In Loving Memory of Mina

After posting a bit about Mina's lymphoma I received a lot of condolences and well-wishes via email, which I appreciate tremendously. It means the world when people take your pets as seriously as you do, since they really are family. For 7 years Mina was a mix of my daughter, my best friend, and my protector. She was my first dog and she taught me so much about patience, gentleness, and trust. This dog was the very definition of a gentle soul, and despite her shyness was ever so tender around everyone, especially small children. She was such a wonderful, great dog.

After her diagnosis on July 5th, we pursued chemotherapy at one of the best clinics in South Florida, under the care of one of the best veterinary oncologists. The prognosis we got was all bad, from the location of her tumor to the type of lymphoma she had. Everything pointed to a very short window of time left, perhaps 6-8 months if we were lucky. We did everything possible anyway, because how could we not? For the next 3 months she did phenomenally, she tolerated the chemo without any side-effects and lived life as normally as possible. The joke at the dog park was that we were being scammed, that this vibrant, energetic dog couldn't possibly be terminal!

And then towards the end of September she changed.That final week she was just simply not herself, and we found out that her lymphoma had come out of remission incredibly fast. On Saturday, October 3rd, she had a quick series of seizures and was gone, totally unaware, surrounded by my father and I. We were only able to give her 3 months, but I am glad that those three months, up until the last week, were vibrant and good. I miss her terribly and she will be sorely, sorely missed. Life is just not the same without her goofy happy face racing towards me when I come in through the front door, or her warm spot at the foot of the bed by my legs.

Thank you for being my rock when it was just the two of us, my early morning coffee-run buddy, my alarm clock, my watch guard, my little spoon, the best older sister Milou could ever ask for, and my fluffy ball of love and goodness. Goodbye, Lady.

2

New O'Shaughnessy's Chameleons

I apologize again for my prolonged absences, I have a lot of things going on right now. My oldest dog, Mina, a 7 year old Shetland sheepdog, was diagnosed with lymphoma 3 weeks ago so I'm doing a lot of extra juggling now trying to get her to her chemo appointments while not missing any work time. So far she's doing very well on the chemotherapy but the vet only gives us a guess of  9-12 months left, so I am trying to do things with my two dogs on the weekends trying to get things ticked off her bucket list, as it were. 

But months ago I received this pair from a friend in Colorado, Chad New of Tiki Tiki Reptiles, and I have been in love ever since. The Calumma oshaughnessyi pair had been in the country about a month before Chad and I started talking and I've had them now for a couple months. They are doing really well outside in the Florida weather, with plenty of shade and lots of water. The little female, Imogen, has shed a couple times since I've had her and so has Lachlan, who had a few broken toes and scrapes from being a wild-caught import. But they have settled in beautifully, and are eating like little champions. 

This is my first attempt with the Calumma genus, and so far it's been exciting. They are gorgeous, if I do say so myself, and are such a lovely size. That blue throat on him and the blue freckles on her are to die for.

9