All About Reba

Last night I let Reba in and she walked right past her dish of raw buffalo burger, past my bedroom, into the laundry room and laid down, butt to the door. This was extremely odd, not at all normal for my girl. I decided to let her be for awhile, and if she didn't come out on her own I'd check on her before going to sleep. I was laying on my bed reading Tuning Up For Riders in preparation for my final test for my motorcycle license when, at 12:30am, I heard a heck of a racket in the hallway near the furnace. My first thought was that Mewsic had caught a mouse trying to sneak into the house through the furnace... then I heard Reba breathing very hard. She was laying on the floor between the furnace & the clothes drying rack that is standing in the hall, her head was back and sort of caught on the rack. I gently moved her head free of the rack and down to the floor... she seemed 'out of it'. She had obviously had a stroke or seizure of some kind. I held her head, petting her and talking to her calmly & quietly until her breathing finally slowed down to normal, then helped her to get up and walk the few feet into my bedroom. She laid down beside my bed, almost like she didn't have what it would take to get to her bed at the foot of mine. Again she was breathing heavily, though not as much as earlier. I petted & talked to her, her breathing calmed down. After awhile I returned to my book, a bit later Reba got up and took the last few steps to her bed where she more fell down than laid down.

According to things I've read on the internet, the lifespan of a Rottweiler in 8-12 years, though I've had people tell me they had a Rotti that lived to 14 years or 13 years, so they do live beyond the 12. I always thought Reba would be one that lived longer. She was always so full of life, so puppy-like that even at as much as 10 years old people still guessed her to be 2 or 3. Then last winter (Jan 2009) she almost died on me due to pneumonia though once she recovered from that she was back to her usual puppy-ish self. Now this winter she got cancer. We went through a couple real bad months, but once the toe was off along with the tumor, she rallied really well and seemed to again return to her bouncy self. It must have taken a lot out of her though.

I have heard that hgh supplement helps us to be younger longer, to replace a much needed hormone that we have during our youth. I don't know if it works or if there is a similar hormone in dogs, but if there is one in dogs I wish I could have given it to Reba. I am very sad to say that she is not long for this world. Reba will be 12 years old on December 14 though I know she won't make it that long. Before this summer is over, my awesomely wonderful girl will depart... her body to my pet cemetery and her spirit to The Rainbow Bridge.