The Old Lady

I know this blog has mainly been about our little girl Peyton.  She is truly a joy in our lives.  

For this blog, I wanted to write a few words about one of the earlier "girls" in my life.  That girl is my little black dog Kota.

In July of 1997, I got a Border Collie - mix puppy from Operation Kindness in Carrollton, TX.  The adoption fee was a hefty $45, and included her getting "fixed".  I remember I was so excited about getting her that I wrote a check for $70 because I wanted to donate money to the organization.  I wanted a female dog to name Dakota.  It didn't matter what kind of dog she was - that was going to be her name.  She's gone by "Kota" all her life.  I remember my dad saying how it wasn't a good idea to get a puppy in college; and I vividly remember walking in the back door to my parents' house and finding my dad laying on the couch with Kota propped up on his chest.  :)

Now, for anyone who knew Kota, you already know that she is a "rare" breed.  Not rare according to AKC or any organization like that - I mean rare in her personality quirks.  I suppose I made her like that (with the help of my other four college roommates I guess).

Kota was a perfect college dog.  She quickly learned some tricks, and I quickly learned that she wanted to please me.  I have to thank my roommate Jon for teaching her how to sit.  Other than that, all her good deeds and her weirdness are because of me.  Kota grew up in a house of 4-5 guys.  She was supposed to be the "chick-magnet" that every guy wanted to go walking through the park with.  Although she didn't score me any numbers, any girl that encountered her loved her charm and her craziness.

For years, the above picture was the picture I carried in my wallet.  I always joked that Kota was the only girl in my life - and many of those years the statement was true.  Kota didn't end up being a chick-magnet, but she definitely had me hooked.  I remember Kota being so well trained that I rarely took a leash with us.  She would walk in stride with me.  If she got too far out in front, a simple "slow down" would cut her cadence in half.  Or, an easy "stop" brought her to a halt.  A great memory I have about Kota is her love for the water.  If we walked by even the smallest of ponds, she would "innocently" creep closer and closer to the water.  I have to say some of those times she didn't mind me very well.  As I would be saying, "no... come on", Kota would look straight at me while she tip-toed into the water like a little girl trying to test her dad.  On the flip side of it, there were times when she did obey me around water, and all I had to say was "Go on...", and she would head on in for a quick dip.

Another quirk about Kota is due to the fact that her first yard was surrounded by chain link fence.  Kota loved to people watch.  I would come home from class and she would be looking through the fence at me.  All I had to say was "Go around" and she would bolt for the back door to the house.  A funny and true story happened when I was living with my parents for a few months.  My parents' fence was only see-through on one side of the house.  The other side was traditional wood fencing.  I remember that I left Kota in the back yard to run some errands or go to work or something like that.  When I came back, I found Kota just laying in the front yard watching the world go by.  She had dug out on the wood fence side just so she could get a better view of what was happening on the street.  I always used to joke and say, "where's she gonna go?"  "There's no better life anywhere else."

Another fond memory I have of Kota is how cat-like and how human-like she acted.  Other dogs didn't interest her.  While she was walking with me (without a leash) we would pass by dogs going crazy trying to get to her while she just looked at them like she wasn't even one of them.  Much like a cat, Kota liked to get up on the back of the couch.  My parents' red leather couch still has the scratch marks on the arm and the back cushions because that where Kota liked to hang out.

Of course, like any dog, Kota also has some issues.  I'm talking more issues than the average chase your tail dog.  Since she was a puppy, Kota was a frequent visitor at the vet.  I remember one day seeing her start to limp on her front leg.  Over a few days it got worse and worse.  I took her to the vet to learn that she had somehow broken the carpal bones in her paw, and the two bones in her forearm had grown uneven because of it.  Now, Kota had a 1/4" gap in her elbow joint.  So there I was, a poor college kid trying to figure out how I was going to pay for a $1000 surgery for a $45 puppy.  Obviously I chose to have the surgery done, and I don't regret spending that money at all.  Even after the surgery and the steel rod she had in her forearm, Kota struggled with chronic skin and ear problems.  Over the course of her life, Kota went to over a dozen different vets (who all thought they had the answer to fix her).  It got to be an annoying joke every time a new vet tried to tell me something that might work.  A simple, "we've tried that" response got them to shut up.  At one point, Kota was even eating food made out of kangaroo meat to eliminate the possibility of food allergies.  As for her ears... nothing frustrates me more than a vet telling me I have to have my dog examined before they can refill her ear medication.  Here's a clue vets, "If a pet owner knows the names of three different ear medications, and how to spell them, chances are he's been down that road before."  I honestly don't see why a 14 1/2 year old dog needs to have her ears examined before the vet can issue her some ear medication...  Okay, I'm done with my rant.

A few months ago, Kota's hips got really bad.  She would wake up in the middle of the night screaming in pain as she tried to adjust her sleeping position.  I thought she was going downhill fast.  I was preparing for the worst.  After a trip to the vet, and $60 in dog-arthritis pills, Kota was acting like she never had a problem at all.  After a few hundred dollars in meds, and a few months later, Brooke and I decided to take Kota off her meds and see how things went.  She's been drug free for about a month and only falls over about once every couple of days now.  :)

On two occasions in the past 2 1/2 years, Kota had snappy moments.  I guess when you get old, you don't want people messing with you.  On one occasion my nephew was petting her too aggressively, and Kota "rudely" told him to stop - lesson learned I guess.  More recently, another nephew was doing great with Kota, and petting her gently.  Both he and Kota were getting along great.  Well, our younger 2 year old lab wanted in on the action so she come barreling in with her 65lb body towards my nephew.  Poor little man backed straight into the old lady and the old lady "rudely" told him that her space was already occupied.  (Now there have been two vets who have felt Kota's wrath, and I blame them for their own ignorance.  If I bring my dog in because her ears are bothering her, a vet is a fool if he thinks Kota is going to let him probe her and prod her in the ears... Kota don't play that!)

After our two-year old nephew got bit, Brooke and I started thinking about what we should do.  Little Peytonski is a little over six-months old and will be crawling in a few weeks/months.  Peyton will not know to stay away from Kota.  Kota will not know that Peyton isn't being mean or aggressive.  It seems like a lose-lose situation.  Because of that major point in combination with a few others, Brooke and I have decided that Kota has lived a good life, and she's ready to rest.  I love how my wife put it; "Kota has lived longer than most dogs.  Even with all her ailments, she's lived a good, long life."  I agree with Brooke 100%.  After talking with my brother about the issue, he shared wisdom and said, "You don't want negative things to be last things you remember about Kota.  And, if you worry even for smallest moment about Peyton being bit, then it's time for Kota to rest."  My family is amazing.

So, on Monday November 21, my little black dog will rest in peace.  After an incredible 14 1/2 year life, she will no longer need to bite her feet to get relief.  She won't have to rely on medication for her hips and ears to feel good.  She won't have to rely on hand signals because of her deafness.  And most importantly, I won't have to get mad at her for being aggressive towards Peyton.

This decision is one of the more mature things I've done in my life.  It is very hard, but it's the right thing to do.  There's no doubt I will miss my first little girl.  Every dog owner knows the feeling of losing a good friend.  I only hope that the good memories I have of her never fade away.

I know you're just a dog, but "I have much love for you Kota.  We had a good run didn't we."

This blog is my everlasting memories of "The Old Lady"

The ever faithful "Black Dog"

You will be missed Kota.

Up close and personal

I'm trying to resist posting even more pictures on facebook so my blog gets it instead!  I'm sure my fb "friends" get tired of all of the baby pictures!  On the other hand, who knows who actually looks at my blog.  Oh well!

I love this little face.

Pumpkin Patch

After weeks of putting it off, we finally made it to a pumpkin patch this past weekend! 

I find it interesting that for the last many years, I have dreamed  about taking my children to a pumpkin patch.  I have viewed so many friends' pictures (and friends of friends... Yes, I admit I am a blog stalker) that seem to portray such a glorious time of their little one(s) posed among fabulous autumn props!  I couldn't wait to experience that myself!!

Well, our experience wasn't awful... but it definitely wasn't glorious! Ha. It is a feat in itself to get all three of us (hubs, me and the little one) ready and out the door.  But we managed.  And of course, Peyton looked cute... as always.  We decided to visit one of the pumpkin patches in our town.  (Actually there are 2 right next to each other.  Really confusing.  Not sure why they do that!)  Anyways, it was a very busy morning at the pumpkin patch.  Kids running everywhere... pictures being taken... hay rides... bounce houses... etc. 

We managed to work our way to a few "picture opportunities" only to later discover that our camera was not working as we thought.  We had a lady take a family picture of the three of us... FAIL.  Steven took several pictures of me and Peyton... FAIL.  I took pictures of hubs and Peyton... FAIL.  Oh well.  We did manage to get some good ones!  Here are some of those:

(By the way, Peyton was in a pretty somber mood most of the morning.  She was still stinkin' cute but it took quite a bit to get that bubbly smile out of her.)