Life Stories and Beyond

By Lisa Batten Kunkleman

Who knew a hound dog named Sadie would become such a celebrity? Almost losing her to severe kidney cancer and her surviving the surgery is pretty miraculous and her thriving is incredible. My friends and family enjoy keeping up with her progress since her massive, cancerous left kidney was removed. This isn’t surprising as they love the goofy girl. Then there are the bloggers and social media friends who keep tabs on this funny hound they’ve never met. Thanks so much for your interest and concern.

 

At Sadie’s checkups with the surgeon or the oncologist, I feel like the bodyguard for a rock star. She marches in like she’s on a red carpet and announces her presence with a hound dog howl and a whipping black tail. In the suburbs of Charlotte, a howling, long-legged hunting dog, that doesn’t hunt by the way, is quite a novelty. A head-turner. Especially when she begins barking at the checkout desk, announcing it’s 3:30 and therefore is her Lupper time. (That’s an early meal between lunch and suppertime.) Her internal clock is never wrong. She’s like a barking dinner bell.

 

The miracle dog’s blood work looks great. There’s a little protein in her urine but chemo can cause that. A week and a half of taking chemo pills is not diminishing her appetite even a little bit. She’s hungry around the clock and gaining a few pounds. Our other dogs get treats when she does and hopefully they don’t fill out too much as we try to fatten Sadie up. We love having her home romping around like her old self. And she smells good thanks to her daddy Dan giving her a bath. You can rub her slick black fur and not worry about how bad your hand will smell. Thanks for asking for updates. Here’s a video of Her Royal Highness, Sadie, after the latest checkup.