Ralph and Grace

Ralph and I thought it might be nice to write about our memories of Oakley. Sadly we were required to put him to sleep on Thursday July 10, 2014. We knew it was coming, but Ralph and I both refused to stop and think about that day. In February of this year, Oakley was diagnosed with Renal Kidney failure. We really didn't know what that meant, but with help from Dr. Matthew our vet, we would do our best to fight this disease. We were warned that it wouldn't go away, and eventually it would get the best of Oakley. We were told that he needed to go on a strict diet which included no salt (we never gave him salt) reduced protein and lots of veggies and plenty of water. We have always been very disciplined with the type of food that he ate, with Ralph making him a fresh batch of raw chicken and veggies on a monthly basis and then freezing it until it was needed. He loved that food. What he loved even more was the yogurt that Ralph put on top as a treat for him. When he was finished, we often saw telltale signs on his nose that his meal was well appreciated. To try to fight off this disease, Ralph cut back the protein and increased the veggies. Oakley didn't really notice the difference, food was food to him and it was all good!

When the kidney disease really started to manifest itself, Oakley lost his taste and desire for food. This surprised us immensely as this was a dog who loved food. When Oakley was around 2 years old, he had a blockage in his intestines. This was a horrible experience for us. The vet (not Dr. Matthew) told us he thought it was cancer and they eventually sent him home to die. The vet was annoyed with us because Ralph was trying to force-feed Oakley to help him keep his strength. We were told that this would create behavioural issues. We choose to ignore this as we wanted Oakley to live, not die of starvation. We took Oakley home and made him comfortable and kept trying to feed him. We were at the point of giving up when I let him out in the backyard. To my amazement, it looked like a cork blew out of his back end. The force-feeding of the food that we were giving him, caused him to go to the washroom and clear the blockage that he had. After that, he litterly ran to his bowl and started eating (he hadn't eaten or drunk anything willingly in over a week). Since that time he has eaten his food like it is his last meal. There was never a crumb left on his plate.

One of our nicknames for him was our little cookie monster. He just loved his treats. These were natural treats with no wheat in them. He couldn't get enough of them and we were often nudged by that little nose of his as a reminder that it was time for another treat. In the last couple of weeks, even these treats were not appealing to him. He showed this to us in the only way he knew. We would take a towel (which we had on the floor) and pull it towards the food and cover it up. It seemed like the smell was bothering him. Ralph and I were amazed. He was such a smart dog. Over the last couple of weeks we had been trying to encourage him to eat whatever he wanted just so we knew that he was eating something. I think in some ways he enjoyed being so spoiled. Ralph cooked him filet mignon - which he ate with a vengeance only to refuse to take it the next day . He had a pork chop with the same response, roast beef, crackers, oatmeal, anything that we thought he might like. He was game to give it a try once, but after that, knowing that it was upsetting his stomach he refused to take it. The only thing he took easily was "tums" and a "peppermint". We had read that this would help settle his stomach. It was a lot of work, but for us a labour of love. We were excited when he ate, and worried when he wouldn't. All in all he was still the same Oakley for us, except he was starting to slow down and sleep alot more. Our walks became shorter, but the talks (between us and Oakley) became longer. If you are a pet owner - I'm sure you will understand. When I came home from my canoe trip with the girls, I was amazed at the welcome that I received. I hadn't seen that much energy in him in a long time. He was so happy that I was home again. Ralph had said that they had shared a great weekend together and secretly we hoped that the disease was slowing down. Unfortunately the next morning, we knew we were wrong. Oakley could hardly get out of his bed. His legs were so stiff and his ears were drooping down. We knew he wasn't feeling well. When I took him out to go to the washroom and a small walk, I knew that his time was coming. He wasn't able to walk down the driveway. He just didn't have the energy. I picked him up and brought him back into the house. That evening we were able to coax some food into him (roast beef - he really enjoyed it). He even ate more the next morning. We even enjoyed a really nice walk together. Unfortunately by the end of the day he was exhausted and showed signs of fever - he was shivering and cold. We covered him with a blanket. Ralph and I both knew that it was time. That evening Oakley showered me with kisses (something he knew I didn't like - because he can be so slobbery). It was his way of saying goodbye I think. He was much worse in the morning so Ralph took him to Dr. Matthew. We couldn't bare to see him suffer. We will miss him alot (we do already) but we hold on to the fond memories that we have of this puppy who had a way of working himself into everyone's heart.

Here is a little bit of history about Oakley. In 2006 we lost two dogs - Bear and Raley. It was a huge adjustment for us. We found it very quiet in the house. Laura was married now and I was working at home full time. For me it was a big adjustment and I didn't like the quiet at home. Slowly both Ralph and I started looking at websites researching the Shar Pei breed. We found a breeder in Little Rock, Arkansas who we found to be very knowledgeable about the breed. We shared with her stories of our other two dogs. She told us about Oakley - a puppy she had that she didn't think she wanted to give away because he was such a special puppy. After a week or so of talking she told us that she liked us and thought we would make a good home for Oakley. So, we started making plans. We would fly him to Buffalo after he was neutered (she didn't want us to breed him - which we weren't planning on doing) and she wanted him to have his needles. This was all fine for us. She bought him a carrier and dropped him off at the airport. We took Teresa and Sandra with us to pick him up. He was so cute and so quiet. All the stewardesses were talking about him. Driving through customs I was pretty worried in case we didn't have the right papers. They didn't even notice him as he slept quietly in the back of our truck. After crossing the border we took him out of his crate and Sandra sat with him on her knee all the way home. While enjoying coffee at Teresa and Lawrence's house, Oakley was busy exploring - he fit perfectly on the bottom shelf of their coffee table.

When we got him home, we knew that we would go through the typical puppy stages but this time Oakley was different. So much so, that we actually let him sleep in our bedroom (none of the other dogs did that). He was such an easy puppy. You had to be on your guard though when taking a shower because he used to stick his nose and then his entire body in the shower just to get a drink of water. It was so funny. Oakley really didn't mind the shower. This is how we bathed him as Ralph would take him in with himself and shampoo and rinse him off and then yell down at me to open the sliding doors. Oakley would run down through the kitchen (leaving a trail of water) right out the back where he would then vigorously shake the water off. It was pretty funny to see.

He loved Halloween and sat by the front door when we were giving out treats. We even dressed him up one year. The kids loved to see him at the door.

When we were camping he was always right by our side. He went with us in the boat all the time and one time while we were swimming off the back - he thought he would join us and stepped right out onto the water thinking that he could walk. He didn't know how to swim and started to sink very quickly. Luckily Ralph was nearby to save him.

He always enjoyed camping with us and always knew when we were getting ready to go up north. We kept a special spot for him at the back of the truck and he couldn`t wait to get in and get going. Once at the trailer, Ralph would tie him up to our wagon and take him to get water. They would fill up the jug and the two of them would run back to the trailer. He was so strong as those water jugs were heavy and he had no problem pulling them.

Ralph and Oakley used to run together in the morning together. They would go about 5K each morning. There was never a leash needed as they were up bright and early, well before any cars were nearby. They both really enjoyed this time together. Unfortunately Oakley tore a ligament in his leg which required surgery and they were never able to run like this again.

We both believed that Oakley's mission in life was to please his family. He loved us all unconditionally. Over the years, we have laughed so much because of him. When we were all younger and enjoyed staying up late, Oakley would sit by the stairs going up to the bedrooms and keep looking back at us as if to say - hey guys it's time for bed. He wouldn't go up though until we were ready to go. He really didn't like it if Ralph when to bed early and I stayed up. He was torn! What should he do. He would sit in the middle - halfway between the two of us often dropping subtle hints to me that it was time to go up. He could then finally go to bed.

Another fond memory we have of Oakley is how he never really liked to sit on the hard ground/floor/deck. If there was a mat, he would find it, wash waiting to be done - you would find him lying on it, cushions from the deck chairs - they belonged to him. He even climbed into the beanbag chair at Fred and Anna's and found the 12x12 square trailer mats at Lawrence and Teresa's. This got him the name - King Oakley and Tender butt. Everyone knew this about him and found it so humorous.

Oakley loved vacations that resulted in him visiting or others staying with him. This meant that he was going to spend time with someone else. It would be away at their home or someone would come in and look after him. It didn't matter much to him, he was just happy! He usually went through an adjustment period, but it wouldn't be long before he was back on his routine. He loved all the extra walks that he got and the welcome that he gave us when we got home always left us feeling really good. We did feel guilty leaving him once in a while, but he didn't seem to mind. When Laura had Hailey, Oakley and I spent a week helping out. Jordan loved to have Oakley around and he enjoyed her chasing him. The kids were all very good with him and he loved them in return. When he was younger he would follow them all around. One time when he was staying at Yolande and Henrys he spent alot of time outside with the kids. Yolande said that he took it upon himself to keep watch over them and make sure that they stayed on the property. We really didn't need to tie him up - he knew where home was and didn't want to leave.

Another cute trait of Oakley's was his reaction when we sneezed. No matter where he was in the house, he would come running and jump up on you and look directly into your face. For some reason he didn't like sneezes and wanted to be sure that we were ok.

Sunday mornings were always our favourite time with him. On these mornings we would often get up early and enjoy a nice breakfast together. Ralph was usually up first with Oakley and he would prepare a nice egg dish for us all. He would tell Oakley to "Go get Mommy" and he would race up the stairs and jump on my side of the bed. He wouldn't stop until I woke up. Then he knew his job was done and he would run back downstairs to Ralph and wait patiently because he knew that a plate of scrambled eggs was coming his way. For him it was a Sunday morning favourite.

On Saturday nights in the winter we like to watch movies. It was our routine to get a bowl of snacks (popcorn or chips) and go downstairs to watch a film. Oakley would charge on ahead of us and wait by Ralph's chair. He wanted to sit in Ralph's lap (or lay) and watch the movie with us. He usually got too warm and after an hour or so, Ralph would put him down on a blanket and he would sleep while we enjoyed the show. It didn't matter where we were, we always knew that Oakley would be nearby.

When I was working at home, Oakley very soon developed the habit of going to the living room window to watch for Ralph. Like clockwork at 3:30 it was time to start waiting for Ralph to come. He would stand up against the ledge and wait patiently. If I saw Ralph coming, I would open the door and Oakley would race down the stairs and give Ralph the biggest greeting ever. His family was back together again.

When I went back to working in an office, things changed a little. I was usually the first one home and I was greeted very warmly by Oakley. Our routine was to first let him out and then I could come in the house and drop off my things. On Friday night or any of the weekend times when we were away, it was a different routine. We would both come home and Ralph would let Oakley out to do his business and while that was going on I would go upstairs or into the bathroom. Oakley would race into the house and search the whole house looking for me. He wouldn't settle down until he had said hello. Such love came from that dog. He sure made you feel good.

Any visitors to the house were treated with the same love. He especially loved Teresa and knew that he could get away with jumping up on her. I think she gained a few bruises from his excitement at seeing her. The way Oakley saw it, the visitors came to see him first. They were always greeted as long lost friends.

Oakley loved to chase the sun. We would often find him lying in a sunray on the hallway floor. In the summer he often chose to lie on the back deck until he was so hot that he couldn't stand it. He would then ask to be let in and he would stretch out as long as he could on the cool kitchen floor to cool off.

As I had commented earlier, Oakley had a real love for food. One afternoon as Ralph was working outside, I decided to boil a few eggs for him as part of his breakfast. Ralph suggested that I leave it on the edge of the deck. Not really thinking any more about it, I left two softboiled eggs in their shell in a bowl on the edge of the deck. I came out about 30 minutes later to see Oakley crunching away on the 2nd egg, shell and all. What a feast he was having. He figured that if they were on the deck, they were fair game. Sorry Ralph, Oakley sure enjoyed your breakfast. We both laughed alot at that.

When we entertained at home, we found out that we needed to be very careful when leaving the living room. One time, we had all left the room and came back about 5 minutes later. Oakley had promptly snatched off the largest hunk of cheese that he could find and ran into the kitchen to his bed where he could finish is off. Needless to say, we found this quite funny. We should have known better to leave temptation at eye level. We have found over the years, many slobbery/pup kisses on our poof in the living room as Oakley has attempted to sneak snacks off the table.

Part of our Sunday routine in the winter often included a fire and quiet time to enjoy a good book. I remember the first time we did that. Oakley was so fascinated by the fireplace that he leaned up close and put his nose against the glass. We all heard the sizzle coming from the contact. He wasn't too impressed by that, but still enjoyed lying directly in front of the heat and getting a good nap.

One morning - about 2 years ago, on Ralph`s birthday, the two of them got up bright and early and decided to go for a nice walk. Ralph never had him on a leash, but this time because it was a little later than usual, he was walking on his leash. Oakley stuck his nose into a shrub and much to Ralph`s dismayed, received a good spray from a skunk that was hiding in the bushes. Ralph hurried home with Oakley and he stripped by the back door all the while yelling for me to get up and go to Shoppers Drug Mart to buy some Dawn dish soap, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to combat the smell. They certainly stunk!! It took a few days and washings before the smell went away. What a birthday treat Ralph received on that day.

Much of Oakley`s time was spent lying in between the plants in the front window. We really didn't appreciate what a spectacle he had become until one of our neighbours had pointed out how much they enjoyed seeing him there. He loved to watch everyone walking by. I guess we were a little lenient with him because we too enjoyed his antic`s and fun behaviour.

We sure are going to miss our little boy! That was our name for him and he new exactly who we meant when we said this. He brought so much love and joy into our lives and we will miss him alot.