Ode to Tucker 1993-2007

It was strange to come home today. No one was up on his chair looking out the dining room window for us to return.No one met us at the door. We lost a friend today. There was discussion about a year or more ago to see if we could help him. Dr. Tilo Hoffman, our kind and gentle veterinarian, suggested medication to alleviate some of the symptoms associated with Cushing's Disease. The meds gave us some extra time with Tucker. We're grateful for a vet who really loves animals.

Now, if you've never had a dog for a pet, this is as far as you should read. That's because you won't understand the rest of this blog.


Tucker was 15 years old and you can see by the pictures, he was a miniature poodle - as tall as the breed gets and still be called "miniature". His heart belonged to a German Shepherd. From the time we got him, he was Rose Mary's dog. He'd share his affection with anybody who gave him a cookie or scratched his ears gently but he always got back to her. If I made a sudden motion toward her or smacked her leg, He was on me. He never bit anyone in 15 years but the barred teeth and that vicious snarl would confuse any stranger.He loved babies. When he was younger, he would lay beside them just to make sure they would be alright. And don't you dare move too quickly to pick that baby up. You had to tell him what you were doing and get his permission to touch his ward.

Cushing's Disease (hyperadrenocorticism) affects the pituitary gland. (See end of blog for info.) Tucker manifested the first 5 symptoms which got progressively worse. He also was getting more and more crippled by arthritis, cataracts and he was deaf. The maddening part of all this is when he was producing excessive cortisone, he charged around like a puppy. At night it was most obvious as I watched him try to decide if it was worth the effort to climb the stairs to our bedroom. Most times he did.

He had a wicker basket in the living room by the sliding doors. Whenever someone came in you would hear him charging in from the kitchen, rooting through his basket for a toy, almost looking like he had a certain one in mind, then charge back out in order to present it to whoever had just come in. I've seen him on a number of occasions pull a toy out, make the move to deliver, then spit it out and get another one.

He loved fruits and vegetables. We would watch him in the garden as he checked out our tomato plants until he found a ripe one, then he would ever so gently, remove it, head for the lawn to lay down and savour it. Cantaloupe was another favourite. In fact there weren't too many fruits or vegetables he wouldn't eat.

At night, there was a routine that had to be followed. First, Rose Mary had a coffee mug of milk to get her meds down. She always left some in the bottom for Tucker. He would slurp it down then lay on his tummy, knock the mug on its side and with closed eyes, get every evidence of the milk out of that mug. Immediately he went to the door because it was time to go out. We had to tie him up after dark because of the coyotes who enjoyed calling him out. After his evening constitutional, he made a bee line for the kitchen and if you didn't follow him, he would come back and remind you vocally with a little howl that you had missed the cue. This was dog cookie time, then off to bed.

My Mom graciously baby sat him for us when we went on holidays. He learned that if he did his night thing any time he came inside, Mom would give him a cookie. Well, why wouldn't she? He would stand in front of the cupboard and stare at the jar until she gave him one. It's funny, because when we came home, he wouldn't do it with us.

Rose Mary owns Three Bears Child Care and we have up to five children in the house every day. Over all the years, Tucker has never bit one of them. If they pull his ears, he gently but firmly takes their hand and moves it. Or he would vocalize so Rose Mary was aware that he was being put upon but never a bite. The kids loved him.

Last week an interesting thing happened. Brianna and Daniela have been at Three Bears for three years. Last week, Brianna (5 yrs old) was adamant that Rose Mary take her picture with Tucker. She just wouldn't let it go. Her sister then needed to get in the picture. Who knows why she asked except she did know from Tucker's original diagnosis that Tucker would die because of his illness. Well, Tucker died today.

Symptoms: Symptoms of Cushing's disease can be vague and varied and tend to appear gradually and progressively. It is thus easy to mistake Cushing's disease for normal aging. Additionally, many of the clinical symptoms are not unique to Cushing's and could reflect a number of other health concerns.

The most common symptoms include:
• increased/excessive water consumption (polydipsia)
• increased/excessive urination (polyuria)
• urinary accidents in previously housetrained dogs
• increased/excessive appetite (polyphagia)
• appearance of food stealing/guarding, begging, trash dumping, etc.
• sagging, bloated, pot-bellied appearance
• weight gain or its appearance, due to fat redistribution
• loss of muscle mass, giving the appearance of weight loss
• bony, skull-like appearance of head
• exercise intolerance, lethargy, general or hind-leg weakness
• new reluctance to jump on furniture or people
• excess panting, seeking cool surfaces to rest on
• symmetrically thinning hair or baldness (alopecia) on torso
• other coat changes like dullness, dryness
• slow regrowth of hair after clipping
• thin, wrinkled, fragile, and/or darkly pigmented skin
• easily damaged/bruised skin that heals slowly
• hard, calcified lumps in the skin (calcinosis cutis)
• susceptibility to infections (especially skin and urinary)
• diabetes, pancreatitis, seizures

It is generally either the increased water intake and urination or the coat changes which prompt an owner to have their dog evaluated by the veterinarian, as these dogs don't appear suddenly and dramatically ill. It is estimated that 80-85% of Cushingoid dogs have increased water consumption, drinking from 2-10 times normal amounts (normal is considered 1 ounce of water drunk per pound of body weight per day). 85-100% of Cushing old dogs have skin and coat changes. 80-90% of Cushingoid dogs have an increased appetite, and 90%-95% have a pot-bellied appearance. Considered a disease of middle and old age, dogs typically display symptoms at some point after 6 or 7 years of age. It is estimated that most dogs display some symptom(s) of the disease for one to six years before Cushing's is actually suspected and diagnosed. Certainly it is harder to ignore a dog that urinates throughout the house or a dog who is balding than it is to overlook an older dog who is gradually slowing down on walks.

Other indirect symptoms to consider are the disappearance of previous inflammatory conditions. Dogs with chronic allergies or arthritis may appear considerably better when they develop Cushing's, due to the heavy doses of cortisone they are giving themselves.

A bear on the road

Rotator Cuffs. It's amazing how easily it is to learn about your body via pain. 13 years ago, I hit a Forest Green, 1994 Jeep right smack in the middle with my Yamaha XS Special. Yep, head-on. Probably doing about 75 KPH when I laid it down. The problem was, I forgot to let go of the handlebars and pulled both shoulders as I flew like a bird into the only soft spot on the Widji road. Ambulance. Hospital. Whoa, he looks OK to me nurse. Let's send him on his way. (Guess where the hospital was.)

That was then and this is now. Finally, my good doctor sent me for an MRI and low and behold, I had a torn rotator cuff PLUS bone spurs. No wonder the sucker has been hurting for all these years. And now, yes dear friends, and now all the nay sayers who got tired of my complaints (and you know who you are) can just ......!

Check out the picture of a one winged bear.

Goober's Run

We owned a dog (well, who ever owns a dog?) named Goober. He was a beagle and the name just seemed to be him. Goober's personality was typically beagle which meant he was laid back, howled rather than barked, and had a habit of exploration - generally in someone else's yard.

He would lay in the doorway to the living room knowing he wasn't to go any farther. Oh, there would be a sneaky paw placed just over the line of demarcation between the kitchen tile and the living room carpet. But, that's as far as he would go.

One day I was watching the game while reclining on the couch. Our TV was in front of a window and there were 2 big chairs in each corner. Suddenly, Goober exploded from his sleepy position in the doorway, raced across the carpet, bounced off the first chair, bounced off the second chair, and tore over the couch and me. Absolutely startling! He slid to a stop in the kitchen, walked back to his usual resting place and settled down with a big sigh. It was as if he had to get something out of his system; he did that and it was back to usual. This happened on a few occasions but never with any regularity that we could predict his "out of character" romp.

As I was thinking about today's blog, Goober reminded me of myself. No, I don't lay on the floor in the kitchen. Rose Mary won't let me. But, I do have a tendency to periodically do something "out of character".

Up until 1996, I had always acted as the "up front" guy. You know that guy - he or she is the one you expect to put on the lampshade, so to speak.There was always the thought of how nice it would be to sit in the corner and watch someone else put on the lampshade.

Being in youth ministry for so long it became the "norm" to throw navel salutes, dress up in a superman suit, come down the chimney at Widji in a Santa suit, etc. I wasn't always comfortable but I did it because, well, that's what I had always done and that's what others expected.

When I became Director at camp, I found something changing and it was an epiphany ( A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization). I could sit and watch others do goofy things and trust me, there were enough "goofy" people around that I didn't have to worry we'd run out.

During a nightmare experience at a church left unnamed, I saw a Christian Psychologist who told me I wasn't being honest with who I really am. After a number of sessions he helped me realize how important it was to be me and not someone others expected me to be. I remember one older gentleman referencing my age and fine physique by saying he just couldn't see me "running the bases". I told him I wasn't planning on running the bases but would teach them how to. Not the most profound statement probably, but it was a truth I finally grabbed.

Remember, Peter said Jesus did no sin, Paul said He knew no sin and John said there was no sin in Him. They all said Jesus was sinless but each voiced that truth from who they were - Peter, man of action; Paul, man of letters; John, man of introspection.

My methodology has changed dramatically. The message is the same and sometimes I enjoy a "Goober Moment", but now I have a consistency in ministry that has been rewarding and exciting. So, know yourself and let God use your unique personality and giftedness to serve God in whatever place He has you.