Gypsy...The End

Gypsy Gal

Well, this is my 409th and last blog about our sweet, quirky Poodle. Like most dog bloggers, I started this to document Gypsy's life with us and now she is gone.
I still find myself looking for her in the backyard or when I come home from work I expect to see her at the door. We are still very sad over loosing her. The thing is, she had about a perfect dogie life. A long, healthy life. She was always by our side, where she wanted to be. So, we are focusing on how happy she was, always smiling. aka: Smiley
The pics below are a few that I think show what she was all about. She loved to jump, run, play with Dino, and have "Poodle Days." She loved the snow and being on the boat. She loved that we celebrated her birthday by ordering her a cheese burger. (no bread) She was a Dignified Clown. Always willing to play a game of tag with Sandi in the backyard.
Looking through all the pictures of her made me realize she was the most photographed member of our family.
Can somebody tell me how pretty I am???
You were a pretty girl Gyp, very sweet too. Thanks for touching our hearts for 12 years.

Greggs Gypsy Gal 6/5/2005 - 8/25/2017

Her last picture

Our sweet Gypsy left us yesterday. Our hearts are broken.

Sandi and I became more concerned about her condition on Thursday. She was having difficulty standing and getting up and down stairs by that time. We had to carry her from place to place. That evening we all went out in the backyard for "poodle" time. Gypsy tried to rally. She limped out into the yard and tried her best to play with Dino. She pawed at Dino like she usually does but couldn't get a squeak out of him. So she just stood over Dino while Red ran laps around her. This would usually turn into a game of tag but Gypsy couldn't begin to run. I went out and carried her back up onto the deck, laying her on the sofa. We could tell she was in pain and her breathing was labored. We sat and pet her for some time. She looked up at me and her eyes were dull, not bright as usual. And then I noticed that for the first time in her life she wasn't smiling. She just had a different look to her. We knew it was time.

That night she laid on the floor sleeping while Red was sleeping on the other side if the room. They both woke at the same time. Gypsy stood up, very shaky at best. Her rear end almost collapsing. Red quietly walked over, raising his head toward Gyp and she leaned over, nuzzling Red and licking his nose. (photo above) I think Gypsy was telling Red that he was now in charge. We were now his humans to care for.

This is all I can do for now. I will give Gypsy a proper send off in a few days.

Thirsty Gypsy

Gypsy has been drinking tons of water. I know that can be a side effect of the steroids. I finally picked it up tonight. She ate three cups of food so that is a good thing but she is stumbling around and seems weak in the hind end. I took her out the side door to go outside and she fell down the steps. Not sure what is going on. She is sleeping now. Hope she is comfortable.

Chill Time

Here are the two amigo's chillin out this past weekend. Red has been a great puppy/dog. He is over a year old now and fits in just fine. Gypsy does ok with him too. She will actually instigate play time with him. He runs laps around her trying to get a game of chase going. Gypsy isn't much on running anymore.

Gypsy Update

Gypsy has been doing fairly well. She is on "happy pills" that make her a bit loopy but, takes the edge off. We had a big storm the other night with lots of thunder and lightening. She usually will cower in fear during these. She just looked up at me and laid back down and napped. So I guess that was a good thing. She is also on a steroid. We HAVE to get some weight on her. She is totally a bag of bones. One of the side effects of steroids is increased appetite. She has been eating a bit better. Sandi has been warming chicken broth and mixing that with her kibble. If she eats it all she then gets a slice of that refrigerated dog food.
Besides being thin as a rail she seems happy and healthy. She and Red continue to play and run around in the backyard. I walk them together and she is still on the lookout for bunnies and other furry things.

Gypsy Drama

I know that I've been missing in action. Summer came and things got busy, what can I say.
Anyway, I was given a reminder of the whole reason behind doing this blog. That is to have something to remember Gypsy down the road. We had a bit of a scare with Gyp this past week so, here I am blogging.

Sandi called in hysterics on Monday saying she was rushing Gypsy to the Vet. Gypsy was on the deck and when Sandi went out to check on her, she saw that Gypsy had violent diarrhea with a bunch of blood. We left her with the Vet and she had a few more butt explosions there. Turns out she was suffering from canine HGE. They aren't really sure what causes it but many think it can be caused by stress. Over the last few months we've seen a change in Gypsy. She is way more nervous and anxious when Sandi and I are not around. She has lost a few more pounds and hardly eats. So the Vet did some blood work and took xrays. She apparently is in the early stages of Cushings and her liver is a reason for concern. Four days later we brought her home along with a bag of pills. One of the prescriptions is for Doggie Happy Pills. Hopefully these will take the edge off, reducing the stress, and eliminating the HGE. I will continue to try to find the magic mix of food that will entice her to eat. When we brought her home I gave her some kibble with scrambled eggs mixed in and she gobbled it up. this morning I made her some and she turned her nose up at it.

I"ll keep posting on my quirky Gypsy Gal.

Update on Red

 Red is almost 1 year old and I thought I'd give you an update. Fortunately, (for us) not much has changed. He continues to be a solid, well behaved, loving pup. He plays hard, and relaxes hard. Sandi had him going after a Frisbee the other day.

This purple toy is his favorite to retrieve. He'll play fetch all day long. He still thinks he is the boss of Gypsy and will take a bone from her if he wants. Gypsy is so non confrontational that it isn't an issue. He and Gypsy have a good amount of play time in the yard together. He loves to walk the neighborhood, play in the backyard, go downtown and meet other dogs and people. Most of all he likes being the center of attention.

Now that it is warming up, this is a favorite spot of his first thing in the morning. He shares this spot with the cats.

Dino

Here is Gypsy standing over her red Dino. Well Dino used to be red. He is more pink now. Anyway, I've told the story about Dino in the past. This is really the only toy Gyp would ever play with. The company that produces this valuable toy isn't making Dino anymore. They are making a similar toy but the most vital part of the toy has been left off the new version.
The tail is missing!!!
That's correct and Gypsy doesn't want a thing to do with the new model. We found a few of the original Dino's on line and paid a Kings Ransom to get a good supply of them. We are now down to one Dino left in reserve. I think this spring we'll break it out and let Gypsy have some fun.

Work Day Saturday

 We had a Saturday of 70 degree weather here on the Eastern Shore. It was great. I spent all day long outside doing things around the yard. Gypsy and Red were out with us, playing and investigating what I was doing.

The end of the day, they both were worn out and ready for a snooze. Gypsy likes this spot by the patio on the cool grass but close enough to see us.

Red is quickly learning to follow the shady spot. After retrieving that purple thing about 200 times, he needed a nap.

#WOOF

It has been on the cool (cold) side of the spectrum this past week. We tried our best to have outdoor time with the pooches. We've been putting a sweater on Gypsy when it is cold. She seems to like it. She is getting older and is so thin we're afraid that she'll get sick. Now that I look at this picture her sweater looks like it is too small for her. The forecast is predicting more spring like weather over the weekend so, we'll be able to have "poodle days" in the backyard.

And lose the stupid sweater!!!

Gypsy & Red

 Gypsy and Red continue to do well together. They pretty much do their own thing outside. Gypsy looking up into the sky, looking for birds or 747's. Red hangs out and looks for sticks. They do have periods of play. Gypsy likes running laps and Red tries his best to keep up. Gypsy is slowing down some in her old age but can turn it on for short periods. Red is relentless and never gives up even though he has short legs.

After an afternoon of playing laps, they both crash hard. Gypsy was so tired she didn't even care that he wants to share her bed.  A well exercised dog is a happy (good) dog.

Red...Sock Thief

Guilty

Just a quick update on Red. He is fitting in like a champ. Very well behaved and listens nicely. He has an abundance of energy but with a bit of exercise, will chill out. I never had a small dog before Red. I don't think he understands that he is small. He runs laps in the yard, will play fetch for hours, go for a swim in the warm weather, and chase all the birds away from the feeders.
That said, he is a sneak. When we aren't looking he will sneak a bite from the cat food bowl. Just a few pieces and he'll try to chew without making any noise. He is also a notorious sock thief. If he sees a stray sock, he'll quietly steal it and take it to his kennel. He doesn't chew them, he just likes to collect them.

Spring Snow

When I took the dogs out this morning we were greeted by a wet, sloppy snow. Nothing serious, just an annoying mess. We'll hit 50 later today so this is not a big deal.

It made me think of how much Gypsy loves to play in the snow. I pulled a few photos of her playing in the last few snow storms. She loves to run laps through the drifts.
I love the powder snow dude!!!

During this storm we took her into the woods at the edge of the neighborhood. She really likes to run in the woods, smelling all the smells. She always keeps us in viewing distance.
We are ready for spring and warmer weather and the return of "Poodle Days" in the backyard.

Spring Forward

The clocks jumped forward an hour last night and Tang is having difficulty adjusting. Losing that hour of sleep is tough on a cat.

Groomed Poodle

Last week was grooming time for Gypsy. This has turned into one of Gypsy's least favorite things. We have a great groomer that runs the business out of her house. Gypsy has been seeing her for years. She is excited when we get there but, when we go inside, she starts to tremble. Gypsy was starting to resemble Howard Stern so I had to leave her. Obviously she is super excited when we arrive to bring her home. I'm going to try to be much more vigilant between grooming sessions this time around. Bushing on a regular basis and generally keeping up after her. Maybe that will make the next visit to the groomer easier on her.

NO BELLS Returns

No Bells (not his real name) is the cat that lives across the street. When our neighbors moved in, we soon noticed piles of bird feathers in the yard and quickly found their cat guilty of bird murder. We suggested that maybe they attach a bell to the cats collar, giving the birds at least a chance. They never did the bell thing. Thus, the name No Bells. Now that I think about it, attaching a bell to a cats collar would probably drive the cat crazy. Over the years we've become attached to No Bells. He comes to the front door, sending our cats into a frenzy. He just looks at them as if to say "hey, I'm outside and you guys are not...losers!" He then slowly turns his back to our cats, ignoring them.
We haven't seen much of No Bells recently. I occasionally see him down the street in a cat stare down with a few of the new cats in the neighborhood. No Bells keeps a close eye on his turf.
We haven't found any piles of birds feathers in the yard in many months. No Bells must be slowing down in his old age. At least he still comes over for a visit.

Cat Sunday

Adam's Park

We have a little park down the street from us. I think it was actually a lot that the developer couldn't build on so he just gave it to the neighborhood. We call it "Adam's Park." The name came from a neighbors dog. He'd walk Adam down to the park every morning and night to do his business. Like it was his personal doggie bathroom. Plus, he never cleaned up after Adam.
Don't blame Adam!!! It was the knucklehead owner!!!
Don't get be going on people that fail to clean up after their dogs.
Anyway we started calling it Adam's Park. Adam is long gone and thankfully he has not been replaced.

I walk Gypsy and Red down to the park and let them sniff around. This seems to have a calming affect on Gypsy. Not sure why.

Lounging Around

Saturday

It was crazy warm here Saturday. We were up into the 60's. Gypsy and Red spent most of the day hanging out in the back yard.

When we came inside, Red found a sunny spot to lounge around in with his BFF Pokey. They keep an eye on the front yard, on the look out for the cat "No Bells"

Flying Poodle

f

 For those that are new to Gypsy, she used to be a great jumper. As a puppy she would leap out of the back door, getting some big air underneath her. So, we built a jump out of some PVC. I made two heights, 2' and then 4' thinking she'd have to build up to the top setting. Not so much. Gypsy just loved jumping for us.

When ever we had friends over we'd set up the jump and let her do her thing. She really enjoyed it and I think she would try to add a bit of flare when we had guests. We retired her from jumping a few years ago. She started knocking the bar down, something that never happened when she was younger.
Hey, you try jumping over that thing big boy!!!
Gypsy had a great time putting a jumping show on for us. It was a happy time for her.