it too because someone is always hovering around, waiting to have their photo taken in front of it. Especially kids. Today was Jake’s turn. I worked at the DAM for several years during the expansion. BTW, best office location I ever had. Right inside the new Hamilton Building. Whenever I needed a mental health break, I just walked upstairs and strolled through a few galleries. How cool is that?

Two things stick in my mind about these bronze sculptures:

First, I remember the day they installed them. The pieces pulled up on a flatbed truck. I walked out of the museum to the surreal sight of the calf sailing through the air at the end of a crane.

Second, it wasn’t even part of the initial plan for the artwork outside the new building (like the Big Sweep or Denver Monoliths). Someone wanted to donate it to us. We found an empty spot on the south end of the site. It was one of those serendipitous events where the single best thing is always the one that you didn’t anticipate. Unscripted. Unplanned. Unexpected. Just like Jake’s current journey.

Weird Science

The UPS truck dropped off Jake’s chemotherapy drugs this week. We were going to the CSU Animal Cancer Center today for his final biopsy of the clinical trial so I just took the medication up there. I figured that they are experts at giving pills to reluctant dogs. I’m so happy that we were able to participate in the liposomal clodronate study. I really do believe it slowed (or stopped?) the growth of his tumor. The ulceration is almost gone, too. And I’m also proud that we were part of a research study that may help other dogs, and possibly even humans, in the future. His next drug is called Lomustine (CCNU). They gave him 4 pills today and he’ll do this every 3 weeks indefinitely. He’ll also need to have his blood checked within 10 days after each dose to monitor side effects. But that will give us a good excuse to go visit his regular vet, Dr. Hedlin.

A Different Kind of Weather

If you live in Colorado, you know the weather has been unpredictable this year. Turn on your TV and there’s a good chance you’ll see a severe thunderstorm watch or a tornado warning. We were watching the late news one night and I had one of those “what if?” moments. It took a couple weeks to pull this one off but here you go: Jake in the 9News Backyard. We did it at 1pm to work around the newscasts so we didn’t get to say “hi” to the meteorologists. Too late for Becky Ditchfield. Too early for Kathy Sabine. Since it was a weekday, we missed Ashton Altieri and Marty Coniglio, too. But we got bonus points for meeting one of the anchors, Kirk Montgomery.

Lunch Break

After a flurry of doctors’ appointments, Jake and I were ready for a proper lunch break. It’s great to see his usual routines restored. He seems mostly unconcerned about the bump on his leg. Sometimes he tries to get the bandage off but it’s not having an impact on his quality of life yet. And amazingly the ulceration is healing up quite a bit, probably due to the clinical trial treatment. I was pleasantly surprised to see its condition yesterday when I changed his dressing. Maybe the bandages will be able to come off occasionally? We headed downtown, with no particular destination in mind. On 17th Avenue, I noticed the patio at Steuben’s was almost empty. We snagged Doris Day parking right in front. It’s a fun throwback 50’s style diner with comfort food. I love the location in a converted auto-body repair shop. Like many table-service spots, you officially can’t have a dog on the patio but Jake’s good about sitting on the other side of the fence when you ask him. They brought him a bowl of water, too. Always appreciated. I ordered the cheesesteak and Jake helped me with the fries. Soon we were home, where Jake headed immediately for the oasis of the bathroom floor.

Chance Meeting

Although it’s been blisteringly hot lately, it was so mild this morning. Jake and I haven’t been on many trips lately due to his treatments & appointments, and my work commitments. Right now, his attitude is upbeat and his energy level has returned. You would never know anything was wrong except for his brightly-colored bandage. We were overdue for some fun so I thought I’d take him to the VERY dog-friendly Farmers Market in Cherry Creek and support some Colorado-based growers. I was buying fresh tomatoes and basil from a stand when I bumped into our friends, Jeff & Ryan. They missed Jake’s birthday party since they were out of town. We bought some steaks from a natural beef vendor there and quickly made plans for a last minute cookout at our house tonight. I’ve said it before but this dog is a canine version of Facebook when it comes to reconnecting old friends. So many unexpected connections happen when we go out.

Golden Years

Even though his leg has improved so much, I’m wary about leaving Jake alone too long until it’s fully healed. He’s pretty sneaky. He pretends not to notice the brightly-colored bandage when you’re in the same room. Give him an hour alone and it will be shredded like confetti. Susan and Larry live a few doors down so I asked if they’d watch him while I went to a job interview. Whenever Jake goes on a walk by their house, he makes a beeline to their front door. It’s made of glass so he can see their two Golden Retrievers, Marni and Montana. You’d think he was just greeting the dogs but he knows if he stands there long enough, Susan magically appears with a couple treats. She’s done that since he was a puppy.