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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#17365D'>RED BAY PISTACHIO CRUNCH (STACHIE) - January 13, 2010 - November 20, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#17365D'>Red Bay Pistachio Crunch (Stachie) is at the Rainbow Bridge tonight. My beautiful mahogany boy was 3 years old. It is surreal because it happened so fast. Yesterday morning he vomited part of his breakfast up. He acted ok all day, playing outside with the other seven youngsters. Then at dinner last night, he did not want to eat. My antennae immediately started wiggling and I took him in to my vet for an xray, suspecting he had chewed a leg off a toy. The vet couldn't feel anything definitive on palpation and xrays were inconclusive. We decided to take another set of xrays this morning. Again inconclusive but suspicious in one area. He got an IV started and we hung out at the vet to run another set a xrays this afternoon. He and I lounged in a run and took walks outside in the sunshine. The last set of xrays showed a section of the small intestine that was enlarged. Ultrasound showed the same thing. Palpatation indicated something round was in the intestines, so we went to surgery. As soon we opened him up, I knew. He had tumors (cancer) all throughout his intestinal tract ... several over 3 inches in diameter. It was inoperable and very advanced. It was unbelievable to he had not been ill until the last 24 hours. There were no choices ... I let my beautiful boy mahogany boy with the kink in his tail go to be with Pat. My heart is broken into tiny pieces. Fly free, my love, you have a piece of my heart.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#17365D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#17365D'>It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#17365D'>And every new dog who comes into my life, gifts me with a piece of their heart. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#17365D'>If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#17365D'>and I will become as generous and loving as they are. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#17365D'>~Unknown<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#17365D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#17365D'>Sandi Wittenberg<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#17365D'>Red Bay Bassets<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>