Heather Eusanio |
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 About Us
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Guinness (11/13/00 - 01/07/04) We adopted Guinness in the summer of 2001 from MCOA Rescue. He was about 10 months old and extremely shy. I drove 10 hours to Indiana (from Buffalo, NY) to pick him up and had to feed him cheeseburgers from McDonald's the entire way home to even get him in/out of the car - or anywhere near me for that matter... The night I brought him home I sobbed, because I didn't know if I could ever do him justice or if he could ever lead a life in which he would truly be happy. After a year of hard work (but what we put out we got back 10-fold in love) we came to realize that he was happy and a completely normal dog at home but just did not care for social situations... I did a ton of work with him in an attempt to decrease his shy demeanor and let him realize the world could be a happy place in which to be. We utilized puppy classes, positive reinforcement clicker classes, and family members to help our beloved friend along. It became apparent, after several months of work that he was most comfortable at home and with those he trusted. So we decided that we would let him enjoy life in the way that he does enjoy it at home and in our yard, etc. Finally happiness for this boy!
This past spring, I noticed little things about him that indicated he was in pain. When I took him to the vet, she immediately said that the problem was conformational and indicated Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD) or very severe arthritis. He was a slighter boy to begin with - but had lost 17 pounds. She prescribed medication and after discussing the situation at length with the rescue coordinator through which he was obtained, we immediately upped his joint support. All parties agreed that this was the best course of action. The summer months seemed to indicate he was feeling better. Pain management was working, and he seemed to be more active and lively once again. When the end of summer approached he was barely able to climb the stairs. He slept in bed with my husband and I, so this proved to be a problem for him. He would sit at the bottom of the stairs and cry until Matt carried him up. This occurred for several weeks, and we were beside ourselves. Willing to do whatever possible to help our boy, we embraced the idea when a few mastiff friends suggested acupuncture, the use of homeopathic remedies, and massage therapy. I immediately got him a consultation and we started treatment. The homeopathic vet said that he was in poor health, kidneys were a problem, as well as the joints and hip issues. His topline was roached because he was using many of his front muscles to compensate for the lack of them in his rear. We were taking him to her for several months, and the physical problems seemed to be improving. Guinness was always a shy and fearful boy. When strangers came to the door (a stranger to him was anyone other than my husband or I, even people he had met hundreds of times) he often greeted them with a few barks, then hightailed it into the kitchen and hid behind the table. Always retreating and backing up. My personal feeling is that there was something inside that was not being fixed, he was in pain, or there was another problem. Then he stopped retreating, and was exhibiting signs of fear aggression. We feel that he suffered for a very long time, and the look in his sad and soft brown eyes indicated to us that he just could not fight any longer. We also did not want to take a chance that he would hurt somebody out of fear or pain, and wanted to make sure his dignity and sweet memories were preserved as they should be. This was our first mastiff, and first pet that was not a 'family' pet growing up. It was and still is devastating. Our hearts reach out to others who have lost loved ones.
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By the edge of a
woods, For here, between No more do they suffer, They romp through the grass, For just at that instant, The sadness they felt
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