Me, I'm a grad student/scientist/computer dork/dog owner dealing with dog cancer.
Leo split time between his dog-mommy and me, weekend-daddy. Leo was diagnosed with canine lymphoma on March 30th, 2012. Canine lymphoma is an aggressive form of cancer of the white blood cells. It can be treated, but it cannot be cured at this time. The median time of remission, given the most effective forms of treatment, is 9-12 months.
Leo came to us when he was 3. He came from a sketchy background, living somewhere in Pennsylvania. He was untrained, a little aggressive, and lacked a lot of basic dog manners. But he had personality in spades, was smart, clever, and very intuitive, and he quickly picked up the rhythms and expectations of a city dog in Brooklyn. There have been bumps in the road along the way, but he was a great dog.
More than that, he's my hiking partner - we've gone to the Adirondaks and the Catskills, and we are going (fingers crossed) out west this summer; he's my sanity check - when things get to be too much, I think about his outlook, the way he lives for the moment, enjoys simple things (like Bally and being outside) and the way he wears his heart on his sleeve in ways both good and bad; he's my motivation - when he's around, he's gotta be walked, I have to get up and go, and get started even if I'd rather no. And above all, he's my best friend. My boy, my Eo.
Note: Leo peacefully died on August 19, 2015. I can't quite manage to put all of this in the past tense, yet.
