Sophie

Hurro Everybody!

I am so glad you came to see my webpage!

I was born on February 12/95 on a farm in Alberta, Canada. My mom was a German Shorthair Pointer and dad was a Springer Spaniel.

The day I met my new mom was a strange one.
She had only just had her Chinese Shar-Pei, Asia, put to sleep, and she was very upset.
A friend brought her out to the farm.

She knew that if she ever got another dog it should be one of those little lap-things, but she fell in love with me.

I am glad she took me and got me to a vet right away for all my shots, because everyone else in my litter, all my brothers and sisters died of Parvo.

Most hunting dogs have their tails docked because they wag them so much, and in the brush they would get banged and cut or even broken. But my mom likes my tail which is mostly white with speckles and wags all the time!

I point a lot of things....car headlights, construction workers, insects, just about everything EXCEPT birds!

When I was quite young I always seemed to run a bit stiffly, and often I would hurt my leg or be very stiff in the mornings. Mom knew I had Patellar Luxation, but unfortunately the surgery to correct it was very expensive. I would be fine for a year, then it would appear again and disappear as suddenly. Mom was told that the knees would cause tearing of the cruciate ligaments and eventual arthritis

I don't get the exercise that I should, but mom used to try to get me out for a run in a field each day, and we had a big yard. When we moved to B.C. the arthritis in my knees and the torn cruciate ligaments suddenly got terribly painful, so that when I went for even a short walk I was very sore for a long time. Finally mom and the Veterinarian changed my medication and now I am like a puppy again. I get Cartrofen Vet injections and take Mobicox. It is wonderful!

I love people...especially if they give me food! I am on a diet and I eat diet kibble....a little in the morning and at night, but mid-day I get a good portion of boiled vegetables which I like a lot and it helps make me feel full, and mom says it will make my knees hurt less if I can keep my weight down. Mom is always aware that the cruciate ligaments could suddenly snap but we try not to dwell on it. We take it one day at a time, and in the meantime I am having a lot of fun.

I graduated from obedience school, but mom says I have the attention span of a gnat. I also have my license, but mom still won't let me drive!
I sit behind the steering wheel when mom goes into the stores, and fool people into thinking that I am the chauffeur.

I LOVED all the snow we got in Alberta. One year I found a bag of chocolate chip cookies buried under a snowbank, and ever since then when I am in the snow all mom can see of me is my butt and my wagging tail. She says I am the best snowplow...but I am only looking for more cookies. There isn't much snow here in British Columbia....it is mostly rain and the yard floods. I don't like it, but I DO like the beach!

I have a baby brother named, "Furby". He is a real pest, but very cute and I kind of like being a "big sister".

Well, that's my story. Do come again often and bring food! A meatloaf would be nice....or a sandwitch...or turkey...or...

Dear Sophie is slowly but surely coming to the end of her journey.

She has turned 11 and her poor knees are in rough shape as are her shoulders from taking all her weight for so long. She has also developed massive lipomas under her armpits and under her shoulder muscles that, though harmless, are putting a lot of strain on her front legs. The vet thinks she would not do well with surgery. She is arthritic in the legs and also in the feet but still loves to romp from time to time and enjoys sniffing around for ages when I can get her to a field, Circling the block, however, on the cement sidewalks is too much for her. She is on anti-inflammatories for pain, muscle relaxants as well as some hreavy duty pain meds for those rough days, and estrogen to control a bit of age-related incontinence. Food is still her main joy in life.

Amazingly she still misses the cold weather and snow she enjoyed in Alberta. We were fortunate to get 3 minor snowfalls this past Winter and I occasionally take her behind the local ice rink to slide around on the piles of ice scrapings there.

UPDATE

Sophie was a happy doggie to the end and I was so upset to have a still-alert dog put down, but her legs were almost at the point where they would no longer hold her up. She stumbled and staggered and had problems staying upright to have bowel movements or getting in and out of the car yet hated when I took Furby out without her. She was a tail wagger and was now having to keep her wags tiny as they pulled her over. When she got to the stage that she would only take a few steps without lying down I decided it was time. I had postponed the date several times but I truly thought she mught only have a week of quality life left and as I had just lost Sky, and shortly before, Oliver , I was perhaps selfish in deciding to get it done while I was still grieving terribly as my health was in trouble due to the emotional upsets. Although she always got quite hysterical when taken to the vet, they got a sedative into her fast and while she was awake she enjoyed lying on her blankie being fed treats and being combed. She was snoring away when she got the last injection.

Furby and I miss her so. She was a sweet doggie.

Feb 12/1995-Sept 15/2007