As I mentioned last week on my blog a side effect to a drug Gidget is taking to help control her seizures, she developed ataxia (weakening of the hind legs).
We adjusted her med which has helped greatly with diminishing the other side effects she was experiencing. But walking on her hind legs isn’t coming around as easily.
So I got out Frankie’s wheelchair and have been doing mini walking sessions with her. It has been cold out, so we have taken to doing laps around downstairs where she has plenty of room to get around.
Today, without her wheels on, she has taken a few steps throughout the day on her own. YAY! I noticed this morning, for the first time in about a month, that she stood (though swaying a bit side-to-side) while she ate her breakfast. That was a welcome sign to see!
At night I do some physical therapy for her which I learned how to do when Frankie went down in 2006.
Between her wheelchair workouts and the PT she is showing promise.
A few times I’d thought about donating Frankie’s wheelchair, but so glad I kept it.
Thought you might enjoy seeing her progress so here’s a little video of her workout (and it’s so fun seeing her little personality again!) :
Can you say cuteness overload? Sammy’s one ear cocked to the side really gets to my heart as it reminds me of how Gidget’s one ear does the same thing. As if she has a wire in her ear!
I learned about Sammy from Sarah of The Smoothe Store, who was instrumental in helping raise funds this past September for The Frankie Wheelchair Fund- raising $3,500! Woo hoo!
With the help of Sarah and money raised, we were able to help Sammy currently with Dachshund Rescue of South Florida with a wheelchair.
I think it’s pretty safe to say that Sammy is oober happy in his brand new shiny wheels! Seeing faces like Sammy just sends oodles of love to my heart.
And you can see just how fast he is in his wheels with this video on his foster mom Sandi’s Facebook page.
Want to bring Sammy into your life? He is available for adoption!!
When I knew I had to share my dachshund, Frankie’s story.
Even though I hadn’t a clue how to put a children’s book out into the world.
And I was scared. Very scared.
But the drive to make a difference pushed away the fear.
I offered my prayers up to God telling him I was up for the challenge and the work and asked for His guidance. He didn’t fail me. I didn’t fail him.
It has been seven years since I published Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Dog.
And to this day, I still receive emails from people sharing with me how the book has touched them.
This means more to me than I can ever express adequately in words.
Today, I share with you one such reader, Danielle, who reached out to me recently to let me know how Frankie’s story has not only positively impacted her life, but the lives of her 4-year old twin girls. (Just a side note that she also refers to Cassie Jo, who was my chocolate Lab):
I’ve been reading your blog for years, and I’m finally getting around to contacting you. Why? I originally started reading your blog when Frankie was alive. My own Dachshund, Dixie, had gone down when she was 4, so your posts about Frankie were uncannily relevant to my experience and of course, inspirational.
Fast forward to today. Dixie is 15 years old. She is still going, but not as strongly as before. She continues to teeter around or use her cart. I have expressed her bladder and bowels for 11 years now. It’s our version of “normal.”
For my 4-year-old twins, normal is a dog who cannot pee or poop on her own, cannot jump, and whose non-wagging tail cannot express her joy, although she is still patient beyond belief, soulful, and our best friend.
Now that my twins are finally old enough for “Frankie, the Walk ‘N Roll Dog” I read it to them (slightly abridged). They delighted in the story of a dog that was “just like Dixie.” They were tickled that a story finally reflected their reality with their pet—they probably also felt that their reality was validated.
Through the story, they also came to understand Dixie’s experience of becoming disabled, how she endured surgery and recovery, beginning to use her cart, etc. The story helped them to connect more with Dixie and better understand my connection to this amazing being that has been a part of my life since she fit in my hand and her eyes were still closed as a puppy.
Also, through the telling of Cassie Jo’s death and later learning that Frankie has since passed on, they began bombarding me with a series of questions about the death of Cassie Jo, and pondering Dixie’s mortality. I feel they are better prepared now for Dixie’s inevitable decline and for what is certain to come within a few months.
Thank you, Barbara, for sharing your and Frankie’s story. When I read about it years ago, I never imagined how it would impact my future children.
-Danielle
And then the love icing on the cake, recorded in their own voices, messages from each of Danielle’s girls about Frankie:
Thank you, Danielle, and your beautiful girls for touching my heart.
Thank you for visiting!
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