I really struggled after her death with missing her, then one week-end in early December, I was able to take a small amount of her ashes to the Prado Dog Center to scatter them. Prado was Reah's "home" field for lure coursing and a friend one time said she "owned" Prado. It was where she was happiest. Before an event, they always run the line around the course to make sure it looks okay and I tied her ashes onto the line while they ran it. The boys adjusted without incident.
Then shortly before Christmas, we abruptly lost Zeke, the brown grizzle male. His mother and brother had died earlier of hemangiosarcoma on the spleen and his sister was diagnosed and on experimental chemo. I came home one evening to find him, not crying but vocalizing and I knew. I took him to the ER vet where they did say he had fluid in his abdomen. In the am when the internist came and called, she said he had multiple lesions on his spleen and liver, fibrotic changes in his abdomen and his heart was shot. She had talked with the surgeons who said they would operate but she said he would have to pass a cardiology consult first and she didn't think he would. Barbara and I got to be with him when he died. Since then, his sister has also died. After Zeke died, Kai quit barking and got more and more depressed. I don't know why it surprised me so much because I always knew he was very much a "pack" dog.
I had lost too many salukis to hemangio and could face that again so we looked at other hounds. Whippets and greyhounds and ended up getting a neutered ex-track girl who is 3 1/2. She was the second dog we (including Kai) met, they bumped each other and walked off together. Kai is so much happier and our girl we named Eden(means delight) is settling in. I know there is a high incidence of bone cancer in greys but fingers crossed.
She had been found wandering the streets locally and never did find out about her although we were not the only ones looking. Many saluki people tried to find out where she had come from without success.
She was the dog of a lifetime as far as the lure coursing went and she, not me, was known coast to coast. She was sassy, regal and mischievous all at once and certainly ruled the boys...well, me too. She did what pleased her first and let the chips fall where thy may as the saying goes. In her later years, she would go outside and hunt mice at night. Thankfully she only brought one in! I will always miss her and will meet her at the Rainbow Bridge someday.
Thank you again,
Verial Whitten
San Clemente