Sad news. On May 29th, 1998 we were forced to put Tess down because of cancer. She had surgery for the cancer on Valentine's Day 1997 and was given a six month life expectancy beyond that. Contrary to the prognosis, she was happy and relatively healthy (for a fifteen year old) for a full year. Our vet dubbed her the miracle dog. But this spring she started a slow degeneration, and by Memorial Day 1998 x-rays showed that the cancer had returned with a vengence. Only a few days later her suffering had increased enough that I knew it was time to end it. There is a large hole in our lives and our hearts that used to be filled with our big furry friend, Tess. Even our cat seems to miss her. She was a wonderful, elegent, and happy dog with an old soul. I am glad she was part of our lives (although our carpets may never recover).
Tess was a fifteen year old Siberian Huskey/Alaskan Malamute mix (we're not exactly sure how much of what) whom we rescued from the Boulder Humane Society in 1994. Affectionately known as "Woodlebutt", she was mild-mannered, obedient, cuddly, never barked, and loved to go for walks, especially in the snow! She also "blew" her undercoat twice a year in addition to normal shedding, so we were (and still are) totally covered in tons of white hair for most of the year. (In fact, we chose our new carpet by taking a clump of her hair to the store with us.) Despite the hair, she was worth it. She also got along well with our cat, Sweetheart. Although she was a staunch alpha female, we saw Tess submit to the cat on occassion. (I wish we had gotten a picture of that!) We suspected that they cuddled and played with each other when we weren't around. They "tried" to maintain aloofness in our presence, but sometimes slipped up. Now that Tess is gone, Sweetie sometimes wanders around the house in a lonely fashion as if looking for her. Actually, I have to admit to doing the same thing on occassion.
The picture above was taken on our patio on January 11, 1994, the day we rescued Tess from the pound. My wife was so excited that she went home from work at lunchtime to play with Tess, and took this picture.
The picture below is Tess exhausted after a hike into Lost Lake in the Rawah Wilderness Area in Colorado, September, 1995. The next morning she awoke refreshed and so excited to be in the wild that she woke the rest of us up at 5:30 to play! The fact that the elk were bugling at the time probably enhanced her mood.
Were Tess and Dave Darr separated at birth? Click here to find out.
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