January 1, 2000 - May 28, 2010
Just six weeks ago, my husband and I had to say good-bye to our treasured Fargo, and on May 28 at 9:32 pm, Fargo's buddy, and our love, Bismarck, lost his battle with cancer.
Bismarck joined our household in 2000, before I started doing GSD rescue. Someone had found this little GSD mix puppy under a car in uptown New Orleans and called me, because they knew I loved the breed. Well, I'll never forget that day. I picked him up from the woman who found him and fell in love, immediately. He had to inch his way into my husband's heart, who kept asking me, "have you found him a home, yet?" I don't think I even tried. Quickly my husband fell in love and Bismarck joined our home and over the past ten years brought so much joy into our lives.
Bismarck had such a big personality and he was a bit of a clown. In fact, Robby, Bismarck's physical therapist, appropriately gave Bismarck the nickname, "Clown Boy." We loved that one bent ear that would catch the wind and stand up straight like Fargo's. He loved our outings to City Park and found great pleasure rolling around in the grass (picture attached) or playing in the puddles after a rain storm with his brother, Fargo. With Bismarck, you could step out of the house for ten minutes and he would greet you when you returned as if you had been gone for days. He loved food more than anything and would wait patiently every morning for a bite of my English muffin or a little bit of cereal and milk. At night, he knew exactly what time to stand in front of the cabinet where we kept the dog treats and would just stare at it until I got up and handed out the biscuits. He just seemed to love life and there is no better way to describe this happy-go lucky dog It was written all over his adorable face and he was so special to us.
Early in the week he was lethargic and when he wouldn't eat, I knew something was wrong. He was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat by the cardiologist at LSU and she recommended an ultra sound of his abdomen. Then I heard the word you never want to hear, "cancer," and it was the bad one, hemangeocarcinoma. Friday night I knew something was wrong with Bismarck and I drove like a maniac to the emergency hospital They discovered one of the tumors had burst. and he was bleeding internally, suffering and there was nothing that could be done to save Bismarck, His heart rate plummeted and I had to make that terrible decision to let my boy go. It was a night I do not want to remember, but I can't say enough wonderful things about the entire staff at Louisiana Veterinary Referral who cared for Bismarck and me that night
After Fargo died, I had hoped that Bismarck would be with us for a few more years. His death came too soon after Fargo's and the pain is almost too much to bear. I know in time the hurt will ease, but for today, the tears will not stop and the pain in my heart is so deep. Bismarck was such a ray of sunshine and he made you forget any problems you had. I don't care what kind of day you had, he could cheer you up by just being "Bizzy Bee." That is just who is was and there will be a huge hole in our lives for a long time to come.
Thank you Bismarck for finding your way into our lives and for bringing us such happiness.We miss you so very much.
Toby Burroughs President New Orleans GSD Rescue
