From the day she came to live with us she had been a demanding puppy. She grew into a demanding teenager and the obedience work was an excellent outlet for her. She learned that the harder she worked at doing things correctly the more attention and praise she got, and I learned when she was attention seeking to walk away so I didn't reward her for bad behavior. She loved to heal and we went for long walks to acclimate her to the city noises and sounds; the buses, trucks and cars that passed by as we walked on the sidewalk; and the children playing in the street and the park. Mae loved those walks and she became a real young lady instead of that demanding teenager. Anyplace that I went in the house or yard she was right by my side, and loved to chase the ball and Kong toy until my arm got sore from throwing it.

One day about two weeks after we finished giving her the antibiotics, she just wasn't herself, kind of like when you get a cold and just feel out of sorts, that was how she was behaving. Within a couple of days she was breaking out in blisters again and so it was off to the vet again. The vet gave me more antibiotics, prednizone, and this time a dip to put all over her. Now this dip was dangerous, I had to wear gloves, glasses, and a long sleeved shirt to protect myself from getting this stuff on me. I applied it with a sponge and she had to air dry after so it would remain in contact with the skin. I was religious about the treatment and the care I gave to her and she continued to break out and get worse. The vet kept telling me that it would get worse before it got better but I was not prepared for what was to come. Not only did she loose her hair, but also got the sores between her toes and on her feet. When she walked she cried because it hurt her so bad. Even on my days off from work all she did was sleep. This was when I started reading out loud to her. I would sit on the bed and she would lie there with her head in my lap and look at me. Now we all know that she didn't understand the words I was reading to her but she sure pretended that she did. So for the last three months, every day we would sit on the bed and I would read to her for about and hour. Every time I looked at her my heart would break and I kept looking for a sign that she was getting better. Six weeks later there was still no change and every time I used the dip on her she got worse. I consulted with the vet and decided that I wanted to wait to continue the dips because it just didn't seem right to me putting this poison on her with open sores, but to continue with the antibiotics to see if we could get the infection under control. I also used herbal medicines to boost the immune system, and even got some old time medicines from some farmers that had experience with this problem.

From the end February until now , the end of May, I could not remember seeing her happy or content, and she never wagged her tail. She was in constant pain. Her legs and face swelled up twice its size and the sores on her just oozed a combination of blood and infection. I put one of those E-collars on her to keep her from scratching and licking the poison on her body. True to the young lady she had become she endured all the indignities. I could hardly touch her anywhere without her crying out in pain, but she never growled or snapped. The vet told me that this would probably be a regular thing although we may be able to control it somewhat. There was no guarantees that the next outbreak would be any less and experience shows us with her that it would probably be the same or worse. I agonized over what to do. I had talked to the vet and there were only two options. Go through the outbreaks and keep her a comfortable as possible or put her to sleep.

During this last two weeks I would look at her curled up on the bed and prayed about what to do. She had been getting better and was starting to get her hair back. She was playing with her buddy Electra and was even chasing the ball. There were even a couple of days when I came home from work that she actually wagged her tail and was a happy girl. Then it started again. The sores started coming back on her face and her face was swelling up again. I decided that I would take a couple of weeks and see what happened. During those two weeks we took walks, worked real hard on the obedience, played, and of course I read to her. The on Sunday, I was sitting on the bed with her head in my lap and she was looking up at me. I reached down to touch her ear and she cried. The demodex mange was coming back. I could not let her go through all that pain again. Monday morning I called the vet and made Mae's last appointment. I decided that two weeks out 3 months without pain was not acceptable for the wonderful young lady.

So at 7:00 pm on May 20 2003, 1 month and 4 days before her second birthday, Mae West went to sleep in my arms for the last time. She took a piece of my heart with her, but I know she is in a place where she will feel no pain and is running and playing with our Doberman Pincher , Chester, who we had for 14 years, our first Rottweiler, Mishka who we had for 12 years, and our beloved Deja Vu who we had for 6 years.

Putting a trusted friend to sleep is always hard but one so young is even harder. I was looking forward to another 8-10 years with her, but that was not to be. God Bless my friend Mae West.