Bad News :o(

Decoy, our beloved 9 year old yellow lab had some tests run this week because she has been having a hard time breathing through her nose which has gradually been getting worse. We were hoping the results would come back that it was just an infection or something minor, but we got the call yesterday and she has cancer. The cancer will most likely remain localized to her nasal area, but it is very invasive to that area. We are now cherishing every day we have with her because it is truly unknown how much time she has left, but it doesn't sound like she has long.

Our hearts truly break. She is and has always been an amazing family member. I can still remember like it was yesterday being on the airplane from Pittsburgh coming home with her. The plane was so small that the little carrier wouldn't fit under the seat in front of me, so the pilot told the flight attendant to have me put the carrier on the seat next to me and if I would like to open it up once we were in flight I could let her sit with me. She laid with her head in my lap and slept the entire flight. Decoy has been with me on so many of my journeys through life, she has lived with me in Olivet, she has lived in a motor home traveling everywhere I did racing, she has lived in Eau Claire, WI, and now where we have called home for the past 8 years Menomonie. She has been my loyal companion since before I met Chad, and before we had Cole, Kinsey and Kenna. She loves to hunt pheasants, sleep on our bed and has never minded the kids crawling all over her. All I pray for now is that this does not make her suffer at any point because she doesn't deserve that! It's so sad because she still has the spunk and personality of a puppy but she can't breath through her nose so she gasps for air.

We now cherish what time we have with her, not knowing how long that will be. Although the kids know that Decoy is sick, we have decided not to tell them that she won't get better.