So like I was saying …
Nico came home post-amp on March 6, 2009. We made her as comfortable as possible in our 2nd floor apartment. None of us slept that first night; all of us cried that first night. Using the stairs was downright scary – she was not bandaged, just stapled and sutured, and I was so afraid of hurting her. Lots of practice and lots of days later, the stairs stopped being so scary (but it took a while!)
About 3 weeks post-surgery, I started thinking: What will I do NOW with my girl? She had started to slow down before her diagnosis, so hiking seemed out of the question. She could go on short walks down the block and play with her ball a bit. But, was this what I was considering good quality of life? Would this be enough for her, for us even, to make life worth living?
Enter new ideas: I ordered a large pet stroller and cushion, to make taking long walks a thing of our new future and not just our past. We bought a more rugged stroller for exploring and hiking in the woods. I found a farm that offered canine aquatherapy classes and she met all sorts of new swim buddies. We picnicked all of the time (and still do, actually heading out in about 20 minutes!) We have a harness that we can offer her support in and out of the car.
The bottom line: For more than two years, we have made adjustments to allow Nico to continue in the activities she loves and that we love her to join us on. She swims 4 or 5 days a week at the river near our home when the weather permits and enjoys riding in her “buggy” all over town. People know we’re crazy about our dog; some people think I’m just downright crazy. But these changes have given us more time in this chapter of our lives – I have known the three of us together for thousands of days and I seek no other way of living.