Buster is not doing well. He's blind, he's deaf, he's gotten VERY, very
senile. He would seizure periodically. He has accidents in the house. He
gets lost in corners and around furniture. He no longer wants to be pet and
touched much, if you try he gets up and leaves. He barks aimlessly, he
sleeps all day and is up all night. We actually had to stop letting him be
upstairs at all because we couldn't sleep at night with him around. So he
got banished downstairs. Now in a crate, since he started using the house as
his bathroom. And he freaks out in the crate, but I can't have him loose in
the house, either. Fortunately, he settles down after about an hour.

I started him on Anipryl to see if it would help with the senility at all.
Some of our clients call it a wonder drug, some say it didn't do a thing. I
figured it was worth a shot. So of course, he starts seizuring even MORE on
the drug. It is listed as one of the side effects, and isn't something we
would normally prescribe to a dog who seizures occasionally. But, this
obviously isn't the answer.

I've come to the conclusion that it is time. Dementia is not a quality life.
It sucks, but it's true. I would not want to be lost, not know where I was.
The fact that his sight and hearing are bad makes it worse, I'm sure.

I had planned today as being the day, but I chickened out. Yesterday we had
a "Buster's Last Day" celebration for him. We carried him around the park
and put him down many times for him to sniff around and pee on things. We
took lots and lots of pictures of him (
http://www.odnarb.com/busportraits1.html ). We stopped at McDonalds. I was
going to take him in today but I couldn't do it. I'll just have to do it
later, I guess. I've never been good at this.

Enter the bad timing part of the equation...

Dave (the SO) has wanted a GSD for years. I've kinda fought it. Finding a
good one is tough, expensive, I'm REALLY picky about what I like in a GSD,
yada, yada. A friend called me a couple of days ago to make some weekend
plans, and in passing told me about his coworker's problem. He has a dog he
has to rehome. A three year old male GSD. The man purchased the dog from a
family that had moved here from Germany. The dog sounds WONDERFUL. I don't
think my friend had any idea that I would be interested in the dog at all.
My friend has a Dutch Shepherd litter due this fall, and I was actually
planning on taking one of those (those plans may be changing).

I can't decide if this is fate, or bad timing. I haven't even seen the GSD
yet, so I am not even sure that I will like him at all. Half of me feels
guilty for even considering getting another dog while Buster is heading out
the door. Half of me thinks that maybe it was meant to be.

Just had to share my conundrum with dog folks that care...

Aimee Nicole Schantz
Brando the APBT
Grant the AmStaff
Buster the Pug
http://www.odnarb.com
http://www.rosecitydogs.com