Dempsey

“He touched the lives of so many in his brief stay here”

In Memory of Dempsey – Spring Valley’s Noble Son JC

2/22/97 – 1/12/99

Dempsey was our first Ridgeback and was our only dog.

From the day we brought home our “bundle of Rhodesian Ridgeback joy”

we couldn’t stop talking about him he was just THAT special.

Dempsey was sweet loving curious mischievous incredibly smart

and sensitive. He was wonderful with children and was happy to take

day trips up to my parent’s home and play with my 4 nieces and nephews.

He was the hit of any family gathering and always managed to endear

everyone by resting his big head on the dining room table hoping for a few

bites of dinner. He always got them. He liked to go anywhere (including the vet)

since he always saw it as an opportunity to meet new friends.

He got very excited every time we visited our local dogpark where he had

many four-legged friends due to his friendly disposition.

He enjoyed taking walks in the mountains where he was photographed

enjoying nature and its scenery.

He loved to go “bye-bye in the car” lure coursing eating watching TV,

and play dates with other dogs. He adored the beach. One of

his favorite things to do first thing in the morning when his Dad let him

out the back door was run down the dock overlooking the lagoon.

He would look up the lagoon and down the lagoon and then out over

the water sniffing all the wonderful scents only a hound can appreciate.

This was one of life’s greatest pleasures for Dempsey.

He greeted many Summer visitors with boundless energy and

a welcoming kiss or jump.

Three days before he passed away we took him to the inlet and to the

beach for a walk. I will be forever grateful that we could still do that

with him and that he was able to see the beach one final time.

I have quite a few friends that all own Rhodesian Ridgebacks that I have

met all due to Dempsey. Within this circle of friends I have quite a few

friends who feed natural homemade diets. All of the dogs seem to thrive on this

way of feeding and all of us see alternative homeopathic vets as well.

I have every book on the subject and am very well versed in feeding

a natural raw diet. Dempsey was on a natural preserved kibble (Wysong)

up until October of 1998 and then went to a completely raw diet.

He was a very very healthy boy and completed his Junior Lure Coursing

(JC) title on November 7 1998.

Then the week of Thanksgiving we noticed that when he would jump out of our

car or off the bed or couch he would let out a tiny cry.

We got him to the vet the day after Thanksgiving and thinking maybe

he pulled a muscle or had Lyme’s Disease and the vet told us to

give him an aspirin and call him Monday with his progress.

But he didn’t get better and it seemed to get a bit worse.

I called Monday and my vet said he was going out of town but that

I should get in to see someone else. I phoned another good vet in my

area and got him in to see her. She did complete blood testing on him,

nutritional analysis etc etc. We thought maybe it was Lyme’s Disease.

THAT being the worse case scenario. I nonchalantly questioned if it could be

“cancer” and she said “STOP!! Of course not he is not even 2 years old!”

But I am the ever paranoid panicky Mother always worrying

about my little boy.

We saw that vet on a Tuesday and by Wednesday night Dempsey’s temperature

was 105.2. At night his temperature would increase but this was the highest

we had seen it. The next day I took him to a Veterinary Referral Hospital.

Again his temperature was back down and he was acting his normal self.

Eating drinking playing. She asked us to leave him with her for a few hours

and she would do some Xrays on his joints etc.

No sooner did we get home when that phone call came in.

We knew if she was calling so soon it had to be horrible news.

My husband asked me to get on the other end of the phone

I will never forget the utter shock and terror of what she said to us

on the other side of that phone.

She said she did a chest Xray and Dempsey had an enormous tumor

inside his chest. She wasn’t certain of the origin but she did a little biopsy and

she found cancer cells. We drove right over and brought him home.

We were given Prednisone which put an end to his fever and helped

a bit with the acheyness in his limbs.

From that point forward I don’t need to tell you what we did because if

you have a pet with cancer you probably did the same.

I got him in to the best Veterinary Hospital with the best Oncologist

(who studied under one of the best Oncologists in the country) in NJ.

I called the University of Colorado and spoke to Dr. Greg Ogilve.

I did everything. I added fish oils to his diet and other cancer and

tumor fighting supplements. I spoke to homeopathic people and

conventional medicine people. I prayed friends prayed family prayed

from all over the country. We went through Chemotherapy.

I sat in a crate with him in the hospital all day long 4 days before Christmas

while he got his first round of Cisplatin. Two days later he got Doxyrubicin.

We spent over $4,000 getting other opinions having sonograms done,

and going to other surgeons to determine if this thing could be removed –

we would have spent whatever it cost to save Dempsey.

They told us it was a very very rare form of the bone cancer – Extra skeletal

Osteosarcoma. They could not be certain if it originated from his rib or

from his soft muscle tissue. They couldn’t know for sure without opening

him up. This is a genetic mutation that he probably was born with –

and it had a coded date as to when it would make him ill.

They said the tumor probably began growing a month or two prior to

when he showed signs. It was an incredibly aggressive fast moving cancer.

The tumor was pressing on his diaphram and they did not believe it

had spread to his lung – yet. I also believe that his natural diet if

anything helped fight off the cancer.

Who knows he could have died even sooner if he was being fed a food filled

with chemical preservatives. They said at best he had 2 – 3 months.

IF he had surgery maybe 9-12 months but there were absolutely no guarantees.

We were hoping the chemo would shrink the tumor but it did not it was

just too enormous. They estimated it at slightly smaller than a basketball

but it wasn’t round in shape. This type of cancer had parts attached to it that

reached out and spread throughout his body.

Surgery would be very risky and his recovery would be agony.

Hearing that final conclusion was when we realized it was time to give up.

We had to let Dempsey go with dignity and as little pain as possible.

The pain Dempsey would experience when jumping had nothing to do with

the actual tumor. It had to do with the tumor pressing on certain nerves

that actually affected his limbs and changed the density of his bones.

Human lung cancer patients get this as well.

After meeting with the final surgeon on a Saturday we took Dempsey to his

favorite spot – the beach for a walk little did I know it would be the last time

he saw the shore.

By Monday his breathing had begun to change and we new it

was already time.

They were way off at their estimate of 2-3 months and I suppose

deep in my heart I knew this all along because I cherished every

second I had left with him from the minute I found out he had cancer.

I took time off work and was with him all the time.

From the time of diagnosis Dempsey lived 5 weeks.

He died on January 12 1999. I still can’t believe he is gone.

I will never be able to look Christmas and New Years the same again –

because I will always think of those last final weeks of his life.

The weight loss the vomiting and diarrhea from the chemo and

then when his exhaling became labored.

The trip to the vet on that Tuesday night was the worst experience I have

ever had to endure in my entire 33 years of life. Dempsey ate a full

meal that night and trotted into the vet’s office tail wagging – which was

always his way. He loved people and loved other dogs.

He had no idea what was about to happen and I suppose that is just as well.

Everyone always says better to soon then to late.

He was cremated and we now have the ashes and still have to

select that special urn and that special place where he will reside.

The day after his death we had tickets to see the Lion King on Broadway.

These were a gift from Bob from the previous Valentines Day.

If you know anything about Ridgebacks you know they are African

and that is where the Lion King takes place. It also is the story of

the “Circle of Life” an appropriate plot for what we had just endured.

We made it to the play and somehow I managed to get through it

and actually enjoy it. That night I was awoken in the middle of the night to

wind chimes – a sign I am quite sure was him saying “I’m okay Mom”.

Since then I have heard wind chimes on several occasions and

dreamt of him often.

It has only been 6 weeks and the pain and grief I feel is incredible –

it will take me a long long time to get over this loss.

However I promised myself that I would give Dempsey’s life

as much meaning as I possibly could.

I sent in donations to the Mid-Atlantic Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue in

loving memory of our Dempsey. I sent out personal thank yous to all my friends

along with a copy of the letter to rescue thanking those who so graciously

sent us cards emails and donations in Dempsey’s honor.

It made it easier for us to begin to heal knowing so many cared.

That letter will be published in an upcoming issue of the Ridgeback Register

along with a beautiful photograph of Dempsey that I sent it.

He was the inspiration behind a donation to Ridgeback Rescue

that I sent commemorating the life of my Grandmother last April

and now he was the reason behind the donation I send in today

from Bob and I as well as others who loved him.

He also is responsible for our adopting a 16-month old female Ridgeback

named Izzy who needed a loving home with “parents” just like us.

Izzy is a sweet sweet girl and she is giving us lots of love that

we needed to get through this.

But of course no one can ever replace Dempsey nor take

away the pain of his loss.

I didn’t realize until Dempsey was gone how much I depended on him

and his wonderful spirit. We always appreciated him and we made every single

moment count while he was on this earth – but I didn’t fully comprehend

how much I relied on him nor could I ever imagine the enormous void

that would be left behind – until he was gone.

He was there to greet us cuddle and play with us keep us company when

home alone and due to his incredible sense of humor make us laugh endlessly.

He was the reason why we met many friends who also own dogs

and he got us out walking and enjoying many facets of the outdoors.

Trying to put into words the tremendous amount of love we had for this

exceptionally amazing creature and the unforgettable impact he made on

our lives is almost impossible.

We know he is at peace and spreading happiness to those around him and

now I am sure he is running around with dogs owned by those

reading this very website.

I will love you Dempsey forever my sweet boy.

Beth

….Grieve not,

nor speak of me with tears,

But laugh and talk of me

as if I were beside you…

I loved you so –

’twas Heaven here with you.

Isla Pascshal Richardson