This little girl is still eating great. BUT, not your usual dog food. Tonights dinner was 2 bowls of salad consisting of green leaf lettuce, broccoli, carrots, a few cashews, cucumber, baked beans, corn and honey mustard dressing. Second course was 2 hard boiled eggs. And of course her nightly dessert of a cup+ of vanilla frozen yogurt. 16 years 4 months old. Never complains.

We are still getting great morning sun through our east windows. Here Blackberry, Jewel and Pixel snooze in the warmth.

Star’s breakfast: 1/2 cup of cheerios (that’s all she wanted)
Star’s dinner: 3 scrambled eggs, 1 cup vanilla frozen yogurt

Gem is our newest family member. She is a Second Chance League dog that has been in foster care for many years. She has been a hard one to place in a forever home because of her timidity.

Her foster home is making a drastic move and leaving Alaska. So Gem has come to our house. We loved her from the very beginning. She has lived most of her life on a chain. Here, she is never chained up. It took her awhile to get used to running around the yard with many other dogs that are free. She is unusual in the manner that she doesn’t have any dog friends (yet). I think with her years of being shy plus being chained up, she has never learned how to play.

She is getting more open with us, but very slowly. Over the years of having many shy dogs we realize that it is a long process to be able to gain that dogs trust. She has already come a long way with following us around the yard and has even come up and licked my hand when I wasn’t looking at her! She does love to come inside when it is storming or there are loud noises. She goes into the bathroom closet and curls up on her dog bed. It is there where we can sit and pet her. She seems to really like that! She has fallen asleep with her head in my hand as I am petting her. It will take her time to transfer that quietude to outside with other dogs running around. But I know she will!

We are anxious to skijor with her this winter. She does love to run and pull so that will help the transition to our household. Although she is still in the SCL “adoptable” column, we don’t see her going anywhere soon.

This is the most recent picture of Star. She is hard to photograph!
Little Star is 16 years and 3 months old. And she is truly a survivor! I’m humbled by her spunk and will to live and non complaining manner.
She was diagnosed with cancer in January. I had taken her in because of a lump on her nose. Cancer cells. Cancer cells also in her lymph system. Not good. Vet said “maybe 3 weeks”…..well…..She got 3 months of Essiac tea and all lumps and bumps disappeared. Maybe coincidence? Maybe a true cancer fighter?

So, now at Star’s age…she is in renal failure. About 3 months ago she quit eating for 5 days. I thought for sure that it was her time to go. But no…..I started trying different foods and the dog has survived on the most amazing diet ever. She refuses to eat dog food. Or meat, or fish, or most any protein except for cheese. She loves mozzerella. For quite awhile her favorite meal was pasta and pesto sauce. Then turned to toast with lots of soy butter and honey. Next, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It seems every day is a new beginning to see what she will eat.

Yesterday and today her meals have consisted of tiny biscuits (the cheapo kind with NO meat in them) and lots of Yummy Chummies. I just keep feeding her what she will eat until she stops eating them.
(now that it is a little later in the evening I will add what else she ate today: a nice salad, lettuce only, with honey mustard dressing plus a half cup of Organic lowfat vanilla bean yogurt.)

She seems to be holding her weight as she isn’t real active. Her perserverance and will to live is just amazing to me. She seems to be in no pain and still charges out of the house and dashes around the yard. I hope she can continue on for many more months.