Amber's Page
Weight: 80
Breed: Rhodesian Ridgeback
Age when diagnosed: 11
Tumors:
- Osteosarcoma in the
Rib
I picked Amber out of a litter of Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies near Ft. Worth, TX. She was a Christmas dog, born December 27, 1994. In February I drove from Austin to Ft. Worth in my little pickup truck to bring her home. She cried the entire time home, sitting next to me in her little crate in the front seat. To this day she has only barked once (except for wuffs in her sleep), but she whines when she gets excited or anxious.
Our other dog Nocona, a Weimarener, loved her immediately and they've been best friends ever since. He is still around too - he's 13 now so they can't roughhouse the way they used to. I can't tell her story without a bit of Nocona in there, since they've been enter twined all their lives. It has been fun having a gun dog and a hound dog. When we went on walks and got to areas where they could be off-leash, Amber would amble and never look back (though she didn't run far ahead - amble is exactly what she did). Nocona would prance all around but look back at us constantly, for signals. She has the independence of her breed and the mellow temperament hound dogs are known for. At night if there was a noise, Nocona would jump up and assume his spot over our head (which was on our pillow) and then bark the alarm. Amber would silently go stand by the bedroom door and stand there with her head lowered, listening. Not a sound out of her.
While Nocona was nervous around our kids, Amber is like the "Nana" dog from "Peter Pan." If a baby cries, she comes to sniff it and look at us as if to ask what we did to her baby. Wherever the kids are, Amber is there dozing. She never flinches even when a child launches himself off the bed and thumps down right by her head, paws, or tail. She may raise an eyelid or meander to another corner if she has to.
She will go on walks with us but definitely does not pull at the leash! She is happier romping after us in the back yard (will chase us if we run back and forth but she doesn't "run" - she see-saws, her front and back ends alternating up and down like someone rocking a non-rocking horse). That's the closest she comes to barking, and that's what brought out her one and only bark.
She long had a tendency to lick obsessively, giving herself lick granulomas on her hind ankles. We tried medicine for allergies, and a blue body suit, which she chewed (the only thing she really chewed except for a stray sock or bra). Even moving from Texas to California (and the changes in air content) didn't alleviate it. And then, suddenly a couple of years ago, it stopped. We later realized we'd moved within the Bay Area and our yard was much better. Maybe the air is different or she was bored with the other yard. Still, some nights she licks her paws for a loong time, or licks a spot on her bed, and we hear the slurp sound endlessly. Someone will say "Amber stop it" and she'll pause the licking without lifting her head. She'll consider us for a moment, then we'll hear it resume.
My husband has his own way of showing her his affection. He lies down on the floor curled up to her back, even on the dog bed. And then he warts on her - waiting until she dozes and then trying to touch the hair between her foot pads. Or whispering close to her ear until she wakes up, then looks at her innocently. She seems to know he's playing with her. Sometimes she'll crook an eyelid open at him just as he gets close, but not another part of her twitches. Or she'll lift her head up and lick his chin, then plop her head back on the bed.
She has been so gentle, not a hint of aggression ever, even when trying to sleep through my husband's pestering. My other dog, Nocona, has resource guarding issues and can't be inside with our children. It is so refreshing to have a dog love your whole family, children too, like her own puppies. She's just pure gentle love. Of course she's quickly learned that all the kids (we have four) mean lots of opportunities to steal their snacks when they set their plate down on the ground!
She's stoic and hardy, and I'm hoping that helps her fight her cancer. I don't want to include her cancer in her bio because she's not her cancer. Her diagnosis is in our intro.
Wherever I am is where she is - unless the kids are around and then she's napping near them. I can't imagine her ever getting old and leaving us, or sickening and leaving us. She's part of our identity as a family.
Pictures
Three months after diagnosis
As a three-year old
After the rib removal