Meet Lori & Jake, Part I

Today I'll be chatting with Lori. I met Lori on facebook when I found the page she had created for her super cool dog, Jake. You can find Lori and Jake on facebook.com/jakethetripawd

Meet Lori & Jake!

Hi Lori! I'm really excited to hear more about you and Jake, please introduce yourself and your dog. 

I am Lori Archer. My dog Jake is an 8-year old Golden "Recliner" (Retrieving was never his forte). I am a Real Estate Broker & Property Manager in Reno, NV.

Love that 'Recliner' idea. Lazy Boy right? When and how did you meet your dog?

I met Jake and his twin brother (little known Jake fact) as a puppy. My now ex-husband wanted a red Golden and I found a local breeder. We came home with two puppies.

When and how did Jake become a therapy dog, and for those of us who don't know, what does it mean to be a therapy dog?

A Therapy Dog works in a volunteer capacity to enrich those in need of mental and therapeutic benefits. They must have good manners and pass a series of tests. Therapy dogs visit a variety of locations like libraries, hospitals, life care centers, etc. For years people would complement me on Jake's disposition and suggest he should become a Therapy Dog, but I dismissed it saying I didn't have the time. Then Jake lost his leg. 

How did Jake lose his leg? Where there some early signs of the onset of his illness?

I am a single mom with my kids 100% of the time. Joshua (11), Allison (8), Jake and I do everything we can together! On Sunday, August 27th, 2012, we had been playing in the Truckee River, climbing on rocks and playing in the water. The next day, at my office I noticed Jake limping and thought maybe he twisted his paw on the rocks. Looking closer I noticed a lump and called the Vet to schedule an appointment for the next day. 

When Dr. Maureen Adams walked into the room after examining Jake, she looked like someone had just given her bad news about her dog. "Give it to me Maureen", I sat on the floor with Jake in my arms. The word cancer hit me like a bat to the head. Jake had bone cancer. My reply: "What do we do now? I am not ready to loose him Maureen." After a scan of his body to determine if there was evidence of cancer elsewhere in his body, Maureen suggested amputation. I had a million questions, but asked none of them. I just asked "when". Tomorrow.

Wow, your lives changed in seconds. It's a little like finding out Louie had glaucoma for me. His eye pressure spiked the night before and when we went to the vet he was already blind in one eye. Everything's different in an instant, but that is just an illusion. Jake had cancer already, you just didn't know it yet. Better maybe, like a band aid, you just have to rip it right off! Tell us a bit about his surgery and rehabilitation?

On August 29th, 2012, Jake's leg was removed. I picked him up and took him home the first night. It took three people to carry the still doped up Jake from my car to the spot in our den I had set up for him. Next to it I made a bed for myself. I stayed up all night looking after Jake and researching 3 legged dogs on the internet. This is where I found www.tripawds.com.  Without them I would have been completely lost.

The next morning Jake surprised me when he got up and walked outside to go potty. He fell twice, but his tail never stopped wagging. In the beginning he had to take 17 pills a day, the surgery site oozed, was bruised and swollen, but his tail never stopped wagging. The oozing didn't stop, and two sections of the surgery site opened up. Concerned we returned to the Vet who immediately ordered a second surgery to remove necrotic muscle and insert draining tubes in hopes to stop infection. The tail did not stop wagging, and the surgery site would not heal. Dr. Adams took a culture and recommended I flush the wound with iodine and water 3 times a day to flush out the puss. I was diligent. Three days later she called me "How is Jake?" Jake was amazing! No more oozing, surgery site was finally closing, Jake's attitude was great, and of course, his tail was wagging. Oddly her response was "Your kidding? Lori, Jake has a horrible infection. A rare staff infection and we need to get him on some new stronger antibiotics immediately." Imagine her surprise when we arrived at the office! Instead of antibiotics, Dr. Adams removed Jake's staples and sutures... and yes, the whole time his tail was wagging!

On the way out, Jake walked up to a gentleman sitting on a bench in the office. I kept trying to call him back to me as I had just witnessed his man and his wife saying goodbye to their 14 year old lab who had just passed after having a stroke. I didn't want Jake to bother them. Jake walked right up to the man, nudged his arm and put his muzzle on his leg. I apologized, the man just smiled at Jake then wrapped his arms around him and sobbed into Jake's red fur. 

Wow, having lost our family dog of eleven years, Poncho last February (2012), I know that man's pain. This really touched me. That man needed Jake at that moment, and Jake just knew that. It's amazing to me that Jake would sense that and have that man take priority over any pain he, himself might be in. Dogs are so giving, and forgiving. Dogs can be so selfless. This is the lesson I take away from Louie everyday. This is the lesson I'm learning again from Jake. Let us all be a little bit more like Louie and Jake and we will all be better people. Is that why you decided to begin therapy volunteer work with Jake?

As we left the vet's office, one of the gals on the staff who witnessed the whole event with Jake comforting that man said to me, "he was born to be a Therapy Dog, now more than ever". I went home, researched Therapy Dogs, and called a tester. Jake was only 3 weeks post-amp.

To be continued... check back tomorrow for the rest of the story on Lori & Jake.
Like Jake on facebook!