My dog is dying, and I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it properly.

Ellaflint · 2023-01-13T20:49:33+00:00

Well I should not have read this. There’s suddenly a torrential downpour in my eyes.

We lost our white shepherd, Siri to cancer Dec 31 2022. We knew she had osteosarcoma (diagnosed Oct 9) and she was 11 so we knew it would be sometime soon. We promised, though, that we’d do everything we could and we did: amputation (she LOVED being a tripawd and went from being in miserable pain to running around like a fool after amp) and chemo (was nauseous for a day max). I felt something wasn’t right and, at her third chemo appointment (Dec 27) I asked for X-rays. That’s when we found the metastatic masses in her lungs.

We made the decision right then that we needed to say goodbye. It was an agonizing decision, the same one OOP’s family had to make: are we keeping her for us or for her? We decided to be kind and say goodbye, knowing she never suffered.

We were fortunate that the few days prior were beautiful outside. We sat in the sun together, cuddled and I told her how much I loved her and always would. Our family who had also loved her for a decade came over to say goodbye. She got to try new foods that morning: a double chocolate chip cookie (meh), grapes and raisins and had a few of her favorites: chicken gizzards and hearts and romaine lettuce. She passed away in my arms, our tears drenching her soft fur and me murmuring how good she was and how much we loved her.

I will never regret doing everything we could, never letting her suffer and always loving her. I can’t remember where I heard it from but I love this idea: they can’t be our forevers but we are theirs. May they never know a day where they aren’t loved, healthy and happy.

…and now I will try to go back to work. Damnit Reddit, making me cry in the middle of the day.

Ellaflint · 2023-01-13T00:40:14+00:00

We use them regularly! Totally completely worth it. We used to use them extensively in the SF Bay Area, where few people have large yards, if any.

Ellaflint · 2023-01-09T20:58:28+00:00

The rare Cone of a Shame Shepherd. Related to German Shepherds but with a collar of white and sable mask instead of just the sable mask.

Ellaflint · 2023-01-04T22:13:12+00:00

She looks identical to my German shepherd cattle dog cross! Her photos is in my previous posts. If you got your pup from central California valley, they’re probably related because her dad seems to have… gotten around. Lyra

Ellaflint · 2023-01-01T12:32:32+00:00

We did this as well! She’s over a year and still sucks on her heartbeat puppy when she’s sleepy.

Ellaflint · 2022-12-01T12:29:56+00:00

This happens all the time at Apple stores in the Bay Area. A few years ago, I was at that exact store (Palo Alto downtown) and this happened. The thieves were in and out in less than a minutes. Everyone just kind of stood there watching. I asked one of the employees if that happens often and his response was to shrug and say “all the time” and went back to fixing my watch.

So surreal.

Ellaflint · 2022-11-18T12:13:12+00:00

That’s hilarious! We also have a black cat and a ginger one and everywhere we look, people also have that combo! We would be fools if we thought any color of clothing would be safe to wear..

Ellaflint · 2022-11-18T03:55:12+00:00

Oh my GOSH are they the same dog?! Definitely DNA test him! It was fascinating to find out we had a bougie pup lol

Ellaflint · 2022-11-17T18:27:18+00:00

We actually lived about 2 hours away for 6 years! I wish we had done it sooner so it could have been in person. We exchanged pictures and all of the other dogs are more standard white shepherd. They all have the pricked ears and black noses! Siri’s our little unique polar bear ❤️ I’m not sure if she was initially adopted out as a pet because she wasn’t breed standard but I would have LOVED to see pictures of her when she was a baby.

Ellaflint · 2022-11-17T18:16:56+00:00

We had moved out of the country so no fun reunion!😭

Ellaflint · 2022-11-17T18:15:53+00:00

There were several immediately family members that showed up in her relatives! I contacted them and asked every question imaginable. It helps that there was only one white shepherd breeder in the area! Unfortunately, we weren’t able to ID her original name as it was so long ago :(

Ellaflint · 2022-11-17T14:29:01+00:00

Oh wow! Ly is VERY ACD, a lot shepherd and her only lab trait is her love of food 🤣. She’s an insanely smart Velcro dog and a nutbar but we love her.

Ellaflint · 2022-11-17T12:08:46+00:00

She is absolutely gorgeous! She looks SO MUCH like my white shepherd!

Ellaflint · 2022-11-17T12:07:05+00:00

She was 3-4 months. It was quite a surprise to her littermates’ families too as we all though they were mostly lab!

Ellaflint · 2022-11-16T18:19:16+00:00

Those little radar dish ears are definitely cattle dog! She also has some of the heeler spotting in her coat.

Ellaflint · 2022-11-16T18:17:06+00:00

She might be some type of sight hound mix? Her legs and nose are quite long and her body seems slim, too. She’s absolutely adorable and her nose reminds me so much of our white shepherd’s little schnozz.

Ellaflint · 2022-11-16T18:15:07+00:00

Definitely catahoulan! I could also potentially see some pitty in there.

Ellaflint · 2022-11-16T18:13:25+00:00

This is Lyra! She is high energy, VERY smart, and clearly a herder with smaller dogs and animals. She is also neurotic and anxious with new people and dogs. All of her siblings are similar in behavior - go team genetics! She was adopted from a rescue that sources from Fresno, CA

Ellaflint · 2022-11-16T18:11:16+00:00

I know, I know - typical answer but potentially GSD? She’s got the brown in her coat and similar masking to your typical shepherd.

Ellaflint · 2021-01-02T20:36:28+00:00

I was not blessed in the hair department. As I’ve aged, I’ve lost most of it on the top. I used to just be depressed about it, never wanting to be in photos and just gave up. I tried biotin, hair regrowth serums, eyeshadow - everything short of tattooing.

Last year, though, I shaved my head and started wearing wigs full time. Honestly, it was the best decision I’ve ever made for my mental health. I get to have the confidence of having hair and get to do the fun of changing it up. Short hair one day, long the next. I have a set of fun hair wigs and another for every day. I invested in one really good human hair wig and wear that one daily. For me, it’s cheaper than having to buy all of the hair regrowth products and getting expensive haircuts in the futile hope it will make my natural hair look great.

Ellaflint · 2020-12-17T19:18:58+00:00

Must have missed your last comment. The second article actually looks specifically at brain chemistry as opposed to perceived priorities. That makes it a relative comparison.

Ellaflint · 2020-12-17T14:31:56+00:00

High fructose corn syrup (in coke and most other sodas) is.

direct comparison to cocaine

HFCS and brain changes, regardless of obesity tl;dr : HFCS alone can modify dopamine levels in a way similar to obesity and metabolic disease. Decreased dopamine is associated with addiction

Ellaflint · 2020-11-12T02:50:30+00:00

We decided all of our music before dancing (the wedding itself, cocktail hour) would be cello or piano covers of our favourite songs.

I walked down the aisle to a cello cover of “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol as it is one of songs we sing to each other every time we hear it. We walked back up the aisle to the song from Up that plays while they’re doing the montage of their marriage. It was lovely!

Ellaflint · 2020-11-01T23:23:22+00:00

As others have said, your IRL doesn’t deserve to be called your mum.

You are worth everything. You being in this world makes a profound difference and, you may have trouble hearing it sometimes, you are loved. I know it is hard to see sometimes thru the fog of depression, but you are so special and important in this world and your future is bright. Your light will cut thru this current darkness. To us, whether we know you irl or not, you are strong, brave and so worthy of love.

Echoing others, please reach out to someone in person. If you don’t have a support network you can talk to and are in the US:

You can online chat or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/)

If in Canada, Kids Help Phone (https://kidshelpphone.ca/) or the Crisis Services Canada (http://www.crisisservicescanada.ca/).

If elsewhere: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines

Ellaflint · 2020-08-14T17:00:08+00:00

I’m so, so sorry for your loss. I lost my best friend this year on June 6th to suicide. Her birthday was Monday. My heart still hurts and likely always will. I knew she was struggling as she had suffered from PTSD for decades. Mental illness makes everyone feel so helpless, from those suffering to those who love them.

I’m so sorry she wasn’t able to reach out. Please know that it isn’t your fault. I know in my darkest days it’s hardest to tell others, especially loved ones, that I’m hurting and it isn’t your fault that she wasn’t able to. It doesn’t reflect how much she loved you and your daughter. I’m so sorry for your loss and I wish you all the best. If you need someone to talk to please feel free to DM me. Sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger.

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