Remembered

Ginger's long battle with cancer has finally come to an end. My sweet red
girl was put to sleep on Good Friday, March 9, 2004.

Ginger had the rare ability to wag her tail in a circle when she was
happiest, and could make it go either clockwise or counterclockwise. She always had a
smile and a twinkle in her eye, and was always waiting at the door when I came
home, waiting to mob me for some scratches. She had special privileges
because of her age, and because she was just Ginger. She brought so much strength
into my life; she was a constant reminder that happiness is possible regardless
of one's problems, and that the most important thing in the world is being
close.

Ginger's pre-GRR life was something of a mixed bag. Her owner allowed her to
roam freely in the neighborhood, and although this is something that would
send any Golden owner into a panic, evidently Ginger was well-known and
well-liked by her neighbors and would spend her days making the rounds from house to
house, stopping off to visit with all of her friends. I liked to picture Ginger
as about a 6 month old long-legged red puppy, stopping by to visit each of her
friends on her daily rounds. She had some of that puppy spirit in her, that
expectation of "If I walk up to you and smile and wag my tail, of course you'll
stop what you're doing and pet me."

Ginger came to my home early in 2001, and what was to have been a routine
check-up before signing the adoption papers turned into surgery to remove one of
her lymph nodes and send it to A&M for a biopsy. The diagnosis was bad: the
lymph node was cancerous and it was not the point of origin, meaning that the
cancer had started somewhere else and metastasized. The outlook was not good
either: two weeks to two months to live.

Margo Biba was also at Century the morning of that day, and I remember
sitting talking to her about Ginger and her dogs, neither of us having any hint of
how the day would turn out.

How Ginger did it, I don't know, but she fooled everybody and lived a happy
life for three more years. Close to the end, she developed a limp and other
problems, but she remained as happy as she had always been. She was so easy to
care for. Her favorite things were car rides and walks, until they gradually got
shorted and shorter and were replaced by lying in the sun on the front walk,
having her tummy rubbed and getting up to greet people walking by. We would
sit there and I would tell her about what I had done that day, or talk about the
neighbors out in their yards, or just pet her.

Special thanks are due to Dr. Marcie Van Brunt at Century Animal Hospital for
the outstanding care she provided Ginger, and to Margo Biba for her support
and understanding after Ginger's diagnosis.

Cam
 

Ginger is 9 years old and comes to us via a Good Samaritan neighbor who intervened because her previous owners were moving and going to put her to sleep!  Thanks goodness for Miss G that her neighbor came to the rescue.  Ginger will enter rescue as soon as foster space becomes available.  Ginger is quite active, happy and very healthy.  She does have mild seizures, which are well controlled with medication.   She gets this report from her intake evaluation:

 “Ginger is the sweetie I evaluated yesterday.  Ginger just started a new medication for seizures -- potassium bromide, which sounds excellent.  She was doing well on her old medication Phenobarbital, but this new stuff should work even better and be easier on her liver.  I really liked Ginger.  Mary, the gal who saved her from being euthanized says she is excellent with tiny children.  Miss Ginger was shaved a couple of weeks ago.  (Don't ever shave a Golden!)  Before her radical haircut, she had nice red fur with lots of fringe.  I have to admit that she looks pretty cute right now, but I sure wish she still had her original fur.

 “She lays on her back with her feet in the air for as long as you'll massage her.  Likes food treats & is food motivated.  Human oriented.  Appears to know sit, stay, come, shake, and lie down.  Stays close when walking unleashed.  Pulls moderately when on lead.  Verbal -- groans/talks to get you to rub her some more!

 “Ginger is good in the car, loose next to 3-year-old David (human).  She loves car rides.  She appears to be trustworthy in the house -- has not bothered any human items including the Christmas tree, David's toys, clothing, etc.  Mary reports that Ginger is great with small children. The original owner had a child age 2.  Ginger was allowed to roam her original neighborhood, and she got along with children & other animals.  Mary says a family with young children would be perfect for Ginger.  She is quite spry for her age, and does not appear to have stiffness, soreness or any signs of arthritis.  My impression is that Ginger would be a good all-around dog for many types of homes.”

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