A Moment to Reflect

[Mazz]

I have been, at times, criticized by some, of being too sentimental. And I am, I suppose.  On this Christmas Eve day, I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on some things that have taken place for me this past year, as they relate to our Huskies.

We had both the highs and the lows that go along with the caregiving of Huskies. On December 31, of last year, Zoya tore her cruciate ligament in her right rear leg.  It was devastating to see her in pain and to suffer so. Come late January, she had surgery, and by mid-April, she was back to running and digging, Just as good as before.  She is my baby girl, and it was good to see her back at full throttle.

In late July, Eisa, our beautiful rescue of four years, came up lame. My first fear was she too had torn her cruciate ligament. If only that had been the case.  After five days of anti-inflammatories, she was better, but it was not to last. She came up lame again. Upon examination, the vet noticed her leg was severely swollen. X-rays, antibiotics, pain meds, and rest made no improvement. Five needle biopsies later confirmed the diagnosis: soft tissue carsonoma - cancer. The closest university medical center had no appointment openings for eight weeks.  A month after the first exam, with Eisa suffering so, we made the terrible decision to let her go. We still tear up and the heartache remains, but we know she is in a better place. She will always hold a place in our hearts.

October, was the annual Iowa Husky Camp. We got to renew old friendships and make new ones. The highlight was getting to hang with the Door County Sled Dogs from Wisconsin. What a great pack and a great bunch of mushers. We learned so much from them.  Becky, aka Austinville, once again did an outstanding job in organizing and running the camp. A HUGE THANK YOU to her. She is not only a good friend, but her Ryn and Tunes are true ambassadors for the breed.

A few weeks later, Zoya came up lame. I was so worried that the surgery on her cruciate ligament had failed. Luckily, it was not that, but merely a severe strain on her hip. It took about four weeks to heal, but heal it did. She remains the leader of the pack.

And throughout this past year, we have had the joy of watching Rohn grow and mature. He is a typical Husky, and has found his place in the pack. He is a good boy. That's not to say he's 100% good, but for a Husky, he's about as good as can be.  

If I had one wish that could be granted, it would be to have not lost Eisa.  You might think that having more than one Husky, would lessen the pain of loss. It does not. While I love each of our Huskies, I also loved Eisa, and losing her this past year was and continues to be, a great loss for our pack. However, in her honor, we continue with life, we continue to love our Huskies, and we continue to remember her and the time we were blessed with her presence in our lives.

So, as we are at the threshold of Christmas, and the New Year is just around the corner, give your Huskies a hug. Let them know you are greatful to have them in you life, and that you are honored to be their caregivers.

Peace. . . 

[mydiamond]

Sorry to hear about Eisa  it's never easy. Glad to hear the Husky camp went well, though. Always the highlight of the year in this forum.

[Jay]

Great time to reflect. We are having a rough time with Yukon and getting his seizures under control so I can relate on how hard it is. Even having 3 huskies doesn't lessen the heartache when one of them is having a tough time

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Oh and merry Christmas and happy new year!

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