If you've read my posts over the years, you probably recognize them from the avatar of my dog, Duke. I bought Duke the summer after law school, deciding I'd rather raise a puppy than study for the bar. Unemployed and waiting for bar results, I was able to spend every day of those 4 months training him and watching him grow. He was always so eager to please, listened without hesitation, and lived to "work."
7.5 years later, a routine vet appointment revealed he had rapidly gained 15 lbs and an xray of his abdomen showed a significant growth. We prepared ourselves for the worst, but the tumor appeared to only be attached to the spleen and hadn't spread. We had it removed last week and sent for a biopsy, with the vet feeling optimistic it wasn't cancer. I've been out of town all week at a convention, so my wife waited until I was done with that tonight to let me know she'd learned tuesday morning it was the worst case. Duke has hemangiosarcoma, and has been given 3-6 months to live. While I appreciate that we'll have time to say goodbye, every minute will be equally cherished and painful. So, I'm now sitting in some stupid hotel in St. Louis crying like a child and wondering if I'll sleep before my flight in 6 hours, typing this as some hopeful form of catharsis.
If anyone would like to see more of Duke and the life he's had, you can check it out here: https://www.instagram.com/duke.and.liberty.the.sheps/ . My wife loves our dogs, photography and the outdoors, so she created that account to combine those interests a couple years back. With almost 27,000 followers, Duke is a bit of an internet celeb as pets go. But mostly he was just my friend, and I'm heartbroken.
7.5 years later, a routine vet appointment revealed he had rapidly gained 15 lbs and an xray of his abdomen showed a significant growth. We prepared ourselves for the worst, but the tumor appeared to only be attached to the spleen and hadn't spread. We had it removed last week and sent for a biopsy, with the vet feeling optimistic it wasn't cancer. I've been out of town all week at a convention, so my wife waited until I was done with that tonight to let me know she'd learned tuesday morning it was the worst case. Duke has hemangiosarcoma, and has been given 3-6 months to live. While I appreciate that we'll have time to say goodbye, every minute will be equally cherished and painful. So, I'm now sitting in some stupid hotel in St. Louis crying like a child and wondering if I'll sleep before my flight in 6 hours, typing this as some hopeful form of catharsis.
If anyone would like to see more of Duke and the life he's had, you can check it out here: https://www.instagram.com/duke.and.liberty.the.sheps/ . My wife loves our dogs, photography and the outdoors, so she created that account to combine those interests a couple years back. With almost 27,000 followers, Duke is a bit of an internet celeb as pets go. But mostly he was just my friend, and I'm heartbroken.