<p>DrDrewsmom~</p>
<p>Oh, she’s DEFINITELY a GSP!! And you know what? She behaves just like Kramer!!! If by some chance we are never able to find her owners, we will adopt her, but she looks to have been very well loved, so we are making every effort. Is Kramer the same colors as Karma? ~b.</p>
<p>berurah, wow - what an unbelievable story about the second dog. I’m not in the least bit superstitious but that is truly bizarre! I mean, what are the chances of something like that?! I’m glad that your D was able to feel good about doing something so loving and wonderful for someone else’s dear pet. I wonder who she reminds us all of? </p>
<p>Still thinking of Patch and sending wishes for his recovery.</p>
<p>berurah, Kramer is white with liver-colored spots. Here’s a link to pictures of him the weekend we brought him home (about 5 years ago).
<a href=“Best Of SEO & Blogging - ImageStation”>Best Of SEO & Blogging - ImageStation;
<p>Sending love and prayers to Patch and your family (and the new dog and family). Following every update.</p>
<p>DrDrewsmom~</p>
<p>KRAMER IS PRECIOUS!!! What a beautiful puppy dog! And <em>I</em> am obviously ignorant of dog breeds! 'Cause now, I know that Karma is not a GSP, but an English pointer. Like Patch, but with short hair instead of long! <em>ROFL</em> So, dog breeds aren’t my expertise! THANK YOU for those pics! Kramer is SUCH a cutie pie! </p>
<p>~b.
P.s. She still ACTS like Kramer, though! ;)</p>
<p>DrD:</p>
<p>Such a sweet puppy! We had two GSPs…they both moved on to doggy heaven several years ago, but were well-loved and left us with lots of wonderful memories…have fun with yours.</p>
<p>b,
Still checking in and hoping for some good news about Patch. We had our beloved “Labrador Destroyer Mix,” named Radar, for just about 17 years, so believe me when I say I understand what you are doing. One day when I came home I found him at the bottom of the stairs, laying on the stone floor. He had obviously fallen down some portion of the stairs and was desperately trying to get up. He had some sort of stroke. It is so hard to look at them when they don’t understand what it going on and why they are in pain. You are probably doing the best thing for him now leaving him at the vet for a bit where he can be looked after and assessed frequently.</p>
<p>Berurah, I have been thinking of you, and I was considering offering to mail you a cat. Just to distract and occupy you while Patch continues to improve however slowly. </p>
<p>Clearly that is no longer necessary. :)</p>
<p>late: you are bad! you sound like my husband ;)</p>
<p>
lts~</p>
<p>*<strong><em>ROFLMAO</em></strong><em>!!! *THIS</em> epitomizes exactly WHY I love you soooooooooooooooooo much!!! :)</p>
<p>BTW, <em>I’d</em> take the cat! But I might get an objection from dh <em>lol</em>. He already feels like he lives in a zoo, and that’s before we count <em>ANY</em> of the animals! ;)</p>
<p>The sentiment, however, is <em>MOST</em> appreciated! :D</p>
<p>love, ~berurah</p>
<p>Patch must be very comforted by the outpouring of love, attention, and scritches you and your family are showering him with!</p>
<p>
Yes, I think he truly is. Even more comforting to us is something that one of the kennel attendants said when my oldest D went out this afternoon with her youngest brother and her bf. The woman told my D that EVERYONE there has “fallen in love” with Patch! 
He really <em>IS</em> lovable, and it just makes my heart happy to know that he is being lovingly cared for, even when we aren’t there with him.</p>
<p>~b.</p>
<p>Momof3sons said "It is so hard to look at them when they don’t understand what it going on and why they are in pain. "</p>
<p>That is so true. Our pets are completely trusting, completely forgiving, and totally innocent, never complaining. It’s so hard when they hurt.</p>
<p>My heart really goes out to you and your whole family, Berurah. I’m so glad you’re keeping us up to date.</p>
<p>Berurah, lol, I suspect your dh would fall in love with any four legged innocent little furry thing that found its way to your door. Hopefully Patch gets closer to getting to come home. What do they do on Sundays btw? Is the vet still open and staffed? Surely they cannot close, right? They have to have someone, hopefully several someones, there to feed and care for everyone, right?</p>
<p>
You know us too well! ;)</p>
<p>My dh loves dogs, but he’s not all that fond of cats. We’d never had a cat until about 3 years ago. For some odd reason, stray cats kept finding US! We found one of them as a tiny kitten, terrified, and hiding in our garage. He’d either been abandoned or abused, and it took him FOREVER to attach to us, and even now, he can be a bit standoffish, though we did manage to train him to be held like a baby, on his back. :)</p>
<p>The summer before my sixth child went to first grade (and the first time I’d have an empty house during the day), I came home from an errand to find a cardboard house-looking box in our den with our kids. I asked them what was in it, and they said that they had been outside and found a frog that they wanted me to see (I love frogs! ). They carefully opened the top, and I SCREAMED!! I caught a glimpse of something small and furry, but in the split second didn’t make out what it was! Turns out it was a little kitten, a sweet little Siamese mix! Turns out that my dh had gone to the Humane Society and adopted this little kitty for me because he knew how much I’d miss my baby boy when he went to first grade…<em>sniff</em>. That may have been his most surprising act of our entire marriage! <em>lol</em></p>
<p>That little cat, Princess Winnifred–we call her “Wee Wee” (so named for the main character in a play my D was in at the time, “Once Upon a Mattress”), is <em>the</em> sweetest animal on this planet. She’s really funny…acts just like a dog–follows me around, comes when she’s called, sits on the dryer door as I put the clothes from the washer into the dryer, stays in the bathroom when I shower, sits on the counter when I brush my hair. She’s SO amazing! :)</p>
<p>Went out to visit with Patchy this morning. His spirits seemed good, but there’s been little improvement in his condition. The girl who was working the kennel said that it takes two of them to get him out to the bathroom, and that is one of our concerns about bringing him home. During the school days, I am the only one here, and he’s heavy, plus with his injuries, I have to be careful how I move him.</p>
<p>The kennel does have a staff that goes in and cares for the animals on Sunday, but the place is not open to the public. We are going to try to meet the kennel staff out there in the morning. Though the front door won’t be open, they said we can get in the door they use. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, we have heard nothing on Karma. She’s a dolly, and we are having a lot of fun caring for her. She’s a REAL kid-oriented dog, and loves running around with my youngest son! I hope we find her owners soon, though, as we’re getting terribly attached already… </p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>Berurah,
my crystal ball sees a new dog in your future…</p>
<p>I just came across this quote that emphasizes the wonderful qualities of dogs–</p>
<p>"If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I</p>
<p>have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons."</p>
<p>-James Thurber</p>
<p>berurah:
I’m so worried about Patch. I’ve been really busy the past couple days, but I make sure to sign on and see his progress (or lack thereof 
). </p>
<p>We have been blessed with so many wonderful dogs in my family. We’ve loved them all. And how terrible - one minute you have your healthy dog and the next, well, life can change fast can’t it? </p>
<p>My last dog died at 17 (!); she got sick and died within 24 hours (and $1200 at the emergency vet - but still, I certainly don’t regret getting her care). But she was the only dog we didn’t have to put to sleep. </p>
<p>The dog before that (perhaps the sweetest dog ever) had cancer, they tried surgery, and then we eventually ended up putting her to sleep. She was old and had had a very good life. In hindsight, we are sorry she suffered so for the last couple months of her life and we regretted the “heroics” at the vet’s office. We all feel kind of sick when we think about it, and a little angry at that vet for not somehow making us see what was going on.</p>
<p>In some ways it is reassuring to look at your pets and know that we won’t make them suffer unnecessarily - wish we could promise our loved ones the same, but of course, we can’t. I’m sure your vet will help you with whatever comes along, but, you know, I bet you can’t rule out a gradual improvement, especially if this is an inflammation problem. Does the vet seem to know what the problem is at this point?</p>
<p>Good luck. I’m rooting for Patch.</p>
<p>Berurah,
I just finished reading through this thread, and all I can add is my wish that Patch will soon be well enough to come back home. Having had the joyless experience of taking a desperately sick dog to the animal emergency room at 1 in the morning, I can imagine how you, Patch and the rest of your family are coping with this unhappy situation. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you have as good an outcome as we did, and that Patch will get to meet Karma soon.</p>
<p>Yes, I am sending good thoughts too, having read through the thread quickly. I am just a cat person (4) and I am so attached that even though I love to travel, I don’t want to leave home anymore because I miss them so much. My kids are convinced I am just going to turn into a crazy cat lady after they all leave home. But I understand that intense devotion to our furry friends and the way their sweetness just makes us want to do anything for them. </p>
<p>You must be pretty tired from all of the worry. I hope that Patch gets better; your descriptions are wonderful and everyone has gotten very attached to this dog obviously! This makes me remember Zoosermom and the stuck kitten–we are sure all animal lovers and worriers here!</p>