Tootsie and her sister Lupe were born about a week after we took in their mother Ginger, who I found abandoned in a pasture next to our house. It had been years since we had been around puppies, so these sisters were a real joy in our household. Ginger was a Golden Retriever and Cocker Spaniel mix and was a gorgeous strawberry blond. The puppies were both black, with a few splashes of white. They didn't look anything like their mother, and only resembled each other in color. We had both sisters their entire lives.
Tootsie wasn't the brightest dog we ever had, but she was certainly one of the most devoted. She obviously loved us dearly and never got far away from us when we were home.
Tootsie never liked to lick us to give us kisses. Her idea of a kiss was to make a special, funny little noise, bare her teeth in a huge smile, open her mouth slightly, then snap her teeth together. This wasn't an expression of aggression, and she never in her life ever tried to bite.
She had a type of benign but locally aggressive type of sarcoma (cancer) far up on the outside of her back right thigh up to her hip called Hemangiopericytoma. The cancer had tendrils that invaded her soft tissue and couldn't be totally removed. Several times we had as much of it removed as surgically possible so she could be comfortable. She lost some muscle tissue with each surgery. There finally came a point where she didn't have a enough muscle tissue left to remove any more of the tumor. Even amputating her leg wouldn't have removed all of the tumor, even in the beginning because it involved her hip.
Tootsie suffered from allergies and more sinus congestion that anyone can imagine in a dog. I have never seen a human with as much difficulty as she had. We tried allergy shots for years, but they didn't help. Dogs don't know how to blow their noses, so they often do what is called "reverse sneezing," where they try to inhale through the nose instead of exhale. Tootsie had a real problem with reverse sneezing, so we would flush her nose with saline solution to help her.
In spite of her health problems, Tootsie was a really happy dog. We lost her at a ripe old age when she suddenly developed congestive heart failure.
I think about Tootsie often and always will. I don't believe any other dog has loved me more than she did.
Tootsie wasn't the brightest dog we ever had, but she was certainly one of the most devoted. She obviously loved us dearly and never got far away from us when we were home.
Tootsie never liked to lick us to give us kisses. Her idea of a kiss was to make a special, funny little noise, bare her teeth in a huge smile, open her mouth slightly, then snap her teeth together. This wasn't an expression of aggression, and she never in her life ever tried to bite.
She had a type of benign but locally aggressive type of sarcoma (cancer) far up on the outside of her back right thigh up to her hip called Hemangiopericytoma. The cancer had tendrils that invaded her soft tissue and couldn't be totally removed. Several times we had as much of it removed as surgically possible so she could be comfortable. She lost some muscle tissue with each surgery. There finally came a point where she didn't have a enough muscle tissue left to remove any more of the tumor. Even amputating her leg wouldn't have removed all of the tumor, even in the beginning because it involved her hip.
Tootsie suffered from allergies and more sinus congestion that anyone can imagine in a dog. I have never seen a human with as much difficulty as she had. We tried allergy shots for years, but they didn't help. Dogs don't know how to blow their noses, so they often do what is called "reverse sneezing," where they try to inhale through the nose instead of exhale. Tootsie had a real problem with reverse sneezing, so we would flush her nose with saline solution to help her.
In spite of her health problems, Tootsie was a really happy dog. We lost her at a ripe old age when she suddenly developed congestive heart failure.
I think about Tootsie often and always will. I don't believe any other dog has loved me more than she did.
Tootsie and her sister Lupe were born about a week after we took in their mother Ginger, who I found abandoned in a pasture next to our house. It had been years since we had been around puppies, so these sisters were a real joy in our household. Ginger was a Golden Retriever and Cocker Spaniel mix and was a gorgeous strawberry blond. The puppies were both black, with a few splashes of white. They didn't look anything like their mother, and only resembled each other in color. We had both sisters their entire lives.
Tootsie wasn't the brightest dog we ever had, but she was certainly one of the most devoted. She obviously loved us dearly and never got far away from us when we were home.
Tootsie never liked to lick us to give us kisses. Her idea of a kiss was to make a special, funny little noise, bare her teeth in a huge smile, open her mouth slightly, then snap her teeth together. This wasn't an expression of aggression, and she never in her life ever tried to bite.
She had a type of benign but locally aggressive type of sarcoma (cancer) far up on the outside of her back right thigh up to her hip called Hemangiopericytoma. The cancer had tendrils that invaded her soft tissue and couldn't be totally removed. Several times we had as much of it removed as surgically possible so she could be comfortable. She lost some muscle tissue with each surgery. There finally came a point where she didn't have a enough muscle tissue left to remove any more of the tumor. Even amputating her leg wouldn't have removed all of the tumor, even in the beginning because it involved her hip.
Tootsie suffered from allergies and more sinus congestion that anyone can imagine in a dog. I have never seen a human with as much difficulty as she had. We tried allergy shots for years, but they didn't help. Dogs don't know how to blow their noses, so they often do what is called "reverse sneezing," where they try to inhale through the nose instead of exhale. Tootsie had a real problem with reverse sneezing, so we would flush her nose with saline solution to help her.
In spite of her health problems, Tootsie was a really happy dog. We lost her at a ripe old age when she suddenly developed congestive heart failure.
I think about Tootsie often and always will. I don't believe any other dog has loved me more than she did.
Tootsie wasn't the brightest dog we ever had, but she was certainly one of the most devoted. She obviously loved us dearly and never got far away from us when we were home.
Tootsie never liked to lick us to give us kisses. Her idea of a kiss was to make a special, funny little noise, bare her teeth in a huge smile, open her mouth slightly, then snap her teeth together. This wasn't an expression of aggression, and she never in her life ever tried to bite.
She had a type of benign but locally aggressive type of sarcoma (cancer) far up on the outside of her back right thigh up to her hip called Hemangiopericytoma. The cancer had tendrils that invaded her soft tissue and couldn't be totally removed. Several times we had as much of it removed as surgically possible so she could be comfortable. She lost some muscle tissue with each surgery. There finally came a point where she didn't have a enough muscle tissue left to remove any more of the tumor. Even amputating her leg wouldn't have removed all of the tumor, even in the beginning because it involved her hip.
Tootsie suffered from allergies and more sinus congestion that anyone can imagine in a dog. I have never seen a human with as much difficulty as she had. We tried allergy shots for years, but they didn't help. Dogs don't know how to blow their noses, so they often do what is called "reverse sneezing," where they try to inhale through the nose instead of exhale. Tootsie had a real problem with reverse sneezing, so we would flush her nose with saline solution to help her.
In spite of her health problems, Tootsie was a really happy dog. We lost her at a ripe old age when she suddenly developed congestive heart failure.
I think about Tootsie often and always will. I don't believe any other dog has loved me more than she did.
Family Members
Parents
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
