Cemil wants to be on the calendar to show the world that Tripawds can play too. We submitted a photo taken by MaxiDad (with his permission) and are collecting votes on Cemil’s Personal Fundraising Page. We understand that there are lots of good places to spend $5 so help him only if it seems right.
They did some work on the photo and took out the other dogs. Check it out.
After crying through the PBS Memorial Day Concert, our family had a barbecue just to appreciate being together. Cemil went along. It took a few minutes to get him all spiffed up, but he helps by staying still while I brush.
We went to Nancy’s house–she’s always glad to see Cemil, and he likes to see her too.
The television always grabs a few people, but Cemil doesn’t care.
He checked out the back yard and didn’t lie down on any new plants in the garden (whew!)
Cemil was a gentleman during our meal and didn’t steal anything from the table, although he could have, very easily.
So he got barbecued chicken treats and crackers and then dinner when we got home. It was a nice family day and he enjoyed being part of the family.
Thank you to all of the heroes who fought to maintain our freedom, and we also remember our Dad, who was our hero.
June 7, 1916-October 4, 2005
Cemil here. I get to write about today, which was awesome. I know my mom has mentioned that I really love meeting people. Well, today was most wonderful. After breakfast and our morning after-meal rest, she put my collar on. I always act like I hate it, but really, it’s just that I don’t know what’s coming next. She rushed me out the front door and Radzi, Mujde and Alle were still in the house, so I figured it couldn’t be too bad. They’d be coming along but I got to get in the truck first. She got me. They didn’t come and join me. We went a short way and she stopped but I didn’t get to get out. It was that gas pump place. Then we continued. Lots of cars. Slow going. She said something about being late again. Finally, I got to get out, and there we were at the dog park! My favorite place! As we started down the path, we met a dog with wheels instead of back legs. His dad said he’d be walking again soon, after he regained the use of his back feet. He didn’t seem to mind the wheels and boy were his front legs and shoulders strong! Then, there was the orange cooler and Shelby and Maggie and Tani! I couldn’t decide whether to run to them, or stay with mom (she walks so slowly!). The people greeted each other–they do it by talking! How can you learn anything about someone that way?!
This is me unable to decide whether to go meet my friends or wait for Mom.
There were a bunch of dogs playing by the water and I went over to see them, but Mom watched from where she was. Can you see me? Probably not, but I was there.
I went around and met the lady with the elderly Cocker Spaniel, the lady with the whole flock of Boston Terriers, and some others. There was a young man who came over to me while I was resting because he wanted to meet me!
I went to see some other people and hung out in the shade with them, but soon Mom called me and said it was time to go.
She has some cousins she wanted to see so we had to go somewhere else. Back into the truck, more driving (a nice rest–I was tired!) and then she let me out again and there they were! They’re dog people too, I could tell. They know how to pet a dog. I went around the living room where they were sitting in a circle and met them one by one, then I thought it would be good to lie down in the middle of the circle so I could watch over all of them. I watched the door too, so nothing could come in to hurt any of them. That’s the job of a guardian dog (Mom had to tell them, then they understood that I wasn’t just doing it so they would all look at me).
We went one other place too, before going home. It was Nancy’s house–Mom’s sister and one of my favorite people. She had a visitor who was another dog person. I heard “lymphosarcoma” and then everyone was sad for a minute, but I don’t get it. The sun was shining and the people were enjoying being together, Spirit Mollie was zooming around overhead and loving on her dad…why be sad? It was a beautiful day.
When we got home, Mujde had to go over me inch by inch, to learn where I went and who I saw, and Mom finally fed us dinner. We’ll meet up again at the dog park in a month or so–stay tuned!
Today was the day we’d been waiting for! We got to see our friends and meet lots of new ones. The drive to Elk Grove was a pleasant one–a bright green day in the Valley, clear but not too hot. When we arrived, we met up with Bob and Emily, got checked in, and went to find the Homeward Bound booth. There we met Shelby’s friends as our NorCal Tripawd Buddies showed up one by one. There was quite a gathering of Tripawds.
This is one side of the circle of booths, from the pavilion area where the speakers were.
We happened upon another Anatolian Shepherd whose job is to watch over alpacas.
We walked and talked our way around the circle of booths, stopping frequently. At the Banfield booth, we spun the wheel and won a window decal that says “I Love Sloppy Kisses”. How true. At the UC Davis booth, there was a picture of Caira Sue. We missed her. On our booth walk, we met rescue people, and children, and dog oncologists, and new tripawds. Dog people are a friendly lot, always saying something encouraging and offering a pet.
We sat awhile in the pavilion to hear the speakers, we met Dr. Nancy Kay and got an autographed copy of “Speaking For Spot”, and then the booths were being dismantled–it was time to leave.
As we got near home, another friend called and invited us to stop there on our way. Cemil met their dogs, Lena and Tinker Bell, thinking for a minute that he’d like to play, but then opted to quietly enjoy the cool green lawn while we observed the mockingbirds in their trees.
Brevity challenge–thoughts in six words.
Eleven start and we were late.
Met Travis Ray and pawrents leaving.
Tani behaved herself nicely as usual.
Cemil circulated and met new friends.
Snuggling the wet dog–he’s okay?
Passersby stopped to learn about Tripawds.
Dog talk, dog play, happy pawrents.
Try Maggie’s RuffWear harness on Cemil!
Looks like he’s laughing with us.
Mudpuddles made the best resting places.
We missed our buddy Caira Sue.
Video of Cemil “on a mission”:
One whole year! I remember a year ago–Cemil had been limping for about 3 weeks. I tried to treat him with rest and finally took him to the vet, on Thursday, January 15th. They couldn’t find any problems so they decided to x-ray his leg. I had to wait in the lobby area. Dr Montoya came out and invited me to come in to an examining room where she told me that she had some bad news. She said that when they tried to position Cemil’s leg to get a good shot, he screamed. That was her first clue that this was not something simple. The x-ray showed the distinctive sunburst and thin thumbprint, which she showed me, and she told me what it meant. I was in shock. He was only 3 years old and had been in very good health. All I could think was that I was going to have to put him down, and soon. As I was trying to gain control of myself, Dr Montoya told me that amputation was an option that I shouldn’t rule out. She told me to do some research, that she’d be back in the office on the following Tuesday and I could let her know then what I wanted to do. I found Tripawds and decided to go ahead with the amputation and hope for another 6 to 8 months with my boy. Thinking about his fourth birthday in October made me cry every time because I doubted he’d make it there, although I never let on to him. And now look! It’s one year later and he has no signs of metastasis that anyone can find. God has surely blessed me!
Since Cemil’s favorite thing to do is meet new people, he celebrated by doing just that.
Day 1: Go to work with Mom.
The Boss, Fariborz, likes dogs and offered Cemil a piece of bread–the only thing in the refrigerator that he might like (olive bread–a favorite of Fariborz too).
Cemil stationed himself where he could keep an eye on all comings and goings, and snoozed while we worked.
Then, he decided that Fariborz’ office was where the action was. Or was he hoping for another piece of olive bread?
Mom thought that the purple pimp hat was a must to end the day. Cemil doesn’t seem to agree.
On Day 2, Wednesday, Cemil had to stay home because Mom goes places he can’t go. Her friend Ginger came over and congratulated Cemil, which made up for it somewhat.
We had chicken and spinach with yogurt sauce for dinner, and Cemil enjoyed it all.
On Day 3, Thursday, Cemil had an appointment for a check-up with Dr Williams at Bishop Ranch Vet Center. Dr Williams took over his care after he’d healed up from the surgery. She’s the one who recommended the Hoxsey-like Formula and the ImmPower; she also put him on Vitamins A&D.
"Is there a needle in your hand??"
Dr Williams took him around to see everybody in the back (and trimmed his nails), and then the front desk people gave him treats.
And then the celebration had reached the end of its three days. Let’s see…lots of new people, lots of treats, people-food for dinner…Cemil is happy. Mom is happy too.
This wasn’t a good weekend for going places.
Mom is doing boring computer work, nobody feels like playing…
It’s her birthday today but she worked anyway. Her friend came over and made Mujde bark and we didn’t know until she got home, but she got flowers for her birthday. That must be a people thing. They don’t even smell like something good to eat.
Happy Birthday Mom!
The good part was, we got our dinner early. See that pill on top? It’s my mushroom pill and I swallowed it all by myself.
I think when we get finished on this computer, we’ll snuggle up on the couch and watch a movie. That’s a different kind of fun than going to the Dog Park, but I like it just as well. Maybe next weekend the weather will be a little better and we can go meet some new people. I’ll let you know.
Cemil
Cemil was a “good gift” from the beginning. When Zeki died, none of the dogs in rescue would work well with the group I had, so I decided to get a puppy from the breeder Zeki had come from. I called her and she was going to be breeding her Emi, whose mother was Zeki’s mother, but Emi had tried a couple of times before and it hadn’t worked. This was her last chance. The daddy has a pretty well-known father–Cemil’s grandfather is Gerlach Beau.
Emi and True on "the day"
There were puppies! Three females and two males, but they were all reserved. One of the people who had reserved a male didn’t respond to Linda’s email, so I got his spot. Even though I had wanted a female, Linda said, “If anyone can make this work, you can”, so I said okay to a male.
The boys: Cemil has his nose against the dish
Linda chose my puppy for me. I went up to meet him when he was 5 weeks old.
so it's This One!
at about 6-1/2 weeks, first collar
Then he’s home…
Linda said she chose him for me because when the puppies would play and sometimes hurt each other, this one never got mad. She thought he’d do well with another big male dog. She was absolutely right!
4 months old--not quite grown into his feet
with his childhood hero -- another Max
all grown up, has found his forever place
Cemil would like you all to meet his family because they’re a really cool group. He came to live with us at 8 weeks old, sent by his Uncle Zeki who had passed away earlier that year.
Radzi had come to us to be a buddy to Zeki, a sighthound big enough for an Anatolian to play with. It wasn’t to be. Zeki had to watch over us in the spirit realm, and he sent his nephew Cemil (whose name means “a good gift”), to watch here. Radzi is a Chart Polski, the Dog of Kings in old Poland. I picked him from the litter a few days after his birth–I knew he belonged with me.
Radzi looks like his mother, Ambra
The black spot on his side is in the shape of a heart
At 2 months old, he looks so little in Alle's bed
Alle is the other dog, a 14-year old yellow lab with a little bit of red chow. I think she has contributed a lot to the even tempers of Radzi and Cemil since she was there when they were babies and had some influence over them.
This is one of my favorite pictures of Alle, with the daughter of a friend of mine. Alle is always happy.
Bringing up Radzi
Checking out the new puppy, Cemil
This is Alex, Cemil's best cat buddy.
The group stayed the same for a couple years, then I saw a notice of an Anatolian Shepherd needing a forever home, and Mujde came to live with us. She traveled from Texas in a livestock trailer with some goats and miniature horses. Cemil took to her almost immediately even though she thought (for a little while) that she’d like his Top Dog position. They spend a lot of time together.
So now you’ve met Alle, Radzi, Mujde and Alex. There’s just one more critter living with us, and that’s Whidbey. Cemil watches over him, too.
Today was Another Wonderful Dog Park Day! We got a late start, and by the time we got there, Cemil was pretty excited. On the path walking in, as we got closer, he got happier. Max and Linda and Di and John were there, and we also greeted (and Radzi leaned on) all our regular friends. Then, all the dogs were over getting treats from someone–it was Bob! He and Emily came by and Spirit Cherry was very much with them.
Here’s a picture of our sparkler Caira Sue
waiting for the tennis ball.
Adam and Mary had brought birthday party bags and hats, and there were lots of goodies. Whatever Radzi let drop, Shelby was happy to clean up. Cemil went around meeting people and spending time with them, and Radzi ran a lap around our section of the park. Too bad he got in trouble for chasing the little dogs and had to have a time-out on his leash. There were lots of dogs there today even though it was cold–by California standards. There was even another Anatolian Shepherd–a pretty girl who caught Cemil’s eye for a moment.
Here is a tired Cemil, with his new toy. Thank you, Adam and Mary.
"Too much playing wears a guy out"
Radzi was tired too. Here he is with the party hat that Adam made. Really, Radzi is the one having a birthday tomorrow. He’ll be 5.
"Don't make me wake up"
As someone always says, just standing around watching dogs play is most relaxing and enjoyable. I’d add…and addictive. We can’t wait for next time.