Hi!

This is a picture of my marvelous Moses and his sister Bella,
the great beauty. They are 8-year old littermates
who have owned my heart since they were a day old.

Moses had to have his leg amputated 8 days ago (Oct. 26, 2006)
because of a cancerous tumor in his joint capsule.
We are thrilled that the chest x-rays were clear,
and the biopsy on his lymph node was negative.
So we hope that we caught the cancer in time
to continue spoiling him for several more years.

He and his sister were born the day after
my last boxer Roxy died at the age of 13.
When we brought them home, we discovered that their
grandmother's registered name (on their mother's side)
had been Roxy's Last Miracle!

Mary Liz Singleton
Saturday November 4, 2006

Mary is a 3 1/2 year old Boxer Pit mix.
I am a veterinary nurse at an emergency clinic in Connecticut.
Mary was brought in by an animal control officer.
She was 16 weeks old, homeless, and had a severely injured hind leg. In order to do the surgery, we needed a surgeon to donate their time, and a name on the medical record in order to properly record the controlled drugs.

We found a surgeon, and my name went on the file...temporarily... three years ago.

We were unable to salvage her leg, but she does incredibly well without it.

Anyone considering euthanasia as opposed to amputation needs to see her!

We see all kinds, and the younger, the easier, yet they all seem to compensate. My other dog I have was a potential amputee as well, but we ended up saving it...(it's like 1/2 of her brain went instead of her leg!) Mary is still the Alpha...in my house and at the clinic.

I'll see if I can find more pix. As you can see...she's quite a ham. She gets her nails done...(usually to match her collar...seasonal...) She wears mops, and goggles.

She guards the door of the clinic, and when we take x rays... she always wants to see what's going on, so we put her thyroid blocker on.

There is definitely some evidence of abuse...and takes to women much quicker than men! She's full of expressions! Her tooth sometimes sticks out, and it looks like she's snarling. People walking by the clinic think she's ferocious...(she can be quite protective sometimes, and a little bit of a nightmare if you're on the other side of the glass...) but she's great as long as you get down to her level and give her the chance. She will run if you move too quickly.
She gets agitated at physical contact...its like she wants to keep the peace. She's wonderful! The picture above is with Melissa, her "sister." :)

He he! The stripes.....not my idea! We were slow at work last Saturday morning...and the other nurse said we'd do it to match her collar... (we sometimes make her "Rastafari Mary!") She just loves the attention... and she actually sat for it! I was surprised!

I use the French manicure white first as a primer...then whatever human color... I get them at the salon supply stores.

Thursday November 16, 2006