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Posted by Chris Fraize Link: Blitz video.
on 6/16/2008, 10:33 am
65.175.253.59
On Saturday I received a call from Blitz’s owner and long time friend Richi Davis. She was crying and asked me to come over right away. When I asked her what was wrong she said that Blitz was breathing funny and was having a hard tome getting to his feet. Richi lives less that a mile from me and I was able to get there very quickly. When I arrived at her house she met me at the door and brought me directly to Blitz. He didn’t look good. His gums were white and very cold and his breathing was extremely labored. Richi then told me that he had been vomiting.
Because it was Saturday and we live in the woods all of the local vets were closed. So we left for the emergency vet in Portland an hour away. We made it there in 40 minutes. On that 40 minuet drive Blitz fell asleep and I started to talk to Richi about some of the great times we had with this very special dog.
I remembered in particular the 2004 Dog Sports Open and the defense of handler portion of the novice level. Blitz was in a down stay at the end of the leash and was supposed to be ready to defend Richi. Instead he was sniffing the ground where the previous contestant (A female dog) had just been. Blitz wasn’t just sniffing, he was trying to excavate with his nose. All the while Richi was being assaulted and screaming, yelling and basically trying to do anything to get Blitz to stop making love to the ground. Finally she went over to Blitz and lets just say, got his attention in a physical manner. He just looked up as if to say “Oh hi mom!” and went right on sniffing the ground. Richi was really furious a bit embarrassed and didn’t really want to be in Michigan anymore. After a little bit of consoling and some friendly encouragement Richi and Blitz entered the intermediate level with the goal of ending on a better note in the defense of handler exercise. She got Blitz ready and this time they did much better. They still didn’t win that day but they learned a little bit about each other, training, dog behavior and most of all they had (without knowing it at the time) constructed a memory that would last for the rest of their lives. Richi had a great time that weekend at the meals, training on and off the field, talking to other like minded dog people that have been through the same experiences. Richi and Blitz made many friends at that tournament and others across the country. She said that at the time the whole sniffing incident seemed like the end of the world. Now that “end of the world” experience was just a fond memory that we were smiling about on our way to say goodbye to a canine friend that changed both of our lives for the better in so many ways.
When we arrived at the emergency vet we were both somber. Blitz was able to walk in to the building but just barely. He fell asleep again as soon as we were placed in an examination room. It turns out that the vet was the first vet that looked at Blitz after we got him from Boston. The first time he had examined Blitz many years prior all he could say was “Magnificent animal”. He really liked Blitz. The vet who had only seen Blitz once almost 6 years prior remembered him right off! This was a giant comfort to Richi and I. The vet took Blitz’s vital signs and then asked if he could take some chest X-rays. Richi said yes and I carried Blitz to the X-ray table. After just one X-ray the vet called Richi and I over to a computer screen. The X-ray showed a blizzard of white in Blitz’s lungs and fluid around his heart. Blitz was diagnosed with cancer and the very easy and hard decision was made to let him go. Richi spent a few precious moments saying goodbye and remembering all that they had been through together. I held him and looked into his eyes as Richi lay next to him holding him close. Blitz passed quietly.
Richi and I brought him home to bury him on the field here at Canine Solutions. We dug the grave together and placed him gently in his favorite sleeping position. Richi gave Blitz one last “Dismissed” command and we buried him together.
Something occurred to me through this experience with Blitz. Many people visit message boards, go to trials or competitions and become backstabbing, ultra competitive or holier than thou and have forgotten why they started out in dog training. For me it was because I loved my dog and wanted a deeper understanding and bond. I have forgotten that many times because of ego, pride and competitive nature. Richi and Blitz gave me the opportunity to get back to the beginning again. For that I am grateful.
Safe training,
Chris Fraize
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