Cheyenne’s Tour of Duty
I am going through the toughest time next to when my son was taken off life support that I have ever gone through.
My dog Cheyenne is 12 years old she is a Rottweiler and weighed at her best health close to 170. She started out my brother’s dog that was left behind when he moved out of my house. He can't take care of himself let a lone an animal that requires feeding and care.
In May her and I were going for our walks at night trying to lose a few unwanted pounds that somehow we both seemed to have put on.
I noticed that she was limping and tiring real easy I kind of thought well she is getting up there in age then she was slowing way down and not getting as far each night.
I took her to the vet they treated her for arthritis and sent her home with Rimadyl. She did fairly well for a while, then in April I brought her back she was getting worse she was diagnosed with Osteo Sarcoma. (Cancer of the bone).
They prescribed a stronger pain medication called Metacam, which is not cheap but helps her.
On the weekend of June 23, She had just about quit eating and had a bout with diarrhea and vomiting. I went and rented a car for her so that I could take her for a ride, which she loved. The reason I had to rent one was she could no longer get into my old Explorer, which she used to do in one leap, she not once had an accident and I knew when it was time to pull over.
Then I noticed that she was doing something funny with her mouth and I thought I wonder if she may have am infected tooth. I gave her one table spoon of Amoxicillin that my daughter had just had for an abscessed tooth and kaopectate, she was acting like she wanted to eat I got my slow cooker out and cooked her some chicken breast and rice she ate that the next day she was trying to eat the cat food. I continued her on the antibiotic and she was ready to go for a walk and even able to get in my car. We went back to the vet and they said that what ever it was I did something right.
She is in much better spirits although the pain is getting harder to control and I know that her time is near. She is a true best friend and protector.
The other night while we were sleeping she is still on watch. I woke to her growling and going towards the back door. I don't know what was back there, whoever or whatever it was it left fast.
I often wonder how many times a crook has gone past my house and thought about stealing something from my property and saw her and changed their mind.
When I come home from work she is still there to greet me. I hold her and I cry, I pray for her and I even put some holy water on her, I thank her for the job well done. I thank her for keeping my children and me safe in our home all these years. I have told her thanks for sharing her food with my kids when they were babies, she has the patience of a Saint the kids did everything with her and she never so much as snarled at them.
I tell her that she can rest now; I look at her and cry seeing how strong she is. I wonder if she thinks that I need her to be here as she has been for the past 8 years.

I have told Cheyenne that her job is done it is her turn to be protected. I still can't bear the thought of ever not having her in my life. I have a difficult decision to make and I know it is soon. I hope that I can keep her comfortable enough so that I don't have to take her to the vet and have her put down. She is so large it would be difficult to carry her; I am waiting for her to tell me when it is time.
I wish that I could find a vet that can help me at home when the time comes. I think that if she were here it would not be so traumatic on her or me. I have emptied my bank account keeping her comfortable and would do it all over again if I could. She has been the most loyal protector and best friend that I have ever had in my life. If I have to eat Top Ramen for a year I will to pay for the vet to come here on her last day here with my children and me.
Update on Cheyenne
Cheyenne is free of pain; she is up running around and cancer free. My prayers were answered. She does not even need any of those rotten pain pills that cause her to be drowsy or give her a stomachache. Her appetite is back she can eat whatever she wants and not have to worry
She is chasing all the neighbor dogs and scaring the “shiot” out of their owners
Moreover, not getting into trouble by animal control or the police department when she does, where she is now…. that is allowed.
She started her second tour of duty on July 24, 2005 @ 9:10 AM. She is doing what she loves to do.
Only now, she is in heaven fetching the things that my son will throw to her, she is being loved all day long by my Mom and my Aunt Loretta and they unquestionably are spoiling her rotten as I did. And she is undoubtedly guarding them
I wish that I were not taught how to love so much by those two, it hurts too badly. I don’t know if everyone feels the way that I do, when such a big part of his or her life has died.
I would have never gone and picked Cheyenne out for a family pet, for fear that she might hurt my children. She proved to me with out a doubt on many occasions that she would never hurt one of them, she was put through many test and she passed them better than I ever could have thought.
Everyone that knew her loved her. She was the sweetest most loving and loyal friend anyone could wish for.
She came to me by accident; it was fate that she and I ended up together. I am so glad that it happened the way it did or her life might have been cut short by some unfortunate reason, sooner than it was.
She was here to protect me and I was there for her in the end to love, protect and make her final days as comfortable as I possibly could, emotionally, financially and physically.
On July 23,2005 my Friend Michael came over to help me with her as he had many times in the past He loved Cheyenne almost as much as me and my kids. I knew that I was going to have to do something on Sunday... She refused to eat on Saturday, I sat with her most of the day rubbing her cleaning her and trying to get her to eat. She refused everything.
The last three months of her life I hand fed her steak, chicken and whatever else she would eat. I catered to her. I took her for walks, at first she would make it about three blocks then she would make it two then at the end her last day Saturday she made to the lamp post in front of my house.
I talked to the kids they knew that the time had come, we decided that Sunday would be the day, that night, Saturday, at 10:00 she would not get up off the lawn to go back in the house. It was not easy moving her back in.
We attempted to put her on the gurney that Eddie had brought over, to move her in the house after she went to the bathroom. She jumped off the gurney when we started to lift it and walked in the house and laid down as if to say I am done.
She would not eat Michael went to Jack in the Box to get her a Breakfast Jack which she loved, she would not eat that. .
We checked on her at 2:00 AM she had changed positions closer to Adam, then Michael checked on her again at 4 AM and she was lying on the bathroom floor sleeping peacefully. He woke up at 7:00 and her breathing was really labored. He sat with her and scratched her. He kept going back upstairs telling me that her breathing was not right
I just wanted to sleep. I knew that her time was near and did not want to face it, besides I had a massive headache because I had 3 shots of whiskey the night before, I finally went downstairs to face the reality that the time had come. She will not suffer anymore because of my selfishness. I said that is it; let’s get her to the vet now.
I told Adam to call his Dad, Eddie wanted to talk to me, as soon as I got on the phone I was crying and told him to please hurry and get here that Cheyenne was dying, he said “I will be right there”
And to my surprise no argument no second-guessing, Eddie was there in less then 10 minutes.
Michael and Eddie each took a side of the sheet that we put under her and Adam had her head, they lifted her onto the gurney then loaded her in the back of Eddie’s truck. We drove her about 20 miles to the Emergency Vet in Stockton. Michael and I rode in the back with Cheyenne while Eddie drove with the Adam up front.
They carried her into the vet and put her on the table, she was still on the gurney, the vet asked what was wrong and we told him then asked what we wanted to do, He said in a whisper “Euthanasia” and I said yes “unless you can fix her”. He said, no I do not think we can.
Eddie …Bless his “hard” heart... said why is she breathing like that, can’t you give her something to help?
I interrupted and said she is dying; the vet agreed and explained that this is what they do when they are giving up.
He went to get the paper for the euthanasia and came back in. We were all rubbing Cheyenne and talking to her crying and telling her that it is Ok.
I told Cheyenne right before she died that there are two special people that she can protect and play with in heaven (My mom & my Son Jeremy) it seemed as though she just kept hanging on for me, thinking that it was her job.
Eddie, Michael, the kids & me were all there loving her and while I had the paper in my hand for the authorization to euthanize her, she took a deep breath and relaxed. That was it she was finally free of all pain.
I said, oh My God she just died, and I had my hand on her side and felt her heart stop. The Vet confirmed it by listening to her heart.
It was as though she knew that it was going to cost a fortune with the cremation and she went on her own.
My kids wanted her cremated I wanted to bury her with her Dad or out in the front where she loved to sit under the tree and guard our house.
The kids wanted the box with her ashes to be near us in the house...
Eddie never once hesitated, he was there right to the end with me Michael and the Kids he was in the room with Michael, and they both respected the situation and Eddie made me proud to say that he is my kid’s father for the first time in a long time.
It is very sad how things happened with Cheyenne. I would have sold everything I own to have saved her life or even had one more day with her free of cancer and pain.
She was truly the best most loyal, loving friend that anyone could ever have.
I don’t think that I could hurt this much if it were a human family member that died. She was the closest living being to my heart, aside from my kids that I have had in my life.
I will miss her so much; she brought so much joy and security to our home.
I knew in my heart for a long time that she was getting up there in age. She was 12 years old. I always thought that she would die of old age, not cancer. I know in my mind I should have put her down sooner, but in my heart I could not do it.
I always hoped and prayed that there would be a miracle or that I could keep her around a little longer. Even with all the medications and the trips to the vet I still wanted more. I kept looking searching for a cure for her.
My daughter Cera has kept a journal of the last part of her life. They have never dealt with cancer before and thought that she had a sore on her leg. They don’t understand how painful cancer is; they loved her so much,
Adam said to me once when I brought up the fact that we have to think about her, not us. I said if she is in pain we can’t let her suffer. He said “ how would you like it, when the next time you have an operation that we have you put to sleep” I knew then how hurt the kids were and how hard this was going to be.
I could have taken the cheaper way out when I first found out. I didn’t, I did whatever it took to keep her as comfortable as possible and she did have more good days then bad her last three months.
I knew that I had to do whatever it took to keep her as comfortable as possible and hope that she would die naturally not only for the kids, But, for Cheyenne she deserved it.
Cera came to terms with the fact that Cheyenne was not going to live forever on Friday we talked about what we should do with her when she does die. I showed her the box of what I always thought was my favorite animal, (Baby) my cat. She liked the Idea of having her with us and she was comfortable when the time came to take Cheyenne to the Vet.
God works in funny ways, by Adam, being there when she died helped him deal with her dying; she died on her own, As opposed to me, having DONE it.
Even though the morning we found her in the bathroom floor breathing the way she was, I feel deep down that Adam knew it was time. He jumped in, helped me get her out, and helped his dad and Michael put her on the gurney. If he had not been there to see it himself he would always have in the back of his head that I did this to her.
I am forever grateful that Eddie was there with us, by him being there, showed Adam that his dad has a heart. Eddie was there when we needed him he didn’t hesitate. He even called Cera to let her know and see if she wanted to go with us. She was at Stephanie’s.
I went home last night and felt so all alone and scared. I locked all the doors and windows, something I have never thought about before, because I knew that Cheyenne was there. It was then that I realized how fortunate I have been all these years. I never worried about the safety of my kids and myself because Cheyenne was there, doing what she loved to do, protecting us.
All the way to the end, Cheyenne protected us and kept us safe. I never thought about it, till the thought of her not being here crossed my mind in April 2005. Now, I know… and I also know that she will continue to protect us for a long time after. People know my house and they know that I have a huge Rottweiler.
Most people won’t walk past my house thinking that she will tear them apart. If they only knew, she didn’t have a mean bone in her body… Maybe to other animals she acted territorial, but never towards a human or even the cats in my house, she was afraid of them.
I went downstairs after Michael left and I saw what looked like vomit under the end table in the family room I cried, my poor baby… she even tried to hide the fact that she was sick. It was far under the table out of sight. Michael had seen her in the night with her head under the end table and just thought that she was resting.
I don’t know if I will ever get another dog, but I do know… that I will never love one as much as I do her.
I know that someday I will see her again and until then,

Cheyenne,
Thank you so much for all the years of laughter
Tears and Joy that you have gave to us.
We will miss you so much. We love you.

After writing this a friend of mine whom I met on the Internet shared his story with me. In his story he talked about having to put is best friend down. In it there was a quote from a poem by Kipling called
The power of dog
“The price of a good dog is a broken heart at the end”
Cheyenne was one Hell of a good dog
My heart is very broke