The Dog Lived (And So Will I)

People who can see a dog smile and read a dog's expressions are my kind of people. Of course not everyone is an animal person and that's O.K., I just happen to have more in common with those who are.I experienced the trauma of being asked, "We can euthanize him now or there is this slight chance, if you want to. ... " The vet was talking about my beloved chocolate lab that I had raised from a pup and loved like a child. The very idea of making a decision that would end his life was unthinkable. WHAT? What was that alternative, that other possibility? I'd do anything, try anything to keep from making that 1st choice. I did find an alternative. He spent 2 weeks at the University Veterinary Hospital for the immediate care he needed. But a big part of Buster Brown's success at walking again was the result of the exercise he got in a crude wheelchair we built for him from an old baby stroller and car seat. It may have been crude, but it worked and Buster had a great time in his chair. He could make those wheels fly; there was nothing wrong with the front end of him and he put all of those good muscles to work pulling his back legs that weren't working. Then one wonderful day when he was just laying in the back yard resting, all of a sudden, he stood up! YES! Unassisted! I screamed! I was on the phone with a friend and I just screamed, "Buster's standing all by himself"! He didn't stand for long of course, but it was a start. His back-end always looked a little drunk, but he did go on to walk by himself. He didn't need that wheelchair forever. This all happened long before the day of PC's, the internet and being able to go on-line to find just about anything one can imagine, as in today's world.Buster has been gone a long time now, but the day of his accident and the weeks that followed are still raw memoirs for me. So I could relate to every word and every emotion Teresa J. Rhyne shared with us in her memoir, "The Dog Lived, (and So Will I)".Then many years after Buster was gone, I was on my 2nd cup of coffee one morning, when I suddenly began having a weird tingling just below my knee... to make a very long story short... I spent the rest of that day in the emergency room, the rest of the week in the hospital undergoing $1000's of tests, ex-rays, spinal taps, MRI's, etc., and almost 2 weeks in a rehab hospital learning to walk again (with a walker)and use a wheelchair. I had been hit with Transverse Myelitis(a condition that caused paralysis from just above my waist down to my feet). They think a virus caused the problem. Two very tiny notches in the covering around my spinal cord was the damage that had been left. I was told my right side would never be quite the same again. I have improved a lot over the past nine years since that happened, but what has been so amazing to me is that what Buster went through was so similar to what I was to experience myself, so many years later; it was like a forewarning. It prepares you, in a way like nothing else could. And in this way I related to the story in this book like none other I had ever read. We think we are the teachers in our relationships with our 4 legged family members, but it's amazing how much they really teach us.

I am dog and other animals too lover/human. I have to admit that I have a hard time watching or reading anything if the animal dies or is abused. I really enjoy reading about dogs but I am very leery about reading something that will be so painful emotionally to me. So when I saw the title of this book, I was thrilled. A dog book where the dog doesn't die? I quickly downloaded it to my Kindle with a very brief look at the description to verify that the dog doesn't die. I have to say that the book lived up to and surpassed my expectations. The book was great and I could empathize spending all of that time and money on your dog with your friends, family and co-workers thinking you are crazy, it's just a dog, right?! I felt right at home having the trainer who was trained by someone else who was trained using the Dog Whisperer's methods saying that it wasn't just the dog who needed to be trained but the human too and omg you have a dog in the "red zone", more exercise, more exercise. Been there, done that, chuckle, chuckle. Not to mention the sneaky food thief, don't turn your back or set anything down in dog reach or get distracted around food parts of the story and other doggy issues that I have also dealt with before. Well this was a great happy story and I would have been satisfied if the story ended there but then came Part 2, the human also got cancer.Any woman who gets breast cancer or someone who knows someone who has breast cancer should read this book. This was an eye opener for me. My next door neighbor has breast cancer and it really helped me understand better what she is going through. This was so thoughtfully written and explained so much that I never knew, detailing the different stages of the treatment and the ups and downs physically and emotionally in plain english that I could understand. I also could relate to Teresa's dealings and relationships with the different doctors, some good doctors and vets because they kept her informed and played an important part in their treatment and some terrible doctors because they didn't communicate with her and were out of touch with her and had no clue what was happening(both vets and human doctors). I admire and am envious of the support she has had with Chris, and offer Kudos to Chris in his support of her and her dog, Seamus ((pronounced "Shaymuss")) even though at the beginning he wasn't really a "dog person".And yes, the love story part of it and the difficulties with his mother and his family while all of this was going on did help make the story work very well. It helped make the tale a very good story instead of just a dry memoir. So this was a very good book, definiely a keeper, and I want to thank the author for sharing her wonderful story with us and to thank Chris for coming up with this wonderful title.

Absolutely fabulous book! Totally inspirational and funny too. Highly recommended! Tackles one of those subjects no one wants to talk about but does it with respect and dignity!

ordered this book for my kindle and have started reading it..so far a good read and in parts very amusing ... i would recommend it

This book was such a great read, that I couldn't put it down. Being a true dog person, I had to know how Seamus dealt with his cancer.Teresa's use of humour made talking about cancer comfortable. I am so glad she shared her story.

I felt it was very real and honest. She took me through her journey with her, made me realize " Cancer" can enter and change the life of all of us.

I love reading books about dogs and I loved the relationship these characters have. The whole book was really good and made me think about my pet and what I would do in some of these situations.