On June 23, 2021 I traveled back to Ohio to bring our Sweet Reet home. 💖✈️





Note: this post is back-dated. I am currently attempting to catch up on many missed memories that I failed to post over the last 2-3 years). I appreciate your patience as I attempt to bring my diary of “special moments with my dogs” up-to-date!
I’ve been avoiding this post like the plague. This is the dock diving event where we had to help Sweet Reet cross the rainbow bridge. It was this event that crippled me and the reason the my blogged diary of memories here on Cello’s Corner is more than 2 years behind.
There are no words to express the amount of gratitude I have for the outpour of love and support Brian and I received for the loss of our Sweet Reet on June 12, 2021. As severely devastating as it has been, It is equally overwhelmingly heartwarming to see just how many people she’s touched both near and far.
I want to thank everyone at Canine Superheroes Foundation for your assistance, kindness and support during a very difficult time for us. Losing Margarita was extremely devastating. It was unsettling not to be home – but it was also a blessing to be surrounded by so many people who not only understand the pain I was feeling, but who truly are extended family. My immediate reaction with the loss of Margarita was to pack up and go home. Those of you who talked me in to staying – Those of you who talked me into getting back up on the dock with Hooch and Whiskey – Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It was the best medicine for me – and more importantly the best therapy for the rest of our pack. Our 6 other fur-kids needed us too. The competition dogs KNEW they were at a competition and wanted to compete…Porter loved being outside and glomming attention from handlers in between their jumps…and someone always found a way -directly or indirectly- to make us smile or laugh in between my continuous ugly-crying breakdowns. It was truly the most supportive environment our entire family could have been in – it was the DockDogs community at its finest.
The last couple of photos I took of Margarita:
I also wanted to share some of the happy moments with the rest of the pack. The few photos and video I have are included as well.
Limoncello enjoyed her now mandated “once a day” jumps on Friday and Sunday and looked prettier ever up on that dock. With scratching all jumps on Saturday, she will not be eligible for a World Championship invite
Hooch and Jenny had a great time on the dock prior to the passing of Margarita, but with scratching all jumps on Saturday, he will not be eligible for a World Championship invite
Lager did well in Big Air but continues to have some difficulty in Extreme Vertical. With scratching jumps, he will not be eligible for a World Championship invite.
Wish the Fish managed not only to jump all three necessary jumps to be eligible for a World Championship invite in the Novice Division, BUT, she jumped in the pool in under 30 seconds each time compared to her usual 59.999 second circus show on the dock AND jumped a consistent 7ft + a few inches! She earned an invite to the DockDogs World Championships
Porter enjoyed spending time hanging out at the camper on our patio mat and demanding attention from anyone that passed by and dispensing ridiculous amounts of Po hair onto everyone to take home as a “gift”
Jägermeister had a spectacular time and placed third in Iron Dog (Warrior Division) with Brian which secured a World Championship invitation for him.
Today Heaven became even more beautiful…as the most special angel has arrived.
This morning, much sooner than expected, Margarita lost her battle with liver cancer. Just a few minutes after she woke up, she had a seizure while getting a drink at the water bowl in the camper. In addition, her abdomen looked to be distended and her gums were pale. A phone conversation with our veterinarian, Dr. Campbell confirmed what we had suspected- the mass on her liver most likely had ruptured.
Luckily there was an emergency veterinary hospital 10 minutes from the competition. By the time we reached the ER, Margarita was having trouble breathing. An ultrasound confirmed that she had internal bleeding. Dr. Campbell spoke to the ER doctor and agreed it was time to help Rita cross the rainbow bridge. Brian and I held her in our arms until the very end.
I am grateful that Brian and I were there with Rita when she had the seizure, we were able to go into the emergency animal hospital, and that we were able to be with her until she passed, kissing her and hugging her- telling her how much she was loved and thanking her for all she has done for us and all the love she has shown to us. We are fortunate and thankful to have a veterinarian who is always there for us and our pack no matter how far away we are.
The Emergency hospital offered to ship Rita’s remains to us in NJ. As much as I appreciated that, I will be driving or flying back to OH when Rita is ready to return to us – to bring her back to our family.
Brian and I were beyond blessed that Margarita chose us as her forever family. Margarita changed my life and taught me so much. The connection her and I shared was like no other and although I will cherish that bond forever, I will be lost without her.
Señorita Margarita is reunited with the love of her life – her fiancé and fellow Pointer, Mr. Spock. I know in my heart Spock was waiting with flowers for her (as he always did) at the other side of the rainbow bridge.
Words cannot begin to describe the devastation and pain of Margarita’s passing. Five years was nowhere near enough time with her. It has been comforting to be surrounded by our dock dogs family.
Those of you who have been following along for a while know that Margarita was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma in 2019, and is officially a survivor. Throughout Margarita’s Lymphoma Journey, she periodically had elevated liver values. Through the guidance of her medical team, we were able to get these levels under control by adjusting her prednisone dosage. As a part of Margarita’s oncology check-ups, our primary veterinarian, Dr. Campbell at Old York Veterinary Hospital, suggested that we continue with regularly scheduled bloodwork to keep an eye on those liver values. More recently, those levels skyrocketed and Rita also had lost weight. Margarita’s prednisone dose was increased and an earlier-than-usual re-check of her bloodwork was scheduled. Despite an increase in both her prednisone dose and daily food intake, she continued to lose weight, her liver values more than doubled, and she just didn’t look or seem herself. She also began to display some incontinence – which we assumed was from the increased prednisone.
Margarita also gets routine abdominal ultrasounds as a part of her Lymphoma check-ups. Although her last ultrasound showed a few small nodules on her liver, the findings were consistent with age-related liver appearance and thought to be unremarkable. Margarita was not due for another ultrasound, but with the recent observations and blood test results, Dr. Campbell advised us to do a an early re-check.
On June 3, 2021 Margarita had an abdominal ultrasound at Blue Pearl Pet Hospital. During this procedure Margarita’s radiologist, Dr. MacLeod, discovered that one of the small nodules on her liver suddenly developed into mass that was 3 cm in diameter. Dr. MacLeod also saw that Rita’s bile looked thicker than normal. A non-invasive needle biopsy of the liver mass was taken, as was a needle aspirate of her bile and her urine.
On Friday, June 4 we spoke to Margarita’s internal medicine specialist, Dr. Peter Chapman, as well as her Primary veterinarian, Dr. Campbell.
The hepatocellular carcinoma discovered in the liver biopsy does not respond well to chemotherapy. Additionally, due to the liver’s function, this type of cancer is also very rarely primary (in other words, cancer cells are most likely in multiple areas at this point). In a perfect world, the prime choice would be to remove the mass on Margarita’s liver and also remove her gallbladder. So which path do we take on this new journey? As much of a gut-punch this new diagnosis is after Margarita surviving stage 4 Lymphoma, we also have to set aside our immediate desire to fix these issues and instead do what’s best for Margarita. In addition to chronic hepatitis and intestinal disease, Rita also now has significant Dilated Cardiomyopathy (induced by her prior chemotherapy). There is a high possibility that she would not survive the surgeries needed. After a long discussion with our primary veterinarian who we trust wholeheartedly as Rita’s advocate, we have decided it is in Margarita’s best interest to forgo any type of invasive surgeries, and instead “treat the treatable.” Many of you who have travelled a similar journey with a fur-kid and have been faced with this same situation yourselves, know this was an EXTREMELY difficult decision. We are not giving up on her by any means. We will wait for the results of the bile and urine cultures and treat any findings as best we can with medication. Margarita will also have regular abdominal ultrasounds to keep a close eye on changes in the current mass on her liver and/or any new questionable developments.
I definitely was not ready for this news and immediately was overcome by a rush of disbelief, anger, sadness and fear. I truly believe that positivity is powerful, so although managing the above emotions is not an easy task, I will be certain to shift my focus to gratitude to ensure Rita is in the best atmosphere possible. I cannot forget that in March of 2019, as Margarita began her chemotherapy to treat her lymphoma, we were told that she may not survive even a couple of months due to her significant liver and intestinal diseases. Instead, Margarita kicked (stage 4!!) Lymphoma’s butt and is a SURVIVOR. I am thankful to have been blessed with over 2 additional years with her that I thought I wouldn’t have. Margarita has beaten the odds before, and I will remain hopeful that she will once again somehow find a way to take a bite out of cancer. At the same time, Brian and I will respect Margarita’s wishes when this amazing warrior “tells” us she is tired of fighting her battles. Until then, I will enjoy and be thankful for each and every additional minute I am blessed to spend with this 4-legged angel.
I hope that you will join me in walking beside Señorita Margarita on this difficult path, and continue to send positive thoughts and healing prayers throughout her journey. As always, thank you ALL for your love and support for Sweet Reet.
When it was decided by our veterinarian that Margarita should retire from walking 5K’s due to health related reasons, I bought her a Vergo brand dog stroller so that we would still be able to walk together. Below is the video of Rita’s maiden voyage in her new stroller. She gained her angel wings before we were able to complete a 5K using the stroller.