All Things Treasure - A Tribute

J&A's Dreams Come True of Acton  JH - "TREASURE"

June 16, 2006 - March 20, 2020

Sire: Pride & Joy's White Smoke

Dam: Birch Springs Wish Upon A Star

"She is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.  You are her life, her love, her leader.  She will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of her heart. You owe it to her to be worthy of devotion."  Author Unknown

Wish was in labor. Knowing she possessed strong maternal instincts as a natural whelper I sat nearby, ready to assist as needed.  As Wish pushed to expel the first puppy, still safely encased in it’s ‘sac’, I noticed the teeniest, tiniest little foot pushing hard from the inside. It was as if the puppy was trying to rip the sac from the inside out and sure enough, it succeeded using it’s right paw. This pup’s right leg had a pure white ‘stocking’ that was met by the deep, dark liver color. It seemed this pup was reaching out to me! I responding by carefully grabbing the pup’s little paw and assisted her as she made her memorable, unforgettable entrance into the world and into my heart. 

Did the bonding actually occur in that moment?

Wish quickly nudged this liver and white colored pup with the white sock to her teats and the pup began to nurse. Nursing stimulates the release of her natural oxytocin and sure enough, soon there was another pup about to be born.  Little did I know this was the beginning of a wonderful journey.

The memory of Treasure’s birth will forever be sketched in my memory. As the litter of 7 grew and developed it was Treasure who constantly caught my eye. While I was trying so hard to remain objective, her beauty and her personality made it nearly impossible to do so. Treasure was the first to do everything in that litter. The others all caught up eventually.

People talk about having a heart dog. It is possible to love many, many dogs as I have and will continue to do so. Every dog I’ve ever loved has been appreciated for their unique personality, temperament, intelligence, spunk and more. While they are all different, surely others will agree that there is an unmistakable sweetness about every Brittany. It is what endears all of them to us, what takes up residence in our heart and mind.

What is so special then about a heart dog? It’s not an easy thing to explain at all. A little piece of us dies when we lose a beloved dog. I was 10 years old the first time such a loss was experienced. My parents were breeders of Boston Terriers and I literally grew up in the whelping box with puppies! As a little girl I loved each and every one of them. My puppy, my Lilly Bell, wasn’t ever supposed to be sold. But life happened and Lilly left. That night the little 10 year old girl cried herself to sleep.

So we all probably have a story or stories about the wonderful dogs in our life. And maybe we even believe there has been more than one heart dog. But the connection with Treasure is unlike any I have ever had with another dog in my 65 years of life here on earth. Just her name indicates she is a very special dog. I named her after a Scripture verse “Where your heart is your treasure will be” found in Matthew 6:21. Her name actually refers to my faith in Jesus Christ and keeping my mind set on Him. (Look it up if you’re curious!)

I’m still stumbling around trying to put my feelings down on paper about my Treasure. Honestly, I personally don’t like to anthropomorphize when it comes to our dogs. But with a heart dog it’s next to impossible not to do that. Some would say a heart dog is akin to a soulmate but my husband is my one and only true soulmate. Yet the bond she and I shared surely could be considered the canine equivalent.

Do you want to hear all about Treasure’s accomplishments? Do you want to know of the legacy left behind in her puppies and grand puppies? Would that help you understand the 24/7 relationship I had with my girl? No, it would not other than to testify of the wonderful human/animal bond developed through the many things we did together. Even though Treasure gave us many ‘braggin’ rights’ through the years and all of her ribbons are on display, that is not the true testimony of my precious heart dog. Besides, if you peruse my blog archives there's plenty there about my girl!

They say sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Well I knew what I had because every single day was a reminder of how much we loved each other, how much joy we brought each other, and how happy we were together. Through the years we did all the normal things that dogs and their owners do together. We also did some not so normal things.

When Treasure was feeling spunky, something that happened a lot, she would turn around and kick me in the back of my legs if I was standing at the sink washing dishes. She also would sing for her supper. I will confess that she (and others) were often nearby the dinner table. As John finished his dinner Treasure kept a close watch on him. He would glance at her out of the corner of his eye which would cause Treasure to begin her ‘woo woo dance’. At first she’d spin and sing. The longer he delayed giving her a leftover tidbit the more entertainment Treas’ would provide. A lot of times when alone at home, I would sing the song “My Girl” to her and Pippin. Together we would dance in the living room. Treasure singing harmony of course.

I realize that to give Treasure the tribute she deserves I’d have to write much more than this blog. And if you’ve read this far well hats off to you! But if you have read, then I already know how much a part of the ATB family you are. You are among my dearest friends, all of you. And therein I must give Treasure some credit, along with the Lord of course. Through various dog sports, clubs, events etc. John and I have met so many people within the Brittany community and beyond. Above all it has been through the very special families who have welcomed one of our puppies into their home. I know that it’s been said Treasure always made a wonderful first impression. I hope you’ll always remember her that way.

Treasure was almost 14 years old.  A couple of years ago I began to see subtle changes in her. I suspected that she was demonstrating signs of canine cognitive disorder. After researching CCD and conferring with one of our vets my suspicions were confirmed. I began to treat her symptoms with CBD oil and changed her diet to Purina Bright Mind dog food. The decline was slow but steady. I learned to love the dog in front of me while remembering the dog that once was. Like many older dogs, her joints were sometimes stiff but I am confident that the CBD helped her in a variety of ways. 

During one of our fall bird hunting getaways Treasure began to ‘leak’. I noticed it after she had been laying on my sleeping bag.. This progressed to the point that she was prescribed “Proin” to treat her for incontinence. This resolved the problem. Treasure exhibited mild signs of laryngeal paralysis which was treated conservatively. Treasures decline continued. Her depth perception was off. When our couch was black, she couldn’t quite fathom how to jump up on it. At night, she could barely maneuver the steps into the house. I imagine it all looked like a dark chasm to her. There were times that it was difficult for her to walk while some mornings she would take off like lightening with the rest of our crew zipping around the yard. We still continued to bring Treasure to the field to run and find a bird. The last few times though she had to be closely supervised and run with a long check cord. I hated restricting her but I didn’t want her to get lost, something she did even in the house sometimes.

Treasure has always been my shadow. I could always turn my head and catch a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye. She slept by my side every night for all these years. I loved the morning routine, most of the time. I’m not a morning person and thankfully she took after me. But when it was time to rise and shine there was no getting out of it. Treasure began by standing over me. I’d sense her presence but keep my eyes shut tight. Gently she would paw me and offer a soft woof. If I ignored her, the pawing became a bit more demanding and she would playfully pounce on me! Treasure would then gleefully jump off the bed and perform a little victory dance.

Treasure loved our small farm pond. On hot summer days when we brought the entire crew down to cool off, Treasure enjoyed catching frogs. She liked to swim but not as much as some of the others. But she would run around the pond’s edge, back and forth, around and around for as long as it took to catch frogs. There is an art to it. One I thoroughly enjoyed observing.

Treasure was a part of most every aspect of my life. She has been with me when I’ve laughed, when I’ve cried, when I’ve prayed, and when I go into the bathroom. I’m going to miss seeing those paws protruding from underneath the bathroom door. Paws I would playfully put my own bare foot upon from my side of the door. Yes, we even played footsies with each other. Showers were interesting too. Treasure would wait near the shower door for me to step out. When I did I often had to push her back, she would be intent on helping me dry off!

Treasure and I went through many things side by side. I was her constant companion when she had puppies, lying next to her and speaking words of love, praying over her, and gently stroking her body. She was my constant companion through each of of my surgeries. My nurse maid, bringing me smiles and kisses. Treasure was the only dog allowed to be around me following each knee replacement. When I began to take steps with my walker she led the way slowly, turning to be sure I was okay as I made my way through the house. Quite frankly I could go on and on about my girl. The memories are endless and I know that I’ve left out a lot.

I had decided that Treasure’s last day would not be her worse day long before it actually drew near. But I have known it was getting closer. Especially since Christmas. I wrote about this in my prior blogpost. Every moment, every day truly was a gift. On Thursday morning, March 19, Treasure could not stand at all. When she tried to sit up she tipped over. She had to be carried out to go to the bathroom. I stood her up but her legs buckled. I’ve been told dogs don’t have strokes but that is the only way I can describe what happened. It was sudden. She was frustrated and moaning. Our vet guided us through the rest of the day as we offered supportive care. I told our vet I needed that one day with her. It got worse and it was determined then that she was experiencing a vestibular event. 

That evening I carried her into the bedroom and lay next to her. She couldn’t move her head. Her eyes were darting back and forth and I knew she was in pain. She wanted to be with me though no matter what. John said I was her safe place in this scary time. In the past, she and I had ‘the talk’. I told her that when the time came, I would never let her be in discomfort. I told her we would both promise to ‘let go’ of each other. That I’d be okay and that she would be free to soar on the wings of an eagle as God lifted her beautiful spirit away from a broken body. It was an understanding we shared. I didn’t want my girl holding on stoically for me. Even with all the miraculous and wonderful treatments available for senior dogs, my heart told me Treasure was tired. My eyes confirmed it. I burrowed my face into that deep dark liver coat and fell asleep that way. 

On Friday morning her body was trying so hard to work but continued to fail her. When I thought she was sound asleep in another room I tip toed away into the bathroom to take a shower. When I got out I was shocked to see she’d made it as far as the threshold and was lying there trying so hard to look at me. But she couldn’t raise that beautiful head to do that. I walked over to her, dripping wet and stood before her. She gently kissed away droplets of water from my feet. Treasure lay in that spot for several hours, she didn’t move. A call was made. 

I cooked up a sirloin steak and hand fed it to her. She managed to get back up and stumble into the living room. I covered her with her Brittany blanket to keep her warm. And then, later on in the afternoon, Treasure was gently assisted to her place of peace and rest in her home. John and I were  her. Treasure nuzzled her beautiful head against me and I wrapped my hand around that oh so  precious white socked paw which  reached out me as she was born. At 2:45 pm on Friday March 20, 2020 Treasure's spirit left her body for God to raise her up on angel wings, bear her on the breath of dawn, and make her to shine like the sun, and hold her in the palm of His hands.

The grief is immense. And I know these details may very well bring tears to the eyes of those who read. But this is one way I handle things in my life. I write about them and I pray about them. This is raw. This is therapy. This is the reality of saying goodbye to the best dog I’ve ever known. Her best friend Pippin and daughter Holly Beth are also grieving along with the rest of our crew. She was an understated, unassuming leader of the pack, beloved to both humans and dogs.

In the midst of this crazy world crisis and pandemic I am in mourning. My heart has been ripped in two but there is no guilt or regret about letting Treasure go. It was her time and I did not wait for her to tell me because I knew that, out of her love for me, she would not. There is a time for heroic measures and there is a time to make the most humane, loving decision possible. I loved her (still love her) so much that I could not allow the quality of her life to diminish any further. She’s no longer struggling and I believe she’s in a much better place right now. I have seen signs that this is true.

Treasure was part of who I am and who I became.  I know my heart will go on. I know John and I will heal in time. Hopefully so. And because we have more senior dogs now, at some point we’ll be facing this again. But I wouldn’t have missed it for the world even knowing one day Treasure’s journey would come to an end. I know indeed she’s not only somewhere out there, but she’s in my heart, she’s all around us and lives in her puppies and grand puppies. 

The outpouring of love, support, and encouragement extended to John and I are very much appreciated. I know we’re not the only ones to ever go through this. I know many of you completely understand. The other night we sat down to the dinner table and both of us burst into tears at the thought of her. Our grief catches us off guard. The pain is very real.

That’s it for now. I’ve spent most of the afternoon sitting here at the computer. It is time to cook dinner. 

Thank you for your interest in All Things Brittany, take care and God bless you and yours. Stay safe and keep us in your prayers. John & Ann