AIREDALES ON PARADE - ERIC THE RED

Thanks to VetteMan for taking the pictures, making them web-ready,
and for his help rescuing and working with this lovely boy.

If you are interested in becoming a Spairedale's Forever Home, contact PAULA LACKNER, who will tell you how to fill out an ATRA application.

Anim Anim
ERIC THE RED
[JACOBSON]

On Sunday, 18 January 2004, at 5:00 p.m., VetteMan & I transferred Eric to Jim Lackner, in the parking lot of the Perkins Restaurant on I-94, along with the giant-sized crate and Eric's belly band, for Renee Jacobson to use on him during his stay with her family, including the Airedales, Demi & Abby. It was difficult to say good-bye to Eric, but we knew he would be in good hands and, eventually, on his way to his Forever Home.
He arrived at Renee's house about two hours later that evening, promptly pee'd in the dining room (he now is wearing his belly band), and become VERY FRIENDLY with Demi & Abby.

On Tuesday, Renee writes:
I took Eric in to the vet about 5 and had a bit of a checkup. On Wednesday, the doctor will be removing the lipomas, along with examining his ear - which looked questionable, x-raying his chest to check on his heart to make sure the prior heartworm will allow him to undergo anesthesia and of course the tutoring.
Eric is such a doll - he gave me a big kiss before the vet took him from the room to do some tests. Whoever adopts him will get an excellent 'dale!

On Wednesday morning, Renee writes:
Just received a call from the vet's office. Eric is out of surgery and doing well. When I pick him up, the doctor will go over the medical information with me.

And on Wednesday evening, Renee writes:
Eric is resting comfortably on his bed, and looks exhausted - understandably so. He is such a sweetheart. I know I've mentioned that already, but he really is.
His tutoring went as expected, the lumps were removed and I'll know next week what the results are as they had to be sent out for analysis. Please keep your fingers & paws crossed for Eric.
The vet made a comment about some arthritis - perhaps. I had noticed (prior to surgery) that he has stiffness when he lies down or tries to go up our stairs. We are going to take a wait-and-see approach.

On Thursday, Renee reports:
I am absolutely in love with Eric! Yes, I would love to keep him; however, that would mean moving to a larger house. And that doesn't look too promising at the moment. He does not wear the belly band, and has not marked in the house since Sunday - at the risk of invoking the Teddy Principle. (I had to take a break because Eric just nudged my arm as I was typing. He is such a love!)
He is recuperating very well, and seems to have settled a bit. He gives me happy butt wags when he sees me and follows me around constantly. He is going to be extremely difficult to let go!

On Saturday, Renee sighs:
Good news/Bad news
Well, the good news is that Eric has a very promising forever home waiting for him. The bad news: Eric has a very promising forever home waiting for him.
I know I am being selfish, but I had somewhat expected to have this guy here for quite a while, considering his age. I *thought* that if he were here long enough, my hubby would say he can stay. As it is, Eric is doing everything to charm my hubby, who does like him. However, three kids, two 'dales, two guinea pigs, two anoles and a parakeet in a 1700 square foot house? My heart is saying "he stays" but my mind is trying to reason things.
If everything works out, Eric will no longer be a resident of Wisconsin, a Cheesehead, but of Iowa. Sigh . . .

On Sunday, Paula calls with the news:
Eric's been adopted!
He will be joining two other Rescue 'Dales on two acres of fenced-in land. His humans will be a retired gentleman and Mary, who works part-time, so he will get all the love and attention he deserves for the rest of his life.

But on Monday, Renee writes:
Zen needed for Eric
I noticed this morning that what was *thought* to be a sebaceous cyst last week was bleeding and oozing a bit. I called the vet and took Eric in this morning. Vet checked it and said that they could do a needle biopsy, but that the results might be inconclusive due to the size of the lump. Notice how I said lump as the vet does not think it was a cyst anymore. Or, the vet said, they could remove it and send for pathology. The vet seemed to think that there was a possiblity that it could be cancerous. The vet is doing the removal this afternoon, much to Eric's dismay. He clearly did not want to see the vet again, but he was a trooper. Please keep your fingers crossed that the results are good. The results have not come back from last week re: the lumps.

And on Monday evening comes the news:
Eric had two weeks of love and appreciation for his beauty and his personality and his loving attitude; he was helped across the Rainbow Bridge tonight by Renee.
Please keep them both in your thoughts tonight, and look up to see the lovely new star that is Eric.
Every Rescue comes to us as an unknown entity; Eric, despite his look of health, was already full of cancer. Knowing this, and having gone through the lengthy diminishing of life with Misha, I think Eric's Bridge crossing was an easier path.

SandE Mancini: How sad. I am so very sorry......................Poor boy!

Rita Ferrer: I am lighting a candle for Eric. I'm SO SORRY. He was a fine boy. And he was LOVED by so many of us in a very short period of time.

Sue Forrester: My heart is so sad to learn that Eric has been helped across The Bridge. What a beautiful beautiful boy.
Thank you Andréa & Vetteman, Paula & Jim, and Renee & family for taking such care of him, if only for such a short time, and for restoring so much love back into his life.
We will look for his star tonight. It is bound to be a bright and lovely one.
Sue & the sad little As in Australia

Heather Scharbach: Yes. It's sad. And more thanks to all of you who took care of him and offered him the chance to have his last days filled with love and appreciation.
Perhaps he came to you for just such a time. Time to know he was appreciated and loved and taken care of before he went to The Bridge.

Ellana Livermore: This is just heartbreaking. You all acted with love and hope with him. That is the only way to be. I think he blessed your life for the short while you had him.
Teary here thinking about him.

Michelle Mueller: Oh! I'm so sad to hear about Eric the Red's passing. How disappointing for everyone, especially the fine couple who were opening their home to him.
I sent every link with info about Eric to my nephew in Wisconsin. He was also raised with a 'dale and both he & his wife fell in love with Tanner when they were here for the holidays. Within hours of sending the links the post came through about Eric's new home in Iowa. I teased my nephew and told him he had to act faster when someone like Red comes along.
What a trooper Eric was right up till the end. He must have been uncomfortable and still he was loving and sweet-natured.
Many blessings to all of you who touched his heart in his last days. He surely was a happy boy with all of that love and attention.

Chuck Rusk: I'm really torn up with the news that Eric has crossed the bridge. That sweet guy made quite an impression on me. I would have loved to have made him another one of my big boys. I'm glad I had a chance to meet that gentle, sweet soul.

Monica Mahn: What a shock!!!
My heart is breaking for you and for all who were part of Eric's time in rescue.
How lucky he was to have known such excellent care and unconditional love to the end...
Death cannot take that love from him or his love from you.

Jackie McGuiness: I'm very sorry to hear about Eric. You know they often say that when you are having a really stressful time you just keep coping; then when the stress stops, you get sick. It's the body's way of saying, "Ok, I've got time for me now." Maybe this was Eric's way of letting go once he knew he was in safe hands, and that you cared for him enough to make the right decision. I'm glad his last two (it seems longer) weeks were filled with love and kindness and admiration because he was a handsome boy.
Thank you for for taking the time to make his life better, and thank you Eric for touching all our lives.

Lesley Mattuchio: I was shocked to read about Eric this morning. I am so sorry for you as I know you really liked him and my gosh . . . he was a loveable handsome boy . I wonder why he went so suddenly? So sad.

Nancy Kaye: How sad! I know it's better for him though and that's what counts.

Lana MacInnes: I just read about Eric. How very, very sad for the poor little guy and everyone who was helping him along the road to a new life.

Andréa Denninger & VetteMan: He was only here for four days, but two things will stay here for many years (the yellow snow was finally covered by new snow this weekend):
1. Since his arrival in August 2003, Rico would not go potty without a cheerleading section/audience (outside, that is). That can be frustrating, especially when it is cold, and also considering the fact that he has the attention span of a gnat. If we let April, Cari & Rico, outside and go back inside, he simply stands in front of the patio doors, waiting for somebody to come outside and remind him why he is out there.
The potty times with Eric seem to have broken this habit, and we now can let them out without having to stand in the cold and snow saying, "Go Potty!!" or "Go Poops!!". I guess I won't have to buy those cheerleading pompoms after all.
2. Eric was a marker, as high as possible. Rico tried several times to mark higher, whereby he then fell over (Rico, not Eric). Rico continues, every once in a while, to try to mark high up. It's a funny sight to see, and I will think of Eric every time I see my silly little boy try to dominate . . . the tree.
When I first became interested in Airedale Rescue several years ago, Carol Linthicum taught me that sometimes the Forever Home is located on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge, sad though it may be for us who stay on this side.

Maureen Scott: Somehow, this really got to me. So very very sad about poor Eric. At least he had a little love before circumstances overtook him. I can just see him out dominating the tree and little short-legged Rico thinking he should do the same.
Hugs to you both for giving this boy some good days to carry with him over the Bridge!

Dave Barrett: And sometimes rescue is bitterwsweet. So sorry to hear Eric's time came so quickly to a close. I know the current sadness will not discourage you from helping another furry soul. Remember the love both you and Eric discovered when you took him in and that it does endure.

Renee Jacobson: Just to let everyone know what has happened, I thought I would write a quick note.
Last night, about 45 minutes after returning home from the vet, Eric began acting strangely. He had labored breathing and was non-responsive. We immediately brought him to the vet; fortunately it is only a five-minute drive - three if you're in a hurry.
The vet immediately took him back and began IV fluids as they tried to assess what had transpired since Eric had left. He was in anaphylactic shock - basically his circulatory system was shutting down. They drew blood and found his red blood cell count had dropped to about 20. Last week before the surgery it was a healthy 43.
They took x-rays, and found what appeared to be fluid in his abdominal cavity. They withdrew fresh blood from his abdomen - and there was a lot of it. Eric had already lost 1/3 of his blood.
Things did not look promising at all. The IV fluids did not do much for him. The vet suspected that he had had a cancerous tumor on his spleen that had suddenly ruptured. The rupture was not caused by the minor "cyst" removal done much earlier in the day.
It was only a matter of time for Eric and I did not want him to suffer. The vet stated that doing exploratory surgery would be "high-risk" at best, given his current state. The tumor was too large and the rupture had damaged too much.
My husband and I were with him when he passed. We are devastated to lose such a fine 'dale. However, we feel fortunate to know that we were able to love and spoil him these past nine days. He certainly had made himself into a part of this family.

Marilyn Doudt: So sorry to hear about Eric. So glad he he had love for the last days of his life. Thanks for getting him and giving him a chance. I wish he could have had a long happy life.
My thoughts are with you and his foster home.

AmyMarie Fornelli: I am sorry to hear about Eric. Thank goodness the dear boy knew love and caring for his final days.

Debby Spendolini: I just read about Eric and want to offer my condolences for his loss and my praise to Andréa & Renee who gave this handsome boy a lot of love while he was alive. God bless the both of you.

In May 2004, Andréa discovered these two photographs of Eric the Red on a roll of undeveloped film . . . he was certainly a lovely boy.

ERIC THE RED [JACOBSON]
On Sunday, 18 January 2004, at 5:00 p.m., VetteMan & I transferred Eric to Jim Lackner, in the parking lot of the Perkins Restaurant on I-94, along with the giant-sized crate and Eric's belly band, for Renee Jacobson to use on him during his stay with her family, including the Airedales, Demi & Abby. It was difficult to say good-bye to Eric, but we knew he would be in good hands and, eventually, on his way to his Forever Home. He arrived at Renee's house about two hours later that evening, promptly pee'd in the dining room (he now is wearing his belly band), and become VERY FRIENDLY with Demi & Abby. On Tuesday, Renee writes: I took Eric in to the vet about 5 and had a bit of a checkup. On Wednesday, the doctor will be removing the lipomas, along with examining his ear - which looked questionable, x-raying his chest to check on his heart to make sure the prior heartworm will allow him to undergo anesthesia and of course the tutoring. Eric is such a doll - he gave me a big kiss before the vet took him from the room to do some tests. Whoever adopts him will get an excellent 'dale! On Wednesday morning, Renee writes: Just received a call from the vet's office. Eric is out of surgery and doing well. When I pick him up, the doctor will go over the medical information with me. And on Wednesday evening, Renee writes: Eric is resting comfortably on his bed, and looks exhausted - understandably so. He is such a sweetheart. I know I've mentioned that already, but he really is. His tutoring went as expected, the lumps were removed and I'll know next week what the results are as they had to be sent out for analysis. Please keep your fingers & paws crossed for Eric. The vet made a comment about some arthritis - perhaps. I had noticed (prior to surgery) that he has stiffness when he lies down or tries to go up our stairs. We are going to take a wait-and-see approach. On Thursday, Renee reports: I am absolutely in love with Eric! Yes, I would love to keep him; however, that would mean moving to a larger house. And that doesn't look too promising at the moment. He does not wear the belly band, and has not marked in the house since Sunday - at the risk of invoking the Teddy Principle. (I had to take a break because Eric just nudged my arm as I was typing. He is such a love!) He is recuperating very well, and seems to have settled a bit. He gives me happy butt wags when he sees me and follows me around constantly. He is going to be extremely difficult to let go! On Saturday, Renee sighs: Good news/Bad news Well, the good news is that Eric has a very promising forever home waiting for him. The bad news: Eric has a very promising forever home waiting for him. I know I am being selfish, but I had somewhat expected to have this guy here for quite a while, considering his age. I thought that if he were here long enough, my hubby would say he can stay. As it is, Eric is doing everything to charm my hubby, who does like him. However, three kids, two 'dales, two guinea pigs, two anoles and a parakeet in a 1700 square foot house? My heart is saying "he stays" but my mind is trying to reason things. If everything works out, Eric will no longer be a resident of Wisconsin, a Cheesehead, but of Iowa. Sigh . . . On Sunday, Paula calls with the news: Eric's been adopted! He will be joining two other Rescue 'Dales on two acres of fenced-in land. His humans will be a retired gentleman and Mary, who works part-time, so he will get all the love and attention he deserves for the rest of his life. But on Monday, Renee writes: Zen needed for Eric I noticed this morning that what was thought to be a sebaceous cyst last week was bleeding and oozing a bit. I called the vet and took Eric in this morning. Vet checked it and said that they could do a needle biopsy, but that the results might be inconclusive due to the size of the lump. Notice how I said lump as the vet does not think it was a cyst anymore. Or, the vet said, they could remove it and send for pathology. The vet seemed to think that there was a possiblity that it could be cancerous. The vet is doing the removal this afternoon, much to Eric's dismay. He clearly did not want to see the vet again, but he was a trooper. Please keep your fingers crossed that the results are good. The results have not come back from last week re: the lumps. And on Monday evening comes the news: Eric had two weeks of love and appreciation for his beauty and his personality and his loving attitude; he was helped across the Rainbow Bridge tonight by Renee. Please keep them both in your thoughts tonight, and look up to see the lovely new star that is Eric. Every Rescue comes to us as an unknown entity; Eric, despite his look of health, was already full of cancer. Knowing this, and having gone through the lengthy diminishing of life with Misha, I think Eric's Bridge crossing was an easier path. SandE Mancini: How sad. I am so very sorry......................Poor boy! Rita Ferrer: I am lighting a candle for Eric. I'm SO SORRY. He was a fine boy. And he was LOVED by so many of us in a very short period of time. Sue Forrester: My heart is so sad to learn that Eric has been helped across The Bridge. What a beautiful beautiful boy. Thank you Andréa & Vetteman, Paula & Jim, and Renee & family for taking such care of him, if only for such a short time, and for restoring so much love back into his life. We will look for his star tonight. It is bound to be a bright and lovely one. Sue & the sad little As in Australia Heather Scharbach: Yes. It's sad. And more thanks to all of you who took care of him and offered him the chance to have his last days filled with love and appreciation. Perhaps he came to you for just such a time. Time to know he was appreciated and loved and taken care of before he went to The Bridge. Ellana Livermore: This is just heartbreaking. You all acted with love and hope with him. That is the only way to be. I think he blessed your life for the short while you had him. Teary here thinking about him. Michelle Mueller: Oh! I'm so sad to hear about Eric the Red's passing. How disappointing for everyone, especially the fine couple who were opening their home to him. I sent every link with info about Eric to my nephew in Wisconsin. He was also raised with a 'dale and both he & his wife fell in love with Tanner when they were here for the holidays. Within hours of sending the links the post came through about Eric's new home in Iowa. I teased my nephew and told him he had to act faster when someone like Red comes along. What a trooper Eric was right up till the end. He must have been uncomfortable and still he was loving and sweet-natured. Many blessings to all of you who touched his heart in his last days. He surely was a happy boy with all of that love and attention. Chuck Rusk: I'm really torn up with the news that Eric has crossed the bridge. That sweet guy made quite an impression on me. I would have loved to have made him another one of my big boys. I'm glad I had a chance to meet that gentle, sweet soul. Monica Mahn: What a shock!!! My heart is breaking for you and for all who were part of Eric's time in rescue. How lucky he was to have known such excellent care and unconditional love to the end... Death cannot take that love from him or his love from you. Jackie McGuiness: I'm very sorry to hear about Eric. You know they often say that when you are having a really stressful time you just keep coping; then when the stress stops, you get sick. It's the body's way of saying, "Ok, I've got time for me now." Maybe this was Eric's way of letting go once he knew he was in safe hands, and that you cared for him enough to make the right decision. I'm glad his last two (it seems longer) weeks were filled with love and kindness and admiration because he was a handsome boy. Thank you for for taking the time to make his life better, and thank you Eric for touching all our lives. Lesley Mattuchio: I was shocked to read about Eric this morning. I am so sorry for you as I know you really liked him and my gosh . . . he was a loveable handsome boy . I wonder why he went so suddenly? So sad. Nancy Kaye: How sad! I know it's better for him though and that's what counts. Lana MacInnes: I just read about Eric. How very, very sad for the poor little guy and everyone who was helping him along the road to a new life. Andréa Denninger & VetteMan: He was only here for four days, but two things will stay here for many years (the yellow snow was finally covered by new snow this weekend): 1. Since his arrival in August 2003, Rico would not go potty without a cheerleading section/audience (outside, that is). That can be frustrating, especially when it is cold, and also considering the fact that he has the attention span of a gnat. If we let April, Cari & Rico, outside and go back inside, he simply stands in front of the patio doors, waiting for somebody to come outside and remind him why he is out there. The potty times with Eric seem to have broken this habit, and we now can let them out without having to stand in the cold and snow saying, "Go Potty!!" or "Go Poops!!". I guess I won't have to buy those cheerleading pompoms after all. 2. Eric was a marker, as high as possible. Rico tried several times to mark higher, whereby he then fell over (Rico, not Eric). Rico continues, every once in a while, to try to mark high up. It's a funny sight to see, and I will think of Eric every time I see my silly little boy try to dominate . . . the tree. When I first became interested in Airedale Rescue several years ago, Carol Linthicum taught me that sometimes the Forever Home is located on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge, sad though it may be for us who stay on this side. Maureen Scott: Somehow, this really got to me. So very very sad about poor Eric. At least he had a little love before circumstances overtook him. I can just see him out dominating the tree and little short-legged Rico thinking he should do the same. Hugs to you both for giving this boy some good days to carry with him over the Bridge! Dave Barrett: And sometimes rescue is bitterwsweet. So sorry to hear Eric's time came so quickly to a close. I know the current sadness will not discourage you from helping another furry soul. Remember the love both you and Eric discovered when you took him in and that it does endure. Renee Jacobson: Just to let everyone know what has happened, I thought I would write a quick note. Last night, about 45 minutes after returning home from the vet, Eric began acting strangely. He had labored breathing and was non-responsive. We immediately brought him to the vet; fortunately it is only a five-minute drive - three if you're in a hurry. The vet immediately took him back and began IV fluids as they tried to assess what had transpired since Eric had left. He was in anaphylactic shock - basically his circulatory system was shutting down. They drew blood and found his red blood cell count had dropped to about 20. Last week before the surgery it was a healthy 43. They took x-rays, and found what appeared to be fluid in his abdominal cavity. They withdrew fresh blood from his abdomen - and there was a lot of it. Eric had already lost 1/3 of his blood. Things did not look promising at all. The IV fluids did not do much for him. The vet suspected that he had had a cancerous tumor on his spleen that had suddenly ruptured. The rupture was not caused by the minor "cyst" removal done much earlier in the day. It was only a matter of time for Eric and I did not want him to suffer. The vet stated that doing exploratory surgery would be "high-risk" at best, given his current state. The tumor was too large and the rupture had damaged too much. My husband and I were with him when he passed. We are devastated to lose such a fine 'dale. However, we feel fortunate to know that we were able to love and spoil him these past nine days. He certainly had made himself into a part of this family. Marilyn Doudt: So sorry to hear about Eric. So glad he he had love for the last days of his life. Thanks for getting him and giving him a chance. I wish he could have had a long happy life. My thoughts are with you and his foster home. AmyMarie Fornelli: I am sorry to hear about Eric. Thank goodness the dear boy knew love and caring for his final days. Debby Spendolini: I just read about Eric and want to offer my condolences for his loss and my praise to Andréa & Renee who gave this handsome boy a lot of love while he was alive. God bless the both of you. In May 2004, Andréa discovered these two photographs of Eric the Red on a roll of undeveloped film . . . he was certainly a lovely boy.

The Airedale can do anything any other dog can do and then whip the other dog. -- Teddy Roosevelt

If you have a Second-Hand 'Dale and would like to share her/his story, please e-mail me.

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Back to AIREDALES ON PARADE/SPOTLIGHT ON RESCUE

Thanks to Karen Clouston for the Airedale Graphics

INTRODUCING MISHA (@RB), APRIL, CARI & RICO

Remember to bring along your virtual pooper-scooper!

ERIC THE RED [JACOBSON]

ERIC THE RED
[JACOBSON]