Simone

Simone passed away peacefully here at home last night with the help of our vet. Her pain became unbearable the last few hours of her life, and we realized the best thing to do was to set her free. She was surrounded by people who loved and cared for her in her final hours, and we were able to make her comfortable enough to drift off to sleep before she passed on. We are thankful to have been her parents the past 10 years, and will forever hold her in our hearts.♥

Carley and Gary

Simone in her Walkin' Wheels

Dungeness Inspector

Simone checks out our score of Dungeness crabs from our outing with our neighbor Tammy on Alsea Bay.

Walkin Wheels

Simone walks again with the help of her Walkin' Wheels cart.

Prison Break and Simone's New Chair

Well, Simone's incarceration lasted less than 30 minutes on the first day we left her unattended inside the corral. She managed to bend the wire in several places (not easy for us to do with hands, let alone a mouth) and then push the cage to the edge of the bed where she then limboed underneath it to get out. Gary found her lying on the carpet a short distance away, apparently unharmed. And rather than risk another expensive doggie dentist bill should she break a tooth or two or do even more damage to her back trying to escape, we have decided to just let her be. She doesn't seem to move much during the day, so we will continue to allow her to just lie on the bed in the living room and do our best to get home in a timely fashion.

In the meantime, the doggie wheelchair we ordered from a company in New Hampshire arrived today. We got it in the hopes that it would give her more freedom of movement (and also help save our backs). It is a bit complicated to set up and strap her into, but we're getting the hang of it.

Simone wasn't quite sure what to make of the contraption at first. Gary had to coax her with treats to walk, but it worked. After a short time, she got the hang of it and realized that she could now move of her own accord. She is also able to go potty while in the chair, which is a relief. It took her a little time to figure this out, but now using the chair is like going on a regular walk. We are still keeping the distances and time out short, but it's been a big help. Simone's only complaint is that she can't lie down or roll on the grass when strapped into the cart. We're getting pretty good at figuring out when she wants to do that though, and will quickly unstrap her so that she can.

We continue to hope that her use of the chair will only be short term, and that her rear leg paralysis is temporary, but we're glad to have a device to help her walk for as long as she needs it.