show me your dog!

[JWreno]

Our dog is a 3.5 year old Australian Shepherd. She loves snow. We have to wet her down when we take her for morning walks in the summer. We walk her about 4-8 miles every day to keep her out of trouble. She is a great dog and keeps close to us when we take her on hikes into the hills.

[fishmonger]

Here's my new partner in crime. Indigo. She's just 8 months old now, so we're a bit too wild and excitable to go on larger hikes yet. Maybe next summer we'll visit the Sierra together for the first time. Long term, she will join me on whatever adventure comes next, be it a 45 minute stroll through the woods at home, or a long through hike. She is super smart, more athletic and more energetic than most people could handle. Exactly what I wanted to keep me on my toes.

Indigo is a rescue from Texas, where thousands of dogs are killed at shelters every year because nobody adopts them. The surplus of dogs in Texas, Southern California, and Florida is off the charts. The shelter I got her from runs four Sprinter vans with up to 20 dogs each per week from Texas to states as far off as Washington. Her owner (likely a breeder who couldn't sell her in a market looking for large male Malinois) dumped her in the street. According to the shelter, a weekly occurrence in their area.





I will be spending a lot more time in Ansel Adams Wilderness and John Muir Wilderness. She may even become a service dog for me. Long story on that, but the bottom line is that there's something going on health-wise here that has kept me out of the mountains lately.

[jlweinberger]

Such a great looking dog! Looking forward to running into the two of you out on the trails. I hope she helps to get you back out there!

[richlong8]

Such a great looking dog! Looking forward to running into the two of you out on the trails. I hope she helps to get you back out there!

Bringing a dog along is one of life's great experiences!

[Harlen]

Hey Fishmonger,

Beautiful and healthy looking dog--Congratulations, and great that you chose to save an unwanted dog. Your "Indigo" is the spitting image of our friend Carleton's Malinois "Smokey." :

You wrote:

I will be spending a lot more time in Ansel Adams Wilderness and John Muir Wilderness. She may even become a service dog for me. Long story on that, but the bottom line is that there's something going on health-wise here that has kept me out of the mountains lately.

Sadly, I have the reverse problem, as dear old Bearzy has come down with a seizure disorder, likely caused by a brain tumor, which is horrific, and has kept me out of the mountains caring for him. I wish us both better luck with health, Fish. Hopefully, Ian.

He's had a hell of a life, 10 years full of of mountains and beaches, but we wanted so much more time with him.
Vet., writer, and dog lover James Harriot said: "It is always said that however many wonderful and happy years a dog lives, you know that one day, the day he dies, your dog will break your heart."

[SweetSierra]

Harlen, has your vet checked Bearzy for Valley Fever? One of my cats began to have seizures after I came back from a trip in late August this year. I was told it could be a brain tumor and after an ultrasound and x-rays, they said it was most likely a fatal virus. Further tests showed he didn't have the virus but was suffering from Valley Fever, which is treatable.

[Harlen]

I don't believe the vet has checked for Valley Fever. He began by proscribing Doxycycline in the hope that the seizures were caused by a tick-born disease. No effect, and Bearzy continued to have clusters of seizures. An increasing dosage of Zonisamide seemed to help slow the seizure frequency down. We will increase it again, and consider adding Kepphra, since just yesterday, Bearzy may have begun another cluster of "breakthrough" seizures, after a blessed respite of 19 days. Last seizure at 2:30 AM! Goddamnitall-- @#$%^&!! [I'm trying to keep my cool.]
Thanks for your advice Aura.

Wolfie luckily, is just fine, and helps Bearzy a lot.

[SweetSierra]

Valley Fever is common in dogs (my vet said). It's treated in dogs and cats with an anti-fungal medication, fluconazole and specifically for
dogs, ketoconazole. My cat was put on steroids for two weeks, along with the fluconazole, which is needed daily for six months.

Dogs may need to be on the meds much longer.
The seizures and lethargy stopped within a few days, and other symptoms eventually disappeared (sore eye, weight loss).
Nice photos of the dogs.

[fishmonger]

Hey Fishmonger,

Beautiful and healthy looking dog--Congratulations, and great that you chose to save an unwanted dog. Your "Indigo" is the spitting image of our friend Carleton's Malinois "Smokey." :


Sadly, I have the reverse problem, as dear old Bearzy has come down with a seizure disorder, likely caused by a brain tumor, which is horrific, and has kept me out of the mountains caring for him. I wish us both better luck with health, Fish. Hopefully, Ian.

100_2627.JPG

Smokey looks a lot like Indigo

So sad to hear about Bearzy. I lost two dogs this spring at age 15 and 16. Both came into my life around age 8 and 9 and were really not "my" dogs but we lived for 7 years in the same house. I lost two soulmates this spring and thought I'd never get another dog, but just a few months later I was staring at empty walls and realized there's no replacing those you lost, but there are other dogs ready to love and fall in love with. For people who love dogs, their life expectancy is one of the cruelest realities, so you need to enjoy every day you get with them like the clock is running out. I hope you have enough time left to share with Bearzy to relive the moments you shared and that define him.

In terms of health, I think Indigo is invincible, at least to crap she eats off the sidewalk or in the woods. Only once did she throw up what she ate between grass and sticks and it looked like a large rubber o-ring... Meanwhile I am dealing with high risk prostate cancer myself, and a health system that seems absolutely broken. Weeks pass before you even get a call to schedule some procedure that is essential to progress with treatment that then is months out in the future. Right now it looks like I won't be hiking for another year, because the treatment I should have received September 2023 won't even commence before summer 2024. I am about to lose my mind, but then I hug my dog and the world is ok again.





Dogs bring so much warmth and fun into your life. And the one I found here is absolutely fantastic in every respect. She is a smart, strong, sensitive, loving, velcro-bonded puppy, and she can't get enough cuddles when she's not sprinting and ripping the leash out of my hand trying to catch a squirrel. She saw her first snow yesterday. I think I had more fun with it than she did, but it was pretty epic to live that day with her.



She is a go anywhere dog. Still a lot of wild and excitable puppy in her, but she's going to get there. She has to become my service dog, so we can go anywhere and I can remain calm and collected while the health care system melts down around me.



Enjoy my first 10 weeks with her in photos https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjASzYD

[Harlen]

Thanks for the nice thoughts Peter, however, that is awful news about your health. We really hope you will sail through those rough seas[-- see PM.] We checked out all of your linked pics, and now I will share them with Carleton. Maybe one day next year we'll get to have a dog party trip in the Sierras. It would be great to see "Smokey" and "Indigo" mix their beautiful colors. Smokey has been all over the Sierras, and performs really well in all but the biggest boulder fields, which can make her a bit anxious. Smokey has the enviable trait of seeming to dislike the edges of cliffs. I wonder how Indigo will be in the mountains. Best of Luck, Ian.

One more Malinois in the Sierra: