Some Pictures...aka "I don't feel like writing right now"

Some pictures of Noelle playing this past December as we were decorating the Christmas tree. In the last photo you will notice that she got a little tired and passed out under the tree.

FYI: The carpet was covered with a big green sheet and some towels due to some "loose issues" that Noelle was experiencing at the time. Please let me know if you require further details.

Noelle & Wyatt (Part 1)

About a year ago, Noelle's life changed forever. A little boy named Wyatt was born and moved into the house. Obviously, Brittney and I were beyond thrilled with our new baby. Noelle on the other hand was a little unsure.

As we got close to Brittney's due date we did our best to prepare Noelle. Occasionally, I would hold a stuffed animal in my lap and pretend to give it attention. We also washed some of Wyatt's clothes with his special baby detergent and left them around the house so that Noelle would get used to the smell. Wyatt was born on March 30, 2007 and a few days later we brought him home from the hospital. Noelle was anxiously running around the house when we arrived because it had been forever (in her mind...ok and mine too) since she had last seen seen me. I wanted to make sure that the first thing we did was introduce baby Wyatt to Noelle. As I bent down to her while holding the baby I could almost read her mind... A new toy!?! A giant cookie?!? Hold on a second what the heck is this thing? Actually, Noelle handled the entire situation very well. She gently sniffed Wyatt and even gave him a little kiss.

Here are a few pictures from the first days of Wyatt & Noelle:

Here is Wyatt!

Noelle & Wyatt get introduced (with help from my Dad)

Brittney, Noelle and the new baby!

Noelle & Wyatt sharing the bed

Lasers are Finished! (until next week)

Noelle finished up the initial stages of her laser treatments with the 6th session on her elbows and shoulders. She now has 4 "booster" treatments (4 each for the front & back) that she can get as she needs them over the next few months. I will probably get a booster for her hips & spine next week.

Now that we have reached the end, I have to say that I am somewhat disappointed with the results. I guess I was hoping for a miracle but Noelle doesn't seem any better off than she was before the laser stuff started. In fact, I think she may be worse. I do not blame the lasers for that. I just think that the weather sucks and that she has lost so much muscle mass over the years. I feel so bad for her sometimes. The spirit is willing, but her body does not seem to want to cooperate. I just wish that the weather would warm up once and for all so that she could feel better. The weather here is so up & down, it is impossible for her to get any good feelings going for more than a day or two. This week is a perfect example - tomorrow it will be 79 degrees, Saturday it will be 52. Geez!

I look forward to being able to take her swimming again this summer. She loves to do it and it really helps her arthritis. But for now, I have started walking her up and down the hill by my office with the hope that it will begin to develop some muscle in her rear legs again. I am going to become Noelle's personal trainer this summer. So I hope she is ready!

Noelle wearing my safety glasses at her laser appointment

Noelle's New Playroom (or so she thinks)

My parents made the room over their garage into a playroom for my son Wyatt and his cousin Colin. Wyatt got to see it for the first time the other day. I left Noelle downstairs...but she couldn't take it and had to come upstairs to play! With her arthritis, climbing stairs isn't really her idea of fun, but nothing was going to keep her away from the action.

Here are a few pics of the fun:

Noelle, patiently (yeah right) waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

Supervising Wyatt!

Smiling & Having Fun

Showing Progress - Finally

Noelle finished up the laser treatments of her hips and lower spine last week. So this week she started getting her shoulders and elbows zapped. After 2 sessions she is finally beginning to show a little progress...let's hope that it lasts. How do I know it is working? Well we were outside at work today when all of a sudden she took off running. She preceded to walk and run so well that she left me far behind. When she turned around and saw how far back I was, she ran right back to me.

I'm not sure anyone could peel the smile off of my face.

Hopefully, she will improve even more since she has 4 treatments left.

Lasers?

Today Noelle went to the vet to get some of her arthritic joints shot with a laser gun.

A little background information...about 4 months ago our vet mentioned that lasers are now being used to treat inflammation in animal joints (aka arthritis). As usual I was very interested in anything that would improve Noelle's quality of life. Unfortunately, at the time our vet did not own a laser machine, but she promised to let me know if they purchased one. About a month later the vet invited Noelle down to be a test subject for a borrowed laser machine they were testing out. I had two reactions to this: 1) They think really highly of Noelle and 2) Wow, her arthritis must be really bad. Anyway, to shorten this story, the vet ended up purchasing a laser machine from the future (I believe it is called a diode laser) and again invited Noelle down for a free treatment as they trained their staff. I was very appreciative and more than happy to take them up on their offer. I mean, who are we to stand in the way of medical science?

Flash forward a couple of months. I, of course, signed Noelle up for the treatment program. The package consists of 3 laser treatments the first week, 2 the second week and 1 the third week. The package also contains 4 "boosters" to be given every 4-6 weeks as needed. Today Noelle completed the 6th and final treatment of the package (she still has the 4 boosters). However, Noelle will begin a whole new set of treatments (as part of a new package) on Monday morning. Why, you ask? Well, you see, my little lady has arthritis pretty much everywhere. She has completed treatment in her right hip, left hip and lower spine. Next week she will get lasered in both shoulders, both elbows and maybe her upper spine.

Lots of people say that the laser has had an immediate positive impact on their dogs. I have seen some improvements in Noelle but I am a little disappointed in the lack of progress. Perhaps I was expecting too much. Maybe its the weather. Maybe its because half her body has yet to be treated. Her left elbow arthritis (which is a recent development) gives her a lot of trouble. Anyway, I am still holding out a lot of hope for her. I would love to see Noelle's joint pain and stiffness reduced. She is a happy dog, but I can only imagine and dream about how much a successful laser treatment would improve her life.

Sorry if this was boring, but it will make later posts so much easier if I do not have to repeatedly explain the laser gun process.

Still holding out hope. Keep your fingers crossed.

We are back!

Ok, so it has been almost 2 years since I last posted. I'm more than a little annoyed at myself for being away for so long. I really wanted this to be a running account/history of me and Noelle's life together. However, I do have good excuses for my absence. Since I last wrote I have gotten married and seen my wife give birth to a beautiful baby boy named Wyatt. Many, many things have changed in my life...especially my sleeping patterns.

But one thing has stayed the same as it has always been...the unbreakable bond between me and my dog Noelle.

She is now 14 years old (14 years, 4 months to be exact), has arthritis almost everywhere, is 95% deaf, poops inside the house frequently...and is still guaranteed to make me laugh and smile every single day.

Noelle has been through a lot in the past two years. My goal (and I actually hope to follow through on it this time) is to fill you in on our daily lives as well as update you on the trials, tribulations and fun-filled awesome moments that make life worth living.

Stay tuned...

So What If She Has Gray Hair

If there is one thing in life that causes me constant stress and worry it is this...my dog is getting older. She is 12 years old. Depending on which study you listen to, in people years she is somewhere between 55 & 84 years old. Obviously, the one I subscribe to is the first number. The 84 years was calculated using the pretty much discounted theory of 7 people years for every dog year. The 55 is based on a theory I heard on Animal Planet a couple of years ago.

Anyway, back to my main point. Obviously, as the years have passed there have been many signs and symptons that Noelle is "not as young as she used to be." But that's okay...neither am I...neither are you. I have found that while it hurts me to see her struggle to do things that once came so easily...I am filled with so much more joy when I catch little glimpses of her "inner puppy" emerging on a daily basis. She still loves to run...even though the arthritis has slowed her. She still follows me around...even if she has cut back on some trips to save energy. She still loves to go for rides in the car and to sleep on my bed...even if I have to help her up into both places. She still loves to dive on top of me and lick my face until it's raw...even if she has to take a few more breathers these days between attacks.

She still loves to smile...

Tonight, while we were on our walk, Noelle lost her balance and fell. It was something I haven't seen her do before...and it scared the crap out of me. I helped her up and tried to make sure she was okay...but she would have nothing of it...she was already rushing off to finish our stroll. That's Noelle...dedicated to fun.

For 12 years (with many more to go) Noelle has been there to pick me up when I am down. Now it is my turn to return the favor.

I love this dog.