[lucasmom]

Hi my rottie friends-
Well...today is Lucas' 8th birthday. Thank God he made it to this special day. After I finish writing this we are headed to the ice cream store to buy an ice cream cake for him!! I figured that this would be somewhat better for him than a regular cake...our other thought was a cheesecake, but you all know how MUCH Lucas LOVES ice cream...so it is logical that we celebrate with ice cream cake. This year, I won't humiliate him and have him wear a silly party hat!!

Anne...thanks for the tip on the Slippery Elm and the Maxolon. I have never heard of either of these agents. Could you tell me where you buy them? I have an entire bottle of piroxicam and I would like Lucas to take it if he can tolerate it. Many thanks again.

Gina...I am so sorry to hear about Riley's leg. I can totally relate to your feelings of helplessness. We would do ANYTHING for our baby rotties, but know deep down that there is little that we can do to prolong their time with us. I pray and ask God for "another day" with Lucas every night. That is when I pray for all of you and your dogs as well. Keep loving and spoiling Riley as much as possible.

Moondog...you got me all choked up with your lovely post. What a touching story about the hair in your foot. Lucas' fur is everywhere despite my vacuuming almost every day. It is so funny when I vacuum the stairs........by the time I get to the top of the staircase, there is new fur already settling in the first stairs. I used to get so upset over the futililty in vacuuming my house...now I don't even care and I cherish every hair.

Leslie...your story about Bear also touched my heart. Bear must have been a very special dog and he will live on in your heart. Those dirty doggy footprints are hard to keep up with. I had to purchase a Bissell Carpet Cleaning Machine to keep up with the dirty paw prints on my carpet. What exactly was I thinking when I installed beige carpet through my house???

In closing, I have a heavy heart as I leave to purchase Lucas' last birthday cake. Although I am happy that he made it to his 8th birthday, I am also very sad to celebrae his "day" for the last time. A friend said to me today that I have to look at evey day as a "Bonus" and he is indeed correct. We need to thank God for every additional day we have with our rotties. They are the most special dogs and we are all blessed to have shared a part of our lives with them.

My love, prayers, and thoughts are with each of you. Laurie