An emotional day

 Today is a very emotional day for me.  It would have been my sweet Archer's 15th birthday.

Every year, Marc and I do a bike race that benefits a couple of local not for profits.

2 years ago we got home after doing that race - it was just a couple of days after Archer's birthday, and remember, we had been told in February that he had 6 weeks to live so we were 5 months past that.  I came in and Sisko happily ran out the door to see Marc who was taking the bikes off the car.  Archer went out and wandered near the door and then came back in.  I sat down at my computer and he was pacing and just acting weird.  I let him outside again, but he didn't pee - he wandered around. 

So I brought him inside again and sat down in my computer chair watching him.  Suddenly he fell to the ground and started seizing badly.  I handled this BADLY.  I started screaming and dropped to my knees as he seized for what felt like forever.  At some point Marc came in and I was still screaming but then I managed to get ahold of myself.  I thought he was leaving us and I told him I loved him and would forever, and he could go.

But he came out of it.  He then did what dogs typically do after a seizure.  He wandered around, walked himself into a corner and was clearly disoriented.  He then went out and peed and then drank a lot of water.  The rest of that day he was pretty much okay, although he wasn't totally himself.  Then that night, he had another seizure.  This was was really bad.  He seized for a long time and it was a major seizure.

But again, he came out of it.  It was a restless night as both Marc and I kept checking on him as he slept.  The next morning when I got up, I seriously expected that he would have passed in the night.  But no, Archer was a FIGHTER.

He lived another 3 months and never had another seizure.  Marc and I both have racked our brains about whether he could have gotten into something or what that caused the seizures that day.  

He had no real after-effects, other than for a few weeks, if he wasn't paying attention to himself and was standing up, he would start to sway, and would fall on his butt.

He always seemed more annoyed than anything when this happened and would jump back up.  At some point, that even resolved itself.

That day 2 years ago, is a terrible memory that I think I will carry forever.

But today on his birthday, I want to instead remember all the good times and the absolute joy he brought to us for so many years.

Happy Birthday Archer and we love you!!