Today is Bristow’s 8-WEEK AMPUVERSARY. Happy Ampuversary, Bristow!

August was FULL. We traveled to Wisconsin and Atlanta and Bodega Bay and Tahoe. And the last couple weeks Michael and I’ve been working on recording demos for some new(er) and old(er) songs, which we (Truesdell) hope to share with you soon.

In all of this craziness, I think if Bristow could speak something other than bow-wow (and if keyboards were paw-friendly), here’s what she’d want you to know:

1. Tripawd life is good. Who needs 4 legs? Except for when chasing frisbies: I tend to spin out on the first attempt each session b/c I get so excited and forget I lost my kickstand.
2. Brothers are cool, but sometimes they get a little envious of all the attention and feel like they are missing out on all the fun. So, they develop GI and liver disease and decide to have 11 (!!!) teeth extracted just so they can get their pain-med buzz on, too. I guess they thought Mom and Dad were spending too much $$$ on me. I would have gladly shared my chemo if only he’d asked. That would’ve saved Mom and Dad a couple grand, which they could have spent on treats and toys. I caught him hiding from the world last night after he got home from the vet. I think he was hoping the whole day had just been a bad dream. At least he got to keep all of his important teeth so I don’t have to chew all of his food and spit it into his mouth like a baby bird. Not going to happen, dude. But, the chemo-sharing offer still stands.
   Here Jed Bartlet is curled up on Mom’s lap today. He’s not good at sharing that place, though she moves him over for me when I want to sit there.
3. Speaking of chemo, being special sucks. I wish I were like the large majority of dogs who don’t even notice the helpful poison flooding their bodies. Instead, my tummy revolts, and I feel pretty crappy (literally) for a few days. Dr Cesario cares about my tummy, so she wants to give me less cancer juice next time because I get so sick. And, today was my lucky day (in my opinion but not my Mommy’s) because my white blood cell count was too low to get my treatment. I have to go back on Monday and try again. That means more treats and lovin’ from my friends at Sage!
4. Cancer has no chance at surviving with my fabulous friends helping me fight it. My chest x-rays were clear today. That must be why I got so many cookies and chicken. And I’m pretty sure my chemo cape makes me invincible. Super Bristow!! 
   
5. Along with a chemo cape, having a chemo buddy helps, especially when you don’t feel like yourself. Monkey makes everything better. He still loves me even though I’ve desqueaked and unstuffed him, and I drag him with me wherever I go–sometimes even outside to go potty.         
   
6. When you leak a little on the floor, just wag your tail through the puddle to spread it around and flash ’em your most charming smile. Pee happens.
7. No matter how crappy you feel, it’s never so bad you can’t enjoy a visitor or 2. Speaking of visitors, Grandma and Grandpa Williams came to visit and we went camping at the beach. I loved running on the sand for the first time as a tripawd. (Too bad Mom and Dad can’t get the video to work.) It was a little more challenging but definitely doable. Just don’t make me touch the water. Agua es no bueno. Yo quiero taco bell. Last week, Auntie Amanda and Uncle Brendan came to visit. I’m not sure which one of us enjoyed it more. 
8. In case you didn’t know, pumpkin is a good natural remedy for the squirts. It makes your poop much happier, and your tummy, too. So Mommy hides all my pills in globs of organic canned pumpkin. (She thinks I don’t notice sometimes, but I do. I just like to let her win a round from time to time. Otherwise, it’s fun to suck off all the pumpkin and spit the pills back out so I get another scoop of pumpkin. I’m more than just a pretty face with 3 legs.) 
9. Eggs. I love eggs. And chicken. But since my Mom is vegan, she gags less when she makes eggs for me. Any tips on peeling the hardboiled kind? If you have any, please share them (comment below). She is tearing up her hands peeling 4 a day. She says it’s like trying to remove little shards of glass from a ball of putty, and her hands are all nicked up. Ouch! She sure loves me. I think making chicken would be easier, but she says she doesn’t want to puke. Pain over puking, I guess. By the way,  the color-changing egg timer Grandma gave her is a big help since she’s boiling 28 eggs a week for me, and the hardboiled eggs always come out…well, perfect, just like the name says. (You can find it here or here.)
10. I get away with a lot more since the big C picked me and I got rid of that extra leg. Mom and Dad don’t make me sleep on my blanket every night but instead let me lay on the cool comforter, cuddled with them (Sometimes I even share their pillows!). I also get to direct the walks so we can go at my pace (which is usually speedy since it’s easier to jog than walk, unless I’m in a sniff-everything-I-pass mood) and only as far as I am up to going each day. And, I get a lot more tummy rubs and massages (which is good for my shoulders since they carry more of my weight now). I didn’t think it was possible for them to love me any more than they already did, but clearly, I was wrong.

Thanks, B!!

This Dog-mama has been anxious the past couple days, which is unusual for her. The pending scans, the weight of both dogs having medical issues, family stress, the Syrian refuge crisis (Check out this petition.), the general brokenness that surrounds us daily…LIFE. But I am grateful for this promise: “You will keep in perfect peace they whose minds stay on You, because they trust in You” (Isaiah 26:3). I actually had that verse inscribed on my kitchen chalkboard until I erased it to make a med chart for BOTH dogs so we can give each dog what he/she needs every 8-12 hours. Between the 2 of them, it is A LOT. (For example, “herbs” actually equals 7 pills.) But I am truly not complaining. I am grateful to have my 2 fur-kids still with us needing those pills.

***Prayers appreciated that Bristow is no longer neutropenic on Monday. They don’t want to delay chemo much longer, as there seems to be a critical window. Grateful for all the love and light being sent our way. Muchas gracias, mis amigos…. xoxo