F asby

September 10, 2006:

It’s taken almost a month to write this memorial, and it is still difficult. What Gina wrote about Fasby when she fostered her was so true. She was a Queen, not in an arrogant sense, but in a regal sense. We adopted Fasby in Sept, 2003. Our Golden, Holly, that our children had grown up with, had died of cancer the previous March, shortly before her 14th birthday. Our daughter, Margaret Fitzgerald, had suggested that we adopt from GRR as she and her husband had adopted a Golden (Sake) as a companion to the Golden puppy (Syrah) that had joined the family with Margaret’s engagement ring tied in a yellow ribbon around her neck!

Fasby was a sweet, sweet girl who acclimated to Joe and me and our cat Serafina almost immediately. We did not change her name, as she knew it well and we found it unique and interesting (It became a conversation point!), just like her. The only challenge we faced was that she did not like to get into the car, which we attributed to the fact that she associated it with being taken to the kennel. She soon got over that, with a few treats and a few trips to visit her “cousins,” our daughter’s two Goldens. Fasby was serene but playful, and we quickly learned that we had to keep the doors to our bedroom closets closed, as she loved to bring shoes from our closets to wherever we were in the house, especially when we were at the kitchen table! Our daughter Margaret claimed that Fasby rearranged her household every time she stayed there, dragging shoes and clothes from place to place! It became an endearing trait that we did not try to change! We also discovered that she liked squeaky toys, though one had to be watchful because she would chew them apart to find the squeaker. We eventually had to take them away from her after we were done playing. For example, there was not much of her favorite, “bear” to sew back together. What does remain of “bear” will be buried under her memorial stone in our back yard. She also loved it when we gave her a kong or bone filled with peanut butter. Quite amazingly, she seemed to know when I took the peanut butter jar out of the closet to make a sandwich for lunch. No matter where she was in the house, and without any other clue, before the jar was even open, she would suddenly appear by my side! She also seemed to know just when it was time to go for a walk. Of course, there was the leash signal. But even before the leash, she also knew that when I went inside to take off my dress shoes or sandals and put on my sneakers, that it was time for a walk. Her tail would just wag and wag, and there would be that little dance, a stretch, and a smile on her face. She was a dream to walk, never chasing deer, although she could bring the world to a halt when she decided to stop all of a sudden to sniff something! She loved to socialize with any pooch that we encountered along the way. In fact, it became clear to us after she first joined us, that she missed her brother, GAP. So we would take her down to our daughter’s so she could play with her cousins, or invite them to visit us. She loved to play with Sake, their male dog, and it was quite something to watch the antics! She even got to the point where she would initiate the games! . Fasby was smart and always stood her ground! Our house is pretty open, and Fasby would stake out her position so that no matter which direction Sake went, he would have to face her to try to regain his position. We would sometimes take her to the leash-free park near our home to play. She didn’t really like to swim, but would lie down in the water to cool off and then socialize with all the other dogs. We often wondered when she “took” to another Golden if it might have been her brother. Fasby was also ery solicitous of us, and didn’t like it at all when I would lie on a mat on the floor to do some spot exercises – we think she thought there was something wrong!

Fasby and our cat Serafina got along famously. We got Serafina as a kitten when we had our first Golden, Holly. And although Fasby never let Serafina ”knead” her the way Holly did, she and Serafina were great friends. Serafina would sleep on the same bed as Fasby. And when Serafina would pull one of her all-nighters- as cats occasionally do – and I would be out on the back porch calling for her, Fasby would sense the concern in my voice and be right at my side to offer reassurance.

We thought that we would all be celebrating Fasby’s sixth birthday this month, so it came as a shock when we heard while on vacation that she could not put weight on her back leg and that the X-rays showed a possible stress fracture of her tibia and, more to the point, a bone lesion at the base of the bone. Our children kept her quiet until we returned and had further testing done to determine whether on not the cause might be a fungal infection. We had to wait a week for the results, so we spent the time celebrating our older grandson’s third birthday and our younger grandson’s Christening. Then on the following Monday, we learned that Fasby’s blood work and lung X-rays had come back negative, so the only conclusion was that there was a bone tumor. Since we got conflicting advice about the ability of a biopsy to differentiate the type of cancer, we had decided to wait another week and re-X-ray before amputating. We all believed that the fact that Fasby had begun to throw up over the weekend was a side effect of the anti-inflammatory and narcotic medications that she had been given to relieve the pain of the stress fracture. In retrospect, however, it must have been a sign that the cancer had spread to her abdomen, because Fasby died in her sleep on Monday night, Aug. 07. And it was almost as though, in her regal serenity and love for us, she had waited until our weekend of family celebration was over, so as not to spoil the occasion.

All of this has been very unexpected and we miss Fasby greatly, whether when out for a now solitary walk, watching a movie or football game without her chomping on her treat, sitting at our desks without her comfortably situated in the key hole to warm our feet, or just coming back home and not having her there to greet us! We are grateful for the time we did have together, and for the fact that she did not suffer much. We miss her and know we will always have a soft spot for her in our hearts. We also know that in time we will look forward to welcoming another Golden into our home and our hearts.
 

From Fasby's Adoption Page:
Greetings all Golden Retriever Lovers:

Let me introduce you to a very special lady named Fasby. We like to refer to her as Queen Fasby. Not because she acts 'queen like' but rather deserves to be treated like a queen. Fasby and her Golden brother were well cared for, trained and loved very much. In a heartbreaking but generous gesture, Fasby's owner put their fate in GRR's hands to find them perfect forever families. His job is taking him abroad and with so much travel he knew that his Goldens were not getting the attention and family time that they deserved.

The day Fasby arrived at our home, she settled right in and charmed us with her impeccable house manners and calm disposition. She’s well socialized and gets along wonderfully with our two Goldens, Thor and Rusty. She knows sit, down, stay, and come.

Everybody pretty much gets up at the same time at our house. So you have 2 adults trying to get their coffee, 2 kids trying to eat their breakfast and 3 Goldens milling around the kitchen floor waiting for breakfast and their morning walk. After everybody has eaten, the fun begins. Or should I say ‘circus’?! Three large, tail-wagging, Goldens all trying to be first in line to get their leash on! Fasby never jumps on anyone, but when she sees the leash she does her happy-dance bounce. We get so many greetings and waves from people when they see these three walking side by side down the street. Fasby really enjoys her walks. She’s wonderful on the leash. If she starts to pull a little, a gentle calling of her name and she will slow her pace to match mine.

Thor (aka Hunk of Burning Love) has yet to turn Queen Fasby’s head. He was hard at work on it the other night as we did yard work. He ran all around the backyard trying to impress her but she would have none of his foolishness. Then, when he finally left, I saw her jump and leap after him, but was too late. He hadn’t seen her. Oh young love is so hard!

We can’t say enough wonderful things about Fasby. She has been a delight and we so enjoy having her at our house. She snuggles every night with our 10 year old and has been found sleeping on the leather couch in the den. “Fasby! Get down from there.” She gently jumps off, stretches out her front legs, lets out a yawn as if to say, “That was comfortable. Oh, was I not supposed to be there?”

Although she came to our home with her favorite bone she has taken to a sheepskin squeaky toy that she carries around and squeaks at you as if to say “wanna play?” This is so cute --except for 2:00am in the morning when it is right by your head as you sleep. We’ll have to remember to put it out of reach during sleepy time.

Fasby is a beauty with her golden, blond hair. Her pictures make her look heavier than what she really is. She's got a lovely line of hair running in the opposite direction on her nose that gives her a distinct marking. She is so easy to groom. She loves to be brushed and was perfectly fine with the pedicure and hair trimming around her ears. What a doll. She loves kids, gets along so well with other dogs—she’s a real Queen.
 

View Pictures Here