Rug Island

Week Three: Princess and I are marooned on Rug Island for 22 days now. On Rug Island there's not much in the way of recreation for a dog and her master. There's no rough housing with brothers Blitz and Jake. Absolutely forbidden is wooshing with sister Pig Pen. Also, ball catching, chasing birds or general mayhem is out - just an occasional calm walk. Mostly just laying in her jacket on an oriental rug - Fun!  Aside from the occasional  glimpse of the rescue ship SS Progress, it's been pretty much the same. Day after day, no sunscreen required. Occasional sightings of SS Progress have caused us to jump and shout for joy. "It's Working!!" Hopefully it is, but we've settled in for the long haul and its a life changing emotional roller coaster.

Rug Island Day 22

Princess is a dog that we love like family. Her cancer is a relative crisis for us but trivial in comparison to people caring for seriously ill family members. They are all around us; at work, in traffic, the store, everywhere. Like us, they're in a holding pattern and they don't let on how tough they have it. Let's keep this in mind and be more kind to to each other at least for the rest of this week - hopefully longer.

Princess heavily favored her right hind leg for the last several days. Today she began walking on it.  We believe that she injured it slipping on the floor Sunday November 6th. She's now recovering from that injury. Her weight is slightly up at 82 lbs. Seven pounds heavier than her diagnosis day October 17th. She has a strong appetite and appears in all other ways a healthy dog. We've been in contact with Dr. Chris for her follow-up x-ray next week. Hopefully, the good news of progress will pluck us from Rug Island for a shower, some junk food and a couple of days of relief.