Tribute to Tripawd Saki
Our beloved dog Saki became a tripod on Oct. 30, 2019. She was an 11-year-old Eskie, and a very active and athletic girl. She was still very puppyish in her senior years — she loved to hunt, chase balls, act crazy in the snow, and do zoomies in the house. Last fall she developed a subtle limp that became worse over several weeks. An X-ray showed cancer in her front left leg. When we think back to the months leading up to her diagnosis, my husband and I remember times when Saki jumped up suddenly from a resting position, and it pains us to realize that she was experiencing pain in her leg that we weren’t aware of.
The idea of amputation was very frightening to us. Did we want to put Saki through that at her age? We were convinced by her surgeon and medical staff that it was the right thing to do to prevent a horrible fracture of her leg and to get Saki out of pain. Friends who had gone through this with their dog talked us through the post-surgery recovery, and referred us to tripawds.com. They were right about the intensive care needed at home: balancing the meds, carrying her down the stairs to go out, nighttime restlessness…. My husband slept on the couch for weeks to be near her at night. One mistake we made early on was getting her a cushy bed to recover in – it was too difficult for her to get out of with her remaining front leg. A nice firm mattress was better (with Dad’s smelly t-shirts as a pillow).
The analysis of Saki’s leg revealed that the cancer was a metastasis of a carcinoma elsewhere, and not osteosarcoma. A cyst on her anal gland that we had been monitoring for a couple of years turned out to be the carcinoma. That was distressing, but there was no going back. We were determined to keep our beautiful girl comfortable for as long as possible. We declined more surgeries, chemo and radiation, and received care at the Pain & Palliative Care Clinic at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, an excellent vet hospital – probably more advanced than most human hospitals in the world. Saki was in the care of the wonderful Dr. Lisa Moses. Sadly, Saki lived only 3 mos. as a tripawd. She hit a sweet spot for about a month, but then she wouldn’t walk very far, cried out when we carried her, and couldn’t stretch or roll over anymore. We had to let her go in early February.
Those initial weeks of loss were so disorienting to us due to the pain and grief of losing a family member who had been at the center of our lives. All loving pet owners go through it, sometimes many times in life. Luckily, we were supported by great neighbors and friends who showed compassion and understanding in many different ways. Saki’s story is a story of love and triumph, not tragedy. Through love, trust, and play this resilient girl overcame many social issues due to poor care in her first 3 years of live, and was able to live a life with joy and doggy gusto.
We’ve captured some of her critter hunting, full-tilt sled chasing, and silly antics in a video we created to honor her.
We miss her terribly, but we carry on her spirit as best we can, hopeful for our next opportunity to give a dog a wonderful life.
~Emily (aka: sakimaki)
Support Tripawds to Honor Your Angels & Heroes Here
This tribute is one of THE most beautiful celebrations of a well loved and well lived full .ofe of joy and happiness that I have ever seen❤❤
I was glued to the video and smiled and laughed and said ‘awww” over and over again. Saki had more adventures in her lifetime than any hundred dogs could ever hope for combined.
And Saki clearly enjoyed her extended bonus time as a tripawd. Every moment was filled with loving and spoil and snuggling and just being with her family❤ She clearly adored you as much as you adored her.
And Saki really could run like a racehorse. OMD! She was sooo fast and in such a bliss of joy when she ran. I loved how she would sort of jump as she ran. She just loved it!!
And the way you intertwined the sketch and the portrait was brilliantly done. Just perfect!! Kidos to the artist. And the video was pit together with such love and heartfelt thought.
Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful Soul with us. We are all head over heels in love with her💖
Surrounding with Saki’s eternal al joyous smile and happy wagging tail.
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Thank you Sally. I’m so touched to read your comment. She was a special girl, for sure! She was reactive toward most humans and other dogs for years after we adopted her, but as you can see in the video, she came a long, long way and was able to express her pure trusting, doggy spirit in many ways.
Dear Emily, Thank you putting together a tribute to Saki. While I never had a chance to know her like that, it is heartwarming to see her as a blur of movement and happiness.
She clearly lived a good life as she ran from one exciting experience to the next. You did a great job with her. Lovely video.
Betsy, your presence that day was so comforting. Thank you again.
Emily is a dear friend, and this is as much a tribute to her as it is to her darling Saki. As you can tell from her words and video, she is one of the best adoptive parents any dog could ever have. Thank you, Tripawds for being there for her. I will hang your calendar with honor. I’m sure Saki and friends are holding their own tribute and treats party over the rainbow ridge. 🌈❤️
Thank YOU! 🙂
Wow, that dog could bounce!!!
She looked absolutely beautiful in every way.