Whitefish Dog and Home

Gulfstream Goes to the Dogs

A Fresh View Of The Ride on A GII

Since more pets began traveling on private jets, I wanted to get a canine perspective on how that ride measures up. Our SpokesDog, Surf Dog Ricochet, was more than happy to help us out with that assignment. Ricochet has agreed to help put a face on our campaign to promote standardized pet safety protocols on private jets.

For those of you unfamiliar with Surf Dog Ricochet, she was originally trained to be a Service Dog but had a little too much interest in chasing squirrels and such. She could also surf really well, so her Mom decided to focus on that strength instead and now Ricochet lives a life helping people focus on what they CAN do as a SURFice dog. She raises money for worthy causes and promotes kindness, charity, philanthropy and social responsibility. Stop by and see her story at: http://www.surfdogricochet.com/ and be sure to join her on Facebook!

It just made sense to her when she rode on a Gulfstream 200, that she should share her take on it with her fellow pawsengers who might be considering this kind of ride.

A Ride on Air FURce One

By Surf Dog Ricochet for Whitefish Dog and Home:

OK, so can I just paws for a moment here and say “Oh yeah baby!” This is the way a girl of my stature is meant to fly. There were just a few steps up into this nice vehicle, no jumping required. The carpeting was thick and soft and looked to be almost a butter cream Persian. I could stand and walk freely, no crouching which was nice of course. There was an attendant on board who appeared to be there simply for my comfort which was also a nice touch. I wonder why nobody has thought of that for the back seat of the car? You know sometimes I would like the air vent adjusted in the car or a sip of water… but I digress.

My own personal seat was thick and well cushioned and the leather was a rich, soft, buttery piece of heaven. My attendant made it even more luxurious by putting a soft blanket on it for me and propping pillows around me. These were supposed to be part of keeping me safe, but I gotta tell you I was in dog heaven. My Ruff Rider harness slid right onto the aircraft seat belt like they were made for each other and I was as secure as ever. It was really cool; the attendant took a few minutes to teach my Mom different bracing positions for us in case there was turbulence or an accident and we even practiced, which was fun at first but then got pretty boring. She even had a special pet oxygen mask on board for me in case we lost our usual air supply when cruising around way up high. I tell ya, I could relax and enjoy the cushy seat because she thought of everything! I got up and walked around a bit too, which is something you like to do on a long ride that you can’t do in a car. I found that to be a big advantage! I discovered a small kitchen where you could counter surf if nobody was looking, a definite plus over a car. Then on my way back to my seat I discovered a couch!! The fancy airplane people call it a “divan” but it was just like my couch at home and it was sweet! You could really stretch out on it, but it wasn’t quite as worn or quite as squishy as my sofa. It is the only thing I think they might want to work on over there at Gulfstream. You could sprawl there and watch the nice flat screen TV without straining at all. We even got Animal Planet… BOL!

Did I mention how easy it is to eat while in one of these vehicles? They have beautiful burled wood tables that make it simple to enjoy a nice meal served by the aforementioned personal attendant. It is so much more civilized than rooting old Snausages out of the cracks in the back seat… seriously!

FURst Class Service

As we left I noticed the GII has two drivers. Maybe one was just learning?? Anyway, they were nice and they did a good job and one gave me a cookie so that was just icing on a perfect day. This was a beautiful way to travel and if you can talk your people into this mode of transportation you should definitely go for it!! I hear that, just like cars, they make many models. I hope to try them all soon. A girl could get used to this, BOL!

G200 As Tested:

Long Range Cruise: Mach 0.75

Range at Long Range Cruise: 3,400 nm

Basic Operating Weight: 19,500 lbs

Engine Type: PWC PW306A

Thrust Rating: 6,040 lbs

Typical Passenger Payload: 4 passengers

Cabin Length: 24 ft 5 in

Cabin Height: 6 ft 3 in

Cabin Width: 7 ft 2 in

Wingspan: 58 ft 1 in

New Base Price: $ 21.5 M

Ricochet’s Likes:

Sleek and Luxurious from every angle
Soft, Cushy and furbulously comfortable
Can stand up and walk around
Counter Surfing and Couch
Smooth, quiet ride with quiet soothing hum in background

Ricochet’s Less Likes (what’s to dislike?):

Couch could be sloppier and squishier
Can’t open windows and stick head out
Can’t see out front window when driving

Overall rating: 4 Paws UP!!!!!!!

Ricochet’s “personal attendant” was provided by Whitefish Dog and Home . Whitefish Dog and Home provides pet sitters who will spoil your pet wherever you may roam as flight attendants and pet nannies. We are all trained commercial and corporate flight attendants and have developed standardized Pet Safety Protocols for pets flying on private jets. Learn more about us at our website: www.whitefishdogandhome.com and keep up with us there!

Each of our crew members travels with a pet seat restraint, a pet flotation device and a Pet Oxygen Mask and is certified in Pet First Aid and CPR. We are also available to train flight crews in Pet Safety on private jets.

Pet Safety is important however you travel, so give it some thought no matter how you and your pet get around. BOL, buckle up and enjoy the ride!!

**Special thanks to Surf Dog Ricochet and her Mom Judy, who both only fly private in cloudless skies over sparkling rainbows.

Flying Your Dream

Maxx and Buddy are letting me have the floor today… I feel honored.

I thought I should share here at Whitefish Dog and Home how this whole thing came about, since I recently shared this article over at Lean-In.org which was more than an honor. Seemed kind of silly I had never told the story of how we got started right here at home, so sit back, relax and enjoy the flight folks…

Truly successful people tell us that the way to be successful is to follow our passions.

I know, I started hearing it in business school and continued reading it in publications as a flight attendant for a commercial airline. Yes, you read that correctly. I never quite fit any precise mold, so after I graduated from college I decided to take a little time and enjoy myself as a flight attendant, much to my parents’ dismay. At any rate, I could never make the mental leap of how I could possibly just take that step and follow my passions and be really successful.

I flew for many years and searched a lot. I became a CPA, founded and ran an international non-profit, volunteered when I could and flew all around the world meeting thousands of people. All the while, my true passion was taking shape, and one day on the way to work from Kalispell, MT to Salt Lake City, I sat next to another flight attendant who told me about the world of private aviation. I leaned in…

Flying as a corporate flight attendant on private jets was perfect for me, and still is! It requires a level of independence, ingenuity, integrity and management skills that I had and yearned to use. I also loved fine culinary training and etiquette protocols and procedures. When I took my specialized safety training for private jets, the final piece fell in place. I learned about an accident where the humans survived but the dog on board did not. Now, I’m a huge animal lover and advocate, and this stopped me dead in my tracks. I had many years of safety training, but animals in the cabin was new to me and I could not handle the fact that there were no real safety provisions for them when I asked for specifics. I leaned in a little further…

I developed the first standardized Pet Safety Protocols for pets flying on private jets or in the cabin that cover everything from turbulence to bracing positions and evacuation. I also got trained in pet first aid and CPR. I knew that my clients who traveled with their pets thought of them as family members, and they deserved the same safety considerations as their humans. I wasn’t sure if others would care as much as I did about this, but I knew I would feel better if anything happened, knowing that I could help all of my passengers.

Next I developed a brand that told my story and how it could satisfy a client’s unmet needs based on those safety protocols. I studied SEO and social media integration and worked to get the word out about what I was doing that was different. The best part was that I enjoyed every minute of it because I loved what I was doing! Here’s the key that anyone can take away from this. Start with what you know how to do well. Then think about what you love to do most. Finally examine where there is an unmet need in the work force combining your skills and your passions to satisfy that unmet need. Think in terms of how you can help others. Lots of folks are out there with his or her hand out these days and it gets exhausting for those doing the hiring. Plan to do plenty of giving for a while to show how you can help and why life will be easier with you around. Don’t wait for the perfect job to find you, leaning back in your chair… Lean in and get up and create the perfect job and take it to others! Just because you are settled in an established career doesn’t mean you can’t tweak it and follow your own dream. You don’t have to start all over and become an astronaut, start with what you know and use it.

So when I was interviewed by HGTV, and they said I had the “dream job,” all I could do was agree. I mean, when I was a commercial flight attendant if someone had asked me to combine my passions into one dream job I would have come up with:

“Flight Attendant on Private Jets, specializing in traveling with Animals!”

Then I would have laughed and said; but of course, that’s impossible…

Dolce, Gabbana, Romeo Boots and Tiger (in carriers) make the most of a ride with Auntie Carol (especially Dolce, who found Auntie FIRST)

Freedom Flight!

It was a beautiful morning in Long Beach, CA… a perfect sunrise shining light on a wonderful thing happening quietly on the ramp at Global Exec Aviation. Captain Ramon, Second Officer Dan and Orange Dog Founder, Jan Folk had plenty to smile about as they met each of the lucky 60 dogs they would be taking to the Edmonton Humane Society. The Edmonton Humane Society is a fabulous facility that is a no-kill shelter in Canada that has a shortage of small dogs, Jan discovered. The shelters in southern California where she lives were just overflowing with them and they were being destroyed on a regular basis. Jan learned about a great gal with Westjet, Lori, who was quietly taking a few dogs at a time up to Canada to friends who would adopt them and helping as best she could. Jan knew she had the capacity to step it up a notch and so she did. This was her 5th Freedom Flight where she loaded 60 shelter pups on her private jet so they wouldn’t be in cargo and flew them up to loving waiting arms. I offered the services of Sit ‘n Stay Global’s in-flight staff to assist and was honored that she accepted. I was lucky enough to get to experience the joy of giving a new life to these beautiful babies. I kind of thought of it as a “joy ride” if you will!!

You might think that a flight like this would be totally chaotic and crazy, but it was not. It was as if these little guys knew a good thing was happening and a certain calm descended over the cabin. I have worked many crazier trips to New York on flights full of humans most certainly! A few of them had a story to tell, but like humans, once you listened to their story they settled down and took a nap and just enjoyed the ride…

Upon landing we were greeted with complete joy and celebration. I learned that there was actually a waiting list for each dog and that folks would be camping out at the Edmonton Humane Society on the eve of the morning they went up for adoption! I toured the facility later that day and it resembled nothing I had ever seen in the US. Soothing music played everywhere, there were soft beds, fountains, open areas, and an abundance of volunteers taking dogs out for walks. Cats slept on fleece blankets in elaborate “cat trees” rather than in cages. Play rooms and organized play time… what a concept. I toured with a delightful new friend, Jessica, from Darford Pet Food Co. who has a very cool program called “Plus One” where they put a wrapped meal inside every treat or food box that you can donate right in the store where you purchase it. Local shelters then pick up the donated food and feed the pets waiting for a home. Simple, easy and so desperately needed! I tell you, I was just so humbled on this trip by the immense good I saw happening out there by folks like you and me who are just taking what they do and what they have and using it to help those who can’t help themselves.

So next time you look up and see one of those beautiful private jets flying overhead and you wonder if it’s some fancy person doing something important… Realize it indeed might be something very important happening inside that jet. It might be a real JOY RIDE in the works! If you would like to help support the next Freedom Flight in some small way, go to the Orange Dog website where they have a great store with eco-friendly products you will enjoy owning. All of the proceeds from sales support this terrific cause. A little bit of you will be on the next flight. Check out more pics there of the real stars of the show!!

http://www.orangedog.ca/

Ruhee, Jessica, Jan Welcome! — **A Successful Trip!**

When the Fur Flies

A big and growing part of Sit ‘n Stay Global is the pet travel aspect. We are all former commercial flight attendants who have made the transition to the corporate side and now work on private jets. The cool thing is, we specialize in clients who travel with their pets which delights us to no end. We started out getting a name in the industry because I learned about a high-profile accident involving a private aircraft where the humans survived but the dog family member did not because he flew through the cabin and died on impact with the bulkhead. That horrified me, so I sat down and re-wrote all of my manuals for our pet passengers. Why should we bring them on board and simply hope for the best? Why not have them ready for take-off like this:

You might recognize this beautiful young lady. This is Surf Dog Ricochet and she is our SpokesDog to help demo how to use all of the safety equipment we use on board and the bracing positions we recommend to survive an emergency. Ricochet was originally trained as a service dog so she asked that we adapt all of these Pet Safety Protocols we developed for our pawsengers on private jets for service animals and cabin pets on commercial flights and so we did. If you click on the “Air Safety” link on our website http://www.sitnstayglobal.com/ you can learn all sorts of ways to travel more safely with your cabin pet or service animal on a commercial flight.

We are very fortunate here at Sit ‘n Stay, that most of our flying is now with clients who travel with their fur children. That is the most fun! We cater great meals:

And often we even stay on at the destination as the Pet Nanny to help folks out. It is great because the pet already knows us and isn’t left alone in a suite or villa for long hours while their pet parent works or tours doing things that the pet can’t. We go out and find things we can do together, there are great ipad apps now that tell us where the best pet friendly beaches, hikes, cafes and even shopping can be found. We snap pics and send them back to the parents so they know we are having fun. At the end of the day we play concierge and either find something great for them to do that evening or pick up whatever they wish at the market so they don’t have to go out and can just enjoy a quiet evening in with their pet, just like home. Priceless!!

Our heart is really in it as safety advocates, though. We are spearheading a campaign to get pet oxygen masks on all private jets, much like the ones that are showing up on more and more fire engines throughout our country. Virtually every aircraft accident involves fire, and we don’t know how our first responders will be equipped, so we must be prepared to help them help our passenger. We also have decompression to consider as well.

Each of our flight attendants also carries a pet flotation device because sure your dog can swim, but can she swim for 10 hours and if she is injured and in shock?? We carry proper seat restraints which are set up preflight so we don’t have to scramble in the event of turbulence. We secure all carriers to the aircraft frame so they do not leave the floor in the event of turbulence and line them with padding. Each of us are trained in pet first aid and CPR, because you really don’t want someone on board to just look at your family member if her lips turn blue at 40,000 feet.

This is our passion, to change how we look at these living souls we bring onto aircraft and not simply hope for the best. We bring them with us because they are a member of our family… let’s start treating them as such!

Canine Cancer Hits Home

Hi, Buddy here. Something’s up this morning… Not getting my morning food. Love my morning food! Where’s my morning food??? Mom says we are going to see the nice doctor because I have a m-e-l-a-n-o-m-a on my belly and it has to come off. It is kind of near my hoo-hoo, which I am very fond of, so I hope they are careful in there. Mom says I will get extra Frosty Paws tonight so it is all good, after all, I am Buddy! Will let you know how it all goes later, wish me luck! In the meantime, Mom has posted a link so you other Pet Parents can read up on Pet Melanoma and know what to look for.

Melanoma in Dogs

Canine Cancer Hits Home, Recovery

Hey, Buddy here. Still a little lazy today, and kinda seeing double. Things went really well yesterday. I was very brave, of course… I am Buddy! The doc says she “got it all” which seems to be really important. Be sure to look at some of those articles my Mom referenced because if you catch this m-e-l-a-n-o-m-a thing early they can get the growth and a good margin of tissue around it and make sure that you can keep on keepin’ on. Today Mom is adding a link to this really cool foundation that is doing a lot of research on cancer in dogs; The Morris Animal Foundation. You can learn more about canine cancer there or if you have some extra money after buying squeaky toys and treats you can even send them some and maybe help them find some ways to fight this nasty thing. They do work with cats and horses and wildlife too, but we all know the really important work is with dogs!
So thanks for all of your well wishes, and even cards!!! I feel really loved and love you all right back. I’ll keep you posted on things I learn on how to beat this thing so keep checking back. Time for another nap now.
Buddy.

Morris Animal Foundation
http://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/

THE EVIL BLUE PILL

Hi, Buddy here again. I just finished one of my two favorite times of the day… meal time! Breakfast was a veritable feast prepared by my Dad. Let me tell you about it. I had a half a cup of grain free Wild Salmon and Sweet Potato kibble, topped with grain free premium Wild Salmon and Duck wet dog food, sprinkled with a few spoonfuls of julienned carrots, summer squash and zucchini (heard some muttering about the cost of that don’t ya know) and green beans. Moistened ever so slightly with organic chicken broth and warm water and topped with a gourmet cheese ball. Today’s cheese ball was sharp white Wisconsin Cheddar. At first glance you might have thought it was Jack or Mozzarella, but the first bite confirmed sharp Wisconsin Cheddar and it had a nice bite to it.

As you can see, I am a hearty eater and cleaned my plate nicely. It is as shiny as new except for, wait… what is that? Yup, the evil blue pill they “hid” in the cheese ball. Am I the dog or what? BOL! I can find that pill in anything!! Word to the wise, if you handle it this way you always get a second cheese ball or maybe even a peanut butter ball. It’s totally worth all of the “eye rolling” from your humans. BMAO!

LIVING LARGE with cancer

Hey folks, Buddy here. Some of you know me and some of you are new here so I just thought I’d introduce myself. About a year ago this month I got really sick with an ear infection that crossed the membrane into my brain and I almost died. The folks at the doc’s office worked really hard to save me and pulled me through and I was lucky. I may have had a hard time fighting the ear infection because it turned out I had M-e-l-a-n-o-m-a and my immune system was pretty shot. My smart doc noticed my thyroid was way off too and got me started on meds that fixed that right up.

The battle began and we removed 3 growths before my parents and the doc decided that enough was enough with the surgery already, it was time to give me a break and see what happened. I was pretty pooped.

Turns out, though that the doc had another trick up her sleeve and started me on a low dose of Prednisone that is a treatment combined with my thyroid meds that really boosted my immune system and gave me a new lease on life. I stopped growing masses and lesions and had great energy and a wild summer full of swimming and fun and felt like a puppy again!

I’ve left my great remission, but here’s the deal. I’m a dog. I don’t know I’m not in remission and I’m not even sure what cancer is. That’ s my whole point here, I’m Buddy and I just love being a dog. I love my people and I love every day. I don’t worry about what I did yesterday or what I’ll do tomorrow. I don’t worry about if there’s a new lump here or crusty thing there. I live in a house filled with love with a family that makes sure I am comfortable and I eat great things. I LOVE to eat!

My Mom is pretty active in supporting the cause to find a cure for this canine cancer thing. Her big champion is the Morris Animal Foundation . She even has a Facebook page for me, Buddy! It’s a cool place where I can tell about how my life is going and folks can share info and stuff about how they are fighting the battle with their dogs. I have made some great friends there! I guess I just want to remind everyone that we just have every day, maybe we should all take it a little more like a dog. Just be yourself, enjoy what you’re doing, don’t worry about what comes next and go ahead and get silly!

Stop by and visit me on Facebook at the link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Buddys-Be-The-Dog-Life/115882578485229

HAVE FUN!

Being the Dog

Hey, Buddy here. A few of you are new to my whole life and missed one of my initial posts introducing myself and why things are the way they are. Mom thought we should re-post this for those of you new FURiends and remind you all how important it is to just “Be the Dog!” It’s a big lesson for humans to learn, but watch us dogs closely… and learn ::

Buddy’s “Be the DOG” Life

We lost our first dog, Bob, to hemangiosarcoma quite suddenly in February of 2006. He was a Golden/Pyr mix, only 8 years old and the love of our life. It took us a while to process the shock and grief, but when we finally did we started watching Petfinder.com and our local shelters for some new paws in our house. It was too quiet. Finally I saw not one, but two of our biggest weaknesses come in to the local shelter on the same day… two Goldens. One was eight and the other was four. I was leery of the eight year old, didn’t want to lose another that soon, but the 4 year old sounded perfect. Off I went.

I met Buddy (the 4 year old) first. I was in a fenced “meet-and-greet” area when they brought me in. To say he was enthusiastic would be understating it in a big way. Buddy knocked me over with his big love. He was sweet, but I was afraid he was a little overwhelming and might be a bit much for the 2 cats we had waiting at home. I asked about the other Golden who had been brought in on the same day, might they be related? Turns out the family was moving and could not take the dogs with them so surrendered them to the shelter. They brought out the 8 year old girl and she just quietly leaned against me and looked up with the sweetest eyes that could not be denied. She was Buddy’s mother. You may have guessed by now… I went home with 2 dogs. I didn’t really want the wild man and I didn’t really want the 8 year old and I ended up getting 2 of the best dogs we could ever want in our life!

We became a wonderful family, as if we had always been together. Three years later, canine cancer reared its ugly head once again in our life. In February of 2010, Buddy became critically ill with an ear infection that crossed the membrane into his brain. I took him over to the vet each day and sat on a stool outside his cage so he wouldn’t think he had been dropped off at the shelter again or feel scared and alone while they fought to save his life. Each night I would take him home and we would watch over him to make sure he made it to the next morning. We also found a growth on his head that just looked like a blood blister. Turns out the growth was Melanoma, and chances are the ear infection got so out of control because his immune system was severely compromised and couldn’t fight a normal infection. The vet and all of the techs saved him, removed the growth and we started looking at things a little differently. We were told they got “clean margins” which is great, so not to worry.

About 6 months later another growth popped up, we had it removed and it was also melanoma. Still a “stage 1” so no need for real concern according to the doc. Our radar was much more attentive now. A month later, another growth. We went in and removed this one as well since Buddy was strong. When another growth showed up a month after that, we had a talk with the doc. I did not want to keep “slicing and dicing” our dog and she agreed that any more surgery would not be a good idea. The disease was becoming systemic and it was now time to see where it went and move into the comfort and maintenance stage of care (palliative care) for Buddy.

A few months later Buddy suddenly started balking at going up stairs and his back legs grew weak. I was afraid the cancer had metastasized to his brain. We took him in, and the doc felt it was more an arthritis situation… everything is not cancer when your dog has cancer! When Buddy had been so sick with the ear infection, his doctor had discovered that his thyroid levels were way down. Since that time he had been on thyroid medication. She added a very low dose of Prednisone and by the next day he was back to being Buddy! What I later learned is that this combination is actually a cancer treatment put forth by Alfred J. Plechner, DVM and it worked like a charm on Buddy. Buddy enjoyed a wonderful 5 month complete remission with no new growths and boundless energy.

Two months ago Buddy, quite unceremoniously, emerged from remission. In our daily adoration of all that is Buddy we noticed a new mass. Then a new lesion. Then another mass. We notice a new “something” pretty regularly now. The important thing is that Buddy still feels good. That is our only absolute and steadfast rule. Buddy must be enjoying being Buddy. Every day must be the best day of Buddy’s life and our goal is to make this one better than the last. I was feeling pretty badly one day after finding a new mass and just looking at him longingly, when he just rolled onto his back and started rolling back and forth with a big grin on his face just begging to be scratched and tickled. This, of course, I did and he kicked his legs and wiggled with glee. It struck me that we really have so much to learn about how to live from dogs. Buddy was not focused on cancer. He did not know he had a new “mass” and could care less. Right now he felt good and he was happy, so let’s celebrate being happy. You see there are only two times in a dog’s life: NOW and NOT NOW. Dogs live in the NOW and it makes everything so much simpler.

I have read more than once how important it is when facing cancer with your dog to keep your attitude positive and keep life normal for them. They pick up so much from our moods. Don’t begin living life as if they are gone before they are. It’s not easy at first, but when you get the hang of it you have so much fun just “being” with your fur kid again and you find you aren’t missing the NOW. Buddy even started a facebook page to spread awareness from a dog’s perspective:

Buddy’s “Be the Dog” Life

It is a place where we share resources and news about cancer so we can all learn and help each other. Most importantly, it is a place where Buddy checks in with the fun things he is doing and even how he feels when he goes to the doc. He’s doing what he does best, and that’s “Be a Dog.” It kinda helps keep pet parents fighting the fight grounded and reminded of what this is like from the pet’s perspective. Once you can do that, it is a whole lot easier to get your attitude back on track and get into the NOW and just throw the ball or have another treat or just enjoy a walk in the sunshine.

So that’s where we stand with Buddy right now. He is a gentle giant and we are enjoying every day with him thoroughly. We are reminded to live every day and not wait for later, to love every day and not waste it yearning for something else or dwelling on what isn’t. We are truly having the best time. It is a wonderful lesson we plan to take forward with us and learn from our best friend and hopefully pass on to those who are lucky enough not to have to go through cancer to learn these great truths. Now if you’ll excuse me, it is a sunny day and I think I’ll just go out and roll around in the warm sun!

Things that go Lump in the night :O

Hey folks, Buddy here. Wow, crazy week around this place. It started out just normal and fine the way I like it. Then on Tuesday I was out front doing the “roll of joy” (see below for photo of me doing it in camp last summer) and Mom was doing the proper “adoration of Buddy” when her giggles suddenly stopped. I wondered if maybe I had done the dreaded “poom of joy???” but no, it was still all clear around us so what’s up? Then she started talking all nice again so I guessed all was good but boy did I get a GREAT massage then! I’ll let ya look at my roll of joy while she passes along a few words about what she learned…

Thanks Buddy, Carol here… We have been on this journey with Buddy for 2 years now. We watch him faithfully for new growths. He has had over 12 cancerous growths removed, but only the last Mast cell tumor was removed without clean margins. That means the tumor was not fully contained and some cells had escaped. We became more vigilant. For those of you fighting the battle, or those of you who may have it ahead of you, it is helpful to keep a list of growths you find and note their precise location and size and texture, and date you find them. Take the emotion out of it and keep facts. These are important to share with your vet, not frightened hysterical “ohmygawdIfoundalumpthesizeoftexas” calls. This information will help you help your pet, it will also keep you focused which will keep you calmer.

Lumps, let’s talk about lumps. I am not a vet. I am not an expert. I HAVE gone through this more times than average, though and learned a lot and I want to pass along what I have learned because I have been blessed with some docs who treat me as a colleague and teach me instead of talk at me. If the lump is soft, squishy, will move around and is not attached to something; that is usually a good sign. Hard and attached to something, not so good. Lumps on the skin: white are usually better (lots of warty things, called “skin tags”) black: get it checked out. The cauliflower ones can go either way. Red bumps on skin: check ’em out. Bleeding bumps on skin, oozing bumps: check ’em out.

Let’s talk about the vet. If the doc talks at you rather than with you, find a new one. If they are willing to settle with “your pet has cancer, good-bye now” move on. You CAN do better. There are choices in treatment. Our personal choice was not to do chemo but to go with the best quality of life for Buddy as long as he can have it. That’s what “being the dog” is all about. It’s not about “being MY dog” but that’s our choice. There are meds, though, that he can take to slow the process and keep him very comfortable. I think you can tell from his posts that he leads an extremely comfortable life… There are resources online to help you find a doctor in your area who treats pets with cancer. I will post some links to help you find them. DON’T SETTLE. You can also consult oncologists online.

Let’s talk about making an appointment once you have found a good doc. Once again, it is all about your pet. I learned after a while that you find a lump, you watch it for a while. You see how fast it grows. Cancer grows very fast. Lypomas (fatty tumors) typically do not. You consider location. Some locations, the mass cannot afford to grow much because if they have to remove it they cannot take much area around it to get clean margins without compromising your pet (paw, jaw, chest, etc.) so you may call sooner. At any rate, you have decided to call and evaluate a growth. If you just call for “an appointment” you get the quick visit scheduled. If the doc thinks it needs more study, you have to come back to have it aspirated (a needle inserted to remove some cells to examine them to see if they are cancerous) or have x-rays or a sonogram done. Your pet now has to have 2 visits to the vet. More trauma. So, when you call you very politely explain to the person making the appointment that you want to bring your pet in to have a mass evaluated. You understand that it will be the doctor making the decision but you would like to schedule an appointment long enough to allow for x-rays or to do an aspiration. This is not a question, this is a statement. They will do it, trust me and you all end up getting everything done with much less stress and hassle.

The pet exam: Another thing I just learned. So I check Buddy all the time. I remind everyone on his Facebook page to do it on the 14th of every month. When Buddy rolled over the other day and I was rubbing his belly, I was shocked. There in deep, just above his penis was a golf ball size mass. I am being blunt here, because I must admit when I check him I kind of don’t go there if you know what I mean. This was big and well-formed. I was sick. How had I missed this? It was deep is how. I had to palpate in deep like a doctor does when they feel for your spleen or liver. I started doing this all over him and found another golf ball hiding in among his ribs. There was another up in deep on his left groin. His abdomen was full. Of course I thought the worst. They seemed softish to me, but his abdomen was full for goodness sake. I made the appointment and we went in and we did x-rays too. I learned that a 9 year old Golden can quite typically start growing these fatty tumors and can grow as many as 10 or 15! We were lucky this time, and I want you to know that too. No matter how dark it looks… you can go in and get good news, so don’t despair until given the worst news. Even then, live each day because your dog does not know what cancer is… they are just “being the dog” just like yesterday after all and it is the best gift you can give them to let them continue.

OK, Buddy here, so can I finish. Sheesh, I give her my blog and she just goes to town. I don’t know what all the hoopla was about, but the best part was after the trip to the vet… We went to get PUPCAKES!!!! That is the most important part about “being the dog.” Oh sure, it’s important to eat right when you have cancer and all, but you know what? It’s ok to take a break once in a while and just let it all go and celebrate. The pupcake didn’t kill me, and I think it even did Mom some good too… Go out there and enjoy every day folks! Start today… go out there and have a pawsitively BUDDY day!! ::

**If you are seeking a vet in your town who can help your pet, don’t be afraid to call each office and ask specifically if they have someone who is familiar with pets with cancer. Sometimes this will be mentioned on their website. If you are having trouble finding good information, try contacting these resources… they may know of doctors near you that have worked with cancer patients.

The Animal Cancer Foundation Morris Animal Foundation