Baci
Every day, from now until our calendar contest ends on September 17th, we’ll feature several of our calendar dog contestants. We’d like to introduce you to Baci.
(by Stephanie Reeve) Baci and Lulu, half brother and sister Bernese Mountain Dogs, were best friends from the start. Baci came to us at 4 months old after we lost our first Berner, Bella, to an unknown disease at only 9 months. I was so distraught from losing Bella that I did not want to take Baci at first. But my husband insisted. It only took a few short days for Baci to win our hearts forever, but especially mine. He was the sweetest, funniest, most loyal dog you could ever hope for. He was, and still is, the love of my life. We would have long conversations and I swear he understood every word. A friend lovingly called him ‘a man in a dog suit’. He was strong and handsome and dignified until the very end.
This photo was taken just a few months before we lost him, quite suddenly and tragically to Malignant Histiocytosis. An undetectable (without x-ray) tumor was growing in his chest cavity. During Christmas of 2009 it had started to crush his trachea, slowly choking him. After three days of frantically trying to save him, we made the agonizing decision to end his suffering. It still brings tears to my eyes to think of his big soft head resting on my shoulder as I hugged him and said good-bye. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. He was only 8 years young.
This is also Lulu’s story, but since I could only enter one dog and upload one photo, I chose the one of Baci (taken in the fall, spontaneously with a phone camera). Lulu was equally beautiful and the sweetest Berner girl you could ever ask for. They were inseparable. Sadly, she followed him only a year later also succumbing to Hystio. She too was only 8. We caught it much earlier, however, and opted to manage her pain as long as possible instead of putting her under the stress of chemo, which unfortunately does not have much effect on this type of cancer. She died peacefully in my arms and I was thankful that I was able to give her the gift of those last few months, something I was not able to do for Baci.
After we lost Baci I would often be awakened by a loud bark that I knew was his. Once Lulu left us the barking ceased. I believe that Baci was calling her, through me, and now that they are together he is content.
This is a horrible disease that afflicts so many large, and other, dogs, taking them from us way before their time and in the prime of their lives.
Please join me in the fundraising effort for this organization so that we can find a cure for this and other canine cancers.
We are now the proud owners of two rescue pups – a Great Pyrenees and a Border Collie mix-up. My sincere hope is that through organizations like this, and donors like you, they and many others, will be spared the suffering of succumbing to this awful disease.
To vote for Baci, please follow this link.
