Life is a Highway...

A Holiday Tail by John Grogan

Brings back memories our little girl, Jo-Jo -- the joys she brought us.
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My wife and I were just beginning our life together, basking in those joyous early days of marriage, when we decided to bring home a puppy. We named him Marley and watched with amazement -- and a little dismay -- as our squiggling yellow fur ball quickly morphed into a surging 98-pound tornado that gleefully crashed through our home and lives with destructive force, shredding pillows, gouging walls, and punching out screens as he went. Life would never be the same.

We tried obedience training; Marley was expelled. The vet prescribed sedatives, which only caused our irrepressible Labrador retriever to hop on his hind legs begging for more.

When it was just the three of us, it was almost bearable, but as our family grew, our patience for Marley's antic dwindled. We were ready to give up on him shortly after Jenny delivered our second baby. It had been an arduous pregnancy that included three months of bed rest. We were sleep-deprived and wondering how we would make it through another day. "You find a new home for him, or I will," my defeated bride demanded one dark day after Marley had ripped open the couch.

It was the holidays, the season when many families welcome new pets into their homes. It was a time to celebrate the joy a pet can bring, especially to a family with children. We had always believed a dog was the greatest gift a parent could give a child. Yet here we were, raising the white flag of defeat.

Then the spirit of Christmas intervened. As we decorated the tree, our babies gazing at the twinkling lights, our dog in a rare calm moment asleep at their feet, we knew we couldn't give up. What was Christmas if not a reminder of what really mattered in life: family, commitment, and acceptance of those we love, flaws and all? Marley wasn't last year's out-of-fashion accessory. He was part of the fabric that was us. In the end, we learned to accept Marley for what he was -- an unapologetic bad boy with a heart as boudnless as the sky. And we were happier for it.

When Marley's time finally came, he was 13 -- a near-centenarian in dog years. He still woke each morning with the same mischievous exuberance he'd had since he was a puppy, but not his health was failing: his hips were shot, his hearing gone, and his teeth worn to brown nubs.

On that last day together, waiting for the veterinarian to bring the injection that would set Marley free from his broken body, I knelt on the floor and stroked his fur. I needed to tell him something before he left. I could see clearly now the value that a dog, even an eternally incorrigible one such as ours, brought to a family. Without trying, Marley had led us to the qualities we all need to prosper: loyalty, optimism, unwavering devotion. He had given us the gift of unconditional love. When a family has that, it has it all.

As he drifted away, I pressed my forehead against his and whispered, "Marley, you are a great dog."

John Grogan is a columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and the author of Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog, now in bookstores.

Posted by John Highway at 01:11 AM | 0 Comments

A sad day that will live in our hearts forever...

My wife and I just wanted to inform everyone the death of our little girl (a german shepherd), Jo-Jo.

She fell ill about a year ago when a hereditary trait (normally recessive) caused her to become afflicted with the case of 'protein losing enteropathy'. In normal and healthy dogs, the bloodstream contains a higher concentration of protein, but in the case our girl, this concentration was considerably lower which caused the fluid to escape into the body and occupy the abdominal cavity area.

While we had been keeping the condition in check with medication and diet -- keeping the quality of life good, her disease had decided progressed further along. Her stomach continued to fill with fluid which require draining every 2 weeks, to the point where her quality of life and happiness came into question.

It was decided at around 3:30PM EST on Friday, August 6th 2004 that we shall release her from her struggle.

At 8:30PM EST, she drifted to sleep with anesthesia followed by a lethal dose of a barbituate, which halted the beating of her heart.

We did this out of our complete love for her and the joy she brought to our lives. You are welcome to visit our website and see the many days of her happiness during her 2 years.

http://www.highwayman.org/gallery/MyJoJoAlbums

Our thoughts and love will always be with her.

Posted by John Highway at 11:34 PM | 0 Comments

JoJo is Back from the Vets

We got JoJo back from the vet and he believed that her chronic intestinal disease acted up again that caused her to retain fluid in her belly. The doctor drained about a liter of fluid from her belly and now she's a little more interactive. She's not allowed to have solid food for another 24 hours and we start with meds (same ones that were prescribed to her when she was first diagnosed with this illness).

I'm glad that it didn't require surgery or overnight stay. Anyways, she's back in her house, sleeping in places she's feels comfortable.

Posted by John Highway at 10:46 PM | 0 Comments

JoJo is at the Vet...

My wife took our little dog, JoJo to the vet this morning around 9am after no improvement in her condition. This whole thing started on Wednesday morning but the previous night, there had been no signs of illness -- come Wednesday, she ate only once and drank a lot. Minutes later, she vomited much of the contents back out and since then, she hasn't really eaten (almost nothing) and drank.

Wednesday during the day, I didn't control her drinking and she vomited the liquid back out. Afterwards, we limited the amount of water available and on Thursday, we changed over to a pedialite-type drink but also limited the amount. She drank each time it was given and luckily, she hasn't vomited any of it. What concerns me is that she hasn't eat and is becoming weaker each day. When we decided to take her to the vet today (Friday, June 4th), she almost lost of her balance down the stairs.

I helped her board my wife's SUV and she took her to the vet, there's been no update since 9:30AM.

Posted by John Highway at 01:45 PM | 1 Comments