On behalf of The Dog House, I would like to thank all of our friends, family, clients and espcially Dr

To All My Friends From Misio . . .

On behalf of The Dog House, I would like to thank all of our friends, family, clients and especially Dr. McHugh for their patience, support and caring over the last few months. Some of you already know how much my life has changed in this very short period of time. Some of you don’t. So, I decided to tell you about how and why my life has changed. And then invite you to keep coming back to watch The Dog House grow.

It started last fall. Bear always was the kind of dog that would sleep a lot. But I could always count on him to enjoy a stroll around the back yard or a spontaneous ride in the car. But, last Winter it was apparent my best buddy in the whole world was starting to slow down. He didn’t want to play like he used to. I started hearing my people tell me "Slow down, you’re gonna knock Bear over". Stairs, which were always Bears worst enemy, became more and more difficult to navigate. And believe it or not, he slept A LOT more.

In February, Dr. McHugh decided to try Bear out on some medicine to help him not feel so bad. It worked great . . . for a while. He seemed happier and in less pain. But, then Bear began to stumble. He’d be walking along with me in the back yard and all of a sudden, he would fall flat on his face. Dad or Mom would come running to help him get back up. As the weather improved, we began to take short little walks to help Bear keep his strength and muscle tone. His favorite was to go walk on the Prairie Path. Even though they have this really big sign that says that dogs aren’t allowed there, My People would say . . "We’ve lived here all these years and have seen hundreds of your four footed friends walking this path. Bear can too. "

But, the stumbling kept getting worse and worse. Every time the weather became bad, it was a struggle for Bear to get around. That Monday morning snow storm in March was the worst. The cold and wet days to follow were a disaster. Mom carried the cell phone with her every where she walked Bear because he would just fall. She’d call home and Dad would go running to help her get Bear back on his feet. Or carry him home. Pretty soon Bear was afraid to walk because it was truly undignified to keep falling. Bear always was such a dignified dog.

My people became increasing protective of Bear, making sure at least one of them was home at all times in case he was in need of anything. Even a hug or a kiss. I would hang out as close as I could get. We had always been like two peas in a pod, Bear and I. Especially when we slept. Now, I couldn’t really get close enough to touch him like I used too. I was really confused. All I wanted to do was go outside and run around the yard like we used to. I began refusing to go outside unless Bear was with me. I just wanted to be with him.

One Wednesday evening, My people decided that Bear would be "ok" if they went out to get something to eat. It was late, probably around midnight. They had gotten into the habit of making sure Bear was awake before leaving him alone anywhere. Bear would become frightened upon waking if he didn’t know where we all were. He would then go in search of us to make sure he wasn’t alone. Well, when they left, they thought Bear woke up enough to know that they were gone. They even blocked the entrance to the kitchen and the stairs going to the basement just in case.

When Bear woke up, he realized that he was alone and began searching for them. I followed him around trying to get him to lye down, but he was insistent on finding Mom and Dad. He pushed what was blocking the kitchen door right out of his way. Bear ALWAYS hated closed or blocked doors.

About 45 minutes later, Mom and Dad came home. They soon realized that I was in a panic at the back door. They found Bear at the bottom of the stairs, struggling to right himself. Mom and Dad tried to help him get up, but he couldn’t. We had many days like this in the recent past, so Mom and Dad put him to bed, made him comfortable and hoped that the morning would bring change.

But, the next morning only revealed that things didn’t change. Bear still couldn’t get up. Mom called the Animal Hospital. That afternoon, they went and visited Dr. McHugh who took pictures of Bear. Dr. McHugh didn’t see anything broken and felt that Bear had maybe pinched a nerve in his neck with the fall. He prescribed medication to help relieve any swelling. He then made Mom promise to call him on Monday with a progress report.

By Monday, there really wasn’t any improvement but there also wasn’t any decline. Bear ate, he relieved himself but he just couldn’t get up. After talking to Dr. McHugh, we scheduled an appointment for Wednesday in hopes that we would see some improvement by then. As the next two days unfolded, Bears physical condition worsened. He still ate, drank but was getting weaker. By Wednesday, Dr. McHugh stopped all medicine and spent the rest of the day trying to get Bear in to see a Neurologist. Yes, they have Neurologist for pets just like people.

So, on Thursday, with hope in their hearts, My People took Bear to see Dr. Robbins. This doctor would do a special kind of x-ray on Bear. He would inject dye in Bears spine to see if he could see anything that could be causing Bears symptoms. That meant that My People had to leave Bear at a place where he had never been before. I know Bear was scared. The doctor told My People that he would call them as soon as he had the results because if they needed to perform corrective surgery they would want to do it while Bear was still sleeping. I am just waiting for Bear to come home.

Not soon after My People got home, the phone rang. It was Dr. Robbins. Bear had a rupture between the 5th and 6th vertebrae in his neck. His prognosis was that Bear had a 75% chance of recovery. Upon hearing this prognosis, My People felt that they needed to give Bear every chance they could. So, they agreed with the surgery and they waited for word as I waited for Bear to come home.

Late that night, after we went to bed, the phone rang. It was Dr. Robbins to tell us that the surgery had gone well and that he still felt that his prognosis was right on track. Bear would be in the hospital all weekend. Without complications, we could bring him home Monday or Tuesday. He invited My People to come and visit Bear the next day. Which we did together. I didn’t get to go in, but I knew that Bear was at this place because I could smell him on My People. My job right now is to wait for Bear to come home.

The weekend was full of hope and preparations for Bear to come home. There were things to do. Get a Kiddie Gate to keep Bear confined, some Huggies to keep him clean and dry, some film to take pictures of Bears recovery. My People also needed to rest to recharge their batteries because when Bear came home, he would need a lot of their strength to recover. They became his legs and would continue to be his legs for a while. I don’t have much longer to wait for Bear to come home.

Monday morning came too early, perhaps because the phone rang. I knew immediately that something was wrong because Mom started to cry and Dad had to take the phone away from her. He started talking into the phone. It seemed that suddenly My People had to leave me home alone. Boy was that strange, this early in the morning???? My People, especially Dad, are not morning people. At that moment I didn’t realize how much my life changed with that simple phone call. I also didn’t realize that the waiting for Bear to come home was over.

A while later My People returned home. Crying. They sat on the couch and cried. I didn’t know what to do or what to think. This whole morning was so strange. They tried to console me but I didn’t know why. They feed me but I wouldn’t eat. I sat, waiting, for Bear. The back yard is so lonely without him. It is so much bigger than I remember.

Later that day, My People left me home alone again. I never thought that they would ever come back. It was so quiet in the house, you could hear a pin drop. Soon, My People returned, with Bear!! I could smell him in the air, I began yelping for them to open the back door so I could . . .But . . .

What’s wrong with Bear? He doesn’t really smell like he used to? Why doesn’t he want to . . . .

I then realized that Bear was no longer Bear that I remember. And that we were saying farewell to Our Best Friend.

As the days that followed went by, I couldn’t help but wait. It seemed like all I did was wait, except that there wasn’t anything to wait for anymore. Bear, after all, had come home. Now, I am just lonely. I don’t know how to act. Eating is awful. I used to wait until Bear was finished to start eating. Now I don’t know when to start. My People have to go outside with me because I couldn’t go by myself. It took almost one week before I would venture back into the yard. It seemed safer to be close to the back door. It was almost three weeks before I would go outside by myself. I was beginning to forget. My People tell me Mother Nature was truly nice to us when she gave us short memories.

My People slowly realized that I am a much more responsive dog than a dog that initiates actions. Bear was the instigator. Bear was the timepiece for the day. Bear kept the pace for the house. I went along for the ride. As the days and weeks went by, I slowly came around but dearly missed my four footed friend. That part of me was missing.

Now I am not sure whether I should be happy about what happened next or not. I kept hearing My People talk about something called a puppy. I had heard that talk before. About a year ago My People talked about adding a new member to our family. Something called a Mastiff. Was it really going to happen now? Should I be excited? I really want a friend that talks my language. It is really hard to talk to people sometimes.

Then one day, My People show up with this . . thing. This thing does things that no dog should ever do. Like do his business right in the middle of the bedroom. That was so disgusting that I had to evacuate the area. Believe me when I say that wasn’t exactly convenient at 2:00 in the morning. I would have much rather slept in bed than on the floor at the other end of the house. He also sticks his head in my food dish. Has stolen almost every one of MY toys. And he constantly tries to stick his tongue down my throat!!!

But, at the same time he’s fun scaring. The first few days, all I had to do was bark at him. That would send him RUNNING for Mom or Dad. He seems kind of timid. Even got to scare Dad the other day! Took the puppies ENTIRE head in my mouth. Figured I had better try it before he gets to big! They say he will bigger than me. . . very shortly.

His name is Cu-Culann (pronounced coo-cul-an) which is a very old Gaelic name. My Friend Ita O’Mahoney over in Dublin told us the story of Cu-Culann. It goes something like this. . .

About 4 or 5 Thousand years ago, many Property Owners in Ireland had kennels full of English Mastiffs to protect the lands. A young and famous ball player accidentally killed the Best Mastiff of one of these property owners. For the next year, the young ball player was required to take the place of the Best Mastiff until a new Mastiff could be raised as a replacement. After this experience, the young ball players received his Man Name, Cu-Culann. Which translates to Hound, killer of Mastiffs. (is also said to mean . . ."Carry the Torch to Victory")

Now I may not have this story completely straight. But it sounds like a cool name, once you get the pronunciation down. A few other names have floated around here . . Hoover, Pockets, Hey You, A****** (especially after doing that thing he likes to do to the couch), Hooch, but Cu-Culann seems to be sticking. I actually think Brutus is more appropriate.

Cu-Culann is nothing like Bear except that he has four legs, two ears and a tail. He seems to love women the most. My People tell me that Cu -Culann picked us to come live with. Actually, I think Mom had SUCKER written on her forehead. Well however he arrived, he seems here to stay. And grow . . .and grow. . . and grow. . . and sleep . . . and grow

It is a short three months later . . . when Cu-Culann first arrived he was 17 pounds. At the middle of August, he is just under 75 pounds. And almost . . almost as tall as I am. . Visits with Dr. McHugh will be interesting as we already FILL his office. I am really glad he likes BIG dogs because Cu-Culann will be more than BIG. And he has an appetite to match . . .one visit with Dr McHugh for shots resulted in Cu-Culann being bribed with 12 cookies. 12. Do you believe that? I usually just crunch them up and spit them all over Dr. McHugh's floor.

My People need to constantly remind themselves that he isn't even five months old yet. That such a young puppy, regardless of his size, is still just a puppy. But, they yell at me less and less for putting him in his place, which is flat on the ground!!

We've made Cu-Culann the OEM of the OEM Division. Just like the government, we love acronyms. What this translates into is the Old English Mastiff of the Original Equipment Manufacturers Division. Now you know why we say OEM of the OEM.

We all still miss Bear. Some days still bring tears to our eyes for a friend and companion that is no longer with us. We still say . . . Bear did this or Bear did that, even try to compare Cu-Culann to Bear. But that is not really fair because Cu-Culann is Cu-Culann and Bear is Bear. Neither are interchangeable or replaceable. For they are both in our hearts forever.

But, we have tons of pictures for you to enjoy and hope that you come back to watch us GROW . . not just the puppy but The Dog House too.