Alpine Sacajawea, HCT
(aka "Scout")
OFA Hips, Elbows, Heart. CERF,
Thyroid tested, PennHip
April 7, 1994 to
February 11, 2004
Scout was my second Bouvier, and the result of a long
search. After having our first Bouvier, we learned the importance of
finding a good, reputable Breeder. After meeting Diane Morrill (of DiLyn
Bouviers) through a chat/email list on Prodigy, we starting going to some of
the local shows. This led to us joining the Cascade
Bouvier Club, attending more shows, and discovering there are a lot of good
breeders in our area - much different from the one we got our first Bouvier
from! Finally the timing was correct, and we found the right pup for us -
from Susan Signor of Alpine Bouviers. The pup Susan had available was one
she considered a show & breeding prospect, so she wanted to co-own
her. This worked out very well for me. Susan handled & groomed
Scout, and taught us a lot about Bouviers, showing, breeding and grooming.
For a novice, just starting in the world of purebred dogs this is certainly the
way to go!
Scout was the dog I learned a lot of things on. I started
training her in Competition Obedience, dabbled in herding, and finally found the
sport I like best - French Ring Sport. Through Scout I learned a lot about
what I believe is the "correct" Bouvier.
Scout was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a very aggressive type of
bone cancer, on December 19th, 2003. The location of the primary tumor was
in the left rear leg. We went ahead with the recommended initial treatment
which is amputation of the leg. Bone tumors are extremely painful so
amputation is done as a palliative (pain relief) treatment as well as in hopes
of removing the cancer. In many cases when followed up with other
treatments (chemo, herbal, etc.) to prevent metastsis of the cancer this allows
the dog many more months, if not years of a happy life. What makes
Osteosarcoma so devastating is that while is usually starts as a bone tumor, it
quickly changes and spreads to the organs as well as other bones. The
lungs are the most frequent site of the secondary tumors.
In Scout's case, our best efforts were not enough. She
never had a chance to adjust to being three legged before the cancer spread very
aggressively. We could not stand to see her in so much pain, nor is it
fair to leave anyone in that type of drugged or pained state when the prognosis
is not good. So on February 11, 2004 we said "See you next time, we
love you Scout".
Some suggested links on Canine Cancer:
The Canine Cancer Project -http://caninecancerproject.com/
This site has links to articles, other sites, and the Yahoo lists. The
lists are a valuable source of information, and I recommend joining them.
They will give you a better understanding of what is happening, resources and
questions to ask your vet.
 Pat,
Santa, Cory & Scout, November 1994
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