It was a great journey and I am really appreciative of the comments and support we received from our blogger friends. And, I will continue to follow the many blogs I discovered when I started blogging.
Jackson was my first attempt to train for competitive obedience. We were both learning as we went - through trial and many errors! What I learned was - the best thing about obedience is the relationship you forge with your dog. That's also what makes this time so terribly difficult. Jackson has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer). It came on suddenly a few weeks ago and there is no cure. After consultation with experts at the vet school we decided that the best course of action for Jackson would be pain management. Osteosarcoma can be treated agressively with amputation and chemo/radiation, which may buy you some time. However, because of Jackson's age and size, this is not an option we would choose.
He is currently on Rimadyl, Tramadol and Gabapentin for pain management. He's eating, drinking and resting comfortably, however, he has trouble at times moving around. So.... we spend our days doing what he enjoys most - laying on the front porch keeping an eye on the neighborhood : )
Hug your dogs and don't worry too much about qualifying and earning titles because when the last chapter is written, they really don't matter that much.
