Keeley's last days

 I had Keeley put to sleep on Sunday evening.  He had an aggressive cancer.  The tumor was wrapped around the inside and outside of his jaw bone and up into his ear.  It caused him intense pain to open his mouth.  For the last 6 weeks he had begun using his mouth less and less and the muscles in his head and face were going through atrophy.  I was giving him only soft foods because it was obvious that anything that required chewing hurt him.  In the past 3 weeks he started getting lethargic and antisocial - just not acting like himself.  He stopped barking or even growling.  At first we thought it was myositis, but the blood test results were negative.  Then last Thursday he had an MRI and got the cancer diagnosis.  He went downhill super fast.  He just looked so sad.  There was talk about removing his jaw bone, but to me that sounded barbaric and there would still be the tumor that was in his ear.  So that's why I made the decision to put him to sleep.

I tried to make his last 2 days as nice as possible.  On Saturday we took him to the beach since Keeley always loved the beach.  He did perk up a bit when we started getting close to the lake, but for the most part he just wasn't feeling it.

Then we took him to Dairy Queen.  His eyes did get wide when he saw me get into the car with ice cream, but he never even sat up or anything.

The rest of the day we just lay around and napped together.  He definitely wanted me with him but he looked really sad all day.

Then on Sunday, he woke up feeling pretty good.  He seemed very alert or at least more so than he'd been for the last couple of weeks.  We took him to Lake Park and he loved that.  He was eager to walk all around.  It was the most I'd seen him move all week.

We went on the trail and across bridges and cut across fields.  He wanted to keep going too, but I was worried about him over-doing it.

It was a beautiful day and we just sat and enjoyed it for a while before going to Arby's (another treat for Keeley).

He was feeling so good that when we got home, we went for another walk with Teagan.  He was acting almost like his old self again.  He hung out for a while on the balcony too since he likes to keep an eye on all the goings on.

We took a short nap together on the sectional.  I pet him lots and sang him his puppy song.

And we spent his last hour hanging out together outside.  Weather wise, it was just the kind of day that Keeley liked:  warm but not too warm, with low humidity, and some nice wind blowing right up the driveway bringing all the scents in the neighborhood right to his nose.

Since the day had gone so well, I started having second thoughts, but decided it was best to go out on a good note.  During the work week I wouldn't be able to spend much time with him and he wouldn't be happy with that.  I'm glad I had this last good day with him.  

We went with www.petlossathome.com because I figured Teagan needed to see Keeley to understand it.  But even so, I'm not sure if she really understands.  I guess maybe in her own way she gets it.  I don't know.  Sometimes it seems like she looks for him.  She really depended on him for so much.  I'm worried about her.

And I miss Keeley so much.  I am so completely heartbroken.  He was my baby.  And he was just so so very good.  I can't imagine that another dog could ever compare to him.  Just when I think I'm done crying, something will set me off.  Like, I opened up the dishwasher to put the clean dishes away and I thought that I have way too many doggie dishes now and I started crying.  Or today 4 condolence cards came in the mail.  I read the first 2 and was fine, but I started sniffling at the third, and by the fourth one, I was in tears.

I just picked up his ashes today and I thought that would give me closure, but I was crying again.  I guess that's just how its going to be for a while.  It all just happened so fast and I really expected to have several more years with him.  He was only 9 years old.  He was just the greatest little dog-boy!  And now I don't know what to do with myself - I don't really feel like doing anything.  I'm so lousy at dealing with stuff like this.

MKE CO PARKS: Bradford Beach

(and the bluffs on the south end of Lake Park)Keeley and I were taking our normal morning walk at Lake Park today when we decided we'd go explore Bradford Beach a little.
A lot of the Milwaukee County Parks connect together. And almost the entire lakefront is green space and parks. Here we are at Lake Park looking down from the bluffs. Below is Lincoln Memorial Drive, Bradford Beach, and Lake Michigan.
Lake Park extends almost all the way to the Old North Point Water Tower which you can see in the distance here. It's a victorian gothic style tower that was built in 1871.
To get down to Bradford Beach, there's this nice path that takes us down the bluff.
Keeley really loves this path. Once the leaves grow in on the trees, it will be covered in shade.
Keeley's got a cute butt.
When we get to the bottom of the path, there's a little pedestrian bridge that goes over Lincoln Memorial Drive. We're leaving Lake Park now.
The bridge takes us to the Bradford Beach House. In the summer they have some volleyball events here. There's a snack shop and patio tables and chairs.
Bradford Beach is 29 acres. It's quiet here this morning because it's kinda cold and windy.
Keeley likes exploring. He doesn't mind a little cold.
And he likes wind a lot. Check out his ears blowing in the wind here.
Keeley likes to walk on sand too. It must feel good on his paws.

In the summer we often see people with retriever type dogs playing with them on the beach. Keeley always wants to follow them into the water but I'm reluctant to let him because I don't think it's clean enough.

Five years ago, the beach was really bad. There was a lot of bacteria like e coli in the water. Recently there's been efforts to clean up and revitalize the beach. Companies like Miller Brewing Co donated a lot of money. And the beach is trying to get Blue Wave Certified by the Clean Beaches Council.

I'm still reluctant to let Keeley go in though. Just this past week the city dumped raw sewage in the lake, overflow from all the rain we've been having.
As we were leaving we saw this sign. Keeley made sure he left his mark on it.

MKE CO PARKS: Lake Park

Since we take our morning walk at Lake Park several times a week, we decided that it would be the first park that we wrote about.Lake Park is 137.76 acres. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted & Co.
This, the Lake Park Pavillion was built in 1903. It is currently the home of Bartolotta's Lake Park Bistro, which is an expensive french restaurant. But when I was a kid, there was just a little snack bar inside. After our walks we would beg my mom (Keeley's grandma) to let us stop and get something sweet like a popsicle, a soda, or a licorice rope.
Keeley and I ran into George and Gracie in front of the Pavilion this morning. I'm not sure whether this dog here is George or if it's Gracie, but I sorta think it must be George. They look just alike so it's hard to tell. We know the names of almost all the dogs that have their morning walks at Lake Park. Sadly, we only know the names of a couple of their owners though.
Right across from the Pavilion are 2 lawn bowling rinks and a clubhouse. Keeley's grandma always says that when she gets old, she's going to take up lawn bowling. You can find out more about this sport by going to the Milwaukee Lake Park Lawn Bowls Club website.
This bridge was built in 1905. It goes over Ravine Drive which is my favorite road.
The road exits onto Lincoln Memorial Drive (my second favorite road) which runs along the lakefront. That's Lake Michigan in the distance there.
There are several ravine trails throughout Lake Park.
These trails were Keeley's Unkie Rob's most favorite thing to do at the park when he was a little kid. But we're not going to take the trail today because it's probably a little muddy since it's been raining for the past 2 or 3 days here. By the way, that's the bridge that we just came across in the background there.
Here's Keeley going across another bridge. I think this one was built in 1892, but I could be mistaken.
And another bridge. Both of these bridges go over the Locust Street Ravine Trail. After we get across this one, then I let Keeley off leash for a little while.
He takes off running because there are almost always dogs to play with up ahead. I think it's supposed to be a soccer field but the dogs have taken it over as theirs.
Keeley sometimes goes onto the tennis courts to play too. That is, if there aren't any tennis players there, of course. There are also 2 kid playgrounds and a park building with restrooms nearby.
After a quick romp with the dogs, we continue on with our walk. Here Keeley is checking out what remains of an exercise station. See when I was a kid, there was a fitness trail. Every so many feet there was an exercise station and instructions on how to do a specific exercise and how many reps to do and whatnot. Not much remains of this fitness trail today though.
The Oak Leaf Trail is a 108 mile long multi-use paved recreation trail that goes through all the major parks and parkways in the Milwaukee County Park System. It makes a loop around Lake Park.
In the distance here you can see what some of the huge houses that border the park look like. We often wonder if anyone lives in these houses because we almost never ever see anyone outside them other than a random gardener or landscape worker.
Lake Park also has a nice little golf course.
Keeley likes to lead the way. He says "Hurry up, Erin! I know where to go!"
Continuing on this way, we past the North Point Lighthouse. You can go inside, but they charge admission.
Keeley convinced me to go on one of the ravine trails even though it is a bit muddy today. This trail goes under a bridge which is one of 2 that were built in 1897. The trail exits at Bradford Beach.
These bridges are framed by 8 stone lions. Sometimes in the winter, the lions wear red ribbons around their necks.
The other bridge is currently under construction. It's not expected to be completed until September. I hope it ends up looking pretty like the old one did.
All along the side of the hill there are daffodils beginning to bloom at this time of year. It's really pretty.
This is called the "Grand Stair". Keeley's cousin dog Tully's parents were married here at the middle landing. A pretty setting for a wedding, don't you think?
Keeley and I often end our walks at Lake Park by going up this staircase. It makes us both a little tired. That's the Pavilion at the top so we're back to where we started once we get up there.

There is also a softball diamond, picnic areas, birdwatching, and a statue of Dr. Erastus B. Wolcott that we didn't get around to on this walk. If you want to find out more about this park, you can go to the Lake Park Friends website.

Or check out our previous posts about Lake Park:
February 14, 2009
August 30, 2008
April 6, 2008
January 26, 2008
December 29, 2007

Winter at Lake Park

Keeley and I took a walk at Lake Park today because it finally warmed up here (we just had 10 days of 3 degree weather). I meant to take pictures of the walk but forgot my camera in the car. So here's a picture of Keeley after our walk. Do you wonder what he's looking at out the window?

It was a wedding photo shoot in the snow! Weird, huh? Only in Wisconsin, right?




And here's a picture of Keeley legs after our walk. When he's all icy like this, he refuses to sit down. I always have to work on de-icing him before I attempt any driving. If Keeley tries to stand while I'm driving he does crazy stuff like jump onto my lap, jump back and forth onto the floor then onto the seat and back onto the floor, etc. This stuff drives me crazy, so I just learned to wait until he was settled before I start driving.

This is our favorite winding road. It goes right through the middle of Lake Park.Keeley usually has to sit in the back seat, but I let him ride in front when it's just the 2 of us.Keeley especially likes to drive along the lake front. Here's a picture of Lake Michigan with downtown Milwaukee in the distance.
Something is just not right about this picture... see Keeley's icy paws got the front seat so wet that I had to sit in the back after we picked up Keeley's grandma from work.