Doogie's year of birth is just an estimate. My husband found him chasing cars on a busy highway on 17 May 2002, apparently trying to find his owner after he was dumped on the roadside. We canvassed houses in the area, and no one claimed him. Our veterinarian estimated he was 2-3 years old at that time.
Doogie looked like he was a miniature schnauzer and terrier (maybe Norfolk terrier) mix, with the personality that came with both of those breeds. He was a small dog who ideally weighed about 22 pounds. He had the most gorgeous champagne-colored hair on his head and big, round eyes. His idea of a kiss was a soft (most of the time) bite on our noses, and the very rare "licking kisses" he gave were a real treat.
Doogie had a personality that filled the whole house. He was a very vocal little dog with a large "vocabulary" of sounds that he made, but he wasn't a yappy dog. Until the last couple of years of his life, he wasn't afraid of anything, even when he should have been. For some strange reason, he became terrified of thunder and lightning at the end of his life, maybe because he couldn't see and hear very well any longer but could feel the vibration from the thunder.
Doogie was a very smart dog. I keep our different kinds of dog food in stacking bins. Years ago he figured out how to open the bottom bin by pawing and nosing at the corner of the bin's door and would eat to his little heart's content. My next step was to put a pencil through the holes in the door and bin case that are made for a lock. It didn't take him long to figure out that he could paw and nose at the door and eventually wiggle the pencil out of the holes, get the door open, and claim his reward! Then I fastened the door with a carabiner, and he couldn't get past that. He also chewed holes in the sides of new bags of dog food before I could empty them into the bins.
Doogie was always a sturdy, healthy little guy. He suddenly became sick early in 2016, and veterinarians told us he had an attack of acute pancreatitis. He recovered very quickly with hospitalization. He was always a very food-motivated dog, so we became alarmed when he became anorexic and started losing weight. Additional veterinary evaluation showed he had a tumor on his pituitary gland that had completely surrounded the gland, causing his thyroid gland to become hyperactive. The tumor had also perforated his carotid artery, and it was inoperable. Given his age of at least 16 years, he wouldn't have been able to withstand surgery even if it had been operable. Thyroid medication helped with his appetite; but it was difficult to find food he would eat, so he kept losing weight. At the time of his death, he weighed only 16 pounds.
We had known for some time that Doogie's kidneys weren't in good shape, and at the end they began to fail. The veterinarians had told us at some point his carotid artery would start to hemorrhage where the tumor had perforated it, and the only way we would know was seeing and sensing that from his behavior. It was frightening. Before that happened, Doogie's bloodwork showed his kidneys were going into failure. Up until then, he had a few bad days here and there, but no miserable days. He was still a happy little guy, but we knew kidney failure would be very unpleasant, uncomfortable, and then painful for him. It was time to let him go, and I sensed he was ready to be released.
My Little Guy was my shadow and followed me all over the house all day, every day. I will always miss his feisty personality.
Doogie looked like he was a miniature schnauzer and terrier (maybe Norfolk terrier) mix, with the personality that came with both of those breeds. He was a small dog who ideally weighed about 22 pounds. He had the most gorgeous champagne-colored hair on his head and big, round eyes. His idea of a kiss was a soft (most of the time) bite on our noses, and the very rare "licking kisses" he gave were a real treat.
Doogie had a personality that filled the whole house. He was a very vocal little dog with a large "vocabulary" of sounds that he made, but he wasn't a yappy dog. Until the last couple of years of his life, he wasn't afraid of anything, even when he should have been. For some strange reason, he became terrified of thunder and lightning at the end of his life, maybe because he couldn't see and hear very well any longer but could feel the vibration from the thunder.
Doogie was a very smart dog. I keep our different kinds of dog food in stacking bins. Years ago he figured out how to open the bottom bin by pawing and nosing at the corner of the bin's door and would eat to his little heart's content. My next step was to put a pencil through the holes in the door and bin case that are made for a lock. It didn't take him long to figure out that he could paw and nose at the door and eventually wiggle the pencil out of the holes, get the door open, and claim his reward! Then I fastened the door with a carabiner, and he couldn't get past that. He also chewed holes in the sides of new bags of dog food before I could empty them into the bins.
Doogie was always a sturdy, healthy little guy. He suddenly became sick early in 2016, and veterinarians told us he had an attack of acute pancreatitis. He recovered very quickly with hospitalization. He was always a very food-motivated dog, so we became alarmed when he became anorexic and started losing weight. Additional veterinary evaluation showed he had a tumor on his pituitary gland that had completely surrounded the gland, causing his thyroid gland to become hyperactive. The tumor had also perforated his carotid artery, and it was inoperable. Given his age of at least 16 years, he wouldn't have been able to withstand surgery even if it had been operable. Thyroid medication helped with his appetite; but it was difficult to find food he would eat, so he kept losing weight. At the time of his death, he weighed only 16 pounds.
We had known for some time that Doogie's kidneys weren't in good shape, and at the end they began to fail. The veterinarians had told us at some point his carotid artery would start to hemorrhage where the tumor had perforated it, and the only way we would know was seeing and sensing that from his behavior. It was frightening. Before that happened, Doogie's bloodwork showed his kidneys were going into failure. Up until then, he had a few bad days here and there, but no miserable days. He was still a happy little guy, but we knew kidney failure would be very unpleasant, uncomfortable, and then painful for him. It was time to let him go, and I sensed he was ready to be released.
My Little Guy was my shadow and followed me all over the house all day, every day. I will always miss his feisty personality.
Doogie's year of birth is just an estimate. My husband found him chasing cars on a busy highway on 17 May 2002, apparently trying to find his owner after he was dumped on the roadside. We canvassed houses in the area, and no one claimed him. Our veterinarian estimated he was 2-3 years old at that time.
Doogie looked like he was a miniature schnauzer and terrier (maybe Norfolk terrier) mix, with the personality that came with both of those breeds. He was a small dog who ideally weighed about 22 pounds. He had the most gorgeous champagne-colored hair on his head and big, round eyes. His idea of a kiss was a soft (most of the time) bite on our noses, and the very rare "licking kisses" he gave were a real treat.
Doogie had a personality that filled the whole house. He was a very vocal little dog with a large "vocabulary" of sounds that he made, but he wasn't a yappy dog. Until the last couple of years of his life, he wasn't afraid of anything, even when he should have been. For some strange reason, he became terrified of thunder and lightning at the end of his life, maybe because he couldn't see and hear very well any longer but could feel the vibration from the thunder.
Doogie was a very smart dog. I keep our different kinds of dog food in stacking bins. Years ago he figured out how to open the bottom bin by pawing and nosing at the corner of the bin's door and would eat to his little heart's content. My next step was to put a pencil through the holes in the door and bin case that are made for a lock. It didn't take him long to figure out that he could paw and nose at the door and eventually wiggle the pencil out of the holes, get the door open, and claim his reward! Then I fastened the door with a carabiner, and he couldn't get past that. He also chewed holes in the sides of new bags of dog food before I could empty them into the bins.
Doogie was always a sturdy, healthy little guy. He suddenly became sick early in 2016, and veterinarians told us he had an attack of acute pancreatitis. He recovered very quickly with hospitalization. He was always a very food-motivated dog, so we became alarmed when he became anorexic and started losing weight. Additional veterinary evaluation showed he had a tumor on his pituitary gland that had completely surrounded the gland, causing his thyroid gland to become hyperactive. The tumor had also perforated his carotid artery, and it was inoperable. Given his age of at least 16 years, he wouldn't have been able to withstand surgery even if it had been operable. Thyroid medication helped with his appetite; but it was difficult to find food he would eat, so he kept losing weight. At the time of his death, he weighed only 16 pounds.
We had known for some time that Doogie's kidneys weren't in good shape, and at the end they began to fail. The veterinarians had told us at some point his carotid artery would start to hemorrhage where the tumor had perforated it, and the only way we would know was seeing and sensing that from his behavior. It was frightening. Before that happened, Doogie's bloodwork showed his kidneys were going into failure. Up until then, he had a few bad days here and there, but no miserable days. He was still a happy little guy, but we knew kidney failure would be very unpleasant, uncomfortable, and then painful for him. It was time to let him go, and I sensed he was ready to be released.
My Little Guy was my shadow and followed me all over the house all day, every day. I will always miss his feisty personality.
Doogie looked like he was a miniature schnauzer and terrier (maybe Norfolk terrier) mix, with the personality that came with both of those breeds. He was a small dog who ideally weighed about 22 pounds. He had the most gorgeous champagne-colored hair on his head and big, round eyes. His idea of a kiss was a soft (most of the time) bite on our noses, and the very rare "licking kisses" he gave were a real treat.
Doogie had a personality that filled the whole house. He was a very vocal little dog with a large "vocabulary" of sounds that he made, but he wasn't a yappy dog. Until the last couple of years of his life, he wasn't afraid of anything, even when he should have been. For some strange reason, he became terrified of thunder and lightning at the end of his life, maybe because he couldn't see and hear very well any longer but could feel the vibration from the thunder.
Doogie was a very smart dog. I keep our different kinds of dog food in stacking bins. Years ago he figured out how to open the bottom bin by pawing and nosing at the corner of the bin's door and would eat to his little heart's content. My next step was to put a pencil through the holes in the door and bin case that are made for a lock. It didn't take him long to figure out that he could paw and nose at the door and eventually wiggle the pencil out of the holes, get the door open, and claim his reward! Then I fastened the door with a carabiner, and he couldn't get past that. He also chewed holes in the sides of new bags of dog food before I could empty them into the bins.
Doogie was always a sturdy, healthy little guy. He suddenly became sick early in 2016, and veterinarians told us he had an attack of acute pancreatitis. He recovered very quickly with hospitalization. He was always a very food-motivated dog, so we became alarmed when he became anorexic and started losing weight. Additional veterinary evaluation showed he had a tumor on his pituitary gland that had completely surrounded the gland, causing his thyroid gland to become hyperactive. The tumor had also perforated his carotid artery, and it was inoperable. Given his age of at least 16 years, he wouldn't have been able to withstand surgery even if it had been operable. Thyroid medication helped with his appetite; but it was difficult to find food he would eat, so he kept losing weight. At the time of his death, he weighed only 16 pounds.
We had known for some time that Doogie's kidneys weren't in good shape, and at the end they began to fail. The veterinarians had told us at some point his carotid artery would start to hemorrhage where the tumor had perforated it, and the only way we would know was seeing and sensing that from his behavior. It was frightening. Before that happened, Doogie's bloodwork showed his kidneys were going into failure. Up until then, he had a few bad days here and there, but no miserable days. He was still a happy little guy, but we knew kidney failure would be very unpleasant, uncomfortable, and then painful for him. It was time to let him go, and I sensed he was ready to be released.
My Little Guy was my shadow and followed me all over the house all day, every day. I will always miss his feisty personality.
