Sweet funny Camper, my service dog & pal - goodbye

3K9Mom · 03-31-2009, 07:44 PM

With a broken heart, I say goodbye to my beautiful Campeche, my beautiful GSD.

Last Monday, we discovered he had partial torsion of his stomach. The recommendation was surgery to reposition his stomach, ensure the health of the spleen, and perform gastropexy. I consulted with four doctors. including an internist. After a variety of diagnostics, they all recommended the same. He was otherwise a young healthy dog and there was no reason to expect that he would do anything but come through surgery fine.

And he did. I spoke to the surgeon yesterday evening and Camper had come out of anesthesia and was doing well. But at about 4am, I received a call from the surgeon that he was rushing to the hospital. Camper had been taken outside to potty and collapsed. Since Zamboni has been very ill this week, I didn't want to leave her home alone. Dh and I put her in the car with Meri and we drove to the hospital. Before we could get there, though, Camper had died.

He would have been three years old in May. Other than this stomach issue and food allergies (and some flare ups of SIBO, that haven't occurred in a long time), he WAS a very healthy dog. Vibrant, so active he wore us out on a daily basis, gentle, funny (he cracked himself up all the time) and so smart I could train him to do anything.

He loved to play frisbee and fetch. But his favorite game was soccer. His evening soccer game was at 9pm and he would bug Dh if it didn't start exactly at 9:00, but over the years, the "reminders' ("talking", dribbling his ball and putting it at Dh's feet) kept getting earlier and earlier. He'd shave a minute off every couple of weeks. As of Sunday night, his reminders started at 8:41 sharp. You could set your watch by it.

He tried his paw at herding and tracking and loved both. But he went NUTS for agility, so that's where we concentrated his energies when he wasn't working. Originally, we got him as a pet, a companion to our other dogs. But he started to alert on my medical condition, and quickly learned the tasks I needed him to perform to assist me to be more independent. I'm going to completely lost without him. I don't know how to train a dog to detect like he did.

He was named after the city of Campeche, Mexico, that we found to be a beautiful city, full of friendly lovely people. We couldn't have picked a better name for our little guy. But we called him Camper for short. He loved to be outdoors, sleeping in a tent, and it's kind of a sweet goofy name for a sweet goofy guy.

This little guy

Grew to be the king of my world

And a beloved member of the whole family.

His surgery was Monday morning. Sunday, we went to the park and I took this picture. He was annoyed that I made him stop running through the trails and playing ball with Dad and Meri long enough to snap a quick picture. It's not a great shot, but it's the last one I have. He looks happy.

I just can't believe he was so active and alive on Sunday. So perfectly fine on Monday when I dropped him off. But when I saw him this morning, my beautiful boy was lying there like he was napping (he was still warm, which made it worse). I felt like if I just told him "Let's go!" he'd hop up and race me to the door. But when we opened the door from the hospital, there wasn't a beautiful red and black boy waiting to be released to run and hop in the car. It was just us.

pupresq · 03-31-2009, 07:54 PM

Oh Lori! I'm so so sorry.

Like Dena, this is so completely unexpected. A beautiful young dog leading a wonderful rich life. It just doesn't seem possible. RIP sweet Camper, you were loved by many!

Laura H. · 03-31-2009, 07:54 PM

OMG, I am so sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine how you must feel, especially since he seemed to make it through the surgery.

My Rocky bloated nearly a year ago, but due to his age and dragging his legs, even if he pulled through he wouldn't have walked.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Virginia · 03-31-2009, 07:55 PM

I am so sorry for the sudden and tragic loss of your beautiful boy. I loved seeing his pictures, and your advice on this board has been immense value to me, and other members I'm sure. Please take care of yourself, and know that Camper was a very lucky boy to have found you and lived such a blessed life.

AnnaRiley · 03-31-2009, 07:58 PM

So sorry for your loss. Beautiful Camper, it must be so hard to see one so young leave you.

DSudd · 03-31-2009, 08:01 PM

How tragic for you to lose you beautiful boy at such a young age and so unexpectedly.

Camper, run free sweet boy

lucymom · 03-31-2009, 08:01 PM

Oh dear Lord, that is horrible, beyond words horrible. "Sorry" sounds inadequate. He is a spectacular boy, beautiful. You can see his inner beauty just as clearly as his stunning outer beauty. And he appointed himself your guardian....the best job he could ask for. And he could tell time to boot? A true wonder dog.

This is a huge loss to you, your family and dog kind. My tears are for you and Camper tonight, I can only try to believe that he was called away to do some very important work in another place.

There are few words of comfort I can offer, he was so young and such a vibrant part of your family. His was a gift all too fleeting, but an amazing gift nonetheless.

The fact that there are such beautiful canine spirits out there gives me hope though--I lost my heartdog on Christmas. When I read about a miracle dog like Camper, I realize that incredible canine spirits are all over, so many who have so much to give. And we are the lucky ones who have known them and been chosen by them. It gives me hope that the lessons they teach us will be played forward in their honor and that the world will be a better place because they were in it.

Camper was one of the great ones, a quiet hero to his family, and now an inspriation to all who read about him.

Raising a glass to Camper tonight. Best to you and your family.

Jennifer

onyx'girl · 03-31-2009, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted By: JenniferD he appointed himself your guardian....the best job he could ask for. And he could tell time to boot? A true wonder dog
This is a huge loss to you, your family and dog kind. My tears are for you and Camper tonight
Camper was one of the great ones, a quiet hero to his family, and now an inspriation to all who read about him.

Raising a glass to Camper tonight. Best to you and your family.
Jennifer

I am so sorry, my sympathies to you and your pack, and the words of Jennifer are echo'd. RIP Camper.

Karin · 03-31-2009, 08:13 PM

Oh no, I'm so very sorry to hear about your terrible loss of Camper. That is so young and such a shock since he was fine on Sunday. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. Rest in peace, sweet Camper.

hudak004 · 03-31-2009, 08:18 PM

Oh my goodness Lori, I am so sorry. I can not imagine what you are going through, It is hard for even me to digest. I wish there was something I could say or do.. just know that Camper will live on in your heart, and he will always be looking over you. I am so incredibly sorry for your tremendous loss. Ive never even heard of partial torsion

03-31-2009, 07:44 PM	#1 (permalink)
3K9Mom Crowned Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 7,575	Sweet funny Camper, my service dog & pal - goodbye With a broken heart, I say goodbye to my beautiful Campeche, my beautiful GSD. Last Monday, we discovered he had partial torsion of his stomach. The recommendation was surgery to reposition his stomach, ensure the health of the spleen, and perform gastropexy. I consulted with four doctors. including an internist. After a variety of diagnostics, they all recommended the same. He was otherwise a young healthy dog and there was no reason to expect that he would do anything but come through surgery fine. And he did. I spoke to the surgeon yesterday evening and Camper had come out of anesthesia and was doing well. But at about 4am, I received a call from the surgeon that he was rushing to the hospital. Camper had been taken outside to potty and collapsed. Since Zamboni has been very ill this week, I didn't want to leave her home alone. Dh and I put her in the car with Meri and we drove to the hospital. Before we could get there, though, Camper had died. He would have been three years old in May. Other than this stomach issue and food allergies (and some flare ups of SIBO, that haven't occurred in a long time), he WAS a very healthy dog. Vibrant, so active he wore us out on a daily basis, gentle, funny (he cracked himself up all the time) and so smart I could train him to do anything. He loved to play frisbee and fetch. But his favorite game was soccer. His evening soccer game was at 9pm and he would bug Dh if it didn't start exactly at 9:00, but over the years, the "reminders' ("talking", dribbling his ball and putting it at Dh's feet) kept getting earlier and earlier. He'd shave a minute off every couple of weeks. As of Sunday night, his reminders started at 8:41 sharp. You could set your watch by it. He tried his paw at herding and tracking and loved both. But he went NUTS for agility, so that's where we concentrated his energies when he wasn't working. Originally, we got him as a pet, a companion to our other dogs. But he started to alert on my medical condition, and quickly learned the tasks I needed him to perform to assist me to be more independent. I'm going to completely lost without him. I don't know how to train a dog to detect like he did. He was named after the city of Campeche, Mexico, that we found to be a beautiful city, full of friendly lovely people. We couldn't have picked a better name for our little guy. But we called him Camper for short. He loved to be outdoors, sleeping in a tent, and it's kind of a sweet goofy name for a sweet goofy guy. This little guy Grew to be the king of my world And a beloved member of the whole family. His surgery was Monday morning. Sunday, we went to the park and I took this picture. He was annoyed that I made him stop running through the trails and playing ball with Dad and Meri long enough to snap a quick picture. It's not a great shot, but it's the last one I have. He looks happy. I just can't believe he was so active and alive on Sunday. So perfectly fine on Monday when I dropped him off. But when I saw him this morning, my beautiful boy was lying there like he was napping (he was still warm, which made it worse). I felt like if I just told him "Let's go!" he'd hop up and race me to the door. But when we opened the door from the hospital, there wasn't a beautiful red and black boy waiting to be released to run and hop in the car. It was just us.

03-31-2009, 07:54 PM	#2 (permalink)
pupresq Crowned Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 5,485	Re: Sweet funny Camper, my service dog & pal - goodbye Oh Lori! I'm so so sorry. Like Dena, this is so completely unexpected. A beautiful young dog leading a wonderful rich life. It just doesn't seem possible. RIP sweet Camper, you were loved by many! __________________ http://www.brighterdaysforshelters.com Grace GSD Leo GSD

03-31-2009, 07:54 PM	#3 (permalink)
Laura H. Master Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 688	Re: Sweet funny Camper, my service dog & pal - goodbye OMG, I am so sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine how you must feel, especially since he seemed to make it through the surgery. My Rocky bloated nearly a year ago, but due to his age and dragging his legs, even if he pulled through he wouldn't have walked. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

03-31-2009, 07:55 PM	#4 (permalink)
Virginia Master Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 650	Re: Sweet funny Camper, my service dog & pal - goodbye I am so sorry for the sudden and tragic loss of your beautiful boy. I loved seeing his pictures, and your advice on this board has been immense value to me, and other members I'm sure. Please take care of yourself, and know that Camper was a very lucky boy to have found you and lived such a blessed life.

03-31-2009, 07:58 PM	#5 (permalink)
AnnaRiley Elite Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: SC Posts: 1,446	Re: Sweet funny Camper, my service dog & pal - goodbye So sorry for your loss. Beautiful Camper, it must be so hard to see one so young leave you.

03-31-2009, 08:01 PM	#6 (permalink)
DSudd Crowned Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,219	Re: Sweet funny Camper, my service dog & pal - goodbye How tragic for you to lose you beautiful boy at such a young age and so unexpectedly. Camper, run free sweet boy __________________ Danielle Mom to: Rocky - 3 year old Black GSD 3 Skin Kids

03-31-2009, 08:01 PM	#7 (permalink)
lucymom Elite Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Cape Cod, MA Posts: 1,250	Re: Sweet funny Camper, my service dog & pal - goodbye Oh dear Lord, that is horrible, beyond words horrible. "Sorry" sounds inadequate. He is a spectacular boy, beautiful. You can see his inner beauty just as clearly as his stunning outer beauty. And he appointed himself your guardian....the best job he could ask for. And he could tell time to boot? A true wonder dog. This is a huge loss to you, your family and dog kind. My tears are for you and Camper tonight, I can only try to believe that he was called away to do some very important work in another place. There are few words of comfort I can offer, he was so young and such a vibrant part of your family. His was a gift all too fleeting, but an amazing gift nonetheless. The fact that there are such beautiful canine spirits out there gives me hope though--I lost my heartdog on Christmas. When I read about a miracle dog like Camper, I realize that incredible canine spirits are all over, so many who have so much to give. And we are the lucky ones who have known them and been chosen by them. It gives me hope that the lessons they teach us will be played forward in their honor and that the world will be a better place because they were in it. Camper was one of the great ones, a quiet hero to his family, and now an inspriation to all who read about him. Raising a glass to Camper tonight. Best to you and your family. Jennifer __________________ Jennifer Aik vom Haus Gold "The Rock" Age 11 Zuzu--gsd DOB 4-21-09. Naughty n' nice Lucy, Black GSD 2/1997-12-25-2008. " T'was Heaven with you Here." Dweezil, WGSD. RIP, 13 Moon, WGSD. RIP , 12 Shining found treasures both.

03-31-2009, 08:13 PM	#9 (permalink)
Karin Knighted Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 2,840	Re: Sweet funny Camper, my service dog & pal - goodbye Oh no, I'm so very sorry to hear about your terrible loss of Camper. That is so young and such a shock since he was fine on Sunday. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. Rest in peace, sweet Camper. __________________ Karin and Dave Heidi, 6-year-old GSD Adopted on 10/14/07 from: German Shepherd Rescue of Northern California Sheba, GSD/Malamute

03-31-2009, 08:18 PM	#10 (permalink)
hudak004 Crowned Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: western PA Posts: 3,655	Re: Sweet funny Camper, my service dog & pal - goodbye Oh my goodness Lori, I am so sorry. I can not imagine what you are going through, It is hard for even me to digest. I wish there was something I could say or do.. just know that Camper will live on in your heart, and he will always be looking over you. I am so incredibly sorry for your tremendous loss. Ive never even heard of partial torsion

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