News of the Pets 

(Additional photos are on the picture album page .  Click on thumbnail images to enlarge)

Kimberly - November (Thanksgiving) 1996 - November 10, 2006

Kimberly (who was originally named "Givy" having been born on Thanksgiving, 1996) was put to sleep on Friday, November 11, 2006, following several months of mobility issues. 

We adopted her from the Cincinnati St. Bernard Rescue in June, 1999.  Erika named her "Kimberly", in honor of her cousin.  Weighing nearly 180 lb., she was having a lot of trouble trying to stand up.  Prednisone was able to relieve a part of her discomfort in moving around, but that wasn't seen as a very optimal solution.  Rather than prolong her condition unnecessarily, it was decided to take her to Dr. Custis in Lebanon for euthanasia.

She was cremated at the Pines Pet Cemetery.  Her remains will be buried in the pet cemetery on our property.  Princess and Alexis, who she raised, to some extent, miss their "mother". 

Sebastian - October 11, 1993 - July 15, 2001

Sebastian von Pueschel died July 15, 2001, after a very speedy illness.  Click on the link above for more info on him.

Saint-Saëns (Sassy) - October 11, 1993 - February 23, 2004

Sassy died February 23, 2004, after a brief bout with cancer that was first notice pathologically on 2/19/04.  Click on the link above to read his little tribute.  

Lani - March 18, 1995 - October 12, 2003

 Lani was initially a rescue foster mini-schnauzer, who arrived in the summer of 2002, owing in part to her diabetic condition.  She was adopted for several months during the fall and winter of 2002-2003, but returned in January when she didn't seem to get along with her adoptive family.  On Valentine's Day, 2003, we adopted her;  Ute presented her to me as a gift for the occasion.

During the weekend of Columbus Day, 2003, however, Lani's kidney failed, and she quickly succumbed to the problems that that would entail. On Sunday, October 12, she was put to sleep and buried in our pet cemetery.  We spent the better part of a wonderful year getting to know this little girl, who had endured many maladies, who was given up for adoption when the task of caring for a diabetic schnauzer was too much for the original parents. She was unique, in that she'd had diabetes for several years, but had shown no sign of blindness.    

Final Photo of John and Mozart – 4/4/02 (click on thumbnail for larger image)

Mozart - Nov 13, 1991 - April 4, 2002

On July 5, 2001, just before Sebastian's death, Mozart was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor, and the growth was surgically removed 3 times before radiation was attempted between Nov 7 and Nov 28, 2001.  Two additional surgeries occurred after the radiation, the most recent being that of March 4th (by Dr. Bruce Butler, of the Tennessee Avenue Animal Hospital, Norwood, Ohio).

And so, on March 28, 2002, he began Chemotherapy treatments with Dr. Cheryl Harris in Milford, Ohio.  She had originally sent us to Dr. Terry Hamilton in Cleveland, Ohio, for the radiation therapy, on the initial tumor.  This site had responded well, and that growth had successfully been eliminated.

Unfortunately, what appeared to be a sarcoma type growth had invaded Mozart's crotch area, and as a result, surgery was no longer an option.  His right leg was swelling and had a reddish color as well, which is apparently symptomatic of a sarcoma type tumor.  Therefore, considering our alternatives, we opted to treat him to a chemo round to see if the growth could be reduced thereby.

Mozart had not eaten since the day before his chemo was began, though he continued to play ball, and drink water.

But, on April 1, he actually regained some appetite, and drank some gatorade.  Plus, the swelling in his right leg is vastly improved, and no longer reddish.   On April 3rd, he continued to behave well, though his appetite lessened noticeabely.  In the evening, he started shaking a bit, which, as we would find out later, was the result of an increasingly elevated temperature.

On April 4th, Mozart and I traveled to Dr. Harris again, in Milford, potentially for his 2nd Chemo treatment.  Unfortunately, when I arrived home from work at 5pm, he didn't want to get up.  This he has never done before.  He didn't eat, of course, and when we arrived at the office, the vet tech confirmed his temperature at 107.  A blood test proved he had no white blood cells to speak of.  The prognosis didn't look good.  After briefly examining the options, I didn't think it made any sense to submit him to further medical experimentation.  After checking with Ute about the options (either end things in Milford or in Dayton), we agreed to have Dr. Harris put him to sleep.  

Dr. Harris also mentioned that the tumor was the same that Mozart had originally had, and that the aggressive growth was causing it to respond to the chemo treatment, i.e., not a sarcoma variety.

His ashes have been buried next to Rosco's and Sebastian's grave.

The long saga of the "biggy man" is now over, and Mozart Grand Finale, has finally had his finale.

Mozart Grand Finale and John

Princess

Princess, arrived at Pekin Rd. on Dec 30th, 2001.  She is from a kennel in West Liberty, Ohio, owned by Pam Schneider.  Princess was whelped on November 13, 2001, 10 years to the DAY after Mozart.  And, based on pedigrees of the two, Mozart and Princess are half 2nd cousins (they share a great-grand-dam, Liberated Lady).

Princess, owing in part to her being a female, is lagging behind Mozart in weight and size.  As of 11/13/02 (one year old), she weighed 74 lbs., and is 21.75" tall.

On October 9th, 2003, Princess graduated from beginning obedience classes, at Loving Touch, in West Chester.  She is well on her way to learning the art of Frisbee catching.

Princess is by far the most energetic hound we've ever had, being a master of jumping, climbing, and standing up. Her right ear didn't quite get with the program, ever since Alexis pulled the ear bandage off when Princess was a puppy.

 
Alexis

 Alexis is a very stately mix of mostly Belgian Sheepdog that we obtained from a rescue in Michigan in August of 2001, following Sebastian's untimely demise.  She is a great companion for Princess.  

Kimberly

Kimberly was named by Erika, our daughter, after one of her cousins.  She is a St. Bernard, from the St. Bernard Rescue of Cincinnati.  She was bred as a show dog, but had not been taken care of and was no longer a show quality animal.  After a tricky house training ordeal, she is now the most stable docile of the crew -- not to mention the heaviest, at approximately 180lbs.

Bruno and Nero

On February 12, 2004, Ute received an email from a vet assistant who works with Dr. Custis, our Vet, to let her know that there were two (2) giant schnauzer brothers at a farm in Clarksville, Ohio, that needed to be transferred away from the owner.  They were at a farm where racing horses were raised, and they had inflicted considerable damage to the horses by inadvertently chasing them into fences, etc.   Ute contacted the northern Ohio Giant rescue association, and tentatively arranged to deliver them to a dropoff point in Columbus.  We went to pick them up on February 14th, (how convenient) and when we found them, they were very docile, and had no trouble being brought to our house. 

The rescue folks were very relieved to know that we'd be happy to foster them for a time (unless of course we adopted them ourselves).  

Both weighed about 96-95.5 lbs, each, and do not have cropped ears.  We suspect they are at least 2 years old.  They are house broken, and were, apparently in the owner's home for a time, but were subsequently tossed out to roam the farm (and chase the horses, hence their fate).  They were very shaggy, having last been groomed possibly during the fall of 2003 or earlier.  We arranged to have them immediately bathed, and then, I completed their first grooming in our care, on Sunday, Feb 15th. 

Later in the summer, however, it became apparent that Bruno was a bit too aggressive for Nero, let alone, the rest of the crowd.  We found an adoptive parent in Dayton who was willing to take him, and everything has been much better ever since.