Boston Terrier selected as finalist for Circuit City "Fire Dog"

Spanky, has been selected as one of 19 finalists out of 6,000 entries for the Circuit City Firedog photo contest.
If he wins, the Greenhill Humane Society in Eugene will receive $50,000, plus $1 per vote.
It is particularly noteworthy since this little guy just survived
vascular heart surgery.

The voting takes place online from January 6-26. If you can find the
time, it would be wonderful to have you vote
for Spanky. He is photo number 12 of the little black and white Boston
Terrier on the beach.
Just click here >>>> http://207.56.151.5/view/?id=12 to vote.

*****************************************
More about Spanky:

Spanky was born 7/31/05. I have always been a yellow lab fan. My children's mother wanted to get our kids a dog. She wanted a breed that was smaller and began researching breeds. She decided that Boston Terrier might be a good choice.

She found a breeder in Sweet Home, Oregon. We had Spanky for about 3 weeks and found out from the vet that he had a heart murmur. We did not have the money to have it repaired. Each time when we took him to the vet, they commented on the murmur. I asked the kids' mother if we shared the cost, if she would agree to
let me take him to Oregon State University's Vet School to be diagnosed,
to see what we could do to help Spanky. She agreed.

I brought Spanky up there and spent an entire day. They said that he had a ductis and that surgically correcting it was the only option. They suggested going in through his leg through the femoral artery and putting a plug in to close it off. He also had an arterial valve issue that they said was not severe enough to treat. However, it caused an arterial bulge. When they went in, they inserted an
ultrasound scope down his throat to get a better look at the ductis. After three hours, they were not able to get a good enough image to deploy the blocking
devise.

They recommended that they make an incision and go in through his ribs and tie off the ductis. We OK'd them doing this. The surgeon said that it was one of the toughest ductis surgeries that she has ever done. Spanky came through the procedure with good results. He goes in in one more week to make sure that the ductis was
successfully closed off.

Spanky has become a member of our family in every sense of the world. He steals the hearts of everyone that he comes in contact with. The staff at OSU kept him in their laps when they worked, except when he was on an IV. They all just love Spanky.

Winning this contest would be such a validation of what an incredible little dog he is! He may be small in size, but he has the heart of a lion.

It is interesting to note, the cardiologist said that dogs rarely make it to two, with this condition. The fact that Spanky was 28 months old at the time, and had such good heart function, was really a miracle!

Please vote for Spanky to be the Circut City's Fire Dog!

http://207.56.151.5/view/?id=12

Remembering Milo

by Amy Blackwell

Milo came into my life after a lot of research looking at many favorite breeds. I wanted someone small and smart, lively and spry. Milo fit the bill to a T. Right from the start he was different. A gentleman and a lion hearted hero. He fit right in and stole our hearts. We took him with us everywhere, whether or not dogs were allowed. After all, Milo was no ordinary dog...he stayed at some of the best hotels in the West, greeting all he met with a warm smile and eliciting a pat on the bum.

As the years went by, it became more clear that I didn't do my health research as thoroughly as I should have. Milo had a host of heartbreaking health issues that became very, very hard on him towards the end of his short life. He was allergic to many things, so I rotated his food frequently and made sure he got his allergy medications during the highest of pollen seasons. He never could eat pork or chicken without breaking out in a terrible, itchy rash.

Over the years, his back got steadily worse, with the his vet calling him Wonder Dog because he was still so spry and energetic though he clearly had serious compression of discs and some fusion going on constantly in his spine. The vet indicated that some dogs in better shape than him were already completely paralyzed. As long as we were careful, he lived very, very well. We had to limit his play time for his own good. His motto was NEVER GIVE UP! And he never complained. After more time, he couldn't jump up on the bed anymore to sleep with me. We lifted him gingerly each time he wanted up.

Milo had a great "sixth sense" for pain and trouble. Maybe because of his own condition. He would have made a fabulous therapy dog, as he liked to stay close to and comfort those in need. He would even lay by the crib when the kids were sick, or if one us wasn't well. He enjoyed his days in rehab by the side of a good friend of mine who had had a stroke. Because of his allergies, I opted not to have him trained in therapy because I just knew all of the wonderful people he would come into contact with wouldn't be able to resist sneaking him a treat that would do more harm than good.

Milo also had a special radar for cheese. He even knew how to spell it. I would sneak down to the kitchen in the night for a cheese snack when everyone was fast asleep, creeping as quietly as I could, take the "food in question" of the refrigerator quietly, slice off a piece, and look around in time to see him sitting quietly behind me, waiting his turn. Fortunately, this didn't affect him adversely.

I still see him laying in a sunny spot in the bedroom at times, snoring gently. I miss him terribly. He was an incredible little man who can never be replaced.

Please, please, do your health research with the breeder you choose; ask lots of questions and BE PATIENT. It is heartbreaking to see someone you love struggle with health issues that cause them pain. Milo died peacefully in his sleep on June 17th, 2005. We will never know exactly why. I guess it is because his soul burned so bright for others, the fire had to go out at some point to give him peace from the constant pain. He had just celebrated his 10th birthday on May 7th.

Good bye, Mr. Milo. We love you!

Amy

******************

Can You Find Milo?