Today we said good bye to our beloved Sasha Bear! As many of you know, Sasha was diagnosed with a brain stem meningioma in August 2015, after suffering a vestibular episode in May 2015.
Sasha came to us in May 2011, when we first purchased our house. She was 9 years old at the time, although never has she acted her age. Even at 14 years old, she was as spry as a 2 year old. Sasha had been living with her first and only owner, when he moved in with his girlfriend. She has 5 Aussies who attacked his 2 white schnauzers, forcing him to rehome them. He was forced to rehome them both.
Sasha was labelled as fearful and not good with other dogs. She was far from this! Miss Sasha was fabulous on leash, and never exhibited signs of aggression! She strolled into our house, making toys her own and the yard her favorite place! Sasha was not needy or dependent, but she would still follow us around.
Sasha loved to dance on her back legs! She would dance for treats, for meal time, for toys, or just for fun! Sasha was happy! I think that is something everyone can agree on. Sasha was the happiest dog I ever knew! She was happy to see you, she was happy to go for a walk, she was happy to go for a car ride, and she was happy everywhere. If she were a person, she would have been the person who walked into a room and lightened it with their smile! She always had a smile on her face!
Sasha came to us in May 2011, when we first purchased our house. She was 9 years old at the time, although never has she acted her age. Even at 14 years old, she was as spry as a 2 year old. Sasha had been living with her first and only owner, when he moved in with his girlfriend. She has 5 Aussies who attacked his 2 white schnauzers, forcing him to rehome them. He was forced to rehome them both.
Sasha was labelled as fearful and not good with other dogs. She was far from this! Miss Sasha was fabulous on leash, and never exhibited signs of aggression! She strolled into our house, making toys her own and the yard her favorite place! Sasha was not needy or dependent, but she would still follow us around.
Sasha loved to dance on her back legs! She would dance for treats, for meal time, for toys, or just for fun! Sasha was happy! I think that is something everyone can agree on. Sasha was the happiest dog I ever knew! She was happy to see you, she was happy to go for a walk, she was happy to go for a car ride, and she was happy everywhere. If she were a person, she would have been the person who walked into a room and lightened it with their smile! She always had a smile on her face!
| Sasha loved everything! Except being held. She always fought being held. Like a typical schnauzer, it had to be on her terms. If she came to you and jumped on you, then yes you can hold her or she will sit on your lap. But don’t you dare try setting her there – she wouldn’t stay! Sasha also had an awesome talent that showed her fearlessness - she would swim into a lake and fetch a stick! As Sasha got older, I entered her in two rounds of tricks classes. She learned several awesome things, and pushed her comfort levels with every class! She even learned how to ride a skate board! Sasha bear flourished in tricks class! In June 2015, I started Sasha and Stone in Canine Nosework, and they loved it! Sasha was sooooo excited to find her source and treat! Unlike Stone who is methodical, Sasha storms into the room, looks one way, then looks another, then storms into the obstacles, sniffing some, and then finding her scent and alerting by frantically looking at me and it and me again, and then hitting it or running it over. Even through her brain tumor, she lived for nosework class every week! No matter how bad of a week she was having, she would brighten up for nosework! |  |
Sasha was an easy dog. She was extremely healthy her whole life. She never took herself too seriously, and she was always a joy to be around! Sasha did not have a mean bone in her body. Sasha was an angel of a dog, and now she is free of pain and suffering and enjoying the good life with Cori, Kit, Izzy, and Freddy.
We love you so much Sasha Bear, Sasha Fierce! You will be missed more than words can say! I cannot believe we have lost you already! I was not ready. I know one is never ready, but two days ago you were ok. In August they told us you had 1-6 months left to live. I couldn’t accept that. I looked long and hard, and found something that may help you. An experimental vaccine made from another dogs tumor. It may shrink hers or slow it down or do nothing. It was a risk we would take. Sasha did beautifully with the vaccine, but in January 2016 when we repeated her MRI the tumor was slightly larger. They again said 1-6 months left. We held out hope that she would live until summer. She was doing so well! So well! Happy, healthy, running, enjoying life. And then she wasn’t. We started her on Prednisone to help with brain swelling. It got us a month. A month of happiness and joy. A month of her smile and love. A month. I would have loved more. So much more. She was our sunshine! Then Tuesday she was wobbly. Tuesday night she would stop moving, and slowly collapse. Then lay there for minutes. Wednesday morning she woke up late, but ate breakfast. She slept most of the day. Wednesday evening I came home to excessive diarrhea, and once she woke she was bad. Very bad. She couldn’t stop circling. When she did stop she would fall. So unsteady. And when I would try to hold her she would scream and moan. And then she would collapse and be limp. Her breathing was shallow. Her heart rate fast. Wednesday night was rough. It was horrible. But we held out hope. Hope that she would be ok. That she would snap out of it. Give her a higher dose of Pred. She’ll come out of it. The swelling will go down. It didn’t. Even with IV Dexamethasone. She didn’t get better. By Thursday (today) she couldn’t even stand. As much as I wanted her to get better, those beautiful brown eyes told me it was time. I needed to let her go. She was ready to let go.
We love you so much Sasha Bear, Sasha Fierce! You will be missed more than words can say! I cannot believe we have lost you already! I was not ready. I know one is never ready, but two days ago you were ok. In August they told us you had 1-6 months left to live. I couldn’t accept that. I looked long and hard, and found something that may help you. An experimental vaccine made from another dogs tumor. It may shrink hers or slow it down or do nothing. It was a risk we would take. Sasha did beautifully with the vaccine, but in January 2016 when we repeated her MRI the tumor was slightly larger. They again said 1-6 months left. We held out hope that she would live until summer. She was doing so well! So well! Happy, healthy, running, enjoying life. And then she wasn’t. We started her on Prednisone to help with brain swelling. It got us a month. A month of happiness and joy. A month of her smile and love. A month. I would have loved more. So much more. She was our sunshine! Then Tuesday she was wobbly. Tuesday night she would stop moving, and slowly collapse. Then lay there for minutes. Wednesday morning she woke up late, but ate breakfast. She slept most of the day. Wednesday evening I came home to excessive diarrhea, and once she woke she was bad. Very bad. She couldn’t stop circling. When she did stop she would fall. So unsteady. And when I would try to hold her she would scream and moan. And then she would collapse and be limp. Her breathing was shallow. Her heart rate fast. Wednesday night was rough. It was horrible. But we held out hope. Hope that she would be ok. That she would snap out of it. Give her a higher dose of Pred. She’ll come out of it. The swelling will go down. It didn’t. Even with IV Dexamethasone. She didn’t get better. By Thursday (today) she couldn’t even stand. As much as I wanted her to get better, those beautiful brown eyes told me it was time. I needed to let her go. She was ready to let go.
The loss of her is hardest on Matt, as we got Sasha when we rehomed his dog Toots. Sasha was his buddy. The would watch football together, and when his team scored a touch down, he would yell ‘touch down!’ and Sasha would grab a toy and jump up and down! Sasha snuggled with Matt on the couch, while Pyper and Cori were next to me.
Sasha Fierce – you fought an amazing fight! You told that tumor where to stick it for 8 long months, 10 months if you include your first episode! You were always so elegant. So put together. So well behaved. She was an amazing dog! We will miss you so very much our little white polar bear! You were the best dog anyone could ask for! Your loss will be a hole in our hearts forever! Run free my love! Until we meet again my little one! We love you so much and miss you more than words can say! I will miss that smile!
Once there was 3, and now there is only 1 little miss mini in the house :(
~Shantel.
Sasha Fierce – you fought an amazing fight! You told that tumor where to stick it for 8 long months, 10 months if you include your first episode! You were always so elegant. So put together. So well behaved. She was an amazing dog! We will miss you so very much our little white polar bear! You were the best dog anyone could ask for! Your loss will be a hole in our hearts forever! Run free my love! Until we meet again my little one! We love you so much and miss you more than words can say! I will miss that smile!
Once there was 3, and now there is only 1 little miss mini in the house :(
~Shantel.
RSS Feed